Just like that, by the time the two of them finished their work, it was already almost afternoon.
Furina carefully calculated and exchanged some more dennies.
After all, there was no income yet, so this bit of starting capital had to be spent sparingly.
Glancing at the blonde little snake slumped on the stairs nearby, Furina walked over and gave her a kick.
“Let’s go~ Since it’s already this late, we’ll just save our lunch stomachs for dinner…
We’re going to a dessert shop for afternoon tea now.”
“Afternoon tea?
Is it like yesterday, where we can eat cake and stuff?!”
“Yeah…
Don’t you want to go?”
Cissia quickly stood up, patted the dust off herself, and grabbed Furina’s arm with great excitement.
“How could I not?
I super want to eat desserts~”
“Eek~ D-Don’t lean in so suddenly.
Shoo, shoo, go take a shower in the upstairs bathroom first.
I’ll get you a change of clothes.”
“Oh, okay, sure~”
Nodding dorkily, Cissia went to the second-floor bathroom.
Before entering, her eyes darted toward Furina’s blue-and-white bed.
Thinking back to her own simple sleeping bag, she couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
“Well~ You came here to help out, and they’re giving you food and shelter.
To ask for so much more, Cissia, you really are something…”
After scolding herself internally, she stepped into the bathroom, somewhat awkwardly adjusted the water temperature, and turned on the showerhead.
After taking off her clothes, she threw them into a small bamboo basket nearby.
Feeling the hot water from the showerhead spraying over her body, the blonde little snake couldn’t help but squint her eyes in enjoyment.
It was hard to believe she was still wandering around just a while ago, and now she could take a hot shower here and go eat desserts in a bit.
“Hiss~ My arms are so sore…
I did a lot of work today, so I’m a bit tired~ But just thinking about going to an all-you-can-eat hotpot tonight makes me feel so much better instantly.”
*Knock knock~*
“Little snake?
I’ve put a set of clothes by the door for you.
Come downstairs once you’re done washing up.”
“Mhm~ Okay, Store Manager Furina~”
After showering, Cissia gently cracked open the door and saw the shirt and skirt placed on the back of the nearby chair.
She brought them in and walked out fully changed a moment later.
A fluffy towel hung around her neck, and she carried the faint scent of body wash.
After blow-drying her hair, she was just about to leave when she was suddenly drawn to Furina’s big bed.
“Hmm…
It should be fine to lie down for just a bit, right?
Anyway, Furina is very easygoing…”
With that in mind, she turned and walked over to the bed.
Looking at the slightly peeled-back covers, the blonde little snake crawled inside.
In an instant, Furina’s unique scent wafted around her nose.
Wrapped in the warm, soft blanket, sleepiness immediately washed over her.
“So comfortable…
so soft…
so~ fragrant…”
Gradually, our Cissia fell fast asleep.
Downstairs, Furina waited for about an hour.
He glanced at his phone and muttered,
“Did this silly snake drown in the bathroom…
Why hasn’t she come down after so long?”
With his tail swishing behind him, the white-haired little Catgirl went upstairs, feeling a bit worried.
After pushing open his bedroom door, he glanced at the empty bathroom.
Furina scratched his head in confusion, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a large bulge under his covers.
“?
Don’t tell me this silly snake is in my bed…
Fortunately, judging by the bathroom, she probably showered before crawling in.
If you dared crawl into my bed without washing, you’d be dead meat, Cissia.”
Crossing his arms, Furina walked over and yanked back his blue quilt.
Looking at the silly snake curled up on the bed, he saw she was drooling, and it was about to drip onto his pillow.
Furina immediately stepped forward and patted her cheeks twice.
“Cissia!
Silly snake~ Get up, get up right now!
Your drool is about to drip onto my bed.”
“Mhm~ Ah!
S-Sorry—!”
“Aaaah~ A snake, a snake touched my hand~!”
Just as she sat up, before Cissia could even finish her apology, the little snake on her shoulder crawled onto Furina’s hand, instantly turning our cute white-haired little Catgirl’s face pale with fright.
His body trembled uncontrollably, and he stumbled backward onto the floor, bumping his head against the corner of a nearby table.
His small top hat fell to the floor, and Furina’s cat ears drooped.
He clutched his head, tears welling up in his eyes.
“Hiss~ It, it hurts…”
Seeing this, Cissia quickly got off the bed, coaxed the little snake back to her neck, and ran over to crouch down in front of Furina with an apologetic face.
“S-Sorry, Shopkeeper…
Are you okay~”
Opening his teardrop-shaped blue eyes, which were slightly teary, Furina looked at Cissia.
His face was flushed red with anger, and he pouted.
The ears on top of his head were completely puffed up.
“You, you…”
“I’m so sorry~~~ I really didn’t do it on purpose…
I was just curious about how it felt to lie in the covers~ I’ve never slept in such a nice bed before, so I was curious…
Store Manager Furina, I was wrong!”
Picking up the small blue top hat from the side, Cissia knelt before Furina, apologizing while holding up the hat to present it to him.
“Hmph~ I thought you drowned in the bathroom.”
Seeming to have calmed down, Furina wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, snatched his hat back, stood up, put it on properly, and walked out.
“Let’s go, time for afternoon tea…”
“Eh~ You’re not angry?”
Dumbfounded, Cissia stared at Furina’s back and asked blankly.
“Why would I be angry?
I’m not that petty.
If your drool hadn’t been about to drip onto my bed, I wouldn’t have been in such a rush.
Watch your sleeping posture in the future.”
“Ah, okay, sure…
Hehe…
Furina~ You’re so nice—”
Seeing that he had already walked out of the bedroom, Cissia quickly followed, catching up to him and saying with a silly grin.
“Alright, alright, stay away from me~ especially that snake on your neck.”
“Okay, hehe, sure.”
After afternoon tea, the two little ones—one snake and one cat—strolled around the nearby park.
When evening came, they didn’t go back but headed straight to a hotpot restaurant.
Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, Furina paid the shop owner double; after all, a certain snake was way too much of a glutton.
Sitting at the dining table, Furina picked up a slice of cooked beef roll with his chopsticks, dipped it in his sauce dish, and stirred it.
He then looked up at the opposite side of the table, where the blonde little snake was stuffing her face and eating happily.
Sighing, he elegantly popped the meat into his mouth and savored it.
“Once you reach adulthood, you’ll leave the General Store and find some job, whatever works.
Do you hear me~ I won’t support you for the rest of your life.”
Squinting her eyes, Cissia nodded, still looking completely blissful.
Ignoring her, Furina focused his attention on the hotpot.
If he didn’t eat now, Cissia would finish it all again.
The next morning, Furina frowned deeply and suddenly opened his eyes to look at the ceiling.
Just as he was about to sigh about a nightmare, he suddenly felt something cold wrapping around his body.
Pulling back the covers in a slight panic, his expression instantly turned flat.
Looking at Cissia, who was hugging his arm with a silly grin, her tail was wrapped around his thigh, which was covered in pajama pants.
“You silly snake, don’t crawl into my bed—”
“Get up right now and go sleep in your own sleeping bag.”
Woken up by Furina’s thunderous shout, Cissia rubbed her eyes, sat up, and gave an embarrassed laugh.
“Hehe, well, it’s just…
after experiencing your bed yesterday, sleeping in the sleeping bag just didn’t feel right.
I couldn’t help but come over.”
“Your hand, let go of my hand…”
His body trembling, Furina looked at the little white snake wrapped around Cissia’s wrist and spoke with a hint of fear in his voice.
“Oh, oh, okay, sure— Hehe, Furina…
just let me sleep in your room~ Besides, if my sleep quality is good, I can definitely do a lot of things for you!”
Quickly letting go, Cissia took a few steps back and suggested while twiddling her fingers.
“You’re making demands now?
Are you the boss or am I the boss…
If you make any more demands, I’ll kick you out!”
“Yes!
Yes…
I won’t do it next time.”
Her body stiffening, Cissia’s tail went straight as a board.
She quickly waved her hands and lowered her head.
The atmosphere fell into silence.
Cissia pursed her lips slightly, seemingly realizing she had crossed the line…
She slowly got out of bed and prepared to walk downstairs.
“Wait…
take this.”
Turning around, Cissia blankly caught a bag of dennies.
She looked up in confusion at the White-haired Cat Girl on the bed.
“You worked pretty hard yesterday, so go buy a thicker mattress and bedding…
Let’s get one thing straight, though: you’re definitely not allowed on the bed.
At most, you can sleep on the floor in my room.”
Rubbing his nose, Furina turned his head away and said with a tsundere look.
Her red eyes widening slightly, Cissia looked at Furina and curled her lips into a smile.
“Mhm, thank you, Furina!
I’ll definitely work hard to help you out from now on—”