Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Jiang Bai walked around the dormitory but didn't find anyone there.

"These cats have only gained sentience; they can't yet take human form. It must have been difficult for them to maintain this shrine for so long..."

Hu Tao imagined the cat repairing the shrine, clearing weeds, and wiping the table, and couldn't help but chuckle.

But then, the smile faded, replaced by a hint of sorrow.

"Unfortunately, those they are waiting for will probably never see them again..."

Whether it's a human or an animal, this kind of affection is truly touching.

It makes you want to do something for them.

"Let's rest first, and help them repair the shrine tomorrow."

The next morning, Lin Zi woke up to a series of clanging and banging noises.

It stretched somewhat blankly, then jumped onto the roof following the sound.

The humans I met yesterday are busy on the roof, replacing the broken tiles.

Several kittens stood curiously watching from the side.

"Qinzi, your roof is badly damaged."

Jiang Bai threw the broken tiles onto the open ground, where a pile had already accumulated.

"Meow, I'm just a cat, I don't know how to fix roofs."

"That's true." Asking a cat to fix a roof is like asking a slime to do laundry; it's really asking too much of them.

"We'll help you repair the roof so it won't leak when it rains, and you'll be more comfortable living here."

"Meow, you guys are so kind!" The girl was touched and went over to rub against Jiang Bai's trouser leg.

Looking at the cute little black cat,

Jiang Bai couldn't resist and reached out to stroke its soft fur.

The dog squinted its eyes in enjoyment and wagged its tail.

Seeing that it liked it, Jiang Bai stroked its back with one hand and gently scratched its chin with the other.

The bed made a comfortable gurgling sound.

"If you help me repair the shrine, I will treat you to dried fish and fruit."

The cat meowed, and several kittens that had been watching the commotion scattered and jumped off the roof.

A moment later, two cats ran over, each grabbing one side of the basket, and with some difficulty, they jumped onto the roof with the bamboo basket.

The bamboo basket contained some dried small fish.

After a while, the other two cats returned.

They, too, were biting bamboo baskets, struggling to carry their goods.

This bamboo basket is quite heavy, and it's filled with fruit.

The fruit looked very fresh; it was obvious they had just picked it.

Because the bamboo basket was quite heavy, one kitten almost jumped up, and another kitten that was about to jump onto the roof also fell down, causing all the fruit in the basket to fall.

Jiang Bai reacted quickly, using wind element to catch them and bring them to the roof.

"Meow~"

The kitten that failed to jump up curled up in a ball, letting out a frightened meow.

Jiang Bai patted its head, "Be careful next time."

The kitten looked at Jiang Bai curiously, never expecting this human to be so gentle.

As Jiang Bai stroked the little tabby cat's fur, he turned to look at Yi Dou:

"Yi Dou, can I borrow your comb?"

"What do you need a comb for?" asked Ito, tossing over his ever-present comb.

"Come here, let me brush your fur."

Upon hearing this, the kitten lay down on Jiang Bai's lap, exposing its belly so he could groom it.

Looking at the little kitten lying on Jiang Bai's lap, Qin Zi felt a little envious.

It used to lie in Ah Xiang's arms like this. Ah Xiang would brush its fur, tell it stories, and laugh, saying that it slept all day and would be a lazy cat in the future.

However, this once lazy little cat has grown into a big cat, taking care of the kittens while maintaining the shrine and waiting for Hibiki to return.

"Does your roommate also want to have her hair combed?"

Walnut reached out and pulled it into her arms, then sat on the roof and took out a comb to groom its fur.

"Meow~"

Feeling the warm embrace, the girl in the dormitory felt like crying.

I don't know how long it has been since I was last held in someone's arms.

Walnut rubbed its head and gently stroked the soft fur on its back.

"It must have been tough all these years! If Ah Xiang knew how sensible you are now and that you've become the acting priest, he would be very happy."

Upon hearing this, tears streamed down the dormitory floor.

It waited and waited, and the wait was really agonizing...

Walnut gently stroked it, sighing inwardly.

Waiting for someone you're destined never to meet is such a sad thing.

It is different from the Five Hundred Collections.

Gobaizo is a large tanuki demon with the responsibility of protecting the forest. Besides the Fox Palace, he has other friends and his little tanuki.

However, Qinzi was different; it was just a cat, and hundreds of years ago, its life consisted only of Axiang.

After Ah Xiang left, its life became waiting for Ah Xiang to return.

For this little cat living here, waiting at least gives it hope for the future.

But once this truth is revealed, even that little bit of hope in life disappears.

Several kittens gathered around, meowing softly, trying to comfort Qinzi.

Although they have developed intelligence, they still cannot speak.

The girl wiped away her tears with her paws.

It is now acting as the palace priest, and it cannot cry.

"Could you please help me repair my money box?"

"Repair the money box?"

“In the past, many people would come to the shrine and throw round, golden things at you. If the donation box is repaired, people should come to the shrine again.”

Hu Tao had mixed feelings.

For cats, the world is just that simple.

The money box is fixed now, maybe someone will come, and if someone comes, maybe Ah Xiang will come back.

As for why Ah Xiang left and why he didn't come back, it didn't understand.

All it knew was to look after the shrine for Ah Xiang and wait for him to return.

"Oh, don't be so sad! Come on, come on, I'll fix your money box for you, and I'll make sure it's spotless!"

Yi Dou strode over, reached out, and scooped up the bedchamber.

He disliked this somber atmosphere the most.

Why be sad and upset when you can be happy?

The cat was a little dazed when it was shaken on its head.

His interruption dispelled all the sadness.

He also scooped up all the kittens from the ground and held them in his arms.

"Come on, come on, I'll fix the money box and we'll play hide-and-seek. I'm the strongest hide-and-seek champion in Hanamizaka, there's no one I can't find..."

Jiang Bai sighed as he watched Yi Dou leave with the kittens.

"At times like these, you have to step in with a punch."

Yi Dou is the kind of person who can make people happy anytime.

For him, sorrow is forbidden.

Although Jiang Bai usually seems carefree and unreliable, he is not as optimistic as Yi Dou.

He doesn't have the ability to make people happy, nor does he have the temperament of a leader of children.

Faced with such a sad atmosphere, he would choose to comfort, rather than forcibly pull people out of the sad atmosphere like Ichito.

Just like in the Forest of Guardians.

He wasn't oblivious to Goyakuzō's sorrow; he was just doing it on purpose.

Chapter 546 She's not good enough for him

“Silly child, there are advantages to being silly.” Hu Tao nodded seriously.

Jiang Bai chuckled, "It's a good thing Yi Dou isn't here, otherwise he would definitely be jumping up and down if he heard that."

"Even if he were here, I would still say the same thing." Hu Tao put her hands on her hips, looking disdainful of talking behind someone's back.

Hu Tao patted him on the shoulder: "Keep up the good work. Even though it's just a simple repair, it's still a huge project."

The shrine's roof is severely damaged, and due to leaks, some of the beams and pillars are moldy and rotten, posing a risk of collapse at any time.

Without materials and unable to make major repairs, Jiang Bai could only make simple repairs with rocks.

After a busy day, it was already evening.

Compared to the dilapidated shrine I saw at first, the shrine looks much better now; at least it no longer leaks when it rains.

Yi Dou played with the cats all day. The kittens were so tired that they didn't want to move, but he himself was full of energy and not tired at all.

In the evening, Jiang Bai continued grilling fish.

However, the fish wasn't caught by Ah Chou, but by Qin Zi.

Hu Tao wiped the wet fur off the bedsheets, asking questions as she did so:

"Qinzi, do you know how to get to Tianyun Pass?"

"Tianyun Pass? That's too dangerous. What are you doing there?"

"I feel that there is something unusual over there, and I want to go and take a look."

"Meow, let me think..."

After racking his brains for a while, Qinzi finally came up with a solution.

If the thunderstorm stops, then it should be over, right?

But how do you stop a thunderstorm?

Qinzi thought and thought, and finally found relevant information in her memory.

"I remember there were four big rocks on the island. Ah Xiang said they were made to seal a very, very big bird..."

"What a big bird! It must be a Thunderbird."

If the seal is repaired, the thunderstorm might be able to be resealed.

"Does the dormitory member know where these big rocks are?"

"I know one."

Hu Tao noted down the location the shrine had mentioned, intending to go there after finishing the repairs.

"If the storm stops once the seal is repaired, I'll have the people from Narukami Shrine come and renovate the shrine for you."