It was useless.
The idea that sleeping would return things to normal was completely wrong.
Earlier, Yukino—now Yukineko—had painstakingly lulled herself to sleep by counting sheep, only to wake up two hours later in the exact same state.
A soft, fluffy body. Pink, squishy paw pads. Nothing had changed.
Sitting on the bathroom sink, Yukineko stared at her own cute little body and adorable face, feeling her heart sink further into despair.
Her anxiety grew heavier. No matter how intelligent or exceptional she usually was, encountering something so inexplicable left her trapped in a spiral of confusion and unease.
Why did this happen?
It made no sense at all—there was no logical, scientific explanation for it.
Sure, she liked cats, but to spend the rest of her life as one? Putting aside her own feelings, what about her family?
They would surely be devastated.
Lost in thought, Yukineko wandered aimlessly and eventually found herself in the living room, hopping onto the coffee table.
Extending her paw, she fumbled with her phone, unlocking it after several mistaken taps. Her eyes scanned the short contact list, hovering over a few names before finally settling on one.
She hesitated.
She wanted to talk to someone. To confide in the person closest to her about what she was going through.
[Yukinoshita Haruno, calling...]
As soon as this message appeared on the screen, Yukino suddenly woke up.
She remembered her current situation—she was just a small kitten now, capable of saying nothing but "meow meow meow." In that case, even if she called, what would be the point?
She was about to tap "hang up" to end this impulsive call when the other party picked up a second faster.
"Oh? Little Yukino~ It's so rare for you to call me first."
"..."
"Hello...? Hello?"
"..."
"Is the signal bad? Strange..."
"..."
After a round of talking to herself, Yukino hung up the call.
When she called again, Yukino chose to ignore it completely.
After Haruno sent a series of "???" messages, Yukino opened the text message app and clumsily tapped on the screen with her soft paw pads to type.
Initially, she had wanted to confide in her sister, but the moment she heard Haruno's voice, she changed her mind.
Her sister was currently away on family business. If possible, she didn't want to worry her with her own problems.
So, the message she typed was:
"Sorry, I'm feeling a bit unwell. I accidentally tapped the call button by mistake."
Using cat paws was far more difficult than using human fingers.
There were even a few typos in the message, but under the circumstances, as long as it was readable, it would do.
Yukino, who had already spent several minutes typing just this much, couldn't be bothered to fix it.
Haruno replied almost instantly.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just a cold. My throat is a little sore. I'm going to sleep now. You should rest too."
"Okay."
After the text exchange ended, Yukino stared at the screen in a daze until it dimmed automatically.
Night had long since fallen, and the room was shrouded in darkness.
The light switch was over a meter high on the wall. With her current unfamiliar body, she could barely reach it.
Was she going to remain like this forever?
Would she have to get used to this body and continue her life as it was?
Standing on the balcony, Yukino looked through the transparent glass at the familiar streets from an entirely unfamiliar perspective. Her heart was filled with melancholy and confusion.
…
"...Is this how it's supposed to be? Ah—"
"Something's off. Ikuyo, you're focusing too much on the sound coming from your throat and neglecting your breath control.
You have to leave some room for yourself at all times, use your chest cavity for support, and don't force the air out—let it flow naturally with your breathing rhythm..."
At the celebratory dinner, Chisato was explaining vocal techniques to Ikuyo.
It was a serious discussion. In the past, Nijika wouldn't have thought much of it.
But ever since Chisato's performance at the music festival, she had noticed that something about their band had changed.
There was nothing unusual about Hitori—she was just the same as before.
Ryo had some subtle changes, but nothing particularly concerning unless observed very closely.
But Ikuyo was different. The way she acted now was completely unlike before.
For example, whenever Chisato visited during their practice sessions at Starry, she would always appear unusually delighted.
For example, before tonight's celebration, she had asked Hitori—the one handling the arrangements—three times about Chisato's exact arrival time.
And now, she had taken the seat right next to him, engaging in an animated and familiar conversation about vocal techniques.
They were all friends, so it was natural for them to have a good relationship. But wasn't this a bit excessive?
Nijika noticed this and felt extremely uneasy about it.
Perhaps she was just too close to the situation to see clearly.
The three people at the center of it all didn't seem to have noticed any changes, and Nijika wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Holding onto these complicated feelings, Nijika went to discuss it with Ryo.
But to her surprise, Ryo stared at her for a long time—something she rarely did—before giving an answer that was very much in line with her usual attitude.
"Just let it be. If Ikuyo-chan really has those kinds of feelings, and Suzumiya-kun feels the same way, then there's nothing we can do about it."
Hearing Ryo's response, Nijika let out a sigh. Though she didn't fully agree, with nothing having actually happened yet, there wasn't much she could say—let alone interfere.
She could only hope that Ikuyo's sudden warmth toward Chisato was purely admiration for his singing ability and nothing more.
The celebration lasted until after ten at night.
Afterward, Ryo suggested heading to a karaoke bar for a second round, but Nijika rejected the idea with a smack on her head, reminding her that they had school tomorrow.
After making sure everyone got into their taxis, Chisato was the last to leave.
Upon arriving at his apartment building, he entered the elevator and pressed the button for his floor.
Looking down at the cold medicine in his hand, he decided that he would simply knock on the door, hand it over, and say that Yukino had asked him to deliver it.
There was no need for unnecessary pleasantries, especially since the other party didn't have a good impression of him.
"Ding."
The elevator arrived. Chisato stepped out, but instead of heading to his own unit, he stopped in front of an apartment door with the nameplate "Yukinoshita."
Come to think of it, this was probably his first time visiting his neighbor.
Not overthinking it, he pressed the doorbell.
Inside, the room was pitch dark. Yukino, who had been lying on the couch staring at the night sky and contemplating her future, was startled by the sudden chime.
Her drooping ears immediately perked up, and her tail stiffened.
Who would visit at this hour?
She quickly jumped off the couch and headed to the entrance.
Looking at the peephole in the center of the door, she frowned. With her current cat form, she couldn't check who was outside through it.
But there was another way.
Using the shoe rack as a stepping stone, she leaped onto the cabinet beside the entrance.
Her apartment door had a surveillance camera installed, with a screen inside near the door.
Standing on the cabinet, she was able to operate it despite being a cat.
After a few taps with her paw, the screen displayed an image of Chisato.
He stood outside properly, his gaze fixed ahead as he waited quietly, holding something in his hand.
Why is this flirt suddenly ringing my doorbell so late at night?
A surge of wariness rose within Yukino.
But before she could dwell on it, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. Her vision blurred.
She realized something was happening, but before she could react, she lost her balance and fell to the side.
Outside, Chisato waited for a moment. Hearing no response, he assumed she hadn't heard him and was about to press the doorbell again.
But before he could, a dull thud came from inside.
It sounded like something had fallen to the ground.
Recalling what Yukino had mentioned earlier, he suddenly imagined a weak Yukino struggling to open the door, only to collapse from exhaustion.
No way—if anything happened to Yukino's precious little sister because of him…
Chisato didn't dare think further. In the next moment, he began knocking urgently.
"Yukinoshita…? Are you okay!?"
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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