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"Really?" Levi leaned against the café counter, watching Hange place a bowl of water onto his stove before she reached for the scissors nearby. She opened the scissors, rotating them so that the opening of the blades was to the window, where they believed that Armin, their 8-month-old ginger kitten, ran out two weeks ago.
“Out of all the methods we were advised, this is what you believe we can get Armin back?” Resisting the urge to sigh, the retired firefighter turned café owner bit his lip, looking down at his phone to read the instructions of the so-called Scissors Magic Hange had insisted on performing on his café stove.
The Scissors Magic to Find Your Lost Pet
Stay quiet. Be respectful. Place a bowl of fresh water onto the stove. Open a pair of scissors and put it on the bowl's rim so that the opening of the scissors is towards the door or the window where your pet escapes. As you do it, talk to your pet in your heart to summon it home.
Do not move the bowl and scissors before your pet returns. Once it does, make sure to bring it to this stove to show your gratitude.
“If you can think of anything else other than what we had done so far. I’m all ears.” Stepping away from the stove, Hange shot Levi a weary glare.
“Hey, come here.” Putting down his phone, Levi reached to hold her in his arms. “It's going to be alright. He’ll be back.”
"You don't know that, Levi!" Hange grumbled, burying her face against his shoulder.
Ever since Armin snuck out, Levi and Hange could barely sleep. For the first two days, Levi closed the store to search the neighborhood. Then someone from the online column suggested they search after midnight when stray cats were most active. So they did. They saw numerous cats but Armin was nowhere to be seen. Hange was devastated. So she, a Ph.D. in forestry who was also the most educated individual in this town of timbering and seasonal tourism, resorted to witchcraft of all things.
"Armin is smart. And our town is known to be cat-friendly." Taking a deep breath, the shorter man comforted his girlfriend. "You know him. A curious, playful brat. He's probably still playing somewhere and forgets to come home."
Hange shook her head, moving towards the nearby couch to take out her phone. It was already three in the morning. After a full day of work and hours of searching, they had no strength to do anything else. But neither of them wanted to go to bed.
“You know, it’s possible that Armin is caught up playing with Annie. That kitten who’s so shy that we never got near her,” Hange muttered, half to Levi but mostly to herself. “If he’s playing with her, it explains why he’s hiding.”
"Or…he had decided to settle in another home. You know what this town is like." Levi said but instantly realized he had made a mistake. For Hange's exhausted eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"You think so, Levi?" She sobbed. "Is it because we didn't give him the love he needed? Is that why he ran away?"
Of course not! Levi wanted to reassure her. But that would be a lie.
The truth was, since they brought Armin home, neither of them had put him as a priority. Because he was a friendly kitten who was good with everyone.
Armin was the first cat Levi and Hange adopted as a couple. The excitement of starting a new business and life together had gotten the better of them. As soon as they trained their respective cats – Mikasa, Sasha, and Connie from Levi, Jean, and Eren from Hange – to coexist, all they could think of was to bring new members, be it human or feline into their proud household.
So when Erwin the local sheriff told them that a kitten was wandering near the police station, Levi and Hange were quick to act. They found the kitten, arranged vet visits and brought him home. Then the tiny fur ball quickly fit in. After Hange chose a valiant name for this little soldier, Armin became the happy catalyst in the family.
It was like magic. They couldn't ask for a better cat. Armin knew not to challenge Jean the arrogant Maine coon, and learned not to invade Mikasa the Bangel's personal space. He was a great playmate of Connie and Sasha the tabby twins. And best of all, he got along with Eren, the grumpy, green-eyed tuxedo Hange saved from an abusive owner before she met Levi. Since Armin came into their lives, the cats' dynamics had become harmonious . So Levi and Hange focused on other things, such as running the café and expanding the family size.
"Armin ran out because it's what cats do. He's curious. You can't blame yourself," Swallowing a few times, Levi finally managed a response, as he looked at the window Armin escaped from. "There's no way we knew that he had learned to open windows."
The night Armin disappeared, Levi and Hange had been celebrating. It was the first anniversary of the café and Hange had received a promotion. It meant they had beaten the statistics on two fronts: Levi for making the café survive the first year despite 80% of small businesses failing to do so. Hange for becoming the first female head of experts in her forestry firm. It was a romantic evening. Levi closed the store early to make them dinner, while Hange drove to the city to buy the best champagne.
They enjoyed the food, then each other. Levi was proud that he made Hange pass out in the end. Neither of them noticed that Eren and Mikasa had been scratching the bedroom door, or Jean didn't come to demand breakfast at the break of dawn.
"If only I had checked the windows. Oh, Levi! Why didn't I check the windows?" Hange whispered. Levi's heart sank.
"Calm down, Hange. Stop looking at the phone." He reached to pry the smartphone off her fingers. "I was the one who didn't bolt the windows. Don't blame yourself. Try to have some closed eyes, 'kay? You should have the day off to get some rest."
"But I can't possibly…can't miss work anymore, Levi! We need to complete the field survey before the season and…"
"Then sleep! You need the rest." Sitting beside her on the couch, Levi ran his fingers through her hair and took off her glasses. Before long, Hange fell asleep. Levi then closed his eyes, letting his head fall back to listen to the clock ticking above.
He didn't know how long had passed. The next thing he knew was Eren digging his canines into his knee, making him jerk awake to feed them. Brushing the green-eyed brat away, Levi looked at the clock. 6:00. The sun was already up.
Taking out the cat food quietly, he was laying out bowls when footsteps came in front of the store. The doorbell rang, nearly waking Hange up, much to his displeasure.
"I'm sorry it's so early. But I think I've found your cat. The ginger, right?" As soon as Levi opened the door, a hesitant smile and a cardboard box in the woman's hand lifted his sour mood.
"Yes." He uttered. Looking into the box as a blue-eyed, half-grown ginger kitten stared brightly at him. The shade of the eyes, the coloration of the hair. There was no doubt in his mind.
It was Armin.
"Where did you find him? Please come in. No. I haven't asked your name. Do I know you?" Before Levi could stop it, his foggy mind blabbed out a string of questions because the woman looked familiar. The lady smiled, pushing the box into his hands.
"I saw him eating the dry food I put on my porch today. It's Frieda, by the way. I own the Reiss Florist Studio . You ordered potted greens from me, remember?" she shrugged. Levi closed his mouth.
"Right. Sorry I wasn't…Thank you. I can make you some coffee if…"
"It's OK. I need to go back to open my shop. Have a nice day! Say hi to Dr. Zoë for me." Frieda waved as she turned away. Before Levi knew it, she was gone and he was back in his café holding the empty cardboard box as Armin had gotten out as he closed the door.
"Levi, Was someone there? Oh! ARMIN ?" Hange's voice came from the couch. Her confusion soon turned ecstatic as Armin ran straight up to her. "You're back! How?"
"The florist brought him to us. She – "
"Frieda? Remind me to thank her properly later. Come here, Armin! Come to mommy!" The exciting scientist jumped up, picked up the kitten, and ran to the stove.
"It worked, Levi. Magic is real." She chanted, holding Armin against her chest as she made a praying gesture to the water bowl and scissors. Levi found himself smiling.
So the witchcraft really worked? !
The following hour was smooth like a dream as things fell back in place. Levi put out the cats' breakfast while Hange went to shower to get ready to work. Then the ex-fireman decided to give Armin a bath before he opened the café. But as soon as he started washing the cat, he realized something was off.
"He doesn't have balls…HANGE!" Levi shouted at the top of his lungs, making Hange dash out with her hair still wet.
"What do you mean he doesn't have balls?" She yelped, nearly stepping on Jean who ran to demand her attention.
" She doesn't have balls. It's not Armin!
"Whoa? But the magic… Where the hell is Armin?!"
"I don't know."
"Are you sure he's not Armin?"
"Do you want to feel it?" Levi raised the wet, shrinking cat to the air. "This is a female cat, Hange. Armin is still missing!"
"But…how…why…Who is she? Where's Armin?" Hange sounded as if she was about to cry.
"I don't….Wait. What is that?" Levi felt his jaw slack open as a ginger cat casually walked into the corner of his vision. On the floor among the cat bowls, Armin was devouring the wet food, chewing loudly while making a mess.
"Armin?" Hange turned and looked down, hands covering her mouth. "Armin, is that you?"
The cat on the floor looked up, licking his lips and giving out a small meow, before returning to his food.
"Oh, my sweet baby…"Hange whispered, lowering herself to his level as she reached out her hand. "You're so hungry. Where have you been? We're so worried."
The ginger cat meowed in response, looking up and turning to lick his back a couple of times, before running to rub himself against Hange's feet. Levi finally shut his mouth as he saw Hange's face light up.
"He's back, Levi! Oh, how can I forget! The MAGIC …" Holding Armin in her arms, Hange wanted to rush towards the stove to once again pray to the scissors on the water bowl. But as soon as she stood up, she lost her balance and wobbled.
"Hange! Careful!" Levi's heart skipped a beat, almost losing the grip of the cat in his hands.
"…Levi, my head is heavy." Sinking back to the floor, Hange dropped Armin as her face fell into her palms.
"For God's sake, four eyes. You're exhausted. Go lie down. Call in sick today,” Levi demanded.
"But the magic -"
"No buts. Go to bed and thank the scissors later . I'll be with you after I finish washing…whoever this is." He sighed, looking at the pliant, soapy cat in the sink.
For Levi, washing a cat wasn't a hard thing to do. But washing a strange, extremely compliant cat who looked exactly like your lost kitten was another story. As he rinsed away the shampoo on the female cat, Levi started to realize why this kitten reminded them so much of Armin. Not only did she have the same shade of ginger and weight, but the subtle facial features were also nearly identical. The biggest difference Levi noticed was that she lacked the playfulness Armin had. But it was too early to tell her true nature at this point. For now, Levi had other things to consider.
Hange had disappeared into the bedroom. At first, Levi could hear her leaving a voice message to her assistant Moblit to call in sick. Then she went completely silent. This was unusual. Normally, when she had a day off, Dr. Zoë would spend at least half an hour leaving instructions to her team. But today she didn't. It raised concerns to the former firefighter.
"I'd say this one is a keeper, isn't she?" He was drying the cat with a towel when Hange's quiet voice appeared from behind. The kitten remained soft and still like a pillow.
"I believe so, yeah." Levi let out a sigh. "Didn't expect to bring a new brat to our home in this manner. But she's alright. How are you feeling now?"
"Much better. I'm naming her Historia, by the way. Unless you have other ideas." Hange said, smirking as she bent to pick up Armin to the bowl and scissors to complete the magic.
"OK." Levi raised his eyebrows. "I suppose Historia is… fine . How did you come up with the name?" He asked while Hange leaned against the counter after putting Armin down. Hange was grinning. It was odd.
"I looked up girls' names when I was in bed. After I realized it was a new cat you were bathing." She placed her hands on her front. "Then I realized I had missed a lot of things lately. So I looked up boy's names, too, just in case."
She smiled. Levi let go of Historia to let her roam away to lick herself dry.
"I doubt we're getting another one in the foreseeable future," he chuckled. Hange simply beamed back. For the third time this morning, Levi's mouth was open. "...What do you mean just in case ?"
"The signs were all there, really. I've been emotional, feeling tired. My head is still spinning. So I took a test…"
"You need to lie down if you're dizzy, Hange. I'd already told you…Wait," the shorter man chided. Then he dropped the towel.
"Levi – "
"Four-eyes, what are you telling me?" he asked. The woman's smile before him suddenly glowed like golden hay in the field.
"I'm pregnant."