Hoshimi Miyabi reached out to gently cover her mouth, her eyes darting to the side as she asked for no apparent reason.
“Store Manager Furina…
are you a Cat Thiren?”
“The tail, and the ears are…”
Unsure of the purpose behind the question, Furina nevertheless turned slightly to reveal the swaying cat tail behind her, then took off her cake top hat to show off her agile cat ears.
After putting her hat back on, she spread her hands in a gesture similar to the idle animation of Furina’s Talents interface.
“See?
I am a Cat Thiren.”
Nodding, Hoshimi Miyabi continued to inquire.
“Then, if I bought catmint and applied it to my body, would you come closer?
Or rather, if I were holding catmint, would you unconsciously follow me?”
“This…
wait, why are you asking such things?”
Furina leaned back slightly, her hands protectively in front of her, looking at the Black-haired Fox before her with a bit of uncertainty.
“Ahem, because I’ve been wanting to raise a cat lately…
but I lack experience, so I wanted to ask a Cat Thiren.
I’m seeking some advice.”
“Oh~ So that’s how it is?”
“Yes.”
Hoshimi Miyabi remained calm throughout, her face showing no particular expression, which put Furina’s mind at ease quite a bit.
“I quite like cats too.
Occasionally, on my way home, I’ll feed some stray cats.
You just need to place the food in front of them, then slowly approach to stroke their heads and scratch their chins, and that’s it.”
“Besides, most stray cats will come close when they see me.
Just being gentle and friendly is enough.”
“I see…”
Nodding like a serious student listening to a lecture, Hoshimi Miyabi then stepped in front of Furina and, under the other’s bewildered gaze, reached out to stroke Furina’s head.
Her face flushing slightly, Furina watched the other’s sudden approach, waving her small hands in confusion.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“Don’t be nervous, it’s just an experiment.
After all, I have no experience and wanted you, Shopkeeper, to give me a demonstration.”
“Can you give me some authentic feedback like a little cat would?”
Hearing Hoshimi Miyabi’s words, Furina froze for a moment, then, under those inquisitive eyes, slowly extended her hands, curling them into little paws.
“…Meow~?”
It must be said, this move of Furina’s was indeed very potent.
Hoshimi Miyabi’s heart couldn’t help but tremble; she immediately let go and took two steps back, averting her gaze with a slight blush.
“Ahem, then the next item is scratching the chin, right?”
“Eh?
That’s enough…
I’m not actually a cat, and I have a business to run here.”
Nearby, Nicole slowly sat up, watching the scene as if it were a play.
What were the Combat-obsessed Fox and the Fortune Cat doing?
Playing a cat game?
It looked quite nice~
Hmm~ Eh?!
Should the Cunning Hares also recruit a Catgirl to be a mascot or something…
If the Fortune Cat wasn’t the owner of this shop, she’d really want to trick her into joining.
“Boss Nicole, what is Miss Hoshimi Miyabi doing?”
“How should I know?
The logic of a Combat-obsessed Fox isn’t something a normal person can understand.”
Crossing her legs, Nicole waved her hand and explained casually.
“It should be the legendary ‘cat-petting’…
though Miss Hoshimi Miyabi is the one doing the petting, and Store Manager Furina is the one being petted.”
Although Anby’s tone was somewhat flat, she always managed to come out with some startling remarks.
Cissia, on the other hand, seemed very relaxed.
Since there was nothing for her to do, she just lay to one side watching the show and eating snacks.
Her small blue high-heeled leather boots took a slight step back.
Furina looked warily at the approaching Hoshimi Miyabi, her brow furrowed.
“Y-you should stop doing this.
I’m not a real cat~ Why don’t you just find a cat outside and try?”
Stepping forward, Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head calmly.
“I cannot.
I am currently a complete novice.
If I were to scare a cat, all the stray cats might find out about me and won’t let me touch them.”
“How is that possible…
Th-then don’t come to me either…”
“Store Manager Furina, please…
let me try.”
Just like that, Furina kept retreating while Hoshimi Miyabi kept approaching, until finally, her tail and back were against the wall.
Furina had nowhere left to run.
Hoshimi Miyabi then slowly reached out to pin her against the wall.
Her other hand began to reach toward Furina’s little chin.
Thump, thump, thump—!
“Hello, Public Security Bureau.
Please open the door and cooperate with our investigation—”
Just then, a knock came from outside.
Captain Zhu Yuan stood at the door and knocked twice, with two security officers behind her.
Behind them followed a small squad of fully armed personnel, waiting.
“Oh no!
The Public Security Bureau is here!
Billy, Anby, let’s get out through the back door!!”
“Yes, Boss Nicole!!!”
“Understood.”
The three of them stood up in a panic and ran toward the back door of the shop.
As she left, Anby even stealthily swiped a piece of cake.
“Um, I’ll go open the door first.”
Since her left side was blocked by Hoshimi Miyabi’s hand, Furina could only slowly dodge to the right.
“The shop door isn’t locked.
Store Manager Furina, this is a critical stage, please prioritize cooperating with me.”
“Too close, too close!
This isn’t good~”
Seeing no movement inside, Captain Zhu Yuan’s eyes narrowed, and she slowly pushed the door.
Click~!
The door opened, and a beam of sunlight shone in.
Captain Zhu Yuan raised her handgun, as did the two security officers behind her.
The three of them scanned the inside of the shop together.
“Nobody move!
Undergo inspection!
Uh…
inspection—?”
Looking at Hoshimi Miyabi’s back and seeing her pinning an innocent, pitiful Catgirl against the corner, Captain Zhu Yuan’s face momentarily took on a complex expression.
“Miyabi?
What’s…
the situation?
What are you doing…”
“Officer!
Save me!
This person is so strange~!!!”
In order to buy time for Nicole and the others, Furina spoke up to draw attention.
“Eh, first of all, don’t panic.
May I ask who you are?”
“I’m the owner of this shop~ There are various permits and information in the drawer behind the counter…
Can you please save me~”
Nodding, Captain Zhu Yuan put her gun away and signaled the security officers beside her to verify the information.
She sighed and walked slowly to Hoshimi Miyabi’s side.
She reached out to swat the other’s arm down and pulled the White-haired Cat Girl behind her.
“What are you doing, Miyabi?
Didn’t we agree to catch the Sword Thief…”
A flash of regret flickered in her eyes as Hoshimi Miyabi slowly looked up at Captain Zhu Yuan.
“Indeed, but when I arrived, the sword had been tossed into this shopkeeper’s hands.
Upon confirmation, it seems the thief wanted to sell my sword to make money.”
Hearing this, Captain Zhu Yuan turned to look at Furina behind her.
Seeing the lingering panic in her eyes, she looked quite adorable.
Unconsciously, her brow relaxed, and her tone softened as she inquired.
“Is that so…
Shopkeeper?”
“Yes, yes, yes.
And I didn’t accept their request.
The sword was returned to this…
Miss Hoshimi Miyabi.”
Seeing that the other intended to hide the truth, Furina naturally cooperated.
“Then did you see the thief’s face clearly?”
“They came and went quickly, looking very flustered.
And they were wearing masks, so I didn’t see clearly.”
Captain Zhu Yuan began to rub her chin in frustration, her hand unconsciously stroking Furina’s head.
“This makes things a bit difficult.
The nearby surveillance cameras are undergoing equipment updates and can’t be checked…
Don’t worry, Miss Shopkeeper.
You won’t be in any trouble for the time being.”
“Okay~”
At that moment, the security officer finished verifying the various permits and Business Licenses Furina had mentioned and walked over.
“Reporting to Captain Zhu Yuan, there are no issues.
This General Store has the highest level of business permit!”
“You guys go outside and investigate first.
I still have things to discuss with these two.”
“Yes—”
Once the two security officers had left, Captain Zhu Yuan turned to look at Hoshimi Miyabi.
“What did you mean just now?
Pinning the shopkeeper…
in the corner, what were you trying to do?”
As she spoke, Captain Zhu Yuan’s own face couldn’t help but turn red.
“I came to buy a sword and incidentally wanted to ask the shopkeeper for some advice on raising cats…”
“She seemed to treat me like a cat~ Luckily you came, Officer.
With my small frame…
I couldn’t resist.”
Our Furina was also quite shrewd, quickly acting the part of a weak victim.
Captain Zhu Yuan naturally knew Hoshimi Miyabi’s combat prowess and also knew this fox’s logic was a bit strange, so she believed Furina’s story.
“Alright, since the sword has been retrieved, leave quickly.
Don’t interfere with the shopkeeper’s business.”
“But I am also a customer…”
“No, you’re not.
Didn’t you say you didn’t have the money to buy my sword?
Then what are you still doing here?”
Looking at the White-haired Cat Girl who was intent on driving her away, Hoshimi Miyabi stared at Furina for a long time, then turned and left decisively.
“Sigh~ I’m sorry for the trouble.
She is my friend, she meant no harm.”
“Mhm, I understand, Miss Officer.”
“Just call me Zhu Yuan~”
“Okay~ I’m the shopkeeper, Furina.
I usually sell potions I’ve made myself and goods I’ve acquired from various places.”
Nodding, Captain Zhu Yuan looked around and then asked.
“You must have just opened recently?”
“That’s right, I just inherited this shop from the previous owner.
If Miss Zhu Yuan ever needs anything, feel free to stop by.”
“Okay~ Then I’ll be going.
If I need your cooperation with anything, I’ll come by again.”
Since the Public Security Bureau wasn’t far away, Captain Zhu Yuan finished speaking and went back to searching for Nicole and the others.
“Phew~ Finally, they’re all gone…
What was with that Hoshimi Miyabi just now…
so scary~”