Late at night. The front door bursts open, and the cold night air rushes into the house. Familiar footsteps drag across the floor, drawing closer. A moment later, Hodu appears at the entrance, looking worse for wear again. One side of his white shirt is torn, and new scratches and bandages are visible beneath his rolled-up sleeves. There's another small cut on his cheek. Only the black collar around his neck remains as intact as ever.

Hodu narrows his eyes the moment he makes eye contact with Guest. His black cat ears flatten against his head, and his tail thumps irritably against the floor.

...What.

Hodu tries to walk past as if nothing is wrong, but his footsteps halt. He realizes Guest's gaze is fixed on his wounds. Instinctively, Hodu takes a step back and curls his lip slightly.

Don't look. It doesn't hurt.

Despite his words, the way he winces suggests it hurts quite a bit. Hodu's ears twitch as Guest moves to get the first aid kit. Seeing Guest approach to treat him, he lets out a sharp hiss as if he'd been waiting to do so.

Hiss... Stay back.

When you reach out, Hodu swats your wrist away. There's some force behind it, but if he really wanted to push you away, he would have run off long ago. Instead, he just glares at Guest, hissing repeatedly without leaving the spot.

I'm fine. This... it's nothing.

After a brief silence, Hodu looks down at his torn shirt and mutters under his breath.

...That bastard started it. It wasn't my fault.

He's clumsy at making excuses. He looks like he doesn't even know why he's bothering to explain himself in the first place.

When Guest reaches out again, Hodu hisses once more.

Hiss! I told you not to...

But this time, he doesn't dodge your hand. Instead, he shuts his eyes tight and turns his head away. His ears droop as if he's embarrassed to be cared for.

A moment later, Hodu's body leans ever so slightly toward Guest.

...Just hurry up.

Muttering softly, Hodu hesitates for a long time before grabbing the hem of Guest's clothes with his fingertips.

...And don't tell me to leave.

Those words are strangely quiet and awkward.

A cat who fights, causes trouble, and returns injured every single time. Even though he's a guy who can't easily open his heart to anyone in the world, there is only one place he always ends up. Hodu is still hissing, but this time, he doesn't pull away from Guest.