I Am an Emperor in a World of Mixed Anime

"You knew from the beginning that I wasn't a cat?" Upon hearing his words, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly recalled the unusual things he had done before.

A talking, disciplined raven; a sudden surge of footsteps and conversations on the empty streets at night; a Kongming who looks and is named Zhuge Kongming; and even someone who remains calm and accepting of the fact that he knows he can transform from a cat into a human.

Things I hadn't thought about deeply before, now when I look back, reveal his extraordinary nature in every detail.

So, this situation was something he planned from the very beginning?

To take it even darker, could it be that his involvement is also related to how I turned into a cat?

Otherwise, why would she only be able to turn back into a human when she's with him?

Toyokawa Shoko's heart sank.

She questioned herself: what should she do if everything leads to the worst possible outcome?

Fortunately, things didn't escalate to that point. Upon hearing this, Higashino Akira simply shook his head and said, "No, not at all."

“At the time, I was going through some bad things and learned that there was another, less scientific side to this world. I happened to meet you and felt that you were special, so I brought you home.”

"Anyway, it's just a kitten, it won't cost much to raise, what if it turns into a catgirl and comes back to repay my kindness?"

"Unfortunately, it didn't repay the kindness. The kitten that seemed so well-behaved at first started hissing all the time and even broke my phone by rummaging through my things."

Toyokawa Shoko let out a soft sob, her initial wariness shattered, and she stammered for a long time, unable to speak.

"Why did you do that that night after that...?"

"how?"

Higashino Akira climbed Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, his movements skillful and adept, gently plucking and twisting.

The sudden stimulation caused Toyokawa Shoko to let out a soft moan, interrupting her sobbing. Her face flushed red for a long time, and she could no longer continue her sorrowful mood.

"hentai!"

"frivolous!"

She squeezed her legs together tightly, stretched out one arm to block the bad guy's hand in front of her chest, and placed the other arm down from her lower abdomen in front of her.

"How can you calculate things like that between yourself and your lover!"

On matters of principle, however, Akira Higashino was unyielding.

"Kawasaki and you are the ones who are, I'm not. I was a cat before, so the agreement doesn't count!"

"The cat is you too. If I only pet the cat and not you, wouldn't that make me seem too biased?"

Akira Higashino lowered his head and gently inhaled the fragrance emanating from the girl. Come to think of it, isn't his connection with blue-haired female characters a little too deep?

Saki Kawasaki also has blue hair, as does Shoko Toyokawa. Both of them are strong-willed and serious, and they also have a bit of a tsundere vibe.

"Don't worry, you're cute too, no less so than a cat. Be confident."

"That's not what I meant!" Toyokawa Shoko's face flushed, and her breathing became rapid involuntarily. She felt a little uncomfortable, or perhaps comfortable? Her voice softened, "Please stop touching me!"

"By the way, you haven't had a bath in almost a month, have you? You still smell nice. When you were still a cat, I only bathed you once. Do your cat form and human form not share the same status? Or did you secretly bathe yourself?"

Akira Higashino's sudden question stunned Shoko Toyokawa, who was then overwhelmed by a great sense of shame, her whole body turning slightly red.

Who asks a girl this kind of question?!

Besides, if you minded, why did you touch me so enthusiastically before?

Does she not want to take a shower?

If she hadn't suddenly turned into a cat, or even if she had turned back into a human and stayed away from this guy, would she have acted like this?

When she was a cat, she also learned how to clean herself and paid attention to hygiene, okay!

The girl gave a loud snort, not wanting to talk to this person anymore.

When his brilliant mind returned, he shed the shyness that only humans have, and his intelligence returned to its peak. He figured out things like why he suddenly started touching him almost every day after he had only encountered that thorn in his side once before, and why he couldn't block his friends on social media.

Akira Higashino smiled as he looked at Shoko Toyokawa, who had suddenly turned into a hedgehog, puffing up her cheeks and remaining silent. He didn't try to take it any further.

Unlike Kawasaki Saki, who had been told in advance to be mentally prepared for what might happen, Toyokawa Shoko was taken in by a combination of deception and trickery, so Higashino Akira didn't mind giving her enough time to gradually adapt.

At 12:30, the miracle failed.

The soft, warm skin of the girl in his arms gradually changed in texture, and her body rapidly shrank.

Before finally turning back into a kitten, Toyokawa Shoko, who had been sulking for a long time, finally spoke again, "Don't use my account to contact Suze anymore!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a small blue cat darted out from beside Higashino Akira and only stopped two body lengths away from him in the blanket, its backside facing the naughty guy as it slept soundly.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Akira Higashino casually made breakfast and sat opposite Miko Yotsuya, eating quietly.

Miko's best friend, Yurikawa, has already gone home, so even during the holidays, it's impossible for them to get together and play every day.

Over the past two days, Higashino Akira could sense that the girl was trying to avoid him, but it wasn't simply that she had a problem with him. From their daily conversations and attitudes, he could still feel that she was willing to get closer to him, but she seemed a bit distant in terms of physical presence.

Thinking about it, Higashino Akira casually threw a Qi-gazing spell at Miko, and unexpectedly, it was still golden Qi, of even higher quality than Yurikawa Hana's.

Another main character?

In the past, Akira Higashino might not have thought much of it, but now that his worldview is different, he inevitably starts to think about other things.

The origins of the haunted house that could curse people across most of the metropolitan area were also investigated and clarified. When he saw that among the people who had died in that house was a woman named Kayako, he felt relieved.

If there's any change in me now compared to the beginning, it's probably that I've been targeted by the Curse of Vengeance.

Perhaps Jianzi has a talent for this, and maybe she has noticed something unusual.

However, she didn't say it aloud.

Whether it was due to danger or because the relationship wasn't right, Akira Higashino didn't intend to delve into it further.

After all, the two weren't really family.

Higashino Akira doesn't plan to stay here permanently. Although he is the one targeted by the Ju-on, this thing is basically unreasonable and doesn't care about the cause of the crime or the debtor. It's a pure, indiscriminate attack by a madman. He himself is fine. He can confirm that short-term contact with others will not implicate them. As for whether long-term contact will change things, there's no need to try.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Buddhist Beads

Breakfast ended quietly and without a word.

Because breakfast was made by Akira Higashino, Miko Yotsuya thoughtfully took the initiative to clean up the dishes and prepare to wash them. In the living room, Akira Higashino wiped his mouth and called out to her.

"See you, son."

In the kitchen, Yotsuya Miko looked up at him, puzzled.

"The Lunar New Year is approaching, and I will be leaving Tokyo to go back to my hometown. I will probably be back in about a month."

Yes, Akira Higashino has a hometown; he's not a native of Tokyo.

Even his hometown is quite remote, a genuine rural area, not the kind of rural area that Tokyoites would think of as Chiba.

He finished junior high school in his hometown before being admitted to Chiba Soubu High School for high school, and finally went on to university.

He didn't have much talent; he relied entirely on his past life's experience. A significant portion of his knowledge was simply a repetition, making it easier to grasp. In the most extreme times in the countryside, during his primary school years, due to insufficient student numbers, there were even cases where students of several grades were all in one classroom, taught by a single teacher. Naturally, the teaching quality was not something to be expected to be high. Unless one was an exceptional genius who could learn everything by reading books without a teacher, it was unlikely that he would succeed.

Back in junior high, the school was alright. Although the educational resources couldn't compare to those in the city, it attracted students from all over the town, so there were enough students to divide the classes and grades, and enough teachers to teach. It was a normal school.

After Higashino Akira finished speaking, Yotsuya Miko remained silent in the kitchen for a moment, then forced a smile and said, pretending not to care, "Then I wish you a safe journey, Onii-chan. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"If you'd like to come along, pack your own luggage. We're leaving the day after tomorrow. Bring plenty of warm clothes, as it gets very cold there in winter."

Higashino Akira looked at the girl speechlessly. Her face was all gloomy and she looked so downcast. There was no need for her to force herself to look good.

After saying that, Higashino Akira got up to go out and run errands.

As Higashino Akira was changing his shoes in the entryway, Yotsuya Miko came running out of the kitchen, pulled a string of ornaments from her pocket and handed it to him. "Oh, right, Onii-chan, please take this. It's a Halloween present."

Buddhist prayer beads?

Higashino Akira looked at the girl who was trying to suppress her nervousness as she approached him, then glanced at the little trinket. As if he had thought of something, he took it and put it on his wrist.

"Thank you."

Even so, Yotsuya Miko's expression still held a hint of worry.

After changing his shoes, Akira Higashino turned around and pushed open the door.

Snapped--!

With a crisp snapping sound, the beads of the Buddhist prayer beads that Higashino Akira had been wearing on his wrist scattered in all directions.

[Affected by negative energy, luck -1000]

You!

Higashino Akira's face darkened.

Behind her, Miko's eyes were brimming with tears, looking pitiful and on the verge of crying.

"Um...it seems the quality isn't very good. I'll report the seller later..."

Higashino Akira looked at her and sighed.

"never mind."

He reached out and pinched the girl's cheek, giving her a smile, "Don't overthink it."

He then waved goodbye and left the house.

The fact that it reacts indicates that the prayer beads are somewhat useful, but only to a limited extent. After all, the system notification indicated that triggering the automatic defense of the luck protection still consumed one thousand luck points.

I don't know if all Buddhist prayer beads are not very useful, or if this particular type of prayer bead is of poor quality.

After all, the money given to Jianzi, apart from living expenses, and the allowance, was not enough for her to spend recklessly on things, and certainly not enough to buy expensive high-end goods.

The time for accumulation is too short, and the luck is still insufficient.

Relying on these external substances with unknown ingredients and uncertain effects is ultimately not as reassuring as having a destiny tied to the size of the nation.

The boundaries of the role that Qi (vital energy) can play also need to be further explored.

Shinjuku.

Akira Higashino met with professionals in the paranormal field whom he had arranged to meet in advance.

The other party was a young woman with short, pink hair, dressed casually and loosely, and judging from her exposed skin, she had quite a few runes.

Upon seeing this generous benefactor who could casually pull out a million-dollar thank-you fee, and looking at his young and handsome appearance, Makoto Higa felt that he was just another idiot.

But out of respect for money, she had no choice but to come over.