Sowon grunted as she got up, it was Saturday, no school day. Stretching her long arms, she yawned. Creaking her bones some more with stretches, she looked over on her pillow where Umji had fallen asleep the night before.

“Cute.”

Umji was curled up hugging her own tail, her tiny blanket half on her little body. Sowon shifted slowly off the bed before adjusting the blanket. She nudged Umji’s puffy cheeks lightly before grinning and leaving the room. Breakfast wouldn’t cook itself, would it?

Sowon hummed as she bustled around the kitchen, between flipping the egg and ham, she was spreading the jam on the toast and pouring the hot chocolate. On weekdays, she’d be making coffee to ensure that she stayed awake during classes but today she had the leisure of drinking sweet chocolate.

“Mm.”

She scooped the eggs and ham off the pan and onto her plate with her toast and moved to the table to eat. Umji would wake up in a bit and she planned on making tuna fish for her. As she chewed her sandwich, she got up and grabbed a can of tuna. Straining to open the can, she got it open on the third pull. Scrapping out the tuna into the bowl, she reached for an apple. Checking that it was ripe, she rubbed it clean in the sink and cut it open. Slicing it into quarters before peeling it, she grinned. It was the perfect crunchiness. Putting water on the stove, she the flames to make her boiled eggs.

(I use apples to make tuna fish sandwiches, the internet says celery and onions.)

Hearing a small noise, she smiled and turned away from the stove for one second, seeing Umji trudging along the bridge connecting the shelf from the bedroom to the kitchen rubbing an eye with one hand, the other hand still hugging her tail.

“Good morning baby.”

“Unh, good morning Unnie.”

Umji let out a small yawn as Sowon reached up to grab her from the bridge, sitting her on the counter next to her.

“Did you sleep well?”

Umji nodded even though Sowon wasn’t looking, she was focused on cooking again. Hearing no response, Umji looked up and responded again.

“Yea. I did.”

Sowon ruffled her hair quickly before pulling the pot with the eggs out. Dousing it in cold water, Sowon tossed the egg between her hands trying to peel it. Umji smiled like an idiot watching Sowon fidget with the still hot eggs.

“Unnie aren’t you supposed to cool them first?”

“I guess I could. Do you want hot chocolate or milk?”

Umji put a finger to her chin, “hot chocolate.”

“Okay. You can wait at the table.”

Umji got up and made her way to the small ramp from the counter to the top of the fridge to the shelves that were installed to make a stairway for her to make it over to the main shelf station where she climbed down the rope ladder to the kitchen table. Most of the things in the house were placed so Umji could access all of them easily but not being in Sowon’s way. She sat next to Sowon’s mug of hot chocolate, side hugging it with her arm, using the handle as an armrest soaking in the heat it gave off.

What happens during an earthquake, one may think, most of the things that were set near the walls that never move from the walls were usually nailed into the walls like you would with bookshelves and shelves. The ramps were attached carefully with some rope that if it were to move, it’d slide a bit and get caught. The bridges installed above Sowon’s head for Umji to travel on were rope bridges that were pulled taught enough to not flip during shaking motions but not taught enough to snap if Umji ever wanted to jump on them, which was a completely fine activity to do.

Sowon smiled when she spotted Umji hugging her mug, she was finishing mixing the tuna with the boiled eggs and apple chunks. Knowing that Umji didn’t like the taste of mayonnaise, she decided to try a different mayo. A Japanese brand that was also used to make fruit salads with. Stirring in the Japanese mayo, she scooted over to the table bringing a small fork and bowl with her. One can of tuna would make approximately two adult portions, Umji would eat maybe a fourth of an adult portion so she would have left overs for lunch.

“Cha, yours.”

She scooped some into a bowl and handed it to Umji, returning to the kitchen she pulled out Umji’s little mug. Nudging Umji from her mug of hot chocolate, she carefully poured some into Umji’s mug.

They began to eat together in silence, only a small grumble from Sowon that her eggs were cold.

“Unnie, what should we do today?”

“Hm? Do you want to go shopping later? We can catch a movie too.”

“Okay.”

Umji sipped her hot chocolate, shivering as the heat traveled through her small body. Sowon smiled as Umji’s cat ears twitched in joy.

“What should we watch though?”

“We’ll see when we get there.”

“Mm.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the movie, Sowon put Umji back in her pouch. Sowon had a messenger bag that had a small pouch in the front of the strap where she modified it to hold Umji better. Sowon wandered around the clothing stores looking at cute designs to make Umji some more clothes, her hand resting on the strap near Umji. Most people didn’t pay attention and wouldn’t notice that there was a nuko on the front of this tall girl, but some that did would squeal in Umji’s cuteness silently and from afar, afraid of coming closer. Umji watched from her pouch reaching out to hold Sowon’s thumb when Sowon’s hand shifted closer.

“Hm? Did you see something you liked?”

“No, I just wanted to hold your hand.”

“Okay.”

Sowon smiled and ruffled Umji’s hair lightly, making the little nuko wink because of her bangs.

“Your bangs are getting longer; do you want to cut it?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay.”

Sowon hummed as she browsed the skirts in the children’s section when a yelp was heard.

“Eh?”

Looking down, Sowon found another nuko holding onto her tail delicately, glaring at a walking away guy who apparently didn’t see her.

“Are you okay?”

The nuko looked up at Sowon and her jaw dropped open. “So tall.”

Umji giggled.

“She’s really tall isn’t she.”

Sowon smiled and squatted down.

“Let me ask again. Is your tail okay?”

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Oh my god I am so excited for this series! I like to write some chapters in advance but I can't hold back from publishing them ahhhhh!