Chapter 139: The Date, Part Two

Stepping down from the Ferris wheel, Serizawa Reina looked thoroughly exhilarated. While continuously tracing the ring on her left ring finger with her small fingers, she never forgot to show it off to the people around her.

Regardless of whether she knew them or not, she would approach anyone with a cheerful, "Look at this! My boyfriend bought me this ring, isn't it pretty?" prompting a bitter, helpless smile from Anwa.

This continued for several full minutes. Holding back Serizawa Reina, who was about to flaunt the ring to yet another unfamiliar otaku, Anwa pointed a finger at a nearby cafe and suggested,

"Let's go get something to eat."

"Ehh~"

The young girl hesitated slightly, her gaze shifting back and forth between the otaku and the cafe before she finally nodded, deciding to spare the former. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around Anwa's, lifted her chin, and said with an irrepressible, beaming smile,

"What are we going to do after we eat? I don't want to go back too early yet."

Hearing this, Anwa thought for a moment before his eyes lit up, and he proposed,

"How about a movie? I remember there's a pretty good film playing today, and there just happens to be a cinema right here in the amusement park."

Anwa recalled that there was an anime romance movie releasing today, and both the promotional trailers and the poster art style looked quite promising. However, the moment he finished speaking, Serizawa Reina's enthusiastically perked-up head instantly drooped.

"Not a movie again~"

She muttered, lowering her head to fiddle with the ring on her hand.

"That summer movie we watched last time almost put me to sleep."

"That's because I wasn't there with you, right?"

Anwa chuckled playfully.

As they conversed, the two of them arrived at the cafe.

Because the overall visitor traffic in the amusement park was quite sparse, there were only a couple of patrons inside the spacious cafe.

Choosing a corner seat by the window, Anwa picked up the menu and prepared to order. However, Serizawa Reina, seated directly across from him, suddenly tugged at his sleeve, looked out the window, and gasped in surprise,

"Look over there!"

Taken aback by her sudden movement, Anwa quickly looked in the direction of Serizawa Reina's gaze, but failed to spot anything out of the ordinary.

Noticing his confusion, Serizawa Reina stood up and leaned in close, pressing her cheek against his, and pointed out the window toward a pool not far away, whispering,

"There, look! On those steps by the pool, do you see that little kitten?"

"A cat?"

Intrigued, Anwa followed the girl's pointing finger and looked closely. Sure enough, on the steps beside the pool, he spotted a tiny, soaking wet, wriggling little figure.

"I think you're right."

As Anwa spoke, Serizawa Reina suddenly turned around and hurried out of the cafe.

With no other choice, Anwa followed behind.

He could roughly guess what she wanted to do.

Sure enough, upon exiting the cafe, Serizawa Reina headed straight for the pool where she had spotted the kitten.

Before they even got close, a faint "meow" drifted into their ears.

A look of delight appeared on the young girl's face, and her pace subconsciously quickened.

By the time Anwa caught up, Serizawa Reina was already cradling a palm-sized, soaking wet, shivering newborn kitten in her arms.

It was a standard calico cat, its fur a mix of brown, white, and yellow, with a neat parting line right down the middle of its head.

"Did it fall into the water?"

Anwa asked, taking off his jacket and handing it to Serizawa Reina. She took it and immediately dried the small kitten in her arms before wrapping it snugly inside the garment.

Perhaps sensing the long-lost warmth, the kitten stopped trembling, though its pitiful cries did not cease.

Having never experienced anything like this before, Serizawa Reina was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Seeing this, Anwa tentatively suggested,

"It's probably hungry. Why don't you take it into the cafe and see if you can ask the owner for some boiled chicken breast?"

Serizawa Reina asked instinctively, "And you?"

"Newborn kittens this small usually don't wander around alone. I'll look around nearby to see if I can find its brothers or sisters."

With that, Anwa gently nudged Serizawa Reina and reminded her,

"Go on, hurry. The little cat will starve to death soon."

Seeing how resolute Anwa was, Serizawa Reina could only nod, and holding the tiny kitten close, she hurried back toward the cafe.

Waiting until Serizawa Reina was out of sight, Anwa withdrew his gaze and looked toward the center of the pool.

Floating there were three more newborn kittens, also sporting the same brown, white, and yellow coats, though they appeared to have already stopped breathing.

Because there was a rockery in the middle of the pool, coupled with their previous viewing angle, Serizawa Reina hadn't noticed these three kittens earlier.

The reason Anwa had anxiously shooed her away was precisely to prevent her from feeling heartbroken upon discovering that the other three kittens were already dead.

"Poor things."

Sighing helplessly, Anwa took off his shoes and stepped barefoot into the pool.

The pool water wasn't very deep, only reaching up to around his knees, but it was ice cold. The mere contact made Anwa shiver involuntarily.

Wading through the water to the center of the pool, Anwa bent down and scooped up the three floating kittens one by one.

Just as he had suspected, all three had already passed away.

He glanced around. Aside from the rockery in the middle of the pool, there was nowhere else to land.

And the rockery was a good two meters away from the steps by the edge of the pool.

To an adult cat, this distance might have been a simple leap, but to kittens barely two months old, it was an insurmountable chasm.

Placing all the deceased kittens onto the pool steps, Anwa returned to the rockery in the center of the pool.

Given the current situation, he guessed that the mother cat must have given birth to her litter inside the rockery while she went out alone to forage for food.

And what had happened to them was likely because something had happened to the mother cat, preventing her from returning for a long time, leaving the starving kittens with no choice but to venture out.

If that was the case, there might still be a surviving kitten hidden inside the rockery.

With this thought in mind, Anwa carefully checked several holes at the base of the rockery for a while. Luckily, he actually found one.

Pulling it out from a cavity, Anwa held it in his hand and inspected it up and down.

It was a little female kitten, snow-white with completely dry fur. Clearly, she hadn't fallen into the water, nor did she have any other injuries.

However, what interested Anwa the most was this cat's temperament.

Usually, when newborn kittens encountered strangers, they would wail incessantly. Yet the kitten before him not only made no sound, but didn't even react at all, just staring blankly at Anwa with its big, round black eyes, as if wondering why such a handsome creature existed.

[You feel a bit smug, thinking even a cat has been captivated by your appearance. But little do you know, in the cat's eyes, you are merely a slightly strangely shaped member of its own species, and the only reason it is staring at you so blankly is because it hasn't registered what's happening yet.]

The narration suddenly echoed in his mind. Just as Anwa finished processing the words, the kitten in his hand began to struggle violently, wailing continuously at the top of its lungs. The shrill, milky "meow" was far more vigorous than the one Serizawa Reina had taken away.

"So, the reason it wasn't crying earlier was simply because it hadn't registered that I caught it?"

The corner of Anwa's twitching mouth curled downward as he looked at the little white cat in his hand, momentarily speechless.

He had always thought the word "idiot" could only be used to describe humans and huskies, but today, this kitten clearly qualified as well.

With a bitter chuckle, Anwa poked the little white cat on the head and slipped it into his pants pocket.

Anwa usually liked wearing cargo pants or casual trousers, so his pockets were spacious enough. Even with a pair of panties and black silk stockings already stashed inside, adding a tiny newborn kitten was an absolute breeze.

After checking the area once more to ensure there were no other kittens, Anwa returned to the shore.

He dried his feet and spent a little while burying the three lifeless kittens nearby before heading back to the cafe.

As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed Serizawa Reina in the corner, surrounded by four or five female waitresses in cafe uniforms, making the scene exceptionally conspicuous.

Anwa walked toward the corner. Before he even reached them, phrases like "So cute," "So pitiful," "Quick, give it some milk," and "Feed it something" drifted into his ears.

Clearly, young women were always powerless against cute little creatures like cats.

Seeing this, Anwa let out a breath of relief.

He had been worried that a stingy owner might refuse to let the stray kitten into the cafe.

Fortunately, it turned out the cafe owner was a decent person.

Of course, it was also possible the owner figured business was already so bad it couldn't possibly get any worse.

While Anwa was letting his imagination run wild, Serizawa Reina, who was feeding chicken to the little kitten over there, spotted him first. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly,

"Anwa-kun! How is it? Did you find its family?"

Hearing her words, the others turned their heads in unison, fixing their gazes on the young man walking up to them.

Meeting so many expectant stares, Anwa shrugged and reached into his pocket, pulling out the snow-white newborn kitten.

"I only found this one. They're most likely twins."

With that, Anwa stepped forward and placed the little fellow on the table.

As soon as the kitten landed, it raised its head just like before to survey its surroundings. It stared blankly for a good long while before finally registering the situation and starting to wail loudly—though its cries abruptly cut short.

The calico kitten that Serizawa Reina had previously wrapped in her jacket heard the white kitten's cry, abandoned the steaming chicken in front of it, and staggered over to the white kitten. It began licking the white cat's fur while continuously meowing. The white kitten, which had been somewhat panicked, calmed down immediately after being groomed.

The two kittens licked each other on the table, putting on a full display of a hard-luck reunion between brothers in arms.

"How cute~"

A female staff member sighed, prompting everyone else to nod in agreement, while Anwa took this opportunity to return to his seat.

Serizawa Reina immediately leaned in close, whispering by Anwa's side,

"Were there really only the two of them?"

Meeting the girl's hopeful gaze, Anwa hesitated for a moment before deciding not to keep it from her. He simply recounted what he had done and his deductions.

After listening, the previously excited Serizawa Reina instantly grew crestfallen. She lowered her head, her small hands clutching tightly at the fabric of her skirt.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't been playing around and came over sooner, the other three kittens wouldn't have died..."

A voice choked with tears rang out, and a single, crystal-clear droplet fell onto the table in front of the girl.

Seeing her like this, Anwa quickly comforted her, "Hey now, it's not your fault. Besides, didn't you save a little life?"

As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Serizawa Reina's slender shoulder. She leaned into his embrace, her sobbing gradually growing louder. This caused the surrounding waitresses, who had been teasing the two kittens, to quiet down. They looked at each other, exchanged glances, and eventually dispersed one by one.

Once everyone had left, Anwa scooped Serizawa Reina up and placed her directly onto his lap, gently stroking her back with his large palm.

After a short while, the sobbing stopped.

"Are you feeling a little better?"

Anwa asked softly.

Hearing this, Serizawa Reina lifted her head. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she sniffled, murmuring softly, "Can I take them home?"

"Of course you can."

Anwa smiled gently, reaching out to wipe away the tear tracks on the girl's face.

This intimate gesture, combined with their current posture, instantly caused Serizawa Reina's face to flush red. She quickly scrambled off Anwa's lap, seeking a distraction, and steered the conversation back to the two kittens.

"Speaking of which, what should we name them?"

Serizawa Reina was momentarily stumped, looking toward Anwa for inspiration, but he just spread his hands helplessly and said,

"Don't look at me, I'm terrible at naming things. I used to have an Alaskan Malamute at home, do you know what I named it?"

The girl grew interested, blinking her big, curious eyes.

"What did you name it?"

Anwa sighed, turned his head to look at the sunset outside the window, and muttered gloomily,

"Big White."

"Pfft~"

Serizawa Reina couldn't help but burst out laughing. Seeing Anwa look over, she quickly covered her small mouth with her hand, though her body still shook with suppressed giggles—clearly trying very hard to hold it in.

Anwa had anticipated her reaction and didn't mind. Instead, he turned his attention back to the two little creatures on the table, pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He pointed at the white kitten and suggested,

"How about we name this one Narration?"

"Narration?"

Serizawa Reina's laughter paused.

Though she was puzzled as to why Anwa would pick such a strange name, since it was his decision, she wouldn't question it. She then turned her gaze to the little calico and began racking her brain to come up with a suitable name for it.

Right at that moment, the cafe welcomed a new customer. The wind chime hanging above the door chimed, its crisp sound echoing through the cafe.

Hearing the chime, Serizawa Reina's eyes lit up instantly. She pointed at the little calico and exclaimed excitedly,

"How about we name it Wind Chime?"

"Wind Chime? Sure, that's a pretty nice name."

Anwa nodded with a light smile, reached out to tap the heads of the two kittens with his finger, and teased,

"Well, you two have names now."

Perhaps they understood Anwa and Serizawa Reina's words, or perhaps they had simply been won over by the food earlier, but the two kittens stopped crying altogether. Instead, they tilted their heads and curiously stared up at the two humans before them.

With the naming settled, Anwa and Serizawa Reina shared a simple meal.

Evening was approaching, and the sky was gradually growing dark.

After the episode with the kittens, the two of them lost any further desire to wander around the park. Instead, they stopped by a nearby pet store to buy some daily necessities and food for the kittens before heading back to the Serizawa residence.

As soon as the door unlocked, Anwa eagerly picked up Serizawa Reina and carried her toward Serizawa Wei's bedroom, leaving the two kittens alone in the living room to play by themselves.

Kidding aside, after working hard all day, tonight was what he had been looking forward to. Anwa wasn't about to let two little furballs ruin his chance at taking things a step further with Serizawa Reina.

Serizawa Reina naturally knew what Anwa intended to do, but she didn't resist. Instead, she just lowered her head with a blush and remained silent—until she realized they were entering Serizawa Wei's bedroom, prompting her to gasp in surprise.

"This is Xiao Wei's room."

"It's fine, she won't mind."

Anwa chuckled mischievously, nudged the door shut with his foot, tossed the girl in his arms onto the bed, and pounced before she could even get up.