A Feline's Fury and the President's Blessing
The black cat had claimed a corner of the containment room, her entire body radiating sulky indignation. She was currently deep in thought. One moment of carelessness and that voice would slip into her mind again, so she kept replaying every single thing he had ever done wrong—real or imagined—just to keep the anger alive.
…Well, the fact that he had shown up this morning with that stupid grin, reeking of the same shampoo as the human woman beside him, was more than enough to keep the fire burning. Still, when she thought about it, maybe she didn’t have that much reason to be this angry.
She glanced sideways. The foolish master of hers was crouched a short distance away, carefully watching her expression. The sight only irritated her further, so she whipped her head away—only to hear a pained groan from behind her. That, at least, felt a little satisfying.
Hmph. If she had been truly furious, it had mostly faded by now. What remained was simple annoyance. She had such a convenient ability, yet the idiot still couldn’t understand her heart. The thought had sent heat rushing to her head, and before she knew it she had clawed and bitten him with everything she had. But the moment she saw blood welling on the back of his hand, guilt had flooded in. Ashamed that he might hear her thoughts, she had fled here instead.
“What am I even doing…?”
She had turned crisis into opportunity. Even though she had nearly died, she had used the chance to squeeze every last drop of power from that insolent fox. She had kept drinking until she could take no more, yet the monster had only looked mildly tired afterward. The realization that she had actually fought something like that sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.
Still, with this much power restored, she could return to her previous form and surprise her master. She had been looking forward to morning—until this happened.
“What the hell is this?!”
“The one closest to him… the one who should have had the most chances…”
She turned her head again, curious what pitiful expression he would be wearing this time—only to freeze.
“…He… he’s…”
The bastard had fallen asleep sitting up.
The Field Team Leader, who had been keeping her eyes half-closed in the awkward atmosphere, slowly opened them. The sulky ball of fur that had looked ready to stay in the corner all day was gone. Her gaze drifted across the room until it landed on the small black figure standing silently before her master, radiating an intimidating aura despite its tiny size.
“Haah… that idiot.”
He must have exhausted himself thoroughly last night; the fatigue had finally won. Still crouched against the wall, the Counselor had simply fallen asleep. She figured things would get noisy again soon enough, but since the “guardian” had arrived, she decided to step out and get some rest herself. She left the containment room without a second glance.
The short scream that slipped out just before the door closed was cleanly ignored.
“I really don’t get what everyone sees in that guy.”
*
“Pfft—puhahaha!”
“…”
“So? What happened after that?”
“…I ended up owing Undine a bit…”
“Ahahaha!”
Every time the woman sitting across from me burst into laughter, her long ash-gray hair bounced like a mane, drawing the eye. The President had summoned me to the staff cafeteria for lunch and was currently listening to my account of the morning’s events. For once she wore a proper suit, though after laughing for so long she unbuttoned the top of her shirt for air. The buttons popped open with a satisfying sound, revealing both the color of her bra and an ample view of her chest. I nearly choked.
The President was certainly well-endowed. No wonder the shirt had been struggling.
“Hah… Anyway, it’s fascinating. That girl Yerin, was it?”
“…”
“I’ve tried poking at her a few times myself. Those eyes of hers looked so troublesome that I only ever teased her and left it at that. You really are something.”
“…I have no excuse.”
She swirled the wine in her glass, then downed it in one go and set the empty glass on the table with a decisive clink. It was still lunchtime, but there was no trace of drunkenness in her bright smile. Apparently her tolerance was monstrous.
“No excuses needed. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s not only the containment subjects who need counseling. Your team leader, the Field Team Leader—they’ve got their own issues, but they’re good kids once you actually talk to them.”
“…Ah, yes.”
The President wasn’t one for beating around the bush. Her words made it clear she wanted the rift between me and the team leaders healed as quickly as possible. Maybe this was her version of subtlety.
“I was planning to have a proper conversation with the Team Leader soon anyway.”
“Oh? That’s good to hear.”
She refilled her empty glass with expensive-looking wine and sliced another piece of steak. Despite her height, the muscles visible even beneath her clothes, and the scars I had seen before, she ate with perfect table manners. Watching her use the knife and fork properly felt oddly novel.
“The facility has its own kitchen, I see. When I tried to treat Rav to a meal last time, they lent me all sorts of things right away.”
“Mm. Tastes better that way, doesn’t it? We keep everyone cooped up in this cramped place, so the least we can do is feed them well. I’m willing to compromise on a lot of things, but never when it comes to food. Hehehe.”
The playful glint in her eyes as she looked at me was rather unsettling, though the voice in my head revealed only genuine concern for the containment subjects’ comfort. No lewd thoughts at all.
“…You’re quite remarkable, President.”
“Hm?”
“You’re the director, yet you invited a low-level employee like me to lunch without any awkwardness. When we talk, the tension just melts away…”
She was clearly looking out for me, even using her personal time. Without her, I didn’t know how today would have ended. From start to finish—well, up to nine tails—she was an incredibly kind person, even if she had her eccentric moments.
“Does that mean I lack the charisma expected of a leader?”
“Ah, no! I didn’t mean it like that—it was a compliment!”
“Puhuhu… I know, I know. No need to panic. The Management Team Leader isn’t here, so she can hear everything anyway.”
‘Still… I suppose I’ll have to show them something impressive soon.’
“…?”
“Anyway, I called you here to discuss the overseas trip as well. I heard from the Management Team Leader—you and Harpy.”
“Ah…!”
“Long story short, I’ve approved it. There are two reasons.”
She held up one finger.
“First, your destination happens to be on the way.”
…That was the reason? It seemed almost too simple. Before I could react, she raised a second finger.
“And second, I like you and Harpy quite a lot.”
“…Excuse me?”
I tried to keep my voice down, but failed completely. I was grateful for the approval, but was that really the reason?
“B-but this isn’t like last time, where the Field Team had already secured the area! It’s—”
“Hm? That’s fine. I’ll be going with you.”
“Uh, um…”
My mouth, which had been working perfectly this morning when talking to the Team Leader, suddenly refused to cooperate again. I didn’t even know why I was arguing against it.
“Let’s not sweat the small stuff. You should enjoy your honeymoon while you’re at it, right?”
“H-honeymoon…?”
Did she just say honeymoon?
“You’ll depart Monday morning, so rest up over the weekend. Of course, if you want to visit your cat during the weekend, I won’t stop you.”
“Understood…”
My head was still spinning, but the urge to run straight to Harpy’s containment room and share the good news was overwhelming. It hadn’t even been a week, yet it already felt like I hadn’t seen her in ages.
“…”
The President’s plate was nearly empty, so I picked up my knife and fork as well. The steak was incredible—prime quality even I could recognize, cooked perfectly to seal in every drop of juice. It was the kind of dish that only came from meticulous, second-by-second timing. Even most professional restaurants would struggle to match it. I wondered who had prepared it.
“You’re eating well.”
“…”
That look in her eyes again… There was no malice, yet it still sent a chill down my spine.
“We have set menus for cost reasons, but if the kitchen isn’t busy they’ll accept requests. We have to provide the best meals possible for both staff and countless containment subjects, so anything edible is available.”
So there really was a separate kitchen. I had only ever received food through the small service elevator and never realized. Anything edible…
“Then… do you have churu?”
“Churu…? That stuff cats go crazy for?”
“Yes! That’s the one!”
I could go out and buy some, but if I brought back convenience-store churu she would definitely bite me again. No doubt about it. At the very least, it had to be steak-grade churu that melted in your mouth.
“If we don’t have it, they’ll make it. It’s lunchtime anyway—head to the 55th floor and follow the smell. Tell them I sent you. You need it to soothe that prickly black cat, right?”
“Yes! Then… would it be all right if I left first?”
“You think I’d stop you now? We’ve covered everything. Ah, almost forgot.”
Just as I lifted the tray to return the dishes, the President called me back. I leaned in, wondering what she wanted to say—and received a rather unexpected warning.
“Be careful not to trip over any thread in the kitchen.”