The next day, Chocola woke up, asked Vanilla to prepare two strawberry milkshakes, and went on to meet Kate. Kate was already there, at the park, waiting for her.

"Hi Chocola!" she teased.

"Hai!" Chocola answered, but a red dot interrupted her. She traced the red dot towards the tiny stick in Kate's hands.

Chocola felt the urge to jump on it, to chase it, but it was an urge, and Mary knew how to control those.

"Real Chocola would have jumped~" Kate teased her further, smiling playfully.

"Real Chocola would also drop the milkshakes she was holding. And you would end up without your morning dose of strawberry milk." Chocola counter-teased.

"Fair. I was teasing. And give me that." Kate blushed. Chocola had a point.

Chocola gave her the well deserved milkshake, and Kate gave her the laser pointer.

"Well, I did see you twitch. Do you like this urge system? I made it non-intrusive, kind of, so you know how the character would act." Kate kindly asked, a bit proud.

"Yep, I love it. It really helped in the beginning, but now I rarely notice it. It is still there, like with the laser pointer, but it's just rare." Chocola explained.

"That just means you are better at your role. It became your second nature." Kate was happy to hear it.

Chocola smiled back and played with the laser herself. She carefully inspected it too. It had no battery and no button. It shined as long as Chocola held it. A truly magical laser pointer. Chocola squeezed it in her hands and wanted to see the elven alphabet once again, but she was suddenly interrupted.

"But Chocola. I was thinking..." Kate's voice suddenly became serious. Surprisingly serious and quite sudden. It caught Chocola by surprise. "I was thinking. Why would a catgirl ask for a laser pointer? What could she possibly use it for?"

"To tease other catgirls!" Chocola pouted.

"Sure, but there's cat teasers, toys, and plenty of ways. Why a laser specifically? I really don't know. But I have a bad feeling about it. In fact, I have a feeling I know exactly why you asked me for a laser." Kate explained.

Chocola's ears and tail froze. Kate was onto her.

"I swear, it is just to tease Vanilla. What else could I possibly use it for?" Chocola lied.

"I actually don't know. And if I did know, I would not tell you, because I don't want to reveal this idea to you. But if you already know what I am talking about, I warn you: if you do this, there won't be any way back for you." Kate sighed.

"But there's a portal; I could use it." Chocola protested.

"Who told you about the portal?" Kate was surprised, yet still serious.

"You did. Well, not directly. But you said there's a bank and a postman. The orb thing is for single use only. They have to get here somehow. So I assumed there had to be a portal. And you've just confirmed that." Chocola explained.

"Silly blabbermouth, me. I did not realize how smart you were. But yes, there is a portal. And no, you would not be able to use it. The portal only works for those who came here through it. It does not work for those who came here through other means. You will be permanently stuck here." Kate warned further.

"I... Why are you telling this? I was not planning to." Mary lied again. She realized she was easy to read, but she continued playing this game.

"Just in case you were." Kate replied, slightly upset.

"And if I really were, would you stop me?" Chocola asked again, getting slightly worried.

"I would try to talk you out of it. But I know you, and I know you would not listen. It is your choice, not mine. I will, however, ask you to keep other actors out of it." Kate insisted.

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"No, no, Kate, there is no plan. You're overthinking. I simply wanted to tease Vanilla." Chocola nodded in agreement.

"I really hope so." Kate sighed. "Well, I hope to see you next week, Chocola. Stay purry."

Kate stood up and simply vanished into thin air.

"Kate?! Wait!" Chocola turned around, but there was no sign of her.

The catgirl sighed and went home. Somehow, Kate's dialog did not make her too excited. Kate left on a bad note too—Chocola did not see her smile. It just felt bad. Really bad.

She was worried about the "permanently stuck" warning too. When Mary made her plan, she still figured she could travel back and forth; it would take time or money, but there would be a way. Being permanently stuck with complicated things. But after some thinking, she realized this would not change her plan.

Mary went through all the components of her plan. She had everything. It was finally time to execute it. It was time to say goodbye.

She returned home and sat down, thinking about how to best approach it. Finally, she came towards Vanilla and hugged her tightly. Vanilla's eyes teared up; she already knew what it meant.

"When?" Vanilla asked.

"Tomorrow after lunch."

"So a goodbye party today?!" Vanilla smiled, although her smile felt forced.

"Yep, let's do that. But let's keep it small. I don't want the whole town or anything." Chocola smiled too, but it was natural.

"Deal!" Vanilla did not wait and immediately went somewhere.

Chocola opened the bakery and began her day. Vanilla asked for a day off. There were other chefs besides her, and besides, she did need to organize the party. Chocola did not stop her, as she knew this party meant a lot to Vanilla.

—

The party was not anything special. The housemates gathered around the table and enjoyed the cake and tea Vanilla prepared.

"Why are you leaving, Chocola?" Was pretty much the only question on everyone's mind.

"I missed my friends." Chocola lied, but everyone bought it. The truth was, everyone here had someone they missed. Chocola knew this. So this lie was easy to sell. Vanilla just sighed to herself after Chocola lied, but no one really paid attention to her.

"Well, good luck to you! I heard there's an online chat for those who graduated. Be sure to join; this way we can still be friends!" Chocola's master offered.

"Are you planning to graduate?" Chocola counter-asked smugly.

"Not now, but one day, of course. I have a family too, you know." He politely answered.

Vanilla's ears picked up the knocking; she went downstairs and soon returned with two new guests. The fox librarian and the magical girl, Kate.

Chocola was happy to see both. She was still thinking about how Kate left, and this was an opportunity to make her smile. Kate opened her arms, and Chocola immediately hugged her. Kate was smiling; it looked so precious.

The other people, however, became quiet the moment they saw Kate. Chocola understood why they had to act formal and in character now. It was uneasy.

"Your mom sent you a message. But since you are leaving, you should hear it from her herself." Kate smiled, but there was a bit of smugness there too. Chocola kind of saw it as a test and acted accordingly.

"Kate, once I am back, is there a way to contact you?" Chocola inquired, smiling. She wanted to hear the message, but not enough that she would break her act. Besides, she somewhat knew what the contents were.

"Of course, but it will be postcards only. Message the website admin; he knows me and will explain everything to you." Kate nodded and smiled.

Kate looked around; it was too quiet. She understood the situation herself.

"I am very busy, so I should leave." She bowed to everyone.

Kate then jumped onto Chocola and hugged her tightly once again. She reached out for Chocola's ear but could not reach it. Chocola bowed, and Kate whispered.

"You were an excellent Chocola. And, um, once you're back, can you show our website to some of your friends?" Kate asked.

"Of course, Kate." Chocola whispered back.

"And well, goodbye, Mary~" Kate said it out loud, cheerfully smiled, and poofed away.

Chocola was smiling too. She got the chance to say a proper goodbye, and she was genuinely happy for that.

The room became lively again. Chocola looked at everyone, then finally asked.

"Well, I never really understood, but why are people so uneasy around her?"

"Well, well, she's the boss. She sets the rules and only shows up to scold us for bad acting." Someone replied.

"No vacations too! I asked to return in just a few days, and she always refused!" Someone else added. "And it's creepy how young she looks!"

Chocola sighed while nodding. She understood them. The catgirl then peeked at the fox boy, who simply quietly sat on the sofa and observed everyone.

She moved closer to him and asked.

"Ah, this whole dialog must have been confusing." She commented. He was a local, after all.

"You mean how you're all actually from another world? I know all that. I run a library, and a few of you sold me a bunch of drawings and literature." He smiled.

Chocola sighed and smiled, then saw Vanilla. She looked around at people with a certain judgment in her eyes.

"Hey, don't look at us like that. It's a nice cash bonus." Someone smugly remarked.

Vanilla sighed, and the party continued. It did not continue late; it was simply a warm goodbye party for Chocola. Once the party was over, Chocola lied down in bed, and her sister hugged her tightly from behind.

"Years later, once we are back on Earth, I promise I will find you." Vanilla whispered in a quiet tone while briefly tightening her hug.

"I know you will; let's go on an adventure together!" Chocola lied.

Chocola did not tell Vanilla about being stuck here. All Vanilla knew was that Chocola had found a way to hack the sphere. There was no need to tell her about being completely stuck. It would simply make Vanilla sadder, and in turn, this would make her sad as well.

Chocola stayed quiet and simply hugged Vanilla's arm tightly.