Deep thinking

Later that morning, the three of you are sitting around the table eating breakfast. Lili is her usual cheerful self, humming a tune as she munches in some cinnamon toast. Emi, on the other hand, is mostly poking at the eggs on her plate with her fork, not eating much. You watch the cat girl for a while before interrupting her thoughts.

“Emi? Are you ok?”

Emi looks up from her half eaten breakfast, giving you a smile. “I’m fine, don’t worry. Just…thinking. Yesterday was a big day.”

Lili nods. “Big scary news, yes-yes? Poor Emi, I’m sorry-sorry for what happened to you!”

Emi shakes her head. “It’s not like you did anything wrong, Lili. And honestly, it’s fine. I’m happy now. I love Andy, and I really like you, Lili. It’s just…there’s so many questions.”

You nod. “I agree. Things have gotten a lot more complicated. And I don’t even know how to start.”

Emi shrugs. “I don’t know if I even want to try digging into it. Like I said, I’m happy now. What if we start looking into it, and find something even worse? Or we get caught, and they take me away from you? I can’t lose you, Andy…”

You reach across the table, taking her hand and giving her a gentle squeeze. “I understand, Emi. If that’s what you want, we won’t investigate any further.”

Emi sighs. “Part of me wants to, though. I just don’t know.”

You shake your head. “You don’t need to decide right now. I imagine finding even what they did took effort. We can wait until you’re ready to try to learn more.”

Lili nods, bouncing in her seat. “Yes-yes! And that means more fun-fun with Sam! I like-like her, she’s so fun!”

Emi grins. “She is, I like her too. And I think she really likes us, too.”

You chuckle. “Considering she spent the night in our bed, I’d say that’s likely. I like her too, she’s a good person.”

Emi raises an eyebrow. “I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that she’s sexy, either.”

You laugh. “I can’t complain, that’s for sure. But it’s not just that. She’s been incredibly helpful and kind, and she seems to genuinely care about you two. That means a lot.”

Lili giggles. “And she’s hot, yes-yes!”

You roll your eyes, and the girls laugh. There’s a bit of lighthearted teasing, and the mood at the table is pleasant. It’s nice that everyone agrees about Sam, and no one is jealous.

The three of you finish your breakfast, and settle in for a relaxing day, recovering after a wild night. You can’t help but notice, though, that Emi is still distracted. Despite her insistence that she’s fine, you can tell that things are weighing on her mind. It’s not surprising. You do your best to keep her smiling, but you know that this is something she’ll need to work through on her own.