The car ride was long, and the four girls sat in the back seat, pressed shoulder to shoulder. Outside, houses blurred past, trees swaying in the afternoon light.
Mika, the golden-haired troublemaker with cat ears poking through her hoodie, leaned forward between the driver and passenger seats.
"Are we there yet? I wanna see the new house! Bet it's got a big yard!"
"Sit back down, Mika," Sayo said firmly. The black-haired girl crossed her arms, her expression as still and unreadable as ever. "You're making the seatbelt useless."
Mika stuck her tongue out. "Boring~."
In the corner, Yua clutched her backpack tightly, half-hidden by her long cream-colored hair. She hadn't spoken much since they left the shelter, only letting out a soft mewl whenever the car hit a bump.
Meanwhile, Nari—the ash-blonde with sharp eyes—was busy glaring at Mika. "If you touch the window button one more time, I swear—"
Click. Whrrr.
The window slid down halfway, letting the breeze whip through the car. Mika grinned smugly.
That was the moment the car slowed to a stop in front of a cozy, two-story house with a small garden out front.
"We're here!" their new adoptive father announced cheerfully. "Welcome home, girls."
The four sisters climbed out. For a moment, none of them moved. The house stood before them with its wide porch, flowerbeds, and a little fence. It wasn't grand or fancy, but it radiated warmth.
Yua's ears twitched as she whispered, "…Home?" The word sounded foreign on her tongue, but it made her tail sway uncertainly.
Mika was the first to bolt up the steps. "Dibs on the biggest room!"
"Over my dead body!" Nari snapped, chasing after her.
Their new mother laughed softly. "You'd think they've lived here forever."
Inside, the house smelled of wood and fresh paint. The living room was spacious, with a big couch and a shelf waiting to be filled. The kitchen gleamed with new appliances. Upstairs, the bedrooms stretched out with sunlight streaming through the windows.
Mika immediately threw herself on the bed in the first room she found. "This one's mine! Feels perfect!"
"Too bad," Nari growled, yanking her off by the hood. "You didn't even check the others!"
Sayo calmly walked into another room. "This one is quieter. I'll take it."
"Wait, you can't just—!" Mika started, but then she noticed Yua peeking nervously into the smallest room at the end of the hall.
"…I like this one," Yua whispered. It was cozy, with soft light and a window overlooking the backyard.
For a moment, Mika stopped fighting. Then she smiled and ruffled Yua's hair. "Alright. You can have it. But I'm still not letting Nari boss me around."
"You don't get a choice!" Nari barked, dragging her back into an argument.
Downstairs, their parents exchanged amused glances. "They'll settle in," their father said.
That night, after dinner (where Mika almost burned the rice cooker and Sayo had to step in), the girls ended up sprawled across the couch in the living room.
Nari was still sulking about losing the "biggest room," Yua had curled up under a blanket with her stuffed toy, Sayo read through the house's manuals to make sure nothing got broken, and Mika… was already fast asleep, snoring with her tongue sticking out.
The parents tucked a blanket over them. For the first time, the four sisters slept in a real home—safe, warm, and together.
It wasn't perfect. It was loud, chaotic, and messy.
But it was theirs.