Chapter 17 Secret of the Two (Patreon)

On her way back from magic school library, Ferris thought about trying a little shortcut.

She  did have a gradual understanding of the magic school’s layout, so she thought, wouldn’t it be fine if she used a different route than usual?

Leaving the main road, she entered a narrow alley between buildings.

The view has been limited by the tall buildings and there were nameless flowers blooming here and there along the roadside.

「 Wow… what beautiful flowers.」

When Ferris sat down, she looked at the small star shaped flowers.

But she felt sorry for the flowers if she picked them up and brought some home, so she just looked at it as she walked through the alley.

At that time, someone jumped out from the corner of alley and crashed with Ferris.

「 Kyaa!? 」 「 Hyaa!?」

Both of them were looking at each other with surprise. Ferris’ heart was throbbing because she hadn’t expected to bump into anyone.

「 Yo-you… why are you here?」

The other party was Jeanette. Hiding a bottle like container behind her.

「 Umm… I was just trying to take a shortcut… that, what is it?」

When Ferris tried to look at what Jeanette hid, Jeanette stepped back and angrily looked at Ferris.

「 It has nothing to do with you! What kind of authority do you have to interrogate me? And are you going to torture me?」

「 I-I won’t torture you!!」

「 Then there is no need to ask right!? Can you leave this place quickly?」

「 That, but, I want to go through here…」

「…Do as you like!」

Jeanette who was facing Ferris turned her back lightly and went away quickly.

(What happened…)

Tilting her head, Ferris continued to walk through the alley.

Then, a faint sound could be heard from a wooden box on the roadside. Ferris stopped and tried to look at its content.

「 Meow…」

The content was a small animal. Ferris had seen it on an encyclopedia in the library.

A fluffy animal with rounded eyes and slender legs… it was a kitten.

「 Uwaaaaa…」

At a single glance, Ferris’ chest tightened from the heart-warming feeling and hold her hands.

「 So cute!! Very very cuuuteee!!」

She spontaneously  picked up the kitten from the wooden box and rubbed it to her cheek.

Fluffy. Rub rub. Fluffy. Rub rub.

Since Ferris brought the kitten close to her cheek to rub it, the kitten started licking her cheek.

「 Ahahahaha…. So rough it feels weird!!」

While Ferris embrace the kitten in her chest, she looked at the wooden box. There was no parent cat. Perhaps, it was an orphan?

Being alone is lonely. Ferris knew that better than anyone. Furthermore, a very small animal like this, it would be very hard to live on its own right?

「 I must bring it to home…!」

Put the kitten in her pocket, Ferris started to run through the alley.

———————————————————————————–

「 Pets are not allowed!」

When Ferris brought back the kitten to the dormitory, the dorm manager said that with both hands on her back.

The dorm manager was a middle-aged woman with a large build. Since she was very helpful and felt like a good mother, the students called her ‘mama’ or ‘mom’.

「 Why…?」

Ferris hugged kitten while looked up at dorm manager.

「 Even if you ask why, it was decided. Animals are troublesome, they break the furniture and make rooms dirty. Who will clean up that?」

「 Huuu~」

「 Now, return that kitten to the original place. If it is in a wooden box, then there is probably someone who is secretly taking care of that kitten. I won’t scold you over such minor thing.」

The dorm manager put her large hand on Ferris’ head while telling her to return the kitten.

Then the girls rushed from around the lobby.

「 Waaii~ so cute!」 「 Let me touch it before you return it!」 「 Me too!」 「 Nee… If its just milk then it’s fine to give right, mom?」 「 Ah, I also want to give ham~!」 「 So Fluffy~!」

「 I-I will be crushed~!!」

Ferris left that place since felt like she will be crushed by the girls who gathered in a blink of an eye.

After separating from the kitten who was surrounded by the girls, she calmed her breath.

On her side, there was Alicia lined up to her while smiling. She was the only one who didn’t join the other girls.

「 Umm, Alicia-san doesn’t want to pat the cat?」

「 It’s not that I don’t want to pat it, it’s because I already have Ferris.」

「…Me?」

Alicia hugged Ferris who was still in dazed amazement from behind and slowly petted her head.

After the girls were satisfied playing with the cat with all their heart, Ferris brought back the kitten to its former place.

With an expanded pocket which gave soft feeling, Ferris headed to the alley.

It was too bad since the kitten can’t be kept in dormitory, but if I brought some food again, the kitten won’t be lonely right? And let’s make some warm bed from clothes that I’ve no longer used.

Ferris felt excited when she had such a thought.

At that time, she saw Jeanette walked in fluster, clenched her fist, and desperately looked around.

「 Uuuuu… where are you… where…?」

Putting her two hands on the ground, Jeanette plunged her head into the bushes, shaking it. Her usual elegance could no longer be seen.

「 Jeanette-san, what’s the matter?」

「 Kyaaa!!」

Heard Ferris voice from behind, Jeanette pulled out her heard from the thicket out of surprise. There were a lot of leaves attached to her beautiful long hair.

「 It-it’s nothing! It’s nothing because it’s nothing! I said it’s nothing~~!」

Jeanette got up like nothing happened, and while sweating hard she left that place.

「 Jeanette-san…」

Seeing her classmate who wasn’t like her usual self, Ferris could only tilt her head in confusion.

———————————————————————————

The next day, when Ferris headed to alley after got an unused old blanket and some milk from the dormitory manager, she heard a voice from inside alley.

「 There, there, you must be lonely right~! Look~, I’ve come to meet you! There, there, there~~! Waa~ so cute! You are the cutest~! Kyaaa~!」

That girl hugged a kitten from a wooden box and rubbed it against her cheek. Gave a passionate kiss to cat’s forehead, her cheek was reddened and her eyes mellowed. She was in ecstasy. Because of that, she didn’t realize Ferris who got closer.

「 So, Jeanette-san also likes cat, huh?」

「 Hyaaaaaaa!?!?」

Jeanette’s unladylike scream reverberated around the alley.

Attacked by a loud voice, Ferris spontaneously entered a defensive state.

On the contrary, Jeanette’s face was ghastly pale, she trembled while hugging the kitten.

「 Wa, wa, wa, Ferris!? Why are you here!?」

「 I brought some food for the kitten!」

「 Ju-just now, did you see it…?」

「 Just now? What was it about?」

「 I-I… anyway, about that…」

Jeanette felt frustrated and hesitated to say something.

Ferris nodded her head with ah and clasp her both hands.

「 So, Jeanette-san also make face like that too.」

「!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!」

From her throat, Jeanette’s voiceless sound leaked. Her face then turned red from embarrassment.

「 Is that a good thing? What you just saw, absolutely, do not talk about that to anyone!!」

「…why?」

「 If there are rumors about the daughter of Rheinzlich family who was crazily going  ‘kyaa, kyaa’ with a cat, that would affect the honor of the whole family!」

「 Meiyo…?」

「 At any rate, this is a secret! That I come here, that I only think about the kitten while in class, that I can’t calm down when I don’t see the kittens face within the day, everything’s a secret! You understand right!?」

There was Jeanette who exposed all of her secret.

「Yes! Let’s protect the kitten together!」

「 To-together!? Wha-what are you talking about?」

Jeanette face reddened furthermore.

「 But…」

「 If you talk about my secret to anyone, I won’t forgive you! You better remember that!」

Ferris could only watch Jeanette who left with sharp remark with gape.

————————————————————————————

The night after that.

In a large bath in the dormitory, Jeanette was using the bathtub alone.

Her face was hot. Thinking about what happened today, unintentionally she was grinning.

「 Huhuhu… secrets… the secret of two people, a secret between Ferris and me…」

While bubbling inside hot water with her breath, Jeanette murmured happily.