Léon: The Cat Killer

Seeing her younger sister continuing to attack her reason with her high-pitched voice, the silver-haired girl, as the eldest daughter, suddenly flared up with anger. She immediately started cursing at the boys who were secretly watching from a distance:

"How dare you bully people like this?! Just you wait! I'm going to tell your parents after I get off work—!!"

After that shout, the boys who had just been playing pranks scattered like birds.

After looking around at the street, which had returned to its usual atmosphere, the eldest daughter, who had seemingly stood up for her sister, still couldn't do anything about her sister's muddy body... Although she could order her two younger brothers to take their sister to take a bath, her father would probably be unhappy if he found out that the two had skipped work.

Besides, my younger sister is getting older, so it's obviously inappropriate for a boy to take her to the men's bathhouse... And the bathtub at home is too big for her; she might drown if no one is watching her... And she can't take her sister to the bathhouse herself, for the same reason that her brothers can't skip work.

Although her father is looking for a marriage partner for her soon, he won't beat her like he did when she was a child until she receives the dowry.

But when that person was in a bad mood and got drunk, he would still beat his mother and younger sister... because his two younger brothers had also grown up, and he couldn't beat them when he was drunk.

What should we do in this situation?

The silver-haired girl spotted Nana immediately; although she was an adult, she was shorter than her.

As a neighbor, this is the closest person she can find right now.

"Um... Sister Nana... I'm sorry... My mother hasn't come home yet. Can you take care of my little sister? As you can see, I can't take care of her while wearing my chef's uniform... The manager will deduct all my wages for today."

"...And if we don't have money, your dad will start yelling at us...I understand."

Despite saying that, Nana had no intention of taking on this trouble.

Although Nana's identity is impeccable, there are still things in No. 77's safe house that are not suitable for children... It would be a minor issue if a child got hurt, but it would be a huge problem if her manager contacted the organization to move her.

I reckon the organization will be asking for exorbitant prices again, stuffing me with all sorts of random tasks.

Seeing Nana's reluctant expression, the silver-haired girl forced a smile and said:

"Um... how about I treat you to red bean buns later? I just learned how to make them from the shop manager a few days ago! Also... please accept this..."

Seeing the white-haired girl pull a small bag out of her collar, open it, count a few pieces of paper money, and then reluctantly take out a few coins from between the banknotes and stuff them into Nana's pocket.

These Colombian gold coins contain no precious metals and are less valuable than the Lungmen dollars used by No. 77 during his work. The face value is probably only enough for Nana and Matilda to go to the bathhouse, and the rest is not even enough to buy a bottle of milk as a reward for their hard work.

Compared to the hassle of caring for a child, and the thought of also having to bathe her, Nana felt extremely reluctant. However, since the other party was willing to pay, Nana wanted to politely decline.

"It's no use just telling me. Does Matilda want to come to my house herself?"

"Um... a public bathhouse is fine too..."

"I don't like public bathhouses... Bathing is a very private thing..."

Hearing Nana say that, the silver-haired girl was stunned for a moment, and then, through her recollection, she realized that she had indeed never seen Nana in the bathhouse, so her smile became even more awkward.

But seemingly having overheard their conversation mentioning her, the girl named Matilda pursed her lips and stepped forward:

"I'm willing! Nana-neechan, you can do it."

"what?"

"Nana-neechan is amazing! Even if she just stands there without saying a word, she can scare away those bad guys with her glare!"

Matilda was referring to the boys who played pranks... but Nana just couldn't figure out where the theory that 'Nana is strong' came from...

Actually, if we had to say something, we should say that those boys, like Matilda, are all people that Nana has watched grow up over the years... And Nana hasn't changed at all in all the years she's lived here. In the eyes of those boys, Nana in a suit is like an aunt, so naturally they don't dare to go too far.

But the problem now isn't Matilda's misunderstanding of her, but that this little guy is willing to come to her house. Her older sister, being a big white cat, seems to have been given a shot of adrenaline and has once again launched a pitiful gaze attack on Nana.

This time, Nana had no excuse to refuse.

Seeing the silver-haired girl's bitter smile, Nana's mind was filled with "I refuse," but in the end, she touched the coins in her pocket and nodded.

Was it because she saw herself unable to refuse the task through that bitter smile? Or was she simply contributing to her own sleeping environment tonight?

Nana didn't know; she didn't even know which face she should wear when dealing with this little child.

Just as the assassin was deep in thought, the little girl, covered in mud, grinned at the boys in the distance and took Nana's left hand with her clean right hand, leading them towards the apartment building.

The boys looked at each other, puzzled, not understanding what little Matilda was trying to say.

But the children's joy could not be stopped by a small doubt, and as soon as Nana left, they quickly started a new round of games.

As the building manager, Nana always sees Mrs. Wilson sweeping the seemingly perpetually uncleaned entrance to the apartment building whenever she returns. And Nana, who has been renting for several years, is also very familiar with both the apartment manager and the two girls in front of her.

"Oh, Nana's back? Oh dear, the little one's covered in mud again... Matilda, were you bullied again?"

The little white cat ignored old lady Liboli and hid in Nana's shadow.

"Hello, Mrs. Wilson... As you can see, the little one's sister has entrusted her to me..."

“ε=(′ο｀*))) Sigh, this is for the best, it prevents that man from making a scene and getting into a fight with the others again... It's just kids playing around..."

Seeing the manager's nonchalant tone, Nana smiled and twitched her cat ears.

Facial expressions are something an assassin can control, but the reactions of her cat ears and tail are a reflection of her emotions... Clearly, the old lady's conciliatory words made Nana somewhat unhappy.

"Although I am just an outsider and have no children or similar experience, I think that if you want the environment to improve as a whole, you should personally protest to the parents of those boys... Putting aside the fact that it is wrong for a group of people to throw mud at a young girl, if my daughter were treated like that, my reaction might be even more intense than that man's."

"Besides, you know the little girl's family situation. They know her family members are either not home or at work, yet they keep bullying her. This is no longer a game; those boys' behavior is affecting the little girl's family's income... It's normal to get slashed for cutting off someone's livelihood. For the sake of peace in our apartment building, Mrs. Wilson, you should have a serious talk with them!"

After such a long speech, seeing that the old lady in charge could only smile apologetically after what she said... Nana, realizing that she might have been a little emotional, took the little white cat and started going upstairs feeling embarrassed.

As Nana tilted her head to apologize to the old lady, she didn't notice the little white cat's eyes shining.

……

Nana's apartment is on the fifth floor, at the very back, near the fire escape. She chose this location specifically for its convenience in escaping.

While fumbling for her keys, Nana couldn't stand the girl next to her staring at her so openly, and muttered a question:

"what happened?"

"Sister Nana is so amazing! Even Grandma Wilson is speechless!"

"...Just some repetitive talk...I'm just pointing fingers from a moral high ground, but I didn't actually do anything...I took your sister's money to take you to the bath...That's not right, don't follow my example."

As she spoke, Nana took the girl's hand, wanting to make sure the little white kitten wouldn't come into contact with anything dangerous... Also, she'd give her to the big white cat after giving her a bath... It seems her place isn't really suitable for hosting children.

Thinking this way, and making this plan, Nana's plan for a quick victory suffered a serious setback from the very beginning.

Although this apartment building has solar panels, the water tank was empty because the water supply was cut off after I took a shower yesterday, so I have to boil water again if I want to take a shower now.

So Nana, who had taken the white cat's leash, became embarrassed. Meanwhile, the white cat led Nana around, touching and looking at everything... making sure they had explored all the safe areas.

To make the waiting time less boring, Nana turned on the TV, which she usually only used to watch the news. Seeing that the girl was watching the Dongguo anime with great interest, Nana relaxed a little and took the opportunity to go to the balcony to bring back her potted plants.

At this time of day, Nana would probably be wiping the dust off the leaves of her potted plants... but right now there's a little white cat to wash, and the black cat, who's only a head taller than the white cat, can only sigh at why she had to take on this trouble.

But now that we're home, we have to let go of what we need to let go of.

She took off her shoes and pulled off her gloves... The little white cat, with its back turned, couldn't see that Nana's hands were also covered by black stockings.

But with a sudden change of heart from the assassin, the girl's hands quickly returned to a normal skin color. As the black stockings beneath her pleated skirt disappeared, a bundle of special equipment disguised as pantyhose appeared in her hands.

As an organizational device that can be put on and taken off with magic, and whose color and even material can be changed, its maintenance and use are equally cumbersome and necessary.

Only after subconsciously taking off this thing did Nana remember that there was someone else at home. Feeling a little guilty, she looked back and saw that the little white cat was still watching cartoons before she breathed a sigh of relief.

After thinking for a moment, she tossed the wad of fabric aside in the most natural way possible, and then, feeling exhausted, Nana began to take off her suit and tie.

"Can I take a shower now?"

"Hmm... take off your clothes first, and you should take off your dirty clothes too."

Following Nana's words, the little white cat imitated Nana's actions and took off its patched and ill-fitting dress.

Taking the clothes from the other person, Nana noticed that the fabric of the skirt was a bit frayed... probably because the little white cat had stepped on the hem when it fell earlier. Because the fabric was worn out, Nana thought for a moment and decided against repairing it.

After all, it seems that the white cat's mother wore this dress a few years ago, and the white cat herself wore it too. Now it has been patched up and passed on to Matilda... Nana looked at the mud and various stains on it, and in the end, she didn't say anything. She just found a woven bag and put it in.

Just as Nana was about to tell the little white cat to scrape the mud off itself, she noticed that the little guy was already cleaning his hair next to the trash can.

Although it wasn't completely dry, the girl carefully picked off the mud and clods of dirt and threw them into a garbage bag.

As a girl who was just over ten years old, Matilda's movements were cautious and careful. Nana knew why... This child had once been yelled at by her father for not putting the trash in the trash can every time. At that time, the man's yelling could be heard throughout the entire building... But the main reason for his yelling was not whether others had made mistakes, but his own mood.

So Nana never really liked it... but since they were just neighbors and had no family ties, the assassin couldn't really say anything.

But... seeing the children being so cautious in this environment, Nana always felt a sense of frustration welling up inside her that she had to express.

Of course, in the end she could only endure it.

Without keeping the little girl in her dirty underwear waiting too long, Nana called the little white cat to the bathroom once the water heater reached the right temperature.

"Huh? But there's still a lot of mud..."

"It's okay, just wash it off in the bathroom."

"Won't it clog the drains..."

Yes, the kitten got scolded for this too.

"It's okay, I'll take care of the dirty water."

Nana pinched the girl's tender cheek, then took off her shirt and pleated skirt and threw them on the sofa before leading the girl into the bathroom.

After that, it was just a matter of washing and cleaning, and the little white cat's lament about Nana's 'expensive' bath bomb and shampoo was left unmentioned.

The first time Nana showed a surprised expression was during the drying process before sending the child home.

Just a few minutes after Nana plugged in the heater, the little white cat that had been staring at Nana suddenly uttered a strange remark:

"Does Nana-neechan not smoke after taking a shower?"

"Huh? Why would you smoke after showering? I don't smoke... I usually just drink milk after showering... But Matilda... why would you want to smoke after showering?"

"Because Dad smokes after he takes a shower..."

As she spoke, the little white cat, wearing Nana's spare pajamas, struck a pose with its legs spread wide and made a V sign with its right hand... Nana knew that it was gesturing about her father's smoking habit.

"Smoking is bad in itself... so why would Matilda want to learn to smoke?"

"Because it looks very strong!"

As she spoke, the girl jumped up and made a boxing motion:

"Dad will punch anyone who tries to talk bad about Mom away, and then he'll smoke. He looks really strong! Nana-neechan can glare at those bad guys and she's strong too... I thought Nana-neechan smoked too..."

Instead of commenting on the kitten's divergent thinking, Nana simply patted the girl's head.

After feeding the little one an extra bottle of milk, which was a loss for her, Nana took the little one and her dirty clothes to the neighbor's.

"Um... um... I brought Matilda back. Is anyone home?"

Because Nana had never paid much attention to her neighbors, when the time came, she suddenly realized that she couldn't even remember Matilda's last name.

Not only that... she seems to communicate with nothing but "uh-huh" and "ah-ah" all the time, except for the name Matilda that the big white cat mentioned... what were the names of the other people again?

Faced with this unexpected situation, the assassin, now without any support from her organization, felt a chill run down her spine.

Fortunately, I only knocked, and the neighbor's door opened quickly in response.

"They're here! Is it Miss Nana who brought Matilda back...? I'll open the door right away."

With the sound of the security chain being released, a tired but still polite woman's voice rang out at the door.

After the door opened, the little white cat cheered and hugged her. Nana also took a serious look at this person for the first time... someone she only remembered as 'that man's wife' or 'the neighbor's wife'.

1st Rosemary Embrace: 003 Am I a Lolicon?

With the help of some work experience, after being welcomed into the house and exchanging pleasantries for a while, Nana obtained basic information about her neighbor's house.

The family next door, whose last name is Bruce, has a total of six people. This is a bit few for a poor family, but too many for a middle-class family.

Mrs. Cole, a filmmaker, had white hair and emerald green eyes. Not yet thirty, she still had a slender figure, but her hands were calloused from work and housework, and she had bags under her eyes and a few wrinkles.

She goes to work at the factory early every morning, and the work of taking care of the family is currently done by her eldest daughter, Kate, who has not yet started school.

To Nana's surprise, all four children in this seemingly poor family were in school.

Thank you so much for today!

Kate, who bowed immediately and almost flicked her white ponytail at Nana's face, was surprisingly a college student... Although she only received an acceptance letter from a local public university, in this old town where jobs were neither high nor low, she was still considered an outstanding and hardworking individual.

"No, it's nothing... I did take your money..."

With a shy wave of her hand, Nana turned her head and looked at the boy clinging to the corner of the wall. She gave him a professional smile, and then he was dragged away by his brother... The two boys are twins and are in the second year of junior high school.

Junior high school is precisely the age when people start to pay attention to gender issues, so they simply greeted Nana when she arrived and then retreated into the house.

Then Nana's gaze was completely taken over by Kate, who was bending down and pressing her face close to hers. This girl, who inherited her mother's beauty, looked quiet but dared to stand in the street and curse loudly. She had a cheerful personality that was completely different from her younger siblings.

The Bruce family must have been relatively well-off when Kate was a child... and Mrs. Cole's demeanor can provide some clues about this. After all, while life has left its mark on her, elegant manners are not something that families struggling on the poverty line have the leisure to pay attention to.

Just as Nana was seemingly blankly analyzing the situation but was actually acting out of professional instinct, Kate sat down directly next to Nana... You should know that Nana was sitting on a fabric armchair, and families that pay attention to etiquette would usually forbid their children from doing this.