We soon arrived back at Old Man Leng's wife's gadget shop, this time with a new helper - the catgirl. We decided to first get to know her, since that was imperative if we were going to be working together on this mission. So, we started with the basics.

"Well, first things first. Welcome to the group. I believe Xuan Kai here has already briefed ya on what we'll be doin', yes?" Old Man Leng asked, sipping on some tea, coffee, or whatever was in his cup.

The catgirl looked around, still unfamiliar with this new place, and then nodded a couple of times, very quickly.

Old Man Leng chuckled. "Good. Then, before we talk about any strategy, we should get to know ya first. Let's start with the basics. What's yer name?"

The catgirl tilted her head slowly. "Hm...my nyame? I don't really have one."

Old Man Leng frowned as the rest of us widened our eyes in surprise.

"Aren't ya from the Neko Clan? How do ya not have a name?"

The catgirl froze, upon hearing the words 'Neko Clan'. She then cast her gaze downwards, preventing us from seeing the expression on her face. But from her voice, it was clear she wasn't happy.

"Please don't myention that nyame...I am nyot from that clan."

...Okay, there's definitely something deeper than the surface going on here.

"That's impossible...unless those ears on yer head are fake, there's no way ya aren't in the Neko Clan. All demihumans are very unified when it comes to this type of stuff."

"...I said DON'T MYENTION THAT NYAME!" the catgirl yelled all of a sudden, surprising all of us with the sudden anger in her tone. After a few deep breaths and an uncomfortable silence, she finally calmed down and continued. "...Syowwy. I got too myad."

"E-Er, it's fine," I said quickly, trying to ease the tension. "Anyway, let's move on from that topic an-"

"Move on from which topic?" a woman's voice suddenly cut in as she blew open the front door with a front kick.

All of us turned to look at this new intruder, and our gazes widened as we noticed her feline ears and tail.

"Are you...from the Neko Clan?" I asked carefully.

The woman smirked. "Yes, I indeed am. And that girl behind you...is my daughter. The same long-lost daughter that had been hiding in the slums all this time, where my radar couldn't sense. But now that she's back in the city..."

"Wha-" I turned to look at the catgirl, who cowered behind my body in fear. I then spun back around.

"...But she told us she wasn't from the Neko Clan," I muttered.

"Hm...that is true, I suppose," the woman replied thoughtfully. "But...that's not the whole truth."

She then attempted to look at the catgirl, who was currently hiding behind my back.

"So? Amane, will you tell them yourself, or do you want me to say everything?" she asked, a smug look on her face.

"A-Amyane is nyot my name!" the catgirl exclaimed from behind me, clutching onto my shoulders tightly.

"I am your mother, and I gave you that name, whether you like it or not," the woman continued, completely unfazed by her daughter's disobedience. "Now then...since you are unwilling to talk, I may as well reveal your true story to all these people, yes?

The catgirl - or rather, Amane - looked away in frustration, and the woman - her own mother - smiled.

"You see, Amane is a bit of a unique case when it comes to our clan. Despite being the daughter of the current matriarch - in other words, me - she is out here running wild instead of staying within the clan like what a good daughter would do."

"...That pwace is myore like a pwison than a home to me!" Amane yelled in anguish. "Nya...you don't let me do anything, and treat us like mindless soldiers! I'm dyone being your slave!"

The woman narrowed her eyes. "The training that goes on within the clan is for your own good. It is to help you grow stronger - strong enough that no one can harm you."

"...I'm pwenty strong already!" Amane shot back after a slight hesitation.

The catwoman scoffed. "Look at you, still with your baby kitten accent. Not very convincing."

"Nyaa...I-I am strong!" Amane protested desperately.

"Oh? Then prove it," the catwoman said, lips curving up into a grin. "Face that boy in a duel. If you can beat him, I'll acknowledge that you are indeed strong enough to handle yourself out here in the real world, and leave you be. But if you lose..."

"W-Wait, me?" I asked, pointing at myself.

"Yes. Do you see any other boy here?" the catwoman snorted.

Well, I could say Old Man Leng, but...he's an old man, so on second thought, no.

"Uh...no? But why me?" I asked.

"I can sense that you are quite powerful, despite how young you are," the catwoman replied with a chuckle. "A worthy opponent for my daughter. So? What will it be? Will you accept the challenge, or allow me to just take her back to the clan?"

I slowly looked back at Amane, who was on the verge of tears, and sighed. "Sorry, but we kinda need her for something. So I can't let you take her away now. I accept the challenge."

The catwoman clapped her hands together, and smiled. "Very well! Follow me. I already have a stage prepared...oh, and no one else come. Just Amane and this boy, please."

"Wait, why can't we come along to watch?" Feng Mian asked, stopping her.

"...Haiz...why do children ask so many questions nowadays?" the catwoman asked rhetorically. "It's because we will be hosting the duel within the Neko Clan's territory. Outsiders are not allowed. The boy is an exception."

"But-" Feng Mian began, but Old Man Leng's wife stopped her.

"We'll wait here. I trust you won't do anything to the boy, yes?"

"Of course. The Neko Clan isn't violent like some of the other demihuman clans within The Fortress, after all."

*****

- The Neko Clan Grounds -

"We're here," the catwoman said, getting out of the car.

We had driven our way over here, and frankly, riding a floating car just hits different. All the vehicles in the Fortress didn't have wheels, but instead hovered above the roads somehow. I didn't care enough to figure out how exactly they worked, though. My eyes were attracted to something far more grand.

What was laid out before me was a massive ancient Japanese-style temple...but colored in cyberpunk colors - turquoise, pink, all that. This gave the building a modern twist while still retaining the grandness of the ancient architecture. Apparently, we were inside the Demihuman territory of the Fortress right now - there were eight big clans, and the Neko Clan was just one among them.

"Stop gawking and get inside," the catwoman ordered, turning around and glaring at me.

"R-Right," I muttered, then looked at Amane beside me. She had her gaze cast downwards, as if afraid to look at this place.

I sighed and tapped her on the shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go...no need to be afraid. I'm sure you can beat me. I'll make sure of it."

"Xuwan Kwai..." she murmured. It felt a bit weird, hearing my name spoken in such a...unique accent, but hey, she couldn't help it.

We entered the temple, territory of the Neko Clan. On the way, various passing servants all bowed down upon seeing the catwoman, the matriarch of the clan, but then directed curious gazes towards Amane and I.

We soon arrived at our destination - the dueling stage. But it was unlike what I had in mind. Instead of a flat ground where we could go all out, the stage was a bunch of pillars of different sizes and heights, rising up from the ground.

"Uh...what's this?" I asked nervously.

"The stage for your duel," the catwoman explained with a smile.

"But...isn't this...disadvantageous for me?" I murmured quietly.

"Think of it as home field advantage," she replied with a laugh. "Now, Amane...if you still somehow lose this, I will be very disappointed."

"D-Dyon't worry! I got this!" Amane exclaimed, clenching her fists.

The matriarch smiled. "Alright. The rules of this fight will be simple. Only I will be watching, so no one can secretly interfere with the fight. Your goal is to either touch the opponent's vitals, or get them off the pillars. If you manage to complete any of those two, you win. Of course, this isn't a battle to the death - stop at touch. No surrenders will be allowed. You fight until a winner is decided. Is that understood, both of you?"

We both nodded, and went to opposite sides of the pillars.

Alright...this should be easy. All I have to do is let her win...

"Oh, and one more thing," the catwoman said suddenly. "Boy, you are not allowed to just let Amane win. You must give it your all - I'll be watching. I can tell you are powerful...so I know perfectly well what you are capable of. Don't let me down...and I believe Amane herself wouldn't want you to just give her this win for free, either."

Amane nodded. "Nyaa...pweese come at me wif all you've got!"

Welp, there goes that plan. The only option left is just to listen to them, I suppose. And pray...pray that Amane is strong enough to defeat me.

Man...this is the first time I actually want to lose. How stupid.