WTBFCY Chapter 39

When Regina opened her eyes again, a black cat was before her. Just as before, it lay sprawled on top of the wall, swishing its tail lazily. They hadn't even touched—yet just from their eyes meeting, she'd read his memories.

Regina shook her head from side to side to clear it.

"Mm, I knew young humans were lacking, but the human in front of me doesn't look that young, yet seems pretty deficient."

"Huh?"

"What? What are you staring at? Even if you stare, can you understand what I'm saying? Get lost, human."

Regina thought she'd misheard and looked at the cat again. But each time she heard the voice, the triangular mouth of the cat before her was definitely moving.

"This can't be—did reading your memories make me understand you too? So you really are a black faerie, aren't you?"

The cat hadn't died and come back to life. A black faerie had absorbed the cat and been reborn with its memories. The dust-like haze the cat had seen in its final moments must have been black faerie spores. Awed by this realization, Snow looked at her and clicked his tongue.

"Grabbing a cat sprawled on the roadside in broad daylight and spouting nonsense... Did you drink in the daytime? You look fine, but already a drunkard—very promising indeed. Tsk, tsk."

"Hey, I can hear everything, you know? I haven't been drinking, and I really can understand you."

Offended by his dismissive tone, Regina crossed her arms and glared at Snow. He'd been licking his front and back paws with his tongue, grooming his fur, but at her words he froze and looked back at her.

"...Did I get tangled up with a crazy human?"

"I'm not crazy."

"Huh!"

Startled, Snow bolted upright and backed away in a defensive posture.

"Uh... what? You really understand me? Then repeat after me. Cat, mouse, sky, forest, bird."

"Cat, mouse, sky, forest, bird."

"Good grief! A human understanding cat language—good lord. It's the end times, the end times!"

Snow's mouth fell open. Even his tail stood straight up—he looked thoroughly shocked. Regina, still keeping her arms crossed, poked his nose with her index finger.

"More importantly, isn't it more significant that I've understood everything you've said this whole time? Who are you calling a drunkard? And earlier you said I was deficient too, didn't you?"

"...Meow?"

"Don't make cat sounds just because things turned against you. Apologize right now."

"Uh... sorry?"

The rising intonation annoyed her, but she decided to accept it. Obsessing over getting a proper apology from a cat was ridiculous anyway. Regina sighed, uncrossed her arms, and extended her hand.

"I'm Regina. Regina Evelyn. I'm a black faerie, just like you."

"Wait, you're human and I'm a cat, but we're the same? What kind of world logic is this? There are limits to absurdity."

Ignoring the hand extended toward him, Snow turned his head sharply to the side and grumbled. At the sight of him complaining, Regina found herself smiling bitterly. She could feel that he feared human hands. More precisely, he feared human warmth touching him. Afraid of growing attached again.

"I'll explain everything. Will you come with me?"

"Look, meeting you was somewhat shocking and refreshing. But if you think I'll follow you just because you're a black faerie or whatever, you're mistaken. I have my own life to live."

Ignoring Regina's hand to the very end, Snow swished his tail—perhaps his version of a goodbye—and turned around. Watching the small cat's back as he walked away with dignity and composure, Regina opened her mouth.

"Snow."

Hesitation.

His steps stopped. He stood there for a while, then slowly turned his head.

"Come with me, Snow."

His amber eyes gazed at Regina steadily. After staying like that for a long moment without saying anything, Snow—at the sound of her calling his name once more—rubbed his head with a forepaw, then leaped toward her as if nothing bothered him.

Thud.

Regina, who had spread both arms to catch him as he jumped down, ended up in an awkward position when he stepped on her head instead.

"...Why my head of all places? Get down right now!"

Flustered, she raised her hands to her head to pull Snow down, but he casually batted them away with a forepaw. Then he tapped the crown of her head lightly.

"I'm not some easy cat who'll let himself be grabbed just like that. Your hair looks nice and fluffy, so I like it—let's go this way."

"You stupid cat!"

After fuming for a while, she had no choice but to start walking. As her gait began, Snow's view started bobbing up and down. The sensation was almost like floating in water, so he rested his head on his folded forepaws and closed his eyes.

'Snow!'

Henry's voice suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he missed it—but Snow didn't raise his head. He was simply satisfied that another person had appeared who would call him by his wonderful name.

On the way back to the inn, Regina told Snow about everything that had happened to her. Sitting on top of her head and listening, Snow felt his vision go dark.

'Good grief, what a sucker. Failing to escape because she saved the man who's trying to kill her.'

He'd been reassured that Regina looked older than Henry, so her memory wouldn't be goldfish-level at minimum—but he felt thoroughly blindsided. After goldfish came sucker—this proved that Snow had absolutely no eye for judging humans.

"...Haah."

"Hm? Why are you sighing? Is it uncomfortable?"

When Snow let out a long sigh from atop Regina's head, she tilted her head upward. Snow, who slid down from the motion, naturally settled on her shoulder.

"No, well. I'm so exceptional that I thought I'd have excellent judgment of people too. But it's fine. You need a few flaws to make your strengths stand out more, don't you?"

"...I guess so?"

Regina found Snow's tone oddly irritating but couldn't quite pinpoint why, so she just agreed. Snow looked at her as if pitying her, tapped her shoulder with his tail, then continued.

"Right, the way I see it, you've got a lot of problems. How do I put this—you look like a house cat with a flat nose and long fur who probably can't even run properly? You obviously grew up pampered and don't know how the world works, but don't worry now that I'm here. I've been through all sorts of trials, so I know quite a bit, you know?"

"......"

"Just trust me. With your sucker-like personality, you need a sharp cat like me. Got it?"

Snow laughed smugly and urged her to answer, but Regina ignored him and hurried her steps. Following the path Nancy had shown her, it wasn't long before she could see the main road leading downtown on the opposite side. When she emerged there, the inn building was immediately to her right.

"Mr. Noah!"

At Regina's call, Noah—who had been standing in front of the inn—turned his head. Snow flinched at his gaze and quickly hid his head between Regina's hair. But Noah, apparently uninterested in Snow, didn't even glance at him and spoke directly to Regina instead.

"You're late. We need to move right away, so go upstairs and leave your things."

"Hehe, well, about that—ta-da! This is the black cat from that boy Henry's house! I brought him!"

"Kyaaang!"

When she proudly grabbed Snow—who was draped long across her shoulder—with both hands and thrust him toward Noah, startled Snow bared his teeth and claws. His rigidly stiff tail announced his extreme tension.

"How's that? I'm pretty capable, aren't I?"

"......"

Noah fell silent, not knowing how to respond to Regina, who was shrugging her shoulders as if to say aren't I amazing?

Under Noah's gaze as he stared down at her, wondering if she was asking for praise, Regina—feeling intimidated—slowly lowered the hands that had been holding the cat aloft.

"Ah, aha ha. So what I mean is, this is the extent of my capabilities... Oh, right! What about when you asked around about Rose? Did you find anything out?"

Embarrassed by the awkward silence, Regina changed the subject. She'd been curious about Rose anyway. At her question, Noah shook his head.

"...They said it's hard to remember because there are so many tourists this time of year. There was no name 'Rose' on the guest list either. Naturally, it seems she's using an alias."

"I see... Still, could we stay here for about one more day? If we walk around downtown, we might run into her by chance."

When she made the request hopefully, Noah nodded. Then he extended his hand toward the cat Regina was holding.

"Do as you like. Then let's go out to the downtown area this afternoon. Give me that cat and go upstairs to rest for now."

But before his hand could touch the cat, Regina hugged Snow tightly and whirled her upper body away.

"Huh? No! This is a good cat. Obviously he hasn't eaten any people either. So there's no reason for you to want him, Mr. Noah."

"Meoooow!"

"Snow says he's a gourmet. He doesn't have any such bizarre habits. Oh, Snow is this one's name."

Noah pressed his fingers to his brow, not knowing where to begin addressing her words.

"Don't be swayed by appearances. That cat is a black faerie too. It's safer to eliminate it before it might suddenly turn hostile and attack."

"Haaak!"

At the mention of eliminating Snow, Regina's face went white. Snow likewise flattened his ears back and bared his teeth.

"Absolutely not! This one won't suddenly turn hostile or anything. I'll notice before that happens."

"How would you?"

"Actually, I can communicate with him. I can understand everything he says."

"......"

When Noah closed his mouth with a disbelieving expression, Regina quickly spoke to Snow.

"Snow, just turn around three times where you are."

"Why should I?"

"Hurry, we have to show Mr. Noah that we can communicate, or you won't survive. Mr. Noah is a terrifying mixed-blood faerie who can eliminate us!"

Noah's eyebrow rose slightly at being called terrifying to his face, then lowered again. Watching the black cat meowing away while Regina had a serious conversation in front of it was absurd, but he crossed his arms and observed them both, curious how far this would go.

"Meooow? Are you joking? You never mentioned there was a natural predator here! This is fraud. This contract is void. I'm leaving right now."

"N-no! If you leave now, you're definitely dead! Mr. Noah is a hundred times faster than you."

Regina frantically grabbed the cat's rear end as he tried to climb off her shoulder and pleaded with him. The cat, yowling harshly, kicked at Regina's head with his hind legs—then found his scruff caught in Noah's hand and was lifted into the air.