75 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

Chapter 75: The Freed Slaves are Obsessed - Web Book Repository "Rin?" An unforeseen situation had arisen. Rin had blocked Percy’s approach. The way she looked at Percy was as if she were confronting an enemy. The atmosphere turned icy cold. Percy alternated glances between her tail and Rin. "What do you think you're doing?" "Stay away from the master." "Why?" "You might cause harm." "What did you say?" With just one sentence from Rin, Percy, who once fancied herself as a feline princess, was suddenly reduced to a would-be criminal in Rin's eyes. No one would feel good after hearing such an accusation. Percy raised her tail and crossed her arms. "Harm? Me? Haha, that's ridiculous." Percy, who had been waving her tail toward Karami, now had a different demeanor. Though she may be known as the proud princess of the cat café today, in the past, she was a seasoned veteran who had experienced it all in the back alleys. To Percy, the fox girl before her seemed rather insignificant. "If any problems arise, it won't be because of me, but because of you, Miss Red Fox." "What?" "Rumors are all over the place, you know? That you were hugging the bleeding master right in the middle of the street. It was because of you that the master got hurt, wasn't it?" The incident had caused a huge uproar. Ultimately, people whispered that the red fox had devoured her master. Rin had turned a blind eye to it for the sake of peace, yet now she was baring her fangs at Percy without a hint of gratitude. "If you’re concerned about the master’s safety, it’s not me you should be holding back, but yourself." "..." Rin, who had been glaring at Percy without uttering a word, drooped her head. Rin was still inexperienced, lacking the skills to compete against Percy, who had street-smarts. The outcome seemed to be a sure victory for Percy. Until Rin looked up with teary eyes. "Master... Is it true? Is the master in danger because of me?" "What?" "Would the master be able to live normally if I stayed away? If my absence would make it so... then yes, I’ll disappear." Rin wiped her tears with her sleeve and began to leave the shop. Karami, who had been enjoying the unprecedented catfight up close, hastily grabbed Rin’s hand in alarm. Rin, looking like she was on the verge of tears, voiced her sorrow. "Let go, master. It's not alright to be with me. Being with me would only make the master unhappy." "What do you mean, unhappy? Certainly not." "But Aunt Percy said so... that it was all because of me..." "It was probably a misunderstanding. Miss Percy, no matter how upset you are, it's not right to attack someone’s weakness. That went too far." "Excuse me?" "Apologize to Rin." Percy was taken aback. Clearly, it was Rin who had started the confrontation. She had unjustly treated an innocent person as a criminal. Even if you asked a passerby, they would likely side with Percy. Yet Percy failed to recognize that the relationship between Rin and her master was anything but ordinary, and that Rin’s cunning wit was beyond anyone's imagination. "Miss Percy, apologize." It finally dawned on Percy. The peace that had dulled her senses had made her slow to notice. First blame and then play victim. It was all part of the sly scheme of this cunning fox. Percy clenched her fists in frustration, making them tremble with anger. "...I’m sorry. I got carried away and misspoke." "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you clearly. Could you say it again?" Percy gritted her teeth. "I said I’m sorry." "It doesn't sound sincere, but since you’re my master's employee, I'll let it go just this once, Aunt Kitty." The gloomy aura had long vanished from Rin. Even though it was just a brief moment, Percy caught the sly smirk that escaped Rin’s lips, invisible to Karami. Rin clung onto Karami’s arm. "Let's go now, master. The aunts need to welcome the guests, we shouldn’t be a bother." "Yes, then we’ll take our leave." "Goodbye, Aunt Kitties~" As the two were leaving the shop, Rin discreetly turned her head and moved her lips without a sound, weaving magic to plant her message into the cat peoples’ minds. -Don't be coveting my master; just focus on wagging your tails for the guests, you cats. *** "Rin, please don’t say such things in the future." I spoke up once we had put some distance between the shop and ourselves. Rin, who had been wearing a mischievous smile, adjusted her expression to one of innocent inquiry. "Not say what? What do you mean?" "Don’t play dumb with me. Do you think I wouldn’t know?" The argument had started because of Rin. It was clearly Rin’s fault. She had overstepped by treating an innocent person as a villain. Knowing this, but with my relationship with Rin as a priority, I had no choice but to take her side. "But I was really worried about the master... Just thinking about that time makes my chest tighten... and I was afraid you might get hurt again..." "Whatever the case, you need to consider who you pick your fights with. Percy is a staff member I hired. Don’t do that again." "I was genuinely worried, Master. Hmph, alright." Rin clicked her tongue, seemingly annoyed at being reprimanded. Yet, she remained tightly attached to my side. Perhaps, that’s why as Rin grew, something I hadn’t noticed a month ago was now very evident against my arm. A soft sensation that if spoken of, could instantly lead to cuffs. "Rin, could you walk a bit further apart?" "Why?" "Sticking so close makes me uncomfortable." "Do you not want to be close to me anymore?" "It’s not that..." "Just kidding. I'm sticking close in case anything happens, so I can respond immediately." Barely had she finished speaking when a sudden gust sent an outdoor billboard flying towards me. Before it could crash down, Rin kicked the billboard away with all her might. Boom! The billboard traced an arc in the sky before landing somewhere in the city. "See?" "....." "It's all for your safety, Master. On this, I cannot compromise." Rin asserted with a determined expression. It seemed that the incident where I was hurt had become a significant trauma for her, considering how much she clung to me. Indeed, Rin's tails had now increased to five. Having surpassed the halfway mark, the intensity of Rin's misfortunes might also have escalated. Even when she had three tails, I nearly lost my life. To me, Rin was a paradoxical entity—both a source of peril that threatened my life and a protective ward against dangers. "Sigh, alright." If I meant to survive, I'd have to stay closely tethered to her. No other option. As soon as I grudgingly gave my consent, Rin grinned and pulled my arm closer to her. With a heavy sigh, I made my way toward Seira's workplace. The border area was teeming with a myriad of races. Sure enough, I spotted Seira handling the immigration checks. I waved enthusiastically, calling out to her. "Seira!" Seira's ears perked up at my voice. Her head quickly turned in my direction, and her eyes widened as soon as she saw me. Handing over her duties to a nearby colleague, she briskly approached us. "You! Where on earth did you disappear, reappearing only now?" To avoid the hassle of explaining in detail, I gave her a glimpse of the scar etched across my abdomen. I recounted the events from a month ago to Seira. "So, you’ve been at Celestial Pavilion all this time? You didn’t secretly run away?" "Why would I run away? Where would you find someone as upstanding as me? I’ve been at Celestial Pavilion with Rin, and came straight here when I awoke." Seira blinked in surprise. "Rin?" Realizing Rin’s presence a beat later, Seira’s eyes grew even wider than when she first saw me. "...Rin?" "Hello, Seira~ Have you been well?" "This is Rin? But her height..." Rin, checking her surroundings to see if anyone was watching, spread her five tails like a fan. "Tada~ Seira, I’ve grown more tails." "Five tails?" "I guess kids grow up quickly around this time." I tried to brush it off with a casual excuse, but it didn’t seem effective. Seira sharply turned to me with a scrutinous gaze. "Don’t talk nonsense. Didn’t you say last time she was a Three-tailed fox? This is completely...!" "Wow~ Who would have thought Rin was destined to become a Nine-tailed fox? I had no idea." "Indeed, Master~ Even Rin was startled." Haha. Take that. What used to be me alone was now both Rin and her audaciousness. No, she’s always been bold, but now it's different. No longer the innocence of a child, but the slyness of a fox girl. As expected, Seira seemed unable to regain her composure. Taking advantage of that, I quickly changed the subject. "You have no idea how surprised I was to find my house gone after just a month. I heard Seira was the one who caused it?" "Who says that?" "Rin." Seira placed a hand on her forehead, visibly vexed as she recalled the event. Then, unable to contain herself, she erupted. "Isn’t it your fault! I specifically said not to go upstairs, yet you came, bleeding and all!" "Aw, Seira~ Saying it like that is unfair. We almost died because of you." "Wasn’t it because of your actions?! I lost my home overnight! Can’t even get support for having a red fox! I’m still living in that busted dorm!" "..." Seira, venting her anger and sorrow without filter, was a sight I’d never seen before. It deeply emphasized the struggles of a civil servant scraping by every day. The atmosphere was too intimidating to speak lightly. Rin, making eye contact as though steeling herself, nodded and transformed into the younger version of herself with a single tail. "Seiya, Rin is sorry. Rin was wrong. Would you forgive me, seeing this face?" Cunning thing. She was exploiting the fact that people are soft-hearted towards children. "No, get away. I’m not in the mood." But even Little Rin’s charm wasn’t enough to quell Seira’s wrath. It illuminated the timeless truth of how crucial it is to secure one's own home. Rin glanced at me, shaking her head as if acknowledging it wasn’t working. With the servant having caused trouble, it was my turn to step up as the master. "I hear the cat café’s revenue is quite high lately. Thanks to everyone’s hard work in my absence." "So, what? Are you bragging about your wealth?" "The issue is, despite having money, we lack a place to stay. Neither inns nor houses are available for sale under my name. I don’t have many acquaintances to help, aside from Mr. Bolt and Miss Seira." "...And so?" "It seems District 3 is very popular, right? Lots of popular shops nearby. And I see it’s close to your workplace, Seira?" By the time I started speaking like this, Seira had stopped retorting and was quietly listening. I delivered the final blow. "To find a place and apologize to you, how about we acquire a house in District 3 under your name, Seira? But, since you’re working, you won’t have time to visit the properties..." "I’ll take a half-day right now." That very day, we secured a contract on a new home.