The dorm room was chaos.
Blankets were bunched into a makeshift nest beside Chloe's bed, and one of the rescued cats had claimed it without hesitation. It lay there like a royal guest, eyes half-lidded, tail twitching slowly.
Chloe sat cross-legged on the floor, poking her phone screen. "I'm going to name her Pancake."
"It's not yours," Ivy said, watching from her bed.
"She likes me. That means she picked me."
"She jumped on you by accident."
"Love is chaos."
Garry sat upside down on Ivy's desk chair, legs thrown over the backrest. "Speaking of chaos. That guy from yesterday? The one with the other cat. He's totally the missing transfer."
Ivy looked up. "Z-Zhihao?"
"Exactly. You can't forget a name like that. If he was here before, I'd know it."
"You're barely here," Chloe muttered.
"Still. A guy with that name. I would've noticed."
There was a knock, and the door cracked open before anyone could answer. Riley stepped in, holding a small bag of cat food and a few clean bowls.
"Heard we had guests. Figured they'd be hungry."
Chloe beamed. "Pancake loves you already."
"We're not keeping them," Ivy said again.
They set the bowls down and watched as the healthier cat slowly stood, stretched, and wandered over to sniff at the food. A second later, it was eating like it hadn't eaten in days.
"So," Garry said, glancing between them, "what do we do with them?"
"Vet first," Riley said. "Then maybe talk to the office. See if anyone lost a pair."
"Or if they lost someone," Chloe said dramatically.
"If we can't find the owners," Garry added, "Elias and Z… Z.. Zhihao could keep the other one. That cat was glued to him."
"They might already be chosen by her," Ivy said. "She tried to follow them. That usually means something."
Chloe leaned back on her hands. "So. Zhihao. Thoughts?"
"Cool name," Garry said.
"Too quiet," Riley added.
"What if he's cursed?" Chloe asked.
"What if he's royalty?" Garry countered.
Ivy listened, not speaking. She could still picture the way he bowed without saying a word, like it was the only thing he knew to do.
"He just looked tired," Riley said. "Like, really tired."
They all sat in silence for a moment, the sound of the cat crunching filling the space.
Later that night, Ivy stepped out into the hallway to toss out some trash. The dorm was quiet now, the kind of still that only came late, after everyone had settled in.
As she walked back, she paused. A soft sound drifted through the hallway. Not talking, not singing, more like humming. Gentle, rhythmic.
She didn't follow it. Just listened for a second.
Then she kept walking.
Back in the room, the cat had curled up again. This time, at the foot of Ivy's bed.
Chloe looked betrayed. "Seriously? I feed you and everything."
Ivy sat down, letting the quiet settle.
"Traitor," Chloe whispered at the cat.
The cat flicked its tail, unimpressed.
Ivy didn't say anything. But her thoughts wandered again.
Maybe they should keep the cat after all.
The next day, Zhihao still didn't show up in class.
The lessons blurred by, and Ivy barely remembered what was said. As the class ended, she gathered her things and walked out, expecting to head straight to the dorms.
But just outside the door, she paused.
Zhihao stood a few steps away, near the wall, eyes cast to the floor. He didn't seem to notice her or anyone else. His posture was slouched, his skin slightly pale, and there was a faint tension in the way his shoulders rose and fell.
For a second, Ivy debated walking past. But if he was Elias's roommate, someone should probably check.
She approached slowly.
Zhihao didn't look up.
She stopped in front of him, then reached out and gently tapped his forehead with two fingers. "You need to go to the infirmary?"
It took him a few seconds to respond. When he did, it was soft, barely more than a breath. "I'm alright."
Ivy watched him a moment longer. His eyes hadn't lifted. He looked like he was still somewhere else entirely.
"We're taking the cats to the vet today," she said. "You should come with us."
At that, something shifted. Zhihao blinked, slowly at first, then more alert. A quiet, visible wave of energy came over him.
"I asked around," he said, voice clearer now but gently accented. "Walked through the neighborhood. Talked to people. Even that woman from before. Nobody knew anything about them."
His voice carried a kind of soft focus, careful but purposeful. "It seemed nobody was taking care of them."
Ivy studied him. His expression had changed. No longer lost or tired, now it was almost bright. Not smiling exactly, but so clear it was nearly blinding.
She cleared her throat. "Right. Then definitely come."
Zhihao nodded, then paused. He looked directly at her for the first time.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "For taking care of them."
Ivy blinked. It wasn't the words themselves, but the way he said them. Simple. Earnest.
Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off down the hall.
She stood there a moment longer, watching him go, before finally heading the other way.