Don't Be Obsessed With Your Cat Butler - Chapter 15
For some reason, Sia’s eyes fluttered open, and she sat up abruptly, feeling an odd emptiness.
“…Huh?”
She could’ve sworn she’d fallen asleep last night with that handsome black cat in her arms, but he was nowhere to be seen. She searched every corner of the room, but as expected, he was gone.
“Where did he go? No way… Did he go out into the living room?”
If Karin, who always woke up before her, had found him, she might get kicked out of this place. Of course, she knew it was her fault for bringing him in without asking.
“No, no, no.”
Without even fixing her clothes, she rushed out of the room—and was immediately hit with a savory aroma. Realizing Karin was preparing breakfast, Sia paused with an awkward look on her face.
“Oh? I didn’t wake you, but you’re already up?”
“Mm-hmm…”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, very well.”
Having slept with a warm cat in her arms, she hadn’t needed any sleeping aids. As she cautiously observed Karin’s expression, Sia subtly scanned every corner of the living room with hawk-like eyes. Just in case, she went to the bathroom under the pretense of washing up, but the cat was nowhere to be found.
“…So he really left.”
She had made sure to close all the doors—how did he even get out? Then again, in CatTube videos, there were cats that could open doors and even press buttons to communicate. So many genius cats out there.
“Not just a handsome face, but even a handsome brain…”
Murmuring wistfully, Sia began getting dressed.
‘Now I have to go looking for not only Cola, but that other black cat too. Well, I guess it’s a good thing he’s black. At least it’s a rare coat color.’
As usual, after finishing breakfast with Karin, she went to work at the shop. During every break, she stepped out the back door to check alleyways and paths leading to the mountain trail, but neither Cola nor the handsome black cat from yesterday was anywhere to be seen.
Sia was disappointed, but she accepted it. Cats were capricious creatures, after all.
“Sia, let’s clean up and head in.”
“Okay, got it.”
At Karin’s words, Sia started cleaning up the tables and chairs inside the restaurant. Just then, the restaurant door opened.
“Ah, dang. It’s already over, huh?”
A frequent regular entered, sounding disappointed.
“Welcome, Mr. Heimer.”
“Sia, hey.”
“Huh? Mr. Heimer, you’re late today.”
Karin, who had been cleaning up in the kitchen, came out to greet him.
“Things just didn’t go my way today. Took longer than expected. You’re closed now, huh? Ah, what a shame. I really wanted a bowl of Karin’s stew before heading home—it always clears my head.”
Hearing that, Karin smiled brightly and replied,
“Geez, just because you said something nice, I’ll make an exception today. But only because I prefer to clock out on time.”
“Karin, you’re the best!”
“I’ll scrape up what’s left for today, so eat plenty.”
“Oh, thanks.”
While Karin went back to the kitchen, Heimer took a seat. Sia brought over a glass of water and set it in front of him.
“Sia, are you used to things now?”
“Of course. It’s already been over two weeks since I started working here.”
“Well, that’s enough time to settle in. Even I’ve memorized your name.”
“…Yeah, I guess.”
Sia awkwardly avoided his gaze and stepped back. During her time living here, she had noticed one more difference from Korea: because they were werebeasts, flirting was incredibly direct.
She knew Heimer wasn’t a bad person, but it was still embarrassing when he looked at her with those smoldering eyes. After downing the water in one gulp, Heimer called out to her again.
“Huu, my throat’s so dry. Could I get one more glass of water?”
“Sure, I’ll bring it right away.”
She quickly picked up the empty glass to refill it, but suddenly her wrist was grabbed.
“You know…”
“…Yes?”
Uncertain how to respond to a regular customer, Sia raised her gaze at Heimer’s voice. He gently stroked the inside of her wrist and asked,
“Why do you always wrap your head in cloth? I’m curious what color your fur is.”
Sia broke into a cold sweat as she looked at his pupils, which were vertically elongated, so different from humans. She still didn’t understand why black hair was so feared, but she had clearly picked up on how much attention Karin paid to her hair.
She had finally adapted and found a place here. She couldn’t afford to lose this job. With a strained smile, Sia tried to gently pull her wrist away.
“Ah… well, you see…”
“Yeah? Go ahead, tell me.”
Contrary to her hopes, Heimer didn’t seem intent on letting go. In fact, he grinned mischievously and watched her squirm. Hearing noises from the kitchen, Sia, desperate to end the conversation before Karin came out, yanked her wrist free and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“I-I’m bald! I’m too embarrassed to show customers!”
