Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 12. "Boys Cooking and Playing with Cats"

Wind chimes are ringing.

"I am back."

The twilight-tinged air flowed into the room the moment the door opened, and a girl in a vibrant crimson uniform walked into the store.

Mami heard the voice, opened the curtain and walked out of the kitchen, "Little Mirai always comes home late these days."

"Sorry, I stayed in the library with my classmates for a little longer because I had to prepare for the regular exam."

"I'm not blaming you. Wash your hands and eat."

"Okay." Putting down the schoolbag hanging on his shoulder, Jiuyuan Weilai walked closer and smelled a rich fragrance floating in the air.

"Rinne-san, are you making curry for dinner?"

"No, no, Rin'in went to the orphanage. Masumi-kun is in charge of dinner tonight."

When someone is mentioned, that person's shadow appears.

"Miss Jiuyuan came back just in time. I made curry."

On the dining table, Masumi placed three steaming servings of curry and rice neatly on the table.

The beef, carrots, potatoes, and onions are diced and sliced. The curry sauce is thick and delicate, seeping into the cooked ingredients and exuding a warm aroma.

"Hey, it turns out Mr. Masumi can cook." Kuon Mirai said in surprise.

“Not really, except for curry.”

"I know that. It's called men's cuisine, right? It's something that men living alone would find comforting," said Mami.

As a national delicacy, curry is simple and delicious to prepare. Just put your favorite vegetables and meat into the pot and cook them, then add curry cubes. It is very suitable for lazy people living alone.

"Let me appreciate your cooking skills, Masumi-kun."

Asami clasped her hands together loudly and said proudly.

"I'm gonna start now."

Each grain of rice is distinct and wrapped in rich sauce. As it is put into the mouth, Mami's beautiful coffee-colored eyes are as bright as stars.

"Mmm~ It's delicious."

“Even though it’s a simple curry, it’s not easy to make it so delicious.”

The moisture in the onion slices that are stir-fried until translucent is evaporated, giving off a more prominent sweet and spicy aroma, while the potatoes that are stewed until soft have a sticky texture.

“It’s not easy to make curry taste bad.”

Masumi's mind wandered, and he couldn't imagine how anyone could cook curry so badly.

Mami smoothed the long hair that was draped around her cheeks with her hands, held the spoon, and began to eat voraciously. The way she ate with relish made people feel very generous.

It can be seen that Mami is not constrained by her beautiful appearance. She can do things that are inconsistent with her image, and she can also say what she wants to say directly.

In comparison, Kuon Mirai's way of eating is very consistent with the image of a beautiful girl. She scoops up small mouthfuls with a spoon and puts them into her mouth quietly. Unlike adults, high school girls of this age should be very concerned about their posture when eating.

After finishing her curry, she gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a tissue, thanked Masumi, and went upstairs to her room.

"Thanks for the treat!"

The food on the plate was cleared out. This was the second portion. Mami stretched her body lazily like a sated cat.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Masumi asked her.

Asami answered without hesitation, "Yes. Thank you, Masumi-kun."

"You're welcome."

Masumi took the plate and went into the kitchen. When he came out after a while, he was holding a cup of steaming black tea in his hand.

"Awaited."

The hot steam from the teacup gently brushed against her cheeks. Mami gently inhaled the sweet air and smiled sweetly.

She sipped her black tea while reading comics.

“Although you can only have one lover, you can have many friends.”

The girl with pink shoulder-length hair said this line with a beautiful smile, which made Mami look forward to the development of the plot.

The wind chimes swayed, and she thought it was Rinne coming back. She looked up and saw it was Masumi pushing open the glass door.

"Masumi-kun, are you going out?"

"Go outside and get some fresh air."

"Oh, be careful on the road." After saying this, Mami lowered her head and continued to read the comics.

Night has completely fallen. In late April, the cherry blossoms in Kobe have passed their full bloom period, but there are still a few late cherry blossoms in bloom, which will probably last for another week.

Masumi walked leisurely on the night street. The sea breeze, carrying the scent of moisture, gently blew his hair. For some reason, he seemed to be able to feel the sea breeze more at night than during the day.

At this time, the neighbors all stay at home, so Masumi doesn't have to worry about meeting acquaintances and having to greet them.

Turning into a street where the sea was out of sight, the lights gradually dimmed.

A undulating figure emerged from the darkness and moved lightly to Masumi's feet. Upon closer inspection, it was a calico cat.

Is it a stray cat in the neighborhood?

If you look closely, you will see that the cat is wearing a nameplate around its neck and its fur looks particularly neat, smooth and shiny.

It should be a pet cat kept by a neighbor.

Masumi really likes small animals. He squatted down and wanted to touch its head, but the cat avoided him.

It called out to Masumi, then turned around, its figure wrapped in darkness, with only a little light from the street lamp draped over it, like a guiding light, as if signaling him to follow.

Masumi followed the light. The familiar streets seemed to have changed their appearance in the night. The calico cat moved nimbly among them. He lost it after a few steps. When he wanted to give up and go back, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an interesting scene at the corner of the street.

In the night, the figure, covered in bright neon lights, was clearly reflected in Masumi's eyes.

The street lights illuminated Amethyst's eyes, and the night wind was light, causing her long black hair to flutter.

The light orange dress is like a halo, outlining the plump and undulating curves of the body, exuding the ultimate beauty.

It was Kamishiro Rinone.

So she's back. What is she doing in a place like this?
Out of curiosity, Masumi quietly moved closer and saw the calico cat in front of Rinone.

Rin looked around and didn't see Masumi not far behind her. She slowly squatted down, and a blush suddenly appeared on her fair cheeks.

The girl bit her lower lip lightly, brewing the airflow, then slowly opened her lips and let out a crisp, pleasant, and long-lasting "Meow——"

"Meow--" The calico cat didn't even look at her.

The beautiful girl with black hair and purple eyes meowed in vain.

Masumi looked puzzled as he listened. Was this guy chatting with a cat?
"Kamiyo, what are you doing—"

He walked forward and said this, and upon hearing the voice, Kamishiro Rin stood up suddenly.

"Were you talking to the cat?"

Masumi smiled, and Rinone turned her face away as if nothing had happened and said, "It has nothing to do with you."

She tried to answer as if nothing had happened, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her.

"Actually, I'm pretty good at teasing cats."

Masumi said as he squatted down. The calico cat didn't leave, but lay lazily on the ground.

He picked up a piece of dogtail grass from the grass next to him and used it as a cat teaser, waving it in front of the cat's eyes.

The calico cat didn't take it seriously at first, and lazily waved its claws at the foxtail grass.

Although Masumi is not as agile as a cat, he can always accurately predict before the cat's claws hit the dogtail grass and avoid it in time.

The calico cat, which had been looking lazy, finally became serious and straightened up slightly, as if it had decided that Masumi was an equally matched opponent. Its round cat eyes gleamed brightly in the night, and its paws continuously threw a series of meow punches.

This time Masumi was no longer at ease and was rubbed against the edge of the foxtail grass several times.

Linyin watched intently from the side. This guy was really good at teasing cats.

First, use aggressive teasing to arouse the cat's competitive spirit. After "tease" it for a while, let the cat touch the "prey" from time to time to prevent it from losing interest due to frustration.

Feeling that the time was almost right, Masumi inadvertently revealed a flaw during a shake. The calico cat swung its claws and knocked down the dogtail grass, then meowed with satisfaction.

"Do you want to touch it?" Masumi turned around and said to Rinne.

"Eh?"

Rin hesitated for a moment, then cautiously reached out her hand towards the kitten.

The calico cat placed its soft little paw in her palm, and the warm pad felt quite elastic.

"Do you like cats?"

"Yeah." Rinyin gently pinched the kitten's paw and replied, "This cat belongs to the fish shop owner. Her name is Xiaoyu. She is a very friendly cat."

No wonder he's not wary of strangers.

"But every time it faces me, it's always very cold. This is the first time I've touched its paw like this."

The tone of his response was different than expected, sounding exceptionally gentle, perhaps because he had unconsciously softened himself while spending time with the cat.

"You seem to be very popular with kittens."

Masumi chuckled, "Maybe I have the secret to dealing with cats."

"The secret to dealing with cats?"

This piqued Rin's curiosity.

"Someone who has cats once told me, 'Be quiet and they'll come closer.' When you see a kitten, it's hard not to think, 'I really want to pet them!' and then you can't help but get closer, but this can actually annoy the cat."

"So, I always respect the cats' wishes, keep a proper distance, and try to get closer to them little by little. It's with this gentle attitude that I approach them. That's my secret."

The same is true for some people.

Linyin listened to him carefully and nodded as if she understood something. "I'm glad to hear your advice."

Her serious look actually made Masumi feel a little embarrassed.

"Actually, these are just some personal insights. If you like cats, why don't you get one?" Masumi asked.

"Because hair loss is troublesome and pets also have a smell, especially since I live in a coffee shop, I have to pay extra attention to hygiene and take care of customers who don't like cats."

It turns out that the reason is so realistic.

"Also... I'm not ready or prepared to own a cat."

Linyin said with lowered eyebrows and eyes, her amethyst-like eyes were stained with the glow of neon lights.

Masumi didn't understand: "What preparations do I need to have a cat?"

"Pets are also considered family. Once you choose to accept a pet into your home, you have an extra responsibility, just like having another child. Of course, you have to be prepared."

"Aren't stray cats in cities caused by irresponsible owners who abuse their parental authority?"

Is that so? It's not that exaggerated, isn't it? Masumi didn't know how to answer, so he changed the subject.

"Have you ever had a pet before?"

"I've raised goldfish before."

"The kind of goldfish you catch at festivals?"

"Yeah, but it was several years ago. I got it from the kids at the orphanage."

"The novelty of the children wore off quickly, and I often forgot to feed them or change their water, so I was the one taking care of them."

She spoke with an adult tone, but Rin was just a child a few years ago, Masumi thought.

"Can the goldfish caught at the festival live that long?"

"With proper care, three to four years should be no problem."

Linyin lowered her eyelashes quietly, stroked the kitten's throat, and began to comb its fur when it felt comfortable, speaking naturally.

"Has Mami-san told you about me?"

"Yeah." Masumi responded, then added, "I asked."

"is it?"

Linyin gently closed her lips, and stroked the calico cat's head all the way to its tail with her right hand, as if reluctant to let go.

"...let's go back."

After saying goodbye to the calico cat named "Xiao Yu", the kitten meowed lazily, wagged its tail, and walked away.

Linyin stood up, and the light smudged down her straight back, making all the lines flow just right.

Her long hair blurred her expression. Masumi could only see her rosy lips slowly opening, like a flower blooming in the night.

"Thank you for today."

(End of this chapter)