My Seven Wives in One Body and Me, her Manager-Chapter 129: Overnight With A Black Cat

After school, Rika invited Dennis and Daisy to her house, located in a residential area not far from the southern border, though it was still technically in the central region. They planned to leave from Dennis’s apartment using his car to make things easier if they needed to return late at night, so they brought Rika back to the apartment first. While there, they showed Destiny to Rika so she would believe them and introduced her to Daisy’s "three triplet sisters," who were actually Diana, Deborah, and Dulcia disguised as Daisy.

Because of a request from Akira—who had sent a message during break asking Dennis and Daisy to stay over as a precaution in case something happened that might drag Rika into trouble—Dennis and Daisy packed their bags for a one-night stay at Rika’s. Once they were finished packing, Daisy led Rika out first, while Dennis stayed behind in the bedroom to talk to Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne, who was currently cradling Destiny since it was her turn. Naturally, Dennis had already asked Dulcia to explain everything to the others beforehand so they were all up to speed.

"Alright, Daisy and I are staying the night at Rika’s. Please look after Destiny while we’re gone," Dennis said.

"Of course, leave it to us, my husband. Once we know what’s actually going on and why Bella left Destiny at our door, I’ll take action, so please keep us updated," Diana said, giving a thumbs-up and a wink.

"You don’t need to worry, sugar; we all love Destiny here," Donna added.

"That’s right, that’s right," Dahlia added, nodding with her arms crossed.

"This is the safest place for Destiny, period. Don’t worry about the milk because I can make it myself, so just stay calm over there and investigate Destiny’s origins, hon," Deborah said.

"Yeah, leave it to me, baby. I’ll keep an eye on Destiny, and if anyone shows up, I’ll be the one to handle them," Dulcia added, patting her chest with a smile.

"Go on, you should head out now. You don’t need to worry about us; the important thing is that we stay in touch via telepathy, dear," Daphne said while cradling Destiny.

[I will also help monitor the hallway of our apartment and even the area around the building, master, so you can rest easy.]

"Alright, thank you. I’m counting on you," Dennis said.

Then Dennis pulled all six of them into a group hug and kissed each of them on the cheek one by one. He gave Destiny’s head a gentle pat before heading out of the room. After leaving the apartment, Dennis, Daisy, and Rika took the elevator down to the basement parking lot and walked toward Dennis’s car. From there, they set off toward the southern region.

After a ten-minute drive on quiet roads, they arrived at a residential complex that looked lively and safe, tucked along the road leading south but still fairly close to the city’s business center; it was a convenient spot, requiring only a single bus ride to get to their school.

They finally arrived at a two-story house that wasn’t very large but featured a front yard. Dennis parked his car in the driveway, as this was Akira and Rika’s home. After getting out of the car, Dennis—carrying a duffel bag packed with his and Daisy’s clothes—walked up to the porch with Rika and Daisy. Rika unlocked the door and swung it open.

"Well, come on in. Make yourselves at home, but sorry if it’s a little messy; I’ve been too lazy to clean lately," Rika said, inviting Dennis and Daisy inside.

"Thanks, it’s not messy at all. My place is way worse," Daisy replied as she stepped inside.

When Dennis entered, he could see that Rika’s home was actually very tidy. He saw photos of Akira and Rika displayed on the hallway walls; judging by the pictures, it seemed Akira and Rika were truly happily married. Rika then led the two of them into the living room and invited Dennis and Daisy to sit on the sofa while she disappeared into her bedroom on the second floor. Dennis noticed the living room was well-organized, then he spotted a litter box, an automatic cat feeder with a bowl beside it, and a cat tree in the opposite corner.

"Hmm... Rika has a cat?" Dennis asked.

"Yep... look over here," Daisy answered.

Dennis turned to look at Daisy, who was sitting next to him. It turned out that at the end of the sofa where Daisy sat, a black cat was perched, watching both of them without moving an inch—as if the cat were judging and sizing them both up.

"Oh... there’s the cat," Dennis murmured.

"Yeah, it’s watching us," Daisy replied, staring straight ahead and seemingly unwilling to even turn her head toward the feline.

Dennis naturally noticed that his wife looked stiff and wasn’t moving at all, her hands clenched into fists on her thighs.

"Wait... are you afraid of cats?" Dennis asked.

"Um... something like that," Daisy answered.

"Donna is a cat, and you seem fine being around her," Dennis muttered.

"That’s different. Donna is a human with cat ears and a tail... that thing over there is a pure cat, a black one," Daisy replied, glancing toward the animal to let Dennis know.

"Alright then, let’s swap seats," Dennis said.

Dennis stood up and moved next to Daisy, who shifted over slightly. This put Dennis right beside the black cat, which wore a collar with a medallion engraved with the name Mr. Fudge.

"Hoo... so your name is Mr. Fudge," Dennis said, reaching out to pat the cat’s head.

But the cat immediately swatted Dennis’s hand away and gave a sharp "hiss." After that, he went back to sitting still, staring at the two of them without blinking, only his pupils twitching slightly. Dennis stared right back.

"Hey... are you planning something, Mr. Fudge?" Dennis asked.

Mr. Fudge just sat there, tilting his head with wide eyes that continued to track Dennis’s every move.

"What a weird cat," Dennis remarked.

"Watch it, Mr. Fudge isn’t weird."

Dennis looked up to see Rika, who had changed her clothes and come down from the second floor. She walked over and immediately scooped up Mr. Fudge—who was still staring down Dennis and Daisy—and sat across from them. She settled Mr. Fudge onto her lap and placed her smartphone on the coffee table.

"Oh right... you guys want a drink? Let me go grab something real quick," Rika said, shaking her hair out from inside her t-shirt.

"Don’t go to any trouble, we can do that later. Anyway, any word from Bella?" Dennis asked. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Not yet. She hasn’t sent another message," Rika answered, checking her smartphone.

"I’ll get the drinks, Rika," Daisy said, standing up.

"Oh, okay. They’re in the fridge. Just grab three bottles of soft drink from in there," Rika said.

"Okay, be right back," Daisy replied.

Daisy stood up and walked stiffly toward the fridge in Rika’s kitchen, all under the watchful eye of Mr. Fudge. Rika noticed that Daisy was acting a bit strange, so she turned to look at Dennis.

"Hey Dennis, what’s up with your wife?" Rika asked, puzzled.

"She’s afraid of Mr. Fudge. She thinks he’s judging her and looks like he’s planning something," Dennis joked, pointing at Mr. Fudge in Rika’s lap, who was still staring him down.

"Serious? No way she’s scared of cute little Mr. Fudge, hehe," Rika said, petting her cat.

"Just leave her be; she’ll get used to it," Dennis replied casually.

"But honestly, you guys are the first people to come over and actually see Mr. Fudge. Usually, if there are guests, he disappears somewhere. If he’s not in my room, he’s in the bathroom," Rika said, picking up the motionless cat and petting him again.

"Oh, really? Is he usually scared of other people?" Dennis asked.

"Yeah. Even Bella has never seen him. She always asks me, ’You’ve got a litter box, an automatic feeder, and a cat tree, but where’s the actual cat?’ haha," Rika answered casually while stroking the cat in her lap.

"Mr. Fudge is pretty interesting," Dennis said, locking eyes with the feline.

"Right? That’s why he’s so cute," Rika replied, lifting the cat up again to give him a kiss.

Suddenly, "ding," a message arrived on Rika’s smartphone on the table, just as Daisy returned with three bottles of soda and set them on the coffee table. Rika set Mr. Fudge aside and picked up her phone. Her eyes widened as she opened the message, and she showed the screen to Dennis and Daisy sitting across from her.

"Rika, I’m coming a bit later tonight. Chris is home. I have to wait for him to leave before I head out. Whatever happens, don’t let him know I’m going to your place."

Seeing the message Bella sent, Dennis, Daisy, and Rika knew immediately that something was wrong—and it most likely had everything to do with Destiny appearing at Dennis and Daisy’s door.