I Want to Go Home
Why had it come to this?
"But Nero, the hotel reservation..."
Really, why...?
"I said I want to go home."
How had things ended up like this?
Even from my perspective, today's date with Nero hadn't been bad at all. We'd walked the streets together, seen and enjoyed plenty of things, and tried most of the activities couples usually do. Her reactions and the voice in her heart had both been positive. Of course, I'd enjoyed the date with Nero immensely too. We'd gone through clothing stores, tried on outfits she'd picked for me while I chose clothes for her, and dressed each other according to our tastes. When we got hungry, we bought snacks from wherever we happened to be and shared them, teasing each other all the while. When we grew tired, we slipped into cafés to rest and talk. By the time evening came, we'd finished with a charming dinner at the high-class restaurant in the hotel lounge we'd reserved.
At least, for someone as inexperienced as me, it had been the best date possible under the circumstances.
But...
"Nero..."
"Anyway, I'm going home now."
For some reason, Nero was insisting on returning home right now, even though I'd gone so far as to book the hotel's best room. We stood in front of the elevator, our paths diverging—me heading up to the reserved suite, her heading down to the lobby to leave.
"Did I do something wrong?"
When I grabbed her wrist just as she reached for the button to call the elevator down, she finally turned to look at me.
"...No, not particularly today."
It's annoying that you play around with other women every single day, but at least today you only looked at me.
"Th-then! I still have things prepared..."
"Sorry for being stubborn. I really need to go home today."
I can't... take any more.
Her finger finally pressed the button. The elevator arrived. Knowing it would be pointless to head up to the reserved room alone, I ended up following her into the elevator going down.
Even as we descended, I couldn't help pressing her anxiously.
"Was the date today... not good?"
"No, it was really fun."
"Hmm..."
She wasn't lying. I hadn't done anything wrong, and the date itself hadn't been unenjoyable, so why was Nero trying to go home in the middle of it? Just in case, I glanced at the top of her head, but there was no sign of her transformation wearing off. I knew she'd been conserving her strength in cat form all day except when doing housework, all for today.
"What we did today... were all the things I used to think about while staring out the window at home, wishing I could do them with you."
"Ah...?"
"And actually doing them was really enjoyable. Now I understand why those faces always looked so happy."
Her voice showed no anger or disappointment either. If anything, I could feel her genuine happiness. Thinking back, Nero hadn't stayed inside because she disliked going out—she'd hidden herself for safety. If she'd been able to fully enjoy all the things she'd longed to do while watching from the window, then of course I was happy too.
"...Then why are you trying to go home already?"
"It's a secret."
"...?"
A secret...? The elevator reached the lobby floor. I couldn't even explain to Yerin, who asked if we were already heading back, and had no choice but to follow Nero into the car. Before I knew it, we were opening the front door of the house and stepping inside.
It had clearly been a fun day, yet an uneasy feeling lingered.
"..."
Was it really going to end like this...? Was this okay? It had been so long since I'd made time, and... Nero had said it was fine, but maybe I'd made her wait too long after all?
Nero turned to look at me, now quieter, and gestured for me to come in. I took off my shoes and followed her inside.
...I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes for no reason.
"About the clothes you picked out today... they really don't match your taste much, do they?"
"Huh... huh?"
Suddenly, Nero spun around once in front of me and looked down at her own outfit. I couldn't answer right away. The plain white turtleneck knit, the thin oatmeal-colored coat, and the slightly lighter beige cotton pants were certainly a neat, pretty, seasonally appropriate look. But because her body was so thoroughly covered, even though traces of her figure still showed, it felt like her charm was being deliberately hidden.
"Who do you think I'm wearing all this heavy stuff for, even though it makes my shoulders and waist ache?"
"Ah... hmm..."
"...Did you really not want to show me off to other people? If that's the case, I might actually be a little happy."
She'd hit the nail on the head. It would be a lie to say I hadn't wanted to dress her in something that showed off her figure more, something with more skin visible. But that alluring cat-like face—with its somewhat cold, haughty image that seemed quite proud, yet eyes that subtly carried sensuality, a teardrop mole, and clear pupils that gave off a strange impression—had a way of dominating the atmosphere around her. Plus, whenever she spoke, I found myself secretly bothered by the gazes drawn to her bewitching, beautiful voice. Even now, I felt a strange joy at the fact that such a pretty woman was living with me.
"Ah, no... it's just that the weather's gotten a lot colder lately..."
"Is that really the only reason?"
"..."
At this point, there was no way Nero wouldn't see through my clumsy lie. We'd been together long enough for that. Looking back now... it was quite embarrassing how I'd poured out everything in my heart to her—things I could say and things I couldn't. I'd even received counseling from her.
"I... still think the dress you usually wear... is the best..."
When I finally confessed, I could feel the smile on her red lips becoming even clearer.
"You should have just said so. If you told me to take it all off right now... I could do that too."
"...!"
"Just kidding. Wait here a moment?"
Expression... manage your expression... It was a joke. I really couldn't read Nero today. They say a cat's heart is hard to understand, but today was the hardest of all. Whether she was pleased or displeased... whether she was serious or joking... Even though I could hear the voice in her heart, this level of powerlessness was something else. I didn't know if she was just that impressive, or if I was simply weak to being led around like this.
"Haa..."
Nero was truly precious to me—practically family. If asked whether I loved her, I could answer without hesitation that I did. Of course, the way she looked right now was stirring something deep in my chest, but there was still something that made me hesitate to reach out at the very last moment. Even so, during today's date, there had definitely been moments when my heart raced in front of her. If I took just one more step, our relationship would become much clearer, but crossing that line felt incredibly difficult for me.
Click.
"This is what you wanted to see, right?"
"...Cough..."
Nero, who had gone into her room for a moment, came out in human form wearing the same black dress she'd worn when we first met. The thin dress clung to her body, even revealing the vertical line down to her navel, fully showing off her figure... Just as she'd said, it was tailored to my taste—the cleavage was deeply cut, and the side slit rose all the way to her hip, exposing her pale thigh completely. Even my hesitation wavered greatly in front of that sight. She wasn't wearing underwear, as usual, and I knew her goal was to fluster and excite me like this.
"Today... I really held back a lot, you know?"
"Huh...?"
"You asked me to wait... so I didn't take care of it by myself the whole time."
Take care of it... by herself? What...? That...?
"Unlike someone, I didn't get to play around with another girl and feel refreshed."
"..."
When I showed that I didn't understand, Nero's cold voice immediately struck painfully inside my ears. It stung so much that I was flustered, but her attack didn't end there.
"I spent the entire day holding back the urge to drag you into some bathroom or wherever. Do you understand now?"
"But..."
But if that was the case, I understood even less why she'd wanted to come home. The fact that she'd been thinking about that so openly made me even more flustered instead. That meant I'd been the only one purely enjoying the date today.
"So... why did you keep asking why I wanted to come home?"
"Ah... yeah, I did, didn't I?"
"Because you'd be able to hear it here."
Hear it...?
"Hear what...?"
And at my dumbfounded question, she threw a straight pitch with no tricks or pretense right into the center of my chest.
"The sound of me panting beneath you."
At those words, my thoughts seemed to stop for a moment.
"..What?"
"I don't think this frustration will go away unless those thieving cats hear it properly."
So... she meant the neighbors... Yerin and Scarlet, right?
"Shall we go straight to the bed?"
I'd already been seeing her as a woman and had been trying to do this for her sake, but I'd kept hesitating to cross that final line.
"Nero... I..."
She firmly took my hand and led us toward our precious nest. The alluring scent of a woman, the appearance of a skilled and seductive woman on the surface, yet always showing a somewhat clumsy and honest charm—she was simply adorable... Of course, that body had often tested my reason and patience, but I'd thought I'd endured it well enough. Yet now she was telling me there was no need to hold back anymore. If I truly loved her, she wanted me to express it more directly.
"I'll make it perfectly clear... that your real female is me."