Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Cabin—Connected as One

“Are you and the Black Cat really twins?” Ayase asked seriously.

Qi’s hand paused; he shook his head, then nodded. Under the glow of the computer screen, his eyes revealed nothing. “Outside of this world, she and I are not. But in this world, even a DNA test would prove she is indeed my sister. This is God’s little joke. You should know that already, so why ask?”

Ayase couldn’t help but smile, though she didn’t know why. “I’ve never actually seen the other world you talk about, so I can only half believe it. Anyway, that’s that. By the way, Onii-san, don’t you need to go to school?”

“I finished all my university courses while staying at your house. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty simple,” Qi replied coolly. Unnoticed, the three of them had already reached the roadside. Kanako listened, bored, not understanding a word they said.

“School isn’t just about learning, you know; there’s making friends, memories with classmates—all sorts of things. You should give it a try. At least it’s better than loafing around all day playing on the computer,” Ayase urged.

“I’ll consider it.”

“Hey, you two, don’t forget I exist! Flirting and whispering sweet nothings with me right here!” Kanako complained loudly.

“Kanako, you—”

“I have something to take care of, so I’ll be going now,” Qi turned at the intersection and walked away, not lingering at all.

As his figure was about to be swallowed by the crowd, Kanako called out, “Mr. Qi, can I have your phone number?”

Qi just waved without answering, already lost in the sea of people.

“Tch, Ayase, what’s that arrogant guy’s number? I want to prank call him.”

“Don’t cause trouble for people.”

“You kicked him across the room, and you have the nerve to say that to me?”

“Such a chatterbox.”

...

After dinner at home, the Black Cat waited another half hour before Qi strolled slowly in from the entryway.

“Why are you back so late? Did you eat?” she asked.

“Heh, my dear Black Cat, you’re so thoughtful. Are the in-laws home?” Qi whispered with a grin, leaning close to her ear.

“You... you! That was just a greeting from the host! Aren’t you supposed to call them Mom and Dad? They’ve already left for work,” the Black Cat retreated, shyly, her voice tinged with radio-wave oddity.

“To be honest, I really can’t bring myself to call them Mom and Dad. But since they’re your parents, when I say Mom and Dad, I mean in-laws, I suppose. Otherwise, I’d be embarrassed. Anyway, it’s just as well they’re not here. I’ve brought some wood for building a room. I’ll have it up tonight, and from now on, I’ll have my own place to stay.” Qi wandered into the house to look around.

“Is Tamaki asleep?”

“She woke up before dinner and went back to sleep after eating.”

“Heh, I tapped her sleep pressure point on the way here, or we’d have woken her long ago with our noise. What’s Hinata up to?”

“She’s watching TV and doesn’t know you’re back yet. She didn’t say anything when she got home, but sooner or later, our relationship will be impossible to hide,” the Black Cat frowned, somewhat worried.

“Don’t worry. Leave everything to me. If all else fails, I’ll threaten the Japanese Prime Minister and the cabinet, get the law changed so I can marry my own sister,” Qi joked.

“Stupid sis-con. What about the shrine maiden?” the Black Cat asked, turning away.

“I sent her to a hotel. Since it’s not too late, I’ll get the room built now so I can sleep in it tonight.” Qi left the house again and went out into the yard.

“You can really build a room in one night?” the Black Cat hurriedly put on her shoes and followed. The moon was already up, the first star blinking bashfully in the night sky. The yard, dimly lit, was cluttered with various timbers.

“Where did all this come from?” the Black Cat was startled, seeing Qi circle the yard.

“After you left, I looked up the basic structure of a log cabin on the computer. Once I had the idea, I flew to a primeval forest and made it all myself from a big tree,” Qi said, stopping to study the left side of the house, as if he’d already decided on the spot.

“A little more to the left,” the Black Cat said woodenly.

“What?” Qi turned around.

“The cabin. Three meters more to the left,” the Black Cat gestured toward the wall.

“Why? The place I picked shouldn’t affect the overall look, and it’s convenient,” Qi said, moving three meters to the left, looking puzzled.

After a moment of silence, the Black Cat smiled. “On the other side of that wall is my room. Once the cabin is built, we can knock through the wall, and you’ll be able to protect me at any time.”

Now it was Qi’s turn to fall silent. He cleared his throat. “I was planning for the cabin door to connect with your room, and to install two doors—one to your room and one to the yard.”

They both fell silent again.

Seeing the Black Cat say nothing, Qi returned to his original spot and began calculating the building process.

“I have something to discuss with you,” the Black Cat said, sitting on a plank, gazing up at his determined profile.

“Go ahead, I’m listening.” Qi walked a few steps, picked up a thick, two-zhang-tall, over-two-zhang-long rectangular board, and tossed it lightly as if it weighed nothing. It arced through the moonlight, sawdust flying into a corner. Along one edge, he carved barbs so it wouldn’t be swept away by typhoons once set in the ground.

“You’ve got nothing to do at home. Why not go to school with me?” the Black Cat said quietly, watching his dignified figure.

“Alright. Once I get my ID and paperwork in order, I’ll go with you,” Qi replied, carving barbs into the remaining three boards, swinging his arm so the four boards shot into the sky. With a light leap, two soft thuds sounded, and the four walls of the cabin stood solidly. Not a single gap between them. The space enclosed, one zhang high, nearly two zhang long, and more than one zhang wide, made for a decent bedroom.

“Actually, you already have an ID. Mom forgot to give it to you. She’s been over the moon these last few days,” the Black Cat said, admiring the strength and control of the man she liked.

“Then I’ll check out your school tomorrow, see if I can still transfer in. If not, I’ll just throw money at them until they say yes,” Qi laughed, never stopping his work. He inserted compressed bone spikes into the corners where the walls met, fusing them into a solid whole, then fixed the cabin to the ground with more spikes.

“Such a nouveau riche! Still, as your great Dark Angel Black Cat, though it’s your duty as my steed to follow me, I shall grant you ingredients prepared by my own hand—as your reward!” The Black Cat struck a pose, right foot back, left arm across her chest, right finger pointing at the man before her, her chuunibyou aura flaring.

“It’s my honor, Lady Dark Angel Black Cat,” Qi replied, playing along. Two more boards soared up; with a pair of crisp slaps, the roof and floor were done. The roof snapped together swiftly. After landing, Qi inspected the place, nodding in satisfaction.

“One more thing. Next Saturday, I’m attending a meeting of the dark world. I’ll need to ride you there, so be prepared. The angels may try to ambush us.” Seeing Qi make a simple wooden door and walk in, the Black Cat quickly followed.

“It’s pretty dark in here. Once I wire up the electricity, it should feel nice. It’s about twenty square meters, enough room for four people to roughhouse. I’ll go with you next Saturday, but this is the first I’ve heard of other denizens of the dark. I thought Lady Black Cat was a lone wolf?” Qi joked as he lit a candle and began planning the room’s layout.

“Hmph! To monitor the angels, I can’t just shut myself away. I have over a hundred secret allies; this time, I’ll be meeting strangers—maybe I’ll find kindred spirits. That would make our alliance even stronger.” In the flickering candlelight, the Black Cat smiled enchantingly—a beauty by candlelight, a smile to topple a kingdom. Qi felt he’d glimpsed a moment of pure radiance.

“Lady Black Cat, your foresight is boundless. My affection for you is like a mighty river—endless and unstoppable.” Coming to his senses, Qi smiled as he cut two windows into the wall and a large skylight in the roof, so the gathering stars could be admired from inside. He fitted the skylight with a colorless, transparent, hard material—what he explained to the Black Cat as “the bones of humanity forgotten by the world, clear as if nonexistent.” To this, the Black Cat was all the more satisfied.

“That should do for now. Next is the furniture. Shall we buy it tomorrow? For tonight... maybe you should sleep in my room?” The Black Cat’s gaze drifted across the cabin walls.

“I’ll break through that wall in a moment. You can come over and play anytime. I’ve already bought the furniture,” Qi said, patting the storage pouch at his chest. With a flash, a pile of things filled the cabin.

A large bed beneath the skylight, closet against the left wall, desk, bookshelf—everything filled up the room. “Did you have anything hanging, or leaning, against this wall in your room today?” Qi asked, leading the Black Cat around the cabin with a candle to the corner adjoining her room.

“There’s nothing... to hinder our connection. So let’s cut down this wall that stands between our contract,” the Black Cat said with a wave.

“As you wish.” Qi drew a rectangle on the wall, gave it a gentle push, and it fell away with a smooth cut, vanishing into his storage pouch. He took the piece of wall, fashioned a simple door, and now the two rooms were connected.

He ran a power line over from the Black Cat’s room and installed an energy-saving lamp. The cabin was finished, all in less than fifteen minutes, so quietly that even Hinata, watching TV, hadn’t noticed.

“Anivi, you’re finally back. I thought you’d run away again or spent the night out. Ruri’s been anxious waiting for you,” Hinata grinned mischievously as Qi walked in.

“You little brat, you never learn. Careful or I’ll tan your hide,” Qi threatened, pretending to be fierce.

“It’s late already. Sakura—the Nine-Tailed Fox—will be calling in a bit, so I’ll be leaving for now.” The Black Cat glanced at the clock and left.

“Ha—here we go again?” Hinata rolled her eyes. “Ruri does some weird ritual in her room almost every night, sometimes even talking on the phone to imaginary people. There are over a hundred of them, like that Sakura-Nine-Tails just now, all in her contacts. Last night, maybe because of you, she didn’t talk to them for once.”

Qi looked embarrassed—talking with over a hundred imaginary friends every night? That was a bit much. How come he never noticed in the other world? “Well, even this side of her is cute. By the way, do Mom and Dad know?”

“They’ve known for ages. But there’s nothing they can do, and with work keeping them busy, they just let her... become even stronger. She may be chuunibyou, but Ruri is incredibly kind and caring.” Hinata scooted over, whispering, “Anivi, you’re not really dating her, are you? That sort of thing hardly ever happens, even in anime, and it never ends happily. Plus, I heard if you have kids, there’s a high chance they’ll be born deformed.”

With a black line on his face, Qi karate-chopped her head. “It’s not what you think. Grown-up stuff is always complicated. Real life is stranger than anime. All you need to worry about is where to go and how to have fun on your next vacation.”

“I’m just worried about you two! But if we keep going out to play, won’t we run out of money? Ruri used to work part-time to help out at home, but lately she’s been writing novels and drawing manga, hoping to submit to Dengeki Bunko again. I heard royalties from books are way better than part-time pay. But she’s been submitting since first year of junior high and never made it to the final round. She works so hard, but it never pays off,” Hinata sighed, feeling sorry for her sister’s unrecognized effort.

(Sorry, a coworker left today and I drank two beers with him, so I’m more than two hours late. I’ll write 800 extra words to make up for it. I’m out of stock chapters, so I’ll have to squeeze out time to keep writing. Looks like there were seven member clicks today—does that mean seven readers are still following this story? That makes me a little happy.)