Chapter 8
After dragging my feet, I returned to the side house where I stayed with the maid’s sister.
On the way, I kept thinking about what my big sister (Chloe) had told me earlier.
“There’s a condition.”
“Huh? W-what condition…?”
“Don’t call me sister. Whether you get adopted into our family or not doesn’t matter.”
“……”
“You are not my little sister. I only acknowledge one person as my family.”
“……”
“So, even if you come to my residence, don’t bother me. If you come, leave quickly without making a fuss.”
The maid welcomed me back with a knowing look, as if she expected this outcome.
I took off my shoes, climbed onto the bed, and lay down quietly.
But I couldn’t stop replaying Chloe’s words.
‘As I thought… she doesn’t recognize me.’
Still, it’s okay.
I already expected her not to recognize me right away.
‘What I worry about most is… that my sister looks so lonely.’
Earlier, I could feel her deep loneliness.
So I lay down with a heavy heart.
But no matter what, I couldn’t fall asleep.
“This is all because this bed is too hard!”
Back then, I always slept on a soft, fluffy bed, right beside her, purring and snoring happily.
Now, when I turned my head to the empty side of the bed—nothing.
‘No fluffy bed, no soft big sister… nothing at all.’
The loneliness hit me fully, and my body began to tremble.
I hugged the blanket tightly as my teeth chattered.
“But I’m fine.”
I used to be a stray dog, sleeping on the cold ground alone.
Sometimes people spat at me.
Sometimes wild beasts almost ate me in one bite.
So this shaking now… it’s not because I’m weak.
It’s just because a cold wind is blowing into my heart.
I buried my face in the pillow.
I smelled the salty scent of tears, but I held them back.
Tomorrow, I had to go see her again.
I forced myself to think positively.
‘At least she didn’t ban me from her house. That means I can still visit.’
I had already brought her flowers and sunlight today.
‘Yes! I’ll keep working hard.’
I’ll make sure to get close to her again.
I’ll make sure her face is full of smiles.
With that thought, I closed my eyes tight.
The long night finally passed.
***
The next morning, when I finished preparing to visit Chloe’s mansion again—
I was suddenly attacked by a swarm of mice!
“Eek! W-what’s going on? Why are there so many mice!?”
One mouse stood out. Its fur was pure white, and it rushed straight toward me.
“I saw you at the mansion yesterday! Incredible human! How on earth did you do it? That was amazing!”
The mouse’s tail slapped against my pajamas.
“Huh? What’s amazing?”
“The master of that gloomy house actually let you in!”
“Oh… yeah, she did.”
“How did you manage to win over that scary master who controls the darkness!?”
“Win her over? You bad mouse! My sister’s not some roasted sweet potato!”
“That’s not what I meant! I mean, how did you get close to her!?”
I gave the mouse some of my breakfast cheese and muttered sadly.
“I’m not close to her at all. She told me not to stand out. She said not to call her sister. She told me not to bother her…”
“What are you talking about? She still allowed you in, didn’t she? You’re the only child who’s ever been inside that creepy mansion!”
“Really…?”
“Even we mice were suspicious, thinking you might bring chaos to the mansion!”
Hearing that, my lips curled into a smile.
‘Hehe, I really am special to my sister!’
I shook my head happily, like wagging a tail. But then the mouse said,
“But honestly, I don’t think she plans to see you today. She locked her doors this morning.”
“Tch…”
“Still, try to understand her. She’s actually pitiful.”
“Pitiful? Why?”
“The maids isolate her and steal all the money for themselves. But your sister doesn’t seem to care much.”
I remembered her dress from yesterday. It was old, with stains at the hem.
She didn’t care, but I felt upset.
‘My sister is the most dazzling person in the world.’
She didn’t deserve such treatment.
I clenched my fists tightly.
“I’ll teach those maids a lesson!”
The mouse looked at me and asked, “How?”
“Well…”
Reality hit me—I was just a weak child, close to being cast out.
Yesterday I was full of wise words, but today, I just kept thinking of sweet potatoes.
Then the mouse banged its tail on the ground with authority.
“As I thought! That’s why I came to help you.”
“You? Help me?”
“Yes. In fact, I, this mouse, was sent by the Dog God with a mission to find you.”
“Whaaat!? The Dog God!? Why didn’t the Dog God come directly?”
“Because I’m an extraordinary mouse, of course! Anyway, close your eyes. The Dog God is about to show you the future!”
Right! I remembered now!
***
“When you become human, you’ll need some special powers.
…The second one is foresight—the ability to see the future.”
“Wow! The Dog God is the best! Showing me the future!”
Sure, the Dog God promised to make me Chloe’s sister but then put me in danger of being abandoned…
But still! The Dog God is amazing!
I raised my hands excitedly.
“I’m ready!”
A white light appeared before my eyes.
Then thousands, tens of thousands of letters poured into my mind.
The future flowed into my head like a book being read.
After many minutes, I finally saw it all.
And tears filled my eyes.
The mouse nervously tapped its tail.
“Why… Why are you crying? Like a little puppy?”
“Because I am a puppy…”
“Anyway! What did you see? The future?”
“It’s… really, really bad.”
In the future, my sister would be bullied by her stepmother Lucretia and stepsister Patricia.
She would be falsely accused of causing trouble for a sick noble and then expelled from the family.
She would never defend herself.
I would struggle desperately to protect her.
I’d even manage to get adopted into the family for her sake.
But in the end… I would fail.
And my sister… would choose death.
All the futures I saw were filled with despair.
But then I saw one last future—
And heard the voices of my dog friends in my head.
“Coco, the future can be changed! That’s what brave dogs do!”
“Cherry, Cookie, Bobby, Lucky, Happy, Leo—we’re all cheering for you!”
“Live happily with your sister, then come back to us someday!”
Yes. That’s right.
I shouted with courage,
“The future can change! I’ve set my goal!”
In the future I saw, things went wrong from the start.
But this time, I’ll make sure it’s different.
I’ll get close to my sister.
I’ll protect her so she can live happily.
Right now, her biggest tormentors are Lucretia and Patricia.
I can’t deal with them yet.
But I can deal with the maids who make her life miserable.
‘The ones who give her old clothes, spread rumors… the maids sent by Lucretia.’
The mouse stared at me. “Your eyes suddenly look really sharp and clever…”
Of course! Because I’ve decided not to give up!
“I’ll crush those rotten sweet-potato-like humans!”
That’s me—Coco, the cunning puppy.
Whether I’m a dog or a human, when it comes to my sister, I’m the smartest of all.
‘Those maids must have weaknesses.’
And I’ll find them.
I clenched my fist.
“Hey, mouse.”
“What?”
“If I give you two pieces of cheese… will you help me?”
The mouse tapped its tail with dignity and replied,
“Hahaha! Do you seek the power of the mighty Emperor of Mice?”
…What’s that supposed to mean?
