By Zephyria 
Was it because I had gone through something so absurd?
I was just tired and couldn’t fall asleep, but I slept very soundly. How long had it been since I felt this refreshed?
As I buried my face in the soft, fluffy blanket and woke up feeling good, I heard a small sound near my ear.
Tap, tap, tap… Flutter.
“……”
It wasn’t a loud sound that was irritating, so I listened carefully and recalled something from the past.
Was it autumn? I had been sick for a while, and when I came to my senses, the weather had turned much colder. I saw people I hadn’t seen before in the store, and there were also a few animals living with us that hadn’t been there before.
One of them was a very small, white puppy, and its claws made that kind of sound whenever it ran across the store’s wooden floor. I hadn’t heard it since we put down a carpet because it seemed to slip often…
“……”
But there are no animals here?
The moment I opened my eyes wide, I heard the sound of claws scratching the wooden floor again. I also thought I heard a small flapping sound, so I slowly sat up.
On the floor right in front of the bed, a black tuxedo cat and a hawk the size of my forearm were lunging at each other. It was a fierce movement, but it didn’t look like they were fighting.
—Awoong, awoong.
—Peep.
—Meow, meow, meow.
“……”
The small, whispering sounds made me wonder if I was still half-asleep. It seemed as if the two beasts were talking to each other. Even if that wasn’t the case, something about their appearance was strange.
The cat was a common black tabby that you could see on the street, but it had three tails. It wasn’t that one tail had split or torn due to an injury, but it looked natural, as if it had been that way since birth.
It was my first time seeing a cat with three tails, but the bird was more of a problem right now. It was definitely small enough to fit on my palm yesterday, about the size of a chick, but now it was several times larger.
Looking at it closely, it also seemed to resemble the giant monster I had encountered when traveling through the magic circle.
—Peep.
—Weong.
“……”
As I stared at the unreal scene, unable to distinguish whether it was a dream or not, the cat turned to look at me as if it had sensed my presence. At the same time, the bird’s head also moved in my direction.
Their startled expressions, as if they had been caught doing something bad, made it feel as if all of this was a lie. Wasn’t it obvious? What beasts in the world would act like humans like that?
Even now, they seemed to be exchanging glances, wondering how to overcome this predicament.
It was definitely an absurd situation, but I decided to satisfy my curiosity first.
“Come here.”
I didn’t make any gestures, such as reaching out my hand, but just spoke. Judging by their actions, they seemed to be more intelligent than ordinary animals, so I spoke impulsively, but I didn’t expect anything.
Being intelligent and being able to understand human speech were separate matters. But before I could finish my thought, the bird flapped its wings and flew towards me.
When it spread its wings, it was much larger than I had thought. The bird landed on my lap and looked up at me. It was heavy, and its claws were sharper and larger than I had expected, so I gently pushed it aside and said.
“Do you understand me?”
—Peep.
“If you understand, go over there.”
Surprisingly, the bird waddled towards the place I pointed. The blanket was so fluffy that its feet sank deep into it. I was a little uneasy, and sure enough, the blanket tore on its claws.
I stared in disbelief as it shook its feet, as if it didn’t like the fabric that kept getting caught, and then our eyes met. Before I knew it, the cat had also jumped onto the bed and sat at my feet. Then, it shamelessly began to groom itself.
“This is a bit absurd.”
—Peep, peep, peep.
It seemed to be saying something, but I didn’t know the bird’s language. I knew that it wasn’t hostile, but it was still ambiguous to leave it like this.
It wasn’t an ordinary beast, and it was definitely the same monster I had met yesterday… Are there monsters that are friendly to humans? I’ve never heard of such a thing.
If I called Abyss or Sakira, they would probably draw their swords and kill these beasts without listening to me.
What should I do?
As I was seriously contemplating, the cat that had been grooming itself suddenly darted under the bed. The bird also shrank to the size of a chick and quickly flew like an arrow into the corner, hiding behind the furniture.
Knock, knock.
I wondered why they were acting like that, but it seemed someone had come.
Sakira, who quietly opened the door and entered, asked me with surprised eyes as she sat on the bed.
“You’re up early? How are you feeling?”
“I just woke up. I feel much better.”
I hadn’t noticed it because of those beasts earlier, but today, strangely, I didn’t feel any pain. I didn’t feel stiff, nauseous, or feverish.
Then, I saw black fur remaining in the spot where the cat had been. I got out of bed and naturally covered the spot with the blanket, then opened the window.
The fresh, cool air made me feel refreshed.
“Shall we have breakfast outside today?”
“Pardon?”
Sakira asked back with a surprised expression, as if I was doing something I didn’t usually do.
“Let’s eat outside. Let’s take a look around the area. Keep the window open. The air is nice.”
“Ah, yes. Then I’ll prepare the water for you to wash first.”
I had opened the window wide, so it would leave on its own.
I didn’t know why it was here, but I couldn’t raise a monster, so I decided to quietly let it go.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
I hadn’t realized it when I arrived last night because it was dark, but the mansion was larger than I had thought. The overall antique exterior made it seem quite old.
After briefly looking around the mansion, I went outside with Sakira and entered a nearby restaurant. Even though it was early in the morning, the restaurant was crowded with people.
“If it’s too noisy, shall we go somewhere quieter?”
“It’s not too noisy.”
Since she had brought me here, I figured it must be a place she liked, so I took a seat in a suitable spot.
“Until a few years ago, Abyss and I almost always had breakfast here. It’s a good place to grab a quick bite before going to work. And the food is good too.”
At those words, I looked around the restaurant again. I wondered why there were so many customers so early in the morning, but it seemed they were all people going to work.
“I’ve always wanted to come here with Aska.”
When I turned my head, Sakira was resting her chin on her hand, looking at me with a bright smile. Seeing her so happy made me feel sorry for Abyss for some reason.
“But where is Abyss?”
“He seemed uneasy because of the monster that suddenly appeared yesterday, so he left early in the morning. He’s meeting Fatima this afternoon and will come together. Oh, Fatima wasn’t at the mansion either, probably because we arrived earlier than planned.”
The sudden mention of the monster made me feel uneasy again. I couldn’t enjoy the food because I was so uncomfortable.
Anyway, I roughly finished the food that Sakira had ordered and was about to get up when someone approached.
“Oh my, Master Sakira. When did you arrive? You should have told me!”
A middle-aged woman wearing an apron, probably the cook who made the food, said to Sakira.
“Did you finish your work well? It’s been so long! How long has it been? Was it two months ago when you said you came by briefly?”
They seemed to be very close. As I was blankly watching the two of them without much thought, I saw a cat among the people.
“……?”
—Myaang.
The restaurant was naturally noisy because there were so many people. However, the sound of the cat crying as it sat near the entrance and looked at me pierced my ears precisely. It was as if it was making the sound right next to my ear.
“Ah, and there was something I wanted to discuss with you when you came…”
“I have company right now, so I’ll stop by again later in the afternoon.”
“Ah, is that so? Look at my mind. I was so happy to see you that I got carried away.”
I could see its three long tails swaying gently. Did it have no intention of hiding that it was a monster? If it got caught by someone like Abyss, it would be killed.
After hesitating, I looked at Sakira and said.
“I’m going to go outside and get some sun, so talk and come out.”
“Pardon? How will Aska be alone?”
Sakira’s voice wasn’t very loud, but perhaps because she was treating a grown man like a child, the people who were eating nearby glanced at us.
Even the cook, who had been happily talking to Sakira, was looking at me with a puzzled expression. I patted Sakira’s shoulder and got up from my seat.
“I’ll be sitting near the fountain over there, so come there.”
“Then I’ll be there in 10 minutes, so please be alone for a moment. If you feel unwell or something strange, shout. And don’t follow anyone who offers you anything. Don’t talk to strangers either.”
I gave a vague answer to her long nagging and went outside, but the cat was nowhere to be seen. I slowly walked towards the fountain, looking around, when I heard the cat crying near my ear again.
The sound was coming from the narrow alley between the buildings. The road curved right in front of it, so you couldn’t see what was there unless you went inside.
I suddenly felt like I was being possessed by something. Was it trying to lure me to a deserted place to eat me? It kept appearing in front of me, so should I tell Sakira after all?
As I was wondering whether to go in there or not, I heard a noise from inside. The sound of hurried footsteps, as if someone was running, grew closer and closer, and then a black mass popped out.
Even though I had heard the footsteps first, I was surprised and took a couple of steps back. The thing that popped out was much bigger than I had expected. Moreover, it was wearing a long robe with a hood, all in black, which made it look even bigger.
The suspicious person, whose face was hidden and whose fingertips and toes were not visible, stood there without moving, just panting.
“……”
“……”
I wondered if it wanted me to move aside, so I slightly turned my body to make room, but it just kept panting without moving.