The front door closed softly behind Arou as he stepped inside.
He casually placed his bag near the wall.
The house was no longer silent.
"Dad."
The voice came from inside.
Arou's body stiffened.
He turned around.
Hikari was standing in the living room.
Lumina stood not far from her.
Arou froze for a few seconds.
Then his eyes began to water.
"U-Um... why did you disappear earlier?"
His voice trembled.
Lumina took a small step forward.
"We didn't disappear."
Hikari nodded quickly.
"This morning, Big Sister Lumina invited me to go jogging. So when Dad woke up, we just weren't here."
Arou gently wiped his eyes.
"Eeh... so you were only out jogging?"
"Yes," Hikari answered briefly.
"Exactly."
Arou let out a long sigh, as if a weight had finally been lifted from his chest.
"Thank goodness."
He raised his head.
"What time did you go jogging, anyway?"
Hikari thought for a moment.
"I'm not sure. But before we left, I looked at the wall clock. The short hand was pointing at two."
Arou froze.
"...Two o'clock?"
He stared at both of them.
"That's way too early."
Lumina tilted her head.
"What time is it supposed to be?"
"Usually," Arou replied quietly,
"around four or five in the morning."
Hikari and Lumina exchanged glances.
Their expressions became uncertain.
"In that case..." Hikari said softly,
"time works differently in your world, doesn't it?"
Arou did not answer immediately.
For the first time,
he truly realized—
they were really here.
Yet the way they existed in this world...
did not completely follow the same rules.
After that conversation, Lumina and Hikari looked at each other.
As if they had already agreed on something.
Lumina smiled faintly.
"Hey, Arou. We met someone."
Arou frowned.
"Someone? Who?"
Hikari gently tugged on her sleeve.
"Just look in your room."
Arou hesitated.
"O-Okay."
The three of them walked toward his room.
Hikari opened the door.
Arou stopped.
A small white cat was sitting calmly on the bed.
Its fur was spotless, its eyes half-closed.
"...The someone you're talking about?" Arou asked quietly.
"A cat?"
Lumina smiled.
"She's not an ordinary cat."
Arou looked confused.
"Then what is she?"
Hikari approached the bed.
"She's Big Sister Nora."
Arou was stunned.
"Nora? This cat?"
Lumina nodded.
"Yes."
Arou examined the cat more carefully.
"In the real world... is this her true form?"
Hikari shook her head.
"No. She's just too lazy to move around, so she chose this form."
Arou lowered his gaze and stared into the white cat's eyes.
"If you're really Nora," he said quietly,
"show me your true form."
The cat let out a small sigh.
A gentle light surrounded her.
The tiny body slowly changed shape.
A moment later, a young woman stood before them.
Nora frowned slightly, looking annoyed.
"You're really stubborn, Arou."
Arou's eyes widened.
"Eeh... it really is Nora."
Lumina smiled softly.
"Told you."
Hikari chuckled.
Arou scratched the back of his neck.
"Why did you come to my world too?"
Nora smiled casually.
"I was asked to."
"Asked?" Arou stared at her.
"By who?"
Nora lightly shook her head.
"That's a secret."
Arou sighed.
"Seriously... Oh right, how many people have come here anyway?"
Nora thought for a moment.
"Hm. Maybe... six people."
Arou fell silent.
"Really?"
Nora looked at him with an unreadable smile.
"For now, yes."
And once again,
Arou's real world became more crowded—
with presences that should not have existed.
---
That morning, Arou arrived at school as usual.
He sat down at his desk and opened his bag to take out a book.
His hand stopped.
Inside his bag, a pair of red eyes stared back at him.
"...Eh?"
Arou looked down.
"Nora? Why are you in my bag?"
A small white cat climbed out of the bag and casually sat on top of Arou's desk.
Several classmates turned toward him.
"Arou, why did you bring a cat?"
"It's cute."
"So adorable."
Arou glared at the cat.
What a nuisance, he thought.
But before he could say anything,
the cat stretched lazily across the desk.
A gentle light appeared around her.
Right in front of the entire class,
the cat transformed—
while still sitting on the desk.
A moment later,
the figure sitting there was no longer a cat,
but a girl with cat ears, red eyes, and a maid outfit.
The entire classroom froze.
"What... just happened?"
"The cat transformed?"
"Is that a human?"
Arou immediately stood up.
"Wait. Why did you transform here?"
Nora turned toward him and smiled casually.
"Hehehe. Sorry. I just wanted to have a little fun."
Whispers and murmurs quickly spread throughout the classroom.
Shock, confusion, and disbelief filled the air.
Arou covered his face with one hand.
This situation had become far too big to be dismissed as a coincidence.
And before he could even think of a solution,
the school bell rang loudly.
The classroom had not yet calmed down
when the door opened.
"Good morning."
The voice instantly silenced everyone.
A teacher entered carrying a book.
His gaze immediately landed on Arou's desk.
He froze.
His eyes widened.
"Who... are you?"
His attention was fixed on Nora.
Nora smiled politely.
"I'm Nora. Arou's pet cat."
Arou immediately stood.
"No, sir."
The teacher blinked several times.
"S-She's... incredibly beautiful."
Nora's smile widened.
"Thank you."
Arou quickly turned toward the teacher.
"Huh? Beautiful? In what way?"
The teacher cleared his throat, trying to remain serious.
"But... are you joking?"
Nora tilted her head and twitched her cat ears.
"I'm really a cat," she said lightly.
"Meow."
Several students covered their mouths.
Others simply stared in disbelief.
Arou rubbed his face.
"Just get back into my bag already."
Nora huffed.
"Kyaa. Arou is being very perverted toward a cat like me."
Arou's face instantly turned red.
"Just get in the bag, you annoying cat."
Nora smiled casually.
"Hm. Fine, fine."
A faint light surrounded her once more.
In an instant, Nora returned to her small white cat form.
She jumped down and slipped into Arou's bag.
The entire classroom fell silent.
The teacher stared at the bag.
Then at Arou.
Then back at the bag.
"Eeeeh?!"
Several students shouted almost simultaneously.
No one dared to speak.
No one understood what they had just witnessed.
And Arou stood there,
realizing one thing—
the secrets of his dream world
had completely stepped into his classroom.
"Alright then," the teacher said after several moments of silence,
"Arou, come with me to the teachers' office."
The classroom became noisy again.
Some students whispered among themselves, while others stared curiously at Arou's bag.
Arou nodded.
"Yes, sir."
He picked up his bag and followed the teacher out of the classroom.
Each step felt heavy.
The hallway was silent.
Only the sound of footsteps and the ticking of a wall clock could be heard.
When they arrived at the teachers' office, the teacher opened the door and gestured for Arou to enter.
"Sit."
Arou sat down in the chair across from the desk.
The teacher looked at him seriously.
"Arou," he said slowly,
"what exactly happened back there?"
Arou remained silent for a moment.
His eyes fell on the bag in his hands.
"...I don't even know how to explain it, sir."
The bag suddenly moved.
"Arou," a small voice came from inside,
"I'm suffocating."
Arou immediately pressed the bag lightly.
"Be quiet for a minute."
The teacher's eyes widened.
"Did... did your cat just speak?"
Arou took a deep breath.
"Yes, sir."
Silence filled the room once more.
The teacher leaned back in his chair.
"Alright," he finally said.
"Let's assume this isn't a joke."
He looked straight at Arou.
"You need to explain everything. From the beginning."
Arou opened his mouth.
But the words would not come.
Because the world that had existed only in his imagination
was now demanding to be told to the real world.
And Arou still didn't know
whether he was ready to tell it.