The Strange Cat from Fuuto

"You disgusting thing, what brings you here again?"

The monster, exhaling a foul stench, slowly moved its body, while the surrounding starlight cage lit up faintly, completely revealing the monster's appearance to Miku.

It was a huge white tiger, with black stripes on a white background and a "king" character pattern on its forehead.

"You still talk with that same tone!"

Miku, swishing its tail, looked at the white tiger in front of it with a mocking expression and said, "Can't you learn some Mandarin?"

"No, I think it's fine as it is." The white tiger turned its head away and glared at him: "What, you have a problem with that?!"

"Well, it's your freedom to say whatever you want. In fact, I find your accent quite endearing!"

Miku, who spoke with a smile, didn't care about the white tiger's rude attitude. In fact, this guy had caused trouble several times since he was born, and each time he was beaten to a pulp by the saber-toothed tiger memory, but he just wouldn't change his ways.

Moreover, it was a Northeastern accent. Although communication through consciousness was seamless within the Crimson Space, Miku still felt quite familiar with this accent.

This guy has been behaving relatively well lately, no longer using Miku to summon power to suppress him.

"Speak up, what are you doing here again? Stop disturbing my sleep!"

With his eyes half-open, the white tiger spoke with a strong Northeastern accent. Miku smiled and looked at the white tiger, who became quite uncomfortable being stared at until he urged, "What is it? Hurry up and say it, stop beating around the bush!"

"Alright, I'll get straight to the point then." Miku squatted down and said with a serious expression, "When I used the new Ascension Mode before, did you sense any unusual changes?"

"No unusual changes!"

The white tiger, shaking its head like a rattle drum, had one eye open and one eye closed. "What's wrong? You've got some trouble again?"

"Let me tell you, it has nothing to do with me, absolutely nothing. I just sleep here every day, I haven't done anything to you, so don't try to cause me any trouble!"

"Don't worry, I won't mess with you unless you cause trouble. I'm just a little curious. Logically, the difference between the sublimation mode and the basic form should allow your power to be brought into reality, but there's no change here. I'm a little puzzled."

"Bring my power into reality?" The white tiger, whose two hands were the size of flowerbeds stacked together, sneezed from its nose. "I thought it was something serious, but it turns out it's just this."

"Haven't you been doing it all along?"

"what?"

"Bring my power into reality. Don't tell me you didn't know. I've been working myself to the bone here every day to provide you with magic. If you turn your back on me..."

Baihu's face hardened, and he said in a low voice, "I'll die right here!"

"Can you stop being such a coward? You're supposed to be a top-tier Phantom, can't you have some backbone?"

Miku was both amused and exasperated by Baihu's attitude.

"Coward?"

"The Phantom, a top-tier existence?"

The white tiger glared, exhaling a puff of white breath, and angrily said, "If you hadn't locked me up here, I would have been a top-tier Phantom. But look at me now!"

"Look at me, look at me! I'm always holed up in this corner, and every now and then that little thing tries to strike me with lightning. You call me a coward?" The White Tiger looked up at the saber-toothed tiger memory above its head and spoke righteously:

"This isn't cowardice, this is fear!"

"Alright, you've even learned to be roundabout."

Miku chuckled, somewhat impressed by the white tiger inside him, which spoke fiercely but was actually incredibly cowardly.

But he didn't even consider that during the six months he was imprisoned by the White Demon Gate, he had nothing better to do than come and cause trouble for others. He would beat up the White Tiger when he was a little annoyed, beat up the White Tiger when he was a little angry, and beat up the White Tiger when he was still unhappy!

After getting beaten up so many times, even a fool knows you're not someone to mess with!

"Alright, if there's nothing else, hurry up and get out of here, stop bothering me!"

"Do you know how hard it is for me to provide you with magic every day? Look at me, I've even lost weight!" The white tiger, with a strong Northeastern accent, opened its mouth wide and complained.

"You think you've lost weight?"

Miku chuckled as he carefully examined the white tiger. The white tiger's body was enormous, like a mountain. Putting aside its extremely imposing size, its powerful physique alone did not resemble the kind of body that Miku had squeezed out of its body.

"Huh..."

With a soft exclamation, Miku floated up and circled the white tiger again and again, finally discovering the abnormality of the white tiger.

Thick, metal-like bony plates have grown from the back of its head to its cheeks, and they appear to be continuing to grow. Moreover, the white tiger's fangs seem to be different today, much thicker and larger than before.

"Could it be..."

With a glint in his eyes, Miku had a very bold guess in his mind: "Perhaps that's the case, but we still need to observe more closely. If that's really the case, it might save us some trouble!"

The white tiger, its fur standing on end from Miku's gaze, bristled. "Stop staring at me like that, okay? Let me make this clear beforehand: I'm a real man, I'm a dick!"

"Spring is here, so don't hold back. I think that girl outside is pretty good. If you try your best, you might even be able to hold a big, healthy baby boy!"

When Miku heard Baihu's nonsensical words, his face darkened and he didn't argue with him.

This guy has such a sharp tongue. If I hadn't gotten used to his tone, I'm afraid one of us would be lying on the ground singing "Conquer" today!

"Alright, stop babbling and get some sleep!"

Miku, who was just about to leave the crimson space, froze. "Damn it, this guy led me astray!"

"Humph!"

Miku glared fiercely at the white tiger and then vanished into the crimson space. A short while after Miku left, the white tiger's expression gradually softened.

Its long tail cautiously reached out towards the starlight cage that imprisoned it.

The fluffy tail passed right through the starlight cage as soon as it touched it. But just as the white tiger stretched its tail out a little, the starlight cage flashed, and a vast and powerful force erupted from the memory, slamming the white tiger hard to the ground.

"Damn it, it still doesn't work!"

After muttering a few words to itself, the white tiger lay back down with its eyes closed. Not long after, a howling sound like a storm once again echoed within the crimson space.

"Snoring...snoring..."

.........

Inside the cave where the sage was hiding, a young man wearing a small black round-brimmed hat followed Medusa with a grin, arriving at the veil where the sage was hiding.

"My sage, I have brought him!"

Medusa, bowing respectfully, noticed the grinning young man behind her still looking around, and couldn't help but give him a subtle, threatening look.

"Sage!"

The young man, who was smiling and gesturing to the sage, bowed slightly, and Medusa nodded in satisfaction.

"I haven't found the location of the Phoenix yet, so you'll be partnered with him for the time being, Medusa!"

A deep, authoritative voice came from behind the gauze curtain. Medusa bowed again and said, "Yes, Your Excellency!"

"Please take care of me from now on, Misa-chan!"

The hooded youth, grinning and speaking flippantly, reached out his hand to Medusa, who slapped it away, saying, "I don't like you calling me that!"

"What's wrong with that? Wouldn't it make it easier for us to hide?"

"Humph!"

"Alright, you two stop arguing!" The sage spoke, directing their attention to each other. He continued, "The task of bringing despair to the [Gate] is now yours. Don't disappoint me!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"Leave it to me, Sage... my lord!"

"Well, I hope you won't disappoint me, Guremlin!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: The man who calls himself a magical girl has arrived!

As the sun rises, golden rays of sunlight bathe the entire city.

The streets were bustling with people, and a young man with a huge travel bag on his back strolled along the street with his hands in his pockets.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."

A thunderous sound came from his stomach, drawing frequent glances from passersby.

The young man, rubbing his belly, looked up at the sky with a melancholy expression: "I'm hungry!"

"I hope there are some delicious dishes in this city that can fill my stomach!"

Rubbing his empty stomach, the young man sighed, but quickly perked up again: "Danger and opportunity always coexist; perhaps it's just around the corner!"

The young man, his spirits lifted, walked with great enthusiasm through the crowd, disappearing into the throng as he turned the corner.

"Oh, I've found an interesting guy, hehehe..."

Guremlin, covering his mouth and letting out low chuckles, adjusted his hat and silently blended into the crowd.

Antique shop, Mianyingtang.

"How am I supposed to use this ring?!"

The mage held a ring made from a green magic gemstone, which he had exchanged with Miku, in his left hand, while his right hand held a half-eaten donut.

"Don't worry too much, there's always a way, Haruto!"

Alex, who brought over tea after the meal, offered gentle words of comfort. After carefully putting the ring away, the mage sighed, "I hope so!"

"Speaking of which, who exactly is that magician named Sonozaki Miku? We only know her name, but we've never even seen her face."

Rinko, who had brought up the topic, touched her chin, her face full of confusion.

As a police officer, she possesses an extraordinary curiosity and an extremely high thirst for knowledge about anything that seems suspicious.

If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have been tricked into the hospital by the Phoenix in the original storyline.

"That's true. Apart from that guy's voice and name, we really don't have any information about him at all!"

"Should we investigate this?"

Shunpei squeezed in front of the group and said, "That guy has been hiding his true identity and is always causing trouble for Haruto-san. Should we find out his real identity and give him some trouble?"

"Let's just forget about it!" The mage shook his head, stroking the ring on his right hand. "As long as that guy is still fighting the Phantom, there's no need to pursue it too much!"

After finishing his donut in a few bites, the mage said, "So, I'm going out. I still need to check for any traces of the Phantom today!"

"Take care on your journey!"

"Oh!"