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𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 12

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕓𝕪𝕦𝕝 𝕜𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕟, 𝕒𝕝𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕪 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕡 𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕪. You waved at them with a smile, Grim instantly jumping into your arms as a welcome sign. Trey and Deuce greeted, but Ace sulked.

You tilted your head to the side at Ace, a curious look in your eyes. Deuce noticed your concerned watching, so he decided to answer instead of the grumpy redhead.

"Basically, in order to get rid of Ace's collar, we have to bring a replacement tart. Trey offered to help, but we have to go find some chestnuts in the woods next to the Alchemy Workshop. Will you help us, please?" Deuce asked, a begging look coating his puppy dog eyes.

Ace huffed out, still looking to the side. "Aw, c'mon Ace. You've been whining about how much you wished (Name) was here, and now that she is, you don't even greet her?" Trey pat Ace's shoulder in a comforting way.

"...Hi, I guess." He looked into your eyes for a split second and then looked away. You put a finger under your chin, tilting your head to the side again, imaginary question marks floating above your head. You put Grim down. As if a light bulb lit up above your head, you snapped your fingers and trotted over to Ace with open arms and a wide smile.

You hugged him and chuckled when he stuttered. Trey smiled proudly and Deuce shook his head in approval. 'He finally got that hug. Good for him.' He thought, as you broke the hug. You then went to hug Trey and Deuce as well. You squeezed their backs in a comforting matter, continuing to laugh warmly.

You then went to pick Grim up again, kissing the top of his head and rubbing his ears as he purred. "Henchman!" He laughed, hugging your neck and wrapping his tail around you.

"Alright!" Trey clasped his hands, "Now that we're all here, let me explain all that needs to be done. We're going to make a chestnut tart. In order to do that, we need..." Trey continued listing the ingredients and instructions. You listen half-heartedly, mentally wondering when to give Ace and Deuce the cookies that remained in your bag. Then your mind wandered to the tall man with horns again. 'Hopefully, I'll meet him again tonight.'

"Right, let's go check out the woods. (Name)? Are you listening?" Deuce asked you, you snapping your head towards him. "Hm?" You hummed with a questioning tone.

"We're going to go get chestnuts into the forest behind the Alchemy Workshop." Deuce explained, and you nodded eagerly, already exiting the kitchen.

"Uhh, you're walking in the wrong direction..." Ace mumbled, you swiftly turning on your heel and walking in the other direction.

"Woah, there's like a thousand of them! We're gonna pick these in a seco- Ow! The chestnut is all spiky, it stung my paw!" Grim whined, shaking his paw in the air.

You sighed and picked out a band-aid out of your handy first-aid kit. You put the cat band-aid on and pat Grim's head.

"Yeah, it's gonna be really complicated picking those up with our bare hands... Let's go to the botanical gardens and look for some gloves and baskets." Deuce suggested, already walking in the direction of the said garden. You and Ace looked at each other, shrugged, and then jogged over to catch up to your blue-haired friend.

You looked around, mesmerized at every single flower. Deuce chuckled at your expressions. To him, all these flowers were normal, but to you, they looked like something out of a fantasy movie. So, you decided to take your precious time exploring the botanical garden. "Let's look for the groundskeeper and then meet back here. I'll go left, Ace and Grim will go right, and (Name) will go straight ahead." Ace sighed in annoyance, but obliged. You nodded, saluted and then started walking across the walkway.

You looked around, amazed. You smelled and touched every flower you could, accidentally making a flower crown by getting distracted. You put one on your head, and started making another one. You hummed to yourself in thought, putting one last light orange flower into the crown.

You then held it in your hands, preparing to gift it to the next person you see. 'Why not? It could make somebody's day better!' you smiled to yourself, stopping abruptly.

You looked down on the ground again, and there you saw a bit of brown... Fur? It was almost hidden in the bushes, so you crouched down. Maybe it was somebody's keychain accessory? You thought, and went to pick it up.

To your surprise, the 'accessory' was actually somebody's tail, as you heard a growl and a yawn. You heard commotion coming over from the other side of the bushes, so you stood back up.

"Ugh... There's nothing worse than being woken up in the middle of a nap..." A male voice boomed, its holder now standing up to their full height. You looked at the tall man, one striking resemblance giving him away; the lion ears! He was the man from the ceremony! You smiled at him, and before he could say some snarky remark, you put the flower crown on his head, chuckling when his lion ears twitched.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! ...Hold on, I know you." He furrowed his eyebrows, and started walking towards you. You stood your ground, not exactly feeling threatened by the big cat that was practically fuming with anger.

"You're that herbivore without magic, aren't you?" He asked, and his face was coming ever-so-closely with your own. You looked at him confused, and then he leaned his head down to your neck.

You were even more confused, but you took it as a sign that he wanted a hug. You chuckled warmly and wrapped your arms around his body, patting his head and back in the process. "What the..?! How dumb can you... Be..." The male stopped talking once you started petting his ears. In a desperate attempt, he tried to push you off of him by pushing your shoulders, but if anything, that made it worse.

The man, Leona, had no idea what happened. 'How is this little herbivore..!' he thought, mentally slapping himself for enjoying the headpats.

You then let go of him, your smile not faltering. "Herbivore, how did you-?! You have no magic, so why?!" He angrily blushed, tripping over his own words. You tilted your head to the side again. "Ugh, whatever. You owe me for waking me up though, herbivore. Oh, and I'm keeping this, just so you know. The name's Leona Kingscholar. Don't forget it." He pat your head with an amazed smile on his face, and then pointing to (his) flower crown. You nodded with an even bigger smile, chuckling when he squished your cheeks.

He then flicked your forehead, and chuckled. "You're pretty relaxed around me for a herbivore. Do you seriously have no idea who I am?" He asked, and you shook your head no. "Fair enough for someone who's been transported to another world. You're gonna be my pillow from now on. And do not try to defy me. Understand?" He started squishing your cheeks again.

You were confused by what he meant, but shrugged and nodded with a smile. He pat your head one last time, and left.

You then remembered your original mission. 'Oh no! I didn't look for the baskets!!'

Tbh I like this chapter. What do you think??