The next day came, and then another passed after that.
Among Catsha friends, there were some who spent far more time in their cat form than as humans. Hyuga was a typical example.
At the time, Neya hadn’t understood it. When you were in cat form, you couldn’t really talk with the older staff sisters or Alex, and the food you could eat was limited. So why would anyone do that?
But after spending two days living as a cat in the mansion, Neya felt like she understood a little.
This is way too comfortable!
The values she’d built over seven years of life were being shaken.
Even if she just sat still, snacks or meals were brought to her, and people played with her regularly. On top of that, even if she made a mess—knocking things over or scattering items around—no one scolded her. Someone else would clean it up instead.
Human Neya hadn’t felt the hardships of life all that much yet, but a cat’s life was far more comfortable than even that.
And during those unavoidable days living as a cat by Mino’s side, Neya gradually came to learn more about him.
Mino was far busier than she had imagined. Except for an hour or two before going to sleep, he had almost no personal time, spending it all studying or being summoned here and there.
At the same time, Mino was a blunt yet surprisingly gentle child. He didn’t seem used to giving affection, but Neya could feel that he was cherishing her in his own way, doing the best he could.
Life here wasn’t bad. But as time passed, the lingering unease deep in Neya’s heart didn’t fade.
I need to go home…
Right now, she was basically a runaway. There was no way she could truly relax and enjoy herself.
It was already pitch dark outside, so it seemed today would end as well without even attempting an escape.
“Oh, right.”
Mino, now changed into his pajamas, spoke up as if something had just occurred to him.
He walked over to the bed and gently stroked Neya.
“Get some rest. I’ll be right back.”
“…?”
Neya looked up at him in confusion, but Mino only smiled and offered no further explanation.
Mino really did leave the room alone, leaving Neya by herself.
Up until now, he had taken Neya with him wherever he went, so it felt strange that he would leave her alone like this.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
At this rate, I’m going to forget what I look like as a human…
Being a cat was certainly comfortable, but Neya liked her human form more.
At least while she was alone, it seemed better to turn back.
“Hup.”
In an instant, Neya transformed back into her human form and stretched.
“Ah, that feels refreshing!”
She flopped down onto the bed. The moment she lay on the wide, soft mattress, her body went slack with comfort. Her hair, usually neatly tied by Shane, spread out messily over the bed.
Lying alone and staring at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted again.
What is Shane doing right now?
The first person to come to mind was, as always, Shane.
Thinking about the sudden emptiness she’d left behind, and how sad he must be, darkened Neya’s expression.
Mom… she probably isn’t worrying too much.
Neya wasn’t especially concerned about Azure. She was surprisingly good at judging people.
Shane, Mom, the Tower Master… are they all doing well…?
As she thought about them, her eyelids gradually grew heavy. Maybe because she’d stayed up well past her usual bedtime, drowsiness washed over her.
“They say the young lady is busy with work and won’t be able to come for a while again.”
“……”
Mino’s expression darkened as he heard the message from the nanny.
The nanny’s heart ached. She remembered how excited Mino had been lately, saying his sister would come to visit.
“She did send quite a lot of gifts instead. She also said to tell you to wear these next time and come visit the imperial palace.”
“…Yeah.”
Mino replied weakly.
It wasn’t the first or second time this had happened. Every time, he’d get his hopes up, only to be deeply disappointed.
“Will you be able to sleep on your own tonight as well?”
Mino nodded.
He was the type who got lonely easily, so originally the nanny had to stay by his side until he fell asleep. But ever since Neya arrived, he’d been able to sleep well on his own.
“Sleep well, young master. I’ll come wake you in the morning.”
Leaving those words behind, the nanny departed. Left alone, Mino lowered his gaze.
Both his hands were full of gifts, yet his heart felt empty.
When Mino returned to his room, he shut the door right away. His mind was too tangled to want to talk to anyone.
He set the gifts down carelessly, intending to fall asleep as soon as possible—but then something caught his eye.
“…?”
On the bed, where the cat should have been, there was a girl lying there instead.
…Who is she?
Mino approached with a bewildered expression.
The white hair of the girl sleeping soundly on the bed was scattered in all directions.
“……”
Even with a strange child lying asleep in his room, Mino remained remarkably calm. In fact, a lively light shimmered in his green eyes.
He gently tapped Neya’s shoulder.
“Hey.”
“Mmm…”
Being disturbed in the middle of her sleep, Neya groaned. After tossing around for a bit, she slowly opened her eyes, her face scrunched up.
“…?”
Right in front of her was Mino’s face. In an instant, sleep fled from Neya as her eyes widened.
Th-this is bad…
She’d only meant to undo the transformation for a moment—who would’ve thought she’d fall asleep like that! Her mind spiraled into panic.
But unlike the flustered Neya, Mino looked only bright and cheerful.
“You’re that cat, right?”
“Huh… y-yeah?”
At the casual question, Neya flinched.
That cat was her, after all. So she nodded for now.
“I knew it.”
Mino’s expression grew even brighter than before.
Then, in a voice tinged with excitement, he said,
“I’ve heard of things like this before.”
“Huh? …Like what?”
“When you give someone lots of love, they turn into a human. I read about it in a book.”
“…?”
Neya had no idea what on earth Mino was talking about.
But no matter how she reacted, Mino didn’t seem to care. His eyes sparkled as he firmly held Neya’s hand.
“Did you turn human because I needed a friend?”
“Huh? Uh… I guess so?”
Neya replied vaguely.
If she told him the truth, he might get angry about being deceived. And the fear of being found out as a Catsha—and ending up in the same situation as before—still lingered.
Even though she knew no one else was around, Neya glanced about and whispered to Mino.
“You know, about me being a cat fairy… you can’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Okay.”
Mino agreed readily, without the slightest doubt.
“Then you’ll stay by my side from now on?”
“Umm…”
Neya hesitated. Even if she was lying, it was hard to make a promise she might not be able to keep.
But Mino’s face was full of expectation, and she couldn’t bring herself to say no. She knew now, after just two days, how lonely he was.
After hesitating, Neya answered in a small voice.
“Yeah…”
Hearing her reply, Mino broke into a soft smile.
“I’m Mino. Do you have a name too?”
Until now, he hadn’t even given her a name, just calling her “baby.”
She hadn’t liked being called that by someone her own age. Being able to finally say her name made Neya’s expression brighten.
“My name is Neya.”
“Neya.”
Mino repeated her name as if savoring it.
“I like your name too.”
At the compliment, Neya smiled shyly.
“Neya, is there anything you wanted to do once you became human?”
Mino looked ready to grant her any wish at all. A first friend meant that much to him.
“……”
Neya fell into thought.
Right now—what was it that she wanted to do?
“You know…”
“Yeah?”
Her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Could you show me a bit more of this mansion?”
Mino agreed without much hesitation.
It was already past ten at night—very late for children. The two of them quietly slipped out into the dark corridor.
“You could’ve shown me around during the day…”
“You know I don’t have time during the day.”
Hearing Mino’s words, Neya understood why they’d come out now.
Mino spent the entire daytime in lessons, without even a moment of free time. That was why he’d chosen to sneak out like this.
“But we have to be quiet. Normally, we’re not allowed to wander around at this hour.”
“I’m really good at being quiet!”
“You need to keep your voice down too.”
“Ah!”
Realizing her mistake, Neya immediately lowered her voice. Mino let out a small laugh.
“So where exactly do you want to see? I’ll take you wherever you want.”
“I want to…”
There was something she’d always wanted to see if she ever came to a place like a princess’s castle.
She’d decided on it a long time ago.
