Chapter 14: The Black Cat Plays Detective

Dinner was exactly as expected—this time it was corn mush. 

The black cat sniffed it lightly with her nose. 

The corn itself actually smelled quite sweet and fragrant.

She curled her little tongue around some and swallowed. 

The taste wasn’t terrible. 

Had Luo Yunzhi’s cooking seen a tiny bit of improvement lately?

The black cat blinked, her pupils full of doubt.

At least the recent meals no longer looked like “Cthulhu.” 

They were more like “ugly monsters” at worst—much easier to swallow.

She turned her gaze toward the young girl.

Her paws stepped on the sofa.

Seemingly noticing the stare, Luo Yunzhi—who had been spacing out in her chair—snapped back to reality. 

She looked at the black cat and forced a weak smile.

“What’s wrong, Little White?”

“Meow.”

Something’s off.

Bai Ziyu frowned slightly. 

Though cats don’t have eyebrows, ever since the meal was served, Luo Yunzhi had been holding her spoon and staring into space for no apparent reason.

Five minutes had already passed, and she still hadn’t taken a second bite. 

The food had cooled in the air and turned into a sticky mess.

The black cat nimbly jumped down from the sofa, hopped across the scattered books on the floor, and lightly landed on the dining table.

She pawed at the bowl.

Her meaning was obvious.

“Meow.”

Eat already.

Luo Yunzhi paused, then smiled faintly. 

She scooped up a huge spoonful and shoved it into her mouth, but she ate too fast and immediately choked.

The young girl coughed violently, hurriedly grabbed her water cup and gulped down several mouthfuls.

Only then did she pat her chest, finally feeling like she could breathe again.

“Um… that…” She felt a little embarrassed. 

Even though it was just her and a cat at home, she still felt awkward about something like this.

But looking at the beautiful black cat.

She felt ashamed.

“I did that on purpose,” Luo Yunzhi explained, her cheeks inexplicably burning as if a furnace was roasting them.

“Clearing my throat before eating?”

“Meow.”

Idiot.

The black cat gave her a speechless glance, shifted into a comfortable position, and fixed those pink-glazed eyes on her.

Luo Yunzhi felt guilty under the stare, her tone turning hesitant as if caught by a teacher. 

“Little White, what exactly do you want?”

“Meow.”

“Are you trying to ask something?”

“Meow.”

“I can’t understand.”

“Meow.”

“Ugh~” The young girl was completely defeated. Trying to understand what a cat was saying was pure fantasy. 

She wasn’t some kind of superhuman.

Luo Yunzhi poked the black cat’s little paw with her finger and looked at her with pleading eyes. 

“Why do I feel like you’re angry?”

Bai Ziyu lowered her head, looking at the fingertip resting on her paw. 

She instinctively pulled her paw back and pressed the finger underneath it.

Then the black cat froze for a second.

Paw-on-top rule?

Bai Ziyu twitched the corners of her mouth. She wasn’t actually angry. 

She was just frustrated about the language barrier.

If she wanted to know what had happened to the girl, asking directly would be fastest. 

But she couldn’t speak—she could only make meaningless meows.

Yet her curiosity was killing her… and she couldn’t show it without risking her secret. It left her feeling endlessly resentful.

Why weren’t there any other yokai in this world?

Give me some advice!

“Meow meow.”

Let’s sleep.

The black cat yawned. Since she couldn’t smell anything unusual, she would have to investigate on her own. 

Besides, she had been pretty bored lately.

Finding something to do would help pass the time. With that thought, Bai Ziyu jumped back onto the sofa, curled up on the pillow, and fell asleep.

Luo Yunzhi looked at her strangely. 

Cats really were unpredictable creatures—their actions were impossible to guess. 

What had Little White been trying to do earlier?

She stared up at the ceiling light.

“Huh? I don’t feel scared anymore?”

***

Three more days passed in succession. 

During those three days, Luo Yunzhi’s return time didn’t get any earlier. 

If anything, it was slightly later than usual.

The black cat often eavesdropped on the girl’s muttering, but she only said meaningless things. 

There was no clue about why she was coming home late.

After several hesitations, Bai Ziyu finally decided to find out for herself. 

The moment the girl left for the day, she secretly slipped out of the house.

Luo Yunzhi’s apartment wasn’t high up—only on the fourth floor. 

The black cat nimbly stepped across the balcony and the air-conditioning unit, easily reaching the ground.

Soft green grass cushioned her paws.

The black cat lifted her head.

The weather today was actually quite nice—hotter than expected even. 

The sun warmed the ground, making it feel pleasantly toasty underfoot.

Bai Ziyu arched her back and stretched. 

Her black fur looked like cotton candy in the sunlight—fluffy yet sleek.

She sharpened her claws against a stone until the tips glinted coldly, then set off with purpose toward a specific direction.

It was the route the girl took to school.

A cat’s sense of smell was very sharp.

‘Luo Yunzhi only goes to school and work, so the reason must be somewhere along this path. If I walk it a few times, maybe I can figure out what happened?’

Bai Ziyu thought to herself and did exactly that. 

She leaped onto the top of a wall and surveyed the area, searching for anything unusual.

It was still early morning. 

Students were diligently studying in their classrooms, and office workers were hard at work in their companies.

The black cat’s movements drew no attention. 

Bai Ziyu scanned every suspicious spot but found nothing out of the ordinary.

“Meow.”

Nothing?

“Meow.”

This isn’t right.

The black cat was puzzled. She searched again but still found nothing. 

The daily life around her was exactly the same as always.

Bai Ziyu looked a little confused. After a moment’s hesitation, she continued along the road. 

She decided to head toward Luo Yunzhi’s school to take a look.

Maybe there would be a clue there?

It made sense.

***

In the classroom, the math teacher was writing formulas on the blackboard with chalk. 

The faint scratching of chalk against the board filled the air.

Most students below were half-asleep. 

A few who were awake stared at the complex equations like they were looking at hieroglyphs.

“It’s actually pretty simple.” 

From the back row came a soft murmur that didn’t match the surroundings at all—yet it drew no one’s attention.

Luo Yunzhi pushed up her thick black-rimmed glasses. 

The formulas on the blackboard were easy for her to understand. 

Her studies had always been decent.

It was probably one of her few strengths.

She felt a bit bored.

She had already mastered the material. 

Luo Yunzhi chewed on her pen, her thoughts wandering. Without realizing it, her gaze drifted toward the scenery outside the window.

A class seemed to be having P.E. on the field. It was free activity time now. 

The figures laughing and playing gave off a youthful vibe.

But that small black shadow on the field…

What was that thing?