79
Ch.79 Seen Through a Cat’s Eyes
The Mioongpa warns: Don’t touch the Black Cat, don’t take photos carelessly, and don’t call it cute.
Members of the Black Cat Moms café shunned the Mioongpa for their differing views, but there was one thing they couldn’t deny.
[The quality of the merch made by Mioongpa is amazing…]
[They must really have faith? Because they don’t cut corners on their goods!]
[It’s a total work of artㅠㅠㅠ.]
[Is there any more of that Black Cat mosaic tile? I’ll take it even if it’s secondhand!]
[Looking for a Mioongpa mug!]
[When’s the restock for the Black Cat carved accessories?]
Their DIY skills were honed in the harsh environment of D-City.
The refugees of D-City found a way to make money in W-City, and the citizens of W-City finally got their hands on the Black Cat merch they’d longed for.
Over time, the Mioongpa and the Black Cat Moms café settled into a symbiotic relationship—neither too close nor too distant.
"Believe in the Black Cat~! There’s only one savior in this era—believe in the Black Cat and go to heaven! Reject it, and you’ll burn in hell~!"
"Liberate the Black Cat! Dissect the Black Cat!"
"Let’s protect our Black Cat! Cherish the Black Cat!"
And so, the three-way battle in W-City Park raged on.
The heroes, standing by in case of civilian clashes, watched the chaos unfold and muttered to each other, "What a complete mess."
"How did W-City end up like this…?"
***
While practicing creating surveillance cats, I gained several insights about my divisional ability.
The biggest risk? If a divided fragment of me dies, I lose that portion of my power permanently.
To minimize this risk, I ended up creating very weak monsters—barely even Terror-class.
But since I could still share their vision, they were useful.
A monster indistinguishable from an ordinary cat.
If I sent it outside the range of my ability, I could retrieve information when it returned.
There’s no better ability for scouting dangerous places.
"Meow."
"Mrow."
Now capable of creating two cats at once, I sent them running in opposite directions—one toward District 4, the other toward District 0.
The likely locations of Starlight and Gu Seo-ryong.
Though they were just cats, these two monsters ran tirelessly, quickly reaching their destinations.
By slightly tweaking my spatial manipulation ability, I could instantly teleport to wherever the cats were.
"Meow~"
The cat in District 4 sniffed around like a dog, tracking Gu Seo-ryong’s scent until it arrived at an orphanage.
There, Gu Seo-ryong was chasing after Sagugu.
"What did you put in your mouth this time?! Get over here now!"
"I didn’t bite anything! Gulp…!"
"You just—! Hey! Sagugu, do you want another stomach pump?!"
"No stomach pumps! Brother! Brother!"
"I knew this would happen! The second things get quiet, you cause trouble!"
"Waaah!"
Gu Seo-ryong pinned Sagugu down, pressed a finger into her throat, and made her spit out a wad of gloves.
"Are you insane?! Why would you eat cooking gloves?!"
"They smelled like meat…"
"I cook for you! I grill meat for you! Just eat what I give you! Ugh… Dinner’s three minutes late, and this is what happens."
"Nya."
Gu Seo-ryong grabbed Sagugu by the scruff and plopped her onto a chair. Sagugu drooled and kicked her legs.
"Eat."
"Mrowr!"
"Tuck your ears in and eat. How are you still so bad at maintaining human form? CXI… Well, that’s just him being weird."
"Mew."
Gu Seo-ryong patted Sagugu’s head, making her cat ears retract.
Then, Sagugu—chewing on meat—suddenly locked eyes with me.
Or rather, with the cat I was sharing vision with.
"It’s brother!"
"Huh? Where?"
I felt the resonance of my abilities. Despite the cat’s faint energy signature, Sagugu recognized me and approached, still holding her meat.
Gu Seo-ryong spotted the small cat, paused, then crouched in front of me with a knowing look.
"Huh? What’s this, babe? Is this you?"
"Brother shrank!"
"Meow."
"The energy matches the Black Cat. Is this a new ability you got from eating that thing? Were you spying on us?"
Then, Gu Seo-ryong grabbed the cat by the scruff and tugged at the string of her underwear.
"You’re such a pervert~ If you like peeping, you could’ve just said so~"
"Mrow?"
"Ah, hey! I told you not to tear your clothes!"
"Hyahk!"
Next to them, Sagugu also grabbed her clothes, raised her arms, and ripped them right off.
Chaos erupted again as Sagugu ran off and Gu Seo-ryong chased her through the orphanage.
They’re doing better than I expected.
I sent the cat out of the orphanage, letting it roam District 4 on its own, then shifted my consciousness to the cat in District 0.
Just then, the cat’s vision caught a thunderbolt striking the rooftop of a government building.
Climbing the wall with its claws, the cat reached the rooftop, where a woman was fixing her static-charged hair.
Brown skin, blonde hair, scars covering her body, an aviator jacket, and leather gloves.
"Ahem, hmm…"
The woman—Electress—cleared her throat just as the rooftop door burst open, and heroes rushed out.
"Oh, it’s just Electress."
"Damn, you scared me. What? You’re way ahead of schedule."
The A-rank and B-rank heroes, who had rushed out thinking a monster had appeared, scowled and turned away.
Electress glared at them and shook a small bag in her hand.
"W-City requested my presence, and this is the welcome I get? Hmph, in A-City, you lot wouldn’t even qualify as heroes."
"Ah… Yes, thank you. Sorry."
"Take it and scram. The red case has bio-brain culture fluid, the blue one has mechanical implants. Deliver them properly."
"Yes, yes."
Mutual disdain hung in the air as the heroes took the bag and turned to leave.
But Electress called out to them.
"Where’s that bastard—Iron Might or whatever? Did he quit being a hero?"
"Uh… He’s on patrol right now."
"Patrol just ended. He’s in the ops room, isn’t he?"
"You all, get lost. Tell him to come up here."
"...Why?"
"Since when do you get to ask questions?"
Crackling electricity made the heroes flinch. They muttered as they descended the stairs.
"Is she here for revenge? Over that drink-spilling incident?"
"She’s ruthless."
"Oh, hey, he was already coming up."
"Be careful. Electress has a grudge."
"If she attacks, call for backup. We’ll help."
"Three A-ranks and five B-ranks could probably take an S-rank."
A moment later, Iron Might stepped onto the rooftop. Electress tensed up oddly.
Once the footsteps faded, Iron Might spoke cautiously.
"Um… About last time—"
"Last time was a mistake. That’s what I came to say."
"Ah… Right."
Electress crossed her arms, her words prickly with unspoken emotions. Iron Might’s gaze turned complicated.
"You didn’t spread rumors, did you? That you did something to an S-rank hero from A-City? Some lowly bragging?"
"Why would I spread rumors like that?"
"Typical trashy pastime for W-City losers."
"That sounds more like an A-City thing. Superiority complex—thinking you can do anything just because you’re strong."
Electress shrugged.
"Strong superpower humans deserve respect. If you’re not strong, you don’t deserve any."
"...Then who looks after a superpower human when they’re hurt and weakened?"
"Why should they be looked after?"
"Because superpower humans are just humans with abilities—humans who can be weak too."
"Ha. Is that W-City’s pathetic mindset? Or is it Starlight’s?"
"Does it matter? If you dislike someone, you reject their opinion. If you like them, you accept it."
"The world’s rules changed because of monsters. So, the word of a strong superpower human is the law."
"So if a strong superpower human tells you to jump, you jump?"
"You’re no different from the idiots spreading rumors. Do you think I did something to Kage to become an S-rank? That I got special training?"
"What are you—sigh. I’m just curious. Was it really a mistake? A whim while you were hurt? Or… Something else?"
"I said it was a mistake! I’m Electress, an S-rank hero! I would never— Eek?!"
Electress suddenly noticed me—the cat—in the corner of her vision and jumped back in panic.
She darted behind Iron Might, electricity crackling.
"Wh-What’s that cat doing here?!"
"Huh? How’d a cat get up here…?"
"Get rid of it! Now!"
"It’s just sitting there…"
Iron Might smirked down at Electress, who was clinging to his waist.
"The great S-rank hero is scared of a cat?"
"I’m not scared! I’m over it!"
"Is this why you couldn’t sleep in W-City and asked me to drink with you…?"
"What do you take me for?! You think I’d do that with just any guy—"
"Huh?"
"Sh-Shut up!"
Her emotions spiked. Electress floated into the air, avoiding the cat and Iron Might.
"This is why W-City idiots are the worst! I don’t get it! Why do you coddle the weak?! Morons! Fools! Weaklings!"
With a flash, she vanished into the sky.
Iron Might watched her go, his gaze conflicted.
"Is it people who can’t be honest, or the world that forces them to hide…?"
Then he picked up the cat by the scruff.
"How did you get up here? Climbed the wall? You’re just a kitten…"
"Mrow."
"Did you get stuck after climbing up? I’ll let you down, but don’t come back."
He lowered the cat outside the building.
A moment later, Electress returned, her face red.
"I-I’ll be back in a few days… See you then, or not."
"Uh…"
"Meister escort! Didn’t Starlight say anything?! She heard about the Black Cat and wanted to see it herself, so she’s coming as an escort!"
Having forgotten to mention this earlier, Electress shot back into the sky.
"...I already got that report."
As Iron Might muttered to himself, the cat slipped into the shadows of an alley and returned to me.