Chapter 1: Here Begins the Hired Heroine
“IT… wasn’t a dream.”
The sight of a small glass bottle filled to the brim on her table the next morning jolted Nina fully awake. She took out one of the small white tablets and popped it into her mouth. The pill lost shape as she rolled it over her tongue, leaving a faint sweetness in her mouth.
“He really got me sugar pills.”
This was one of Nina’s requests. The white cat said the god would relieve the pain for her mother, Aida, even though Nina had only entered a provisional contract since she didn’t fully believe in its power.
The problem was that Aida would be suspicious if she suddenly felt better despite having been diagnosed with only a short time left to live. People wanted a cause to come with their effect, a firm explanation for things, even if only superficial.
That’s why Nina asked for some pills as a placebo so things would be easier to explain.
Nina assumed the god made these pills, but she couldn’t help imagining the white cat industriously crafting the little pills. It would be hard work keeping fur out of them. An image of the cat wearing a mask and gloves and getting to work popped into Nina’s mind, and a smile spread across her face at the cute sight.
But anyway, even if the cat was a beauty in a class of its own, the important thing was whether these pills—or rather, the god’s power—were real.
The cat said it would be back tomorrow evening, which meant Nina should start to see some effect by then. What sort of change could she even expect, considering Aida didn’t have much longer to live?
Nina stepped out of her room to see Aida already up and having a cup of tea.
“Good morning, Nina. You seem busy this morning, both smiles and frowns,” greeted Aida, looking at Nina with puzzlement. Her complexion didn’t look very good, which was normal.
They were lucky they didn’t need to worry about rental fees since Nina’s father left them the house when he passed, but that wasn’t enough to support them. Aida was always working hard at the little jobs that needed doing, such as sewing, cleaning, and laundry.
When Nina grew a little older, they discovered the illness plaguing Aida, but it was already too late for the town doctor to do anything because her mother had hidden how unwell she felt in the beginning.
She became less active as she weakened, using medicine to dull the pain that racked her body. Existing medicines weren’t even enough to ease her symptoms despite Nina wanting to do something about Aida’s condition as she waited for her death.
If this would improve Aida’s state, even just a little…
Nina took a deep breath and said, “So, Mom…”
✦ ✦ ✦
🐈 🐈 🐈
“GOOD eve— Ah!”
The next evening, the white cat appeared out of nowhere, and Nina pulled it into a tight embrace. Its soft fur was as pleasant to touch as fluffy dream clouds.
Obviously, she couldn’t restrain her urge to rub her cheek against the fuzz. “Thank you,” she said. “It really worked.”
Aida had been visibly wasting away, but Nina barely recognized her now that the color was returning to her cheeks. She never could spend much time out of bed before, but earlier that day, she’d even gone outside and had some fun tending the flowers.
Nina was so happy she could cry at the sight of her mother smiling without pain. “Thank you” alone wasn’t enough to express her emotions.
“Uh, well, it wasn’t my doing, and remember, she isn’t cured,” replied the cat.
“I know. But I’m still happy.”
Her mother never looked this well, no matter what medicine she took. Even if this cat wasn’t the messenger of a god, and even if it wasn’t a god’s power that did this, it didn’t change the fact that they helped Aida.
Nina stroked the cat over and over, from its head to the end of its back, and scratched it under the chin with all the gratitude she felt. But, despite Nina’s overflowing emotions, the white cat still didn’t respond to the petting.
“By the way… Why do you keep stroking me?” it asked.
“The cats in the neighborhood seem happy when I do this. I guess a cat sent by a god is different.”
“That’s not quite what I mean.”
“You should tell me what feels nice, then I can use that technique on other cats I meet.”
The cat slipped out of Nina’s hands and slowly waved its tail. “First, let’s discuss the contract.”