’Why do I suddenly feel a little cold?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but shiver. Sun Qian and Sylvie also noticed that the way Bai Yanni was looking at Sakai Kaori was a bit off, so they broke their usual habit and kept their mouths shut, focusing only on eating.

"Miss Sakai, I hear you were the one who subdued the thugs the other day?" The strange silence was broken by Bai Yanni. She looked at Sakai Kaori and asked lightly.

"You can’t really say that. After I fought off the thugs, the shop owner and the others came out to help right away. We all worked together to subdue them." Shen Yibin had just introduced them, so Sakai Kaori now knew who Bai Yanni was.

"Heh, so you’re an expert in martial arts, Miss Sakai?" Bai Yanni ignored the second half of her sentence. "I’ve seen the file. That Chen San is a repeat offender and strongly built. An ordinary person wouldn’t have subdued him so easily." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Yes. I’ve been learning martial arts like karate and judo from my elders since I was a child. It’s something of a rule in the Kaori Family. But I’m a slow learner, so my skill is still very average even after all this time," Sakai Kaori said meekly. Just a moment ago, she had tried to feed Egg again, only to be ignored, which left her feeling a little down.

"You’re being too modest, Miss Sakai. As it happens, I’ve practiced a bit of Sanda and other techniques myself. If you don’t mind, Miss Sakai, perhaps we could find some time to... exchange pointers?" Bai Yanni finally revealed her true purpose. ’Hmph, Sun Qian is lost in her music all day, and Sylvie is a princess. It wouldn’t be right to target them. But with Sakai Kaori, I don’t have to hold back so much.’

"Eh? But I have to work. I’m afraid I won’t have much time." Sakai Kaori seemed somewhat interested, though.

"Don’t worry, you get two days off every week. You can just use that time," Shen Yibin urged, not yet realizing Bai Yanni’s true intentions. He was just excited to watch the drama unfold. ’In movies, it’s always the Japanese samurai challenging the Chinese master. Now I get to see a cool Chinese beauty challenge a Japanese shrine maiden.’

Shen Yibin sized up Bai Yanni and Sakai Kaori’s figures. ’Hmm, I bet they’ll look great grappling with each other in fighting gear.’ "I’ll bring Egg and Hah’Er to cheer you on. Uh, Sylvie can come too if she wants."

Across from them, Sun Qian showed no interest in the matter. Or rather, she was always like this about anything that wasn’t music or Cheeky. Sylvie, on the other hand, looked eager to give it a try.

"I did some related training when I was serving in the army. Plus, I joined the Jeet Kune Do club in college. After you two are done, I want a turn," Sylvie said, making a few fighting gestures.

’Uh, does this mean I’m the weakest one here?’ Shen Yibin felt a pang of despair. ’Can I not even beat a few girls?’

"Alright, it’s a deal. I’m on leave next Wednesday. I’ll come pick you up and take you to the bureau’s training gym." And so, the matter was settled.

After the meal, Bai Yanni left, as she had things to do in the afternoon. The others cleared the table and prepared to get back to serving customers. Although Sakai Kaori had made some progress, she still habitually let her gaze fall on Egg from time to time, terrified that something might happen to it.

"Lord Raccoon Cat, are you alright?" Just then, Egg fell off the sofa, and she came flying over. After speaking, she even shot a glare at Hah’Er, who had pushed Egg off, as if to blame it.

"GAH?" Egg wasn’t hurt at all. It was just about to launch a counterattack when Sakai Kaori scooped it up. It struggled for a long time but couldn’t break free. It had been having fun, so being interrupted like this naturally annoyed it. It looked at Sakai Kaori and huffed a few times, as if venting its anger.

"Miss Sakai, this won’t do." Shen Yibin put a hand to his forehead. ’Did she forget everything I told her before?’ "They know their limits when they play-fight. And Egg really enjoys playing like this. When you interrupt them, it makes it unhappy." ’Sigh, if this keeps up, when will you ever raise your affinity level? Look at how Egg is acting; its affinity for you might even drop.’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but try to reason with her.

"Ah, I’m so sorry. I forgot for a moment," Sakai Kaori said, blushing. She looked at Hah’Er, then at Egg in her arms. Suppressing her anxiety, she carefully put Egg down, praying it would stay quiet for a while. However, the moment its feet touched the floor, Egg shot back onto the sofa and started wrestling with Hah’Er again.

"Ah!" Sakai Kaori instinctively started to get up and stop them, but Shen Yibin pulled her back down as soon as she stood up. "You forgot again?"

"I’m sorry." Sakai Kaori lowered her head in shame. Taking care of Raccoon Cats had become almost second nature to her. Ever since she was little, she had been terrified of anything happening to the Raccoon Cats at the Shrine; she had never encountered a situation like this with Egg.

"It’s alright. Some habits can’t be changed overnight. Just take your time and adjust." ’But you’d better be quick about it. Three months will be over before you know it.’

"So, Mr. Shop Owner, what should I do?" Sakai Kaori was at a loss. The methods she had learned for taking care of Raccoon Cats at the Shrine seemed to have no effect on Egg, and she didn’t know what to do anymore.

"Uh, I think... maybe you could try being less serious and a little more... goofy?" Shen Yibin said, looking at Egg roughhousing with Hah’Er. ’To earn a goofball’s trust, is there any better way than to become a goofball yourself?’

"You could join in its roughhousing, dance with it, drum for it as accompaniment?" ’Huh, if she does that, doesn’t it mean the square dancing group at the entrance of Baiyun District will get another member? The group already has a foreign princess. Add a Japanese shrine maiden, and what a powerful lineup that would be! The championship next month is as good as ours, no doubt.’

Sakai Kaori sat there in a daze, lost in thought. After a long while, she looked up and said, "Thank you, Mr. Shop Owner. I will do my best." ’Alright, I’ll start with dancing tonight.’

After dinner, Shen Yibin took them to the plaza at the entrance of Baiyun District. He took the opportunity to introduce Sakai Kaori to Mrs. Wang. "Mrs. Wang, this is a new employee at our store, Sakai Kaori from Japan. She wants to learn to dance with you all, too."

"Well now, Bin, you’re really something, turning your pet shop into a multinational corporation." Having a foreign friend come to dance with them gave Mrs. Wang a great sense of prestige, and she agreed immediately.

Before long, an incredibly catchy song began to play. The square dance was about to begin.