The Catlike Girl

In a hazy daze,

Galan kept feeling that something was resting on his gently rising and falling stomach.

Soft and warm.

As if a lazy cat were sleeping there.

His eyelids trembled slightly, and the boundless darkness was swept away by the light streaming in through the window.

Lia sat in the chair beside the bed, but half her body was sprawled across him. A noticeably oversized coat had slipped to the floor.

Her golden hair flowed like a waterfall, running freely along the folds of the bedsheet and into his field of vision.

Sunlight fell on her head, casting warm halos around it.

Just like an angel.

It was the first time Galan had observed the girl so closely.

Even when he first brought her back and tended to her wounds, he hadn't looked at her carefully.

Back then, he hadn't wanted his actions to frighten Lia and make her think he was some dangerous pedophile.

But honestly...

Judging by their ages, several generations separated them. That label really didn't fit him.

But what about afterward?

Even after they had spent quite some time together, Lia seemed to have quickly adapted to life here and had shown an inexplicable closeness to him from the very beginning.

It was so inexplicable that he even felt Lia had known him long, long ago.

He didn't know why, but he believed it for no reason.

He had never told her what flavors he preferred,

Yet through repeated attempts, Lia had managed to cook meals perfectly suited to his taste.

He had never told her what flowers he liked,

Yet Lia had woven Mirror Lotuses into a wreath and hung it on his clothes rack, filling his sleeves with their delicate fragrance.

Galan had been surprised to see the wreath when he came back that time.

He had hardly ever seen this kind of flower in the region.

He had only happened to come across it before, and had admired its refreshing deep-blue hue and fragrance.

Galan strained to lean closer.

He wanted to see that pure, flawless face clearly, to take a good look at the kittenlike girl.

Her eyelashes were long, tracing a graceful curve.

Like a silvery bright moon, or the smile of a goddess.

They shimmered in the morning light.

"You're awake."

A familiar voice came from the doorway, interrupting Galan's impulse to reach out and stroke Lia's head.

"Duncan... Sorry I made you worry again this time."

"It's all right as long as you're okay... When that monk named Reno carried you back, I nearly thought you were dead."

Duncan no longer had the stately, solemn air of a Court Mage, perhaps because he was wearing a plain blue robe.

Lia had picked it out for him when the three of them had gone shopping in the city.

Although Galan thought the color didn't quite suit Duncan, Duncan had seen the "trust me on this" look on Lia's face, smiled, and paid for it himself.

If he had a daughter, it wouldn't be impossible for him to dote on her, judging by how he acted.

"When she saw you carried back covered in blood, Lia was so scared she cried. She stayed by your side all day yesterday, right up until she fell asleep."

He strolled over and carefully draped the coat that had fallen to the floor back over Lia.

No wonder the coat had looked so familiar. It was the one Duncan had worn when he first appeared.

"How silly... I can't believe she was so worried about me..."

Hearing him say that, Galan's heart trembled as though struck by a heavy hammer.

In that moment, many indescribable barriers quietly fell away.

In the end, he reached out and gently stroked Lia's head.

Her hair flowed past his fingertips like a stream.

It still felt just as nice to ruffle.

It really was like petting a cat he had raised for a long time.

But he didn't dare use too much force.

He was afraid of waking the girl lost in her dreams.

"...She's made it so obvious all this time. Did you really not notice?"

"Huh?"

Duncan's brows furrowed slightly.

But when he saw the utterly bewildered look on Galan's face, he said no more.

His undisguised gaze, however, was like that of a teacher looking at a student who had made a mistake.

"So I slept for nearly a whole day?"

Seeing Duncan hesitate to speak, Galan paused and didn't press him further.

"Yes, you slept like a pig."

"Glenn, who was carried back with you, woke up yesterday at noon."

"Reno also said he started asking for a drink as soon as he woke up. He seemed to be in incredibly good spirits, even though he'd lost a leg."

At the sound of Glenn's name, Galan froze for a moment, then relaxed.

Like a balloon on the verge of bursting that had suddenly had some air let out.

"I'm glad he's still alive. I almost thought I hadn't managed to save him..."

"I heard you ran into another powerful demon this time. You pushed yourself again, didn't you?"

"At least take some care of yourself."

"You're just as reckless with your own life. Coming from you, that isn't very convincing."

The two exchanged a look and smiled in unison.

"...Galan?"

At some point, Lia, who had been lying on Galan all this time, woke up.

His face was reflected in her still-hazy eyes.

"Mm—"

Before he could react, the little cat, an ahoge bobbing on top of her head, plunged into his arms.

It was a hard feeling to describe.

A faint fragrance lingered around the tip of Galan's nose.

His restless heart gradually settled down as well.

The girl wrapped her fair arms tightly around his bandaged waist.

He really wanted to say, Lia, you're hugging me too tightly, and you're pressing on my wound. I feel like I'm about to faint from the pain again.

But when he looked down and saw the indescribable sadness on the girl's face and the glistening dewdrops trembling at the corners of her eyes,

Galan closed his mouth again.

She looked as though she were holding a precious treasure she had lost and found again,

Or a toy that had been with her for a very, very long time.

Afraid the whole world would snatch it from her hands.

That fear and sense of brokenness were conveyed to Galan through her ever-tightening arms and the deepening creases in his clothes.

A long, quiet sigh.

Under Duncan's stern gaze, he surrendered completely.

His strong, sturdy hand responded to the girl's outpouring of emotion, and the coat draped over her shoulders gradually slipped down beside the bed.

Galan gently stroked her head while patting her back.

Like an adult soothing a child.

I really don't get it. I feel like I'm always playing the role of a babysitter.

But it also feels like that isn't quite how to describe our relationship.

"Next time... don't get hurt like this again..."

"Mm."

"...I'll worry..."

"...Mm."

Lia's voice was very soft, mingled with faint sobs.

It seemed that, at that moment, Galan belatedly felt something.

Recalling the interruption during their conversation, he looked up, only to find that Duncan had already left the room with a smile.

Is that really how it is?

Am I really not imagining things for no reason?

But he still didn't understand

When this sudden emotion called "liking"

Had taken root and begun to grow in the girl's heart...