I Picked Up a Wild Outer God (2)
“Was that… what you just said?”
“Yeah, I said it.” The cat answered boldly, wearing a prim expression despite being a cat. It reminded me of a short fairy tale I’d read at the orphanage. The protagonist, who had taken up a dagger to hunt rabbits and feed his family, had followed one and fallen into a strange land. That story had a talking cat too, even if only its head appeared.
“You said you’d help me. What did you mean by that?”
The cat yawned lazily in my arms and muttered, “Haaam… You’re the human who treated me, so I figured I’d repay the favor.”
“I wasn’t really expecting anything in return, though.”
“Exactly. That’s why I offered to help. It was pure goodwill.”
So it could even tell that much… Were dream cats omnipotent?
“How exactly are you planning to help?”
The cat furrowed its brow and rested its chin on its paw, looking deep in thought. After a moment, it pressed its paw pads together and declared, “Alright! I’ll grant you a special wish.”
“A wish?”
“Anything, as long as it’s within my power.”
My excitement deflated instantly. Of course. For a second I’d thought this cat might be some kind of divine messenger. Gods often used animals like that. But that qualifier—“within my power”—was telling. Gods never said things like that; they believed absolutely in their own authority. In other words, this was probably just a slightly special cat.
‘Sigh. What was I expecting anyway…’
I stared down at the cat looking up at me from my arms. It had an arrogant, overconfident attitude that didn’t suit a cat at all. Yet its appearance was that of a tiny, adorable kitten. I thought about what lay ahead. The academy, where expulsion was all but certain…
‘At least having a companion would keep me from feeling lonely, right?’
I made up my mind.
“I’ll make a wish.”
“Mm!” The cat straightened up, ready to listen.
“What I want is…” I met the cat’s eyes. “I want you to become my family.”
“…………Nya?”
“I mean, at least stay with me until I die—”
“No, no, I wasn’t questioning the meaning.”
“Then what?”
“……Are you sure that’s really the wish you want? I could do anything for you. I could even do something much more impressive.”
I chuckled and pulled the cat into a tight hug. “It’s fine. You’re enough.”
What could a cat do that was impressive anyway? Summon a battalion of cats and turn the academy into a feline kingdom? Pfft… That might actually be nice.
“……Alright.” The cat gave me a strange look, then squirmed and pressed its face against mine. “Then let’s begin the contract.”
A contract too? That sounded more grandiose than I expected.
“I am a Great One of Dreamland, and—”
“The daughter of the Crawling Chaos, attendant to the foolish father.”
…Huh? Words I couldn’t understand kept coming. Something… something was happening.
“I, Outer God Lilith, swear by this contract to become the family of the human Arthur from this moment onward.”
An otherworldly light began to shine from the cat’s eyes. They were black, yet they glowed. An endless, unreal darkness poured forth.
“This oath shall be engraved upon my true self and shall be fulfilled in the name of the great Demon Sultan.”
The cat facing me suddenly reached out with its front paw and wrapped it around the back of my neck.
“……In exchange, I shall take payment from the contractor, Arthur.”
“What? You never said anything about that!”
“The price shall be his energy and a part of his body.”
“Hey!! Who decided that—”
Thud. At that moment, an overwhelming pressure crushed down on my head. The cat, now right in front of my face, declared, “In the name of the great Demon Sultan, our foolish father… ■■■■!”
Then the cat whispered softly, “See you in the real world.”
“What do you mean—”
I couldn’t finish. The moment I opened my mouth to protest, the cat’s lips overlapped mine.
“Mmph?!”
Panicking, I tried to push the cat away, but my arms wouldn’t rise. Strength drained from them, and they went limp. My legs, my torso, and finally my eyelids followed. My entire body lost all power, my thoughts stopped, and my consciousness faded. The last thing I saw was the cat’s pitch-black eyes.
‘Ah…… So this is why adults say not to trust strangers so easily—’
After that, my thoughts cut off completely.
----
“Mmm……”
Was this what a hangover felt like? My head throbbed like it was splitting, and my mind felt hazy. When I finally managed to lift my leaden eyelids, the ceiling that filled my vision was…… not the one I knew.
“……Huh?”
What I saw were sharp, pitch-black eyes like a cat’s. Long lashes framed them softly. The curve of those eyes carried a seductive air. Looking into them, I felt my scattered consciousness slowly return to my body, and sensation gradually spread through me.
“Slurp……”
Then I felt a soft, moist sensation pressing against my lips. Hot, sweet breath slipped between my slightly parted lips…… Wait?
“Uwaaah?!”
My eyes flew open as I finally registered what was happening. I jerked upright and scrambled backward. Looking around frantically, I realized I was in my dorm room. I remembered falling asleep after receiving the expulsion notice. This had been my sanctuary until just moments ago. Now someone else was inside. And they had been kissing me while I slept.
“Oh my. Did you wake up?”
The alluring eyes I’d seen upon waking curved like a crescent moon.
“Wh-who…… Who are you?!”
My voice trembled as I spoke. The woman placed a hand on her chest and replied, “Hm? You don’t recognize me?”
Only then could I tear my gaze from her black eyes. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, with veins faintly visible beneath. Her figure was voluptuous and striking, and her hair, black as the night sky, cascaded down like a waterfall, covering her most important parts all the way to her feet. My eyes traveled upward again to her face. The same pale skin contrasted with glossy, blood-red lips and cat-like, upturned eyes that gave her a seductive look. Everything about her was perfectly proportioned. Any man or woman who saw her would be unable to look away. She looked like a sculpture crafted by a god—or even a goddess standing before me. She was so flawless that her very existence felt almost eerie.
Yet……
“……Wh-who are you?”
I still didn’t recognize her. With a face like that, there was no way I would have forgotten. It was the kind of beauty that would haunt someone for life after a single glance.
At my words, the woman’s eyes drooped. Anyone could see she looked disappointed.
“You don’t even recognize your own family……”
Family? Who?
……Wait. A sudden thought struck me, and I looked at her eyes again.
‘……Cat-like eyes?’
Then her lips.
‘K-kiss?’
Finally, what she had just said.
‘Family?’
As the pieces clicked into place, my mouth fell open wider and wider. Finally, the words burst out.
“The cat?!”
Hearing my shocked, almost screaming cry, the woman lifted her head sharply.
“Correct~”
Still stunned, I looked her up and down once more. Was she really that cat? The tiny one from before?
Noticing my stare, the woman smiled with her eyes and struck a seductive pose, emphasizing her figure.
“How is it? Do you like what you see?”
As her movement caused her hair to slip and reveal more, I quickly turned my head away.
“Whoa, hold on. You should at least put some clothes on……”
“Hm? Ah, I don’t mind, though?”
“I mind! I do!”
With a thoughtful hum, the woman snapped her fingers. Her hair writhed and wove itself together, forming fabric that gathered into clothing. The result was a sleek black evening dress that contrasted beautifully with her pale skin, giving her the air of a goddess of the night.
“Is this better?”
“……Yes.”
I was so captivated by this new kind of beauty that my answer came late. Seeing my reaction, the woman’s eyes curved gently.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Only after feeling moisture at the corner of my mouth did I snap back to reality. I swallowed the drool threatening to escape and met her gaze.
“……You’re really that cat?”
“Yep. That’s me.”
“Were you always like this?”
“We don’t really have a fixed form. I just adjust my age to match my contractor. Still, I like to think this is my true appearance.”
They didn’t have a fixed form? Wait…… That phrase sounded familiar.
“When you say ‘we’…… what do you mean?”
“Outer Gods. In simple terms, gods that exist outside this universe.”
……Gods? Did she just say gods? And that last part. There was a term for gods that didn’t originally belong to this world but came from elsewhere. I forced the word out with trembling lips.
“……An Outer God?!”
“Ah, some humans called us that.”
A horrifying realization followed.
‘So I asked an Outer God to become my family?!’
There were countless stories about Outer Gods, but they all shared one thing in common: they were unimaginably cruel. Realizing this, I immediately dropped to my knees and bowed my head.
“I’m sorry!!”
“H-huh? Why are you apologizing?”
“Because……”
Humans who offended Outer Gods always met terrible ends. Having your head fly off in an instant was merciful compared to some fates—eternal burning agony without the release of death. As I trembled at the thought of those horrific legends, a gentle hand lifted my chin. When I looked up fearfully into those black eyes, I saw an emotion I hadn’t expected at all.
“It’s alright. You don’t need to apologize.”
Growing up in the orphanage, I’d had one talent I could be proud of: reading people’s emotions. Since I had nothing else going for me, navigating relationships had always felt like walking on thin ice. Survival required sharp instincts. Using those honed instincts now, I saw in this beautiful Outer God’s eyes…… boundless affection. It was the same warm gaze I’d seen through the orphanage bars when watching happy families look at their own children. Maybe I had wished for that exact look when I made my request.
The Outer God spread her arms and pulled me into an embrace. Her skin, pale enough to seem transparent, looked like it should be ice-cold, but instead it was so warm and comforting that I wondered if this was what a mother’s embrace might feel like—one I couldn’t even remember. My trembling stopped, and the tension drained from my body. Without thinking, I leaned forward, sinking deeper into her arms. She accepted me gently, stroking the back of my head with one hand.
“Feeling better now?”
Still basking in the warmth that felt like returning to childhood, I answered in a slightly hoarse voice, “Yes……”
“You don’t have to be afraid.”
The Outer God whispered softly into my ear as she continued stroking my hair.
“From now on, I’m your family.”