Pet Shop Misunderstandings
Kim Mina couldn't help but feel flustered as she watched the beastkin child who had come to the pet supply store to buy cat food under a misunderstanding. "Was her name Winter...?" The child was known throughout the neighborhood for being adorable. Kim Mina had seen her a few times while passing through the park. She distinctly remembered the girl catching and eating fish from the pond. Since she was a cat beastkin, her tastes were probably similar to a cat's. It was entirely possible she actually ate cat food like a real feline. But did cat beastkin really eat cat food? What if it wasn't meant for her and the child was innocently about to eat something she shouldn't?
She wanted to ask outright whether the girl planned to eat it herself, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. If the child had no such intention, Kim Mina would only come across as a species bigot. Telling a cat beastkin to eat cat food just because of her race? She might as well close up shop. She would have to ask indirectly. That was the conclusion Kim Mina reached after much deliberation.
"Um, what kind of cat will be eating this?"
"What kind of cat?"
"Yes. Kittens and adult cats eat different foods, and it also varies by breed."
"Hmm..."
Winter thought of Seol, who was waiting outside the store. She was a white cat, but Winter didn't know her exact breed.
"I don't really know the breed. She's white, though..."
"If she's white..."
Kim Mina looked Winter up and down. The child had white ears and a tail, along with snow-white hair and skin. The odds were high that she was talking about herself.
"And she's still a kitten, but not a complete baby."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Probably around a child's age...?"
"Ah, a child."
Kim Mina scanned Winter from head to toe again. No matter how she looked at her, the girl was an adorable child. She seemed so precious that she wouldn't have minded calling her a baby. Her family probably still treated her like one. Even so, Winter introducing herself as a child was incredibly endearing.
"Yes. To me, she seems about a child's age. But everyone else calls her a baby."
"Hehe, to adults, babies and children look pretty much the same."
It might have been presumptuous, but no one would have objected to calling the tiny, lovable child before her a baby.
"Hmm... That's not entirely wrong."
"Oh my, really?"
Was the child humoring an adult's presumptuousness? Most children would have complained about being treated like babies, but she had heard Winter was understanding and mature for her age. She hadn't expected it to this extent. The child's heart was as lovely as her appearance.
"Yes. No matter how much a child grows, adults will always see them as children."
"Wow, you really understand. To adults, a year or two passes in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, the child has grown so much. Of course, they still look like children to us."
"That's what everyone says. Time must flow faster for adults."
"Because we've lived longer."
A child who understood an adult's circumstances. She was the most level-headed child Kim Mina had ever met. She found herself hoping that any child she might have far in the future would be at least half as sensible as Winter.
"That's interesting. Sometimes a day feels long to me, and sometimes it feels short."
"Is that so?"
Kim Mina smiled happily. It wasn't her usual business smile—this one was genuine, the first in several months. Since she was still young, days probably felt longer to her. On fun days, they might feel shorter too. That was natural for a child. Kim Mina didn't bother voicing the obvious truth.
"Oh, right. The cat food."
Winter's tail shot up as she belatedly remembered her purpose. Smiling behind her hand, Kim Mina guided Winter to the cat food section.
"This would be best for children."
"Is it for kittens?"
"Yes. The food is soft, so it's easy for kittens with weaker jaws to eat."
Kim Mina's gaze drifted to Winter's jaw. Unlike a fully developed adult jaw, it was small. Stronger than a cat's, but there was no reason to recommend adult food.
"Does it taste good?"
"Yes. We've balanced both flavor and nutrition, so cats really love it."
"Ah... Then I'll take this one, please."
"Hmm..."
It should be fine for the child to eat cat food, right? Given how mature Winter seemed, Kim Mina decided to trust her. She nodded and picked up the bag Winter had pointed to.
"Now I want to buy a cat toy."
"A toy?"
"Yes. Something a cat would like."
Did her toy preferences match a cat's too? Since she'd already sold the food, Kim Mina decided not to overthink the toy.
"Do you have any personal play preferences?"
"I'm not sure...? I don't really know what I like yet."
"Really? Don't you play with your friends often? I've actually seen you playing in the park a few times."
I see. But why bring up cats all of a sudden? Winter tilted her head in confusion.
"I do play with my friends a lot."
"What game was the most fun there?"
"Hmm... It's not so much about the fun as it is about doing something together."
"Ah! In that case, this wand would be perfect!"
Kim Mina brought over a long wand toy from the toy corner. If Winter enjoyed doing things together, a wand she could wave around while someone else held the other end would be ideal.
"Ah..."
Winter's mouth fell open in surprise. She'd wondered why the employee was asking about play preferences, but it turned out she was being considerate so Winter could enjoy it with a cat. What an excellent employee.
"Um, Winter? Could you let me know personally how the cat food tastes later?"
"How the cat food tastes...?"
"Yes. I'll prepare a few different kinds for you. I'd like to know which one tastes the best. You could call it professional curiosity..."
At the sudden question, Winter blinked. It took her quite a while to understand what Kim Mina meant.
"Do I have to eat the cat food myself?"
"...Weren't you going to...?"
"No... I have a cat at home, so I'd get in trouble if I ate cat food...?"
Han Yeoreum had specifically asked her never to eat cat food. Winter intended to honor that request.
"Y-you have a cat?"
"Yes. A small one, about this big."
"......"
So she had been talking about an actual cat. Kim Mina's face went pale as the truth sank in. She had nearly become the kind of terrible person who told a beastkin to eat pet food. There was only one thing she could do now—prostrate herself in apology.
After finishing my shopping, I returned to the park with the children. I'd worked up a sweat stopping the store employee from giving me all sorts of things out of guilt. That had been close. I really had been a small, white cat. From the employee's perspective, the misunderstanding was understandable. Since it was my fault, I kept refusing the free gifts.
"Whew."
Exhausted, I sat on a bench and watched the children play. Levinas waved the wand toy while Saebyeok and Seol chased after it.
"Meow!"
Seol batted at the wand with her hands, and Saebyeok nibbled on Levinas's hand holding it. She didn't bite hard, so Levinas just giggled.
"Hmm..."
It was peaceful. Maybe because only good things happened in this park, simply sitting still filled me with energy. After watching the children for a long while, my tail swaying gently, someone sat down beside me.
"Hello, Winter."
"Ah, hello."
It was Yoo Sang-ah, who always exchanged mana stones with me. My tail began to wag even more vigorously at the sight of a welcome face. Smiling at my tail, she looked down at the cat supplies on the ground.
"That's cat shampoo..."
"Yes. I ended up taking care of a cat."
I pointed to the children playing near the pond in the distance. Yoo Sang-ah's eyes widened in surprise, and she gave an awkward smile.
"Th-there really was a cat...!"
"Yes... Do I look like I'm using cat supplies myself when I have them...?"
"W-well..."
Yoo Sang-ah's eyes darted left and right. She wasn't meeting my gaze.
"It's fine. The store employee misunderstood too. She thought I was going to eat the cat food."
I'd actually considered whether it would be okay to eat it, but I kept that thought to myself for Han Yeoreum's sake.
"I-I'm sure she didn't mean to be rude. It's probably just a misunderstanding because she doesn't know much about beastkin."
"Yes. Beastkin aren't common, after all."
Even I didn't know much about myself. It was only natural that non-beastkin knew even less.
"You understand?"
"Yes. You're kind, Sang-ah."
"Oh my."
Her hand reached up to pat my head. The gentle strokes felt nice.
"The employee was really surprised too..."
Just as Yoo Sang-ah was about to continue, her smartphone chimed. Her eyes widened as she checked the screen.
"Speak of the devil?"
"What is it?"
"There's a post about you on the guild community. I manage the community, so I keep an eye out for any bad comments."
There weren't really any bad comments, though. Yoo Sang-ah showed me her phone along with her explanation. The main topic was the incident at the pet supply store. It seemed like someone who had been watching had posted about it rather than the employee herself.
"There are a lot of comments."
"Yes. You're quite popular, Winter."
"Hmm..."
Being a rare beastkin meant attention was inevitable. I shrugged and looked at the comments. There were quite a few on the screen.