Heading downstairs, Ichin drove while taking Yukino with him to the pet supply store. The plan was to buy cat food first, then stop by the supermarket for ingredients.
As he drove, Ichin could clearly feel that Yukino was in a very good mood.
"Happy?" he asked.
Yukino smiled and nodded. "Mm. I'm really happy, going out together like this."
Hearing that, Ichin smiled as well. "From now on, if you want to go out together, just tell me."
"Mm, I will."
Soon, the two of them arrived at the pet supply store they frequented. They went in and bought several large bags of cat food, along with quite a few cans of wet food—all things the cats at home loved.
Since they didn't need to browse anywhere else in the mall and there was quite a lot to carry, they had the staff use a small cargo trolley to help deliver everything down to the mall's underground parking lot, where it was loaded into the car's trunk.
With the cat food taken care of, next came ingredients for dinner.
However, since lunch had been a bit too extravagant, after a brief discussion they decided to keep dinner simple and just make noodles.
The ingredients were simple enough. There were still two pieces of meat at home, so there was no need to buy any more—just some noodles and a few vegetables would do.
Besides, tomorrow they were already planning to go out for a movie and a group meal, so there wouldn't be any cooking anyway.
They finished shopping quickly and exited the supermarket. Next on the list was buying milk tea for everyone.
But before they even reached the milk tea shop across from the supermarket, Yukino spotted a newly opened storefront on the opposite side of the street.
"Over there—a new cat café just opened!"
Her voice was filled with obvious excitement and curiosity.
Ichin raised his hand and glanced at his watch, then smiled. "It's still early—just not even two yet. Want to go hang out for half an hour?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Yukino nodded repeatedly.
Normally, aside from bookstores and places to buy groceries, Yukino's favorite spots were undoubtedly pet supply stores and places like cat cafés.
As for cat cafés in Tokyo, she'd basically been to all of them. So with a brand-new one opening, there was no way she wouldn't be excited.
With everything already loaded into the car, it was convenient for them to go anywhere. Ichin directly took Yukino's hand and said, "Let's go check it out. We'll come back and buy the milk tea here afterward."
Arriving at the newly opened cat café, Yukino instantly threw herself into the cats' paradise, to the point that she almost ignored Ichin standing right next to her.
Ichin didn't get upset at all. Instead, after ordering two cups of coffee and some cat treats, he leisurely admired the sight of Yukino petting the cats.
After a moment's thought, Ichin took out his phone and snapped a couple of photos, sending them to Utaha at home.
There's a newly opened cat café near the supermarket. I brought Yukino here to play for half an hour. We'll head back after that.
Back at home, Utaha—who was currently playing mahjong with everyone—saw the message and passed the news along.
Haruno leaned over to take a look at the photos and laughed. "Yukino's still the same as ever—she can't move once she sees cats. That's fine, though. I'm still pretty full anyway, no rush for milk tea."
Across from her, Yagami Kō spoke up after discarding a tile. "Speaking of which, when Yukino goes to places like cat cafés, she ends up smelling like a bunch of other cats. When she comes back, will those little ones get mad? Our little troublemaker at home—aside from the cats here and Mochi—gets really irritated if she smells another cat."
"It's probably fine," Haruno said after thinking back. "There've been plenty of times when Yukino went out alone to buy books and then stopped by a cat café. When she came back, those little guys didn't really react. Maybe they're just used to being around a big group of cats."
Thinking about it, that made sense. Besides having lots of cats at home, when Yukino brought them to the company, they'd also encounter cats kept by other employees. At first they might not have been used to it, but over time they stopped reacting much to the extra cat scents.
The four cats at Yukino's place—both the two adults and the two kittens—were all fairly laid-back in personality. They didn't overthink things.
"Utaha, it's your turn," Kō reminded her.
Hearing that, Utaha immediately put down her phone and drew a tile.
"Ron!"
"Ugh!!!!"
The perspective returned to the cat café. After seeing Utaha's reply and confirming that no one was in a hurry for milk tea, Ichin relaxed, sipping his coffee while watching Yukino pet the cats.
However, once the cat treats came out, more and more cats gathered around Yukino. She quickly found herself overwhelmed and hurried back to her seat, bringing over just one Persian cat and one Ragdoll.
As cats qualified to work at a cat café, both of them had excellent temperaments. They obediently lay on Yukino's lap, letting her stroke them while occasionally nibbling on the treats, their expressions full of enjoyment.
Ichin didn't pick a cat for himself. Compared to that, he preferred watching Yukino instead.
After a while, as Yukino lifted her coffee, she finally noticed Ichin's gaze. When her eyes met his, a pretty blush spread across her face.
"Don't look at me like that. There are lots of customers around."
Ichin glanced around and smiled. "Don't worry. Everyone's focused on petting cats—no one's looking at us. And compared to the cats, I think you're much cuter, Yukino. Hmm… how about buying a cat-ear headband for you to wear sometime? I think it'd suit you pretty well."
When it came to cat-ear headbands, Ichin couldn't help but think of Azusa Nakano from K-On!. While Yukino wasn't as airheadedly cute as Azusa, if she wore cat ears, the contrast with her usual cool demeanor would definitely have an overwhelming impact.
Yukino naturally knew what a cat-ear headband was. Without a second thought, she said, "No!"
That reaction was completely within Ichin's expectations. He simply smiled and nodded. "Alright, alright. You won't wear it."
As for whether she'd end up wearing it later—that would depend on when Ichin chose to bring it up.
Hmm. And besides cat-ear headbands… maybe a maid outfit, too? A maid outfit and all that—he should prepare one for Yukino as well, right?
Seriously, the more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
Across from him, Yukino saw the smile on Ichin's face and felt a faint sense of unease. She could more or less guess what he was planning.
To be honest, she didn't really have many ways to deal with it. Judging by the situation, cat-ear headbands were probably unavoidable for her.
After half an hour at the cat café, once their coffee was finished, the two finally left, bought the milk tea everyone wanted, and drove back to the apartment.
Even though they hadn't been out for very long—and even though Ichin had unilaterally "reserved" a cat-ear headband for her—Yukino still had a great time.
After parking the car, just as Yukino was about to get out, Ichin suddenly grabbed her.
"Yukino, you didn't forget your sneak attack this morning, did you?"
"Eh?"
----
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +70 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for the support! 🙌