After a moment, Zane briefly explained the misunderstanding to Nekomata, and she quickly caught on.
So it was something serious!
"By the way, how did your mind even go there?"
Zane looked at her curiously after finishing his explanation.
"Blame Billy!"
Nekomata, clearly feeling guilty, shoved all the responsibility onto Billy without hesitation. Seeing the skeptical look on Zane's face, she perked up her ears and wagged her two tails.
"Zane, you really don't believe me?"
"I believe you."
Zane gave a small smile, the little black cat lazily resting in his arms. Hearing his reply, Nekomata frowned. It sounded like a joke, but also kind of serious.
"Weren't you heading back with Nicole and the others? What made you come here instead?"
Zane asked, puzzled.
"All my friends are here. Isn't it natural I'd come visit?"
Nekomata replied with her hands on her hips, smiling.
"I mean, why didn't you stay with Nicole?"
Nicole should've already woken up by then, and by that point, she probably had a good impression of Nekomata and wanted her to join Hare's House.
Given Nekomata's current situation, joining Hare's House made sense. Even if it meant sharing in all their messy debts.
Nekomata blinked, then realized what he meant.
"Oh, that? Did Nicole tell you? Well, that makes sense. You two have always been close."
Her expression softened. She crouched down again and began playing with a kitten in front of her, gently speaking as she did.
"Nicole invited me to join Hare's House, and I said yes. Nicole, Anby, Billy—they're all really good people."
"By joining Hare's House, I'm not a stray anymore. I've got a place to belong."
A faint smile spread across Nekomata's face. Her eyes narrowed slightly—she was clearly happy.
"But before that, I had to come see these friends. Maybe I don't need to say goodbye, but… I just can't help feeling this way."
"If they could find a home like I did, that'd be perfect."
Nekomata's gaze, always lively and cunning, softened now—like a bowl of perfectly warm water.
Zane watched her quietly. Before she left the Red Fang Gang and joined Hare's House, her life really had been unstable.
To walk away from her original "home" because of different ideals and choose to wander alone… that must've been painful in more ways than one.
But Nekomata had never shown it. Stray cats were naturally alert and guarded—unless you truly got close, it was nearly impossible to see into their hearts.
If not for what they'd gone through in the Hollows, she probably wouldn't be sharing this with him now.
"You think this stray life of theirs is really that bad?"
Moonlight hung like a gauze curtain. Even without streetlights, Zane could see clearly. The dozen or so cats lounging around didn't seem as pitiful as Nekomata described.
On the contrary, wasn't this place where they gathered already a kind of home?
There was the black cat boss, fierce and protective; the white cat who drew in kind strangers for food; and the rest of them—like a little family.
After all, it wasn't just the place that made Hare's House her home. It was Nicole, Anby, and Billy that gave it meaning.
A roof over your head was one thing, but peace of mind? That's what truly mattered.
Maybe these cats had already found their own kind of home—just by being together.
"How could it not be bad?"
Nekomata didn't know what Zane was thinking, but she had her own firsthand experience. Compared to his idealistic thoughts, she had actually lived it.
"I'll spare the details, but take one case. A while back, one of the cats got hurt. If a kind person hadn't shown up to help, and if I hadn't been here to notice… it probably wouldn't have lasted much longer."
"And honestly, they barely get enough to eat most days. Forget bluefish or fancy snacks—even filling their stomachs is a struggle."
"When it rains and they can't find shelter, they get soaked and sick. These cardboard boxes? Useless then."
As she spoke, her mood visibly dipped.
"A month and a half ago, a cat I was close to got sick. We didn't make it in time to help him—he just… slipped away."
Life on the streets was a hit to both the body and the soul.
Nekomata knew that far too well.
"I see..."
Zane gently stroked the little black cat. After hearing Nekomata's story, he realized his earlier thoughts had been too naïve.
Reality needed to be considered too.
"Nekomata... maybe I've got a way to solve this that works for everyone."
He set the black cat down softly, looked up at her with a calm smile, his eyes shimmering like stars.
"How about we open a cat café?"
"That way, the little guys can stay together, get taken care of, and finally have a real home."
Zane's plan was simple. Calling it a cat café sounded nice, but really, he just wanted a place to raise and protect these cats.
"Huh? A cat café?!"
Nekomata looked stunned, then immediately frowned.
"Actually, I've thought about that before. But fighting? Kidnapping? That I can do. Running a café though…"
She scratched her head, embarrassed. Anything related to running a business? She had no clue.
"If we mess up, we'll just bleed money. No customers. We'll have to shut down, and everything will go right back to how it was."
She let out a long sigh.
"People don't really like stray cats. Even the clean ones get overlooked."
"That's fine. I like them."
Zane stood up, eyes on her, speaking lightly.
"Leave the café to me. You're on your own right now, right? You probably don't have much Dennies left."
He smiled faintly. Once she officially joined Hare's House, her small stash would only shrink.
Nekomata blushed. He wasn't wrong—she was pretty much broke...
"You don't know how to run a café, but you do know how to take care of cats, right?"
She looked up at him and nodded.
But then a question came to mind.
"Wait—so are you going to have someone else run the café?"
Even if she wasn't optimistic, since Zane brought it up, she wanted to try.
Even if there was only the tiniest chance.
The strays needed a home.
"No need."
Zane shook his head, completely at ease.
"Others might not like stray cats—but I do. That's enough."
"Forget about bad business or whether people like it. Just find time to take care of the cats."
"Just think of this café... as something that exists to serve me alone."