Things were pretty quiet downstairs, so Sakaki thought maybe she'd go upstairs to see if anyone was up and about this Sunday morning, but the moment she thought she heard feline growls and complaints coming from the common room, she stopped, seized by a rare but slowly strengthening sense of self-preservation. If there was a cat in the common room that was already that upset, her being there was only likely to make it worse, and she would be much better off just going back to her room and reading about cats rather than trying to actually deal with one.

But then...no. Drawing in a deep, steeling breath, Sakaki reminded herself that she was dedicated to helping all animals, especially cats, no matter what it took, and if the cat was in trouble, she had an obligation...a duty!...as a future veterinarian to help! She would gladly be the one to bear that burden!

Of course, once she heard something else fall from a countertop and got close enough to peek her head in, she felt that confidence start to wane already.

"Ano...," she started, uncertainly. "Is everything...alright?" Her eyes widened as they went from the cat in question to Belle. "Do you need help?"

Yeah, absolutely nothing in Sakaki's experience would suggest that that being a cat would somehow make rudeness any better.

That still didn't stop her from wanting to somehow make it better.

"Do you think he's hungry?" Sakaki then asked, cautiously moving into the room and turning her attention back to the cat, with a tilt her head. "Or maybe he'd like some catnip? Perhaps he just needs a new toy?"

With each thought, Sakaki had moved closer to the cat and was now trying to make herself seem smaller and therefor hopefully not intimidating as she considered him, and then, perhaps making a dire mistake that she really should have known better than to make, turned attention back to Belle.

"I can go to the shelter and get something," she offered, "if it might settle him down?"

The fact that she'd managed to get this far without being attacked, especially considering the current state of the cat, was incredibly promising! Sakaki was almost feeling hopeful. This felt like excellent progress!

"Yes," said Sakaki, with a confident nod, "coffee would be very bad for cats!"

And even though the cat had growled, it had still not outright attacked her, so this was so far almost unprecedented, so she couldn't help smiling at him while tentatively extending out a hand.

"Would you like some catnip, koneko-neko-kun?" she offered eagerly, feeling her heart beating a mile a minute with anticipation and the edge of fear. "I can get you some from the animal shelter,if you like!"

"Hm?"

Sorry, Belle. Sakaki has heard prettt much none of that, staring in absolute shock at the cat that had pointedly jumped off the counter to...

Ignore her.

The cat...ignored her.

It didn't bite. It didn't scratch. It didn't attack her at all! It just....ignored her!

It was all she could do to keep herself from squealing in absolute delight.

"Well," Sakaki said, turning to Belle with that barely contained excitement dancing in her eyes, "all cats are different, aren't they?"

This cat, especially!

He ignored her!

"I'll be right back!" she promised, dashing out of the room before she lost her composure in front of Belle, miraculously managing to keep it held in until she was out of the dorms, into the streets, where she may as well have been dancing across the island, with how light her steps felt!

This was an amazing,miraculous day!

And Sakaki did try to get back as soon as possible, but, not only was the shelter all the way on the other side of the island, she was feeling amazingly encouraged by her success, and thought she'd try her luck with the cats at the shelter, as well. After all, maybe...just maybe...they, too, might only ignore her rather than mauling her shreds!

It....did not go nearly as well!

So it was a rather bandaged up Sakaki, her arm in a sling, a large patch across her cheek, a bandage against her ear and across her forehead, that returned quite a bit later. But she held up a bag with with her uninjured arm.

"I brought the catnip," she announced, giving a sigh of satisfaction to be back in the presence of such a nice and wonderful cat again. "And, also...I know you said he didn't like toys, but I thought I'd bring some anyway. Maybe he might change his mind."

With that, Sakaki went to find a spot on the floor, sat down on her knees, and carefully poured the contents of the bag out in front of her, and immediately began to unwrap and set out the wide variety of cat toys she'd picked up, looking absolutely pleased as punch with each and every one, a slow and careful process thanks to her slinged arm, before finally getting to the catnip and opening it.

She held it forward toward the cat.

"Here you go, Neko-kun," she said. "Do you like catnip? Or look at all these toys! There's mice, there's balls, there are these little cloth sushi!"

The sushi were cute enough to want to buy just for herself, really.

"Or maybe this?" She tipped a little of the catni onto the floor before picking up a little feathered toy on a stick and string to hold up and shake encouragingly, hopefully. "This is fun, neh?"