Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Process of the Cat Being Eaten - 2
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There were plenty of empty seats, but Tyr deliberately sat down right across from Cheshire Cat.
"...What's this? Why are you doing this, nya?"
"The boss said executives should eat with other executives."
"Did the boss really say that, nya?"
"Yeah, he did. You should pay more attention to what's going around you. If I hadn't been here, you'd have gotten an earful from him again."
"Mm... Thanks, nya."
Cheshire Cat didn't even want to imagine getting chewed out by Florian. So she gave a slight nod to the sea turtle. It was her way of saying thanks.
Of course, what Tyr had just said was a total lie. Whatever.
Cheshire Cat quietly picked up her fork and knife to dig into her steak, but Tyr stared at her intently the whole time.
The gaze was so blatant that Cheshire Cat had no choice but to pause her meal midway.
"What're you staring at, nya?"
"Nothing, you just look hungry."
Tyr took the most precious item on her own plate—the mouthwatering-looking cupcake—and slid it onto Cheshire Cat's plate.
"You're hungry, right? You look starving. Your face just screams 'famished.' You need to eat a lot."
"I was hungry, sure, but..."
This was getting so overwhelming that even her appetite might vanish. But Tyr gave Cheshire Cat no respite.
"Come on, eat up quick."
Tyr chomped into her steak noisily, as if urging Cheshire Cat to scarf it down just like her. With no other choice, Cheshire Cat ate while responding.
"...This feels suspicious, nya."
"No, no. Forget that. Cheshire Cat, what do you think of Florian?"
"The boss? Why ask out of the blue like that, nya? Is this some loyalty test?"
Cheshire Cat tilted her head. But Tyr shook hers firmly.
"Come on, why would it be? We're both executives here. We should chat casually over meals. I was just curious what you think of him."
"He's the head of Elbalom. That's about it, nya."
"Tch. Of course there's more. As a man? As a romantic prospect? Think along those lines and answer."
Cheshire Cat pondered deeply, and in the meantime, Tyr's plate was completely cleaned out.
'She's gonna get up now. Nya.'
Truth be told, Cheshire Cat had nothing clear to say and was just waiting for Tyr to finish eating.
But even after emptying her plate, Tyr kept sighing heavily and stayed seated, leaving Cheshire Cat feeling stifled.
'What the heck is this...'
Sensing Cheshire Cat's piercing stare, Tyr fiddled with her cigarettes for no reason.
"Ah, I'm trying to hold back the urge to smoke, so I'm sticking around here a bit. It's especially bad right after a full meal."
Cheshire Cat recalled Tyr's usual habits. The image that came to mind first was her lighting up during every break on the construction site.
...But holding back now, all of a sudden?
Still, she was trying to do something good for her health, so chasing her off felt wrong.
"My answer matters that much, nya?"
"Pretty much."
"Like, life-or-death stakes? Wrong answer means I die, nya?"
"Nah, nothing like that."
Tyr waved her hand side to side a few times, then continued with a meaningfully sly expression.
"The boss said he likes you. So I've been wondering what you think of him~ Ah, too bad I won't get to hear it~"
Florian had indeed mentioned liking Cheshire Cat before, so it wasn't a complete lie.
Of course, it was purely in a professional sense, and if this conversation reached Florian's ears, Tyr would already be turtle soup.
But what could she do? Florian wasn't here.
Cheshire Cat looked at Tyr with slightly widened eyes, and Tyr put on a pitiful expression like a tragic novel heroine.
"What a shame~ If you don't like the boss, oh well, nothing to be done. Can't be helped! Just like he said, it's not easy. Something like that!"
"......"
Cheshire Cat felt a bit confused.
Her lips twitched a few times, but no words came out. She downed the water beside her in one go, then hurriedly scooped some soup.
What the hell was this girl getting at? Cheshire Cat thought about Florian.
His words and actions were rough, but he was an excellent boss.
He looked after his subordinates and was stronger than anyone.
But why would he say he liked her? As a romantic interest? Or as a subordinate?
It was so out of left field that she couldn't help but agonize. She cautiously asked Tyr.
"So, what did he mean by liking me, nya?"
But the response was surprisingly cold.
"No idea about the details. Just eat and think it over slowly."
Earlier, eating had felt burdensome, but now something even more burdensome had arisen, making her want to stuff her face just to cope.
As Cheshire Cat quietly started eating, Tyr added one more thing.
"You can feel it, right? The boss treats you special. He came to the site himself, took care of Chuir, and saved you from that kidnapping."
"But isn't that just valuing me as a subordinate, nya? Plus, he has a fiancée..."
"Tch. What era do you think this is, with all that monogamy nonsense? If the boss likes you, he likes you."
"But that 'like' thing is..."
Hah, Tyr thumped her chest in frustration with her fist and grabbed her fork.
She then force-fed Cheshire Cat bites of steak heavily laced with catnip aroma.
After feeding her half the steak, Tyr finally spoke again.
"Come on, think hard. What kind of guy is the boss to you right now?"
"The guy who took us out of slave-like work in Wonderland and gave us better conditions...? An amazing person...? I see him as that kind of incredible man, nya."
"Yeah, yeah. So when you think of the boss, how's your body and heart feel?"
"My body and heart...? Nyaang..."
Cheshire Cat even crossed her arms, closely examining her own condition.
In the process, she realized something was off with her body.
When she turned her head, the scenery in her vision rippled like waves, and it felt like a fire had ignited somewhere inside, hot something bubbling up from below over and over.
Even chugging Chuir until her mind went blank hadn't made her this dizzy.
It was dizzy but not dizzy? Like she could shatter this whole space with a single finger?
But her body itched all over. Not on the skin's surface, but a ticklish sensation rising from deep inside her lower belly, driving her mad.
"I-I'm going crazy, nya..."
She had no idea it was the catnip aroma causing this, and assumed it was because she'd thought of Florian.
The cat lady still had a pure side left in her.
Tyr nodded with a proud expression.
"Wow, that's perfect. The boss says he goes crazy just thinking of you too."
—Hah, seriously, I'm going insane because of you lot. Should I bite my tongue and kill myself? No. I'll just kill you all.
Of course, that's what Florian had said... but Tyr had dodged becoming turtle soup several times today.
"R-Really, nya...?"
"Yeah. Why would I lie? Eat some steak and calm down."
Tyr shoved another catnip-heavy piece of steak into Cheshire Cat's mouth.
Cheshire Cat, her body burning hot, sweated profusely but quietly took the bites.
Finally, Cheshire Cat shot up from her seat. Her body felt so strange she couldn't sit still anymore.
But Tyr grabbed her.
"Where you going?"
"M-My body's weird, nya. I need to see Dodo, nya."
"No, no. This happened thinking of the boss, so going to Dodo doesn't make sense."
"Th-Then what do I do, nya."
By then, Tyr unconsciously nodded in admiration.
Cheshire Cat's face was fully flushed, her expression melted. It was amazing she was holding onto her sanity.
Catnip packs a huge punch on beastkin. Good thing she wasn't one herself.
Anyway, time to give her an answer.
"You go to the boss and tell him. 'I thought of you and ended up like this. Do you know anything about it?' Wouldn't that be right? Yeah?"
"Th-That's not easy..."
Tyr snatched up her fork.
"Tch. You gonna say that too? What's so hard? Reporting even the smallest things is an executive's job, right?"
"H-How well do you report, nya...?"
"Me? I report in such detail."
Tyr smacked the stack of documents nearby with her palm.
"Construction costs, how many hours workers labored and rested, what snacks were provided, what materials were used—stuff like that. Super detailed!"
"Y-You do it yourself, nya?"
"Obviously. It's all about loyalty."
"Nyaang..."
Finally seeming to get it, Cheshire Cat nodded and headed for Florian's room.
"Yeah, yeah. You both owe me big time."
Tyr watched her back with satisfaction.
...And Ellis quietly watched that back as well.