Chapter 7


Jin


"I knew this was a bad idea!" Arme complained while she and I hid behind a brick wall, that is, a brick wall that belonged to the plant store owned by a deranged store owner named Dave.

What are we doing in here, exactly? We are putting our secret operation to the works and this girl with me is the perfect target for implementing it under our courtesy. I know she gave us a set of conditions and that's okay. I am willing to admit this crime if we ever get caught by the principal or any of the school administrators. If we are caught by our victim, I've got a set of excuses that have been effective ever since I enrolled in school.

Effective, you heard me right. They are and they will be.

"He can hear us from here!" Arme berated, reminding me of the sensitive ears that the Elves possess. I get the point. If only she would stop complaining and being so loud –

"Great. He is purchasing those tiny mushroom stuff…" I peered closer with my head poking slightly from the wall. I can peek Ryan way over here even with the slight distance. He is talking – not exactly chatting – with that Dave guy and from the looks of it, Ryan doesn't seem to be impressed with the store owner's marketing strategy and its communication with his customers.

Come to think of it. Lire did say something about this taciturn fa?ade that he's been displaying lately. This also includes this weird store owner whose tactics are pissing him off one bit.

"Where does he use them for?" Arme asks.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Hmm… maybe I can do some research about it. Jin, can you help me buy specimens?"

"Not now." I hissed as I watched Ryan exit the store holding the tiny mushrooms stored in a zip-locked bag. Thankfully, he didn't look towards our direction as he headed towards the bus stop.

Buys plant seeds once a week. I jotted down on my tiny notepad. These observation results will give us ideas for our operation and boy, I already have one in mind.

"Where do we go next?" Arme asked.

To her horror, I smirked towards her as her expression faltered.

"Heh, it is time."

"Time for what?" There's an edge in her voice as she stuttered a bit. "We're gonna do a crime?!"

"Of course not!" I retorted as I opened my duffel bag and pulled some fabrics out. Before Arme questions them, they are loose hooded garments worn full body – in other words, our disguise suits. I never paid too much attention to its dark color but Arme is making a fuss about it.

"Jin, these are dark brown!" she bleated. "It's not for this stupid heat! We'll suffocate in these!"

Well, she has a point there. But what choice do I have? They are the only ones available and they are just stacked in my room for ages. I won't bother asking a tailor to sew me light-colored garments.

We pulled on the loose garments and kept the hood off my head. On the other hand, the girl beside me seems to be having a miniature crisis.

"Where did you get these?" she asked.

"Dunno." I said, peeking over the brick wall again to see Ryan still standing beside the bus stop sign. There he is, holding that silver notebook-sized touch screen device and he is occupied by it. It completely ticks me that he would bother owning such things that he is normally not accustomed to.

I find myself curious about it, too. What's the purpose of that device? What's so useful about it?

"Alright, put this on." I say, clutching a big plastic bag.

"H-Huh?" Arme's face fell as soon as she saw me holding it. When I pulled it out of the bag, her violet irises shrunk, staring at me wide-eyed.

"J-Jin…" she looked at me as if I have three heads. Her mouth is quivering. "W-What – "

Oh boy. How do I explain this to her?

They are just big horse masks! They are simply open-mouthed horse heads that is worn through its neck that will completely cover your head. I bought them from an online shopping website because they look cool for a Halloween costume. I used it many times and it made my costume get-ups almost perfect.

I gave Arme the white-colored horse with a grey nose and a blonde mane as she continued to look at me like she has seen me in a brothel.

"Look, just wear it. No one's gonna know that it's you unless you keep on yapping about!" I said.

She rolled her eyes and put the horse mask above her head and put it on. I put on mine which is the brown-skinned horse and we hit the road. The people on the sideways paused and glanced at our direction. We can hear them murmuring on each other's ears while stealing glances from us.

Not that I care, I suppose. Except for this girl with me who is probably going to throw a tantrum later.

We hopped into the bus as soon as it arrived with Ryan not bothering to look over his shoulder. He's busy with that touch screen device but he would be seeing two people with horse heads stalking him from the screen – then I remember that he turned it on so he could get access to the app he is playing.

Luckily, we found a vacant seat right behind to where he seated.

"Ugh, he ate it all again?!" he cried, his eyes glued on the screen where he happens to be eyeing a white fat cat relaxing on the floor with an empty food bowl beside it.

"He's whining over a cat game?" I hear Arme whispering in annoyance.

"Uhhh…" How am I supposed to know? How am I supposed to know that this carrot-head of an Elf is indulging himself with technology?

I can hear soft popping sounds coming from Ryan's device which I realize that he is refilling the food bowl which eventually sent the white fat cat away. As I peer over the backrest, there were more of them.

There are cats all over the place.

I slumped back to my seat, feeling a bit disquieted.

"What did you see?" Arme whispered.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't believe what I just saw. I want to vent this out on Arme but then we are seated right behind him.

At this point, I am torn between whether I should laugh or sell my soul to the gods.

Plays an electronic cat game where he stares at cats all day. I jot down on my notepad with Arme peering over beside me.

"Can I take this thing off now?" she whined, attempting to pull the horse mask off when I pushed it back onto her.

"Not yet." I say. "The data is not enough."

"But I'm hungryyyyy – "

"We'll do that later. Can you look at what he is doing right now?"

Arme peered over to the small gap between the window and the edge of the backrest, lifting her horse mask a little. After a few seconds, she slumped back to the seat.

"He's…buying cat food…" she murmured.

I exhaled sharply.

Purchases cat food electronically for electronic cats.


We alighted the bus and found ourselves standing in front of a small building. Its walls are painted creamy white and the entrance doors are composed of glass which is converted into an interactive door. There are colorful handwritings that stained the glass but it didn't really count as stains at all like they were part of the design.

I looked up to see the awning painted light brown. The name carved above it almost sent my jaw falling an inch.

Cat Café.

What. What?

"This is…" Arme said in an awe.

"I didn't know this actually existed…" I say. I've heard about it in school and I generally dismissed it as a hoax. Surely, a diner wouldn't allow stray animals inside while the customers are eating. Ronan once told me about animal fur as a food safety hazard.

I am starting to contemplate about my life choices.

"What would he be doing in here?" I was whining before I realize it. "First, he goes off taking care of electronic cats that is just worse than adopting a real cat! Now he stops at this…" I gestured my arm towards the entrance doors. "…this cat-themed diner!"

"It's not a diner, Jin. It's a café." Arme corrected me. "Aren't you even reading the sign?"

"It doesn't matter." I say stubbornly and pull out my notepad.

Visits a cat-themed diner (or a café as they call it) for an unknown purpose.

"Alright, I'm going in." Arme walked past me and headed towards the entrance. I grabbed her arm and I get a wince in return.

"Don't go just yet!"

"Jin, I can't take it any longer. I have to eat something!"

"That can wait. We're not done with our observation – "

"PUT A SOCK IN IT!" Arme struck her fist on my stomach that knocked the air out of me. I fell to the ground on my back as the ozone stung my eyes. Arme folded her arms on her chest.

"Are you going in or not?" she said.

"Fine…" I rub my tummy and prompt myself back to my feet. "…only in one condition."


Alright, this will only last for an hour or two. We'll pull this off really well.

"May I take your orders?" the waitress stood beside our table and by the looks of her, she seems to be getting a bit…distressed.

I placed the tip of my finger over the label of my order, showing the menu to her and Arme is doing the same thing.

"Can you be more specific?" the waitress asked with an edge in her voice.

I exchanged glances with Arme through our horse masks and repeated the same action. The waitress sighed and peered over.

"Two slices of strawberry shortcake and one slice of black forest cake. Anything else?"

"Jin, order some drinks!" Arme bleated in my mind.

"I already did. I was already pointing it to her!" I retorted.

To maintain the communication between us, Arme activated a spell for telepathy and she summoned a barrier that will keep the communication private.

"Iced tea!" I berated. "I ordered iced tea for both of us!"

Arme jabbed the tip of her finger onto the 'Iced Tea' label on the beverages section of the menu. The waitress jotted down our orders and took back the menus.

"Jin, can't we just use hats or masks?" Arme complained.

"We're already wearing masks – "

"Not this kind of mask, stupid! Just the plain simple ones even if they look scary!"

"Well… this horse mask has scared a lot of kids lately…"

We are not supposed to talk, especially in this position. Ryan is seated near our table which is separated by another table. If one of us says a word, we're gonna get undivided attention given that he has sensitive auditory nerves. The telepathy here is our last ditch effort.

"Hmm… Ryan is into that cat game again." I looked over my shoulder and our target has his eyes glued on his touch screen device. Look at those cats – electronic cats – scratching on a scratch post, playing with some sort of a kick toy…

Today's record:

Time: 11:30 am

Place: Cat Café

Location: near the outskirts of Serdin Kingdom

Observation Record:

-Orders three slices of coffee mocha cake with cookies on top.

-Orders a tall glass of frappe.

-Entertains the cats surrounding him and seems to display affection towards them.

-Indulges himself with the electronic cat game.

-Feeds electronic cat food to the electronic cats.

"You know, I think the word 'virtual' is more appropriate than 'electronic'." Arme corrected me before I realized that she's been looking at my notes.

"Looks like our little guy has a sweet tooth." I say, ignoring her. "Heck, he is mixing it with bitter substances!"

I have completely underestimated Ryan. He's not so bad at all. I always thought he's an innocent Elf who relies on natural products and completely discourages anything artificial. He managed to adapt so quickly.

Except the internet memes stuff. I am having mixed feelings about this.

The waitress returned carrying a tray filled with our orders. She placed them one by one on our table and the drinks last. Arme and I bowed wordlessly as our 'thanks'.

"Enjoy your meal!" the waitress said and strode away to take more orders.

Arme lifted her horse mask a bit so she can at least eat properly. I watched her scoop a spoonful of her strawberry shortcake slice and popped it into her mouth.

I wonder how Lass can withstand her especially towards food. I bet his patience must have crossed the line if he was here.

"Does Lass take you out every once in a while?" I found myself asking.

Arme looked up at me. "Well… yeah. But he asks me out most of the time."

"Is it an attempt to calm you down when you lose your shit?"

Her expression faltered as her glance averted from me.

I'll take that as a yes.

"Jin…"

"Hmm?"

I notice Arme's purple irises shrinking again. She seems to be looking behind me when she put her horse mask back on. I decided to look when –

Shit. Shit.

What the fuck is he doing in here?

"What are you doing here?" Lass asked before joining Ryan on his table. Some of the cats approach him and sit on his lap.

"I've heard of this place two days ago," Ryan replied. "I didn't know this actually existed."

Oh wow… so he was thinking of the same thing.

"W-W-Why is he here?!" Arme whined. "He is not supposed to be here. Whyyyyy?!"

How was I supposed to know? Our backs were turned for a few moments and suddenly, Lass is here! What would he –

Oh, I remember.

He was supposed to go to this café with her until I made a last minute call to Arme. Now he has no choice but to go off somewhere until he saw Ryan.

"But why are you eating here all alone?" Lass asked.

"Is it a bad thing?" Ryan asked, sipping on his frappe like a classy guy he is.

"Ryan, you normally don't eat alone." The latter said as the waitress who entertained us earlier handed him a menu. "Anyway, I was supposed to take Arme here with me but then she had to cancel on the last minute."

I felt my skin prickling as soon as Lass laid out the story. I'm overwhelmed with the pang of guilt. Judging by the look on his face, Lass looked defeated, forced to accept the fact that his girlfriend chose a stalking business over him.

"And unfortunately, she had to entertain Jin for the problem set which he is having qualms answering." Lass continued to explain which only made me feel worse. "Who knows? He might be infecting her with weird ideas."

It's not what it looks like! I wanted to go over their table and yell at his face. But then I am wearing my disguise. They will surely feel violated with an unidentified figure wearing a loose hooded garment and a huge horse head mask entertaining them from out of nowhere.

"Finally!" I hear Ryan cry in triumph as he punched the air. "I got that stupid cat's memento!"

"What cat?" Lass asked nonchalantly.

"The peach-colored cat. I hated that cat ever since I found out about its picky personality. I've waited for three months. Three fucking months!"

I swear this is the first time I hear him cuss like that so casually.

"Jin…" I can hear Arme whimpering through our telepathic talk. "Could you…distract Lass for a while..?"

"What is it now?" I groaned and lifted my horse mask up a bit.

"I need to go to the restroom!" she retorted. "M-My…"

"What? What is it?"

"Oh no." Arme choked, prying into her small bag. "Nononono…"

Uh-oh. This is bad. But what is she fussing about this time?

Before I could ask her any more questions, she quickly stood up, her horse mask falling back to cover her entire head as she stormed all the way towards the door. Lass and Ryan turned their heads towards her direction as the hems of the hooded garment flew behind her.

"Aaahh!"

To my horror, she lost her footing, causing her to trip and fall to the floor. The waitresses stormed towards her to help her get back to her feet.

"Are you all right, Miss?" they asked, full of concern as they held her arms, gently pulling her up until she can stand again.

"I-I'm fine…" Arme managed to squeak. "Umm… is there a convenience store around here?"

"Two blocks from here," a waiter replied. "You can just take a walk."

"O-Oh, thank you!" she said, bowing gratefully before the horse mask slipped off of her head.

"Put it back on!" I yelled before I can stop myself. "Arme, the mask!"

"Arme?" Lass echoed in shock.

Oh fuck. I should not have done that!

"Huh?" Arme looked towards me in utter confusion.

"Arme, put that mask back on! QUICK!" I yelled on Arme's mind before it reached her. She gasped and quickly picked up the white horse head mask, putting it back into her head.

"I-I'll see you later!" she waved at the café staff and stormed out of the door.

I have to go after her quick.

"Why the hell is she dressed like that?" Lass asked with an edge in his voice and his face looks furious. He looked towards me before I could move a muscle.

"Jin, what were you two up to?" Ryan is also looking at me before I realize it. I cringe at the thought that he managed to recognize me under the disguise.

"Uhh… she was…helping me with the problem set!" I laid out my white lie. "We thought we could have some…bites and here we are."

Lass sighed abruptly. "I'll go after Arme." He stood up and stormed out of the café to chase after Arme.

As soon as the striker left, Ryan continued his interrogation.

"Okay… a study session wearing horse head masks?" He gives me a scrutinizing look that bothered me in an instant.

"We've had a bet, okay?" I spread my arms out. "If we go for a day wearing these, one of us will be spared from financial crisis."

"Riiiight…" he nodded slowly. "I feel bad for the other customers. You two scared them away."

We did what?

"I guess they can't tolerate dining with a seemingly "couple" delivering their orders without talking while dressed like hobos."

Hobos?!

I've never felt so offended in my entire life.

I slumped back to my seat to finish the cake I ordered. Besides, Arme will be back after her short trip from the convenience store. I wondered why she reacted like that. I mean, she was prying on her bag, looking for something and realized that she forgot to bring it with her. I've encountered this same scenario with Amy except that she didn't run off and trip.

She told me once that girls go through this phase every month that greatly affects their mood and their behavior –

Every month.

I can feel my insides swelling up when it dawned on me.

"If you could just take that stupid horse mask off, that would be great." Ryan said in annoyance. "You're scaring the cats, too!"

Feeling the embrace of defeat, I took off my horse mask and held it close to me, staring at the unfinished slices of cakes. I looked over my shoulder to see him back to his previous position of playing that electronic – I mean, virtual cat game on his touch screen device.

"Ryan?"

"Yeah?" he glanced towards me.

"Why the hell do you have a touch screen device?"


UPDATE: 06.23.16

Oh look, I've unintentionally generated a pairing.

As you can see, I've implied a Neko Atsume reference because why not? I've always liked the idea of Ryan playing that game given that he likes animals but not necessarily limited to wild life.

Anyway, hope you guys like this update. Reviews are appreciated.

See you in the next chapter.