Nyanta’s Crisis

 

「Unit 5 has returned! The situation is extremely difficult to explain, so I’ll display the footage!」

While issuing defensive orders, Aki announced Kou’s return. With a troubled expression, she pulled up the video feed of Unit 5.

「Why is this happening?!」

Astraea’s indignation flared at the sheer absurdity of the scene.

「Calm down, Astraea!」

Aki tried to soothe Astraea, who was already distressed by the series of impossible events surrounding Kou.

The screen displayed Unit 5, straddling the neck of a round-faced black cat. At first glance, the setup resembled a warrior mounted atop a steed, but the real issue lay with the creature serving as the mount.

A black cat, charmingly adorned with a red collar and a large bell, was carrying Unit 5 at full speed.

「Oh, come on…」

Astraea buried her face in her hands. On this planet, trying to predict what would happen next was futile.

How had Kou and Unit 5, who had disappeared after being caught by a tractor beam, ended up racing across the terrain on the back of a giant cat? Even attempting to speculate seemed pointless.

「Why a cat, nya?!」

Nyanta let out a scream. This was an unexpected crisis for her; the meaning of her existence was at risk.

「There’s no way a Silhouette could ride a cat. Maybe it’s a leopard?」

「A leopard with a red collar and a big bell, and a face that round? No way, nya! That’s a house cat, plain and simple! Astraea! Analyze it, nya!」

「Analyze what exactly?」

Astraea flatly refused. From her perspective, it was nothing but a giant cat.

「Astraea-dono. That is Bastet, a Mythology Weapon like us. However, she is not a Kryptos but an Eidolon. While we cannot communicate with her verbally, at the very least, she is not our enemy. It is common for feline Eidolons to aid humans when they pick their fancy.」

Aural stepped in to support Astraea.

「It seems a large number of feline Eidolons have come to reinforce us as well. They’re fighting those moving wrecks called Kakodaimon and the Teras.」

「If they’re with Kou, then they’re definitely allies. The issue is that we can’t use friend-or-foe identification signals. —Attention, all units. We have reinforcements from feline Eidolons. The IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system is ineffective, so be cautious to avoid friendly fire.」

The screen displayed a surreal battlefield—Abyssinians, tabbies, Persians, and various other feline Eidolons were engaging the Kakodaimon, playing with them as if they were mere insects.

The machines that were the base of these feline Eidolons seemed to be Silhouettes; every feline Eidolon was around seven to eight meters in size. They pounced with their front legs, pinning down their targets before delivering relentless cat-kick barrages with their hind legs. The Kakodaimon had no chance of survival.

「So many cats, nya… there is over fifty cats, nya.」

「Technically, we should call them ‘units,’ but… they look so much like animals that calling them cats feels more appropriate.」

No matter how one looked at it, their reinforcements were an army of giant cats. Some of them were completely robotic, while others looked like normal animals, only gigantic.

The way the feline Eidolons fought against the Kakodaimons was unmistakably cat-like—it was no different from how cats played with insects or birds.

「What… some even have the fur texture of a real cat… How is something like that even allowed? A weapon like this is….」

Kinukawa muttered in a daze. These so-called war machines looked and acted just like ordinary cats.

「I think it’s fine, Kinukawa-san. There’s a saying in Japan—’Reconcile with cats.’ I saw it on a sign once!」1

Kurose chimed in, recalling a peculiar Japanese billboard.

「I’ve seen one too! It said, ‘Cats forgive all.’」

Eri added enthusiastically.

「Kou’s homeland is… strange, nya.」

「I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing! What happened to Japan while I was gone?!」

Kinukawa shouted in disbelief at the bizarre things the younger Japanese members were saying.

「If the myth she is modelled after is the goddess Bastet, then she is modelled after the guardian deity of households. There are many statues of her depicted with kittens. As the child of the sun god, she is indeed a protector of humans. However, the fact that we cannot communicate with her might suggest that she is structured more like a wild animal.」

Regaining her composure, Astraea calmly analyzed the situation.

「Bahamut is modeled after a whale, Leviathan after a sea serpent, and Behemoth after an elephant. Communication with any of the Eidolons is difficult. While Bastet is the size of a Silhouette, she possesses combat power comparable to colossal Mythology Weapons based on massive battleships, classifying her as a high-tier Eidolon.」

「Comparable to a colossal Mythology Weapon?! Cats are seriously overpowered… Are there any dog-type Eidolons, like Anubis?」

Aki, sensing an identity crisis on the making similar to what Nyanta was suffering, fearfully asked, worried that a certain canine deity known for its bad temper would appear next.

「Small-scale entities like Inugami and Black Dogs have been confirmed. However, they frequently attack humans.」

「Yeah, we don’t need those ones showing up.」

Aki drooped her ears with a mix of relief and disappointment.

Just then, a transmission came through.

「Everyone, listen up. I’m currently on top of the feline Eidolon, Bastet. She is an ally. I’ve successfully communicated with her.」

It was Kou.

「What?! Outis! You’re saying communication is possible?!」

Aural was stunned by this newfound revelation. It was widely believed that Eidolons were incapable of communication, which was precisely why they were classified as neutral entities.

「I asked Bastet. The feline reinforcements that answered her call are a specific group of Mythology Weapons from the Eidolon faction. Their group is called ‘Cait Sith’.」

「The Irish cat spirit, nya!」

「A distinct combat group…」

Astraea had her doubts, but she decided not to overthink it.

「Feline Eidolons can communicate with feline Familias and speak in cat language!」

Kou relayed this crucial piece of intelligence. Planet Libya had long been conquered by the Stones. Total control by the Stones meant that there were no Familias left alive on the planet since they were a high-priority target for extermination by the Murderers.

「Cat language?! That means I might be able to talk to them too, nya!」

「Yes, Nyanta! Master and Bastet were able to communicate!」

「This means… I’ve secured my place as a cat interpreter…! Thank goodness, nya…」

Nyanta sighed in profound relief.

Astraea immediately sent out an emergency transmission:

「Attention, feline Familias and Therianthropes. There is a possibility that you can communicate with feline Eidolons. Those who are able should accompany pilots.」

「Understood, nya!」

All across the battlefield, feline Familiars began making their way toward the hangars.

「Alright!」

A brigade of cat-type Familias and cat Therianthropes working in maintenance, all wearing yellow helmets, started boarding the MCS’s rear seats, preparing for deployment and redeployment. The joint offensive with the feline Eidolons was about to begin.

Meanwhile, Aki clasped her hands together and murmured a heartfelt plea:

「Please… it doesn’t have to be a dog—I’ll take a fox, anything… Just let a canine ally show up…!」

 

TN1: There is no famous billboard in Japan that says ‘Reconcile with Cats’ or ‘Cats Forgive All’. There is, however, a famous internet meme in Japan that says that. It originated from an actual religious billboard, which read 「神と和解せよ」(Reconcile with God). At some point, people edited or misinterpreted the phrase as 「猫と和解せよ」(Reconcile with cats), and it spread online as a meme. Kurose seems to have made the same mistake (on purpose or not) as the author of the meme. The second slogan, ‘Cats forgive all’ that Eris saw, is probably the same concept, modifying the original ‘God forgives all’ by changing God with the cats that the Japanese love so much.