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Chapter 32: Three Little Kittens
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 21:05:01 +0000 UTCBefore long, there was a knock at the door. Charlot Mecklenburg went to open it and found a plump calico cat outside, holding a large basket in its mouth. The calico cat placed the basket down, meowed twice, and stood there with an air of haughty pride.
Charlot, who had kept cats back on Earth, skillfully gave the feline a few gentle strokes. The cat purred contentedly before leaping onto a nearby carriage, curling up for a nap.
Two carriages were parked outside the small square in front of 58 Elysée Avenue. One belonged to Annie Bretagne, the other to Vinnie Arsenault. Since Charlot had moved into 58 Elysée Avenue, it had never been this lively before.
Well, except for that one time when two evil gods paid a visit, but that hardly counted…
As he marveled at the practicality of Vinnie’s cat spirit magic, Charlot carried the basket inside and delivered it to the three young ladies.
Charlot had seen Annie’s mechanical beetles before, but those were only capable of sending messages to servants outside, who then handled purchases. Vinnie Arsenault’s cat spirit magic, which allowed her to directly command cats, was undeniably far more convenient than the mechanical beetles.
Charlot even felt a sudden urge to learn this magic from Vinnie.
Miss Vinnie Arsenault was adept at conversation, and before long, the three young ladies had started discussing a peculiar recent case. Charlot listened for a while and gradually pieced together some of the details.
A series of disappearances had occurred in the Alcatras District recently. Entire families had vanished without a trace—seven households so far, totaling more than sixty people.
Strangely, in each case, the households appeared completely normal. It seemed as though the families had simply stepped out temporarily. The homes showed no signs of robbery or intrusion. Yet the missing individuals were never seen again, leaving behind no clues or traces.
In the Fars Empire of this era, city patrol guards performed a role similar to Earth’s police force. However, their investigative methods were crude, and the rate of solving cases was shockingly low—less than three percent.
As a result, the residents near the disappearances had little faith in the patrol guards and instead offered generous rewards to private detective agencies. Many were gripped by fear, worrying that one day they might be the next to vanish, which further inflated the bounty.
Vinnie Arsenault was eager to claim the reward. She brought up the case in hopes of leveraging the wisdom of the other two young women. Both Sylvie Martin and Annie Bretagne were rare examples of highly educated women in this era. However, it was clear that this time, Vinnie was met with disappointment.
Such a mysterious case left the two young ladies entirely at a loss.
Charlot listened for a while, but he, too, had no ideas. Before his transmigration, he had been a high school math teacher, not a seasoned detective. Cases like these didn’t inspire him to comment.
Suddenly, Annie Bretagne let out a startled cry. “Oh no! I got so caught up in our conversation that I’ve stayed longer than I should have. I need to head home.”
Vinnie Arsenault smiled faintly and said, “I’m here to help Sylvie move to the detective agency dormitory. I didn’t expect us to chat for so long. We’ve truly intruded on Mr. Mecklenburg’s time.”
Charlot quickly replied, “Not at all. Spending a delightful afternoon with the three of you has been nothing but a joy.”
Annie stood up from her seat, took Charlot by the hand, and led him aside. “I came here today to share some inside information with you,” she said.
Charlot was slightly surprised. “What is it?”
In a low voice, Annie said, “Miss Menielman has recently become embroiled in a case. It’s a highly influential one, so you should be extra careful.”
With that, she hastily bid him farewell.
It was indeed late. Annie was usually quite a proper young lady—except for the occasional time she invaded his dreams to scare him.
Sylvie Martin went upstairs to gather the belongings she had purchased over the past few days. She had two large suitcases, and with Vinnie’s assistance, the former fiancée climbed into the carriage. She gave Charlot a polite gesture of farewell as the carriage departed.
Watching the two carriages leave one after the other, Charlot returned to 58 Elysée Avenue. Although Sylvie’s presence often made him worry about trouble, now that he was alone again, the house suddenly felt emptier than ever.
58 Elysée Avenue was simply too large. Living alone gave it a certain indescribable hollowness. Charlot couldn’t help but wonder, Should I hire a cook? Some servants? Or maybe get a pet?
Although he had shared some pastries with the young ladies, he hadn’t eaten his fill. After a moment’s hesitation, he headed to the nearest restaurant and ordered a meal. After dinner, he remembered the Cat and Four-Leaf Clover Café he had visited before. While the coffee in this era was slightly sour, its rich flavor made it an excellent drink. It was far better than the overly spicy, pepper-like red tea and more suitable for staying awake than the floral teas of the Dongli Kingdom.
He decided to buy a batch of coffee for both personal enjoyment and to serve to guests.
When Charlot arrived at the Cat and Four-Leaf Clover Café, he heard soft mewing. The sound was unmistakably from young kittens. Looking closer, he spotted a lithe, half-grown cat watching him warily while guarding three newborn kittens.
Charlot recalled seeing this cat before and mistaking it for fat. Smiling, he said, “These little ones are adorable.”
The café owner, an older woman, smiled at his compliment. “If you like, sir, you can adopt one. There’s no charge—just be kind to these little creatures.”
Charlot hesitated briefly before crouching down to observe the kittens. The half-grown cat seemed to sense that he meant no harm and relaxed slightly, stretching out lazily. Meanwhile, the three kittens crawled eagerly onto their mother’s belly to nurse.
After watching them for a while, Charlot said, “I’d like to buy a batch of coffee—a mix of different types. As for these kittens, may I adopt them all?”
“However, they’re too young to leave their mother just yet. I’ll have to trouble you to look after them for a few more days. Here’s twenty centimes as a small contribution for their care during this time.”
The café owner was pleasantly surprised. Her coffee shop didn’t make much profit, and even keeping the half-grown cat was a stretch. She couldn’t afford to keep the kittens. Charlot’s willingness to adopt all three and even pay for their upkeep was a wonderful outcome. She eagerly agreed.
Having adopted the little ones, Charlot felt delighted. His experience with pets in his past life taught him that kittens shouldn’t be separated from their mother too early, as they wouldn’t thrive. Though he was eager, he decided to wait until they were at least a month old before taking them home.
Twenty centimes, roughly equivalent to 400 yuan in modern currency, was more than enough to care for the kittens for a while. For context, Sylvie Martin’s weekly salary was only 85 centimes.
Since the amount of coffee Charlot bought wasn’t large, he didn’t request delivery. He carried it himself as he left the shop.
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