CHAPTER 51: NEXT MORNING

That night, Mimi slept like a log.

Literally.

She lay sprawled out beside her master on the soft, fluffy bed, her little body rising and falling with each breath. And every so often...

prrhh—snrk—meeehhw~~~~

The sound slipped from her mouth, her adorable snores filling the quiet room.

And then came the next morning.

Mimi cracked her eyes open, blinking blearily at the soft glow spilling in from the window.

The very first thing she did was—

YAAAAWWWWNNNN!!

Her tiny mouth stretched wide, showing her little fangs, while her whole body arched and stretched like warm, squishy dough. Her paws pushed against the sheets, claws kneading lightly as though she were still dreaming.

Her mind still felt groggy, but her body felt oh so warm and comfy.

"Urghhh... that was some good sleep..." she muttered in her head, her whiskers twitching.

The morning light filtered gently through the glass panes, golden and soft. It spilled over the bed and washed across her fur, making her sleek black coat glisten faintly like polished velvet. The warmth sank into her bones, making her want to roll over and keep sleeping forever.

But still...

Sigh... time to get up and go to work...

And weird... The sun is already up, yet why my alarm clock still hasn’t gone off.

Urrgghh, where the heck is my phone now?

Mimi grumbled automatically, rolling to one side and pushing herself up on her paws.

Only—

BOP!

She toppled right off the bed, landing headfirst with a dull thud.

"Oww—what the heck?!" Mimi hissed, rubbing her forehead with a paw.

She sat there on the floor, stunned, blinking in confusion.

She looked up.

"Eh? Why is this bed so ridiculously high?"

The bed towered above her, enormous like the edge of a cliff. Or rather... she was just that tiny.

And then it hit her.

"Oh right... I’m a cat now!"

She checked her body again.

Still cat!

Her ears perked, her tail flicked, and a wide, toothy grin spread across her furry face.

"And as a cat... there’s no such thing as going to work!"

She threw both paws high into the air in triumph.

"FUCK YEAAAAAAHHH!! CATLIFE FOR THE WINI!!"

Her voice echoed in her head like a battle cry.

Thinking back, her first two days in this body had been wild. Meeting Lord Siamelumis, seeing Marshmallow again—it was truly amazing.

Already, her chest ached a little. She missed that fluffy little creature so much.

Oh, wait—where’s Master Emilia now?

In that instant, Mimi suddenly remembered—she had a master! A cute, beautiful master!

Hup!

She bounced back onto the bed, her little paws thudding softly against the sheets.

But—oh no! The bed was empty.

Master wasn’t there!

It looked like Emilia had already woken up and gone somewhere.

"Seriously? She just left me behind?!" Mimi puffed her cheeks and pouted. "How could she abandon her adorable noctifelis like this?"

Just then, her ears twitched.

Swish... swish!

The crisp sound of a blade slicing through the air carried through the morning breeze.

Mimi’s eyes lit up. Instantly, she dashed across the bed, leapt to the window ledge, and peeked outside.

And there she was.

"Wooooaaaah!!" Mimi gasped, her pupils widening in awe.

Down below, in the wide training ground of the estate garden—surrounded by neat rows of bluebells and pale white lilies—stood Emilia.

Her rapier gleamed like silver fire in the rising sun, each strike scattering flashes of light as it carved through the air.

Yes! Her master had woken up early to train sword skills!

***

So Mimi just sat there on the window ledge, her tail curled neatly around her paws, watching her master in awe.

There she was, so graceful and dazzling as she moved with her sword.

Emilia’s long white hair was tied high into a ponytail, swaying with every movement, eyes filled with determination and her face highly focused. Even in her simple training attire—a fitted white tunic trimmed with silver, dark trousers, and tall leather boots—she radiated the unmistakable poise and dignity of a noble lady.

In her hands gleamed a slender rapier, its guard curling around her fingers like woven silver vines. The blade itself was polished to brilliance, every movement sending arcs of pale blue light flashing through the air.

Swish!

Her first strike split the silence with a sharp, cutting whistle. Then came three more thrusts in rapid succession—each one so fast they seemed to overlap, blurring into a streak of silver.

Then—blur!—her figure flickered like she had teleported. In the blink of an eye, she reappeared twenty meters ahead!

"Ha!"

As she thrusted, the tip of her sword skewered a drifting flower petal mid-air, pinning it for an instant before it fluttered apart in two halves!

Clearly, it was a technique meant to instantly close distance and deliver a deadly strike.

But Emilia didn’t stop there.

"Alright!" she muttered under her breath, eyes sharp with determination, sweat glistening faintly on her brow. Her grip tightened on the rapier’s hilt. "Again!"

A leaf drifted lazily down from the nearby tree, twisting in the morning wind. Emilia’s gaze locked onto it like a predator spotting prey.

"Silvermoon Sword Art—Moonpiercer Step!"

VZZZT!

In a flash, her figure blurred and vanished. An instant later, she reappeared right before the falling leaf, her rapier thrusting forward with blinding speed. The blade skewered the fragile thing dead center, piercing it cleanly

So fast! So precise!

She drew back, her chest rising and falling as she steadied her breathing, then reset her stance once more.

"Again."

This time, Emilia shifted into another form

"Silvermoon Sword Art—Twin Crescent!"

Her rapier cut downward in a single motion—but from its tip, two blazing arcs of blue light burst forth, crossing each other midair to form a brilliant glowing cross!

FWOOSH!

The cross shot forward like a blade of pure light, tearing through the air and striking the training dummy with explosive force. The wooden target split apart cleanly, sliced in four neat pieces as though it were nothing more than thin paper.

"Waaaaahhh..." Mimi’s mouth hung wide open, her eyes glittering with amazement.

The sword arts in Arventia Online had always been flashy, stylish, even beautiful. But seeing them like this—in real life, unfolding right before her very eyes—was something else entirely.

It was breathtaking, terrifying, and utterly dazzling.

And what was even more amazing?

Turns out, her master was a swordswoman! A deadly, dazzling swordswoman!

"This is awesome!" Mimi’s eyes sparkled.

"Oh wait! If Master can look into my status... then maybe I can look into hers too, right?"