The Sensitive Rabbit and the Helpless Cat / Pardo's "Audacity"
"Hmm, it does make sense, but..." This time, Pardofelis didn't let Rope's explanation go as easily as before, but stared at the person in front of her with a probing gaze.
"But actually, Rope was afraid I wouldn't reimburse her, so she didn't dare buy more, right!"
Although it seemed like a question, the cat's tone was quite certain.
"!"
Startled by her sudden Rope of her secret thoughts, An Suo quickly explained, somewhat embarrassed, "How could that be? I really just can't eat that much!"
It's one thing to think and plan things yourself, but it's quite another to have someone else say it out loud. Although Rope consider myself to have a thick skin after all these years of hard work... I still felt a little embarrassed at this moment.
"Okay, I understand! I bought extra, I'll share with you later. Let's find a quiet place to sit."
Pardofelis keenly noticed the subtle change in Rope's expression, a hint of understanding flashing in her heterochromatic eyes. She then stopped pressing the matter and instead, quite abruptly, changed the subject.
"..."
Although he couldn't quite keep up with Pardofelis's train of thought, Rope silence.
"Oh dear, it's definitely better to enjoy a meal in a quiet place!"
After leaving the food street with Rope and finding a quiet, secluded spot nearby, Pardofelis casually pulled Rope to sit down.
After sitting down, the cat grabbed the Canned Food with one hand and placed all the food it was carrying in front of Rope with the other, saying:
"Here you go, I bought a lot. Just take whatever you want to eat."
"Meow!"
Before Rope could react, the Canned Food, which was being controlled by Pardofelis, cried out in dissatisfaction and protest.
"Don't worry, Canned Food. We won't starve you. Let Rope choose first this time." Hearing Canned Food's protesting cries, Pardofelis patted its head and comforted it.
"Meow!"
"Oh, don't be so stingy."
"..."
Rope first looked at the wide variety of snacks in front of him, then at the person and cat playing around beside him, and a complex emotion mixed with warmth suddenly welled up in his heart.
"I'm not really hungry, this will be enough for me. Miss Felis, you should eat your Canned Food quickly before it gets cold..." Rope casually picked one item, then pushed the snack back to the table and reminded her.
"Honestly, you should learn more from Canned Food! And here you go."
Seeing Rope's actions, Pardofelis shook her head helplessly, then released her grip on the Canned Food, reached into her pocket, took out a few banknotes, and handed them to the person next to her.
"We may not be able to guarantee other aspects, but we will absolutely, positively treat you well in terms of food, drink, and benefits!"
"..."
Staring at the few bright blue banknotes in front of him, Rope didn't accept them as quickly as usual. Instead, he turned his head slightly to look at Pardofelis and asked the same question as before, his face full of confusion.
"Why?"
"Huh? What do you mean, why?"
As they spoke, Pardofelis stuffed the money in her hand into Rope's pocket, then leisurely picked up a snack from the side and ate it while waiting for her explanation.
"... Why did you choose me, and why are you being so good to me for no reason?"
Rope met Pardofelis's beautiful heterochromatic eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered.
Miss Purple Rabbit had asked a similar question at the beginning and received an answer. However... that answer did not satisfy her, or rather, it did not convince her.
At the time, Rope didn't pay much attention, because her initial plan was to take the money given to Pardofelis by this "weirdo" and find a chance to escape.
Since she had no intention of staying, she naturally wouldn't delve into the matter or care about the answer the cat gave.
But things are different now, and even Miss Purple Rabbit herself finds it unbelievable. After spending just one morning with the people around her, she actually had terrifying thoughts like, "This is not bad at all," and "Staying here shouldn't be a bad idea."
And it was precisely because of these fleeting thoughts that Rope, who hadn't cared about the "reason" before, now started to care... In fact, the better Pardofelis treated her, the more she cared about the reason behind it...
"Huh? Rope, why are you still dwelling on this? Didn't I say at the beginning that I think you're exceptionally talented and I wanted to mentor you?" Saying this, Pardofelis took a bite of the skewer in her hand and continued:
"And when have I ever been nice to you for no reason?"
"?"
Upon hearing this, Rope glanced at the snacks in front of him and the money in his pocket, a big question mark appearing on his little head.
While leisurely enjoying her lunch, Pardofelis Rope's expression, then smiled, shook her head, and said:
"Oh, actually, I Rope you should think of yourself a little more. I've never been nice to you for no reason, because we have a normal employer-employee relationship, although we don't seem to have a contract or anything..."
As someone whose past experiences were similar to Rope's, "Pardofelis" could easily understand her "little brother's" current dilemma just by listening to what he said.
The little rabbit's dilemma was a good thing, even a pleasant surprise, in the cat's eyes; at least she hadn't expected this "dilemma" to come so soon.
As for why she said that, it's because Pardofelis had long understood the principle that "if you don't care, you won't be bothered by it."
In Maomao's opinion, if Rope were truly only interested in taking advantage and running away with the money, then she wouldn't be bothered by this issue at all.
"Although that's what you say, Miss Felis ... I don't think I have anything that would make you spend so much money to hire me. I don't know much either, you can't be planning to hire me to steal, can you...?"
P. S.: This is a bit late, I'm going to sleep now. I accidentally stayed up all night and now I'm getting new growths again. Goodnight.
Chapter 37 The Sensitive Rabbit and the Helpless Cat
"Although that's what you say, Miss Felis ... I don't think I have anything that would make you spend so much money to hire me. I don't know much either, you can't be planning to hire me to steal, can you...?"
Although Rope said these words with a smile, the unease and wariness in her eyes when she looked at Pardofelis, as well as the unconscious change in how she addressed her, all betrayed her true emotions at that moment.
It's really not fair to blame Miss Purple Rabbit for overthinking; the main problem is that all of this seems too abnormal to her! So abnormal that all her years of experience and rationality tell her that there's no such thing as a free lunch, something's fishy, and she should get out of there as soon as possible.
However, she had to admit that so far, Pardofelis had not only refrained from any outrageous or dangerous behavior, but had even been very kind to her...
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to guess so accurately, Rope. However, I don't like the term 'theft,' I usually call it 'buying goods.'" Pardofelis chuckled after hearing Rope's joking probing.
"...?"
"???"
Pardofelis's sudden and information-rich words stunned Rope. After she came to her senses, her face was full of astonishment, and a row of question marks appeared on her little head.
"You... you... this, I..."
Pardofelis looked at Rope, who had become incoherent because of her words, and blinked innocently. "Oh dear, are you that surprised?"
"Of course! Buying goods... Could it be... could it be that Miss Felis, you're some kind of unscrupulous trafficker who kidnaps infected people and makes them steal all sorts of things for you?!"
Looking at Pardofelis's innocent face, Rope immediately thought of the worst possibility, and then said in a trembling voice with a look of fear on his face.
"?"
"How could that be! Do we look like the kind of people who would do that kind of thing?! And keep your voice down, you know walls have ears." As soon as Rope said this, it was Pardofelis's turn to be unsettled.
Although Cat knew that Rope had struggled in the slums and it was normal for him to overthink things, she could be understanding. But she really didn't expect things to get so outrageous!
She clearly only intended to hire Xiaoshi as an equal, and then fulfill Senti promise to teach her a couple of moves!
"Don't overthink things, Tiantian. I would never do such a bad thing. And, if I may be frank, your skills aren't as good as mine." As she spoke, Pardofelis's long tail swayed unhappily, then she quietly hooked a nearby cold drink and pressed it against Rope's cheek.
"Alas!"
The sudden chill Rope An Suo, who was already somewhat tense and wary, shiver and almost jump up.
Are you a little calmer now?
Pardofelis looked at Rope, who was startled by her, and flicked her tail to toss the iced drink she had caught into her arms. Then she continued, "Well, while I understand your idea that there's no such thing as a free lunch, don't get any more ridiculous."
"Um, calm down a bit..."
Upon hearing this, Rope, holding her cold drink, stiffly turned her head to look at Pardofelis and nodded.
Although he had been physically cooled down, the emotions churning inside Rope hadn't lessened at all, and his nodding now was only because he was under pressure from Pardofelis's "tyranny".
She's like a frightened rabbit right now; if anything goes wrong, she'll probably run away immediately.
Looking at the stiff-bodied rabbit before her, Pardofelis shook her head helplessly, and then said:
"Calm down and stop overthinking. Hurry up and finish your lunch. After you eat, we have a job coming up. I'll take you to see the world and let you know what your job entails."
Cat really didn't want to drag things out with Rope anymore; it was too tiring. Besides, just talking would only make things worse. It was better to let her see for herself and then gain her trust over time.
"Um."
Having said all that, Pardofelis Rope didn't say anything more, but nodded somewhat awkwardly again, and then obediently continued eating what was at hand.
Just then, the Canned Food that had been frantically showing off its food seemed to suddenly sense something and stopped eating. Then, it nimbly jumped into Rope's arms and gently nuzzled her chin, as if to comfort her.
"..."
Looking at the Canned Food was "throwing itself into her arms" and offering comfort, Rope subconsciously reached out and touched it. Then, feeling the soft, furry touch on her fingertips, her tense and complicated emotions calmed down a lot.
However, An Rope on the Canned Food and food, did not notice the fleeting look of pain in Pardofelis's eyes as she ate skewers beside her.
You should know that the cat paid a hefty price of five cans of Canned Food to get the greedy fat cat to put down his food and appease his sensitive "little brother"!
"So, our target this afternoon is the wealthy people here? Isn't that too risky? If we get caught, we..."
After lunch, Rope followed Pardofelis with a heavy heart, but when they arrived near their destination and saw their target, she couldn't help but ask a question.
Miss Purple Rabbit clearly hadn't expected that the target Pardofelis mentioned would actually be in Lungmen's famous wealthy district... She'd never even been to that place before, let alone stolen from it; in fact, she usually avoided it altogether.
"Haha, don't overthink it, relax and come with me~"
Seeing Rope's unease, Pardofelis simply smiled and offered no further explanation.
"..."
At worst... at worst, it's just a matter of spending some time in jail!
Thinking it over, Rope gritted his teeth, glanced at the Canned Food in his arms, and finally followed after them.
Then, after following them for a short while, Miss Purple Rabbit was surprised.
Because she discovered that Pardofelis really knew this place very well; taking shortcuts, dodging surveillance cameras, and avoiding patrolling security guards were all a piece of cake for her—she was incredibly skilled at it.
Finally, having evaded all obstacles, Pardofelis, carrying the Rope, stopped at a corner outside the Swire's courtyard wall.
"Alright, that's our goal for this time. Also, Rope, you need to train harder."
Pardofelis, who hadn't even broken a sweat after the entire operation, looked at Rope, who was already panting heavily just from barely keeping up with her, and shrugged.
"Huff... no, it's Miss Felis, you ran too fast..." Hearing this, Rope, supporting herself on her knees and panting heavily, couldn't help but complain.
After today's trip, Miss Purple Rabbit has truly come to understand the meaning behind her cheap "boss's" previous comment, "Your skills aren't as good as mine."
P. S.: I messed up this chapter again this morning, so the update is a bit late. There will be more tonight.
Chapter 38 The "Arrogant" Pardofelis
"I'm not running fast, this is just normal speed. Alright, Rope can stay outside and keep watch for me."
As she spoke, Pardofelis seemed to suddenly remember something, grabbed the Canned Food from her shoulder, put it on the ground, and added:
"This time, let the Canned Food stay outside too. Remember to protect the Rope if anything happens."
"Meow~~"
Upon hearing this, the Canned Food, which had been placed on the ground, stomped its paws in resentment and cried out in protest.
"Your protests are useless, Canned Food. Rope is still a newcomer and needs protection."
"Meow!"
"We've just finished lunch, we can't open any more Canned Food! If you keep eating like this, you'll turn into a pig sooner or later!" Hearing the Canned Food being bargained over, Pardofelis firmly and seriously rejected the idea.
Then, as if not wanting to give the fat cat any more chance to bargain, the cat pulled up its hood and tossed a message at Rope, "Watch the Canned Food for me, I'll be right back," before cleanly and easily vaulting into the yard.
"..."
Having caught his breath, Rope stared blankly at Pardofelis's nimble, cat-like movements and silent landing, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
This was already the umpteenth time Miss Purple Rabbit had been surprised by Pardofelis's actions on this trip... but there was nothing she could do, her cheap "boss" had indeed demonstrated many skills that she couldn't possibly do.
"Miss Felis is really as amazing as she says... So, can I perhaps believe her a little?" She withdrew her gaze, Rope to pick up the Canned Food from the ground, and murmured to herself, as if addressing the can and herself.