As expected, the staff didn’t really know what to do with Naomi. Her name didn’t belong on any list, and while Tanji and Mirei were guided off to their suites, she remained behind—idle like the morning dew. Up the chain of command, the question of what was to be done with her traded hands. She may have been small, but a ‘mimi is still a ‘mimi (and worth more than their monthly salary). There was still a need to manage and secure her, even more so considering how easy it would be for any of the other girls to roughhouse her. 

She was alone, with only a maid to keep her company. It was the type of maid uniform that was hardly practical: long black and white frilly dress. Seeing it here further solidified the idea that the mansion existed outside of the “normal world,” with only a thin road leading towards it—pine forests as far as the eyes could see. 

Although it was difficult to tell, the servant currently holding her was the same representative who met with them when the group took off from Namiport: same short black hair, same distant stare (although this one was decorated with thicker makeup). It seemed like Ms. Tanikawa kept a small entourage. That would explain why the halls weren’t swarming with servants for a place of this size. Even this maid being here—taking care of a single ‘mimi—must have been putting strain on everyone else. Didn’t look like she was upset about it. 

Suddenly, there was movement. Grasping her finger, Naomi watched as the unprompted maid marched towards one of the rooms like a robot, staring directly ahead.

“Where are we going?” She piqued up, continuing to tightly hold onto her digits—their beige pedicure as blank as her face. 

“This has been going on for too long.” Letting out an exhausted groan, the maid finally made eye contact. “I am taking you directly to the mistress.” 

“The mistress? Really?” Too soon. She didn’t have a plan on what persona to use with her new owner. Being shy and timid has worked so far (it came to her naturally, after all) but maybe it would be better to show herself in a better light. Also, Tanji wasn’t here. As much as she hated to admit it, the tubby cat was the “muscle” of this operation.  

Inside the room, the first thing Naomi noticed was the smell of tobacco—thin silver slithers of smoke floating in the air. She had not smoked in a while, had she? Everything else came in a way. Before, Noah smoked for the sake of it. To keep his hands busy. To keep his mind empty. Just the scent of it in the air made Naomi calm, with her eyes lazily darting to the mistress. 

In her little castle, she was the queen—a wonderfully mature woman with short white hair clad in red. A Pearl necklace hung around her neck, just below her lips. Ms. Tanikawa was the type of woman who smiled because there was nothing to be sad about. Why would there be? She was at the top. “Hello there, dear.” She said as Naomi was deposited on her desk. There was something about the woman that demanded her to act. Was she supposed to do something? Shake her hand? Bow? Maybe both? “You have come a long way, haven’t you.”

“Yeah, I did.” Without the answer, Naomi decided to simply stand at attention—her hands tucked to the side of her body as she struggled to maintain eye contact. 

“You came with the same batch as my dear Tanji, did you not?” 

“Yeah, I did.” Naomi repeated, clearing her throat. “EikōBio sent us together. But that’s all I know.” Almost forgetting to do her job of pretending that she was just a stupid mouse, the woman rubbed her temples as if deep in thought. 

“That girl was always troublesome. Climbing into a random ship and hoping to not get dumped off in the middle of the Pacific.” Letting out a chuckle, the woman brought a fine cup of coffee to her lips. “No idea where she got that from. Maybe it was some genetic issue? Something associated with the missing leg, perhaps?” Even the speculation made Naomi feel uncomfortable. Sure, Tanji did have some…quirks, but essentially calling her a genetic failure just didn’t sit right with the tiny. Before she even knew it, her fist was clenched. 

“Is she important to you?” The question was a test. Naomi just wanted to see how the mistress would respond, hoping to justify her distaste towards the woman. In reality, it was more of a way for her to call out “I care about Tanji more than you!”

“Tanji? Oh yes! I’ve had her since girlhood. Her, and Tamiko. It was fun when we were young, but now…well. I am glad that she is back, but if her attitude doesn’t change, I am afraid I will simply need to give her away.”

Feeling herself pouting, Naomi stomped her foot on the desk. It would probably have been more impactful if she was larger, with the act sounding more like the tap of a finger. “You can’t just say that! You can’t just give her away!”

“Aww, little mouse. There is no need for you to be bothered with something like this.” 

Once again, her tiny heart was beating quickly. “She had to stay at some random guy’s house…she probably missed you!”

Normally, this type of outburst would not have been tolerated. But in this context, there was simply no way that Ms. Tanikawa could justify getting angry. What was she going to do? Have the security haul her away? Instead, she just laughed and used her manicured finger to ruffle through Naomi’s hair. 

The mouse girl was readying to continue her rant but was stopped by the sound of the door opening. It was Tanji. And the Neko next to her? It must have been Tamiko. Being slightly taller than her sister, Tamiko’s pigtails reached all the way down her back—the golden strands with pink stripes lighting up the room just like her smile. The entire house was regulated, so she could afford to wear a skimpy black bikini and loose-fitting socks indoors. Looking at it, both Naomi and Tanji let out a collective groan. Of course it had a cat paw print.

The bikini did at least match her skin tone, as it looked like the woman had just gotten back from the beach—her bronze face adorned with bright white makeup. This kind of style…Naomi remembered it being popular a few years back. Even when she was younger, it was already fading away from popularity. It was called Ganguro, although most of his friends just called these women “peach girls.”

Compared to Tanji, Tamiko looked more approachable. She didn’t constantly frown, her skin wasn’t as pale as paper, and there weren’t dark bags under her eyes. There was so much sweetness coming off her, it almost made Naomi’s liver hurt. 

“Okān!” Tamiko squealed, running up into the arms of Tanikawa as if they had not seen each other in years. Immediately, the girl nuzzled against her chest, allowing herself to be held close to her body. Once again, a difference between the two became apparent. If anyone tried to pick up Tanji like this—even her mistress—she would wiggle and squirm around until dropped. 

“Tami.” The woman chuckled, managing to get her pet to stop clinging onto her long enough for Tamiko to look in her eyes. “Your sister is here. You should say hello.”

With her eyes perking up, Tamiko immediately focused on Tanji. “Tanji!” She ran up to her with her arms outstretched. Briefly considering the pros and cons of driving a knee into her sister’s stomach, she allowed Tamiko to throw her arms around her neck—rubbing her cheek against hers. Naomi understood very little of the conversation that followed. Being an amateur speaker made it difficult to follow, with Tamiko’s thick dialect and speed not helping. Given Tanji’s short replies, it seemed the enthusiasm was one-sided.

After a moment of this apparent torture (at least Tanji acted like it was torture), she pulled away, putting her hands on her hips and laughing. The inevitable meeting between their eyes occurred shortly after, with them turning into slits as she saw the defenseless Naomi. 

"Did you bring me a present, Tanji? Did you? Did you" She shook her fist with excitement, darting between the frightened Naomi and unamused Tanji. 

Shaking her head, Tanji climbed onto the chair, reaching for Naomi. “Mine.” Being in her grasp was still embarrassing, but that was at least the demon she knew. 

“Okān! Okān!” Tamiko pouted, putting on a cute face. “I want a mousey! Tanji shouldn’t get it. She doesn’t behave well.”

“I am sure you two can share for now.” The mistress waved her hand dismissively, with Tamiko already inching for Naomi. “Don’t worry, I will buy you a little mouse later on. Would you also want yours to have white fur?”

“Yes, please! But can you make it’s eyes not red? It’s a bit creepy…”

“Anything for you, dear.” Glancing down at her watch, something more important than the wellbeing of her pet came up. “I have a meeting, dear. Why don’t you take Tanji and Naomi to your room for just a moment?”

“Of course!” Grabbing onto the wrist of her sister, both she and the handheld mouse soon found themselves dragged along. The maid followed like a looming protector—ensuring they didn’t do anything stupid. Tanji mumbled something under her breath, taking a moment to make sure that Naomi was secure in her hand before allowing her sister to continue pulling them along. 

“I’ve missed you so much, sister!” She repeated, skipping down the empty halls. “Would you like to try some of my outfits on?”

“No.” Tanji’s reply sounded precalculated. 

“Aww. Please? It will be fun, I promise.”

“Fine. But I am not putting on pants.”

As they entered the dark room, the door behind closed with an ominous click. Their accompanying maid melded in the blackness—her silhouette barely distinguishable from the void. With a flick of a lighter and the flash of a cigarette being lit, their captor’s face became visible for just a moment. There was a cruel smile painted across her lips, one which didn’t fade away as the rest of the room was lit up. 

“Ah. Mr. Noah and his pet. Plus one extra.” She snapped her fingers, gesturing to the pink-haired Neko sitting on one of the beds. Standing up, the unmistakable eyes of the girl from the club scanned the three victims. Even if they weren’t currently being kidnapped by her, the sight of Maya was enough to make Tanji show her fangs.

But before even preparing for a leap, all the wind was forced out of her lungs as the maid pretender kicked the Neko in the stomach, making her fold in on herself and crumble to the ground. The anger made her hold back tears as Maya wrapped a piece of tape around her face and arms. It was a cathartic moment, seeing the woman who outshined her collapse. And despite it feeling cruel, a grin similar to that of her owner appeared across the girl’s lips.

Making Tamiko submit was a lot easier. From the moment she noticed danger, the woman began bawling her eyes for the mistress. But nobody came to help, and she was forced to stop crying to conserve oxygen as she was gagged. 

With Naomi…there was no need to do anything. The maid simply picked her up by the tail, dangling the mouse girl in the air. “Good job, Noah.” Exhaling a puff of tobacco in his face, she snickered. “They always get sloppy with recruits, huh? What, you act surprised that I know your name. I didn’t even need to look at the guest registry to get it. In case you thought about getting a fake ID. No, this was a lot more direct. I’ve put snoopers on that thing, you know. Damn good one if the cabal wasn’t able to catch it.”

“...you know who I am?”

“Yeah. Everything from the machine. Including your biometric data.” The pretender waved her phone in Naomi’s face—the white text on a black backdrop appeared to meld due to the movement. Blood type B…you know what the superstitious folks here say about that?” She held back a laugh. “I guess this foretelling bullshit is right sometimes.”

For a moment, there was just silence. Noami glanced back at Tanji trying to struggle as if she could somehow help to undo the tape with her mind. 

“Hey? What’s up with the blank stare? Did the transformation make your brain slower or something?” Left to right, the mouse girl was swung like a pendulum until she began squirming. 

“What do you want!” Naomi cried out, knowing that there was nothing to lose now. 

“The same thing as you. Leverage against the family. As simple as that.” An actual hint of remorse appeared on the kidnapper’s lips for the first time. “Sorry you got stuck in all this. Should have taken the quiet way out, huh?”

“Is this about money?” 

“Nah. Not money.” There was another puff of smoke, this one at least not exactly at her face. “Got all the money I could want from the club. It’s more about security.”

Naomi squinted in confusion. “Security? From the cabal?”

“Market security, dear. ‘Mimis are expensive, and we don’t even need to inflate the market that much. It’s a happy little equilibrium.” Scrunching her nose, she looked directly at Naomi. “Imagine if suddenly you can turn people into ‘mimis. Near infinite supply. There is no way that other companies will be able to compare with EikōBio prices, once they become the industry standard. What they are essentially doing is turning our fine restaurants into fast food.” 

“There is a difference between a bred ‘mimi…and a human just turned into one.” Naomi justified, distancing herself from the tied-up products on the floor. Even if it felt dishonest or cruel, it was something she needed to hear. 

“No laws for it. And when they are established, EB will grease the palms. If it will be illegal everywhere else, there would always be Namiport.” She looked up, the silver smoke dancing with the weak light bulb hanging above them. “In Namiport, anything goes. Why do you think all the Japanese corpos have their facilities so far from home?” Extending her arm, the woman pointed towards the two floor-bound cat girls. “And if it wouldn’t pass, you were just about to bring them all the necessary collateral.” 

“Why not just get rid of me? You don't need me, right?" Her eyes darted towards the trash can—a perfect place for her body. "I am not even an employee.” Just talking for the sake of talking—to keep the woman happy…Naomi hoped that she wasn’t developing some sort of hostage syndrome. 

“Because I pity you, I suppose.” She shrugged, having a blank look on her face. “You don’t belong here, kid—you really don’t. You can try playing some corporate mafioso or a Yakuza wannabe, but you are just a student. Even now, you are pretending to be something you’re not. Isn’t that right, Naomi?” The maid clapped her hands together. “No time to waste. Off we are. Sorry for the rescheduling. I hope you enjoyed the accommodations while it lasted. Come on Maya, pick them up.”

A black cab. This is where it all started. This was where Noah was first plunged deeply into this world. Once again, he found himself sitting inside—a cap holder fashioned into a chair. But now, instead of bringing it to him, the vehicle glided away from the secluded castle of Ms. Tanikawa and back to reality.