Seeing Zane snap back to his senses, Nekomata let out a long breath of relief.
"Zane, your reflexes almost got me killed…"
Still shaken, she patted her chest. Noticing the lazy look on his face, she put her hands on her hips and said,
"Zane, seriously? You're still in bed at this hour? I thought you were the disciplined type…"
Zane glanced at her without minding that she'd walked right into his room. He had nothing to hide anyway.
"Why bother being disciplined? It's not like I have health anxiety."
He stretched with a yawn. Nekomata was momentarily speechless, frowning as she searched for a proper rebuttal.
While she was deep in thought, Zane quickly dressed and freshened up. By the time he finished putting on his jacket, Nekomata finally snapped out of it. Her eyes lingered for a moment, then drifted to the neatly made bed.
Wait—when did he do that?
So fast?
Just moments ago, he'd still been in the white cat pajamas she picked out, and now he was fully dressed and ready to go?
"So? Why'd you come looking for me?"
Zane met her gaze. Nekomata pouted, gave a soft "hmph," swayed her twin tails, and replied,
"Why? I can't come to the cat café unless I've got some grand reason?"
"Don't forget, I'm still the only staff member at Tanuki House. I may not be here all the time, but I have to clock in once in a while!"
She leaned forward, frowning.
"Don't tell me you hired someone else. I'm warning you—that's not gonna fly. There's not that much work to begin with, and I'm more than enough to handle it."
Nekomata could tell Zane hadn't hired anyone. Still, she felt it necessary to get that out of the way.
To her, Tanuki House was a place full of emotional weight. She couldn't bear the idea of someone else laying a hand on it.
It would feel like something pure and precious that belonged to her was suddenly tainted.
"Alright, alright. The job's all yours. Relax, I'm not hiring anyone else. Besides, that would cost money. You? You're top-tier free labor—can't beat that."
Zane waved it off, half-joking, half-serious. Nekomata didn't mind his attitude and nodded in satisfaction.
She soon got busy around the café, while Zane—carrying a clingy little white cat—stepped outside, watched by the little black cat at the front desk. He was ready to enjoy a peaceful morning.
But the moment he stepped out the door, a flash of white hair caught his eye, stopping him in his tracks.
Inside, Nekomata noticed he'd suddenly frozen and hurried to the door to check. Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, she saw someone standing not far away.
"That's… that guy from last time!"
She immediately recognized Soldier 11. She'd watched part of their last fight—even if it was only the second half, Soldier 11 had left an impression.
Compared to Zane, maybe she wasn't stronger. But to Nekomata, Soldier 11 was undeniably powerful.
"You again? What do you want?"
Zane frowned. The white kitten in his arms peeked out, staring wide-eyed at Soldier 11.
Behind her goggles, Soldier 11 stared straight at Zane. Then, without a word, she drew her longsword, pointed it at him, and said coldly,
"Tempered by the Dark Night—I challenge you to a duel!"
Thanks to the cat café's remote location, the street was empty. No one else saw this.
Hearing that, Zane's mouth twitched. He didn't even know what kind of face to make.
"'Dark Night Temperer'...? What kind of name is that?"
Still… not gonna lie. It did pair oddly well with "Fire Picker."
"You want a duel?"
Nekomata stepped out, took a stance beside Zane, hands resting on the hilts at her sides, eyes locked on Soldier 11.
"Sure seems like you're here to cause trouble."
Who challenges people to duels at their front door first thing in the morning?
"Step aside, kitty. I'm not here for you."
Soldier 11 shot Nekomata a glance, then shifted her focus back to Zane like she couldn't care less.
"Don't call me kitty! I'm Nekomata—Nekomata! I'm not an actual cat!"
Drawing her blade, Nekomata growled, clearly annoyed. She glanced at Zane and added,
"Zane can call me that. You can't."
Soldier 11 said nothing. She simply continued staring at Zane.
"Tch. Fine. Same spot as last time."
Zane set the white cat down and turned to go, but caught Nekomata's scowl and chuckled as he patted her on the head.
"Hang tight. She's ignoring you, so I'll get your revenge."
With that, he followed Soldier 11 off.
Nekomata had nothing more to say. She returned to the café with the white cat and waited for Zane's return.
Time passed slowly. As the little black cat on the high shelf let out a yawn, a noise sounded from outside the café.
Nekomata's ears twitched. She set down her toy and went to the door.
Looking up, she saw something orange flying through the air.
She caught it midair—quick reflexes—and looked closely. It was a pair of goggles. Nekomata recognized them instantly.
"Wait… did you steal her goggles?"
She recalled that Zane had brought back a pair the last time too. It all clicked.
So every time he fought her… he took her goggles?
In Nekomata's mind, it was already set—Soldier 11 lost every time.
"I've got a bunch of these. Told you I'd get revenge, so here—this one's yours. It's a custom piece. Even if it's not useful, you could probably sell it for a bit of cash. Help support the café."
Nekomata lit up, eyes sparkling as she cradled the goggles with a bright smile. Not that she cared about selling it or funding the café—it wasn't about that.
"Hehe… feels nice to have someone looking out for me."
Compared to her days as a stray, this life was worlds better. And once the paperwork was finalized for her to join Hare's House, she'd gain three new friends…
Zane raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Guess that makes me the cat boss now."
Of course, that included Nekomata.
"Meow—"
From up above, the little black cat let out a cry, clearly displeased. It was the real cat boss, after all…
Zane looked up, smiled.
"What's wrong? Not convinced?"
"How about a fight, then?"
He'd only meant it as a joke—but the little black cat suddenly sprang to its feet, yowled, and launched itself at him at lightning speed.
Behind it, several other cats followed its lead and charged at Zane together.