#163 Cheetgirl
"Rachel and Emily would love this, right?"
I muttered, glancing at the passenger seat. It was piled high with pizza, spaghetti, meatballs, and all sorts of food we'd picked up on the way to Emily's place.
Emily and Rachel were so skinny compared to kids their age—probably because they were poor. The first time Emily offered her body as thanks, she couldn't have weighed more than late 30s or early 40s kilos. Rachel was a bit better off than her mom, but to my eyes, they were both rail-thin. Like, I could lift either one with a single finger!
So every time I visited Emily's house, I showed up with my arms full of food. Watching them eat filled my belly with joy. ...Of course, my stomach wasn't actually full, so I ended up polishing off most of it myself. But that couldn't be helped! They ate like birds, leaving tons behind. Wasting food is a sin, so really, truly, I had no choice but to clean up the leftovers.
"We're here!"
The car pulled up to Emily's place in no time. I'd borrowed(?) a fancy ride from Karinbia instead of my usual beat-up Tico, so no one tried to pick a fight—kinda disappointing.
I grabbed the bags of food for the mother-daughter duo and stood at the door.
"Emily, it's me..."
"Eek! D-don't touch there!"
"...Huh?"
A voice I couldn't ignore rang out from inside. And it was Emily saying it! Was some pervert bastard trying to rape her first thing in the morning?!
Where the fuck are my guys?!
Without telling Emily, I'd assigned guards to her and Rachel—sharp ones from my crew. I'd shown everyone how much I cared for Rachel in public, so enemies might target them. But shit, why hadn't they reported an intruder?!
BAM!
"What the fuck! Which bastard is—...oh?"
Hands full of pizza boxes, I kicked the door open and stormed in. What I saw inside left me utterly dumbfounded.
"Ahh... the fridge..."
"S-sis! Calm down first!"
"Kyarrng-! Kyarrrng-!"
Inside the wide-open fridge, some woman was devouring every ingredient in sight. Emily and Rachel couldn't pull her out by force, so they stomped around helplessly behind her.
If that's all it was, I wouldn't have been shocked. Dark City was full of weird shit—this wouldn't faze me.
So why was I shocked?
"Cheetgirl?"
The hero who should've been dragged to the Hero Association was here in Rachel's house. That swishing tail behind her was proof enough.
How the hell...? No, more importantly, why was Cheetgirl at Emily's place?
Sniff sniff!
"...Kyarrng?"
Cheetgirl, head buried in the fridge, suddenly lifted it. She started sniffing the air frantically—picking up the pizza scent leaking from the boxes in my hands.
"Kyarrrng-!"
She charged at the source of the smell—me—like a maniac.
And then...
"Kya, kyaaooook?!"
"..."
She spotted me mid-charge, freaked out, and skidded to a halt like she was on a treadmill. Then she slipped and face-planted.
The whole thing looked like a comedy sketch—I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
"...What the hell are you doing?"
"Kyaao! Kyaao! Kyaaooo!"
"Whoa?"
As I took a step closer, the fidgety Cheetgirl bolted backward and hid behind Rachel.
This cheetah bitch! You think your killer curves are hidden behind tiny Rachel?!
...Gulp! Ah, swallowing hard.
Don't get the wrong idea. It was the pizza smell making me salivate. Definitely not anything else.
"Steel Armor."
"Uncle's here? Whoa! Sis, don't yank my clothes! You'll rip them!"
"Kyaao! Kyaaoook!"
"Sigh. Now I get why Emily called me over."
I set the pizza boxes on the table like always and eyed Cheetgirl cowering behind Rachel.
"Kyarrrng..."
She shrank even more under my gaze. What the fuck did I do?!
"Who's that—who's she, anyway?"
I played dumb about Cheetgirl. If the mother-daughter duo knew I recognized her, I'd have to explain everything from A to Z. No thanks.
"I don't know either. Rachel said she was coming home at night when this lady suddenly fell from a tree and passed out, so she brought her here."
"Was it a persimmon tree? Did she hit her head that hard?"
"I-I don't really..."
"..."
"Tch."
My killer joke fell flat.
"Rachel? Wanna explain what happened?"
"Well..."
Rachel recounted last night's events with Cheetgirl.
"Fell from a tree out of nowhere?"
Was she Cheetgirl or Monkeygirl? That's why she fell—there's that saying: even monkeys fall from trees. Maybe she demonstrated it for Rachel? Solid theory.
"Solid my ass."
"Huh?"
"N-nothing. Not talking to you. Her skin looks weird too. Was it like that when you first saw her?"
"Um... probably?"
"Probably? Why aren't you sure?"
"It was night, super dark, and she hit her head hard—stopped breathing for a bit."
"Stopped breathing? She died?"
My eyes widened at Rachel's words.
"But how's she alive?"
"I did CPR right away. I learned it thinking I might save someone someday."
"Whoa! So Rachel's her lifesaver? Hero Rachel! Ooh, so cool."
"Hehehe."
I gave her a thumbs-up, and she beamed. I offered a fist bump; she tapped her little fist against mine.
"Mind if I talk to her?"
"Sure. But... she's really scared of— Whoa! Sis!"
Shiiiine—
"Kyaaooo..."
Rachel whipped around and yelped. The trembling woman, curled up tight, had pissed her pants. Tears welled in her terrified eyes.
...Weird? I didn't beat her that bad.
"Guess we gotta wash her up first."
"Haa... What the hell is going on... Yeah, we do."
"Want help?"
"Pardon?"
Emily stared like I'd lost my mind. Shit, I said my inner thoughts out loud.
To avoid misunderstandings, I rushed to explain. "She looks too strong for you to handle alone."
"True... Can't leave her like that, though. Gotta try. Rachel? Help out?"
"Okay, Mom."
"Kyaao, kyaao, kyaaooo..."
Emily and Rachel dragged Cheetgirl to the bathroom.
"Hmph."
Left alone, I watched them go, then crossed my arms.
Why the fuck was she still alive?
Memory Hunter told me Steam users die quick without more Steam. The longest survivor lasted two days.
Cheetgirl might be a two-dayer. But still.
"She's way too lively."
Cheetgirl was bursting with energy. Her hair gleamed, skin taut—no way she was dying soon. She looked perfectly healthy.
Steam users don't just drop dead on day two after prancing around fine. There should be warning signs: hair loss, wasting away, coughing blood.
"Did she overcome Steam's side effects?"
Possible. That'd explain the vitality.
"Gotta bring that guy here later."
To confirm, I'd fetch Memory Hunter. He could read her memories and verify.
"W-wait a sec!"
"Kyaaak! Nooo!"
"Hm?"
Emily's scream echoed from the bathroom, where they'd taken piss-soaked Cheetgirl.
Was Cheetgirl attacking Emily?!
"That fucking animal bitch!"
I bolted to help, flung open the door—
"Kyaaooong!"
"Ueng?"
Stark-naked Cheetgirl leaped into my arms. Reflexively, I caught her. Water droplets from her body soaked my suit.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Her tail, connected to her tailbone, whipped wildly. Below it, a smooth, perfect ass came into view.
Feet... Feet?
Boner alert!
The smooth, soft feel made the dragon in my pants rear up, wings spread wide.
"Kyaong! Kyaaaak-!"
Oblivious to whose arms she was in, Cheetgirl snarled at Emily and Rachel. Pissed about the water, apparently.
Cheetah or cat?
"Shhh... It's okay. Calm down."
I stroked her wet hair gently, whispering low. Her frantic tail slowed.
"Towel?"
"Y-yes? Oh, right."
Emily handed one over, wide-eyed. I dried Cheetgirl off.
Ugh... killing me.
Even through the towel, the stimulation was intense. Bare hands? Heaven. Without Emily and Rachel here, she'd be under me by now.
Boobs... th-this!
Out of their sight, I grabbed her chest. Size 1 Elis!
Elis-level tits! Treasure! National treasure! Mine!
"Emily, got clothes she can borrow?"
"Sure. But not sure if anything'll fit."
"Rachel. Wanna eat?"
"Yeah!"
While Emily fetched clothes, Rachel and I headed to the living room—Cheetgirl still in my arms.
Drool.
Pizza scent made her salivate.
"Kyaao! Kyaao! Kyaaooo!"
She thrashed to be let down. I knew better—no way.
Nice tits!
Sneaky boob grabs, ass squeezes.
"Hey! Behave!"
"Kyaaooo!... Kyaao?"
She looked up at my voice, eyes huge.
"Kyaaooo! Kyaaooo! Kyak!"
"Whoa? Hey! Breathe! Hey, breathe!"
"Sh-she's dead!"
She wasn't.
Nom nom nom!
"Tasty?"
Cheetgirl flinched at my voice, peeked nervously, then dove back into her pizza feast.
"Uncle."
"Yeah? What?"
"That sis... she acts just like a cat."
"...A cat?"
Not a cheetah? Those spots scream cheetah!
"Yeah. Look, she has a tail. Maybe she's a cat who got powers and turned human."
"Hm. Could be."
I knew the truth but played along, nodding.
For the record, Dark City had animals turned human. Superpowers weren't human-exclusive—animals, bugs, plants got them too, just rarely. Like, 1 in 100,000 humans vs. 1 in 100,000 animals.
Superpowers...
Thinking about powers sparked a thought. Normals on Steam get temporary superhuman strength. What if a powered person takes Steam? Boost? New power?
Wanna check?
I glanced at Rachel, then cautiously activated Superpower Analyzer on Cheetgirl.
No results expected... Huh? Wha—?
I'd used it half-assed, but the outcome was shocking.
What the...?