Kazuki's POV again.


...What did I get myself into?

It's been a while since Monika left me with these two to take care of, but I still don't know what I'm going to do about them. I have to give them a shelter, but I can't even imagine what it's going to be like. I'm sure many would be happy to have 2 cute girls live with them, but it still sounds awkward and that's without getting into their...problem. It will probably make things even harder for all 4 of us.

I can already see Yuri struggle with reading her book. Her posture is even worse now. These classrooms were not built with long tails in mind and so she can't sit without her tail getting into an awkward position. I've seen her curl it around herself, put it on her lap, sit on it, try sitting sideways, but so far, none of them worked well. Surprisingly, her wings don't get in the way. I wonder if they could be used as some sort of a makeshift blanket...

Natsuki doesn't fare much better. While not everything was destroyed during her transformation, she still couldn't read whatever was left without the risk of damaging it. It took me some time to convince her, but she agreed to have me flip the pages for her. Neither of us expected that plot twist. I'll never trust a cat ever again. Aside from that, there is something I've noticed while reading with her. Her antennae went rigid when we reached that page and they were drooping earlier. I don't think they are supposed to be like that, but it looks cute nonetheless.

Anyway, I think it's time for us to leave. It's already dark enough for their glowing eyes to be the only sources of light in the classroom. I open the door...or at least I try to, but it doesn't budge. Looks like Monika closed it out of habit. Great.

"Um, guys? The door is locked," - I announce.

"What? What do you mean it's locked?! Freaking Monika..." - comes Natsuki's reply.

...I've got an idea. I slowly approach Natsuki and grab her by her shoulders.

"Eh?"

"I want you..." Wait, what's the proper term for it? Was it-

I don't have the time to finish that line of thought when Natsuki's mouth suddenly splits into five parts and she screeches loudly. However, that's nothing in comparison to the punch that comes after it. It's even worse than I thought. As I try to get up from the floor, I see Natsuki glare at me.

"W-W-What the hell was that?!" - she yells at me. Thinking about it, that was pretty dumb.

"Ah...Sorry about that, but it's not what I was trying to say. You see, we can't just break the door and this isn't the ground floor, so, we can't just jump out of a window. I've heard that spider silk is surprisingly durable and so I wanted to ask you to produce some...if you can do that."

"Do you really think I know how to do it?" - she asks and she does have a point.

"...Maybe we could try squeezing it out?"

"What? NO!"

"We don't have much of a choice!" - I say as I grab her waist...and it's much thinner than I thought. Too thin.

"G-Get your hands off me!" - she yells as she quickly breaks out of my grasps and literally crawls up a wall. To make things even more confusing, her spider abdomen unfolds into a scorpion tail. I'm pretty sure I've seen that in some PS2 game.

"Natsu-"

"No, I'm not doing that! Are you even sure I can do that?" - she interrupts me.

"Um...no, but we have to try some-"

"Can you shut the fuck up for a moment and let me think?" - Yuri yells, emphasizing her outburst by slamming her fist on her desk, breaking it by doing so. A stunned silence follows.

"I-I'm sorry, I meant that...um...I have a better idea," - she says meekly.

Neither I nor Natsuki say anything.

"Um...let me just..." - Yuri mutters before opening a window...and jumping out of it.

We quickly approach the window and look outside to see her on the ground.

"Don't worry! I'm fine! All you have to do is jump and I'll catch you!" - she says. It's not a bad idea...is it?

I don't have much time to think about it before Natsuki pushes me and I stumble out of the window. I brace for the impact, but it doesn't come. When I open my eyes, I'm met with Yuri's glowing eyes and it's even worse at this distance. I ask her to put me down and she drops me without a warning.

"Ah! Sorry! I..."

"It's ok...it's ok," - I lie. It really hurts. I look up to see Natsuki looking out of the window with a smile on her face.

"What was that for?" - I yell at her.

"Do you really have to ask?" - she replies.

"Yes I do when y-" - a low growl interrupts me. I know where it's coming from and so does Natsuki. She jumps out of the window and Yuri catches her. This time, she puts her down without issu-

"WHAT THE HELL?!" - Natsuki suddenly shouts. "Since when were you this tall?"

"I...um..." - Yuri tries to say something, but she can't come up with anything. Her face regains some of the color it had, but she still looks unnaturally pale.

"Why do YOU grow two feet taller when you're already the tallest one in the club while I stay the same height?!" - she yells at Yuri and wait, two feet? I take a look at Yuri and she really does look taller. I have to look up now. Looks like I didn't pay enough attention to notice this change. In hindsight, it should have been easier to notice. Her sleeves look too short and her skirt is-

"Can we leave this for later?" - I suggest.

"...Fine," - Natsuki says, storming off into a random direction.

"My house is not that way..." - I say, making her stop.

"Then lead the way, Columbus," - comes her reply. I can see why she is upset.

With a sigh, I start walking to our destination. I've never done it this late, but it shouldn't be any different from any other day.


Finally, my house is within sight. Yuri and Natsuki haven't said anything and it looks like the latter's mood hasn't improved much.

"Here we are," - I announce, pulling out my door keys.

"Not too shabby," - says Natsuki.

I unlock the door and turn on the lights. Fortunately, I've cleaned everything recently and so I don't have to embarrass myself any more than I already have. I would tell them where to put their shoes, but they don't have any at the moment. I go to the kitchen without a word.

I'm dead tired, but the girls must be hungry. and so I can't leave them hanging. Unfortunately, due to my lifestyle, the best I can offer right now is a bag of chips. I'll need to get something better than that tomorrow. I take two bags of chips with me and go back to the girls only to see Yuri alone. I can't find Natsuki anywhere.

"Um...you're hungry, aren't you? I know this isn't exactly healthy, bu-"

Suddenly, she tears the food out of my grasp and almost shoves it into her mouth without bothering to open either bag. I can barely see her pupils. She looks happy by the time it's gone and only crumbs on her face are left. I don't say anything when she starts licking it off with her incredibly long tongue. There's just...nothing to say. Not after everything that happened today. Fortunately, when her eyes meet mine, she stops and tries to hide herself with her wings, obviously embarrassed by what just happened.

"I didn't see anything. Nothing at all. I'm just tired. I'm seeing things," - I say before going to my bedroom. I can almost hear the sound of a whistling teapot.

I enter my bedroom and I flop down on my bed, losing myself to the sheer softness of it. I'll think about this whole thing tomorrow. No need to overexert myself. It won't do anyone any good. I still have school to worry about. I drift off to sleep as if none of this matters.


It's toying with me.

It wants to see me suffer.

It watches me struggle with a smile.

Scraping it's claws against metal and giggling.

There is no escape from it and yet I don't stop running.

I don't know where it is unless it wants me to know its coming.

The moon shines above, but it's nothing compared to the burning gaze of its eyes.

I trip.