Undoubtedly, Orca is the most perfect can opener in the world.
She perfectly embodies the three essential elements of a can opener.
First, personality.
Though she may appear cold on the outside, she has a deeply affectionate nature.
Once you earn her trust, she would never harm you.
Second, status.
She’s the eldest daughter of the renowned Linnaeus family.
Would anyone dare touch the cat that the young lady of such a prestigious family adores?
It would be suicide.
Third, money.
As the saying goes, even a servant should serve a noble household.
How could the daughter of a border count possibly lack money?
If she wanted, she could bring 100 Churus everyday and still have money to spare!
But does Churu even exist in this world?
I’d love to try it if it does.
In my past life, I was curious about cats who were obsessed with Churu.
What could be so delicious about it that they’d rush to it as if it were some kind of drug?
As a cat, I couldn’t help but wonder!
Even if it doesn’t exist, Orca could probably create it with her money!
For these reasons, I planned to make Orca my loyal can opener.
To live a comfortable life as a tiger, I needed a wealthy, cat-loving, and reliable patron—no, a sponsor.
The first step was to give Orca an opportunity to make friends.
The so-called cold, calm, and ruthless Orca showing this side of herself?
It’s all part of the plan.
Even if the plan doesn’t have a flashy name, nothing could be more precise than this.
To both her fellow knight academy students and those she meets in the liberal arts department, Orca is seen that way.
The core of this operation was to shatter that image of Orca.
“Will this really work?”
“Don’t worry, just go get some sleep.”
It’s more important to act naturally than to overthink the plan.
She shouldn’t be aware of my approach.
I planned to sneak in as quietly as possible.
“Nine… who were you talking to?”
“Can Opener No. 2.”
“No. 2?”
“The one who’ll bring us our daily sustenance.”
“Form?”
“I’m talking about food.”
“Food! Can I eat more?!”
“Yes, but don’t overeat.”
Even though Pig-cat is cute in her own way, managing her health is tough.
If she eats everything she’s given and gets sick, there’s no solution.
I left the brown-furred one, who was jumping with joy, and curled up.
The operation was set to begin during the day, so I needed to sleep now to avoid any hiccups.
———–
“Yesterday, I went to a restaurant in the capital—”
“Did you hear? Feo went out with Leira yesterday—”
“A massive new student joined the theology department. They say he’s bigger than the knight academy students!”
The classroom, now relaxed after lectures, was filled with the chatter of students.
“The magic department has too much homework.”
“The knight academy trains even after dinner.”
“The theology department has nighttime prayers too. Ugh.”
Complaints, rumors, and sleepy murmurs intertwined in the classroom.
Though the room was buzzing with chatter, one seat remained as quiet as if surrounded by a barrier.
‘When will she come…?’
Orca stared blankly at a book with an expressionless face.
It was a romance novel she borrowed from the library.
Though it was far from her usual taste, she had chosen it after much deliberation, hoping that reading a romance novel might attract someone to approach her.
But just because a lion plays with a toy doesn’t mean it becomes a cat.
Naturally, her territorial barrier showed no signs of breaking.
Even the knights from her family couldn’t breach it, so how could mere students?
As a result, rumors like [Does Orca really wear bear-print panties?] were floating among the students, but no one dared to confirm their truth.
It’s hard enough to ask such a question to a normal noble lady, let alone Orca.
Approaching her was the real challenge.
Afraid that speaking up might result in a demonstration of Orca’s swordsmanship, everyone kept their mouths shut.
Thus, Orca remained unaware of such rumors.
‘Nine… when will she come?’
Her eyes, fixed on the text, occasionally darted to the classroom door before returning—four times in total.
Three minutes had passed since the break started.
Though she had a leisurely 15 minutes, Orca’s heart was gradually filling with anxiety.
‘Did I misremember? Maybe it’s actually tomorrow…’
Just then.
“Huh? Amy, look at that cat!”
“Why is the garden cat here?”
“Look at that pure white fur. Whoever owns it must take really good care of it.”
“I’ve never seen this pattern before… which family’s cat is it?”
The classroom’s attention instantly shifted to the cat that appeared at the back door.
A cat with snow-white fur.
Its lush, fluffy fur made it look as if it were evaluating the students in the classroom as it sat at the entrance, glancing around.
“Come here~”
“Hey kitty, want this?”
“Do you think that’ll make the cat come? Here, kitty kitty~”
A cute cat attracts attention wherever it goes.
The classroom quickly filled with calls to the cat.
But the white cat, with an aloof expression, seemed to ignore the numerous calls, only looking around.
As the cat showed no interest, the students’ enthusiasm began to wane.
‘Time to make my move.’
A seasoned tiger never acts rashly.
Nine walked gracefully toward Orca, who was glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.
“Is that cat heading toward Lady Linnaeus?”
“Shouldn’t we stop it?”
“Y-yes, someone stop it quickly.”
“Since Lady Jane brought it up…”
Everyone was worried about the cat approaching the orca’s territory, but no one dared to step forward.
Sweat began to form on everyone’s faces.
They feared the cat might suffer harm from Orca.
As the classroom focused on Nine’s approach, she nonchalantly breached Orca’s territory and approached her.
“Meow.”
Under the gaze of many, Orca and Nine stared at each other.
It was a rehearsed act, so all they had to do was follow the script.
‘Why are so many people watching…?’
Even for Orca, being the center of attention among her peers wasn’t easy.
Her body stiffened.
More intensely than when she’d been paralyzed by a monster’s venom.
“Meow.”
‘What are you doing? Hurry up!’
Originally, she was supposed to pet my head and back to show off our friendship, then rub her cheek against my hand to complete the “Orca is also a girl” operation.
But now she’s frozen like a statue!
What’s she planning to do!
The classroom was engulfed in a tension so thick it felt like it could peel skin.
Orca continued her staring contest with Nine, still clutching her book.
‘Ugh.’
Tsk, tsk.
“W-what do we do? Should we pull her away now…?”
“Even the ruthless Lady Linnaeus wouldn’t harm an innocent cat, right…?”
Even as they whispered, their faces full of doubt, it was hard to believe their own words.
Hearing the murmurs, Nine sensed the situation was going awry.
Who would’ve thought Orca would freeze up from excessive tension?
‘Is this still not enough?’
She’s not a rookie soldier dropped into a battlefield, so why is she so nervous?
Orca’s face was as stiff as a statue.
Enough to make children burst into tears on sight.
At this rate, the carefully planned operation would end in failure.
‘Do I need to be bolder?’
As a seasoned tiger, crossing the line is usually a no-go.
But this is a once-in-a-lifetime big business opportunity.
For the sake of business, this must succeed!
With that thought, Nine leaped from her chair toward Orca.
“Nine?!”
“Meow—”
Changing the plan to sitting on Orca’s lap to further emphasize her girlish side!
As Nine landed on Orca’s lap, she let out a spirited meow.
‘Uh, uh, uh, what do I do?’
The soft, fluffy sensation pressing against her lap.
Orca’s hand moved unconsciously to her shoulder.
“N-Nine? This is…”
“Hurry up and pet me. And smile.”
The final chance urged Orca on.
Orca nodded with a determined expression at Nine’s whisper and placed her hand on Nine’s body.
Now all she had to do was smile and pet her.
An awkward smile appeared on Orca’s face.
The students held their breath at the sight, and then Orca’s hand began to move.
“Haaah!”
And then Nine bolted out of the classroom.
All that remained was a clump of fur in Orca’s hand.
‘I used too much force…’
In her nervousness, she had pulled out a chunk of Nine’s fur.
“How could she do such a thing…”
“To pull out a handful of fur just because it sat on her lap… how cruel…”
As everyone was horrified by Orca’s cruelty, Orca stared blankly at the clump of fur in her hand.
‘I… I should return it, right…?’
In her daze, she forgot that the lost fur wouldn’t grow back.”