"Cat House"—a simple name for a restaurant tucked away in an especially remote corner of the city. At first glance, one might wonder if a place like this actually got customers.
The owner of Cat House was also the chef, dressed in what could only be described as Western-style kitchen attire.
Li Mo knocked on the door and asked, "Excuse me, do you have a menu?"
"Of course. It's still early though—are you sure you want to eat now?"
"Indeed. Irregular meals don't really affect my body, but they do make my mind feel a bit off. Care to chat, owner?" Li Mo walked in and took a seat at the counter, speaking casually.
The owner, a middle-aged man, replied, "Oh? Well, I've got time now. Chatting with a customer isn't bad. Earlier, you were looking at the shop's door—was it because of the cute cat ornament?"
"It is cute. My neighbor loves cats—if she found this place, she'd probably never leave. But I don't really favor cats or dogs. I'm more interested in other things. Like whether the other side of that door leads to another world."
Li Mo's gaze remained fixed on the door. The mystery it held was unusual, giving him an unfamiliar sensation. If he had to compare it to something, there were two similar experiences: first, when he left a certain magical world, the brief delay in his return caused by a sudden outburst had given him a strange feeling. The second was in another world, when he entered the consciousness space of a powerful being.
Both experiences were tied to crossing worlds, touching upon the profound mysteries of time and space.
Li Mo's memory wasn't bad—he had stored away information about Cat House in his mind. Plus, in a world where beings like Tohru, a dragon from another world, existed, the idea of traveling to another dimension wasn't far-fetched.
"Customer, I have no idea what you're talking about," the owner denied Li Mo's claims.
He was tight-lipped, likely dismissing Li Mo as some kind of delusional person. After all, in Tokyo, you could run into all sorts of odd people.
For now, Li Mo couldn't sense any other mysteries beyond the door. Even the energy within it seemed dormant, inactive.
"I'll take a look at the menu first."
"Sure, here you go."
To his surprise, Li Mo found several Chinese dishes listed. He asked if they were adjusted to local tastes or kept authentic. The owner said he could do both.
Good.
Their conversation continued idly as Li Mo kept sensing the door's hidden secrets. From his perspective, he couldn't fully grasp its nature—would he have to consume the door to understand it?
But Li Mo knew the door activated on Saturdays.
"Owner, do you close on weekends?"
"Yes," the owner replied.
Time passed, and as mealtime approached, Li Mo began waiting for his food. During this time, he also learned about the restaurant's usual clientele. Located in a business district surrounded by office buildings, Cat House mainly served salarymen.
Among them, Li Mo's leisurely attire stood out. But the awkwardness didn't last long.
"Hey, boss! We're back—huh?"
Another group of customers entered—ones Li Mo happened to know well. Among them was a woman dressed in a masculine style, wearing glasses—Kobayashi.
Behind her stood a maid-clad dragon, along with her coworkers and other dragons.
The other customers didn't seem to notice anything unusual—likely due to some kind of perception filter. But Li Mo could see the owner's expression turn weary.
"Li-san? What are you doing here?" Kobayashi asked.
"Kobayashi, it's the weekend. As a student, isn't it normal for me to be anywhere?" Li Mo replied.
Kobayashi nodded wistfully. "True. I envy you students. Unlike us, stuck working even on weekends."
"At least you get overtime pay."
"That measly pay isn't worth the lost rest. Right, Takiya?"
"Yeah, I'd rather stay home and play games," Takiya said.
The conversation shifted to gaming. Takiya, a clean-cut, handsome guy, had surprisingly nerdy hobbies. According to him, he and Kobayashi got along because of their shared interests.
Soon, their orders arrived. The two dragons, Kanna and Tohru, couldn't really join the conversation.
"Earlier, when you walked in, the owner looked kind of annoyed. What happened?" Li Mo asked.
"That was Tohru's doing," Kobayashi admitted. "Normally, the owner closes on weekends. But two weeks ago, I mentioned craving food from here, so Tohru went ahead and made him open."
Kobayashi wasn't socially clueless. As a woman holding a key position in her company, her intelligence and emotional awareness were sharp.
Tohru scratched her head sheepishly.
The owner approached and said, "Starting next Saturday, we'll be closed again. Miss Tohru, you can still pick up takeout then, but no dining in."
"Wait, what?" Kobayashi blinked.
"Ah, so Tohru didn't tell you?" the owner said.
"Hehe," Tohru grinned. "Actually, on Saturdays, this place serves a customer from another world. Last time, I just barged in using magic. Things got a little heated with one of the employees. Honestly, I was surprised—who knew the staff here was also a dragon?"
She went on to explain what had happened two weeks ago. As a dragon capable of crossing worlds, Tohru naturally knew spatial magic. She easily forced her way into Cat House, which led to a fight with one of the waiters—another dragon. The battle between the two had been intense.
But Cat House itself had its own powers. It quelled the fight, though the cost was shifting its interdimensional opening hours from Saturday to Sunday.
Kobayashi immediately made Tohru apologize again.
The owner waved it off. "It's fine. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, that's what matters. I'm honored you enjoy my cooking, Miss Kobayashi."
As the socializing continued, Li Mo's eyes gleamed.
It seemed he had found his solution.