Amelia, Bro, Porter, and Seal were walking around Softener City, searching for something new to do. There was nothing new at the mall, and the same went for almost every store in the area. They had even been in the sewers below the city once, and even that place had nothing noteworthy.
"Isn't there anything that can break the monotony today?" Bro wondered.
Seal was sitting on top of Porter's head, watching the hustle and bustle of the city and waving to a few passing seals. He happened to spot a billboard advertising something he had never seen before.
With the sign catching his attention, Seal hopped off Porter's head and landed on his shoulder before poking his cheek. Porter looked over to where Seal was pointing and looked at him in confusion.
"50% off razor blades? Why would you need that?" Porter asked. "Actually, why would any of us need that?"
Seal guided Porter's head to the ad he was looking at, which was directly below the one Porter was looking at.
"Guys, why don't we visit the Cuddle Kitty Café?" he suggested to the others. "We've never been there before."
"Another café? No thanks," Bro declined. "If I wanted my coffee burnt, I'd ask Lily to burn it for me."
"Well, today is also its grand opening. What's the harm in checking it out?" Porter asked, looking at the advertisement a bit more.
"When I asked if there was anything new, I was hoping for something besides a coffee shop," Bro replied.
"Beggars can't be choosers, Bro," Amelia said, frowning.
"They can be, according to Bluuit," he muttered, taking out his phone and looking up the café's location. "We're not too far from it. Let's go check it out, I guess."
The four trekked to the café, which was on the edge of town, where there was a pleasant view of the ocean horizon. When they got there, they immediately noticed cats everywhere.
"Wow, there are so many cats here!" Porter exclaimed. "I'd be surprised if some of them had a job here!"
"That's a funny thought," Bro responded.
"Because cats don't work?"
"Because cats don't care."
A cat approached them and began meowing before bumping its head against Amelia's leg. She rubbed the cat and started meowing back.
"What are you doing, Amelia?" Porter asked.
"Come on, we have all these cats here!" Amelia said. "This is the perfect opportunity to put my Kittenese to the test!"
Porter and Bro looked at each other before asking in unison, "Kittenese?"
Amelia let out a series of meows at the cat, it responding with its own series of meows before walking off.
"They said their name is Tabitha and welcomed us to the café," she announced.
"Let me try to talk to them!" Porter said, walking up to a cat and meowing at them. Instead of meowing back, the cat hissed and swiped at his leg before quickly trotting off.
"Yikes! I didn't expect them to do that!" he exclaimed, hiding behind Bro.
"In their defense, you did just say something offensive to them," Amelia replied.
"What exactly did I say?" Porter asked.
"You don't want to know."
"Come on, let's go inside," Bro said. "I don't want to be here longer than I have to."
Despite the café opening not too long ago, it was already packed with customers. Women in maid outfits and cat ears took orders while cats cuddled up to the customers waiting for their food.
While walking up to the line, Porter tripped over a cat, falling over and dropping Seal. Seal, being three times smaller than the cat, began barking and flopping away in fear while the cat pursued him. He jumped up as high as he could and landed on the shoulder of a woman who was sweeping the floor. She turned in the direction of the cat, who froze on sight.
"Whiskers! That is no way to treat our guests!" she said, scolding the cat. "Go to the box and think about your actions."
The cat let out an annoyed meow before slinking off. The three walked up to the woman, and upon closer inspection, she had silvery hair, a headband with cat ears, and pale green eyes with cat pupils.
"I believe this seal belongs to you?" she asked.
"Seal!" Porter exclaimed as the toy hopped back onto his shoulder. "Thank you for saving him, miss..?"
"You may address me as Tsuki," the woman said with a smile. "I'm the head of this establishment. Welcome to our cat maid café!"
"A cat maid café..." Bro murmured. "Can't say I've ever heard of something like that."
"Your name also sounds unique," Porter added. "Is it safe to guess you aren't from around here?"
"You'd be right. I've moved to and from many a place, but I was born in Zitipon," Tsuki explained. "For a while, I've wondered what I could do to introduce our island's interests to Seal Island, and here we are."
One of the employees walked up to the four and informed Tsuki that she had an important meeting coming up.
"I see. Thank you for the information, Mewranda," Tsuki replied.
"I-it's Miranda," the employee corrected.
"That's what I said- Miranda," she coughed. "I will have everything set up in five minutes."
As the employee walked off to take care of more tasks, Tsuki turned to the three siblings. "I have some very important matters to take care of at this time. While you're here, do enjoy our soda-flavored chips, snuggle up to our cats, and maybe try out one of our meow- I mean mocha lattes, alright?"
She disappeared into her office, leaving the three in confusion.
"That was odd..." Porter stated. "But this whole cat maid café thing is growing on me!"
"I have to agree with that," Bro nodded. "What about you, Amelia?"
The two brothers looked over and noticed that several more cats were nuzzled up against her, purring. She was also eating a bag of blue raspberry soda-flavored chips.
"Are you three in a party?" one of the employees asked, walking up to Bro and Porter.
"Yes..?" Bro replied.
"Well then, you're gonna have to pay for that," she said.
Bro sighed, taking out his wallet. "Since I'm spending money now, could you add a caramel cat-puccino to the receipt?" he added.
After a while, the three left the café, cats yowling in sadness over Amelia's departure. She turned back and mewed in response, something they took very well.
"I told them we'll be back tomorrow," she told her brothers.
"Are you joking?! I've spent enough money today!" Bro exclaimed.
"Bro, I've seen their prices. They aren't that expensive," Porter pointed out, Seal also barking in confirmation.
"I suppose you're right," Bro muttered. "It's at least 20 dollars less than the other coffee shop we went to that one time..."
He stopped and continued speaking. "Still, this was just a one-time thing! There's no reason for us to go back there now."
The Next Day
"What are we doing back here?" he asked.
It was early in the morning, and the three, along with Lily and Zaire, were standing in front of the café. A cat saw Amelia and let out a mew to notify the other cats. In minutes, the five were surrounded but moved closer to her specifically.
"I think these cats like you," Porter said.
Amelia wasn't listening. She was too busy being playfully swarmed by all the cats.
Zaire noticed one of the cats batting at his tail. He meowed at the cat a couple of times until it walked off.
"Wow, Zaire!" Porter exclaimed. "I didn't know you also knew Kittenese!"
"I may have picked up a bit of it while listening to Amelia," he chuckled. "I was just telling the cat my tail is real."
The café, as early as it was, was packed as ever. The five walked around, taking a look at the customers, until two in particular stood out.
"Wait," Bro muttered, "is that..?"
He moved closer and was completely dumbstruck when he realized it was Umbrish and Ixin at one of the booths.
"You?!" he shouted, accidentally drawing the attention of the other customers.
"Sorry, sorry, don't mind me," he said, waiting for the other patrons to resume what they were doing before continuing to talk.
"What are you doing here?!" he hissed at the two.
"Zetal gave us the day off," Umbrish replied. "Came here to ruin our day, I presume?" he asked, looking over at the others.
"N-no... We didn't even know you'd be here," Porter stuttered.
"Why didn't you spend your day at Kleptopolis?" Amelia asked.
"Quite frankly, it was Ixin's idea," Umbrish explained, looking over at her. The five also focused their attention on her, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Have you seen the state of Kleptopolis? Those stupid Clones can't do a single thing correctly!" she reasoned. "I merely suggested going somewhere with more competent beings."
"And you chose a café on Seal Island?" Lily asked.
"The people who run this place are still more competent than the Clones. They can somehow burn air."
"Fair enough."
"I will say this kind of café is new to me. If this type of thing existed in Arvent City, it would easily be a hit," Umbrish admitted.
"Arvent City?" Bro repeated. "Can't say I've ever heard of that place. Where's that?"
Ixin glared at Umbrish before pressing her finger in Bro's face and warning, "You heard nothing."
The two quickly left without another word, leaving the five confused.
"My, my, those two left in a hurry," Tsuki said from behind them. "I don't suppose you know them, by any chance?"
"Oh, we know them, alright," Zaire answered, his voice taking an irritated tone.
Another cat hopped up on the booth and nuzzled its face against Amelia's arm, something that didn't go unnoticed by Tsuki.
"You know, our cats really like you," she said. "How would you like to take one home?"
"Thank you for the offer, Miss Tsuki," Amelia responded, looking at the cat, who stared back at her with a smile on its face. "But with our mouse brother, I have a feeling that they'll freak each other out eventually."
The cat let out a pleading meow, and Tsuki giggled. "Well, on behalf of the cats, I can't just let you go empty-handed. What do you say to a chat over a free coffee for your family?
As if on cue, an employee approached the six. "Miss Nekomusume," she said, "you've got an interview in five minutes."
"So I see," Tsuki sighed. "Thank you for informing me, Purriscilla."
"It's Priscilla, ma'am," the employee corrected.
"That's what I said," Tsuki replied, clearing her throat. "Looks like we'll have to take a rain check on that talk. Help yourself to the coffee, though. Now, about that interview..." she muttered, leaving the five to themselves.
The five left the café a short time after, heading home with their beverages in hand.
"You know, it's sort of funny," Zaire chuckled. "A lady whose last name is Nekomusume runs a café full of cats."
"Yeah, seems a bit on the nose," Bro agreed.
As they stopped in front of their house, they saw three cats sitting on their porch.
"Well, speak of the kitten," Lily said.
The three cats walked toward Amelia and circled around her, purring and rubbing against her legs.
"Since when were these cats in the neighborhood?" Amelia asked, reaching down to pet one.
"Maybe they're gangster cats," Porter answered.
"Maybe they ran all the way here," Zaire reasoned. "Amelia, check and see if they have any tags."
Amelia picked up a cat, and sure enough, it had a tag that said, "If lost, please return to Cuddle Kitty Café."
"Of course they belong to the café," Bro sighed, picking one up and trying not to get scratched. "Come on, they have to go home 'cause they can't stay here."
The five, carrying the cats, began their trek back into the bustling city, enduring confused glances from onlookers. When arriving back at the café, Tsuki was standing in front of the entrance.
"Edgar, Lucy, Duchess! There you are!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been?!"
The cats hopped out of their carriers' arms and meowed at once, as if trying to explain their whereabouts. They all shut up when Tsuki snapped her fingers.
"That's enough, all of you! I spent an hour prowling all around the café for you and turned up with nothing!" she said.
"Prowling?" Lily questioned.
"Quiet, Lily!" Bro muttered.
After looking at the small exchange, Tsuki continued to speak. "I get you want to explore, but you know my warning..."
The cats sighed and gave her a series of meows that sounded something like "curiosity killed the cat" before walking into the café.
"On behalf of the café, I apologize for any trouble these cats may have caused," she sighed.
"They weren't any trouble," Porter replied. "They were just sitting on our porch, as if they were waiting for us or something."
"Just wondering, but how do you manage to find the cats for the café?" Bro asked.
A cat, likely a stray, limped up to the six, yowling in pain. Tsuki crouched down and meowed at it, patting her knees. It hopped into her arms, purring quietly.
"This might answer your question, yes?" Tsuki asked.
"Yes, but not really," Zaire answered.
"You wouldn't know unless I said this, but Cuddle Kitty Café didn't start out as a café; it started as a shelter," she explained, stroking the cat. "I don't know how, but stray cats find their way here, and I take care of them, nurse them back to health, and give them lots of love. One day, I hope to give back and give these cats to families that love them as much as I do."
"That's noble," Bro admitted, "but I feel like there's something you're not telling us."
"Like how you didn't tell us that you spoke Kittenese, too!" Porter said.
"Actually, that was Cattonese," Tsuki corrected. "If you're interested, I do not mind teaching you a bit so the cats won't swipe at you. Yes, I'm aware of your exchange with Boots."
"Speaking of names, I don't think we've introduced ourselves to you, Miss Tsuki," Amelia pointed out.
"Actually, yeah. Let's get that out of the way," Bro agreed.
As the five introduced themselves and the conversation switched to other topics, the sun began to set. The café closed up for the day, and everyone went back home.
"Well, today has been interesting," Bro said.
"I'd say it's been paws-itively fantastic!" Amelia joked.
"...Don't do that."
The five walked into the house, had an uneventful dinner and got ready for bed, unaware that they were in for a fluffy surprise...
The Next Morning
Amelia, Zaire, Porter, and Lily were watching TV when Bro walked into the room, seemingly groggy and grumpy.
"Wow, Bro! You've got more bags under your eyes than usual!" Lily said. "You feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, Lily. I just think that café did a number on my brain," Bro answered, putting a hand to his face.
"Was it those sour apple flavored chips?" Zaire asked jokingly. "Should've given them to me."
Bro glared at him before explaining. "All throughout the night, the only thing I could hear was meowing. Even when I managed to fall asleep, I was dreaming of cats! Maybe... we shouldn't go back there for a while."
All of a sudden, the five heard another meow, causing Bro to cower and scream. "Impossible! I'm awake now!"
Amelia glanced over at the window and saw a small shadow behind the curtains. She pulled them back and saw a cat smiling at her. She ran to the door and opened it to see a sea of cats meowing at her, as if to say "hello".
Bro walked up to the door and his eyes widened. It was at that moment when he realized he wasn't dreaming.
"Thank goodness I'm not going crazy, but where did all these cats come from?!" he asked.
"Would it be a shock if all of them belonged to Cuddle Kitty Café?" Amelia asked, picking up a cat.
"Don't tell me..."
"Yep, this one's from the café," she said, revealing the tag on its collar. "And if one's from the café, they all probably are."
"Well, tell them to go back home!" Bro ordered. "Porter! Tell them to get back to the café before something ridiculous happens!"
"I can't!" Porter stammered.
"What do you mean you can't?!"
"Tsuki only taught me the basics of Cattonese- 'hello', 'goodbye', 'sorry', and 'I don't know a lot of Cattonese'."
By now, the cats started to wander into the house and cause mischief. Some cats hid under the couch, some knocked over pictures and other small trinkets, but most of them were chasing after Seal.
Annoyed, Amelia let out a loud meow to get the cats' attention. After they walked up to her, she meowed several more times before walking out of the door, the cats following.
"You know, come to think of it, Amelia's probably the best one out of all of us when it comes to getting these cats in line," Bro admitted.
"What do you mean?" Zaire asked.
"Well, these cats seem to like her the most, and she can get pretty scary when she's really angry, so I think you can connect the dots," he said. "She's going easy on all of us."
"Have you ever seen her really angry?" Lily questioned.
"Not enough times to remember what actually happens."
The other four siblings followed her out of the door and into the city, where the cats continued to follow Amelia in a single-file line, meowing rhythmically. Onlookers stopped to witness the scene, which looked like a cat parade! The only thing that was missing were the uniforms.
Eventually, they all reached the unopened café, where Tsuki was waiting for them.
"Oh, thank goodness you found them!" she cried. "Without the cats, the shelter would easily go under! And no shelter means no café!"
"What do you mean?" Zaire asked. "Aren't the cats what keep the café alive?"
"Well, not exactly. In this case, it's the other way around," Tsuki explained. "I mentioned that Cuddle Kitty Café wasn't always a café. It started out as a shelter. For a while, the shelter hasn't been doing well and has been on the verge of closing."
"That's terrible!" Amelia exclaimed. "What would've happened to the cats?"
Tsuki shook her head. "I dare not think about it. All I can say is that I am grateful that this renovation saved the shelter from something that seemed inevitable."
"You mentioned earlier that you wanted to introduce your island's interests to Seal Island," Bro pointed out. "Was this how you came up with a maid café?"
"Indeed," Tsuki replied. "Maid cafés are popular in Zitipon, so I believed renovating part of the shelter into a café would bring some eyes to the location. Coupling that with the theme and the cuteness of cats seemed like an obvious decision. Now, I use the funds from the café to keep the shelter afloat."
"That explains all the cats," Lily said, picking up a cat. "So, are things better now?"
"More or less," she answered, "Circumstances are a lot more bearable now, but I still need to figure out how to give these cats away."
"Speaking of," Zaire said, "how did all these cats find us anyway?"
Hours Earlier
The sun was setting, and the five were leaving the café. The three yowled and pawed at the window, watching Amelia walk away.
"Don't worry," Tsuki whispered, walking inside and petting Lucy. "One of these days, someone will adopt you, and you'll have all the love and care you could want."
She let out a yawn and walked through the café, saying goodnight to the cats she walked past and disappeared behind a door. A group of cats meowed at Edgar, as if arguing with him. Edgar hissed at them, and a fight broke out. At some point in the fight, they bumped into the door and unintentionally opened it with their weight. Turns out the door wasn't locked! Lucy and Duchess looked at each other and ran around the café, meowing as if to get the other cats' attention. When every cat was standing in front of the door, the two pushed the door open and ran outside, the other cats quickly following. Edgar meowed at the cats he was fighting with as if saying to say, "Stop fighting and follow me!"
The sea of cats, led by Duchess, Lucy, and Edgar were meowing as they made their way to their destination...
Back to the Present
"Excuse me," a woman said, "I've noticed how cute these cats were walking up to this café. This is the café with all the cats, right?"
"Yes, ma'am, that's correct," Tsuki answered. "This young woman was just leading them back here," she added, gesturing to Amelia.
"Is there any way I could adopt one? I love cats!" the woman squealed.
"Of course! I'll get some papers ready," Tsuki said, hurrying inside the café.
A cat climbed onto Amelia's shoulder and meowed at her. She meowed back, and the cat hopped off her shoulder, meowing at the other cats.
"What did you say?" Lily asked.
"I told them that there are plenty of people out there that would to take care of them and that I'll show up every once in a while," Amelia replied.
The café opened soon after, and the five spent the day drinking various beverages, cuddling with the cats, and hanging out with Tsuki. The day went on and more people wandered into the café to adopt cats after seeing the sea of felines march through the city. At the end of the day, fifteen cats were adopted.
"I just want to say on behalf of the café, thank you for everything you've done," Tsuki said as they stood outside of the café.
"Everything?" Zaire asked. "I don't think we've done anything."
"I think that's an understatement," Bro agreed.
"Oh, but you have! Your sister brought attention to the café and several cats were adopted! Surely that counts for something," she reasoned. "That, and supplying funds to keep both the shelter and the café's lights on."
"Yeah, my wallet is never going to forgive me now," Bro mumbled.
"Amelia's definitely a magnet for cats," Lily pointed out as she watched a cat curl around Amelia's legs. "Miss Tsuki, I'm surprised you didn't call her Ameowlia!"
Bro let out a groan while Tsuki giggled. "I will admit I almost called her 'Nyamelia' several times," she said. "But yes, cats really seem to like her. I say, if it wasn't for her today, the shelter would be hiss-tory."
Bro groaned louder and covered his face as the other five laughed until the sun disappeared below the horizon.