The night had fallen over the school dorms, blanketing everything in a heavy stillness. The tension from earlier still lingered, suffocating and sharp, leaving an unspoken wedge between the group.
In one of the dorm rooms, Lumine sat on her bed, her knees pulled to her chest. Snowball was nestled in her arms, purring softly as if trying to comfort her. Her golden eyes stared blankly at the moonlight spilling through the window.
Meanwhile, outside, hidden in the shadows, a small midnight-black cat with piercing indigo eyes silently leaped onto the windowsill. Scaramoucheâor rather Kuniâsat there for a moment, his tail flicking with unease as he stared at the girl inside.
He didnât regret what he said to Aether. Not really. But the way Lumine had looked at himâhurt, confusedâit gnawed at him in a way he didnât know how to fix.
With a small hop, Kuni slipped into the room soundlessly, landing gracefully on the floor. Snowballâs ears twitched, but the little kitten stayed curled up in Lumineâs arms, sensing no danger.
Lumine sighed deeply, resting her chin on her knees. âWhy⦠Why did it have to end like that?â she whispered into the night.
Kuniâs ears twitched at her voice. Slowly, cautiously, he jumped onto the edge of her bed. His small form barely made a dent in the blankets, but Lumine felt the shift and looked up.
Her tired eyes met his glowing indigo ones.
ââ¦Kuni?â she said softly, her voice trembling slightly.
The cat gave a tiny, hesitant meow and padded closer. His tail curled slightly as he stopped just in front of her, looking up with what could only be described as an apologetic gaze.
Lumineâs lip trembled as she reached out a shaky hand and gently stroked his head. âYouâre not supposed to be here⦠but⦠Iâm glad you are.â
Kuni let out a faint purr, leaning into her touch. For a moment, the world felt still, like the earlier fight hadnât happened, like it was just the two of them sharing this fragile moment in the soft glow of moonlight.
Snowball stirred, letting out a small chirp of curiosity as the two cats made brief eye contact. Snowball wiggled free from Lumineâs arms and curled up next to Kuni.
Lumine watched them with a faint smile, though sadness still clouded her features.
âYouâre still stubborn, you know,â she whispered, scratching behind Kuniâs ears. âBut⦠thank you for being here.â
Kuni let out the faintest mrow, his head leaning heavily into her palm.
For a long while, they stayed like thatâLumine sitting quietly on her bed with two cats curled up beside her. Kuni, though silent and hidden in his feline form, stayed close, his tail lightly flicking against Snowballâs fur.
But as the clock ticked toward midnight, Kuni hopped off the bed, glancing back at Lumine one last time before slipping out the window and into the night.
He couldnât face Aether, or the others, not yet. But this small momentâa quiet connection with Lumineâwas enough to keep the weight of his regret at bay.