01x09 - The White Cat and the Lazy Girl

[bunniefuu]

[THE CAT AND THE DRAGON]

White Cat, the soup is ready.

You said you wanted bread too, right?

How about some cheese? Do you want some?

I'll add some in for you then.

[THE WHITE CAT AND THE LAZY GIRL]
Soup…

Lately, I wake up
to the aroma of soup every day.

No sneaking a taste.

It's almost done. Go wake everyone up.

Go on. Hurry.

And then it's time
for my first job of the morning.

Good morning. Time to wake up.

Good morning, White Cat.

- Good morning.
- Morning.

It's the kitty!

So soft.

Because of this job,

I have to be smothered
by the kids every morning.

- Next is breakfast time.
- All right. Everyone, let's eat.

- Let's eat.
- Let's eat.

I feel alive again.

Even though it's leftover soup
from yesterday,

it's still delicious.

After breakfast,
everyone works in the field.

Like watering the plants,

weeding, and catching bugs.

During this time, I'm mostly asleep.

Fire, Earth, Water, Lightning.

Gosh.

I'm getting more and more proficient.

- This is the magic the priest taught me.
- Look.

I only meant to ask
how humans practice magic,

but I didn't expect the priest
to be so knowledgeable.

Compared to when I first left the forest,
my magic skills must have improved a lot.

It's all so I can teach that girl magic.

White Cat, are you practicing that again?

Don't you ever get tired of it?

This practice is very helpful
for learning magic.

Is that so? You're quite the student.

I can't get the hang of it at all.

It's not that you can't.
You just don't have the heart for it.

The priest, who saw her talent for magic,

used to teach her all kinds of spells.

However…

Because those are such a hassle.

In the end,
she only learned expl*si*n Magic.

Even if it's a hassle,

if you master this,

you'll be able to use all kinds of magic.

I guess so.

But as long as I can fight
and protect myself, that's enough.

However,

magic can make life more convenient
and allow you to do so many things.

It'll definitely be helpful to you.

- Are you even listening?
- Let's talk about that later.

I'm wondering if I should go
to the guild or go hunting.

What do you think?

"Let's talk about that later"?

Calm down. I'm a mature adult.

We just took a job
from Adventurer's Guild the other day.

Shouldn't we go hunting today?

You're right.

We need to stock up
on supplies for winter.

Let's go hunting then.

You say "Let's go hunting,"

but I'm the one doing all the work.

Don't be like that.

My expl*si*n Magic
would blow them all away.

It's not suitable for hunting.

That's why I'm saying…

All right.

If we don't hurry, the sun will set.

Let's go once I've put this away.

In the end,
hunting became my job entirely.

In exchange,

once we catch enough prey,

you have to spend
the rest of the time practicing magic.

What a hassle.

Listen!

Magic will definitely help you
in the future.

I know.

I have to hurry and catch the prey
to make time for practice.

This girl will surely become
a great mage one day.

How troublesome.

Strike!

Scratch!

Zap!

White Cat, you caught so many in no time.

I didn't even catch a single bird.

It hurts.

I even fell from the tree and hit my butt.

I used to be able to catch them with this.

Only when things went well.

I've never actually seen you succeed.

All right. Enough talk.

Let's practice magic.

Wait a second. Let me gut these first.

Hurry up.

I don't really need to learn magic.

There you go again!

A promise is a promise! Seriously!

All right. I'm going to start now.

First, we'll start with magic theory.

Tell me. What's the difference
between human magic and cat magic?

You said we'd practice.
Why are we having a lesson?

It's easier to get the hang of it
if you understand the basics first.

Come on. Tell me.

Let me think.

[TRUE FIRE]
Human magic

is injecting power into spells or items
to create a certain phenomenon.

Cat magic uses power directly

[SOMETHING LIKE FIRE]
to simulate the desired phenomenon, right?

So you do remember it well.

Good. Now, let's give it a try.

Okay, I'll demonstrate once.

Fire.

All right. Your turn.

Actually, I've always wanted to ask this.

Where does magic even come from?

Don't you think it's weird
how fire just appears out of thin air?

expl*si*n Magic can make things explode.

A massive one.

How should I know that?

Stop asking and just try it.

Well, imagine the flames
while gathering your mana.

But I'm still not sure how to gather mana.

Just do it the same way
you do your expl*si*n Magic!

It feels a bit like fake fire.

It's hot and it glows,

but it still feels different.

That's actually fine.

Even if it's not real fire,

as long as it's something like fire,

it'll definitely come in handy one day.

What exactly is fire?

That's a philosophical question.

It's amazing.

The magic fire White Cat uses

can burn branches
even though it's not real fire.

How does that work?

If one side is hot enough,
it'll catch fire easily.

I once held a wooden stick
near Mr. Wing's back

and it caught fire.

Mr. Wing is a dangerous man.

He certainly looks scary.

Catch fire…

I think I know what to do.

Seeing that small expl*si*n just now,
I think I've got it.

You really do love explosions, don't you?

Don't you think they're great?
They look so flashy.

And they have such a powerful impact.

I don't really get it.

You did it!

Well done.

I think I've mastered the trick.

That's how cat magic works, right?

Gather it all together and send it flying!

And then finally, "boom"!

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Anyway, I don't really know
how to describe it.

Incredible.

She couldn't even produce fire
until just a moment ago.

She can do this much
once she gets the hang of it.

This child really is suited for cat magic.

As long as she finds the right spark,

she should be able to learn
any magic in no time.

Then she'll become an excellent mage.

And eventually, a formidable hunter.

I'm sure she'll be fine.

White Cat, it's time to go back.

What?

I said, it's time to go back.

We can't go back yet!

You need to practice more
so your body doesn't forget the feeling.

But I already made fire.

Isn't that enough?

You have to keep practicing
until your body remembers the sensation.

That's the only way to improve quickly.

All right. Try it again.

You're so strict.

What on earth can I do
to get her motivated?

Goodness, it's already so late.

We'll make it in time.

By the way, carry your own stuff.

You're so good at magic, White Cat.
It wouldn't hurt to help me carry it.

Gally.

Gally, welcome back!

There's so much meat.

White Cat, you're amazing.

Hey, you kids!

At least wash your hands
before you touch me.

By the way,

White Cat, can you help them wash up?

Use magic to make the water go "splash."

I'll start cooking in the meantime.

This is my afternoon job.

All right. Here's the water.

It's White Cat's magic.

I wash the kids' hands

and give myself a rinse while I'm at it.

I never thought I'd become a cat
who bathes every day.

Gods who dwell in all things
throughout the ages…

All right. Let's eat.

[WHITE CAT'S SPECIAL SOUP
LOADED WITH INGREDIENTS]

This is bliss.

You look hungry.

Did the hunt take a lot out of you today?

No way. I'm an expert hunter.

The problem is that
someone won't practice seriously.

Didn't I learn how to use
Fire Magic properly today?

You can use magic other than
expl*si*n Magic now?

I want to see!

Sure, but wait until after we eat.

No, it's too dangerous.

She has been practicing for so long.

It'll be fine.

She has only practiced for one day.

What if the kids get hurt?

It's fine.

How about I show them right here?

- Yes!
- Yes!

I said no!

And the last task of my day

is putting them to bed.

I really want to see her magic.

Show us, kitty.

All right. Come play with me instead.

See if you can catch me.

Come on.

I'm over here!

After a round of play,

it's time for a story.

In Novice Forest where I used to live,
there was a field too.

They grew foxtail grass there.

Foxtail grass?

Getting them to sleep

is actually the hardest part of the job.

The kids are all asleep.

Thank you. You've been a big help.

Bye-bye. Good night, White Cat.

Okay, good night.

Even though I'm too tired to walk,

every night before bed…

Thank you for your hard work.

I always come to chat with Father.

Thank you for helping put the kids to bed.

Is Gally asleep too?

She should be.

She practiced her magic hard today.

Oh? Did she really practice hard today?

I'd never admit it to her face though.

If I do, she'll get carried away instantly

and find excuses to slack off.

That's true.

That child is certainly talented,

but once she reaches a certain level,
she starts slacking off.

I noticed that when I was teaching her
reading and arithmetic.

She doesn't seem to enjoy learning.

To be precise,
she's just too lazy to learn.

I know. Even though she's a fast learner.

She improves quickly once she gets
the hang of things, but she's too lazy.

She just can't be bothered
to put in the effort.

At first,

I thought she was holding back
for the sake of the church.

But it seems she really just finds it
to be a hassle.

Exactly.

She seems perfectly content
with her current life.

While that's a good thing,

it's a shame
to let her talent go to waste.

It really is a waste.

Back when I was an adventurer,

I was a mage.

I heard one must be loved by a Cat-Sith

to learn cat magic.

I used to yearn for that so much.

If I'd had the chance,

I would've studied day and night
without eating or sleeping.

But Gally doesn't seem interested at all.

It's such a pity.

Yes, it's a real waste.

If we can find something
she's interested in,

maybe we can change her mind.

Gally.

I have to pee.

Oh dear.

I need to pee.

Haven't you peed yet?

Good boy. You're doing great.

Come on.
Get up and use the pot under the bed.

I'm scared.
There's a monster under the bed.

There's no monster. Don't be scared.

There is. We just can't see it.

Because it's pitch-black.

Come on. There really isn't one.

Where's the light?

Something she's interested in…

Yes.

If she's exposed to more of the world,

she might gradually start wanting
to take the initiative to do things.

That might be difficult.

Is there a place where she can
be exposed to various things quickly?

Would it be better for her
to go to school?

School?

Don't you run one, Father?

Mine is just a small calligraphy school.

A real school

is a large institution
where one can learn much more.

The closest one would be the Magic School.

A Magic School?

What kind of place is that?

You can learn all kinds of magic there.

They've also produced many mages
active in various fields.

Actually, it's my alma mater.

Is that where you became an adventurer?

Yes.

Some graduates become court mages

or magic researchers.

Though it's less common,

some even use magic in construction.

That's amazing.

Human magic is so specialized.

Is that why there are so many
different types of magic and mages?

Wait a minute.

If she's exposed to different magic
and meets various mages,

she might actually
become interested in magic, right?

Yes, I'm sure she would.

If she could attend school there,
I think she would change.

Indeed.

But even the closest one
is several days away by carriage.

And most importantly…

I don't think she'd want to go.

If we can get her interested in magic,
we might be able to convince her.

Open your eyes.

You can see everything now.

I just checked. There's no monster.

Really?

See?

And even if there were a monster,
I would defeat it for you.

Okay.

Now, get down and use the pot.

But I still think it's a waste.

That girl is truly talented.

I've decided.

I'll talk to her about school next time.

Yes, please do convince her.

If she just takes that first step,

I'm sure many wonderful encounters
await her in the future.

After talking to the priest,

my day is over.

All right.

Tomorrow, I'll look into
Magic School with her.

[THE DEVIL, THE DRAGON, AND MOTHER'S DAY]

[THE CATS PASS THROUGH THE GATES
LINED WITH SOLDIERS ON BOTH SIDES.]

[BYE-BYE. SEE YOU NEXT TIME.]

[TO BE CONTINUED.]