All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 43: Adopt a kitty

The two of them carried the cat and walked to the wild animal rescue center.

The staff there immediately approached them. After listening to the situation, they began preparing to take the cat.

"Ah, have you two considered adopting it?"

Before taking the cat, the staff asked.

Yukima Azuma gently shook her head.

"I really want to, but for practical reasons, I don't think it will be possible."

Hearing that, the staff just responded with an "oh" and said nothing more.

Yukima Azuma looked at the cat in the box.

Its eyes were two different colors, one yellow, the other light blue, shining with a rare beauty.

"Can I visit it later? I feel a connection with it, and I can also donate some cat food."

Yukima Azuma asked.

The staff looked a bit stunned at first, then immediately shook their head.

"I'm afraid not. If you want to do it, do so now; there may not be another chance."

This made Yukima Azuma furrow her brows.

"What do you mean there won't be another chance?"

"We'll post its information on the adoption website. If someone adopts it within the given time, it will be taken away. But if no one adopts it by the deadline, on the next euthanasia day, Tuesday or Friday, it will be put down."

Upon hearing this, Yukima Azuma looked at the cat in the box again.

Its two-colored eyes, even in this situation, still glimmered with captivating beauty.

"Take me to do the adoption procedures."

Yukima Azuma said softly.

The staff immediately smiled upon hearing this.

"Please follow me. Do you have your ID with you?"

"Yes."

"If you adopt, you'll need to get at least one vaccination."

"Do all the necessary tests and vaccinations. Is there a service to bathe cats here? I'm not professional enough to bathe it clean in this condition."

"Yes, after you fill out the form, we'll give it a bath."

"Also, prepare some essentials for me like food, a litter box, and cat litter."

"Yes, you're such a kind person."

After filling out the form, the staff joyfully took the cat inside.

A guy who was willing to spend money on a stray cat like this was likely to be a good owner, not just acting on impulse.

Even though she worked here, she didn't want to see any cats die by euthanasia.

While waiting for the cat to be bathed and checked, Yukima Azuma turned her gaze toward the side, where Kato Megumi was standing.

Kato Megumi avoided his gaze, feeling a bit guilty.

Yukima Azuma reached out and gently pinched her cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought Yukima-san already knew..."

"If you were worried, you should have told me directly," Yukima Azuma said, pulling her cheek a bit harder. "Aren't we friends?"

The words Yukima Azuma had just used to question him were now thrown back at her, word for word.

Even a calm and composed girl like Kato Megumi couldn't avoid looking away at this moment.

Yukima Azuma felt both annoyed and amused.

What Kato Megumi had done earlier, poking at the cat, was clearly an attempt to scare it into running away.

That way, it wouldn't be taken to the rescue center and face euthanasia.

Yukima Azuma didn't know the regulations of rescue centers in Japan, but Kato Megumi must have known very well.

Yet, she kept it all to herself, not saying a word.

And still had the nerve to ask, "Aren't we friends?"

Thinking back on it made Yukima Azuma laugh.

"Taking a stray cat to a rescue center is the right thing to do. If I had said anything, it would have made Yukima-kun feel awkward, like adding more moral burden," Kato Megumi explained when she saw his anger.

In response, Yukima Azuma raised his other hand and pinched both of her cheeks.

"That's why I said, aren't we friends? From now on, just call me by my name!"

Kato Megumi's cheeks were stretched out, and she stammered:

"Az... Azuma-san..."

Yukima Azuma released her.

"Hey, Kato Megumi, please try to be consistent next time, both in your demands for others and for yourself, okay?"

"Don't be so strict with yourself like a saint, while being lenient and lowering standards for others."

Kato Megumi seemed like she wanted to say something in response.

But when her eyes met Yukima Azuma's, she lowered her head and quietly mumbled, almost indistinguishably:

"Got it... Azuma-san."

The wait wasn't short.

Finally, the staff came out, holding a small cat, completely white like snow.

"It's been bathed, nails trimmed, and dewormed both inside and out. These services are all free of charge."

"The vaccination, however, does have a fee. From now on, you'll need to bring it in once a month for three months, and after that, just once a year."

"The cat care supplies have been prepared over there. If there's anything you don't need, you can return it."

Yukima Azuma nodded.

Compared to thinking about the cost, Yukima Azuma's attention was entirely focused on the cat.

The little cat, which had initially appeared grey, now had fur as white as snow.

It was hard to believe.

If it weren't for the staff's certainty, Yukima Azuma might have suspected that the cat had been swapped for another.

He gently cradled the cat.

Yukima Azuma felt like he was holding a puff of cloud.

The soft fur of the cat fluffed up, emitting warmth, and its eyes, with their two colors of golden yellow and light blue, were still breathtakingly beautiful.

The tiny pink paws of the cat pressed against Yukima Azuma's arm, and the sensation was incredibly soft.

"I didn't expect this little one to be a shiyu-shouhyou-ren."

Yukima Azuma sighed in awe.

Kato Megumi tilted her head, curious.

"Shiyu-shouhyou-ren?"

"Yeah, it's a term in Chinese culture used to describe cats that are completely snow-white with eyes of two different colors like this."

"Sounds really sophisticated. Are there any other names?"

"There's a whole naming system. For example, if the body is black but the paws are white, it's called 'Twilight Spring, Searching for Plum Blossoms'; if the back is completely black, with a white belly and paws, it's called 'Black Cloud, White Snow on the Belly'"

(*t/n: i think so...?*)

"Sounds like poetry."

"Yeah, it does."

Yukima Azuma and Kato Megumi looked at each other and laughed.

Holding the cat in his arms, they both walked out of the rescue station.

"I think I'll take a taxi back to the apartment. This little one can't take the subway."

Yukima Azuma said as he looked down at the cat, curled up in his arms.

"Let me help. After all, I was the one who found it with you. Now that Azuma-san has adopted it, I should take some responsibility too."

Kato Megumi raised her small hand, looking serious.