Yotsuya Miko had always kept her feelings under tight control.
But after she accidentally blurted out, "I want to be Azuma-sama's dog," something inside her snapped. Or perhaps unleashed was the better word.
From that day on, the usually quiet, obedient Miko stopped holding back. She didn't even try to play it cool anymore. She clung to Yukima Azuma's side like a loyal pet, her amber eyes filled with a strange devotion. Submissive. Eager. Ready to obey any command.
Even if Azuma truly put a collar on her… she wouldn't resist.
Azuma gently reached out and stroked her head, an action that made her heart race.
"Anyway," he said casually, "let's invite that teacher of yours somewhere quiet. We need to talk."
Miko nodded obediently. "Yes, Azuma-sama…"
But inwardly, she felt conflicted.
Toono Zen, her temporary homeroom teacher, was almost impossible to approach. He never socialized, never lingered after class. The moment the bell rang, he vanished like a ghost. Nobody had his number, and he ignored anyone who tried to engage him outside of academics.
How were they supposed to "invite" him anywhere?
As she pondered this, her sharp eyes caught sight of a solitary figure leaving the school grounds.
"That's him! That's Toono-sensei!" she exclaimed, pointing.
Azuma glanced in the direction. The man's spiritual scent was too faint at this distance to pick up. But Miko's eyes were sharper in another way.
"There are cat spirits clinging to him," Miko said. "A lot of them."
Her expression grew troubled.
"Lately, a lot of cats have gone missing in Tokyo. I don't want to believe he's involved, but… we need to find out."
Azuma nodded. "Let's follow him."
They had time—Bocchi's concert wouldn't start until sunset.
Together, they slipped out the school gate and tailed Toono Zen at a distance. The teacher walked with no urgency, hands in his coat pockets, disappearing into the maze of narrow back alleys that strayed from the main road.
"This area is where most of the cats used to be," Miko said. "But lately… it's gone quiet."
Indeed, they didn't see a single stray on their way. The silence only deepened her suspicion.
After a few turns, Toono Zen passed under a worn arch bridge. From beneath it came a faint, shaky meow.
A cat.
Then, without hesitation, Toono Zen vaulted over the railing and dropped down to the grassy field under the bridge.
"Something's wrong!" Miko gasped and took off running. "We have to hurry!"
Cats were fragile. Just a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
Azuma followed silently, vaulting the railing with ease. He landed on the hard concrete and stopped—his senses flaring, his body tensed. Something didn't feel right.
Miko scrambled after him.
But what she saw under the bridge wasn't at all what she expected.
A three-colored stray cat was huddled in a corner, trembling and meowing pitifully. And across from it—Toono Zen had a man in a hoodie pinned to the ground, locked in a rough, violent grapple.
Miko froze.
Toono Zen wasn't hurting the cat.
He was protecting it.
Nearby, various objects were strewn on the ground: a pair of pliers with fur still stuck in them, a used syringe, a taser, and other horrific tools—each stained with old blood.
Miko's breath caught in her throat. Now she understood.
Toono Zen wasn't the one behind the missing cats.
The real culprit was the man he'd tackled.
Toono-sensei must have been patrolling, tracking cat spirits, following their silent cries for help. Perhaps the vengeful spirits themselves had led him here.
Shame curled in Miko's chest. She had doubted him.
Her vision blurred as she blinked back tears of guilt.
Toono Zen looked up at the sound of their arrival. His grip on the pinned man loosened slightly, just enough for the criminal to gasp for air.
Azuma frowned, noting the teacher's precise grip. It was a strangling hold—one meant to kill, not restrain. Had they arrived a minute later, this man would've been dead.
"Toono-sensei," Miko said carefully, "my name is Yotsuya Miko. I… I have something I want to say to you."
Toono tilted his head slightly, blinking as if trying to place her. "One of my students… huh. Didn't expect to see anyone out here."
His tone was flat, unreadable. Not unfriendly—just… distant.
Miko opened her mouth to explain, but then her eyes widened.
From Toono Zen's back, a monstrous spirit began to emerge—a humanoid spider, with long skeletal limbs, eyes like dark pits, and fangs glistening with venom. Its eight legs wrapped around him like a prison.
It let out a guttural, inhuman scream.
"Don't look," it screeched.
Azuma moved first.
He grabbed the stun gun from the ground and tossed it to Toono Zen.
Toono caught it without hesitation. As he stood, he pressed the taser against the hooded man's neck. The current surged.
With a scream and the acrid stench of burnt flesh, the man slumped unconscious.
Toono Zen looked up slowly, his gaze locking with Azuma's. There was a hint of wariness, but also… respect.
Miko stood frozen. Her eyes were still on the spider spirit.
The spirits of the cats continued to swirl around Toono Zen—but not out of malice. No. They were protecting him, forming a shield between him and the monstrous creature.
They were grateful.
Miko swallowed hard.
"Let him go," she said softly, her voice shaking. "He doesn't deserve to be bound."
The spider spirit paused, its head twitching unnaturally. It turned toward her, massive and towering—its eight legs screeching across the concrete.
It knew she could see it.
Then it charged.
Miko stumbled back. Her legs refused to move. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to not acknowledge it.
But she stood her ground.
Azuma raised his right index finger.
He pointed down—like moving a chess piece into place.
Suddenly, the massive spider was crushed beneath an invisible force. Its limbs twisted grotesquely, flattened against the ground.
The monster, once towering, was now no taller than Miko's calf.
She exhaled shakily, her heart still pounding.
But the spider wasn't dead.
It hissed and writhed under the pressure.
Miko glanced at Azuma. "Azuma-sama…?"
He wasn't tense. He looked curious—like a chef inspecting a rare ingredient.
Then, he raised his hand and made a gripping motion toward the air, fingers slowly curling.
The pressure intensified.
The spider wailed as its monstrous form compressed tighter and tighter. Then—with a final screech—something dropped from its collapsing body.
A black-red orb fell to the grass with a dull thud.
And then… silence.
Toono Zen blinked, stunned. "What… just happened?"
Miko turned to him and forced a smile.
"Toono-sensei, maybe everything I just said sounded crazy. But… if you like cats so much, maybe you could take this one home?"
She pointed to the three-colored cat, still huddled nearby.
Toono looked over, quiet.
"I wouldn't say I like them…" he muttered. "But… maybe I'll give it a try."
He stepped forward and gently picked up the trembling creature.
And in Miko's vision, the spirits around him began to change.
From gloomy red to radiant gold, they shimmered like sunlight breaking through dark clouds—then scattered into gentle points of light, fading into the air.
Toono Zen, once bound by the weight of a monster, finally looked free.