They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

As if convincing myself, I took my textbooks and walked back to the clubroom.

……

"Hello, I was introduced by Uncle Jin, Ning Ruoyu."

"Ah, it's you. You've finally come."

The receptionist, a college student-looking girl with a ponytail, smiled at me and said...

"I've been waiting for you for a long time. The landlady isn't here today, but she did give you some instructions—shall I take you to the back to change clothes? After you've familiarized yourself with the process, don't keep the masters waiting."

"Ok."

"Since you were introduced here, may I ask if you have any experience serving and caring for others?"

"I feel quite confident in this regard."

"That's good, that's good~ Keep it up, and strive to become the top performer in the store soon!"

—Okay, hold on! I didn't go back to the sex industry. I just found a part-time job suitable for students.

Whether it's summer vacation expenses or the recent purchase of a bed, my living expenses are already stretched thin. Last time I talked to Uncle Gold Tooth about my savings, he slapped his thigh and said he had a part-time job that would be perfect for me and could introduce me to it.

What shocked me was that I always called him Uncle Gold Tooth, but it turned out his surname was actually Jin; what was even more terrifying was that the part-time job this guy introduced was something I thought would be delivery or kitchen work.

The result was a cat cafe.

I don't actually have much experience taking care of cats, but since I was in the "service industry" in my past life, I think I should be able to adapt quickly.

"...Why is it all covered in hair?!"

I stared wide-eyed at my own employee uniform.

"Hey, it was washed clean, how come it's stained again?" The receptionist next to me looked a little surprised.

Thankfully, this isn't the norm.

"Well, you'll probably get used to it eventually~"

I suddenly miss my old profession. Although there were chubby aunties singing and dancing in private rooms, at least the customers I served didn't shed any fur.

"Okay, why don't you borrow an apron from your instructor first? Today's main purpose is to observe and learn."

The receptionist said this and called out to the female changing room in the staff room.

"Xiao Qiu~ The newcomer you've been waiting for has arrived! Come and meet her~"

Why does this nickname sound so unlucky?

A person rushed out of the changing room, looking at me with curiosity and excitement.

Pure indigo eyes like morning dew, long, smooth black hair, and a languid yet pretty face.

"...What a coincidence?"

I forced out a sentence.

Dengdengdeng.

She darted back into the dressing room with a whoosh and slammed the door shut.

I finally realized why the man with the gold teeth had that mysterious smile on his face when he was introducing me to the part-time job.

This guy wants me to work overtime.

[Next chapter preview: No, no, no, this is not "shyness" at all, this is clearly "hostility"!]

I mustered my courage and, with a thick skin, knocked on the door of the women's changing room.

"Excuse my bluntness, but you're not planning to go out and provide services like this, are you?"

Was this also a calculated move? Or purely coincidental?

Chapter 55: Kitty? Kitties appear in this chapter.

"Actually, if it weren't for Uncle Jin's introduction, we wouldn't have arranged for Xiao Qiu to be your mentor."

The receptionist smiled wryly.

"After all, Xiao Qiu, well, right?"

This unspoken sentiment resonated deeply with me.

"Xiao Qiu usually takes care of the cats in the back and rarely has the opportunity to show up for work. She was quite happy to hear that there was a new employee she could mentor."

"But I never expected that after actually seeing it, I would be afraid of developing this condition."

No, no, no, this is not "shyness" at all, this is clearly "hostility"!

I looked at the receptionist who looked so regretful and twitched my lips.

If you spend too much time with cats, will you become a cat meme?

"I need to go check on the guests at the front desk first, so you'll have to talk to Xiao Qiu alone." The receptionist seemed quite professional. "Don't worry, Xiao Qiu is easy to get along with. And very cute! — But young man, don't get any funny ideas~"

"I hope she doesn't get any bad ideas, like scratching me with her cat claws or something."

"Haha, that's great! Great attitude, very humorous! Keep it up, new employee!"

No, I'm not being humorous; I'm describing a possible future reality.

The receptionist patted me on the shoulder and then walked out of the staff break room.

"........."

Silence, silence is the bridge to helplessness tonight.

I mustered my courage and, with a thick skin, knocked on the door of the women's changing room.

"!!!"

"Meow~~"

I prayed in the women's locker room, but the only response was a cat that somehow wandered in.

"Oh, how did you get in here? Get out, get out."

I gestured to shoo the silver-gray short-haired kitten away. It looked up at me, stretched its front legs arrogantly, and then surveyed its territory like a king.

"This is the human's rest area! You cats already have plenty of space, can't you leave me some privacy to settle my personal scores?!"

I complained and tried to squat down to pick it up, but it nimbly jumped, and I missed.

"Meow~~"

It's so arrogant.

I squinted and decided to accept the challenge.

Picking up the cat toy from the side, the little guy's eyes instantly sharpened. He leaned forward slightly and then stretched out his paws to rub against her.

"Very good, very good, come over here, come over here."

I lured the cat toward the door, and then, taking it by surprise, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.

"Now fate has you in the throat!"

Just as I was about to throw the cat out the door, the door to the women's locker room opened.

"...!"

"?"

To avoid any misunderstanding, I quickly dropped the cat toy, lifted the cat high with both hands, looked at its tag, "American Shorthair," and said very kindly.

"Don't barge into human rooms again, my dear Tom."

"...That's an American Shorthair."

Qiu Luxi gave her a disdainful look.

"But Tom the cat is a British Shorthair."

"It's clearly an American animated film."

I was shocked.

It's one thing for fathers and sons to be in a conjugate relationship, but do cats have to be in a conjugate relationship too?

"..." Qiu Luxi walked to my side and stretched out her hands.

"It's uncomfortable for you to hold it like that, give it to me."

Although it was slightly different from the plan I had just devised, at least this big star was finally willing to go out, so of course I handed the cat over without saying a word.

"'Miss' doesn't like being lifted up, so you need to wear armpit support and hip support." Qiu Luxi demonstrated for me, and the cat purred. Unlike when it struggled in my hands just now, it looked extremely comfortable now.

"If we get along well in the future, we can climb on each other's shoulders and hug each other. But the 'young lady' isn't very affectionate and always goes to the break room when she's at work."

"Its name is 'Young Miss'? Sun Shangxiang?" I pointed at the cat, which didn't look like a young lady at all. To be honest, it was more like a wild child. "So, should I avoid her whenever I see her in the future?"

“...'Young Miss' can be very fierce when she's angry, so don't provoke her.”

Qiu Luxi ignored my teasing and warned me.

It must be that game is outdated; it's definitely not my problem.

"Furthermore, in situations like this, if you see a cat come into the staff room, you shouldn't try to attract it with a cat toy. Cats can be a bit aggressive in these situations, and getting scratched could be a real problem."

I must say, although Qiu Luxi has a strange resistance to me, she is still very reliable and kind as a senior colleague.

"If the cat attacks a person, its safety level will need to be reassessed. The worst-case scenario is that it will be given up for adoption—cats adopted from cat cafes are prone to mental illness, so please don't cause trouble for the cat!"

I crossed out the "kind" comment I just made.

"Sorry, the store needs help. Xiao Qiu, could you put on your glasses and come out to lend a hand?"

The receptionist opened the door, saw the two of us chatting, and smiled with satisfaction.

"Wow, it seems the newcomer has already built a good relationship with Xiao Qiu. That's great!"

"Den!"

Qiu Luxi instantly created distance.

“…Haha.” I shrugged.

"Well, let's take our time getting to know each other and adjusting to each other~ Please hurry up~"

The receptionist said this and closed the door.

Qiu Luxi put the "young lady" down, looked around, and then took a hat from the clothes rack.

She quickly put on her glasses and hat, and looked at herself in the full-length mirror in the staff room.

"Meow~~"

The young lady yawned.

"Excuse my bluntness, but you're not planning to go out and provide services like this, are you?"

From the perspective of my profession in my previous life, if Qiu Luxi's behavior can be considered as applying makeup, then it's practically an insult to my professional ethics.

What's so strange about this? It's just a variety show prank that people would take for an idol if they saw it.

"Eh?"

Qiu Luxi looked at me blankly, then looked in the mirror again.

"No difference?"

“Absolutely not…” I sighed.

Although I'm still completely clueless, if she gets recognized here and this shop becomes a popular spot for online influencers, my mission will probably be in a lot of trouble.

"I can help you with your makeup and styling, if you don't mind?"

"stare--"

Qiu Luxi looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

I took off my glasses, then found a comb and tidied my hair a bit.

"Do you have hair gel? If so..."

"That's poisonous to cats. They'll lick it."