What's in the box? Is it a gift for me?
Unfortunately, no.
Then is it a jack-in-the-box?
Inside, there's radioactive material, a radiation detector, and a toxin emitter.
Radioactive Material
Radiation Detector
Toxin Emitter
And a cat.
Cat
What? That's scary!
It's a physics thought experiment called Schrödinger's cat.
Schrödinger's Cat
Electrons, before they're observed, take the properties of a wave that fills space.
Not until one is observed is it confirmed as a particle that occupies a point in space.
In the same way, whether there's been atomic decay in the box
can only be determined when observed.
But this box is rigged so the poison emitter is triggered when an atom decays.
Radioactive Decay
Radioactive Material
Detection
Activation
Poison Release
According to quantum mechanics,
the cat inside would both be dead because of radioactive decay,
Radioactive Decay, Dead
and alive lacking any.
No Radioactive Decay, Alive
Radioactive Decay, Dead
It would exist in both states, in superposition.
Radioactive Decay, Dead
Dead and Alive
Particle? Wave?
What does that even mean?
Alive? Dead?
In reality, it's impossible for a cat to be both dead and alive simultaneously.
It's a thought experiment that highlights one of the issues with quantum mechanics.
So if we were talking about panties under a skirt,
would it be like you're both wearing them and also not wearing them,
Wearing Panties?
Not Wearing Panties?
until you make an observation?
Who are you, Von Neumann?
Totally.
You okay, Haruhiko?
I'm sleepy.
That's what you get for staying up to read every night.
I like reading. Can you blame me?
But once first term is over, I'm going to sleep all day.
That's a total death flag.
Soseki's I Am a Cat is said to have been inspired by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann.
Haruhiko, you're in class!
Stay awake!
He isn't even trying.
What the...
Sensei, too?!
Don't you think they're a bit lazy?
It's midday, and they're all dozing around.
You were also sleeping, Shosuke.
I guess our circadian rhythms are off-whack due to the rainy season.
Cir-what?
Your internal clock.
Your bedtime goes crazy if you stay up late or don't get enough sun.
Crazy bedtime, huh?
That sounds hot.
Get your head out of the gutter.
Meal Tickets
So, what will you have, Haruhiko?
Hey, the fish looks good.
What's up?
Haruhiko!
Hey, come eat with us.
Oh, you're both having fried fish, huh?
You're really close, aren't you?
I had a craving for fish today.
Me, too.
Fish is delicious.
Holy crap, it's good.
It's especially good today.
Man, I just noticed everyone's having fish today.
You're right.
Are fishes trending now?
Weird, I feel really at ease like this.
What's this?
That's a cat mansion.
A cat mansion?
That sounds familiar.
Yeah.
Apparently it used to be a dorm, but it isn't being used anymore.
The manager liked cats, so cats from all over the neighborhood flocked there.
A lot of stray cats lived there, even after it was abandoned.
Every now and then, cat-loving students would pop in, too.
But you know how it's an old building?
The slightest accident would mean injuries.
And then, of course, parents would be furious at parent-teacher meetings and stuff.
The cats were all culled, and the building was made off-limits.
Poor cats.
So what about the cat mansion?
Nothing.
I'm heading home.
Sure.
Man, I'm so sleepy today.
Same here.
I agree, but you two need to mind your manners.
We aren't the only ones.
Everyone's been that way all day.
Everywhere you look.
I hope they don't get bitten by bugs.
Excuse me.
Kurumi-chan!
I wanted to talk to you about something today.
Sorry, I'm so sleepy...
It's okay.
We're all sleepy, too.
Hold on.
What the hell are you doing?
You too, Reina-chan?
What about you?
Then the high school is the same way, huh?
The elementary school's the same.
School's getting really chill.
It isn't even chill. It's just languid.
What's going on?
And weren't you here to discuss something, Kurumi-chan?
Oh, right.
Well...
I want you to help me find a cat.
A cat?
Oh, I thought you were dealing with a Phantom.
You're sitting funny again.
Sorry.
So, what about the cat?
Arina-chan's cat, Rudolph, is missing.
I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find him.
I asked Kurumi-chan,
and she said she'd ask you guys, since you're really dependable.
Yeah?
You're worried for your friend.
Got it.
We'll help look for him, too.
Thank you.
What's he like?
This is Rudolph.
My, he's cute.
Haruhiko, draw Rudolph.
Rudolph isn't a Phantom.
We'll make a "missing" poster.
I see.
All right, then.
There.
Wow, you're good at drawing.
I'm not that great.
You sure have a wide strike zone, don't you?
Quit saying things others might misinterpret.
Thank you.
Missing! Lost Cat Name: Rudolph Sex: Male
Thank you.
I hope we find him.
Information
Yeah.
Let's ask the supermarkets here if they'll let us post the flyer.
Tomorrow, let's start our search for real.
Reina-chan?
What're you doing?
Local Cat Food Cat Food Master Raw Cat Food
Oh, crap!
Wh-What a fragrance!
Local Cat Food
Such an appetizing aroma!
Prince of Kittens
This bonito-ness!
An arresting, violent scent!
Cats Love It
An excessive manifestation of taste itself!
Cat Spirit
It looks so good.
Why are we being drawn to cat food?
I know, right?
We're crazy.
What are we doing?
Look, look!
Look what I found!
This thing shakes like crazy.
Isn't it cool?
That was close!
What was that for?
Jeez, you don't want to make Ruru-chan angry.
What the hell are we doing?
Seriously!
Huh?
We aren't cats.
How embarrassing.
Meowahaha.
I must have been mistaken.
Something's seriously strange.
Buck up.
Your face, personality, and head might be weird,
but that's what makes you awesome.
Not that!
Last night, I had a craving for fish again, so I had some. Then I lazed around.
I was tempted to chase after bugs in the air.
It's as if...
Look at all those cat-like people.
Haruhiko-kun...
Reina-chan?
M-Morning.
Did you see that?
Those kids were like cats.
R-Really?
Well, hello, miss, I can smell that you're hiding something!
Please don't...
Stop, Ruru, what are you doing?
No!
Sorry, and thank you.
What's going on?
I mean, it looks cute, but it's neither Halloween nor Cat Ears Day.
It isn't a costume.
Hey, Haruhiko, why are you bullying Reina?
Mai-oneesama...
Koito-san, too?!
Come on, Haruhiko, take a picture!
Yeah, I might as well.
No, you don't!
This couldn't be some kind of curse, could it?
No, this must be the work of a Phantom.
Ever since that day,
the world underwent a drastic change.
It's been like this all day.
What in the world is this?
How do I get it off?
It's like a school of cats.
It is.
I wonder why some people haven't cat-ified.
Maybe the ones with a lot of growth hormone in their systems cat-ify earlier.
Those in the sports clubs, or maybe even those that sleep a lot.
Because kids grow while they sleep?
Probably.
Kurumi-chan?
Onii-nyan...
I can't talk propurrly.
Kurumi-chan!
I guess she's cat-ifying really fast because she has a lot of growth hormones.
I feel pawfully weird!
If we don't stop cat-ifying, what will we do?
Koito-san, what were you saying about a Phantom earlier?
The cat mansion.
I heard a cat from inside, and I could vaguely sense a Phantom.
Its presence is getting stronger by the minute.
At the same time, students began cat-ifying.
I don't think it's a coincidence.
So?
I still sense it strongly.
That might be me.
It feels different from you.
All right, let's go take down this Phantom.
Runyaolph!
Rudolph?
Sounds like him.
It does? This voice sounds like Rudolph?
Then Rudolph is here?
It's open.
We're coming in.
Wow, this is some old architecture.
What about the lights?
Looks like there's no power here.
That really sets the mood.
I hope we can take care of it before sundown.
S-Sorry.
It's okay.
There's no telling what might come up.
Be careful.
Okay, let's take a step back, you two.
Senpai?
We're finishing this by sundown, aren't we?
Stay on task.
It doesn't look like there are too many rooms...
This will be easy.
It smells so moldy.
I wonder how old this is.
It's more beat-up than it looks.
How do you feel?
Are you okay?
Yes, for meow.
Do you sense the Phantom?
It's steady.
But it should be close.
Where is Rudolph?
He's a tiny kitten, after all.
I can hear him, but...
Is he alive? Or...
It's like Schrödinger's cat.
Schrödinger?
It's this idea, where you have radioactive material and a deadly toxin
in a box with a cat,
and the cat exists in both alive and dead states until you open the box.
The point Schrödinger was trying to make was that it was absurd.
Brain teasers aside, we have to find out if Rudolph's okay.
Runyaolph is alive!
You're right.
Rudolph is alive.
Of course.
Of course he is.
Sorry.
Now, let's go find Rudolph.
All the rooms are so similar.
I don't even remember how many rooms we've checked anymore.
We might have looped back somewhere.
That's impossible.
Hurry, or the sun will set.
Runyaolph!
It's all right. It's still midday.
I'm not so sure.
Just how many floors are there?
I thought it was three stories.
We must have climbed at least ten floors.
Don't you feel chilly?
It seems just right to me.
I can feel the wind.
The Phantom's nearby.
What's going on?
Search as we might, there's nothing to find.
The kitten must be here.
The Phantom's presence, the endless hallways, the faint sound of a bell...
Where is this mansion taking us?
Come on, come on!
Come on!
Come on, come on!
Runyaolph!
Are you okay?
Huh? What just happened?
My head's spinning.
She's cat-ifying fast.
Let's find a place to rest.
Where are we?
A cafeteria or something?
Runyaolph!
No!
The Phantom's here?
This is bad. The door's jammed.
And the window?
It's closed, and there's no way we can jump.
It's almost as though we're the cats in the box.
No way...
Could this entire mansion be the Phantom?
In that case....
Break, break, break, break into the tune of creation.
Tune, tune, tune, tune, tunnel the flames!
Ack! Koito-san!
Don't burn down the mansion! We'll go up with it!
I summon the water phase from my kidneys to my fists.
Don't bust up a closed room! We'll get crushed!
Quit complaining and seal it already!
I can't draw the whole room without going outside.
Reina-chan,
could you eat the mansion?
Not from inside.
Oh, no.
Senpai, above you!
Isn't this...
A cat tower!
It's all stuff cats like.
I'm tempted to pounce.
Fight the urge.
Wait, is it showing us hospitality?
Runyaolph!
Kurumi-chan!
Let's go!
I'm tempted to pounce.
Not now!
Could it be that Rudolph is already...
Hey! Watch where you put your foot.
I can't help it! It's cramped in here!
Ow, ow.
Haruhiko, are you all right?
Where are we?
I don't know.
Haruhiko, look.
The Phantom.
Is it the manifestation of this mansion?
Are those people?
No, I think those are hallucinations.
It's protecting its memories.
I don't think it's a bad Phantom.
Hey!
Please, Mister Mansion-Phantom.
I feel your pain.
I know you're trying to recreate the mansion when it was livelier.
And your loneliness and sadness throughout the passing seasons.
But you aren't the only lonely one.
I want you to return the kitten that wandered here.
Kurumi-chan...
Please, Phantom.
Rudolph!
Thank you.
It understood her.
"Consciousness causes collapse," huh?
Say what?
Von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation Mind Consciousness
There's an idea that a person's mind
or consciousness affects the outcome of objective measurement.
A person's mind?
Yes.
But it isn't very scientific, and it wasn't well received when it was proposed.
I'm okay with this interpretation, though.
Von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation Schrödinger's cat
But Schrodinger's cat was first proposed as a paradox to debunk it.
I see.
That's all pretty confusing.
In other words, Kurumi-chan's feelings determined that Rudolph was alive.
I'll explain some other day.
We're back.
So the cat mansion Phantom was cat-ifying everyone all along.
I can finally talk.
Good thing we found Rudolph, huh?
Yes.
But why?
It said it was lonely because there used to be more cats here.
I see.
When Rudolph wandered in, it must have
been overwhelmed by the desire to see the cats.
That desire radiated throughout the area, turning people into cats.
Guys, let's do one more thing before we go.
Let's clean it up so more people come to visit.
Maybe that way, the mansion will grow livelier.
You're right.
Thank you for finding Rudolph.
We're here to help clean.
Thank you!
Everyone, I spoke with the school staff.
They said we can use the mansion as we like.
We'll probably turn this place into a tea place the students can visit as they like.
That's great.
Let's have a tea party as soon as we're done cleaning, then.
Okay.
Right.
It looks like an ordinary mansion.
It may look normal, but there may be many uncertain things inside.
Just like us humans.
Quit being so pretentious.
Why did you hit me?
No reason.
What do you mean, "No reason"?
Come on, everyone's waiting.
You always do that, Senpai.