#tcr haru

[gentlemewn]

Guys I think he wants to kiss Haru’s feet-

Idk tho :/

[catsafarithewriter]

A/N: Many thanks goes out to the ever-wonderful @tcrmommabear for triggering the thought of the Cat King and Natori shipping Haru/Baron as hard as they'd once shipped Haru/Lune. Unfortunately for Haru, they only have one solution for romantic woes. So here's a very silly, very short ficlet.

.

Claudius Rex, the once Cat King (their most wise and magnificent ruler, the king of Cat Kingdom), and reason why Haru nearly spent the rest of her life with whiskers and a tail, sat on the windowsill and mulled over Haru's love life.

(She hadn't asked him to, hadn't even known he was coming until that fine spring morning, a decade after their first encounter, when she'd opened her curtains and nearly punted ex-royalty from a sixteenth-floor window.)

The once Cat King (Claudius, he'd insisted Haru call him) considered the dilemma of a mortal falling in love with a Creation with all its due gravitas, and finally said, "Do you think he doesn't love you because you're not a cat?"

"I – no??"

"Oh. Shame." The ex-king looked to Natori. "We could've fixed that."

"It appears not every love conundrum can be rectified with felinity," Natori said wisely.

"What other love conundrum did you fix this way?" Haru asked.

Both cats looked at her. Claudius leant over to Natori. "This is the babe we set up with my son?"

"It appears she is suffering from some kind of memory lapse," Natori stage-whispered back.

"Turning me into a cat helped with nothing!" Haru cried. "Lune married Yuki, remember?"

"Ah yes," Natori said, "but if you had been willing to marry the prince, then we simplified matters for you."

"Not being a cat was your main problem, you said."

Haru vaguely remembered saying a lot of things to get out of the unexpected marriage, and the different species had been only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. "You can't fix every problem by turning someone into a cat! And, anyway, the Creation part is the main problem."

Claudius was silent. Then, "So what I'm hearing is if we turned you into a cat Creation–"

"Nope. Stop that. Right now."

"What about the Creation?" Natori asked. "What if we changed him?"

"I... wait, you could do that?"

"We could turn him more into a cat."

"How would that help anything?!"

"If we then turned you into a cat—"

"Under no circumstances," Haru said slowly, "are you to try to help me by turning anyone into a cat." She hesitated, and then added, for good measure, "Or any species in general. Not even a cat Creation– wait, is that even possible?"

"Half of it is," Natori said cheerfully.

Haru groaned. "I don't know why I even asked."

[ikemengoessbrrrrr]

There should be a story where the cat bureau members need to disguise themselves as guard/mafia/any job that use suit on their mission

[lin-iva]

TCR Birthday Bash 2023 Day 5: Free Day (Coraline AU)

As you all can see, i love coraline. So here's a Buttom Eyes AU.

One day, Haru found a doll at her room that looks just like her. Ever since she found the doll, every night when she dreams she found herself in an odd world where everyone has buttons for eyes.

A few days later the Bureau found that Haru has gone missing. She has told them about her weird dreams post finding the doll unfortunately the Bureau members seems to only brush it off. And now that Haru is gone (and upon searching they've learned the scary truth abouth thrdoll) they must find her quickly before she got trapped in the weird world forever.

In a way they finally got into said world, sadly upon arriving they got trapped in a snowglobe instead and now is up to Haru to find a way to save them.

Enjoy! (Sorry if i type some words wrong)

[cymraegdragon21]

One Day

Birthday Bash Prompt 1 - Red Thread of Fate

"Fate - a destined path a person follows outside of their control. Often regarded as predestined by an outside force of supernatural power."

Haru frowned. She didn't like the idea of that. Of having no control of her life. She felt that it would be like being some sort of puppet to some unknown higher being. Using her thumb to scroll up the page back to the search box she tapped in another word.

"Soulmate - a destined person who one feels a deep or natural affinity for. This could either be a platonic or romantic relationship."

Haru sighed. Although she wasn't keen on the idea of a predetermined life the thought of someone special to spend it with who was perfect for her actually sounded rather nice. Haru couldn't help but grimace slightly as she searched her final phrase.

"Red Thread of Fate - an invisible red thread that connects people who are destined to meet regardless of place, time or circumstances. They will share a life path together and achieve something good together."

Haru threw an accusatory glance at her little finger before dropping her phone on the bed next to her and burying her face into her pillows. Her seventeenth birthday was supposed to be when she would finally be able to feel the tug of the thread to lead her to her destined person and all her excitement had ended in bitter disappointment. Her phone began to ring causing her to pad her hand around to grab it before bringing it up to her pillow mound.

'Hello?' she answered in a muffled tone.

'Haru where are you? Are you at home?' asked her best friend Hiromi.

'Maybe.' she murmured, her words still distorted by the pillow.

'Are you still sulking at home over Machida?' said Hiromi.

'I am not sulking!' objected Haru finally sitting up.

'Oh you definitely are.' snickered her best friend 'Come on Haru it's not the end of the world.'

Haru couldn't agree. She felt like the bottom of her world had fallen out. Her birthday was the day before and she had almost bounced out of bed with excitement which had alarmed her mother. She had enjoyed her breakfast and headed to school early ready for the red thread to pull her towards her crush as soon as she entered the classroom. Unfortunately there was nothing but a biting anti-climax followed by the realisation that there was no tug on her little finger and the one she had pinned her hopes on was not her destined person. She had managed to keep herself in check for the whole day but as soon as the final bell of the day tolled she ran. She went straight home to throw herself across her bed before letting the frustrated and disappointed tears fall.

'He's not worth it.' said Hiromi breaking Haru from her thoughts.

'I really thought he was the one.' she whispered 'I mean I had a crush on him.'

'Haru people can have crushes on those who aren't their soulmate. That's what we have boy bands for. Machida turned seventeen before you, didn't you realise that he wasn't suddenly paying you any extra attention?' asked her best friend.

'I guess I didn't even think about that.' she murmured.

Haru's stomach clenched. Thinking about it now, since his birthday a few months prior Machida had seemed to have taken interest in someone in another class. Haru had been so deep in her own day dream that she hadn't seen what was right in front of her. She threw herself back into her pillows.

'I'm going to die alone!' she declared.

'For goodness sake, will you stop being so dramatic!' scolded Hiromi 'You're seventeen not an old maid.'

'It's all right for you. You found your soulmate on your seventeenth birthday.' muttered Haru.

'Yeah well that was just luck. How many couples actually meet in high school?' replied Hiromi 'Come on Haru, one day will be your day!'

'I guess you're right.' she sighed thinking of her own parents who had randomly met in a haberdashery shop 'One day.'

'I'm always right.' responded Hiromi and Haru just knew she was grinning wildly 'Come on, don't mope it's still your birthday weekend. Let's go out, I'll treat you.'

'Where?' asked Haru.

'How about the cafe with that fat cat? I'll ask Chika if she wants to come as well. I'll get you your favourite sundae.' promised Hiromi.

'With two flakes?' asked Haru hopefully.

She heard her best friend snort.

'Yes with two flakes.' she agreed 'Now go wash your face and run a brush through you hair. I'll see you in an hour.'

'Thanks Hiromi.' replied Haru. 

She could always rely on her best friend to cheer her up.

'One day.' she whispered to herself.

Haru wandered to the meeting point. Her mood hadn't lifted much despite the promise of dessert and she couldn't help dragging her feet a little as she walked. The biggest excitement of her teenage life had turned into the biggest disappointment. Haru let out a sigh and shook her head in an attempt to clear the gloom surrounding her. She was jolted out of her daze as an arm slid through hers and took her hand. She looked over to see Hiromi grinning at her.

'I saw you walking aimlessly.' she said 'The speed you're moving at it will be dark before you arrive at the cafe.'

Haru couldn't help but giggle.

'That's better.' smiled Hiromi before squeezing Haru's hand and releasing it 'Come on, Chika will think that we've stood her up.'

'Okay.' replied Haru picking up her pace to follow her best friend.

They were just passing a man with an organ grinder when Haru felt a sharp tug on her finger. She looked down in surprise at her hand. She then looked up in the direction from where she had felt the pull. No-one was there.

'Haru!' called Hiromi doubling back on herself 'What's the matter?'

'I'm not sure.' she murmured rubbing her finger unconsciously 'I felt a pull from that direction.'

Hiromi followed her friend's gaze.

'There is nothing but back alleyways down there Haru. I really doubt your fated person is going to be down that path.' she replied.

'Yeah, you're probably right.' responded Haru 'Enough of this nonsense! Let's forget it all and celebrate my birthday!'

'That's the spirit.' grinned Hiromi linking arms with Haru and marching her to where their other friend was waiting for them.

Baron stood at the edge of the courtyard staring out through the archway that led to the Human world. He had been doing this more in recent times.

'Hey Birdbrain. What's he doing?' Muta called to Toto looking concerned.

Toto lifted his head from preening his feathers to look at Baron and then sighed.

'It's complicated.' he murmured.

Muta shot him a look of disbelief.

'Is it a creation thing?' he asked.

'No it's a Baron thing.' responded the crow.

'Oh.' murmured the cat.

It didn't sound like it was something to worry about so Muta returned to reading his newspaper. Although his eyes occasionally drifted to the cat creation.

Baron sighed and looked down at his gloved hand. Many years ago when he had been created a bright red thread was tied to his little finger linking him to the one he was created with. Unlike humans as a creation he could see the red thread of fate. When they had been separated the red thread gave him reassurance that she was still somewhere out in the world and they would meet again. The day the thread began to fizzle from view had been horrendous. In an instant he knew that she was no longer part of the living world. He had been swept into a depression and without Toto he really didn't know what he would have done. They say the bond never breaks but without her in the world what was the point? Baron threw himself into his work of assisting people and the Cat Bureau was born. Then seventeen years ago he had been alarmed to wake up one day to find a red thread wrapped around his little finger once again. What could it mean? He had followed the thread to the edge of the boundary of the Refuge and watched as it disappeared into the Human world. Occasionally like today he would feel a tug on the thread as whoever was on the other end neared by. Baron sighed. He didn't belong in the Human world. There he was a mere figurine. Also whoever was on the other end just couldn't be her. However no matter how much he dismissed it, the slightest pull he felt sent him almost running to the spot where he was currently standing. Maybe one day he would bravely cross between worlds or perhaps they would one day come and find him.

Baron's heart ached with loneliness. Whoever they were would no longer be Louise but perhaps if he could look past that then he could find happiness again. After all the thread meant they were destined to meet. Whoever they were had Louise's soul and he hoped they would be an open minded individual who held the same morals as himself. He felt the thread slacken as the individual moved away.

'One day.' he whispered to himself as he turned around to head back into the Bureau. 

[tcrmommabear]

Baron: I drink to forget... But I always remember.

Haru: ... You're drinking tea...?

[squaric-acid]

A Treat for the Eyes, Pt. 1

My contribution to the TCR Secret Santa 2023

I'm writing for @raythecomputerart, I hope you enjoy! I was going to write something short and sweet for the cozy tea party prompt but it got entangled with the high fashion prompt and this was the result.

=====

“Here’s your next assignment,” Natoru, assistant to the editor-in-chief of Cat Kingdom Magazine, said nasally, holding the manilla folder out to Muta.

Muta reached across the desk with a grumble.

“Probably another toothpaste ad,” he muttered under his breath.

Toto elbowed him hard in the ribs.

“It’s for Baron’s new collection. You’ll need to find a suitable model. Yuki’s called in sick again.”

Natoru hid it well but both Muta and Toto had known their boss’s simpering secretary long enough to detect the disdain in his voice for the magazine’s top model. Who also happened to be the fiancée of the editor’s son. Thankfully, neither Muta or Toto shared Natoru’s disdain for the model.

“Well, if it’s Baron’s work then it should be interesting,” Toto said cheerfully as Natoru sashayed out of the small office Toto and Muta shared.

Muta gave a long-suffering sigh as he flicked through the folder.

“Where are we going to find a suitable model in this short of time?”

~@~

“A modeling gig?” Haru gave Hiromi a quizzical look across the cafe table she was bussing.

“Not just any gig. Look!”

Hiromi shoved the flier in her skeptical friend’s face.

“It’s for Baron’s new spring collection!” Hiromi squealed.

Haru removed the flier from her face and gave it a glance.

“That’s nice,” Haru said blandly. “When did you hear about it?”

“Someone just put up a flier on the bulletin board. Some fatso from the photography department. Just as I was leaving.”

“That’s nice,” Haru said, turning back to her task.

“Oh, come on Haru! This is perfect for you! I know you’ve been angling for a change to work with Baron since you first laid eyes on his work.”

“Okay sure, but-“

“But nothing. Why not try? Yuki’s out sick and Louise is still in Kyoto.” A wheedling tone had snuck into Hiromi’s voice.

“Get serious, there’s no way he’d select me to be his model for his latest collection.”

~@~

Why does this always happen to me? Haru asked herself as she sat curled against the hallway wall outside of one of the many studio spaces in the Cat Kingdom Magazine’s creative department. A dozen or so models lingered around waiting to be assessed for their suitability and worthiness to model for Baron’s newest collection.

“Why did Hiromi have to call in sick? Now I’m here on my own!” Haru grumbled to herself. 

In the week since Hiromi had shoved the flier in her face, Haru had learned little else about Baron’s newest collection. She and Hiromi had clamored for spots in the modeling audition, luckily Haru’s second job at the cafe was accommodating. Despite being models for Cat Kingdom Magazine, the competition for the best gigs was cutthroat and she and Hiromi were among the more junior models.

Haru surveyed the other models all awaiting their turn to impress the famed designer. Baron was somewhat of an eccentric recluse amongst the top players in the fashion world. He always chose his models with the utmost care. And he favored the infamous photographer and stylist duo, Muta and Toto, for his shoots with the magazine.

The models around her all knew what a shoot like this could mean for their careers. They were dolled up to the nines and for models that’s saying a lot. Every single one harbored secret dreams of becoming Baron’s muse.

Haru, for all her aspirations in the fashion industry, had hardly bothered. Hiromi had convinced her to wear virtually no makeup to accentuate her features, instead of hiding them.

Muta and Toto worked extraordinarily well together but were exceedingly picky. Hence their infamy amongst the models of Cat Kingdom Magazine. When not called upon to work with Baron they often were out on small jobs, like toothpaste ads. If they were working for Baron on this shoot it meant that the standards would be astronomically high.

Hiromi and Haru had both done a couple gigs each with Muta and Toto for small ads. Cat Kingdom had originally been a talent acquisition company. It still kept up those programs and lots of models hoping to join the fashion seems started in Cat Kingdom’s talent agency. Apparently that’s how the son of Cat Kingdom’s editor came to know Yuki, one of the magazine supermodels. Haru and Hiromi had both met Yuki before, despite her newfound fame she always had the kindness of a hopeful new model.

The next model was called in to audition and Haru was pulled from her thoughts. She wondered if either Toto or Muta would recognize her. She wasn’t sure she wanted them to.

One by one the models went in and then came out. Each one sporting the tight smile of one who had been let down politely but rather scathingly too.

Soon Haru was alone in the hall. She stood and smoothed the wrinkles of her long skirt. She’d worn her favorite lacy socks and a pair of sandals over them. In retrospect not the most fashionable choice for an aspiring model.

Haru hadn’t been terribly self-conscious before this moment but she was now. And as the previous model exited with a classless upturned nose Haru felt her stomach sink down to rest around her toes.

“He’s so uptight,” she heard the previous model hiss to her friends who were waiting for her at the end of the hall.

“No wonder Louise left him.”

Haru felt her mouth go inexplicably dry. 

=====

I do hope you enjoyed this! Stay tuned for parts 2, 3, and 4!

[ro-visiting-the-bureau]

TCR Birthday Bash 2023 Prompts!

The votes are in, here is the official TCR Birthday Bash prompt list!

The Cat Returns Birthday Bash will be running from July 16th to July 22nd (7/16-7/22), to celebrate the anniversary of The Cat Returns. The prompts for this year’s bash are:

Sun 16th - Musical/Music

Mon 17th - Masquerade

Tues 18th - Revenge

Wed 19th - Secret Heritage

Thurs 20th - Happy Birthday/Free Day

Fri 21st - Beach Episode

Sat 22nd - Sci-Fi

Thank you to everyone who voted, and I cannot wait to see all of the awesome prompts we have this year!

[sindysugar]

I gotchu @catsafarithewriter !

The Cat Returns Coffee Shop AU ✨

[spacegaze-png]

"this user kins haru (the cat returns)" userbox - @clarelabellerose

DO NOT EDIT | REBLOG IF USING

[catsafarithewriter]

Honestly, this works perfectly imo. Throughout TCR, we see that Haru is kind and stubborn, but woefully lacking in confidence. Given that by the end of her adventure, not only has she gained that confidence, but also had it confirmed that she did the right thing by helping, this is the natural next step for her character

Also I think it's easy to forget, but "sticking your nose in other people's business" is a phrase that Muta uses first for Haru – and then Baron echoes it later to the Cat King. Haru is the original one this applies to

So yeah, Haru going out of her way to help other people, even if they didn't ask in as many words, feels like exactly where her character was primed to go after TCR

i couldn't tell you why exactly but i enjoy putting haru in a position where she's kind of Extending the same need to repay kindness that the cat king can be surmised to have without realizing she's playing into that circle of gratitude

she's naturally kind already, and with the events of the movie showing her just how powerful and how meaningful even her small actions can be, i do like the idea of her looking at some of the other characters who have helped her and offered her so much guidance, etc. and feeling that there must be something she can do in return for them as well

which is probably why i have a couple stories that only come about bc she sees some old hurt just covered up with a band-aid and wonders if maybe a little New Blood might be the trick to get that process going

i just like the idea of a haru who gets very determined and stubborn as she gets older, but never for the purposes of wounding someone, and not necessarily in a bull-headed or Sassy way, but just that she will see a problem that's not being dealt with and roll up her sleeves to go apply some gentle but Unending pressure lmao

she can be reasoned with of course! sometimes she doesn't understand all the nuances of what she's trying to fix. but sometimes she does manage to bring in a new perspective, i think, for problems that are Ages Old

[gentlemewn]

Wait. 😐 Wait. 🫤 WAIT! 😡

[catsafarithewriter]

I really should write more already-dating Haru/Baron because it's one of my absolute favourite vibes

Gimme Haru "shouted down a king once and now nothing fazes her" Yoshioka dating dramatic mess Baron von "once had a costume change before saving his client" Gikkingen any day of the week

[ikemengoessbrrrrr]

Sooo... I rewatch this movie

[lin-iva]

TCR Birthday Bash 2023 Day 6: Beach Day

Hiromi and Toto moment time, hehe. Enjoy ;)

[cymraegdragon21]

The Mystic Library

Birthday Bash Prompt 2 - Library/Museum

This prompt totally ran away from me and ended up far longer than I initially planned. Oops! Enjoy :)

Haru sighed as she browsed through a local job site. Nothing was really jumping out at her. She was coming to the end of high school and had decided that it would be a good idea to get a part time job that would help support her when she began her course at university. The problem was there were a lot of teenagers in the same position as her and a limited number of jobs offering shift work. She turned her head at the knock on her bedroom door. 

'Having any luck sweetheart?' asked her mother as she popped her head around the door frame.

'Not really.' murmured Haru 'I'll keep looking.'

'Why don't you take a walk down the Crossroads. There are a number of cafes and small businesses who might be looking for part time staff. They may not use these sites.' suggested her mother.

'That's a good idea.' smiled Haru 'I could do with some fresh air as well.'

'I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.' replied Naoko.

'Thanks Mom.' responded Haru as she began to hunt around her room for her bag.

After she had located her bag and decided which light jacket to wear, her laptop let out a ping catching her attention. She moved across to the screen to see a pop up box advertising a new job. Her eyes widened as she read that it was for a part time library assistant. Haru loved books and her father had been a librarian so it was something close to her heart. She read over the short advert. The hours seemed reasonable and the salary negotiable, it sounded ideal. A frown formed across her brow when she read the name of the library. Mystic Library? She had never heard of it. Perhaps it was some sort of private niche library. Whatever it was she felt it would be worthwhile sending an email of interest. Haru quickly attached her cv and sent off the email before heading out into town.

Hours later Haru returned with sore feet and her spirit low. The business owners had all been nice but behind their smiles she knew they were unconsciously saying 'don't get your hopes up.' With a sigh she flung herself across her bed and stared at the ceiling. She pulled out her mobile to give her best friend a call but before she could locate her number she realised that she had received an email. 

'Probably just junk.' she murmured to herself.

Haru shot up from her bed when she realised it was a response from the Mystic Library and not only that the email was inviting her to an interview the next day if she was available. Her stomach swirled slightly with excitement and apprehension as she replied accepting the interview. Haru looked at the address and realised it wasn't far from where she had been during the day but she couldn't recall ever seeing a library in the area. She shook her head and laughed. There was no way she was going to miss this opportunity!

The next morning Haru dressed in a light green top and cream skirt. Her mother had already left for the day so she hadn't been able to tell her about the interview. Perhaps that was wise in case it turned out to be a flop. She made her way back towards the Crossroads and then followed the directions down an alleyway. There in what appeared to be a brick wall was a very unassuming looking door. Haru went to knock on the wood but as her knuckles brushed against it the door gently swung open. Haru peered into the darkened hallway.

'Umm hello?' she called.

'You here for the interview?' came a gruff voice ' Come on in.'

'Oh right, yes.' she replied as she entered and shut the door behind her.

She headed down the short corridor into the main room before coming to a halt. Her eyebrows shot up as she saw who had invited her in.

'A giant cat!' she squeaked.

'A human?' he replied with equal surprise 'How did you get in here?'

Haru was confused by the question.

'I was invited for an interview. Why are you surprised? I attached my cv to my email of interest.' she said in confusion.

'Ah I never looked at that. Your enthusiasm was jumping off the screen.' he murmured 'Are you sure that you're human?'

'Yes.' replied Haru 'What else would I be?'

'I don't know. A witch or perhaps fae.' muttered the cat 'You must have the sight. If you didn't there is no way you would have seen the advert let alone found one of the library entrances.'

Haru stared at him feeling perplexed.

'It's a library of magical books. We have books on pretty much everything related to any area of magic.' he explained.

'Whoa.' murmured Haru as her mouth dropped open.

The cat looked at her critically.

'Are you certain there is nothing that makes you stand out from regular humans?' he asked.

'Well I can talk to cats. I thought you would have realised that from our conversation.' she murmured.

The cat looked at her in surprise before letting out a loud laugh.

'Oh yeah. Why didn't I realise that?!' he chucked 'You're all right kid. I think you'll fit in well here.'

'You're giving me the job?' Haru asked in surprise.

'Well yeah unless you no longer want it. Obviously there are things like hours and salary to discuss,' he replied as he held out his paw 'I'm Muta.'

'Hello Muta.' she smiled 'I'm Haru.'

Muta nodded before he beckoned her to follow him.

'I'll give you a quick tour. The library isn't open to the public just yet. I know it will take time to learn everything and don't worry I won't throw you into the deep end.' he grinned.

'Okay.' she replied as she followed him.

'I'm some ways we are not any different from a regular human library. We have all our books catalogued and our members can order books for collection. We have a number of different sections. Over there is potions and charms. We also have a section for alchemy, divination, etc. At the back there is a reference section for our older more valuable books.' he explained as they walked between the stacks.

'What is in that area?' asked Haru seeing a darkened section behind metal gates.

Muta let out an uncomfortable growl.

'They are books on black magic. They are completely off limits to anyone. They are just kept for posterity but never to be used.' he said.

Haru nodded feeling relieved that those sort of magical books weren't freely available.

'Let's head back to the office and we can discuss terms and conditions etc for your employment.' he continued.

'Great.' nodded Haru 'I think that I'm going to love working here.'

Haru settled into the job like a duck to water. She was able to pick up the computer system quickly and she wasn't phased by any of the library members who visited. It turned out that the library could be reached from numerous realms. They even had a special window for centaurs to collect books they had ordered or to return. Haru was sorting out some returned books ready for them to be put back on the shelves when something red caught her eye. She looked around to see a girl wearing a bright red bow in her hair standing at the counter.

'Oh hello.' smiled Haru 'How can I help?'

'My mom has ordered a potions book. She asked us to come and collect it.' explained the girl.

'No problem.' replied Haru 'What is your mother's name and I'll look it up on the computer. Also do you have her card?'

'Her name is Kokiri. I have her card somewhere.' she said rummaging in her bag.

A small noise made Haru look down to see a small black cat circling around the girl's ankles.

'How cute.' she thought.

'Here it is!.' smiled the young teen as she presented the card.

'Great.' responded Haru 'Hold tight and I'll get the book for you now.'

After she had waved the girl off Haru couldn't help but smile. How lucky had she been to come across such a perfect job. Her boss, although a bit of a grump seemed like a big softy and all the customers were really nice. Having finished sorting the returned books Haru decided to open the box of new stock that had been ordered and would need to be added to the catalogue. She bent down under the counter to reach for the box not realising that someone was approaching.

'Excuse me Miss.' came a voice.

Haru jolted up suddenly bashing the back of her head on the underside of the counter with a loud crack. She winced at the pain.

'I'm ever so sorry.' continued the voice in a mortified tone.

'It's not a problem.' murmured Haru 'I'm rather clumsy.'

She resurfaced with pinkened cheeks due to her embarrassment and suddenly came to a stand still at the sight of a pair of concerned yellow green eyes. She stared at him for a moment before she shook her head to bring herself to her senses but only resulted in her wincing again.

'Are you sure that you're all right?' he asked.

'Yes, I'm fine.' she assured him 'How can I help?'

'I'm looking to register.' he replied.

'Oh yes no problem. Let me just grab you a form to complete.' she nodded as she turned to rummage in the drawer for a registration form. 'Here you go.'

'Thank you.' he smiled.

As their newest member completed his form Haru couldn't help but look him over. At first she had thought he was just a smartly dressed cat in a top hat and tails but once she had handed over the form she realised he had hands and his build was more like a human. A half-cat she presumed.

'Here you go.' he finally said offering her the completed form.

'Great. I'll just get that processed and can get your card ready .....' responded Haru before trailing off having seen the length of his name.

He let out a light laugh.

'You can call me Baron.' he replied as if reading her mind.

'Thank you Baron, I'm Haru.' she nodded 'If you need any help please let me know or my boss is around somewhere. He's a large white cat.'

'Thank you Miss Haru. I will do just that.' he answered tipping his hat.

A few days later Haru was sorting out a book display when three faun youngsters came barrelling around the corner nearly knocking it over.

'Hey.' she called out to them.

The fauns stopped and looked up with terrified eyes.

'This isn't a playground so no running please. How about doing some colouring in instead?' she continued.

They looked at her in confusion at first before she produced some paper and crayons and they happily sat around a table allowing their parents to browse in peace.

'You were very good with them.' came a voice.

Haru turned to see Baron leaning against one of the bookcases.

'Baron!' she smiled.

He always seemed to pop in every time Haru was on shift to either check out a book or look something up in the reference section.

'Well I know about human children from babysitting. I'm not really such about magical children.' she continued 'The colouring seems to have worked though.'

'They aren't that different.' he replied.

'Do you have children?' she asked curiously

'Oh no.' he chuckled 'I'm not married. I was thinking of my sister's brood.'

'Oh I see.' smiled Haru 'I was considering asking Muta about whether we could create a children's section and perhaps to crafts and maybe story time.'

'I think it would be a wonderfully received.' nodded Baron 'Hopefully your suggestion will be taken into consideration.'

'Yes I hope so.' she smiled.

Haru's life was going well. She had a great part time job that she really enjoyed and the people she interacted with were really friendly. On top of that she had achieved the grades required to attend her university course. She had however become a little alarmed when she started to develop a crush but she decided to keep that under wraps. Everything was perfect until her mother dropped a surprise on her that made her worried that she might lose what she had grown to love.

'What's the matter kid?' asked Muta.

'Matter?' she repeated.

'Yeah. You've been skulking around all afternoon and giving me lots of guilty looks. Even the regulars have noticed.' he murmured 'Did you break something?'

'No!' squeaked Haru 'It's just that I need to ask something and I felt awkward as I haven't been working here for longer than a couple of months.'

'Well what is it?' replied Muta scratching his chin.

Haru took in a deep breath and explained how her mother had surprised her with a long weekend away to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. She would need to miss some of her shifts and she felt guilty. Muta smirked.

'Chicky I'm not a tyrant. If you need a couple of days off all you needed to do was ask.' he said 'I'll ask Mabel and see if she can cover your shifts.'

'Really?' replied Haru in a small voice.

'Really.' he nodded before laughing.

'Thanks Muta.' she exclaimed before wrapping her arms around the large cat's middle.

Almost a week later Haru was back to work. The trip had been amazing and she had enjoyed spending some quality time with her mother. She equally couldn't wait to get back to the library as she loved her job. She was just setting her bag down in the office when Muta came strolling in.

'Hey Chicky. Good trip?' he asked.

'It was great, thank you.' she grinned 'Did I miss anything here?'

'Same old, same old.' he murmured; Well apart from the fact you have an admirer.'

'What?' exclaimed Haru spinning around 'Who?'

'A certain well dressed gentleman who was rather put out to find Mabel behind the counter instead of you when he visited. He was rather disappointed to find that you would be gone nearly a week from here.' he explained.

'Don't be silly.' replied Haru feeling her cheeks flush 'I'm just a very efficient library assistant.'

'Keep believing what you like kid but I saw the look on his face.' laughed her boss.

Haru stared at him wordlessly.

'Now my very efficient assistant, we've had a few orders come in so would you mind finding the books and letting the customers know when they are ready to collect?' he asked.

Haru nodded mutely. Still unable to find her voice.

Haru enjoyed finding the books on order as it meant that she got to explore the different sections within the library. The only problem was she seemed to be cursed that often the book she was looking for was on the top shelf. She stretched up brushing her finger tips against the spine. She could easily go and get the set of steps but her stubborn nature seemed to like the idea of persevering and getting the book without them. She stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arm as far as it could go. Suddenly a gloved hand reached over her head and removed the book she had been trying to get hold of.

'Here you go.' a voice said.

Haru spun around quickly coming face to face with a blue bowtie. She looked up to find Baron looking down at her. She realised how close he was.

'T-thanks.' she stuttered as he offered her the book.

'You're welcome.' he smiled stepping back 'Did you have a good trip?'

'Yes thank you. It was great.' she nodded with a smile.

'I'm pleased to hear that although this place wasn't the same without you.' he replied.

'Why? Did you miss me?' she asked teasingly.

'Yes.' he nodded.

'What?!' she exclaimed.

Had Muta been right?

'Miss Haru I might as well come clean. Although some of the books I had checked out I have needed for my work as an apprentice mage, some of my visits have been to spend time in your presence.' explained Baron 'I was wondering if you might like to join me for tea at some point.'

Haru looked up and could see the sincere look in his eyes. A shy smile spread across her face.

'I finish at 5pm.' she replied.

Baron returned her smile as he removed his hat and placed over his heart as he bowed towards her.

'Then I will return at 5pm to meet you.' he promised.

Haru nodded.

'Hey lovebirds this is not the time for flirting!' called Muta causing Haru to go bright red.

Baron chuckled before taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.

'Until this evening then' he murmured before turning to leave.

Haru watched him leave before turning to her boss who was still laughing at her.

'Told you.' he smirked.

Haru couldn't help but smile. The Mystic Library was truly magical. It was opening doors to her that she could never have dreamed of and she couldn't wait to explore them.