THE SCHOOL HALL
The school hall was chaos.
Students were everywhere screaming, laughing, running, recording TikToks, smacking posters on walls with cheap gum. No one cared about the upcoming festival. Everyone was freaking out over one thing:
Momo.
Momo: the school's resident celebrity.
Pretty, rich, and stupidly popular.
Every guy stepped out of her way like she was royalty.
Every girl raised their phone like she was the sun.
She was the kind of girl teachers loved, students adored, and parents bragged about.
Momo strutted through the hallway like she owned the place, holding her phone up as she filmed herself, ignoring the entire crowd losing their minds over her.
A girl whispered, "Oh my god, that's Momo!"
Her friend yanked her sleeve.
"Stop saying her name, she'll hear you!"
But Momo didn't even glance at them.
She was deep in her own thoughts.
Ever since childhood, she'd been the center of attention everywhere she went.
People spoiled her, praised her, worshipped her.
That was exactly why her parents sent her to Kikigi High.
To get her away from attention.
(Yeah… clearly that plan failed.)
She sighed, scrolling her phone.
Too much attention makes you soft, she thought.
Everyone always gave her what she wanted.
It felt like she was walking above the world while everyone else walked underneath.
THE THREE IDIOTS PASS BY
From the stairway came three students heading down:
Renji.
Cairo.
Nami.
They passed her like she wasn't even there.
No fangirling.
No staring.
No "omg it's Momo."
They just kept walking.
Momo blinked in shock.
Nobody ignores Momo.
She turned her head, ready for them to look back
but they didn't.
Before she walked past them, she overheard their conversation:
Renji:
"Yo, we gotta find that damn cat before the next three hours. For real."
Cairo:
"Bro, what's wrong with that stupid cat? His one job was to watch the treehouse!"
Nami:
"Less talking, more finding. If a teacher sees that cat roaming around again, we're dead."
Momo perked up.
Not at them.
At the word "cat."
Momo loved animals cats, dogs, birds, lizards, whatever. She posted animal videos online and used to be an idol because of them. Her family was insanely rich. She didn't care about that. She only cared about animals.
So she followed the conversation.
And then
THE FIRST SIGHTING OF KIKI
Outside the window, Momo spotted a black cat leaping from one tree branch to a window frame.
Her eyes widened.
"OMG kitty!"
She sprinted to the window.
The moment the cat landed inside the classroom, Momo was already there, crouching down with sparkly anime eyes.
She reached out to pet it
SWIPE!
Kiki sliced her hand like he was cutting onions.
She jerked back in shock.
She tried again.
Another scratch.
And another.
The cat stared at her, meowed, and leapt back out the window.
Momo froze.
Animals love me… but THIS cat… hates me?!
Her face darkened with determination.
"I don't care how demon-possessed you are, cat. I'm gonna make you my friend."
She swore it.
THE THREE-WEEK WAR: MOMO vs KIKI
Day 1:
Momo brought every kind of cat toy feathers, bells, laser pointers.
Kiki ignored her and played with everything except her existence.
Day 2:
She brought premium cat food.
Kiki scratched her face and dipped.
Momo screamed, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Day 3:
She brought a bowl and filled it with milk in the same empty classroom.
Then she hid in the closet with her phone recording.
Kiki walked in, meowed sadly, scratched his head, then started drinking.
Right then Renji, Cairo, and Nami passed by the door.
And Momo got everything on video.
Including the moment…
Kiki spoke.
RENJI VS KIKI THE FOREST CHASE
Renji chased Kiki all over town like a divorced father chasing child support.
Kiki sprinted across streets, tree branches, rooftops then bolted into the woods.
Renji grabbed a giant rock like he was in an anime training arc and leapt after him.
He tripped over rocks, trees, holes
basically nature beat his ass but he kept chasing.
Until Kiki vanished.
Renji wiped dirt from his face.
"This area looks familiar…"
It was.
He stomped forward, slapped his cheeks, then climbed up to their secret treehouse.
MEANWHILE CAIRO & NAMI WALKING
Cairo and Nami walked near Renji's grandparents' ruined house, heading into the woods.
They were going to the treehouse too.
MOMO THE TERRIBLE SPY
Momo silently followed them like a cartoon character.
People saw her hiding behind trash bins and walls.
A guy pointed.
"Why is Momo sneaking around like a cracked-out raccoon?"
His friend shrugged.
"Bro just ignore her."
She hid behind every corner like she was invisible…
but she wasn't.
Finally, Momo followed Cairo and Nami straight to the treehouse.
She hid in a bush beneath it.
THE TREEHOUSE THE MEETING
Renji, Cairo, and Nami gathered inside.
Cairo:
"Bro, imagine if you actually chased that cat around town. That'd be insane."
Nami:
"Yeah, Renji's wild but not that wild."
Renji:
"…a pregnant ghost almost killed us because that damn cat didn't speak earlier."
Cairo:
"Yo, the past is the past. Chill."
Nami:
"Yeah bro, let it go."
Meanwhile
Momo climbed the tree, stuck her head inside the hole
Then jumped in, holding her phone like a weapon.
"You ALIENS! DIE!"
The three of them stared at her like she was a haunted mannequin.
Nami:
"…Who is this girl and why is she in our treehouse?"
Renji:
"Did the cat send you?!"
Cairo:
"Guys! Come on. That's Momo. The popular girl at school."
Renji:
"…Who?"
Nami:
"Who's Momo?"
Cairo facepalmed.
"How are you two this clueless?!"
Renji (cold voice):
"So what are YOU doing here?"
Nami:
"Yeah, explain yourself, sneaky girl."
Momo didn't answer.
Instead, she slowly turned her phone around…
and showed them the video.
The moment Kiki spoke.
Cairo gasped.
"Oh shit… we're busted."
Nami:
"What do you want? A bribe? Food? Money?"
Renji:
"So that's why you followed us?!"
Momo scoffed.
"Who said I followed anyone?
I don't follow people.
YOU followed ME."
The three stared at her.
Nami sighed.
"…Okay, no. Nobody followed anybody."