Days turned into weeks, and Scaramouche began to begrudgingly settle into the routine of Lumineâs home. She was always so busyâschool, part-time jobs, studyingâand yet she still made time to look after him. He told himself it was just a temporary arrangement, that heâd leave as soon as he figured out how to untangle the mess of magic that had trapped him in this absurd cat form.
But deep down, he knew something was different.
Lumine.
The girl who brought him home without hesitation, even on that cold, rainy night.
Tonight, Lumine was studying at the small table in the corner of the living room. Her brow furrowed as she flipped through her notes, her pencil tapping rhythmically against her notebook. Scaramouche, curled up on the couch, pretended to be asleep, but he kept his sharp violet gaze fixed on her.
âYouâre mumbling to yourself again,â he thought to himself, his ears twitching slightly as he listened to her whisper formulas under her breath.
At last, Lumine groaned in frustration, dropping her pencil and burying her face in her arms. âWhy does this test feel impossible?!â she whined.
Scaramoucheâs tail flicked in irritation. He wanted to say something snarky like, Maybe if you didnât waste your time on stray cats, youâd have finished your notes already, but all he could do was let out an annoyed meow.
Lumine glanced up, her eyes landing on him. âOh, Kuni⦠I wish you could help me,â she muttered wistfully. âSometimes I feel like youâre smarter than you let on.â
You have no idea, Scaramouche thought, glaring at her lazily.
---
Later that night, Lumine finally gave up on studying, shutting her books with an exhausted sigh. She wandered over to the couch, picking up Kuniâthe midnight-furred catâand gently cradling him in her arms. Scaramouche tensed at first, his fur bristling slightly, but he didnât pull away.
âThanks for keeping me company,â she murmured softly. âI think Iâd go crazy without you here.â
The way she said itâso sincere, so trustingâmade something twist in Scaramoucheâs chest. He stared up at her golden eyes, the kind ones that seemed to see so much and yet nothing at all.
Why do you care about me so much?
He didnât realize how long he was staring until Lumine laughed quietly, pressing her forehead gently to his. âYouâre so serious sometimes, you know that?â
Scaramouche stiffened, suddenly aware of how close she was. He immediately wriggled out of her arms, hopping onto the floor with a frustrated flick of his tail. Lumine blinked in surprise.
âOkay, okay, I get itâyouâre not in the mood for cuddles.â She stretched her arms above her head with a yawn. âGuess Iâll call it a night.â
As she wandered off to her room, Scaramouche sat frozen in place. He felt like he was losing his mind. Every moment with her was a reminder of how much of a mess his life had become. It wasnât supposed to be like this. He wasnât supposed to care about some overly kind, overly trusting girl.
Once the apartment fell silent and the lights were out, Scaramouche shifted back into his human form. He rubbed his temples, muttering curses under his breath.
âIâm losing itâ¦â
He walked over to the table where Lumineâs schoolbooks sat, flipping through the pages she had been studying earlier. She was hopeless at math, apparently. Scaramouche smirked to himself. âFigures.â
Out of boredomâor perhaps something elseâhe picked up her pencil and started working through the problems sheâd struggled with earlier. The numbers came to him easily, his handwriting sharp and precise.
âThere. Done. Idiot girl,â he muttered as he tossed the pencil back onto the notebook. He froze as soon as the words left his mouth, realizing what heâd done.
Why did I just help her?!
Scaramouche ran a hand through his indigo hair, pacing back and forth. Heâd already broken his own rulesâsticking around, watching over her. He wasnât supposed to get involved.
Suddenly, the soft sound of a door creaking open made him freeze.
âKuni?â
Scaramouche turned sharply to see Lumine standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Her gaze fell on himâon the tall figure with indigo hair, dressed in loose, dark clothes that clearly didnât belong to her.
Scaramoucheâs blood ran cold.
Her sleepy expression shifted into one of confusion, her golden eyes narrowing slightly as she took a cautious step closer. âWait⦠whoââ
In an instant, Scaramoucheâs magic flared, and before Lumine could blink, the indigo-haired boy disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a familiar midnight-furred cat sitting on the table.
Lumine stared blankly, her mind still groggy. âHuhâ¦?â
She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes again. âI couldâve swornâ¦â
She trailed off, shaking her head. âMaybe Iâm just tired,â she muttered to herself, turning back to her room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Scaramouche let out a breath he didnât realize he was holding. He sat on the table, his fur bristling as his heart pounded in his chest.
âThat was too close,â he muttered under his breath.
He glanced down at the notebook heâd left behind, his precise handwriting standing out against Lumineâs messy scrawl. If she noticed it tomorrow⦠well, heâd figure that out later.
For now, he was just grateful that his secret had stayed hiddenâat least for a little while longer.
But as he stared at Lumineâs closed door, he couldnât shake the feeling that it wouldnât stay hidden forever.