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On a dark and windy night, a little black cat sneaked into Hillerska. The bugs by the roadside and the fragrance of flowers tempted it to stop, but the cat had a clear target: the only dormitory with an open window in Hillerska's dormitory area.
It stood under the window, craning its neck to look up. There was no light on in the room, nor any sound. The cat flicked its tail gently against the floor in displeasure, rustling the leaves on the ground.
With a light leap, it squeezed through the gap and slipped into the room. It walked straight to the bed without glancing left or right. A boy was sleeping soundly under the quilt. The cat, with a wiggle of its hips, suddenly jumped onto the bed and landed steadily in the middle—right on the boy's stomach.
Even through the quilt, the boy was roused by the weight. As he opened his eyes, he saw the cat sitting on his quilt, sticking out its tongue to lick its paws, then using them to wash its face and ears.
"Simon...!" Wilhelm whispered to the cat, reaching out to pat its head, only to have his hand swatted away.
The cat thumped its tail against the quilt, making its displeasure obvious.
"I'm sorry. You came so late today, and I was so sleepy..." Wilhelm sat up, picked the cat up, and stroked its fur. The cat pretended to struggle for a moment, then settled down, lifting its head to rub against Wilhelm's newly grown stubble, purring softly.
Wilhelm scratched the cat's chin gently. "I want to kiss you."
At these words, the cat froze. A mist suddenly surrounded it. In moments, Wilhelm felt the weight on him multiply by dozens, and the mist slowly dissipated.
No matter how many times he saw it, Wilhelm was always enchanted by the boy before him. Simon was still sitting on Wilhelm, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts—clearly having run over from home. He habitually balled his fists to smooth his curly hair, then remembered he wasn't a cat anymore and switched to using his fingers.
"Do you know how long it takes to get from Bjästå to the school? And you dare complain I'm late? I won't come next time." Simon glared at Wilhelm, annoyed.
Wilhelm quickly pulled Simon into his arms, and they fell back onto the bed together. Wilhelm apologized while kissing Simon's face. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. Don't be angry,baby kitten, okay?"
Simon pretended to be angry and turned his back to Wilhelm. Wilhelm then reached out to tickle him, and sure enough, Simon couldn't help laughing, wriggling on the bed. "You rascal! You rascal prince! You can't do this!"
Wilhelm laughed and kept tickling Simon's ribs, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his hand—a long scratch appeared, with a bead of blood welling up.
Wilhelm stopped and looked at Simon, who immediately hid his hand behind his back, staring at Wilhelm with a mix of innocence and guilt.
Wilhelm grabbed a tissue to wipe the blood from his hand, deliberately hissing in feigned pain, then said, "It's okay, I don't hurt. Such a small scratch will be gone in a bit."
Simon felt even more guilty. He took Wilhelm's hand, gently licked away the remaining blood, and whispered an apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't control my strength."
Wilhelm thought he'd gone too far. He pulled Simon down to lie with him, hugging him and kissing the top of his head. "Oh, baby, I was joking. It really doesn't hurt at all! Don't feel bad, I took the joke too far!"
Simon was still a little glum, so Wilhelm pulled out Simon's favorite milk candy from under the pillow. He'd planned to give it to Simon if he came early that afternoon, but now it was late at night. Wilhelm didn't really want Simon to eat candy so late, but this wasn't the time to worry about cavities or brushing teeth. He quickly unwrapped it and popped it into Simon's mouth.
Simon felt a burst of sweetness, and the taste of milk candy spread in his mouth. He closed his eyes happily. Soon, Wilhelm saw something flicking by the bed—Simon's little cat tail had popped out, its tip twitching gently, clearly overjoyed.
Wilhelm felt a twinge of jealousy. He'd tried to cheer Simon up for ages, but a single candy did the trick. He couldn't help teasing, "Hey, do you think I need a rabies shot for this hand?"
Simon froze, stopping mid-chew. He stared at Wilhelm, motionless. Wilhelm regretted his words and was about to apologize when Simon grabbed his own hand and bit down hard on the scratch.
"Ah—!" Wilhelm quickly pulled his hand back, rubbing the tooth marks Simon had left, and whimpered, "Baby..."
Simon huffed. "If you need a shot just for a scratch, that would be a waste, wouldn't it?"
Then Simon immediately turned back into a cat, plopped down on Wilhelm's face, and lay there motionless. Wilhelm's nose tickled from the cat fur, and Cat Simon meowed fiercely. Wilhelm figured the meows meant "Suffocate you," but he stayed lying there, enjoying the slightly ticklish torment, and fell asleep with the cat.