The Strange Cat from Fuuto

Under the pitch-black night sky, Fengdu was brightly lit, with colorful neon lights flashing and turning Fengdu into a city that never sleeps.

Under a low bridge, sewage flowed freely, while the subway roared past on the bridge. A young man in a suit and tie, with a fake professional smile on his face, looked at the man and woman in front of him.

"Hey, hurry up and sell us your stuff!"

"Money is not an issue, I just want the goods!"

"Isn't this what you sell?!"

A heavily made-up woman with a snow-white shawl draped over her shoulders was pulling a timid man by the hand. The woman took out a bundle of ten thousand yuan bills from her small bag and slapped it on the man in the suit. "Hurry up and take out the stuff, give it to this guy!"

"Didn't you want to get close to your princess?!" the woman said maliciously to the cowering man. "If that's the case, then act like a man!"

The man in the suit took out a bio-injection gun from his bag, inserted a commercial memory chip into the gun, and, with the woman's help, injected it directly into the palm of the cowering man's right hand. As the injection was completed, a bio-connection port appeared on the back of the cowering man's right hand.

"Transaction successful. We wish you a pleasant experience!"

.......................

In a room of the Sonozaki mansion, the Sonozaki family was gathered together, a rare occurrence. The old man and Wakana were playing Go, while Saeko and her husband sat to the side, watching their game intently. Miku lay nearby, quietly watching Wakana slowly corner the old man, but for him, it was rather boring.

"What has Miku learned recently?!"

While quickly dealing with Wakana's attacks, the old man chuckled and said to Miku, "You must have learned a lot these past few days!"

"I...learned...so...things!" Miku's mouth opened and closed, and after a three-second delay, the bell around her neck moved on its own, still producing a cold, lifeless voice. "Recently...if...we...go...out...together...we...saw...so...things!"

It's been a while since Miku received the vocal collar, and during that time, his speech has gone from being illogical and hesitant to being logically coherent. However, the collar's shortcomings have caused the cat considerable distress. Every change has been observed by the Yuusaki family, completing the first step of his plan: getting them to accept his transformation, especially the old man. The old man always tells Miku that he is one of the infinite possibilities within a memory!

"For example?!"

"Chinese Mahjong, video games, office romance..."

"puff!"

Noticing that Miku's teachings had been mixed with some random stuff, Kirihiko sprayed tea all over Saeko. "Office romance?" Kirihiko asked mischievously as he helped Saeko wipe the water off her clothes. "Where did you hear about that?!"

"The incident...the radio station...ah!" In the most innocent tone, Miku said the most blush-inducing words: "Wakana's workplace...the two of them...did...something...strange...in...the...restroom...I...saw...it...and...I...went...to...investigate...and...discovered...an...office...romance!"

"Never learn anything strange again!"

Waka immediately stopped the game, grabbed Miku's ear and said sternly, "Otherwise, I'll punish you by not letting you have any extra food for a week!"

"It's great to have a strong learning ability, but don't waste your energy on strange things!"

The old man abruptly ended the topic, then solemnly admonished Miku. Miku, of course, nodded obediently; how could he disobey the family's big boss, even though his previous words had been mere rambling? Before this, Miku had already anticipated being questioned about his knowledge of writing and language, to which he simply replied that he had learned it from television and the Sonozaki family. His exceptional learning ability was a self-imposed attribute; he could learn quickly through what he saw and heard—this was the first ability granted by his memory. The Sonozaki family's attitude towards him was surprisingly lenient. Not only did they not question him further, but they also taught him some new knowledge. Miku guessed that this stemmed from the old man's absolute confidence in his own abilities, and that he was merely a tool in the old man's eyes. For the old man, having a tool with intelligence was no different than before, except that it was more convenient. With so many unsolved mysteries surrounding the Gaia Memory, adding Miku to the list wouldn't make much difference.

"Alright, it's getting late, everyone go to sleep!"

At night, Miku lay in his cat bed, rubbing his paws against his memory, feeling the uneven surface of the saber-toothed tiger memory and the "S" mark that looked like two fangs meeting. Miku had now developed a habit of rubbing his memory while thinking, because it made him feel safe.

Ever since Miku revealed his intelligence, he has to think carefully before speaking or acting. After all, the more he says, the more mistakes he makes. Now, his persona is that of a cat who accidentally mutated and gained intelligence. There are many things he still needs to learn, and he considers the Sonozaki family to be his closest people.

Only in this way could he avoid revealing too much. Now he was starting to regret it, but what's done is done, and there was no going back.

"I must take control of this body as quickly as possible, otherwise I'll be eliminated sooner or later with my current strength!"

"By then, no matter how close the old man and the others are to me, I will still be nothing more than a pawn that can be discarded at will."

"At this stage, my strength improvement is still too slow. I can't be as compatible with the memory body as the original owner. I must find a way to increase my strength as soon as possible!"

Miku, who was constantly summarizing in his mind, showed anxiety in his eyes. His strength was improving too slowly. He had to become stronger, not for anything else, but so that he could have the last laugh!

As night deepened, the pitch-black Sonozaki mansion, shrouded in darkness, resembled a lurking monster, silently waiting for its prey to walk into its trap.

.................

"Hi everyone, welcome to today's Healing Princess, I'm your Wakana!"

Inside the Narumi Shokichi Detective Agency, a radio embedded in the wall plays Wakana's exclusive program: Healing Princess, which is also the number one radio program in Fuuto.

Philip was practically glued to the radio, his face beaming with anticipation as he awaited today's program. Shotaro, holding a cup of coffee, leaned against a table, watching the excited Philip. The spot closest to the radio was practically Philip's reserved seat; no one could take it from him.

"Alright, that's all for today. Now it's time for the call-in segment that everyone's been waiting for!"

In the broadcasting studio, Wakana, wearing headphones, made various gestures to accompany her speech, seemingly enjoying herself even though no one was watching. She then began the call-in segment, turning on the caller ID.

"Hello, listener, what's your question?"

"Hello, Princess Wakana, my name is Mr. Question, and my first question is, what is your favorite number?!"

Hearing the voice that had clearly been processed by a voice changer, Wakana quickly turned down the volume button and clicked her tongue discreetly. Miku, who was next to her, also opened her eyes and stared intently at the speaker that was playing the sound.

"Tell me quickly, Princess Wakana, what's your favorite number?!"

Even though she was annoyed, Wakana maintained her professional demeanor and forced a smile, saying, "It's 7! My favorite number is 7!"

"Is that so? Then I'll give you a gift too!"

"Look out the window!"

A loud explosion came from outside. Wakana took off her headphones, stood up, and looked out the window at a wind turbine outside, which was emitting thick smoke and sparks flying out, forming a crooked shape like the number 7.

"What is that? What's going on?!"

Cai Cai spoke with some fear, and Miku immediately jumped to the window, looking at the crooked wind turbine outside, letting out a roar.

Chapter Fourteen: The Angry Cat!

At the Narumi Detective Agency, magazines about Sonozaki Wakana were piled up all over the table. The morning breeze blowing in through the open window made the pages of the books rustle, but the three people inside didn't care. They all looked out at the wind turbine that was bent into the shape of a number 7.

"It's not far from the radio station!"

Philip opened his eyes wide, his tone somewhat panicked. Shotaro punched the wall and turned to leave.

"Princess Wakana, wait for me!"

"I'm coming right now!"

Leaving aside Shotaro who rushed over, Miku was roaring incessantly in the broadcasting studio, his claws scratching repeatedly at the machine beneath his feet. Seeing the terrified expression on Wakana's face, Miku's anger intensified. Even if he had ulterior motives in approaching Wakana, he had now genuinely fallen for her during their time together. Faced with this situation, he was like a powder keg about to explode.

"No matter who you are, I won't let you get away with this!"

Miku, his emerald eyes blazing with fury, gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "Cats are sometimes surprisingly vengeful, and they don't hold grudges overnight. They settle scores immediately!"

Startled, Wakana finished her work early. As she left, a swarm of reporters, like vultures smelling blood, surrounded her. She was almost instantly engulfed by the crowd. Even a human wall of security guards couldn't hold her back. Fortunately, her assistant and manager, Ueto, had arrived early and stood in front of her, shielding her from the surging crowd and giving her a small space. But the reporters, like hyenas, wouldn't let go of Wakana.

"Miss Wakana, wasn't the one who made the phone call just now the culprit?"

"Ms. Wakana, what are your thoughts on this incident?!"

"Many people have been implicated in this incident. What would you like to say about that?!"

...............

"Miss Wakana knows nothing!" Kamio, his frail body like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, blocked the surging crowd, defending Wakana: "Stop bothering her, get out of the way!" As he spoke, he was shoved and fell to the ground. Wakana rushed to help him, but this only worsened the situation. Reporters on the periphery shoved those inside, and those inside pushed even harder. Just as Wakana was about to be swallowed by the crowd, Miku, whom Wakana was holding tightly, quietly revealed its claws from under its paw pads. If the guy dared to continue pushing, he would be met with Miku's merciless scratches.

"Wakana knows nothing about this!" a woman outside said. "I have some information about the prisoner!"

"My show has received similar messages before!"

Upon hearing the gentle female voice, the reporters in the crowd couldn't help but look in the direction of the voice, only to see a woman in a gray office lady uniform carrying a bag and smiling at them.

"Who is this person?!"

"This is Ms. Motoko from Fuuto no Tokyo, a very famous former host!"

Just then, taking advantage of the reporters' distraction, Shotaro squeezed through to help Wakana leave, while Ageo, who had already gotten up, also took the opportunity to lead Wakana away. The woman who had spoken earlier was now surrounded by a surging crowd of reporters. Once in her car, Wakana threw her purse at Ageo's face, angrily saying, "You useless piece of trash! As your manager and assistant, you should have gotten rid of these reporters much earlier!"

"sorry!"

"Ouch!" Ueyo, who was bending over to apologize, suddenly clutched his stomach and said repeatedly, "I'm sorry, my stomachache has flared up again!"

"Ouch, that hurts!"

As Ageo clutched his stomach and hurriedly left, Miku, who had already been placed on a chair by Wakana, watched Ageo's departing figure with a puzzled look in his eyes: "That guy smells so strange, like moldy food!" However, Miku didn't think much of it, assuming that the other person hadn't taken good care of his personal hygiene.

"Tsk!" Wakana clicked her tongue and looked at Shotaro, who had poked his head out, and said in annoyance, "Peeping Tom?!"

"No, I was just passing by!"

"Then I saw a delicate girl who needed help, and I couldn't help but come over!"

Shotaro flicked his hat, walked closer to Wakana, took off his hat and held it to his chest, and said, "I'm the tough detective, Shotaro Hidari!"

"I came especially for you!"

"detective?!"

"I didn't hire a detective. You're in my way, get out of here!"

Shotaro, having been rebuffed, could only watch as Wakana angrily slammed the car door shut, staring blankly at the exhaust fumes as the car started moving.

"I'm doomed! My image in Princess Wakana's eyes is ruined!"

With a gloomy and dejected expression, Shotaro walked listlessly towards the motorcycles parked outside. Back at the agency, Shotaro's aura was so oppressive it was frightening.

He slumped into his office chair, covered his face with his hands, and said in despair, "I'm finished!"

"I never imagined that Princess Wakana was such a spoiled and unreasonable person in real life!"

"Ah, the beautiful image I had of her has been shattered!"

Philip leaned against the wall, looking at his partner, flipping through the blank pages of his book, and said firmly, "We have to solve Shotaro's case this time!"

"Why should we get involved in this?!"

"Because this criminal is a hybrid, he's making this city weep! Shouldn't we, as Kamen Riders, do something about it?!"

Philip's unwavering expression left Shotaro helpless, so he had no choice but to cheer up again, stand up and say, "Then let's keep pursuing this matter until the very end, partner!"

....................

At the Sonozaki mansion, it was dinnertime. Miku had a raised seat, and the patriarch at the head of the table took a sip of clear champagne before looking at his second daughter and asking, "Wakana, did you encounter something troublesome today?!"

"Yes, Father, the media has really stirred up trouble today, portraying Wakana as a femme fatale!"

Swirling the wine glass in his hand, Kirihiko leaned back in his chair and spoke. Miku stopped what he was doing, his eyes fixed on Kirihiko. If this guy dared to say another word, he'd scratch his face to shreds!

"You shouldn't be an entertainer!"

"The Sonozaki family is a prestigious family in Fuuto. It's really unbecoming of your family to show your face in public like this!"

Saeko seized the opportunity to add insult to injury, her eyes fixed on Wakana with disdain. Saeko had long resented Wakana being an entertainer; why was it that, despite both being daughters of the Sonozaki family, Wakana could do whatever she wanted while she was bogged down in work and constantly scolded by her father?