Case 106: Upon a wandering feline princess.

'...What an occurrence.'

Cecilia exclaimed to herself as she sat opposite her roommate, enduring her piercing stare. As she remembered, the original game had an absurd number of routes and love interests to choose from, almost too suspiciously so, and they were spread across the many regions available to the player.

For someone who exclusively stayed at Syrus until now, Cecilia didn't expect to meet most of the sub-love interests... until now, at least.

''Um...'' Cecilia smiled awkwardly. ''I'm Cecily. I'll be in your care for this trip, so... nice to meet you?''

''...''

The game was clearly catered to a more 'gentle' female audience, like Cecilia herself. It wasn't too strange that the cool and cold types were more prevalent in the love interest department, with prime examples being the three main leads themselves.

This cat princess was somewhere in between.

''Why are you here?''

''Yes?''

Eyes like jewels narrowing, she asked, ''Why is a girl like you here, on this kind of airship? We're moving into the unknown lands, not a picnic.''

Although somewhat brash, it was apparent she was worried about Cecilia. After all, Cecilia did look delicate, certainly not the woman for a dangerous job like this. Perhaps sensing those thoughts, a softer smile bloomed on the blue-haired woman,

''Thank you, but I am boarding the right ship.'' She replied.''My destination is the same as yours.''

''...''

Almost mesmerized by that beautiful smile, by the gleaming crimson eyes, like blossoming blood, under the hat, the princess stared blankly, unknowing that her ears and tail were standing straight.

''A-Alright. Sorry for being nosy. Guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, huh?'' She coughed. ''My name is Yuri. Nice to meet you, Cecily.''

''Heheh... likewise.''

The two shook hands.

For the moment, everything seemed cordial and harmonious. Soon enough, following an announcement, the airship began to climb in altitude, engines running, carrying its passengers toward the hostile territory.

Cecilia only engaged in small talk with the feline princess throughout, truly without any ulterior motives. She gave false information about herself when asked, but so did Yuri. It is just that Cecilia knew who the other person truly was.

'Well, it's not like I want anything to do with her.'

Yuri—no, Yuria Visette was the kingdom's second princess. Publicly, she was one of the top adventurers in the country. Nobody knew who she was simply because she did not make appearances as a royal—a mysterious princess, so to speak.

In the game, the player could meet and bond with her if they chose to explore the adventurer path and come to Visette.

Not that it mattered to Cecilia in any way, of course. Bumping into Yuria here was a pure coincidence, and she intended their encounter to be just that—a coincidence, nothing more, nothing less.

''Miss Cecily, I've never seen you around here. Are you from the empire?''

''Hm? Oh, yes. I'm an adventurer based in Syrus.''

Cecilia absentmindedly responded. At the moment, she was absorbed in the scenery outside the window... and the girls back home.

''Syrus, huh... I heard there's a rising star in Syrus. People say she's the next heroine. Do you know her?''

''I'm familiar. She's popular, after all.''

When the topic changed to Lyra, Cecilia, being the proud sister she was, finally showed interest. Her enthusiasm was even more apparent as she put down her hat. What came out of her mouth was nothing but praises for her prized little sister, and her expression was so bright one could almost see the warm sun in it.

It wasn't until a while later that Cecilia realized she had probably been babbling for too long. Yuria, hands cupping her face as she leaned forward, stared at her intently.

''...''

''Um... I talked too much, didn't I? I'm sorry.''

''No, no, it's nothing like that!''

The princess shook her head and eased her face, making sure Cecilia knew she wasn't annoyed.

Aside from being fascinated with this rumored next heroine, Yuria, like a cat haunted by its poisonous curiosity, couldn't help but probe the attractive woman in front of her, ''But Miss Cecily, are you perhaps a model? Your smile is truly pretty.''

'...Oh.'

Cecilia sighed inwardly.

It seemed she got too excited for a moment and forgot to tone down her natural charms. She could see it—the budding romantic interest shown in Yuria's little movements, the glints in her eyes, or the twitching of her cat ears.

That said, Cecilia couldn't put all the blame on her seductress body. She was always in low-energy mode anyway, so it shouldn't have been a problem. How should she say it... maybe it was the way she carried herself so delicately that made strong women like Yuria want to pamper and protect her.

Even without this body, Cecilia was already charming enough.

'Maybe this is self-awareness...'

In the end, it took a while for her to subtly avoid Yuria's advances and properly set her boundaries. She wasn't sure if the simple-minded Yuria got all the hints, but she had done her part.

Cecilia sighed softly.

The moonlight poured in from the window, illuminating even her worries. No matter what happened, it would be a difficult journey ahead.

''Ah, right. Miss Cecily, do you want to accompany me?''

''Huh?''

Seemingly oblivious, Yuria reached out to Cecilia, her countenance utterly innocent, ''From what you said, you intend to head deep into the unknown lands, right? Not to brag, but I'm kind of an expert in this field, not to mention I also want to explore those areas. Maybe we can work together?''

''That...''

Might work.

Having Yuria, a top adventurer,'s help would smooth everything significantly. In this situation, where Cecilia had to conserve as much energy as possible, her offer was practically a godsend.

Of course, Cecilia could have tried to seduce Yuria and get her service from the beginning, but her conscience as a human didn't allow that. Regardless, Yuria came to her voluntarily anyway, so might as well... right?

''...Then, I'll be in your care, Miss Yuri.'' Cecilia made up her mind and replied, taking the other person's hand. ''I'll try not to weigh you down.''

''Don't worry!''

So, Cecilia unexpectedly gained a feline companion.

Following standard practices, the two shared their goals and destinations for the trip, as well as their abilities and equipment, beforehand. If they were to accompany each other, knowing what the other person could do was vital.

Yuria was an agility-based brawler with impressive close-quarter combat skills, while Cecilia claimed she was a support mage. Cecilia wasn't truly that, but it wasn't far from her usual approach in this body, either.

Getting everything ready took nearly an hour, and the two's chemistry felt surprisingly good.

The alliance was properly made, yet the ever-curious Yuria, now having justifications to probe further, couldn't help but ask, ''Miss Cecily, why do you want to head to such a dangerous place?''

Cecilia held a silence. Then, with a bitter smile, nodded, ''Just... there's something I must do there.''

Beyond the endlessly stretching lands, ones filled with roaming monsters and dwelling demons, beyond the very core of it, lay a curse—a curse Cecilia had to face to truly be set free.