When Yellian, burning with anger, was desperately trying to land a soft punch on Leonard, someone knocked on the door, and Yellian looked at it with a wary gaze.
“It’s Elton.”
Only after hearing the familiar voice did the tension ease. Perhaps because Francois’s kidnapping attempt was such a big deal, the sound of the knock, which would normally have been nothing, felt unusually frightening.
But since it was Elton, Yellian felt relieved. He resumed his attack on Leonard.
“What’s the matter?”
“I investigated the matter from last time, and it seems more serious than I thought.”
At Elton’s words, Yellian stopped throwing punches with a huff and looked at him. Leonard, too, sensing the gravity of the situation, ceased playing around by pushing Yellian’s scalp back.
“What matter from last time?”
As Yellian tilted his head and asked, Elton glanced at Leonard, seemingly seeking permission to answer.
Leonard appeared lost in thought for a moment, giving no response, but soon opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
“There’s a rumor going around that cats spread infectious diseases.”
“Cats? All of a sudden?”
“That’s why I asked for an investigation.”
At Leonard’s words, Yellian nodded but couldn’t shake off the unease in his heart. It was already a world where many abused and tormented cats.
Of course, from what he’d overheard, thanks to Leonard’s influence, penalties for those who abused animals had been strengthened, so they wouldn’t dare mistreat cats as recklessly as before.
But if the rumor that cats spread diseases became widespread, even if people didn’t openly abuse them, it was obvious they would treat them with disdain.
For example, someone who used to feed stray cats might be scolded or harassed for giving food to disease-spreading cats.
“It’s just a rumor, isn’t it? It’s not even confirmed…….”
Yellian trailed off in a worried voice.
Though it was unclear how far the rumor had spread, once people started believing it, the rumor would gain power and cease to be just a ‘rumor’-it would become ‘truth.’
Yellian, aware of this fact, couldn’t simply brush it off.
“The source of the rumor is unclear. Since it’s a rumor, I couldn’t trace where it started. What’s certain is that the citizens of the empire are afraid because of it. They seem to believe that a serious infectious disease can be transmitted from cats.”
“No way! Cats are such clean animals, how can they say such things!”
At Elton’s words, Yellian raised his voice in frustration. Elton nodded as if he understood Yellian’s feelings, but the situation remained unchanged.
“To what extent are the citizens afraid?”
“For starters…… the frequency of people picking fights with those who feed stray cats has increased. I’m a sturdy man, so no one has picked a fight with me yet, but from what I’ve heard from others, they get scolded several times a day. They’re worried they might actually be harmed.”
It was just as he had feared. Yellian wasn’t pleased that his thoughts were proving correct. Even in South Korea, where Yellian originally lived, there were often cases of people harassing those who fed stray cats.
“I heard some news earlier today. There’s a person named Meliana nearby who’s known for keeping many cats. Since I also keep cats, we’ve exchanged information and become quite close. This morning, she went to a shop to buy groceries, but it seems the other customers told the owner to kick Meliana out.”
Elton paused for a moment with a somber face to catch his breath before continuing.
“They said that since she keeps a lot of disease-spreading cats, Meliana must also be capable of spreading the disease.”
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
Yellian shouted in disbelief. The more he heard, the more absurd it sounded. Yet the fact that this absurd story was real made him furious.
“The only silver lining is that, since animal abuse laws have been strengthened, people aren’t directly harming cats. Instead, it seems the direction of their hatred has shifted toward those who keep cats or feed stray cats.”
“It’s more serious than I thought. Do you think the rumor will die down over time?”
Leonard asked in a rather serious voice. He seemed to be pondering whether the current situation would naturally resolve itself or grow into something bigger.
“I…… don’t know. Honestly, it feels like some people are taking advantage of this to cause a commotion.”
At Elton’s uncertain words, Leonard’s expression hardened. Yellian, too, lowered his head weakly.
Then, Leonard gently stroked Yellian’s head. Yellian felt grateful for the gesture, which was clearly meant to comfort him.
“For now, I understand. If the situation changes, report back to me, whether it gets better or worse.”
“Yes, understood.”
Elton gave a short reply and left the room. Yellian stared at the door Elton had exited through with a sullen face for a while.
“Cats have a wide range of expressions, don’t they?”
“Don’t pick a fight.”
“I’m saying you’re cute.”
As if to prove his words, Leonard began vigorously rubbing Yellian’s belly. Instinctively, Yellian grabbed Leonard’s hand with his front and back paws.
“Hiss, stop it!”
Hissing was just a bonus. Still, Leonard kept kneading Yellian’s belly. Unable to hold back, Yellian bit Leonard’s hand with a snap.
“Did you bite me?”
“Why do you keep picking fights!”
“I’m not picking a fight; I’m showing affection.”
“That’s just your opinion! Do you even know how sensitive a cat’s belly is!”
“You sound like you’re actually a cat.”
“Gasp, that’s right. I’m not a cat.”
Seeing Yellian’s shocked expression, as if he’d had a grand revelation, Leonard chuckled quietly.
He subtly pulled back the hand that had been touching Yellian’s belly and noticed fang marks where Yellian had bitten. Seeing the utterly insignificant marks, Leonard gave a faint smile before his expression hardened.
‘Their lifespan might be shortening.’
The veterinarian’s words resurfaced in his mind. No, in truth, he had never forgotten them for a single moment. He couldn’t accept or believe that Yellian was dying. Yet he couldn’t ignore it either.
“Yellian.”
“Yes?”
Despite having just said he wasn’t a cat, Yellian, who had been grooming himself, lifted his head at Leonard’s call.
“……It’s nothing.”
“There are two things that really annoy people.”
“…….”
Yellian’s irritated voice squeaked pitifully. Leonard found his voice quite cute and held back his words.
“One is stopping mid-sentence, and the other is.”
“One is?”
“See, it’s annoying! I’m stopping mid-sentence!”
“I’m not really annoyed, though.”
“Hiss, hiss! Ugh, I’m so annoyed!”
At Leonard’s utterly unaffected reaction, Yellian hissed furiously.
Then, exhausted by his own outburst, he stopped hissing and looked at Leonard with a prim gaze.
“So, what were you going to say?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Ugh, seriously! Are you trying to annoy me? I’ve given in this much, so shouldn’t you tell me?”
“You didn’t give in; you just lost, didn’t you?”
“Ugh, same thing! Just let it go!”
Yellian bit Leonard’s hand with all his might. He had just said he wasn’t a cat, but it was hard to understand how he could claim otherwise.
Leonard clicked his tongue and shook his head. Once again, where Yellian had bitten, two fang marks remained.
“Are you really not going to tell me?”
“Just a little, I’ll tell you a little later.”
“……Why are you speaking in such a tender voice? Fine, tell me later. Got it?”
“……Yeah.”
Leonard replied in a moist voice. He knew he had to tell Yellian that he might be dying, that his lifespan might be shortening, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say it.
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