I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 150: A Cat Like Me

I turned around at the employee's call.

To turn, I had to let go of Encia's hand.

Her usually expressionless tail swished with displeasure.

Was it because I let go of her hand?

When I grabbed her hand again, her tail wagged gently as if nothing had happened.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Is it because of the sign that you didn't come in?"

The employee's eyes were on the beast-kin parts of Encia and me. She seemed to have figured out why we didn't enter the store.

"Yes. We wanted to avoid any potential trouble."

"If that's the case, you're welcome to come in. Even with tails, you're still people."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes! Please feel free to visit anytime!"

The employee quickly bowed and hurried back inside the store, looking busy due to the number of customers.

"Encia, they said we can come in."

"Yes. It's a kind store. Shall we go in?"

"Yes."

We entered the store together.

While waiting in line to order, I felt the eyes of the people around us.

It couldn't be because of our tails, could it?

I nervously grabbed my tail.

Noticing Encia's tail wagging beside me, I held hers as well.

"Hnnng."

A woman standing behind us let out a strange groan.

She clutched her chest, and I had no idea why.

"Encia?"

Do you know why?

I asked with my eyes, but Encia just gave a faint smile.

It wasn't just her; other people in the store were smiling too.

What on earth?

While I pondered, it was our turn.

The counter was so high that only my eyes were barely visible.

It wouldn't be polite to talk to someone with only my eyes showing.

I stood on tiptoe to show my whole face.

"Uh, welcome. Would you like to order...?"

The employee covered her mouth as she looked down at me.

Thinking this was a strange store, I went ahead and ordered.

"I'd like a cheese ice cream. Encia, what will you have?"

"I'll have the same as you, Gyeoul."

"Okay. Two, please."

I held up two fingers to the employee.

I could see dimples on her face behind her hand.

"T-two cheese ice creams...!"

After ordering, we soon received our two ice cream cones.

Encia and I sat at a table and enjoyed our ice cream.

"This is my first time having such fancy ice cream."

"Yes. Actually, it's my first time too."

Nom.

Encia and I took a bite of our ice cream. The taste was shockingly good, enough to make my ears perk up.

"It's delicious."

"Yes."

Wag wag.

Encia's tail wagged.

As if resonating with her, my tail wagged too, reminding me of what Sophia said earlier in the morning.

She had mentioned that when I grew up, I would be able to control my tail to some extent.

"Encia, do you also have trouble controlling your tail?"

"Well, that's..."

Encia lowered her ice cream from her mouth to the table.

I realized I had made a mistake when I saw her hesitation.

"S-sorry. I asked something strange."

"No, it's fine. It's funny that an adult like me still can't control my ears and tail."

I see.

It must be quite embarrassing for an adult to be unable to control their tail. I learned something new about beast-kin.

"I just thought it was nice that we had something in common..."

"In common...?"

"Yes. I'm just as bad at controlling them as you are."

Encia's gaze shifted to my tail behind me, and she let out a soft laugh.

"I see. It makes us feel like family."

"What...?"

Feel like family?

Aren't we already family?

I nervously clutched my ice cream cone with both hands.

"S-sorry. I shouldn't have presumed to say that..."

"Encia, aren't we already family...?"

At my question, Encia's fluffy ears perked up.

It was the first time I had seen her like this.

"Y-yes! I misspoke..."

Nom-

Encia took a determined bite of her ice cream.

She quickly devoured the whole cone in just a few bites, looking quite satisfied.

"So, that makes me your older sister, right?"

"What...?"

"Oh, don't worry. I strictly separate work and personal matters. I will continue to serve you with all my heart."

Encia seemed happier than ever.

It felt odd, but since she was happy, I decided to let her enjoy it.

---

---

We arrived at the animal shelter with Encia. There were many abandoned animals in small cages.

"Are all these animals abandoned by their owners?"

"Yes, it seems so."

"How unfortunate."

Encia's ears drooped.

She seemed to feel sympathy for the abandoned animals. I decided to comfort her a bit.

"We can't save them all, but we can save one."

"Yes. It feels like a heavy responsibility."

Together, we walked around the shelter.

The staff explained as we passed each cage—how the animals were abandoned, where they were found.

We stopped in front of one that looked similar to me.

It was a cat that might have been white once.

Its fur had turned yellowish, one eye was missing, and its ears and tail were cut.

"Hmm..."

You must have had a hard life like me.

Without thinking, I reached out my hand to it.

"Meow."

Instead of running away, the cat rubbed its face against my fingers.

It was friendlier than I had expected.

"It seems to like people."

"Yes. It likes people, and its fur is really soft. It's just like me."

"J-just like you, Gyeoul?"

"Yes. Do you want to pet it?"

"W-well...!"

Encia, looking excited, reached out her hand to the cat.

She gently stroked various parts of the cat, then suddenly froze in place.

"How is it?"

"Well... now that I think about it, I've never touched Gyeoul's ears and tail."

"Ah... that's right. Here, touch them."

I offered my head and tail to Encia.

She flinched.

She trembled as she brought her hands to her chest.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes."

"Then... excuse me for a moment."

Her trembling hand came up over my head.

Aside from the slight shaking, her touch was as gentle as Sophia's.

"I'm jealous."

I heard a mutter from the shelter staff.

It was a very small sound that only I could hear.

What exactly were they jealous of?

As I pondered this, Encia exclaimed urgently.

"I've decided!"

Encia, who had been stroking my ears and tail, turned to the shelter staff.

She signaled silently for the cage to be opened.

"Encia, weren't you going to raise a dog?"

"Yes. But I changed my mind. This child is just as excellent as a hunting dog."

Did she discern its excellence just by touching its fur?

Perhaps it was a special ability unique to her race.

"Have you decided on this child?"

The shelter staff approached with a bright smile.

They were delighted that a home had been found for the abandoned animal.

"Yes. It has very beautiful fur."

"I'm glad. It had a lot of injuries, so it hadn't been chosen."

"This beautiful child, you say?"

Encia tilted her head.

We filled out the adoption pledge and returned to the car.

Since Encia had to drive, I agreed to hold the cat during the ride.

"Gyeoul."

"Yes?"

"Could you use this for the child?"

Encia took out a small bottle from her bosom.

It was a top-grade potion with a reddish glow.

"Uh... okay."

It was a potion that I couldn't afford even if I worked for ten years.

Of course, I knew it was not much to Encia, who was skilled.

It was Encia's cat, and using the potion was her choice.

Without hesitation, I used the potion on the cat.

Drip-

I sprinkled the potion on its eyes, ears, and tail.

The remaining half, I poured on my hand and fed it directly.

Lick-

Trusting humans, it accepted it without refusal.

As the cat licked up the entire potion, something astonishing happened.

The discolored fur regained its vitality.

The severed ears and tail regenerated, and the missing eye sparkled.

"Wow."

Amazing.

It seemed the same for the cat, as it meowed and checked its body.

Blinking its eyes, it licked its tail.

After a while, it looked up at me.

"Meow."

The cat, which had been meowing sweetly, lay down on my lap.

Purr-

It made a sound similar to Saebyeok's and fell asleep.

The fatigue from regeneration had set in.

"Now this child will consider you its benefactor, Gyeoul."

"Um... wouldn't it have been better if Encia had sprinkled it?"

"No, because it's being raised for you."

"Oh."

Right, that was true.

But that was the story for a hunting dog, wasn't it?

Cats...

Well, I like cats too, so it's fine.

I placed my hand on the sleeping cat.

After petting it for a long time, I also fell asleep at some point.

It was a better day because I was with Encia.

---

---

I returned to the park with the cat in my arms.

Levinas, who had been playing with Argo, spotted us and came hopping over.

"King! Did you bring a puppy?!"

"Uh... here."

It wasn't a puppy, but a cat. It probably didn't matter.

I showed the cat to Levinas.

Levinas looked startled.

"The puppy looks like a cat!"

"Yeah. This puppy meows like a cat."

"What?!"

The reaction was good.

For some reason, I started to feel a bit mischievous.

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