The Angel, the Cat, and the White Beard

　I had done some research, but when I actually entered the cat cafe, I found it to be much more spacious than I had imagined.

　When the two of them step into the cafe after registering and washing and disinfecting their hands with alcohol, they can see cats walking, curling up, and playing with customers.

"Oh... it's relatively large. It's beautiful."

　It's only natural that they provide food and drink, but even so, it was much cleaner than I expected.

　Almost no smell peculiar to animals is felt, almost odorless.

　I read reviews online, and it seems that it is a hygienic and cat-friendly cat cafe.

　Although it is popular, the number of seats is a little less so as not to stress the cats.

　There is also a hideout for cats, and it seems that the stance is to share a space with cats rather than interacting with them.

　This café is timed and the price is high, but it was a beautiful and calm space that made me think that it was not a shame to pay for it.

"Fuwaaaa... Cats... Look at them, Zhou-kun, they're all cute."

　With a small voice because there are other customers and a cat, midday pulls the sleeves of the lap with a voice that is filled with excitement.

　There were various kinds of cat staff, and she was looking around and her eyes were shining.

　I hadn't talked about animals much, but the excitement of midday, which seems to like cats quite a bit, made Zhou unintentionally loose his mouth.

"Yeah, you're cute."

"Yes. Oh, that child's name is Silk-chan."

　Mahiru, who didn't seem to understand why I said it was cute, showed the Siamese cat by his side while looking at the photo of the cat given by the clerk and the profile sheet with the name and breed.

　It is a cat with black fur on its tail and near its face, and white fur on its slender limbs.

　His blue eyes are characteristic, and his appearance exudes a sense of nobility.

　I was itching to touch it in the middle of the day, but it was forbidden to touch it suddenly, so I squatted down and made eye contact, gently bringing my finger closer to my nose and asking her to smell it.

　His nose is twitching.

　That's all, midday says "cute" without saying it out loud, so it seems that he likes cats quite a bit.

　However, after smelling the smell of midday, Silk suddenly went somewhere with an elegant way of walking.

　It's midday, and it creates a dejected atmosphere just by looking at it.

"I don't think you hated me, I just finished greeting you."

"I-I guess so..."

"Well, it's fine if you take your time getting used to it. Let's take a seat for now."

　I take the hand of the midday who got up and sit on the vacant sofa seat.

　Then I finally got to see the whole room slowly, but again there were various kinds of staff.

　The cat I mentioned earlier was a Siamese cat, but there are many unique cats here and there, such as American Shorthairs, Exotics, Russian Blues, Munchkins and Bengals.

　In the seat next to me, just a few feet away, an American shorthair cat was curled up on the desk, and I could see the woman sitting there gently petting it.

"cute..."

　Zhou looks at the menu with a bitter smile as he looks at the other customers with eyes that do not hide their envy.

　This cafe seems to have a good reputation for its delicious food and drinks.

　The recommended item seems to be latte art made with foamed milk with a cat on it. It seems that there is a store clerk who is very good at making latte art, and photos are often uploaded on SNS.

　In the middle of the day, when I was staring at the cats wandering around, I left it alone for a while and called the store clerk and asked for the standard latte art.

"I ordered the same thing without permission, is that okay?"

"Huh? Ah, yes, it's okay."

　After all, her eyes were attracted to the cat and she didn't notice.

　I'm fine with coffee and tea in the middle of the day, so I decided to hide what I ordered as a small surprise.

　 After a while, the clerk brought me what I ordered with a smile.

　I slowly put the latte art on the table so as not to break it, bowed and left, but in the middle of the day my eyes were glued to the latte art on the desk.

"Do you hate this kind of thing?"

"No, no, it's really cute...!"

"That's good."

　Foam milk is poured into the cup placed in front of midday, and the pattern and expression of the cat are drawn with cocoa. On the rim, a cat is made to lean against the rim of the cup.

　With its delicate shape and cuteness, it was no surprise that it would become popular.

　It was midday when I was taking pictures with my smartphone, probably trying to leave a lasting impression, but for some reason I was shocked.

"It's too cute to drink..."

　He muttered so seriously that I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Oh, please don't laugh."

"No, I'm worried about being cute."

"But... it's a waste to destroy such a cute cat..."

"It would be a waste not to drink."

"Ugh"

　Well, I understand how it feels in the middle of the day, but even if you leave it alone, it will eventually crumble, and as a creator, I think it's a pleasure to drink it before it crumbles or cools down.

　After fully enjoying the viewing, Zhou puts his mouth on the cup without hesitation.

　Ahh... a sad murmur was leaking next to me, so I almost laughed, but somehow I managed to hold back and slowly drank my cafe latte.

　I was feeling dejected at midday, so I tried drinking it as much as possible to keep it from breaking down, but it still tasted delicious. The deep flavor of the coffee and the richness of the milk were just right.

　It's not sweet, but I didn't mind it as a black drink.

"Hmm, delicious."

　After taking a breath, Mahiru grunted a little but hesitantly put her mouth into the cup.

　The sight of the cat drinking carefully so as not to break it down is so funny, or rather cute, that I can't help but slack off.

"I-I feel like you're being laughed at."

"It's just my imagination. Is it delicious?"

"Yes, of course."

　When I saw Mahiru take his mouth off the cup and reply, I couldn't stand it anymore and my shoulders trembled.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No, he has a white beard."

　Perhaps because he didn't notice the other parts of the foam milk so he wouldn't break the cat, he has a white beard that looks like Santa Claus in the middle of the day.

　She looked so cute that I couldn't help but take a picture of her with my smartphone.

"Ah, y-you just took the photo!?"

"I'm sorry. Do I have to erase it?"

"W-are you leaving that pathetic look on your face?"

"Because it was cute"

　When I say that, midday closes her lips tightly, blushes slightly, and quietly spills out, "...it's just one piece, isn't it?"

　When I told him this, he still had a white beard, and Shu felt a warmth in his chest as he held back a laugh and nodded.