“Mhm, doesn’t this look so much better? A cute Christmas cat-girl standing at the door is sure to attract tons of customers.”
In the changing room, the store manager circled around me, looking me up and down with a grin that never faded.
I quietly studied my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a red Christmas strapless mini-dress with a white ribbon tied around the waist. My stockings had been swapped for sheer, knee-high white ones.
But… I was wearing a bra with shoulder straps, and with the strapless dress, the straps would show, which would look odd. After I mentioned this to the manager, she handed me a new item…
“…Manager, are you sure this thing will hold up?”
“Maybe not. Your figure is too good, Xiao Shen. It can only barely cover things.”
“Alright…”
With mixed feelings, I glanced at my chest, making sure nothing risky was exposed, and let out a sigh of relief before stepping out of the changing room.
As soon as I opened the door, I heard a “meow!” The orange-and-white kitten lying by the entrance sprang up, its front paws grabbing at my leg.
Probably because I’d scolded it once before, it had learned its lesson and didn’t push further this time. It just wagged its tail, staring at me with bright eyes.
I planned to brush off Flame casually, find a chance to carry it back to the cat room to settle it, and then get to work. But when I saw Flame’s outfit, I couldn’t help but freeze in awe.
“Is this a reindeer?”
Bending down slightly, I shifted my gaze to my leg and noticed that Flame, like me, was dressed in a Christmas-themed outfit.
The cat’s ears had been replaced with reindeer antlers, and it wore a short red-and-white vest, looking quite festive. It felt less like Christmas and more like Chinese New Year to me.
“Meow!”
Flame casually rubbed its face, growing impatient when I just stared without picking it up. It started hopping and pawing at my stockings.
Having grown a bit, its claws were now retractable, so I didn’t have to worry about my stockings getting snagged.
I quickly scooped up the tiny Flame. It nuzzled its fluffy head against my chest, the plastic antler headpiece clonking against me a few times.
The antlers’ tips were blunted, so they only indented slightly without causing much pain.
Still, I was essentially “going commando” up top in a sense, and the sudden poke to my chest made me blush.
I held Flame’s arms and lifted it farther away.
“Hehe, how’s Flame’s outfit? Pretty cute, right?”
The store manager, who had disappeared somewhere earlier, suddenly popped up, startling both me and Flame.
We stared at her wide-eyed, my cat ears and tail instinctively tensing up.
Realizing it was just someone familiar, I gradually relaxed.
“It’s cute, but it’s not easy to hold. This thing on its head is a bit…”
After hearing my response, the manager nodded thoughtfully, her smile carrying a mischievous glint.
“Oh~ You’re right. Xiao Shen’s troubles are truly enviable.”
“…Manager, don’t tease me.”
No matter how you look at it, I’m still far from accustomed to all the common knowledge about being a girl to the point of numbness.
Being so openly praised for my figure still makes me blush.
The manager took Flame from my hands, pinched its chubby cheeks, and chuckled as she set it back on the ground, giving its butt a gentle nudge with her toe.
“Go on back. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Hurry, or Little Blue will gobble it all up!”
Flame circled around us once, its eyes glancing at the cats chomping away at the food in the cat room.
Unable to resist its hunger, it scampered back to the enclosure, leaping gracefully over the barrier and diving headfirst into a food bowl not far from it.
The corner of my mouth twitched, and I almost laughed but held it in.
The manager grinned at Flame’s retreating figure. “Such a pity. If Flame weren’t so naughty, bouncing around like that, and if Little Blue were a bit slimmer, I was planning to dress them up even more realistically.”
“Were you going to put collars on them?”
The thought popped into my head out of nowhere. The manager raised an eyebrow in surprise, then seriously considered my question.
“Uh, no… but now that you mention it, it’s kind of like putting on a collar in a way. You know how Santa rides reindeer, right? I was thinking if Flame were a bit bigger and Little Blue a bit thinner, we could hook them up to a little skateboard cart.”
“So, Little Blue is Santa Claus?”
“Yep, you haven’t seen it yet, have you? Haha, it’s hilarious. I’ll bring it out so you can see.”
The manager spoke, her eyes crinkling with laughter as if recalling something amusing.
She walked into the cat room and came back holding a chubby blue cat, its mouth shiny with grease. Its plump body sagged under gravity, pulling the fat downward.
The chubby cat had a comical expression, its whiskers still stained with traces of milk—probably from stealing some from the kittens.
It was dressed in a classic Santa Claus robe, complete with a perfectly fitting red hat.
Seeing Little Blue’s outfit, I finally understood the manager’s amusement.
Once the cats had eaten their fill, been cleaned up by the other staff, and dressed in their Christmas outfits, it was almost time to open for business.
I did a final check in the mirror, ensuring my appearance was flawless, and felt relieved enough to greet customers in this slightly suggestive outfit.
There weren’t as many customers as I’d expected, maybe because it was so cold today or because it was still early.
I wasn’t hoping for a crowd anyway. With a daily wage, I naturally wanted an easier day… Though that thought feels a bit unfair to the manager who takes care of me.
It’s a bit too lazy. I should serve the customers with a little more enthusiasm.
After letting my thoughts wander, I served coffee to a new customer, forcing a sweet smile and saying, “Enjoy,” before returning to the counter to prepare for the next guest.
Feeling a bit bored while waiting, I gazed out at the scene beyond the shop’s door. The trees along the road were bare, and there were hardly any pedestrians.
Only a small Christmas tree in front of a nearby shop and the colorful light strips on the streetlamps added a touch of cheer to the otherwise bleak Christmas atmosphere.
Sigh… come to think of it, I’ll be working here all day today. I can’t go out with Gu Fan or stroll around. I was hoping to find a chance to give him a Christmas apple.
While my mind wandered, wondering what Gu Fan was up to, I unexpectedly spotted him at the shop’s entrance. Did I see that right?