Chapter 39
When Regina opened her eyes again, there was a black cat in front of her. Just like before, it was lying stretched out on the wall, swaying its tail gently. Without even touching, she had read his memories just by making eye contact.
Regina shook her head side to side for a moment to clear her mind.
“Hmm, I knew young humans were lacking, but the human in front of me doesn’t look that young, yet seems quite deficient.”
“Huh?”
“What? What are you looking at? Even if you look, can you understand what I’m saying? Just go on your way, human.”
Regina looked at the cat again, wondering if she had misheard. But every time she heard the voice, the cat’s triangular mouth was clearly moving.
“This can’t be, did I gain the ability to communicate while reading memories? Then you really are a Black Fairy, aren’t you?”
The cat hadn’t died and come back to life. A Black Fairy had absorbed the cat and been reborn with its memories. The dust-like haze the cat had seen in its final moments was clearly Black Fairy spores. As Regina exclaimed in realization, Snow clicked his tongue, looking at her.
“Talking nonsense to a cat sprawled on the roadside in broad daylight… Have you been drinking? You look fine, but to be a drunkard already, you’re quite promising. Tsk tsk.”
“Hey, I can hear everything, you know? I’m not drunk, and me hearing your words is real.”
Regina, offended by his subtly dismissive tone, crossed her arms and glared at Snow. He was licking his front and back paws, grooming his fur, but stopped at her words and looked back at her.
“…Have I run into a crazy human?”
“I’m not crazy.”
“Gasp!”
Startled, Snow jumped up and retreated, taking a defensive posture.
“Um… What’s going on? Can you really understand me? Then repeat after me. Cat, mouse, sky, forest, bird.”
“Cat, mouse, sky, forest, bird.”
“Good gracious! A human understanding cat language, oh my. It’s the end of the world!”
Snow’s mouth gaped open. His tail stood straight up, indicating how surprised he was. Regina, still with her arms crossed, poked the tip of his nose with her index finger.
“Isn’t it more important that I’ve been understanding everything you’ve said so far? Who are you calling a drunkard? Didn’t you also say I was lacking earlier?”
“…Meow?”
“Don’t start meowing now that things aren’t going your way. Apologize right now.”
“Um… Sorry?”
She was displeased with the rising intonation but decided to accept it. It was also amusing to be fixated on getting an apology from a cat. Regina sighed, uncrossed her arms, and held out her hand.
“I’m Regina. Regina Evelyn. I’m a Black Fairy like you.”
“Wait, you’re human and I’m a cat, but we’re the same? Is this how the world works now? There’s a limit to absurdity.”
Regina couldn’t help but smile bitterly at Snow’s grumbling as he turned his head to the side, pretending not to see her outstretched hand. She could sense that he feared human hands. More precisely, he was afraid of human warmth touching him. Afraid of growing attached again.
“I’ll tell you the details. Want to come with me?”
“Look, meeting you was somewhat shocking and fresh. But if you think I’m going to follow you just because you say you’re a Black Fairy or whatever, you’re mistaken. I have my own life, you know.”
Snow, who had been ignoring Regina’s hand until the end, wagged his tail as if giving his own kind of greeting, then turned around. Watching the small cat walk away proudly and dignifiedly, Regina spoke.
“Snow.”
-Pause.
His steps stopped. He stood there for a while, then slowly turned his head.
“Come with me, Snow.”
Amber eyes gazed at Regina intently. After staying like that for a long time without saying anything, Snow rubbed his head with his front paw at the voice calling him again, then nonchalantly leaped towards her.
-Thud.
Regina, who had spread her arms to catch him as he jumped down, ended up in an awkward position as he stood on her head.
“…Why my head of all places? Get down right now!”
Exasperated, she raised her hands to her head to pull Snow down, but he casually batted them away with his front paws. Then he patted the top of her head.
“I’m not an easy cat that just jumps into arms. Your hair looks fluffy, so I like it. Let’s go like this.”
“You stupid cat!”
After fuming for a while, she reluctantly started walking, and Snow’s view began to sway. It felt like floating in water, so he closed his eyes, resting his head on his folded front paws.
-Snow!
Henry’s voice suddenly came to mind, and Snow missed it, but he didn’t raise his head. He was simply satisfied with the fact that another person had appeared who would call his cool name.
* * *
On the way back to the inn, Regina told Snow about what she had been through. Sitting on top of her head listening to this, Snow felt dismayed.
‘Good grief, what a sucker. Failing to escape because she was saving a man who was trying to kill her.’
Snow, who had been relieved that Regina looked older than Henry and therefore wouldn’t have goldfish-level memory, felt completely blindsided. To think that after goldfish came sucker – this proved that Snow had no eye for humans.
“…Sigh.”
“Hm? Why are you sighing? Uncomfortable?”
When Snow let out a long sigh from atop Regina’s head, she looked up. This caused Snow to slide down naturally onto her shoulder.
“No, well. I thought I was so great that I’d have an excellent eye for people too. But it’s okay. Don’t they say a few flaws make the strengths stand out more?”
“…I guess that’s true?”
Regina found Snow’s tone oddly irritating but felt it was too ambiguous to point out, so she just agreed. Snow tapped her shoulder with his tail as if pitying her, then continued.
“Yeah, from what I see, you’ve got a lot of problems. How should I put it, you look like a house cat with a flat nose and long fur that probably can’t run properly? You seem like someone who’s been spoiled and doesn’t know the ways of the world, but don’t worry now that I’m here. I’ve been through thick and thin, so I know quite a bit, you know?”
“…”
“Just trust me. Someone with your sucker-like personality needs a sharp cat like me. Got it?”
Snow chuckled and urged her to answer, but Regina ignored him and hurried her steps. Not long after following the road Nancy had shown, they saw the main street leading to the town center on the opposite side. As they came out there, the inn building was right on the right.
“Mr. Noah!”
At Regina’s call, Noah, who was standing in front of the inn, turned his head. Snow flinched at his gaze and quickly hid his head among Regina’s hair. However, Noah seemed uninterested in Snow and spoke directly to Regina without even looking at him.
“You’re late. We need to move right away, so go upstairs and put your luggage down.”
“Hehe, about that, ta-da! This little one is the black cat from Henry’s house! I brought him!”
“Meow!”
As Regina grabbed Snow, who was draped lengthwise across her shoulder, with both hands and held him out to Noah, the startled Snow bared his teeth and claws. His stiffly erect tail showed how tense he was.
“What do you think? I’m quite something, aren’t I?”
“…”
Noah was silent, not knowing how to respond to Regina, who was shrugging her shoulders as if to say, “Isn’t this impressive?”
Thinking she might be asking for praise, Regina lowered her hands that had been holding up the cat, feeling intimidated by Noah’s gaze looking down at her.
“Ah, haha. I mean, this is all I could do… Oh, right! How did your inquiries about Rose go? Did you find out anything?”
Regina changed the subject, embarrassed by the awkward silence. She had been curious about Rose anyway. Noah shook his head at the question.
“…They say it’s hard to remember because there are many tourists at this time. There was no name ‘Rose’ on the guest lists either. As expected, she seems to be using an alias.”
“I see… Still, can we stay here for one more day? We might accidentally find her while walking around town.”
Noah nodded at her request, made out of regret. Then he reached out his hand towards the cat Regina was holding.
“If you want. Then let’s go into town this afternoon. Give me that cat, and you go upstairs and rest for a while.”
However, before his hand could touch the cat, Regina hugged Snow tightly and quickly turned her upper body.
“Huh? No way! This little one is a good cat. Of course, he hasn’t eaten any people either. So there’s no reason for you to want him, Mr. Noah.”
“Meooow!”
“Snow says he’s a gourmet. He doesn’t have such strange habits. Oh, Snow is this little one’s name.”
Noah pressed his fingers between his eyebrows, not knowing where to start criticizing her words.
“Don’t be swayed by appearances. That cat is also a Black Fairy. It’s safer to eliminate it in advance, as we don’t know when it might suddenly turn and attack.”
“Gasp!”
Regina’s face turned pale at the mention of eliminating Snow. Snow also bared his teeth, pulling his ears back.
“Absolutely not! This little one won’t suddenly turn or anything. I’ll notice before that happens.”
“How would you do that?”
“Actually, I can communicate with this little one. I can understand everything he says.”
“…”
When Noah closed his mouth with a disbelieving look, Regina quickly spoke to Snow.
“Snow, can you just turn around three times in my arms?”
“Why should I?”
“Hurry, we need to show Mr. Noah that we can communicate so you can survive. Mr. Noah is a terrifying half-fairy who can eliminate us!”
Noah’s eyebrow slightly raised and then lowered again at being called terrifying to his face. It was ridiculous to see Regina having a serious conversation in front of the black cat that was just meowing, but curious to see how far this would go, he crossed his arms and watched the two.
“Meow? Are you kidding me? You never mentioned there was such a predator here! This is fraud. This contract is void. I’m leaving right now.”
“Oh, no! If you leave now, you’re definitely dead! Mr. Noah is a hundred times faster than you!”
Regina desperately grabbed the cat’s bottom as it was getting off her shoulder and pleaded. The cat, meowing roughly, kicked Regina’s head with its hind legs before being caught by the scruff of its neck by Noah’s hand and lifted into the air.
