Chapter 12: Pocky

Nikki embraces me and takes her groceries from the floor. “Quickly, come inside, it’s too cold in the hallway. I hope you haven’t been waiting there too long…”

“A-an hour or two.” A shiver goes down my spine.

“Poor girl.” Nikki opens the door to the apartment and points towards the sofa. “Get in the sofa with a warm blanket, I’ll bring you some hot cocoa.”

“Thanks Nikki.” I get into the sofa and take both my hood off and loosen my belt so my tail can slither out of my pants.

That was so uncomfortable. 

“Hey Amicia, why didn’t you call your sister? Or did that klutz forget to notify me?” She calls out from the kitchen.

“I wanted to… but my phone fell and it was completely smashed…” I take a nearby blanket and pull it over me when I lay down on my side.”

“Oh, that’d explain it.”

“Meow!” a tiny grey and white kitten suddenly appeared at the sofa.

“Do you have a cat, Nikki?” I ask, staring at the little kitty.

“Yes! Her name is Pocky; we adopted her last month!”

“Oh, I see. She’s very cute.” Pocky jumps on the sofa and cuddles up to my chest. It feels like I have a mini-heater strapped to me.

“I know right! Is she there with you? She’s normally pretty scared of strangers.” I hear Nikki walking over to the sofa.”

“Oh my Goddess, you are a catgirl, just like in-game!”

I blush and pull the blanket a bit higher. “Ye… w-when I turned into a girl, I got all these extra bits as well…”

Nikki puts down the hot cocoa on the coffee table and sits in front on me on the sofa. “You shouldn’t feel ashamed of that, Amicia…” She pauses and pats Pocky, making her purr softly. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

I nod and tell her the events that followed me waking up.

“So… you got up in your ‘old body’, you ate a candy, passed out, and then you looked like this?”

“I know it’s hard to believe… I wouldn’t believe it myself either, but it happened.”

“Don’t worry, I believe you.” She smiles as she turns to look in my eyes. “It’s just that this is pretty much a miracle, isn’t it? Stuff from myths and legends...”

“I-I guess it is… It did force my hand though...”

“Yeah, I see why you had to get out of there as fast as possible.”

“Mhm…” I yawn, exhausted by the emotional stress of the day.

Nikki smiles and pets my head. “Why don’t you and Pocky sleep for a bit? I’ll call Lise to say you’re here.”

“After I drink some of that cocoa first.” I smile back.

It doesn’t take long to fall asleep after finishing the hot cocoa.

In my dream I felt wrapped in safety and warmth. A hand rubbing me behind my ear, making me drift around on a cloud of bliss. This dream feels so comfortable; I don’t want to leave. A familiar scent and the sound of giggling finally makes me open my eyes, as I see my sis sitting on her knees in front of me.

“Hey there kitten.” She smiles. “I see you’ve met our other kitty.”

Pocky has crawled under the blanket with me and is rubbing her head on my chin, still purring lightly.

“She’s so cute…”

“So are you.” she says with a grin. “I can’t figure out who was purring louder, you or Pocky.”

My face immediately goes red. “I-I-I was purring?”

Elise nods “Mhm! You definitely like ear scratchies a lot.”   

“D-don’t you think that it’s weird?”

“You liking ear scratchies?”

“No. Me being a catgirl and all…”

Élise leans back a bit. “Hmm. Nikki told me what you told her, and what happened to you is indeed pretty darn strange...inexplicable even...”

My face drops down a bit.

“But, that doesn’t take away we love you Amicia, even with all your extra bits and pieces. You might be the only catgirl on earth, but you are our catgirl. And my cute little sister.” She smiles.

“But how am I supposed to live like this? I can’t go out looking like a cosplayer…”

Nikki leans over the sofa and confidently says, “Don’t worry Amicia, we’ll figure something out, together.”

“T-thanks, does that mean I can stay here?”

“Do you even need to ask?” My sister reaches in and hugs me, being careful not to move Pocky. “Of course you can stay here. We both earn plenty of money and we have a room to spare.”

Even Pocky chimes in with a little meow.

“And it looks like Pocky doesn’t want you to leave either.” 

“T-thank you, thank you so much... I love you all…”

“We know.” Élise and Nikki both take turns to give me a hug. “You’ll need to sleep in the sofa for one night though. We are going to buy you a bed tomorrow, and maybe even some clothes.”

“Going out like this?”

“Yes, we already have a special plan doctored out.” Élise says with a grin.

“What’s the plan then?”

“You’ll have to wait and see, kitten.” Nikki adds, smirking even harder than my sister which makes me pout.  

“Two months ago we had no kittens, and now we suddenly have two. Isn’t that great my love?” Nikki continues to tease me.

“I know right, maybe we should get them matching collars?” Élise joins in.

I look at Pocky and ask “Are they always like this?”

Pocky nods and lets out a affirming meow that stops the two lovely teases in their tracks.

“Did you just communicate with Pocky?”

“Uhm. I guess? Doesn’t she normally do this?”

“Not really no… Pocky, do you understand us?” Nikki addresses Pocky.

The little kitten tilts her head.

“Now you try, Amicia!” Élise quickly sits down again next to us.

“Can you understand me Pocky?”

Pocky meows and nods.

“And you can’t understand Nikki and Élise?”

Again Pocky meows and nods.

“Wow. You are a cat whisperer as well…” Élise’s mouth drops wide open.

“I mean… I am partly cat aren’t I? Maybe that’s why?”

“That’s possible.” Nikki thinks out loud. “Have you tried your magic from in-game. To see if that works?”

“Oh, I actually haven’t! But I doubt I’ll be able to do anything without a focus.”

“You do indeed do all your casting through your staff… Maybe there’s magic trees nearby so we can make you one.” My sister jokes.

“Haha, maybe we should look out for those.” I laugh.

“Anyway, I’ll start making dinner so we can eat soon. Your sister brought some herring.”

My eyes go wide with excitement “Did she?!”

“Yeah, easy there kitten.” My sis smiles. “I thought your tastes would probably have changed too.”

Pocky looks up at me and meows.

“Oh, Pocky wants some too.”

“Alright then, both kittens will get some tasty fishies.” 

After the most amazing dinner ever exhaustion strikes my body again.

Who’d have thought that dying and reincarnating would sap my body of this much energy.

We find a place to put down my D3u5XMachina and my uni-stuff.

Élise and Nikki also decide it’s probably best to go to bed early because tomorrow might be a long day of shopping.

“Thanks for everything, again.” I say to both of them when they tuck me in.

“Don’t worry about it, little sis.”

“I just hope our parents won’t come to look for me…”

“They don’t know where we live, so they shouldn’t be able to find you so easily.” Nikki says, giving a kiss on my forehead. “Goodnight, Amicia.”

“Goodnight, Nikki.” 

Élise does the same and gives me a big hug as well. “We’ll get through this, don’t worry.” 

“Goodnight, Sis.”

“Goodnight to you too, sweetheart.”

Pocky jumps on top of my chest and starts pawing my boobs the moment they disappear to their bedroom.

“Haha, that tickles, Pocky. Sleep well.”

Pocky meows back and closes her eyes, still softly massaging.

I do the same and it doesn’t take long before sleep catches me.