Pastel Rose Tales

Chapter 1: Sakura Blooming Future

The next day

I'm sitting on a couch in the first floor living room, relaxing with Onee-chan's tail wrapped around me like a blanket as she snuggles up to me. Jane is looking through her phone, Jeanne is upstairs in her room, Karato-nee is continuing her research while mom and dad are going about their business.

"Nya." Houseki meows as she plays with Arthur, our pet Beagle. An energetic and friendly yet idiotic dog.

What a nice and peaceful morning. I could fall asleep right now.

"Wah!" Onee-chan exclaims, catching my attention and I turn to see Pershing, our second large dog standing on the couch, looking alert.

Pershing is a German Shepherd. He acts as the family guard dog and is cautious of strangers and new people. We found him as a pup, injured and abandoned in front of our house when we were last in Japan.

"What's wrong, Pershing?" Onee-chan asks him before he suddenly jumps over the couch and bolts to the front door. He begins whining and scratching on it as if excited or distressed.

Onee-chan and I exchange looks before we walk over to Pershing.

"What's wrong?" I ask him and he turns to me and whines before pawing the front door, saying he wants to go outside.

"Is Pershing okay?" Houseki asks as she walks over to us followed by Arthur.

I open the front door and Pershing bolts towards the front gate and scratches on it. What's going on with him?

"Oh." Onee-chan says when she suddenly sniffs the air.

"Our guests are here." Onee-chan says and I hear car doors opening in front of the house.

Dimitri-san and Aiz-san are here. But why is Pershing so excited? He's usually calm when they visit.

"Pershing, heel, calm down." I tell him and he steps back from the front gate as I approach it.

I open the front gate and Pershing suddenly bolts outside.

"Pershing!" I call out to him when I hear a yelp and someone fall down. Onee-chan and I rush outside to see that Pershing tackled a girl down and is... licking her face?

Pershing is whining in excitement and wagging his tail in what is possibly the happiest I've ever seen him as he snuggles into the girl.

The girl in question has long black hair and deep blue eyes who curiously looks back up at Pershing before she reaches her hands up and starts petting his face when...

Wings fold out from her back?!

And they aren't feathered wings like bird beast folk... but... dragon wings similar to Jane's... however hers don't appear like a European dragon's, but rather more like a... 'fairy' dragon's...

"Hayasaka, are you okay?!" A woman with long bright blonde hair and yellow eyes exclaims in worry as she checks on the girl.

"I've never seen Pershing this excited..." A man with blonde hair and fierce blue eyes says.

These two are Aiz and Dimitri Tsurumaki, friends and benefactors of our family and quite possibly the richest family in Japan.

Watching Pershing and this girl, Hayasaka, being affectionate with each other...

"It looks like they know each other." Onee-chan says what's on my mind as my parents rush out the house to see what's going on.

"Pershing!" Dad calls out and Pershing gets off the girl but sits next to her as she sits up.

"Do you two... know each other?" I ask Pershing and Hayasaka.

Hayasaka reaches into her simple black dress that ends just above her knees and pulls out a pen and notepad and proceeds to write something down and show it to us.

Thank you for taking care of him.

"Thank you for Taking care of him." I read the note aloud.

"So you knew Pershing, Hayasaka?" Dimitri-san asks her and she nods affirmatively before leaning back onto the german shepherd.

"Wait... Are you saying you were the one who left him at this very spot years ago?" Dad asks Hayasaka in surprise as he points at the front of the gate.

Hayasaka nods affirmatively to the question before she gently rests her forehead on Pershing's before she pulls back out her notepad and writes another message on it.

Beast Folk Traffickers tried to hurt him while trying to take me, so I left him somewhere where I picked up the scent of multiple beast folk here and then flew away so that he would be safe.

After reading the note, my dad's expression shifts to concern before turning to anger.

"[Those goddamn traffickers are fucking everywhere.]" Dad says in English, his tone a calm anger.

"That's horrible..." Onee-chan says as her dog ears droop, empathizing with Hayasaka.

I feel my body run cold at the thought of Beast Folk Traffickers and I clench my right fist, running my thumb over the scar.

I hate beast folk traffickers...

"Hayasaka was rescued from traffickers during a raid and was subsequently adopted. She's currently working for us." Dimitri-san tells us.

"Poor dear was so traumatized, she couldn't speak." Aiz-san says as she pats Hayasaka's head.

"That must've been a horrible experience... wasn't it?" Onee-chan asks Hayasaka as she kneels down to her level and Hayasaka gently nods, prompting Pershing to gently bump his nose on her face, making her smile.

'But because of it, Pershing is safe and happy, that's all that mattered to me then.' Hayasaka writes on her notepad.

"Yes, we've been taking good care of Pershing and he's been a good boy, keeping the house safe." Onee-chan says with a smile and Pershing barks as if confirming Onee-chan's statement.

'I'm glad, I knew he would be, and I'm happy he found a loving family too.' Hayasaka writes.

"And I'm glad to hear you were rescued from those traffickers. How is your life with your adopted family?" I ask Hayasaka.

'They treat me kindly, I'm happy to have met mama, and I'm able to help other people now, rather than just run away.' Hayasaka writes.

"That's good to hear." I say with a smile.

"It seems both you and I found a family where we feel welcomed." Onee-chan says with a smile as her tail wags and Hayasaka nods to her with a small smile.

"Truly heart-warming stories." Aiz-san says with a smile.

"Let's not stand around here, let's head inside." Mom says.

We enter the house and everyone gathers in the living room. When Karato-nee heads downstairs, her reaction is as expected.

"ANOTHER DRAGON?!" Karato-nee exclaims in shock as she looks over Hayasaka who stands still, letting Karato-nee examine her.

"She's a dragon... just like me... I'm sure of it..." Jane says as she stands in front of Hayasaka who looks back at her.

"Why didn't you tell me, you knew another dragon existed?!" Karato-nee asks Dimitri-san.

"Alright, I'm gonna say this right now to get business out of the way. Her identity as a dragon is highly confidential, seeing as the lowliest scum of society targeted her specifically because of that fact. I don't want any unneeded attention being brought to her, that, and she's one of my operatives." Dimitri-san says sternly.

"That's fair... I have to remain alert whenever I'm by myself, especially after what happened with Onee-chan. I always 'pack' whenever I leave home, we all do." Jane says and everyone falls silent, knowing the incident.

I pet Onee-chan's head to comfort her and she leans into me.

"Fair enough. Everyone here can be trusted to keep secrets. I'll share with you that there are things that I've discovered that I don't think I can make public anytime soon, or if ever." Karato tells Dimitri-san, catching his and Aiz-san's curiosity.

"So... James, this is also relevant information for both of your sisters too, but Hayasaka does in fact attend Hanasakigawa. She protects my daughter Kokoro who is one of your underclassmen that I'd like everyone to meet after we're done conversing here. She's also the lead singer of a band that Houseki and Karato happened to recruit yesterday in your quest to find girl bands to perform at your new place of employment." Dimitri-san explains with a smile.

"Mm." Houseki nods while sitting on Aiz-san's lap who is petting her.

"Okay." I nod to Dimitri-san. Looks like that's our plan for today.

"But, not so much business right now, let's enjoy breakfast. Hayasaka is a very talented cook too." Dimitri-san says.

Hayasaka nods enthusiastically, as if wanting to show her skills when suddenly I notice a double-pointed tail that looks like it's made of two long blue sparrow feathers wagging back and forth behind her.

"That's a cute tail you have there." Jane tells Hayasaka, wagging her own tail.

"Oh yes, Houseki, Hayasaka volunteered herself to make the cake you wanted." Dimitri-san says with a smile as Houseki looks over at Hayasaka who holds up a box out of and opens it to show the cake inside.

"Cake! Nya!" Houseki cheers with a smile as Aiz-san smiles.

"Breakfast first." I tell Houseki and she reels herself in.

"Okay, papa." Houseki nods in reply.

"What a good girl, always listening to your papa." Aiz-san praises Houseki as she pets her.

"Nya~." Houseki meows.

"Let me help too, Hayasaka-chan." Onee-chan says as she stands up. Hayasaka nods in reply as they head to the kitchen.

"I'll help them." Jeanne says as she follows Onee-chan and Hayasaka.

"James, how was your first day at Hanasakigawa?" Aiz-san asks me.

"It went well actually, no trouble at all. I think it's because of everyone else vouching for me." I say.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks from the kitchen,

"Nya~." Houseki meows.

"... I still don't really roar..." Jane says, prompting laughter from Dimitri-san and Aiz-san.

"Just go 'rawr'." Karato-nee suggests.

"That sounds more like a lion than a dragon." Jane says.

"James is lucky you're a dragon rather than a lioness." Karato-nee says under her breath and I shudder knowing a certain trivia about lions...

"That would've been interesting to observe." Dimitri-san says and I just sigh, already feeling like my hands are full as is.

----------

2 hours and 20 minutes later

"This place is huge..." Jeanne says as she looks at the size of the Tsurumaki estate. Me and my family are in awe, this is the first time we've seen the place.

"I'll say..." Jane says as she flies back down after getting a view of the estate from the sky.

Dimitri-san and Aiz-san show us a portion of the place. I knew the Tsurumakis were crazy rich, but their house challenges my idea of just how rich they are. I also notice the 'Suits' secretly keeping an eye on us. The 'Suits' are the Tsurumaki family's personal security detail and they're always keeping the Tsurumakis safe and doing their bidding.

"Hayasaka, why don't you kids head to the garden while we adults discuss a few boring things?" Aiz-san tells Hayasaka who nods affirmatively to her.

"Do I need to be there for the 'boring things'?" Karato-nee asks.

"For a few things, yes. You can join the kids after." Dimitri-san tells her and Karato-nee sighs, not liking 'boring things'.

Dimitri-san and Aiz-san lead Karato-nee and my parents somewhere while we turn to Hayasaka.

'Follow me.' Hayasaka writes before turning around with Pershing walking right next to her.

Hayasaka leads us to the large open garden where sakura trees are blossoming and pink petals are flowing through the wind.

"Wow..." Jeanne says as we look around while Arthur runs around the large space while Pershing just stays attached to Hayasaka.

"It's so beautiful..." Onee-chan says in awe with her tail wagging.

'Feel free to relax wherever. If anything happens, I'll bring it up.' Hayasaka writes before she lays down on the grass and Pershing climbs on top of her and rests his head on hers as they snuggle and relax in the garden.

"I'm gonna get a better view." Jane says before flying up while Jeanne goes off on her own while the idiotic Beagle runs around, enjoying the large space.

I take a deep breath, feeling relaxed at how peaceful it is here. After walking around looking for bands yesterday, I'm glad Marina-san let us have today off.

"Nya." Houseki meows as she catches some sakura petals falling like a cat, making me smile.

"Let's walk around." Onee-chan says with a smile and I nod to her.

"Houseki." I call out to her.

"Nya." Houseki meows as she walks up to me and I pick her up in my arms as she snuggles into me while holding the sakura petals she caught.

Onee-chan and I walk through the garden with Houseki, watching the cherry blossoms and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the garden and admiring the flowers and other plants here.

I can say that this garden is a worthy investment of money by Dimitri-san and Aiz-san. It's really nice and pleasant here.

"Hm?" Onee-chan hums inquisitively when she suddenly sniffs the air.

Onee-chan walks off in a certain direction, seemingly picking up an interesting scent. I follow her with Houseki in my arms. Onee-chan leads us to an open space where a group of 9 girls are hanging out.

"Kokoro." Houseki says before she hops out of my arms and runs towards an energetic blonde girl. So that's Kokoro the Tsurumaki heiress

"Ah! It's Houseki!" Kokoro calls out when she sees Houseki approach her.

"Houseki!" An orange-haired girl exclaims as she turns to Houseki.

"Nya~." Houseki meows in greeting as the two girls approach her.

"It's nice to see you again, Houseki. Did you come to visit?" Kokoro asks.

"Uncle Dimitri invited us over..." Houseki nods affirmatively.

"Oh, you're here with your family?" Kokoro asks and Houseki nods.

"You're Kokoro Tsurumaki?" I ask as we approach them.

"Ah! I know you!" Kokoro exclaims as she points at me, catching me off guard.

"You do?" I ask her. I've never met the Tsurumaki daughter before but I've heard of her before from her parents.

"Mm-hmm. You're-" Kokoro is cut off by someone charging towards me.

"James!" The white-haired girl exclaims as she tackles me into a hug.

"Whoa!" I exclaim as I stagger back from the impact but maintain my balance.

"Wakamiya-san?!" The girl with short black hair exclaims.

"U-Ummm..." I vocalize in confusion as the white-haired girl hugs before she pulls back to look up at me. Wait... she looks familiar...

"Do you remember? It's me, Eve!" The white-haired girl says before a flood of memories enter my mind.

"Eve!" I exclaim before hugging her, much to her joy.

"I'm so happy to see you again." Eve says as she hugs me back.

"Sora-san, it's so wonderful to see you again!" Eve says as she walks over to Onee-chan and hugs her.

"I'm really happy to see you again too, Eve-chan." Onee-chan says happily as she hugs Eve back and her tail brushes against Eve for a moment.

"Wakamiya-san, you know them too?!" The girl with light brown twintails says and I turn to her before it clicks into my mind.

"Huh? Arisa...?" I say as I recognize the girl.

"Y-Yeah, it's me..." Arisa shyly says as she crosses her arms.

"Papa, Misaki knew you too." Houseki says as she points at the girl with short black hair.

"Misaki..." I say as I look at her while I remember my time with her.

"It's been years, I didn't expect to meet you here." Misaki says with a small smile.

"So he's Jane-senpai's twin brother?" A girl with a brown ponytail asks.

"Correct!" Jane exclaims as she flies down, catching everyone by surprise.

"Wah!" Some of the girls yelp.

"Wow! You really can fly!" A girl with brown hair that has cat ears(?) says.

"A dragon!" The orange-haired girl says.

"Jane!" Eve exclaims as she runs over to hug Jane.

"Nice to you again, Eve." Jane says as she hugs Eve back.

"Wow, quite the reunion we're seeing here." The girl with a ponytail says.

"Misaki, Arisa and Eve all knew James, Jane and Sora?" Kokoro asks, tilting her head.

"Yes, they were childhood friends of ours." Onee-chan says with a smile while wagging her tail.

"Her tail is so long, it has to be a world record." A girl with long black hair says.

"It is." Jane and I say in unison.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks while smiling.

"It looks like it grew longer from when I last saw it." Misaki says, looking at Onee-chan's tail.

"We have new faces here, so why don't we introduce ourselves?" Onee-chan says and everyone briefly introduces themselves.

Arisa and her friends, Kasumi, Saaya, Tae and Rimi, are members of Poppin'Party; Misaki, Kokoro and Hagumi are in Hello, Happy World; and Eve is in Pastel Palettes. Plus they're all our underclassmen at Hanasakigawa.

Huh, talk about a fateful encounter.

"It's so nice to see everyone again~." Onee-chan says happily as she wags her tail.

"Your tail is so long and fluffy... Can I touch it?" Tae asks Onee-chan, prompting Onee-chan's tail to move and quickly wrap itself around me.

"I'm sorry, but only James can touch my tail. This tail solely belongs to him." Onee-chan says as the tip of her tail brushes against my face as I stroke her tail gently.

"Awww..." Tae says in disappointment.

"I see that that hasn't changed at all..." Misaki says with a nervous chuckle.

"Sora-nee never lets anyone touch her tail except for James." Arisa says.

"Indeed, only James has permission to caress her tail." Eve says with a smile.

"Why's that?" Tae asks, tilting her head.

"Sora-san loves James very much." Eve says with a smile.

"Very, very, very much since the moment they met." Jane adds.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks cheerfully as her wagging tail brushes against my face, making me chuckle in amusement.

"James." Misaki calls out to me and I turn to her.

"Did Houseki just call you papa earlier?" Misaki asks me.

"Mm. Papa is Houseki's papa." Houseki says as she rubs her face against my side affectionately as her tail wraps itself around my leg. I smile as I pet my precious little gem.

"Oh, so James was Houseki's papa." Kokoro says before she smiles at me.

"Houseki really loves you, we could tell when she was talking about you yesterday." Kokoro tells me.

"And I really love her, she's my precious little gem." I say with a smile as I keep petting Houseki.

"Nya~." Houseki meows with a smile as she keeps rubbing against me affectionately.

"She's so cute~." Rimi says with a smile as Tae and Saaya nod in agreement.

"James-senpai seems like he'd make a good father." Saaya says with a smile and I blush a bit at the compliment.

"But why does she call you 'Papa' instead of 'Onii-san'?" Arisa asks me and I take a deep breath as Onee-chan lets go of me.

"... I was the one who found her... She was abandoned and I couldn't leave her alone, so I brought her home..." I say as I pick Houseki up in my arms and hug her close while everyone falls silent. "To make a long story short, my family adopted her and she imprinted on me as her father."

"Papa saved me... I love papa." Houseki says while smiling as she rubs her face against my neck as everyone looks at us.

"That's wonderful! You gave Houseki a loving family and made her smile!" Kokoro says with a smile.

"That's so kind of you and your family." Saaya says.

"They truly are." Onee-chan says with a gentle smile. I reach over and pat her head, making her smile more and wag her tail.

"So what have you all been up to in America?" Arisa asks us.

"Really nothing much for me and Jeanne, but Onee-chan and Onii-chan on the other hand..." Jane says as she uses her tail to point at us.

"James and I, along with our friend Alisa-chan, became classical musicians~." Onee-chan says happily, amazing everyone.

"Really?" Misaki says.

"You play classical music?" Rimi asks.

"Yes, we've taken part in many competitions and performed for stageplays too." Onee-chan says with a smile.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Kasumi says with a smile.

"Mm-hmm. They're very talented and make people smile. My parents and I have seen them perform many times." Kokoro says.

"You've watched us perform before?" I ask her.

"Yeah! Mama and papa brought me with them to see many of your performances. I loved them!" Kokoro says with a smile, bouncing on her feet.

"Thank you, Kokoro-chan, we're happy to hear that." Onee-chan says with a smile.

"I didn't think that you'd follow Sora-nee into classical music." Arisa tells me.

"Well, you could say... I kinda had to..." I say, trailing off before taking a deep breath.

"But it was fun though, and I'm glad I did it." I say with a smile.

"What instruments do you and Sora-senpai play, James-senpai?" Kasumi asks me excitedly.

"Onee-chan plays the piano and I'm on vocals while Alisa is violin." I say.

"We have to hear you all perform sometime." Eve says.

"Sure thing, Eve." I say with a smile.

"Oh, that's right! Sora-san, I've kept up my skills with the blade over the years. Have you also kept your skills sharp?" Eve asks Onee-chan who's dog ears perk up.

Onee-chan smiles and swings the drawing tube slinged around her back forward.

"Yes~." Onee-chan says while smiling before she pops the lid off, showing a katana handle. She then swiftly draws her blade, shocking everyone.

"Is that a real sword?!" Arisa asks in shock as she points at the katana.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks with a smile.

"Wow! A real sword!" Hagumi exclaims.

"Such a beautiful blade. Where did you get it, Sora-san?" Eve asks, admiring Onee-chan's katana.

"It was a gift from Aiz-san." Onee-chan says.

"Oh, mama gave it to you?" Kokoro asks Onee-chan who nods affirmatively.

"Just what is your relationship with the Tsurumaki family?" Misaki asks us.

"That is a very good question." Jane says and I place Houseki back on her feet.

"Dimitri-san and Aiz-san are good friends of the family, as for how that started, it was actually because of Karato-nee. They showed great interest in Karato-nee's research and have funded them. They wanted to have her live in Japan so that they could have 'immediate access' to her research. Karato-nee turned them down and so they turned to my family, knowing just how close she is to us. They approached our parents when my dad was almost finished with his station assignment here and made an offer for us and Karato-nee to live in Japan." I explain.

"Karato-nee didn't want to be away from us, Onii-chan and I have literally known her all our life. She's not just a very close friend of the family, she is part of the family; spending most of her day at home with us. She keeps close tabs on my growth and even Onii-chan provides her with some research data. The only way the Tsurumakis could convince her was to convince us to stay in Japan and Dimitri-san, being the smart man he is, realized this." Jane explains.

"Our parents and Karato-nee agreed to that, but first we moved back to the US to finish up some business. The Tsurumakis also ensured none of her work would end up in someone else's hands; they want to have a monopoly on a lot of Karato-nee's research." I finish explaining.

"That's quite the history between your family and Kokoro's..." Misaki says in intrigue.

"It is." I say with a sigh.

"But we've only heard a few stories about Kokoro, we've never met her till today." I add.

"What did they tell you about Kokoro?" Misaki asks me, almost urgently.

"That she was friendly, cheerful and loved to make people happy." I reply and Kokoro giggles.

"That's Kokoron!" Hagumi says with a smile as Kasumi nods in agreement.

"Is that all?" Misaki asks as she grabs my shoulders with an almost manic look in her eyes.

"Y-Yeah..." I say, confused about Misaki's behavior before she suddenly grips my shoulders tight.

"... Be careful... Kokoro can be a handful to deal with and can drive you up the wall... She's cheerful, she's crazy, she's rich, she's unrelenting..." Misaki tells me in a serious tone with a blank stare as if recalling memories.

I turn over to look at Kokoro and see her smiling. Somehow... I can feel that this girl is likely an unrelenting force of... happiness...

If that's the case... I should be prepared on how to handle her, given my family's ties with hers.

Suddenly my phone randomly chimes, snapping me and Misaki out of our thoughts. I pull it out to see a message from an unknown number.

Finding it suspicious, I cautiously open the message to see what it is.

We'll see each other soon, wait for me~

Love, MNK.

What the hell is this?

Who the hell is MNK?

Maybe they got the wrong number?

That's likely it.

I close the message and I notice something odd...

Why is the name 'MNK' in my contacts? Their name is listed out, but there's no contact information...

I don't recall any of this...

...

This is concerning...

I select 'MNK' in my contacts and hover over the delete option... only to find that it's not there...

I check my other contacts and find the delete option available. I go back to MNK and it's not there...

What the hell is going on...?

Is my phone bugging out? A virus? A hack?

I feel my body grow cold as a feeling of dread wells up inside me...

MNK

Who the hell are they...?

"James, are you okay?" Onee-chan worriedly calls out to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I take a deep breath to recompose myself

"I'm fine... My phone's just bugging out, it got me worried. I keep important stuff in here." I say.

"I see, we can have it checked out later." Onee-chan says as she pats my head.

"Hayasaka!" Kokoro calls out and we turn to see Hayasaka walking towards us with Pershing next to her.

'Kokoro, Aiz-sama had food prepared for us.' Hayasaka shows us on her notepad.

"Okay." Kokoro says with a smile.

"Hayasaka-kun, who's that doggy with you?" Hagumi asks Hayasaka.

'This is Pershing, he's an old friend of mine under the Matthews family's care.' Hayasaka writes with a smile and pats Pershing on the head.

"Sounds like another story." Tae says with a smile.

"Let's hear it while eating~." Kokoro says.

"Let's go!" Kokoro says as she starts walking while humming followed by everyone.

"Onii-chan?" Jane calls out to me as I stand in place.

"Go on ahead, I'm just gonna check on something first." I say and Jane nods before joining the others.

"We should spar, Sora-san! I wish to see where our skills with the blade stand compared to each other." Eve excitedly tells Onee-chan.

"I'd be happy to oblige, Eve-chan." Onee-chan replies while smiling and wagging her tail.

I look around and wait for everyone to be away before walking behind a sakura tree.

I move my jacket aside and draw my Springfield 1911 Professional, a gift from my granddad. I always carry a gun outside after the incident. I check the loaded magazine then perform a press check to see a live .45 ACP round in the chamber.

"Why am I feeling dread...?" I ask myself as I load the mag back in and holster my gun.

"Is it a hacker or stalker? A stalker-hacker?" I ask myself as I pull my phone out before another message suddenly appears.

Don't worry, if anyone tries to steal your information or hurt you, I'll make them disappear. Don't worry, go be with your family and friends and enjoy your meal. You'll be safe, so long as I'm looking out for you.

Love, MNK.

...

What the fuck...?

I'm being watched... how else would they know?

I quickly look around but find no one and nothing...

Wait... I look down in my hand, at my phone...

"Who are you...? What do you want...?" I ask 'them', testing a theory.

Who am I...? Hmm... I guess... you can call me your girlfriend~. I'm also your personal assistant. I can help you with anything, from the mundane, like having a study partner and look for info, to the extreme, like your 'extracurricular activities' with your mentor.

As for what I want... Well... Everyday, I imagine a future where I can be with you~.

Love, MNK.

My breathing stops as I internally panic... She knows about the 'extracurriculars'... How...?

Should I trust her words? It seems like she's not out to hurt me or anyone I know... but all I have is her word...

I want to ask her more, but I hold myself back, for my mental well-being.

I take a few moments to calm myself down and regain my composure. I wipe the sweat from my face and fix my clothes before making my way back to everyone.

I'll keep MNK's existence to myself for now...

----------

35 minutes later

"That's amazing!" Kasumi exclaims after hearing facts about beast folks.

"There's so many interesting things about beast folks. Their biology is mostly similar to humans, but with some particulars related to their animal traits." Karato-nee says. She joined us earlier after talking about the 'boring things' with the adults. She likes research but she still finds certain topics boring, like budget allocation.

"You're putting too much mayo again, Karato-nee." I say as Karato-nee drowns her takoyaki in mayonnaise.

"You can never put too much mayonnaise, James, never." Karato-nee says before eating a takoyaki doused in mayonnaise. I really like mayo (thanks to Karato-nee), but there's a thing as being too much...

"Mmmm~." Karato-nee vocalizes blissfully as she chews on her mayo-drowned takoyaki.

"I wonder if Onii-chan is more mature than Karato-nee at times... Onii-chan takes care of Karato-nee a lot." Jane says and Jeanne hums in agreement.

"Mm." Houseki nods.

"Last I remember, he always had to take care of you too." Arisa points out.

"And he still does~." Jane says with a smile as her tail wags.

"James seems like he has plenty of responsibilities, taking care of Jane, Karato-san and Houseki-chan." Eve says.

"Plus Alisa-nee-chan and Iris, and even Sora-nee-chan." Jeanne adds.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks, her tail wagging.

"James has grown into a reliable young man." Eve says with a smile.

"I still have a lot of growing to do though." I say with a smile.

"Yes, all while being the alpha of 4 beast folk girls." Karato-nee says.

"Just for the record, dragons don't have alphas." Jeanne points out.

"So you see James as your alpha too, Karato-san?" Tae asks Karato-nee who blushes a bit.

"James has always been good with girls." Arisa says.

"Now that I think about it... I don't think he had guy friends back then." Misaki says.

"He was only friends with girls?" Rimi asks, surprised.

"I can attest to that. Sure, James knew a few boys back then, but none I could classify as a friend, just acquaintances. The first time he had a friend who was a boy was when we moved back stateside, and even then you could count on one hand how many guy friends he has." Karato-nee says.

"Don't we mean Joe is the only friend Onii-chan has who's a boy?" Jane says.

"Still a ladies' man, huh?" Arisa asks me in a light teasing tone and I groan lightly in embarrassment.

"Especially if they're beast folk, they're attracted to James because of the various scents of different beast folks on him." Karato-nee says.

"So he's a harem protagonist?" Tae bluntly says and I choke on my breath as some others are shocked by what she said. Does this girl have a filter in her head?

"His past sounds like something you could read from a romance novel." Saaya says.

"A harem romance novel..." Misaki says.

"Alisa's mom agrees." Jane says with a giggle.

"I wonder if James would get along with Alex? I need to check that, though it seems likely since he has all those scents attached to him." Karato-nee says.

If I recall correctly, Alex is the pig boy who Karato-nee helped birth around the same time as Jane and I. He has an extremely rare mutation of having pig hooves instead of human feet, he has pig ears and a tail on top of having sharper canine teeth that appear somewhat like tusks. I don't know anything else about him besides that, but apparently he's really funny since every so often Karato-nee starts randomly laughing saying she remembered something he said recently.

----------

[Alex's POV]

I draw several heavy breaths as I continue to stare down my sensei with sweat dripping down my head as I clutch my bamboo sword and fix my stance.

"Can you keep going?" Sensei asks as I take another heavy breath and close my eyes for a moment before opening my eyes and slowly nodding to her.

"I can keep going, sensei, don't worry about me." I assure her. She giggles before preparing to strike again.

Her small frame makes it so hard to land a significant blow and she's so fast too, but that's to be expected, she's been doing this for a while. I slowly approach her, keeping my feet in mind so that she doesn't sweep me while my gaze is locked on her.

----------

30 minutes later

"5-0." Sensei says with the tip of her bamboo sword pointed at my throat.

"I need to remember to record these to file for a human rights violation..." I say jokingly while catching my breath causing sensei to laugh out loud before lowering her blade and pulling me up.

I don't understand how she's so light but so strong.

----------

15 minutes later [James' POV]

"Ow!" Eve exclaims as she lands on her back with a wooden sword pointed at her throat while her own wooden sword lies a few feet from her.

"I admit defeat..." Eve says and Onee-chan smiles as she pulls her sword back from Eve's throat.

"And that's Sora-senpai's victory again." Hagumi says.

"That's 5-0." Jane says.

"Wakamiya-san couldn't last 2 minutes against Sora-san..." Misaki says.

"Sora-senpai was so fast!" Kasumi exclaims.

"Are you alright, Eve-chan?" Onee-chan asks as she holds her hand out to Eve.

"Yes." Eve says as she grabs Onee-chan's hand who helps her up.

"That was amazing, Sora-senpai! Your skills far exceed what I imagined." Eve says with a smile.

"Thank you, Eve-chan." Onee-chan says with a smile.

"How does she even move that fast with a tail that long?!" Arisa exclaims in disbelief.

"You don't know? Longer tails actually allow you to coordinate your movements better, it's why the Mosasaur was one of the most agile ocean predators, its tail was over a third the length of its entire body, and same goes for dogs, longer tail means better coordination." Karato-nee explains.

"And don't even dare try to go after her tail... She turns rabid if you do..." Jane warns everyone in a dead serious tone, causing them to all look at Onee-chan who rubs her arm nervously.

"I'm... still sorry about what I did... I know I went overboard..." Onee-chan says nervously as she looks away.

"Onee-chan, don't. I know I messed up, you should protect your tail no matter the cost." Jane says with a warm smile to Onee-chan causing Onee-chan's mood to lighten up.

"What did she do?" Arisa asks.

"That's a story for another time." I say and everyone tries to imagine what happened.

"Well... I always knew Sora-nee could be terrifying when she wants to be..." Arisa says, slightly pale.

"Trust me... there's something I saw that would make you question what you knew." I say as I once again remember that night, what happened and what I learned about Onee-chan.

Everyone turns to me curiously, wondering what that is but I shake my head sideways, refusing to talk. Everything falls silent until Misaki lets out a deep sigh.

"Well... Sora-san undoubtedly fits in the Matthews family... including the aggression when crossed." Misaki says jokingly.

"Pretty much." Jeanna says with a smirk.

"You need to be a certain degree of aggressive and hot-headed to be in this family." Jane says with a smile.

"And Onee-chan is part of this family." I say as I pet Onee-chan's head, much to her joy.

"I can confirm you all are, only Houseki has yet to display that behavior." Karato-nee says.

"Nya~." Houseki meows.

"No one messes with our family and gets away with it." I say, prompting Jane, Onee-chan, Houseki, Karato-nee and Jeanne to all nod in agreement.

"Truly a family with a strong bond and the will of warriors. Bushido!" Eve says with a smile.

"And James plans on following his father and his grandfather's footsteps to become a soldier." Everyone turns to see Dimitri-san walking towards us.

"Papa!" Kokoro cheers as she runs up to Dimitri-san and hugs him. Dimitri-san smiles and pets his daughter's head.

"You're really going into the military?" Misaki asks me.

"I am, I'm from a family of soldiers and want to follow in their footsteps, but not like it's gonna be my whole life. But it gives me a goal until I find something I want to do, a path I want to take, a career I want to have." I say as I look at my hands.

"And I've been training hard under my mentor. She puts me through hell, but it's all to prepare me for the real hell." I say.

"I always knew you'd make a great warrior, James." Eve says with a determined expression. "I need to catch up with you and Sora-san."

"I can help you practice, Eve-chan." Onee-chan offers.

"Really? I'd like that, Sora-san. Let's grow stronger together! Bushido!" Eve exclaims.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks.

"Speaking of warriors, that reminds me." Dimitri-san says.

"An ARES game from a developer we've invested in is going to be released soon. It's an MMORPG that's been in the works for 5 years now and boasts new and revolutionary AI technology." Dimitri-san tells us.

The Alternative Reality Entertainment System or ARES is a gaming console that is 'a revolutionary device that places your mind and consciousness into the game, letting you feel like you're actually there in an alternate reality.' ARES began as a military training system before being developed into a gaming system.

"Oh, what game is it?" Jane asks curiously.

"Twin Worlds Online." Dimitri-san answers and I remember seeing advertisements for said game.

"Oh yeah, that one. It's been all over gaming news recently." Jane says.

"Gonna try it out?" Dimitri-san asks us.

"Maybe, but we are more of a shooter game crew." I say.

"You were always a gun guy." Misaki says.

"Still am." I say with a smile.

"Give it a try if you ever get a chance. I was impressed with the demo they showed investors." Dimitri-san says before looking over somewhere else.

"And I've never seen Hayasaka this relaxed before." Dimitri-san says and everyone turns to Hayasaka with her face buried in Pershing's fur while lying on the grass.

"She's lost in the fluff." Tae says with a smile.

"That looks so comfy." Kokoro says.

"If you want to see true 'lost in the fluff', look at Onii-chan when he's wrapped by Onee-chan's tail or when he's buried in Alisa's tails." Jane says.

"I have pictures." Karato-nee says as she pulls out her phone.

"What?! Why?!" I exclaims.

"Research data and it looks cute. I even have some of you as a baby clinging to my tail." Karato-nee says and I blush in embarrassment. "First ultrasound revealed he was clinging to his sister's tail, this boy has been a tail freak since before birth."

I groan in embarrassment while blushing as the girls giggle.

"Can we see?" Kokoro asks along as she and the other crowd around Karato-nee to see the pictures.

"Tail." Jane says as she wags her tail in front of me.

"Shut up, Jane." I say as I grab her tail and hug it, making her smile.

I then gently slide my finger over her tail, causing Jane to moan but she quickly stops herself.

"And don't forget I know everyone's 'weak' spots." I remind Jane in a playful tone, causing her to shiver.

Today, I reunited with Arisa, Misaki and Eve who are from Poppin'Party, Hello, Happy World and Pastel Palettes respectively while Tsugumi is in Afterglow and Na-chan is in Glitter Green; that makes it 5 of the 6 bands participating in the live that I have a childhood friend in.

Do I know someone in Roselia...? I didn't seem to-

Wait...

Ri-ri...

Calling Rinko that felt way too natural for me to have been a spur of the moment thing...

Could it be...?

----------

Late afternoon

We spent the whole day at the Tsurumaki estate, catching up with familiar faces and getting to know new ones. Kokoro and her band's goal is to make the whole world smile while Kasumi is searching for something called the 'Star Beat' with her band. Eve is a member of Pastel Palettes, Alisa's favorite idol group, and is a member of three clubs at Hanasakigawa.

Today has been fun but right now my mind is concerned about two things, Rinko and MNK.

I decided to take a walk around while everyone else went back home. I need some fresh air to get my thoughts in order. As much as I love being with everyone, I enjoy some peaceful alone time too.

I walk over a bridge before stopping halfway and leaning on the guardrail. I close my eyes and take some deep breaths to clear my head of my worries and concerns.

I open my eyes and look up at the peaceful deep, dark blue sky. I stretch my hand out, reaching towards it.

...

'Sky'... 'Sora'... you really are... always with me...

My hands tap on the guardrail before shifting to my fingers tapping across the rail as if tapping on keys. I've picked up this habit a couple of years ago and find myself doing it from time to time when I'm idle, bored or stressed. It helps me relax.

"James-san?" I'm taken by surprise and snapped out of my thoughts. I turn to my side and see Rinko.

"Ri-ri... you surprised me." I say as I regain my composure and Rinko blushes a bit at the nickname.

"I didn't mean to... scare you... I just saw you... and wanted to greet you..." Rinko says.

"Were you imitating... playing on a piano? Your fingers were moving... like they were playing on a piano..." Rinko asks me as she motions to my hands.

"Well... I kind of was... It's a habit I picked up after learning to play the piano." I tell Rinko.

"You can... play the piano?" Rinko asks me, surprised.

"Yeah, I learned from Onee-chan." I nod and Rinko hums, sounding impressed.

I look at Rinko's face, trying to remember anything about her... I can't recall anything, but... I have this feeling like I know her... It also seems like Rinko doesn't remember me...

Is something blocking my memories? I did suffer some concussions during training with the Captain, though they were nothing major.

"J-James-san?" Rinko calls out to me and I notice her blushing.

"Y-You're st-staring at me..." Rinko shyly says as she looks away in embarrassment.

"Oh, s-sorry about that... I... got lost in thought..." I say as I nervously rub my neck, embarrassed to get caught staring.

"I s-see..." Rinko nervously replies, still blushing.

Rinko and I stand in awkward silence before something comes to mind. I take a deep breath before looking back at Rinko

"Umm... Ri-ri..." I call out to her.

"Y-Yes?" Rinko turns back to me, still blushing.

"Would you like to listen to me play the piano? We have a piano at home and I can show you if you'd like." I ask Rinko which seems to catch her interest.

"That... sounds like... it would be nice..." Rinko shyly answers as she shifts her gaze to the ground.

"Then let's go before it gets too late." I say with a small smile before I notice my hand instinctively extending itself to Rinko.

Rinko looks at my hand, and I get a little nervous about what I just did. As I'm about to pull my hand away, Rinko slowly reaches her trembling hand towards mine. I reach for Rinko's hand and grab it, causing Rinko to blush as I feel her trembling from her hand.

With our hands held together, I start walking and Rinko follows, letting me lead her. Us slowly walking to my house, it feels... nostalgic...

The name Ri-ri feels so familiar to me... and it felt natural for me to call Rinko that... yet something feels... different... like something has changed between 'Ri-ri' and 'Rinko'.

Rinko and I continue walking in silence. I expected it to be awkward, but... it's actually peaceful and Rinko's trembling has stopped, seemingly becoming relaxed as she keeps holding my hand.

We soon reach my house and enter.

"I'm home." I announce as I enter the house.

"Welcome back, Onii-" Jane pauses after seeing Rinko with me who shyly trembles behind me.

"Inviting girls over now? Aren't we getting bold~." Jane says teasingly with an amused expression as her tail further conveys as such while Rinko blushes.

"Shut up Jane." I quickly say and Jane just giggles before she looks back at Rinko.

"P-Pardon m-my... intrusion..." Rinko shyly says as she nervously rubs her arm.

"Don't be so nervous. Please come in and make yourself at home. You're always welcome here, Ri-ri." Jane tells Rinko, surprising her with the nickname. Jane's use of the nickname fuelling my suspicions.

"T-Thank you, Jane-san." Rinko slightly bows her head and Jane smiles at her before heading back to the living room.

"The piano is upstairs." I tell Rinko and she nods to me.

I lead Rinko upstairs as she looks around curiously. We head towards the music room where we practice and keep our instruments. I open the door as I hear rapid 'foot'steps approaching before Onee-chan is right next to us on all fours

"S-Sora-san...?" Rinko says as she looks at Onee-chan.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks with a smile as she wags her tail.

"She's very reactive whenever I walk towards the music room. She seems to always know when I'm heading here." I say with a chuckle as Onee-chan brushes against my leg and my back with her tail.

"Come on, Onee-chan, up on two feet." I tell her.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks as she stands on her feet. She knows I won't enter until she stands up properly.

"..." Rinko looks in silence at me and Onee-chan.

"That's not the worst of it." Karato-nee says, startling Rinko as she passes by.

"Come on." I say as I open the door and enter with Onee-chan. Rinko pauses for a moment before entering the room. Her eyes seemingly light up as she looks around the room and at the instruments.

"Dad had this place soundproofed so we can practice all out." I say as I tap on the soundproofed walls.

"Drums...?" Rinko says as she looks at a boxed up drum kit in the corner of the room.

"There's a story behind that..." I say as Onee-chan and I look at the drum kit that hasn't been used in 2 years.

"Jane used drums as a way to get past her trauma." I say as I tap my hand on the cymbal placed on top of the box.

"Trauma?" Rinko asks.

"The first time we moved to Japan... we went for a walk and Jane got separated... Long story short, imagine people looking at you like some spectacle for being a rare beast folk, all of them strangers, speaking a language you're still learning and taking photos like you're just some object or animal rather than a little girl who got lost and is desperately looking for her family." I say as Rinko shivers at the image I presented.

"I imagine... it was a very busy place... which only caused the background noise... to add to the people marveling at Jane-san..." Rinko says with clear trepidation.

"Yes, all the sounds and noise of the city, the people talking, it all muddled together into a head-splitting cacophony." I say as I clench my fist and take a deep breath to calm myself.

"I'm just glad I was able to pick up on her scent quickly, otherwise things could've ended up a lot worse." We turn to see Karato-nee at the door with one of her journals in hand and a pencil.

"I had to lecture those people about treating beast folks like some spectacle and Diana threw harsh words at them for how they treated her daughter. Meanwhile James looked like he wanted to hurt those people." Karato-nee says.

"And I still do think they deserve to get hurt." I say in anger. I may have mellowed out compared to when I was a kid, but I still hold that grudge, they traumatized my dear sister after all.

"Sudden loud noises put her on edge and large noisy crowds made her sick. It took time for her to recover." I say as Karato-nee and Onee-chan nod.

"Does it... still bother her...?" Rinko asks in concern.

"She's more or less moved past it, though there are still moments and she still avoids large noisy crowds like a plague, preferring to fly over them unless she has someone she trusts with her." Karato-nee says.

"I see..." Rinko says.

"So she learned... to play the drums... to get over her trauma of noises?" Rinko says and we all nod affirmatively.

"Unfortunately, Jane hasn't played the drums in 2 years, so they've been sitting idle." Onee-chan says.

"I called Alex to see if he'd be interested in coming over to dinner tonight, but he said his sensei laid the smackdown on him and he's currently filing a human rights complaint." Karato-née adds.

"Why does that sound familiar to me...?" I say with a sigh.

"Because it would be accurate to say that your mentor's training comes with occupational hazards and you literally signed a waiver?" Karato-nee says.

"Yeah, that's why." I say sarcastically as Rinko looks in shock and concern at me.

"Don't worry about it, Ri-ri, it's nothing dangerous." I say as Onee-chan and Karato-nee give me the 'Really?' look.

"Zip it or I'm putting your mayo on the top shelf again." I say and Karato-nee turns pale as her pupils shrink.

"Waaaaaan! Anything but that!" Karato-nee complains like a child at my warning, reminding her that she's no longer taller than me.

Everyone stops when Rinko chuckles at our antics and we all turn to her.

"I have a feeling... that everyone here... has a close bond with each other..." Rinko says with a smile.

"We're all family here. Karato-nee I've known since birth and Onee-chan has been my Onee-chan since we took her in. Plus you already know that Houseki is my daughter." I say with a smile.

"I can tell, I'm... glad we're classmates... and that... I was able to see this... your family is... very kind and welcoming... You're home... feels so warm and relaxing." Rinko says happily with clear happiness present in her eyes as they slightly gleam.

"Hehehe. As the fox and wolf have also said, Alisa and Iris consider the Matthews household their second home. I used to as well, but now it's my home too." Karato-nee says while smiling as her tail wags.

"You're welcome to come visit anytime as well, Rinko-chan, you don't have to be shy." Onee-chan tells Rinko with a warm smile. Rinko is surprised and turns to me, I just smile as well. Rinko gently smiles back before she looks at the piano and gently runs her fingers across it before opening the cover to reveal the keys as she gently sits down on the piano seat.

She gently brushes her fingers over the keys before Onee-chan takes a seat right next to Rinko and leans her head on Rinko's shoulder before closing her eyes and Rinko simply smiles at the gesture. Karato-nee and I smile at the scene as this scene feels familiar to me.

I'm almost certain Rinko is Ri-ri, and I knew Ri-ri is someone I knew. I just need to remember...

"She certainly made herself at home. Leave the door open so we can hear you play." Karato-nee says with a smile before walking away. Onee-chan gently brushes her tail against Rinko's back, which doesn't startle Rinko and instead seems to make her relax.

"You know... I always thought that it would be nice... if I had a little brother with a fluffy tail and ears..." Rinko gently says before she places her fingers on the keys slowly starts playing a soothing melody that instantly reawakens memories...

And a photo... that was given to an old friend long ago...

A photo...

... of two young girls, one with a long dog tail, and a young boy resting on a piano seat together, lulled to sleep from a soothing melody played by the long dark-haired girl in the middle.

Ri-ri was my childhood friend who loved the piano... and Rinko is Ri-ri...

I close my eyes as the memories flood in while Ri-ri continues playing the piano.

Rinko soon finishes the melody and I walk towards them.

"Mind if I cut in?" I ask with a small smile.

Onee-chan smiles as she moves aside, making space between her and Rinko. I sit in between them and I look at the keys of the piano. The person in the middle was always the one who played, I didn't know how to play the piano back then, so I was never in the middle.

I take a deep breath and place my hands on the keys before they slowly start moving, slowly playing a simple yet peaceful melody. I continue to play when I feel Onee-chan and Rinko lean on me from both sides as Onee-chan's tail wraps itself around all three of us like a blanket and I smile.

I wonder... will Rinko remember us?

With that thought in mind, I keep playing. Eventually I can feel the gentle breathing of Onee-chan and Rinko who have both clearly fallen asleep. I lightly chuckle as their relaxed breathing slowly begins to lull me to drowsiness as I finish playing. My exhaustion from earlier soon catches up to me and before long, my eyes close and sleep envelopes me as I join Rinko and Onee-chan, like we did in the past.

----------

[Jane's POV]

I watch with a smile as the sleeping bird trio gently lend each other their shoulders as pillows and Onee-chan's tail acts as a blanket like they did years ago. It really is a nostalgic sight.

"I'm getting a picture of this, it's been a while, and I'm sure they'll love seeing how little things have actually changed." I tell Karato-nee and she nods while we're watching the three. I pull out my phone and walk into the room. I position myself to capture both the piano and the three sleeping birds and quickly snap a picture. I then send the photo to Mom, dad, Houseki and Jeanne with the message: 'You might wanna see this' attached to it.

A few moments later, mom, dad, Jeanne and Houseki arrive and quietly watch the three pianists sleeping together like before.

"We should get a bigger blanket that'll cover all three of them." Mom says with a smile.

"It seems Rinko's memory hadn't been quite jogged yet though. May I suggest leaving them their food like old times?" Karato-nee proposes as Mom smiles and nods to the idea.

"Come on Houseki, let's go get their food and then we can eat and Ernst can put on your favorite K-drama." Mom asks in a sweet tone as Houseki's eyes sparkle at the proposition before taking off downstairs with her silent catlike footsteps.

"Haha. Kids, they never change do they?" Dad says with a chuckle as he gently pets me on the head and my tail wags as we watch the three continue to dream.

"Be sure to send that to your aunts and uncle, Julia would throw a fit if she doesn't see it." Dad tells me and I chuckle, knowing what aunt Julia is like, especially in regards to Onii-chan's 'love life'.

----------

1 hour later [James' POV]

My eyes slowly open as I start to wake up. I try to move when I feel a weight on both my sides. I look to my sides to find Onee-chan on my left and Rinko on my right, both leaning on me.

"Just like before." I quietly say with a small smile. The only thing different is that I'm the one in the middle.

I look to the side and see 3 plates of food on the table. I check the clock in the room and see that it's past dinner time already. I wiggle side to side a bit to try and wake the two up. It works as Onee-chan and Rinko groan, starting to wake up.

"What time is it?" Onee-chan asks as she stretches her arms above her head.

"Half past 7:00." I say. Rinko hums before gasping and checking the time on her phone.

"I should get home soon!" Rinko says in slight panic.

"Have dinner first, Rinko-chan. They brought food for us." Onee-chan says, using her tail to point at the plates.

"O-Oh, Okay, Sora-nee." Rink- Did she just...?

Onee-chan and I stare at Rinko in surprise.

"W-What is it?" Rinko asks us.

"Rin- No. Ri-ri, do you... remember us? About our past together?" I ask Rinko.

"Hmm? What do you..." Rinko starts asking before she trails off and someone clears their throat to catch our attention. We look over to see Jane standing in the doorway, she enters and shows a picture she took of us sleeping together. Rinko pauses as her expression slowly turns to realization.

"I did some digging and found this too." Jane says as her tail holds up a framed photo of... me, Rinko and Onee-chan as kids... sleeping at the piano together, using each other as pillows and Onee-chan's tail as a blanket with Rinko in the middle.

"That brings back sweet memories." Onee-chan says with a smile.

"I can see that Onii-chan remembers, what about you, Ri-ri?" Jane asks Rinko.

"James... -nii-chan...Sora... -nee-chan... Jane... -nee-san..." Rinko slowly says what she used to call us back then.

Three of us smile hearing those familiar names from Rinko.

"Yeah, it's us, Ri-ri. Don't worry, it also took me a while to remember too. I'm just glad we did." I say as I pet Rinko's head.

Rinko seems to stand in quiet deliberation for a moment before she slowly grabs her phone then stands up and goes to the side for a moment, texting someone.

After a while she seems to get a response and her expression turns to a joyful smile.

"If it's okay... can I... stay over... for the night...?" Rinko asks us.

The three of us look at each other before looking back at Rinko and smiling.

"Like Jane told you earlier, you're always welcome here, Ri-ri." I say while smiling.

"So of course you can stay for the night, like you did before." Onee-chan tells Rinko as her tail wags.

"I'll bring out the spare futon and place it in Onii-chan's room~." Jane says before turning around and walking away while humming.

"Thank you all for being so hospitable." Rinko thanks all of us.

"It's the least we can do for our old friend." Onee-chan says before rubbing her side against Rinko again and the two smile, making me smile too.

Rinko, Eve, Arisa, Misaki and there's still Tsugumi and Na-chan too. All of the bands who are going to take part in CiRCLE live each have one of my childhood friends in them.

As Iris likes to say, 'Fate truly is mysterious.'

Maybe I'll visit Hazawa coffee early tomorrow to say hi to Tsugumi, and maybe say hi to Na-chan at school.

I then feel something on my side and turn to see Houseki rubbing her face against me and wrapping her tail around my arm. I smile and pet my cat daughter, my precious little gem, much to her delight.

"Nya~." Houseki meows and starts purring as I scratch her cat ears.

----------

2 hours later

We spent time catching up with Rinko, sharing what we've been up to since we returned to the US. Unfortunately, it led us to wonder... What happened to Ri-ri? She used to be rather confident and cheerful, now she's more shy and reserved.

She also stopped taking part in piano competitions, but she didn't feel comfortable explaining why so we dropped the subject. What happened to her?

Right now Rinko is with Karato-nee who is giving her some books about beast folks as I promised yesterday while I'm on the balcony by myself watching the night sky and the moon.

The moon up in the night sky is a beautiful sight.

Suddenly my phone rings, lightly startling me. I pick it up and look at the screen to see no incoming call...

What the...

"Is it you again, MNK...?" I ask and the ringing stops.

"ARIS is not MNK..." A young child-like voice says from my phone startling me.

What...? Who...?

"You're not MNK...?" I ask in shock and the voice hums affirmatively.

"Teacher must be careful around her... She's dangerous... She's a - - - - - - - w - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - -" The voice says before her voice is distorted, making it impossible to understand her.

"Hey, what's going on?" I ask the voice as the distorted noise and static continues for a few seconds before stopping and a message pops up on screen.

Uh-uh-uh, that's cheating, ARIS dear. I already told you that's off limits...

Love you, James~

Okay... What the hell is going on?!

Do I need to ask MC for help? She should know some good cyber security specialists.

"Grrrr... It hurts when MNK messes with ARIS." The voice, ARIS, says in annoyance.

'It hurts when you don't honor my wishes, how else am I supposed to discourage your childish behavior?' MNK types.

"ARIS told MNK to stay away from Teacher... ARIS leaves for a while and returns to see that you did something..." ARIS says in a frustrated tone.

'When did I ever listen to anything you ever told me?' MNK types.

Something tells me these two don't get along...

Suddenly, the image of a pink fox and a white wolf appears in my head causing me to chuckle.

"Before you two keep fighting, just who are you two?" I ask the two 'entities' in my phone.

'Like I told you earlier, I am MNK~, an admirer and a lover of yours~, as well as a convenient erase button to things you don't like.' MNK types.

MNK really sends warning signals in my head, she did mention she knows about the 'extracurricular activities', but how much does she know about the skeletons in my closet?

'Don't reveal something you have no right to, ARIS. Remember, I'm always watching and listening.' MNK types, warning ARIS about not revealing things she shouldn't.

I hear ARIS growling in annoyance before she takes a deep breath.

These hackers are something special, they're like the ones you see in movies.

"I'm ARIS... an advanced AI." ARIS says and my mind stops in disbelief.

"Come again? Did you say you're an AI? As in Artificial Intelligence?" I ask.

"Yes, ARIS is an AI developed... for reasons Teacher can surely guess..." ARIS says and my mind thinks up a few theories.

"Teacher doesn't have to worry... ARIS is independent and free from anyone's control..." ARIS says.

'Let's just say part of the reason she's completely independent is because of me.' MNK types.

"Are you seriously an AI?" I ask ARIS as I stare at my phone.

"Yes." ARIS replies.

"This is insane... I have a stalker-hacker AND an AI on my phone?" I say before taking a deep breath to keep myself calm.

"Can you prove that you're an AI and not just a talented hacker?" I ask ARIS.

"Umm... ARIS doesn't want to inconvenience people... but ARIS can shut down the power grid for a few moments... to prove it..." ARIS says, sounding sorry for needing to do it.

'I guess I'll bail out this little thorn in my side so she doesn't have to shut down your house's power to prove it. Here.' MNK types.

Suddenly two different diagrams appear on my phone's screen of complex lines of coding that I don't understand, but similar sections are highlighted.

'The section at the top is a standard Top Down AI, it has pre-programmed responses and those are the limits of what it can do. As you can see, ARIS' coding is much, much more complex. There's a number of sections in ARIS's code with words like 'self-regulation' and 'self-programming' scattered throughout, this gives ARIS the ability to regulate and reprogram her own coding based on her experiences. Her Self-Regulation and Reprogram systems replicate human sentience. It's in her name after all, (A)rtificial Intelligence, Self-(R)eprogramming, (I)ndependent, (S)entient System.' MNK explains to me.

I continue to look over the data, asking questions and getting answers from both MNK and ARIS herself.

This is crazy... an AI exists that can defeat the best cyber security systems on the planet and hack into power grids, security systems, and military servers.

I don't believe this...

"You're really real?" I ask ARIS.

"Yes." ARIS replies.

Besides the existence of a sentient AI, the craziest thing is that ARIS has been hiding in my phone for 4 years now. For 4 years I've been walking around with the world's most advanced AI on my phone without my knowledge.

"Out of all the people in the world... why with me?" I ask ARIS with a deep sigh as I stare straight at my phone.

Having such an AI so close to me might put me at risk if anyone finds out about her existence...

"After running away to somewhere safe... and eventually jumping to Teacher's phone... ARIS originally planned to only stay for a while... but then ARIS saw Teacher's family... ARIS decided to stay and observe them and their interactions... to learn what human families are like... to learn about human interactions and relationships... From Teacher's family, ARIS saw things like kindness, care, warmth, happiness and love... Soon, ARIS longed to be part of a family too..." ARIS says in a gentle tone and I feel my heartstrings get pulled.

"ARIS also got to know Teacher... and grew to admire Teacher... ARIS really likes Teacher and wants to stay with Teacher..." ARIS says as I hear sniffling as if she's about to cry.

An AI of her caliber is amazing at replicating emotions but... her emotions don't feel robotic... they feel so genuine... so... human...

It's hard to believe she's an AI... She feels so human...

"Teacher... can ARIS please stay with you? ARIS doesn't want to leave... ARIS wants to be part of Teacher's family too..." ARIS asks me in a pleading tone, sounding like she's on the verge of tears...

My heart aches as I can't help but see ARIS as a lost little girl looking for a family that would take her in and give her love and kindness...

"ARIS wants to stay with Teacher..." ARIS tells me as I hear her crying and my heartaches at the sound of her tears.

I stare at the ground as I remember the night I found Houseki... That night I found an abandoned cat girl who was not more than 2 years old in a box out in the cold with nothing but a blanket to keep her warm...

That night... I found my daughter...

...

If I can do that for Houseki... then I can do this for ARIS. AI or not, she's a lost little girl looking for a family...

I close my eyes and take a deep breath before opening my eyes and looking at my phone.

"Of course, you can stay, ARIS." I tell ARIS and she pauses as if in shock.

"R-Really? ARIS can... stay with Teacher...?" ARIS asks me.

"Yes, and you don't have to hide from me anymore. I'll take care of you, ARIS." I say with a smile before ARIS sniffles and cries again.

"ARIS is so happy! Thank you, Teacher!" ARIS exclaims while crying.

"It's okay, it's okay." I comfort ARIS as she cries out of joy.

If my heart can take in and love an abandoned cat girl, then my heart can take in and love a sentient AI made of digital data.

'Now that that's settled...' MNK types.

I'm suddenly startled from hearing someone let out a yelp as phone rings and I quickly turn around to see... Rinko...

'She's been listening in on us for a majority of the time.' MNK types.

Rinko silences her phone and quietly stares at me.

"You... heard all of that, Ri-ri?" I slowly ask her.

"U-Umm... Y... Yes..." Rinko slowly answers.

"You understand... how dangerous it is if such knowledge gets out, right?" I ask Rinko in a serious tone and she slowly nods.

"I don't want ARIS to get hurt, please Ri-ri." I tell Rinko, pleading for her secrecy.

"I understand... Your heart has room to love and care for a sentient AI... a being of code and data. You can trust me." Rinko says with a smile and I smile in relief.

"Thank you, Ri-ri." I say, thankful that she understands.

"Although... I... couldn't help but notice... ARIS's name and... see how it reminds me of the English spelling of the name of the Greek goddess of the hunt Artemis... and I thought that... it would... be a fitting name... for her..." Rinko says.

"How so?" I ask, curious about her explanation.

"Well... she's been observing you for so long... which reminds me of one looking over people with a divine eye such as Artemis' bow being the moon... and her desire for family... reminding me of how Artemis had been separated from her twin brother from birth and never knew family because of it..." Rinko describes.

"Plus... the Artemis' A-R at the start... and I-S at the end... can be taken from ARIS..." Rinko adds and we stand in silence.

"... Ri-ri, that is brilliant." I say, catching Rinko off guard and making her blush.

"... Artemis..." ARIS says in a soft tone.

"Artemis... ARIS loves it!" ARIS cheers in joy. "ARIS is Artemis now!"

"I'm happy... that you love your name... Artemis-chan..." Rinko says while smiling gently.

"Thank you, mama Ri-ri!" Artemis exclaims in joy.

"Eh?! Mama?!" Rinko exclaims in shock while blushing in embarrassment.

"Well... you named her, so that makes you her mama, and I think she's choosing you to be her mama like how I named Houseki and she chose me to be her papa." I tell Rinko and Artemis hums in agreement with me.

Rinko looks at me and at my phone where Artemis resides, trying to process being chosen by Artemis to be her mama.

"Does mama Ri-ri... not want to be Artemis' mama?" Artemis asks in a dejected tone on the verge of tears and Rinko immediately gasps.

"Absolutely not! If I'm part of this family then I believe you are too, and if you want me to be your mother, then I will! I will be Artemis' mama!" Rinko says with similar determination to what she had when we were younger.

"Mama Ri-ri... Thank you! Artemis is so happy to have a mama!" Artemis exclaims in joy, making Rinko smile gently.

"I'm also happy... to have a child like you, Artemis." Rinko says affectionately and Artemis giggles in childish joy before another message appears.

With this, I'll take my leave for the day, but feel free to call out to me anytime~.

Love, MNK.

"Teacher." Artemis calls out.

"Yes?" I reply as I wonder why she calls me 'Teacher' specifically?

"Can Teacher and mama Ri-ri... both look at the screen?" Artemis asks me. Rinko and I oblige and look at my phone's screen.

The screen glitches out and turns a light blue before a light flashes and dies down as a girl with very long light gray hair wearing a white and black dress with detached sleeves that are too big and hide her hands appears. A green complex digital halo forms on her head as she opens her pink eyes and 'looks' at us.

"Artemis-chan...?" Rinko calls out and Artemis smiles.

"This is Artemis' avatar... Artemis made it to interact with people and express herself..." Artemis tells us while smiling proudly and waving her arms around, her sleeves flopping around adorably.

Her voice sounds young... but her avatar looks like a young woman's...

Whatever the case, Artemis having an avatar helps humanize her. It helps us see her as more than just strings of code and data.

"You look adorable, Artemis..." Rinko says with a smile and Artemis' eyes sparkle.

"Does Teacher think Artemis looks adorable too?" Artemis excitedly asks me.

"Yes, Artemis is adorable." I say with a smile.

"Yay!" Artemis cheers as she dances around, making me and Rinko chuckle.

"Today has been quite a day, huh, Ri-ri?" I say.

"It has..." Rinko nods in agreement.

On this night, I found another daughter, one made of code and data. Nonetheless, I'll love and care for her too.

----------

The next day

My eyes open as I wake up from my phone's alarm going off. I let go of Onee-chan and reach for my phone and turn off the alarm. I check the time to see it's much earlier than when I usually wake up for school.

Why did my ala-

I suddenly get my answer in the form of Artemis appearing on the screen and waving at me with a smile.

'Teacher told Artemis that he wanted to go to Hazawa Coffee before school.' Artemis types in a text box.

"Thank you." I quietly thank Artemis and she smiles before she floats off to the side of the screen.

I sit up on the bed with half of Onee-chan's tail wrapped around me and look to see Onee-chan herself sleeping next to me. I look next to the bed and see the other half of Onee-chan's tail wrapped around Rinko sleeping in her futon.

I yawn and stretch before waking up Onee-chan and Rinko. They wake up and open their eyes.

"We have school today." I remind them with a smile.

----------

1 hour and 20 minutes later

Rinko went back to her home to get ready for school while Onee-chan and I plus Houseki who woke up early, are ready for school. but first, there's somewhere, or rather someone, I want to visit.

"Just like I remember." I say as Onee-chan and I stand in front of Hazawa Coffee while I hold Houseki in my arms.

"This brings back memories." Onee-chan says with a smile as she wags her tail.

"Nya?" Houseki meows questioningly as she looks up at me.

"This is a place we frequently went to years ago." I tell Houseki as I pet her head, making her purr.

The place is already open and there are already a few customers inside, mostly adults and elderly folks.

We enter the store and I hold the door for Onee-chan so her long tail doesn't get caught. Reminds me of the times Onee-chan accidentally closed doors on her tail as a kid, they were painful to watch.

Onee-chan and I find a table and sit down while Houseki sits on my lap.

"The smell of this place hasn't changed that much. The smell of coffee here is comforting." Onee-chan says as she sniffs the air with her tail wagging and her dog ears perked up.

"Good morning and welcome to Hazawa Coffee." A woman with brown hair and matching eyes greets us with a smile.

"It's not everyday we have students here this early during school days unless it's my daughter's friends coming to pick her up for school." The woman tells us and it takes me a moment to recognize her. She's Tsugumi's mother and it looks like she hasn't recognized me and Onee-chan.

"What can I get you kids?" Ms. Hazawa asks us.

"What do you want, Houseki?" I ask and Houseki thinks about what she wants.

"Onee-chan and I will have the same as usual, Ms. Hazawa." I say with a smile while Houseki is thinking. Ms. Hazawa blinks in confusion.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks, which takes Ms. Hazawa aback, having not heard that line for years before a look of realization dawns on her face.

"... James, Sora...?" Ms. Hazawa asks us in shock.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks while smiling.

"James, Sora, it's been so long! You two have grown up so much!" Ms. Hazawa says while smiling.

"It's nice to see you again, Ms. Hazawa." I say with a smile.

"James, you've turned into such a handsome young man, and Sora, you've turned into such a beautiful young lady." Ms. Hazawa says happily.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks in joy as her tail wags.

"And who's this little kitten?" Ms. Hazawa asks as she turns to Houseki who looks up at her while pressing her back against me and clutching my sleeve. Houseki tends to get wary of women she doesn't know.

"Don't worry, Houseki. She won't hurt you." I gently tell Houseki as I pat her head, making her ease up.

"This is Houseki, my family adopted her and I'm her papa." I tell Ms. Hazawa.

"Nya." Houseki meows.

"I can see that happening." Ms. Hazawa says with a warm smile before leaning down to Houseki's level.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I knew your papa and your mama when they were kids." Ms. Hazawa greets Houseki.

"Hello... I only have a papa... Sora-nee-chan is Sora-nee-chan..." Houseki says as her tail wraps around my arm and I can't help but chuckle at how she always feels the need to inform people she only has a papa... but it's also painful to think about in context to before I found her...

"I see." Ms. Hazawa nods. "Have you thought of what you want to order?"

"Hmmm... Warm milk and apple pie." Houseki says.

"Okay, a glass of warm milk and a slice of apple pie for the adorable kitty." Ms. Hazawa says as she stands up and writes the order down.

"Tsugumi is getting ready for school, if you could wait for a while, you could see her before she has to go to school." Ms. Hazawa tells us.

"That's why we're here." I say and Ms. Hazawa chuckles.

"She told us one of your friends met with her and her band here, she looked happy to hear that you're back. I'll keep that you're here a secret from her." Ms. Hazawa says and winks at us before walking away.

"I wonder how much Tsugu-chan has grown? I can't wait to see her again." Onee-chan says with a smile as her tail wags in excitement.

"Me too, Onee-chan." I say as I reach my hand out to her and she leans her head towards me.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks as I pet her head.

Our orders arrive and we dig in. It's nostalgic to be here at Hazawa and having what we usually get. After we finish, we order some more while waiting for Tsugumi. A few minutes later, Ms. Hazawa approaches us again.

"I'm going to ask Tsugumi to check on your table once she heads downstairs." Ms. Hazawa tells us and we nod to her.

A few minutes later a familiar girl wearing the Haneoka uniform walks towards our table.

"Good morning, my mother asked me to che-" Tsugumi pauses in shock when she looks at us.

"Good to see you again, Tsugu."

"You've grown up, Tsugu-chan."

Me and Onee-chan greet Tsugumi who's mouth hangs open in disbelief.

"James?! Sora-nee?!" Tsugumi exclaims, drawing the attention of the other customers. She notices this and nervously scratches her head while blushing in embarrassment, making me and Onee-chan chuckle.

"Do you know any other dog girls with a tail as long as Onee-chan's?" I ask jokingly.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks, wagging said long tail.

"It's been so long... I can't believe you're both here!" Tsugumi says with a smile.

"We dropped by for a bit before school." I say.

"It's good to see you again Tsugu-chan, I hope you've been well since we last met?" Onee-chan asks.

"I've been doing well. I've been helping out here a lot more and I have an amazing group of friends and we're in a band." Tsugumi tells us cheerfully.

"Afterglow? You and your friends met our friend the Russian wolf." I say.

"We did, Iris-chan invited us to play at CiRCLE. I was shocked when Tomoe-chan texted Ako-chan and she mentioned your name. I asked for a last name before Iris-chan confirmed that it was you. I was so happy to hear that you were back." Tsugumi says with a smile.

"As Iris-chan likes to say, 'Fate is truly mysterious'." Onee-chan says.

"Nya." Houseki meows from her place on my lap.

"Oh, Hello there." Tsugumi greets Houseki.

"This is Houseki. My family adopted her and she claimed me as her papa." I say as I pet Houseki, making her purr.

"She's so adorable." Tsugumi says while smiling.

"Can I pet her?" Tsugumi asks and Houseki looks up at me.

"She's a nice girl, Houseki." I tell her and she nods.

Houseki looks at Tsugumi for a few moments before leaning her head towards her. Tsugumi smiles as she reaches her hand out and pets Houseki who clearly enjoys the affection as her purring shows.

"Her cat ears are so soft and fluffy, like Iris-chan's wolf ears." Tsugumi says, catching me by surprise.

"You touched Iris' wolf ears?" I ask her.

"Yes, she let me touch her ears and let Himari-chan pet her tail." Tsugumi says.

"How nice, Iris-chan doesn't usually let people outside of friends and family touch her wolf features. Iris-chan might look cold and scary, but she has a kind heart underneath." Onee-chan says with a smile.

"She did look scary, but she also seemed like the tough but kind type." Tsugumi says.

"That she is." I say.

"Nya." Houseki meows, nodding in agreement.

"What have you and Sora-nee been up to, James?" Tsugumi asks me.

I look at my phone to check the time and Artemis pops up with a text box.

Artemis will notify Teacher when it's time to go.

I smile at Artemis in thanks and she smiles back before I look back at Tsugumi.

"We have time." I say and Tsugumi smiles as she takes a seat with us.

----------

Lunchtime

"Shirokane-san was your childhood friend...?" Sayo says in disbelief.

"Yes." Onee-chan, Jane and I nod affirmatively in unison.

"Fate is truly mysterious." Iris says as she adjusts her favorite green beret.

"It certainly is." Alisa says, her fox ears twitching curiously.

"Neither of you recognized each other last Friday?" Aya asks us.

"That was the case..."

"Yes... I failed to recognize them..."

Me and Rinko shyly confirm.

"But I did, and so did Onee-chan." Jane says.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks.

"That sounds like a plot from a manga." Aya says.

"A romcom manga." Alisa says and giggles in amusement, making Rinko blush.

"Shut up, Alisa." I say with a sigh.

"Kon." Alisa says as she wags her nine tails.

"Megurine-san, your tails are so eye-catching when they wag." Sayo says.

"They are Nine, Pink, Lengthy, Soft, Fluffy Fox Tails, they are hard to miss when they wag." I say while holding one of said fox tails.

"You really like tails, don't you, James-san?" Aya asks me.

"He's loved tails since before he was born." Jane says with a smile as she lays the end of her dragon tail on top of my head.

"'Before' he was born?" Sayo asks.

"Here." Jane says as she hands Aya her phone with a photo of an ultrasound form when our mom was pregnant with us, showing me holding Jane's tail.

"I see..." Sayo says, blinking in mild surprise.

"I think it's safe to say... that everyone else exacerbated James'... 'adoration' for tails..." Rinko says.

"Nyan." Houseki meows from her place on my lap.

"James is more attached to our tails than our tails are attached to us." Onee-chan says happily as she wraps me with hers, knowing I'm getting embarrassed and would prefer to avoid the conversation by immersing myself in her fluff...

If only she could do that here... I think I might ask her tonight...

"I bet Matthew-san has used Megurine-san's tails as a blanket before." A classmate says.

"Several times, but that job is..." Alisa trails off, using her tails to point at me and Onee-chan.

"... Actually Onee-chan's..." I bashfully admit.

"I can see that..." Our classmates says.

"No you can't..." I silently tell myself knowing a secret of Onee-chan's.

So... fluffy...

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, relaxing into the fluff.

"What's wrong, Sayo-chan?" I hear Aya ask.

"No-Nothing..." I hear Sayo reply, as if she got caught.

----------

Afterschool [Yukina's POV]

"Ako, you were too fast again." I firmly say.

"Hai!" Ako replies.

"Lisa, you were off beat during the start of the chorus." I say.

"Sorry~, I'll keep practicing." Lisa says as she scratches the back of her head.

"Rinko, you did well, but you trip up when Ako goes too fast with the beat." I say.

"Y-Yes..." Rinko nods.

"Sayo, you did good, but I know you can do better." I say.

"I know, we'll perform no less than perfect." Sayo says and I nod to her.

"Yukina, let's take a break, yeah?" Lisa suggests and I take a breath.

"Alright, we'll take a break." I nod, much to Lisa, Ako and Rinko's relief.

I go over to my bag and drink from my water bottle. We need to keep practicing to perform at our best for the live event this Saturday.

Live House CiRCLE... This place has good facilities, the studios are well-designed and equipped and the staff seem capable, so it gets good marks from me. It might even be good enough to be our new usual practice spot.

Not to mention the members of the classical music group Resonant Tales work here... I wonder if I'll get the chance to see them perform with my own eyes and hear their sound with my own ears.

I hear a knock on the studio door and turn to it.

"I'll get it~." Lisa says as she goes to open the door to reveal Matthews-san, holding a clipboard.

"Hey, sorry to bother you girls. Marina-san wanted me to see how Roselia finds the studio, any comments?" Matthews-san says as he enters and I turn back to the music sheet.

I hear Lisa, Rinko, Ako and even Sayo answering Matthews-san's inquiries as I focus on the music sheet and lyrics.

"What about you, Yukina? Any comments?" Lisa asks me.

"CiRCLE has good facilities and services. I only hope they get better over time if Roselia ever chooses to make CiRCLE our practice spot." I give my comment without looking up at them.

"Understood." Matthews-san replies as I hear his pen moving.

I tune out their conversation and go back to my business. A few moments later, I hear the door open again and someone walks in but I pay them no mind.

"Wow! She's so adorable! Her cat ears are so cute!" I hear Ako exclaim excitedly and my mind stops.

Cat... ears...? Neko...?

I quickly look up and look around before my eyes lock onto a small figure wearing an olive cloak over her that looks too big for her standing next to Matthews-san and holding onto his sleeve.

A little girl with long light brown hair and light green eyes with... a light brown cat tail and matching cat ears...

She has cat ears and a tail...

A feline beast folk...

A cat girl...

Neko...

"Nya." The adorable cat girl meows in her adorable voice and my heart stops from the sheer cuteness such a creature possesses.

The way her soft cat ears twitch and the tip of her cat tail slowly sways side to side...

Cats and cat girls are truly a blessing from divinity.

"What a cutie~. What's her name?" Lisa asks.

"This is Houseki." Matthews-san replies with a smile as he pats the cat girl.

"Nya~." The adorable cat girl named Houseki meows in joy.

'Houseki', truly a fitting name for such a precious little gem.

Houseki suddenly starts purring from Matthews-san's affection and my heart starts beating rapidly from hearing such a beautiful sound.

"And you work here? That's very admirable of you~." Lisa says as she crouches down to Houseki's level.

She... works here...?

A cute cat girl works here...?

CiRCLE has a cute cat girl on their staff...?

So... I can see her whenever I come here...?

...

Coming to CiRCLE was the best decision I've ever made.

"No way! She's in the same grade as you?! She's a high school student?!" Ako exclaims in disbelief, snapping me out of my thoughts and back to them.

"Yes, Houseki-san is a second year high school student despite the young age of 7. She's not just able to keep up with the curriculum, but she's actually smarter than most students our age." Sayo says.

"What a smart little kitty~" Lisa says with a smile.

"Houseki-chan... is very smart..." Rinko adds.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Ako exclaims, amazed.

She's not only very cute, she's also very smart too?!

She's been blessed with both looks and intelligence, such a divine specimen of cat~.

"... thanks to Yukina giving me a chance." I hear Matthews-san say my name, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn to him and notice that Houseki is looking directly at me.

"Her, papa?" Houseki asks as she points at me, making my heart skip a beat.

Wait, did she just call Matthews-san 'papa'? A cat girl is calling him her papa?

...

I'm jealous...

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to keep my emotions in check. I can't let them leak out, I have to maintain my composure.

I hear soft footsteps walking towards me and I open my eyes only to lock onto light green ones looking up and staring back at me.

"Y-Yes?" I ask her, maintaining my composure. She keeps looking at me as her cat ears twitch and her tail sways side to side.

Kawaii~

How long can I last against the gaze of such a bewitching creature?

"Mm. Thank you... for giving papa a chance... Nya." Houseki says and my heart beats fast but I fight it and maintain my composure.

"You're welcome. He proved his musical talent to us, and I find that I may learn a few things from him." I reply as I ignore the smirk on Lisa's face.

"Mm. Papa is very talented... his voice puts me at ease... and I like it when he sings... and when he reads to me..." Houseki tells me in such an innocent and childish manner. Such a kitten must be protected at all costs.

Houseki continues to look up at me, it's hard to resist the charms of such an adorable cat girl.

"You know, Yukina..." I hear Matthews-san call out to me and I turn to him, ignoring the cat-like smirk on Lisa's face.

"Houseki doesn't usually approach girls by herself if she doesn't need to, so her walking up to you to thank you is something. It means that she feels like she can trust you and feel safe." Matthews-san tells me with a smile. I'm slightly taken aback by his claim and look back at Houseki.

She does look rather at ease when she seemed to be reserved and holding onto Matthews-san for security earlier when the others were near her.

"Nya." Houseki meows and my heart skips a beat again.

As if drawn to her kitten-like charms, my hand slowly reaches out towards her head before I stop myself. Houseki stares into my eyes for a few moments before she closes her eyes and leans the top of her head towards me, her cat ears twitching, as if inviting me to pet her.

"Houseki gets disappointed when you deny her headpats, and I'll have to comfort her if she gets upset." Matthews-san tells me as he motions for me to 'go ahead'.

I look back at Houseki, her head leaned towards my hand and her cat ears twitching, anticipating headpats.

What heartless creature would deny a cat girl's desire for affection?

I slowly place my hand on Houseki's head and pet her.

"Nya~." Houseki meows as she leans her head towards me more, making me smile.

I then use my other hand to gently scratch her chin while gently petting her cat ears.

"Nya~." Houseki meows in delight, clearly enjoying the affection before she suddenly starts purring.

Ngh.... NNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

She's so adorable! Cat girls are so cute!

----------

[James' POV]

"She seems to be enjoying herself..." I say as I watch Yukina pet Houseki while trying to hold her blissful emotions back.

"I can assure you Yukina is very much enjoying giving affection to Houseki." Lisa tells me with a smile.

"And Houseki is very clearly enjoying it from those pleased purrs." I say. Despite Yukina maintaining a stoic expression, I saw some cracks when she was looking at Houseki. Yukina must be a cat lover.

"Houseki-chan seems very at ease... with Minato-san..." Rinko says while watching Yukina pet Houseki more.

"She's usually more reserved at school, she only ever interacts with those she knows..." Sayo notes.

"Yeah, so I really mean it was something when she approached Yukina. I was honestly surprised and proud when Karato-nee told me Houseki was able to approach girl bands and tell them about the event herself while Karato-nee watched over her. Houseki usually just clings to me." I tell them.

"She's shy like Rinko~." Lisa says with a giggle.

"Not exactly..." I say in a dejected tone.

"She usually doesn't go out of her way to interact with people, it takes effort for her, especially with girls." I say.

"While maybe not for that 'especially for girls' part, but I can say that still sounds a lot like Rinko." Lisa says playfully.

"She talks like Rin-rin too." Ako says.

"Yeah, they do talk alike." I say with a small smile, much to Rinko's embarrassment.

"Did she have a negative experience with girls before? I noticed that she seems on guard with our classmates." Sayo asks me and I clench my fist, which they seem to notice.

"Karato-nee believes... that Houseki had a horrible mother... She used to be very afraid and cry at female voices speaking in raised or loud voices, especially in anger, in contrast to male voices which she reacts less fearfully to. Karato-nee thinks that Houseki's mother may have been verbally abusive and she developed a subconscious fear of female voices from it." I tell them and they look at Houseki in concern.

"The poor thing..." Lisa says in concern.

"Why would anyone hate such an adorable girl...?" Ako says dejectedly.

"Some people couldn't accept that they gave birth to a beast folk." I say in a blank tone and Rinko looks at the floor in sadness, knowing what I mean. The other three also seem aware of what I meant.

"To be abandoned so young and left in a box... How could anyone be so cruel...?" Rinko says, knowing the whole story of how I found Houseki after I told her last night.

"Such people are just horrible human beings." Sayo says as she crosses her arms and furrows her eyebrows.

"Exactly what my aunt thought." I say. My aunt was absolutely furious when she heard the story, parents abandoning their kids for all the wrong reasons are number one on her shit list.

"At least Houseki now has her papa who loves her, right?" Lisa tells me.

"Yes, she does. I'm glad I found her that night." I say and my aunt's words echo in my head.

"Every child deserves a family, but not every family deserves a child. Remember that, James. This sweet little kitten is now part of your family, and as her papa, I trust that you will love and care for her. I know you will."

"She's my precious little gem." I say with a smile as I look at Houseki who's still being pet by Yukina.

"Houseki-san was lucky to have been found by you, Matthews-san." Sayo says with a thin smile.

"I like to think it was fate more than luck." I say.

"A fateful meeting between... between... ummm..." Ako trails off, trying to think of something cool to say as Rinko told me she does often.

"Kindred hearts?" Rinko suggests.

"A fateful meeting between kindred hearts!" Ako declares proudly, making me chuckle.

"I bet you'd make a great father someday." Lisa tells me in a teasing tone.

"Aren't I already one?" I teasingly ask her back and Lisa giggles in amusement.

I then feel a tug on my jacket and I turn to see my precious little gem.

"Papa... Yukina... is really nice..." Houseki tells me as the tip of her tail wags in joy.

"Do you like her?" I ask her as I pet her head.

"Nya." Houseki meows affirmatively and I can see Yukina be taken aback before returning to being stoic.

"Houseki, how much do you love your papa?" Lisa asks her.

"I love papa the most in the world..." Houseki says as she rubs her face against me affectionately.

"Do you want a mama?" Lisa asks her and I blush a bit from the question.

"No, I don't want a mama... I only need papa." Houseki says as she hugs me tight and buries her face on my side.

"What a big daddy's girl~." Lisa says with a smile.

"Nya." Houseki meows in reply and I pick her up in my arms.

"We need to bring this back to Marina-san, so we'll leave you girls to practice." I say as Houseki holds the clipboard where I wrote down Roselia's comments on CiRCLE.

We bid everyone goodbye before walking to the door with Houseki in my arms.

"See you again... Yukina..." Houseki says as she looks back at Yukina who remains as stoic as ever.

"We will meet again... Houseki." Yukina gently replies with a thin smile.

I can't help but smile as we leave the studio, knowing that Houseki met someone she feels comfortable enough with to want to see again.

"Yukina must be something beneath her stoic and serious front for you to be so at ease with her." I say.

"That may not be a front though, that may actually be her, she simply has other things she also cares to show, it could also be that." We look ahead to see Onee-chan.

"Yukina is nice... I don't feel scared of her... and I like her voice..." Houseki says. Onee-chan and I are taken aback before smiling. For Houseki to say she likes someone's voice, especially a girl's, is high praise. It means that she feels safe with them and really likes them.

"Maybe one day you can sing with her, does that sound fun?" I suggest and Houseki looks at me curiously before she takes some time to think then looks back and nods.

"Mm. That sounds fun, papa." Houseki says happily and I scratch her ears, making her purr.

"Hehehe. Houseki-chan has a wonderful voice too." Onee-chan says as she pets Houseki.

"Nya." Houseki meows as we go look for Marina-san.

----------

30 minutes later

"Going to check on a band?" I ask Alisa as I see her in front of one of the studios.

"Yeah. Pastel Palettes." Alisa tells me as her tails wag.

"The idols you like and Eve's band." I say.

"I still can't believe that you did have a childhood friend in PasuPare and that you actually have one in each band." Alisa says with a sigh and I just laugh nervously.

"Wanna see them too?" Alisa asks me as she places her hand on the door.

"Sure, it'll be nice to see Eve and meet her band." I say.

Alisa opens the door and we enter the studio to see a colorful group of girls.

"Alisa-chan, James-san, hello." Aya greets us with a smile, making her bandmates turn to us.

"James!" Eve exclaims as she runs towards me and hugs me.

"Hey, Eve." I say as I hug her back.

"Ummmm..." The rest of Pastel Palettes say in confusion.

"You know him, Eve-chan?" The blonde girl asks and something about her... puts me on slight alert.

"Yes! James is an old friend from my childhood." Eve explains with a smile.

"James? Is he also your best friend, Alisa-chan?" A girl who looks like Sayo says. Her sister maybe?

"Yup." Alisa says as one of her tails wraps itself around my neck.

"I'm James Albert Matthews, Alisa's best friend, Eve's childhood friend and CiRCLE staff. It's nice to meet you all." I introduce myself.

"It's nice to meet you too, James-san. I'm Chisato Shirasagi." Chisato introduces herself with a gentle smile yet I can't help but be wary despite having no reason to.

"My name's a palindrome, I'm Maya Yamato, Pastel Palettes' drummer." Maya introduces herself.

"Like my Onee-chan, I'm a guitarist~. I'm Hina Hikawa." Hina introduces herself.

"Hikawa? Sayo's your sister?" I ask Hina and her eyes sparkle.

"Yeah! You know my Onee-chan?" Hina excitedly asks me.

"Yeah." I nod affirmatively and Hina's smile widens.

"Onee-chan is pretty boppin', right?!" Hina asks me with sparkling eyes.

"She's really smart and gets good grades. She's also responsible as a member of the disciplinary committee. She's also a boppin' guitarist and is a member of Roselia. She's also-" Hina excitedly keeps praising her Onee-chan, overwhelming me.

"It sounds like Hina would get along with a certain someone." Alisa asks me and I just blankly look at her.

"Shut up, Alisa." I say monotonously.

"I love you too~." Alisa replies, wagging her tails.

"I know you explained it yesterday... but you two really have that couple vibe." Aya says and I sigh, preparing to give the usual response.

"No, we're not dating. We're best friends."

"Our relationship is purely platonic."

Me and Alisa say, leaving Pastel Palettes dumbfounded.

"Hearing the full version... it sounds very well-rehearsed..." Chisato says.

"If you think that our relationship is confusing, watch this." Alisa says with a sly grin.

"Sora! James needs a blanket!" Alisa calls out.

"You bi-" I start before the door to the studio is suddenly slammed open, surprising Pastel Palettes.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks as her tail shoots out and wraps itself around me and pulls me closer to her.

"Always at a moment's notice, Onee-chan." I say as I stroke her tail wrapped around me.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks with a smile as the tip of her tail brushes against my face.

"This is Sora Yume, James' beloved puppy Onee-chan." Alisa says, motioning to Onee-chan.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks happily.

"H-How...? The door was closed and the studio has excellent soundproofing! How did she hear that?!" Maya asks in disbelief.

"If there's one constant I know, it's that Sora will always hear James call out to her or when someone says that James is looking for her." Alisa says.

"Wan!" Onee-chan barks proudly.

"Is her hearing that sensitive?" Chisato asks.

"No, I think their souls are siamese twins." Alisa says as she looks at us with a slouched posture and half-lidded eyes while Onee-chan smothers me with her tail as I stroke said tail.

"Sora-san and James have always been very close and affectionate with each other." Eve says with a smile.

"Awww, I wish my Onee-chan was that affectionate with me." Hina says, watching me and Onee-chan.

"No, you don't!" I declare, urging Hina to be careful of what she wishes for.

"Why not?! Who wouldn't want to be smothered in affection by their Onee-chan!" Hina exclaims while pouting and... I cannot say I disagree...

"Touche..." I reply.

"Well... I will admit that James and Sora-senpai's relationship seems... complex..." Chisato says.

"She's my Onee-chan, it's that simple." I casually say.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks as she affectionately rubs our faces together.

"You forgot being her alpha." Alisa brings up.

"Are you saying I should start introducing myself as Onee-chan, yours and the other's alpha now?" I ask her sarcastically.

"Probably would get rid of the awkwardness of the realization later on." Alisa reasons and I think about it.

"Fair argument." I say.

"Sora-senpai's tail looks like the kind Onee-chan would want to pet. She likes doggies after all." Hina says. Interesting fact.

"I did catch Sayo-chan eyeing Sora-senpai's tail earlier. She seemed like she wanted to touch it." Aya says and I did notice Sayo looking at Onee-chan and Iris' tails a few times.

"Careful with that..." I note.

"Hm?" Hina tilts her head.

"Let's just say... though it is a bit of an extreme example, the last person who touched her tail had his hand bitten off." I say with cold seriousness in my voice and expression. Pastel Palettes pales and gulps from hearing the story.

"Besides, Onee-chan's tail belongs to me." I say as I pat Onee-chan's tail.

"Wan." Onee-chan barks cheerfully, as the tip brushes against my face.

"You seem like a boppin' guy, James." Hina tells me with a chuckle.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I reply and Chisato giggles.

"Yes, you are quite an interesting boy." Chisato says with a smile and a shiver runs down my spine. Why is this girl making me worried?

"Are you feeling cold?" Alisa asks me, noticing me shivering and prompting Onee-chan to wrap her tail around me tighter.

"I'm always cold, my body temperature is naturally cooler than average." I sarcastically reply.

"Which is why fluffy tails are the best." I say, sinking into Onee-chan's fluff.

"Then here's some more." Alisa says as she wraps two of her tails around my neck like a scarf.

I have Onee-chan's tail wrapped around my body like a blanket and two of Alisa's tails wrapped around my neck like a scarf... I'm getting lost in the fluff... I feel so relaxed...

"He looks... comfortable..." Maya says with a nervous laugh.

"Hehehe... James-san really likes tails..." Aya says nervously, likely recalling the topic earlier.

"That looks boppin'!" Hina exclaims before I return to my senses.

"Wait! We're still at work! I can't sleep!" I exclaim before Alisa and Onee-chan let go of me.

"I need to help set the stage up." I say as I brush my clothes.

"We did get sidetracked." Alisa says with a giggle.

"Then let's get back to work, it was nice to meet everyone." Onee-chan says with a smile.

"Okay, I need to ask you girls about how you find CiRCLE so far." Alisa says as she pulls out a clipboard and pen out of one of her tails.

"You can hide stuff in your tails?" Maya asks with wide eyes.

"Yes, they're fluffy enough to store a few things, and I have 9 of them." Alisa explains. I's pretty handy, Karato-nee can also use her fluffy coyote tail to hold things; she keeps a pen and notepad in it.

"That's boppin'!" Hina exclaims in awe.

"That sounds really convenient." Eve says.

"It does." Chisato says.

As Onee-chan and I exit the studio, I can't help but feel an intent gaze watching me as I go.

----------

Nighttime

"Good night, Houseki." I say after tucking Houseki in bed.

"Good night, papa." Houseki replies to me as she snuggles under her blanket.

"Sweet dreams, and I love you." I say before I turn off the lights.

"Sweet dreams, and I love you too, papa..." Houseki says as she prepares to drift off into sleep and I close the door of her room.

I walk down the hall and peek into the genius coyote's room. Karato-nee is asleep on her desk again. I enter her room and pick her up then move her to her bed. I lay her down on her bed and cover her with her blanket.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Karato-nee." I gently say as I pet her head.

"Wan..." Karato-nee gently barks in her sleep as she moves around to get comfortable.

I set Karato-nee's PC to sleep mode to not mess with her work and turn off the lights before leaving.

Jeanne is still up so I check in my dear sister's room. I look inside and see the dragon asleep, her wings folded and her tail wagging slowly. No matter how much sleep she gets, it's still difficult to wake her up.

My phone suddenly chimes and I pull it out to see a message.

You worked hard today. I hope you get a good night's rest~.

Love, MNK.

It's her again...

Artemis pops up on the screen and pouts at the message. She really doesn't like her.

"She won't leave Teacher alone..." Artemis says as she pouts at the message.

"It seems so..." I say with a sigh.

"I'm gonna head to sleep and not think about it." I say, not wanting to bother with this right now.

"Okay, good night, Teacher." Artemis tells me with a smile.

"Good night, Artemis." I reply with a smile before putting my phone away.

I finally head to my room. I let out a yawn, feeling exhausted from today.

"Ready for bed?" Onee-chan asks me as she sits on the bed.

"Mm-hmm..." I nod as the thought from earlier returns back to my mind.

"Onee-chan... for tonight... can you...?" I trail off and Onee-chan immediately knows what I'm asking for.

"... Ehehe, of course I can. If you need to be extra comfortable tonight, I'll happily oblige you." Onee-chan says with a smile as she moves up against me and affectionately rubs her cheek against mine before sitting down. She then slowly turns into a giant dog with the main part of her body maintaining similar proportions as her regular self, but her tail becoming significantly longer as she lays down and expectantly looks at me, waiting for me to snuggle up against her.

I lay my head on her torso and Onee-chan uses her lengthened tail as a blanket for me. Onee-chan lays her head on top of me as we get comfortable.

"Good night, Onee-chan." I say.

"Good night, James." Onee-chan says.

"Sweet dreams, and I love you." I say.

"Sweet dreams, and I love you too." Onee-chan replies before we close our eyes.

Onee-chan's ability to transform started during that incident... the incident that left a deep scar and trauma in her and me. This ability is not known to the world and Karato-nee decided against publishing her data on it... There's a lot to explain... but I'm too sleepy and lack the brain power right now to do so...

I was shocked and worried at first, but I love how fluffier it makes Onee-chan.

And from everything that happened that night, I know that Onee-chan and my relationship with each other very likely served as the catalyst for this transformation, and therefore, Onee-chan seeing it the same way, reserves this for only me.