Back at the shop, the fox lady dragged out a blue plastic bucket from under the bar counter, filled with Disinfectant Spray and rags. She flicked her teal tail toward the corner’s Mop Pool.
“Since the Boss Lady agreed, let’s wipe down the floor together first. The Cat Hair is almost thick enough for a carpet~”
I looked at the carpet of Cat Hair and thought, isn’t this definitely because someone here keeps slacking off?
But work is still a good thing—at least I can take this little bit of money with a clear conscience. If I did nothing, then it’d be me, Guī Yún, taking advantage of that jerk.
Still, staring at the Cat Hair stuck in the sofa seams and the Cat Litter under the Cat Climbing Frame, my cat ears drooped. This is so tricky. Who knows when we’ll be done.
Líng Xiǎoxiǎo must have noticed my drooping cat ears, because her bunny paw gently patted my shoulder. “I’ll help you out. It’ll be done in no time.”
Hearing that, I was overjoyed. “Eh? Really?”
“Of course, I said I would.” With that, Líng Xiǎoxiǎo picked up a rag, ready to get to work.
And so, the three of us… wait, one cat, one rabbit, and one fox began our cleaning mission.
Shí Yǔ flicked her teal tail and handed me the Disinfectant Spray. “Tables like these, you have to wipe along the grain. If you go against it, the Cat Hair will tangle up. If it forms a big clump and gets stuck inside, it’ll be even harder to clean.”
Líng Xiǎoxiǎo was squatting on the floor using a Lint Roller on the sofa. Her pink-and-white bunny ears twitched with every movement. “Oh my, there’s enough Cat Hair here to knit a sweater!”
“Is that so? There really is a lot of hair, huh?” I watched the fox lady’s technique and started imitating her.
The fox lady nodded, her fluffy fox ears twitching. “That’s right. The weather’s been dry lately, and with so many cats in the shop, it’s easy for this to happen. Oh right, I don’t even know your names yet.”
My hand, still gripping the rag, paused. My cat ears perked up a little. “I’m Guī Yún.”
Líng Xiǎoxiǎo, still squatting to pick up Cat Litter, twitched her bunny ears and added, “I’m Líng Xiǎoxiǎo.”
The fox lady scratched her chin with her paw, the tip of her tail curling into a little loop. “Guī Yún, Líng Xiǎoxiǎo, I’m Shí Yǔ, but you can just call me Xiǎo Yǔ.”
I’d just started cleaning the third table when Shí Yǔ suddenly pulled a Lint Roller from under the bar and tossed it over. “Guī Yún, there’s Cat Hair everywhere your tail sweeps by again~”
“Re—really?” I spun around in a panic and found a few Cat Hairs behind me. I hurried to clean them up.
Líng Xiǎoxiǎo poked a pile of Cat Litter under the Cat Climbing Frame with the mop handle, her bunny ears quivering like radar. “Xiǎo Yǔ-jie, there are three curled-up balls sleeping here! Should I move them?”
Shí Yǔ came over, Cat Teaser in her mouth, swaying as she walked. “No, no need. Just vacuum around them later. Last time I tried to move Jǐng Zhǎng, I almost got scratched.”
“Jǐng Zhǎng?” I thought for a moment, then glanced at a black cat lying lazily on the sofa, its whole body relaxed. “You mean that one?”
Shí Yǔ followed my gaze, then nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Since it looks like Black Cat Detective, the Boss Lady just named it Jǐng Zhǎng.”
As I wiped the table, I couldn’t help glancing at Shí Yǔ’s swaying teal tail. My cat ears leaned forward a little. “By the way, Xiǎo Yǔ-jie, your ears and tail… were you born with them?”
Shí Yǔ was pouring disinfectant into the spray bottle when her hand jerked at my words, spilling half the liquid on the bar. She whipped her head around, fox ears standing up like sharp triangles, tail stiff as a green mop handle. “You—you two can see them?!”
“Of course we can,” I said, poking my own cat ears. “We’re the same as you.”
Shí Yǔ’s tail slowly relaxed, her fingertips toying with the fur on her fox ears. “I don’t even know how it happened. Three months ago, I just woke up like this…”
Suddenly, she pointed the Cat Teaser at us, her teal eyes shining. “But if you noticed, that means yours aren’t props either, right? Did you suddenly turn like this too?”
“I was Reincarnated by her!” I immediately pointed at Líng Xiǎoxiǎo, my cat paws on my hips, all puffed up. “This one turned me into a catgirl after Reincarnation!”
Meeting my accusatory glare, Líng Xiǎoxiǎo tugged at the corner of her mouth and gave an awkward little laugh. “Eh, well, you were kind of drifting through life before, so I thought I’d give you a little change.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but retort, “You call this a little change?! And who the heck sneaks around someone’s house for days just to change them?!”
“Eh, eh, don’t sweat the details.” Seeing my angry face, Líng Xiǎoxiǎo hurriedly changed the subject. “Oh right, this rag’s dirty. Guī Yún, get me a new one.”
“Hmph, changing the subject!”
I handed her a clean rag from beside me. Since she really hadn’t done me any harm, I didn’t say more.
After all, I’d even given her my house key. Partly because I’m lazy and didn’t want to go open the door every time she came by, partly because I’m broke and have nothing worth stealing, but mostly because I really do trust her.
And yet this girl just used my trust to turn me into this!
After asking me about my Reincarnation, Xiǎo Yǔ-jie turned to Líng Xiǎoxiǎo. “So Líng Xiǎoxiǎo, how did you become like this?”
Líng Xiǎoxiǎo’s bunny ears drooped instantly, her pink-and-white tail nervously curling around the mop handle. “Th—that… speaking of Reincarnation… ah, Guī Yún, look! The Cat Hair under the sofa moved! Is Jǐng Zhǎng waking up?!”
Such an obvious change of subject, anyone could see right through it!
But remembering she always dodged the question before, I winked at Xiǎo Yǔ-jie, hinting that she shouldn’t push. Then I picked up Líng Xiǎoxiǎo’s words.
“Seems like it. Once it moves away, we’ll need to clean under there too.”
At last, with the final bit of floor wiped down, the three of us collapsed onto the sofa, Cat Hair, bunny fur, and fox fluff all over us. Líng Xiǎoxiǎo buried her face in a pillow, bunny ears weakly fluttering.
“Whew… finally done. I feel like my waist’s about to snap.” I curled my tail under my back, rubbing my sore shoulders with my cat paws. “Xiǎo Yǔ-jie, do we have to do this much every day?”
Shí Yǔ curled up into a teal ball, her tail covering half her face. Her voice was muffled. “More or less. These cats are super lively every day.”
She yawned, her fox ears shaking loose a few Cat Hairs. “Besides cleaning, we also have to feed them, brush them, and play with customers who come to pet the cats.”
“It’s that tiring? How’s the pay?” My cat ears shot straight up at the question.
Shí Yǔ lifted her eyelids to give me a glance, the tip of her tail impatiently tapping the sofa. “That’s up to the Boss Lady. She’s nice, though, so you won’t be treated badly. Plus, meals are included here.”
Then Shí Yǔ pointed at the little door behind the bar. “There’s a Staff Lounge in there, though the bed’s a bit small. You two might have to squeeze together.”
Hearing Shí Yǔ’s explanation, I nodded. The work was tough, but overall it was within what I could handle.
Just as I was about to relax, voices drifted in from outside.
“President, if you don’t want to go too far for coffee, this is the only café nearby. It’s a Cat Café.”
“Mm. Let’s hurry up and drink, we have a lot to do this afternoon.”
The second voice was cool and somewhat familiar. Instinctively, I looked up.
Through the glass door, I saw Ning Dōngyā walking this way, chatting with her Assistant.
Meow!! Why is she showing up here!!
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