This was the perfect embodiment of the phrase "borrowing the tiger's might."
Zane got up from bed, realizing that life had gotten a little too comfortable lately.
The Tanuki House had become much livelier.
Since visiting the Public Security Bureau and training with Qingyi wasn't mandatory, Zane occasionally slacked off. On days when Qingyi didn't go either, she would sometimes stop by the cat café, enjoy Nekomata's hand-brewed coffee, and try something different from tea.
As she put it, it was "stealing half a day of leisure."
Of course, Zhu Yuan would also come by during this period.
But it was clear she wasn't very comfortable here. She had never been good with furry things—let alone a place crawling with them...
Well, if Nekomata was around, she might count as one of them.
So even during her downtime, Zhu Yuan preferred to stay in Zane's room, flipping through magazines and chatting. After all, without an escort, she wouldn't dare step outside.
This once led to a mishap: Zane and Qingyi had left the café one after another—he thought she was taking Zhu Yuan back, and she thought he would.
So Zhu Yuan, who had been watching videotapes in the room, was left completely alone.
By the time she realized something was off, it was already too late.
The room door was both her last line of defense—and the impassable barrier stopping her escape.
Outside were nearly twenty cats (Nekomata had taken in a few more), making it impossible for Zhu Yuan to step out.
The phone charging at the front desk, her final lifeline, had lost power—cutting off her last hope.
She considered calling for help using the TV, but after some hesitation and embarrassment, she gave up and simply waited.
So, though the door wasn't locked, she was stuck there until Zane returned that evening.
Later, Seth heard about the incident and started dropping by the Tanuki House during his spare time.
He even liked to bring up the story at the Public Security Bureau, thinking it made Chief Zhu Yuan seem more approachable.
Whenever Zhu Yuan heard others talk about it, she'd go red with embarrassment—at least, that's what Qingyi told Zane.
But Seth's plan actually worked.
Within a week, requests for Zhu Yuan to handle "furry" incidents jumped 2700% compared to the previous month.
Last month? Only one.
This week... well.
With things spiraling out of control, Seth had no choice but to take all the furry-related cases onto himself and issue a public notice to finally settle the matter...
Thinking back on all this, Zane felt both amused and warmhearted. Just yesterday, Belle had stopped by with Panta and Eous, and even adopted a little calico cat on her way out.
He wondered how it was doing now.
"So? What did you want?"
"With that tone... doesn't seem like you're here for work."
Zane looked at Nekomata, curious.
"Hehe, Zane, you're so sharp—you figured it out right away..."
Nekomata hadn't expected to be called out before even saying a word. She clasped her hands behind her back and doodled on the floor with one foot, looking embarrassed.
"Okay, I'll tell you—I've joined Hare's House."
She lifted her head with a bright smile. Clearly, this meant a lot to her, and she was genuinely happy.
"Congrats. That's great news."
Zane nodded. It didn't surprise him.
Hare's House had its flaws, but only Nekomata could say whether it suited her. She wasn't reckless—if she chose to join, it meant she'd thought it through.
"Hehe, thanks. But that's not why I came. I actually have something else to ask you..."
There was a flicker of guilt in Nekomata's eyes—she felt like she owed Zane something...
Still, thinking of what she knew, she decided to go ahead.
"Zane, did you know Nicole is from an orphanage?"
Seeing him nod, she continued.
"She's visiting them soon, and since the kids love cats, she was hoping you could bring some of the little ones from the café along…"
Suddenly remembering something, she quickly added,
"I've got a few things to handle these days, so I can't go myself. You'd have to go instead."
"Zane, would that be alright?"
She looked at him with sparkling eyes, hands clasped in front of her like a prayer, blinking sweetly, her cat ears twitching adorably.
Zane raised an eyebrow. He could tell she was intentionally playing cute—what puzzled him was why.
Was this really just about taking the cats to the orphanage?
"Sure, I don't have much going on anyway..."
Zane had no objections. After that last "chaotic battle," he'd already established himself as the top cat in the Tanuki House—the little black cat was runner-up.
So leading the cats wasn't a challenge. No reason to worry.
"Yay!"
Nekomata lit up, her fluffy ears twitching again, and her two tails behind her swung "cheerfully."
"I'll go pack up what the cats need. You can meet up with Nicole later, and then the two of you can head out!"
Watching her rush off to gather supplies, Zane didn't just stand there—he helped out, asking curiously,
"Is it that urgent?"
At his question, Nekomata's eyes flickered slightly. She lowered her head to sort the food—after all, feeding so many cats for even one day wasn't a small task.
Then she smiled.
"Well, you know how excited the kids must be, right? The sooner you go, the sooner they'll be happy."
"I see. That's kind of you, Nekomata. Thoughtful, too. I didn't consider that…"
Zane smiled, and Nekomata hummed twice in delight, clearly pleased by the praise.
What she didn't notice was the calm expression on Zane's face—and the trace of doubt in his eyes.
Nekomata wasn't very good at lying.
She'd asked his opinion first, yet the visit was already set up? If he had refused, and she was unavailable—wouldn't the kids have been disappointed?
And besides, surprises like this usually aren't announced in advance...
With Nekomata acting a little off today, Zane was sure—something else was going on.
He wondered what was really going on with Nicole...