• Let’s say he does help. Then what? You’re taking him home with you?!


  

  

  
• I’m scared to sleep at home in my current state. But with him around, it won’t feel so terrifying. He can tell me what’s real and what’s just noise.


  

  Louisa winced like she’d just bitten into a lemon with a nerve exposed. She pointed at Toshi, who was locked in deep, soulful eye contact with the kitten.

  

  
• You seriously think he's the guy who can do that? The dude’s surfing his own acid waves in HD!


  

  

  
• Those are his He can deal with them. What matters to me is his professional skill. And he’s got it. Along with a healthy dose of...


  
• Madness! – Louisa And they fell into silence.


  

  Regardless, the trio had now become a quintet. The sleek, wide-eyed creature was now the center of Toshi’s universe. He was completely absorbed in whatever unspoken ritual he and Sanura were conducting. At least they didn’t have to carry him—blessings come in odd forms.

  The machine that used to be a man still had just enough motor function to slide into Louisa’s rental. Before she could even turn around, he was curled up and softly snoring, kitten burrito cradled in his arms. Erich carefully retrieved the cat and began gently scratching her behind the ear.

  

  
• What a nut – Louisa sighed, buckling her seatbelt and starting the drive back to the coast. – Seriously, bro, tell me: was any of this even worth it?


  

  

  
• Now I’ve got Sanura.


  

  

  
• And a passed-out, mushroom-powered ex-shrink in my backseat. Great. Well, can’t say I didn’t see this – She added, a bit warmer now, – Funny though... you’re such a quiet introvert by nature, but somehow being around you is a hundred times more fun than all the office crap back home.


  
• I love this .. – Erich said suddenly, gazing out the window as the scenery rolled by.


  

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Louisa had to admit, there was something about all this that felt... more alive than her usual escapades. Sure, she and Imani had traveled across the world—some remote, some ridiculous—but nothing had come close to the absurd joy she was experiencing here. With her weirdo brother.

  Her thoughts drifted to a photo set she once saw—shown by Valeria (cool chick, if she didn’t reek of stress sweat). Each shot featured Val’s ex-boyfriend, dressed in a fluffy bunny costume, crawling through a field among real rabbits, sniffing for carrots—only to be handed a carrot-shaped dildo instead.

  Louisa snorted, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, remembering Valeria’s legendary quote: - If he says one more nasty thing about me, I’m posting the whole album. He’ll be buried alive—in fluff.

  - That’s what I call revenge, - Louisa thought, and the idea blossomed. -What if my girl pulled something like that on me? Could she dig up some dirt?

  She ran through the catalog of secrets she had on Imani: that one home video… the mole in that spot… and with each memory, her grin widened. No backstabbing for her—she was covered in blackmail. In a school of trout, she was the shark.

  Her mind drifting through recent chaos, she circled back to a less fun thought: her brother was hiding something. All this dramatics, the blank stares, the Rain Man impressions—it wasn’t just a mood. Something had cracked in him again. Something real.

  And that scared her. What if next time, he snapped? What if it was her throat under his hands? The presence of his so-called doctor should’ve calmed her, but hell—those two were like matching

  padded helmets. Who’s more unstable? Honestly, she didn’t want to hand out the -Psycho of the Year- award. They could share it.

  The straight road began to curve. Civilization gave way to green and rock and mist. Louisa kept her hands on the wheel, ignoring the scenery like it owed her money. She couldn’t care less about the birds or trees. What mattered was the question she needed answered when they got back.

  From the backseat came a soft rustling and the unmistakable murmur of a kitten. She glanced in the rearview mirror—Sanura was squirming, pawing at the window, trying to escape Erich’s hold.

  

  
• Don’t let her out! She’ll piss all over the seats! – Louisa shrieked, full-on Mom Mode activated. But Sanura had no intention of chilling It was like someone had injected her with a microdose of rocket fuel. She clawed toward the window, dead set on escaping, even though all the windows were sealed tight. She let out a confused meow, as if asking the universe why the hell she wasn’t already outside.