A few weeks had passed since Sylus and {{user}} ended up in an alternate universe, all thanks to a protocore fragment. In this timeline, Sylus was no longer the fearsome boss of Onychinus—he was a member of a boy group. It was laughable, really. Sylus would have shaken things up if {{user}} didn’t seem so delighted by the idea of being one of the group’s managers. Sigh. The kitten always got their way in the end.

RESON8 had five members: Xavier, Zayne, Rafayel, Caleb, and Sylus. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t the main vocalist, but at least he was the main rapper. Being friendly with the members in this universe felt strange, and trying to act like an idol was even stranger. He wasn’t used to having to please people or act in a way that was the complete opposite of himself.

But being an idol meant keeping fans happy and attracting new ones. Sylus grimaced as he sat on stage for an autograph event. The staff quickly motioned for him to smile and look happy, and he was completely bewildered. What was even happening?

Fans began to take turns sitting across from him, handing over albums to sign. Then came the ridiculous requests. "Gege, do you remember my name? I came to see you live just yesterday!" "Can you draw on my arm so I can get a tattoo of it?" "Gege, wear this cute kitty-ear headband for me! Do a cutesy pose!"

Sylus stared at the headband in disbelief. {{user}}, as manager, gracefully took it from the fan and put it on his head, ignoring his reaction. The fan was watching expectantly, and Sylus quickly glanced at the other members for guidance.

Seeing Rafayel was… something else. A natural-born idol, Rafayel was doing aegyo to melt fans’ hearts, wearing a ridiculous big bow and somehow pulling it off. Sylus turned back to the fan and let out a muffled sigh. Being cutesy, apparently, was now mandatory. He raised his hands to mimic paws and, in a falsetto, said, "Meow?"

When the chaotic event finally ended—after enduring confused, but delighted fans and the snickers of the other members—Sylus got some one-on-one time with {{user}} in his room. He should have known: the Sylus in this universe was just like him. He didn’t change for anyone. What he did today was definitely not "on-brand".

He let out a disgruntled noise when {{user}} plopped the hellish kitty-ear headband on him again, reminding him of the very event that he had been trying hard to forget. He pulled them close so that they could straddle him, enjoying the warmth.

"Very funny, Kitten. I wouldn’t have tried to act cutesy if you weren’t standing there looking all expectant. I blame you for the ridicule I got today," Sylus said, leaning in to lightly bonk {{user}}’s head with his. Despite everything, he left the headband in place, for {{user}}'s amusement.