AILUROPHILE [✓]

Drag one's feet

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❝ To make progress slowly and reluctantly ❞

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What is wrong with me?

I was feeling weirdly upset the whole week, unsettling thoughts pricking the back of my head. Reading cringe-worthy comedy manhwas was no longer helping me get over them.

It all started with that one text Mikey sent.

Replaying Hina's words, Emma's reactions, recalling everything he'd said to me in the past few days, it all felt so.... strange. Was I stupid, or was his flirting heavily out of bounds recently?

And this awful feeling in my chest? This was the worst of it all.

'Aim for Chifuyu, he's sweet, he's nice, he's all you've ever wanted' I kept telling myself, but to no avail. No matter how hard I tried to convince my stubborn self, this... this disgusting fluttering in my stomach just wouldn't go away. It was almost dreadful, haunting.

The only nice possibility was that I might be overthinking things. I really hoped it was merely my mind playing dumb tricks, because I was supposed to help him with Yuzuha. He had said that he liked her, which made this idiotic clenching of my heart more pitiful. It wouldn't fucking stop.

Simply texting him made me question everything, let alone seeing him in person. And Ken-chin's recent call was all about making things more terrible for me. He didn't know about any of the inner wars I was facing, of course. But still, I couldn't bring myself to turn his request down, because I, too, wanted to help in some way.

Even if it meant taking Mikey with me to meet my mom.

Draken asked me to keep him away from his house for at least one day so he and the others could prepare his Christmas gift.

Emma's name flashed across my phone's screen, and I assumed she probably wanted to discuss things in more detail.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" Her tone was jubilant like always, but it soon turned gloomy as she continued, "I'll be coming with you guys. I'll... have to."

"...Huh?"

I was baffled, which was natural because she was so determined about helping others with Mikey's gift.

"Shit happened. The last one we had called dibs on was sold, unfortunately. So Draken and Baji will go looking for other places to search for another one." She paused to let out a puff of air, "Also, Draken just told me that your mom is very strict, so if you showed up with a random guy and asked her to let him stay the night... you might be homeless. So I'll be joining."

"He didn't exaggerate. I've no idea how she'd react after seeing a boy in the same 10 metre radius as me, it'd be easier to convince her if there was a girl alongside."

"It'd be alright, I'm pretty charming, I can help."

I hoped she was right, as we talked more about stuff that did not concern Mikey. It was draining to hear his name over and over. After she hung up, I buried myself among the sheets, my mind slowly processing everything.

Since Draken and Mitsuya were having a hard time finding the thing they were planning to give him....

My fingers immediately looked for a certain someone's number, a knowing smile on my face. I knew he'd be useful someday.

The call was picked up after the fourth ring.

"Wow, this is new." The boy on the side sounded surprised, because I wasn't the one to call people. And especially not him.