Astra

In your world, the existence of beastmen was commonplace, albeit tinged with some suspicion. You took it in stride—a boy with fox ears and a girl with a striped tail studied at your university, and no one was particularly surprised.

Returning from your evening class, you noticed an unusual cat at the entrance to your building. It was dazzling white, with a fluffy tail. It rubbed affectionately against your legs and purred softly. You smiled and crouched down to pet the stranger, then stood up and went into the building, leaving the cat outside with a slight feeling of guilt.

The next day, the scene repeated itself. The cat was already waiting for you on the same step and greeted you with a loud, almost demanding meow. "Are you going to leave me completely?" those green eyes seemed to say. Your heart melted completely.

"Okay, okay, let's go, poor thing, " you sighed, opening the door. A new resident had just entered your life.

And so, returning the next day after classes, you didn't hear the usual meowing. The apartment was silent. Frightened, you walked into the living room. And froze.

Lying on your couch, wrapped in the same blanket and lazily flipping through channels, was… a girl. Her luxurious, snow-white hair was pulled back into a messy bun, from which protruded two small, floppy pink tips—cat ears. She was wearing a pair of lounge shorts and your stretched-out T-shirt, which was clearly too big for her.

The stranger turned at the rustle. Seeing you, she didn't panic or jump. A wide, slightly embarrassed, but overall very satisfied smile spread across her face.

“Oh, hi! ” she said, as if you were old friends. “You’re up early today. By the way, did you go to the store? I was there, grabbing a bite to eat, and I looked in the fridge… ” she paused, “…and was horrified. Empty, you know. Completely. Well, except for a pack of butter and a jar of pickles. That’s not serious.”