Dearest Anonymous, Let Me Be

Chapter 38: ARC 2 - The Woman in the Painting

"Mochi, you're back!"

With both hands extended towards the floating kitten, Umi looked like she had discovered a rare oasis in the desert. Her eyes sparkled despite the darkness of the room and Mochi even appeared as though he was brighter than the moonlight escaping from the huge curtains.

After coming back, Umi locked herself in her room. Lucian never said anything, he only assumed that Miss Ivy was simply worn out, and so he went through his whole day cleaning around the manor. As for the meals, Umi only pretended that she was on a strict diet.

It has only been a couple of days but Umi felt like a long year has passed. Seeing Mochi appearing out of thin air unexpectedly, Umi felt like a pie has suddenly fallen into her lap.

At last, she can finally play with someone ah!

However, the only reply she got from the kitten was a stupefied face. Feeling that the kitten's response was somehow underwhelming, Umi called out to him again, "Cat got your tongue?" Then she giggled despite the silence, "See what I did there?"

Mochi's blank face only grew into a grimace.

Umi, feeling a bit wronged, explained her joke furthermore, "You know, because you're a cat and I said 'cat got your...'—oh forget it."

"Did something happen to you while I was gone?" Mochi finally opened his mouth to inquire. Now, his face seemed to be holding back a sneer.

There was no need for Umi's reply since her face alone seemed to show her complex feelings already.

"Actually, forget I asked. I can already tell." Mochi clicked his tongue a number of three times before landing on a table in all fours. "Wait for a while, I'll cast a spell so I can know what made you aged a hundred years."

Umi and Mochi usually don't listen to each other and their only way of communication was through a string of bickering. Yet, Umi couldn't help but depend on the kitten for once. Strangely, her pride seemed to have lowered an inch.

After what seemed like an eternity, which was only a few seconds in actuality, Mochi finished the incantations, and soon enough, a pair of exhausted eyes peered into Umi.

Mochi can only utter one word, "Wow..."

The kitten almost choked in his own saliva.

"You truly amaze me..."

He was only baffled why Umi's Scare Points have become a negative five in just a few days, and now he had inadvertently discovered something that the woman was fully unaware of!

Turned out, this woman's face recognition is almost down to zero ah!

Mochi had suspected it right from the start. The woman seemed to have trouble recognizing some characters if they weren't being obvious about it. Recognizing Lucian was a given since she met him during the ritual and there's nobody else who would've done that aside from him, but how could she not recognize the main character at all!

Ezra was right there in front of her! The kid who will grow up to be the leader of his friends, the group that will storm inside the haunted manor to tickle their bored hearts, the main character of all characters, he was there! Yet, Umi didn't recognize him at all!

However, that was not the end of it! Lucian's character setting was gone with the wind, and Umi was caught galloping away from a harmless ghost with the main character in her arms.

Quickly enough, Mochi's soulless eyes turned into a pair of calculating ones.

Now, what information would he give to this ridiculously unfortunate woman? Hmm?