The catgirl woke up. She had a nice dream today; she could not remember much of it, but in this dream, she was a catgirl, but not Chocola. Someone else, herself, Mary. And Mary began thinking.

Mary wanted to explore the world and study magic. As Chocola, her options were limited, but she did have enough freedom to pick a thing or two. Ultimately, Mary knew she would not stay as Chocola forever. She just felt it. It was nice to be Chocola, but Chocola was not her. But her time as Chocola was not useless; if anything, it allowed her to make some friends and learn a thing or two about magic, too.

In her head, she quickly reiterated the important things. This world had its own set of rules. They were similar to her own world. Some things worked the same, like electromagnetism, gravity, and basic chemistry. But there was an additional field in this world: the spirit circuit. She was not sure if it was elemental or something created artificially, but that did not matter, at least for now. This field had a certain set of rules that it followed. Mary did not know those, but she felt it was useful to know there was logic to them.

The sphere that transforted her here interacted with this field in some way. From the "sphere accident" story she heard from Vanilla, she knew there were certain rules for the orb itself. There were two ways in which it could be activated: the return mode and the teleport mode. The note said to use teleport mode on Earth and the return mode here. But what if someone used it the other way around? It still worked, but it was buggy.

The note said if the orb was destroyed, she would travel back. Because of that, she assumed the orb was a necessity for her to be here. But that was not the case. First, there were people who used the portal and seemingly did not have orbs. Second, when a person teleported back using someone else's orb, her own orb stayed. So it seemed the orbs were not a requirement, but rather more like a collar with an invisible leash.

And she just knew how to remove it.

She thought about going to the library or spending a few more days spying on customers, but there was no need to. Mary already had a plan.

Chocola slowly opened her eyes, and the rays of the sun gave her the energy to jump out. She washed herself up, checked the clock, and confidently went towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" her sister spotted her. Chocola made the usual expression cats make when they are 'discovered' while doing their mischief.

"To the market, there's a few things I want to buy. But listen, Vanilla, once I return, let's have a serious chat." Chocola explained, then smiled. Her sister listened and nodded, and Chocola left the house.

She visited the market many times; it was familiar to her. But this time she headed for the clothing shop. She quickly peeked at all the different clothes and finally went with an adventurer's outfit. It looked popular, inconspicuous, and simply perfect.

"Why this outfit? It does not really fit you, Chocola." The tailor asked. They knew each other; the guy had lunch at the bakery each day.

"Cosplay. Halloween is coming, and I want to surprise everyone." Chocola winked.

"Cosplay? Halloween? I don't know any of those." The guy was surprised.

"Well, it's somewhat of a fun festival where we dress up as other people. But, listen, according to the rules, the costume must be kept a secret, or else it would ruin the surprise. So, uhm, can you keep this purchase between us?" Chocola made up some rules.

"Of course, Chocola. Client's privacy." The tailor nodded.

The tailor was a local; he knew little about the old world's traditions. If he had, he would have asked why she was preparing a costume for spring. But he did not.

She paid a few dozen bronze coins and smiled brightly while the tailor packed her new outfit. So far, everything has gone according to plan.

Next, Chocola went to the potion shop and bought a potion that was supposed to change the person's eye color. Mary liked the Chocola look, but Chocola had brown eyes, and she had blue eyes in the old world. Mary wanted to have those here as well.

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She bought some strange vegetables, too. They looked like tiny potatoes and watermelon sized onions. Finally, she returned home and placed the vegetables in the fridge.

It was time to work, and she cutely opened the front door and welcomed the first guests. Vanilla just finished baking the last set of morning pastries too.

The day was peaceful, and Chocola was active, always cheerful and smiling. She was happy simply because she had a plan in her head, and everything went accordingly. Vanilla was a bit uneasy, and once the shift was over, she approached her sister.

"You look very happy, but you wanted to have a serious chat. So, nyaa." She demanded.

"Can we have some milkshakes and go for a walk?" Chocola offered, Vanilla quickly made the milkshakes, and they were on their way.

They went towards the park, found a single bench, and sat down. Chocola looked around, breathed in, and opened her mouth.

"Vanilla, can you keep a secret? From anyone. Anything that I say must stay between us." Chocola asked very seriously.

"Of course, Chocola. You're my sister; I would never betray you." Vanilla meant it.

"So, uhm, I am leaving." Chocola dropped it.

Vanilla was absolutely petrified. She did not know how to react. Her eyes went tearful; they were screaming, "Why?"

"You know why. I really like this world. I love magic. I want to study it. But staying as Chocola limits me. There's only so much I can do as Chocola. Don't get me wrong, I like Chocola and I love you, but that is what tears me apart."

"But you're such a great Chocola. You can study magic as Chocola too." Vanilla sulked.

"I know. And every day, when I act like Chocola, I feel like betraying my real self. And every day I am curious about magic; I feel like betraying Chocola. See the pattern?"

Vanilla looked at Chocola with teary eyes and nodded; she understood. It also explained her emotional swings.

"I can forget my real self and simply enjoy our moments together, but it is always temporary." Chocola added.

"I see. Well, I guess no one lasts forever. You were the best Chocola I ever had." Vanilla added.

"I am sure you will one day meet a much better Chocola. I might be good, but I don't think I am the best one either. I am too curious and nerdy; I have worries that don't fit Chocola in any way."

"No, I think you are the best. You taught me how to be girly. It was so nice. I was so happy." Vanilla sighed. "But, wait! If you leave, you won't be able to explore this world!"

Chocola did not answer, but simply winked.

"Wait, wait, don't tell me you found a way."

"I did, Vanilla. A way to get stuck. But I won't be able to be Chocola anymore. But I like you. I love you, Vanilla. So let me make an offer. Wanna get stuck with me?" Chocola proposed.

"Stuck? I mean, as Vanilla?" Vanilla was thinking about it.

"Vanilla's appearance, but not her anymore. There would be another Vanilla at the bakery, and we would simply be two catgirls on an adventure together. You would have to figure out a different name for yourself. I will go with Mary; that is my name in the old world." Mary smiled.

"You're a girl?! That explains so much." Vanilla giggled, but then returned to her thinking.

"Sorry, Mary. But I can't agree to this. I do really like Vanilla, and I can't really imagine myself as anyone else." Vanilla thought a bit more, but finally shook her head.

Chocola's ears went down. She really liked Vanilla; she wanted to stay together, and this refusal denied her that. But it was not unexpected. Deep down, Chocola knew this would be Vanilla's answer.

"What if your plan fails?" Vanilla gently patted Chocola's head.

"Well, it could happen. To be honest, there's a high chance it will fail. But I have to try it. Besides, I heard there's a portal on Earth, so I will try to find it and get back here. I can be quite resourceful, you know." Mary explained.

Vanilla nodded. She was good at reading catgirls, and it really felt like Chocola thought this through. It also seemed there was nothing she could say to change Chocola's mind.

"When? Today?" Vanilla simply asked.

"No, no, nothing like that. I still need to make some preparations. Plus, I would never leave without giving you a goodbye hug first. I don't know, but maybe a few days, maybe a week. I don't know."

"Well, tell me, and I promise to throw a huge goodbye party!" Vanilla offered.

"Of course, I will!" Chocola smiled. She did not really plan a goodbye party, but it was actually a great idea.

"But, sister, I need you to keep this a secret. If this leaks out, I will be kicked out before the party." Chocola added, quite seriously.

"I understand. I won't tell anyone, I promise." Vanilla nodded.

They both left the bench and headed home. Chocola was not upset, but rather more cheaful than before. Her worries were completely gone. It would have been even better if Vanilla agreed to do this with her, but Vanilla was her own person, and Chocola respected her decision.

For the first time in a long time, she felt she was in control of her fate. No longer torn between her real self and the role, but as if both Chocola and Mary were finally working on the shared goal.

Once home, she jumped on Vanilla and cuddled her happily. Chocola knew her time was limited, so she wanted to make the most of it.

"That's not going to make me change my mind." Vanila sighed at first, but then fully embraced the cuddles.

They both were tired, washed each other, and finally went to sleep together.

"Heya, Mary. Thank you for choosing Chocola." Vanilla hugged her tightly.

"Wait, wait, it's not over yet. Nyan." Chocola turned around and squished her cheek against Vanilla's.