This was a variegated "little" female cat. Short black fur covered its body, but the area from its chin to its belly was a deep brown.
Honestly speaking, it wasn't particularly beautiful, but the combination gave off a very natural and pleasing feeling. The cat's gaze was slightly sharp, narrow, and often squinted, as if observing something at all times, reminiscent of a beast lying in ambush.
All in all, there was nothing strange about it.
It was a proper black cat—not a catgirl with a human body and animal ears, nor a chuunibyou girl wearing a gothic cat outfit, and certainly without a 4D pocket on its body.
It was a kitten that had been taken care of very well and had grown up very healthily. The only problem was that its size seemed a little large—
Okay, it was a lot larger.
Its height was about the same as Ryu's, and sitting down, it was a full head taller than its owner. Its fluffy fur made it look extremely burly, like a wrestler. Sitting there, it resembled a small mountain, radiating a massive sense of presence.
—This is definitely a character from some anime!
Ryu didn't remember any creatures this anomalous in The Girl Who Can See Them aside from evil spirits, so it was possible it was observed from another world.
Gintama? Natsume?
Putting that aside for now, this was undoubtedly a special character, which meant—
Destiny Coins!
"Is its name Little Black? It's really cute~"
Ryu stroked the black cat sitting on the floor while talking to Mieruko. Meanwhile, Chika and the others sat on another sofa, looking over with expressions of awe.
"By the way, what breed is it? Is it a hybrid of a bear and a tiger?"
"Kuse-san, you really know how to joke. Little Black is just an ordinary house cat."
"What did it eat to grow this big?"
"Nothing special... Actually, it's not that strange, is it? Animals occasionally produce individuals with large bodies. Maybe Little Black just has some atavism."
Mieruko recalled, "When I went back to my hometown for New Year's last year, Grandma said she picked up a kitten. Our whole family saw it; it was only the size of a palm back then. My little brother even named it..."
"But now it's taller than me. A cat's growth speed really cannot be underestimated."
This isn't something "atavism" can explain—Ryu glanced at the nonchalant Mieruko and suddenly realized:
This girl is subjected to too much stimulation on a daily basis. All sorts of ghosts, monsters, and even Lovecraftian horrors have drastically raised her threshold. If it's just a gigantic pet, in her eyes, it likely falls squarely into the "cute" category.
Is this thing cute? If one had to say, perhaps it counts... just like a super-sized cat plushie.
But to see how a normal person reacts, one just needs to look to the side:
Even Chika was sitting upright in a formal posture.
A cat the size of an adult human is basically a wild beast!
"By the way, your grandmother raised it? The elderly are amazing. Is her maiden name perhaps Natsume?"
"Hmm?" Mieruko was puzzled.
"There must be some special method to feed it until it gets this big, right?"
"I haven't heard of any. Grandma didn't seem to do anything special... Oh right, Little Black is very amazing! Listening to Grandma, when it was in the countryside, it took all the mice in the barn and—"
Ate them? As a cat, that's quite dutiful.
"—Recruited them as henchmen."
Hah?
"They even patrolled together to maintain public order."
"..."
Ryu subconsciously scratched the cat's chin, looking at the black cat which was squinting its eyes in enjoyment, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
Confirmed. This is definitely a character with strong destiny power!
"Um, Mieruko?" Chika raised her hand with a tense face at this moment. "Is the trouble you wanted to talk about..."
"Yes, that's it." Mieruko switched to a troubled expression. "Little Black has overgrown a little bit."
A little bit?
Is there something wrong with this girl's worldview—even Chika couldn't help but sweat drop.
"When it was in the countryside, it was basically free-range. Because Little Black has a strong wild nature, there were never any accidents."
The small animals in your area must have suffered terribly...
"But Grandma is getting old, and she doesn't have the energy to take care of it anymore, not to mention she's currently hospitalized."
It definitely isn't because of her age!
"But raising it in my house is somewhat inconvenient. It will definitely attract the neighbors' attention." Mieruko tilted her head in distress. "Mom called me today saying the police came by to ask if a bear had appeared in the neighborhood."
"Do you really not know why?"
"...I've gradually realized it too." Mieruko sighed. "After all, cats that walk upright are rarely seen."
The problem isn't there!
Chika rarely began to consider others' feelings. She looked left and right, then spoke hesitantly, "How about... fostering it? It's just until your grandma is discharged, right? Are there any relatives in the countryside?"
"That's a bit... Ah, doesn't Chika-chan like animals very much?"
"Me!" Chika waved her hands repeatedly. "My family has a dog! Pesu will be eaten... Cough, it's not very good!"
"A dog, huh? Indeed, that's not very convenient."
Mieruko pondered, "But Hana's family doesn't allow pets, and other classmates..."
Chika's gaze fell on Little Black, seeing a man's hands petting it continuously.
Her gaze moved upward, and her eyes suddenly lit up. "How about asking Ryu-chan to help?"
"Hmm?"
"Meow?"
Everyone looked at Ryu. The big cat's ears twitched as if it could understand, and it also looked up at Ryu, actually carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"Find a professional zoo for Little Black and let them take care of it for two days!" Chika asked, "Ryu-chan, do you have connections?"
"I can buy one."
"Then there's no problem."
—No, is it really okay to be this hasty?
The members of the Tabletop Gaming Club looked left and right, discovering that the room was filled with either god-like people or god-like cats. As mere little high school girls, they shouldn't have gotten involved in such a high-end game; they truly felt like they were sitting on pins and needles.
Mieruko felt this was acceptable, though it troubled Ryu a bit, making her feel slightly embarrassed.
The black cat, however, revealed a very human-like expression of contemplation, seemingly dissatisfied with this arrangement.
"But I have a better idea."
Ryu withdrew his large hand from petting the cat and proposed to Yotsuya Mieruko in a rather formal tone, "I want Little Black to become the Image Spokescat for a company under my name. This way, arranging room and board for it would be a matter of course. How about it?"
"'Image Spokescat'?"
"Meow?"
"It means borrowing its image. In today's internet world, virtual idols are already very common. Using animal images as auxiliary AI for websites is also very popular.
I quite like Little Black. It might not fit the definition of 'moe', but this sharp gaze really appeals to me... You are the owners. As long as you agree, I can sign a contract with Little Black immediately."
"Eh?"
Mieruko was at a loss. "Grandma is the owner... Um, for such a big matter, I need to discuss it with her—"
"Let's tentatively set the endorsement fee at one hundred million yen a year," Ryu said casually. "I like round numbers."
"..."
"Right, you seemed to say you wanted to discuss it with your grandmother?"
"No!"
Mieruko stood up and said solemnly, "Grandma is also an elderly person who loves catching up with young people's trends. She definitely won't object!"
Chika and the Tabletop Gaming Club members shut their mouths one after another, their expressions looking like cartoon dolls as they looked at Ryu with awe.
It wasn't that their families couldn't take out that much money—in fact, families with ample financial resources were everywhere in Shuchiin—but deciding on a hundred-million-yen annual endorsement fee amidst talking and laughing like he was pulling out pocket change still shocked these sheltered young ladies a bit.
"Truly a nice elderly lady~"
Ryu chuckled, "Then next, let's talk about Little Black's compensation."
"Eh? The one hundred million just now?"
"That's for the grandmother acting as the guardian. Little Black itself naturally has to be calculated separately—after all, even if I wire money to a cat, it can't use it."
Ryu was a rigorous and fair person. "I'm not too clear on what cats want. Let's calculate it using canned cat food as the unit here... By the way, with this body size, how much does it eat a day?"
"I'm not very—Hiss!"
Before Mieruko could answer, Little Black was already sitting formally opposite Ryu, raising two cat paws to make a gesture of two and five.
"L-Little Black?"
"Oh~ I understand."
Ryu stroked his chin. "Quite intelligent... Daily meals, overtime pay, performance fees, injury and illness insurance—if we count all that... it's so troublesome. How about I add a zero for you?"
"..."
Little Black leaned back slightly, its narrow eyes widening a bit as it sized Ryu up again.
"Oh, right!"
Ryu frowned. "There's also a pension. Converting the cat's age to human years should work, right?"
Pension?
Everyone looked sideways, while Little Black suddenly stood up, startling everyone.
"..."
Man and cat looked at each other. Little Black suddenly placed its front paws solemnly in front of its body and bowed ninety degrees to Ryu.
"...What is this situation?"
"It's simply like it's saying 'Please take care of me.'"
Ryu's face remained unmoved, while he wondered inwardly:
I didn't hear the echo of the [Destiny Coin].
Does this not count as changing the big cat's life?
After pondering for a moment, Ryu turned to Mieruko and smiled brightly. "Yotsuya-san's grandmother sprained her waist, right? Is she still in the countryside now?"
"Yes, my aunt back home is taking care of her." Mieruko didn't quite understand why Ryu asked this.
"She is Little Black's owner. As expected, we should still seek your grandmother's opinion, right?"
Ryu said warmly, "It just so happens that my company has recently developed a type of Power Suit that can reduce the pain of rehabilitation for patients and make daily life more convenient.
If Yotsuya-san's grandmother doesn't mind, would she be interested in participating in our volunteer activity to try out the effect of the Power Suit?
Of course, this is absolutely safe, without any danger or side effects."
"Eh? Is that okay?"
Mieruko couldn't hide her surprise. Although she could maintain composure in front of Ryu, that was purely because her nerves had been trained to be relatively coarse. In reality, she was very clear about Ryu's status and position.
Let alone the name "Kuse," just a single promise from Ryu held credibility far exceeding a countryside hospital. She really had no reason to refuse!
"Then it's decided. It just so happens there are still a few days before 'Fairy Dance.' Can Mieruko-san take me back to the countryside to visit your grandmother?"
"No problem, I'll tell Mom about this right now!"
Little Black's ears suddenly twitched, seemingly concerned as well.
—Ding!
[Destiny Coin (Cat Hozuki) +1]!
As expected, it's the grandmother's issue!
This black cat's destiny is closely linked to the grandmother. Its regard for the grandmother is even above annual salary and pension!
Only by taking good care of that old lady can I make it work for me with dead-set loyalty!
Good! It turned out to be a cat with a weakness. Now it will be easy to order around!
Ryu laughed secretly, admiring his own amazing business intuition, able to accurately control the material and spiritual needs of every living being...
Wait!
Something's not right... What does "Cat Hozuki" mean? Does it have another name?
Ryu rubbed his chin in confusion.
***
Since Ryu was going on a long trip, Ruri naturally accompanied him to serve him. And for some reason, Chika also wanted to join in the fun. So, everyone formed a five-person team (plus a cat) and arrived at Mieruko's hometown.
By the way, the Tabletop Gaming Club members, who also loved to play, didn't come this time. According to them, their rank was too low and they really couldn't match such high-level god-tier players, choosing instead to hole up in their homes and spend the day with cards and gaming helmets.
This wasn't strange. After all, when they went to the mountains for a test of courage last time, they encountered something like a "mysterious beast attacking the team."
Although the truth was covered up by the Kuse family, as witnesses, they knew the facts weren't that simple. After all, Mieruko's talk about gods and ghosts had been said right to their faces...
However, Chika still laughed at them before leaving:
"How is it possible to encounter supernatural events every time? You guys are too cautious!"
She, Fujiwara Chika, was a woman who planned to vacation at Mount Osore. A mere one or two accidents couldn't scare her!
Moreover, this time they were going to a countryside town, not some inaccessible deep mountain forest.
Absolutely nothing would happen~
—Ryu just brought along Miss Fujiwara, who was behaving like an old general on a theater stage covered in flags.
Actually, he had similar thoughts. After all, it was a residential area. No matter how rural, it was impossible for fierce ghosts to run rampant; otherwise, Mieruko's hometown would have been depopulated long ago.
"Woohoo... As expected, the air in the countryside is fresh~"
"Chika had best watch her tone. The more rural it is, the less they want to hear the sanctimonious words of city people."
"Ruri-chan is actually harsher than me... By the way, Ruri-chan doesn't use honorifics with me at all now." Chika was very happy. "This means our relationship has gone a step further, right?"
"Yes." Ruri gave a rare gentle smile. Those familiar with her knew how rare this was.
Chika was even more moved, but she didn't notice the strange expressions of Ryu and Mieruko on the side.
Needless to say for Ryu, even Mieruko sensed during the journey that the relationship between the two had undergone a subtle change. And Ruri's attitude... was obviously just the tolerance of a victor.
But seeing Chika so happy, it was better not to tell her.
"I'm hungry~"
"We spent quite a lot of time on the road."
"Find a place to eat first?"
"I want to eat Ramen!"
Clutching her stomach, Chika was the first to raise her hand, shouting out a dish that Japanese girls would almost never attempt—that stuff was heavy in oil and salt, generally only liked by male office workers.
"Ramen... is there any around here?"
"Ah! Over there, over there! Look, there's a noodle stall!"
"That's Soba, isn't it?"
"It's all about the same stuff~"
Apologize to Ramen chefs all over the world!
—Ryu glared at Chika.
But in the end, he couldn't do anything about this fickle-minded childhood friend and followed her to the noodle stall cart under the dim streetlamp.
"Meow?"
Little Black squinted at the cart, licked its paws, and followed.
________________________________________
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