…What on earth are they talking about?
Just as I blinked dumbly in confusion—
Thwack!
Adrian suddenly appeared and gave Dominic a light flick on the head.
“You show-off, just because Mei came.”
“Ah, Master!”
Honestly, even from my perspective, it didn’t look like it hurt at all.
But Dominic grabbed his head dramatically and acted all wounded.
Somehow, that made it seem like he felt comfortable around Adrian…
‘They look good like this.’
Smiling softly, I glanced back and forth between the two.
“So, seriously! What happened?”
“Well, we started new training recently…”
Unlike usual, Dominic spoke with an excited voice.
Apparently, Adrian had kicked things off by putting the trainees through the wringer—starting with a physical fitness test or something like that.
While other trainees dropped out one by one, Dominic endured until the end.
“I was the only one who made it to the end!”
“Yeah, even I was surprised. That tiny thing’s tougher than he looks…”
“What did you say?!”
The two disciples started bickering.
I watched them with an unimpressed look before bluntly asking:
“So, did you hurt your nose during the physical test?”
“No, that’s not it!”
Just as Dominic scrambled to explain—
Adrian smoothly cut in.
“He got into a scuffle with the others.”
“W–With the other trainees?! Is he badly hurt?!”
What?! A fight?!
Shocked, I raised my voice without meaning to.
Dominic shot Adrian a betrayed look.
“You said it was okay to fight!”
…What?
I blinked blankly.
Adrian just chuckled mischievously, while Dominic grumbled in frustration.
“You’re the one who said real men shouldn’t just argue with words—they should throw a punch and get it over with.”
And so, here’s what happened.
Dominic was the only one who passed Adrian’s physical test.
The other trainees were jealous of him.
“That guy’s just trying to get on Adrian’s good side!”
“He’s so annoying!”
As always, Dominic pretended not to hear the gossip behind his back.
That’s when Adrian encouraged him—told him to just let it out and fight.
Dominic didn’t miss that chance.
“Hey. Come at me.”
“Eep!”
He ended up taking down all the kids who had been bothering him.
Somewhere along the way, he got a ‘glorious’ scar on his handsome nose…
“What if it leaves a scar?!”
Terrified, I clung to Dominic.
Seriously, you were born with a rare handsome face!
You’re just going to waste it like that?!
That kind of beauty should be preserved as a national treasure!
“It’s fine. It’ll heal if I just leave it alone.”
Dominic shrugged it off like it was nothing.
Adrian, clearly listening in, clicked his tongue loudly.
“That brat.”
“……”
“Look at him all happy just because Mei’s worried about him.”
“I–It’s not like that!!”
Startled, Dominic jumped to his feet.
Meanwhile, I gave him a skeptical sideways glance.
“Really?”
“Huh, wha—?”
Dominic met my eyes with a startled look.
My gaze sharpened.
“You mean you don’t care whether I worry about you or not, Dominic?”
“No way, of course I care!”
Just then, Adrian—clearly enjoying himself—chimed in playfully:
“Look at Dominic’s face. It’s bright red!”
“M–Master!”
Dominic yelped and covered his face with both hands.
After that chaotic conversation, I eventually rode home in a carriage next to Adrian.
Later on, I casually brought up a topic of small talk…
“So, what do you think of Dominic?”
It was a question I asked without much thought.
After all, it had already been a week since Adrian became his instructor.
I just wanted them to get along well.
That’s all.
But—
“Well, I was kind of surprised.”
“Why?”
“For such a small guy, he endured all the physical training until the end.”
…Is it just me, or did he sound kind of proud?
“Kid’s got grit. Works hard, has talent…”
Adrian went on listing Dominic’s good qualities for quite a while.
Then, as if catching himself, he gasped.
“Keep it secret that I said all this, okay?”
He insisted on it.
Come on—what’s the harm in a teacher caring about his student?
‘You’re so dramatic, Adrian.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
In any case, Adrian’s “drastic remedy” had definitely worked.
The bullying Dominic faced completely stopped.
Part of it was thanks to Adrian keeping a close eye on things.
But also, Dominic no longer silently endured injustice—he stood up for himself.
Meanwhile, the kids who had bullied him lost their confidence.
Most of the trainees, who had been too afraid of that group to approach Dominic, naturally grew closer to him.
Also, I had still managed to keep my identity a secret from Dominic.
There were a few close calls, but so far—mission successful.
‘Busy, busy.’
My trip down memory lane ended abruptly.
Panting, I ran until my feet were slick with sweat.
Today, I wasn’t “Maybell.”
I was “Meow.”
Feels like I’ve met Dominic two or three times a week as “Meow” lately.
‘Ah! It’s Dominic!’
I opened my eyes wide.
Dominic was sweeping fallen leaves with the other trainees.
“Hey, that’s not how you sweep.”
“I’m better than you, though.”
The lighthearted teasing between them made them seem like ordinary boys their age.
My heart felt warm.
‘I’m really glad.’
Smiling to myself, I approached Dominic.
“Myaa.”
I rubbed my cheek against his leg.
Dominic, who had been scooping leaves into a dustpan, looked over delightedly.
“Meow, long time no see.”
He greeted me cheerfully, then lifted the full dustpan and walked toward the training building.
I trailed behind him, but suddenly stopped.
‘Huh?’
The sharp scent of smoke mixed with a toasty smell.
Trainees had piled up leaves and were roasting sweet potatoes.
Their faces were covered in soot as they blew on the hot yellow flesh and took eager bites.
“Hey, where’s mine?”
Dominic asked urgently.
From among the trainees, Adrian peeked out with a mischievous grin.
“Should’ve come faster. First come, first served—you know the rules.”
“Agh, Instructor!”
Dominic whined with a pout.
Adrian, meanwhile, gave me a quick glance and greeted me casually.
“Oh, hey, Meow’s here.”
Since we were keeping my familiar status a secret, Adrian called me “Meow,” not “Maybell.”
But right now, that wasn’t what mattered.
The fire, fueled by dry leaves, blazed red.
As the flames reflected in my large eyes, my entire body went stiff.
‘Sabina… sis.’
My sister—engulfed in fire.
Charred violet hair.
And those red eyes staring quietly at me from beneath it all…
My mind went blank.
“Yip!”
My fur bristled all over.
I felt my tail puff out like a bottle brush.
Backing away step by step, I suddenly turned and bolted from the fire.
“W–Whoa, Meow?!”
“May—no, Meow!”
Dominic and Adrian called out in alarm.
But I couldn’t stop.
Not now.
…What on earth are they talking about?
Just as I blinked dumbly in confusion—
Thwack!
Adrian suddenly appeared and gave Dominic a light flick on the head.
“You show-off, just because Mei came.”
“Ah, Master!”
Honestly, even from my perspective, it didn’t look like it hurt at all.
But Dominic grabbed his head dramatically and acted all wounded.
Somehow, that made it seem like he felt comfortable around Adrian…
‘They look good like this.’
Smiling softly, I glanced back and forth between the two.
“So, seriously! What happened?”
“Well, we started new training recently…”
Unlike usual, Dominic spoke with an excited voice.
Apparently, Adrian had kicked things off by putting the trainees through the wringer—starting with a physical fitness test or something like that.
While other trainees dropped out one by one, Dominic endured until the end.
“I was the only one who made it to the end!”
“Yeah, even I was surprised. That tiny thing’s tougher than he looks…”
“What did you say?!”
The two disciples started bickering.
I watched them with an unimpressed look before bluntly asking:
“So, did you hurt your nose during the physical test?”
“No, that’s not it!”
Just as Dominic scrambled to explain—
Adrian smoothly cut in.
“He got into a scuffle with the others.”
“W–With the other trainees?! Is he badly hurt?!”
What?! A fight?!
Shocked, I raised my voice without meaning to.
Dominic shot Adrian a betrayed look.
“You said it was okay to fight!”
…What?
I blinked blankly.
Adrian just chuckled mischievously, while Dominic grumbled in frustration.
“You’re the one who said real men shouldn’t just argue with words—they should throw a punch and get it over with.”
And so, here’s what happened.
Dominic was the only one who passed Adrian’s physical test.
The other trainees were jealous of him.
“That guy’s just trying to get on Adrian’s good side!”
“He’s so annoying!”
As always, Dominic pretended not to hear the gossip behind his back.
That’s when Adrian encouraged him—told him to just let it out and fight.
Dominic didn’t miss that chance.
“Hey. Come at me.”
“Eep!”
He ended up taking down all the kids who had been bothering him.
Somewhere along the way, he got a ‘glorious’ scar on his handsome nose…
“What if it leaves a scar?!”
Terrified, I clung to Dominic.
Seriously, you were born with a rare handsome face!
You’re just going to waste it like that?!
That kind of beauty should be preserved as a national treasure!
“It’s fine. It’ll heal if I just leave it alone.”
Dominic shrugged it off like it was nothing.
Adrian, clearly listening in, clicked his tongue loudly.
“That brat.”
“……”
“Look at him all happy just because Mei’s worried about him.”
“I–It’s not like that!!”
Startled, Dominic jumped to his feet.
Meanwhile, I gave him a skeptical sideways glance.
“Really?”
“Huh, wha—?”
Dominic met my eyes with a startled look.
My gaze sharpened.
“You mean you don’t care whether I worry about you or not, Dominic?”
“No way, of course I care!”
Just then, Adrian—clearly enjoying himself—chimed in playfully:
“Look at Dominic’s face. It’s bright red!”
“M–Master!”
Dominic yelped and covered his face with both hands.
After that chaotic conversation, I eventually rode home in a carriage next to Adrian.
Later on, I casually brought up a topic of small talk…
“So, what do you think of Dominic?”
It was a question I asked without much thought.
After all, it had already been a week since Adrian became his instructor.
I just wanted them to get along well.
That’s all.
But—
“Well, I was kind of surprised.”
“Why?”
“For such a small guy, he endured all the physical training until the end.”
…Is it just me, or did he sound kind of proud?
“Kid’s got grit. Works hard, has talent…”
Adrian went on listing Dominic’s good qualities for quite a while.
Then, as if catching himself, he gasped.
“Keep it secret that I said all this, okay?”
He insisted on it.
Come on—what’s the harm in a teacher caring about his student?
‘You’re so dramatic, Adrian.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
In any case, Adrian’s “drastic remedy” had definitely worked.
The bullying Dominic faced completely stopped.
Part of it was thanks to Adrian keeping a close eye on things.
But also, Dominic no longer silently endured injustice—he stood up for himself.
Meanwhile, the kids who had bullied him lost their confidence.
Most of the trainees, who had been too afraid of that group to approach Dominic, naturally grew closer to him.
Also, I had still managed to keep my identity a secret from Dominic.
There were a few close calls, but so far—mission successful.
‘Busy, busy.’
My trip down memory lane ended abruptly.
Panting, I ran until my feet were slick with sweat.
Today, I wasn’t “Maybell.”
I was “Meow.”
Feels like I’ve met Dominic two or three times a week as “Meow” lately.
‘Ah! It’s Dominic!’
I opened my eyes wide.
Dominic was sweeping fallen leaves with the other trainees.
“Hey, that’s not how you sweep.”
“I’m better than you, though.”
The lighthearted teasing between them made them seem like ordinary boys their age.
My heart felt warm.
‘I’m really glad.’
Smiling to myself, I approached Dominic.
“Myaa.”
I rubbed my cheek against his leg.
Dominic, who had been scooping leaves into a dustpan, looked over delightedly.
“Meow, long time no see.”
He greeted me cheerfully, then lifted the full dustpan and walked toward the training building.
I trailed behind him, but suddenly stopped.
‘Huh?’
The sharp scent of smoke mixed with a toasty smell.
Trainees had piled up leaves and were roasting sweet potatoes.
Their faces were covered in soot as they blew on the hot yellow flesh and took eager bites.
“Hey, where’s mine?”
Dominic asked urgently.
From among the trainees, Adrian peeked out with a mischievous grin.
“Should’ve come faster. First come, first served—you know the rules.”
“Agh, Instructor!”
Dominic whined with a pout.
Adrian, meanwhile, gave me a quick glance and greeted me casually.
“Oh, hey, Meow’s here.”
Since we were keeping my familiar status a secret, Adrian called me “Meow,” not “Maybell.”
But right now, that wasn’t what mattered.
The fire, fueled by dry leaves, blazed red.
As the flames reflected in my large eyes, my entire body went stiff.
‘Sabina… sis.’
My sister—engulfed in fire.
Charred violet hair.
And those red eyes staring quietly at me from beneath it all…
My mind went blank.
“Yip!”
My fur bristled all over.
I felt my tail puff out like a bottle brush.
Backing away step by step, I suddenly turned and bolted from the fire.
“W–Whoa, Meow?!”
“May—no, Meow!”
Dominic and Adrian called out in alarm.
But I couldn’t stop.
Not now.
