Dereliction of duty · 90 years in the new calendar

One evening, somewhere in the Demon King's Palace.

Zolf: ...

Where did you go?

I was thinking of going to the office to catch someone, but when I arrived, I was told that they were not there. Zolf simply greeted the two children - he could indeed call them that according to his age, but he did not say so in public after someone's strong objection .

Recently, there are many things to be busy.Logically speaking, Xus should be hard at work at his desk now that it's still dark.

He even came with a bunch of plans in mind, to lighten his load by slipping a chocolate bar into the pen holder while he wasn't looking, or stalking a mountain or two of his unprocessed paper...that sort of thing.

In the end, no matter how he planned to play, he could only be defeated by a short sentence of "he is not there".

Wandering aimlessly in various places, occasionally chatting with the few remaining people who have not been dismissed, he almost never puts on airs in informal situations.

There are many places to visit in the building, and it is difficult to get good results by blindly searching.

Zolf: (Xus's words... I just looked at it, his desk is almost clean.)

(In other words, ready to rest?)

(so rare?)

One of his mistakes made Xus' character become extra serious and stubborn.

Reminiscing a little bit about the past, Zolf stretched his arms comfortably, leaning against the edge of the big window to casually look at the scene below

Zolf: (It's a beautiful day.)

(...It's a bit boring after being late, but other things are fine.)

(...)

(Ah, that one is.)

Different from the desolate areas outside, because Xus hates monotonous scenes (he doesn’t take the initiative to bring it up, emotions like disgust are usually buried, so as not to make people around him unhappy), so the greening in the Demon King’s Palace is done very well. foot.

There were a lot of obstacles in choosing suitable plants, but Zolf felt it was worth it seeing where he liked to hang out in his spare time.

Now that he is in that position, the conclusion "has rested" can be established.

Zolf whistled happily and walked with small, rhythmic steps.By the way, he can think of the main theme of the new piece in his head.

All the way to the garden, Zolf deliberately chose to approach from behind him. Xus was squatting at this moment, lowering his head as if fiddling.

Zolf: (One, two...)

Xu——s—good evening!

Xus: Wow!

……

What are you doing?

Zolf: I thought it was interesting so... this is it?

Only when he got closer did he understand why he was squatting.

Under him, there is a kitten.

It shrank from its own surprise attack.If Xus hadn't been touching it to comfort it, it might have escaped.

Xus: It's strange, a little guy who doesn't know where he came from.

No matter how green it is here, the scope is small after all.The cat looked so young that it was doubtful whether it had been weaned.Previously, there had never been any small animals like cats and dogs in the Demon King's Palace, so its existence seemed abrupt.

...cute, yes.

Furry, mostly black body, four kitten paws and the tip of the tail are white.

Eyes wide open, body tense, not yet calmed down from Zolf's mischief.

Seeing one person, one cat, one angry and one scared, Zolf felt a lot of guilt welling up in his heart.

Zolf: Whoa... sorry.

Zolf squatted down apologetically, stretched out his hand tentatively, wondering if he could get its understanding.

The kitten was scared at first, and after hesitating for a long time, it sniffed Zolf's fingertips before calming down, twisting its neck and rubbing its head.

Xus: I looked around, but I didn't see any big cats.

...Considering whether to adopt it or not.

You just happen to be... okay?

Zolf: I'm fine with that.

However, it is too small, so consider the issue of time.

Falling into a brief thought, Xus teased the kitten's chin again and again.

Zolf actually considered whether to have a pet a long time ago, but he never had the chance.

Zolf: Hmm...

I usually don't procrastinate too late, so it's ok.

After hearing this, Xus' expression brightened, his eyes seemed to be shining.The kitten seemed to have human nature, and it also flickered, and for a while, I thought they were the same kind.

Zolf: (Only in terms of workload.)

(The status is reversed, Xus.)

Now that it's decided, well...

After squatting for a long time, his legs were a little numb, and Zolf staggered two steps after standing up.After he was sure, he asked Xus if his work was really over, and after getting an affirmative answer, he directly planned to go back to the bedroom.

Xus seemed to want to go back to the clerical office before that to see if the two subordinates got off work on time.

The kitten was closer to Xus, so Zolf offered to check it out himself and just let him go straight to the house.

Xus: ...It's best to get off work. If you haven't left yet, just bombard them.

Zolf: As for?

This is the first time I have seen a "good boss" who does not allow employees to work overtime without authorization.

Xus: I don't want to be poor with you...see you later.

The talkative problem can't be changed, sometimes Xus finds it annoying.

When he made it clear that he didn't want to talk, Zolf had to shut up, or it would lead to a cold war.

Following his orders, Zolf circled back to the paperwork to see what was going on inside.

No one was there, and all the utensils were well placed.As far as he knew, the two children didn't have the keys to any doors in the temple, so they couldn't lock it.

After turning around the house to make sure it was safe, he locked the door.What does the family look like now?He was looking forward to it, and the whistle became the tune—he could just write "Cat" for the next new song.