Light Novel Chapter 44

横寺ルート (Yokodera Ruuto, lit: Yokodera Route) is the forty-fourth chapter of the light novel series of The "Hentai" Prince and the Stony Cat.
==Plot==
Youto feels a sense of dizziness as the world shakes around him. He reflects on how time inevitably moves forward, and how humans are solitary beings at their core, only able to see things from a subjective position, filtered by personal opinion; each person lives in their own world, and two worlds can never become one.
When the dizziness passes, Youto finds himself together with Emi at a university gate, having just sent Tsukushi off to her entrance exam. Apparently, they were in the middle of searching for a mysterious hooded man, but he is nowhere to be found. Apparently, Emi really dislikes the hooded man, almost like it's out of primitive fear. However, Youto is also concerned about a different individual — the enigmatic university professor with some kind of connection to the Cat God, and whose actions resulted in Youto gaining the black shadow.
Emi comments on Tsukiko's absence. Ever since she spotted Youto attend the marathon despite telling him not to, there's been an awkward atmosphere between them.
Azuki Azusa arrives late at noon, but carrying a large motivational banner for Tsukushi that she spent the entire night making. As soon as her gaze meets with Emi's however, Emi dashes off like her life depended on it, still viewing Azusa as the source of her trauma. Azusa, desperate to try and talk things out, chases after her across the university grounds while carrying her banner, until she trips and falls into a bush.
When Youto helps her up, her clothes are in disarray, revealing lots of skin. The commotion also attracts a guard, leading to yet another misunderstanding as Youto is detained in the security office. Meanwhile, the sound of sirens approaches as an ambulance arrives nearby.
After Youto is released, he bids farewell to Emi and heads to the Tsutsukakushi household to store Azusa's banner. Upon arrival, Youto is surprised to find Tsukushi already inside, having somehow arrived home early. Tsukushi notices the dirt on their clothes and questions the reason, but out of superstition, Azusa fears that discussing "slipping and falling" would have negative effects on her exams. Tsukushi however confidently dismisses this, declaring that she will definitely pass the exams no matter how much she slips and falls.
They then begin planning an outing to the skating rink. Tsukiko steps forward to suggest going on Saturday due to discounted prices, but still acts cold towards Youto. During their discussion, Tsukushi begins coughing again, but insists that it was of no concern.
The day of the outing arrives. Mai, the president of the track-and-field club, has brought the entire club along with her — although she swore to maintain the club left behind by Tsukushi, she couldn't miss out on this opportunity to spend time with her. Her dynamic with Youto however is different from before — while trying to resolve the conflict between the track-and-field and baseball clubs, Youto left the club, which Mai viewed as a form of betrayal.
Azusa invites Youto to skate together. She mentions that her mother, a magazine editor, has come up with a bridal collection plan for the next magazine and is looking for models. She is about to ask if Youto wanted to give it a shot when she sets foot on the rink, letting out a shriek — she is complete inexperienced with ice skating. With one foot on concrete and one foot on the ice, she stays in place for five minutes, not daring to move. To encourage her, Youto starts moving back into the rink, only to realize that her sweater got caught on a nail.
After fixing her sweater, she finds herself in close proximity with Youto. She takes the opportunity to ask Youto if she could call him You-kun, just like how she started call Tsukiko Tsuu-chan. They enter an endless loop where they repeat the nickname to each other when Youto spots a cat-like presence near behind a pillar, muttering curses.
Later, Youto finds Tsukushi helping some lost children. By lifting the children over the crowd, she successfully reunites a number of them with their parents. The last of the children however was larger than the rest — Maimaki Mai, too, wanted a lift. Her face is distorted with pleasure as she is lifted, and the same expression was only seen back when she handed Youto her socks. Mistaking this for some kind of weird event, the rest of the club members gather around, also asking to be lifted by Tsukushi.
However, while she is surrounded, Tsukushi lets out a loud, worrisome cough and collapses. With that, the examinee's day off comes to an abrupt end. Together with Tsukiko, Youto accompanies Tsukushi back home. When they arrive at their bus stop, the groggy Tsukushi has fallen deep asleep, and Youto ends up having to carry her to the house.
When they arrive in front of the house, Tsukiko comes to a sudden halt, having heard a strange noise from within. They thoroughly search the main house along with the police they called, but no intruder is found, and although Tsukiko's room was thoroughly ransacked, no item was lost. After the police have left, Youto decides to check out the storehouse. As soon as he enters however, he is knocked out by some mysterious individual emerging from the darkness.
Regaining consciousness, Youto finds himself tied up to a pillar with hemp rope. The intruder turns out to be Emi's father, but Youto soon realizes that he is possessed by the Cat God. It proceeds to blab on in its usual fashion, ridiculing and threatening Youto, but Youto is so unfazed to the point where he spaces out.
The Cat God divulges that Tsukushi has a terminal illness, a hereditary condition linked to the Cat God bloodline. It claims the illness is incurable and will progressively worsen, leading to a tragic end. This revelation parallels the fate of Tsukushi's mother, Tsukasa, who also suffered from a sudden illness. The Cat God offers Youto a deal: sacrifice his remaining lifespan to save Tsukushi. By praying at the Cat God statue under the cedar tree, Youto can transfer his life force to her, granting her a long and prosperous life.
Youto puts strength in his arm and finds the ropes becoming undone quite easily, clearly the work of an amateur. The dynamic shifts as Youto takes control of the situation, physically dominating the Cat God. He presses the Cat God about the ransacking of Tsukiko's room, suspecting either the Cat God or Emi's father. However, the Cat God insists that a third person was involved.
After the interrogation, a teary-eyed Cat God emphasizes that its interests lie with the Tsutsukakushi family, which is why it found Youto in an attempt to do something about Tsukushi's illness. Just as it stands up to leave however, Youto stops him and agrees to its proposal, much to its surprise.
Youto climbs the hill to the Cat God statue with the Cat God in tow. Along the way, Youto reflects on his first time meeting Tsukiko at this location, followed by a rush of memories from his diaries. The Cat God makes multiple attempts to make him reconsider, caught off guard by his lack of hesitation. However, Youto remains steadfast, viewing the sacrifice as a natural extension of his character and values. "I'm sorry," he apologizes internally, bringing the chapter to an end.
==Characters==
==Navigation==