It's been a week since the meeting, and things have been calm. Though I've been forced to work with Nicole on a few commissions.
But, it was nice, Nicole always acted with pride, but beneath that was a kind woman who cares for her employees.
I think Hella called her a tsundere. And I have to admit, it was funny seeing her acting like this.
Especially when it came to Wise, she tried multiple times to catch his attention. I could only give her a pat on the shoulder, silently cheering her on.
Billy himself was always kind, even if he's a little silly, he means well. He always talks about his favorite show, Starlight Nights.
I've seen a few episodes with him, since he had begged me multiple times. After seeing it, I enjoyed it.
I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I could say I had fun. Even if I didn't show the same amount of enthusiasm for the show.
Anby herself was difficult to get along with at first, she acted like a soldier, following orders and acting distant.
But she was like Hecate in a way. She may act cold and distant, but she has a kind heart as well.
All I needed to do was buy her a chicken burger, and she would somewhat open up. It felt as if Hecate was in front of me.
Then there's Nekomata, a mischievous little lady. If I were to say who she reminded me of, it would have to be Hella.
She would appear at random, always rubbing against me and always asking for head pats. And in return, she brought gifts for me.
Speaking of appearing, she was currently taking a nap on my lap while I was on break from working on the cash register.
Nekomat had her head on my lap, and her face showed pure bliss. The reason is simple, a few sinners had adopted pets, and I would sometimes be asked to take care of them.
[Before you guys start saying, " Oh, the author just made that up. That is false, a few sinners have adopted some animals.]
They even taught me the areas that they liked; that's how Nekomata showed a face of pure bliss.
But the second I try to pull my hands away, she would frown and shift. So I had no choice but to keep giving her head pats.
Though after half an hour had passed, the door to the lobby opened, and Belle poked her head through to see what was going on.
But she wasn't happy at the sight, in fact, she made her way towards us and had her hands on her hips. "So, you were tending to a cat's needs and neglecting your job, that's no good, you know."
Hearing her voice, Nekomata frowned. She let out a loud grumble, and one of her eyes opened. "Keep it down, I'm having a good nap, Nya." She then closed it and shifted closer.
Only to open her eyes and look at Belle with a nervous look. "Oh… hi, Belle, uhhh, what brings you here?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because I was worried that something happened to Eros." The two of them then stayed silent, staring at one another.
The next second, Belle lunged to grab Nelomata, only to miss and land in my lap. As for Nekomata, she was behind me, her arms wrapping me from behind, and her head was nuzzling against mine.
"Nya nya, you'll have to do better than that!" She giggled and stuck out her tongue.
Belle could only growl at Nekomata's taunting, but that didn't stop her from chasing her.
However, it was pointless, no matter how close Belle was to grabbing her, Nekomata somehow slipped through her fingers.
Belle was panting from all the running, while Nekomata herself looked relaxed. She planted herself on my lap, with her tails coiled around my arms.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me the little bunny is already tired." Nekomata wore a smug grin on her face.
"I… can do this... all day." Belle replied between pants. She then made one last lunge towards Nekomata.
Nekomata herself didn't panic, instead she kicked her legs up and used the momentum to land behind me.
However, she realized her mistake and could no longer do anything to stop her. As for Belle, she ended up slamming against me, with her chest landing on my face.
Belle didn't notice at first, she was busy trying to reach for Nekomata. But by the time she realized what had happened, she didn't react at first.
Instead, she slowly looked down to see where I was. When she raised her head, Nekomata was looking at Belle with anger, and a shadow was slightly covering her face.
"So, it seems the bunny wants their carrot, nya?" Belle soon panicked and pulled back, waving her hands in front of her.
"I-It's not like that, I just wanted you to get off Eros, I swear!" Even though Belle tried to defend herself, Nekomata wasn't convinced.
"Sure, there's no way you wanted to smother him with your fat chest!" She screamed, pointing her finger at Belle, causing her tail's to stiffen in anger.
Belle hugged her chest and looked away, her face turning red slowly. "T-there not that big, t-there average sized!" This caused Nekomata to rush behind Belle and grab her short-sleeved hoodie.
"You call this average!?" The second she pulled the hoodie off, Belle's chest soon bounced for a few seconds, reveling she was indeed not average.
[That's right, folks, Belle has a sleeper body, get your hands in your pants and do what you want!]
"That is fat, you got fat boobs, and that's why you're not smart!" Belle soon knelt and looked ashamed.
I then sighed and soon got in between both of them. "Alright, let's calm down." I said and gently took Belle's hoodie from Nekomata and gave it back to Belle.
I then sat back down and motioned for them to sit next to me. Nekomata took my left side, while Belle took my right.
"Now that we're calm, can I ask why both of you are fighting one another?" Neither of them spoke, instead, they looked in opposite directions.
I then sighed and soon did what I was used to. I raised my hands and placed them on their heads.
"I won't pry too much, but friends shouldn't be fighting each other." Hearing this, Nekomata and Belle glanced at each other, but soon sighed.
"Sorry for causing problems." Nekomata said, and soon passed a can of mackerel. Belle accepted it and stared.
After a few seconds, she rushed to the lobby and soon came back, handing Nekomata a small punch card.
"Here, rent nine tapes and the tenth one is half off." Nekomata widened her eyes in surprise and held the punch card as if it were some holy relic.
Nekomata then jumped to Belle and hugged her, and a large smile was on her face. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Uh… you're welcome?" Seeing Belle act confused, Nekomata pulled back and soon spoke.
"Nicole is stingy with money, but when it comes to fashion, she spends it all as if there was a sale on groceries!" Belle could only look at Nekomata with pity and placed her hand on Nekomata's shoulder.
"Then the first tape you rent is free." Nekomata's face went from awe to peace, and for a second, I thought I saw wings form behind her back.
After the small fiasco, things were back to normal, well, somewhat back to normal. Since Nekomata had trespassed into Random play, she was forced to work with me.
However, she didn't seem bothered at all, in fact, she seemed happy. She would stick close to me, helping me stack tapes, with customers, and by suggesting tapes to customers.
Belle, however, didn't seem happy about this, in fact, she looked like she had eaten a sour lemon. Yet, Nekomata didn't notice, she only smiled and would occasionally ask for head pats.
After who knows how long, Belle soon had Nekomata working on promoting the store, forcing her to stand outside for anyone who was passing by.
Nekomata was against it at first, saying she was cheating. But Belle denied it, she only said that she was trying to improve their business.
In the end, Nekomata could only growl and walk outside. But not before slamming the door closed as she exited.
"Seems she doesn't like the sun." I commented. "Are you sure it was a good idea for her to promote the store by herself?"
"Yup, she's good when it comes to promoting." Belle said with a bright smile. "Nicole mentioned that she was able to bring in a lot of clients for commissions."
"I see, then I'll trust your judgment on this." I smiled and continued to organize the tapes around the store.
However, not even a few seconds in, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I faced the person who tapped, I saw a pair of red eyes.
I didn't need to know who it was, but neither of us spoke. Not at first, at least, she then pushed something in my hands and soon grabbed one of the tapes behind me and made her way to the counter.
Once she paid the rental fee and left, Belle rushed to my side. "Do… do you know her?" She asked, occasionally glancing back at the front entrance.
"No, but I'll find out who she really is." I said and looked down at the item she gave me. In my hand was a card with the words Victoria housekeeping.
'If it were someone else, I would have thought it was a normal company.' I thought before placing the card in my pocket.
I'm going on my break, I'll send Nelomata inside to help." I didn't give Belle the chance to reply as I left.
"Eros, are you going on your break?" Nekomata asked with surprise.
"Yeah, Belle needs help inside to organize the tapes. Can you cover for me?" I asked. Nekomata narrowed her eyes at first, but she smiled and nodded.
"Sure, you owe me." She said before giving me a hug and soon went inside. As soon as the door closed, I made my way to Coff Cafe.
"Ah, Eros, seems you're here early today, will you be having your usual?" He asked, and I nodded.
"Yes, please, sorry for the unexpected arrival." Tim master only chuckled and shook his head.
"No need to apologize, you make my day more interesting when you bring your co-workers and daughter." He said and went to make my drink.
Once I stepped outside and sat on one of the free chairs, I took a sip and sighed at the taste.
"Who are you?" Behind me was the girl. She was leaning against the wall and had a lollipop in her mouth.
"I could report you for asking me that." She said, yet I didn't react.
"We both know if you did, I would be out before the day ended." The girl didn't reply, but she scoffed and soon sat across from me.
"Yeah, you probably would." She said and stared at me. "That doesn't mean I can't try." She said before biting into her snack.
"Eros Voss." I introduced myself, and the girl only stared, but she soon replied.
"Ellen Joe." She replied, and a tense silence grew between us. Yet, neither of us spoke about it.
"So." I started. "You know who I am, I can guess you know what I do." Ellen didn't react at first, but she nodded.
"Yeah, sinners, mania, black ring." I took a sip of coffee, letting her speak. Once done, I set the cup down.
"That means you're harboring a sinner or multiple. Normally, it would lead to your arrest, but I have no jurisdiction here." Ellen only stared; she reminded me of Anby in a way.
"Lucky me, I guess." She then sighed and stood up to leave, but she opened her mouth again. "They told us not to have you come see us, but I decided to see what makes you so special, and I'll admit, there's nothing much to see."
As she left, I noticed that she kept glancing at me, but I only gave her a kind smile and spoke one final time. "I'm off work today."
She only scoffed at my words and soon left, leaving me alone in the coffee shop. I only lifted my cup and took a sip.
"Good coffee."
[Wow, shark girl was impatient, who knew. Anyways sorry for the small disapperance, the author had to take a break. Their fault not mine, send them power stones to show support! Bye bye!!]