"Mm, so yeah. That's basically how it works!"
Kiyono Inori finished explaining The Essentials of Magical Cat Dimension-Hopping, which mostly covered the mechanics of crossing worlds. Things like how falling asleep sends you back to your original world.
March Cat was already the third summoned cat.
Once you've done it once, the second time is easier.
The beautiful girl caretaker had clearly improved at introductions, especially after learning the Skill: Teaching from Professor Mobius. The end result was that, in a very short time, she crammed a massive amount of essential interdimensional cat knowledge straight into March's head.
March Cat lay sprawled on the blanket, tail swishing lazily. When Kiyono Inori finished her explanation, March blinked, her head completely full of question marks, her cat face perfectly expressing the universal "O_o".
"Any questions?"
The caretaker tilted her head cutely. She thought she'd explained it pretty well. Maybe fast, but clear.
"Um… well… uh…" Under Kiyono Inori's gaze, March Cat started feeling guilty.
"Teacher, I kinda zoned out, meow. My tail was way too fun. I wasn't paying attention, meow."
Everyone says cats and their tails are two different creatures.
March never believed it before. But now that she'd become a cat, she realized controlling her tail was ridiculously hard.
This tail was practically alive. It swayed left, then right, sometimes spinning like a propeller. She'd been trying to tame it the whole time.
She failed.
The tail was still spinning on its own, like a living thing nervously surveying a brand-new world.
March poured out her troubles to Kiyono Inori, who turned to look at the pink pig-cat who'd been a cat for much longer.
"Elysia, did you ever have this problem?"
"Hm? My tail's always been very well-behaved, meow."
Elysia Cat's tail was obedient enough to make heart shapes. She scooted closer, curiously observing March's wildly energetic tail.
"H-hey! What are you doing, meow?!"
If March were still human, she'd probably be screaming "You're such a soft, sweet kitty!" and snapping photos nonstop.
But now she was a cat too. A stranger in a strange land.
And Elysia's cat form had put on some weight recently. She was a whole size bigger, which made March nervous. Cute girls turning into cats was just too unreal.
"Taily, taily… are you okay, meow?"
Elysia Cat tried talking to March's tail.
The tail immediately went on full alert, spinning like a windmill, ready to smack someone.
"Big sis, you scared her, meow! Stop spinning, meow!"
Since Elysia was bigger, March instinctively called her "big sister".
"Oh dear, this looks tricky," Elysia meowed gently.
"Taily, you're worried about Little March, right? It's okay. Turning a pretty girl into a cat is suspicious, but the caretaker is actually a really good human, meow. You'll see later."
"Relax, relax. We'll take it one step at a time. You want to know where this place is, right?"
Her soft voice worked. The tail visibly calmed down.
Kiyono Inori froze.
Something incomprehensible had just happened. Either Elysia Cat had invented magic that let her talk to tails, or March's tail housed another consciousness entirely.
The true nature of March Cat's tail…
Let the φ-ln7 Emperor's Scepter investigate.
Command: Search
Target Unit: March 7th's Tail
Results: Blocked data repeated.
Conclusion: Target is an unknown entity. No abnormalities detected. Hypothesis: Tail possesses unknown special abilities.
Warning issued to ID: Niebelungen.
The Emperor's Scepter spewed out a long string of blacked-out data. Something about it felt eerily familiar to Kiyono Inori.
Back in Amphoreus… hadn't everything related to March also been censored like this?
Whoa. This tail was March's hidden power.
"All good now. Unlike most worlds, this one's super safe. There are even adorable magical girls here. We'll take good care of Little March, meow!"
Under Elysia's gentle encouragement, the tail drooped.
"Whoa! So it's true. Cats and their tails really are separate creatures! Big sis, you're a tail-taming legend, meow!"
March stared in awe.
"Hehe, I'm pretty amazing, right?"
Elysia's tail puffed up proudly.
"So cool, meow! How'd you do it? I wanna learn too!"
March spun around and realized her tail was behaving.
The story had advanced to First Blossom's Sword Training. March was officially apprenticing under Elysia to learn tail communication.
Kiyono Inori stared at Elysia in disbelief.
You can really talk to her tail? What did it say? Is this March's dark second personality or something?!
Elysia blinked, confused.
"What are you talking about? Hidden power? Second personality? I just comforted it, meow. That's normal. When pets are anxious, you soothe them gently."
Kiyono Inori's expression grew complicated.
First of all, a cat's tail is not a pet. Second, you mean gentle reassurance, not mumbling. How are even eye signals mistranslated?
Elysia puffed her cheeks.
"Stop slandering me! Why are you nitpicking me again? Just admit the tail's behaving now!"
Their silent, extremely dramatic eye conversation paused there.
Just as March began exploring the unfamiliar room, a key turned in the door.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Not just unlocking sounds. Something was hopping and banging against the security door.
March Cat froze.
Everyone knows March's experience was similar to Stelle's. Newly awakened consciousness, more or less. The difference was that March had watched tons of TV and movies.
A one-eyed thug with a buzz cut:
"This place looks loaded. One job and we're rich. Pry the door open!"
A bronze-skinned bald muscle man:
"Relax. I've done this for centuries. Give me five more minutes."
Scenes straight out of an IPC drama.
Robbers!
"Elysia! Inori! Bad guys are breaking in, meow! Do something!"
Crunch crunch.
Elysia Cat was attacking a bag of chips.
"This noise sounds like—"
Kiyono Inori looked toward the door. Too late.
The door burst open.
"Meow!"
March let out a fierce little battle cry. Ice shields flared around her, Elysia, and Inori.
But what she saw was…
A chubby gray cat clinging to the door, trying to yank the key out with its teeth. The door swung open, flinging the cat halfway around before its head smacked the wall.
The gray cat spun, eyes swirling.
March blinked.
She rubbed her eyes.
That gray cat looked… familiar.
The hallway was piled with signature black trash bags.
"Stelle?! Is that you?!"
"I didn't dig through trash this time! I just collected some! Please don't confiscate my garbage again, meow!"
Yep. Definitely her.
Wait. Is this her Stelle? Or another world's Stelle?
Do all Stelles befriend trash cans?!
The gray cat recovered, saw March, and rubbed her eyes.
"That shield shape. Little March, you came for me? The caretaker bullies me, meow. All my hard-earned garbage keeps disappearing."
March leapt forward and bonked her head.
"Stelle, sleep properly! Don't tell me you've been playing with trash cans in this world. The Express crew is worried!"
"I didn't mean to, meow…"
"Go to sleep already! I just got summoned and can't fall asleep yet. I was testing Herta's Simulated Universe. Go back and report in!"
March squished Stelle's cheeks into an O_o.
"Okay okay! Close the door! If the buzzing thing gets in, we'll get spanked!"
"Wait."
March narrowed her eyes.
"Buzzing aside, something's wrong. Why are you acting so cutesy?"
This wasn't the Stelle she knew.
"I just got back from exploring, meow," Stelle chirped sweetly when Inori approached.
March's jaw dropped.
Stelle leapt into Inori's arms, tail swishing happily.
"Inori, the crew's worried. I'm going back today! So can you transform, please, meow?"
Stelle really liked Inori's Emperor's Scepter avatar, Savior Bucket 360.
Inori sighed.
After sorting everything out, she finally understood.
"Oh. You were summoned while testing the Simulated Universe, right?"
"Yep," March nodded.
"Stelle was asleep almost two days, and after the disaster on Jarilo-VI, the crew decided to ask Herta for help."
Kiyono Inori realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Being summoned in the Simulated Universe still counted as sleeping?!
That meant Herta must be losing her mind right now.
She hesitated, then asked,
"When you warped, did a purple-haired woman appear on the train?"
March blinked.
"How did you know? A purple-haired Stellaron Hunter showed up, said there'd be a Stellaron outbreak on the Xianzhou Luofu."
Kiyono Inori went quiet.
The Express crew had voted democratically.
Four to zero. Back to Herta Space Station.
Kiyono Inori felt cold.
This timeline was heading straight toward hell mode.
They had to fix it.
Fast.
…
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Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.