"Mmm…"
As usual, Sherwin woke up under the heavy weight of a pile of Felynes on his bed.
Strange… why does the weight feel a little different today?
He lifted his head slightly and glanced down at his chest. Aside from the familiar sight of Klee Meow lying there, he could also see the light brown fur of Haibara Meow behind her, along with a corner of her white lab coat.
Heh heh~Sherwin grinned mischievously, wanting to reach out and pet that tsundere little cat.
But then he realized his right hand was trapped under Hua Mei Meow embrace, pinned tightly beneath her.
His left hand wasn't free either—it was being held in exactly the same way by that little rascal Sanji Meow.
The only one not lying on top of him was Seijuro Meow, the ever-loyal companion. Even so, he hadn't gone far instead, he was pressed close against Sherwin side, curled up in the gap between his left arm and body.
Sherwin thought for only half a second before giving his left arm a small shake, slipping it free from Sanji Meow hold.
Then he carefully twisted his right hand to wake Hua Mei Meow, and once she stirred, he gently pulled his arm out from under her as well.
With both hands free, he placed one on Klee Meow and the other on Haibara Meow, giving them a few gentle pats.
"Time to get up, little lazybones~"
"Good morning, Sherwin-nii~" Klee Meow opened her eyes, cheerfully rubbing her cheek against Sherwin palm and chin.
Then she moved into her usual morning routine—stretching, kneading, grooming her fur, and washing her face.
(=`へ=)
The other one Sherwin was petting—Haibara Meow—gave her usual little "Hmph," then pushed his hand away with a look of disdain.
But she didn't get off him instead, just like Klee Meow, she sat right there on his chest and began grooming her fur.
After a quick tidy-up, the two little cats affectionately started licking each other fur. Just that scene alone was something Sherwin could happily watch all day without ever getting bored.
Beside him, Seijuro Meow rubbed his face a few times, then stood up, shook out his whole body, and nodded to Sherwin.
"Good morning, Master Sherwin, meow."
Hua Mei Meow, after stretching lazily, padded over to Sherwin head, licked his cheek, and said in a drowsy tone,
"Good morning, Admiral~ meow."
Only then did she begin her unhurried routine of grooming and washing her face.
As for Sanji Meow… after being startled by Sherwin earlier, he was now furiously kicking Sherwin shoulder with his little feline legs.
Once he had his fill, he rubbed his paws together, twisted around toward Hua Mei Meow, and said,
"Hua Mei-neesan, little sisters—what do you want for breakfast, meow? I'll cook for you, meow!"
"I want soup dumplings!" Sherwin was the first to answer.
"Sherwin, you idiot! Shut up, meow! I wasn't asking you!" Sanji Meow, still fuming, gave Sherwin a few more kicks to the head.
By now, Klee Meow and Haibara Meow had finished grooming and jumped down from Sherwin chest.
The little ragdoll was pulled aside by Hua Mei Meow, while the little tabby kitten made her way to Sherwin head, her fluffy face full of mischief…
Freed from the "restraint," Sherwin suddenly sat upright. With both hands darting forward, he grabbed Haibara Meow and held her up to his face, deliberately putting on a fierce expression as he demanded,
"You little rascal! Were you about to copy that punk Sanji Meow and kick me in the head?!"
"N-no, meow! I'm not that childish! You idiot, hurry up and put me down, meow!"
Called out on her intentions, Haibara Meow struggled with all her might, twisting like a little caterpillar, flailing her limbs and tail in every direction…
Which resulted in all those flailing paws and her tail smacking Sherwin face in a rapid thwap-thwap-thwap.
Sherwin: "…"
Haibara Meow: "…"
"Hmph! Who told you to stick your face so close? I wasn't trying to kick you on purpose, meow!"
Having successfully broken free, Haibara Meow avoided Sherwin gaze, then jumped off the bed and ran toward the door. "I'm going to the deck to read, meow!"
Sherwin turned his head, only to find that the true culprit—Sanji Meow—had slipped away at some point.
Seijuro Meow had also long since gone to the deck to start his daily training, leaving only Hua Mei Meow and Klee Meow, who was obediently standing in front of her while Hua Mei Meow tidied her clothes.
"Go on and play." After fixing Klee Meow clothes, Hua Mei Meow gently patted her head.
The little ragdoll immediately looked as if she'd been granted amnesty, scrambling out of the room on all fours.
But even as she dashed away, she didn't forget to call out, "Sherwin-nii, Klee heading out first, meow!"
By the time the last syllable drifted faintly back from outside the room, Klee Meow figure was already long gone.
"Mmm~~~~~" Hua Mei Meow stretched with a long, languid motion, then leapt into Sherwin arms.
She nudged his face with her head a few times before grinning like a little cat thief who'd just stolen a fish.
"Finally, I can have the Admiral arms all to myself, meow~ Last night, I had to muster a lot of resolve to give my spot to Little Ai, meow."
That was clearly her way of asking for some compensation, and of course Sherwin wouldn't refuse.
His hands moved skillfully over Hua Mei Meow body, petting the little tabby until she was purring nonstop.
After thoroughly enjoying Sherwin service, Huamei Meow finally landed back on the ground, feeling refreshed.
"That Eternal Log Pose should be arriving today, right, meow?" Huamei Meow shook her body and asked Sherwin.
"That right." Sherwin nodded. "Morgans said it would be delivered in three days. As long as nothing unexpected happens, the delivery News Bird should arrive at Blast Island today."
As the most basic yet most important force of the World Economic News, the News Birds were something Morgans knew and controlled extremely well.
Huamei Meow swished her tail and said, "Then I'll have to go out and carefully study today weather, meow~"
"What there to worry about? Anyway, with Klee Meow here, even if we run into a storm, we won't suffer any losses." Sherwin said with absolutely no tact.
This earned him a fierce eye-roll from Huamei Meow…
"The Admiral is such a big dummy, meow!"
(=`н=)
The little tabby bit the still-groggy Sherwin hard before storming out of the room in a huff.
Well, he had just woken up, so his head was still foggy. Of course his reactions weren't as quick as usual…
It definitely wasn't because most of his attention had already been drawn to the soon-to-arrive Eternal Log Pose!
…
"Flap flap flap…"
Under Sherwin endless anticipation, the News Bird sent by Morgans finally arrived at Blast Island, landing with perfect accuracy on the Explosion Black Cat – Maria.
Before the News Bird could even call out a greeting, Sherwin flashed to appear right in front of it…
Startling the poor bird half to death.
"Gaa!!"
"Thanks for your hard work. Where the Eternal Log Pose?"
Sherwin impatiently reached for the pouch on the News Bird chest, only to be stopped by its sharp beak pecking at him repeatedly.
"Gaa! Gaa-kaa!"
After forcing Sherwin to back off, the News Bird gave him several disgruntled squawks before reluctantly taking out the Eternal Log Pose and handing it over with clear annoyance.
After passing a small piece of vivre card to the News Bird, Sherwin handed the Eternal Log Pose to Huamei Meow, but before she could say anything, he quickly issued the order:
"Everyone, get ready! Set sail!"
"Meow? Sherwin, why are you so happy, meow?"
(=ω=)
Klee Meow, sensing Sherwin emotions, tilted her head and puzzledly patted her own little head.
Standing nearby, having overheard Sherwin earlier conversation with Morgans and being more mature in mind, Haibara Meow gave him a look full of disdain.
"Hmph! Sherwin just like that Sanji Meow—another perverted idiot, meow!"