The next morning.
A little past six o'clock.
While Utaha was still sound asleep, Chisato carefully got out of bed.
Still dressed in his pajamas, he quietly left the apartment and rang the doorbell of the neighboring Yukinoshita household.
This was one of the requests Yukino had made. She wanted to meet with him this morning to verify some of her suspicions.
Knowing that her situation was likely tied to him in some way, Chisato agreed without hesitation.
As for why he was sneaking around like this—it was simply because he wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.
If Utaha found out about something as hard to explain as this, it would just lead to another headache.
For now, it was better to keep it from her.
Yukino didn't make him wait long this time. She quickly opened the door.
The two stood at the entrance, looking at each other. Yukino seemed deep in thought. It didn't look like she had just woken up.
Like Chisato, she was wearing a modest, long-sleeved cotton pajama set that covered her completely. Her eyes were clear, and her hair was neatly arranged.
Chisato spoke first.
"You didn't turn into a cat this morning?"
Last night, after their conversation, Yukino had explained everything that had been happening to her in detail. He knew all about it now.
She nodded.
"Yes. I thought I would wake up the same way as yesterday, but that didn't happen. This contradicts my original hypothesis.
It's possible that the anomaly affecting me has disappeared… or maybe the rules behind this phenomenon aren't as simple as I initially believed. Either way, I need to observe further."
"What do you plan to do next?"
"I'm not going to school for now. Until I fully understand what's happening to me, I can't risk transforming in front of others."
"That makes sense. It's the safest option for now."
"Also… thank you again for your help."
"It's nothing. I was curious about it anyway, so I offered to help on my own. You don't have to feel obligated."
"..."
"..."
They weren't yet close enough to talk easily. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Chisato spoke first, excusing himself.
After Yukino shut the door and returned to the living room, she sat on the couch and resumed her thoughts.
Unlike yesterday, she hadn't woken up to find herself transformed into a cat.
The moment she realized this, any faint theories she had been forming were immediately thrown into question.
Right now, the clues were too few, the puzzle pieces too incomplete. There was no way to draw any solid conclusions.
Perhaps only with time—and by gathering more information about her condition—could she finally uncover the truth behind all of this.
And then there was Chisato…
She still couldn't understand why he seemed to be connected to the anomaly affecting her. That was something she needed to pay close attention to.
When Chisato returned home, he glanced into the bedroom.
Utaha was still sound asleep, curled up hugging a pillow in the exact same position as when he had left.
Over the next few days, Yukino applied for a week's leave from school and stayed home, refusing to step outside.
Except for a visit from Yui and Iroha on Tuesday afternoon, who came out of concern, she spent the rest of the time alone.
Just as she had initially suspected, with time passing, she experienced several more transformations into a cat.
Considering these incidents alongside her interactions with Chisato over the past few days, she gradually discovered a pattern—one that lacked any logic yet seemed undeniably real.
That weekend afternoon, she invited Chisato over. After serving him coffee, she explained in detail what she had observed.
"You mean to say that the timing of your transformation into a cat depends on me...?"
Chisato pointed at himself.
"The duration of our interactions determines when you turn into a cat next?"
His expression was uncertain, clearly taken aback by such a revelation.
"Yes."
Yukino nodded slightly. She then turned around, took out a notebook, flipped it open, and spread it out in front of Chisato.
"This contains detailed records of our meetings over the past few days and the times when I subsequently transformed into a cat.
The correlation is quite apparent. I also noticed that the longer I spend time with you, the later my transformation occurs.
However, these records include many unpredictable factors, making the data somewhat inconsistent.
Each occurrence has slight variations, but overall, I believe my conclusion is accurate."
"..."
Chisato stared at the records in the notebook for a long time.
"In other words, we're like a phone and a charger. If you don't interact with me for too long, you 'run out of battery' and 'shut down,' turning into a cat instead of remaining human?"
Yukino rested her knuckles against her chin and nodded in agreement.
"A bit simplistic, but it's a rather fitting analogy."
She hesitated for a moment, seemingly deliberating something, but eventually, she made up her mind and asked,
"Now that you know about this, do you have any thoughts, Suzumiya-kun?"
She was still suspicious of Chisato. Why did this strange phenomenon happen specifically to her, and why was he the key to it rather than someone else?
This doubt had lingered in her mind without dissipating. Thus, her question was a test.
However, Chisato still held the same thoughts as before. Of course, he had his own ideas.
He even knew that the real culprit behind this situation was the so-called pure love system, which was currently playing dead.
But even if he knew, he couldn't say it outright.
So he simply shook his head.
"Sorry, I... have no idea."
"I see..."
Both of them lowered their heads and fell into silence.
They were both intelligent people. Now that they had identified a pattern, they knew this discovery would significantly impact their futures.
Between the two, Yukino's situation was far more precarious.
She now required Chisato's presence at regular intervals to "recharge" her. Otherwise, she would lose her ability to live freely in society as a human.
What kind of bizarre situation was this? Why did it have to happen to her?
She had lost count of how many times she had internally complained about this ever since she figured out the pattern.
But it was pointless. This sudden supernatural occurrence would not change just because she resented it.
Yukino knew that she had already troubled Chisato for nearly a week while investigating this phenomenon.
Time was valuable to everyone. Although she suspected that Chisato knew something but was withholding it, she had no evidence.
That meant she couldn't just accept his help without giving anything in return, even if he repeatedly insisted he was doing it voluntarily.
So she voiced the statement she had prepared before inviting Chisato over today.
"Suzumiya-kun, I apologize for troubling you these past few days.
I don't know what you need or what you like, so the only thing I can do is offer compensation that aligns with what most people in this society receive for their efforts. Please accept it."
As she spoke, she took out an envelope from behind her and handed it to him with both hands.
She didn't explicitly say what was inside, but based on her explanation, it was obvious.
Chisato did not immediately accept it but first asked,
"How much is inside?"
Yukino was momentarily stunned but still answered honestly.
"Twenty-five thousand eight hundred and forty yen."
"Why such an exact amount?"
"I calculated it based on the time you spent on me over the past week and the average hourly wage in Tokyo.
If you think it's insufficient for the time you've given, you can tell me directly. I will do my best within my means to make it up to you."
Her reasoning was meticulous and in line with her serious approach to handling matters.
Chisato hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted the envelope.
She was the second daughter of a wealthy family. This amount was nothing to her.
As for himself, he didn't need this money either.
He was in a completely different financial situation compared to before.
He no longer had to struggle to make ends meet. The only reason he accepted it was to ease Yukino's mind.
And indeed, seeing him accept it, she seemed slightly relieved.
If he had refused, she would have had to think of another way to repay him, which would have been a headache.
It would also make it harder for her to bring up the next request she had in mind.
But this time, Chisato spoke up before she had to.
"Now that we have identified the cause of your condition, regardless of why it's happening, we should focus on minimizing its impact on you, right?"
"Yes..."
Yukino lowered her head.
"Then, based on what you just said, you..."
Chisato glanced at Yukino, observing her expression, then casually averted his gaze and cleared his throat before continuing.
"You should probably make sure to see me regularly so that this issue affects you as little as possible."
A request she had intended to make herself was now coming from Chisato's mouth.
Yukino didn't know why, but it made her feel inexplicably embarrassed, as if it was something improper—though there was nothing between them at all.
"Yes..."
Her voice was softer than before. She probably hadn't asked for someone's help much in her life, so her fair face was gradually turning red.
"If Suzumiya-kun is willing to help... as compensation, I will continue to offer you the reward you desire."
Money was not something Chisato particularly needed.
But he had caused this mess in her life, so he felt somewhat guilty.
It was only natural for him to agree. He had no idea how long this would last, but he considered it a form of atonement.
With that, the two of them made a verbal agreement to meet regularly in the future. They also discussed contingency plans in case one of them was unavailable at a scheduled time.
In short, for what could be a very long time, they would continue to meet. Even if the duration of each meeting was brief, this arrangement was now set in stone.
Chisato wondered if this was the true purpose of that useless yet suddenly active pure love system.
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