Game Developer in the World of Anime

After the staff opened the cage, Yukino carefully approached the mother cat.

Fortunately, the cat had a gentle personality and was quite intelligent. She seemed to understand that she and her kitten had been rescued, so she stayed calm when she saw Yukino.

Yukino also knew how important the kitten was to the mother, so she didn't try to touch the little one.

After spending a short moment interacting, Yukino went off to complete the adoption procedures.

Hazuki followed her, while Ichin, Utaha, and Eriri stayed behind to continue browsing.

Ichin had initially planned to suggest they check out the dogs too, but he didn't expect to find Utaha and Eriri both frozen in place in front of a particular cage.

"Hm? What's up?" he asked as he walked over.

Inside the cage was an orange tabby—not yet fat enough to look like a loaf of bread, but still a proper orange cat.

Judging from its size, it was probably about five or six months old. It seemed completely unconcerned with the humans watching it, lying comfortably on a blanket while happily playing with a ball of yarn clutched in its little paws.

"So cute!" Eriri's eyes lit up as she stared at the tabby. "Out of all the kittens here, this one is definitely the cutest!"

Utaha nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's really adorable. And not afraid of people either."

When she noticed Ichin walking over, Utaha turned her head and looked at him.

The moment their eyes met, Ichin instantly understood.

"What, you two want to adopt a cat too?"

"A little bit," Utaha admitted with a smile. "Is that okay, Ichin?"

"I never said it wasn't," Ichin replied, gently pinching her cheek. "You guys wait here—I'll go get a staff member and ask about this little guy."

Soon, Ichin returned with one of the staff members.

When the staff saw that Utaha was interested in the little orange tabby, she nodded and explained, "Ah, this little one? A kind passerby found a litter of kittens outdoors. They searched the area thoroughly but couldn't find the mother cat. There were five kittens in total—four have already been adopted. This is the last one left. Oh, and he's a little boy."

After hearing that, Utaha glanced at Ichin. Receiving a reassuring look from him, he said, "Alright then. Let's do the adoption paperwork—we'll take him."

The adoption process wasn't complicated. It mainly involved filling in personal information like contact details and address.

Once they were done, Ichin noticed the center also sold pet supplies like cat food and accessories. He decided to buy some food, a cat bed, a litter box, and some cat litter right there.

Since they had to buy it anyway, might as well get it from the rescue center—it was a good way to support them.

Before long, all the procedures were completed. Ichin and Yukino each carried a pet carrier, placing their newly adopted cats inside, and then left the rescue center.

Snuggled in Hazuki's arms, Mozuku's eyes kept darting between the two pet carriers, clearly intrigued by the new feline companions inside and eager to get closer.

Eriri glanced at Mozuku and laughed. "What a shame, huh? Mozuku's already been neutered. Otherwise, she could've gotten to know Yukino's white cat mama a little better."

Get to know her?

As in… become the stepdad?

Ichin couldn't help glancing at Mozuku too and noticed that the cat really was looking toward Yukino more often. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Eriri, you really are bold with your suggestions. But you know what? If Mozuku hadn't been neutered, there might've actually been a chance."

"Right?!" Eriri beamed triumphantly.

Hazuki, watching the conversation with exasperation, gently patted Mozuku's back and said, "Alright, that's enough from you two. Stop teasing my Mozuku."

"I don't think he's all that bothered, honestly," Utaha chimed in, reaching over to scratch Mozuku under the chin. "He's so chill and Buddha-like. I'd bet even if he weren't neutered, he'd still have no interest in dating. I mean, what girlfriend can compare to a nice pack of bonito flakes, right, Mozuku?"

Mozuku didn't understand the words, but he could definitely sense the sarcasm and turned his head away from Utaha, refusing to look at her.

Once they reached the parking lot, Ichin looked around and asked, "Now that we have cats with us, what should we do for lunch? Going to a restaurant is kind of out of the question."

Hazuki suggested, "Why don't we go to Yukino's place? Ichin and I both have cars, and heading there makes it easier for us to leave later. As for lunch, we can just order delivery."

Yukino had no objections, so after a brief discussion, everyone got in their cars and drove to her house.

Haruno wasn't home today—she had something to take care of—so the house was very quiet when they entered.

They headed to the living room, set down the pet carriers, and started unpacking all the cat supplies—beds, litter boxes, food bowls, etc. Once everything was in place, Yukino finally opened the pet carrier and let the cats out.

The white mother cat hesitated for a moment, cautious of the unfamiliar environment, but eventually came out slowly. She soon noticed the cozy bed nearby and, after stretching a bit, began carefully exploring her new surroundings.

Ichin didn't open his carrier, nor did Hazuki. Mozuku stayed inside for the moment.

After doing a full circuit of the living room, the mother cat returned and gently picked up her kitten, placing it in the bed that Yukino had prepared. Then she jumped in beside it.

It was clear that she was very satisfied with her new environment—calm, relaxed, and at ease.

Yukino finally let out a breath of relief. She brought out the food bowls she had bought earlier, opened a fresh bag of cat food, and poured some out for the mother cat before leaving her alone.

"For now, let's just let her get used to the space. Best not to disturb her," Yukino said, standing up and turning to the others. "So… what are we having for lunch?"

Eriri instantly raised her hand, full of energy. "McDonald's!"

---

Thirty minutes later, the McDonald's delivery arrived.

"It really was McDonald's..." Ichin commented with a chuckle.

Yukino took the teriyaki burger that Eriri handed her, unwrapped it, and took a bite. "When was the last time I ate McDonald's?"

She couldn't quite remember. It really had been a long time. The closest thing was probably going to a family restaurant a few times, but even then, she usually ordered pasta or something similar—not fast food.

After swallowing her bite, Yukino's eyes drifted over to the corner where her newly adopted cats were.

The food she'd poured was already gone, and the tiny kitten had curled up and fallen asleep, completely full. The mother cat had come out of the bed and was now standing near Mozuku and the little orange tabby, silently observing her feline companions.

With four cats in the house all of a sudden—two of them her own—it honestly felt like paradise to Yukino.

As she kept watching them, even the burger in her mouth seemed to taste better.

...

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