"Hm? Sir, what do you mean by that?" Sakai Kaori was confused. ’So serving Egg so attentively is wrong, and I’m supposed to be rougher with him instead? What kind of logic is that?’

"Ah, perhaps my wording was a bit off," Shen Yibin said after a moment’s thought, rephrasing his explanation. "You see, Hah’Er usually loves to roughhouse with Egg, patting each other on the head and all that. Egg actually enjoys playing with him, and their bond has grown stronger because of it. That’s just what Egg likes. When you’re so deferential, it actually makes him uncomfortable."

"At the end of the day, Egg is still a pet in our store. I think he needs a friend, not a maid to wait on him, don’t you?" ’If such obedient maids exist, I’ll take a dozen,’ Shen Yibin thought, filled with envy.

"You’ve only just met Egg, so you’re not familiar with his personality yet. How about this: for today, don’t interact with him. Just observe his behavior from a distance. You can approach him again once you have a better understanding of his character." Seeing that Sakai Kaori was still struggling to process this, Shen Yibin came up with another idea.

"Alright, I suppose there isn’t a better way," Sakai Kaori agreed after a moment’s hesitation. She was also starting to question her own actions over the past two days. ’Perhaps I’ve been too eager?’

"Okay, let’s clear the table first. When I take them to the park for their exercise in a bit, you can follow along and watch from a distance." ’Looks like selling Egg is going to be a real challenge,’ he thought. ’Sakai Kaori’s reverence for Raccoon Cats seems to have been ingrained in her since childhood. Getting her to change her mindset won’t be easy.’

"We’re heading out for a workout! Who wants to come with us?" After cleaning up and heading downstairs, Shen Yibin called out to the others. Sun Qian had her morning exercises to do, so she couldn’t leave. Thus, Shen Yibin, Sylvie, Hah’Er, and Egg left the pet store and headed for the park, with Sakai Kaori trailing behind them.

"Bin, how come you didn’t come yesterday?"

"Good morning, Tuanzi!" Arriving at the park, his regular friends greeted him warmly. Little Nuomituan even stepped forward to stroke Egg’s tail.

’How rude! To treat Lord Raccoon Cat like that!’ Sakai Kaori subconsciously started forward to intervene, but she stopped in her tracks when she remembered Shen Yibin’s instructions. To her astonishment, Egg seemed to love the attention from Little Nuomituan. Not only was he not angry, but he even started roughhousing with Little Nuomituan’s dog.

But an even bigger surprise was yet to come. After Shen Yibin led the pair on a jog around the lake, he stood on the grassy shore and continued practicing the breathing technique Cheeky had taught him. Meanwhile, Egg and Hah’Er started to climb a tree. Hah’Er’s movements were a bit clumsy, but he still beat Egg to it, starting up the trunk first. By the time he reached the first fork, Egg was still on the ground.

Seeing Egg craning its neck, huffing and puffing as it climbed, Hah’Er seemed to decide it was time for a little prank. It stuck out its right leg and with a solid THUMP, kicked Egg right off the tree.

"SQUAWK!" Caught completely off guard, Egg landed on the soft grass with a thud. Sakai Kaori, who witnessed the whole thing, was about to lose her mind. ’How could you do that to him!’

Luckily, Egg hadn’t fallen from very high up, and the lawn was soft, so he wasn’t hurt at all. He brushed the grass clippings off his fur, got up, and started climbing the tree again. This time, he cleverly dodged Hah’Er’s attack, scrambled up the other side of the trunk, and immediately launched a counterattack.

Hah’Er’s movements were ultimately clumsier, so this time, he was the one who fell from the tree. Egg seized the opportunity and pounced, leaping down from the branches to tackle Hah’Er. The two of them tumbled into a heap. Their fur, pristine just this morning, was now a complete mess, but judging by their expressions, they were having an absolute blast. This left Sakai Kaori utterly at a loss.

’This Lord Raccoon Cat’s style is certainly... unique,’ Sakai Kaori thought, sitting on a nearby bench, completely bewildered. She had made all sorts of preparations before coming, but the one thing she hadn’t anticipated was how to deal with a total goofball.

The walk back was more of the same. One moment, Hah’Er would pat Egg on the head; the next, Egg would nip at Hah’Er’s tail. Egg would let out an irritated cry, only to snuggle up to Hah’Er a second later with a dopey smile. Sylvie, long accustomed to their unique form of communication, wasn’t surprised in the slightest. At times, she even joined in with Hah’Er to tease Egg.

And yet, despite all the teasing, Egg was far more affectionate with Sylvie than he was with Sakai Kaori. He would occasionally trot over to rub against Sylvie’s legs, then tilt his head back to gently take a treat from her offered hand. This was a stark contrast to this morning, when he had completely ignored Sakai Kaori.

"See? Making friends with Egg is actually pretty simple," Shen Yibin said, taking the opportunity to offer some guidance. "Don’t be so formal. Just act the way you would when you’re playing with your own friends, and you’ll get used to each other quickly. Keep observing for now. You can try approaching Egg again when you feel you’re mentally prepared."

But Sakai Kaori barely registered what Shen Yibin was saying. All her life, she had seen how her family and the worshipers who came to the Shrine revered the Raccoon Cats. In turn, the Raccoon Cats at the Shrine, long accustomed to this treatment, were aloof and proud. Comparing them to the goofy Egg in front of her, Sakai Kaori felt like her brain was about to short-circuit.

’Sigh, looks like she’ll need some time to adjust,’ Shen Yibin thought with a soft sigh. ’Well, there’s still plenty of time before the three-month deadline. I’ll just let her get used to it at her own pace. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll figure something else out then.’

Back at the store, Sun Qian had finished her exercises and prepared the shop for opening. Sylvie went to meticulously check on each pet in its cage, afraid that one might be sick or injured without anyone noticing. Meanwhile, Hah’Er and Egg, those two rascals, dashed to the sofa to continue their roughhousing, disturbing Cheeky, who was lying on a cushion eating fruit. The three of them promptly descended into a chaotic tumble.

’This shop is certainly... lively,’ Sakai Kaori mused. After a brief moment of bewilderment, she walked over to Sun Qian and began asking for advice on various matters. It seemed she was preparing to be here for the long haul.

"Bin, I found out about that case from the other night! The two suspects are..." Shen Yibin had just finished brewing his tea and hadn’t even taken a sip when he heard Bai Yanni’s voice from the entrance.

Bai Yanni had been out of town handling a case for the past two days. She had started looking into things for Shen Yibin as soon as she got back, and the moment she had a lead, she rushed over excitedly to tell him. But when she entered the shop, she saw there was someone new—a very pretty and cute girl, at that. "Bin, who’s this?"