18. Chae Sua Owner♥
This time, I really opened the dimensional gate and returned to Darkness. The familiar white walls and floors, like a hospital, greet me now.
"No one's around...?" I hid in a corner, peeking down both ends of the hallway. Luckily, no signs of life.
"Ugh. Going out last night was way too risky."
I'd trusted Arcade's word that Doctor and Lion were out for some experiment, so I'd snuck down to Earth. The plan was just to infiltrate Chae Sua's secret base and steal back my whip. But things spiraled way out of control. Who'd have thought I'd get caught by that beastly pervert magical girl, Chae Sua? Getting milked by her all night long... I seriously thought I was gonna lose my mind.
"Eek! Don't slobber all over me like that..." Chills ran down my spine just remembering last night's terror.
Phew, no. Forget it. Chae Sua said she was on birth control anyway, and I'm an adult. Just think of it as getting bit by some stray mutt. No biggie.
"Huh? But wasn't it Arcade who told me how to find Chae Sua's secret base?"
He was the one who said Lion and Doctor were gone. He was the one who gave me the way to track down her hideout. That vampire creep. An inexplicable shiver creeps up. These two things can't just be coincidences. Feels like someone's targeting me. Kinda pisses me off.
"But it's probably nothing, right?" Yeah, has to be. No way a pathetic mosquito like him would pull shady shit on beloved Tyranno me. If the mosquito's scheming something, just smash him with an electric swatter.
"Arcade's not the issue right now anyway."
Bigger, more important problem than that loser. The unintended all-nighter. Doctor and Lion might've been holed up in the lab all night experimenting and not noticed, but those two losers have killer instincts despite themselves. If early-to-bed early-to-rise me is still snoozing at this hour, they might smell something fishy. That's assuming they don't know about my secret outing. If they do...
Not saying a word and staying out all night? Lion's probably fuming right now, rage boiling over her head.
"Just imagining it sucks."
Her short height means her head isn't that high anyway. But Lion mad is scary as hell. If I run into her in the hall like this, it'll be unstoppable, so I snuck back to my room while the coast was clear. Thank goodness—no one on the way.
"Phew, safe."
Only once inside did I finally exhale in relief. Dragged my exhausted body to bed. Sinking into the fluffy mattress, pulling the cat blanket up to my chin—pure bliss.
"How do I calm Lion down?"
Hmm, buy her a gift? But Darkness doesn't sell anything gift-worthy. Treat her to tasty food? Cats like perilla leaves, right? A bag of those might melt her anger away. Or write a super heartfelt letter? Nah, too childish. Not adult-like. Adult way: buy booze. Or fancy tea. Something classy like that.
"Still... pathetic Lion'll cool off quick, right? If I treat her nice, she'll forgive me fast."
No matter how mad, Lion's a good kitty. A sweet kitty. Even if I talk smack, she'll forgive me in the end.
"Yawwwn. So sleepy."
Early to bed, early to rise makes me grow tall and strong. But I'm drowsy beyond endurance. Last night drained me. Eyes keep drooping, fluttering open. Wrapped in warm blankets—feels too good. Just five minutes. No, ten. Not sleeping. Eyes closed for thirty max. Just resting eyes. Gotta get up soon.
"Mnyamnya... Lion..."
Asking random passersby. "Hey, you! Seen Tyranno?!"
The guy I pointed at looked baffled. "Nah, haven't seen him."
"Fine. If you do, contact me later."
"Got it."
Tch. This one's clueless too. "Where the hell did that brat go?"
Nibbling my cat claws in anxiety. Sharp talons shredded to bits, but who cares right now. Endured torture-like surgery in Doctor's lab, recovered... and now it's morning Earth-time. Perfect timing for Tyranno to wake up. Couldn't wait to show my human form to him first thing, so I bolted straight to his room from the lab.
But what greeted me? Blankets tossed everywhere, bed cold as ice. Maybe he woke up early and stepped out? Thought crossed my mind, but the sheets had zero warmth left. Bad vibes.
Plenty of villains in Darkness hate Tyranno's guts. To them, he's a mesugaki begging for a knuckle flick, but Doctor's pet so untouchable. I keep 'em all in check, warn 'em constantly—no bold idiots would touch him. Definitely not.
Still, "what ifs" won't leave my head. What if some punk ignored my warnings? What if one snapped and jumped him over his bratty antics?
"If anyone lays a finger on even a hair of Tyranno's, I'll rip 'em apart alive."
Dashed through Darkness innards in cat form. Floor 3 to 1. Back up to 3. Every nook and cranny—zero trace of him. Raving mad, sprinting endlessly, when I hit a familiar door.
"This ain't Tyranno's room?"
Yeah, but... just in case. Maybe all this was overkill panic, and opening this door reveals Tyranno snoring away inside. Clinging to that faint hope, I pawed it open.
"Why're you actually here?"
Tyranno's buried head-to-toe in blankets, fast asleep on the bed.
"Ha."
Tension melted seeing him blissfully out. Legs buckled from morning's frenzy—I plopped to the floor.
"Ha. What a waste. All for nothing?"
Just to check, hopped on the bed and nudged the blanket. Yup, he's dead to the world, not a peep.
"Ugh, you little punk. You got me good, really got me!"
Raised my paw to jelly-smack his forehead but held back. Wondered why he wasn't in bed this morning, where he'd been... but nah, I overreacted solo. He's fine, so what was I doing? Embarrassed at my misunderstanding, relieved nothing happened—emotions crashing in. Then sleepiness washed over like gentle waves.
"Phew. All good, nothing happened."
Stretched long on the bed.
"Yawn. No real rest post-surgery—exhausted."
Guess I'll crash here. Fluffy pillow or Tyranno-warmed blankets? Chose the latter, slipping inside.
"So warm."
Nestled in, pleasant fatigue spread deep. Eyes drooping. Burrowed into Tyranno's arms. We've slept like this plenty—he naturally hugs tight. His warm skin against mine feels nice. Blanket filled with my favorite little guy's scent...
"...New body wash smell."
Sleep vanished. Sniffed his hair—unfamiliar shampoo too. Not high-quality stuff. Tyranno, who cares about looks, wouldn't use cheap crap. Kid uses Darkness budget for premium shampoos and such—no reason for bargain-bin.
Neck fur bristled.
"Wait, why wasn't Tyranno in his room this morning?"
That nagging question resurfaced. Why was he out? Bed wasn't just minutes cold. Didn't go out at night, did he? Late-night outing. New shampoo and body wash. Freshly showered body. No way. No way. Don't think it. But... I trust Tyranno. Still... no way.
"No. Couldn't be. I'm overthinking... Huh?"
Hand slipped under pillow by accident—felt something black, hard, impossible here. "A phone..."
Tyranno's begged for one tons. Threatened banana peels in halls, no bell peppers, silly stuff. Never bought it—kid with a phone? Disaster waiting. Doctor and I never gave him one.
"No one bought him this... Did he save up?"
Prisine, film still on—brand new. Trembling, powered it on. Fingerprint lock.
That clinched it. Not Tyranno's phone. No way he'd set fingerprint—probably no lock at all. "No pathetic creep dares peek at great me's private life," he'd say.
Unlocked with his sleeping finger. Few apps—new phone.
"KakaoTalk notification."
Red '1' on yellow icon. Darkness can connect to Earth net with extra gear, but not on Tyranno's phone. So received on Earth.
-Gulp. My own swallow startled me. Feels like I shouldn't look. Not privacy—something poisonous I must yet shouldn't see. Ignore it, live with nagging doubt forever but safe from truth. Check it... who knows the horror?
"Never had a choice from the start."
Steeling myself, I opened the message.
-Chae Sua Owner♥