Turpitude

Chapter Thirty-Six

It was Thursday, January 30th, 2020. 8 days later.

Kimi and I were hanging out in the pet room, playing with Shooter. Kimi thought he was the most adorable thing ever, and she really liked to pet him. Shooter was laying in a really big cat bed, in the big cat area. I had felt anxious around the tigers and lions at first, but I soon got comfortable with them when I saw how tame they were. I guess that's why KoKichi keeps them as pets. They seemed to adopt Shooter, they were cleaning him with their tongues and would constantly let him lay against them. They were meowing and purring to show their affection, and they got sad when Shooter left the big cat section. They were acting like house cats, and it was adorable.

KoKichi came into the room and looked for us. He didn't find us from just skimming through the room, so he called out my name. I left the big cat area, and put my hand up high so KoKichi could know where I was. He spotted me and ran over.

"Hi! So, I've got really good news", KoKichi was nearly out of breath, suggesting he was running before then.

I put my hands on his shoulders and cut him off from saying anything else, "hey hey, breathe for a second. Whatever you want to say can wait".

KoKichi took a few breaths and calmed himself down, so he was no longer borderline hyperventilating. "I've got good news", he repeated, smiling wide.

"I heard", I laughed and then motioned for him to continue.

"The guy who we paid to make your castle, do you remember them?" KoKichi asked.

"Yeah, what about them?" I was slightly nervous even though I was told it was good news. Good news can be interpreted in many different ways.

"They finished your castle, you can move in now!" KoKichi cheered and clapped.

I needed a second to process this news, but when I did, I cheered along. "Yeah!" I shouted.

Kimi had left the big cat area and asked us what all the commotion was about. I told her about the news, and she joined the cheering as well. Shooter seemed to have sensed the positive emotions, and left the area to come up to me. He rubbed his head against my leg.

I giggled and picked up my cat, starting to coo at him, "Hello Shooter~"

KoKichi and Kimi smiled at me, thinking I wouldn't notice, and I pretended I didn't. I also saw KoKichi's face turn red, and I noticed Kimi's notice as well. She had come up to me, and whispered in my ear, "KoKichi got a crush on you", drawing out the 'oo' sound.

My eyes widened and I glared at the younger girl, as KoKichi looked at us with a confused expression. I could tell he didn't hear what was said, and that he was curious. He didn't ask us about it, which I'm pretty thankful for.

KoKichi told us to gather our stuff and meet him at the front door, then he left. I quickly grabbed some of Shooter's stuff that was in the room as Kimi went to get her stuff. I put the orange cat on the ground and let him run into my room, seeming to be excited at the thought of having a new home.

I got to my room and saw Shooter sitting patiently at the door, causing me to chuckle. I opened the door and let the cat zoom in, running around the room and finding anything I should pack. I grabbed some of my clothes, the few belongings I had, and most importantly, my staff. I hoped that the new home would mean I would have more things and feel more at home in this world.

I left my room, seeing Kimi and KoKichi waiting for me in the hallway. Kimi had a small bag containing her, also few belongings, and KoKichi had his gun.

"Now we're just waiting for Sakura", KoKichi looked in the direction of the arena, which I assumed was where Sakura went to get the rest of her stuff. She also had very few belongings, so it's perfect.

Sakura came out of the arena, and took notice of us waiting for her, "Okay, we can go now".

KoKichi nodded and we all made our way out of the base and started walking in the direction of the castle. After only five minutes of walking, a large white and blue castle came into sight. My eyes widened and my mouth opened in shock. The castle practically sparkled, I was ecstatic.

KoKichi had taken notice of my face, as the other two were walking ahead of us, and he patted me on the shoulder, which shook me out of my trance.

"If you stay here in shock you're never going to be able to see the inside, y'know", KoKichi smiled and we started walking again.

We got up to the stairs that led up to the door, and we started walking up them. I was so excited to see the inside of my new home. We got to the door and took notice of the keypad next to the door. I asked why there was a keypad, and KoKichi responded with,

"You don't want just anyone getting in do ya? Now listen carefully, so that you all can know the code", KoKichi started to put the code in and spoke the numbers out loud as he did.

"1... 1... 0... 3... 7..."

Sakura, Kimi, and I all listened intently, memorising the code. When the keypad flashed green, the door opens and we entered the castle. The first room was the throne room, in which we could see a dark grey seat, meant for me. We spent around an hour exploring the castle and seeing everything there is about it. The kitchen was huge, there was an arena for training (which was considerably bigger than KoKichi's), our rooms were already furnished and there was a huge garden around the back. It was the best thing I had ever seen.

The arena would be perfect for learning the last two magic things I need to learn. I had learned some other magic, that I didn't write about because I'm assuming it was just like all the other ones, as I barely remember them. I now know how to use earth magic, how to create an illusion, how to sense magic, and how to use sound waves to find things.

We each departed to our rooms, with the exception of KoKichi, and set our stuff up. KoKichi went to help me set my stuff up.

My room is beautiful. I have my own bathroom, a walk-in closet, a balcony, a tv, and a chandelier. Everything is decorated with shades of blue, green, and grey. I sat on my bed and immediately relaxed. That was the most relaxed I'd been for as long as I could remember. I definitely wasn't relaxed with my mother, and even living on my own, I wasn't relaxing at all.

KoKichi smiled at the sight and sat at the foot of the bed. My bed has big, fluffy white pillows, and a dark teal blanket. KoKichi put away the last thing as I climbed into the covers, loving my new resting space.

KoKichi laughed, "You like it that much?"

"Mhm!" I said and cuddled into the blanket.

"In that case, can I try out that blanket too?" KoKichi asked, and upon me nodding, he got into the bed and under the blanket.

"Wow this is comfortable"

"I know right!" I closed my eyes.

KoKichi had closed his eyes as well, cuddling closer to me.