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Ten minutes later.
In front of a dried-up drainage canal, several stray cats were gathered—some sitting, some sprawled out—as if they were holding a meeting. The moment they saw Blake and the black cat approach, they all sprang up and meowed eagerly, crowding in as if asking for credit.
"Where's the orange one?"
Blake scanned the area but didn't see it anywhere.
"They say it's down inside the canal…"
Goko Ruri tilted her head, listening. It didn't take long before she picked up the information from the other cats.
Blake crouched down and looked into the canal. Sure enough, there was a filthy, chubby orange cat down below, wearing a pitiful, long-suffering expression.
What happened next was obvious.
With the black cat acting as translator, it didn't take long to coax the orange cat up.
"That thing's seriously fat… looks like we got the right target."
Blake pulled out his phone, snapped a few photos, and sent them to the owner.
Less than a minute later, his phone rang.
"My chubby baby!"
A woman's voice came through, trembling with excitement.
"Where are you? I'll come right away!"
"The cat's safe. No need to rush—we'll wait here for you."
Blake quickly gave her the location.
"That was way easier than I thought," Ruri said, her eyes sparkling. She'd clearly heard the whole call. "Blake, let's open the canned food and treats first. Time to fulfill our contract."
Back at the park, she'd promised the strays a reward if they helped find the lost cat. Now it was time to pay up.
"Leave it to me."
Blake nodded and started opening the cans.
Cat treats and canned food weren't expensive. Compared to the 100,000 yen they were about to earn, it was basically nothing.
The stray cats immediately swarmed in, eating happily. The atmosphere turned warm and lively.
Fifteen minutes later.
A white sedan pulled up in front of them. The door flew open, and a woman in office wear hurried out, rushing straight toward the orange cat, who was licking its paw.
"Pangdun!"
"Meow~"
She scooped the cat into her arms, talking to it softly for a moment before turning to Blake and Ruri. After thanking them repeatedly, she didn't go back on her word. Instead, she took out her wallet and handed over 200,000 yen.
"This is the agreed reward. I really can't thank you enough for finding Pangdun."
"So… so much money…"
Ruri's eyes went wide—so wide they practically turned into coins.
For a high schooler, even one of those bills was a huge amount. Twenty of them? That was a fortune.
Even in Initial D, Natsuki only made about 100,000 yen for a single "date."
Blake, on the other hand, stayed completely calm. He accepted the money with both hands and exchanged a few polite words with the woman.
After another grateful bow, she got back into her car with the cat and drove off.
"Ruri…" Blake raised the stack of bills. "Still want to split it fifty-fifty?"
"Of course we split it evenly!"
Her eyes shone, her answer immediate and unwavering.
Fairness was the foundation of any team. Without it, things wouldn't last.
Besides, the job had gone smoothly. That proved their money-making plan worked. Obviously, she was going to team up with Blake for life!
"Then half it is."
Blake counted out ten bills and handed them to Ruri, who was practically vibrating with anticipation.
"That was a glorious, epic rescue," she declared, eyes gleaming. "If we hadn't saved our contracted beast from the jaws of evil, it might've starved to death!"
"So we can accept this reward with a clear conscience."
She happily took the money.
Mom's hand cream, Dad's razor, Hinata's manga, Tamaki's snacks… she could finally buy them all!
"Hehe~"
Just imagining everyone's happy faces when they received their gifts made her giggle out loud.
"There's something else you shouldn't forget," Blake reminded her. "Do you feel anything unusual?"
"Huh?"
Ruri blinked, quickly wiping the smile off her face. She held her breath and focused, carefully sensing her body.
"I… I think a little…"
Her cheeks flushed. Too embarrassed to mention her backside, she mumbled softly:
"It's kind of itchy… back there. Feels like the demon's tentacles might be growing again."
Blake replied casually, "Ruri, your tail is actually pretty cute."
"…Idiot, Blake!"
The ahoge on her head twitched as her face instantly flushed all the way to her ears.
"You insignificant mortal—who said you were allowed to compliment me?!"
Blake gave her a blank look. "Fine, I won't say it anymore."
"Hmph." She turned her face away, arms crossed. "I suppose… occasional praise is acceptable."
"There's a cold drink shop up ahead. Let's go sit down and rest, then purify your magic," Blake said, getting back on track. "We can grab a drink while I help you."
"…I'll lead the way. There's one just ahead."
He followed her to a small shop on the corner.
The sun was beginning to set, and the place was quiet with only a few customers.
Blake ordered a cola. Ruri got a cream apple green soda. Then they headed to a quiet corner and sat down.
After sipping about half her drink, Ruri lifted her face slightly, glancing at him. A faint blush crept across her cheeks as she spoke in a deliberately casual tone:
"Blake… we can start now."
"Alright."
He put away his phone, moved to sit beside her, and reached out his right hand under the table.
"…Haa…"
Ruri took a deep breath, then raised her small hand and, fighting her embarrassment, placed it into his palm.
Their skin touched.
A wave of heat traveled from her hand straight to her chest.
(His hand is so warm…)
Her heartbeat quietly began to pick up.
(Damn it… it's speeding up again…)
She quickly took a sip of her drink, trying to suppress the nervousness and embarrassment bubbling inside her.
(Stay calm!)
(Don't think about it!)
(It's just holding hands. The Witch of the Night would never lose her composure over something like this!)
Unfortunately, the self-encouragement didn't help much.
This wasn't even the first time they'd held hands—but yesterday, she'd only felt panic and helplessness. Now, it was pure, overwhelming shyness filling her mind.
(Come to think of it… Blake's actually pretty good-looking… He's probably popular at school, right?)
Noticing her sneaky glances, Blake turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing…"
Ruri hurriedly lowered her head, gulping down a big mouthful of her drink. Then she took a deep breath, trying to distract herself with conversation.
"Today went super smoothly. When I get home tonight, I'll look through the 'flyers of fate' online. If I find a good bounty, let's go again this weekend."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement at the mention of rewards.
Money!
Now that she'd earned her first bucket of gold, she was even more motivated to keep going!
"Sounds good," Blake said, taking a sip of his drink. "I'll leave the searching to you. Just don't pick anything too far away."
"Leave it to me!" Ruri said brightly. "I'll find the perfect job… and team up with you forever!"
At the same time—
Outside the window, a passing girl quietly raised her phone and snapped a picture.
"Yanami… you've been totally betrayed!"
"....."