Ren stood frozen.
For the first time since I began this mission…
things moved beyond my control.
And this story… was no longer just mine.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop—not from Elowen's eyes, but from his.
His brain felt like it was short-circuiting. The white wings attached to Elowen's back were massive, glowing, and—most importantly—very real.
Elowen's heart hammered against her ribs. She felt like she was about to faint. Please, let the ground open up and swallow me whole, she prayed.
Before Ren could find his voice, she blurted it out.
"Cosplay!"
Ren blinked. "Cosplay?"
"Yeah! Cosplay!" Elowen's wings twitched nervously behind her, nearly hitting a lamp. "It's... a hobby!"
"But when did you even put those on?" Ren asked, his confusion growing. "I stepped out for barely six seconds."
Elowen pointed frantically at a nearby shelf. "There! It was right there! It's a specialized set—super easy and quick to attach. High-tech stuff!"
Ren stepped closer, his eyes filled with awe. "But they look so realistic. I can even see... individual feathers."
"Oh, they're very expensive!" Elowen's voice rose an octave as she panicked. "Real feathers! This is for elite-level cosplayers only!"
Ren looked at her, then back at the wings, then at the expensive gaming console on the floor. "Elowen... why are you so rich?"
"Uh, well... my parents! They're business people. Very successful. You saw the console, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. She lunged for the couch, grabbed his phone, and shoved it into his hands. "Here's your phone! It's getting late! Your parents will scold you!"
"Hey, wait a minute—"
"I'll show you the full outfit later! Bye-bye!" With a final, desperate shove, she pushed him out and slammed the door. THUD.
Outside, Ren stood in the hallway, trying to process the last sixty seconds. He muttered to himself, "She looked like a literal angel. A very pretty one..."
Inside, Elowen collapsed dramatically onto the floor, clutching her head.
"Why? Why now?" she groaned. "Everything was going so smoothly!" Her expression shifted to pure horror. A human should never know an angel exists—at least, not while they were still breathing.
A creepy, desperate smile tucked at her lips. "I have an idea."
She marched into the kitchen and grabbed a heavy meat cleaver knife. She gripped the handle tight, her eyes gleaming. "He doesn't believe me... I have to do it."
A brief silence filled the room. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she twisted the handle of the knife. It popped open easily. Hidden inside was a small red button.
She pressed it.
RING... RING…
The knife was dialing a call. She leaned against the wall, twirling a strand of hair as the ringing stopped.
"Hello? It's me, Elowen," she said into the knife's handle. "I need money. Lots of money."
A voice crackled on the other end, but she cut it off. "Don't ask why! It's for the mission! You don't need to know the details." She frowned, her wings puffing up. "Come on, you've got one job. Do it properly!"
She listened for a moment, her face turning a little red. "No! You don't need to know the thing! I'll buy it myself! Just send the money or I'm reporting you to the seniors!"
WHISH—!
A strange noise came from above. Elowen looked up just in time to scream as a literal mountain of cash bundles plummeted from the ceiling.
CRASH!
The mountain of money swallowed her completely. A second later, her hand poked through the top of the cash pile, giving a shaky thumbs-up.
"Yeah... that's enough," she muffled from under the pile.
The following evening, Elowen stood on the street while the world seemed to stop. Passersby stared in awe; some even snuck pictures with their phones. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. Currently, she was clad in a cat-girl outfit—complete with ultra-realistic, high-tech ears and a tail that twitched with a life of its own.
She checked her phone nervously just as Ren came jogging toward her.
"Sorry I'm late," he started, but he slid to a sudden halt, his face turning a deep shade of crimson as he looked at her. "Elowen?!"
"What?" she squeaked, her blush deepening. "Didn't I tell you about my hobby? So... what do you think?"
"Uh, I mean... you look cute," Ren managed to stammer.
"Thanks..."
"Elowen, your face is bright red."
"Huh? N-no! That's probably just the weather!" She began frantically fanning herself with her hand. "It's very hot out here!"
As she spoke, her ears gave a sharp twitch and her tail began to wag rhythmically. Ren's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"Oh my... it actually twitches too?!"
"I told you, I only use professional items," she said, trying to regain her composure. "Besides, you should spend money if you have a lot of it!"
Ren let out a genuine laugh. "Great words, Miss Elowen."
Seeing him smile finally allowed the tension to leave her shoulders. She let out a long, quiet sigh of relief.
"You are really weird," Ren said softly, "but I'm glad you are."
Elowen beamed at him. "I am? Meow!"
Just then, the familiar chime of an ice-cream van echoed down the street. They both turned to watch it pass.
"Since you're feeling so hot," Ren suggested, "wanna get some ice cream?"
"Huh? Ice cream? Sure!"
"Then let's go!" Ren reached out, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a run toward the van.
"Wait!" Elowen cried out, startled by the sudden contact.
A few minutes later, Ren was happily licking his cone while Elowen stared at hers as if it were a complex puzzle. She tried to take a large bite out of the frozen treat, winced, and then carefully mirrored Ren, licking the side instead. Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Wow... this is so good!"
Ren smirked. "You're talking like you've never had ice cream in your entire life."
"Well, actually, I haven't. I usually eat different kinds of food... much tastier... but I won't lie, this is good too."
"Did you come from the moon or something?" Ren joked.
"Something like that."
Ren laughed it off, assuming she was just staying in character. But as they continued their walk, his eyes kept drifting back to her. Every time he saw those ridiculous, twitching ears, he felt his heart skip a beat.
As they moved through the marketplace, Elowen was fully committed to the act. She walked with a spring in her step, her tail swishing with a grace that felt almost too perfect for a human.
Suddenly, a ginger tabby darted from a bush. A black cat emerged from under a park bench. Then three more descended from the trees. Within minutes, a dozen neighborhood cats were following them in a silent, perfect formation.
"Uh, Elowen? Why are they... following us?" Ren asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Oh! They just... appreciate the quality of my craftsmanship! Real recognizes real!"
"One of them just bowed to you."
"He's just... stretching! It's a cat thing!"
Just then, a massive, grumpy-looking Maine Coon blocked their path. It sat directly in front of Elowen and let out a loud, demanding, "Mrow?" Elowen looked down. Thanks to her celestial nature, she understood the intent perfectly. The cat wasn't asking for food; he was asking for her final orders for the 'Night Raid on the Fish Market.'
"Not now!" she whispered harshly to the cat. "I'm on a secret mission! Disperse!"
Ren blinked. "Did you just tell that cat to 'disperse'?"
Elowen spun around, laughing nervously. "I'm getting into character! Method acting! If you want to be a cat-girl, you have to talk to the cats! Meow!"
Ren just laughed, shaking his head at how intense her hobbies were.
The High Heavens
Above the clouds, a group of High-Ranking Angels gathered around the Observation Pool. The silence was deafening. Their pupils had shrunk into tiny black dots as they stared at the image of a 517-year-old veteran pretending to be a house pet.
"What... exactly... is Elowen doing?" An Angel asked, his wing twitching. "Is she being hunted by those small, four-legged beasts?"
"I have no idea, Azmeal," Another Angel replied, rubbing his temples. "This was not in the manual. She's making strange vocalizations. 'Me-ow'?"
The other adjusted his glasses, leaning in closer. "Wait! I see it now. This must be Vulnerability Therapy. By making herself look ridiculous and weak, she encourages the mortal to feel protective and confident. It's a brilliant, high-level psychological tactic!"
In the back, a Junior Angel was frantically scribbling in a leather-bound diary, his eyes wide with inspiration.
"Elowen is a genius..." the Junior Angel muttered. "Step 1: Attach fuzzy ears to head to build trust... Step 2: Use an artificial tail to signal empathy... I must record this. If a veteran like Elowen is doing this, it must be the most effective healing method in the universe. I'll try this on my next assignment in London!"
Earth
Later that evening, Ren lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and giggling to himself.
"That was such a nice evening," he whispered. "I really can't believe she acted like she'd never eaten candy before. She's got to be joking."
He rolled over, his hand brushing against something soft on his sheets. He sat up, curious, and turned on his desk lamp.
There, lying on his pillow, was a long, shimmering white feather.
It was beautiful—far too large for any city bird, and it seemed to hold a faint, pearlescent glow even in the dim light. He turned it over in his fingers, his brow furrowing.
"A feather?"