“Senior… We failed. The n to dispose of the cat won’t be executed.”


    “Damn it!”


    The man, addressed as senior, kicked a nearby building pir in frustration.


    — <em>Thud, Crumble</em>


    Dust flew everywhere, and bits of stone fell to the ground.


    He brushed off his leg and muttered under his breath.


    “… What on earth is that professor doing?”


    “Apparently, he tried but couldn’t make it work.”


    “<em>Hah</em>. A bunch of idiots whose heads are filled with nothing but academics.”“Senior, but Professor Lichten used to be…”


    “Shut up.”


    “Yes, Senior.”


    The senior—Evan—let out a rough sigh.


    Everyone around him was an idiot, no exceptions.


    In hindsight, maybe they should have resorted to forceful measures.


    … No.


    Evan shook his head.


    ‘That person’ must have a purpose behind every order.


    They were nothing but loyal servants who carried out thosemands.


    That person demanded the blood of more seeds and instructed their agent on how to collect it.


    If that’s the directive, then so be it.


    Evan crossed his arms, lost in thought.


    Everything was Ian ckangers’ fault.


    The failure during thest Blooming Event was a painful one.


    He still couldn’t understand why those higher-ups despised him so much.


    ‘If I ever get the chance, I’ll kill him.’


    Evan’s musings were turning into anger when his subordinate interrupted.


    “So, what do we do now, Senior?”


    “Somehow, we need to gather the cats. We’ve already turned the seeds into cats; there’s no alternative.”


    “And once we gather them—”


    “We’ll kill them all at once.”


    “And if another variable shows up, like someone like Ian…”


    “Don’t worry.”


    Evan rolled up his sleeve, revealing a ck crow emblem on his forearm with the number 5 engraved below it.


    “Now it’s time to resort to force.”


    ◆


    After themittee meeting, I gathered the scattered group of students.


    “Huff- Ian, Brother Ian! Huff! Did you really cancel the notice?”


    Elena ran over, panting as she asked.


    “Catch your breath first.”


    “Inhale— exhale!”


    “Yes, I did. The stray cat capture notice has been revoked.”


    “Amazing! This is the first time I’ve seen something like this during the student council’s term! As expected of you, Brother Ian!”


    Watching her bounce with excitement, I scratched my chin.


    It wasn’t such a big deal. More importantly…


    “Any trace of Danya?”


    “We couldn’t find Sister Danya!”


    Elena babbled on, and Silvia chimed in from beside her.


    “Same here. I prepared everything Ian requested, but the area is too vast, and there are too many individuals.”


    I had expected this.


    “What do we do now…? If we can’t find Sister Danya like this…”


    Elena drooped her head in disappointment.


    I patted her head and spoke.


    “Don’t worry. We’ll find her, no matter what.”


    “But we’ve searched so much and still can’t find her.”


    “That’s because our search method is too weak.”


    “… Weak?”


    Yes.


    Up until now, our search methods hadcked impact.


    Searching through the cats one by one…


    It was practically relying on a stroke of luck.


    “I have a slightly more destructive method in mind.”


    “De-Destructive…?”


    Elena trembled, her wide eyes twitching at the word “destructive”.


    I gave her a light smile and stepped toward the items Silvia had prepared.


    “Everyone, gather around. I’ll give a quick briefing.”


    Elena and Lina, their faces full of curiosity, tilted their heads in unison.


    Silvia crossed her arms, focusing intently on me as though dying to know what her gathered items were for.


    I wasted no time getting straight to the point.


    “We’re going to gather all the cats in the academy into one ce.”


    “…What?”


    “All the cats. In one location. We’ll find Danya among them.”


    The group looked at me as though I’d lost my mind.


    “How?”


    “It’s simple.”


    “…?”


    “If we search one by one, some will inevitably slip through. But if we gather them all in one ce, Danya will have to be among them.”


    “That’s not what I meant—”


    Lina gulped, gathering her courage to ask.


    “How are you nning to gather all the cats in one ce?”


    Lina, who usually led conversations with agreement and empathy, now sought an exnation.


    She must have been genuinely intrigued.


    “I made an interesting discovery.”


    With those words, I pulled Elena forward.


    “???”


    Elena’s expression practically screamed confusion as I pushed her bangs aside to reveal her forehead.


    “Ahh—!”


    “Elena’s forehead is irresistible to cats.”


    As if to prove my words, a ck cat darted toward Elena’s exposed forehead.


    “All the cats lose control around Elena’s forehead. Even ckie here, who has exceptional self-restraint, couldn’t help it. Elena is our secret weapon. But that’s not all.”


    I began exining the items Silvia had prepared, holding them up one by one.


    They had been procured in record time.


    “Here we have catnip, silver vine, and a cloth that captivates cats’ attention. And to top it all off…”


    I carefully took the special items Silvia handed me.


    One was a small, incense-like object, and the other, a music-box-like device.


    The incense was <em>Denia’s Lure</em>, an item designed to attract specific monsters.


    While it’s typically used to lure and eliminate monsters, by limiting its effect to cats, it could be an invaluable tool for gathering them.


    The music box was The Piper’s Music Box, which simrly attracted certain animals’ attention. This, too, could be highly effective.


    Both were rather expensive, but…


    ‘This isn’t the time to worry about money.’


    These items were created for gathering monsters scattered across a field, so their effectiveness was guaranteed.


    “With all of these, we’ll be able to gather every cat in the Academy.”


    I looked around at my teammates.


    Their initial skeptical expressions had softened into hesitant but hopeful ones.


    “It doesn’t seem like a bad n, Brother Ian…”


    “It’s worth trying.”


    That was good enough for me.


    Once we set it in motion, the sight of cats flocking to us would speak for itself.


    At that moment, Elena raised her hand excitedly.


    “Wait, does that mean I have to run around with all this stuff, Brother Ian?”


    “No, you won’t need to do that.”


    Because Silvia had prepared for this as well.


    — <em>Screeech!</em>


    A vehicle rolled to a stop in front of us.


    It was arge, rugged magitech off-road car with massive, heavily treaded tires that looked ready to tackle even the harshest desert terrain.


    “Wow—what an expensive car!”


    “Yeah, renting it cost quite a bit.”


    “Can I drive it?”


    Elena’s eyes sparkled as she asked, her voice brimming with excitement.


    I nodded benevolently.


    “Of course. You’re the star of the show, Elena.”


    “I’m so moved!”


    Well, not exactly.


    “I’m even more moved. Elena, your self-sacrifice is truly extraordinary.”


    “Haha! This Elena is a faithful servant of Deus—wait a moment. Sacrifice?”


    Elena’s gaze trembled as she looked at me. Then, her eyes shifted back to the vehicle.


    Her attention was drawn to the cross-like frame on top of the car.


    It was equipped with ropes sturdy enough to securely tie someone down.


    Elena stared at it uneasily for a moment, her shoulders trembling as she shook her head.


    “Surely not.”


    “Not what?”


    “I believe in you, Brother Ian. You wouldn’t be so cruel.”


    “That’s right.”


    “Then I’ll just sit in the back seat, yes?”


    Elena pointed to the perfectly normal back seat.


    “No.”


    “Then… the front seat? I’m short, so my peripheral view would—”


    “Elena.”


    “… Yes, Brother Ian.”


    “You know where you need to sit.”


    Elena clenched her eyes shut.


    “… Just tie me up gently, please.”


    ◆


    — <em>Sssaaa!</em>


    Cool wind brushed against my face, refreshing and exhrating.


    “So this is the charm of driving.”


    Silvia muttered, holding her windswept hair beside me.


    I agreed. It had been a long time since I’d felt this kind of speed. Not that it was particrly fast, but still.


    The one truly experiencing the thrill of speed, however, was elsewhere.


    “Ahhhhhhhh!”


    The piercing scream came from above. Elena, of course.


    I leaned out the window to check on her.


    “Are you okay?”


    “You’ll regret this, Brother Ian!!!”


    “You seem to be enjoying it.”


    Satisfied with her “status,” I turned my attention back to the scenery.


    Behind the vehicle was an impressive sight: countless little furballs with short legs chasing after us.


    At least several hundred cats were sprinting to keep up, a veritable feline stampede.


    We wove through the academy grounds, dodging bewildered cadets gawking at the unusual procession.


    “Once we round that building and turn right, we’ll reach the end. There’s arge za where we can gather all these cats.”


    Afterpleting the final turn—


    — <em>Screech!</em>


    The magitech vehicle came to a smooth stop.


    I quickly got out, ready for what was toe.


    <em>Meow!</em>


    <em>Hiss!</em>


    <em>Mro!</em>


    A deafening cacophony of meows followed, as the swarm of cats barreled toward us.


    No, not us—Elena.


    <em>Whoosh!</em>


    The moment was surreal.


    Like a synchronized wave, the entire feline army leaped toward her.


    Silvia murmured in awe beside me.


    “It’s like a rain of cats.”


    It was truly a spectacle.