Chapter 36: Chapter 36: 4 AM Chaos - Midnight Fur, Roast Battles, and a Hijacked Phone

It was 4:03 AM when Lumine’s phone buzzed violently on her nightstand, lighting up the dark room with an obnoxious glow. She groaned softly, her arm lazily reaching out to silence it, but the vibrations persisted.

Curled beside her pillow, Kuni, her midnight-furred cat, flicked his tail in irritation, lifting his head slightly to glare at the offending device before settling back down.

With a sigh, Lumine finally grabbed her phone, squinting at the brightness.

[Group Chat: Braincell Borrowers 🧠✨]

(Members: Albedo, Amber, Ayaka, Kazuha, and… Venti, the most recent addition.)

Amber: GUYS WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!

Kazuha: Amber, it’s 4 AM. Please consider therapy.

Venti: Who needs therapy when chaos exists?

Ayaka: Amber… it’s still dark outside.

Amber: Okay but like… ARE YOU GUYS AWAKE OR NOT??

Lumine: No. I’m sleep-texting.

Amber: HI LUMINE YOU’RE AWAKE!!

Lumine: …I am now.

Kuni let out a low, disgruntled meow beside her, his indigo eyes peeking open briefly before he buried his face in his paws again.

Amber: Is Kuni awake too?

Lumine: No. He’s being a responsible citizen and sleeping.

Venti: Thank god. Cats are basically walking allergens.

Amber: WAIT, YOU’RE ALLERGIC TO CATS??

Venti: Yes, Amber. Cats are just fluff-coated bio-weapons.

Kazuha: A tragic weakness for someone with such a sharp tongue.

Ayaka: Does this mean Venti can’t come over if Kuni’s around?

Venti: Exactly. That menace will be the end of me.

Amber: Ohhh, we’re definitely inviting Venti over just to watch him suffer.

Lumine snorted softly, covering her mouth with her hand to keep from waking Kuni—or worse, her neighbors.

Albedo: Can we focus, please? We have a project meeting this weekend.

Amber: BOOO PROJECTS!

Venti: BOOO RESPONSIBILITY!

Albedo: You two are impossible.

Amber: Hey Albedo, say something smart.

Albedo: I tried to uhmm… fuck my self.

Everyone: …

Amber: PFFFT—

Venti: BRO WHAT—

Kazuha: Albedo… please.

Ayaka: Oh my…

Lumine: ALBEDO—

Lumine clamped a hand over her mouth, tears of laughter threatening to spill from her eyes.

Albedo: That was supposed to say “fix myself.” I misspoke.

Amber: Nah, buddy, you’re stuck with that one.

Venti: Someone screenshot that. This is going in the hall of fame.

Kazuha: Already saved.

Lumine buried her face in her pillow, her body shaking with silent laughter. Meanwhile, Kuni lifted his head, ears flicking in mild irritation. He stretched lazily before—much to Lumine’s surprise—his body began to glow softly with a faint indigo light.

“Oh no,” she whispered, but it was too late.

Where Kuni the cat had been, Scaramouche now stood in his full human form. His indigo hair was tousled, and his sharp eyes stared down at her with mild amusement.

“Really, princess? Cackling over Albedo’s social demise at four in the morning?” Scaramouche drawled, crossing his arms.

Lumine froze. “What are you doing? You can’t just—turn human here!”

He smirked. “Why not? You’re the only one who knows.”

Before she could protest further, Scaramouche lunged forward and pinned her arms above her head with one hand, using the other to snatch her phone.

“Hey!” Lumine hissed, trying to squirm free. “Scaramouche, give that back!”

“Relax,” he said casually, holding her phone just out of her reach. “Let’s see what kind of circus we have here…”

He unlocked the screen effortlessly and squinted at the ongoing chaos in the group chat.

Amber: LUMINE?? Why aren’t you replying??

Venti: She’s probably negotiating peace terms with Kuni.

Kazuha: Or Kuni has finally staged his coup.

Ayaka: Lumine? Are you okay?

Scaramouche’s lips curled into a wicked grin as he began typing.

Lumine: Sorry, just busy dealing with… issues. 🫠

Amber: WHAT KIND OF ISSUES??

Venti: IS IT KUNI?? IS HE HOLDING YOU HOSTAGE??

Albedo: Should we… call someone?

Ayaka: I’m starting to get worried…

Scaramouche snickered softly and kept typing.

Lumine: Calm down, peasants. I’m fine.

Lumine gasped. “SCARAMOUCHE! You did not just—”

“Oh, but I did.” He grinned down at her.

Venti: Did she just call us PEASANTS??

Amber: WHAT IS HAPPENING OVER THERE??

Kazuha: Something’s off… Lumine doesn’t talk like this.

Ayaka: Should we… should we intervene?

Satisfied with the chaos he’d caused, Scaramouche tossed the phone onto the bed and finally released Lumine’s wrists. She snatched it up immediately, typing furiously.

Lumine: Ignore that. I was… sleep-typing. Bye.

Amber: Uh-huh. Sleep-typing. Sure.

Venti: Kuni is definitely involved in this.

Lumine groaned and smacked Scaramouche lightly on the shoulder. “Do you enjoy causing me problems?”

He smirked and leaned back casually, propping himself on his elbows. “Oh, immensely.”

“You’re impossible.”

“And yet, you keep me around,” he said smugly.

Before Lumine could retort, Scaramouche’s form began to shimmer again, and in a blink, he was back in his cat form, lounging smugly on her pillow.

Lumine stared at him for a moment before collapsing back into her bed with a groan. “You are literally the worst.”

Kuni meowed softly—almost mockingly—and curled into a ball.

The clock blinked 5:08 AM as Lumine finally shut her phone off, clutching her pillow tightly.

Somehow, despite the chaos, she couldn’t stop the small smile that crept onto her face.