Chapter 177: Ch 177. Do You Still Remember Eriri?
The moment Hoshimi followed Kasumigaoka into the café, he understood the unique charm of this place.
The unique charm was the café owner!
The café owner appeared young, like a recent college graduate, with a gentle ponytail and an aura that seemed as warm as a kind wife. But that alone wasn't what made her stand out. The true feature that made the owner memorable was her chest, which was even larger than Kasumigaoka's. Despite wearing loose clothing and an apron, the sheer presence of her chest was impossible to ignore.
Yes, that was quite a unique feature!
"Meow~~~ Meow~~~"
A soft meow echoed through the café as a white ragdoll cat gracefully walked out to greet the guests. It sniffed Hoshimi's leg, then did the same with Kasumigaoka's leg, rubbing against her calf as a gesture of welcome.
After completing its greetings, the ragdoll cat raised its tail, ready to return to its resting spot.
But before it could take two steps, Kasumigaoka bent down and picked it up.
"Hoshimi, look, this is the true charm of this café~" Kasumigaoka turned slightly, showing off the adorable white ragdoll cat to Hoshimi.
"..." Hoshimi blinked.
A cat that greets guests? Sure, for some people, that might be charming, but to him, the real charm was clearly the owner.
But of course, he couldn't say that out loud...
"Pretty cute~" Hoshimi reached out and petted the cat's head.
"It really is. This one is the most friendly. The others are okay, but they're a bit aloof," Kasumigaoka said, putting down the white ragdoll cat and pointing to a few other cats in the café.
"Look at that black one, it doesn't get close to people at all. Every time I try to pet it, it runs far away."
"And that one with the white-tipped tail is the same, not very affectionate. The others are a bit better; they might approach you when they're in a good mood. But those two, they definitely won't."
"Anyway, let's stop talking about that. Let's find a place to sit down."
Kasumigaoka took Hoshimi's arm and led him to a seat by the window.
The café was on the third floor, with a view of the street below and the sidewalks on either side. In the afternoon, the slanting sunlight streamed through the window, warming the entire space.
The warmth, combined with the fatigue from a day of walking, made Hoshimi feel drowsy.
He slouched, half-closing his eyes, exuding a lazy vibe that was even more pronounced than the nearby cats.
"That tired, huh?" Kasumigaoka nudged his leg lightly with her foot.
"Yawn~~~" Hoshimi yawned, lazily replying, "Not too bad, I can still pull myself together if I need to."
"Is that so?" Seeing that Hoshimi looked much better than he did in the morning, Kasumigaoka didn't press further.
She opened the menu on the table and asked, "Hoshimi, what would you like to drink?"
"Anything, just make it sweet."
Hoshimi had no particular preference for coffee and couldn't tell the difference anyway. As long as it was sweetened enough, he had no complaints.
"Two lattes, then." Kasumigaoka waved over the owner and placed their order.
"Alright, please wait a moment," the owner replied before leaving.
After the owner walked away, Kasumigaoka propped her chin up with her hand, smiling as she looked at Hoshimi sitting across from her.
She was well aware of the true unique charms of this café, having been here many times.
She brought Hoshimi here partly because it met his desire for a quiet place, partly for the cats, and partly to observe his reaction to the owner.
In the end, she was very satisfied with his behavior.
At first, Hoshimi, like anyone else, glanced at the owner a few times. But after that initial look, his gaze never lingered on her again.
For that alone, she was very pleased.
"Yawn~~" Hoshimi yawned again and met Kasumigaoka's gaze.
Noticing something different in her eyes, he tilted his head and asked suspiciously, "Utaha, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Can't I just look at you?" Kasumigaoka smiled, her eyes crinkling.
"You can, but do I get to charge for it?" Hoshimi tapped his finger on the table, as if hinting at something.
"Charge?" Kasumigaoka leaned forward, covering his hand with hers, and asked in a teasing tone, "Hoshimi, what's your rate? How much per hour? Can I get a yearly subscription?"
"Rate..." Hoshimi thought for a moment, then said with a subtle expression, "How about 100 ml per hour?"
"Hmm?" Kasumigaoka was momentarily stunned before she realized what he meant. She tightened her grip on his hand, narrowing her eyes dangerously, "Hoshimi, this is real life, not your dreams."
"Hmm? Utaha, what are you talking about?" Hoshimi asked innocently, "I was talking about 100 ml of melted gold."
"Heh~" Kasumigaoka chuckled softly and teased Hoshimi with her foot, "Hoshimi, don't play dumb. You and I, we both know each other too well."
"Fine, let's be serious..." Hoshimi smiled, flipping his hand to hold hers and tracing circles in her palm with his finger, "Utaha, I still have my hands. How could I possibly die? The one who should be worried is you."
"That's true, but..." Kasumigaoka tightened her grip on Hoshimi's hand, leaning in close as she said, "Hoshimi, can you really hold back?"
Without hesitation, Hoshimi replied, "I can't."
"Then that's it," Kasumigaoka continued, "So, you'll be the one to give in before anything happens to me."
Hoshimi just smiled without saying anything. If this were before, that might have been true.
But now, he had the ability to "Revival," instantly replenishing his energy whenever he was exhausted!
With that, taking on a Kasumigaoka-chan was as easy as turning his hand.
"Your lattes."
The arrival of the owner dispersed the flirtatious atmosphere between them. Kasumigaoka's ears turned slightly red as she discreetly withdrew her hand.
She picked up her coffee, stirring it clockwise with a spoon, and after the aroma filled the air, she took a small sip. "Hoshimi, do you know what my original plan was for today?"
"Hmm?" Hoshimi, resting his chin in his hand, replied with interest, "I'd love to hear it."
Kasumigaoka put down her coffee, casually brushing her hair aside as she said, "If I wasn't meeting you today, I had a meeting scheduled with Eriri to discuss her leaving the club and some illustration issues."
"Do you remember Eriri? I mentioned her to you before, the girl who's illustrating my new book. She's also from our school."
Hoshimi's expression froze for a brief moment.
How could I not remember? That tsundere blonde has bitten me plenty of times, leaving a whole bunch of teeth marks each time. How could I forget?
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