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[TSSIM] Chapter 360: All of Them
🕑 Added 2024-03-20 00:35:28 +0000 UTC"Still, I gotta take the little one out for a walk today."
Glancing at Haru on the sofa, Homura spoke while chuckling.
Since everyone was busy and didn't plan to go to Manke Bookstore, Homura decided to have a stroll with Haru.
Needless to say, this was something he had to do. Just because they were all busy didn't mean they could ignore a family member's feelings.
"Got it." Eriri nodded, then smiled. "Yep, that totally sounds like something you'd say."
Hearing this, Elf couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Given anyone important to Homura always got treated like this, it was no wonder so many of them liked him.
And so, after breakfast, Homura said goodbye to the girls and took Haru outside.
"Where do you think we should go?"
Homura asked Haru, who was walking beside him.
Haru looked up and didn't answer right away, merely staring at him as if she was thinking about something.
"Anywhere's fine… We're just walking around and getting some sun anyway." Haru finally answered.
Homura nodded, but as his gaze fell on Haru's body, he frowned.
"Huh, I didn't even notice before... Haru, are you starting to shed?"
Finally noticing some fur drifting in the breeze, Homura asked Haru.
"Huh? My fur's falling out?" Haru stopped and turned to look at herself but didn't see anything.
She shook herself hard, and only then did she notice a few strands of fur floating away.
"Why?" Haru asked, looking at Homura with a confused expression.
It made sense that Haru didn't understand since she wasn't even a year old yet, so this was the first time she was experiencing it.
Homura crouched down and petted Haru's head.
"It's totally normal for cats to shed fur all the time. Right now, though, you're shedding a lot more than usual because the weather's getting hotter. If your fur didn't thin out a bit, you'd just get hotter and hotter."
"And once it gets cold again, your fur will grow back."
"Oh..." Haru nodded, beginning to understand. "Sounds troublesome…"
Indeed, it was kind of troublesome, but it was definitely a good thing for her.
However, the only problem was that Haru's shedding season seemed kind of late.
Was it because of her level or something?
"Let's go to Nana's shop. She's got brushes for this kinda thing."
Homura changed directions, heading toward Nana's pet shop.
===
"Take care~"
"Welcome... Eh? Homura-kun and Haru-chan, you two are here!"
Nana had just sent off a customer when she noticed Homura and Haru.
"Yep, we're here!" Homura said with a grin.
"Hey, Hacchan! Haru-chan's here!" Nana called out toward the back.
"Hachi's here too?" Homura raised his eyebrows. "Wait, did you know we were coming?"
Of course, his question was not without reason.
It was unusual for Nana to bring Hachi to the shop if not for Haru's visit, especially since he hadn't given her any heads-up about Haru's visit this time.
"As if I'd know that." Nana smiled and shook her head. "I just bring Hachi and Roku to the shop every now and then. It's just a coincidence today."
Seeing the two little cats already huddled together, Nana then turned to Homura.
"By the way, isn't today the release day for your new manga? You're not at Manke Bookstore?"
Hearing this, Homura chuckled and shook his head.
"Nope, everyone's too fired up about the anime adaptation right now, so all the focus is on that."
"Ehh... then, what brings you here, Homura-kun?"
"Well, no matter what, I still gotta take Haru out for a walk. I can't just ignore how she feels."
"Fufu, I've said it before—meeting each other was the greatest luck for both of you… You really do love Haru-chan a lot, huh?" Nana beamed.
"Yup, Haru's the only one who's special." Homura gave a thumbs-up before suddenly remembering his purpose for coming. "Oh yeah, Nana, Haru's started shedding."
"Hm? She's only starting now?" Nana asked, puzzled. "Normally, she should've been in her shedding period when we first met, so this seems kinda late... But I don't think it'll be a problem. Haru-chan doesn't feel anything weird, does she?"
"Nope." Homura shook his head. "She doesn't even realize she's shedding. If she felt anything off, she would've told me already."
Nana: "..."
It seemed like her speculation was right since, apparently, not many animals ever wondered or realized why their fur was shed.
"Looks like Hachi's already done shedding..." Nana suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, Homura, here, this is for you."
She turned around and handed a pet grooming brush to Homura.
"I'm giving it to you. I mean, you've given me plenty of manga and games, haven't you?" Nana said with a smile.
Seeing the brush, Homura let out a helpless chuckle since this completely killed his intention to buy one himself.
"I never said I was gonna buy one..."
At this, Nana stuck out her tongue playfully, making her look extra cute.
"By the way, what does it even feel like to be brushed with this thing?" Homura asked, changing the topic.
"Uh... probably kinda like us combing our hair?" Nana pondered while tapping her cheek.
Hearing this, Homura thought for a moment before starting to act.
"Haru, come here for a sec." Homura beckoned with his hand.
"Meow~? (What's up?)" Haru trotted over, with Hachi following close behind.
"In my hand is a tool called a grooming brush." Homura showed the grooming brush. "I'll brush you a bit with it, so tell me if it feels weird."
"Meow~! (Oh, it will feel really nice! Nana brushes me all the time with that, and I love it!)" Hachi chimed in.
"Oh yeah?" Homura chuckled and then looked up at Nana. "Nana, Hachi says he really likes it when you brush him."
"Oh? Is that what he said?" Nana grinned and crouched down to rub Hachi's head.
"Meow~?! (Wait, he can really understand me? He's amazing!)" Hachi turned to Haru, full of shock.
"Meow~ (I told you ages ago...)" Haru let out a dramatic sigh and even rolled her eyes.
Seeing the two interactions, Homura chuckled.
"Alright, let's give it a shot."
Homura carefully adjusted his strength and started brushing Haru.
"So? How does it feel?" Homura asked while brushing Haru.
"Meow~ (It's kinda different from when you smooth out my fur with your hands. It's a little comfy, I guess.)." Haru replied after taking a moment to feel it out.
Homura nodded in relief.
As long as it didn't feel uncomfortable, it was fine.
After brushing Haru for a while, Homura ended up with a small handful of cat fur, but instead of throwing it away, he decided to keep it.
Later, Haru went off to chat with Hachi, and on this side, Homura also started chatting with Nana.
After some casual talk about recent events, Nana suddenly smiled when she noticed that Homura had come alone this time.
Seeing Nana's smile, Homura was confused.
"By the way... Homura-kun, out of all the girls who came with you before, was there someone you like?" Nana asked jokingly.
Hearing such a sudden question, Homura was briefly stunned before letting out a small chuckle.
"Didn't expect you to be the gossipy type, Nana."
"Oh, come on, I'm a girl too, y'know? Being curious about this kinda stuff is pretty normal, right?" Nana giggled.
"Well, yeah, that makes sense..." Homura said, then began contemplating.
Around a minute later, Homura finally answered Nana's question.
"Probably... all of them, I guess..."
"W-What?" Nana looked completely lost.
"Yeah, that's my answer to your question." Homura shrugged casually.
Nana: "..."
