Prerhythm Arch

Mirage (Part 4)

  A few days passed, and things were just as they always were. MafuMafu continued going over to Urata's tavern to hang out, and lately it was to discuss the plans for their trip too. Soraru had begun to spend quite a bit of time with Lon recently, but MafuMafu didn't mind. After all, he knew that if he really needed it, Soraru would put aside everything for him. I wonder if it's wrong of me to think that, MafuMafu thought to himself. I mean, it's not like I would use that for my own selfish purposes or anything like that, I just think it's nice to have someone be so devoted to you. It's like no matter what, that person will always accept and be there for you. MafuMafu smiled to himself at the thought. Whenever he thought about his relationship with Soraru and how much they meant to each other, it always filled him with such a warm, happy feeling. It felt like falling in love all over again.

He was practically skipping as he made his way through town to Urata's tavern. It wasn't uncommon for MafuMafu to bring Soraru up once or twice in their conversations, but he had a feeling that he'd be gushing about his wonderful boyfriend for pretty much the whole time he was there today. Urata never really minded whenever something like this happened, which was probably due to a mixture of his extreme patience and his love for stories relating to other people's lives. MafuMafu was glad to have a friend like Urata to talk to.

As MafuMafu was walking, though, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that made him stop and look again. Sitting on a bench nearby was a girl he didn't really recognize petting a cat that he did. Even from this distance, those shining purple eyes were unmistakable. Is that girl the cat's owner? MafuMafu wondered. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was his good mood, maybe it was his affection for the little black cat, but something made MafuMafu want to go over and talk to the girl. So, after standing there for a moment longer, that's what he did.

"Hi there. Is this your cat?" MafuMafu greeted, offering the girl a friendly smile.

The girl looked up at him at this, and MafuMafu was surprised to see what color her eyes were. She has purple eyes too... that cat must be her Familiar then, MafuMafu thought to himself. Maybe she's a mage like me...

"Oh, yes, it is. Why do you ask?" the girl inquired.

"No reason, really. It's just that I've seen this cat around a lot lately, and I was wondering who its owner was," MafuMafu replied.

The girl gave a small, fond smile. "Ah, yeah she likes to run off on her own a lot. Kind of troublesome, if you ask me."

"That's what I said, but I guess your cat doesn't listen, huh?" MafuMafu agreed.

"No, I guess not," the girl laughed. She paused for a moment, before continuing. "I'm Reol, by the way."

"Oh, my name's MafuMafu. It's nice to meet you, Reol-san," MafuMafu introduced himself.

Reol nodded. "Yeah, nice to meet you too, MafuMafu-san."

"Hey, Reol-san, that cat is your Familiar, right?" MafuMafu questioned.

"Yep. Whether I like it or not, this lazy thing is my Familiar," Reol answered, giving the cat a slight nudge.

The cat let out a displeased meow and flicked its tail testingly. MafuMafu chuckled softly at the display.

"Hey, it's probably better than my Familiar. That thing mostly just sleeps all day," MafuMafu commented.

"You have a Familiar?" Reol asked curiously.

MafuMafu nodded with a smile.

"Then, you must be a mage, right?" Reol continued.

"I'm still training to become a full mage, but I guess you could say that I am one," MafuMafu replied a bit sheepishly. "What about you, Reol-san? Are you a mage too?"