"No, no, I can't take this much."
Nekomata quickly shook her head after snapping out of it. Holding that card in her hands gave her an unsettling feeling.
That nervous tension just wouldn't go away.
Even though she knew there was little chance of anything going wrong, she was still anxious—if something did happen, even selling herself wouldn't be enough to pay it back.
"Besides, the cat café doesn't need this much money. Zane, you should at least split it..."
"Just take it. Splitting it would be a pain, and I'd have to make another trip."
Zane waved it off. The money he set aside was withdrawn from a bank on the way back.
All those bank clerks with their pushy pitches and sales tactics—just the thought of it was annoying. Unless absolutely necessary, he wasn't going back.
"But, but…"
Nekomata frowned, looking at the deceptively light yet unbearably heavy card in her hands, clearly conflicted.
"No buts. It's just some Dennies—don't make such a big deal out of it. If you ask me, Xiao Hei is worth more than that card."
Zane shook his head. Money came and went. You couldn't take it with you, and as long as you had enough, the rest was as useless as scrap paper.
Xiao Hei, hearing this, seemed to understand and let out a meow from the side.
Nekomata opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.
Just some Dennies? Really?
She looked at Xiao Hei. Sure, her companion was priceless to her, but still… to say it so casually...
"Just take it and use it for the cat café. If I ever need it, I'll ask for it back…"
Seeing Nekomata still hesitating, Zane waved his hand again, signaling that the matter was settled.
He was just being polite. He'd never be short on money. Selling a few chunks of Ether to Deck would more than cover anything.
He sold that Ether in the first place to fund the café anyway.
Hearing this, Nekomata could only accept. She knew that once Zane made up his mind, there was no changing it.
"Well... okay then…"
She carefully put the card away. Once the café was up and running, she'd save whatever was left for Zane…
Might as well be a mobile kitty piggy bank.
With the money sorted, Nekomata and Zane began helping the stray cats "move house."
The café wasn't far, but it wasn't exactly close either—tucked away in a quieter part of the next street over. That was part of why the previous owners had shut down.
But for them, it was perfect. Their goal wasn't profit. It was giving stray cats a place to call home.
Nekomata had plenty of stamina, and Zane—well, no need to even mention.
The cats didn't need much handling. Most of the work was carrying things.
According to Nekomata, these were the cats' memories—things they cherished. They couldn't just leave them behind.
There were also supplies they still needed to buy.
Soon enough, the "move" was nearly complete with their combined efforts.
"Hehe, no wonder you're Zane—so reliable!"
Perched on a small pushcart, straddling a stack of cardboard boxes, Nekomata had her hands resting between her legs as she beamed at him.
"So that's why you didn't want to walk—you just wanted to sit there?"
Zane pushed the cart with one hand, a little helpless.
"Eh? That's not allowed?"
"Zane's so gentle, so thoughtful, so kind to kitties… surely he wouldn't mind…"
Nekomata tilted her head with a pitiful expression. Zane could tell she was faking it, but still let out a sigh.
Was acting cute just second nature for cats?
"Hey, Zane, Nicole told me you two met in the Cretan Hollow. Were you like me back then?"
Nekomata looked at him curiously. She wanted to hear his story to help her make a decision.
She was still on the fence about joining Hare's House.
"Like you? In what way?"
Zane looked over, puzzled.
"You know… living as a wanderer..."
"Before you met Nicole, weren't you going solo as a Hollow raider too?"
Nekomata lowered her head, voice soft.
She felt like she might've crossed a line, digging into someone's past. She looked up to apologize—but Zane's expression hadn't changed.
"Uh... something like that."
Zane hesitated. Then it hit him—Nekomata still hadn't seen him in his Ethereal form. She probably thought he was just a strong human.
Still, he had been on his own before.
"So what do you think, Zane?"
"I asked Nicole, and she said you're not officially with Hare's House yet, but she also said you'll definitely join."
"So I wanted to know what you think. If we both join, we'll be coworkers!"
Nekomata's face lit up with a bright smile. In the moonlight, framed by soft white fur, it was especially charming.
Zane raised an eyebrow.
Definitely going to join Hare's House?
Where'd Nicole get that confidence?
Just because she's the boss?
"Not sure. But with the way I do things, I probably wouldn't join any private organization."
He thought it over, then replied.
He already had more than enough on his plate. Joining some group would only pile on more trouble.
Better to be free and unburdened.
"Sigh... that's too bad."
Nekomata let out a soft sigh.
"But what about working with me?"
Zane pushed the cart up to the café door. The strays ran out to greet them. He smiled.
"Whether I join Hare's House or not, you and I will still be the same. If anything comes up, just ask—I'll help."
Nekomata smiled back, hopped off the cart, grabbed a box, and followed him into the café.
"Zane's already helped me so much. I mean, the café—"
"You've got that backwards."
"This was my idea. Technically, you're working for me. So how's that me helping you? It should be the other way around."
The café was registered under his name—something Nekomata had insisted on when taking over.
So from any angle, he was right.
Nekomata set the box down, opened it, and began unpacking cat food and dried fish. She crouched and neatly arranged everything on the floor.
"Tch, Zane always dodging credit… He knows full well, but his mouth's always squeaky clean…"
She pouted and glanced up at him.
No matter how you looked at it, these cats were her friends.
And what Zane had done—he'd done for her.
She was definitely the one being helped.