Chapter 7

There are moments when it’s impossible to tell whether you’re dreaming or awake.

Am I… having an incredibly vivid dream right now?

I’d fallen asleep after exhausting myself taking care of the cat.

So this had to be a dream.

There’s no way something like this could happen otherwise.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I raised my hand and smacked myself across the cheek.

“Ow.”

It hurt.

It hurt a lot.

The man stared at me in surprise, his blue eyes widening.

He had eyes as brilliantly blue as the cat’s.

His silver-gray hair, almost white, looked unbelievably soft.

“What are you doing?”

With a swift movement, he grabbed my wrist.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Who are you? How did you get in here? And where’s my cat?!”

I yanked my hand away.

As the smoke slowly cleared, the man’s large…

Large…?

“AAAAAH!”

What the hell?!

Where had his clothes gone?

The man was standing there completely naked.

“Are you insane?! Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?!”

I hurriedly spun around.

This lunatic! Why is he walking around naked?!

Did some perverted trespasser break into the estate?!

Even exhibitionists usually wore at least a trench coat!

I frantically waved my hands, telling him to put something on.

But there wasn’t the slightest sound behind me.

“What are clothes?”

What kind of ridiculous question was that?

Who didn’t know what clothes were?

“Y-You… who are you? You suddenly appear out of nowhere, and now you’re telling me you don’t even know what clothes are?”

“It’s me.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s me’?”

“The cat.”

“…What?”

His shocking declaration made me instinctively turn around.

Only to see his naked body again.

“AHH! J-Just put some clothes on first! Jenny! Jenny!”

I desperately called for my maid.

“Yes, Miss!”

Jenny was about to open the door, but I rushed over and blocked it.

“C-Could you bring… some clothes?”

“Clothes? Why all of a sudden…?”

“Just anything!”

“Y-Yes!”

I had to cover that body somehow.

I didn’t even know where to look.

“Oh! Not a dress! Bring Father’s clothes!”

“T-Trousers?!”

Jenny stopped in the hallway and shouted back.

“Y-Yes! Something big!”

I’d only caught a brief glimpse, but he was far too large to fit into any of my clothes.

While Jenny went to fetch them, I gripped the doorknob tightly.

I simply couldn’t bring myself to turn around.

Not long afterward, Jenny returned carrying an oversized shirt and a pair of trousers.

“Miss, I brought the clothes… but what happened? I heard you scream…”

“I-It’s nothing.”

“I just… need them.”

“O-Okay…”

“But… are you with someone? I thought I heard a man’s voice…”

“At this hour? Impossible!”

“You can go now!”

I snatched the clothes from her and immediately shut the door.

“Wear these first.”

Keeping my back turned, I stretched my arm behind me and handed him the clothes.

“How do I wear them?”

“…Are you serious, or is this some kind of joke?”

“I really don’t know…”

I’m going insane.

How am I supposed to deal with this situation?

“The shirt goes like this… and the trousers like this.”

I demonstrated by miming the motions of getting dressed.

Whether he’d actually understand was another matter.

For quite some time, I heard rustling behind me.

Then—

“I’m done.”

I turned around very, very slowly.

I even covered my eyes with one hand.

Seeing him naked once had been more than enough.

“…Thank goodness.”

All the tension left my body at once.

Even though he’d claimed not to know what clothes were, he’d managed to put them on reasonably well.

He looks a little awkward…

Still, it was infinitely better than him being naked.

At least I could look at him now.

“What are you relieved about?”

Completely oblivious to my inner turmoil, he smiled brightly.

“Now tell me.”

“How did you get in here?”

“I came with you.”

The man grinned cheerfully.

“I… when did I ever…”

“This.”

He held out his right hand.

“You treated it.”

“…”

Could something like this really happen?

Just because this is a fantasy romance doesn’t mean the author gets to make up anything…

Then again…

Transforming adorable little animals into handsome humans was actually a pretty common trope in romance fantasy novels.

Even so…

Experiencing it firsthand was impossible to believe.

That tiny, adorable cat…

My cat…

…turned into this man?

I could only blink in speechless disbelief.

Other than those striking blue eyes…

He looked nothing like the cat.

…Though he does have slightly feline features.

His tanned skin only made those vivid blue eyes stand out even more.

“Y-You’re really… that cat?”

“Mm.”

“Then… were you actually human all along?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do we really have to divide things up like that?”

He smiled again.

“I’m just me.”

“…Huh.”

Well…

I couldn’t exactly argue with that.

I’d only treated a small, adorable cat.

“I remember you saying…”

“You wished I could talk.”

“…”

“I wanted to talk to you too.”

As naturally as if it were his own room, he sat down on my bed.

“What’s your name?”

“…Veroni.”

“Veroni Aios.”

“Your name is hard.”

“…What’s yours?”

“Zero.”

He answered simply.

I had no idea why I was even having this conversation.

But somehow…

His appearance suited the name perfectly.

Zero.

It wasn’t a name I’d ever seen in the novel.

“So… do you live in that forest?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s my home.”

“The log cabin?”

“That’s right.”

“The place where you came.”

As he spoke, Zero patted the empty space beside him on the bed.

“Sit next to me.”

“Pet me.”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“Why would I pet you?”

“You always did.”

Good grief.

He didn’t seem to be joking.

How is being a cat the same as being a grown man?!

When I remained frozen in place, Zero stood up and walked over to me.

“You don’t like me like this?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“If I turn back into a cat…”

“…Will you pet me then?”

“Wait.”

“Why are you getting closer?”

But Zero didn’t seem interested in listening.

He strode right up to me.

He was so tall I had to crane my neck just to meet his eyes.

“So…”

“Do you hate me now?”

I’d never exactly liked you in the first place.

“You don’t like me?”

There was unmistakable sadness in his voice.

“Hm?”

His warm gaze rested on me.

“N-No…”

“I just…”

Zero gently took my hand and placed it on top of his head.

“Then do it.”

This is driving me crazy.

With a face like that…

It was almost impossible to refuse him.

Carefully, I stroked his silver-gray hair.

His head was surprisingly small compared to his tall frame.

After patting it a few times, Zero laughed happily.

“Can I call you Veroni?”

“…Yes.”

“I like you.”

…Whoa.

How am I supposed to respond to that?

The cat—

Who was actually a human man—

was telling me he liked me.

Cats like their owners…

He probably meant he liked me as his caretaker.

“R-Really?”

“I’m glad.”

“Come visit often.”

“Really?”

“I can?”

“Mm.”

“But not in this form!”

“…Why?”

“I like talking to you.”

“Y-You’re just too tall.”

“It’s hard to pet you like this.”

“So come as a cat instead.”

“Okay?”

Seeing the corners of his eyes droop sadly weakened my resolve.

Fortunately, Zero quickly smiled again and nodded.

“You’re kind.”

“Then I’ll call you Zero too.”

“Mm.”

“It’s the first time anyone has ever called me by my name.”

“The first time?”

“But surely you have family and friends.”

“I’m the only one who can become human.”

“Oh…”

Then of course no one could call his name.

His family and friends were all… cats.

“Then I’ll say it lots.”

“I’ll call your name plenty of times.”

“I’d like that.”

“Veroni.”

“I really would.”

The look in Zero’s eyes grew strangely intense.

Feeling uncomfortable under his unwavering gaze, I quietly looked away.

“I’ll come again.”

“Okay.”

“Head home now.”

“It’s getting late.”

Finally hearing the words I’d been waiting for, I quickly withdrew my hand from his head.

Zero looked genuinely disappointed.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait for me, Veroni.”

“Sure, sure.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Very eagerly.

Now please just leave already.

My mind and body were screaming for rest after this completely surreal experience.

I want to dive straight into bed.

Still, I forced a smile.

“Okay.”

“I’ll come back soon.”

The next moment, Zero suddenly lowered his head and rested it against my shoulder.

The warmth of his body spread through the fabric.

Then, just like a cat…

He slowly rubbed his forehead against me.

His silky hair tickled my neck.

This feels…

Kind of…

…strange.

He stayed leaning against me for quite a while.

Then, after giving me one lazy glance, he suddenly took my right hand.

“…What is it?”

“I don’t want to go.”

Before I could react…

He slowly licked the back of my hand, just as a cat grooming someone it trusted would.

The sensation was soft and brief.

Startled, I quickly pulled my hand away.

Do that when you’re a cat!

How am I supposed to react when you’re a giant human man?!

“You don’t like that either?”

Zero asked again, sounding dejected.

“It’s not that I don’t like it…”

“It’s because you’re human right now.”

“This is something you do to someone you like.”

“I know.”

“But when people do something like this…”

How was I supposed to explain this?

“If a man and a woman do things like that…”

“They have to get married.”

I blurted it out without thinking.

Anything to stop him from doing things like this while he was in human form.

“Marriage means…”

“A man and a woman live together for the rest of their lives.”

“They have children together.”

“…”

“So it’s fine when you’re a cat.”

“But not when you’re a person.”

“Understand?”

I spoke as though explaining things to a child.

He clearly knew nothing about human society.

“…Marriage.”

Zero quietly repeated the word to himself.

His bright blue eyes gleamed.

For some reason…

A chill slowly ran down my spine.