His fur was so soft and fluffy, like cotton candy, and it was so touching to have his fluffiness against my right hand. And even though he’d been keeping his distance all this while, how sneaky of him to suddenly show off his bashful side. It’s sneaky how he suddenly wraps that tail I had always wanted to touch around me. I asked him to stop because of how embarrassed I was, but seeing those light blue eyes making that upward glance just asking to be spoiled is sneaky as well.
I was able to run away and get back to my work when Shize-san and the others came. After cooling my blushing cheeks, I went to take their orders and started cooking. Ryuse-san stayed at the counter seat as he was,and had a complacent smile on his face and swayed around his tail. And here I believed it would take some more time for Ryuse-san to open up his heart. But to think that he would open up to me and frolic with me made me glad.
“Rhonya-ojou”
“?!”
As I placed the steak that I had just finished preparing in front of Ryuse-san, his tail wrapped around my waist. Being called ‘ojou’ whilst hiding the fact that I’m a noble lady made my heart skip a beat. And how his long tail is wrapping around me made me nervous.
A while fluffy tail. It unconsciously made me want to touch it. I’m sure the sensation would feel pleasant, like cotton candy on my cheek. But I could feel the stares of the other three. Once again, my face started to turn red…. And being seen in an unseemly situation would be troubling.
“Please do not do this-”
My skirt swirled gently around me as I escaped from the coiled tail.
“Eee–” as Ryuse-san made a begging voice, his big round eyes pleading. As expected of a cat being. What sly cuteness. How can this person be so skillful at asking to be spoiled. Where did the tsun* all go? Is this a trap to make a gap (in personality to make himself more appealing)?
“T-thank you for the wait”
Free from Ryuse-san, I carried the steaks to Shize-san and the others, where suddenly I realized Shize-san staring up towards me. His amber eyes looked straight into me.
Could it possibly be that I’m currently making an absurd face? Embarrassed, I quickly went and hid myself in the kitchen.
“Ojouu~ Come here, let’s eat together~?”
“I would like to decline for today.”
Although Ryuse-san invited me as such with a big grin on his face, I declined. With my back towards him, I continued indulging in the sandwiches I had prepared for lunch.
Around the time DemiMercSquad members finished their steak, I headed back to the floor to clean up the plates. Passing by the side of the counter, the white tail grazed my hand.
As if saying ‘let’s frolic?’, Ryuse-san was looking up towards me as if pleading for it.
So cute. Frankly speaking, it’s very cute. It makes me want to pat that head, rub between his eyebrows, and pat the base of his ears.
But I decided to hold back. No can do. Definitely, no. It’s unseemly to fawn over customers while patting them. It’s something I should not do.
Turning my back to him and facing away, I placed the plates from the counter and table seats down.
Shize-san was still staring at me. I wonder if he wants to order something else. Tilting my head, I waited for his call.
“Ojou~ For today’s bill, make do with this.”
*knock knock*, came a sound from the counter where Ryuse-san was waving. He was holding a red gem.
As I approached him and received it, I realized it was a ruby. It’s large enough to cover my palm, and the translucency is of very high quality.
If it were taken to be handled by skilled craftsman, I am sure the price of the said accessory would exceed a hundred gold coins.
“This is amazing. Where did you obtain it?” (Rhonya)
“Picked it up~”
“Eh”
A big grin on his face, Ryuse-san replied in a cheerful voice.
Picked it up… where from? With such a splendid jewel as this, wouldn’t the one who dropped it be searching for it as well?
While I was in deep thought, Ryuse-san explained.
“The guy I beat up this morning dropped this~”
….Is that so.. Then the owner of this jewel would be a drifter who smuggled it in from the neighboring country. And this may probably have been stolen from someone else. And I’ve heard that various jewels ores could be found in the neighboring country, or how they would substitute jewel ores as payments for their transactions as well.
….But even so, I wonder if it would be all right for me to accept this. Its value would definitely exceed what is needed to pay the bill, and I f eel burdened by it.
“Ojou, what kinda accessory do you like?”
While I was worrying by myself, the tip of Ryuse’s tail was pushing onto the palm of my hand.
Fuwawa-! So soft-!
“Accessory, which I would like?” (Rhonya)
“I’ve never seen you wearing anything other than a ring either. You have something you want? No?”
Taking hold of my hand, Ryuse starts to rub it against his cheek.
H-how is he able to frolic with me so naturally, I wonder. How frightening… This fluf- I mean, Demi.
“I-I do not have any accessory that- that I would like to have.”
I was frantically trying to hold back my inner voice. Please let go of me already.
“Ee-? But I, I wanna express my thanks for all this time and give you a present.”
Ryuse-san looked at me with his teary beautiful eyes. Please no, do not look at me with those eyes.
“If-if that is so, then this ruby would suffice.”
“Really? A’right!”
“Eh”
Making a very big grin, he withdrew his hand.
….Could it be, this was his plan all along to make me accept the ruby?
How cunning!
“Oi!” As Chise-san voiced out.
“It’s cheating! Why’s it always Ryuse!! Even though I was holding back too! Frolic with me too!!” (Chise)