Magic in the Twenty-first Century

All distractions out of the way, yaoi and yuri doujins aside, I finally found myself in a position where I was able to ask Kissuragi the burning question that was on my mind. To prepare myself, I took a couple of long seconds to scratch behind her ears before finding the proper wording to express my concerns.

While in the midst of her sleepy purring, I began to speak,
"Kissuragi-sama... Where did you come from? Why did my summoning magic actually work? I've been trying to summon yokai since I was five years old. Why now? How was I able to bring forth a real Nekomata in the twenty-first century when all magic has been lost?"

My voice must have appeared almost saddened, as Kissuragi's previous sleepy state was now fully altered. She was wide awake, her swishing tail slowing to a halt before she sat up in my bed, giving me her full, undivided attention.
"Nya... you truly don't know, Mamimi?"

"I truly don't. Why is it that you're here?"

"Meow... I thought you would be smart enough to realize it. I mean, you're the one in possession of Ruby's tome. I'm surprised it's lasted for two hundred years with such minimal damage."
Kissuragi pointed toward my desk; the black "Grimoire" I had purchased was sitting neatly next to my computer.

I could feel my pulse quicken as I gazed forward at the black book.

"Ruby's tome? Who the heck is Ruby? Does that mean my 'Grimoire' is truly a magical item?"

"That's right. It's a magical tome used to summon yokai,"
Kissuragi answered.

"Huh?! How did you hear my thoughts just now?! I didn't speak aloud, did I?!"
I gasped loudly, feeling a creeping dread wash over me as Kissuragi calmly groomed her palm.

"Nya, I am your Familiar, Mamimi. If there is something you're thinking and wish to ask me, we can communicate telepathically. Did you not study anything about yokai familiars?"
Completely unamused, Kissuragi brought her moistened palm to the back of her ears to scratch.

"That's... insane! So, if I start thinking while wishing you can hear me, you can just hear my every thought?!"
I gripped my head, immediately fearing the worst.

This is unbelievable! What if Kissuragi hears my inner dialogue when I'm reading a doujin late at night?! Or worse, what if she starts to realize that I secretly think she's an adorable cat girl that I want to pet and pamper?! She'll seriously try to kill me! Oh crap! Can she hear me?! Stop thinking!

Silence.

"Nya, are you trying to communicate? I can only hear you if you want me to, Mamimi."
Kissuragi began to close her eyes.

Suddenly, her echoing voice reverberated through my mind, as if I was receiving her thoughts directly into my brain.

"See? I wish to communicate, Nya, so now you can hear me. This is Familiar 101! For someone so obsessed with yokai, you truly are a fool sometimes."

"I guess that makes sense,"
I tapped my chin.
"So... if I really don't want you to hear something, I just simply cease to manifest the wish for you to hear me?"

"Meow, that's the gist of it. But be careful what you think. I've seen betrayals on levels unspoken through humans and yokai, all due to a few misunderstandings during telepathy. It's best if we limit our thoughts unless absolutely necessary."

"I suppose that makes sense. Very well, Kissuragi-sama, I'll only call upon you when I truly see no other way to verbally communicate my feelings."
I could feel my bead of sweat disappearing when I realized I could still have private time to indulge in juicy reading material while she was asleep.

"You mentioned that my 'Grimoire' belonged to Ruby? Who exactly was she?"
I flopped back into my bed, feeling my eyes grow heavy as the night dragged on. I glanced at my alarm clock, taking note of the 2:07AM display.

"Ruby the Red Witch. She was a powerful mage that resided in the Ashigara Mountains in the early nineteenth century. Nya, her practices of unusual witchcraft and spells caused the townsfolk to run her out into the mountains, where she created what you are now calling a Grimoire."
Kissuragi dropped this information casually, as if the existence of mages were a common occurrence in this era; or any era for that matter.

"A real mage? Like, casting spells and summoning demons? Normally, I would say that's crazy, but I have physical evidence sitting right in front of me."
My tired eyes grew narrower by the second, the burger in my stomach weighing me down to the point that I was craving a nap.

"Meow, precisely! Humans have lost their ability to see and conjure magic. You're truly a rare breed, Mamimi. Your mana is overflowing, brighter than the stars in the sky! These other humans don't even come close to your abilities."
Kissuragi's voice carried a respect that went far beyond a servant to her master.

If what she's saying is true, then maybe I've been honing these skills in secret this entire time. Maybe my attempts weren't for nothing. Maybe I was on the path to success, yet got dealt a bad hand when it came to execution. Regardless, I seriously can't keep my eyes open anymore. I want to ask more about Ruby and Kissuragi's past. Damn it.

I began to snore.

"Mamimi?"
Kissuragi poked at my cheek.

Snore.

"Mamimi? Where am I supposed to nap? Mamimi, I want to work off my meal with a hunt, Nya!"
Kissuragi shook me by my shoulders.

Snore.

"Meow! For crying out loud!"
Kissuragi finally settled into bed beside me, letting her restless tail wrap gently around my wrist as she joined me in dreamland.

* * *

"Crap! Crap, crap, crap! I'm late! My boss is seriously gonna fire me! What the hell was I thinking?!"
My dead cellphone resided in my skirt pocket, having forgotten to put it on the charger and change out of my work clothes from the night before. I silently thanked myself for having relatively medium-length hair, as brushing it only took a few seconds.

Kissuragi stirred from her slumber, her ears and hair looking as if they had just been through a wind turbine. She let out a carefree yawn, bringing her toes to her ears to scratch them. The gesture looked quite odd coming from a human-looking girl.

"Kissuragi-sama, just... stay here! Don't go anywhere or touch anything! You can snack on some bread while I'm at work!"
I quickly slathered a few pieces of toast with strawberry jam, stuffing one into my own mouth before leaving Kissuragi four.

"Nya?! Only four little slivers of loaf?! That's not what we agreed upon, Mamimi! I said three meals a day, not one snack and two meals!"
Kissuragi hissed in displeasure, her fangs glaring in the morning sunshine slipping through my window.

"I promise I'll make you a tasty dinner! I seriously don't have time to argue; I'm late for work! No work means no money! No money means no trip to Osaka!"
My words seemed to resonate with Kissuragi, as the mention of Osaka calmed her down.

"Very well, Mamimi. But I must say, I am unhappy with only four bread slices. How long will you be out in the fields? Perhaps you're a textile worker? I wish to know when my next meal will be."
Kissuragi stuffed a corner of bread between her cute lips, her cheeks softening as the jam coated her tongue.

She's so cute! Look at that tsundere pout on her cheeks; the way she has one eye open and a bread slice dangling between her lips! This is such an overused trope in school manga, yet I'm witnessing it with my own two eyes! I'm seriously going to explode with cuteness overload!

"Nya? Why are you panting so heavily, Mamimi?"
Kissuragi accidentally made herself even cuter, settling her open palms between her legs on the floor, her back arched like a feline as she did a half-crawl toward me in that revealing yukata slipping down her shoulders.
"Are you running a fever?"
She chomped the remainder of bread in her mouth, pressing her forehead against mine as my breath audibly hitched.

I squealed, my steamy face showing signs of years of depravity as she checked my temperature.
"Ah! I can see the imaginary roses and flowers blooming around us! The twinkly sound effects and the sudden change in OST!"

"Meow?! You're hallucinating flowers?! What's twinkling?!"
Kissuragi looked concerned, her ears fluttering upward to listen carefully.

"This is the part when I confess my feelings to you, and you tilt my chin upward and say, 'Idiot. I love you, too.' and then the credits roll! Praise yuri romance!"
My pupils were practically hearts now.

"Idiot."
Kissuragi mumbled.

"Here it comes!"
I squealed.

"How could you bring up your twisted fantasies at a time like this?! I'm starving over here, Nya!"
Kissuragi's voice shook the entire apartment.

Shortly after, I was shoved out of my own apartment, the door slamming in my face as my heart thumped.

Yup, that was seriously amazing. I better get to work before I overheat. Praise yuri! Praise yokai!