Chapter 4 - The Tail Problem

By the time the next morning arrived, Rei Hoshizaki had reached a very important conclusion.

Actually, several conclusions.

First: Kuro Akamine was extremely suspicious.

Second: she had hissed twice within the span of twenty-four hours.

And third—

She reacted to grilled fish like someone who had just discovered the meaning of life.

All of this added up to one very obvious possibility.

She has to be the neko kanojo.

Unfortunately…

There was still one problem.

Rei had absolutely no proof.

And accusing someone of secretly being a catgirl without proof was the kind of thing that usually resulted in social disaster.

Which meant he needed to confirm it.

Carefully.

Scientifically.

Preferably without getting punched.

Rei tapped his pencil against his notebook during morning class while pretending to listen to the teacher.

Okay… think.

What kind of evidence would prove someone is secretly a neko kanojo?

He glanced sideways.

Kuro was sitting in her usual seat near the back of the classroom.

Her posture was straight.

Her expression calm.

Her pencil moved across the page with the quiet confidence of someone who definitely understood the lesson better than everyone else.

In other words…

She looked completely normal.

Rei frowned.

That’s the problem.

Then something strange happened.

Kuro’s chair moved slightly.

Not a normal movement.

More like—

A sudden twitch.

Rei blinked.

He leaned slightly sideways in his chair.

The movement happened again.

Her chair shifted.

Just a little.

Kuro froze.

Very slowly, she adjusted her position.

Then the chair moved again.

Rei narrowed his eyes.

Wait.

That movement looked familiar.

Very familiar.

Rei slowly leaned farther to the side.

Trying to see behind her chair.

The moment he did—

Kuro suddenly turned around.

Their eyes met.

“…What are you doing.”

Rei immediately sat up straight.

“Nothing!”

“You leaned halfway out of your chair.”

“I dropped my pen.”

“You’re holding your pen.”

Rei looked down.

“…I dropped it earlier.”

Kuro stared at him.

Her eyes slowly narrowed.

“…You’re strange.”

Rei pointed defensively.

“You hiss.”

“That was a sneeze.”

“That was not a sneeze.”

Kuro turned back toward the front of the class.

“…Unbelievable.”

But something about her posture looked slightly tense now.

Almost like she was trying very hard not to move.

Rei noticed.

And immediately became even more suspicious.

Something is definitely going on.

The rest of the class passed in relative silence.

Mostly because Kuro refused to look at Rei again.

And Rei refused to stop observing her.

Finally, the bell rang.

Students began packing their bags and leaving the classroom.

Kuro stood up quickly.

Unfortunately…

The moment she did—

THUD.

Her chair tipped backward.

Several students turned to look.

Kuro froze.

Rei blinked.

The chair hadn’t just tipped.

It had been pushed.

From behind.

Kuro quickly picked it up.

“…It slipped.”

No one questioned it.

Everyone continued leaving.

Except Rei.

Rei was staring.

Because for just a moment—

Just one brief moment—

He thought he saw something move behind her.

Something black.

Something long.

Something that looked suspiciously like—

A tail.

Kuro grabbed her bag and walked toward the door.

Rei immediately followed.

“Akamine.”

She stopped.

Very slowly, she turned around.

“…Why.”

Rei hesitated.

Then he decided something important.

If subtle investigation wasn’t working…

He would simply ask.

“Well,” Rei said awkwardly, “I realized something.”

Kuro crossed her arms.

“That sounds dangerous.”

Rei ignored the comment.

“We’ve been in the same class for two years.”

“Yes.”

“And we’ve barely talked.”

“Yes.”

“So I thought maybe we should get to know each other.”

Kuro stared at him.

“…Why.”

Rei opened his mouth.

Then paused.

Because the honest answer—

Because I think you might be a catgirl—

was probably not a good idea.

“…Because classmates should be friendly?”

Kuro looked extremely unconvinced.

“You’re bad at lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“You’re sweating.”

Rei wiped his forehead.

“…It’s warm.”

“It’s autumn.”

Rei sighed.

“Okay fine.”

He scratched the back of his head.

“I’m curious.”

“About what.”

“You.”

Kuro blinked.

“…That’s vague.”

“I mean,” Rei said quickly, “you’re always quiet. You never talk to anyone. You read during lunch. You leave immediately after school.”

Kuro looked away slightly.

“…And?”

“And I realized I don’t actually know anything about you.”

Kuro was silent for a moment.

Then she shrugged.

“There isn’t much to know.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes it is.”

“You like fish.”

“That’s normal.”

“You hiss when startled.”

“That was a sneeze.”

“You climb trees.”

Kuro froze.

Very slowly…

She turned back toward him.

“…What.”

Rei realized too late what he had said.

“…Hypothetically.”

“…You saw that.”

Rei panicked.

“I didn’t say that!”

“You just said that.”

“I meant hypothetically climbing trees!”

Kuro stared at him.

For a long moment.

Then she sighed.

“…You’re extremely strange.”

Rei rubbed the back of his neck.

“I get that a lot.”

There was a brief silence between them.

Then Kuro started walking again.

Rei followed.

“Akamine.”

“…What.”

“Do you like cats?”

Kuro stopped walking.

“…Why are you asking that.”

“No reason.”

“…You’re lying again.”

Rei laughed nervously.

“Maybe a little.”

Kuro turned toward him.

Her expression looked tired.

“…Hoshizaki.”

“Yes?”

“If you keep asking strange questions like this…”

Rei swallowed.

“…Yes?”

“…people will think you’re weird.”

Rei looked down.

“…Too late.”

Kuro sighed again.

Then she turned and continued walking down the hallway.

Rei watched her go.

Then something happened.

Something important.

Something impossible.

Because as she walked away—

He saw it clearly.

Not imagined.

Not guessed.

Not suspected.

Actually saw it.

Two black cat ears sitting on top of her head.

And behind her—

A long black tail swaying slowly back and forth.

Rei froze.

His brain stopped functioning.

Because none of the other students reacted.

No one noticed.

No one stared.

Which meant—

The god had been telling the truth.

Only he could see them.

Rei slowly lifted a shaking finger and pointed.

“…Akamine.”

She stopped.

Without turning around.

“…What.”

Rei swallowed.

Then said the one thing that completely destroyed the fragile peace between them.

“I can see them.”

Silence filled the hallway.

Several seconds passed.

Then slowly—

Very slowly—

Kuro turned around.

“…See what.”

Rei pointed again.

“…Your ears.”

Her expression went blank.

“And your tail.”

The tail immediately froze.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Kuro spoke very quietly.

“…You weren’t supposed to notice that.”

Rei blinked.

“…So you admit it.”

Kuro closed her eyes.

“…This day just keeps getting worse.”

Rei suddenly grinned.

Because now—

He finally had proof.

Kuro Akamine was definitely the neko kanojo.