Chapter 209: The Cat-Petting Corps
The next day, Sunday.
Since they had guests coming today, Kaede and Eriri did not sleep in, waking up promptly at eight o'clock.
"Wow, including yesterday, we haven't slept in for two days this weekend. That's rare."
After stretching, Kaede said to Eriri, "Let's go. We stopped yesterday, so we should continue running today!"
"..."
Eriri, who had almost forgotten, stiffened but quickly recovered, saying confidently, "Bring it on! But, let's reduce the distance and take it slow!"
Alright, if she wanted less, she would get less. A simple round trip slow jog would suffice.
But even so, Eriri was still breathless and exhausted when she returned.
Patting her head, Kaede looked at Eriri, who was sprawled on the sofa after returning, and praised her, "Not bad, not bad. Your speed didn't slow down in the second half, which is encouraging. Rest a bit and then go shower. I'll prepare breakfast."
"Ha... ha..." After catching her breath for a moment, Eriri smiled. "Hehe, I... I told you I could do it!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Eriri is the strongest. Keep up the good work in the future."
After encouraging Eriri, Kaede went to prepare breakfast, while Eriri only got up and headed to the bathroom for a shower after resting for about ten minutes.
At half past nine, just after Kaede and Eriri finished breakfast and were watching TV on the sofa, the doorbell rang.
When they went to open the door, it was Oosaka Taiga and Kushieda Minori.
"We're here, Eriri!"
"Good morning, Eriri!"
Seeing the two of them, Eriri said happily, "You two are the earliest! Come in quickly!"
Changing into slippers, Oosaka Taiga said with a smile, "I stayed the night at Minori's house yesterday, so we came over together this morning!"
After entering, Eriri immediately led the two straight to where the Cats were located.
"Wow, these are the Cats you found, Eriri! They're so cute!" Looking at Camilla and the two kittens lying on their bellies, Kushieda Minori said, "Looking at these two little Cats, I feel like my whole self is being healed!"
Kushieda Minori gently touched a kitten with her finger and saw the kitten immediately hug her finger, causing her to exclaim, "Oh oh oh oh! So cute!"
The three girls gathered together, their excited cries and laughter rising and falling, making Kaede shake his head repeatedly. He glanced at Camilla, who had jumped onto the sofa and settled down, and whispered, "It looks like even you can't stand the three of them anymore."
"Meow~~~~"
By ten o'clock, the others had arrived one after another.
Utaha looked at Camilla resting on Eriri's lap and nodded repeatedly. "I have to say, besides being beautiful, this Cat is also very smart. She sought out you two directly and secured herself a comfortable living environment. And she is indeed very friendly. Unlike the Cats I've seen at relatives' houses, which run away the moment they see a guest."
"Of course, Camilla is very friendly!"
Stroking Camilla's back, Eriri said smugly.
Hearing Eriri's words, Utaha said speechlessly, "You really gave her a good name."
"Hehehe, Kaede-kun named her!"
"Hey, don't pin that on me." Kaede, who was preparing lunch, immediately said, "I just said it casually at the time. You were the one who decided on it, Eriri."
"I don't care. It was Kaede-kun's idea anyway!"
Sticking her tongue out at Kaede, Eriri turned back to Utaha and asked, "How about it? Do you want to hold her? Camilla is very well-behaved!"
"Eh? Is that okay?"
Hearing this, Utaha looked at the Cat on Eriri's lap, feeling a little unsure. Although she liked small animals, she usually just watched them and wouldn't actively touch them.
"Of course, you can!" Eriri smiled and nodded. "Just now, Camilla didn't even reject Takasu, who has those eyes. You're just a little sharp-tongued, right? It's fine, don't worry."
"Are you sure you didn't say that on purpose?"
"Hehe~~~"
Utaha smiled and shook her head, not minding. She took Camilla from Eriri's hands and held her in her arms under Eriri's guidance.
Stroking the Cat's back, Utaha's face was filled with satisfaction. "She really is well-behaved. Eriri, you lucked out."
In the kitchen, Takasu Ryuji, who was cooking with Kaede, looked at the lively scene and said enviously, "Ah~~ I want to pet the Cat again too."
Kaede heard him, gave him a speechless look, and said, "What's the rush? We have plenty of time this afternoon. By the way, is Yasuko not coming over? She has the day off today, right?"
Takasu Ryuji nodded. "She's coming, but my lemon cake still needs a little more time. Since there are a lot of people, I made a large one. Mom will bring it over once it's baked. That should be in about half an hour."
Half an hour later, sure enough, Takasu Yasuko arrived, carrying the lemon cake Takasu Ryuji had personally baked.
The moment the fragrant cake appeared, it drew everyone's attention.
"Oh!!! Cake!!!"
Oosaka Taiga rushed over in surprise and looked at Takasu Yasuko, asking, "Yasu, can we eat it now?"
Takasu Yasuko smiled and nodded. "You can, but since it's almost lunchtime, just have a small piece for now. Ryuji made a lot, so everyone can eat as much as they want after lunch."
"Oh!!!"
Everyone cut a slice of cake and began tasting it.
After putting the cake in her mouth, Oosaka Taiga happily narrowed her eyes. "Mmm! Delicious!"
While eating, she glanced at Takasu Ryuji in the kitchen. "That Ryuji, he's so good at making cake, why doesn't he make it more often?"
Hearing Oosaka Taiga's complaint, Takasu Ryuji immediately looked over and said, "Making cake takes so much time! I have classes and work part-time normally, so where would I find the time to bake? You should be grateful you even get to eat it, so don't be so mouthy!"
"Tch, why are you acting so high and mighty? It's just cake, isn't it?" Biting her fork, Oosaka Taiga muttered, "I could make something like this if I studied a bit. It's much simpler than cooking meals."
Although she hadn't personally tried making cake, she had made cookies with Kushieda Minori during home economics class at school, so she figured cake couldn't be much different.
Oosaka Taiga immediately decided that she must personally bake a cake to surprise Takasu Ryuji.