Reminiscing About the Past

"Haha, Nekomata was totally right—you really fall for this kind of stuff. Guess all that practice paid off…"

"Ugh… That hurts! Stop... ow... wait, quit hitting me! You're gonna make me dumb…"

"Okay, okay! I get it this time, I really messed up!!!"

...

"This is all your fault. How am I supposed to show my face now?"

Nicole bent over, staring helplessly at her reddened forehead in the mirror.

When she noticed Zane glancing over from behind, she quickly stopped complaining and blurted out,

"I really know I was wrong!"

Zane gave a small shake of his head without saying a word. Holding the box in his arms, he headed toward the nearby orphanage. In this area full of squat buildings, the orphanage stood out quite clearly.

It wasn't big, but not exactly small either. As he got closer, he could hear the voices of children from inside.

"This should be the place."

He glanced at the little white cat and black cat following behind, then raised his hand and knocked on the front door.

"Who is it?"

A woman's voice called from behind the door. A moment later, it opened, revealing a beautiful young woman about the same age as Nicole.

Wearing simple work clothes, she looked at Zane with curious eyes, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion.

This guy… he wasn't one of the orphanage kids from before…

"Hello."

Zane greeted her politely, and the little black cat poked its head out from behind him, curiously peering into the orphanage.

Inside was a large courtyard, a crooked tree, and a few children huddled together, basking in the sun. It was a warm, peaceful scene.

"And you are…?"

The woman started to ask, but before she could finish, Nicole's voice came from behind Zane.

"Siena, it's me!"

Nicole leaned around him, resting her hands on his shoulders with a grin.

"Huh? Boss Nicole?"

Zane twitched slightly at the word "boss." He looked at the woman, then back at Nicole.

Why does everyone call her "boss"?

"This is Zane, my friend. He came with me this time."

Nicole patted Zane's shoulder and introduced him to Siena.

Siena took another look at him. So that's why he was here with Nicole… he must be someone important to her.

Handsome enough, but who knows what kind of person he really is? Still, if Nicole brought him here, he probably isn't bad.

Given how sharp Nicole is, her judgment should be solid.

She nodded and said, "Don't worry, Nicole. I'll take good care of him."

"Oh come on, don't be so formal. Zane's not into that—just treat him like anyone else…"

Nicole didn't pick up on the teasing in Siena's tone. She waved her hand and walked into the courtyard. The children, clearly excited and happy to see her, quickly gathered around.

One of them even ran off, probably to spread the word.

"You two, go bring the little ones over."

Zane looked down at the black and white cats beside him and gave them a soft instruction.

They understood and trotted off to the parked car, rounding up the kittens.

As the pack of cats made their way over, Zane stepped into the orphanage.

"Here, let me take that."

Siena reached out to take the box from him, but he shook his head.

"There's more in the car. Just tell me where to put it—I'll bring the rest over in a bit."

She nodded and pointed to a half-open room in the corner.

"That's the storage room. If Nicole brought the same stuff as usual, you can just leave it there."

Following her direction, Zane got to work, with Siena pitching in to help.

"Boss Nicole, who is that?"

A little girl standing beside her looked up at Zane as he moved things around and asked curiously.

"Him? You can call him Brother Zane. He's my friend—and a really good guy."

Nicole smiled and explained.

"A friend, huh?"

The girl tilted her head, thinking back to when Nicole brought that robot Uncle Billy and Sister Anby. They were her friends too.

"Okay, let's go help out!"

Nicole gently patted the child's head, her tone softer than usual.

The kids clearly listened to her—soon they were running out of the house, dragging the others along to help. It was a full-on procession.

"Sis Siena, we're here to help!"

Siena didn't turn down their enthusiasm and directed them to carry the smaller, lighter items.

Still, a bunch of kids ended up getting "blocked" by the cats, who instantly became the center of their delighted attention.

"Haha, looks like bringing the cats from the Tanuki House really was the right call."

Nicole and Zane walked side by side, both carrying things and smiling at the scene.

Zane glanced at the little black cat, who didn't enjoy being touched but still allowed the children to mess up its fur. Curious, he asked,

"It makes sense for Siena to call you Boss Nicole, but why are all the kids calling you 'boss' too?"

"Shouldn't they be calling you 'sister' instead?"

Since he and Nicole were peers, it felt natural that he'd address Siena the same way Nicole did.

Nicole blinked her bright eyes, adjusted the box in her arms to a more comfortable position, then looked at Zane with a light chuckle.

"Oh, I used to be the head of the orphanage. Even though I've grown up, I'm still the boss."

She had encouraged the kids to call her that, and they didn't seem to mind.

"Just like you and the cats—even though the black cat acts more like a leader, you're the real boss."

"That's a pretty fitting analogy."

A thoughtful look crossed Zane's face as something in her words caught his attention. He asked in surprise,

"So Siena was also part of the orphanage back then?"

"Mm-hmm."

Nicole nodded and entered the house, placing the box down. A nostalgic look flickered in her eyes.

Those days...

"Zane, do you want to hear about my past?"

She stood up and smiled at him. Now that the topic had come up, she felt like sharing.

She just didn't know if he wanted to listen...

"Sure, I'd be honored."

Zane nodded. After all, this trip was about accompanying Nicole as a friend—there was nothing more important than that.