[ต^._.^ต ...Updating 74%]
[ต^._.^ต ...Updating 82%]
A pink progress bar began filling up in the window before my eyes. At the same time, my tail, which was sticking straight up, started trembling.
I'd never felt anything like this before.
My entire body grew hot, and I could feel the blood racing through my veins.
Power was surging through me...!
"Hey. That cat over there is taking a dump."
A passerby glanced in my direction as he spoke.
That snapped me right out of my exhilaration.
...The fuck? What part of this looks like I'm taking a dump?!
I understood why he might think that, considering I was standing on a patch of dirt with every muscle in my body tensed.
But that didn't make it any less infuriating!
[ต^._.^ต ...Updating 99%]
[ต^._.^ต ...Update complete, meow!]
While I'd been distracted, the update had apparently finished, and a completion message appeared.
[ต^._.^ต You can use it right away!]
"Mya-myaang?"
What kind of ability is it?
[ต^._.^ต Oh, right! I forgot to explain! It's teleportation! Instead of warping space, it moves only you, Rohun, so nearby living beings won't get swept up in it, and you can use it indoors too!]
...Holy shit.
It was a brand-new technique that fixed every drawback of Shrink the Earth to an Inch!
[ต^._.^ต To use it, just think of a specific person or place and say, "Teleport, meow-meow-meow!" You'll immediately be transported somewhere nearby!]
Hmm. So the meow-meow-meow part was staying....
[ต^._.^ต But you can't teleport to someone you've never seen in person or somewhere you've never been before!]
Even with those limitations, it was still an insanely overpowered skill.
I was so excited that I was about to try it out immediately when another message from Kkami appeared.
[ต^._.^ต And, Rohun! I have wonderful news! We're going to make a human body for you!]
...Huh? A human body?
[ต^._.^ต Yes! Word spread throughout our cat world that you saved a cat's life this time. The God of Cat Treats was very, very moved!]
So the god of the cat world was called the God of Cat Treats.
I almost burst out laughing, but somehow managed to hold it in.
[ต^._.^ต So! The God of Cat Treats said he'll reward you with a human body!]
"Myaak? Myaeak?!"
Really? That's amazing!
[ต^._.^ต Yes! But it'll take quite a long time to finishㅜㅜ! There are all sorts of procedures to go through, and it has to pass testing too!]
"Myaong, myaaang!"
That's fine. Take your time! And please tell the God of Cat Treats I said thank you!
If I was going to get a human body, I could wait five years. Ten, even.
"Prrrrr."
I purred happily.
Then a belated thought struck me, and I froze.
Wait a minute.
Becoming human was great and all, but what would happen to my life's ambition of living a comfortable, well-fed existence as the future duchess's pet cat?
Would I have to rethink my plans?
I really don't want to spend my life working my ass off again like I did before....
Memories of all those years of working without a break flashed before my eyes.
O God of Cat Treats, why must you put me through such a trial...!
Now that I actually had a chance to become human, a selfish part of me didn't want to give up the ridiculously cushy life of a pampered house cat.
[ต^._.^ต Rohun?]
When I clutched my head with both front paws, Kkami called out to me through the chat.
[ต^._.^ต Is something wrong? You look kind of sad....]
"Mya, myaaa...."
Oh, well... I suddenly remembered all the cat treats I never got to eat.
[ต^._.^ต Oh, I see! Nothing hurts quite like missing out on cat treats!]
I couldn't bring myself to tell sweet little Kkami that I was agonizing over the prospect of having to work for a living.
Well, it's still a long way off.
Kkami had said it would take quite a while to finish my human body, so I could take my time thinking about it until then.
******
After that day, I made enthusiastic use of my new ability.
Specifically, I used it to visit Luiden.
"Ah!"
Luiden was sitting in a garden pavilion, reading a book. The moment he spotted me, his face lit up.
He glanced around to make sure nobody was watching, then approached me.
"There's no one here. You can come out."
I emerged from behind the bushes and meowed at him.
Hey, brat. You haven't blabbed to anyone about me, have you?
That's right.
I'd been keeping an eye on Luiden because I was worried he might tell someone about me.
Of course, how many people would seriously believe a child's story about a cat that could act like a human?
Still, you never knew.
I'd started visiting Luiden every day to make sure he understood that I was watching him, but somehow, we'd ended up regularly meeting in secret in the garden.
"...Hey, Roro, are you a wizard?"
Luiden bent his knees and crouched down to whisper to me.
"My brother told me the village where you live is more than an hour away from here by carriage.... So how do you manage to come here every day?"
This is why I hate sharp little brats.
"Myaoong."
"You can tell me your secret. I promise I'll be honest with you too.... You're a human and a wizard, aren't you?"
The boy, dressed in shorts, looked down at me with sparkling eyes.
"If I'm right, draw a circle on the ground. I won't tell anyone that you're a human wizard."
"..."
"I swear. I really, really won't tell anyone."
I sat there without moving and scratched behind my ear, looking thoroughly uninterested.
The boy's eyes drooped with disappointment.
"...I'll keep it a secret for the rest of my life."
Should I preserve the boy's innocent sense of wonder?
Or should I keep playing dumb and pretend I didn't know what he was talking about?
After some deliberation, I extended a claw and drew a small circle on the ground.
Luiden's mouth fell open, and he sprang to his feet.
"...! I promise I'll keep my word!"
Then he broke into a delighted grin.
Was he really that happy?
Well, I'd gotten him to promise one more time, so it worked out in my favor.
Luiden led me over to the pavilion.
Four white marble pillars supported its elegant gray roof. Inside stood a table and a pair of long benches.
I settled down beside Luiden. The bench was made of stone too, and it felt pleasantly cool against my backside.
"There's a boy named Oster. He's the heir to House Mont. An heir is someone who... well, when he grows up, he'll take over his family, just like my brother will."
I know that much, kid.
Today, too, Luiden chattered away about things I hadn't even asked him about.
I supposed he needed someone to talk to, since he spent most of his time alone outside of lessons.
I lay down and listened to his stories.
"Oster has a scary dog, and sometimes he lets it loose to frighten people."
"Maong."
"At the last social gathering... Oster let go of its leash. The dog charged at another boy, and he fell over and started crying. But Oster didn't even apologize. He just laughed at him."
Luiden frowned and let out a long sigh.
"I don't like Oster. I don't like the way he looks down on other people and scares them...."
Then just don't hang out with a kid like that.
"And there's something else. You have to keep this between us. ...One time, he pushed me over because he insisted one of my toys belonged to him...."
What an ill-mannered little shit.
"I didn't tell my brother. I thought he'd be upset if he found out.... I scraped my hand that day, and it hurt really badly, but I held back my tears."
I jerked my head up to look at Luiden.
You should've told him!
"Myaak-mya, myaak myaaaong!"
Hey, isn't a marquis the next rank below a duke? Why the hell are you just letting him push you around?!
I was so frustrated that I repeatedly tapped Luiden's knee with my front paw.
He mistook it for an attempt to comfort him and gave me a happy little smile.
What was the point of belonging to such a powerful family when the kid was this much of a pushover?
I swallowed a sigh.
Then I continued listening to Luiden chatter away.
"I don't have an animal of my own, so... I can't enter, but my friends said they were going to participate, so I decided to go and watch."
Apparently, House Mont was holding a pet competition.
That ill-mannered little brat Oster had organized the entire event himself just to show off his dog.
"My friends have some amazing dogs too, but... Oster's dog will probably win."
Hmm.
"...Oster's always bragging that his dog is the most magnificent dog in the world."
Luiden muttered the words quietly, looking as though he'd already resigned himself to the outcome.
Deciding you'd lost before the competition even started wasn't a good attitude to have.
The little brat was developing a bad habit.
*******
After parting ways with Luiden, I used my teleportation ability to return to the back of the teahouse.
I was shaking the dirt off my paws in front of the shop when Aria opened the door wide for me.
"Roro! Were you out for a walk? You were gone a little longer than usual today."
"Myaaa."
"Thirsty? Have some water."
Aria placed a bowl of water in front of me.
I lowered my head and lapped up the cool water before strolling leisurely into the shop.
As I looked around the dining area, my eyes happened to fall on a man sitting by the window.
Apparently, the bastard had spotted me too, because his eyes were already curving into a faint smile.
I marched straight over to him and picked a fight.
Hey, has your burn healed yet? Haven't seen your damn face around here lately.
I rammed my forehead into his left leg, taking out my irritation on him for no particular reason.
You didn't get a blister on your paw pad, did you? Well, that's what you get.... Who told you to go around taking other people's burns without asking?
"Well, hello to you too. Your whiskers still haven't grown back, I see."
The bastard chuckled and leaned forward, reaching down to stroke my head.
Apparently, he thought I was giving him an enthusiastic welcome.
I dodged his descending hand and retreated beneath the table.
"...Hmm? Why are you running away? Didn't you want me to pet you?"
Lippert sounded genuinely puzzled, though he was still chuckling under his breath.
We'd known each other for over a month now, and he still understood so little about me.
It felt terribly unfair that I knew so much about him while he knew almost nothing about me.
How should I put it?
It was like watching a celebrity on TV all the time and developing a sense of closeness to them entirely on your own.
Anyway, the whole thing left me feeling strangely dissatisfied.