Can't We Skip Dating?

"Is this really your house, or is it the cats'?"

That was the first thing Utaha said upon stepping into the living room and seeing two massive cat towers standing tall, a cat slide winding down from the second floor, and a network of platforms and walkways all along the walls.

This interior design was inspired by a news story Akira had seen in his previous life—a foreign couple who, after one of their free-roaming cats was injured outside, decided to raise their cats indoors. 

To prevent boredom, they transformed their entire home into a feline playground.

Akira had been deeply impressed by the idea. So once he had a house and cats of his own, the very first thing he did was renovate his home in that exact fashion.

It was, in his opinion, the most satisfying thing he had done since crossing over into this world.

Sitting down on the sofa and crossing his legs proudly, Akira asked, "Of course it's our home. Well? How does it feel?"

Utaha shot him a sidelong glance. "Our?"

"Me, and the two cats. Though you're welcome to include yourself too."

"When did you become such a smooth talker, Mr. Akira?"

"Let's call it 'easygoing and casual.' I had to put on a mask for hours at that banquet—can't I relax a little at home?"

He pulled out a cigarette but paused before lighting it. 

Eventually, he tossed it on the table. "So, any thoughts? Besides the weekly housekeeper, you're the first person to come here."

Utaha thought for a moment and answered seriously, "It's paradise."

And it was. A paradise—just one not yet full of angels.

Just imagining a bunch of cats chasing each other up and down such a space filled her with overwhelming joy.

Akira smiled in satisfaction and finally made a gesture resembling a proper host. 

"There are drinks in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you want. Grab a cola for me while you're at it."

"I came here as a guest, not a lover. Or is this how Mr. Akira normally treats his guests?"

"Tonight's just a little special. You don't trust me enough yet, so it wouldn't feel right handing you a drink myself. Isn't that more reasonable?"

Utaha accepted that logic.

She opened the fridge and immediately spotted a can of coffee she liked. After a moment's hesitation, she grabbed it along with the cola for Akira.

She'd heard news stories about criminals tampering with every drink in the house except for one or two—but ever since meeting Akira, it had been strangely difficult to feel suspicious of him.

Maybe it was his rebellious yet oddly logical perspective, or the candidness and conviction in his words, or perhaps that subtle sense of mutual recognition between fellow "outsiders." 

It was probably that last one. 

When Eriri had said Akira came together with Lord Asai, and Utaha had thought she'd been tricked, her nose had actually started to sting.

Thankfully, as Sayuri later explained, it turned out to be a misunderstanding. 

Combined with the care and concern she'd felt from Akira tonight, it was easy for her to follow him home without much resistance.

In short, even though their interactions were few, Akira had already earned Utaha's trust. 

If he wasn't a professional con artist, then he must be someone with genuine principles.

…Wait. He's an onmyoji and feng shui master working between noble families.

Utaha suddenly realized this.

As a modern young woman, she clearly didn't believe in such things. 

And someone who made a living off them… shouldn't that automatically equate to being a fraud? 

And not just any fraud—the highest grade?

Was everything she had seen and felt from the very beginning a lie?

"Miss Kasumigaoka, what are you spacing out for all of a sudden?"

Akira's voice pulled her out of her sudden crisis of trust.

She switched the coffee in her hand for the cola and handed it to Akira as if nothing had happened. "Nothing."

"Indecisive?" Akira chuckled at her.

She nodded along. It was a common enough modern 'illness' to serve as a good excuse.

Akira twisted off the bottle cap, savoring the hiss of carbon dioxide escaping. 

When he noticed Utaha holding her bottle without opening it, he seemed to understand and handed her the already opened cola.

Thinking this gesture fairly gentlemanly, he was caught off guard when Utaha suddenly took a step back, as if frightened.

Akira looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Are you… scared now?"

"No. I just… I'm not used to this kind of help."

Grasping for a reason, she offered that slightly far-fetched excuse and tried twisting the cap herself—but failed.

As a literature major, Utaha admittedly didn't have much physical strength. 

Still, she wasn't weak enough to be unable to open a soda bottle. She tried again but realized she couldn't muster any strength. That's when it hit her—she was really tired today.

Courage often stems from strength. 

When your strength weakens and your environment feels unsafe, your sense of danger naturally rises—even if you never had much strength to begin with.

Akira stood from the sofa and walked toward her.

Utaha backed away on alert. But no matter how big the living room was, a few steps still brought her to the wall—startling the black cat that had been crouched in the corner.

Trying to stay calm, she said, "Mr. Akira, you promised…"

Akira smiled, clearly holding back laughter, as he took the soda from her hand, twisted it open, and handed it back.

Then he raised his hand and tapped her lightly on the forehead.

"What did I promise again? Hmm?"

Her face turned slightly red.

"The truth is, I did invite you here tonight with the intent of slowly breaking down your guard—or perhaps I should say, building trust."

Just like during their conversations earlier, Akira voiced his intentions without reservation.

"The plan I came up with in the car was to use emotional healing as an excuse to bring you back to see the cats. 

Then, once you'd bonded with them, I'd tempt you to stay the night by saying 'you can sleep with the cats tonight.' 

As long as nothing happened that night, your trust in me would be real—not just based on some vague impression. 

After all, impressions can be faked with a bit of acting, which isn't very reliable."

"Honestly, your worries were unnecessary. From the moment you stepped into this house, I could've done whatever I wanted. 

But since you're uneasy, I don't want you to spend the whole night on edge."

He picked up his car keys from the table and headed toward the entrance.

"Come on. I'll drive you home."

Utaha looked at him, then glanced toward the black cat crouched in the other corner and the white cat standing on a platform. 

Her heart, which had just started to calm down, began to beat faster again.

"…Wait a minute."

"What is it?" Akira turned around.

"You just said… what exactly were you planning to tempt me to stay with?"

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