Kasumigaoka could still feel the residual warmth on her cheeks.
Damn Yukinoshita. She's usually so cold and aloof, never showing a shred of kindness then out of nowhere she goes and praises her like that? Anyone would be thrown off in a situation like this!
And to top it off, she had the nerve to ask, "What's wrong?" with that innocent face of hers.
Seriously?
You ambushed me, tricked me me, a righteous and pure 18-year-old girl!
Absolutely shameless!
Kasumigaoka's mind was spiraling with chaotic thoughts when the gentle doctor lady announced that everything was ready.
After sterilizing the tools and doing a quick check-up, it was time for the part little kitties hated the most.
Star was a clever kitten. Just moments ago, she was lazily nestled in the doctor's arms, but now she suddenly sensed the shift in atmosphere.
In an instant, she leapt in an attempt to escape, but the doctor swiftly grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and held her firmly in place.
Though held against a soft and comforting chest, Star was still a cat, not a person so she wasn't exactly pleased. She squirmed and mewled in protest.
The doctor turned to Kasumigaoka. "Try calming her down first. Otherwise, we won't be able to give the shot."
Kasumigaoka gave it a shot, only to nearly get swatted in the face by Star's flailing claws.
Yukinoshita immediately stepped forward. "Let me."
Let you? I'm her actual owner and I can't even handle her right now.
But as soon as Yukinoshita stepped up from behind Kasumigaoka and leaned toward Star, the little kitten instantly went into full alert. Her body tensed low, eyes fixed on her opponent.
One… two… three…
A few seconds passed. The doctor smoothly removed the needle after administering the vaccine while the little kitten remained utterly still, completely unaware of what had just happened. Her heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one green, stayed locked on Yukinoshita as a low, rumbling growl rose from her throat.
The doctor and Kasumigaoka both burst out laughing.
To see the usual ice queen with such a serious, focused expression but looking so unintentionally comical was too much.
Kasumigaoka scooped Star up and gently rubbed her soft belly. "You silly little thing."
Yukinoshita cleared her throat delicately.
Careful what you say.
Cats don't take kindly to insults.
After the injection, the sick kitten and her concerned guardian listened to the doctor's lengthy instructions after all, that part was included in the checkup package.
Yukinoshita went out to wait for them.
Kasumigaoka, armed with a notebook, jotted down two full pages of cat-care notes. For some reason, she felt an unfamiliar but strangely weighty sense of responsibility.
It felt like… she had become someone else's safe harbor.
She'd spent her childhood away from her parents, attending school alone, hardly making any real friends. She'd long believed she'd grown used to a solitary life.
Loneliness? Isolation? None of that compared to the anguish of staring at a blank document at midnight, her brain a tangled mess and the deadline looming just hours away.
But all those feelings she thought had faded they hadn't disappeared. They'd merely settled deep in the quiet hours of her past nights, mingling self-loathing, doubt, and the taste of sleeping pills into the gloom of her former life.
Yet now, it had been nearly two months since she last needed medication to fall asleep.
Kasumigaoka smiled and touched Star's little nose. "What about you, huh? I bet you just see me as your personal poop scooper…"
Despite just getting a shot, the clingy kitten licked the center of her palm.
Still basking in good vibes, Kasumigaoka stepped out of the exam room only to see Yukinoshita sitting quietly nearby.
This was the area reserved for sick or recovering animals. Shelves and crates were lined with resting cats and dogs, most of them fast asleep.
Yukinoshita, however, had her eyes fixed on a particularly round adult orange tabby cat.
It lay in its crate, half-asleep with its back to her. Its tail lazily dangled out through the bars, gently swaying side to side.
As the tail swayed left, Yukinoshita's eyes followed. When it moved right, her gaze followed again.
She looked so focused, so serious, and yet so absurdly comical in her intent that she didn't even dare make too much noise, for fear of waking the sleeping animals.
Hey! You chubby orange loaf!
Luring people is a crime, you know!
And you, Yukinoshita! Snap out of it! Star is the cutest, most beautiful, most brilliant little kitty in the world!
Don't be dazzled by wildflowers blooming outside the fence!
By now, it was already four or five in the afternoon. The two of them had gone out shortly after 1 PM, and everything was finally wrapping up.
They found a nearby Chinese restaurant that allowed pets in backpacks, called to confirm it was okay, and headed over.
Seated in a semi-private booth with traditional decor, Yukinoshita seemed unfamiliar with the menu, while Kasumigaoka confidently ordered several dishes.
She declared proudly, "These are the most popular Chinese dishes Sweet and Sour Pork and Mapo Tofu!"
Yukinoshita raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you sure? Your idea of popular isn't exactly trustworthy."
Kasumigaoka folded her arms and scoffed, "Says the girl who's barely eaten anything good in her life."
Ouch. That hit home.
The Yukinoshita family motto was self-restraint and self-discipline.
Resist unnecessary desires to avoid being clouded by greed. Even when alone, one must hold themselves to the highest standard.
Naturally, that included indulgent food.
Yukinoshita had always had poor health growing up. Out of concern for her well-being, she developed strict dietary habits from an early age.
While they waited for the food to arrive, Kasumigaoka slid a few small printed booklets across the table with a conspiratorial air.
Yukinoshita picked one up and flipped through it, quickly realizing they were all the beginnings of different light novel drafts, each with distinct genres and styles.
Kasumigaoka cleared her throat, sounding just a little guilty. "A few light novel authors want to publish under pen names, and they asked me to evaluate which opening works best."
That was a lie.
The truth was, Kasumigaoka had too many new story ideas she couldn't bear to give up. Since some of the genres clashed, she planned to write one under her main name, "Kasumi Shiko," and the others under pseudonyms.
Yukinoshita barely skimmed the first one before raising an eyebrow. "This one's definitely by Kasumi Shiko."
Kasumi Shiko herself: "…Ah, right."
Yukinoshita picked up the second booklet, looking puzzled. "This one too, isn't it?"
Then the third. And the fourth…
After browsing through all of them, Yukinoshita looked up calmly. "So, Kasumi Shiko is planning to debut several pen names?"
Kasumi Shiko: "Please stop talking. I don't want to debut anything anymore."
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