Alice got off the bus and made her way to the paddock area in the Akinabalu Circuit. She walked through the garage area and noticed a little orange tabby cat sitting in front of a garage while licking its paws. Alice went over to it and began petting the cat.
"What are you doing here little buddy? Did you get lost?" Alice said in a playful tone.
The cat began rolling all over the floor as Alice petted it. Then suddenly, Alice heard someone clicking their tongue, and the cat got up and ran towards the sound. Alice turned around and noticed Sugimoto crouching as the cat rubbed its head on his hand.
"S-Senpai?" Alice said a bit surprised.
"Heya kid." Sugimoto greets her.
Sugimoto picked up the cat in his hand and began walking towards her. The cat purred in his arm, cuddling into his chest. Alice seems surprised to see Sugimoto's love for cats.
"You seem pretty fond of cats huh Senpai?" Alice said to him.
"I used to have a cat back in middle school. This one in particular looks just like her." Sugimoto said to her.
Sugimoto lifted the cat and stretched it away from him to get a better view of it. Sugimoto smiled and placed the cat back down, but the cat seemed fond of Sugimoto and kept rubbing its head on his legs.
"It seems like it's attached to you Senpai, I guess you'll have to adopt it now." Alice chuckled.
"No can do. My apartment doesn't allow pets, maybe you should keep it instead." Sugimoto told her.
"Eh? Are you sure? I can't take it in since my grandpa is allergic to cats." Alice revealed.
"I see, I guess it can't be help." Sugimoto said.
Sugimoto picked up the cat and held it up to his chest. The cat purred as they began walking towards the Akinabalu Motorsport's garage. There, they greeted the manager who was waiting for them.
"Good afternoon, I'm glad you could come to today's practice." The manager told them.
"No problem manager, we've been dying to drive anyways." Alice told him.
"Glad to hear it. We have a few things we want to show you guys." The manager said.
The manager noticed Sugimoto holding the cat to his chest and chuckled slightly.
"Never knew you were that fond of cats Sugimoto, it's rare to see you like this." The manager said.
"Hey, I can't help it. They're interesting creatures." Sugimoto said.
"Well, it better not bother our progress today. I'll call you guys later before practice." The manager told them.
The manager went to do his thing while the driver went to the break room and put their stuff away. Alice stood by the table with the chocolate in her bag and noticed it was beginning to melt. Alice panicked and began fractally looking around the room then noticed the fridge in the corner.
"The fridge is just there but Senpai might notice it. I need to hide it somehow." Alice muttered to herself.
Alice wrapped the chocolate in a handkerchief and slowly walked over to the refrigerator. Alice kept an eye out and noticed him on the sofa lazing around. She quickly turned around and tucked it in there.
"Jeez I got scared for nothing, it's not like that knucklehead would notice it anyway." Alice muttered.
Alice closed the fridge door and breathed a sigh of relief. She went over to the table, bought her duffle bag, and headed towards the locker rooms to change. After changing, she walked back to the paddock and began thinking of ways to hand him the chocolate bar.
