“I have one more request. I want to take Mimi with us.”
“No.”
Shirley answered almost instantly. “The snowy mountain we are going to this time is at a much higher altitude than where you went before. A cat’s body simply wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“Even if it can turn into a magical beast, it’s still a no! This is an order from me as your employer!”
Shirley’s attitude was resolute; she simply would not agree.
“Meow~”
Mimi rubbed against Anis’s chin with great reluctance. At the same time, Mimi’s voice echoed in Anis’s mind, ‘It’s okay. I’ll wait here for Master to return.’
Anis scratched the cat’s head and looked at Shirley. “Fine, I agree. But you have to give me some time to prepare.”
“Sure. How about we set off first thing tomorrow morning?”
“Mm.”
Shirley gave a playful giggle, retracted her medicine box, and skipped out of the bedroom.
After Anis confirmed there was no more sound outside, she pressed her ear against the cat’s and whispered softly, “This trip might take a long time. If that person in black attacks you again during such a long period, what will happen?”
Anis looked at the empty hole where the door lock should have been. Even if she reinstalled it, it wouldn’t stop the person in black from forcing their way in.
“That’s it!”
An idea suddenly surfaced in Anis’s mind. She opened the wardrobe and took out all the folded clothes.
“Meow?”
Mimi tilted its little head and looked at Anis with a confused expression. She watched as Anis used her wand to carefully draw something on the wooden board at the bottom of the wardrobe. Soon, a faint light emerged from within.
“Mimi, come here.”
Anis stood on the drawn magic circle, knelt down, and opened her arms toward the cat. Mimi cooperatively ran over. As it burrowed into Anis’s embrace, the magic circle activated.
After a dizzying sensation, a green light illuminated the surroundings. It was still very dark, but through the light, one could barely identify that the glowing objects were magic ores.
“Mimi, you remember this place, right? This is the magic crystal vein you led me to.”
Anis set the cat down and waved her wand to build a simple cat bed. “You’ll have to make do with staying here for a while.”
“Meow.”
Mimi was very reluctant, but it still lay down in the shaded cat bed, looking forward to Anis’s return.
After leaving all her current food and water for the cat, Anis gave her pet a light kiss and returned to the bedroom alone.
Stepping out of the wardrobe, everything remained the same, except the air had become much quieter.
‘I’m really not used to this.’
She refolded her clothes and restored the room to its original state. Then, she walked to the door and pointed her wand at the hole where the lock should have been.
Specks of light emerged, and with a click, she locked the door with magic.
‘This should be fine. At least while I’m gone, it should protect the things in the room.’
Anis walked to the desk and took out the black magic book hidden in the drawer.
She had originally intended to spend a few days exploring its contents, but it seemed that wouldn’t be possible now.
“Disguise.”
The tip of her wand tapped the book lightly, and the mysterious black magic book, filled with secrets, turned into an ordinary blank notebook.
After finishing all of this, she groomed herself meticulously.
***
The following morning.
The prepared Anis arrived at the courtyard. Shirley was gazing toward the glass greenhouse, seemingly lost in thought.
Upon seeing Anis, she quickly composed herself and revealed a bright smile. “Anis! I’ve been waiting for you! Let’s go!”
“Mm.”
Anis gave a small nod in response, preparing to depart by carriage. But it was then she realized that there was no carriage prepared for the two of them in the courtyard at all!
“Where is the carriage?”
She looked at Shirley, who only gave a playful grin. “I didn’t have the servants prepare a carriage.”
“Then how do you plan to get there?”
As soon as Anis said the words, she immediately realized the answer.
Shirley bowed slightly toward her, a sweet, girl-next-door smile on her face. “Little Sister wants to ride on Big Sister’s broom, too.”
“…”
Seeing her look of pure anticipation, what else could Anis say?
If she refused, the girl would surely cry.
Anis waved her wand, and her broom descended from the distant sky like a falling star. She reached out slightly and caught it firmly, unharmed.
“Oh, Lady Big Sister is so incredible!”
Shirley clapped her hands in shocked admiration, but in Anis’s eyes, it was nothing more than an act.
As Anis mounted the broom, Shirley grabbed the tail end with both hands, looking impatient.
“No, you sit in front of me.”
Anis shook off Shirley’s hands with a light flick. Even though the ruby necklace was now in her possession, her wariness of Shirley would not vanish.
“Hmph, fine.”
Shirley pouted, looking a bit unhappy. She walked in front of Anis, propped herself up with her hands, and leaped lightly, sitting sideways on the broom.
“I wouldn’t recommend sitting like that. A single gust of wind will blow you right off.”
Anis offered a kind warning, but Shirley just smiled gently. “I’m not afraid.”
She scooted back a few times and leaned slightly to the side.
“Hey!”
A floral fragrance wafted into Anis’s nose, giving her a strange sensation of weightlessness.
Shirley carried a very pleasant scent of flowers, and her petite body snuggled into Anis’s arms like a cat.
‘In my past life, I was never this close to a girl!’
‘No, I need to calm down! This is Shirley we’re talking about, the one who is constantly thinking about controlling you!’
Anis took a deep breath, but at that moment, Shirley’s words made the veins on her forehead throb!
“Hehe, Anis’s chest is so soft~”
The obsessive Shirley didn’t forget to rub against her chest a few times while sharing her thoughts!
“Mm! No wonder that little kitty likes it here! Who wouldn’t get dazed lying like this!”
“…”
Gritting her teeth, Anis spat out a sentence. “You’d better sit tight.”
Without waiting for Shirley’s reaction, she funneled the maximum amount of driving mana into the broom and kicked off. The broom instantly shot into the sky like a rocket!
“Waaaaaah—”
Shirley’s scream echoed through the air, but Anis still refused to let her off, performing a mid-air spiral and continuing to dash head-first!
Listening to Shirley’s screams, Anis felt an indescribable sense of pleasure.
‘Payback at last!’
“Haa… haa…”
Once they leveled out, Shirley panted heavily, looking at Anis with teary eyes. “You’re a bully!”
Then, Shirley wrapped her arms around her, making Anis’s chest feel tight.
She was clinging even tighter than before.