"Actually, my family had a cat when I was a child..."
"But it was very fierce, and sometimes I got hurt when I tried to touch it."
Yoko Okino spoke hesitantly about her past.
Although it didn't leave her with any psychological trauma, she hadn't tried to get close to cats since then.
Hayashi Yoshiki listened attentively.
Though he was listening, he couldn't respond at the moment—because right now, he was covered in cats.
Ragdolls, British Shorthairs, Russian Blues, Chinchillas...
All sorts of cats surrounded him. Even though their nails were carefully trimmed, they still clung to him, trying to climb on top of him.
Some of the more clever ones had even leapt from nearby furniture to perch on his shoulders, letting out a happy "meow~" as they landed.
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Not only the customers in the cat café, but even the waitstaff and owner had never witnessed such a scene.
"Is his perfume made from catnip?" one of the waiters guessed reasonably.
"...But as I recall, Yu-chan isn't even into catnip."
Yu-chan was a very fat cat with a large frame. Lacking the energy to jump, he was currently pawing at Hayashi Yoshiki's pant leg.
Around one-third of cats show no interest in catnip—yet today, nearly every cat in the café was drawn to him.
Yoko Okino was stunned by the sight.
Her eyes held a trace of envy—but it was unclear whether she was envious of the cats or of Hayashi Yoshiki himself.
"Hold on, if you all climb on me, it really is heavy!"
"Could you get down, please?"
Hayashi Yoshiki tried to gently disperse the cats.
To be honest, he hadn't expected this. Although he had once been warmly welcomed by Kisaki Eri's cat at her law office, he'd assumed that was just an isolated case.
After finally shaking off the horde of cats, Hayashi Yoshiki picked out a Chinchilla kitten he liked, brought it along, and sat down—amid admiring glances from the staff.
He and Yoko Okino sat across from each other.
Hayashi Yoshiki glanced over the menu and ultimately ordered only two drinks.
"Is that enough?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm still pretty full. Ah, kitten… meow, meow~"
Yoko Okino was midway through speaking when the golden Chinchilla next to Hayashi Yoshiki stood up and curiously peeked at the table. She quickly tried to mimic a cat's meow and greeted it.
But the kitten seemed startled.
It immediately shrank back and hid beneath the table.
Yoko Okino looked visibly disappointed.
She really wanted to try petting the kitten, but it didn't seem to welcome her.
Even though customers at the cat café were allowed to approach the cats or gently bring them to their tables, her childhood experience left her without the courage to do so.
Seeing this, Hayashi Yoshiki stood from his seat, carried the cat over, and sat beside her under her surprised gaze.
"...Yoshiki-kun?"
"It wouldn't be fair if I was the only one covered in cat hair, right?"
"Cat hair?"
Hayashi Yoshiki was wearing black today, and the fur clinging to his clothes was particularly noticeable. Seeing this, Yoko Okino couldn't help but laugh.
Tucked into the corner of the booth, she had taken off her mask and sunglasses. Her lips curved into a gentle smile as she began to carefully pluck the cat hair from his clothing.
"..."
It was such a simple gesture, but Hayashi Yoshiki felt a faint stirring in his chest.
He wasn't sure if Yoko Okino noticed him watching her, but she kept her head down and slowly reached out toward the Chinchilla kitten.
The soft, warm sensation took her by surprise.
She cautiously tried mimicking Hayashi Yoshiki's earlier gesture, scratching the kitten gently under its chin. When it began to purr in contentment, her eyes lit up with joy.
"What do you think? Fun experience, right?"
His warm voice reached her ears, and Yoko Okino instinctively nodded. Then she realized just how close they were sitting.
A subtle shyness spread over her face.
"Mm... It's fun. But you were amazing earlier. I've never seen anyone so loved by cats."
"Honestly, that was my first time experiencing anything like that."
Hayashi Yoshiki responded, still sounding slightly bewildered.
Could this somehow be connected to the aura of death that Koizumi Hongko once mentioned?
There's a saying, after all, that cats are drawn to death.
No, that's a ridiculous thought...
He couldn't help but chuckle at himself.
The drinks at the cat café weren't particularly impressive.
After a few casual sips, the two mostly spent their time chatting and playing with the kitten. When the hour grew late, Yoko Okino slipped her sunglasses and mask back on, and the two quietly exited.
It was nearly nine o'clock now.
"Do you need to be back at a certain time, Yoko?"
"Hmm… Probably around ten or twelve."
Yoko Okino had wanted to say eleven, but as the words left her lips, she unconsciously pushed it back.
"Twelve..."
Hayashi Yoshiki noticed the change but played along as if he hadn't.
With a calm and charming smile, he asked, "Want to go get a drink?"
"...Alcohol?"
"Yep."
"...If it's just a little, it should be okay."
Her pause was less hesitation and more modesty.
Hayashi Yoshiki decided to take her to a quiet bar with a relaxed atmosphere.
Of course, being discovered in such a place would be a PR nightmare, so he exercised extra caution the entire way.