"When I was a kid, we had a cat at home…"
"But it was really feisty. I'd get scratched sometimes when I tried to touch it."
Yoko Okino shared this hesitantly.
It wasn't exactly trauma, but she hadn't been around cats much since.
Hayato Masaki listened.
He heard her, but right now, he couldn't respond—because he was buried under a pile of cats.
Ragdolls, British Shorthairs, Russian Blues, Chincillas…
A furry mob swarmed him, climbing despite their trimmed claws, stubbornly scaling his body.
The clever ones leapt from high perches like cabinets, landing nimbly on his shoulders with a smug "Meow~."
Swamped by Cats and Clueless.jpg
Even the café's staff and owner had never seen anything like it.
"Maybe he's wearing catnip cologne?" a waiter guessed.
"…But I thought Tama didn't care for catnip."
Tama, a chubby tabby, too hefty to climb, was pawing at Hayato Masaki's pant leg.
About a third of cats ignore catnip, yet nearly every cat in the place was glued to him.
Yoko Okino watched, stunned.
Her eyes flickered with envy—whether for the cats or Hayato Masaki, she wasn't sure.
"Hang on, if you all pile on, it's gonna get heavy," Hayato Masaki said.
"Can you get down, please?"
He shooed at them.
Honestly, he hadn't seen this coming. Sure, Eri Kisaki's cat had liked him at her law office, but he'd chalked it up to a fluke.
After some effort, he freed himself and picked a cute Chincilla kitten to keep nearby, settling into a seat under the staff's awed stares.
He and Yoko sat across from each other.
He skimmed the menu, ordering just two drinks.
"That's all?"
"Yup. Already stuffed from earlier—oh, kitty… meow, meow~"
Yoko broke off mid-sentence as the Chincilla perked up, peering curiously at the table. She tentatively mimicked a cat's meow to greet it.
The kitten flinched, ducking under the table.
Yoko deflated.
She wanted to feel its fur, but it didn't seem to like her.
Sure, cat café patrons could grab a cat to cuddle, but her childhood memories made her hesitant.
Seeing this, Hayato Masaki scooped up the kitten, stood, and slid into the seat beside her, to Yoko's surprise.
"…Hayato-kun?"
"Wouldn't be fair if I'm the only one covered in cat hair, right?"
"Cat hair?"
His dark clothes were dusted with fur, glaringly obvious. Yoko giggled.
At their corner table, with her mask and sunglasses off, her ladylike smile shone as she naturally began picking the fur off his clothes, bit by bit.
"…"
It was a simple gesture, but Hayato Masaki couldn't help but notice.
Yoko might not have realized he was watching her. She kept her head slightly down, then reached out to touch the Chincilla.
The soft, warm fur felt magical.
Her face lit up with delight.
She mimicked Hayato Masaki's earlier move, scratching the kitten's chin, her eyes sparkling as it purred contentedly.
"Fun, right?"
His gentle voice, so close, made her nod instinctively—then blush at how near they were.
It was… embarrassingly close.
"Y-Yeah… super fun. But, wow, Hayato-kun, you were amazing earlier. I've never seen anyone so popular with cats."
"First time for me too," he admitted.
Could it be tied to what Koizumi Akako said about the "aura of death" around him?
Some say cats are linked to death, after all.
Nah, that's too absurd… He chuckled to himself.
The café's drinks weren't great.
They took a few sips, mostly chatting idly and petting the cat. When the time felt right, Yoko put her mask and sunglasses back on, and they left.
It was nearly nine.
"Got a curfew, Yoko?"
"Mm… maybe ten… or midnight-ish."
She'd meant to say eleven but stretched it at the last second.
"Midnight, huh…"
Hayato Masaki caught her slip but played it off.
His sharp, handsome face held a smile as he asked, "Wanna grab a drink?"
"…Alcohol?"
"Yup."
"…Just a little should be fine."
Her pause felt more like restraint than hesitation.
Hayato Masaki decided on a quiet, upscale bar with a good vibe.
But a place like that could spell trouble if she was spotted, so he stayed extra vigilant the whole way.
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 30 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL