Ai Kisugi had never seen her eldest sister so excited.
Especially over a man.
It was incredibly rare. Could this man be Rui-nee's boyfriend?
Rui explained, "He's the one we told you about before—the man who said Hitomi was possessed by a hindering cat."
Ai immediately caught on. "The guy who claims to be a god? Why'd you take so long to show up?"
Morpheus rolled his eyes. "I am a god, not just claiming to be one."
But considering Ai was still a high schooler, he didn't bother arguing with the kid.
As for why he was only showing up now?
Could Morpheus admit that he'd been so thrilled about absorbing the Gourmet World that he completely forgot about this matter?
That night, as he lay in bed, he kept feeling like he'd forgotten something.
After mentally reviewing the past few days, he finally remembered.
So, he rushed over, arriving just in time to witness the Kisugi sisters' standoff.
"Ai, hush."
Rui, worried that Ai's words might anger Morpheus, quickly scolded her younger sister.
Ai realized she'd misspoken and covered her mouth, giving Morpheus an apologetic glance.
Whether or not Morpheus was truly a god, he wasn't someone she could afford to offend.
"Ai's still young. Please don't mind her, my lord," Rui said, apologizing on her sister's behalf.
She hurriedly approached Morpheus and pointed at her second sister. "Hitomi's possessed. Please, my lord, help her."
Morpheus turned to look at Hitomi, who let out a "meow" and regarded him warily, as if facing a formidable foe.
Her feline instincts told her this man was not to be trifled with.
Morpheus had already promised Hitomi he'd deal with the hindering cat, and he wasn't one to break his word. Smiling, he said, "Kitty, are you going to leave on your own, or do I have to make you?"
Hitomi retorted, "Don't mess with me, human, meow! I'm not someone you can push around, meow!"
Having finally found a suitable host, the hindering cat wasn't about to leave easily.
Seeing this, Morpheus didn't bother wasting words with the ungrateful creature. He flicked his hand, sending a beam of light shooting toward Hitomi.
The possessed Hitomi instinctively leaped to the side, trying to dodge the attack.
But she hadn't anticipated that Morpheus's attack could curve and track her. It traced an elegant arc through the air before striking her body with pinpoint accuracy.
Hitomi let out a pained cry and collapsed limply to the ground.
"Hitomi!"
"Sis!"
Rui and Ai cried out in unison, rushing toward the fallen Hitomi. But wary of her energy-draining ability, they didn't dare touch her.
Rui looked at Morpheus with concern. "My lord, what's wrong with her?"
"She's fine. She'll wake up soon," Morpheus replied.
No sooner had he spoken than Hitomi's eyes fluttered open, her cat-like pupils reverting to normal human ones.
"Nee-san, Ai, what's…" She rubbed her head, slowly getting up from the floor.
Rui let out a sigh of relief. "Hitomi, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Hitomi shook her head, then asked, "Is it morning already?"
"No," Ai replied, shaking her head. "It's only midnight. There's still a few hours until dawn."
Hitomi looked bewildered. "Then why am I awake?"
For the past two days, whenever night fell, she'd lose consciousness to the hindering cat and wouldn't wake until morning.
Why the sudden change today?
Rui pointed at Morpheus. "It's because our lord arrived."
Following Rui's gesture, Hitomi finally noticed Morpheus standing in the cafe.
Her face lit up with surprise and joy. "It's you! You're finally here! Does this mean you've driven out the hindering cat?"
Only that could explain her regaining control.
Morpheus shook his head. "Not quite. The hindering cat has fused with you. Expelling it would be troublesome, so I erased its consciousness instead."
"Huh? What does that mean?" Hitomi couldn't help but ask.
"It means you're still you, but you've gained the hindering cat's abilities and power. Pretty surprising, right? Unexpected, huh?"
But after hearing this, Hitomi said, "Am I supposed to be thrilled about this?"
Morpheus replied, "The hindering cat may be a low-level yokai, but it's still a yokai. With its power, you've transcended ordinary humanity. You can do things most people can't. Shouldn't you be happy about that?"
Before Hitomi could respond, Ai let out a cheer. "That's awesome, sis!"
Then she threw her arms around Hitomi.
"No, don't!"
Hitomi cried out, but it was too late.
The moment Ai hugged her, her body stiffened. She felt her stamina and energy being drained by her sister, leaving her weak and powerless.
If Hitomi hadn't pushed Ai away in time, Ai might have been completely drained.
Seeing this, Rui's pupils contracted sharply. She finally understood why Hitomi, despite gaining such an advantage, wasn't happy.
The hindering cat's energy-draining ability was still active.
And Hitomi had no control over it.
Anyone she touched would have their stamina and energy sapped.
This meant Hitomi could no longer have physical contact with others—no hugs, no kisses.
Marriage? Forget about it.
Who would want a wife you could only look at but never touch?
For an ordinary person, this was a devastating blow, enough to ruin a life.
Putting herself in Hitomi's shoes, Rui knew she wouldn't be happy either.
This wasn't the life she wanted.
Rui couldn't help but look at Morpheus. "Lord, please help Hitomi."
Hitomi's gaze followed, her beautiful eyes filled with hope, misty as if veiled in a haze, stirring the heart.
Morpheus said, "I can grant you a portion of my power to let you control this ability. But in exchange, you must become my follower."
"And not just you—all three of you sisters must become my followers."
At that moment, Rui recalled her earlier conversation with Morpheus. He'd mentioned wanting to collect things he liked.
He'd even used the analogy of collecting figurines.
And his method of collecting was to make people his followers?
Rui didn't agree immediately. Instead, she asked curiously, "Lord, what must we do as your followers?"
"Whatever you want," Morpheus replied. "I'm not too strict with my followers. Making you my followers is just to satisfy my collecting hobby."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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