"Meow~"
The cat let out another soft cry.
Yami Tsukishiro glanced at the strip of cat food in her hand, then looked at Yukinoshita.
"…Wait. Don't tell me—you came here just to feed the cat?"
With the cat itself as evidence, plus the cat food in her hand, the truth was undeniable.
Now that things had reached this point, Yukinoshita had no way to keep it hidden.
She lowered her gaze slightly, then nodded with quiet dignity.
"Yes. But… it doesn't seem willing to come down."
"Can't get down?"
Yami tilted his head, not sure he'd heard right.
"How can a cat climb a tree but not know how to come down?"
He studied Yukinoshita suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.
"…Or is it possible it only ran up there because it was frightened by your arrival?"
"H-how is that even possible?" Yukinoshita's voice trembled, clearly unsettled.
There was no way cats disliked her that easily… right?
"Look carefully. Its pupils are vertical, its fur's all puffed up. It's clearly frightened of you."
Yukinoshita froze, realizing she hadn't noticed the signs at all. She had really scared the poor thing.
Yami sighed and stepped closer to the tree, lowering his voice.
"Come down."
The white cat immediately descended the trunk and leapt straight into Yami's waiting arms. It nestled there, completely at ease, as if it had known him forever.
"!!!"
Yukinoshita Yukino was left speechless.
Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out, wanting to touch it too—
"Fsshh!!"
The cat's fur bristled again, and it hissed sharply at her.
Her hand froze mid-air, her expression stiff. The rejection stung more than she wanted to admit.
Meanwhile, Yami gently stroked the white cat's fur, his voice soft and calm.
"Easy now. Be quiet."
At once, the cat settled down, docile and obedient in his arms.
Of course, the real reason was that Yami had quietly invoked the power of his word-spirit.
Without it, there was no way the animal would have been so tame.
Yami glanced at the absent-minded Yukinoshita and reminded her gently:
"Aren't you here to feed the cat?"
"!"
Only then did Yukinoshita recall the original purpose of her visit.
She opened the cat strip, but hesitated to reach it out—afraid the little creature might dislike her.
That cautious, almost fragile demeanor… it was worlds apart from the cold self she usually presented.
"Yukinoshita, are you… a cat slave?"
Yami sighed. Unable to stand it, he reached out, guiding her hand forward until the strip was right before the kitten's mouth.
The little white cat flinched at first, startled. But the scent caught its attention.
It stretched out its tongue, cautiously licked once—then, realizing the taste was safe and delicious, began licking eagerly, again and again.
Yukinoshita's lips curved slightly before she could stop herself. Seeing it so cute made her heart soften.
…
"Can you let go of my hand?" she suddenly asked, her voice cool.
It wasn't that she truly meant to be cold. She simply wasn't used to physical contact with others.
Realizing it, Yami released her hand without protest. Then he carefully passed the white cat over to her.
"Here. Just hold it."
"I—!"
Yukinoshita was about to refuse, but the cat had already shifted into her arms. Reflexively, she caught it, flustered.
Now she stood there, holding it awkwardly with one arm while feeding it with the other.
"After feeding, bring it to the cattery," Yami instructed lightly. "Looks like this one's new."
The cattery was the small shelter at the academy where stray cats were looked after.
"...Um."
Yukinoshita didn't say much more, focusing all her attention on feeding the cat.
Of course, part of the reason for her silence was that she truly didn't know what to talk about with Yami Tsukishiro. The two of them weren't exactly close.
Ten minutes passed.
The cat finished its meal and curled up, grooming itself with lazy swipes of its paw, paying no mind to Yami anymore.
"Take it to the cattery."
"Mm."
Together, they brought the white cat to the shelter.
When they left the school grounds afterward, Yami casually asked, "So, where are you heading?"
To his surprise, Yukinoshita's home wasn't far from his own.
"Let's go together then," he said without hesitation. "I live nearby too. It's not exactly safe for a girl to walk alone at night."
"Th-this is… okay."
She was uncomfortable being in a boy's company, her first instinct to refuse. But the words felt too forced, too unnatural, so she could only accept.
The two walked side by side, not saying much. At most, they each glanced at their phones from time to time.
Eventually, they arrived in the city's residential district. When they reached a row of villas, they both stopped almost at the same moment, silence settling between them.
When they reached the residential district, Yami slowed his steps and gestured toward one of the villas.
"This is where I live. Your apartment should be close by, right?"
"…You live here?" Yukinoshita's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected him to live in such a villa — it was nothing like the image of a boy with "no background" that she had imagined.
Even more shocking was that her own apartment building really was just down the street.
Yami glanced at her, then added casually, "I'll walk you there. It's dangerous for a girl to be alone at night."
"There's no need," Yukinoshita replied quickly, instinctively trying to refuse. "It's just a short distance. I can go by myself."
But Yami lightly tapped her shoulder, not leaving room for debate.
"Don't argue. Let's go."
"..."
For the first time, Yukinoshita truly understood the phrase "it's hard to reject kindness."
So in the end, she allowed him to accompany her.
When they reached her apartment building, Yami didn't linger. He gave her a polite nod, then turned back toward his villa.
Yukinoshita entered the elevator, but once she was finally home, she collapsed onto the sofa with a long sigh.
Her mind replayed the embarrassing moment earlier when he had exposed her as a "cat slave." Just recalling it made her cheeks heat in shame.
And then she remembered again — that villa.
It didn't look cheap at all. But he said he had no background. Isn't that contradictory?
Her brow furrowed. Yukinoshita disliked lies more than anything.
Did he… lie?
After a moment's hesitation, she took out her phone and dialed her sister, Yukinoshita Haruno.
For someone who insisted she had "nothing to do with him," the fact she was now actively making a call just to ask about him spoke volumes.
"Oh my, Yukino calling me? How rare. My little sister actually misses me?" Haruno's playful voice came through the receiver immediately.
"Don't overthink it. I just have something to ask." Yukino's tone was cold, brushing off her sister's teasing as she cut straight to the point.
"What does my cute Yukino-chan want to ask? Your sister knows everything~"
"That boy. The one Mother told me to get close to… is he some kind of rich heir?"
"Clang!"
On the other side, a spoon clattered against porcelain.
Haruno's voice, when it returned, was far more serious.
"Yukino-chan… listen carefully. Yami Tsukishiro has no background. None at all. You don't need to worry about being pushed into any political marriage with him."
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