Nekomata wished she could crawl into a hole and vanish. To not only dream something like that, but to blurt it out in her sleep—letting Sol and Baal hear—her face was burning with shame.
Next time, she swore, she'd shut her door tight at night… and sew her mouth shut for good measure.
Sol, however, didn't hold it against her. He wasn't the petty type. There would be plenty of time ahead—Nekomata would get what was coming to her eventually. No need to fuss over a single slip-up. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel-fire.ɴet
Soon, Sol, Nekomata, and Baal headed over to the Cunning Hares' base. Nicole, Anby, and Billy had also slept in, only just waking.
Before Nicole could even assign her, Nekomata dashed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone.
After all, she was still living under guilt. If she wanted to reach the achievements from her dream, she had to work hard.
Right now she was the cat maid, the cook, the little worker. One day, she'd be the Cunning Hares' core—its ace.
"Nicole, how much is the breakfast budget today?"
Nekomata eyed the fully stocked fridge and kitchen, swallowing her saliva.
The lifestyle here was way too good, nothing like the poor image the forums painted.
Little did she know, all the fresh groceries had been bought by Sol, desperate to escape the hell of 141 Convenience Stores's bargain bentos and Anby's never-ending sandwich breakfasts.
The bentos weren't bad, but after a while, the monotony wore him down.
Sandwiches, though, were a permanent feature—since Anby literally couldn't cook anything else.
Nicole did a quick mental calculation. "Breakfast doesn't need to be fancy. Let's say… an 8,000 Denny standard."
"Eight thousand, got it."
Nekomata nodded obediently and got to work.
Having lived independently for years, her cooking skills were solid. Stir-fries, pan-sears, even mixed dishes were no problem.
"She looks pretty professional. Guess breakfast will be good today," Sol remarked, watching her nimble figure move about the kitchen.
Anby immediately turned her head. "Sol, were my sandwiches not good?"
"They're good, they're good. But eating the same thing every day… you need a little variety."
Sol explained honestly.
"Oh. That sounds like the classic excuse of a scummy movie villain."
Anby tilted her head in thought.
Tired of the taste, time to switch things up. Tired of the girlfriend, switch her out.
"This is different. Clothes may be new, but old ones fit best. I'd never be the type to keep changing girlfriends."
Sol spoke with perfect seriousness.
He wouldn't replace—at most, he'd add.
Like a menu shouldn't only have sandwiches. Like a seraph shouldn't only have one wing.
"…Looks like I misunderstood you."
Anby nodded lightly, her face calm.
Half an hour later, Nekomata emerged with breakfast—8,000 Denny worth, ready to go.
Scrambled eggs with tomato. Stir-fried shredded potatoes. Pan-seared chicken thighs. And a basket of buns and dumplings from outside.
The colors, the fragrance, the flavors—she really could cook.
"Not bad at all," Sol said, impressed.
"Of course! I'm an all-rounder!" Nekomata raised her chin proudly.
"You didn't go over budget, did you?" Nicole asked.
These dishes outside would easily cost over 20,000.
"Definitely under 8,000. I controlled the cost strictly."
Nekomata made an OK gesture.
Having scraped by on the streets, she knew how to stretch a budget.
"Good. Letting you join the Cunning Hares was the right choice."
Nicole nodded in satisfaction.
Thrifty and skilled—perfect for the role of new chef.
Nekomata scratched her head, eyes full of pride.
First day in, and she'd already won the boss's heart.
The food was quickly devoured, plates licked clean. Naturally, it fell to the lowest-ranked Nekomata to wash the dishes afterward.
When all was done, Nicole reclined on the sofa.
"Everyone worked hard yesterday rescuing Canvas Street. The trial with Vision Industries is in half a month, so we've got time to prepare."
"Today's a day off. Go do whatever you want."
"I'll take Nekomata around to get her familiar with our business. Anby, Sol, Billy—you go relax."
The events of Canvas Street and the Hollow had been exhausting. With the advertising done, today was unlikely to bring new jobs. A day off was well-earned.
"Long live Boss Nicole!" Billy cheered.
"Understood, Nicole," Anby said quietly.
"Come on, Sol! Let's hit the arcade. Today I'll break your record!" Billy's eyes lit up.
He still remembered: beat Sol at a game, and Sol would set him up with some unlimited-ammo tech.
Even if Sol was like a gaming god, Billy wasn't giving up.
"Sure, I could go," Sol agreed after a moment.
It'd been a while since he'd stomped on Belle in the arcade. Today was as good a time as any.
"Anby, you coming too?" Sol asked.
With nothing else planned, she nodded. "Alright, I'll go watch."
So, Sol, carrying Baal, headed out with Billy and Anby to the Godfinger Arcade in Sixth Street.
They even pulled Belle from the video shop for a little team bonding.
But inside the arcade, a shark-tailed girl in a white blouse and black pleated skirt frowned as soon as she saw them.
She recognized them immediately.
The Cunning Hares. The ones from Dead End Hollow yesterday.
That guy who fired some railgun thing—Sol. The Bangboo that split the Dead End Butcher in two.
Tch. Just what I needed.
Lycaon had finally given her a day off, and she had to run into these troublemakers.
Worse, the girls at her side—Ruby, Rin, Mona—were already staring at Sol, unable to look away.
"Ellen, that guy is so handsome," Ruby whispered, tugging at her sleeve.
"He's handsome, sure. But look at all the girls around him—total playboy," Ellen warned.
That dangerous man… nothing good would come of getting close.
"What if they're just his sisters?" Rin asked, still staring dreamily.
Ellen's usually cool face cracked with disbelief.
Black-haired Sol, with a white-haired and blue-haired "sister"? Not likely.
On the other side, Sol caught sight of her shark tail and waved cheerfully.
Ellen just thought: this whole thing must be recorded word for word.