The house felt unusually peaceful that morning. With Vanilla staying at Shigure’s home for a while, the familiar quiet settling through the Minaduki residence felt almost strange..no bickering between the catgirls, no sleepy arguments in the hallway, just the soft hum of the morning and sunlight creeping through the windows.

Kashou walked down the hall toward Chocola’s room, already holding a hairbrush in one hand. After knocking lightly, he opened the door and stepped inside with his usual calm expression.

“Get up for your daily routine, Chocola,” he said gently.

Crossing over to the bed, he sat carefully on the edge of the mattress before reaching over to pull the blankets down just enough to see her face. His eyes softened almost immediately at the sight of her messy hair and sleepy expression.

“You move around too much in your sleep,” he sighed quietly, though there was obvious affection in his voice. “Your hair’s completely tangled again… come here so I can brush it properly.”

Without Vanilla around to help take care of her, Kashou had naturally started doing more himself and truthfully, he didn’t mind nearly as much as he pretended to. The peaceful mornings alone with Chocola had slowly become something he looked forward to more than he should.