124 Missing (19)

"Thanks a lot," Kyro threw at the cat and finished drinking his coffee.

'Maybe I was a bit too harsh with my accusations…' The girl was either a brilliant actress, or was really just an innocent in this. As innocent as someone who freeloads in secret can be.

If he recalled how she usually acted as a fox, there was nothing especially eye-catching about it. Now that he knew she was human, all of her actions made a lot more sense. There was a reason why her nods and shakes of the head were truthful, or why she was reluctant to eat her meals.

Meals… He scratched his head, feeling… He wasn't certain what he was feeling. For a month, he'd been feeding a woman with insects and berries, with a raw egg thrown in for variety here and there.

With a shake of his head, he picked up his phone and sent a message to the delivery company. [Bring a double portion today, I have a guest.] They were quick to reply positively, and he leaned back against the backrest while waiting for it.

Lucy jumped down at that moment and walked over to the bedroom. When he saw it was closed, he meowed angrily at Kyro, demanding for the door to be opened.

"Can't help it, friend. You'll have to ask the girl."

The next second, the door unlocked and opened up, the cat was grabbed in, and the door locked behind him again. On the sofa, Kyro could only marvel at the girl's speed. She was clearly friends with Lucy.

'I thought he wasn't keen on strangers, but his allegiance seems to have changed real fast here.'

After half an hour, when the deliverer came, Kyro was almost asleep. Only when the bell was rung for the second or third time did he manage to get himself up. He brushed the hair back, yawned, and went to answer.

Irene was really interested to see the fox again, but Kyro said he was busy now and sent her away. He himself wanted to see that fox, too.

When he placed the food on the table, he went to the bedroom's door and stood there for a moment. It was his first time trying to cajole an angry woman, and he felt extremely out of his depth. Was there even anything that he could say to bring her out?

In the end, he didn't come up with anything smart. He knocked on the door and said, "Can we try that conversation again?"

"What for?" he heard her say from inside. "Why bother talking to me if you think you already know everything."

'Well…' She wasn't wrong on that. He did know almost everything there was to know. All he was lacking was her reasoning behind doing it.

"I have dinner with me, and there's a portion for you too," he said, deciding to go for bribery when asking nicely didn't work. She had to be hungry, since there was nothing to eat in his home. When she didn't answer anything, he added, "I promise it has no insects."

There was a muffled laugh inside, and his own lips curved up. This might just work.

"What do you say? Tempted?"

"A bit… But what if you find a worm or two in your own meal…"

His smile became strained. "That, I haven't yet forgotten it."

"Good," the girl said as she opened the door. In her hands, Lucy lounged, and Kyro couldn't help giving him a glare. 'Are you a cat or her handbag?'

Neither of them had anything to say after that, so they went to the table and opened up the packages. Inside, there were two cutlets, mashed potatoes, and salad, which brought back bad memories. Kyro knew the food was safe this time, but the last time he'd gotten this particular meal was quite traumatic.

On the side, he could see the girl grinning. Her head was lowered over her own dishes as she placed them around herself, but that little smile was not hidden.

"So are you going to tell me why you're really here?" he asked, with annoyance. The girl stiffened, her hand with the fork freezing, and he cursed himself silently. "What I meant is, tell me your story. I won't interrupt your speech or ask any questions."

She looked up at him, then quickly looked down at her meal, and for the first time, Kyro wondered what was going on through her head. Although they had lived together for close to a month, he knew little of her. She had seemed like a cheerful person, though.

So did that mean that she was seriously scared of him? What did she think he would do to her?

It didn't sit well with him. It was fine if people feared him at work, because he could fire them, or bankrupt their companies, but the girl seemed to be afraid of him in a more animal way. Like he was some kind of monster.

He took a deep breath and softened his voice. "Will you speak of it? I do want to know."

There was hesitation and reluctance on the girl's face, but then she nodded. "Okay, but you have to swear to listen to the end before making any assumptions."

'What if I already have them?' But he nodded, accepting her condition.

She placed the fork down and looked up at him. "Before the day you met me, I didn't know I could turn into a fox. I was born human and lived my whole life like that. That day… I don't know what happened. I was sitting in class, daydreaming, and then when I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar street. I also had sensitive ears, four legs, and a bushy tail."

Stopping at that, she picked a mouthful of food and swallowed it. Her eyes were staring to the side, as if she was thinking hard about something.

"I wandered the streets alone for a day, growing hungry. A couple times I was chased by people, until in the evening I met with that kid. He wanted to bring me to some friends, which didn't bode well, so I bit him, and then you know what happened next."

Kyro was tempted to say a few words here, but he pushed a piece of cutlet into his mouth to resist. He had promised her that he would not interrupt her explanation.

She looked up at him then, a serious expression on her face. "You might think I tricked you, but I saw it as staying alive. I was in an unknown city, without anywhere to go, and not even as a human. And for all I knew, I would stay as a fox all my life."

"So you decided?" he asked, no longer able to keep himself back. He hadn't known about what she said just then. And if these things were true, they changed everything.

"You wanted a pet," she said, shrugging, "so I decided to be one. It was a mutual exchange. You give me a home, and I fulfil the duties of a pet: amuse you, play with you, and show off my intelligence when guests come so they'll praise you."

The fork that was midway to Kyro's mouth froze in the air. He stared at the girl, having a hard time comprehending her words.

What mutual exchange, what home and duties of a pet—this was pure insanity. Hearing something like that said to him by a woman only a bit younger than him while dressed in a bathrobe was just too much. He couldn't help thinking of the wrong things.

"Take your time, I had a whole month to get used to the fact that I'm a fox," she said, her voice light once more.

Kyro's eyes narrowed. 'I don't think you want me to ruminate on these particular thoughts.'