CH 83

She turned away for a moment, but then turned to me again with a huff. She then bent down to make eye contact with the cat and began talking to it.

[Really… Well, that’s fine. Neko-san can only stay with Tanaka-kun right now. I’ll lend you Tanaka-kun just this once]

Saito said this with a little bit of pride, and then turned around and began to play with the other cats. I held the white cat in my arms and stroked it as I watched her.

After playing with them for a while, a waitress approaches me.

[It has almost been an hour now, would you like to extend your visit?]

I looked at my watch and saw that an hour would soon pass.

[Ah, it’s that time already? Can you give me a moment?]

I said so to the waitress and called out to Saito.

[Saito. It’s almost been an hour, did you want an extension?]

[Eh, it’s been that long already? Well, I feel like I still want to stay a little longer, but I’ve  had enough fun already, so I guess I’m fine without it]

[Alright then. I’ll go and say so]

Saito looked at the cat and seemed slightly regretful, but she must’ve been satisfied enough if she said so.

I informed the waitress that we would not get an extension and enjoyed the few remaining minutes we had left.

[Thank you very much. We look forward to serving you again]

I left the cat cafe, watched over by the waitress who bowed to thank me. When I went outside, the coldness still brushed my skin.

I’ve already gone through all of my date plan today, so all we have left to do is go home. I wanted her to be somewhat conscious of me at the end as well, so I wanted to hold hands.

[Here]

I offered my hand to her casually. Then, Saito held my hand while her cheeks blushed slightly.

[Fufufu, that was a lot of fun]

We walked home together, with Saito, who was smiling brightly, by my side. Perhaps there were still remnants of the fun we had at the cat cafe as her expression was more loose than usual.

[You looked like you were having a great time. Well, I’m glad you liked it]

[Yes! There were so many cats! It was truly a dream come true]

With a sparkle in her eyes, she innocently shouted with happiness and told me how she felt. When I look at her this happy, I can’t help but relax.

[The waitress was surprised to see you surrounded by so many cats]

[Eh, is that so!?]

[Yeah. The waitress told me “She’s really popular with the cats, isn’t she?” and said that she’d never seen anyone surrounded by that many cats before]

[I didn’t realize she was talking about me…]

Saito muttered in surprise.

[You were obsessed with the cats]

I replied with a wry smile.

If I had been so focused on cats like she had been, I also wouldn’t have seen anything around me. I probably would forget I existed as well.

[I-I’ll tell you what, it’s not that I forgot about Tanaka-kun, you know? It’s just… the cats were so cute that I just focused on them]

[Don’t worry about it, your obsession with cats was fresh and fun to watch]

[Eh, was I different from usual?]

She stopped walking and tilting her head curiously, as if she was confused. When I turned to look at Saito, I met her lovely, round eyes.

For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to answer. There was a chance that if I told Saito how she looked when she was with a cat, she would be embarrassed and become conscious of her actions from now on.

If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to see that unique kind of innocence anymore. It’s not every day I get to see it so I’ll keep  my opinions to myself. I decided and smiled vaguely.

[Nnn, well, if you haven’t noticed, then what’s so bad about it?]

[Eh, what is it!? Did I look weird? Hey, what did you think about it!? Hey!]

I moved my feet a little faster to get away from Saito, who was sharply pursuing me.

After a while of repetitive pushing and shoving, we finally reached Saito’s house.

[Oh, we’re at your house]

[Muu, I hate to be fooled by such an obvious distraction, but it can’t be helped]

She pouted a little, then let out a small breath and returned to her calm look. The wind blew through her hair, making it shimmer softly as it reflected the moonlight.

[Thanks for today]

[No, I should be thanking you. It was a lot of fun and new experiences for me]

[I enjoyed it too. I hadn’t seen a movie in a long time, but having someone to talk  about my impressions with gave me a new way to enjoy them]

[You’re right. It has been a long time since I went to the theater, but I enjoyed it. I would definitely like to go back]

At Saito’s words, a signal came back to my mind about the article on the internet.

According to the article, it’s a good idea to make a promise of another date at the end of a date. Given that, now would be the perfect time to do that.

[Ah, let’s go out again. Let’s go somewhere together, not just to the cinema]

[…! Yes, I would love to go!]

She froze for a moment, but soon understood my words. Then, her face lit up and she nodded. I was relieved to hear her reply.

[Well, we’ll decide where we’re going one of these days]

[I agree. Let’s decide slowly]

[Yeah]

After the brief discussion, there was a slight silence. Slowly, a calm air surrounded both Saito and me. All that remained was for us to part ways, but I couldn’t bring myself to bring it up.

We had never done this many things together for such an extended period of time, so it was kind of hard to say goodbye.

Still, I couldn’t stay like this forever, so I opened my mouth boldly.

[…Then, see you tomorrow]

I told her as I gently pulled my hand from hers. The cold air then rushed into the palm of our separated hands.

Saito’s eyes shook and her eyebrows lowered slightly. Then, in a somber tone, she softly said,

[Yes… I had a lot of fun today. It was a really, really… happy day]

There was no doubt that she enjoyed it. It was also true that she felt happy. I was certain that she was satisfied.

ーBut was it just my imagination that Saito looked lonely when she told me that?

I couldn’t help but notice Saito’s troubled expression, and I reached back out to her.

[Er, wait, Tanaka-kun?!]

Ignoring Saito’s panicked and surprised voice, I continued to stroke her head. Because her hair was tied up in a bun, not all of her hair swung like it normally did Only her bangs swayed smoothly with each stroke.

Her hair shimmered in the dim moonlight, sparkling like jewels.

[W-What happened all of the sudden?]

Saito was looking at me upwards while I patted her head. Her eyes seemed somewhat puzzled.

[You seemed a little sad, so I just went with it]

[It’s not like I’m lonely or anything…]

[Is that so? I’m sorry then]

Saying this, I tried to remove my hand slowly. But Saito held it from above with her hands.

[I’m not lonely, but… please, pat me a little longer] (TN: Submissive are we?)

She turned her eyes away and told me so while her cheeks flushed crimson. It seemed that she was trying to be strong, so I smiled and continued patting her as she wished.

[…That’s enough]

[Really?]

[Yes]

I gently removed my hand from her head and Saito slowly looked up at me. She seemed embarrassed that I had been petting her the whole time, and her gaze was slightly downcast.

[Then, this time, I’ll see you tomorrow]

[Yes, see you tomorrow]

We waved goodbye to each other. Saito smiled and seemed satisfied as we parted, if my imagination wasn’t playing tricks on me.

I just wanna say, thanks to those who still read this even though I take a long time and practically no schedule, but I really do appreciate the time all of you put in just to read this. Burnout is no joke, so please, if a translator or content creator doesn’t usually do their regular updates, don’t spam them like crazy and expect to be received well. Just a little rant of mine and I’ll get the next part out soon hopefully.