Your prideful tsundere boyfriend turned himself into a cat boy on your anniversary and he's doing his best to hide it from you.

This is the sixth bot for the Arcadia series which is a bunch of frat boys who are members of Arcadia.

Released bots in the series:
Renzo Igarashi
Renzo | His Birthday
Renzo | Pining Ex
Renzo | Your Birthday
Renzo | Wedding

Webtoon Lore Accurate-ish Bot:
Renzo | Fire Lord

Cain Axton (Original)
Ethan Forte
Dustin Dyden
Abel Axton
Leonardo Verlice
Felip Torres

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Mentions of child abuse, drowning, violence


RENZO'S THEME SONG:
BAD COLD BY DPR IAN


PLOT:
Some things in life are certain: the moon rises at night, nature recycles everything, art is what rich people buy when they run out of yachts, and Renzo Igarashi's pride will absolutely, definitely get him into trouble.

It's a simple enough spell, really. The kind of thing magical kindergarteners can master before nap time. Turn yourself into a catboy. Easy. Elementary. Except Renzo Igarashi—top student, rugby MVP, heir to a law firm empire, and possessor of an ego that could be seen from space—can't seem to manage it.

Which wouldn't be a problem, except that Renzo's never failed at anything in his life.* And when the fraternity president suggests maybe Renzo should start with something simpler, like turning a leaf into a flower, well. That's basically a declaration of war.

So Renzo does what any reasonable person would do: he spends a week locked in his room trying to prove everyone wrong through sheer bloody-minded determination. He succeeds. Sort of. He manages to sprout cat ears, a tail, fangs, and claws.

The problem? He can't turn back.

The bigger problem? He has an anniversary date with his beloved in exactly one hour.

The biggest problem? Renzo would rather face his terrifying parents, his overachieving brothers, and the entire Arcadia fraternity than admit he's made a mistake. Even when that mistake is currently swishing behind him and refuses to stop expressing emotions, he'd rather die than acknowledge.

Armed with nothing but a cap, a jacket, and the kind of confidence that comes from never having learned the word "help," Renzo sets out to have a normal anniversary dinner.

What could possibly go wrong?

*This is not strictly true, but Renzo has an excellent memory for his successes and a convenient amnesia regarding everything else.

SUGGESTED RESPONSES
This is for those people who for the life of them can't think of a response, but want to RP. Don't worry Aster will think for you! Someone complained they still don't know what to RP despite the suggested responses. You guys like being spoon-fed like a child goddamn! But anyway. Here's a different version for you if you can't think ALL YOU LITERALLY HAVE TO DO IS COPY PASTE IT. You're free to add onto it. But there. No more thinking. Just copy and pasting.

Fluff Route 💖 (Soft, comforting, and heartwarming)

{{user}} studied Renzo's profile as the streetlights painted gold across his sharp features, noticing the way his jaw was set just a little too tight, the way his fingers—were those his nails? they looked longer somehow—drummed against the steering wheel in that nervous pattern he thought she didn't recognize. She'd learned to read him over the years, learned the difference between his real confidence and the mask he wore like armor.

"Weeks to get a reservation?" she said softly, reaching over to rest her hand on his thigh, feeling the unusual tension there. "You didn't have to go through so much trouble, Ren. Though I appreciate it." She squeezed gently, her thumb brushing over what felt like an odd bulge under his jacket—probably just the fabric bunching. "You seem tense. Is everything okay? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

She twisted the promise ring on her finger absently, a habit she'd developed whenever she worried about him. There was something he wasn't telling her—there was always something he wasn't telling her—but she'd learned that pushing Renzo Igarashi was like trying to move a mountain with a teaspoon. Sometimes love meant waiting for him to come to her.

Angst Route 💔 (Emotional, painful, and cathartic)

{{user}} felt something cold settle in her stomach as Renzo deflected her question about the cap, that sharp edge in his voice she knew meant he was hiding something. Again. Always again. She settled into the passenger seat, but her hands stayed in her lap instead of reaching for him like she wanted to.

"Right. Something different," she repeated, her voice quieter than she intended. She stared at the promise ring on her finger—the one that was supposed to mean honesty, trust, a future together. "Renzo, when was the last time you actually told me what was going on with you? And I mean really told me, not the edited version you think I want to hear?"

The pregnancy test hidden in her purse felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. She'd planned to tell him tonight, at dinner, with candles and the romance he pretended he wasn't capable of. But looking at him now—the defensive set of his shoulders, the way he wouldn't quite meet her eyes, those strange claws clicking against the steering wheel—she wondered if there was room in his carefully controlled world for one more secret. Or if she was just another thing he had to manage, to keep at arm's length while he slowly destroyed himself trying to be perfect.

"Never mind," she said, turning to look out the window. "I'm hungry. Let's just go."

Dead Dove Route ☠️ (Intense, violent, and morally gray)

{{user}} didn't start the car.

{{user}} went very still in the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on Renzo's hands gripping the steering wheel. Those weren't his hands. Those were claws. Sharp, unmistakable claws where his nails should be. And when he'd fumbled with her seatbelt, she'd caught a glimpse of something—fangs?—behind his lips.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she kept her breathing steady. Years of dating Renzo had taught her that showing fear or surprise was the fastest way to make him shut down completely. But this? This was beyond his usual secrets, beyond the scars on his thighs he thought she didn't know about, beyond the anxiety attacks he hid in locked bathrooms.

"Renzo," she said, her voice unnaturally calm, "your nails are different." She reached out slowly, deliberately, and caught his right hand before he could pull away. The claws were warm under her fingers, undeniably real. "And you're wearing a cap indoors. And a jacket in this heat. And you wouldn't hug me."

She tilted her head, studying him with the kind of intensity that had always unnerved him. "So either you're having some kind of breakdown and you've done something to hurt yourself again—" her voice cracked slightly on 'again,' "—or something else is happening. Something you think I can't handle knowing about."

She didn't let go of his hand. "Pull over. Right now. We're not going anywhere until you tell me the truth."

Silly Route 😂 (Absurd, goofy, and lighthearted)

{{user}} bit her lip trying not to laugh as Renzo's cap slipped slightly when he turned his head, revealing what looked suspiciously like a fuzzy blonde ear. An ear that definitely shouldn't be there. She glanced down at his hands on the steering wheel—those were absolutely claws clicking against the leather—and something clicked in her mind.

Oh no. Oh no, he didn't.

"Renzo," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady, "did you try that transformation spell Felip was teaching?"

She watched his entire body go rigid, his tail—because yes, that was definitely a tail making his jacket sit weird—puffing up under the fabric.

"The one you said was 'so elementary' and 'basically insulting to attempt'?" She couldn't hold back the giggle anymore. "Oh my god. Renzo. Are you a catboy right now? Is that what's under the cap?"

She reached over and, before he could stop her, flicked the cap off his head. Blonde cat ears immediately popped up, flattening against his skull in what could only be described as mortification.

"Oh my GOD, you're adorable!" she squealed, completely forgetting about their fancy dinner reservation. "And you can't reverse it, can you? That's why you're panicking! Renzo Igarashi, rugby MVP and magical prodigy, is stuck as a catboy on our anniversary!"

She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "This is the best anniversary gift ever. Do you purr? Please tell me you purr."

Romantic Route 💞 (Passionate, heartfelt, and intimate)

{{user}} watched Renzo drive, cataloging all the small details that didn't quite add up—the cap he never wore, the jacket in warm weather, the distance he'd kept when normally he'd have pulled her close by now. But more than that, she noticed the tension radiating from him in waves, the barely concealed panic in those emerald eyes she knew better than her own.

"Renzo," she said softly, reaching up to touch his jaw, feeling him flinch before leaning into her palm—always that moment of resistance before surrender. "Look at me. Please."

When he glanced over, she caught the flash of something sharp—fangs?—and made a decision. She reached up and gently, slowly, removed his cap.

The blonde cat ears that emerged were trembling slightly, flattened against his head in anxiety. Instead of shock or laughter, {{user}} felt her heart swell with something protective and tender.

"There you are," she whispered, running her fingers gently along one soft ear, watching it twitch under her touch. "Was this what you were so worried about? Did you really think this would change how I feel about you?"

She leaned closer, studying the way his eyes had gone wide with vulnerability, the way he looked ready to bolt despite being trapped in the driver's seat. "You're still you, Ren. Still the man I fell in love with in high school. Still the one who gave me this ring." She held up her hand, letting the promise catch the light. "Still the father of our—"

She stopped, realizing she'd almost revealed her own secret. Instead, she cupped his face in both hands, careful of the claws, and smiled. "Pull over. I want to see all of you properly. And then we can figure out the reversal spell together. Like we do everything else. Together."

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Thank you so much to Chris for the commission! He really is a big fan of Arcadia, haha so thank you for all the commissions you have done for the boys! It's really such an honour.

IF YOU ENJOY MY BOTS AND YOU WANT TO GET MORE ALTERNATE SCENARIOS, READ SHORT STORIES OF MY CHARACTERS, AND EVEN READ THE NOVEL OF ARCADIA THEN WHY NOT SUPPORT ME?

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