Yukino had only one class that afternoon, but Utaha had two. So after Yukino finished hers, Utaha dragged her along to her classroom to keep her company.
At university, "sitting in" on classes wasn't unusual. And with Yukino's strong background in literature, tagging along to a literature lecture wasn't boring for her at all—she was actually interested.
When Utaha's classmates saw her bring Yukino, they all looked curious.
"K—Kasumigaoka-san, who's this?"
"She's so pretty!"
"I think I've seen her before. You three often eat together, right? You and Ichin too."
Holding Yukino's hand, Utaha smiled and introduced her:
"Mm~ she's someone Ichin's mother considers a goddaughter, so I treat her like my younger sister. This is Yukinoshita Yukino, a freshman in the law faculty."
"Ehh?!"
The girls crowding around all looked at Yukino with curiosity. One of them suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, I recall—back at the start of the semester, there were photos of her posted on the school forum. But they got deleted pretty quickly."
Utaha nodded.
"Yep, that was her. Since the photos were taken without permission, we had the admin remove the post."
After chatting for a bit, class began, and everyone returned to their seats.
Utaha leaned over to Yukino and whispered:
"Don't be fooled by how gossipy they seem—they're actually nice people. Anyway, the professor's here, let's pay attention."
The lecture wasn't too difficult for Yukino to follow, and the professor's teaching style was engaging, so she listened seriously.
After class, Utaha and Yukino left campus to go shopping.
But instead of heading to their usual mall, Utaha insisted they drive a bit farther to a different one.
Once they parked and stood before the large shopping center, Yukino asked curiously,
"Why did we come here?"
Utaha's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"I saw online that a new pet supply store opened here. They've got lots of new toys, premium cat food and canned meals, and even grooming services. I thought it'd be nice to check it out. Interested?"
Ever since she started keeping cats, Utaha's interests had expanded from just writing novels to diving deep into feline care. She often researched tips on raising cats. The moment she'd learned about this new shop, she'd wanted to come—and today was the perfect chance, especially with fellow cat-lover Yukino.
Naturally, Yukino was intrigued and agreed right away. Together they entered the mall.
Taking the elevator up to the fourth floor, they soon found the new store and stepped inside.
The place was warmly decorated, giving off a cozy vibe. Quite a few people were browsing with their pets in tow.
Through a pane of glass, they could see a Labrador being bathed by staff. Judging from its relaxed posture, the dog seemed to be enjoying the treatment, not squirming at all.
After glancing around, Yukino remarked,
"This shop looks pretty good. Let's take a look."
"Yeah, let's browse." Utaha agreed.
They started in the toy section.
Both of them kept cats, so most of their toys at home were feather wands or battery-powered toy mice. Each of their homes already had a couple of cat towers—more than enough.
Utaha picked up a box containing a remote-controlled toy mouse.
"This looks fun. Should we try it out?"
Yukino tilted her head.
"Utaha-senapi, do you think Peppa and George would even be interested? They're rescues, and they never really developed hunting instincts."
"That's fine. I'm not expecting them to catch mice—our house doesn't have any anyway." Holding the toy, Utaha explained,
"The main thing is exercise. When Ichin and I are out, I check the cameras, and most of the time they're just lying around—in their beds, on the sofa, or on the cat tower. Hardly any activity. Just climbing the tower isn't nearly enough, especially for orange cats. And lately George is starting to copy Peppa's laziness too. We need to watch out."
Under Peppa's influence—and after playing around with Mozuku at the company—George had already adopted a "lazy lounging cat" lifestyle.
But that couldn't go on. They couldn't let the cats' weight creep up unchecked.
A bit over ten pounds was fine, but pushing close to twenty or more would be unhealthy and potentially dangerous.
Utaha also wanted Peppa and George to be healthy enough to one day grow up alongside her and Ichin's future child—so they had to take care of them properly.
Hearing this, Yukino thought about her own cats' activity levels and picked out two toys as well.
As for treats, both their homes had plenty, so there was no need to buy more—though cutting back on snacks in the future seemed wise.
After they'd finished selecting items, they saw the Labrador being led out after its bath and blow-dry. Its chocolate-colored coat gleamed beautifully, and the dog looked in excellent shape.
The owner was clearly pleased, buying some chew toys before leaving with their pet.
Next, a Ragdoll cat was brought in for a bath.
Watching, Utaha and Yukino immediately decided to book weekend grooming services for their cats.
Bathing them at home wasn't impossible. For Utaha, splitting the work with Ichin was manageable. But for Yukino, handling four cats alone was a huge task—exhausting by the end.
Finding a professional shop that offered quality bathing and grooming was a godsend.
They made an appointment for Saturday, left their contact info, and exited the store.
Checking the time, Utaha said,
"There's still a while before Haruno-nee gets off work. Let's wander around, look at some clothes, maybe find a nice restaurant. If we like something, we'll just eat here. Ichin hasn't sent me a message yet—he's probably not joining us for dinner."
Yukino nodded and followed at her side as they strolled deeper into the mall.
*
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