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Mystery of Western-Style Mansion (2): Cat

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Sonia, Rick, Frank and I arrived at the old school building.

“Looking at it again, the old school building really shows its age.” (Rick)

Rick said as he looked at the building from the central street.

Indeed, while the paint had been redone, the wooden building appeared quite worn in places.

“Well then, shall we head around the back?” (Rick)

Rick-san led the way as we walked along the building. As we moved, I call out to him.

“I was a bit surprised you decided to come along… I thought you might try to stop us.” (Lux)

Rick, with a mischievous grin that made him look like a playful child, responded, “Oh? A little adventure like this is exciting no matter how old you are.” (Rick)

Then, with a slightly serious expression, he added.

“Well, I am the eldest here. It’s probably more convenient to have someone experienced around in case anything happens.” (Rick)

“I see. Thanks, Rick-san.” (Lux)

When I sincerely thanked him for agreeing to be our leader, he replied, “You’re welcome,” and moved on.

Although the old school building was currently used as a storage facility and wasn’t completely devoid of activity, the back of the building showed little sign of human presence. Despite it being morning, there was a damp and slightly gloomy atmosphere, perhaps due to preconceived notions.

“Let’s head deeper into the forest.” (Frank)

Frank said, walking purposefully in that direction.

Unlike the training grounds, which were maintained and regularly visited, this area was thick with underbrush due to lack of human traffic. After we had pushed through the dense undergrowth for a while, I stopped everyone.

“There’s no sign that anyone has been here at all. Maybe this isn’t the right place?” (Lux)

“Yeah, let’s head back for now.” (Rick)

Rick-san agreed, and we returned to the old school building.

We spent some time searching around the old school building for any hidden paths but found nothing that seemed promising.

“Hmm. Maybe this area wasn’t the right one?” (Frank)

Frank said, crossing his arms and frowning in thought.

“But are there any other areas where a western-style mansion might be?”

Sonia asked, also looking troubled.

Just then, we heard a cat’s meow.

I looked around and spotted a white cat with a fluffy coat, watching us from a short distance.

“Ah, a cat.” (Sonia)

Sonia said as she noticed the cat and approached it. The cat trotted away slightly, maintaining its distance, and looked back at us, meowing again. As we got closer, the cat repeated the same behavior.

“Do you think… it’s telling us to follow?”  (Sonia)

Sonia suggested as she looked back at me. I nodded in agreement.

The cat guided us away from the old school building and out to the main street of the academy. It walked towards one of the four main gates, the East Gate. As we approached the East Gate, the tall walls extending to the left and right came into view. The academy was surrounded by these high gates, which would serve as a fortress in times of emergency.

“Are we going to end up outside?” (Frank)

Frank said, walking with his hands behind his head. He seemed a little bored.

“Well, it’s interesting. Let’s follow it and see where it leads.” (Lux)

I encouraged while trailing after the cat.

“Still, is it always this deserted, even on a holiday?” (Rick)

Rick-san looked around the surroundings with curiosity.

Indeed, despite it being a holiday, there should be military personnel coming and going, and students around the dorms. But even considering it was early morning, the main street was unusually empty today.

Then, the cat suddenly stopped just before the East Gate. It made a short meow and went into some ordinary bushes. I went to that place and looked at the ground.

“Huh? It looks like a lot of people come and go here. The ground is trampled down.” (Lux)

Avoiding the bushes, I stepped inside and found a narrow, albeit distinct, pathway leading further in. It was old and partly hidden by mud, but there were faint signs of cobblestone.

“This is…” (Rick)

Rick-san murmured in surprise.

“Let’s at least check it out.” (Frank)

Frank urged as he joined us.

I took out my slingshot, holding it tightly in my left hand, and cautiously began to follow the narrow path. The path continued along the wall. The area around the entrance was barely maintained, probably for camouflage purposes, but once we went further, there were clearly well-maintained shrubs and the path had completely transformed into a small path.

“Quite charming.” (Sonia)

Sonia remarked unconsciously. She was clearly impressed by the picturesque scenery.

We walked for about 30 minutes.

“Wow, this is surprising.” (Rick)

Rick-san barely managed to say, but everyone else stared blankly at the elegant mansion that seemed out of place at a military academy.

 

—

 

“What should we do?” (Frank)

Frank asked me.

“If we run away now, it might make things look even more suspicious. There’s no ‘No Entry’ sign around here… let’s go ahead.” (Lux)

As we approached the mansion, we saw that the entrance was a rose-covered gate, which was well-maintained. Feeling a gaze, I looked up to the second floor of the mansion and saw a woman in a white dress smiling and watching us from the window. Just as I was about to mention this to everyone, a voice called out from the side of the gate.

“Oh? Who might you be, coming all the way out here?” (??)

Turning towards the voice, we saw a refined-looking elderly lady.

“You seem to be students. How did you find this place?” (??)

“Uh, well… a cat guided us here?” (Lux)

“A cat?” (??)

“Yes, a white cat…” (Lux)

When I said it, I started to doubt the truth of it myself. But the elderly lady chuckled softly and said, “Ah, so it was the cat,” and then invited us.

“Since you’re here, please come in.” (??)

 

—

 

The garden was large and beautifully maintained, and it was hard to believe that we were inside a military school. On the terrace, tables were set up for tea, and the old lady instructed us, “Please sit here and wait for a moment,” before disappearing into the mansion. Feeling that things were getting quite strange, I took a seat as instructed.

The sound of birds chirping and the gentle breeze flowing through the garden created a serene atmosphere.

“We found it. The western-style mansion.” (Sonia)

Sonia remarked dreamily.

“Yeah. And it’s even more impressive than I imagined.” (Lux)

I replied, also feeling somewhat in awe as I gazed at the garden.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” (??)

The old lady returned with tea and cookies, and Sonia hurried to assist her.

“Oh, thank you.” (??)

With Sonia’s help, tea was served to everyone, and the old lady slowly sat down in a chair.

“Well then, let’s start again. May I ask who you are?” (??)

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