“Miller, Nivina! It’s been ages. How have you two been?”
The moment the two of them entered the count’s residence, they were greeted with a warm embrace.
“Sniffle… Big Sis Franny, I’ve missed you so much!”
Miller happily threw her arms around Franny, while the blonde girl with glasses beside her answered with a coolness that was worlds apart.
“We just saw each other.”
“Oh, you’re still as good at killing the mood as ever.”
“You’re just too enthusiastic.”
La Luna nestled in Itefeil’s arms, watching the two newcomers. Judging by their looks, they seemed younger than Itefeil and Franny—in other words, they were younger than the two of them.
The girl on the left, who was returning Franny’s enthusiastic greeting, had two short pigtails and a few freckles on her face. She looked sweet and well-behaved. Her clothes were neat, but the fabric looked cheap. Her skin was a little rough, her hair coarse, and she didn’t have any particularly impressive accessories.
The blonde girl with glasses beside her was the complete opposite. Her hair was glossy, her skin fair and smooth, and her clothes were made of fine fabric. She didn’t wear many accessories, but every piece looked expensive. Even the frames of her glasses had been given an artistic touch. If La Luna’s guess was right, they’d been made by hand—and probably cost a fortune.
The difference in their status was plain to see, and it piqued La Luna’s curiosity. How had this little group of people from such different backgrounds ended up together?
Feilin checked the time, then called to her close friends.
“Ladies, it’s time. Let’s pause the chatting for a bit and have afternoon tea.”
With that, Feilin led them to the back garden of the count’s residence.
“I haven’t been to your garden in ages. It’s still as lovely as ever.”
Franny sighed in admiration. Whenever she visited Feilin’s home, she always took a look around the back garden. Feilin managed the entire garden herself—you could almost say every bit of it was her handiwork.
“Meow~”
(This place really is lovely. I wonder if this world has classes in garden design. Or did Feilin arrange this whole garden just by following her own instincts?)
La Luna thought the second possibility was more likely. This world seemed to rely mostly on skilled craftspeople, who made things based on years of experience and a practiced eye. It probably hadn’t even developed the concept of design yet.
Sigh. You had to admire some people’s talent.
“Itefeil, dear, why don’t you let your La Luna play in the garden? My cat’s afraid of strangers. If the two of them meet and start fighting, my cat might get walloped by yours.”
“Sure.”
Itefeil set La Luna down on a patch of grass nearby, looking both amused and helpless. She even made a point of giving La Luna a warning.
“Don’t move, okay? And don’t cause any trouble here.”
La Luna simply turned away, refusing to look at the finger Itefeil was pointing at her.
“Does it understand what you’re saying?”
Miller asked Itefeil in surprise.
“I think… it does? La Luna seems pretty perceptive to me.”
Itefeil answered jokingly.
Meanwhile, La Luna sat on the grass nearby with her ears pricked, secretly listening to the group of friends. She’d meant to eavesdrop on their relationships, but after chatting for ages, they were still talking about the flavors of tea and desserts…
(Hmm, it’s like a bunch of college girls at a bubble tea shop, drinking milk tea while discussing the taste of milk tea and snacks.)
For some reason, La Luna had a powerful sense of déjà vu.
As she kept listening, she suddenly felt someone’s gaze fixed on her. Her closed eyes snapped open, and instinct made her radiate a warning.
“MROWW!!!”
A black cat suddenly charged out of the house and sprinted toward La Luna. But she was ready. She twisted aside and dodged its flying tackle. She’d had a chance to follow up with a combo just then, but since this was her owner’s friend’s cat, she decided to hold back for now.
“Black! What are you doing? Get back here!”
Feilin frowned as she watched Black charge at La Luna, worry rising in her heart. If La Luna fought back, Black could get badly hurt.
But Black paid no attention to its owner. It raised its tail at La Luna, its fur bristling all down its back.
“Hiss!”
La Luna raised her tail too, but didn’t fluff up. She only let out a low, threatening growl.
(Listen, kid, I’m telling you: don’t make an enemy of me.)
Ever since her body had been strengthened by magic, La Luna had secretly tested her claws on a marble pillar. One little swipe had left a deep scratch in the hard stone.
La Luna didn’t think this black cat could be tougher than marble. If they did end up fighting, she could just keep her claws in and land a kitty-paw punch instead. That’d still be enough to beat the daylights out of Black.
Then Itefeil picked La Luna up.
“Meow?”
“La Luna, don’t bully the other cats!”
“Meow.”
(I don’t feel like fighting a cat.)
Then she shot a sidelong glance at the black cat, crouched on the ground and watching her warily.
“Meow.”
(What’re you looking at? Beat it.)
