Chapter 91: Paws Plaza

Shani let out a quiet chuckle. As it turned out, the conflict she had anticipated being the single greatest hurdle of her life wasn’t nearly as daunting as she had feared.

A short while later, Shani and Nyx arrived at Aster’s apartment.

"I set up this room for you and Nyx," Aster said, showing her a vacant room in the apartment that was spotless.

Although it was still unfurnished, Aster had already replaced the curtains and installed double security locks on the window.

Shani let Nyx out of the carrier. The baby beast zoomed out literally like a rolling ball, almost barreling straight into the wall.

Aster threw his large frame onto the floor just in time, causing Nyx to crash right into his face instead.

"Goodness, Nyx!" Shani gasped, startled by the little panther’s hyperactive antics.

She quickly scooped Nyx off Aster’s face. Hearing the little panther meow enthusiastically to be let down, Shani knew her baby beast was completely fine.

She turned to Aster. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Aster wiped his face, brushing away a few stray hairs, and gave a nodding smile. "I’m fine, though I think I might need to add some wall padding."

Shani nodded along with a light chuckle.

To help Nyx get used to the room, Aster hauled a sofa from the living room inside so they could chat in there.

While Aster briefed Shani on the details of the Mortis Company factory’s progress, Nyx zoomed around the completely empty room.

Shani found herself distracted multiple times by the antics of the little black furball.

She felt a bit apologetic for bringing Nyx along, but she was staying over tonight and couldn’t bear to leave her baby beast behind.

"We can continue after Nyx goes to sleep," Aster offered with an understanding smile.

He grabbed a cotton ball to play with Nyx, a gesture the little furball welcomed with wild enthusiasm.

"A ball playing with a ball," Shani teased with a laugh, drawing a chuckle from Aster.

’Nyx is surprisingly friendly with other people,’ Shani mused privately.

Aster was the first person besides herself and Jeryon to interact directly with Nyx. Shani found their friendly interaction quite intriguing.

...

Worn out from playing and full after a meal, Nyx was now sound asleep on the sofa, belly up. Shani quietly closed the door behind her.

"I checked earlier, and there’s a noodle shop at Paws Plaza. We can grab lunch there first," Aster said.

"Paws Plaza?" Shani glanced over at Aster before continuing down the hall toward the elevator.

"The building next door. People call it that because most of the shops inside cater to baby beasts. There are a few clinics, too. The doctors have great reputations. If you ever want to get Nyx a checkup, you could bring her there."

"Jeryon is taking Nyx to a clinic run by a former royal medical team doctor," Shani blurted out reflexively.

Aster fell silent for a moment. In those few seconds, Shani realized her response sounded like bragging.

She glanced back at Aster and caught a fleeting glimpse of hurt in her childhood friend’s eyes.

"Oh, there’s a park over here!" Shani pointed to the green area alongside the apartment building, quickly pivoting to another topic.

"Yeah. Even though it’s right next door, walking there takes a bit because of the layout. There’s a green area flanking both buildings, separated by a road. We’ll cross over using the pedestrian bridge," Aster explained, instantly bouncing back to his usual cheerful self.

Shani let out a quiet sigh of relief. She didn’t want to come across as a show-off, even though she had previously invested a million right in front of him.

Shani had no idea that Aster’s hurt look had nothing to do with money, rather, it was the realization of the massive gulf between himself and Shani’s partner.

Still, Aster wasn’t one to dwell on it, let alone wallow in self-pity.

Before long, they finally arrived at Paws Plaza. They grabbed lunch on the tenth floor first before heading down to the second floor to check out the beast product shops.

Shani picked up a baby beast bed and a food bowl on that floor before heading up to the third floor, where she bought wet wipes along with other grooming and hygiene products.

The fourth floor was dedicated entirely to food and treats. Shani was genuinely intrigued to browse the physical items instead of just viewing their holographic projections.

"By the way, Mortis Company has already begun reaching out directly to feed distributors and shops," Aster said, imagining Red Worm Jelly lined up on these very shelves.

Shani had skimmed through that part of Aster’s report. "I saw that a few shops here are on our target list. What did Uncle Toby say? Do we have a good chance of getting in?"

Aster hesitated before answering. "Paws Plaza is the second-largest baby beast hub after the one in the First Layer, so... Uncle Toby said he isn’t confident we can secure a spot here."

Shani wasn’t surprised. A shop in such a prime location wasn’t just a point of sale, it was a massive promotional platform in itself.

By then, they had reached the far end of the floor, where a shuttered store lot stood vacant.

"What do you think about buying a storefront here and making Red Worm Jelly our flagship product?" Shani blurted out.

"That would be awesome, no need to waste time lobbying existing shops," Aster replied earnestly, before bursting into laughter at his own response.

Shani could tell Aster was taking it as a joke, but in truth, it was actually one of her short-term goals.

...

By late afternoon the next day, Shani and Aster slumped on the floor, breathless and glistening with sweat after finally getting Nyx back into its carrier.

The little panther apparently adored the spacious, empty new apartment and was utterly reluctant to return to her carrier, resulting in an all-out game of chase.

"I’ll come over every weekend with Nyx," Shani said, bidding Aster farewell.

...