Questionnaires, data analysis, preparing surprises for friends... there were as many reasons as one wanted.
It was just that Dong Yunshan wanted to check quickly, so he went straight for outside help.
At first, the manager couldn't recall either, but when Dong Yunshan mentioned the braided pigtails, the man gained some recollection.
After all, adults usually found him to ask him to catch cats, and children asking him to catch stray cats was a rare occurrence.
"That manager doesn't hate cats, but if a child got scratched by a cat, he couldn't shirk the responsibility, so he had no choice." The ginger cat noticed Dong Yunshan had no intention of feeding it further, kicked Dong Yunshan's hand away with its hind paw, and got up to leave. Dong Yunshan didn't stop it. "I found a few health centers based on his memory, then checked the adoption records on their corresponding official websites from six years ago, and finally found this place."
The two chatted idly for a bit longer until another customer arrived.
"L-Little Yukino?" Yui Yuigahama walked in nervously, her posture quite stiff. "Why did you suddenly ask me to come here..."
Dong Yunshan turned to look at Yukino Yukinoshita. "What did you say to her?"
"I'm here," Yukino Yukinoshita replied. "You come over too."
Dong Yunshan was speechless for a moment, then looked at Yui Yuigahama. "And then you just came?"
Yui Yuigahama cautiously avoided the approaching cats. "Little Yukino rarely takes the initiative to look for me, after all..."
...You just spoil her rotten. Dong Yunshan glanced at the time. "Perfect, it's about this time. Sit down and wait a bit."
Yui Yuigahama sat on the other side of Yukino Yukinoshita, keeping quite a distance away, unlike their usual intimacy. "Wait for what?"
As they spoke, a wandering tuxedo cat accidentally—or perhaps on purpose—stepped on a tabby cat.
The tabby cat gave it a disgruntled swat in return, and the tuxedo cat didn't show any weakness, immediately squaring off against the tabby.
Just as a fight was about to break out, a dark shadow darted out from a cat bed and wedged itself between the two cats.
A lick to the left, a rub to the right, and the tuxedo and tabby cats, which had just been angry, quickly calmed down.
Yui Yuigahama stared blankly at the peace-brokering cat, her gaze trembling.
That was a beautiful calico cat.
Volume 3: Final Exams and Spring Break - Chapter 70: Do Not Disappear
"Its name is Flower. Although it's already over six years old, everyone in the shop still calls it Little Flower," Dong Yunshan relayed the information he had dug up. "Because its feeding time is very regular—one meal in the morning, one meal in the afternoon—it's like an elementary school student who eats on time. It's just very resistant to baths and makes a huge fuss every time. But as long as you hold it in your arms, it will quiet down, so whenever they give it a bath, the staff end up soaking wet, like they've been caught in a heavy rainstorm..."
Yui Yuigahama could no longer hear Dong Yunshan's voice. Her blurred vision chased after Little Flower's back as the cat ate its food, and she called out with a trembling voice, "Little Flower..."
Little Flower's ears twitched. It stopped eating, raised its head to give Yui Yuigahama a glance, and then lowered its head to continue eating cat food.
Yui Yuigahama sniffed and took the tissue handed to her by Yukino Yukinoshita. "S-Sorry, I'm a bit... I didn't expect..."
"The one who should say sorry is me." Yukino Yukinoshita raised her hand with a stiff motion and awkwardly stroked Yui Yuigahama's back. "I guessed wrong."
"Little Yukino said 'maybe', right? There's no need to apologize." Yui Yuigahama flashed a big smile. "You guys must have searched for a long time. Thank you so much..."
Her voice choked up, the content so blurred it was hard to make out.
"It wasn't both of us, it was all Shinonome's credit," Yukino Yukinoshita corrected. "I wasn't able to help much..."
Unlike Dong Yunshan, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't have that many friends.
Even if she investigated on her own, given her social skills, it would have been very difficult to pull this off.
"Then help me hug her," Dong Yunshan chuckled. "I won't make a move."
Yukino Yukinoshita shot him a sideways glare. "This doesn't count."
Then she gently pulled Yui Yuigahama into her arms.
Dong Yunshan felt a wave of helplessness.
Yukino Yukinoshita even had to make a special point of declaring that this wasn't the content of a second command.
Seemingly sensing that Yui Yuigahama's emotions were off, several cats gathered around, gently rubbing against Yui Yuigahama's legs.
"You guys are making me worry..." Yui Yuigahama revealed a smile. "Thank you, I'm fine."
"Meow~" Having finished its cat food, Little Flower let out a cry and slowly approached.
Amidst Yui Yuigahama's pleasantly surprised gaze, Little Flower leaped up and landed on her lap.
Yui Yuigahama pet its head, and it let out a comfortable purr while kneading her lap with both front paws.
The claws pricked a little bit, but Yui Yuigahama was very happy.
Really... really happy.
Yui Yuigahama held Little Flower, and Yukino Yukinoshita held the black cat, tranquil and beautiful.
Except for...
"Purr purr purr purr purr purr~" Dong Yunshan buried his face in a ragdoll cat's belly, rubbing back and forth.
Yukino Yukinoshita cast a vicious glare in his direction.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Dong Yunshan picked up the ragdoll cat and set it aside. "It really likes it."
The ragdoll cat meowed and went right back to Dong Yunshan's side, burrowing into his arms.
Dong Yunshan spread his hands to signal that he hadn't forced the ragdoll cat.
Likes it... huh?
Yukino Yukinoshita looked down at the black cat in her arms, lowering her head bit by bit.
Then her cheek was blocked by the black cat's front paws.
The black cat glanced in utter disgust at the ragdoll cat in Dong Yunshan's arms, then stared at Yukino Yukinoshita with a vigilance bordering on a warning.
Why did it turn out like this...
Yukino Yukinoshita looked up at Dong Yunshan and found him squeezing a cat.
The ragdoll cat's fluffy, oversized face was being squished flat, yet it was still letting out a pleasurable purr.
"All fur and fat." Seeing Yukino Yukinoshita's worry, Dong Yunshan flicked his fingers. He wasn't using force; he was just pressing the fur down, making it look as though the cat had been squished flat. "Baby, you're a big ball of cotton~"
"Meow~"
"A big ball of marshmallow!"
"Meow~"
"A big block of ice cream!"
"Meow~"
"A cream cake!"
"Meow~"
"Little cutie!"
"Meow~"
"Big kitty!"
"Meow~"
Seeing the human and cat exchanging lines back and forth, Yui Yuigahama let out a soft laugh. "Shinonome and cats can become friends so quickly too."
"Yeah..." Yukino Yukinoshita looked down at the black cat in her arms.
The black cat lifted a paw. "Meow~"
Yukino Yukinoshita opened her eyes in pleasant surprise, her cherry lips parting slightly. "Meow~"
Dong Yunshan had just finished saying "little darling" over on his end when he heard a familiar cat meow.
The moment he turned his head, he met Yukino Yukinoshita's fierce glare.
"Meow~" The black cat responded softly.
Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her head, looked at the black cat, and showed hesitation on her face.
It's not like one more time matters.
Yukino Yukinoshita's gaze hardened as she replied in a soft voice, "Meow~"
"Meow~"
"Meow~"
The little kitty found a good friend and happily chatted with it—Dong Yunshan discovered that the previous storyline actually had a subsequent update.
"So..." After leaving the cat café, Dong Yunshan looked at Yui Yuigahama beside him. "If we discuss it with the staff, it should be fine."
"Even though I still remember it, it's already forgotten me." Yui Yuigahama lowered her eyelids. "I can't satisfy my own memories by taking it away from a place it's familiar with."
Besides, Yui Yuigahama was raising a dog at home now, and she didn't know if the two could get along well.
Tossing the cat back and forth wasn't a good thing for Little Flower.
"You can come often in the future," Yukino Yukinoshita spoke up. "I can accompany you."
Yukino Yukinoshita made no effort to hide her strong desire to visit a few more times.
"Yeah!" Yui Yuigahama broke into a wide smile. "Next time, the three of us will come together!"
Then she added in a barely audible volume, "...So, don't suddenly disappear on me."
"We won't," Yukino Yukinoshita answered with certainty. "According to the law of conservation of mass..."
Dong Yunshan interrupted her. "Just answering the first part is enough."
Right at that moment, his phone rang, and Dong Yunshan answered it. "Hello? Brother Yan, what is it?"
On the other other end of the line was the voice of a middle-aged man. "When are you coming home?"
"I'm on my way back right now." Dong Yunshan estimated. "About twenty minutes."
"Good, I'm heading over now."
With no excess pleasantries, the call hung up just like that.
Yui Yuigahama asked with some concern, "Did something happen? Is there anything we can help with?"
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't speak, merely looking at Dong Yunshan.
"It shouldn't be anything major." Dong Yunshan put away his phone. "I'll go home and check first. If there's any need, I'll contact you guys again."
Bidding farewell to the two girls, Dong Yunshan returned home...
And saw a cute baby.
Volume 3: Final Exams and Spring Break - Chapter 71: A Big Help
A cat café was great, but being in the middle of it, one inevitably found it dizzying and couldn't completely quiet down their mind to appreciate things.
Cats Love It: Meow Meow Nap Photo Collection
Yukino Yukinoshita stood beside the bookshelf, flipping through the photo collection in her hands.
At times like this, a static photo collection was needed so one could carefully observe the wonderful details and immerse themselves body and mind...
"Be a good girl~"
A familiar voice rang out, interrupting Yukino Yukinoshita's immersion.
Glaring with dissatisfaction toward the source of the voice, Yukino Yukinoshita unsurprisingly saw that familiar figure—Dong Yunshan.
And then she wore a surprised expression.
Because in Dong Yunshan's arms... was a baby.
The infant, around five or six months old, rested its head against his shoulder. With one hand supporting the baby's bottom and the other gently patting its back, he said, "We'll go back in a mo—"
"Ba..." The baby waved its tiny hands, letting out a vague sound from its mouth. "Ya!"
"Are you going that way?" Dong Yunshan turned around. "That way... oh?"
Yukino Yukinoshita had already put the photo collection back on the bookshelf a step ahead of him. "A new commission?"
"You could say that." Dong Yunshan adjusted his holding posture. "Let me introduce you. This is my younger sister—Dong Yunxi."
"Your... sister?" Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Dong Yunshan, then at Dong Yunxi. "You two..."
The age gap was a bit wide; they must have been relatives' children.
As Yukino Yukinoshita thought this, she watched Dong Yunxi struggle to stretch out a fair, tender little hand and grab a handful of her smooth, long hair.
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