Yukino held her breath, focusing on her body.
A gentle breeze blew in through the window, ruffling the soft, elegant fur of the beautiful feline resting on the bed. The atmosphere was peaceful and serene.
But nothing happened.
Yukino remained still, waiting for over an hour. By the time 5:00 PM passed, her body showed no signs of change.
The momentary dizziness she had experienced before returning to normal last night still had not occurred.
At this point, Yukino had no choice but to admit that her hypothesis—that her body would change back with time—was incorrect.
But if that hypothesis was wrong, then what was the real reason behind her body returning to normal?
Feeling a growing sense of restlessness, Yukino paced back and forth on the bed, lost in deep thought.
She recalled the events leading up to her transformation last night and jumped off the bed, heading toward the living room.
Yukino remembered that she had been extremely anxious at the time, intending to contact her sister and inform her about what had happened.
However, she ultimately held back, not wanting to worry her.
That part was probably irrelevant.
After that, she had wandered onto the balcony, feeling utterly dejected, and stared blankly at the cityscape outside for quite some time.
Come to think of it, last night's moon was particularly large and round. Could her transformation have something to do with the moonlight?
It was a rather fantastical idea, but considering the absurdity of her situation, Yukino felt that entertaining such possibilities wasn't entirely unreasonable.
She filed that thought under "uncertain" in her mind, deciding to test it out when the sky darkened again.
At the same time, she continued to replay last night's events in her head.
She slowly walked from the balcony to the living room, recalling what had happened just before she returned to normal.
She distinctly remembered a sudden knock at the door. With a sense of curiosity, she walked through the living room to the entryway.
Then, she had checked the surveillance screen and, in the instant she saw Chisato standing outside—
.
...
.....
Huh?!
A spark of realization ignited in her mind.
There was no logical reason for it, but Yukino suddenly felt as though she had found the key to her transformation.
Why hadn't she noticed this immediately last night?
The cause-and-effect relationship was so obvious—it was at the exact moment she saw Chisato on the surveillance screen that she changed from a cat back into a human!
It was an incomprehensible and utterly irrational phenomenon, yet it had undeniably happened.
Yukino stood quietly at the entryway, deep in thought for a moment. Having made up her mind, she quickly ran back to her room and picked up her phone.
…
Sapporo.
Haruno had accompanied her mother to this city to handle some family business and to visit a few long-time friends.
After finishing these matters, she returned to the hotel alone around five in the afternoon.
As she soaked in the bathtub, casually scrolling through videos on her phone, she received a message—from her adorable little sister.
Haruno opened the message, and as she read its contents, the smile on her face gradually faded. She blinked in mild confusion.
[Sister, do you have Suzumiya Chisato's contact information?]
She didn't quite understand the reason for the question, but she replied truthfully nonetheless.
[I do, but why do you need it?]
[He delivered medicine to me last night. I want to thank him. You didn't pay him, did you?]
Ah, so it was about that.
For some reason, Haruno felt a subtle sense of relief.
[It's just a small amount of money. It's nothing. I have a good relationship with him, so I'll handle it when I get back.]
[No need, Sister. Let me thank him myself. This is very important to me.]
Very important?
What did that mean?
[Please, Sister.]
Haruno stared at her phone, deep in thought.
Something about her sister seemed… off. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but she could sense that something was different.
Nevertheless, after a brief hesitation, she sent Chisato's contact information.
Yukino replied with a simple "Thank you," and that was the end of the conversation.
Haruno stared at her phone for a while, then opened her contact list, debating whether she should give Chisato a heads-up.
After a moment of consideration, she ultimately decided against it.
It wasn't anything urgent—no need to inform him in advance.
If she wanted to know exactly what her little sister planned to do, she could just ask both of them when she got back.
…
At around 8:00 PM, Chisato returned from visiting Kazusa.
Stepping out of the elevator, he, just like last night, did not go straight home but instead made his way to Yukino's apartment and rang the doorbell.
She had unexpectedly sent him a message earlier that evening.
Her wording was formal and polite—she introduced herself, expressed gratitude for his help last night, and then got to the point.
She explained that she had forgotten to pay him for the medicine and insisted on settling the debt that night.
Even after he repeatedly told her it wasn't necessary, Yukino stubbornly insisted that she had to repay him.
She even invoked her sense of honor, dignity, and personal principles to convey the depth of her resolve.
Looking at the long, essay-like messages on his screen, Chisato could only sigh in resignation.
In the end, he gave in and sent her his payment details, telling her to transfer the money directly.
But after a short wait, Yukino replied that she wasn't familiar with online transactions.
A young person in this era who didn't know how to use online banking?
Though baffled, Chisato had no choice but to drop by her apartment again that evening to collect the money in person.
After waiting for a moment—
"…Please wait a moment!"
Well, that was the same response as last night. Except, this time, her tone sounded a bit more… excited.
But why did she always need him to wait?
Chisato was puzzled, but he patiently stood his ground.
Before long, the door opened.
"Um… please come in."
Unlike last night, Yukino did not block the doorway. Instead, she stepped back and gestured for him to enter, clearly intending to have a longer conversation.
Wait a minute—wasn't this supposed to be a simple exchange? She hands over the money, and he leaves immediately?
Chisato looked at Yukino, who was gazing at him with a contemplative and complex expression.
A bad feeling crept into his heart.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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