“It’s a power struggle over the Academy…”
That’s how I summarized the information I extracted from the three brothers.
Clearly, the Academy seems like a honey pot.
As long as you don’t cause trouble and just act cute, you can always eat your fill at the Academy.
Unlike dogs, the expectations for affection from cats are lower, making it a highly profitable job with minimal effort.
So, Academy coins are safe assets.
Back alley coins or house cat coins, on the other hand, are more likely to plummet over time.
Back alleys could collapse at any moment, and house cats could fall into ruin if they end up with the wrong owner.
Here, there’s no concept like 21st-century animal hoarders or anything like that.
It’s a cold world where no one cares about the lives of mere cats.
That’s why everyone wants to become a “Jam tiger” at the Academy.
Rather than hunting for food every day, the Academy, where “can openers” voluntarily offer food, is an attractive place.
But… having too many cats is also a problem.
When there are too many cats, issues inevitably arise.
Cats might poop everywhere, destroy flowers, or leave caught birds or rats unattended.
In such situations, some students might start advocating for driving out or dealing with the cats.
“So, where’s Blackie?”
“He’s near a small gap where you can enter the Academy.”
“And One-Eye?”
“On the opposite side.”
“Pretty close, huh.”
If you mess with one side, the other will react too.
If I play this situation right, I might be able to easily enter the Academy.
So, shall we get started?
“I’m leaving, so take care of yourselves.”
“…Thanks for sharing the food. But can I ask you something?”
The eldest called out to me as I was about to leave.
“What do you want to ask?”
Questions, questions.
I have no intention of sharing any secrets.
I turned my head to look at the eldest.
He met my gaze with sharp eyes and asked,
“What’s your name?”
“My name?”
“Yeah. You seem like you’re going to be a big deal soon. I’d like to know your name.”
My name.
What should it be?
Only the old man ever called me by something resembling a name.
And even then, he always called me “this kid” or “Yonseok.”
After a moment of thought,
I opened my mouth.
“…Call me Nine Nine.”
Nine Lives.
Like the legend that cats have nine lives, I’ll stubbornly survive in this world.
Until I live out my natural lifespan!
———————-
According to the brown-furred cat and the three brothers, there’s only one hole through which cats can enter and exit the Academy.
Given that these guys rarely leave their territory, it’s unlikely there’s another hole elsewhere, but dealing with that would be a headache, so I’ll exclude it for now.
“Hey, hey… it’s here, Nine.”
So, this dumpster-filled vacant lot is the only entrance?
I gazed at the vacant lot shrouded in darkness from a distance.
A small door in the wall.
And a little further, a hole.
Why hasn’t it been sealed?
Frankly, this is one of the wealthiest academies in the world.
If they wanted, they could seal this hole in less than ten minutes.
Is there some intention behind it?
Or maybe the hole isn’t visible from the inside.
……Well, I’ll find out once I go in.
I said to the brown-furred cat trembling beside me,
“I’m going in, so you can either hide or follow as you please.”
This guy’s usefulness has run its course.
But since I’m not a cruel cat who unnecessarily spills blood, I roughly let the brown-furred cat go and stepped into Blackie’s territory.
“Stop. Who are you to dare step into my territory?”
Oh ho.
So, you have some authority as the leader, huh.
I turned my head toward the direction of the low, husky growl.
“Are you Blackie?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“The information they gave me was correct.”
“…You have the guts to enter my territory alone.”
Sharp gazes.
One, two, three, four, five…
Seven.
That’s quite a few.
And judging by their fierce eyes, they’re seasoned fighters.
If I mess around, I might not even leave with my bones intact.
Since I don’t want an early retirement in my second life, I subtly rolled my eyes.
This dumpster area is quite large.
At least large enough that seven cats couldn’t fully occupy it.
And the fact that these guys are near the hole means there’s a high chance One-Eye’s group is watching us.
If I play this situation right, I might be able to enter the Academy without much trouble.
“You’re using such a large area all by yourselves? That’s not fair.”
“State your business. If you’re here to challenge me…”
“Impatient, aren’t you?”
This is why cats are no good.
They’re already crouching, ready to pounce.
I raised a paw to stop Blackie, who looked ready to leap at any moment, and asked in the most cunning voice I could muster,
“You’re having a lot of trouble with One-Eye, aren’t you?”
“…Is that all you have to say?”
“You guys want to enter the Academy and live a life of luxury, right?”
“Luxury?”
Ah, these guys wouldn’t know idioms.
“You want to live a life where you’re well-fed and warm, right? Not scraping by in this dumpster, digging through trash.”
In the end, the reason they form groups and fight over this hole is to live a comfortable life.
“And One-Eye is in the way of that.”
Simply put, that’s it.
To become a “Chamtiger,” you need to be perceptive.
You need to be cute enough to receive affection but never draw too much attention.
For example, don’t meow unnecessarily at night or injure Academy students.
If you do that, instead of a comfortable life, this pile of trash will become your grave.
But with two factions in a stalemate, if one side enters first, the other will interfere.
They both know this, so until one side is completely removed, entering the Academy is impossible.
“You speak as if you have a good solution.”
“Well, I do.”
“Tell me.”
“First, let me ask, is One-Eye strong, or are you strong?”
“At least I’m not weaker.”
At least he’s not showing baseless confidence, as expected of a seasoned fighter.
That’s a relief.
If he were hot-blooded, persuasion would be difficult, and even if persuaded, there’s no guarantee he’d execute the plan properly.
“How about their numbers? Are there more?”
“No, it’s the same as ours.”
No numerical advantage.
But at least they’re not outmatched in strength.
“Then that’s perfect.”
The fact that they’re in a stalemate means their strengths are evenly matched.
If a clash would result in mutual destruction, it’s better for one side to create a favorable situation.
“Now, listen to me…”
I took my eyes off the nail in the corner of my vision and began to slowly explain my plan to Blackie.
————————-
In the dead of night, a group of cats hurriedly crossed the dumpster.
Their urgent movements inevitably drew attention, so the other leader cat in the dumpster let out a nervous hiss.
“What’s this? Aren’t you leaving?”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that. We’re in the middle of escaping. I suggest you run too.”
The black-furred cat and the yellow-furred cat with a scar over one eye glared at each other.
The atmosphere was tense, as if a fight could break out at any moment.
But Blackie, with no intention of fighting, spoke in a calm voice.
“If we stay here, we might all die. We need to stop fighting and find a way out.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
One-Eye glared at Blackie, clearly not understanding.
It’s only natural.
They suddenly started making a ruckus at dawn, and now they’re saying we need to escape.
Blackie calmly addressed One-Eye’s confusion.
[Can’t you stop the dog from barking!]
“Humans are rummaging through the dumpster, causing chaos.”
“What?”
“This is no joke. Our youngest was caught and killed by them. They’re coming this way, so we need to run.”
A mysterious voice echoed through the dumpster.
Followed by the screams of cats and the sound of things crashing, making One-Eye’s fur stand on end.
“R-really, humans?”
Though he couldn’t understand the words, One-Eye sensed that the voice resembled that of a human.
[Orca panties are bear panties!]
“Do you think I’d lie? We need to run now!”
Finally, Blackie’s persuasion began to show urgency.
“Everyone! Get ready to run!”
[What else should I say? Hey, you cat punks, let’s sleep!]
As soon as One-Eye yowled, a loud noise struck the dumpster, as if telling them to shut up.
Startled, the cats jumped and began scattering in all directions.
Naturally, One-Eye was among them.
Blackie quietly followed behind One-Eye.
How long did they run?
As the noise from the dumpster gradually faded from their 30g brains, One-Eye felt a chill and instinctively looked back.
“You!”
A female cat’s scream echoed through the night air.