Chapter 39 – Heaven
I abruptly wake up.
Somehow, I feel like I’ve slept well.
When I move my head groggily, I feel a fluffy sensation.
It seems I’ve been sleeping with a big cat as a pillow.
When I look to the right, a big black cat is snortingly sleeping.
When I look to the left, a big white cat is sleeping with a rumbling throat.
When I look at my feet, a big calico cat is sleeping with its belly up.
“…what’s this? Heaven?”
Surrounded by my favorite cat, sleeping in a fluffy bed, no doubt this is heaven. When I mutter unconsciously, the cat that has quietly become my pillow notices and peeks at me.
“Meow?”
I’m awake from the cat’s voice.
“Koumei-san?”
Koumei-san, who becomes my pillow, licks my left side face worriedly.
The rough touch tickles, and I laugh softly.
The three cats get out of bed and lick my left face too.
What’s this? The cats are all acting spoiled. Cute.
I can fluff all I want, this may really be heaven.
*click*
When I peek at the one making the noise from between the cats, there’s Martha.
“Martha?”
‘Did you drop something?’, ‘Are you hurt?’ I call out to Martha, but before she answers, she turns her heels and leaves the room with footsteps she would never normally do.
“M-Master—! Madam! Emma-sama is— Emma-sama isss—!”
Martha is shouting. Did I do something that made them angry?
When I look at the window, the bright sunlight is blinding. Did I oversleep?
When I’m thinking such things, my parents, older and younger brother with their face changes color, come into the room with footsteps they would never normally do. Is that in fashion now?
“Emma!!”
Father holds my left hand gently.
What to do, all of my family is crying.
“…you’re finally awake.”
Mother strokes my left cheek. On the right side of the bed, Older Brother and William are also looking at me with a face that looks like laughing while crying.
“Hn? …was I, perhaps, dying?”
I vaguely remember we defeated the slimes, but I don’t know what happened after that.
“You had a fever for the next three days. After it went down, you still didn’t wake up. Do you know how worried I was!?”
From William’s explanation, it seems that I’ve slept a lot.
Now that I think about it, I was too immersed in observing the slime that I got hit by a water gun. For me to get hit like that, what a stupid injury.
When I look at my right arm, it’s covered by Violet’s glowing purple thread.
It doesn’t seem to hurt when I move it a little, so I try touching my right cheek just like that with my right hand. It’s not skin but a pleasantly cool sensation.
“What becomes of this wound, I wonder?”
I’m pretty much a girl, so I’m concern about it. How much it will leave a scar. While it can’t be helped since it’s an injury caused by my own stupidity, I’m still worried.
“Emma, actually,”
Father wipes off his tears and tells me.
“Nobody knows.”
Yes? It was an unexpected answer.
“Since then, when we tried to remove Violet’s thread for medical treatment, the cats blocked us, and we couldn’t do anything.”
Father says apologetically, but they can’t win against the cats, so it can’t be helped. It seems that my medical treatment Father spoke of stopped at the first-aid state.
Koumei-san, Ryuu-chan, Kan-chan, and Chou-chan seemed to always sleep together with me.
“I see… Koumei-san, can I peel this off?”
I ask the cat that’s become my backrest.
“Meow”
“I can’t, huh~ I should keep it for a little more?”
“Meow”
“Is that so~ I must leave it like this for another month, huh?”
“Meow”
“Ah, It’s okay to usually take a bath.”
“Meow!
“And that’s what it seems. We can’t confirm what it will look like until next month.”
“…how are you talking with Koumei-san?”
William holds his head.
I just casually pretend to have a conversation, though. Koumei-san will also say wrong if it’s wrong… or won’t she…
“Well, will you tell me when it’s already okay to take it off?”
I just hope it won’t become saggy as much as possible.
There’s a part of me that thinks I can use this with an ‘I cannot let the person who will become my husband see such a horrible thing~’ as my trademark routine, but I can only tell this to George nii-sama and William in this world.
I wonder which one is the reason the wound doesn’t hurt: is it because of Violet’s thread or because my nerves have broken down? This, too, won’t be known until I peel this off.
“Ah right, where’s Uncle Arban?”
I ask because I don’t see my uncle’s figure.
“Arban has returned to the university in the royal capital. He is super worried about Emma, but his stay is planned for 2 months from the start.”
I have also made Uncle worry. I couldn’t even see him off… hm?
“Wasn’t Uncle’s departure too early? It’s only been a little over a month…”
The family looks at me with a regretful face. Ah, the cats are also making a somewhat regretful face.
“Nee-sama… Uncle already stayed for 2 months. Rather, he extended it for a week because he was worried about nee-sama.”
Then… that means…
“Emma was asleep for over a month.”
Father tightens his hold on my left hand.
Mother is quietly crying the whole time.
“I thought… you wouldn’t ever wake up… I was so worried!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
It’s saddening for me to see Mother, who I’m used to getting scolded at, cries.
I didn’t think I could sleep for that long. I may have been really dying.
Over a month… No wonder I’m hungry. How about going to the toilet or the like while I was sleeping? …let’s stop thinking about it.
“Eh? Then that means my… could it be my birthday? already passed?”
” ” ” “Happy Birthday!” ” ” “
I become 12 years old when I was unconscious. I’ve missed the chance to eat a birthday cake.
“Thank you! Umm… the cake…?”
To think I missed one chance to eat cake in my life.
I try to negotiate without giving up… but,
“For Emma, for the time being, is soup. What are you thinking of eating with your weak stomach!”
Mother scolds while crying. It’s my first time thinking that it’s much easier to be scolded.
But, just soup won’t be enough to satisfy my hunger.
“Meat… I want to eat meat~ Hm…?
Mother suddenly laughs. I feel the happiest when she laughs.
“It seems Emma’s gluttony doesn’t get any better. It’s good that you have an appetite. I will prepare it after the doctor’s examination is over. For the time being today, please bear with soup.”
“…yes.”
My stomach is demanding meat, beef if possible, but let’s obediently follow mother. I have worried the whole family. Even when I’ve become 35+12 years old, I’m still no good as ever.
“Don’t be so disheartened! I will bake you a birthday cake once you get better!”
Happy over mother’s words, I’m brimming with smiles. ‘Fufufu,’ I laugh, and the whole family relievedly laughs as if responding me.
Once again, I can continue to live together with my family.
Author’s note: I think that cats acting spoiled is a reward from god.
