Uneasy daily life

Houtarou Oreki stood to the side, in a fairly good mood—outsourcing Chitanda's "I'm Curious" project seemed like a viable, energy-saving idea.

Unfortunately, I was still caught and forced to run away... Hmm, why do I feel a strange chill down my spine?

Yukino Yukinoshita subtly moved to the nearest spot, reaching out to stroke the devil's alluringly soft fur. Her fingers circled the devil's cheek, lifting its chin and looking directly into its innocent yet savage eyes. She commented, "Pure white fur without any impurities. Judging from the length of its fur and its relatively short legs, it should be a Chinchilla. This type of cat was one of the earliest to be artificially bred. Although many were abandoned by their owners and became stray cats in the city, this cat is very clean and tidy. Its fur wouldn't be so smooth and free of any blemishes unless it has been recently groomed..."

The others were looking at her.

I never imagined that someone with such delicate features like Yukinoshita would be a master of the demon encyclopedia!

"...Anyway, this cat should be a house cat, but it's still a kitten. Someone must have brought it to school." Yukino Yukinoshita casually changed the subject, reaching out to lift one of the devil's paws and patting its neck. "Doesn't this cat have a pet tag?"

Chitanda Eru shook her head regretfully and said, "There are no landmarks, which is why I'm so troubled."

Yukino Yukinoshita gently stroked the cat and asked, "Where did you find it? Does anyone own this cat nearby?"

“No, no,” Angelina quickly waved her hand and said, “I found this cat in a very secluded corner of the playground. I even asked some classmates nearby while holding the cat, and they all said it wasn’t their cat.”

A secluded corner? Why would you think it's a secluded corner?

Hachiman Hikigaya subconsciously entertained this question, then calmly lay down, thinking, "It's none of my business."

"This is a bit tricky; we'll have to resort to brute force..."

Yukino Yukinoshita felt something was off, but her soul had been bewitched by the demon, her mind filled with its every move. She released the demon, took out her phone, opened the camera, and even intended to imprint the demon's image into data—had she already become the demon's prisoner! A henchman aiding and abetting evil!

"Everyone, take a picture of what it looks like, first ask the teacher, then ask students from other classes..."

click!

The phone flashed with a crisp sound.

"Meow?!"

The demon pretended to be startled, then nimbly leaped off the reception table and landed lightly and steadily on the ground—see, it was indeed a disguise!

Wait! The demon has spotted me! It's heading towards me! It's accelerating! It's going to eat me!!

The white figure suddenly took a step back, followed by another step back. Seeing the demon closing in step by step, he also kept retreating!

Yukino Yukinoshita then realized something was wrong. She looked at the kitten slowly crawling on the ground, which from below resembled a caterpillar, and then at the white figure advancing and retreating in a daze. She exclaimed in astonishment, "White-kun? What are you...?"

The white-clad figure looked solemn. This was a critical moment in the life-or-death struggle, and he had no time to reply. He moved his feet left and right, only to see that the demon was also cunning and vicious, constantly moving his position to close in and block his escape route.

Yui Yuigahama belatedly realized, "Shiro also dislikes cats?"

Oh? Yukino Yukinoshita is a bit sensitive.

“I don’t think it’s hate…” Hachiman Hikigaya hesitated, “it’s more like fear.”

Afraid of cats?

A group of people had question marks constantly appearing above their heads.

It's understandable that cats are afraid of cockroaches, rats, snakes, and seafood—but why cats?

"Shut up! I am one of the eight billion overlords of Earth's ecological niche! A highly intelligent life form! A great being who has transcended tribulations and rebuilt my cultivation! The Supreme Emperor of the Third Rank! How could I be afraid of this little demon?!"

The white figure abruptly stopped, focusing its energy in its dantian, attempting to glare at the demon still charging forward in a 'caterpillar-like' manner.

He took half a step back.

The testimony immediately lost its credibility.

Everyone: "..."

I couldn't resist!

But that's the end of it!

"Overcome fear... Face fear... Conquer fear..."

Bai Ying's expression hardened, and the lines of her entire body seemed to become sharper, as if a volcano was about to erupt hidden in her tense body!

Don't underestimate me, you vicious demon known as the Flerken! Let me show you the "Supreme Sun-Swallowing Sutra," a culmination of my observations of all kinds of canines!

Killer Queen!

Angelina was dumbfounded—her superior, he even used superpowers!

Wait! Sir! That's just a poor little kitten! It looks like a kitten that's just been weaned!

Realizing the white figure was serious, Angelina quickly stepped forward, trying to catch up with the kitten and prevent it from turning into a kitten pancake in the next second!

However, the kitten sped up and happily ran towards the white figure!

Hmph! 9527 was actually bewitched by you, you wretched creature. It seems your cultivation still needs improvement—did you think I'd be like 9527?!

The white figure suddenly grinned, revealing a ferocious face.

You scoundrel! Stop here, and I might spare your life. But if you take another step, the world will turn upside down...

The kitten took two steps forward.

A ruthless glint flashed in Bai Ying's eyes, "Shinai—!!"

"Eek!" Angelina was about to scream—

"Woof——!"

A powerful roar echoed in the activity room; it was a force from the primordial era, a destiny of blood belonging to felines and canines that spanned history!

Since the day they were born, the two have been constantly fighting, competing, learning from each other, and developing their own unique characteristics in the process of natural change, and this has been the case for millions of years.

Cats walk the path of becoming solitary elites, while there are also traitors like hyenas and lions who learn to unite, and dogs, on the other hand, uphold the principles of collectivism.

The Supreme Sun-Swallowing Sutra is derived from the divine inspiration of canines. Its sound is like ten thousand voices following it, with an endless echo that reverberates for a long time. It is a powerful and invincible technique that targets the weaknesses of demons!

This roar shook the demon's ears, startling it into a daze. Thunder exploded in its mind, as if a sound system malfunctioned, with high, low, fast, and slow notes playing all at once.

The kitten kept meowing, "Meow?"

You dare to bare your teeth at me?!

Bai Ying forcefully lifted her foot and took a step forward: "Woof—!!"

With a single roar, the demon trembled all over, its white fur bristling as if whipped by electric current, a numbing, tingling, and soft sensation washing over it all at once.

The kitten, trembling with fear, turned around and ran away, meowing.

Hey! You devil! If you had come straight at me, I might have spared you this time. But now you've turned your back on me and fled in panic. How could I possibly pass up this opportunity to beat a dog when it's down?

The white figure caught up in three strides, its chest suddenly bulging as it unleashed its full power, transforming itself into a sun-devouring beast, determined to slay its destined nemesis, the Devouring Beast: "Woof—!!!"

This roar pierced the very depths of the demon's soul, like a steel stamp imprinting its mind. Fear, terror, and dread surged through its body, causing it to slip and tumble to the side, turning into a rolling gourd.

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly crouched down and caught the kitten that rolled over. She looked at the white figure in front of her with a subtle expression, not knowing what to say for a moment, with a trace of fear still lingering on her face.

Bai Ying was panting heavily, as if he had just survived a life-or-death ordeal. He calmed himself down, suppressed his boiling fighting spirit, and nodded calmly to everyone, saying, "I accidentally took the demon seriously and used some of my true strength. If I have frightened you all, I am truly sorry."

Yukino Yukinoshita stroked the kitten in her arms, calming down a bit, and asked in a strange tone, "Why...why are you afraid of cats?"

Bai Ying asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid of dogs too?"

Yui Yuigahama was taken aback: "Huh? Yuki's afraid of dogs?"

Silence reigns in the activity room at this moment.

A strange estrangement has emerged.

Chapter Fifty-Three: The more cunning a person is...

Xiaoxue is afraid of dogs and likes cats, while I like dogs and hate cats. Our good and bad points are perfectly separated—but friends don't need to care about such things, just like Ebina particularly likes male beauty... Here, male beauty refers to male-male beauty.

Yui Yuigahama recovered from her surprise.

Baijun hates... no, is afraid of cats?

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes brightened slightly. Was this her opponent's weakness? It definitely was. Judging from her performance just now, that fear was blatantly obvious...

"Meow!"

The kitten moved. Since there was plenty of space in Yukino's arms, it took advantage of the other party's pondering of her schemes and tricks to slip out from between her arms as if it had liquefied, and landed steadily on the ground. It shook its slightly disheveled fur and tentatively took a step toward the white figure.

"Hey! You beast, stop your rampage!"

The white figure suddenly took a step back.

The kitten tilted its head and stretched its leg forward—

"Wang!"

The kitten retracted its right front leg.

"Emperor Schrödinger protects my body, and the Supreme Sun-Swallowing Scripture proves my invincibility! How dare you, a mere wretch, display your power? Do you know the sharpness of my sword!"

The white figure pointed to a divine sword, stepped on the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and walked in the Seven Stars formation, pacing around the kitten with a babbling voice, surprisingly capturing the charm of a theatrical opera.

"Meow meow~"

The kitten imitated the white shadow, its short legs moving as it paced along, its eyes fixed on the white shadow, and it let out a few seductive meows.

The human and cat were there performing a two-person skit and guerrilla warfare.

"Huh?" Angelina was relieved and smiled, "It seems the kitten really likes the white shadow."

Hmm... the officer didn't mean to smash the kitten into a pancake with one punch, that would be terrifying.

"Hmm, even after being scared by Uncle Bai so many times, it still likes to run towards him." Chitanda Eru sensed from the kitten's indomitable attitude, "Could it be that Uncle Bai has an aura that attracts cats?"

"Cats like white shadows...hmm?"

A random thought flashed through Hachiman Hikigaya's mind—cats like Yoshikage Kira.

Whether Kira Yoshikage likes cats or not is another matter... Could it be that the captain wants cats to hate him? Wait a minute! Applying manga settings to reality is not just excessive self-awareness, but a symptom of late-stage chuunibyou!

Hachiman, are you awake?

In ancient times, there were seven gods in the world, three of whom were creator gods: the wise god Garan, the war goddess Mesika, the heart-guarding goddess Hetia, and then...

Pfft——!

Oh, the pain is excruciating.

I've come to my senses and cured my teenage angst.

Hachiman Hikigaya calmed down and scratched his head, saying, "Basically, we'll have to put in a lot of effort to find the cat's owner, right? But bringing the cat along is a bit of a hassle. Pets aren't allowed in the school, and for efficiency and safety, it would be better to leave someone in the classroom to watch the cat..."

This man instinctively didn't want to engage in unnecessary social interactions. He preferred to leave things like showing people photos and asking, "Are you the master of this cat?" to others.

Having a cat at home, I can undoubtedly take on this responsibility...

"I can handle this task; it's too much of a burden for me to run around outside."

A voice interrupted, and Oreki Houtarou, with his usual calm expression, raised his hand and said in a natural tone, "This kitten will run into the secluded bushes and get stuck. It really needs someone to watch it. I am very good at static movement, and I will have no problem keeping an eye on an overly active kitten."

This man went to great lengths to outsource Chitanda Eru's "I'm Curious," but judging from the situation on the ground, Chitanda Eru still needed to personally participate and help—in order to break free from the inertia of being naturally dragged along everywhere, he stepped forward.

Seriously? You're even taking over the job of slacking off?

As a healthy high school boy in puberty, your instinctive cry should be to work hard and try to stand out in front of girls!

Hachiman Hikigaya watched calmly.

The dead fish eyes and the sleepy eyes stared at each other, as if lightning and sparks were flying in the void.

The two subtly reached a consensus.

It seems you're exhibiting the same type of energy conservation (social avoidance) as me...

But taking care of a kitten only requires one person!

A strange light flashed simultaneously in the dead fish eyes and the sleepy eyes.

In just two or three seconds, ideas collided, opponents were analyzed, advantageous areas were identified, and logic was pieced together—

"I have cats at home, and I know all about their habits and vocal preferences. As a seasoned cat owner, I can take good care of a kitten without making any mistakes."

Hachiman Hikigaya remained calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a master.

Houtarou Oreki pointed, as if to test its purity: "So, what's the meaning of this kitten now?"

The kitten and the white shadow engaged in a fierce guerrilla battle, circling the tables and chairs, sometimes advancing, sometimes retreating, sometimes barking, sometimes meowing, fighting back and forth like a revolving lantern, creating a scene of utter chaos and darkness. Then, the kitten ran, attempting to climb onto the white shadow's bedding, aiming straight for the enemy's lair. The white shadow, seeing this, was horrified and unleashed its full power, barking wildly at the kitten, who was so frightened that it abandoned all its defenses and fled in disarray.

Hachiman Hikigaya listened to the kitten's mournful cry and confirmed, "It's hungry."

"Huh? Are you hungry?" Angelina exclaimed in surprise.