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[Game] Chapter 259: Cats
🕑 Added 2025-06-16 07:37:38 +0000 UTCOn Sunday, Ichin and Utaha got up right on time at 8 a.m.
Originally, everyone had planned to visit the animal shelter in the afternoon to adopt a cat. But Yukino had been unusually excited in the group chat the night before and suggested they go in the morning instead. If all went smoothly, they could finish the adoption early and use the afternoon to shop for cat supplies.
So, they ended up waking up much earlier than usual.
Yawning, Utaha took a sip of warm milk and looked at Ichin across the table, who was munching on a steamed bun.
“Ichin, should we call Hazuki-nee when we head out? She's the only one among us with experience raising a cat.”
“Mm~~ I’ll give her a call in a bit.”
Ichin thought for a moment before adding, “But I don’t think Hazuki is awake yet at this hour.”
After breakfast, while Utaha went to get changed, Ichin made the call to Hazuki.
The phone rang for almost thirty seconds before it was finally picked up. Hazuki’s groggy voice came through the line.
“…Hello, Ichin?”
“Mm, good morning, Hazuki.”
After greeting her, Ichin asked,
“Still resting?”
On the other end, Hazuki sat up with a yawn and scratched her slightly messy long hair.
“Yeah, I stayed up last night playing games with Nene and Umiko. It got kinda late. What’s up?”
“It’s like this—Yukino’s planning to go to the animal rescue center today to adopt a cat. Utaha and I don’t really know much about this kind of thing, so we wanted to ask if you’d be free to come with us.”
“Oh! That?” Hazuki instantly perked up, her eyes wide open.
“Sure! When are you guys heading out? I’ll get ready now!”
“No rush. We’re meeting up at ten. There’s still time.”
“Alright, I’ll go get ready. Just send the address to my phone, will you?”
After hanging up, Hazuki threw off her blanket and dashed out of the room.
At the moment, Hazuki was still living in her rented apartment. Although her new place had already been chosen, it would take a while longer to finish renovations and furnish everything.
Out in the hallway, Mozuku was lazily sprawled out. Seeing Hazuki charging out at this hour gave the cat quite a shock.
Hazuki spotted Mozuku as well. Smiling, she walked over, crouched down, and scratched under her chin.
“We’re heading out soon. You might be getting a little playmate later, you know?”
Mozuku stared at Hazuki for a moment, then opened her mouth in a wide yawn and flopped back down again.
After getting ready quickly and grabbing a bite to eat, Hazuki stuffed Mozuku into her cat carrier. Lifting it up and giving it a glance, she muttered,
“Tsk tsk… You’ve gotten a bit chubbier again lately, haven’t you? This carrier’s starting to feel too small for you. Perfect—this afternoon when we visit the pet grooming salon, I’ll get you a new one.”
With the carrier in hand, Hazuki headed out.
Driving her car, she arrived at the agreed-upon animal rescue center at exactly 9:55 a.m.
Although Mozuku wasn’t a rescue cat, Hazuki had been here before with two friends. They had adopted stray puppies from this very shelter.
In the parking lot, Hazuki immediately spotted Ichin’s car. He had arrived just a little before her, and none of them had gotten out yet—clearly, they were waiting for her.
After parking her car nearby, Hazuki took Mozuku out of the cat carrier, clipped on a leash, and finally stepped out.
The moment Yukino saw that Hazuki had brought Mozuku along, she immediately walked over in excitement.
“Good morning, Hazuki-nee!”
After greeting her, she turned to Mozuku. “Good morning to you too, Mozuku! Here!”
Yukino always carried some cat treats with her. She pulled one out and offered it to Mozuku. After munching it down, the cat graciously leaned in and rubbed its head against Yukino’s palm.
Watching Yukino with a smile, Hazuki said, “Alright, let’s not just stand around. Let’s head inside.”
Snapping back to her senses, Yukino’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she nodded and took the lead toward the rescue center.
Ichin walked beside Hazuki, asking curiously, “Hazuki, why’d you bring Mozuku along today?”
“I’m planning to take her to the pet salon this afternoon. It’s been a while since the last visit—she needs a bath and some grooming.”
“Is Mozuku not well-behaved during baths?”
“Exactly! You wouldn’t expect it, right?” Hazuki laughed, stroking Mozuku’s head. “She may act lazy most of the time, but the moment it’s bath time, she shows just how much power is packed into all that chub. Every time I bathe her, I end up half-dead. That’s why I now take her regularly to the grooming salon and leave it to the professionals.”
As they chatted, the group arrived at the rescue center’s entrance and went inside.
The moment they stepped in, the previously lazy Mozuku lifted her head, her nose and ears twitching.
Clearly, she had picked up the scent of her kind.
With the help of the rescue center staff, Yukino completed a quick registration and followed them into the cat housing area.
The environment was very clean and well-maintained—there wasn’t even a strong animal smell.
Each enclosure held a cat of various sizes and breeds, some were fully grown adults, while others were still young and not yet mature.
The moment she stepped in, Yukino couldn’t take another step forward. She moved slowly, observing each cat one by one, while listening to the staff member’s introductions.
“For the adult cats, we’ve already done spaying and neutering. But for the younger ones who aren’t old enough yet, they haven’t undergone the procedure. So if you’re planning to adopt a kitten and don’t want it to breed later, we recommend taking it to the vet for sterilization once it’s of age.”
“Mm-hmm, I understand.”
Nodding, Yukino continued examining cat after cat, until she suddenly stopped in front of one of the enclosures, completely transfixed.
The others curiously walked over, only to see a pair of pure white cats—one large, one small.
Their fur was completely snow-white, without a hint of any other color.
They appeared to be a mother and her kitten. The larger cat lay quietly while the smaller one nestled against her, eagerly nursing.
Noticing that someone was watching, the mother cat slowly turned her head and met Yukino’s gaze.
Seeing that Yukino seemed interested, the staff member explained,
“These two were found by one of our center's workers. The mother cat is estimated to be around two to three years old. There were originally two kittens, but one of them passed away just a few days after arriving due to a congenital weakness. Fortunately, the remaining kitten—a little girl—is in good health.”
Letting out a soft breath, Yukino made up her mind and said firmly, “I want to adopt them.”
“You’re sure?”
The staff member glanced at Yukino. Judging by her branded clothing, she didn’t seem short on money. Plus, her friends included someone who already raised a cat, so the adoption shouldn't be overwhelming.
“Yes, I’m sure!”
...
