Chapter 7 – At the Dinner table

To cope with prejudices from humans Monsters began developing ways of hiding within society, this was when the [Masking Potion] was created. Using magic to hide their unhuman features came in the form of a drink & was very effective however could not fully change them fully human & it has limited time before the effects wear off

--

Omagi, located in Midori Ward, Saitama is a jungle of box-shaped homes & it’s where the four monster girls live. Sitting solemnly in this jungle was a silvery house with a black thatched roof on top. An amber-coloured door is fixed at the front not far from the road & in between two Magnolia trees around a meter in height. The tree bears flowers with rippled petals preparing to detach & fall to the concrete ground bellow

As the branches of those small trees wave in the wind an obscure figure begins making its way to the house, modestly stepping closer & closer to the wooden door. The wind was flowing in its direction revealing golden strands of hair reflecting light from the sun as it gradually meets the horizon, this character began to reveal more of itself. Short gold hair, a small statue & wearing an unblemished red dress. This was Hoshi walking alone back to the house the four monster girls share

The miniature Esper strolled closer to that door with a look that conveyed deep thought, her eyes remained fixed on the path she traversed on & petite lips sealed shut. Edging her way to the door Hoshi did not attempt to grab any device to open it, arms resting on her sides with no sign of movement. “Could there be a slim possibility that Chieko was correct about those plants speaking?” Hoshi thought long & hard about that question

Taking her memory back to that scene with Chieko on the playground, the two girls surrounded a solitary tree wondering if foliage would speak. Chieko was confident she heard it talk to her in the past which is why she turned to Hoshi, as this thought continued Hoshi reached her destination, the door. Nevertheless, this Esper stood facing the entrance with a blank stare while the wind persisted, turning the leaves of those two Magnolias & the golden ones atop Hoshi’s small head

| Koto | コト

A clanking sound came from inside the door, the tall slab of pecan wood edged open somewhat. A creek in the hinges was heard as the whole thing began to turn to uncover the inside hallway, the wooden floor matches the colour of the door & walls of cream. This was the hallway leading guests to three rooms, a dining room, a front room & stairs leading to the floor above

Hoshi nonchalantly made her entrance once the door was fully open, stepping into the house with her chestnut brown loafers. The sound of little tapping shoes on the hard wooden floor became known as she enters, bending downwards, one by one Hoshi removes the loafers of her feet. Now set them aside a non-existent force grabs onto her shoes, they rise in unison defying the rules of gravity as they hover to Hoshi’s waist level

The two levitate to Hoshi’s left side & take a gentle stroll with her. Hoshi on the other hand is fully focused on the events in the school courtyard & barely reacting to her surroundings. Not even paying attention to the front door that slams shut, it was not the wind that caused this but a power that’s active & pulling the strings from Hoshi’s mind. The shoes float gracefully to a short cupboard under the stairs, the timber doors of that cupboard gradually open unveiling a sea of shoes all in different sizes & colours placed neatly in rows of three with one space large enough for a small pair. This is where Hoshi’s loafers make their decent before fitting nicely in between shoes of similar size, those doors also shut as Hoshi makes her way forward into the kitchen along with her psychic abilities. Reaching the kitchen Hoshi encounters a modest piece of paper with someone’s handwriting on it

Hoshi: “Oh”

She mumbles as the origin of this piece of paper springs to her mind, it was a list of ingredients & a recipe for ramen as well as the variations that each monster gets. Hataka Ramen

Haru wants beef drenched in soup with kidney beans, rich in protein. Shika will be getting meat from her section of the fridge, probably a mouse or something. At the bottom is a small paragraph for Hoshi which says to stuff her portion with a hot sauce of her choosing, Neko seems to be missing from this list & Hoshi can denote why “Neko is a cat that typically eats out, I suppose leaving a piece for her would lead to wasted food” Hoshi thinks while fixating on the ingredients & pans surrounding her

Seemingly laid out in her mind Hoshi brings both her arms up, a gust of non-existent air flows through her shining hair which now waves like a flag. She shuts both eyes & regulates her breathing, Hoshi’s indrawn breath takes in all the air in her vicinity as she uses it to gently lift from the ground. Hoshi ascends into this state of small levitation with her arms up & hands level with her face. Her fingertips start twitching & not long after both hands begin manoeuvring through the air

Like tentacles they bend & shift following a hidden rhythm, an invincible dance played out by her upper limbs. This invincible dance resembles the actions of an orchestra conductor manipulating items around her. Cupboards open, shiny white plates & pans falling into the flow created by Hoshi demonstrating the power of Espers. A sizable boiling pot flops out of its spot as it is taken on a journey to the sink where the tap unleashes crisp clean water into the blueberry-coloured pan. The tap closes the stream then the pot proceeds to its next destination. The hob where dials turn releasing heat from its dark metallic surface, this deep round boiling pot is placed on the hob

This flow is met with ingredients, beef, rat, kidney beans noodles & a range of sauces all to satisfy the needs of the monsters. They begin their descent to the chopping board as Hoshi maintains her levitation & intricate hand movements that operate this show of pure magic. Her eyes remain closed & Hoshi’s breath is absent while focusing on her task, furrowing her brows as she gives motion to these kitchen items. Pots & pans reach their destinations with ease as the ritual of preparing food can advance

The water boils shaking the pot it jumps around calling Hoshi to action, moving her hands in a way that prompts the dials to turn gently & the ingredients to position themselves closer to the pit of lava that is the boiling water. Individually dropping to their doom is the beef, noodles, tare & aroma oil. Hoshi will be preparing Haru’s portion first

A wooden spoon enters the frame, being carried by Hoshi telepathically as it proceeds to stir the dish, the clockwise direction of the spoon turns the ramen soup with it as it soaks in its juices. More ingredients enter the slush, leaks, carrots & seaweed giving off the familiar dye of green & yellow. This will settle for several minutes

--

Later Haru’s portion was ready, the second one for Shika is yet to finish while Hoshi hasn’t even started on hers. Not that she needs it

Nevertheless, the girl in her crimson dress marches silently through the air as she arrives in the dining room to which table preparations commence. Following from behind were glasses & bottles of cola & booze, these were favourites of Haru & Shika whom the two girls Hoshi assembles this banquet. With the clean wooden table, coasters set, glasses filled & Hoshi remained drifting from room to room calmly monitoring the kitchen & setting the table with both eyes firmly shut

The expression on Hoshi’s face was relaxed, the heavy lifting nearly complete as her hands began to decrease their speed of movement. They danced through the air at the pace of a snail as Shika’s dish was ready & the kitchen continued with its final portion. The sound of boiling water soothed Hoshi’s consciousness while this atmosphere was absent of other sounds, this ambiance became stronger with the light from the sun outside weakening. The room only needed a piano to make this scene more tranquil but other than that all was at peace…

| Dadadada! | ダダダダ

Suddenly a racket was heard by Hoshi who was dragged out of the ambient world & into this chaotic one, the noise came from upstairs, directly above. “Shika,” Hoshi thought quickly denoting who that was. The room directly above the dining room belonged to Ukiyama Shika, their troublesome Parakeet as evidenced by the bothered expression on Hoshi’s face. The racket stopped & the only sound heard from above was a continuous flapping Hoshi has gotten used to, nevertheless, she remained floating in the dining room

Now, Hoshi’s form was hanging parallel to the floor with a relaxed look on her face as she let the absence of gravity take her small body through the air, as Hoshi drifted the flapping noises intensified the shifted to the hallway at great speed. Tilting her head Hoshi’s eyes met with those beady blue dots, the eyes of their resident parakeet who has just landed in the kitchen & watched the floating Esper like a robin

Hoshi: “Shika your meal is the one to the far left”

Hearing this Shika swiftly turns her head to the exquisite scent emanating from the furthest bowl. The charcoal black bowl containing a gold & creamy sou could be identified as Shika’s with the short conspicuous tail dangling from the edge

Shika: “Umm more rat! It must be my lucky day”

Spoken loudly with a passionate voice, Shika ran to her meal. Grabbing it tightly with her sharp talons then proceeded to race to the dinner table, spiling minuscule droplets as she went. This girl running at jet-like speed was stopped by Hoshi floating upside down. Her drifting stopped as she stared down the approaching parakeet. The bird halted & the bowl she carried flew out of her grasp, it fell forward passing Hoshi’s head while its contents spilled spraying soup all over the place partially on Hoshi’s glorious hair. The bowl itself stopped as it glanced past Hoshi, this was a product of her psychic abilities. Taking the empty bowl mid-air to the girl who dropped it with a disapproving face was Hoshi

Shika stood there with quivering lips & hollow eyes as she held both arms ready to clutch the black bowl hovering her way, the empty bowl gets placed on her yellow talons. Staring into this deserted dish, only small droplets & a single piece of green from one of the leaks perhaps, Shika’s head cranes up slowly to meet the Esper who remained floating at an odd angle above her

--

The front door calmly opens, the sound of flowing wind makes its way into the house & with it a woman wearing her white shirt underneath a black blouse cardigan. Skin pale like the clouds with sharp crimson horns sticking out of her forehead, this was Haru lumbering into the dark front room from a seemingly exhausting day at work, quite a common sight for those who live here. The sound of her moccasin shoes was noticed by a certain member of the household who proceeded to turn the lights on for the room Haru occupied

Then all of a sudden the light from the ceiling lamps met the cream surfaces before smacking against Haru’s eyes causing her to squint slightly, this indicated that Hoshi was home & had switched the lights on with her mind. Haru gradually widens her eyes to see the glistening wooden floor & radiant walls, she takes one arm to rub her eyes & moves her hair from her forehead

Haru: “I’m home” (Tadaimasu)

She says with a faint voice lacking the energy to speak any louder, despite this she was heard by Hoshi who responded from a distant room

Hoshi: “Welcome back!” (Okaerinasai)

Noticing this Haru takes her shoes off & places them into the same compartment Hoshi had done previously then steps towards the kitchen following a heavenly scent with her remarkable sense of smell, tracking this smell Haru edges closer to its location, “I’m getting a savoury scent from the kitchen & dinner room, also white meat & steam” she thought while placing her work bag down under the hanging coats. Getting much closer to the kitchen

Haru can see through the doorway, the kitchen was clean with everything in its place. There was a single bowl on the counter waiting for the Oni, its aroma was exquisite as it lured her closer. She steps into the room using steam from the dish as her guide, strolling past the entrance into the kitchen Haru with her hands-free nabbed the steaming bowl containing the appetizing fluid. “This smells so delicious I can’t wait to try it,” she thought

With a small whiff, Haru was able to take in the warmth of a heavenly Onsen & the scent of paradise, feeling the warmness of the ceramic bowl brought relaxation to Haru’s fingers & palm making her wish she arrived earlier. She wants to try it even more now

Haru turns into the dining room steaming bowl in hand, the site she enters causes her mouth to widen & brows begin to furrow. What Haru sees before she is the girl with golden hair politely sitting at the table & happily slurping her ramen. This was a normal sight for the Oni homeowner. However, Haru’s eyes began fixating on the parakeet on her hands & knees rubbing a wet rag on the wooden floor stained in dark amber. Perched down cleaning the mess she caused with a lonesome persona

Unable to catch her face as Shika distanced herself from the doorway her round butt directed at Haru, almost hiding her shame & agitation. What also caught Haru’s gaze was a small pile of emerald feathers placed to the side as this Harpy continued scrubbing the wooden tiles

Hoshi: “Oh hello Haru, please take a seat at the table”

Hoshi closed her eyes & displayed her pleasant smile while presenting the head of the table to her. Haru’s seat

Haru: “Hmm thanks”

Looking at Hoshi with a confused look on her face, taking that feeling with her Haru steeped past Shika. Taking a quick peek at the parakeet, she kept scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing with her disheartened face watching the stain slowly vanish. Not fast enough for Shika to salvage this evening, the awkward levels have reached 3000. Fully past her Haru reached her seat, she sat down & placed the bowl at the head of the table. A spot reserved for a Shogun

Hoshi: “So Haru, how has your day been?”

Still distracted by what Shika was doing but lacking the energy to ask, Haru was also not expecting the girl to her right to ask so directly. Turning to face her, Hoshi’s big orange eyes paid all her attention to Haru as she stared straight into her soul. Almost making her uncomfortable & question Hoshi’s intentions, “what kind of game is she playing at here?”

Haru: “Uh my day was good”

Nevertheless, Haru gave out a quick answer hoping to move the conversation forward & the awkwardness levels down. “Wait didn’t Hoshi go to school today? It was her first day, that’s right!”

Haru: “How was your day? Your first day at school?”

Haru finally remembers Hoshi had school she doubles down on that subject

Hoshi: “Ah yes, I attended my first day of school in decades. It was a fantastic start to…”

Shika: “Kaaaaaa!”

Hoshi’s flowery description of her first day was viciously stopped by Shika who launched herself off the floor & flew back into the kitchen

Shika: “Shika is done!” It’s dinner time finally!”

As she swooped into the kitchen a small emerald feather glided down & landed at the edge of the table. Normally Haru would be distraught by the sight of a feather sitting on her beautiful clean tabletop however as of now she remained puzzled by the commotion

Haru: “Shika do you mind explaining to me why you were scrubbing the floor just now?”

Hearing nothing but drawers opening, cupboards creaking & the fridge being accessed. This orchestra of sounds was concluded by a series of beeps before a faint continuous roar coming from the microwave, as the roaring continues Shika walks back into the dining room with her talons planted on the floor, the taping of her bare talons indicates she’s not flying

Shika: “It was Hoshi’s fault! She made me drop it!”

With a shriek Shika stuck her head out of the doorway, pointing at the smaller girl as she claims innocence. All with a look of distress on her youthful face

Hoshi: “Ignore her Haru, please elaborate on your day”

As Hoshi kept her eyes on Haru the chair at the end of the table began floating gradually towards the doorway leading to the kitchen

| do! | ド

The door slammed shut with it releasing a violent bang

Shika: “Iiaaa!”

With that Shika screeched with all her voice, the commotion going on right in front of Haru was too much to bear witness to without doing anything. Haru sat there watching with flames lighting in her eyes & crimson horns growing sharper

Haru: “Enough you too!”

She roars grabbing the attention of Hoshi to her right & just like that the chair moves straight back to its original place, the door swiftly opening wide letting in Shika. Flapping her wings as she runs over carrying a dead mouse in her jaw, the parakeet swooped into an empty seat on Haru’s left & right of the seat facing Hoshi’s which was reserved for Neko if she chose to join. Shika pressed herself onto that seat & straightened her back

Hoshi: “My intentions were noble, I only wanted to create a homely setting for you to enter after your hard-working day”

Hoshi turned to Haru with a defeated look on her cute face, placing both elbows on the table as she gave control of the situation to the homeowner. Meanwhile, Shika began crunching the dead mouse in her mouth, the sounds of tiny bones cracking echoed throughout the room however this wasn’t enough to irritate the Oni sitting at the tables head

Shika: “Um hmm So…all well in the office? Haru?”

Finishing that deceased rodent before inquiring about Haru’s day, the parakeet proceeded to lick her talons after. Even using her long claws as a toothpick

Haru: “It’s another Monday so nothing really of…importance”

Haru tried to hide how her true day was, in truth Haru had two bizarre events happen throughout her day: that outlandish encounter with the slime girl & then having lunch with good-looking Kiichi-kun. Of course, Haru would find much joy in conversing about those with the girls she lives with, right now she has chosen to keep those occurrences a secret for the time being unless it’s brought up by [him]

Haru: “But as I was asking, Hoshi how did your first day go?”

Waving away the awkward moment while physically waving away steam from her ramen bowl was Haru as she turns to the girl sitting on her right. Patiently waiting for this Hoshi answered with her truth

Hoshi: “My first day attending school in 40 years even, the other children were very friendly & despite my advanced age they still found things for me to learn. I had a fine first day”

Hearing this news Haru was filled with glee

Haru: “Hah! I knew Hoshi would power through any obstacle as always, it must have been exciting for you to be back in school. So does it differ much from last time?”

Haru began to rest her head on her left hand & closed her eyes, maintaining that smile as she asked Hoshi who sat as radiant as ever. Hoshi did not wish to tell Haru about the most eventful moments of her day, brooding conflict with another student on the first day & the presence of something truly sinister on the school grounds. Hoshi wanted these to remain a secret as of now, remembering that Haru asked a question Hoshi snapped back into the scene

Hoshi: “well in some instances yes, each room had a TV in the corner which was as flat as picture frames but other than that school largely stayed the same”

Expecting some sort of technology shock Haru was disappointed to see Hoshi not showing much interest in the differences she observed

Haru: “Well in that case we have Shika”

Thirdly we have Shika sitting furthest away from Haru in the corner of the table silently examining her claws. Eyes narrowing in on the tips of her sharpened claws Shika discovers each one has black on them, all at the same level of how faint they are

Shika: “I just realized something…the tips of my claws are black. Sorry you were saying something”

She was overly focused on them that she failed to hear what Haru was saying, maybe Shika chose not to

Haru: “I was asking how your day was going”

Haru exclaimed with a weak smile plastered on her face. Shika heard this time, took one look at the crimson Oni horns protruding out of Haru’s forehead before turning back to her sharp protrusions

Shika: “My day was good”

This Harpy was in no mood to go into further detail about how her day went. Like the other two Shika was plagued with thoughts about how her day went, she finally got into a full conversation with Ishibari-kun was nice but that wasn’t a subject she wanted to turn to Haru about. Another reason is the constant thought of enclosed spaces, a fear of Shika’s that intensifies in small rooms which in this house there are plenty of. “The only time I don’t think about this is when I’m flying,” she thought to herself

Placing her arm out was Hoshi who did not want the teenage behavior of one parakeet to ruin their dinner

Hoshi: “I must ask can we traverse to the market this weekend to acquire new clothing for school?”

The girl who held out her arm followed up with a request for Haru

Haru: “You know I think that’s a great idea we should all go. The four of us!”

Emphasizing that last point enough for Shika to hear, the girl in the corner who fiddled with her feathers finally sprung up to meet the other two girls at the table

Shika: “Ehhh we’re going shopping! I could use another handbag”

After hearing this Haru’s expression changed from a beaming smile to one of dread

Haru: “You’re saying?”

Feeling this terror now emanating from Haru’s place at the table & those devilish horns rising out of her head Shika got scared

Shika: “Ahhh I only damaged mine when I changed into my bird form, hiding it from the other girls is annoying ok! Please don’t go berserk on me!”

Hearing Shika’s explanation & fearful tone of voice Haru calmed down, the one caught in the middle of this was Hoshi who merely sat in silence, not even moving a muscle, not even to breath her hair didn’t even move

Haru: *Sigh* “Well as long as you’re buying”

Sighing Haru gave in & let this slide. With chopsticks in hand, she began to chomp down on what was left of her ramen

Shika: “Thank you Haru~Sama!”

Shika flapped out of her seat & bowed to the homeowner before running off into the kitchen, Hoshi sees this & throws a single chopstick in her direction. It swoops past Shika then stops in front of her

Shika: “Eek!”

Hoshi: “I hope you have enough money this time”

Hearing those words from Hoshi the parakeet twirled around to face the mysterious young girl

Shika: “Don’t worry too much Hoshi, I’m perfectly prepared”

Displaying a villainous grin on her face Shika spoke in an ominous tone before flying past the floating chopstick, finishing her meal Haru placed her chopsticks down & cupped her hands together

Haru: “Thank you for this delicious meal Hoshi”

Facing the young girl with orange hair & maroon dress. Hoshi turned to meet Haru with a youthful smile

Hoshi: “It was no problem Haru, now all that’s left is Neko. What time do you predict her arrival this evening?”

That smile disappeared & in its place were furrowed brows & a serious look in her golden eyes. Seeing this Haru responded

Haru: “Who knows with that feline”

--

Approaching nighttime, the sun had fully submerged underneath the horizon & on the streets of Midori Ward beautiful young woman walked with a smile adorned on her elegant face. The temperature dropped considerably as the sun disappeared under the horizon & this woman felt every degree fall bringing with it the shivers of autumn, her long pink hair swayed side to side with her every step lacking the previous maid attire she wore hours ago at the café. Instead, Neko was wearing a fashionable skirt with overalls as black as coal fitted around a sweater, grey like iron under her cherry pink checkered jacket

As of now, this girl was human, Neko decorated her human form, allowing her to travel home without harassment or the constant staring from other pedestrians. Being a Catgirl Kemonomimi Neko would find ease at strolling down certain streets near her café in Ōmiya or the bustling Otaku capital Akihabara. In the snake-like weaving streets of Saitama, there’s no chance that she could show her true form without turning the heads of passer Byers

Kawasaki Neko walked down the streets of the Saitama suburbs sparsely plotted cube-shaped houses & the overly grown grass in between. She quietly strolled through the lanes with stable footing, stepping down the sidewalk & reaching the small Omagi district. Not too long until she arrives at the home of monsters

Feeling the wind flowing through her hair exacerbated by the lack of buildings, Neko kept smiling nonetheless. She was thinking long & hard about her day, about the maid café & that one customer she had by the end of the day. That exotic young gentleman from a faraway land, that thick wavy blond hair & those blue eyes never left her mind. “Kurausu Byu~erufurin” “Kuraus Burufurin” “Nyahaha these foreign nyames can be a handful”. Neko’s mind was spent thinking of the fun ways to say his name in the language she was used to & quietly laughing as she did it

Neko: “Nyahaha”

Her mind moved towards his manner of speech, that German accent & the way he struggles with Japanese. It’s cute, Neko enjoys hearing him mispronounce words that are common to her

| Fuwaa | フワー

Several steps further into the street she was in Neko began yawning, the knowledge that her house & with it places to sleep were near the tiredness started creeping in

Neko: “I’ve had too many late nyights last week, Neko really deserves her sleep”

She commented on the nighttime plans of last week as her legs found themselves moving sluggishly. Neko stretched her thigh-high socks upwards slightly before she proceeded home, her steps got more sluggish as she approached the house, her shoes heavily walked on the short concrete sidewalk of the dense Omagi street & past two “yellow plate” cars. The cold weather exacerbated this cat’s desire to return home, it caused her thighs & arms to shiver. Her jaw was starting to jitter chattering her teeth as she lumbered on

After another set of steps, Neko found herself in front of her destination which sat to her left, turning her head to meet it with eyes ready to close. A weak grin formed on her face as she brokenly pounced forward as if she was on catnip. Reaching the front door a wave of relief hit Neko like a tonne of bricks, she buried her hand in her handbag & started rummaging for the house key. Every monster girl in this household received one each in the colour associated with them, Neko’s was pink

Snaking her fingers through the bag she felt a leather pouch packed with money, a vile of liquid “myust be the Masking Potion, oh crap don’t remind me of that” & an odd number of fluffy balls stacked at the bottom of this well. Neko began to pout as her hand gripped a bag of cat treats, these findings were all nice but she could not locate her house key. She was getting restless, sporadically twisting her head in frustration with her long pink hair swaying with it. Neko started thinking of another option, “This would work, it always does” she thought while smiling with a look of determination. “This cat will come in from the window!” She concluded that Neko will sneak into the house from her bedroom window like she used to do most nights

There is one slight problem however, Neko’s grin disappeared & thoughts began to take a different turn. “Haru banned me from sneaking in from the window” Neko slumped her back as the thought of getting scolded by Haru sat in her mind. This Catgirl was in no mood to become the victim of another Oni rampage, especially not today. Neko already has many conundrums she must work through before being confronted with more, finding a way into this house is now her highest priority

The cat now parading as a human has only one option in her mind, “I’m myore nimble in my cyat form” this thought was followed by “If I had the Clearing Potion things would have been easier”. Unfortunately, the Clearing Potion wasn’t in her bag either, so there we have it, Omagi’s very own Catgirl resident was stuck outside the house she lived in. looking both ways hoping there wasn’t a single passer byer who would notice her

Neko: “All right! All right!”

Now Neko begins to panic, there is only one option she has in her mind & it’s one she doesn’t want to do. “I’ll just knock on the door”, Neko stiffly takes her right hand to the front door, feeling the warmth coming from inside she began to feel warmer too. This reassured her that this action was the right one

| Kon kon | コンコン

She knocked on this wooden, amber-coloured door. At first, Neko heard no answer so she knocked again

| Kon kon | コンコン

Silence fell on the girl in pink standing at the door & with a gust of wind turning this cold dark street even colder hope was dwindling for Neko until…

| Gacha | ガチャ

A sound came from the front door interrupting this silence & spooking Neko, she swiftly took a step back & pounced into a defensive position. Bending her left leg & straightening her right one, stretching her posture into a near pistol crouch wither her arms blocking her face. Neko’s right arm was stretched out ready to confront any impact, Neko’s face was stern while staring at this entrance, the door was beginning to creek open gradually letting the light from inside rest along Neko’s thighs then torso. Her face went from battle ready to intrigue, Neko was able to let that quick fight or flight moment subside as the door opened even more

Getting up from that position Neko stood straight & staring into the hallway now visible to her, the light from the interior reached Neko’s eyes causing her to squint a jar & the skin on her face felt a wave of warmth from it. This glow reaching Neko lured her to step closer, with silent footsteps she entered the house. Neko kept a firm grip on her handbag as she traversed the front doorway hoping for it not to sway & making noise alerting the other residents to her presence

The hallway lights were on as well as the lights in the kitchen & dining room. “Those lights are on for a reason” Neko’s mind concluded that someone was still down but who could it be at this time

It’s 21:41 on a Monday so who could still be downstairs awake? Neko had some time to theorize

“Starting with Hyaru san, she’s no stranger to staying up late during weekends” Neko believed but one word was repeated inside her mind “weekends” “weekends” “It can’t be Hyaru san, she needs to wake up at 5 in the morning” she thought

So Haru was off the table but other girls lived there. “Shika is a lively teenager she always stays up late, sometimes past midnight” Neko became certain that Shika staying downstairs was a real possibility but one thing caught her eye as she pondered. Between Neko’s position in the hallway & the foot, compartment rested a few green feathers. Neko noticed a trail of them going up the stairs, this means she had gone up after Haru or they both were still downstairs. “That second option can’t be true, I can’t hear any noise coming from the dinner or the living room” she thought while removing her shoes from her feet

After closing the compartment door Neko set off to the kitchen gradually while considering that the person awake would have to be the final girl on the list of residents. Miyano Hoshi enters the empty kitchen with freshly clean dishes Neko then turned into the dining room, her eyes widened as she was met by Hoshi sitting comfortably in her normal seat in the corner of the table & closest to the window to her left

However as Neko strolled in a little further she faced a true surprise, at the head of the table sat a mature woman in her mid-twenties, their Oni homeowner. Mochizuki Haru sat at the head of the table as naturally as she breathed with an empty cup in hand, her gaze was limited as her head dozed around with exhaustion. Haru’s bleach blond hair was starting to cover her forehead, bordering on her eyes as she lifted her head to catch Neko

Haru: “Welcome back, Neko”

She had her head resting on her left hand while slumping her back, Haru was frowning almost as if the conversation both she & Hoshi were having wasn’t pleasant

Neko: “Thanks”

Not wanting to pock the giant hornet’s nest Neko gave a weak smile to the Oni as she creepily sat with an ominous presence, the only one seeming not to notice was Hoshi who remained seated with a smile directed at Neko

Hoshi: “So how did Kawasaki San’s day fair her?”

Exposing her white teeth while asking Hoshi directed her attention at the girl who just entered the house, sensing no hostility from Hoshi Neko answered kindly

Neko: “My day was good”

She left it vague on purpose, Neko sensed slight hostility from Haru who sat at the head of the table like a kingpin. Whatever they discussed must have driven Haru to feel irritable, at least she looked irritable. Nevertheless, Haru was surely staring daggers into Neko as she stood by the doorway to the kitchen, now all she could think is what not to say in this situation. “I must not mention that I met my favourite foreign exchange student again or that we went out to eat after my shift ended” Neko’s mind immediately started thinking about Klaus & at this moment thinking about him was counterproductive

Staring back at Haru the girl still wearing the pink coat began to panic inside, her fingers jittered slightly at the thought of that information being leaked to Haru who already seems on the edge right now. Haru suddenly raised her arm making Neko’s jitters intensify, this was followed by her cat reflexes. Despite her appearance lacking any of her cats features Neko still acted like a feline who saw the danger, straightening her shoulders & entering her defensive stance. Haru’s hand went past her forehead & proceeded to touch the red horns on her head

Haru: “Oww”

She let out a sound suggesting pain, and Haru’s head moved down. The top of her head was all Neko could see as Haru’s disturbed face was now concealed

Hoshi: “As you can see Mochizuki San is experiencing great discomfort at this time, I have already prepared medicine which was placed in her tea”

Chiming in was Hoshi with an explanation for Haru’s current state, this allowed Neko to understand what was happening as well as assured her to let the defensive pose down

Hoshi: “Have you already eaten”

Hoshi saw Neko’s laps in stance & proceeded to ask a pressing question, she looked at Neko with a reassuring smile

Neko: “Yes I ate out after my shift”

Neko answered as truthfully as was needed before turning to her right, her direction out of there

Hoshi: “That’s good, well since you’re still in your human form there are vails of [Unmasking Potion] in the top drawer in the kitchen”

Neko: “It’s fine, thanks. I already have some in my room”

She hastily faced Hoshi who was able to take that at faith value before getting out of her seat & walking to the kitchen. Neko just used this opportunity to leave hurriedly, rapidly stumbling through the doorway Neko was faced with a sound entering her mind, Neko hears a voice being projected into her consciousness

?: “I know you forgot your keys!”

Neko stopped dead in her tracks a few steps away from the stairs. Her mouth widened as did her eyes, even hair was standing on her head, behind this shocked girl was an unknown entity in the body of a 9-year-old floating in the kitchen, she was frowning in her weightless state as her feet hovered over the floor high enough for her hand to reach Neko’s shoulder. Neko tilted her head a jar yet still processed no confidence to confront her, the house fell silent as the moment it was only them. Hoshi was fixed in the air, limbs to her side & hair facing down

Neko: “Sorry”

Neko calmly apologized, this was said out loud as opposed to Hoshi who communicated telepathically. Leaving no time for the Esper to respond Neko pounced forward onto the stairs & proceeded to jump even further up until she was no longer visible, the air generated from those jumps caused tiny green feathers to dance in the air on the floorboards, the sight of these feathers left by Shika most likely made Hoshi sigh as she rolled her eyes at their mid-air display