Chapter 5: Are You The Boss Here? (2)

What is the most important thing for a stray cat to survive?  

Strength?  

Even if a cat is strong, in this world, even a tiger is just treated like a big cat.  

I mean, there are plenty of humans who can knock out a tiger with their bare fists, right?  

Intelligence?  

Even if a cat is smart, it’s still just a cat.  

No matter how cunning they are, they can’t outsmart humans.  

Well, it might be different if you’re a reincarnated soul like me, but…  

Looks?  

This one actually helps a lot.  

Just look at me—my appearance alone makes me look like a cat that could’ve been raised in a noble household.  

No one could deny that I’ve benefited from my looks, even if they held a knife to their throat.  

The answer is…’instinct.’  

Even if you lack everything else, as long as you have good instincts, you won’t starve as a cat.  

If you just avoid causing trouble in the wrong places, the can openers (humans) will bring you food themselves!  

Of course, extracting food from humans requires a certain level of skill.  

For example…  

“Hey, where’s the place with the most food around here?”  

“Uh…that long, narrow hole over there! The house with the hole was giving off a lot of delicious smells!”  

I turned my gaze to where the cat was pointing with its paw and saw a two-story building with smoke rising from its chimney.  

It wasn’t too far, and when I walked to the edge of the roof and looked down, I saw a sign that read “Goose Inn.”  

“Are there any other cats around there?”  

“There’s a trio of gray cats!”  

“A trio?”  

“Yeah! They’re under Blackie’s command, and they’ve claimed the area around that inn…”  

“Blackie’s underlings, huh.”  

If I beat them up and drive them away, will Blackie come looking for me?  

That would make things easier.  

Once I deal with Blackie, the others will naturally fall in line under me.  

Of course, as someone who’s just planning to enjoy a comfortable life at the Pelisec Academy, leading a group sounds like a hassle…  

But three cats might be a bit much.  

Even with my experience, taking on three cats of similar size in a fight wouldn’t be easy.  

Asking this guy for help isn’t a wise choice either.  

Bringing along someone who’s practically useless in a fight would just be a liability.  

He might even get scared and stab me in the back.  

The world of cats is full of betrayal and schemes…  

“I need to get a weapon.”  

Something that can take down all three of them at once.  

“A weapon? What’s that? Is it food?”  

“You wouldn’t understand.”  

One thing I’ve learned in my long three-year life as a cat is that showing is better than explaining when it comes to cats.  

They don’t really understand the concept of weapons.  

At the very least, they only get it when they’re beaten with one.  

“Let’s head down first.”  

Strike while the iron is hot—once you’ve made a decision, act on it immediately.  

Hesitation will only lead to you lying cold on the ground in this world.  

I jumped down from the roof.  

———————

“Big bro, we haven’t seen any rats lately.”  

“It’s because the humans chased them all away.”  

“I’m hungry…”  

Recently, the humans brought in some stick-wielding humans and cleaned out the alley next to the inn.  

Now, there’s not a single rat in sight.  

For the trio, who had been living comfortably by hunting rats and scavenging food waste from the inn, this was a big problem.  

But raiding the inn?  

That would just turn them into the same kind of scraps they used to hunt a few days later.  

True to their survival instincts, the trio didn’t even dare to think about it.  

“What should we do? It’s tough to invade other cats’ territories…”  

“Should we try going into the inn?”  

“Bro, we’d all die if we did that!”  

“Big bro, but we can’t just stay like this forever!”  

The trio hissed at each other, each voicing their opinions.  

They needed to find a way out, no matter what.  

But how?  

The city where Pelisec Academy was located was home to countless cats.  

That meant their territories were tightly packed.  

If they invaded another cat’s territory just because they were hungry, it would mean war.  

The trio’s worries deepened, but they couldn’t come up with a solution.  

Just as their concerns were reaching a peak, an uninvited guest appeared.  

“Why is that guy here?”  

“What’s with the pure white one next to him?”  

“Big bro, do you think they have any food?”  

The trio narrowed their eyes and slowly approached the two cats.  

The brown cat froze stiff as the trio got closer, its eyes darting around nervously.  

But the pure white cat didn’t even glance at them, sitting proudly by the inn’s entrance with its head held high.  

“Is that guy crazy? If he goes over there, the humans will…”  

Memories of past encounters flashed through the trio’s minds, their faces twisting with PTSD.  

But as if mocking them, the pure white cat let out a loud meow right in the middle of the humans.  

“Meow.”  

The cute sound immediately drew the attention of the people coming in and out of the inn.  

“Look at that cat! It looks like it belongs to a noble family.”  

“It’s so pretty!”  

“Look at its eyes—they’re heterochromatic!”  

How could anyone not be drawn to a pure white cat with heterochromatic eyes?  

People, especially women, started reaching out to the cat.  

Its well-groomed white fur, its lovable appearance, and the way it rubbed against their hands and even purred!  

“Look at this little one!”  

“So cute!”  

The women were completely smitten, especially when the cat added some playful pawing to its act.  

“Here, kitty, do you want this?”  

The women started offering food—jerky, soup from the inn, meat, cookies.  

In no time, a plate was piled high with food.  

The cat’s extreme cuteness and charm had paid off.  

Then, the white cat subtly called over the brown cat and pushed the plate toward it with its paw.  

“Look at this! It’s sharing with its friend!”  

When something cute does something considerate, the joy doubles.  

The two cats filled their bellies without much effort.  

Meanwhile, from atop the wall, the trio watched the scene with growing anger.  

“That…that guy’s stealing all our food!”  

“Let’s chase them out right now, big bro!”  

“Bro, do you see all those humans gathered there? If we start a fight, we’ll get beaten to death!”  

The eldest, who still had some sense of reason, stopped his brothers and glared at the white cat.  

‘How dare they invade our territory…?’  

It was an unspoken rule among cats not to invade each other’s territories.  

The only thing waiting for those who broke that rule was death.  

“Bro, when that guy’s alone…”  

“Got it.”  

The trio exchanged sinister glances at the white cat.  

A few hours later, as the sun set and the time for nocturnal animals began, the cat that had been basking in human affection at the inn’s entrance boldly walked into the alley.  

‘Stupid fool.’  

It couldn’t have not known the trio was there, yet it walked right into their territory!  

From the shadows of the alley, three pairs of eyes glowed yellow.  

Now…it was time for a lesson.  

“You, you dare…?”  

Before the eldest could finish, the white cat stood up on its hind legs like a human.  

The trio froze, staring in confusion at the bizarre sight.  

“Hey, aren’t you Blackie’s underlings?”  

The white cat walked toward them on two legs, speaking like a human.  

The trio exchanged bewildered glances.  

They were supposed to subdue this guy, but…there was an intimidating aura coming from the way it walked on two legs.  

And in its front paws…  

‘?’  

Two sharp bone fragments.  

The broken ends of chicken bones, sharp and glinting in the moonlight.  

How it was holding them with its paws was beyond comprehension, but the fact that the sharp ends were pointed at them was unsettling.  

What the hell?  

Does it think it’s human?  

How were they supposed to deal with a cat acting like this?  

The eldest (4 years old), who had seen his fair share of battles, was too stunned to speak.  

“Do you want to fight me and have two of you die? Or do you want to talk?”  

The greasy bone fragments in the cat’s paws gleamed under the moonlight.  

If they got stabbed by those, there’d be no escaping death.  

For stray cats with no way to treat injuries, even a small wound could be fatal.  

Even if this guy was just bluffing and was actually weak, a single scratch could mean the end.  

The eldest’s brow furrowed.  

“Big bro, what do we do?”  

The younger brothers looked at him anxiously.  

After a brief moment of eye contact with the white cat, the eldest made his decision.  

“Brothers, I think we’ve been too tense.”  

“Big bro?”  

In the wild, only the most perceptive survive.  

Rather than fighting a crazy cat that acts like a human, it’s better to get some food and talk things out.