Chapter 101: Chapter 95: Midnight Mischief

Boredom🙄🎀

The blanket fort was complete, glowing softly under the warm twinkle of fairy lights. Pillows were piled high, snacks were scattered around, and the faint sound of movie trailers played in the background. Everyone had settled into their chosen spots—Amber and Venti were squabbling over popcorn, Ayaka and Kazuha were peacefully sharing a blanket, and Aether had already made himself comfortable with a pile of candy.

Lumine was sitting cross-legged, Snowball curled in her lap, while Albedo adjusted the projector.

Everyone was relaxed... except for Scaramouche.

Perched in a corner of the fort, arms crossed and an unmistakable glint in his indigo eyes, he watched the group with growing irritation.

"They're too comfortable," he muttered under his breath. "Too relaxed. Time to remind them who's in charge here."

Amber glanced over. “Scara, you’ve been quiet. That’s either really good… or really bad.”

Scaramouche smirked, his lips curving upward in that signature, menacing way. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.”

Without another word, he stood up and slipped away from the group under the guise of ‘needing air.’ But Lumine narrowed her eyes slightly.

“...He’s planning something,” she whispered to Snowball, who let out a tiny mew of agreement.

---

In the dimly lit hallway outside the room, Scaramouche allowed a sly grin to spread across his face. With a snap of his fingers and a faint shimmer of midnight light, his form shifted.

His human figure faded away, replaced by the sleek, shadowy form of a black cat. Midnight fur gleamed faintly under the hallway light, and his sharp indigo eyes glowed mischievously in the dark.

“Perfect,” he purred, tail flicking with anticipation. “Time to cause chaos.”

This wasn’t the first time he’d done this—Lumine’s friends had fallen victim to his feline mischief before. But this time, Aether was here. And that made it all the more entertaining.

Scaramouche slinked back into the room, slipping through the shadows with feline grace. His tiny paws made no sound as he crept past Amber, who was busy arguing with Venti about whether pineapple belongs on pizza.

His first target: Aether.

Scaramouche leapt silently onto the back of the couch where Aether was lounging. With a swift flick of his tail, he knocked a bag of chips right onto Aether’s head.

“AH!” Aether jolted, chips scattering everywhere. “Who—what—WHY?!”

Amber turned around, laughing uncontrollably. “Aether, did you just get attacked by snacks?!”

But Scaramouche was already gone, slinking into the shadows before anyone could spot him.

His next target: Amber.

He crept under the blanket Amber was sitting on, carefully pawing at the edge until he found her feet. With one sharp claw, he gave a gentle poke.

“GYAH!” Amber shrieked, flailing backward and pulling the entire blanket off herself. “WHO TOUCHED ME?!”

“Calm down, Amber,” Ayaka said soothingly, though her eyes darted around the room. “It’s probably… um… the blanket settling?”

Scaramouche’s amused purring was almost audible as he darted behind a pillow.

But Lumine’s golden eyes were sharp, scanning the shadows. “Scaramouche…” she muttered under her breath.

Snowball perked up in her lap, her tiny ears twitching.

Scaramouche’s next victim was Venti. The poor guy was busy sipping his drink when Scaramouche leapt lightly onto the back of his pillow. With an expertly timed tail flick, he swatted Venti’s cup, sending soda spilling into his lap.

“AHHH! My pants! MY PRECIOUS PANTS!” Venti wailed, jumping up and holding his soda-soaked jeans.

Amber was in tears laughing, Ayaka was trying (and failing) to stifle a giggle, and Kazuha simply sighed with a serene smile.

Lumine, however, had had enough.

“Alright, Midnight Fur, I know you’re here,” she said firmly, standing up and placing Snowball gently on the pillow.

Everyone froze.

Scaramouche, realizing the jig was up, slowly emerged from behind a stack of cushions. His glowing indigo eyes locked onto Lumine’s golden ones.

“Scaramouche?!” Aether’s brow furrowed. “How dare you!”

Amber gasped dramatically. “IT’S SCARAMOUCHE!”

Scaramouche let out an annoyed mrrrow, his tail flicking with irritation. But before anyone could react, he bolted.

“Get him!” Amber cried.

The group erupted into chaos. Aether tripped over a pillow, Venti slipped on spilled soda, and Amber crawled on all fours trying to grab the elusive black cat.

But Scaramouche was too quick. He darted across the room, weaving between feet, pillows, and snack bags, his movements fluid and mocking.

At last, Lumine cornered him near the edge of the blanket fort. Slowly, she knelt down, her voice calm.

“Scara… the prank’s over. Come here.”

Scaramouche froze, his glowing eyes narrowing suspiciously. But after a moment, he padded forward, leaping lightly into Lumine’s waiting arms.

With a shimmer of midnight light, his cat form faded, and Scaramouche returned to his human shape, still curled awkwardly in Lumine’s lap.

The room fell silent.

“...This is humiliating,” Scaramouche muttered, covering his face with one hand.

Amber burst out laughing again. “Oh my gosh, you’re like a villain who got caught red-handed!”

Venti, still holding his wet pants, smirked. “Well, well, Kuni—looks like your plan backfired.”

Scaramouche growled, trying to stand up, but Lumine held him in place with a firm grip.

“Enough chaos for one night,” she said softly. “Scara, stay. You owe us at least one movie for your little stunt.”

With a heavy sigh, Scaramouche slumped back into the cushions as everyone settled once more. Snowball trotted over and curled up beside him, purring contentedly.

The movie finally began, and while the blanket fort was still slightly disheveled, the warmth and laughter lingered in the air.

Scaramouche, though still grumbling under his breath, allowed a small smirk to tug at the corner of his lips.

Chaos achieved. Mission accomplished.