Chapter 125 Nineteen Cats
When everyone returned to the banquet hall, the banquet was about to begin. Ayako asked a waiter to come and call Sonoko away. She waved to them apologetically and hurried off to keep an appointment with her sister.
Among the few people left, Uncle Maori looked left and right, showing no interest in this banquet with more social significance. He quickly ran to the dining car to drink to his heart's content. In the end, the only ones left were Kaito, Conan, Shirley and the store manager.
…No, maybe he won’t stay here for too long, Chijiang Nayue thought.
At the same time, his gaze vaguely fell on the crowd coming to the banquet. Among the formally dressed men and women, two figures stole most of his attention.
Vermode, and Furuya.
Chijiang Nayue rubbed her fingertips consciously with the hands hanging at her side, and her expression became subtle.
He knew that his cat would definitely sneak out when he was away, but it didn't seem like such a coincidence that he would run into it right here?
The companies organized outside are definitely not just the Karasuma Group, there are also various other companies that use various means to pretend to have nothing to do with them. In this way, Belmode and others probably came because of that.
He really didn't expect this... Karasuma Renya actually asked more than just him to come. Could it be that there was someone special among the guests at this birthday party? Thinking of this, Akajyo Nayue's face became a little more serious, and he began to carefully recall the list he had seen.
Finally, he came to a firm conclusion: No, from the people attending the banquet to the format of the banquet, apart from this group of people, the rest of the people were just celebrities and partners of the Suzuki family. There were no characters that needed special attention.
Chijiang Nayue thought of something and her mind suddenly went blank.
Is there a possibility... that the target of the mission that Vermode and Furuya appeared here was himself?
Come to think of it, when they were in Beika Town, Karasuma Renya was worried and sent many members of the organization to observe secretly. However, he didn't want to argue with Karasuma Renya about this because of a headache, so he chose to ignore them all.
Therefore, maybe this time is the same. Karasuma Renya did not send people here for any conspiracy, but because he was worried that something might happen to him, so he added two "security personnel" - commonly known as his personal bodyguards.
...This kind of Karasuma Renya is even more terrifying than the old man in the main world who was always plotting how to hate him! He really couldn't stand it anymore!
Chijiang Nayue's throat felt itchy and her stomach swelled, and her whole body and mind were expressing resistance.
He hated the feeling of being controlled, no matter how small.
The other three were all very sensitive to the inexplicable mood swings of the store manager. Conan tugged at the store manager's clothes with concern, and walked over with Shirley in his arms and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong, store manager brother?"
The long-haired young man lowered his head and looked over, and Conan realized that there was no expression on that dazzlingly beautiful face.
"No, nothing." The manager said in a cold voice they had never heard before.
They didn't know that the store manager, who appeared to be cold on the surface, was actually upset about his own guess, so he didn't have the energy to act in front of them for the time being.
The banquet just started. The lights in the hall dimmed, and only a few lights shone on the podium in the hall. The people around fell silent and looked in the direction of the lights, with only a few exceptions.
In the corner, Conan made the same move as the puppy Shirley in his arms and Kaito beside him - they looked up in the direction where the manager was originally standing.
At this moment, there was no one there.
—
In this world, Akajangazuki has no mandatory missions. He has nothing to do and plays the role of store manager only out of interest and to pave the way for Kaluya who will truly wake up later.
Similarly, he in this world has been asleep for so many years that no one really knows what kind of person he is. Akae Nazuki can act as he pleases, and doesn't even need to play a specific character. He can just wait until his future self wakes up and make a decision. This is Kaluya's own life.
Because of this, Akae Nazuki, who was having a lot of fun playing among the cats, was still very dedicated during most of the performance, except that she would occasionally be naughty once or twice, like when she was teasing Kaito on the rooftop before.
Perhaps he was stimulated by the truth of the speculation just now, and now it was his turn to be more dedicated.
Chijiang Nayue pretended that she was just passing by casually, but her target was clearly the blond young man who happened to be separated from Belmode and was alone. When passing by him, even though she was squeezed by the crowd and brushed past him, she did not even look at him, and continued walking forward pretending to be uninterested.
He knew that Furuya would call out to him, just like—
"Excuse me, sir." Someone behind Akajinazuki said, and the other person looked at him curiously and asked, "Excuse me, are you the manager of Kalua Cat Cafe?"
See, it's like this.
Chijiang Nayue made her expression look like she was thinking doubtfully at the right time: "Yes?"
"Oh, please don't misunderstand me. I saw the introduction and recommendation of that store on the Internet." The blond young man showed a bright and sunny smile. "I just want to ask, are you still recruiting waiters, Mr. Manager?"
The two moved their conversation to the terrace behind the veil beside them. There was no one there, which was perfect for this occasion.
After all, they are not good people.
Fūya introduced himself as Toru Amuro, a detective who was looking for part-time jobs for personal reasons. He was very interested in the cat cafe, so when he saw the manager, he chose to ask directly.
"My client gave me the invitation to this banquet as a gift... Well, it is indeed very helpful for me to expand my private detective business. And I am also lucky to meet you, the store manager, here by chance." Furuya Asa said with a smile.
The store manager nodded in sudden realization: "So that's how it is."
The two smiled at each other again, then turned away at the same time.
So this is how the store manager talks to strangers. This is what Furuya thought: But, did the store manager notice me or not? This is the store manager who seems to understand even cats and dogs!
Oh no, you have to hold back your laughter now, or Zero will be embarrassed. This is what the store manager thinks: Does Furuya really not realize that he is subconsciously imitating his smile? If there is a third person next to him, then congratulations, the other party will get two beautiful young gorillas with the same smile.
...Well, forget it for this world. Cats don’t need the qualities of gorillas!
In short, putting aside their private thoughts, the communication between the two was still very pleasant with Fūya's careful maintenance.
"Come to think of it, there's no need to apply for a waiter position. My shop is busy enough for now." The store manager seemed to be suddenly curious and asked, "What kind of cats do you like, Amuro?"
It sounded like he hadn't considered the possibility that the person being asked might not like cats - come to think of it, how could a guy who had just applied for a job at a cat cafe not like cats - it seemed like he was demanding an answer from Fūya with a righteous attitude.
Jōgō was thinking in his heart, with a smile on his face. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze accidentally met a pair of eyes.
This was the first time tonight that he observed the store manager's appearance without any disguise, and when that bright color appeared before his eyes, Fūya suddenly realized something.
It was the first time that he really saw the color of the manager's eyes. They were a pair of aqua red gemstones, not the dull gray like in his cat form.
The young man in front of me with black hair tied into a high ponytail has a pair of gentle, lively red eyes.
Looking into the store manager's eyes, Fūya somehow thought of the Mongoose cat that Hagiwara and the others had encountered.
That day was the first time he saw the Boomerang, and also the last time. For some unknown reason, they never encountered the cat again when they went to the izakaya for a party at night. Hagiwara was worrying that he might have seduced the cat too many times and the cat had become alert, but he continued to try to stake out the cat.
Every time that happened, Jōtani would go from giving up to joining his friends. The five of them would squat in a row by the wall in the alley, staring intently at the empty wall, waiting for a little black cat to fall from the sky.
"It's probably a black cat," said Furuya, as if he were being lured by a mysterious force. "Pure black... like a Bombay cat."
Although it has black fur, it has red eyes. It is a little black cat that doesn't fit in with the darkness.
Across from Furuya, the store manager blinked with a subtle expression.
But when Fūya looked over, the manager's tone when he spoke was one of pure joy and slight pride.
He put on a matter-of-fact expression and nodded happily: "Really? I like cats like that, too!"