A cat's cry sounded. Mei turned her head to see a figure darting out from the bushes, instinctively reaching out to catch it.
Holding the cat in her arms, Mei finally remembered that she had come here to find her cat. She picked up Little Li and started brushing the leaves off its fur, saying,
"Little Li, so you ran all the way here. You got yourself all dirty after just one outing. How am I supposed to let you out again in the future?"
After tidying up Little Li's fur, Mei lifted its head and rubbed it gently. Then, she looked into its deep blue eyes and froze for a moment.
"Little Li, I never noticed before, but your eyes are so beautiful. They're the same color as his..."
-------------------------------
Fu Lin averted his gaze, lowered his head, and played with his own tail, occasionally glancing at Mei with a pitiful expression,
"Meow...~" Our bond has faded—after a whole year together, you still haven't looked at me properly... But this is fine too, at least Mei can't tell that I am Fu Lin.
"Pfft! My bad, but let's go back first. 'Nameless' should be home by now."
Mei covered her mouth and chuckled, reaching out to poke the bell on Fu Lin's neck. As the clear and pleasant chime rang, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
'Since Little Li doesn't want to reveal his identity, I'll just pretend not to know. One day, I'll catch him red-handed.' Thinking of this, Mei felt slightly relieved and got up to walk back the way they came.
Meanwhile, Fu Lin, nestled in Mei's arms and unaware that his cover was already blown, glanced at the police still searching for him and felt triumphant, "Come and catch me if you can! I'm right in front of you—how much do I look like my old self now~ (￣▽￣～)~"
Then, he snuggled comfortably in Mei's embrace, using her as a pillow, closing his eyes in contentment as his tail gently brushed against her chin.
But when he heard Mei mention Nameless, his pupils suddenly contracted, and the image of the shopping bag he had left behind flashed in his mind. Reluctantly, he left Mei's arms and dashed toward the bag.
"... I almost forgot the groceries! Hopefully, no one took them."
"Eh? Wait for me, Little Li!" Mei's face darkened as she watched Fu Lin run off, pressing her hand to her forehead and taking a deep breath.
"Is today my unlucky day? First, I was chasing someone, and now I'm chasing a cat. The worst part is, I lost track of the person... I wonder if I'll ever meet him again. Next time, I'll definitely take off his mask..."
"Meow~ Mei, hurry up and follow me~"
Fu Lin returned to Mei, opened his mouth, and bit the fabric of her stockings, pulling her forward.
However, the stockings weren't of great quality, and they easily tore from his bite.
As a result, Fu Lin tumbled forward, rolling across the ground. He stood up, feeling dizzy, and glanced at the hole in her stockings with a pout, internally complaining,
'Which factory made these? Such poor quality... I should order a dozen to gift to... Fu Shi!'
Mei looked at the hole on her leg, glared at Fu Lin, and crossed her arms. "Little Li, bad!"
Fu Lin stood up on his hind legs and placed his paws on his hips, "Meow~ How could a cute little cat have bad intentions~"
Across the street, a young girl pointed at Fu Lin excitedly. "Wow! Mom, look! That cat can stand on two legs!"
The young mother smiled and patted the girl's head. "Don't make such a fuss."
Fu Lin twitched his mouth at the girl's exclamation, then smirked mischievously.
The girl gasped again. "Wow! That cat can even do backflips and front flips!"
The young mother, "Where? Let Mommy see!"
"..." Mei's face flushed. She quickly picked up Fu Lin, who was still doing flips, and hurried away.
After all, her cat was always causing trouble.
—
"This is the shopping bag Nameless was carrying when he bought groceries?"
...
Mei stared at the writing on the board in disbelief. "You're saying Nameless left? So suddenly..."
Fu Lin continued writing on the board, "Something unexpected happened, so he had to leave in a hurry."
Mei pursed her lips, unsure whether to feel happy or sad.
Although Nameless was annoying and always competed with her for Little Li's affection—whenever he was around, Little Li would run straight into his arms, leaving her to watch from the sidelines...
He even knew exactly what Little Li wanted and liked, making her feel like a failed owner...
Fu Lin saw Mei's "downcast" expression and patted her leg with his paw. He hadn't expected that in just one year, Mei had become so attached to Nameless—it was truly touching.
Mei hugged Fu Lin and rubbed his belly. "Now that Nameless is gone, who will I test my cooking on?"
Fu Lin opened his mouth in shock, eyes full of disbelief, wait, give me back my emotions!
"What a shame—he was looking forward to eating dumplings, and now he can't." Mei lifted the shopping bag and glanced at the already purchased ingredients, keeping an eye on Fu Lin's every move.
Fu Lin raised the writing board, "No worries, I can eat his share too. We're good buddies, after all."
Mei poked his exposed little belly and smirked. "With that tiny stomach of yours? Unless you turn into a human, hmph!"
Fu Lin slowly put down the board, rubbed his belly, and purred softly, '...Don't underestimate my stomach. I can eat as much as I want.'
—
A few days later...
At the Third Research Institute of Schicksal, Otto touched his nose, then clasped his hands behind his back while gazing at the sleeping Valkyrie inside the experiment pod. His eyes narrowed slightly,
"Dr. Magi, I hope to see progress in the research on the Gem of Serenity soon."
Dr. Magi did not respond. His eyes burned with excitement as he watched the experiment pod. A mechanical arm slowly moved the Gem of Serenity toward the Valkyrie's chest before embedding it into her body.
In an instant, a dazzling light radiated from her chest, and a crimson mark (identical to Seele's) began to emerge...