VALRRR
patreon
[TSSIM] Chapter 454: Take It Slow and Go with the Flow
🕑 Added 2024-10-24 21:03:28 +0000 UTCIn the end, Homura decided to give Haru a quick speed test, and the result was surprisingly around 70 kilometers per hour.
It could be said that Haru was truly the fastest cat in the world, and such speed convinced the girls that she was indeed a special cat.
As for the strength test, Homura thought it was better not to conduct it, feeling it was unnecessary since the quickly worn-out scratching post already made it obvious.
"By the way, I'm taking the little one out. Does any of you wanna come with me?" Homura asked the girls.
"Going out for what? Pet shop?" Eriri asked with raised eyebrows.
"Just a casual stroll first, then we'll hit up Nana's shop." Homura shrugged.
"In that case, it's better if we don't go." Utaha shook her head. "Having so many people at the shop would just be a hassle."
Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.
Ultimately, Homura brought some snacks with him and headed out with only Haru.
===
"By the way, little one, what do you think you could use to sharpen your claws?"
While walking, Homura thought asking Haru for her opinion would be a good idea.
Haru looked up at Homura and then down at her own claws.
"Something hard should work, right?"
Homura thought for a moment before nodding.
"Let's go. I'll take you to the park to try it out."
With that, the two of them, one human and one cat, turned a corner and headed straight for Kusumoto Park.
After a round of testing on stone benches, tree trunks, and a few other things—
"Which one feels better for practicing?" Homura asked eagerly.
Haru thought for a moment before answering.
"Practicing on the big tree seems smoother."
"Okay, let's go ask Nana if she knows anything about it, like… what kind of wood would be best and all that."
Once Homura figured it out, he planned to get two big tree stumps and make a couple of sturdy scratching posts, so Haru could use them for a long time without them breaking easily.
===
"Homura-kun? What brings you here today?"
Nana smiled and greeted Homura when she saw him enter her shop.
Homura shrugged, handing her the snacks he had brought.
"I came to ask for help."
"Help?" Nana asked, a bit curious. "What could possibly trouble you?"
"It's about the little one…"
Homura glanced down to see Haru chatting with Hachi, who was slightly bigger than her now.
"She's gone through a scratching post every week, and I was wondering if you knew of any wood that's better for making scratching posts?"
"One a week?!" Nana was totally shocked.
Just how strong were Haru's claws?
"Yeah, that's why I'm asking." Homura smiled wryly. "Is there a sturdier scratching post out there?"
"What I get is the best one already..." Nana shook her head. "Even if it's sturdier, it won't be much better."
"Looks like it's up to me then..." Homura sighed. "I think a big tree stump would work great and will last forever."
'What a ridiculous idea…' Nana thought to herself, speechless.
"Which is why I also wanted to ask you what kind of wood is best..." Homura continued.
After a moment of pondering, Nana spoke up.
"Honestly, any harmless wood should work, right? Since Haru-chan is kind of special, we won't know what's suitable until we try it out."
"Umu, you're right." Homura agreed with her logic.
"Homura-kun, how about this? Like you said, try a big tree stump for Haru-chan to use. If it still wears out too fast, you can switch to something sturdier next time."
"Guess that's all I can do, huh..." Homura nodded.
He looked around at the pets in the shop and then sighed.
"Looks like you really can't get away from here…"
"Hmm?" Nana raised her eyebrows, not understanding what he meant.
"Actually, I was planning to go on a trip and have some fun with everyone. I thought about inviting you too, but... with this shop and all the pets, you really can't leave them alone, right?"
Upon hearing this, Nana smiled softly.
"I appreciate the thought, but like you said, I can't just leave these little ones to fend for themselves."
"Yeah, maybe for a day or half a day, it could work, but we're planning on being out for a week, after all." Homura added.
"Well, just have fun without me, Homura-kun." Nana gently shook her head. "From what I know, you guys have already worked quite a lot, and I bet there's even more I don't know about…"
And so, the two continued chatting until half an hour later, when Homura finally said his goodbyes and left.
"Even if I can't go, thanks for thinking of me..."
Nana muttered to herself as she watched Homura leave.
"Still... does Homura-kun... maybe have a bit of interest in me?"
She chuckled at her own speculation.
"Fufu, from those videos of Otonokizaka's school festival, it seems like Homura-kun gets along well with those girls... I'm really curious about what kind of stories they share..."
She turned to the bag on her desk, pulled out a cookie, and popped it into her mouth.
As soon as she chewed, her eyes lit up instantly.
"Delicious~"
===
Meanwhile, Homura, who had walked away from Nana's pet shop, scratched his head awkwardly.
"By the way... does Nana not know that I have good hearing?" Homura murmured with a wry smile.
Needless to say, he had clearly heard Nana's mutterings.
If he was honest, he had a bit of a crush on her, but he understood they hadn't spent enough time together yet to have that kind of relationship.
In the end, he shook his head and decided to take it slow and go with the flow.
"Hey, little one, wanna go see your other siblings?"
Upon hearing Homura's question, Haru stayed silent.
Seeing her like this, Homura didn't press further.
He remembered that it had been a while since Haru had seen them, so he thought it would be nice to visit them.
Seeing Haru still silent as if lost in thought, Homura decided to call Fumino.
"Hello, Fumino, are you home?"
"Um, what's up, Homura-kun?"
As Homura walked, he explained Haru's situation to Fumino.
"Is that so...? Since Haru-chan hasn't seen her siblings in a while, you guys should come over!" Fumino sounded cheerful and full of enthusiasm. "Ri-chan and Uruka-chan are here too, you know!"
"Are they studying with you? Great timing! I can test and help you all out." Homura chuckled.
"Yep! We'll wait for you, Homura-kun!"
After hanging up, Homura strolled along, enjoying the walk, until he finally arrived at the Furuhashi residence.
Ding-Dong!
After Homura rang the doorbell, Fumino's voice came through quickly.
"Hello, who is it?"
"It's Homura and Haru." Homura replied with a smile.
"Homura-kun?! You're here already?! Hold on! I'll get the door right away!"
Homura could hear Fumino rushing around, and moments later, she opened the door.
"Come on in, Homura-kun."
Fumino welcomed Homura inside while cradling Haru in her arms.
"How did you get here so fast?" Fumino asked curiously.
"I was on my way when I called you." Homura replied with a smile.
"Aren't you worried I might not be home?"
"Well, if that happened, it could just be a stroll." Homura shrugged.
"I see... By the way, are we going to see Haru-chan's siblings now?" Fumino nodded and then asked.
Homura thought for a moment while looking at Haru.
"I want to say hi to Rizu and Uruka first, but... what do you want to do, little one?"
"...Meow~ (...Let me down.)" Haru replied after a bit of hesitation.
"Fumino, you can put Haru down now."
"Oh..."
Fumino nodded and set Haru on the floor.
Haru immediately darted to the wall, quickly jumped to the top, and slid around to the back, vanishing from sight.
