Itefeil came out of the police station looking exhausted. The Woodpecker members who’d returned with them soon headed back out to look for the main group, while the injured Asuka had been taken to the infirmary inside the station. A police doctor was looking after her, so she should be all right.
Itefeil glanced at the sky but didn’t hurry home. Instead, they found a grocery store not far from the police station and casually picked up some everyday necessities, along with plenty of dried fish and ham.
With their hands full of heavy bags, they trudged step by step to their front door. Once they got into the elevator, they finally let out a breath of relief.
“I’m home!”
Itefeil opened the door wearily and casually dropped the two bags beside it. The moment they stepped inside, they slumped against the door as if their legs had given out.
“Meow!”
(Honestly, where have you been? You’re so late.)
La Luna poked her head out of the kitchen and gave Itefeil a displeased meow. Then she noticed the things scattered all over the floor.
“Meow, meow, meow. Meow!”
(Good grief, just leaving everything you buy lying around. No wonder this place is such a mess.)
La Luna saw Itefeil slumped by the door, with food scattered all over the floor in front of them. She went over and began putting everything back in the bags, muttering at Itefeil the whole time.
“Wahhh, La Luna, you’re the best…”
Seeing her cat take the initiative to clean up made Itefeil feel that the things they’d bought hadn’t been a waste after all. Once La Luna had picked everything up, she tugged hard at Itefeil’s pant leg.
“Meow! Meow!”
(Don’t sit by the door. You’ll catch a chill. Go lie down in your room.)
Itefeil couldn’t figure out what La Luna wanted. They thought she was hungry and wanted them to get her something to eat.
“Wait a minute～～ I’m super tired!”
“Meow, meow, meow!!”
(Even if you’re tired, don’t flop down here! Go sit on the sofa for a while.)
La Luna clamped her teeth around Itefeil’s pant leg and tugged hard toward the sofa.
“Hey… hey… Ah, I can walk on my own. Let go…”
Then La Luna let go and tilted her head, watching Itefeil. After a moment, she hopped onto the sofa and patted the empty spot beside her, pushing aside the two pieces of women’s clothing carelessly left there.
“Oh… you mean you want me to sit here?”
“Meow.”
“Wahhh, you really do care about me the most!!!”
Itefeil flopped onto the sofa and hugged La Luna, rubbing their face against her with all their might.
“Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow!!!”
(Hey! Let go of me, you little girl!)
After hugging La Luna and nuzzling her for a while, Itefeil fell asleep right there on the sofa.
“Meow, meow…”
(Honestly, what a headache.)
In her previous life, La Luna had grown old alone. She’d never found a partner or adopted a child, and spent her entire later life by herself. It wasn’t until she learned how to use the internet from one of her students that her twilight years became a little livelier.
Now that she’d been reborn as a cat and was living with a young girl, La Luna instinctively treated her like someone younger, someone in her care. In a way, it made up for the lonely life she’d lived in her previous one. Still, looking after a kid really was a hassle.
“Meow, meow…”
(Young people never know how to take care of themselves. Just wait until you’re old and all those aches and pains catch up with you.)
Then she glanced at Itefeil, asleep on the sofa. Sigh… Never mind. She’d get a blanket from the bed and cover her with it.
La Luna spread her mental power outward, bringing the layout of the entire floor into her mind. Then she directed a blanket to float over from the bed and settle on top of Itefeil.
“Meow, meow…”
(Did this girl really go to sleep without even eating dinner?)
La Luna suddenly remembered that she didn’t know whether Itefeil had eaten properly while out. She looked at the things Itefeil had brought home: besides some sausages and dried fish, there were ordinary everyday groceries.
(Honestly, she just leaves the things she bought by the door and forgets about them.)
La Luna carried the two bags onto the kitchen counter, then came back to look at Itefeil, still fast asleep. She must’ve been truly exhausted. Her hair, which she’d tied up before leaving at noon, was now a complete mess, and her lips looked a little chapped.
La Luna poured a glass of water and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. After a moment’s thought, she decided to let Itefeil sleep a little longer. Young people these days really did have exhausting jobs. After a brief sigh, La Luna went back to that room to study the fundamentals of magic.
