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“GOOD evening…”
When she opened the door to her room, she found the white cat waiting in the window. His beautiful fur glimmered in the moonlight. Nina couldn’t help but think how lovely he was today, as always.
“I’m sorry for not going to school today. Don’t worry, I’ll go tomorrow,” Nina told him. The contract didn’t say anything about attending school every day, but she couldn’t very well carry out her duties if she didn’t go.
“That’s okay,” replied Ed. “I…heard about your mother.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t surprised he knew. Dino probably told him she wasn’t at school, or maybe the god told him everything.
“Are you okay…?” he asked.
“I knew this was coming; the doctor told us before she only had a month to live. Thanks to the contract, she got a lot longer than that and wasn’t suffering. Thank you.” Even with the god’s help, she was so weak in the end. Nina shuddered to think what it would have been like for her if she’d been in pain that whole time. Even if it only eliminated her pain, Nina could never be grateful enough.
“It wasn’t my power that did it,” he responded.
“I know. But still, thank you.” Even if the contract couldn’t cure Aida, it was still plenty worth it.
“…Are you sure you’re all right?” asked Ed timidly.
Nina nodded. “I’m fine. I’ll keep being the heroine. It doesn’t even matter what kind of downfall’s gonna get me—I’m not worried anymore. I have to do something, or my brain won’t shut up.”
“That’s not what I mean. Are you all right?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Nina… Your mother…she died…” he said painfully, his tail drooping.
“I’m okay. I knew all along this was gonna happen. I’m not a kid anymore. I can work and take care of myself,” she answered, trying to smile, but tears started falling from her eyes.
She looked down and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. The cloth got darker and darker. No matter how many times she wiped her eyes, the tears simply wouldn’t stop. Something about that was so funny that she laughed.
“Nina.” Ed’s voice came from higher than before.
The moment that registered in her mind, she felt someone’s arms wrap around her. She looked up to see the beautiful white-haired boy with blue and gold eyes. “Ed…?”
His eyes looked steadily back at her, incredibly tender and filled with sorrow. “Today is an exception. Today, I’m not the messenger of a god; I’m merely Edmund. Go on—complain, cry, do whatever you need to.”
“What’s going on? You’ve been turning human a lot lately,” she teased as she tried to smile, but the tears kept coming, bringing with them an overflowing sorrow from out of nowhere. “My mom… She’s gone. I’m all alone…”
And with those words spoken out loud, the dam inside her burst, and tears poured from her eyes. She couldn’t do anything to stop them; she only bit her lip and tried to endure the flood.
Edmund held her tight in his arms, gently stroking her hair the entire time.
How long were they even like that?
She felt a little calmer after crying for a while. And, once she was, she finally realized how odd this situation was.
Why was Edmund holding her, stroking her hair? She knew he was being kind by trying to comfort her, but she just felt on edge in the arms of such an attractive boy. She’d felt like that the night he carried her after rescuing her from the shed, but he seemed even closer tonight.
“O-Okay, that’s enough. You can let go now.”
“I’d like to stay like this for a little longer. I don’t often get the opportunity to do this.”
“What opportunity…?” What was he on about? She was done crying, so he didn’t have to volunteer to help her anymore.
“I think…I like it when you stroke me,” he answered.
“What? Oh, when you’re a cat, you mean.” He seemed disappointed lately. Apparently, that really was because he wanted to be petted. Even if he was a human originally, maybe he leaned toward cat feelings when he was in cat form.
“But I think I like it more when I can stroke your hair,” he continued.
“What?” He didn’t stop despite her cry. “Your fur is definitely nicer than my hair, though. Must be torture not being able to pet your own fur.” It was an absolute shame that he couldn’t enjoy such ultimate floof. Her hair paled in comparison, but maybe it was some consolation.
“That’s not really why. It’s… Oh, never mind,” he relented, loosening his arms, finally releasing her.
Now free, she moved away from him and sat on the edge of her bed. Having such a handsome boy in her room was incredibly weird, but she wasn’t nervous when she thought of him as Ed the cat.
“I know I don’t have as many reasons to keep going, but I’m still going to make sure I’m a good heroine,” she voiced. “You don’t need to worry about that. And I feel a lot better about the whole downfall thing, since now it won’t cause Mom any trouble. If I get out of it okay and free, I think I’ll take the reward money and leave town.”
There was a chance she’d face harsh punishment, but it didn’t matter anymore. Besides, living alone in this town, in this house, would be too painful.
“You… You can’t do that,” said Ed falteringly.
Nina looked at him with confusion. “Why not? You’re the one who told me to be the heroine. Don’t you want to be healthy? I don’t care what happens to me.”
“I do want to be healthy. I put too much burden on those around me.”
Nina heard that, while Edmund didn’t have a chronic illness, his body did fail him at the slightest provocation. It would be difficult for both him and those around him if he couldn’t engage with society in a way expected of him as the son of a duke. That’s why he made the contract and why he should be happy, right?
“Then it’s all fine, right?” asked Nina.
“If it means you are suffering, then I don’t need health.”
Nina frowned, not understanding what he meant. “What’s this about? Are you…pitying me?”
“No.”
“Are you planning on stopping the downfall?”
“No, I’m not. Rather, I can’t. Nothing I do can change anything if it falls within the scope of the god’s power.”
If that was the case, there was no point in being against it. “Well, then, just leave it alone.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why?” She was starting to get frustrated. He almost sounded like a stubborn child.
He moved over to where she was sitting on the bed and knelt before her on the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t expecting that. Now, at the same height, his blue and gold eyes looked into her coral ones.
“I can’t change the contract,” he began, “But I may be able to do something if I can find a loophole. It’s a gamble, of course.”
“A loophole?”
“I know I’m the one who brought you this contract, but I don’t want to see you suffer. Please…trust me.”
She didn’t entirely understand what he was talking about, but she was overwhelmed by the sincerity in his eyes.
He’d never once done anything to hurt her. In fact, he’d helped her several times. Maybe he deserved her trust.
“…Okay. I’ll trust you.”
“I will keep my promise,” he assured her.
She nodded, and he gave her a dazzling smile.
Nina’s daily life didn’t change much after that night. She went to school, spent time with Dino, had altercations with Clarissa, cleaned, and went to work.
The world went on like it always had, even without Aida. It was an odd sensation, but even Nina slowly started to get used to that world as she kept herself busy each day.