Shuichi Chiba was thhly engrossed in his meal when he suddenly felt something brushing against his leg.

  Looking down, he saw an adorable, -faced little cat he had no idea where it came from. The cat was rubbing its head and cheeks against his leg with enthusiasm, eventually resting its on him, looking up with expet, round eyes.

  “Meow~” The cat mewled softly, its voice delicate and charming.

  That single “meow” sent a shiver down Shuichi Chiba’s spine. Swallowing hard, he reached out to pet the cat’s head.

  “Aren’t you a greedy little one? Are you hungry too?”

  “Meow~” The cat gently flicked its tail.

  Notig this subtle gesture, Shuichi Chiba felt his heart melt. Who could possibly resist su adorable test of willpower?

  He picked up a piece of char siu pork with his chopsticks and held it out to the cat. The feliively licked it with its pink tongue before happily taking a bite.

  Watg the cat eat ily, its enthusiasm so great that juices dribbled from the ers of its mouth, Shuichi Chiba took a napkin aly wiped it .

  Then, scratg the cat’s with his fingers, he watched as it closed its eyes in te, clearly enjoying the attention.

  “A cute kitty like you deserves some serious belly rubs from us humans,” Shuichi Chiba said with a pyful smile as he coaxed the cat onto its back. The feline obediently y on the floor, exposing its soft, snow-white belly.

  He crouched down beside it and began giving it enthusiastic belly rubs.

  “Meow~~~”

  The cat squirmed a out adorable, coquettish meows, only making Shuichi Chiba want to tinue.

  No wonder people say petting cats is addictive—this was simply too satisfying!

  Shuichi Chiba found himself pletely immersed.

  After pying with the cat for a while, his gaze fell on its tail. He remembered hearing that cats’ tails have a plex nervous system and are highly sensitive.

  As if sensing his iions, the cat’s body went rigid, and it stared at him warily with sharp, alert eyes.

  Shuichi Chiba, unfazed by the cat's wary gaze, reached out toward its tail, his hand filled with a sense of mischievous i.

  The moment his fingers ed around the fluffy tail, the cat visibly trembled, its wide eyes filled with a mixture of shod arm.

  As he gripped the tail, he marveled at its soft, furry texture and then, with a geion, gave it a small sway.

  The rea was immediate—like a jolt of electricity had surged through the cat. It writhed, attempting to use its paws to halt his movements, a out peculiar little sounds that seemed to carry a tone of protest and warning.

  Yet, when those tiny paws made tact with his arm, they were surprisingly soft, devoid of any real force.

  Enced by its feeble resistance, Shuichi Chiba tugged lightly at the tail again. This time, the cat seemed to grow even more docile, its body sing as though overwhelmed by the sensation. Its meows turned sweeter and softer, almost pleading.

  The feline’s eyes, now glistening like serene pools of water, reflected Shuichi Chiba’s face, their depths seemingly pulling him in.

  Shuichi Chiba chuckled softly, watg the cat's increasingly docile reas. "Seems like you don't hate this kind of attention," he teased, ing the fluffy tail around his fingers and giving it a pyful, gentle sway. The cat's mewling grew more delicate, as if caught in a strange blend of protest and indulgence.

  …

  Meanwhile, at the ramen shop, the evening rush had settled down, and with closing time approag, ers were now sparse.

  As An Akiyama cleared the ed bowls and chopsticks, she leaned in close to her mother, speaking in a hushed voice. "Mom, I have something to ask you."

  "Hm? What is it?" Mrs. Akiyama, who was using the quiet moment to catch her breath, tilted her head curiously toward her you daughter.

  "It's about... how did you fess your feelings to Dad back then?" An asked, her wide eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  Hearing the question, a light blush rose to Mrs. Akiyama's cheeks. Memories of her youthful days and the nervous excitement of young love flooded back to her. Her demeanor softened, and an air of nostalgia gave her an almost radiant quality.

  “Well…” She began with a small, shy smile, her voice trailing off as she fondly recalled her story.

  "fess, huh..." Mrs. Akiyama's lips curled into a nostalgic smile. "Back then, your mom retty clueless, you know? I just copied what I saw on TV—wrote a love letter, invited your dad to the rooftop, and fessed to him in person."

  “Eh?” An Akiyama first but then suddenly looked puzzled. “Wait a sed, isn’t it supposed to be one or the other? Like, either the love letter or the rooftop fession?”

  “Why would it be one or the other?” Mrs. Akiyama looked genuinely fused. “When hinting with chocote didn’t work, I wrote a love letter. Wheter failed, I fessed on the rooftop. If the rooftop strategy failed, I’d try something else…”

  An, her eyes wide with shock, interrupted, “But didn’t you say earlier that it was really simple? That it worked easily?”

  Mrs. Akiyama shrugged, still baffled by her daughter’s fusion. “It was simple and easy because I only ever did ohing—fess to him every day. irls were busy overanalyzing what kind of personality your dad might like, ging their outfits and makeup stantly, studying date strategies, and ing up with all sorts of schemes to catch his attention. But I couldn’t e up with any of that. So, I just stayed true to myself and fessed every day. Aually, it worked.”

  Mrs. Akiyama finished with a proud smile, clearly satisfied with her approach.

  An Akiyama blinked her wide, clear eyes. “Something about this still feels off.”

  Mrs. Akiyama chuckled and ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Well then, An-, are you good at makeup?”

  “Not really…”

  “Do you know how to tease boys and pique their i?”

  “No clue…”

  “Do you uand all the little tricks for a perfect date?”

  “ly…”

  “There you have it,” Mrs. Akiyama said with a pyful tap on her daughter’s forehead. “Then just go with the simple method.”

  “True…” An sighed, a little dejected. She felt clumsy and not at all like the polished girls in her css.

  What kind of girls did Chiba-kun like?

  Well, she knew he enjoyed her mom’s cooking, but beyond that…

  An realized she might have no choice but to follow in her mom’s footsteps. “So…what should I say in the fession?”

  “Just say you like him and ask if he’d want to go out with you. Unless you’re secretly great at writing essays?” Mrs. Akiyama teased, ping her daughter’s cheek.

  “Ugh…” An mumbled, her words muffled. “Writing essays is such a pain…”

  The entrance bell jingled as new ers arrived, and Mrs. Akiyama hurried off to assist them, leaving An behind to wrestle with her thoughts.

  “Dating is such a hassle,” An muttered, rubbing her fa frustration. “No wonder Chiba-kun said it’s b.”

  She patted her cheeks and perked herself up. “But I won’t give up! If Mom could do it, so I! You got this, An Akiyama!”

  Feeling more energized, Auro her tasks with renewed determination.

  …

  Back at Shuichi Chiba’s pce, he leaned ba his chair, smirking at the sight of Tsuki Akiyama emerging from the bathroom. “You’re a pretty terrible maid, aren’t you? ging clothes takes you this long? I’ve already finished dinner. Don’t tell me you were sg off in there?”

  “I was ing the bathroom…” Tsuki said breathlessly, a faint blush on her face hinting at the effort she had put in.

  “Is that so? What a shame then—you just missed meeting an adorable cat.” Shuichi said, gng at his hand with a satisfied look.

  “Oh? Where did the cat e from?” Tsuki asked, her hand subtly adjusting the blue-and-white striped fabric at her back.

  “Not sure. It might have wandered in from the baly, probably a stray. But it was , cute, and very greedy. I hope it es back. I’m thinking about adopting it.” Shuichi mused, still reliving the pleasant memory.

  Tsuki touched her stomach lightly, biting her lip. “Cats love panionship. If it had fun, it’ll probably e back.”

  “That’d be great. Petting it was so satisfying. I bet it enjoyed being fussed over just as much.” Shuichi remarked, almost wistfully.

  “Mm…” Tsuki licked her lips, feeling her skin flush as an inexplicable heat coursed through her. Her eyes shimmered with a mix of iy and haze.

  “Alright, get back to work,” Shuichi said, snapping her back to reality. “The floor’s a mess thanks to that cat.”

  And just like that, he resumed his role as the demanding master, leaving Tsuki to follow his orders with a subtle, almost imperceptible smile.