Ch.78Whyyyyy Meoooow

#

“Meow.”

After swallowing that parasite creature, I developed a very peculiar ability.

Doppelganger… no, perhaps division.

I can create a monster about the size of an ordinary cat.

This monster, created by using a portion of my core as if cutting it off, is Homicide-rank.

A black cat with no special abilities, just physical capabilities.

It doesn’t attack humans because it shares my thoughts.

It’s truly a useless ability.

Creating a Homicide-rank monster by reducing my power doesn’t accomplish much.

However, there are ways to utilize it.

Just as Experiment No. 3 shared consciousness with the parasites, I can share the vision of my divided cat.

If I detach and transfer part of my power, we can couple our spatial manipulation abilities to travel great distances.

Since I regain my power when I reabsorb the divided cat… if I scatter cats throughout the city, I could appear at monster scenes faster than any alarm system.

Intrigued by this division ability, I created and reabsorbed small cats daily.

Separating my core to create a cat was quite challenging, limiting me to one cat per day.

If I become accustomed to it and can quickly divide into many cats at once, it might not be such a bad ability.

“Wh-wh-what is that? A b-baby? Are you giving birth?”

While practicing my ability…

Starlight had an unusually extreme reaction to the cat monster that appeared while I was licking a tube of cat treats squeezed into a large container.

The smell of excitement, wide eyes, rough breathing.

“Wh-what is this? It’s actually cute! Isn’t this too much? How is it any different from a regular cat?”

“Meow.”

Starlight picked up the cat monster by its scruff.

Seeing her arbitrarily handling a part of me, I reabsorbed the cat monster back into my body.

“Ah, aah…! I-I was just going to touch it a little!”

“Growl.”

The smell of lies.

No matter how I looked at it, that was the gaze of someone trying to take it home.

The divided monster is weak… it couldn’t resist even if Starlight picked it up, and I might lose part of my power completely if something went wrong with such an insignificant monster.

It’s a flawed ability in many ways.

“…So, we’re planning to treat the remaining infected people. I heard Electris will come to W City again for that… this time she’ll stay quiet. It’s an unofficial schedule anyway.”

“Meowwwl.”

Starlight grilled expensive meat for me while talking about what she’s been doing lately.

It didn’t feel like she particularly wanted me to listen, just that she needed to vent somewhere.

I half-listened while eating the melt-in-your-mouth beef.

“Also, A City said they’d help build a giant cat tower in W City if you want one. Would you like that?”

“Hisss!”

Why do they keep treating me like a cat?

I hissed and refused because I’m not a cat, which left Starlight bewildered.

“If you hate cat towers so much, why do you keep making them by sticking metal pipes into buildings and playing on them…?”

“Meowwwl.”

“Just speak normally.”

[That’s not making cat towers.]

“Then what is it?”

[Hmm.]

Well, what is it… a game of sticking construction materials into tall buildings?

The fun of watching heroes get annoyed because they can’t dismantle what I’ve embedded into buildings through phasing?

An important ritual that partially satisfies my monster instincts?

Come to think of it, I don’t really know why I do it either.

“No matter how I look at it, you’re a cat, so I don’t understand why you hate being treated like one…”

“Meowwwl.”

“Wait! Hey! Don’t sharpen your claws there!”

Starlight’s palm struck my head as I sharpened my claws on the concrete floor.

Ignoring the non-lethal impact, I continued scratching, causing the concrete surface to peel off.

“Damn it, I’ll have to file for repairs again! Go sharpen your claws on the dirt by the stream over there!”

“Meow.”

She doesn’t understand—that’s too soft and doesn’t feel good on my claws.

In truth, as a monster, I don’t need to sharpen my claws.

I just do it because it feels good.

After finishing the meat, I stretched out and yawned, and Starlight seized the opportunity to stroke my back.

“That cat from earlier—should you not take it out elsewhere?”

“Growl?”

“There are a lot of strange people around these days who would really try to take it if you brought it out.”

“Meow.”

She’s right—W City has become filled with strange people lately.

If information about my division ability spreads, my divided cat monsters might get kidnapped as soon as I create them.

Given that this ability has the critical weakness of potentially reducing my power permanently, it’s best not to use it in front of people.

“And next time, please let me know before you go wandering off to other cities… Wait! Hold on! I wasn’t done petting you!”

I escaped from Starlight’s hand and jumped off the rooftop.

Now that I’m full, maybe I’ll go look for some work.

There are many jobs these days cleaning up traces of bug monsters left throughout the city.

#

[Damn, I want to line up all those Wae-ong faction bastards in the park and slap each one as I walk by.]

[Every time I hear the Wae-ongs talking nonsense, I just want to grab a bat.]

Researchers from other cities trying to study Black Cat, citizens visiting out of curiosity, government officials trying to lure Black Cat to their cities by promising cat towers or designated destruction zones.

Citizens called these people the Wae-ong faction, meaning outsiders who try to bother Black Cat.

“Capture Black Cat! Dissect Black Cat!”

“W City citizens, wake up!”

“Monsters must die!”

“It’s selfish for only W City to benefit!”

The Wae-ong faction members from various cities clumsily chased after Black Cat, irritating W City citizens who were quietly observing Black Cat.

After returning from killing bug monsters, Black Cat fled back to the rooftops to avoid the commotion, while the Wae-ong faction busied themselves marching and protesting in W City’s parks.

“Shoot Black Cat!”

“Lend us Black Cat!”

“W City citizens, wake up!”

Though their messages varied, their purpose was the same:

Taking Black Cat away from W City.

Naturally, W City citizens strongly opposed this.

[Because of these jerks, we can only see Black Cat from a distance again. Is this right?]

[It’s only this manageable because heroes have been controlling outside citizens. Otherwise, they’d be throwing meat laced with poison or sleeping pills at Black Cat.]

[Why are other cities making such a fuss? What have they ever done for us?]

[They used to provoke Black Cat under the guise of research, and now that it seems safe, they’re coming with clear intentions.]

[I feel so disgusted whenever these Wae-ong bastards talk about dissecting Black Cat.]

[Would they even learn anything from dissection?]

[I don’t understand why they’re doing this—what if Black Cat gets angry and visits their cities?]

[Want a taste of Tactical Black Cat?]

[Tactical Black Cat (we can’t control it either)]

[Come to think of it, isn’t it infuriating? If Black Cat gets angry and goes on a rampage because of this, won’t W City be the only one to suffer?]

The more the Wae-ong faction demanded Black Cat be handed over, the stronger W City citizens’ resistance grew.

They had already been anxious when Black Cat left W City to hunt bugs, fearing it had been taken by another city.

Now, with people actually trying to steal Black Cat increasing in the city, ironically, W City citizens’ unity grew stronger by the day.

[U-ong faction and Wa-ong faction of W City, now is not the time for us to fight. Let’s join forces to defeat the Wae-ong faction.]

[Let’s protect our cat ourselves!]

W City citizens united and began discriminating against outsiders.

They prevented anyone without a W City citizen ID from approaching Black Cat, added strange seasonings to food when customers were identified as outsiders, and evicted them from accommodations claiming reservations were canceled.

Despite this, outsiders who were essentially operatives trying to take Black Cat away remained in W City with a sense of mission, forming a group called the Black Cat Liberation Movement while living like half-vagrants.

“Free Black Cat!”

“Black Cat is public property!”

“Release it for all citizens!”

“W City, wake up!”

“Hey! Shut the hell up! We can’t even see Black Cat up close because of you!”

“Get out of W City!”

On one side, protests demanding Black Cat be handed over; on the other, protests telling outsiders to shut up and leave.

Black Cat looked down at it all and yawned disinterestedly.

As citizens continued their tense standoff, a new faction emerged.

“Everything depends on the Apostle’s choice!”

“Do not doubt, do not fear, do not even think of putting a knife to the divine body!”

“How dare you call the Apostle public property! You blasphemers!”

D City survivors who had transferred to W City as refugees showed unity far surpassing other citizens, condemning any attempt to do anything to Black Cat.

Everything according to divine will—humans trying to touch Black Cat would only bring wrath.

“When we thought all was lost, the Black Cat saved us. Thinking it evil just because of its color is human arrogance. Only faith will save us.”

“Almighty Black Cat~Saves us all and lets us live~!”

Those who had truly been saved by Black Cat when there was no hope had become fanatics following Black Cat even more devotedly than W City citizens.

As the Wae-ong faction retreated before this madness, heroes and W City citizens watching from behind all murmured.

“Wow… they’re really crazy.”

“Black Cat is a god… they’re serious.”

“That Black Cat hymn is insane.”

“But it makes sense. For them, Black Cat really is a savior.”

“It’s kind of satisfying seeing the Wae-ong faction flee from true madness.”

The refugees stood like a wall right in front of the Wae-ong faction, singing until their throats were raw, driving them away with loud voices.

Seeing their efforts, citizens wanted to accept the D City refugees as W City citizens.

However, that didn’t last long.

“W City citizens! Offering meat to the Apostle with one hand is wrong!”

“Irreverent actions will anger the Apostle!”

“Looking up and gazing at the divine body is blasphemy itself! Do not look at the Apostle unless seated in high places! Do not dare look down upon the Apostle!”

“Almighty Cat~Rains fire of wrath~Even as the world ends, I will not lose faith~”

Citizens gave these people, who began opposing W City citizens in a different way than the Wae-ong faction, the nickname Mi-ong faction.

The Mi-ong faction, meaning “crazy people,” established themselves as W City’s fanatic group and became a good negative example for the Black Cat Mom Cafe members.

[Our Black Cat Mom Cafe opposes the Mi-ong faction’s missionary activities within our cafe.]

[We are a group that finds Black Cat cute and cherishes it, not a group that worships Black Cat.]