Chapter 22: So Who Is The Main Character? (1)

“That kid, you’re eating really well.”

It’s only natural for a street-smart cat like me to eat whatever is given.

But I didn’t expect a person to change so much in just a week.

It just goes to show that effort pays off.

It’s been two days since the long negotiations with the gardener, Barristan.

As I devoured the milk and pieces of meat Barristan brought me in a bowl, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction at the changes that had taken place.

The gardener’s attitude changed.

The students who came back to give me food.

Thanks to them, my stomach was full more often than it was empty.

…Should I start dieting soon?

If I keep eating like this, it’s obvious I’ll become a fat cat, so it might be good to cut back on food a bit and increase my exercise.

Some might think it’s only natural for a street cat to become a chubby cat, but I’m not one of them.

I don’t want to shorten my already short lifespan.

And if I become a fat cat, I won’t be able to move when I really need to.

Even for a cat, being overweight makes you sluggish.

And… There’s an owl living next to the garden who really hates fat creatures.

There’s nothing more dangerous than being labeled as lazy by Airops, so it’s better to manage myself.

“Delicious!”

“Ugh, you’re such a mess.”

You’re really excited now that food is pouring in, huh?

I sighed as I watched the brown fur munching on pieces of meat while being petted by the students.

I should put that guy on a diet too.

No objections allowed.

I can’t be the only one suffering… 

No, it’s because if that brown fur, who’s in worse health than me, keeps stuffing himself with food like that, he’ll end up as a former cat.

Well, more importantly, the garden cleanup is almost done, so it’s time to observe the flow again.

I really don’t want to get caught up in any incidents while living a comfortable life here.

I should keep an eye out and slip away if it looks like things are going to spill over into the garden.

Act 1 is still in the early stages, so it shouldn’t be too threatening, but…

I’ve already got Orca on my side, so if things get complicated, I can always throw her into the mix to wrap things up.

…But why haven’t I seen the graduate student?

Is he busy with research?

Well, he’ll show up when the time comes.

After watching the pitiful sight of the brown fur being petted, I jumped down from the bench.

“Hey, I’m going for a quick walk.”

“See you later~”

Listen to that lazy voice.

He’ll probably be lying down answering like that soon.

I felt like smacking the back of his head for his insolence, but I decided to let it go.

If I hit him in front of people, it’ll only hurt my reputation.

At least I should maintain a minimal image, so I’ll deal with him when I get back.

I left the brown fur behind and headed to the Knight Department.

Ugh, the smell of sweat.

Did I come here for nothing?

I sat on the edge of the training ground where the Knight Department students were having outdoor classes and stared blankly at the scene.

“Your spirit is weak! Louder!”

“Yes!”

“James! Who taught you to hold a sword like that!”

“Sorry!”

Their voices are really loud.

Enough to make my ears hurt.

But where’s Orca?

Rolling my eyes, I scanned the training ground and found Orca swinging her sword in a corner.

Why aren’t you in class, doing that all by yourself?

Ah, did you get told you’re too advanced?

Most of the Knight Department students have had early training, but few have as much real combat experience as Orca.

The teacher probably finds it hard to teach her since her basics are perfect, and if they move on to advanced stuff, they’d have to neglect the other students.

Plus, if Orca joined the ranks, the other students would feel pressured.

Not to mention, there are quite a few female students here, as expected in a world full of geeks…

“Isn’t it beautiful to see them sweating for their training?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

When did this guy show up?

I glanced at Airops, who spoke in a friendly tone, and then turned my gaze back.

I expected to run into him, but he’s even friendlier than I thought.

“How about you join them? You look like you could use some muscle.”

“I have enough muscle.”

“Hmm…?”

Don’t scan my body.

I may look small, but I’m quite sturdy. Still, there’s no way I have as much muscle as that guy is shouting about.

I’m a cat, after all.

It’s unfair to compare me to bigger creatures.

Cats are all about flexibility.

“Airops, who stands out in this batch?”

I threw out a question to pique Airops’s interest.

Since I’ll be spending time with him here, it’s good to build some rapport.

The others have a shady side, making it hard to get close, but not this guy.

There’s the small but serious issue of him seeing cats as prey, but the brown fur and I have been acknowledged, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

…Well, the brown fur might be a bit at risk.

Anyway, in a situation where there’s plenty of food, I hope they won’t bother us.

If I want to completely escape the threat, gaining weight is nearly impossible, so building friendships is the way to go.

“Hmm, if I had to pick one, it would be the young orca. Excluding the orca—”

He seriously listed a few unfamiliar names.

Some sounded vaguely familiar, but since I couldn’t really remember them, they must have been extras.

“…That’s about it. Even excluding the orca, it’s not a bad batch.”

“A good year, huh?”

I heard this batch is pretty strong in the original story.

Since the protagonist is in this batch, they might be hyped up a bit, but…

“It’s a decent batch.”

“I see.”

I continued the conversation while watching Orca.

Honestly, this isn’t the scene I wanted.

If Orca were the protagonist, this wouldn’t have happened.

She would have either kicked out the instructor and taken over, or become the Knight Department representative by now.

I was half-convinced since the incident where she took my fur, but today she completely erased any doubt.

Unfortunately.

From my perspective, it would have been best if Orca were the protagonist.

It would have been a straightforward shonen manga story.

Defeating a lion-family senior who acts all high and mighty, uniting the first-years with her charisma, sneaking into the arena to solve a friend’s problem…

Sigh.

Whatever.

I should go check out the others.

“I’m going to head out.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

“Just going to check out the other departments.”

I need to figure out who the protagonist is soon, or things are going to get really annoying.

Swallowing my words, I headed to the Magic Department.

“Oh my… What brings you here?”

Don’t act all friendly while subtly trying to wrap around me.

I nimbly climbed up Selene’s body and perched on her head.

“Oh my.”

“I came to tour the Magic Department.”

“A tour, you say? What an interesting choice of words.”

Selene chuckled ominously, as if she found something amusing.

Is it really that funny for a cat to come on a tour?

It is unusual, though.

“Any standout freshmen?”

“Standout freshmen… There’s a pink-haired girl and a red-haired girl who caught my eye.”

The protagonist and the rival, huh.

So no one else stands out, I guess.

“Did the pink-haired one come to see you?”

“The pink-haired one? If she had that much sense, she wouldn’t be wandering alone.”

“Hmm.”

So it’s not Alice?

Still, it’s better to check for myself.

Nothing is more certain than me, who knows the original story, verifying it.

I gracefully jumped down from Selene’s head.

“Leaving already?”

“Yeah. I’m a bit busy.”

I need to find the protagonist quickly so I can relax and enjoy watching the events unfold.

“Hehe, take care.”

With Selene’s farewell, I walked toward the Magic Department classrooms.

Time to go see Alice.

“Ah, little one.”

“Huh?”

Selene called out to me as if she had something to say.

“You’re an interesting kid, so as a senior, I’ll give you a tip!”

“Huh?”

“Fate reacts sensitively to even the smallest changes.”

“…What?”

I stared at Selene, puzzled by her cryptic words.

Selene was smiling.

A creepy smile.

“Hehe, off you go now.”

…What is she talking about?

I shook my head to shake off the unease and headed to the classroom where Alice would be.