“—Well then, I’ll be heading back. I’m leaving the rest to you.”

After the maids carried in Emera and Furei’s luggage, Maria was about to leave.

“Are you leaving…?”

Hina looked at Maria with a sad expression, not noticing that Emera and Furei were relieved.

Because of that, Emera shot Hina a look that clearly said, “Don’t say anything unnecessary.”

Furei, being the smarter one, didn’t act the way Emera did, but she was probably feeling the exact same way.

“I’d love to stay and eat with you all, but thanks to a certain someone, I had to cut my work short to come here. I need to go back and finish it.”

After smiling brightly at Hina, Maria-san fixed her gaze on Emera, narrowing her eyes. A dark aura was swirling around her.

She likely meant it was Emera’s fault, but I realized her expression also stemmed from Maria-san having noticed the hostile look Emera gave Hina when Hina attempted to stop her.

“Please come over another time.”

I deliberately stepped between Emera and Maria-san and exchanged a polite smile with her.

Naturally, Maria-san could see right through my intentions, but instead of mentioning it, she simply placed her hand lightly on my head.

“You’ve worked hard…”

Maria left with a warm smile, taking Shirayuki-san’s mother with her. 

Was that last remark meant as a word of thanks for the long, eventful day we had?

She rarely looked at me like that, despite often giving me impossible tasks, so it made me feel slightly embarrassed.

Shirayuki-san’s mother was also here…

She hadn’t been around when the maids were bringing in Emera’s luggage, so… was she slacking off?

Well, since those maids are basically her subordinates, she probably just saw no need to do anything herself.

At any rate, she struck me as someone who’s pretty good at making other people work for her.

Well, she has the same genetic modifications as Maria-san, after all.

“So… what should we do now?”

Maria-san has left, but I was still worried about how to handle the situation with Hina and the others, who were starting to feel comfortable in my home.

Maybe going out for dinner would be better, but Emera wouldn’t have an easy time walking around outside. Her face is still red, and she looks uncomfortable when her clothes rub against her skin.

Just as I was thinking about it—

“Myyaa~”

Myaa came into the living room after Maria-san left.

She had been hiding somewhere before.

“C-Cat…!?”

Right after that, Emera, who had been sitting on the sofa, let out a startled cry and leapt toward me.

Before I knew it, she had latched onto my arm.

“Oi…”

I couldn’t help but smile at her unexpected action. 

Does she fear all animals, not just dogs?

“Emera-sama doesn’t like animals.”

“No, this isn’t just ‘not liking’ them…”

She’s clearly terrified, isn’t she…?

To be scared of such an adorable cat—well, of Myaa-san—just what is this girl’s deal?

Her queen-like behavior at school must’ve been nothing more than an act, right?

The thought couldn’t help but cross my mind.

After all, a queen afraid of a cat is ridiculous to the point of being absurd.

Maybe the saying “the weaker the dog, the louder it barks” really does fit her perfectly.

Just as I was thinking that…

I suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure coming from Furei, stronger than anything I’d ever felt from her before.

“Neko…-chan…!”

“Myyaaaaaahhhhhh!?!”

Myaa, sensing the killing intent, darted away instantly. 

Even I was momentarily taken aback by her intense aura. 

Her eyes were bloodshot too.

Was she angry because her sister had been frightened…?

“Hey, what are you—!?”

“Ahh… she got away…”

When I was about to stop her, Furei—who had been staring in the direction Myaa-san had escaped—suddenly drooped in disappointment.

No way…

“Furei-sama loves small animals, but she’s rarely been able to interact with any. That’s because animals are afraid of Maria-sama, and Emera-sama dislikes them. As a result, the whole situation became rather complicated, and now, just seeing a small animal leaves her in this state.”

Once again Shirayuki-san explained.

Just as she said, Furei must really love small animals.

But since animals run away the moment Maria-san shows up, and Emera gets scared even if a small animal simply comes near her, Furei—who’s always with Emera—never really had the chance to interact with them.

She seemed to adore Pochi as well, so she must really like animals in general.

But unlike the dangerous beasts they keep underground in the mansion, small animals can’t be brought down there—there’s a real risk they’d get attacked or eaten.

Because of that, Furei must have developed a kind of hunger for small animals.

And since that longing got so twisted, she ended up emitting an overwhelming, bloodlust-like aura whenever she saw one. This caused her to even start seeing the girls who served her as if they were small animals.

In other words, those times in the past when I thought Furei looked unsettling while doting on certain female students… it was all because her love for small animals had gotten that warped.

…Yeah. 

There probably aren’t many kids out there who are this pitiful…

“Furei, that enthusiasm—or rather… that intimidating aura of yours—can’t you tone it down a bit…?”

“Hm…? I’m giving off something like that…?”

Yep, just as I thought—she has no idea.

“I’ll go bring Myaa-san over, so try to calm yourself as much as you can when you interact with her, okay?”

“Calm… myself…? That’s… impossible…”

“Yeah, do it anyway.”

She’ll probably get too excited in front of a cute cat, but if she keeps giving off that overwhelming pressure, Myaa-san will end up getting scared and worn out.

More importantly, since we’re going to be living together, Furei has to get used to Myaa-san—otherwise, the poor cat won’t even be able to walk around the house.

So she really has no choice but to calm down here.

“Try to be as relaxed as possible.”

“I understand…”

Furei obediently listened and gave a small nod.

Seeing that, I started to head in the direction Myaa-san had run off to, but—

“Nn…!? H-Hey, don’t just move all of a sudden…!”

—Emera, who was still clinging to me, let out a startled yelp and then quickly tried to cover her embarrassment by complaining.

“No, seriously, let go…”

“Ah… d-don’t get the wrong idea, okay!? It’s not like I wanted to cling to you or anything…!”

When I pointed it out, Emera pulled away from my arm in one smooth motion, her face still completely red.

But because she tried to cover it up by acting all tough, I couldn’t help wanting to throw in a “What are you, a tsundere?” at her.

“…Myaa-san, it’s okay, come out.”

I found Myaa-san curled up in a ball, hiding in the corner of the room, and gently picked her up.

Even though she’s a cat, Myaa-san loves being held, and she relaxed in my arms as if relieved.

When I brought her over to Furei, she didn’t release that intimidating pressure again.

Instead, she seemed to be trying her absolute hardest to empty her mind and stay calm.

Thanks to that, Myaa-san also eased up her guard toward Furei.

And honestly, the fact that I was the one carrying her probably played a big part in how quickly she relaxed.

For what it’s worth, I do think Myaa-san trusts me.

“Neko-chan…”

Furei’s face softened with delight as Myaa-san came closer, and she showed a cute smile.

Though I nearly became lost in that expression, I brought Myaa-san closer to her, all while feeling a sense of warmth.

“See? As long as you’re like that, she’ll let you pet her.”

“Nn… you have white hair, huh… just like me…”

Furei smiled happily as she finally got to touch Myaa-san, but her words left me feeling a little uneasy.