The Encounter of Two Cat-Girls
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting long, golden streaks across the floor.
The second hand of the wall clock ticked away, quietly gnawing at the afternoon.
In the midst of that stillness, Garam lay on the sofa, resting. In her hand, she held a can of iced coffee—the kind Sion drank often—but it had been left half-finished for so long that it had gone lukewarm.
“…I’m bored.”
Garam muttered, clicking the remote to turn off the television.
Most of the channels were just news or dull variety shows. Occasionally, she’d find a channel playing animation, but those were too childish for her taste.
Nothing caught her interest.
“Haaah….”
A sigh escaped her lips involuntarily.
Since the old man had gone out on a mission, today was a rare day off from the grueling training she’d been doing without a break for nearly a month. She didn’t have to complain about wanting to stop the training for once.
Yet, even with this time to rest, she didn’t feel particularly good.
A deep, hollow feeling had taken root in her chest, as if something vital was missing.
‘Is it because the old man isn’t here…?’
Garam stared blankly at the ceiling before turning her head toward the kitchen.
On the sink sat the coffee cup Sion had left behind that morning. A coffee stain had bled slightly onto the side of the cup, and next to it lay a folded newspaper.
“He’s so meticulous about everything else, but his tidying habits are trash….”
Garam grumbled as she got up, washed the cup, and set it on the drying rack. Then, she unfolded the newspaper Sion had been reading earlier.
The headline was nothing special.
[An assassination scene with no traces left behind. Who is the culprit?]
Garam’s eyebrows twitched slightly as she read the title.
“An assassination scene with no traces left behind, huh….”
Garam began to scan the article.
The content was brief. It was a three-paragraph report that didn’t even specify the exact region where the incident occurred.
[Death of the UL Electronics Chairman.
There were no signs of external entry at the scene, and the cause of death is presumed to be an intravenous drug overdose.
The police are investigating without ruling out the possibility of an inside job.]
It felt like a strange report to be in a newspaper. Suspicious, Garam flipped the paper over to check which news agency had published it. But there was no name of any news agency to be found.
“…Is this like a newspaper for killers?”
Garam muttered, looking down at the paper.
“Weird.”
As she turned the page, another article caught her eye.
Just like the previous one, there was no reporter’s name or company logo. Instead, a small black-and-white photo was attached to the corner.
“……?”
The photo showed a man in a black suit. His face was blurred, but Garam felt a strange sense of familiarity from the silhouette.
‘…He looks like the old man?’
Garam narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to the photo. However, the print quality was so poor that she couldn’t confirm the face. Instead, a small caption written below the photo caught her eye.
[He is moving again.]
“……What is this?”
Garam repeated the sentence several times. A cold chill crept up from the center of her chest.
That was when it happened.
Clack—
Something small fell out from under the newspaper. It was a white envelope, completely unmarked.
Garam hesitated, then picked it up and carefully tore it open.
“……?”
Inside was a photo and a short note.
The photo showed a dark back alley. Blood was splattered on the wall, and a faint shadow was cast beside it. It was Sion.
“…Old man?”
Garam instinctively looked around. The room was silent, but strangely, the air felt laced with a biting chill. The note contained only two sentences:
- Be careful. Every killer out there is watching you.
It was like a warning. Garam’s fingertips trembled slightly. The sentences were short, but each word felt strangely sharp. The writing on the paper wasn’t printed; it had been handwritten with a pen.
“……Who would do this?”
Garam muttered under her breath. Once she stopped speaking, the sound of the clock’s second hand grew strangely loud in the quiet room.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
That was the moment.
Amidst the unnaturally loud ticking, Garam heard a sound coming from the front door—a sound she didn’t usually hear.
It was the faint sound of metal clashing against metal.
At first, Garam thought it might be her imagination, but… the sound came again. Clearer than before.
‘…It’s not the old man.’
The sound she heard was someone picking the lock. Sion always used the digital keypad to enter. If the person outside was Sion, it was a sound that should never have been heard.
Garam instinctively stiffened. Cold sweat ran down her spine. Her heart hammered so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
Srrrk—
Garam pulled the dagger Sion had given her from her pocket, gripped it, and pressed herself silently against the wall next to the front door.
If it were someone she knew, they would have knocked or rung the bell. Anyone trying to sneak in like this had to be an enemy. Garam recalled what Sion had told her before:
Following his advice, Garam silently readied her stance, aiming for the neck.
Creeeeeak….
As the door slowly opened and someone stepped inside, Garam launched herself forward, swinging the dagger toward the intruder.
But faster than her strike, the person who had entered the house caught Garam’s wrist.
“Whew, you’re fast.”
It happened in an instant. The opponent hadn’t even moved half a step; they had simply raised their arm slightly… and Garam’s dagger stopped in mid-air, unable to reach its target.
“Wh-who are you!”
Garam reflexively pulled back, retreating.
The figure standing in the doorway wore a deep hood, and a black mask covered most of their face, making it impossible to identify them. But she could feel it from their silhouette alone.
The pressure.
This person wasn’t just an intruder.
“Keep it down, little friend. My hearing is sensitive, and shouting like that makes my ears hurt.”
It was an unfamiliar voice. Playful, yet carrying a strange sense of composure.
Garam lowered her stance and tightened her grip on the dagger.
“You… who are you?”
“It’s cute how you ask with such a tense expression.”
Garam didn’t hesitate any longer. She threw the dagger straight at the intruder. A sharp metallic whistle cut through the air as it flew toward the mask.
But even though the dagger flew at high speed, the opponent dodged it just by slightly twisting their body.
Thwack!
The dagger embedded itself into the wall.
“Heh. Your judgment is quite good. Though I can see your skills are still a bit green.”
Before the woman—Phantom—could even finish her sentence, Garam kicked off the floor and lunged.
Her body dove low, the sound of her feet sliding against the floor. As soon as she pulled the dagger from the wall, she slashed upward toward the woman’s side.
Swish—!
“Oh, nice footwork.”
The mysterious woman stepped back nonchalantly. Her movements were effortless. Garam’s blade grazed just inches in front of the woman’s side.
Garam spun her body, following up with a kick. Her shoe aimed for Phantom’s chin, but—
Tap.
“Your flexibility is a pass, too. Is being young really that great?”
The woman’s finger lightly pressed against Garam’s ankle. With just a single finger.
The force wasn’t strong at all, but Garam’s balance was completely shattered. Her body spun in the air and crashed into the table next to the sofa.
“Ugh…!”
“Ho. It’s cool how your eyes haven’t lost their spark even after getting hit like that.”
The woman laughed, slowly rotating her wrist.
“Judgment, reaction speed, flexibility. All passing grades. With a bit more experience, you’ll easily surpass an S-class killer.”
“Shut up!”
Garam stood up again. She gripped the dagger in a reverse hold and swung it repeatedly at maximum speed.
The sharp sound of steel cutting through the air. Garam’s eyes glared fiercely at the woman. But the woman’s figure was blurry.
She was there.
Then she vanished.
And suddenly, she was behind Garam.
“Ah, now I see why Sion is training you.”
The moment Garam turned around in surprise, the woman’s two fingers pinched the blade of the dagger.
Snap!
The dagger slipped from Garam’s hand and spun in the air. The woman caught it and playfully twirled it on her finger.
“You’re good with weapons, too. Well-balanced. Sion taught you well, didn’t he?”
“…How do you know that name?”
“We grew up together, after all.”
The woman tilted her head and smiled.
“Don’t worry. I’m not an enemy. If I were an enemy—.”
Before she could finish, the woman’s fingertips moved. Garam reflexively tried to pull back to dodge, but the woman was much faster.
Thud—!
A heavy impact sank deep into Garam’s abdomen. Her breath was knocked out of her in an instant.
“Guhhh…!”
“You wouldn’t even have been able to breathe.”