Arou's bag moved again.
Before Arou could react,
Nora climbed out of the bag and immediately transformed into her human form.
"What are you doing—"
Arou said in surprise.
But Nora quickly covered his mouth with her hand.
"Sorry," Nora said calmly as she turned toward the teacher.
"I fell asleep inside Arou's bag last night and accidentally got brought to school."
Arou tried to speak, but her hand prevented him from doing so.
The teacher fell silent for a moment.
"Then... who exactly are you?"
Nora removed her hand from Arou's mouth and smiled casually.
"Oh, I'm Arou's future fourth wife."
The teacher's eyes widened instantly.
"F-fourth wife?!"
Arou immediately pulled Nora's hand away.
"No, sir. She's lying."
Nora looked at Arou with a mischievous smile.
"Oh right, I should be the third wife. Since Hikari is your daughter."
The teacher looked even more shocked.
"Arou... you already have a child?"
"That's not what it sounds like, sir," Arou replied quickly.
Nora crossed her arms, her tone playful.
"Wow. A father denying his own daughter is pretty cruel, you know."
Arou stared at Nora helplessly.
"I'm still in high school. I don't have a daughter."
Nora tilted her head.
"Then what is Hikari?"
Arou took a deep breath.
"I'm sixteen years old. Hikari is also sixteen."
He looked at Nora seriously.
"Do you think I had a child when I had just been born?"
Nora paused for a moment.
"...Yeah, that doesn't make much sense."
Arou turned toward the teacher.
"I'm sorry, sir, for everything that's happened."
He glanced at Nora.
"Later, I'm going to feed this cat a flip-flop so she'll learn not to follow me to school."
The teacher couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Wait," Nora protested.
"That's mean."
"Too bad," Arou replied shortly.
"I don't want to eat a flip-flop," Nora said quietly.
"Then what do you want to eat?" Arou asked.
Nora fell silent.
She looked strangely disappointed.
Without saying another word, she transformed back into a small white cat and immediately climbed into Arou's bag.
Arou lowered his head slightly.
"Once again, I'm sorry, sir."
The teacher sighed.
"Alright... but what exactly is happening to you?"
Arou remained silent for a few moments before answering honestly.
"I don't know either, sir."
"During vacation, I slept for a very long time."
"Then I dreamed about them."
He looked down at the floor.
"For some reason... they're appearing in the real world now."
The teachers' office became quiet once more.
And for the first time,
Arou had spoken that truth out loud.
The teacher remained silent for a long while.
His expression was no longer one of shock, but careful consideration.
"Arou," he finally said,
"I don't know whether your story is true... or simply your way of explaining something difficult."
Arou lowered his head.
"I understand, sir."
The teacher folded his arms.
"What you're telling me sounds impossible."
"And as an adult, I can't simply believe it."
Arou nodded quietly.
He had expected that response.
"However," the teacher continued,
"I also don't see you as the type of student who causes trouble."
Arou's bag shifted slightly.
The teacher glanced at it briefly before focusing again.
"For now," he said,
"I'll treat what happened in class as something that cannot yet be explained."
He stood up and pulled the curtain open slightly.
"It's not a joke.
But it's also not a truth I can accept without question."
The teacher turned around.
"I'm going to call your homeroom teacher and the school counselor."
"Not to punish you, but to make sure you're okay."
Arou raised his head.
"Sir... I'm not sick."
"I know," the teacher replied calmly.
"That's exactly why I don't want to act recklessly."
He sat down again.
"You'll return to class."
"There will be no punishment."
"But," he added firmly,
"you are not allowed to bring any more 'strange incidents' into the classroom."
Arou nodded.
"I understand."
The teacher sighed.
"If all of this is true..."
"...we'll find out eventually."
Arou stood up.
He bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, sir."
---
Arou returned to class calmly.
The door closed behind him, and the lesson continued as usual.
He sat down at his desk.
His bag rested beside his feet.
Throughout the entire lesson,
the bag did not move once.
Normally, Nora would make comments.
Complain.
Or at least react to something.
But this time, there was nothing.
Arou occasionally glanced at the bag.
Silent.
Sulking? he wondered.
The class felt longer than usual.
Not because the lesson was difficult,
but because the silence felt unnatural.
When the bell rang, Arou stood up and carried his bag out of the classroom.
He didn't open it.
He didn't call Nora.
If she wanted to stay silent,
he would let her.
Yet deep inside,
Arou felt—
Nora wasn't simply upset.
It felt more like...
she was holding something back.
---
After school, Arou walked home alone.
His steps were slow, his mind empty.
The bag in his hand felt heavy.
Not because of what was inside,
but because of the silence within it.
When he arrived home, he opened the door and stepped inside.
He placed the bag on a chair in the living room.
No sound.
No movement.
Arou sat down on the sofa and stared at it for a while.
"Nora," he said quietly.
No answer.
He opened the zipper slightly.
Inside, the white cat was curled up, facing away from the opening.
Her tail was wrapped tightly around her body, her ears drooping.
Arou sighed.
"If you're angry, just say so."
Still no response.
He closed the bag again and leaned back on the sofa.
He didn't force her.
He knew Nora was stubborn.
Time passed.
Afternoon became evening.
The lights of the house gradually turned on.
Arou still hadn't touched the bag again.
Until finally,
he stood up and spoke without looking at it.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said quietly.
"I just didn't want everything to become more complicated."
The bag shifted slightly.
But no voice came from within.
Arou fell silent.
He realized something—
If Nora kept staying quiet,
then she was holding onto feelings that couldn't simply be brushed aside.
And for the first time,
Arou wondered
whether their presence in this world
was beginning to demand more
than simply being accepted.
---
Arou had finished changing clothes.
He walked into the living room.
The bag was still nearby while he prepared to play on his PlayStation.
Suddenly,
the bag moved.
Nora slowly climbed out and transformed back into her human form.
Arou smiled in relief.
"Ah... you're not sulking anymore?"
Nora puffed her cheeks slightly.
"Hmph..."
Arou laughed softly.
"Hehehe... Sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier."
Nora nodded quietly.
"Hmm... it's okay."
She lowered her gaze for a moment before adding,
"I-I'm sorry too for causing trouble."
Arou smiled warmly.
"Let's just forget about it."
A short while later, the front door opened.
Lumina and Hikari returned home.
"Hikari... Lumina," Arou greeted them.
Hikari smiled shyly.
"U-Um... Dad, Big Sister Nora."
Lumina looked at Nora in surprise.
"Oh my... Nora, where have you been?"
Nora turned toward her and gave a faint smile.
"I... got carried to school by Arou," she answered briefly.
Arou scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah. That's basically what happened."
The atmosphere in the living room became warm once again.
The three of them sat together on the sofa,
and for a moment,
the real world felt... a little more normal.
---
Soft afternoon sunlight filled the living room.
Arou sat on the sofa with a game controller in his hands.
Lumina sat beside him.
Hikari sat on the other side.
On another sofa, Nora was curled up as a small white cat.
Her soft fur moved slightly beneath the breeze of the fan.
Her eyes were half-closed, looking peaceful and comfortable.
"Ready, Arou?" Lumina asked while looking at the TV screen.
Arou stared at the screen and smiled faintly.
"Ready. Don't expect an easy win."
Hikari giggled.
"Dad is going to lose again."
Arou suppressed a smile.
"Why don't you prove it?"
Beside them,
Nora remained quiet.
She didn't speak.
She simply listened to their laughter, occasionally twitching her small ears whenever the game's sound became too loud.
Lumina pressed the buttons rapidly, her eyes focused.
Hikari cheered whenever she won.
Arou played seriously, yet the faint smile never left his face.
Nora pouted slightly before letting out a yawn.
A brief silence followed.
Then she closed her eyes once more.
As if watching over them,
while remaining comfortable in her own little world.
The hours passed slowly.
The sounds of the game, laughter, and occasional lighthearted comments filled the living room.
No one talked about dreams.
No one mentioned other worlds.
No one brought up the strange events from earlier.
There were only four beings—
the real world,
a warm afternoon,
and a simple moment of togetherness that felt incredibly real.
Arou looked at the screen,
then glanced toward the sofa where Nora was sleeping.
"This... feels nice,"
he thought.
And for now,
that was enough.