“I think we need to persuade that person. I was going to keep it a secret, but I think it’s better to talk about it… When we meet at night, could you lend me the Ouija board?”
At first, I intended to keep it a secret, but since I need to move around in the future, I thought it would be best to talk to Isaac.
Lian nodded. “Sure, I’ll lend it to you.”
After that, we continued chatting about various things. Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set. It was time to head back.
“Ah, Lian. I should get going now.”
“Can we meet during the day again next time?”
“Um… My days off keep changing. If anything comes up, let’s set another date at night.”
“Alright.”
[Lian’s affection has increased by 2]
[Current Lian’s affection: 22]
As Lian smiled bashfully, a message appeared indicating an increase in affection. Is just suggesting another date really that good?
After parting ways with Lian, I returned to the mansion. I felt a bit strange in many ways. Why is the story different from the original one I knew? How much has it changed? With these thoughts in mind, I entered the mansion, only to run into Isaac at the entrance. Ugh, of all people… I politely bowed my head.
Isaac spoke in a calm tone. “I see you went out since it’s your day off.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Did you meet someone?”
How did he know that? I considered lying, but if Isaac, who is quick to notice, caught on, his affection might drop, and I could end up dead.
“Yes, I had an appointment.”
“Hmm… with who? A man?”
“…Yes.”
Haa, why is he prying so much? As I was trying to think of a way to escape the situation, I remembered the cookies I had bought earlier.
“Um, Master. I have something for you.”
“For me?”
I hurriedly pulled out the jam cookies and handed them to him. He looked at the packet with a puzzled expression.
“…Jam cookies? Why are you giving them to me?”
“They just looked delicious, and Master helped me out the other day.”
“When did I help you?”
“That, when I was trying to run away at night…”
If Isaac hadn’t shown up, I would have been dragged off by thugs.
He remained silent for a moment, holding the packet I had given him as if he were seeing jam cookies for the first time.
“…I’ll enjoy them.”
Isaac slowly turned and headed upstairs. Then, a system message popped up in front of me.
[Isaac’s affection has increased by 10]
[Current Isaac’s affection: -67]
Huh? What? Did his affection really go up that much over just a single packet of jam cookies?
Stunned by the unexpected result, I found myself staring after Isaac as he disappeared from sight.
* * *
Isaac sat in his study, staring at the packet of jam cookies. The strawberry jam filling the middle of the cookies sparkled like a red gem. Even though they were just plain jam cookies, he couldn’t take his eyes off them, his gaze dark and heavy.
“…It’s been a while.”
He hadn’t expected to see jam cookies, which he used to love as a child, again like this. They were a treat he hadn’t sought out since Mia’s death.
These jam cookies were special to him in many ways. Not only did he personally like them, but they were also special because Mia had given them to him. When he was locked in solitary confinement, starving, Mia had brought him a packet of jam cookies in her mouth and given them to him.
He had no idea how sweet those cookies tasted after days of hunger. Or maybe it was because Mia had brought them to him that they tasted so sweet. But after Mia’s death, he hadn’t eaten them. Nothing tasted good, and he didn’t feel like eating anything in particular.
And now, after 15 years, someone has given him jam cookies as a gift. And from a woman named Mia, no less. It was probably all a coincidence, but it felt strange.
Crunch. He picked up a jam cookie and took a bite. The sweet taste of the jam spread through his mouth. It seemed to taste just like the jam cookies he had eaten in that solitary confinement as a child.
* * *
The night had fallen. It was a night similar to the last one, yet slightly different. I was in a new room with Isaac. After offering a sacrifice to the door last time, we had moved on to the next area. Even now, thinking about what had happened last time made my heart heavy. Offering a person instead of a spider to open the next location…
Meanwhile, Isaac was stroking me with a serene expression as if nothing had happened.
“Mia, are you feeling good? Should I keep petting you?”
“Mew…”
Haa, even though I’m troubled, his touch feels good. I quietly enjoyed his petting while waiting for Lian. He was supposed to come today and give me the Ouija board…
After a while, the door suddenly swung open, and someone entered. The gentle look in Isaac’s eyes quickly turned sharp.
“What is it?”
The person who entered was Lian.
Finally, he’s here!
Lian looked between Isaac and me before speaking. “I have something to discuss with you.”
“I have nothing to discuss.”
“You’ll regret not listening. It’s about that cat.”
At the mention of me, I could see the veins standing out on Isaac’s hand, like an animal guarding its possession.
“What about Mia?”
“That cat. It can talk.”
“…What?”
A look of confusion crossed Isaac’s face. Lian took out the Ouija board and tossed it on the floor.
“You can talk to it using that. Give it a try.” After saying that, Lian left the room.
Isaac looked at me with a somewhat bewildered expression. “Mia, is that true?”
I jumped down and placed my paw on the Ouija board. YES.
Isaac’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What is this… Mia, can you really talk?”
YES.
Isaac’s face showed a fleeting expression as if he might cry. He suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace.
“I… I always wanted to talk to you, Mia. If I had known you could talk, I would have brought something like this sooner…” He muttered that before finally letting me go. He seemed very excited.
Sitting on the floor, Isaac murmured, “Ah, there’s so much I want to say… Where should I start…”
I had a lot of questions too. Why is he here? What happened to the Diaz Mansion? But I decided to start with a simple question instead of diving right into those topics.
-Have you been well?
“Yes… I’ve been fine. How about you, Mia? You were dead…”
-I don’t know. I woke up and found myself here.
“Where do you stay during the day?”
-That’s a secret.
As we exchanged small talk to ease the mood, I felt it was time to get to the main point. I moved my paw over the Ouija board.
-Isaac, I have a request.
“Yes, what is it?”
-I need to search for something at night. So, could you not hold onto me?
Isaac’s expression became complicated by my words. It was a face that was hard to read. He stroked me and said, “Can’t we look for it together?”
-No, I have to do it alone. So from now on…
I paused for a moment, then tapped a number on the board.
-Let’s spend just 1 hour together each day.
I figured asking him to completely let me go wouldn’t work, so I proposed a compromise. However, Isaac’s eyes trembled slightly.
“Only an hour? That’s too short, Mia. Didn’t you… want to see me?” said Isaac with a look as if he was about to cry.
Isaac looked like he was about to cry.
Ugh, that expression should be illegal! He was looking at me with the same eyes he had as a child, and my heart wavered.
-Then, two hours.
“…How about six hours?”
Would it make sense to spend six hours together out of the usual six hours here?
I firmly said,
-I really need to find it. So, two hours.
“I always want to be with you, Mia, but I guess you don’t like me that much…”
Sigh… Seeing his teary face made my heart waver again. Can’t you be either scary or cute, not both?
After some negotiation, we finally agreed to spend three hours together each day.
Sigh, is this the right thing to do…
In the meantime, Isaac looked overjoyed. He hugged me tightly and smiled. “I’m so happy. I can be with you like this, and we can talk too…”
“Meow.”
“I’ve always wanted to say that I love you, Mia…”
He kissed the top of my head. The way he gently scratched under my chin was just so tender.
“I love you. My cat…”
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Lians affection bout to drop
i wonder how he’d react if she said she was his maid? maybe it’s for the best she doesn’t tell him just yet? 👀