A Tiger Rolled Into My Life, Bringing Chaos With It - Chapter 24

(“That’s all for today! Everyone, prepare to leave!”)

Pupu’s voice echoed through the voice receiver installed inside the container. Tinya busily gathered the fur from her last customer, threw it in the trash, and then came out with her bag. Heading toward Pupu’s office, she sniffed her clothes. The last customer’s scent must have been strong, as the smell was deeply embedded in her clothes.

She wanted to spray deodorizer immediately, but decided to hold off since smells could permeate on the way out of the grooming shop.

As Tinya walked briskly out, she encountered shifters coming from the adjacent section. She hesitated for a moment. They glanced at her and quickly walked away, pretending not to see her.

“Why are you coming out so late?”

“Today’s last customer had a lot of fur.”

They exchanged friendly conversation, apparently someone had been waiting for them. Since Tinya’s legs weren’t long enough to walk faster than them, she deliberately slowed her pace.

‘Phew.’

Only after they disappeared from view did she feel relieved. Even though they weren’t bullying her, she always shrank back whenever she encountered them.

While crossing the peace zone after receiving her daily wages from Pupu, she remembered something she had forgotten.

‘That’s right. A thank-you gift!’

How could she have forgotten that? In the aftermath of the oil incident and the almost-mating that followed, she had been so preoccupied with not being able to keep the gift she received that she completely forgot. Meanwhile, the number of gifts in her possession had only increased. Even counting from the day she received the last oil, more than two days had already passed. It was too late, far too late.

‘Should I buy something with today’s wages?’

Her living expenses had never been more comfortable since moving in. Even if things were a bit tight, it was only right to reciprocate with a gift, even if she had to scrimp a little, given that she had only been on the receiving end. The problem was that she had no idea what he liked. Besides the puzzle he had bought at some unknown time, he had never purchased anything for himself, so she had no clue.

‘Should I stop by a store in the peace zone…?’

Though she had never been there herself, she knew roughly where the bustling area was. It was the direction the staff always headed. Not the western entrance adjacent to the herbivorous district, but the eastern gateway connected to the carnivorous district. In other words, it was an area where far more carnivorous shifters came and went than here.

When Tinya said she worked in the peace zone, Ranran had told her something. While carnivorous shifters might not openly harm her, there could be those who would act mischievously, so she should avoid the eastern area as much as possible.

“……”

Tinya stopped walking and was lost in thought for a while. Soon, as if gathering her resolve, she lifted her head and immediately turned back. Her destination was none other than Pupu’s office. Arriving at the door, Tinya took a moment to catch her breath and knocked. Soon, a familiar voice resonated from inside.

“Come in.”

Swallowing hard, Tinya opened the door and entered, and Pupu looked up at her. His expression showed considerable surprise at her unexpected appearance.

“Didn’t you already receive your daily wage?”

“…Yes. I just had something I wanted to ask Pupu.”

“Me?”

Tinya coming to the office with a question after finishing work? This was something he hadn’t seen often during her time working there. Was it finally time for her to ask how many regulars she had? Or perhaps what her sales ranking was in the shop?

Maybe it was just an ordinary question about tomorrow’s weather, like before. Each shifter species had their own abilities, and Pupu’s species had the talent to predict the next day’s weather. That’s why when it seemed like it might be cloudy the next day, Tinya would carefully check if she could come to work.

“What is it?”

He waited for her answer with a face that could have been either expectation or tension.

“What do carnivorous shifters generally like?”

“Huh?”

Pupu let out a cough at the question that defied all his expectations. It was so unfamiliar that he wondered if the words had really come from Tinya’s mouth.

What kind of person was Tinya? She was someone who, even after knowing him for a year and a half, was still so timid that she swallowed hard before speaking to him. It wasn’t just with Pupu. She was the same in front of other carnivorous shifters, no, even omnivorous shifters. Perhaps it was the survival instinct of herbivorous shifters. Pupu inwardly speculated.

“Why, why are you asking that?”

“Ah, well, there’s someone I want to express my gratitude to…”

Tinya fidgeted with her overlapping fingers. Pupu rubbed his eyes and looked straight ahead again. No matter how he looked at it, it was indeed Tinya.

My goodness, such things do happen.

Pupu deliberately kept his mouth shut to hide his surprise. He was afraid that if he reacted too dramatically, Tinya would freeze up. It seemed she had developed feelings for a carnivorous customer. It wasn’t uncommon in a place like this where various customers came and went. The shop didn’t forbid romance. They only intervened when it seemed like a love quarrel might break out.

“Well, it differs from shifter to shifter. Jewels or…”

Starting to speak, Pupu soon shook his head. Too expensive.

“No, rather than that, accessories…”

This wasn’t right either. The other party would be male, so why accessories? Of course, there were males who liked accessories, but it was a somewhat burdensome choice for a first gift to someone of the opposite s*x. Something at a reasonable price that they would like without feeling burdened… After racking his brain, Pupu blurted out the most common answer from his overheated mind.

“Maybe they like meat the most?”

“Meat…?”

“It’s common, but that’s what makes it safe. Why do you think males bring food to females they’re interested in? They’re giving something they themselves would be happy to receive.”

Meat. When she heard it, it made sense. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of it earlier. There was nothing more suitable for reciprocation than something consumed as a staple. Tinya herself felt good all day when she received romaine as a gift.

Just as her heart swelled at the thought of finding something suitable to give him, Tinya soon hit a wall.

‘They don’t sell it in the herbivorous district.’

Naturally, meat isn’t sold in the herbivorous district. Nothing was as useless in the herbivorous district as meat. In the end, to obtain it, she would have to visit a store in the peace zone. She had come here to ask, gathering her courage, only to end up back at square one.

“…Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Ah, um. Here, take this to eat on your way.”

When Tinya’s expression suddenly darkened, Pupu unconsciously handed her a banana from his desk. Having never directly experienced the herbivorous district, he hadn’t thought that meat might not be sold there at all. After all, vegetables and the like could be obtained in the carnivorous district, so he assumed the reverse would be true as well.

“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

Tinya carefully received the banana with both hands, quietly bid farewell, and closed the door behind her as she left.

She walked dejectedly, clutching the banana tightly in both hands. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that nothing would be a better gift than meat. The fact that it couldn’t be obtained in the herbivorous district, conversely proved that he couldn’t eat it. But… but, she just couldn’t muster the courage.

‘Even if I were to go, I couldn’t go today.’

She needed time to gather her resolve. If it had been during the time when she believed herbivorous shifters also frequented the peace zone, she might have set out without hesitation. Just like the day she first entered the grooming shop, knowing nothing.

‘Why am I such a coward…’

While thinking it was inevitable being at the bottom of the food chain, she felt even more discouraged, believing that Ranran, who was also a rabbit shifter, wouldn’t hesitate like her.

“Sigh.”

It’s not like she could ask Ranran to go to the peace zone with her. Regardless of her imagination, he was also a rabbit. It would be too much to ask. …Would she be arrested if she asked the general store for meat? A clever idea flashed briefly, but she quickly dismissed it. It would be like announcing that she had a carnivorous shifter at home.

Psst, psst.

Even while lost in complicated thoughts, as she reached the edge of the peace zone, Tinya habitually took out her deodorizer and sprayed it.

‘Should I at least try going to the general store today?’

They might have something else even if they don’t have meat. Like puzzles. Tinya imagined the pile of unfinished puzzles in the corner of the living room and tried to visualize the interior of the general store. But someone who only ever bought deodorizer and quickly disappeared would hardly recall other items.

While she was racking her brain, a familiar sweet scent suddenly brushed past her nose. Sniff. Her head turned reflexively.

“Oh…”

It was the shifter who had been sleeping in the tree last time.

This time, he was wide awake. Though they were quite far apart, he seemed to feel her gaze and turned his head toward Tinya. Her body flinched with instinctive immediacy. It was a one-sided acquaintance where only she had seen his face. Just as she was about to quickly avert her gaze, he strode over.

“Hello.”

“Ah, hello?”

Startled by the sudden greeting, Tinya reflexively returned it. Though not as much as with carnivorous shifters, she was also tense with unfamiliar herbivorous shifters. Moreover, seeing him up close, he appeared to be a head taller than her. Such intimidation unconsciously made her body stiffen.