“Hitomi!”

It certainly isn’t new to have her neighbor, Yabuki Nako, barging into her apartment at an ungodly hour in the morning. Or night. What time is it, anyway?

Nevertheless, Honda Hitomi is too tired to assume her sunny personality back—blame biochems, ing hell; Potions were so much easier—and she certainly is not in the mood for some bizarre adventure Nako will certainly suggest under Jo Yuri’s influence.

Seriously, that girl is bad news. For her sanity and sleep. Hitomi can’t even count how many brain cells she had lost over the years of having Yuri as her best-ugh-friend.

Don’t get her wrong, Hitomi loves Yuri dearly—it’s just that she wants to shove her to a busy road sometimes.

As if Yuri haven’t endangered herself and Hitomi enough.

But back to Nako. In front of her apartment, looking so thoroughly happy and glowing.

Hitomi squints.

“Did you ?”

Nako’s smile immediately contorts into a disbelieving scowl. She draws back dramatically, huffing and puffing.

“Tsk tsk, Hii-chan! Where did you learn those crude words?!”

“Why are you here?” Hitomi asks instead, leaning on her doorframe tiredly. “Get on it, Yabuki.”

The midget brightens immediately. How can someone be so happy and glowing at—3 AM? Damn, Hitomi only slept for 30 minutes—

Nako picks up a box sitting near her doorstep. Hitomi raises an eyebrow. She didn’t see it before.

“Look!” Nako raises the box to her, beckoning Hitomi to support the large box with her arms. “Take a peek inside.”

Hitomi’s eyebrows shoot even higher, suspicious. If it’s Yuri who asks her to peek, then she has all the right to assume she’s endangering her life and will seriously shove the younger girl into a den of hungry rabid dogs as an act of revenge.

But hey—it’s Nako, the worst thing she can do is probably annoy her to death.

Which—is kind of worse, actually.

But again, it’s Nako.

So Hitomi peers in while praying to the God above.

She frowns.

Inside are a sleeping kitten and a pup.

Nako squeals lightly. “Aren’t they so cute?”

Her frown deepens. “Where did you steal them, Nako-chan?”

“How rude. I found them on the corner,” she points her finger towards the emergency stairs. “Of those stairs. And I plan to surprise Yujin with them!” She squeals. “Yujin really wants a cat and a dog as pets!”

“So why are you showing it to me?” Hitomi peers in again. The kitten and the pup didn’t stir, but there is something else bothering Hitomi. “And Nako they—aren’t a cat and a dog—“

“You’re right! They are a kitten and a puppy. And I need you to take care of them until Yujin’s birthday next week.”

Hitomi’s tired, half-lidded eyes immediately snap open as wide as dinner plates. “Nako, you don’t get it—“

“No, YOU don’t get it! I need it to be a surprise! And you—you’re my neighbor and my bestfriend, Hii!”

“Nako I don’t think—“

“Shh.” Nako puts her finger on Hitomi’s lips. “I will take them in every two days, it’s a short time! I promise I will compensate for everything!”

“Nako listen—“

“I bid adieu, Hii-chan!”

-

Okay, first of all, Nako and her midnight rendezvous with a secret someone that leads to the midget into discovering these two animals.

Second of all, Yuri for her impressive capability to influence Nako on making Hitomi’s life harder and a lot more dangerous. As if her work as a Modern Potioneer isn't dangerous enough.

Third of all, Nako and her disorienting blindness. One day, Hitomi will surely spike her drink with optical potions and not even the Unspeakables can stop her.

Closing the door behind her with her foot, Hitomi drags herself further inside her living room before carefully placing the box on top of her couch.

Her eyes never left the two sleeping animals. A cheetah kitten and a wolf puppy—and not only they will grow into dangerous predators later in life, but they are also swirling with magic Hitomi is very unfamiliar with.

Hitomi sighs loudly.

Just what is it Nako signed her up for.

-

Just to be safe, Hitomi decides to put the two young animals in her bedroom. She carefully places them on top of her bed and after securing a pillow and a blanket for herself, left the two alone.

According to fanfictions she read and her mother’s tale, she will see something bizarre in the morning.

She expects them to turn into humans by the morning, or Yuri’s old clothes she’s been dying to throw away will have to meet their end in another way.

-

Well—she’s not sure if she really wants to be wakened up with a on her face and my, what a rough tongue—

“She’s waking up!”

Hitomi’s eyes immediately shoot open at the foreign voice entering her ears. In instant she is on her feet, assuming a fighting stance she has learned for half of her life. She points her wand over to the two intruders.

The two intruders are girls, and they immediately raise their hands.

“Who are you?” She screams, eyeing at the two girls with suspicion. “Why are you waking me up with a on my face?!”

“I told you it’s rude!” The girl with short, jet black hair hisses under her breath. She is glaring at her accomplice.

Her accomplice ignored her. “W-we were the animals on your bed!” She says, her voice cracking. “I-I’m the puppy and she’s the kitten!”

Hitomi glares harder. A flick of her wrist and suddenly the vase behind the shorter-haired girl bursts into blue flame.

“We’re not lying!”

And judging from that bead of tears welling on the accomplice’s eyes, she certainly isn’t lying.