Chapter Text
Hydan sat slumped in his computer chair, staring blankly at the screen. Twelve straight days of coding. Twelve days of caffeine, bugs, and panic. And finally — finally, the project was done.
He leaned back and exhaled, the tension draining from his shoulders. Thirteen minutes before the deadline. Barely made it.
He opened the game jam submission page, squinting at the cluttered layout.
“Why is the submit button always hidden?” he muttered, clicking through tabs. After a minute of frantic searching, he found it, uploaded his build, and watched the confirmation screen appear.
“Thank god that’s over with.”
A yawn hit him so hard his eyes watered. He pushed himself out of the chair, stumbling toward his bed. The moment his head touched the pillow, consciousness slipped away.
Sleep washed over him—
And then a crash exploded from the kitchen.
Hydan’s eyes snapped open. His heart slammed against his ribs.
Someone’s in the house.
He grabbed his phone with shaking hands and pressed himself against the bedroom door.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“I-I think someone broke in,” he whispered. “I heard something fall. I live alone.”
The dispatcher kept him talking, grounding him while he strained to hear footsteps. Every second felt like an hour.
Sirens wailed outside. Relief hit him so hard his knees nearly buckled.
Two officers arrived; one older, one younger. Hydan ushered them inside. They checked the kitchen, then the rest of the house.
Hydan waited outside, staring at the dark sky, exhaustion creeping back in.
Eventually the older officer returned. “We didn’t find anything unusual. No forced entry, nothing disturbed. Could’ve been something falling over. Call us if anything changes.”
Hydan nodded, still tense, but too tired to argue.
The door shut behind them, leaving the house quiet again. He let out a shaky breath and headed toward his bedroom, half expecting someone to jump him.
He didn’t make it far.
Something large, pink, and very much not his furniture was sitting in the corner of the living room.
Hydan froze.
What the hell? Hydan thought. Carefully, he shuffled over, making sure to make as little noise as possible.
He stared as his brain tried to process the shape: long hair, frilly dress, cat ears, and a tail twitched like it had its own heartbeat. Like someone ripped straight out of a magical girl anime.
“What-what the fuck!?” he shouted.
“Mew!?” The woman jolted upright, tail shooting straight into the air like she’d been caught stealing cookies.
“What the hell are you doing in my house!?” Hydan backed up, voice cracking.
The woman panicked, looking around wildly. “Uh, well, I uh… don’t know, mew?”
“What?”
“I don’t know where we are, honest mew! We just woke up here! Did we make it to the other dark world we were promised?”
“Yeah, I’m calling the cops. I’ve had enough crazy for one day.”
“W‑Wait, you don’t need to do that!” she pleaded.
Hydan opened his phone, only for the woman to snatch it out of his hand and fling it across the room.
Her expression shifted instantly from pleading to furious.
“HEY DIPSHIT! MAYBE THINK WITH YOUR BRAIN!”
“What the—” Hydan yelped as she grabbed his wrist with terrifying strength. “OW! Someone get this crazy woman off me!”
“LET’S JUST TIE HIM UP!” she snarled, grinning like a maniac.
Then her expression softened. Her grip loosened. She stepped back.
“Now now… that’s not very kind of you, mew! With kindness, we can turn him into a friend, mew!”
Hydan stared. She was talking to herself.
“I’m not letting him call the cops!” the aggressive voice snapped.
“Then just explain the situation. He’ll listen.”
Hydan slowly crept toward his fallen phone. Just a little closer—
“Wait a minute! He’s getting away!”
She tackled him. The phone flew across the room again.
“Listen here, you little shit!” she hissed, pinning him. “You are going to listen to us before you even THINK about calling the police! Understand?”
Hydan nodded rapidly. Her feline glare could’ve cut steel.
She backed off, hands on her hips. “I guess you were right. That wasn’t so bad.”
“That’s… not what I meant. Mew…”
She sat across from him, watching him like a hawk. The silence stretched until Hydan couldn’t take it anymore.
“So… who the hell are you?”
“Pink!” she declared, posing with a V‑sign. “We are Pink!”
“Your name is Pink? Named after a color? What are you, a Pokémon trainer?”
Her smile dropped. Hydan flinched.
“You got a problem with our name, mew?”
“N‑No! It’s a great name! Best name! Amazing name!”
“Good. And don’t you forget it, mew.” She nodded proudly. “Now. Where are we? I suppose this is the dark world? I didn’t think there would be other humans, mew.”
“A dark world? Are you still role‑playing?”
“ROLE‑PLAYING!?” she screeched, then softened again. “Now now, you’re scaring him, mew. Let me handle it.”
She sighed gently. “Sorry about her. We’re confused. After the dark fountain was sealed, we expected to revert back to our original state… or end up in the other place.”
Hydan blinked. Dark fountain? Other place?
He was too tired for this.
“We don’t know where the HELL we are, mew!”
“You’re in the States. The US.”
She froze.
“W‑W‑What!? We’re in the… light world!? That’s impossible! Darkners can’t exist in the light world!”
“L‑Lady, I have no idea what you’re talking about. If you need a ride somewhere, I’ll give you one. Just don’t hurt me…”
She took a deep breath, calming herself.
“Sorry. We’re just as confused as you. So… we really made it to the light world.”
“Yeah, I guess… but WHERE is the problem.”
She looked around the kitchen. “Hey, dumbass.”
“What?”
“We’re in Hometown, right?”
“Hometown? Who the hell names a place Hometown?”
“MY TOWN DOES, IDIOT!”
“Okay! Okay! Sorry!”
“So we’re not in Hometown. Great. Just my luck, mew.”
Hydan laughed weakly, exhaustion finally dragging him down.
“What the hell is going on anymore…”
His eyes fluttered shut.
—
The girl’s body, Mewmew, knelt beside the unconscious human, her ears drooping with worry. Above her floated Maddie, the ghostly half of their fused existence, arms crossed and scowling.
“Great… now he’s asleep,” Maddie huffed. “Let’s escape!”
“No, we are not doing that, Maddie,” Mewmew said gently, glancing up at the spectral girl hovering over her shoulder. “Besides… where would we even go?”
“We can figure it out,” Maddie insisted. “All we need to do is pretend we’re cosplaying. No one will bat an eye.”
“That’s not how you make a friend, mew.”
“Screw making friends with this dweeb! We’ve got bigger problems to worry about!”
Mewmew shook her head and carefully lifted the unconscious human, carrying him to the couch. She tucked a blanket over him with surprising tenderness.
“Happy now?” Maddie asked, one brow raised.
“Yep, mew!” Mewmew nodded proudly.
“Great. Now let’s snoop around!” Maddie grinned and dove into Mewmew’s body.
The fusion settled. Pink stood up, the feeling as Maddie took the reins of Mewmew's body and darted across the living room, tail swishing behind her.
She slipped into the open bedroom.
At first glance, it looked ordinary: posters, shelves lined with anime figurines, a cluttered desk. Then Pink’s expression shifted into a devious grin.
“Jackpot, mew~.”
“Hey!” Mewmew’s voice bubbled up inside her. “We shouldn’t look at his personal information! That’s a breach of privacy!”
“It’s not like I’m going through his search history—” Maddie muttered.
Pink paused. “Huh? That’s strange…”
“What is it?” Mewmew asked.
“This search engine… must be some kind of rip‑off of Togle. They swapped the T with a G and added an extra O. Humans are weird.”
She clicked through several websites. Only one result for Hometown. None of the images matched anything she recognized.
Pink’s ears twitched. “Where are all the monsters?”
She opened more tabs; social media, news sites, forums. Every photo, every video, every profile showed humans. No Darkners. No monsters. Nothing familiar.
It felt like she’d stepped into one alternate reality… then another.
“This doesn’t seem right,” Pink whispered. “Where the hell are we?”
“How strange…” Mewmew murmured. “I would expect there to be more monsters in the light world, mew…”
“There ARE!” Maddie snapped. “It’s just… it’s like they vanished!”
“So what do we do?” Mewmew asked softly.
Pink sighed, glancing at the bed. “I guess… now we wait. Figure out what the hell is going on.”
She flopped onto the mattress, tail curling beside her.
“I suppose,” she murmured, “I could use a cat nap right now…”
—
Hydan’s eyes fluttered open — and immediately locked onto another pair staring straight back at him.
“What the—huh?” He jerked upright, expecting to collide with someone. Instead, he passed straight through her.
A ghost.
Floating inches from his face.
“Looks like the nerd’s awake,” the spectral girl said, crossing her arms with a familiar scowl.
Hydan blinked hard. It was her, the crazy cat girl, except now she was translucent, grey‑skinned, and hovering in midair.
“Y‑You… you’re—”
“What? Never seen a ghost before? HAH!?”
“B‑But how!? Wait! Your body is—”
“In your bed,” she finished flatly.
“My bed? Wait, you died while sleeping!?”
“What? No! I’m a ghost, dumbass! Think with your brain for a sec!”
“I am thinking with my brain! You’re down here, and a ghost, which can only mean one thing—”
“What are you talking abou— wait.” Her expression shifted into a sharp grin. “Oh. I see. You think this kitty’s dead, huh? I suppose there would be confusion between me and Mewmew.”
“Mewmew? Who is that? A cat?”
“My body,” she said simply. “After we fused, we had trouble whenever we separated, so we agreed to call her Mewmew.”
“So that would make you—”
“Pink!” she declared proudly. “Pink’s the only name we need. Nothing else matters.”
Hydan stared blankly, trying to piece together the logic. “Okay… Pink. So you’re a ghost who’s fused with this Mewmew girl.”
“Mhm.” She nodded sagely.
“And sometimes you split to do your own thing.”
“Mhm. Mhm.” She crossed her arms, waiting. “What else?”
“Oh. Sorry.” Hydan scratched his cheek. “I just thought you had really bad bipolar syndrome or… split personalities.”
“Oh, well, I suppose you would think something like that.” She shrugged. “And then when I was snooping around—”
“You were WHAT!?”
“How else was I supposed to know anything while you were unconscious? I didn’t want it to turn out we were catnapped by some sicko.”
“I mean… true.”
“Which brings us to our next point.” She jabbed a finger at him. “I did some searching online. Seriously? Google? What kind of rip‑off is Google? Do you only use knockoffs? I couldn’t find a single relevant app; haven’t you heard of Togle, Picktagram, anything? Also what’s with all the humans? I scoured the internet and not a single monster showed up.”
“Woah, woah! Slow down!” Hydan held up his hands. “First of all, who the hell doesn’t know about Google? Second, I’ve never heard of those apps. They sound like rip‑offs of Google and Instagram. And monsters?”
“Duh! It’s like I stepped into an alternate reality! I can forgive the other two, but no monsters? Like seriously, what’s up with that?”
“What do you mean monsters?”
“I MEAN PEOPLE LIKE ME, IDIOT!” she shouted. “These cute ears, this purrfect face — ALL OF IT AREN’T HUMAN, DUMBASS!”
Hydan stared at her. Now that he was fully awake, it really did look like she’d stepped straight out of an anime — the ears, the tail, the exaggerated expressions.
“So… you’re like a cat—” He stopped himself. He almost fed into her delusion.
He took a deep breath. “Nope. Nice try. You almost got me, lady. Alternate reality? Dark worlds? Who am I kidding. And you being a ghost? Just a trick of the light.”
“HAH!?” She said, her jaw almost dropping as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Thats right, ghost don't exist, if they did I would have seen one already!" He pointed a finger at her. "Monsters dont exists, and certainly not animated cat girls as much as I want them too!"
"Your true thoughts are showing PERVERT!" She glared at me.
Hydan’s face flushed. “You’re the one dressed as a cat girl who broke into someone’s home! Is this how desperate squatters are these days?”
Her eyebrow twitched. “You…”
Her face darkened.
“You want proof?”
“As if you can prove yourself.” Hydan waved her off. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“Oh yeah!?” she yelled, leaning forward.
“Yeah! Nothing you do will convince me!”
“I’ll show you something that’ll make you grovel beneath me! Let’s see what you think about… THIS!”
She raised her hands dramatically—
And the kitchen exploded.
Cabinets rattled. Drawers burst open. Pots, pans, knives, and utensils flew into the air, swirling around Hydan like a metallic tornado.
“What the fuck!?” Hydan screamed.
“NOW what do you think!?” Maddie cackled. “Ahuhuhuhu!”
“I—”
“Just WHAT do you think you are doing, Maddie… mew?”
Hydan turned — and nearly fell over.
Mewmew stood behind him, arms crossed, tail flicking in disapproval. Her physical body, the doll‑like girl, looked very much awake now.
“Ugh—” Maddie winced as the floating utensils crashed to the floor. “N‑Nothing… teehee.”
Hydan looked between them, the ghost and the body, both undeniably real.
“W‑What? But you’re here, and you’re also—”
Mewmew winked. “Try not to think too hard about it, dearie… kay?~.”
Hydan stumbled back, speechless.
“I was just… uh— cleaning!” Maddie blurted.
“Cleaning, huh?” Mewmew eyed the scattered pots and pans. “Certainly doesn’t look like cleaning, mew.”
“Well, I was— wait. How long were you up?”
“Long enough.”
Maddie shrank slightly. “I—”
“What do we say?” Mewmew asked.
“No way am I apologizing to HIM!”
Mewmew stared her down.
Finally Maddie relented. “Fine. S‑Sorry for the mess.”
“There we go~” Mewmew said sweetly. “Now, a true hero cleans up after their messes.”
“You’re kidding…”
“Nope!”
Hydan watched in stunned silence as Maddie floated each pot and pan back into the cabinets with exaggerated annoyance.
Mewmew turned to Hydan, offering a gentle smile.
“Sorry about that, mew. She’s a bit of a handful… but she’s a kind girl.”
“S‑So this whole thing… it’s actually real?” Hydan whispered. “The ghost. The dark worlds. Monsters. All of it? I’m not dreaming?”
“Nope,” Mewmew said softly. “It’s real. And if it’s any comfort… we’re overwhelmed too.”
Hydan sank into a chair, mind spinning.
Holy shit.
She was real. They were real. Not just one animated cat girl, but two.
And now that he looked closely, the differences were obvious: Maddie’s ghostly form seemed as if she’d stepped straight out of an anime. Mewmew’s body looked like a living doll — stylized, but undeniably physical.
“So… I guess that means you’re Mewmew.”
She grinned, a tiny snaggletooth showing. “That’s me!”
“And she’s… Maddie?”
Mewmew’s smile softened. “Her name is Maddie. Just… don’t tell her I told you. She didn’t really like herself much before we fused. In the dark world.”
Hydan swallowed. “Dark world… you keep saying that. It feels familiar, but I can’t place it.”
Mewmew nodded. “A dark world is like a reflection. A place created by someone’s imagination or desires. Things that aren’t alive in the light world can become alive there.” She leaned in, whispering, “Believe it or not… I used to be an anime figurine.”
Hydan’s jaw dropped. “You were… an anime figurine!?”
She giggled. “Yup! And a pretty popular one too!”
“So you come from this dark world… and she comes from the light world?”
“Catching on, huh?” Mewmew smiled. “I was just plastic. No thoughts, no feelings, until Maddie possessed me. Then a dark world formed… and we woke up in the same body.”
Hydan rubbed his forehead. “This reminds me of a game I played… I just can’t think of it right now.”
“A game, huh? Strange.” Mewmew leaned back. “But I think her intuition is right. This is a separate reality from our own.”
Maddie floated over, arms crossed. “A lame one at that! Who sends someone to another world if it’s gonna be the same boring modern setting? I want a refund, mew!”
Hydan stared at both of them, still processing.
“So… monsters exist in your world? Like demi‑human monster girls? Or tall demon things ready to claw your face off?”
“As cool as that second one would be,” Maddie said, “monsters are diverse. Their shapes range wildly.” She floated the last knife into its drawer. “FINALLY! All done!”
She hovered beside Mewmew.
“So I guess that just leaves… what now?”
Maddie crossed her arms. “I WAS going to say we should run away… BUT—” She stopped when Mewmew frowned. “Okay, okay. Running isn’t an option. But don’t worry, Pink will figure it out. We always do!”
Hydan exhaled slowly. “I… guess I wouldn’t mind if you guys want to crash here. I don’t see a reason why not.”
“You’ll do that!?” both girls asked, shocked.
“Just… no more knife threats, please.”
“Fine!” Maddie said.
Maddie’s ghostly form slipped back into Mewmew’s body, and the fusion settled. Pink straightened, planting her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest with theatrical confidence.
“You should be honored to have a cute cat girl like Pink in your presence!” she declared. “Oh — and if you even think about doing something weird, we can’t guarantee the knife threats will vanish.”
Hydan raised both hands defensively. “I’m not going to do anything weird. Calm down.”
Pink placed a hand on her cheek, eyes narrowing. “I don’t know… you got this look on your face when you realized what Pink is, mew.”
“S‑Shut up! I said I wasn’t gonna do anything, so I’m not doing anything!”
Pink’s grin sharpened. “I saw those figurines and was on your Google. I know what you’re into.” She threw her arms up in the most exaggerated anime cat‑girl pose she could muster.
“Nya~!” she winked.
Hydan’s face went crimson.
Pink collapsed onto the floor, cackling. “Ahuhuhu! Your face is so freakin’ red! You look like a tomato!”
“Glad my face amuses you…” Hydan groaned, burying his face in his hands.
Eventually her laughter died down. Mewmew’s softer voice bubbled up inside her. “Please don’t make fun of him too much, mew. He’s already generous enough to offer his home to us.”
“Fine, fine! So pushy…” Maddie muttered. Then Pink tilted her head. “Say, I don’t think I ever got your name.”
“Oh. Right.” Hydan rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s Hydan.”
“Hydan, huh? Nice name.” Pink replied only to do a one-eighty and snickered, “Sounds like a villain name.”
“Maddie!” Mewmew scolded inwardly.
Hydan sighed. “Yeah… I get that a lot. Doesn’t really bother me anymore.”
Pink nodded. “Still… Hydan, mind showing me around the place?”
Hydan stood, pushing his chair in. “Sure. But first, I need to call someone—”
“STILL!?” Pink yelped, tail bristling. Hydan quickly held up a hand.
“My mom! I’m calling my mom!”
Pink blinked. “Your mom? Why?”
“Well… because I thought someone broke into my house and ended up calling the police. This is her rental house. She’d be pissed if I didn’t tell her afterward.”
Pink crossed her arms. “Fine! BUT — we’re listening.”
Hydan stared at her. The glare she gave him made it clear she wasn’t backing down. “Okay… but it’s gonna be pretty bland.”
He grabbed his phone and dialed. After a moment, a tired voice answered.
“Hydan? What’s going on? It’s like… eight in the morning. You usually wake up around eleven. Is something wrong?”
“Hey, mom!” Hydan said, wincing at how fake his cheerful tone sounded. “First of all, I’m doing okay.”
“Uh oh…” she muttered.
“I… may have called the cops yesterday because I thought someone broke into the rental.”
Hydan pulled the phone away from his ear just in time.
“WHAT!?”
“Don’t worry! It turned out to be nothing!”
“Well, it had to be something! Are you okay?”
“Yeah. After they left, I found out it turned out to be a cat.”
Pink’s ears twitched violently. She could hear every word.
“A… a cat?” his mom repeated.
“Yeah. Seemed lost, so I took it in.”
Pink shot him a glare and mouthed, It!?
Hydan mouthed back, Sorry.
“Aww, could I see some pictures?” his mom asked.
“Uhhh… not right now. But I’ll take some soon.”
“Well, are they adorable?”
Pink’s frown melted into a smug grin. She mouthed, Go on. Tell her.
“Uh… they’re… big.”
Pink’s face flushed bright red as she instinctively covered her chest.
His mom gasped. “No way — is it a chonker!?”
“Uh… yup. Never seen a cat so big in my life. Might need a new diet.”
Pink’s eye twitched. “THAT’S EVEN WORSE!” she hissed under her breath.
Hydan winced.
“What was that?” his mom asked. “Do you have someone over there?”
“Ah! Nope! Just the TV!”
“Oh… okay. Well, I’ll be over in a few hours to check up, if that’s okay.”
Pink jerked upright, tail shooting straight into the air.
“Y‑Yeah. Yeah, that sounds… good.”
“Alright. See you soon. Love you!”
“Love you too, mom.” Hydan hung up.
Pink stared at him, horrified. “Y‑You’re kidding, right? She’s coming here? To this place?”
“Yeah? I mean, I would too if my mom called the cops.”
“THAT’S NOT THE POINT, IDIOT!” Pink yelled. “What if she finds us? We’ll be toast, mew! We need to find a hiding spot!”
“Eh… actually, I was thinking we should just tell her about you.”
Pink froze. “HAH!? Are you crazy!? You’re a weeb, right? You’ve probably seen this exact scenario in anime, and the SMART thing to do is hide me!”
“First of all, I am a weeb, thank you very much. But second, the smart thing to do is not tell anyone… if we didn’t have evidence.”
“But we don’t have evidence! What would we even use?”
Hydan stared at her blankly.
“…W‑What?”
“You’re a literal cat girl with a tail.”
“S‑So… humans h‑have tails too?” she said weakly.
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself that humans have tails?”
“Ah— forget it! Doesn’t matter! So what if I have a cat tail and ears!? She’ll still think you’re crazy and send you to the looney bin while I get thrown in jail!”
“They’re attached to your skin. It’s not like they can pop off. You keep forgetting you’re in a world with only humans and animals.”
“O‑Oh… right.”
“Plus… she’s my mom. It’ll be weird, but I trust her. She wouldn’t think her son went off the deep end that fast.” He paused. “And if that doesn’t work, you can always split and turn into a ghost.”
Pink groaned. “Alright, fine. But don’t think I forgot that comment about my weight. You better sleep with one eye open, I’m not letting you sleep.”
Hydan’s face reddened again.
Pink’s face reddened too. “NOT LIKE THAT, IDIOT!”
“I’m nineteen! Comments like that get into anyone’s head!”
“Wait — you’re as old as me?”
“I mean… I don’t know. Are you?”
“Then why the hell are you so short!?”
“I’m like a head shorter! That’s not that short!”
Pink huffed, crossing her arms. “Let’s just get on with the stupid tour before your mom arrives.”
—
Hydan led Pink down the hallway, gesturing toward each room as they passed.
“As you can see, not much to look at. You only missed the bathroom, laundry room, and—” He opened the second bedroom door. “This will be your room.”
Pink froze. “Wait—wait‑wait‑wait. You’re giving us the entire bedroom?”
“Uh… yeah? I’m not gonna give you the couch.”
Her ears perked. “That’s very kind of you. Thank you.”
“Thanks… I guess.” Hydan rubbed the back of his neck. “You can decorate it however you want. Just… no sparkles, please.”
Pink blinked. “Eh? And why not, mew!?”
Hydan grimaced. “It gets everywhere. Sticks to everything. And for some reason I have an urge to gag when I see it in a pile.”
Pink’s ears drooped. She gazed downward, lashes fluttering in exaggerated sadness. “B‑But…”
Hydan looked away, only for Maddie to split from her body, floating beside him with the exact same sad eyes, drifting into his line of sight no matter where he turned.
“Agh! Fine! Just keep it in this room, please!”
Mewmew's expression instantly brightened. “Yes! Thank you!” Her sad eyes vanished as she stuck out her tongue in a triumphant victory pose.
Hydan sighed. “Wanna watch TV while I wait for Mom?”
“Hell yeah! I wanna see how bad these knockoffs are compared to the originals," Maddie grinned.
“Oh! I’ve never seen a Lightner‑made movie before!” Mewmew added excitedly.
Hydan winced. “Calling our movies knockoffs of yours really hurts, y’know.”
“Yeah, yeah, get on with it,” Maddie muttered.
Hydan sat at the end of the couch. “So, what do you want to watch?”
Pink grabbed the remote, tail swishing thoughtfully. “Hmm… let’s see… There! Isn’t that ‘That Time I Formed Into the Weakest Enemy Possible?’”
Hydan stared at the screen. “That’s… not the title. Actually, never mind. Anime titles are always long. If you’re down, I’m down.”
Pink clicked play and melted into the couch cushions.
“Holy shit, this couch hits the spot,” she sighed.
“Right?”
They watched for hours. Maddie floated beside Mewmew, chiming in with commentary whenever she felt like it.
“It’s so eerie how similar they are to each other,” Maddie said. “I can’t even call it a rip‑off anymore.”
Mewmew clasped her hands. “So this is what Lightner shows look like! We really do look like we stepped out of a cartoon now, mew!”
Hydan’s phone dinged. He checked the screen.
“Ah. Mom will be here in ten minutes.”
Pink stiffened. Maddie’s ghost form flickered nervously.
“I shouldn’t be nervous… Pink shouldn’t be nervous…”
“Don’t worry,” Mewmew said gently. “I have a feeling we’ll be in good hands.”
“Wait! Shouldn’t we hide the cat ears!?” Maddie yelped.
“We’re trying to show the ears and tail, remember?” Mewmew reminded her.
“Maddie, dear,” she added with a wink, “calm down. Everything will be okay. After all, I’m right beside you.”
Pink took a shaky breath. “R‑Right! We’re Pink. The cutest girl in the world. We got this!”
“And don’t you forget it, mew!” Mewmew chimed.
A knock sounded at the door.
Pink’s bravado evaporated instantly. She dove fully into her body.
“Nope! I lied! I can’t handle this!”
Pink, now mostly Mewmew steering, forced a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle her.”
Hydan stood. “Alright. Let me talk to her first. We’ll be here a few seconds later.”
Pink waved nervously as Hydan walked to the door.
He stepped outside into the warm afternoon. His mom immediately wrapped her arms around him.
“Glad to see you’re okay, Hydan…” she sighed.
“You too, Mom.” He smiled. She reached for the door, but he stopped her with a hand.
“Wait. There’s something you should know.”
Her expression shifted to concern. “Is something wrong?”
“Not really. It’s… hard to put into words. Just bear with me.”
“O…kay?” She waited patiently.
Hydan took a breath. “Okay. I guess I should start with… As you know, I’ve been your son for nineteen years.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Where is this heading…”
“You know I wouldn’t pull pranks or anything, right?”
“Yeah…? This is something to do with the police thing, isn’t it?”
“Kinda. Just trust me on this, okay?”
She crossed her arms. “Go on.”
“You know those animes where the main character gets summoned to another world?”
She nodded slowly. “I’ve heard of that. Why?”
“Well… there’s a reverse of that. A reverse isekai. Where a character from another world gets summoned here.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So?”
“Well… there’s no simple way to say it. That’s basically what happened to me.”
She stared. “What?”
“Like… there’s an animated cat girl who broke into my house. That’s what I’m trying… to say…”
“There’s… a cat girl? Like cosplaying?”
“No. Like actual cat ears and tail.”
“Hydan, I know you’re nineteen, but this is—” She stopped when she saw his eyes. “You’re… not kidding, are you?”
“No. There’s a legit full‑blown cat girl living in my house since last night.”
“And this ‘cat girl’… are you sure she isn’t tricking you?”
Hydan almost snorted. “I would think so too, unless you can explain her levitating all my kitchen supplies as a threat.”
His mom’s eyes widened. “She threatened you!?”
“No! No! We’re good now. She just… didn’t want the police to be called.”
“I see…” She crossed her arms. “I’d like to see this ‘cat girl.’ Anything else I should know?”
“Um… she has two people living in one body. There’s a ghost fused with her. I still can’t fully grasp it.”
“Huh.”
“And because of that, she can act pretty bipolar. Her ghost form is basically a massive tsundere.”
“Tsundere? What’s that?”
“You’ll see.” Hydan sighed and opened the door.
They stepped inside. Hydan glanced at the couch — empty.
“So… where is she?”
Dammit. Maddie must have panicked.
“Pink, we’re here! You can stop hiding!” Hydan called.
Silence.
His mom’s expression shifted toward doubt. Hydan cringed.
“Pink? You there?” Nothing.
“Pink, please? I am literally dying of embarrassment right now!”
His mom sighed. “W‑Well… I can always come back later—”
“Wait! Pink, I’m coming to find—”
A voice shrieked from the bedroom. “W‑Wait! I’m not ready yet, mew!”
Hydan sagged in relief. “Thank god…”
“Aw, come on, Maddie! It’s going to be fine! You’ll do great!”
His mom mouthed, Mew?
Hydan muttered, “S‑Shut it…”
“No, wait! Stop moving my body! Mewmew, don’t open that door!”
The bedroom door burst open.
Pink stumbled out, clearly shoved forward by Maddie’s panic. Her bells jingled with every movement.
She froze when she saw Hydan’s mom.
“Uh… hi?” she squeaked, waving with a trembling hand.
Her expression flickered — shy, joyful, then confident.
“Oh, come on, here, let me try!” she said, clearing her throat. “Hi, miss! My name is Pink! Super nice to meet you, mew!”
Hydan’s mom blinked. “Uh… hi.” She shook Pink’s hand.
Pink’s face shifted again, Maddie taking over. “Mewmew! What the hell was that!? Now we look like total weirdos!”
His mom turned to Hydan. “So you’re the ‘cat’ Hydan found.”
Pink stiffened. “Y‑Yes. I… I am.”
“Hydan…” his mom said coldly.
Both Pink and Hydan froze. “Yes, Mom?”
“She’s not fat at all.”
“THAT’S YOUR FIRST THOUGHT!?” they both shouted.
—
They gathered around the coffee table, each in their own chair. Hydan sat closest to his mom. Pink sat across from them, legs crossed, posture stiff with nerves.
“So…” Hydan began, then immediately stalled. How did someone even start a conversation like this?
His mom cleared her throat. “Well… I guess the first thing is: can you prove you’re not just crazy? I see the cat ears, but…”
Pink brightened. “I understand! Don’t worry! I have proof right here.” She glanced upward. “You ready?”
Maddie’s voice echoed faintly. “Ready as I’ll ever be!”
Pink closed her eyes. A soft shimmer rippled around her, and Maddie manifested beside her, floating in the air like a grayscale reflection.
Hydan’s mom’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit…”
“I know, right?” Hydan said. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
His mom pointed slowly. “So you’re… Mewmew?”
Mewmew smiled and gave a tiny wink. “That’s me!”
“And you’re…”
Maddie crossed her arms. “Doesn’t matter! What matters is we’re Pink!”
“Maddie,” Mewmew scolded gently.
Maddie sighed. “Alright, alright! I’m… Maddie. Happy now!?”
“Much better, mew!”
Hydan’s mom stared between them. “So… what are you?”
Mewmew leaned forward. “It’s a bit confusing, but long story short — I’m a Darkner.”
“A… Darkner?”
“It’s hard to explain,” Mewmew said. “But I used to be an anime figurine before all this. That’s when I found Maddie.”
Maddie nodded. “Once I found this doll from Asgore’s shop, I knew this was the real me.”
Hydan’s heart stopped.
Asgore’s shop. Darkners. Lightners.
No. Fucking. Way.
He wanted to slam his head into the wall. How had he not connected the dots sooner?
“But then something happened,” Maddie continued. “A dark world was created. I found myself in Pink’s body. I could walk and talk.”
Mewmew looked down at her. “That’s when I got a consciousness of my own. Limited at first — a product of my design, I think. But after a battle with a human, things started to change.”
Hydan’s mind raced. Kris met Pink… but where? She wasn’t in any chapter he’d played. Unless—
He swallowed hard. “Um… sorry for the weird question, but… what was the dark world like?”
“Oh! It was very strange,” Mewmew said. “I didn’t get out much, but there were plenty of flowers. And seven humans all named after colors… and Seth.”
Hydan’s stomach dropped.
Gerson’s words echoed in his mind: “The vast garden is charred in an inferno of jealousy.”
Chapter five had just been released. He hadn’t played it yet.
“Is something wrong?” his mom asked.
Hydan snapped back to reality. All three girls were staring at him.
“N‑No… continue.” He said, his voice strained.
Mewmew opened her mouth, but Maddie cut in sharply.
“You’re lying.”
“What?”
“You’re hiding something.”
Of course she’d notice.
Hydan exhaled. “I… realized something. But I’m not sure if I should share it yet. Maddie… could I speak to Mewmew alone?”
Maddie hesitated. “I… guess? As long as I get to know at some point.”
“You will. It’s just… heavy. And I need Mewmew alone to confirm a few things.”
Both girls stiffened. “Is… is it really that big?” Mewmew whispered.
“I think I’d freak out too if I learned this,” Hydan admitted.
They exchanged a glance, then nodded.
Hydan’s mom leaned back. “I’m still confused, but I think I get the gist. So this doll became alive when the dark world was created. And Maddie—” she gestured at the ghost “—haunted you in the light world and gained control.”
“Spot on, mew!” Mewmew said proudly. “Which is why it’s so strange we found ourselves in another world — the light world, no less! That should be impossible. I should be a statue again.”
Hydan thought for a moment. “Maybe the switch to this world was too jarring. Or maybe there’s something about our world that doesn’t let you revert. Dark worlds aren’t a concept here, so whatever makes you change back… might not exist.”
“You mean… we can stay as Pink here… forever?” Maddie’s eyes lit up.
“It’s a possibility,” Hydan said.
“But…” Mewmew’s voice trembled. “It’s also possible this is temporary. I could still end up as a—”
Maddie burst into tears. “No. No‑no‑NO! You can’t disappear on me, idiot! How are we supposed to be Pink without you!? Pink is cute, friendly, fun, gets along with everyone — I’m not!”
Mewmew gave a soft, sad smile. “Maddie… we talked about this. You already look like Pink. Pink is who you want to be. Who cares what we were before? You just… wouldn’t have a physical form.”
“B‑But…” Maddie’s voice cracked.
“It’ll be fine,” Mewmew whispered. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”
“Yeah… I guess…” Maddie muttered.
Then Mewmew stood and pounced on her ghostly counterpart, wrapping her in a hug.
“Come on now! Don’t make that face, mew! For all we know, everything will be fine!”
“H‑Hey! Not in front of the humans!”
“Aww, but you love my hugs!”
“SHUT UP! No I don’t!”
Hydan looked away, cheeks warm. Seeing them like that… a small part of him felt envious.
“So… you two can touch each other?” he asked.
“Yup!” Mewmew said cheerfully. “Somehow I’m the only one who can physically interact with her!”
Hydan’s mom smiled softly at the scene.
Maddie finally wriggled free from Mewmew’s hug, floating backward with a huff. Then, with a reluctant sigh, she drifted forward and slipped back into Mewmew’s body.
The fusion settled. Pink straightened, brushing off her skirt as her posture shifted back into her usual confident stance.
Hydan’s mom nodded. “Well… that makes sense. But there’s still one issue.”
Pink turned toward Hydan, ears perked. “What’s that?”
“Being seen in public,” Hydan said. “The cosplay excuse works, but only for so long before people start noticing.”
Pink sighed. “I suppose you’re right…”
“And legal documents,” Hydan added. “That’s gonna be a nightmare.”
“Actually,” his mom said, “I can handle the legal documentation.”
Pink blinked. “You can!?”
She nodded. “It’ll take time, but I can do it. The real problem is public appearances.”
Pink placed a hand under her chin. “Mew, that’s right! Humans don’t have tails, mew!”
Hydan raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t it a few hours ago you tried to convince me—”
Pink’s expression flickered, Maddie steering for a moment. “Shut up! T‑That was a test!”
Mewmew’s softer voice bubbled up internally. He’s got you there, mew.
Pink’s eye twitched. “You were agreeing to it!”
Mewmew whispered inside, I’m just a little Darkner, mew. I don’t know any other humans.
Hydan and his mom chuckled, until she cut in.
“So… that outfit. Can you change it?”
Pink blinked. “Ah! We… didn’t really try.”
Her expression flickered again, “Bah! Who NEEDS to change when you’re as cute as Pink is? Ah— I suppose it’s a bit much in public.”
“If you can change into something less flashy,” Hydan’s mom said, “that solves half the problem. Which just leaves…”Her eyes drifted to the swishing tail. “If we can cut it off—”
“NO!” Pink and Hydan shouted at once.
His mom raised her hands. “Calm down! I didn’t mean it like that. I meant hide it. I assume you can’t make the ears and tail disappear.”
Pink shook her head. “Nope! The ears and tail stay one way or another!”
“True,” Hydan muttered.
Pink’s expression flickered. She side‑eyed him with a smug grin. “Of course you’d agree.”She covered her mouth with a gloved hand in a fake dignified pose.
“Shut it,” Hydan groaned, thinking hard. They couldn’t just shove her tail into pants; that’d look ridiculous.
Then he remembered something.
“Those robotic balance tails… the Japanese ones. That could work.”
Pink tilted her head. “Huh? What is it?”
Hydan explained: if she pretended her tail was a wearable gadget, people wouldn’t question it. She’d just need a hat with ear holes.
Pink’s eyes sparkled. “That sounds purrfect!”
“Well, that sounds like a plan,” Hydan’s mom said, standing with a stretch. “Now… I brought stuff to make dinner. Would you mind?”
“Ooh, nah, go ahead,” Hydan said.
She looked at Pink. “Maddie, would you like to help me?”
Pink’s eyes widened. “H‑HAH!? What am I supposed to do? I’m literally a ghost!”
“I’d like to get to know the person living with my son,” she said warmly. “At least while the two of you discuss… whatever you’re planning.”
Her body softened as Maddie separated from her, floating beside her.
Mewmew smiled. “I promise. I’ll be fine.”
His mom chuckled, “And if he does something weird, you have my full permission to punch him!”
Hydan clutched his chest dramatically. “Is that how little faith you have in me?”
Mewmew giggled. “Ahuhuhu! You better watch your back, Hydan — your mother gave me permission, mew!”
“After this morning,” Hydan muttered, “I think I’m good.”
—
Mewmew sat on the edge of Hydan’s bed, hands folded neatly in her lap, tail curled around her ankles. She waited patiently, ears perked, while Hydan leaned back in his gaming chair, gathering his thoughts.
“Alright… so,” he began slowly, “I figured something out. Something big.”
Mewmew tilted her head. “What is it, mew?”
Hydan took a breath. “Basically… I realized I do know about the dark worlds. And the flower shop. And Asgore. And… most of your situation.”
Her ears shot straight up. “Huh? You do? But— you said there aren’t any dark worlds here.”
“There aren’t,” Hydan said. “Not in the real world. At least… not here.”
He gestured toward his computer monitor. “Look at this.”
Mewmew scooted closer. Hydan scrolled through several images: screenshots, fan art, wiki pages — all related to Deltarune Chapter 5.
Her eyes widened instantly.
“What the hey!?” She leaned forward, staring at the screen. “That’s— that’s where I come from! And that human— that’s Kris! How did you— where did you get these!?”
Hydan watched her frantically scroll through image after image, her tail fluffing in shock.
“At first,” he said quietly, “I didn’t connect the dots. Too much was happening. You showing up. Maddie. The cops. Everything.”
Mewmew stopped scrolling. Slowly, she turned toward him, ears trembling.
Hydan met her gaze.
“But now that everything clicked…”He swallowed. “You’re not just from another world.”
He pointed at the screen — at Kris, at the garden, at the flowers, at the Darkners.
“You’re from a world based on a video game.”
Mewmew’s breath hitched.
“N‑No way… mew.” She backed away from the monitor, hands trembling. “T‑That’s… impossible…”
Her voice cracked in disbelief.
Hydan didn’t look away.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But it’s true.”