Chapitre 5: Thirst for Revenge (1)
Asahi narrowed his eyes when the mark appeared. It also highly heightened the cat's spiritual energy, but since it was in bad condition, Asahi had no problem dominating, as he released a third of this energy to straddle the cat.
"Why should I?" He raised his eyes at the hideous yokai, the only creature he hated the most for taking away everything from him. He glared at the cat at his mercy, firming his grip around the cat's neck.
The cat gasped for air. Its vermillion-red eyes started to dialect, and just as it was about to pass out, he loosened his grip. How could he let it get a quick escape when there was so much left to be done?
"Speak," he said, gritting his teeth while strengthening his palms around the cat's neck. His anger was like a firestorm. All the frustration he harbored was pouring down as he choked the cat.
"Fami-"
The cat barely let out a sound, and for a quick second, he weakened his grip around the cat's neck, which allowed the cat to breathe, but again, he started to force his strength around the cat's neck.
"Say it clearly." His menacing eyes glinted with amusement, while the cat couldn't help but comment that the guy in front of him was like a monster.
"Familiar," the cat replied.
While his grip remained firm, Asahi reflected on the cat's words. The Omjyoji association would definitely wish for him to fail, so they would most likely give him obscure tests. At such times, having a yokai would be beneficial for him; moreover, it was a cat, so he would not feel hideous towards it, he concluded.
Additionally, there were a few men from that association with whom he had some unfinished business. His lips curled up, and he replied, "Do it now."
Although the cat was in great pain, since it had to live, it started to chant the sutra. The cat's body was freed from Asahi's grip, and the chatter made the cat's mark on his forehead glow. When the sutra ended, the cat inquired, "Give me a few drops of your blood."
Although Asahi was skeptical, he took a blade from the nearby table and cut his thumb, allowing the blood to drop. The cat then moved closer to him and sipped on the blood. After a while, the cat landed on the ground while the word "Kuro" similarly appeared on his wrist. The cat's forehead also had the word "Kuro" written in a scarlet-red color.
"What is the meaning of this?" Asahi muttered. His eyes narrowed at his wrist since the word had disappeared, and he had not left a single trace of it.
"You are my master now." The cat spoke in disgust as if it had eaten something gruesome.
Asahi had an alarming smirk creeping up on his face. After all, now that this cat was his, he could make it do whatever he wanted it to. But first and foremost, he had to make the cat more healthy.
"For now, make your eyes like any normal cat would have. We are going out soon, so be prepared and alert," he warned. Ito called one of the maids and asked them to feed the cat while he dressed in one of his traditional clothes.
He worked his ivory-colored nagagi, which had a few swirl patterns at the border, and a navy blue-colored hakama, which too had white swirls painted at the border. Over the nagagi, he wore a navy blue haori, where the white swirls accompanied his shoulders.
"Knock, knock," the maid knocked on the door.
"Come in," he replied while combing his short, overgrown, bowl-cut hair.
"The Masters of the Omyoji Association have arrived, and Kuro has been fed," she informed him while handing the cat to him. Asahi took one last glance at the mirror and took hold of his kiseru in his free hand while carrying Kuro in his right hand.
His face was calm, and confidence exuded from him as he took the lead towards the guest hold, greatly looking forward to welcoming the guests. After all the house Ito was not the way it was before.
~
Vocabulary List
1) Kuro - shade of black
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone