Volume 6 Chapter 66 Cats to the Right, Cats to the Left, Cats Behind Me
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Kurooo…”
A sweet, pampered cat voice called out.
”Look, look. See? Isn’t it grilled nicely? Elna may be a princess, but she can cook. Surprised? Magic users can do anything. Here, say ahh.”
”Aah.”
The white cat princess proudly tossed a piece of roasted rabbit meat into his mouth.
It was lean, almost no fat. When Klock first saw it raw, he felt uneasy, but once he tasted it, it was not bad at all.
Tender, with a flavor a little like chicken.
He remembered the shocking sight of the rabbit being shot down by Elna’s lightning. But now, he thought maybe food hunting should be left to her.
Still, he wished for a little salt.
”Sir Klock!”
Another catlike voice purred.
”Hey, hey! Look this way! I grilled a big fish! Mī used to catch fish in the river a lot when I was little. The bones are soft, so you can eat it from the head! Here, let me feed you! Say ahh!”
”Aah.”
This time, golden-haired Meina pushed in close, feeding him fish straight from her hand.
He didn’t dislike fish, as long as the bones were gone. Eating it head-first made him hesitate, but the taste was actually good.
The bones crunched, the fat spread across his tongue.
Earlier, he had been shocked when she pulled the fish out of the river using “Water Style.” But maybe she too was reliable for food.
Again, he wished for salt.
”Hey, Meina, you’re in the way.”
”Lady Elna, you’re the one in the way! Go away!”
And so it began.
They had been like this since morning.
Klock decided to ignore them and keep eating.
It was noon.
They rested by the riverbank with a fire on the gravel, a barrier set around them.
Three sat together:
To his right was the white cat princess Elna, lightning mage, clinging to his arm and glaring across.
In the center sat Klock, chewing rabbit in one hand and fish in the other, staring into the distance.
To his left was the golden catgirl Meina, Nyanjutsu [T/N: cat pun on “ninjutsu”] user, clinging to his other arm and growling at Elna.
The three had been like this since morning.
Or more precisely, the two cats had. Klock was only trapped between their sparks.
”Can’t you just leave already? Elna and Kuro want to enjoy a meal, master and servant alone. A shabby, poor cat like you ruins the mood!”
The princess spoke with open insult.
Apparently, cat Beastkin were raised with unusual freedom. Still, her great mage teacher would surely scold her for that tongue.
”You leave! How long are you going to cling to him? Taking someone else’s partner is the worst! Is that what a noble cat should do?”
Somehow, Meina now called him her “partner.”
Well, she could call it whatever she wanted. But it showed something: she was no longer just a bullied girl. She had grown.
”Ugh, you smell poor. It’s ruining my food.”
”What?! I don’t smell! You probably use fleas as perfume! Don’t touch Sir Klock with your dirty body!”
”I don’t have fleas! I just bathed in the river!”
The two girls stood, flashing claws. Their earlier hierarchy was gone; now it was pure hostility.
Klock kept chewing, sighing. It was about to become a fight. He stamped out the fire, packed up, and stood.
The two cats noticed and quickly clung to him again, one on each arm.
Surrounded by beauties, Klock sighed instead of smiling.
If only there was a box to stuff them in and float them down the river… with “Please take one” written on top.
Why didn’t it feel good to be fought over by two beautiful girls? Probably because both were stronger than him, and their fighting only made the trip miserable.
And since he had touched both of them, he couldn’t really tell them to stop. If he tried, they’d just blame him.
”Fsshh!!”
”Fffff!”
They hissed, showing fangs.
They crossed rivers and plains, ignoring the scenery, always glaring, then softening to cling to Klock again, then glaring once more.
The pattern repeated endlessly.
Finally, Elna snapped, “Thief cat! How long will you cling to my Kuro? Luring away my slave is the lowest! Don’t think you can get away with it just because you’re pretty with nice fur and cute fangs!”
”You’re the thief cat, Lady Elna! Don’t call my future husband a slave! Even if you’re pretty and noble, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. You’re not very educated for a princess!”
Their cheeks puffed. Watching, Klock wondered if maybe deep down they were actually friends.
”Mī is Sir Klock’s girl!”
”Elna is Kuro’s Master!”
He grew tired just hearing them. At this rate, they would still be fighting when they reached the next town.
”Nya. Looks like you’re busy, nya.”
A woman’s voice came from behind.
The two cats instantly let go of his arms and turned. Klock turned too, recognizing the calm, sly tone.
There stood a woman with brown hair, smiling slyly.
”…Well, if it isn’t the hostess. Been a while.”
”It is, nya. I’ve been looking for you, nya.”
Her smile was smooth, but Klock clicked his tongue.
This was no chance meeting. She had come to take him back.
The woman before them was Irina—the Demon Cat, sister of the Emperor of the Hundred Beasts, leader of the Nyan Law Corps [T/N: cat pun on “ninja law corps”].
The real enemy had appeared.
Her shock was easy to see. Even though she had treated Meina badly, she had never thought Meina might reject her. Klock almost forgot, but Meina had once been forced to serve him as a s*x worker in the hostess’s brothel, the Deep Cat.
Now, should they run or fight?
The hostess’s true strength was unknown, but with this team, running too soon would only make things worse. Better to show her they were dangerous, and make her retreat. She was not a Brave Knight. Even if she was strong, she was surely not on Tiet’s level.
Whenever Klock judged an enemy’s power, he thought of Tiet first.
Why not Cianie? He was not sure. Probably because Tiet was the one who had beaten him so badly. Compared to her, most opponents seemed manageable. Meeting her had, in the end, made him far braver.
”Elna. Meina. We fight.”
”Eh? Ah, yes. I understand,” Elna said.
”Leave it to me! Mī will protect you, Sir Klock!” Meina cried.
Elna looked uneasy, but Meina’s fighting spirit burned bright. Maybe because the enemy was the hostess. Or maybe because she had just quarreled with Elna. Either way, she suddenly looked reliable.
”Elna, can you use magic to make us run faster?”
”Yes, I can. Elna is a wielder of lightning. She can run faster than the wind!”
But you never run anywhere, Klock thought. He kept the remark inside and only nodded. Then he looked at Meina.
”――Fire Style, Big Nyan-ko Hotpot!!”
With a swift seal of her hands, Meina released a huge fire in the shape of a cat. Whatever the form, the flames burned the grass black at once. Like a cat trying to climb into a pot, the fire pounced on the hostess.
But she leapt back smoothly. The ambush failed easily. Calm and sharp-eyed, she studied them even as she retreated.
She moved like someone used to battle.
So the woman who had sat bored behind the counter had only been a mask. She was a fighter.
”Meina. Why attack me, nya? Did you become Elna’s servant, nya?”
She still could not accept fighting Meina. It felt a little cruel.
”Mī—”
”Don’t answer. You don’t need to say anything,” Klock cut her off.
The goal was not to kill, only to make her give up. That made things easier.
”You. What are you to Meina, nya?”
”What? Meina is my girl.”
At last, the hostess realized the truth. Klock pulled Meina close and smirked. Meina gave a happy “Nyan♡.” To make the point, he grabbed her butt, showing he owned her completely.
”F-funya?! To do such things to an innocent cat girl! So that’s why Meina left, nya…”
”Kuro! What are you doing when you already have Elna?!” Elna shouted.
The provocation backfired. To calm her too, Klock pulled Elna close and grabbed her butt as well. She let out an “Ahhn♡,” and he turned to the hostess with a smug face.
”F-funyaaa?! A princess of a nation, treated like that?!”
”Kuro! This isn’t the time… ahn♡”
”Geez, Sir Klock… not in front of people, nyan…♡”
Two catgirls squirmed against him, while the hostess trembled with anger. Her eyes showed open hostility now. If all the girls around her were being stolen one by one, of course she would be furious.
Anger and sorrow narrowed a fighter’s vision. They dulled judgment and created openings. Provocation was not just to bait—it also worked as a debuff.
”Grr… I felt sorry for you, but no more, nya. I cannot forgive you for corrupting such important girls, nya.”
”Oh, come on. You treated Meina like dirt too, didn’t you? We’re even. At least I’m doing it with her consent.”
”Funya!! How dare you say that! I always treated Meina with great care, nya! Let her go this instant!”
The hostess crouched into a battle stance. But before she could move, Meina sprang. Gold hair flashed, cat ears twitching.
”Wind Style, Cat Cart!!”
”Nya?! Wind Style, Vacuum Slash!!”
Wind clashed against wind. Meina spun like a dancer, soil blasting up like pillars. For a second, Klock thought he saw a cat spinning like a wheel. The hostess countered with razor wind from her fingers.
The ground tore apart. Behind them, Klock charged forward with Elna clutching his collar, lightning crackling around them.
”You won’t escape! Klock Livorno, enemy of women!!” the hostess roared.
She leapt in, claws flashing. Klock remembered—he had once slept with her too. No wonder the provocation had worked so well.
”Lightning Style, Catwalk!!”
”Arrow of Lightning (Frecce Fulminia)!”
Meina chased her with lightning speed. Elna’s spell loosed bolts to cut off her path. The hostess barely dodged, leaping aside.
”Cared for her? You forced her to give s*x service to guests. You slapped her when you were angry. How is that care?”
”W-what are you saying?! That’s not true! Don’t lie, nya!”
But it was true. Klock remembered Meina’s swollen cheek after her shift. He stopped running, frowning. Elna slapped his back, demanding, “What are you doing?” Meina and then the hostess caught up.
”Meina quit because her coworkers bullied her. When I first came, they told her to entertain me. When she saw me off, her cheek was swollen from a slap.”
”…Eh?”
The hostess looked baffled. Klock nodded to himself. Of course—the red and white senior cats. The hostess had been away. They ran the place.
”I gave her money and told her to quit. Now she’s my girl. She told me those senior cats withheld food and treated her horribly. I don’t do that. Unlike you trash cats, I spoil her every day.”
”W-wait, nya! I didn’t know. What do you mean?”
She truly looked confused. She had not known. The fault lay with her lieutenants. Still, as head, it was her failure.
”I hate you! Go away!!” Meina shouted, turning her face.
”Funyaa?!” The hostess flinched, showing a wounded face.
”Wait, is that true? Skipping meals? That’s horrible! Only a monster would do that! I can’t believe it. I’m disgusted, Auntie!” Elna added.
Yes, food was sacred to cats. Denying it was cruelty. Even Elna, who had just quarreled with Meina, felt pity.
”N-no! I didn’t! I never knew, nya!!” the hostess cried.
”Don’t play dumb after making her cry. Stay away from my girl. I don’t want your fleas or stink on me.” Klock flipped her off for good measure.
Tears welled in her eyes. Her fighting spirit shrank. She looked almost pitiful now.
…Good enough. Time to run.
They didn’t need to defeat her. Just escape.
”Lightning Style, Catwalk!”
”Enchantment, Lightning (Incarico Fulminia)!”
Crackling arcs surrounded them. Meina’s feet sparked, Elna’s magic wrapped them, and Klock carried both.
Air Walk was fast but unstable. Lightning Style could not fly, but it gave steadier, faster steps on the ground. Perfect for escape.
”Anyway, let’s call it a day. Maybe we can share a drink at a bar next time,” Klock said, waving as he turned away. The hostess stood frozen, stunned. Maybe he had been too harsh, but she was still a pursuer. Annoying her was fair strategy.
”She’s not following,” Elna whispered.
Behind them, the hostess stood like a woman abandoned after five years together. Maybe, Klock thought, he should help patch things up with Meina later.
”…No. I can’t, nya.”
”Hm?”
The air changed. He looked back. The hostess’s aura had shifted.
”Even so, I cannot let you go. The fate of the nation, the fate of the clan is at stake. I’ll be evil if I must!”
She bit her thumbs, then formed seals. Her hands struck the ground, inscribing Nyanjutsu formulas.
”Nyan Law Technique—Summon Cats!”
Light flashed. At once, red and white shapes appeared, fluttering down.
Like stray cats gathering, two figures stood before her.
One red, beautiful and sharp.
One white, full-bodied and bouncing.
”…Oh no, this is bad.”
Elna frowned. Meina’s face twisted in disgust.
The hostess had chosen well. Unlike the younger cats, she could stay calm and call for help.
It was a true comeback move. In an instant, Klock and the others were at a disadvantage.
”You called, Head—”
”Using Cat Summon is rare. What happened—”
The two newcomers locked eyes with Klock.
Notes:
• Elna – Female. A young apprentice mage. Her appearance is that of a child with white hair reaching her shoulders. She wears a black hooded mantle with strange patterns. Her relationship is as an apprentice to Hermine, the Great Mage. Her power involves advanced magic, including spatial teleportation. Her combat style is magical, and she is described as childish and easily provoked.
• Meina – She is a golden-haired catgirl employee of the beastman (Larana the cat woman) Inn, appeared performing fellatio, desperate and tear-streaked, with an inexperienced yet earnest approach to her work.
• Irina – She introduced herself as the innkeeper’s name, a 32-year-old with a youthful appearance, who enjoys being sexually satisfied by Klock. A beastkin cat.
• Tiet – A companion and friend of Anna. A holy knight from the royal capital. She wears light armor and carries a shield adorned with a dragon holding a sword, indicating her affiliation with the National Military Police. She is concerned about Anna’s well-being and tries to support her emotionally.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply