Chapter 53
“Ha… I burned myself out completely.”
She must have shaken it far too enthusiastically. Her whole body was drenched in sweat. And it wasn’t just her. Lips, too, was panting heavily.
“Well, I guess I did shake it for nearly an hour.”
No matter how energetic a cat was, it was only natural to grow exhausted.
“Meooow…”
“Even your cries sound weak, my Lips. Did you have fun?”
Sia lifted Lips, who had collapsed on the floor, onto her stomach and lay back on the bed. Feeling his body hotter than usual proved just how much he had moved.
“Ah, I just washed, but now I feel sticky again. Should I call Marie again?”
Muttering to herself, Sia suddenly burst into laughter at what she’d just said without realizing. She really must have adapted to this place. How could she so naturally think of calling Marie just to wash herself?
Recalling how flustered she had been when the maids had bathed her upon her first arrival at the duke’s house, Sia sat up and stroked Lips.
“Should we give you a bath too, Lips?”
The bathing facilities were well-equipped, so there was no problem bathing him alone. Hugging Lips, Sia headed to the bathroom. Lips struggled a little, but she held him firmly tucked under her arm and went inside.
“Meooow!”
“Let’s wash together with this big sister.”
“Mraaaooow!”
“Hm? What’s this? Isn’t our Lips a water-compatible cat?”
Setting the violently resisting Lips down on the floor for the moment, Sia began filling the tub with water. Meanwhile, she tossed off her nightclothes in one motion, then bent down again to scoop up Lips.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
Lips was curled tightly in a ball in the corner of the bathroom, his back turned. Sia scooped him up gently with both hands and soothed him.
“It’s fine. We’ll go in together with big sister.”
Lips no longer cried. Rigid and stiff, he was dragged into the bathtub together with her.
“Haah, it’s warm.”
Holding Lips in her arms while soaking in the tub, what luxury could compare to this?
As she quietly indulged in that luxury, the tension stiffening Lips’s body gradually melted away. Stroking his body slowly, Sia recalled the words of that mysterious being.
“Hm.”
She couldn’t help but believe it, since the voice had resounded directly in her mind. The very circumstances of her arriving in this world were already hard enough to believe. But to think she could simply go back to Korea as though stepping out on an errand…
“This isn’t the time for daydreaming.”
There would likely be only one chance. That meant she had to buy things systematically, so she needed a plan. After washing herself, Sia scrubbed Lips clean as well.
Seeing his face, which looked strangely resigned, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“So you’re not a water-compatible cat after all, just a cat who gives up quickly?”
At her words, Lips let out a feeble cry. Sia washed him thoroughly, even his privates and backside, then wrapped a towel around herself and began drying his fur. As she smoothed down his gradually drying coat, she began to plan.
“There’s still some catnip left, but since Karin liked it too, I’ll buy more… Also, churu sticks and canned food, and plenty of toys. I’ll have to play with the kittens when I meet them. And then…”
Mumble, mumble. Every word of her muttering was heard by Nox. He was puzzled. What was she talking about buying, and from where?
Come to think of it, when he’d arrived at Sia’s room today, there had been a faint trace of an unfamiliar male’s scent. Thinking it was just his imagination, he hadn’t given it much thought, but now, hearing her strange words, a sudden fear crept over him.
Could it be that she was thinking of leaving this place?
No, that couldn’t be. Surely Sia had said she had nowhere else to go if not here. Then what on earth was she talking about?
Ears pricked sharply, Nox focused intently so as not to miss a single word.
“There, all dry.”
After drying Lips’s fur first, Sia belatedly dried herself and tidied her hair. Not wanting to put back on the nightclothes she had worn, she loosely wrapped herself with a towel and left the bathroom.
“Mraaow!”
Startled, Nox hurriedly followed after her.
“What’s wrong?”
In the dressing room, Sia pulled out fresh nightclothes and put them on. Hugging Lips, who was pacing restlessly around her, she leisurely returned to the bedroom.
“You thought I was going to leave you behind? Oh, you’re so cute.”
Clutching Lips in her arms, Sia slipped under the covers and tapped the cat’s bottom affectionately as she continued speaking.
“Lips, for a while, your sister won’t be here.”
…What?
“I think I have to make a quick trip back to my home world.”
What is that supposed to mean?
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