The Amphisbaena by Gakuto Mikumo Page A

uncharacteristically high spirits. A seemingly countless number of golden eyes emerged from the dimly lit interior of the abandoned, ruined abbey.
    There were ten-odd cats, still quite young, rushing toward Kojou and the others like bird chicks greeting the return of their mother. Kojou thought the sight was less adorable than frightening, but…
    “Waah… So cuuute… There, there… There, there…”
    Yukina smiled happily as she picked one kitten up after another.
Ah, come to think of it
, recalled Kojou, she was into collecting cat mascots. Yukina had been cool and composed on the roof with Takashimizu, but she’d probably been fighting her desire to pamper the kitten the entire time.
    “So, umm, you take care of…all of these?” Kojou asked Kanon as the horde of kittens milled around his feet.
    In spite of all these kittens living under one roof, there was no hint of any unpleasant smell in the abbey, a clear sign someone had been frequently passing through and caring for the kittens as well as cleaning up the place.
    Kanon nodded as she prepared the cat food with a practiced hand.
    “They’re all…abandoned cats, you see. I meant to take care of them until I could find people to take them, but…”



“Until you can find someone to take ’em? The odds aren’t good with this many…” Kojou was a bit beside himself as he spoke. Kanon lowered her eyes in dismay.
    “Yes. I cannot do it myself. That was why I asked Nagisa and others to help me…”
    “…So when Nagisa told me to help you, this is what she meant, huh?”
    Kojou sighed and slumped his shoulders wearily as he finally figured out what his sister really intended.
    Looking up and seeing Kojou like that, Kanon asked a tentative question. “I’m very sorry. Is it too much trouble?”
    “Nah,” Kojou muttered with a smile, shaking his head. “I can’t just say I don’t wanna do it after what happened earlier. Then, there’s Himeragi there…”
    “I’m so glad. I was a little worried. I’m not confident I can keep caring for all these little ones,” Kanon murmured as her pale eyes narrowed softly, giving the kittens a very fond look.
    Gazing at the side of her face, Kojou was a bit dazzled by the saintly air she gave off.
    “Kanase, I think you really would make a great nun.”
    Kanon looked up in surprise as Kojou gave her his honest opinion.
    For a moment, her expression held a faint trace of sadness.
    “Thank you very much. Those words alone are…enough for me.”
    Kanon made a soft, charming smile as she spoke.
4
    The elevator continued downward until finally halting without a sound.
    It was sixty levels belowground. This was the Gigafloat Management Corporation Public Security Department in Keystone Gate, the central core of Itogami Island.
    She awaited the opening of the elevator door before marching into the dimly lit corridor.
    She was a small woman wearing a frilly gothic lolita outfit.
    Her cherubic face was better described as that of a beautiful girl’s rather than a young woman’s, if not that of a child’s. In spite of this, hersteps seemed mysteriously full of might as she marched without hesitation down the corridor.
    “…Heya, Natsuki. Over here, over here!” Someone called out her name with an odd, overly familiar tone of voice.
    Tch.
Natsuki Minamiya, not only an English teacher at Saikai Academy, but also a national Attack Mage known as “the Witch of the Void,” made an unpleasant click of her tongue.
    “First, Kojou Akatsuki, now you… I’ve told you enough times not to call your homeroom teacher by her first name!”
    As she spoke, the target of her glare was a young man with spiky hair that was combed back. He was dressed in a black suit—the uniform of the Gigafloat Management Corporation’s Investigative Division. He wore headphones around his neck while making an impudent leer.
    “I thought something must have happened to be called directly to the corporation… Your doing, Yaze?”
    “Sorry