Don’t Be Obsessed With Your Cat Butler - Chapter 12

“Snff.”

The soft sound he made, still looking pleased—perhaps from lingering catnip—was incredibly cute. As she stepped closer, the handsome black cat slowly lifted his head to look at her.

“Thank you so much for waiting. You must be hungry, right?”

She pulled out a churu packet she had been saving for Cola. Tearing it open, she held it out directly in front of his mouth.

Meanwhile, it was only when the suspicious woman approached that Nox finally came to his senses. Seeing the sky already darkened, he was dumbfounded. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed, or how intoxicating this strange herb truly was.

Moreover, the odd-looking thing the suspicious woman was now offering smelled just like the delicious scent from earlier on the tree branch. Though he thought it suspicious—especially since he had stolen churu from her twice already—he didn’t hesitate.

He eagerly accepted the churu, licking it up furiously, overwhelmed by the explosion of flavor in his mouth. He hadn’t eaten that much, but it was gone in an instant.

Sia, petting and patting the cat from head to rump, whispered softly,

“I’m almost done, so don’t go anywhere, okay?”

When Karin’s voice called out from inside, Sia sprang up and went back in. After finishing dinner and cleaning up the shop, she carefully looked around, then tucked the handsome black cat under her skirt. The moment she got home, she rushed straight to her room.

Once inside, Sia, her face flushed with excitement, pulled the black cat out from under her skirt. Nox, whose face felt just as hot, stumbled out unsteadily like something was broken.

He had no idea what was going on with this woman. What confused him even more was why he had obediently let her do whatever she wanted.

“You’re seriously better looking every time I look at you.”

Leaning back against her bed, Sia sat on the floor and placed the cat on her lap. She slid her hands under his front legs to lift him up and studied his face closely.

“Your eye colors are amazing too. I’ve only ever seen odd-eyed cats in photos before, but seeing them in real life—there’s no comparison.”

He stared back at her from close range as she muttered to herself. She definitely looked different from people of the Pelles Empire.

Then, the woman pulled off the cloth covering her head. Long hair, trapped beneath the fabric, tumbled down.

“Ugh, wrapping it in cloth is pretty suffocating.”

To Nox, the scene felt like it was moving in slow motion. A woman with hair the same color as his had appeared right before his eyes. Her hair was so long it reached the floor. His gold and blue eyes slid downward to the strands brushing the ground.

Strictly speaking, Nox’s hair was black with a bluish tint, while Sia’s was black with a reddish undertone. Even so, black was black, and Nox was overwhelmed with an indescribable feeling.

It was relief.

Relief that he wasn’t the only one who’s different.

“Huh? You’ve got dirt all over you.”

Sia noticed clumps of dirt and catnip tangled in the cat’s fur. She set him down for a moment, crawled to the door, and cracked it open slightly.

After returning home, Karin was always busy checking the ledgers. Confirming that the coast was clear, Sia picked up the cat and quickly headed to the bathroom.

Though the building looked like something out of a medieval fantasy game, the toilet and bath were properly installed. What a relief that had been.

As she filled the wooden tub with water, she lifted Nox and said,

“Don’t worry, I’m a prepared cat butler.”

It had taken her three months just to get close to Cola. And it wasn’t just feeding him. She had studied diligently through CatTube videos—even the high-level stuff, like trimming claws and giving baths.

“So, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Saying it more like a vow to herself, Sia exhaled deeply. It was, in fact, her first time actually giving a cat a bath, so she was extremely nervous. Bracing herself, she held the cat tightly with both arms, almost like a restraint, and lowered him into the tub.

Sia, her eyes squeezed shut, was surprised when nothing happened. She opened her eyes in shock. Contrary to her worries, the handsome black cat was calmly sitting in the water, staring straight up at her.

“Is this… a water-tolerant cat?”

Stunned by the appearance of the mythical water-tolerant cat—said to require three generations of good karma to encounter—Sia instinctively clenched her fists and struck a victory pose.

From within the tub, Nox’s triangular mouth dropped wide open.