"Raana?", After seeing clearly the figure walking into the shop, Kaito was a little surprised.
Although the two hadn't seen each other for a while, he still retained a deep impression of this free-spirited girl who resembled a stray cat.
"I smelled a familiar scent outside."
Raana was still dressed in the same style. A black hoodie with a torn design on top, paired with a gray inner layer, and light brown Martin boots on her feet. At this moment, like a ragdoll cat seeing its owner, she happily opened her arms and jumped into Kaito's embrace, her perky little nose sniffed, revealing a satisfied expression.
"Man, you smell so good!"
Standing on the side, Anon couldn't help clenching her small fists. Hard. She was really hard.
It was the same last time, this cat-girl named "Raana" pounced on Kaito the moment they met, completely unrestrained. Even she herself hadn't done anything that intimate.
"?", Raana tilted her head but didn't pay attention to the strange pink-haired girl whose face was written with jealousy. She just rubbed against Kaito's cheek again, then leaned back to reveal her beautiful heterochromatic eyes, yellow and blue, and said seriously, "Couldn't find you. Wanted to see you."
Ever since they parted last time and the cat girl was picked up by Grandma Tsuzuki, she had tried countless times to sneak out of the house to find Kaito again.
But… she couldn't find him. Not at all.
Vast Tokyo, occupying 2,155 square kilometers, with a resident population floating around thirty million.
Trying to find someone in such a gigantic city was undoubtedly like finding a needle in a haystack.
Although the cat girl had been to Kaito's house before, at that time she was too busy clinging to him to remember the address.
She could only vaguely recall that it seemed like a detached single-family house, but no further details came to mind.
During this time, every day after school, the cat girl would carry her guitar case and wander through the streets and alleys of the city, hoping to find the house from her memory.
But, nothing.
Until today, when she only came to RiNG just to relax and play some guitar.
But the moment she got close, her sensitive little nose picked up a familiar scent she had been longing for day and night. It was like warm sunshine over a grassy field, making one feel peaceful and relaxed.
Raana's way of speaking was very concise, which Kaito had long gotten used to. He just raised his eyebrows and asked, "I remember… you should have my contact info in your phone, right? Why didn't you message me?"
Raana looked at him and said very honestly, "Because… I don't know how to type."
Kaito: "..."
That reason was so strong it left no room for argument.
He was a little dumbfounded but didn't continue on that topic. He planned to first peel the girl off him. What kind of scene was this, hanging all over him like that?
But Raana refused to let go no matter what.
The lost-and-found cat girl, as if afraid he would disappear again, just kept burrowing into his arms with all her heart.
"So let go of Kaito-kun already!", Seeing the boy she liked getting rubbed all over by another girl, anyone who could stay calm for more than three seconds was a god.
She couldn't take it anymore, and didn't need to.
Chihaya Anon, like a betrayed wife forced to watch her husband flirt with another woman, lunged forward angrily, trying to drive away the silver-haired girl.
"Boring woman," Raana easily dodged her attack and even casually dropped a cold critique.
Anon became even more furious, but before she could react, they all heard approaching footsteps, "tap tap."
"Guests, here are your orders," The black-haired female employee who had been wiping glasses behind the counter didn't know when she had walked over. She was holding a tray, filled with desserts, and three cups of vibrant green matcha parfaits stood out especially.
Looking at Raana clinging to Kaito like a koala, the store employee paused and felt a bit of a headache.
From this angle, she could only see the customer's back, but it was clearly a guy. And the stray cat's current actions, no matter how you looked at it, were entirely inappropriate.
"Stray cat… I mean, Raana, get off the guest right now. Don't disturb the guests while they eat."
"Mm…", Raana tilted her little head, as if pondering something.
Then she shook her head and simply said, "No."
"Huh?", The black-haired store employee froze.
"Next to him, it's comfy," Raana opened her yellow-and-blue eyes seriously and said, "Taki, want to try?"
'Try your ass!'
The store employee named "Shiina Taki" was so angry she laughed. She had a very pretty face, and her hairstyle was that classic straight black hair favored by literary girls. But her brows held a sharp edge that, even when softened by the beauty mark near her eye, still made her look hard to approach.
Now that she intentionally put on a stern expression, the pressure she exuded intensified.
People say cats have reactions seven times that of humans. If they're uncomfortable, they'll walk away on their own. But facing an angry Taki, Raana just shrank her neck a little and still clung tightly to Kaito's neck, refusing to let go.
The two sides stared at each other for about five seconds, and in the end, it was Taki who lost.
The black-haired girl helplessly rubbed her forehead. Since threats didn't work, she tried bribery, "Get off the guest, and I'll give you two matcha parfaits. How about it?"
Unexpectedly, facing the temptation of sugary bribes, the cat girl rejected even faster, "No."
What parfait could compare to the scent of a man?
This time, it was Taki's turn to be stunned.
'Even the parfait she loves most can be refused… has the stray cat changed personalities?'
Threats didn't work, and even the usually foolproof parfait bribe failed. She suddenly felt completely at a loss.
Though Kaito hadn't turned around, he had seen their entire interaction. Since the store employee had no solution, he simply shook his head and spoke himself, "Raana, get off me first."
"Mm…", The cat girl bit her lip, raised her little face the size of a palm, and looked up at those deep, unreadable eyes. After struggling for two seconds, she finally obediently let go.
Even though she still longed for the warmth of that embrace… she didn't want to be hated even more.
Shiina Taki: "?"
'I threatened you and bribed you, and you ignored it all. But one word from someone else and you obediently let go?'
That kind of helpless feeling. Like raising a cat with great effort, one that's always proud and cold, won't even let you touch its belly, yet gets stolen away in a single glance by another man, acting all cuddly and spoiled with him.
'Forget it. Let the stray cat act spoiled with whoever she wants. It's not like I care.'
"Right. Not one bit.'
'As long as it doesn't disturb the guests.'
Taki sorted out her feelings, stepped forward, bent down, and placed the desserts and drinks from the tray one by one on the table.
After finishing all that, she stood up and looked at the guests beside her, just about to say some service line like "Please enjoy." But her violet eyes suddenly froze.
The moment the young man looked up, the warm sun broke into golden powder on his eyelashes. His light chestnut eyes seemed to hold a stained-glass glow, reminiscent of the windows in the Florence Cathedral.
Taki opened her mouth, but it was like someone had hit her pause button. She couldn't say a single word.
She suddenly understood why some nuns in the Middle Ages were willing to remain celibate for life after just one glimpse of an angel.
This really was a face so perfect, it made people want to believe in God.
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