翁公和媛媛在厨房里猛烈进出

As I looked around the room, I remembered that Alya was also in the room with us as she had been staying silent the entire time.

Glancing between Astra and Astrid, I asked.

"So...again, why... exactly are you two here?"

Keeping silent, Astrid glared at her clone before sighing and replying.

"I never told Astra to come to you for help...so I don\'t have a clue either."

As the room descended into silence, Astra finally turned around from the window, staring at Alya and me for a moment.

Shrugging her shoulders, Astra replied.

"What? We weren\'t getting far by ourselves, so some reinforcements could help!"

Not giving me any time to respond, Astrid immediately replied.

"Well, you\'ve heard his answer; it\'s time to go."

?

When did I answer again!?

I was going to say no if they asked anyway... but why was Astrid putting words in my mouth?

As I opened my mouth to respond, Astra, who was by the window again, chuckled before saying.

"Reverse Phycology? Good one, Astrid!"

"...we\'re going."

As Astrid and Astra left the dorm room, I sighed before finally turning to Alya, who had not spoken a single word.

"Let\'s just forget about that... and focus on helping Zach."

Nodding her head, Alya hesitated before replying.

"Earlier...you said you had a way to help him?"

Getting up from the couch, I walked to the windowsill, where my cat was resting under the sun, before abruptly picking him up and placing him in my arms.

Zach\'s condition had been caused by a spirit... so, therefore, the way to remedy and cure his condition would also be a spirit.

Sitting on the couch with the cast resting in my arms, I said.

"I think... at least, that I have spirit of my own."

A normal animal couldn\'t travel back in time, and it wasn\'t unheard of for spirits to have a form in both the astral and physical world, so logically, it was possible that my cat was a spirit.

In fact, we have already seen an example.

Although in a weaker state, the spirit in the dream that had passed Zach had manged to influence the physical world by leaving green particles for us to follow.

And the contract?

When I took the cat from my younger sister, Audrey, it could have technically been a way for me to form a contract.

The cat had agreed by stepping into my arms and leaving Audrey, and I had agreed by accepting the cat from my younger sister.

Also, what happened to my younger sister?

After seeing her, the coliseum exploded, and I had traveled back in time, so technically, I had never even met her.

Yet, the cat sitting on my lap right now was proof that I had.

...I can worry about that later.

As Alya slowly got up from her chair, curiously staring at my cat, she hesitantly asked.

"Are you sure? To me... it seems like a normal animal."

Shaking my head, I honestly replied.

"I\'m not too sure, but it\'s the only lead we have. I don\'t see any spirits around with you."

"That\'s because they\'re in the Astral R-"

"Exactly."

Kneeling on the ground in front of me, Alya carefully examined the cat before placing her hand on it and petting it.

As Alya\'s hand swiped across the silky, black fur of the cat, it let out a soft meow before stretching out its back as if asking for more.

"...oh, when I pet you, you ignore me, but when she does, it\'s different. I see how it is..."

Looking up from the cat and at me, while still petting, Alya asked.

"What was that?"

Glaring at the cat, who was still stretching its mask and basking in pleasure, I replied.

"nothing too important."

Nodding her head, Alya got up from the ground and sat beside me on the couch before asking.

"And... what now?"

As the cat jumped off my lap and ran back towards my bed, I replied.

"Well, first, I need you to bring Zach here... then we can talk about the next steps and see if my method works."

Nodding her head hesitantly, Alya pulled out her smartwatch and started typing while I got up from the couch.

Since Zach had been possessed in a dream, he wasn\'t actually hurt or damaged internally.

It was more of a psychological problem like depression, anxiety, or any syndrome that could have arisen from dangerous circumstances.

To solve it?

I was no therapist or anything near that, as I could admit that I was quite insane myself, but I knew of exposure therapy!

Staring at my cat, which was lying restlessly on my bed, I sighed.

"the hard part is getting him to agree."

Normally, you could communicate with spirits, yet this cat had just been meowing at me for three months straight without saying a single legible word!

As I sat down on the bed next to the cat, Alya said.

"He said he\'ll be here in a few minutes."

"That fast?"

"I kind of overexaggerated my condition a bit..."

As I attempted to negotiate with my black cat, dangling a piece of steak in front of it, the door suddenly shook.

Glancing at me with confusion, Alya got from the couch and walked to the door to let Zach in.

As I continued "negotiating" with the black cat, who was just lying down on his back and ignoring me, the door burst open.

Before I could even turn around and respond, Zach\'s footsteps rapidly advanced through my hallway.

Then, just as I turned around, Zach dashed towards me while screaming.

"THIS IS TOO FAR, REN!"

"..."

Stepping to the side to dodge Zach, I watched as he jumped and promptly landed on the bed beside my cat.

Not saying a word, I simply stared at Alya with a deadpan expression.