Bonus Story: A Feline Friend

Bonus Story:
A Feline Friend

 

ONE DAY, that idiot Lily brought home a cat.

With an uncharacteristically humble expression, she set a little tortoiseshell kitten down in the middle of the living room table, of all places.

“Hey, can we keep him?”

Seriously? Why should we spend our money on pet food when we already barely have enough to eat?

I put my elbows on the table, rested my chin on my hands, and said to Lily, who was staring at me with those pure and innocent eyes, “Nooo way. Get rid of that thing. I’m no good with monsters or animals. They just get in the way, and they’re annoying and noisy. Plus, one Lily is more than enough of a pet to take care of.”

“If I put a little kitten like this out of the city gates, it would be eaten right up by monsters. Plus, this little guy doesn’t have any family, just like you and me. I feel so bad for him,” said Lily, looking as though she was about to cry. Did she really think that would have an effect on me? Seriously, having to pay for this thing’s room and board would just put more of a burden on her, wouldn’t it? How could she not mind sacrificing herself like that all the time? Dummy.

Before I realized it, the kitten had started walking across the table toward me, looking up with its nose twitching.

To be honest, it was kind of cute. But I couldn’t be weak. Showing compassion and ending up with more burdens was something only suckers did. With one hand, I carefully pushed the kitten back to the center of the table. Its warm fur was rather soft…

“Please, Lafine? I’ll take good care of him. Oh, but of course not just him. I’ll still do my best to take care of you, too. So that you can grow into a big strong auntie one day.”

What was she saying?! Why did this little brat still act like she was raising me?!

Veil, who had been silently watching this the entire time, muttered, “I don’t think that’s something a nine-year-old girl should be saying to a twenty-two-year-old woman. It’s something she should be saying, not having said to her.”

To be fair, in the Alstea household, it was in fact nine-year-old Lily who did most of the household chores. But, to make things even, I, the twenty-two-year-old, took care of most of the sleeping in and napping and eating and drinking… Well, perhaps a little too much.

“Shut up, shut up, shut uuuup! Why are you getting in on this, Veil?! I get it! I get it already! However, this comes with some conditions! You have to search for an owner! You said yourself that you want this kitten to have a family, don’t you?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna be his family! You and me, Lafine!”

“What?! Are you kidding me?! I don’t care if it’s a foster or just a mama cat or what, but you need to find somewhere for this guy to go! It can stay here just until you do that. And you’re responsible for taking care of it, Lily! Got it?”

“So you’re saying, if I never find anywhere, he can stay here forever?”

How optimistic! Whatever. I was tired.

“We’ll see. I’m going to put in a request to the guild myself to find a foster. There’s a time limit on this, so don’t go getting attached to this little stray. Not that I care if you go catching feelings and have to bawl your eyes out when it comes time to give it up. Ha!” I said, standing up to return to my room—though before I did, I realized there was something I had forgotten to ask.

“Lily, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Oh, I’m gonna start making it now. Tonight we’re having orc burger steaks with grated shiso.”

Oh yeah! I loved the orc burger steaks she made. Thinking of food, I scarcely even noticed the kitten that was underfoot, slipping into my room alongside me. Annoyingly, this kitten seemed to enjoy sleeping on my bed, returning immediately even if I shooed it away. And so, from that day on, the kitten became my sleeping companion.

 

Ten days later…

I found myself in tears. The day Veil reported that an owner had been found, and Lily went to take the kitten back, I tried relentlessly to drag it back into my room.

“Nooooo! I’m not giving him back!!! He’s my cat now!”

“But we found his real family, so we need to return him to them. Right?”

“Nooooooo!!!”

“Aha ha! You’re twenty-two—you can’t keep being so selfish.”

All I could do was hurl abuse at her little back as she carried my kitten away.

“Beast! Devil! Monster! Cat snatcher!”

Turns out I was the one who caught feelings after all…