Chapter 105

AFTERWORD I’m allergic to cats. It doesn’t matter what I think of them, or what they think of me. We are just not compatible for each other. If I so much as see a cat, my eyes go bloodshot, my sinuses clog, and I start wheezing like an asthma patient. I was thus afraid of cats as a kid. My grandmother used to own one (Berry, female, lived to twenty-one), and whenever I saw that feline running around the house with total disregard for my affliction, I was struck with awe at its completely unhindered life. What a free beast, I thought. Surely, that cat lived without a care in the world. But now that I’m an independent grown-up myself, I’ve realized freedom comes with its own issues. I gained a newfound respect for that cat that my hubris led me to misjudge all those years ago. It was this completely unreciprocated relationship of fear and respect that gave birth to the volume you now hold in your hands. The free beasts in this installment were Bisco and Geppei, and their enemies, society. Now, I think it goes without saying, but I don’t believe society is inherently bad. It’s necessary. And there is no clear-cut good and evil in Sabikui Bisco; it’s all about balance. However, I think there will come a time in many people’s lives when they stop, look at the people around them, and think, Am I a cat? Because that’s what happened to me. This book is a tribute to both kinds of people. Which are you? A human or a cat? Or perhaps a hawk? Or a wolf? Treasure that question. For in the quest for truth, there is a god. And one day, it will lend you the confidence you need to answer it. And I hope you’ll forgive me if I pray that all of you have the courage to follow your own hearts and go boldly where they tell you to. …Well, that seems to have filled the page nicely. See you next time. —Shinji Cobkubo