I Picked Up a Cat
I picked up a cat.
"Meow~."
Hmm?
On my way home after finishing the tests at the Hunter Association, a meow from somewhere beside me made me turn my head.
A calico cat abandoned in a cardboard box caught my eye. Had its owner dumped it?
Poor thing...
I squatted down in front of the box and met the cat's eyes.
"Meow~."
Whether it had no idea of its own predicament or was simply happy to have met a person, its eyes curved into cheerful crescents.
...It is pretty cute.
Ah, whatever.
I lifted the cat out of the box.
"Come on, kitty. I'll take care of you."
My monthly salary was seven hundred million won. What was one little cat going to cost me?
What do you even feed a cat, though?
Maybe I'd just buy some dried anchovies.
Ding-dong—
"Yes~. Coming~."
Who was that?
Had I ordered something for delivery?
Creeeak...
When I opened the front door, a woman in a suit stood waiting.
"It's been a while, Hunter!"
"Ah... Hello... um..."
What was her name again...
"I'm Kang Sora!"
Oh, right. That was it.
But more importantly...
"What brings you here...?"
Did I do something wrong?
All I'd done was hole up at home and play Eternal Loop all day.
Wait — was it because that one time I'd picked Anko, completely thrown the match, then ranted in chat about how it wasn't Jinzo's fault?
And now she was here to hold me accountable for tarnishing an S-Rank hunter's name.
Are they monitoring my every move...?
Terrifying! The Hunter Association!
For now, I needed to apologize — fast.
If it's to protect my 8.4 billion...
I snapped into a perfect ninety-degree bow.
"I'm sorry!"
"...Excuse me?"
Sora's flustered voice reached my ears.
"Hunter...? Why the sudden apology...?"
"...Didn't you come because I did something wrong?"
"...Not at all."
She let out a sigh.
"Please straighten up first..."
"Yes..."
What? That wasn't it?
Then why had she come?
"I told you last time, didn't I? That I'd visit in a few days because I had something to deliver."
"Ah."
Right. She had said that.
"……"
Awkward...
I'd gotten all guilty for no reason.
"...You don't actually have something you did wrong, do you?"
"No, no. Nothing."
"Really?"
"Yes, yes. Of course not."
"……"
The woman narrowed her eyes and stared at me.
"Ahem..."
I deliberately averted my gaze and cleared my throat for no reason.
"...Well, fine. As long as you work hard for the Hunter Association, we can cover up something like a crime for you."
"...Really?"
"Yes."
Sora answered with a completely calm, expressionless face.
"……"
It really was a terrifying place.
Well, they didn't even ask about your background to begin with...
Wait.
Wasn't this dangerous?
An organization that casually covered up crimes... and me, sitting in a position I had no business holding within that organization...
If they found out I was weak... I died...?
Goosebumps prickled across my entire body. I could feel myself trembling.
No, wait. I told them.
I had clearly said I was weak. They just refused to believe me.
Damn it, though — looking at how she acted, they really might just dispose of me...
"...Hunter?"
"Y-yes?"
"Is something wrong...? Are you feeling unwell...?"
She must have noticed me trembling. She asked in a concerned voice.
"Ah... I've got a cold right now."
"...In July?"
"Yes, air conditioning issues... Haha..."
Lie. I didn't even have an air conditioner at home.
"Alright... Nowhere else is bothering you, I hope?"
"No, nothing. Haha."
"That's a relief. Then... please take this."
The woman handed me the enormous bag she'd been holding.
"Thank you..."
Huh?
The moment I took the bag, my back bent forward on its own.
Heavy. Insanely heavy.
How the hell had this woman carried this here?
"Inside are items you'll need for hunter activities, among other things... You'll understand once you look. Ah, look at the time... I'll be going now. Take care!"
Slam!
"……"
What an unhelpful person.
Normally wouldn't you explain things one by one...?
"Ugh... whatever, it's fine."
What could you expect from an employee of a black company like that? At least she'd delivered it.
I dragged the bag over to the center of the living room.
"Meow~."
"You're up?"
The calico cat I'd picked up a few days ago — Ren — padded over beside me.
"Hungry?"
"Meow~."
"Hold on. I'll get you some anchovies."
Anchovies... here they are.
These were almost gone too.
I should pick some up when I went grocery shopping today.
"Ren~ here, anchovies..."
In the brief moment I went to the kitchen for the anchovies, the bag had somehow cracked open.
Ren had buried her face inside and was rummaging through it wildly.
"Hey, Ren!"
I hurried over and pulled her out of the bag.
"Be careful. There might be a bomb in there."
"...Meow?"
Ren tilted her head to the side.
"...Never mind. Here, anchovies."
"Meow~."
When I held an anchovy to Ren's mouth, she immediately took it and started chewing with little crunching sounds.
She was really enjoying that.
"Alright, that's enough..."
Now... shall I look inside the bag?
Ziiip—
Fortunately, nothing that looked like a bomb.
I'd half expected them to have planted one just to test my crisis-response abilities.
Apparently not that extreme.
I picked up whatever was on top first.
A copy of the contract?
Had they sent a new one because I hadn't properly read it last time?
Well, good. I'd read it now—
Hmm?
When I set the paper aside, a rectangular something came into view.
...This is...
No doubt about it. Without question — a bankbook.
I immediately tossed the contract aside and grabbed the bankbook.
Thud—
A card fell out from inside. A card that looked expensive at a glance.
My name was printed on the back.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard and opened the bankbook. A nine-digit number immediately caught my eye.
Whoa...
Seven hundred million. The amount written on the contract.
So... this amount was going to come in every month now?
"……"
I love you! Hunter Association!
What black company? If they paid this much, it was a white company.
"Ahh~."
Tonight's dinner was eating out. Something expensive.
But first...
I should check the rest. There might be more money in there as a signing bonus.
Ah, that was such a materialistic thought.
"Ahem..."
I cleared my throat for no reason, set the bankbook aside, and turned my attention back to the bag.
These are... clothes?
Black clothes and a white coat came out.
Probably meant for combat. They looked highly durable at a glance.
The design is pretty nice too.
Good enough to wear as everyday clothes. All I had were men's clothes, so I hadn't had anything proper to go out in — this was perfect.
But... I must be seeing things, right?
For a second I thought I'd glimpsed some incredibly dangerous stuff...
Nah... no way, right?
Yes. You were right.
Knives... guns... what's this.
Metal coins?
Don't tell me they gave me coins because my skill is called Railgun?
That can't possibly work, right...?
"……"
Come to think of it... it might not be so bad.
I'd try it later.
More importantly...
These swords... they all looked insanely expensive.
...There are so many. Maybe I could sell just one...
Ah, what was I thinking again.
If I kept them, I'd use them someday.
And if I got caught selling them...
Ugh. I didn't even want to imagine it.
I shook my head side to side, banishing the horrible thought from my mind.
Let me at least check the grip.
I picked up a random sword.
...Huh?
Crackle—
The blade began crackling with electricity, glowing blue.
Was this the sword's effect? Or my trait's effect?
I tried another sword. Same thing — the blade glowed blue.
So then... it must be my trait's effect.
At least it looked insanely strong on the surface.
Well, but since it was a trait effect, it was probably garbage again.
I put the sword back in the bag.
The blue glow faded back to normal. Apparently it didn't last permanently.
That's enough bag-browsing for now...
I should head out for groceries soon. It was almost lunchtime.
I had seven hundred million now, so I should buy everything I wanted.
And some premium anchovies for Ren too.
I scooped up Ren, who was sprawled on the floor, with both hands.
"My girl, Daddy's gonna buy you premium anchovies~."
At those words, Ren's face somehow turned sulky.
Did she not know what premium anchovies were?
Well... it would be weird for a cat to know that...
"...I'm sick of anchovies, nya."
"...Huh?"
What? Had my ears finally gone completely busted?
Or was it because I'd been too lonely?
I'd hit rock bottom — hearing human speech from a cat...
"I said buy me meat, nya. Premium Hanwoo beef, nya."
"……"
Thud—
I blacked out on the spot, and when I came to, lunchtime was long gone.