Sabrina was sitting in Haruki’s room, looking straight at him. He had no idea what was happening. Then, Sabrina called him closer and said, "Listen to me. Don’t be afraid."

  Haruki: "Sa-Sabrina... How are you here? That too, inside my house? If I don’t get scared now, then when should I?"

  His heartbeat started increasing, and sweat formed on his forehead. Just moments ago, he had been smiling, but now his eyes showed clear signs of fear.

  Sabrina: "Listen, Haruki. I’m not a ghost, nor am I anything that will harm you or your family."

  The way she said "this family" felt strange to Haruki, as if she was referring to something more than just him and his mother.

  Haruki: "What do you mean by 'this family'? And first, tell me—who exactly are you?"

  Sabrina: "Ah, Haruki… First, sit down and don’t panic. I’ll expin everything, alright?"

  Still trembling, Haruki slowly sat on a nearby chair, while Sabrina sat down on the floor, facing him.

  Sabrina: "Don’t you remember anything, Haru?"

  Haruki: "Remember? What do you mean?" (He asked in a nervous voice.)

  Sabrina sighed and said, "Alright, I’ll expin everything. Haruki, I’m not human... I’m a cat with magical abilities."

  Haruki: "Huh? A cat? That’s impossible. You seem more like a thief to me."

  Suddenly, Sabrina moved close to his face, her blue eyes locking onto his.

  Sabrina: "Would a thief come this close?"

  Haruki's face turned red with embarrassment, and he stumbled off his chair.

  Haruki: "Ahhh! Who even does something like this?"

  Sabrina extended her hand toward him. "Need help?"

  Haruki: "Nah, it’s fine… But tell me, what exactly are you?"

  Sabrina: "Like I said, I’m a magical cat."

  Haruki: "Umm… so that cat earlier was you?"

  Sabrina: "Yes, you could say that. But in a different way. See these white hairs?" (She pointed to her hair.) "If I pluck one out and blow on it, it turns into a cat that thinks exactly like me. It’s a clone, but in the end, it’s still me."

  Haruki couldn’t believe it. A human-cat? This is impossible. He wanted to understand more, so he asked:

  Haruki: "Was that you in the jungle too? The cat that appeared in front of me?"

  Sabrina: "Yes, that was me. I took the form of a cat myself."

  Haruki: "But why did you come to me? Was all of this your doing?"

  Sabrina took a deep breath before speaking.

  Sabrina: "Listen… A thousand years ago, Haruki, you had certain powers that some people feared. To them, you were a threat. So, they ordered me—a magical cat who was quite famous at that time—to eliminate you. My father himself told me to kill you… but when I came to do it, you saved my life instead. You protected me from a demon despite knowing that I would kill you. In that moment, I realized you were no threat at all.

  "After that, we met several times… and we fell in love. When my family and the six great cns found out, they decided to kill both of us because we were too powerful together. Our final meeting was on that mountain where you recently went. We were about to die when you used an ancient seal to trap me in that pce, saying that when you return, your footsteps will set me free… But you never came back.

  "I waited for you, day and night. Every traveler who passed by would say that you were dead, that your head was buried in the western mountains..."

  Tears started falling from Sabrina’s eyes. She cried so much that Haruki couldn’t help but pce his hand on her shoulder and say: "Stay strong."

  Haruki: "But how did you escape? And why are you here now?"

  Sabrina: "You still don’t get it, do you? You were the one who freed me."

  Haruki: "Huh? Me? That’s not possible! I’m only 17 years old!"

  Sabrina: "Yes, but you have been reborn after a thousand years. And when you walked on that nd, my seal broke, and I became free again… but you don’t remember anything."

  She looked sad and said, "But no matter what, I’ll make you remember everything."

  Haruki: "(What the hell is happening? I don’t understand anything...)"

  Haruki: "Okay, fine. But tell me this—if you’re a cat-human, then where are your ears and tail? In manga, cat-girls always have them."

  Haruki curiously gnced behind her, looking for a tail.

  Sabrina quickly threw a pillow at him. "Pervert! Have some shame! You don’t just look at a girl like that!"

  Haruki: "Ahhh! Sorry! Sorry!"

  Sabrina: "I can take that form, but not here. What would people think if I walked around cospying as a cat-girl all the time?"

  Haruki: "Fine, don’t do it! I wasn’t asking you to!"

  Sabrina: "Oh, really? (Heh, I can tell by your reaction that you were interested.)"

  Haruki: "(Ugh… she’s so annoying.)"

  Haruki: "Wait… so you were the one who changed the roads that night?"

  Sabrina: "Yes, I did that to take you through a safe path. Even now, those six cns are looking for both of us. That’s why I took you through the back side of the house."

  Haruki: "And that voice I heard?"

  Sabrina: "That was one of our allies. With his help, we escaped."

  Haruki: "(Just how many strange things am I going to witness…?)"

  Sabrina: "They already know that you have been reborn and that I have been freed. We need to be careful."

  Haruki: "Hmm… Got it. (Still feels like a dream…)"

  Haruki: "Okay, so now tell me—you’re leaving the house, right?"

  Sabrina: "Why would I? After all this time, we’re finally together again."

  Haruki: "That’s not possible! You know that too! I don’t even remember anything!"

  Sabrina: "You adopted a cat, right? So I’ll just stay in that form… After all, you’re the one who decided to keep me."

  Haruki: "What a sneaky cat… Fine, stay if you want. But you’ll sleep over there, on that pillow."

  Sabrina: "Alright, babe."

  Haruki: "Don’t call me babe!!!"

  Sabrina: "Okay, babe~"

  Haruki: "Ahhhhhhh!!!"

  The Past Has Been Revealed… But What’s Next?Now that Haruki’s past has come to light, how will he and Sabrina survive against the Six Cns? How will they blend into the modern world? And most importantly—will Sabrina be able to make Haruki remember everything? What powers do they both possess?

  Find out in the next chapter…!