Chapter 2: Boss Encounter

Walk around in these legs for a while and you'll find yourself rather comfortable with them. Of course, I still have high preference towards being bipedal. Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't find this much more efficient. Truly, I've discovered a great reservoir of energy for quadrupedal animals. I'd hate to be a snake on that.

Stopping before a crosswalk, I waited for the light on the other side to signal its approval. Some time had passed since coming out of the darkness of the alley Kamakura indirectly ditched me in, though I didn't know exactly how much time had passed. It was much more natural to focus on one's suddenly enhanced senses, and getting a grasp of them should've been the start. Not only did I neglect that, but controlling them was harder than I had anticipated. My ears twitched in all directions, picking up fragments on all of the conversation going around me. It was hard to even hear my own thinking. I suppose I wasn't habituated with my own hometown in this form yet. Their youth-laced conversations were clouding my realistic and logical musings that were still currently trying to asses my situation coupled with inward cursing towards my cat. Speaking of logic, one may ask why I could not simply stay in that alleyway and think there.

I would've like to as that made more sense, but I may or may not have developed an irrational fear of dark alleys since a few hours ago. Yup, definitely trauma.

With a beep, the light across the street gave its acknowledgement and I could feel my subconscious gravitate towards the other side with the rest of the masses. I could hear the idle chatter they had overhead me as they saw a stray obeying the law like everyone else. No one is above the law. Not even a cat. Except I'm not really a cat, so just call me a god.

…Is this the natural thinking process of a cat? Reaaally scary~. I fear for the residue effects that will linger when I turn back. That is, if I turn back.

Worst case scenario I gain an irredeemable love for cats, going so far as to buy accessories of that theme like another person I know. Maybe even get my hair to stiffen up and look like I have cat ears. God please save me from all this.

There was also the possibility of irrefutably hating on cats, which to be honest, I was currently okay with that. Maybe become a dog kinda guy. Kamakura never did like Yuigahama's pet, right? I think I'll have to impose on her so I could watch over Sable more often out of my pure passive-aggressiveness to get back at him.

As I made it to the other side of the road, I broke off to the left abandoning most of the crowd I had been traveling with. I could've sworn someone was recording me back there. Perhaps I too will one day join the many cats of the internet as another form of moderate entertainment for all ages. I skimmed along the buildings to the right of me so as to avoid the oncoming traffic. A pale existence and out of people's way. That is a variation of a loner's guideline.

Looking to the ground, it was evident that I was reaching a still active but more quiet part of town. More noticeable due to the fact that my ears were no longer acting on their accordance due to the rather lackluster environment around here. Didn't Kamakura say my 'instincts would kick in when needed'? Tch. I needed them to kick in a lot earlier when I was with the youth-crazed society. At this point it was extremely convincing that cats only felt contempt, showing no appreciation for the hands that feed them. Oh wait, that might just be me. Where are my thoughts even going? Exempt that last part. Seeing as the sounds have dwindled, I started contemplating.

Kamakura's words echoed in my head; that I had to find something genuine. But where do I start? That cuddly spawn of Satan didn't give me a single lead! I had all the time in the world as a cat, but the human Hikigaya Hachiman had a face that was susceptible to being forgotten. There weren't many who truly cared about me or my existence anyway. In fact, I prefer to be forgotten. Saves me from future confrontations and chances are I didn't like them very much. Still, while that is an undeniably true fact and I was a veteran at it, being forgotten stings just a bit y'know? It's a hard equivalent to being dead. Komachi, please never forget your Onii-chan!

At most by the end of all this I'd acquire a superiority complex compared to my present inferiority. Then again most times it was a mix between the two. Maybe even accumulate a list of why I hate cats. I concluded that my time spent as a cat will be the longest I have ever been unhappy…or gone without smiling. 'Least I'm not married, then I would've experienced true unhappiness until the day I die. If nothing is worth it in the end, I might as well go ahead and drink a can of prion disease. Wait no…drink a can of MAX coffee and then prion disease. Yeah, that's the way I wanna go.

However, back to the matter at hand…or paw. Whatever.

How was I supposed to reach this stage of 'fulfillment' Kamakura speaks about? To find this genuine thing. They went hand in hand with each other…or paw in paw, rather. Geez, why did everything have to get so intricate now? Next thing you know I might get triggered from people referring to me by the wrong pronoun. Not that it mattered much, but I believe they classify me as a tomcat. Right, Yukipedia? Either way, I didn't care what I was. My abilities could only extend so far as Hikigaya Hachiman, which would be considered an all new low standard.

Anyways…

My desire was something genuine which led to my fulfillment. That would be the best way to summarize my predicament. Drawing from that, I asked myself 'when did I start to want something like that'? The selfish desire had always been buried deep within me but didn't start sprouting until I openly stated it.

Ah…right. I stated it. In front of them…

Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino.

So did my answer have something to do with them? My ordeal and my being a cat coupled with those two girls had absolutely no correlation. Well, that's exempting Yukinoshita's great admiration for my kind. Yuigahama wasn't too fond of cats as she was more a dog type of person in the first place. My options were broad yet my paths narrow. Time seemed to be a very inclusive factor in this, and should I start on the wrong foot (paw), I'd be deemed missing for an extended period of time. Turning back to normal seemed to be the transparent, secondary incentive. Fulfillment was first on the list I suppose.

I rounded a corner and heard the distinct sounds of plastic buttons being mashed proceeded by electronic gunfire. I haven't even begun to hone my enhanced senses due to my panicked thinking earlier. Reaching a conclusion sure is tiresome…

I looked inside the exposed building. It appears I've stumbled upon the open arcade. Seeing that, my house shouldn't've been too far away. But alas, I was forbidden from entering that land. This must be the life of an exile. Saved from execution but burdening yourself with the knowledge that you could never return home.

…I really hate the world right now.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I peered inside the arcade, simply fascinated by the flashing lights that were practically everywhere inside the facility. Near the back I could see where you would purchase prizes for an ungodly amount of tickets…oh look, they even have a giant Pan-san the Panda plush. The prizes adorned the wall behind the counter, the amount of tickets increasing as it neared the ceiling. The employee behind the glass case of smaller prizes looked devoid of life, their eyes looking at everyone else who was partaking in the arcade's games. I wondered if that's what I usually looked like to people on the daily, but then I remembered I was pretty much the only entity in Chiba with eyes of my caliber. No thanks to a certain someone always berating me for it. Or everyone, for that matter. Maybe the world hates me back…

Still, the sight further confirmed my philosophy: to work is to lose. That dude looked like he was thinking about death all the time. In the center of the prizes on the wall was a large clock. It read 11:47 AM. Kamakura was right then. I did wake up early on a weekend. An excessively unpleasant, cursed, godforsaken weekend. Please wake me up from this nightmare and I'll try everything in my power to make my eyes look normal.

However, everything I had seen in the arcade up till now was all thanks to my increased peripheral vision, buffed by my own perceptiveness. My real sights were set onto one still, red dot. Was it malfunctioning there? My body had become stationary without me realizing it. A strange feeling welled up inside that made me just wanna…pounce at it. I managed to resist the urge, but I couldn't steer away my senses from zoning in on that taunting, single red dot. My eyes widened in realization.

It was the red dot. The most basic form of a cat owner's mild entertainment. The internet was plunged in these type of videos, granted you look in the right places. I myself had seen these type of videos for ample enjoyment. It was the perfect balance of amusement that wouldn't become drawl until you reached a state of insanity. Compilations could entertain you for hours on end.

But now I was a victim. Was this the end? So fast…? Had I become enslaved to the red dot like so many of my brethren had? The manipulation of using one's natural instinct with something they could not physically catch, in an endless loop of unsuccessfulness? I understood everything in that moment. The reason why world peace wasn't reachable. It was because of owners that taunted their cats with intangible red lasers as a form of pitiful entertainment as a byproduct of their boring, youth-filled lives.

I'd been trying to move for the past few minutes that felt like an eternity. Damn it, just what is it with predatory instinct and red lasers?! My neck was unresponsive and my gray eyes anchored me from moving any part of my body aside from my tail that was wagging like a dog's due to the stress. Man, what a sight. Suddenly a voice to my left boomed, shattering the hold the red laser had.

"Goramu, goramu…you are indeed a worthy foe. HOWEVER, you won't be able to recover from this next attack!"

My gaze gradually fell upon two backs sharing a multiplayer versus cabinet on some retro fighting game. Weirdos always come flocking to the arcades on weekends, huh… Moments after that outburst the game declared a knockout, proceeded by stating the victor over the match. The person to the left pumped their fist in the air while player two held their face in defeat staring at the controls below them, muttering to themselves.

"I-Impossible…"

The winner left the defeated to sulk as he rejoined with a small group off to the side. I looked at the lesser of the match who seemed to contemplate all the decisions they had ever made in their life till this moment. Well regardless, it was obvious who had broken me from the chains of purgatory. They had my internal thanks. With that, I set off to continue on thinking, only for the fallen to speak up seconds later.

"Fumu, fumu…what is this immense brooding aura, I sense?"

I stopped in my tracks, intrigued by the voice that somehow became more familiar. They proceeded to answer their own question.

"Why, it can only be the extremely boring HIKIGAYA HACHI—…man?"

They turned around grandly with a straight arm and finger pointing. I'm sure they imagined a burst of wind blowing behind them just then judging by that stance. Naturally their eyes trailed down to me: Hachicat.

Hey, I thought that was pretty good…and wait, who the hell are you calling extremely boring?!

Their stance shriveled up from visible disappointment, the shine in their glasses disappearing akin to their hopes and dreams.

They stood there stupefied for a few moments before approaching and kneeling before me. Oi, don't get near me, are you trying to get yourself killed?

"What is this? A feline of Hikigaya Hachiman incarnate?"

What is this? The chuunnibyou illness in physical form?

The answer to that is yes, by the way.

"Zaimokuza! You comin'?"

I looked behind him and saw the winner from mere moments ago looking at him, the rest of the small group doing the same. Zaimokuza looked over his shoulder and smirked, giving a thumbs up. No, it can't be... They nodded and left the area, knowing that Zaimokuza would somehow rejoin with the rest of their crew.

...Zaimokuza Yoshiteru has friends?! I couldn't believe it. Tch. And here he said he didn't have any. Hell, he was even proud he didn't have such a thing! Never trust a guy in a trench coat. Or a tunic.

He refocused his gaze at me, the glare in his glasses returning once more. He brought his hand to his chin, speculating me.

…

Guess I could do the same thing.

The hooman before me wore a light green button up shirt, rolling up the sleeves. He didn't bother to button it up, exposing his plain white shirt. Brown cargo shorts wrapped around his waist held together by a belt. To top it all off, he had regular black sandals on his feet. Truly the pinnacle of casual outwear. He gestured his hand towards me.

"So, humble lion, what doth thou bringeth hither?"

…Are you serious?

I turned tail to his presence once more, proceeded by him audibly falling onto his knees and apologizing for speaking such a way in my air of refinedness. Huh, so that still happens in this form? Talk about déjà vu. Though I have to give him credit for being able to sense my aura, something everyone apparently knew how to detect besides yours truly. Very well Zaimokuza, I'll lend an ear as to what you have to say. But if you waste my time I'm going to give you a scar that looks like you had a war with yourself making rice krispies in the kitchen as a reflection of your incompetence. You'd be into that, right? Wait no, that's a terrible idea. It would only provoke him to come up with some kind of fantasy-filled story that I'd have to be the receiving end to. Sparing myself of such a fate, I sat myself down before him again whilst passively trying to get control of my ears.

He smiled at the gesture that I would comply.

…Why is this man talking to a cat?

"It is good to see you possess understanding, Hachicat-san. Regardless, you strongly remind me of a friend I have."

I don't have any friends.

"INDEED, a friend who has seen the bloodiest of wars alongside me, someone who—"

I began to drown him out as soon as he started his monologue. Ah, so this was what Kamakura probably meant. I looked at Zaimokuza run his mouth whilst making grand gestures with his hands as he continued, but I couldn't hear what he was saying at all. Everything was blurred around me and it was as though I could hear everything else besides the person talking to me. Selective hearing has always been an ally of mine but to amp it up a level this high was surely overpowered. At pointblank I could seemingly control what I wanted to hear now so long as my other senses weren't too preoccupied. This will be a very good attribute to have for my time as a cat. As Zaimokuza kept on with his monologue (to a cat), I was practicing the abilities of what I could zero in on. I'll boop him later as a form of apology for not listening, and I highly doubt anything he said was worthwhile for pondering. It was easy to hear things from far distances, but if I gave it my complete attention its clarity would improve if my eyes were in that direction as well. These must be the specs of being a predator's descendant. It was like that situation I had with Kamakura earlier when I stared poison-tipped daggers at him. My eyes would somewhat discolor everything else besides the one detail, no matter how little or large. I kept on practicing this and eventually turned back to Zaimokuza who was still flexing his monologue. Focusing my ears, I tuned him back in.

"…become a profound novel writer that will sweep the world with my literary works!"

Oh, he's done now it seems. Taking a risk, I turned my head in the direction of the arcade next to us and saw that it was already good half past 12 which spurred two questions: how long did I stare at the red dot and how long did Zaimokuza monologue? I turned back to him and his face was looking in the direction I had turned from. He furrowed his brow and stood up. Ugh, to be looked down on a guy like this…quite literally.

"It appears I enjoyed myself too much, yes, I shall now return to my party. Thank you for listening, Hachicat-san."

Oi, get back here. I still need to boop you!

Turning his back towards me, he walked away to rejoin with his friends and I saw his figure get smaller and smaller until he rounded a corner. Nothing too eventful happened just now and I somehow felt bereft. I sighed at the sudden wave of exhaustion that hit me. I wonder why I always feel depleted when I'm around that guy… I didn't even hear a word he said but his presence alone drained me at an extremely slow yet exponential rate. I've gone over this already. Heaving what strength I had left, I briskly crossed the road to the other side of the street so as to not run into Zaimokuza anymore. I wasn't deliberately avoiding him; I just didn't want to make it seem like I was following him out of fondness. Even in this form designed to hunt prey my energy had just spontaneously vanished. That or I'm unfit, and the correct answer is probably leaning towards the latter. Personally pedaling to school every day should've rendered me from feeling like this. Regardless of either I couldn't help but wonder where my energy reservoir went. It was probably because of the lethargic atmosphere and pacing I had given myself trying to think of a solution to my ordeal. I groaned internally that I would have to face this topic yet again.

In thought once more, I began to go around Chiba aimlessly.

The time passed as though it were nothing. My sense of time seemed to weaken in this state, but that was nothing to blame as my contemplations were of equal fault. Actually, it was probably my immersion in thought alone that was to blame. At the very least my ears weren't a bother anymore and I could block out virtually everything now should I choose to. And I did. Selective hearing is such a good skill to develop in life. I daresay it's even a necessity. The flow of time came upon me as a realization. I stopped in my tracks and looked up to examine my surroundings, surprised I hadn't walked into a garbage dump or something. Good job on that, Hachiman; you avoided going where you belong. The day was still full of light much to my dismay. Maybe I should exchange being a househusband to a housecat. Holy hell that sounds so much better.

Back to the matter at paw (no pun intended), it appeared I had waltzed into a park. At least that's what it looks like considering I saw children on a playground a small distance away. Funnily enough I was still on the sidewalk. Poor kids though; they have yet to be beaten up by the world and wake up to smell the roses. Now, which park I found myself in was a completely different concept that was beyond me. It made no sense, but maybe I would've been able to know which park in Chiba I was in if I were up to scale. But I'm a stray cat, so I just won't care. I stopped thinking about the 'what ifs' of my situation and followed the concrete that twisted about the park. I really needed this easing of the mind, if only for a short while. My inner monologues I have on a daily basis are bound to give me a migraine one day, I'm sure of it.

I was quite literally walking mindlessly now, having not submitted to thinking anymore. I was lucky that no one had decided to walk their dog at this time, which was strange, but I'm not complaining. Well, I always complain, but that's not the point. Having a lax mind was a good thing, and it was far better than simply having an empty one. A disorganized chaos of anything was always a pleasant way of seeing things within one's self, but any spectator would've found the thing as a jumbled mess beyond any reasonable understanding. And that can be said for anyone.

As I let my legs carry me without any direction, I head butted into what felt like a curtain proceeded by someone's leg. Ah, there's a bench right here too. I could hear myself unwillingly mew out an apology for bumping into them and tried to continue my merry way.

That was, until I felt a pair of hands wrap around my furry torso.

Huh? What?

I was held up, suspended in the air and blinded by the sun for a few moments. I closed them to ease the slight pain. Having enhanced eyesight wasn't always good, apparently. Being a cat was a blessing and a curse in and of itself…mostly a curse for my nutcase. Geez, this hurts more than it should.

"What a cute cat."

My ear twitched at the clearly feminine voice. Totsuka, is that you? Wait, he's a dude. The pain finally relieved itself off my eyes and I slowly opened them, hoping it wasn't some old cat lady who would add me to her collection. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be all for that though. I was held out an arm's length away from my perpetrator and as soon as I saw who it was, it was as though my fur turned white, all the colors on my body draining or lack thereof.

Yukinoshita Haruno.

"Aw, you even have an ahoge like him."

She meant me, right? Right? …And she knows a term like that?

"And those eyes…"

Always the eyes, really…

My body stiffened up and went limp at the same time. Was she just loafing about on a park bench? Learn how to spend your weekends, woman! The places I find myself encountering her never seized to amaze me.

"Say, are you Hikigaya by any chance?"

Gosh, am I that easy to discern?

She hadn't even put me down yet and she's questioning me. Talk about rude. Lacking any motivation to give her a proper response, I slightly tilted my head so as to look in question. She smiled at me and giggled. Please get me out of here.

"My little sister would love to see you."

Is that so? I'd much rather be in her arms than in yours. She placed me on the vacant side of the park bench and scooted my small body towards her. On second thought, I'm not going to make a run for it. I don't need to respond to her anyway. I'm just going to wear a hardhat made of neglect.

Yeah, those would pass as excuses. Whatever enables me to be immobilized.

I felt her hand graze up my spine to my head, tugging on my lazy strand of hair before she released her fingers from my furry body. That stroke she had just done on me had my body turning red, making me glad I wasn't of the sphinx variant. I looked up at her with my eyes of dead fish, a smile plastered onto her face. Judging from where they were looking, she was looking at my posture which too also slouched. If I stooped when I was a hooman, you better believe I'm going to stoop as a cat. I fixed my posture to carry her eyes away from me if only for a little while.

But simply sitting up was a mistake. She raised her brow in amusement at my clear action.

"Oh? You seem to be observant as well, Kitty-san."

Sh*t! It was a trap! Tch. All good devils really do masquerade in the light! To be so easily played the fool. I cursed at myself for not seeing past her mask like I usually do. She looked ahead of her onto the open field of grass. I merely sat there watching her do so. It was nothing.

There was nothing. She was probably waiting for some friends…or something. Girls do that on weekends and stuff. I think.

…

Several minutes passed and she spoke up again, my head whipping to face her.

"How interesting…"

She turned to me with an apathetic look.

"You're not really a stray, are you? Your actions are not that of a cat and you seem to understand what I'm saying, am I wrong?"

I sighed audibly, which came out as a really lame 'meow', stood up, hopped off the bench…

…and made a run for it.

She was looking into me too much, and my much smaller physical form made it much harder to endure the pressure she was exuding. My energy reserves suddenly booted back up on that note. I'm positive it was because of my fight or flight radar going through the roof when she made that comment. I briefly looked back and I saw her giving me an ominous smile as she pulled her phone out, putting it to her ear. I am an idiot for even choosing to linger there. I kept on running and eventually found my way out the park, weaving through the people on the street to get as far away from that she-devil as much as possible. Our interaction was minimal and my actions were most definitely rude, but screw that I'm a cat! Nothing applies to me anymore, nothing ever did.

Except for the law.

I eventually came to a stop to catch my breath. Hopefully my recovery time is much faster than usual. And there I can see it in the distance, a weird force drawing me towards it. It was a sad thought to have but this place served as the next best place to seek refuge.

Sobu High School.