Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 4 Cat and Dog

OTTILIE VIRSES POV

"Nag-aayos ng groceries, bakit?"

Biglang ibinuka ni Plutus ang mga braso niya papunta sa nagkalat na grocery bags sa kusina na para bang nakakita siya ng isang karumaldumal na krimen.

“This place looks horrifying,” reklamo niya na parang nasasaktan siya sa nakikita niya. “How do humans live like this without losing their minds?”

"Relax, maayos din 'yan mamaya," sagot ko sa kan'ya at muling nagpatuloy sa ginagawa ko.

Napaka-arte naman ng prinsipe na 'to, hindi makapag-antay. Bahala siya diyan, madami pa akong gagawin.

But then I saw his face reddened, and I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

“Nothing is where it’s supposed to be!” he snapped. “The canned goods are mixed with snacks! The vegetables are lying around like abandoned children! This kitchen is a nightmare!”

"Napapano ka ba? Aayusin ko nga 'yan mamaya, saglit lang kasi," nagtitimpi kong sagot sa kan'ya.

Plutus looked like he was about to explode.

Without another word, Plutus suddenly started organizing everything himself. He arranged the canned goods perfectly by color, lined up the labels neatly, and stacked the boxes with ridiculous precision. Even the vegetables were sorted by size.

Napanganga na lang ako pinaggagawa ng asungot na 'to. Is he a neat-freak? Agad na napatampal ako sa noo ko, ano na lang magiging buhay ko nito?

"Ugh! Are you kidding me?" I said while pulling my hair down while watching him do the work.

He shot me a death glare. “If I’m forced to live here, then you’re going to keep things organized. Understand? I refuse to suffer in this… chaotic little cave you call a home.”

Napanganga ako sa sinabi nito, "Wow, ikaw na nga lang nakikitira!"

Plutus arched an eyebrow, folding his arms arrogantly across his chest.

“Let’s make one thing clear,” he said flatly. “If you hadn’t ruined the ritual with your unbelievable incompetence, I wouldn’t be trapped in this tiny human shoebox.”

Then, he paused.

“And another thing, I have standards. Very high standards. So you’ll adjust to me, not the other way around.”

I stared at him, stunned.

Did he seriously just say that? My hand hung in the air as I tried to process his arrogance. Oh no, panibagong problema na naman ba ito? Hindi na ako nilubayan ng problema!

"Teka, baka pwedeng pag-usapan 'to? Grabe naman atang adjustment ang gagawin ko," I finally managed to say.

Plutus's smug grin widened. “Because you caused this mess. The least you can do is make my stay less miserable.”

Napakurap-kurapa ako sa pagiging bossy ni Plutus.

Then I realized the sources of my stress lately.

The spell, burying me in the ground, the threat of being trapped in this house with him. Suddenly it all weighed down on me.

Bahay ko pa ba ito o baka ako na lang ang nakikitira dito?

Napahilot ako sa sintido ko dahil sa namumuong sakit ng ulo.

"Ugh... the stress," I muttered under my breath, more to myself than to him. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation right now."

Plutus tilted his head slightly, still smirking. “Better believe it, young lady. You’re responsible for me now. Which means you’ll start doing things properly.”