Yuihama, Shirou, and Paw Pads / Yuihama and Tama the Tabby Cat

"Well, let's not delay, let's go take a look." The bespectacled woman said with a smile, secretly revealing a knowing look on her face.

Commercial spies, or animal traffickers, used to be poachers who traveled from country to country, hunting and selling rare and protected animals, such as African ivory, rhinoceros horn, and the fur of other protected animals.

However, killing the prey is the most foolish thing to do, like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs; it's not only risky, but also...

Most importantly, those are not the most profitable. If you want to make even more money, then it's naturally rare and precious animals. For example, some wealthy families want to keep some particularly expensive pets to show their difference, such as Akhal-Teke horses, Tibetan mastiffs, and sand cats.

Even wild animals, such as lions, tigers, leopards, crocodiles, and even rarer exotic animals, especially endangered species, blue parrots, and giant pandas—the more precious the better. Even if it breaks the law, they will not hesitate to spend money to get their hands on it.

Especially in this age full of miracles, only fantastical creatures are worthy of their status. Therefore, they all spend exorbitant sums to acquire them.

The woman wearing glasses was an animal trafficker; she had been eyeing this Pet Center for some time.

The current total investment is 100 million yen, which is equivalent to more than 1 million US dollars.

Moreover, these are animals that can truly bring in a lot of money, not world-class celebrities like pandas, or rare breeds that are hyped up in the pet market, pet beauty pageant champions, or world-class racehorses or thoroughbred stallions.

These kinds of pet celebrities receive too much attention and have too much fame; they could easily be exposed if stolen, and there's nowhere to sell them. It's like a human trafficker not selling a nationally renowned child star.

But these magical creatures are different. Many of them may look like ordinary pets, but they possess extraordinary hidden value. They exist in the narrow space between existence, illusion, and reality, unknown to the world. Only those who know can see their true value.

So even if she stole these animals, and the shop owner, Yuihama, reported it to the police afterwards, the police couldn't determine the true value of these mythical beasts, since, according to the official mainstream narrative, mythical beasts don't even exist.

According to her observation, this Pet Center had at least two, or even three, animals, enough to make her risk such a job.

Apart from several people who refused to come along, seven members of the group of middle-aged women have now arrived. The assistant who was supposed to be on duty has already gone to the break room for a lunch break since there is no work for her.

The passageway leading to the inner courtyard was deserted. They could be said to have had a smooth journey.

"Meow~!" At that moment, a blue cat and a pink cat appeared, blocking the way for the middle-aged women.

"Oh my, there are two adorable kittens here!" The noblewoman, unaware of the leopard cat in her arms, was so frightened that she arched her back and dared not move an inch.

"What strange colors! Could these be mythical beasts?" a lady asked curiously, examining the two cats.

"No... I doubt it," the bespectacled woman said dryly. If this was a mythical beast, she wasn't sure she could sell it for a good price.

Before she went into poaching, when she first started out, she sold brightly colored chicks at an elementary school. She would buy them for 50 yen each, add 50 yen for dye and feed, and then sell them for 1100 yen each, including a week's worth of feed. That was almost a tenfold profit, which was incredibly lucrative. If the chicks hadn't all died so young, she could have become a millionaire from this small business.

"Go away! Move aside, move aside!" The woman with glasses waved her hands, shooing away the two cats guarding the gate.

Both the blue British Shorthair and the pink Ragdoll have round eyes and chubby faces that make them look adorable.

At this moment, the blue British Shorthair cat guarding the gate bristled, stretched out a paw, and looked as if it would attack the intruders with a claw technique that creates a dimensional folding effect: 'Meow Reversal'! if they took another step forward.

"Meow~!"

The pink kitten Musashi quickly called to the British Shorthair cat Kojiro, shaking its head repeatedly. Although they obeyed Shirou's orders to guard the door, they had also agreed not to harm humans on their own initiative.

Since they aren't some other evil force, but just a bunch of willful old ladies, there's no way to take action against them, so relying solely on them won't be enough to stop them.

"Come here, let me give you a hug!"

"Meow~!!" The pink Ragdoll cat dodged an older woman's hand, had no choice but to turn around and run outside quickly.

'Shirou, meow! Something terrible has happened! Come back quickly, meow~!'

The group of middle-aged women pushed open the heavy security door and entered the greenhouse courtyard. As soon as they entered, the door closed automatically.

By the time the older women realized what was happening and tried to block the door, it was too late. The door was completely sealed, leaving not even a sliver of light. Surprisingly, there was no handle on the door, and once closed, it couldn't be opened from the inside.

The women looked around and found that it was pitch black inside, completely different from the paradise they had imagined, teeming with rare creatures. They could also hear rustling sounds from time to time.

"Hehehe, looks like another stupid pig trying to use our power has barged in." A petite and cute girl's voice came over.

"Hmm? Who's being so rude! But it's so nice that someone's here!" The lady was a little angry, but still...

"Whose little girl is she? We aunties are not suspicious people, we're just here for a visit."

"Yes, if you know where the switch is, please turn the light on quickly."

"A lamp? We don't need that. We can see everything clearly here. Isn't that right, everyone?" the little girl said sweetly.

From the depths of the darkness, one after another, red and blue beastly eyes flashed, at least nearly a hundred gazes locked onto the intruder.

"Eek!!!" The women felt a chill run down their spines, as if their genes, inherited from tens of thousands of years ago, were telling them that they were now in a terrifyingly dangerous area.

"Don't scare us, little girl. Auntie has a heart condition; scaring someone can be fatal," the older woman said, clutching her chest.

"Hehe, when did I ever say I was human?" the little girl said with a coquettish laugh.

Then, the sounds of a group of beasts rang out.

"Eh!" The middle-aged women looked surprised and hugged each other, trembling.

Chapter 601 Yuihama, Shirou, and the Meatball

"I've been in the business world for years! What haven't I seen! You ill-mannered brat! Stop playing pranks! It's not too late! If I get out of here later, I'll definitely find your parents and teach them a lesson about how to be parents! I'll make them discipline you properly!" The wealthy woman's aunt stepped forward, hands on her hips, pointing her fingers around and shouting angrily.

"Who do you think you can discipline?"

The leaves rustled against each other, and the spiraling vines loosened.

The intertwined branches of the towering trees on both sides snapped apart with a loud crack. It turned out that these leaves had covered the entire glass ceiling, blocking out the light coming down from outside.

A tuna cuckoo with a green, pointed crest could be vaguely seen. After it called out a few times, the large trees on both sides seemed to shrink, their leaves spreading out on either side to make way for the center, instantly illuminating the space in the greenhouse forest.

At the same time, the surrounding lights also turned on, and only then could the group of middle-aged women see clearly what was inside the greenhouse: a dense forest like a tropical rainforest, with white smoke rising around it.

Various small animals were perched in the grass and on the branches of trees. They all looked quite peculiar, somewhat different from the animals people usually see in real life or on nature documentaries.

Of course, there are no large carnivorous wild animals here, since this is Pet Center, not a wildlife park.

"Hehe... hehehe." It was still that girl's voice, but looking over there, one realized that the speaker was a small bird with pure blue feathers, just like the legendary bluebird that brings good luck. Its crimson eyes looked down at the people who had entered this greenhouse courtyard.

"A magical beast! It's a talking magical beast!" the animal trader exclaimed excitedly.

"Mythical Beast? Is that so? Another new name that humans have given us without our permission. It has a really nice name, 'Bibi'!" The little girl's bluebird made a cheerful bird chirping sound when it said its name, although to a human ear it could only be heard as "Bibi".

"Mythical beasts...this one is a mythical beast, that one is a mythical beast...three, four...six, seven! Eight...this is incredible!" The bespectacled animal dealer never imagined that all the animals inside this Pet Center were mythical beasts.

"What do we do? That old lady looks like she wants to eat us up," one of the mythical beasts said.

"Hehe, don't be afraid, we'll just eat her up first." A bird with a pink head and feathers like an eagle flew out and said with a chuckle.

"Hehehe, you're right." The magical beasts all chattered and laughed.

"Oh my god! You're the one who brought us in! You'd better think of something quickly!" The ladies grabbed the woman with glasses by the shoulders and scolded her anxiously.

However, the woman with glasses could no longer care about the older women. She was already overwhelmed by the incredible sight before her. She flailed her arms, trying to break free from the women, and rushed to the phantom beasts to grab them all!

The woman with glasses suddenly raised her hands high, shaking off the older woman who was grabbing her. Then she pulled a fishing net from her backpack and was about to throw it at the animals in the jungle, shouting, "If I catch these, I'll be rich!"

"Secret Sword - Meow Return!!!" The blue British Shorthair cat slashed through the air with a flash of light, striking the bewitched woman on the back of the neck. The woman's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground unconscious.

From the moment she stepped in to the present, as a samurai cat, she had received orders from her master Shirou and naturally had to obey them. Originally, she was prepared that anyone who wanted to enter would have to step over her body first.

However, just as cats have their ways and mice have their ways, humans also have their difficulties. Therefore, she heeded Musashi's advice, lay low, and waited for this moment!

She's been waiting for this mastermind for ages, meow~!

"Eek! Murder!!" the women screamed.

"Don't worry, I'm using PawPad!" The British Shorthair cat said coolly, without turning around, its back to the group of older women.

"Even if you want to imitate the cool samurai in TV dramas and say that it was hit with the back of the sword, you are born unqualified. Don't forget that you are already a neutered girl." The bluebird named Bibi flew over and landed on the British Shorthair cat's back.

"Meow~!" The British Shorthair cat was instantly plunged from its samurai dream back to the cruel reality, nearly collapsing. It frantically stretched out its paws and jumped up to pounce on the bluebird beside it.

"Hahaha." The mischievous bluebird quickly flew away.

"No, since you broke in, you're accomplices too. So you need to be punished."

The pink bird spread its eagle-like wings and swooped down on the old women on the ground. Pink, crystalline dust scattered from the feathers on its sides. She possessed the power of the goddess Oceanus, the aunt who betrayed the witch Medea, and the daughter of the sun god Apollo.

In Greek gods, a capricious demigod entertained the men who came to her island with exquisite dishes laced with magic potions, easily falling in love and easily becoming jealous.

A witch who transforms any human she dislikes or any woman she is jealous of into animals like pigs, lions, or wolves.

The crystalline dust fell to the ground without any reaction, but it had a very different effect when it landed on a person.

Bang!!!

A pink light fell on the lady's hand on the ground. White smoke rose from the noblewoman's hand, which was covered in powder, and then her whole body began to change.

"Aaaaaah~! Pfft pfft~!"

The noblewoman watched as her hands transformed into pig hooves, emitting a high-pitched sound like an ultrasonic weapon, which then spread throughout her body, eventually turning her into a pig wearing a blue spotted dress. The pig looked around with bewildered eyes, its large nostrils twitching, its entire body swollen and red, like a bulging ball of flesh, rampaging through the courtyard.

"Aaaaaah! Help!!!"

Bang! Bang!

Unable to resist their curiosity, the middle-aged women who barged in ended up getting turned into frogs and ducks.

"Hehehe, hahaha, serves you right! How dare you trespass on our territory!" The bluebird and the pink-headed sparrow laughed loudly.

"Come on! This time it's a sheep!" the pink-headed bird said with a loud laugh.

"Ahhh, baa baa~!" An older woman squatted on the ground, and when she looked up, she had become a goat with grass in her mouth.

"Haha, again and again!" the surrounding mythical beasts cheered.

But the people on the ground were in a panic. Pigs dressed in skirts, sheep dressed in fur coats, and ducks wiggling their butts and quacking were all scrambling around and making strange noises. It was just like a livestock market.

Chapter 602 Yuihama and Calico Cat

Meanwhile, at the Pet Center, everything was neat and clean. Although the decor wasn't luxurious, it was refreshing and airy.

Because of Shirou's high standards for cooking, the chefs who prepare the dishes are all top-notch in the industry in terms of both skill and service. Even the head chef is always waiting for the right moment to step down and want Shirou to lead them.

However, one cannot have both fish and bear's paw, and supporting his future wife's career and cooking in the kitchen are also mutually exclusive. Therefore, in this world, Shirou chose his wife without any hesitation. By the way, Shirou's skills in making cat food, dog food, and various animal dishes are now top-notch.

"Come here, Shirou!"

"Then you come too, ah~!"

Shirou and Yuihama were sitting facing each other, feeding each other. Shirou picked up a piece of fish cake from the udon noodles and put it into Yuihama's mouth, while Yuihama scooped up a spoonful of sweet tofu and put it into Shirou's mouth.

The pink Ragdoll cat, Musashi, saw the Big Moms' gang attacking but couldn't harm humans, so he quickly ran out to find Shirou and Yuihama. Surprisingly, the two were still leisurely feeding each other!

This is simply unbearable! The pink Ragdoll cat stretched out its limbs, suddenly jumped onto the table, sandwiched between the two people, and started meowing.

"Meow meow meow meow!!! Meow~! (What time is it, meow, still showing off your love here! Meow, so delicious.)" The pink Ragdoll cat snatched the fish cake that Shirou was holding, scolding him in an annoyed tone, and then showed a blissful, greedy cat expression.

"What! Someone broke in?"

"Let's hurry!"

Shirou picked up the ragdoll cat and dragged Yuihama along as they ran towards the greenhouse. When they arrived, they were met with this terrible scene.

Four similar-looking wolfhounds were chasing a pig dressed in blue, running around everywhere. On top of the pig stood a fat leopard cat, its back arched, barking at the four wolfhounds, but daring not to utter a sound.

The goats and ducks were treated like toys by the greenhouse animals and were arbitrarily chased away.

"Ugh, I'm late. This is going to be a real hassle to deal with now," Yuihama said, looking at the pigs on the ground, the goats grazing, and the ducks. She wished it were all just a fantasy, but she could still recognize the people from the clothes these animals were wearing.

"Alright, alright, stop playing around." Just then, footsteps came in again. It was Shirou and Yuihama returning from lunchtime. The two cats, a brown Calico Cat and a pink Ragdoll, stood on either side of Shirou's shoulders.

"Shirou ~! It's all because of these stupid women who barged in without permission."

"That's exactly right, they absolutely have to be punished!"

Then, a bluebird and a pink sparrow flew over together and landed on Shirou's raised arm, speaking in a voice like a little girl.

"Alright, everyone, I apologize on their behalf, so please forgive them this time." Yuihama stepped forward, clasped her hands together, and said to the little bird and the surrounding mythical beasts.

"Yui, you're so kind! And I didn't hurt them, I was just playing a little prank," Aotorish said sweetly.

"Hehe, but Yuihama (Yui) said so, then so be it." The surrounding mythical beasts also chimed in with their own laughter.

The mythical beasts revealed their true forms, each displaying a hybrid of beast and human appearance, resembling mermaids, sirens, some adorable young girls, some mature beauties, and some handsome young boys. However, each of them possessed symbols that were distinctly different from those of humans.

They are blessed by the power of the world and possess magical abilities. Some are even incomplete possessions of heroic Servant, and their intelligence and personality are more or less influenced by these Servant, yet they still retain their animalistic nature. The ratio between them is determined by their compatibility.

Normally, they can only appear before people in the form of animals. However, in this space that Shirou specially created for them, they can transform into something that is somewhere between animals and humans, that is... strange, or you could say monsters.

"Yes, but it seems that the protection here really needs to be strengthened. Although this world is already full of mythical beasts, it will still take a long time for humans to learn the correct way to get along with them." Shirou said as he walked into the dense forest.

In his eyes, this wasn't a dense tropical rainforest, but an ordinary courtyard. Although there were trees around, they weren't enough to provide shade. The other women were simply lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, unconscious.

However, they only had themselves to blame. Fortunately, it was all just a dream, not the descent of a real goddess, but a demonic bird.

Only in this secret chamber can people see such illusions: animals turn into humans, and humans turn into animals.

They believed that the power of the world had given these animals their energy, so most of the mythical beasts were willing to befriend Shirou. Of course, there was also Sabre, who was the origin of the mythical beasts in this world.

As for Yuihama, whom Sabre was protecting, it was as if she had received the blessing of the Beast God; no animal would dare to harm this girl.