Whisper of The Cat

Obsessions and Explanations

In the days that followed, Haru helped to find the Baroness, just as she said she would. She would tell Baron everything she found out and told Seiji and Shizuku everything she could without giving away her secret.

Mr. Nishi was very appreciative of Haru's help. He, Seiji, and Shizuku doubled their efforts to find the missing cat figurine and the woman who owned it, but they still came up with nothing.

After a few weeks, Shizuku and Seiji began to get a little worried about Haru. She was putting a lot of effort into finding the Baroness. Yes, they wanted to find her, but Haru was becoming obsessed with it. She also kept talking about the two cat statues as if they were real, which greatly confused them. Another thing was that whatever story she told them about how she found her information didn't seem accurate. Something just didn't make sense. Her story kept on changing, not by much, but there were different details, and she seemed to have to stop and think sometimes before answering.

One day, Haru thought she had a lead on what might have happened with the Baroness, but it turned out to be a dead end. She threw a fit; shouting how reuniting two loved ones shouldn't be this hard.

It soon became obvious to both Shizuku and Seiji that there was more to Haru's reason for finding the Baroness than she was letting on. Either that or this was a very unnatural obsession. Whatever it was, they intended to find out, for Haru's sake. So one day when Haru had come over, they decided to confront her.

"Hey, Haru, can we talk to you a minute?" Shizuku asked.

Haru nodded. "Sure thing." She said, sitting down. "What's up?"

Shizuku and Seiji looked at each other, wondering how to say what was on their minds. Seiji spoke up. "We're a little worried about you."

"Huh?" Haru looked confused. "Why?"

Her friends looked uncomfortable. "We really appreciate your help with the Baroness, but you seem to be becoming a little... obsessed with it."

Haru blinked. "I am?" She hadn't noticed.

Shizuku nodded. "We all want to find the Baroness, but you're acting like she's a missing person. Don't take this the wrong way! We're just concerned."

Haru didn't reply. She thought about what they were saying. Was she becoming obsessed? Maybe a little. Ok, maybe more than a little.

"Don't worry, I'm not upset." She said. "I appreciate the concern. I guess I have been going a little overboard. I just really want to find her."

Shizuku and Seiji relaxed a bit, knowing that she wasn't taking offense. But they still had more to say. "That's not the only thing that's bothering us." Shizuku continued. "You also keep talking about the Baron and Baroness as if they're real."

"Ah!" Haru's mouth dropped open. Had she been that obvious? She had tried not to be. Apparently, she hadn't tried hard enough. "I... am?" she said lamely.

She was lying again and they knew it. "And when are you going to stop lying?" Seiji asked.

"I'm... not... lying..."

Shizuku crossed her arms. "Well there's something you're not telling us." She said. "I thought we were friends. What aren't you telling us?"

Haru tapped her fingers together nervously. She tried to think of some sort of excuse, but she was drawing a blank. "I can't tell you." she muttered.

Seiji raised an eyebrow. "Why? Did you do something bad?"

Haru shook her head. "No, you just wouldn't believe me."

"Sure we would!" Shizuku cried. "But you have to tell us the truth."

Haru sighed. 'Yeah, you're saying that now, but once I tell you you'll think I'm crazy.' She thought. She didn't see any other way. They knew she had been lying and were waiting for an explanation, and she was fresh out of lies.