Cosplay Elf from Another World [Volume 1]

3. The Book and The Cover

The rain stopped at four in the morning, and we don't have any supply of eggs in the fridge. I planned to go to the nearby convenience store since it is the only open infrastructure at this moment. But as I passed the nearby park, an intersection away from our house, I noticed that the cat sat at the bench and expected me to pass through.

It's still not the day where she should appear. This sometimes happens, hence I always bring a pack of cat food with me. The ground was damp after the midnight rain that lasted for an hour. I sat on the unique bench, my own territory. As I open the first pack...

"You know, Sphynx-san, I might be in a pinch... But I'm not blaming you, you know! I'm just thinking about how karma was accurate. When Mom knew that the figurine's clothes were removable, she scolded me like what she always did with my father. I suddenly lost my will to live. I did save someone so they shouldn't experience what I went through, but I think it didn't feel worth it. I couldn't even focus on the Mangas and Animes I binged yesterday."

I named her Sphinx, representing the cat's breed, yet she wasn't very talkative. She only half-meowed when seeing the pink-colored packaging I always bought for her. She already knew what's inside it. I would be a demon if I replaced the food inside and open the pack in her eyes.

After giving her the second cat food, I continued, "Why would Mom care for that stranger with no name? That girl just left Mom paying her million yen ruckus without any thanks. She's driving me nuts. Even if she's a Shizu-sama lookalike, she's still a thief. It's a fact that she benefited from us without anything in exchange, literally a win-win."

Meow. Meow. Meow. My eyes widened after the cat responded to my rants. Usually, she would climb up the tree and hide. It was the first time for me to witness this.

"What meow meow? Are you still hungry? You're really a cunning one. I didn't expect you to be so talkative– Wait, where are you going?"

The cat stepped down the bench and walked towards the nearby playground. She entered the bottom end of the enclosed spiral tube slide. I felt that she was nudging towards a hint, hence I followed her. When another set of meows caught my attention, I peeked into the hole in anticipation of getting a treasure from a hidden side quest. Yet, what I witnessed instead was a disastrous sleeping woman whose clothes were partially wet.

Her see-through dress showed the bright glow of her chest's skin color, indicating that she didn't have any underwear on her top. She unconsciously shivered, wrapping herself with only her arms. Even with her mouth closed, her chattering teeth made repeated sounds.

"M–M–Masochistic Shizu-sama thief!" My face blushing, I shrieked. My loud squeak called the girl out of her sleep.

She groaned and scratched her red-appearing eyes after waking up. When she sat straight, her head bumped into the roof of the slide. "Aw!" Covering her head, she hissed to ease the pain on her forehead.

"W–What are you doing here!? Don't you have a home?" Kou asked, still gazing at her bright melons.

"You... YOU!?" When Sera noticed his gaze, her arms flew before her chest, her cheeks appearing red out of embarrassment. "W–W–Where are you looking at!?"

Pouting and averting my eyes, I replied, "N-Nothing? Literally nothing in there. Weren't you cold? It must be a pain sleeping in wet clothes throughout the night."

"That's none of your business!" She exclaimed. The loud growling of her stomach accompanied it, making her blush more.

I sighed, "Without food, clothing, and shelter, you're so pitiful. You haven't even said any hints of thankfulness yesterday. I thought you're going back home?"