Chapter 6: Catfolk Raising a Cub

Chapter 6: Catfolk with Kittens

Fei Yu pushed open the coffee shop door. As soon as he stepped inside, Pang Qiu eagerly jumped in front of him.

The tabby cat proudly lifted his chin and declared with certainty: "From what I know, the human you picked is definitely gay."

"Really? That's great!" Joy sparkled in Fei Yu's eyes.

But his happiness was short-lived; the next moment, he slumped like a deflated balloon, his shoulders sagging in frustration.

"Still, Song Ji seems to have really high standards for friends. He asked if I was in college."

Song Ji rested his hand on the counter, resting his face in his hands, deep in thought, his long, curled lashes drooping softly, casting a bluish-gray shadow on his cheeks.

After a long pause, he couldn't help but ask again: "Pang Qiu, humans are so troublesome. Do they really need to check each other's education to be friends?"

He managed to bluff his way out of it this time, but that didn't mean he could do it again next time.

If he accidentally slipped up and got kicked out of Song Ji's friend circle, could he still sleep with him?

"Uh, well..." Pang Qiu tugged his whiskers, being evasive.

Compared to cats, humans have all sorts of weird ways to make friends.

Some bond over shared hobbies or habits, others check zodiac signs or Chinese zodiac animals, and there's even something called an MBTI test or whatever.

But basing friendship on education? Honestly, Pang Qiu had never heard of that before, and he wasn't sure.

But if he just admitted it outright, he'd lose face as a senior member of the catfolk.

The tabby cat thought for a moment, then cleared his throat and said: "Hey, it's not like you're really trying to be real friends with him. You can relax the requirements a bit."

Fei Yu looked hesitant: "But..."

Pang Qiu's eyes darted around as a good idea struck him. He said happily: "If you're really worried, I have a plan."

"We're right at A University, one of the best of the best schools for humans. On your days off, you can sit in on a few classes. Then you'll be just like those college kids, right?"

Anyway, from what he saw, those college students just slept in class and played around during breaks, cramming right before midterms and finals. They're nothing special.

Fei Yu thought it over and decided it was a pretty good idea. His eyes sparkled with admiration: "Senior Pang Qiu, you're so smart."

Pang Qiu lifted his chin, his tail held high: "Of course! I've eaten more cans than you've eaten kibble."

The afternoon slipped away in a flash.

As soon as he got off work, Fei Yu turned back into a cat and went to find Caiyun, the most well-informed tabby. "Caiyun, are the students at A University all really that impressive?"

Caiyun the tabby immediately puffed his belly out with pride, feeling honored to share that glory: "Boss, of course they are!"

"The people who get into our university are all top students. Their grades are among the best!"

He swayed his head back and forth and spoke with an old scholar's air: "Humans from other schools would kill to get into our school."

"But they fail the exams, beating their chests and stomping their feet, and they still can't get in. Poor souls."

A University was so prestigious that even the stray cats on campus could casually rattle off a few idioms just by being around.

Fei Yu nodded, taking it all in: "Okay."

He was the bottom cat in his cat school class, while Song Ji was a top-tier student from a top-tier human university.

The gap between them was huge.

It seemed he really needed to boost his education.

He put his ears back, worrying as he rolled around in the grass.

The sun was lazily warming the ground. The light today wasn't too harsh, so the calico cat had finally relented and let her kittens come out to sunbathe.

Three tiny kittens chased each other in the morning light. The calico cat grabbed one, licked it until it looked like a mango pit, then put it back and went after another.

Tiny kittens were at an age full of energy and couldn't stay still for a second.

Spotting the two big cats lying in the grass, they immediately bounced over and chirped: "Uncle Caiyun, play with us!"

The tabby cat, who had been lazing around on the ground, jumped up in fright, fur bristling: "Three little kittens? I can't deal with that. Boss, I'm outta here!"

Fei Yu blinked in confusion. Before he could react, the tabby had already slipped into the bushes and disappeared.

The two kittens were used to the tabby's escape. When their little sister from mom's side came over, they both tilted their heads and pressed close to Fei Yu.

They asked affectionately: "Big brother, who are you? We've never seen you before."

"Big brother, will you play with us?"

The kittens were light orange with tabby markings, barely over two months old. When they tilted their heads and looked at him with innocent eyes, they were just too cute and adorable.

And with their soft mews, Fei Yu's heart melted.

Catfolk were naturally infertile, and only adult cats lived in the cat village.

Fei Yu rarely saw kitten cubs, let alone such cute, soft little ones.

He puffed his chest out, a sense of responsibility for looking after younger siblings welling up inside him.

The lion cat proudly raised his tail, leading the way, and volunteered: "Okay, big brother will play with you."

The calico cat saw the boss taking her little ones off to play. Enjoying the rare break, she relaxed and lay back down on the grass.

Twenty minutes later.

Fei Yu came back with the three kittens, walking unsteadily, swaying back and forth. He was so tired his whiskers trembled, his pink tongue hanging out as he panted.

Little kittens were way too hard to take care of!

They chattered nonstop like three little speakers. His head was about to explode. When they played, they were reckless and oblivious, ignoring everything he said.

One moment they'd pull his whiskers, the next they'd grab his tail. The second he let his guard down, they'd run straight toward the busy road with oncoming cars.

He had to drag two of them back, and the third one was trotting ahead on its stubby little legs, almost getting abducted by a passing college student!

Now he understood why the tabby had run off so fast earlier. He'd seen it coming.

The little kittens returned to their mother and immediately settled down. They quietly moved closer to the big cat, showing no sign of their earlier mischief.

The calico cat gave each of her kittens a gentle tap. As she left, she smiled warmly at Fei Yu: "Boss, sorry my babies gave you trouble."

"It's okay." Fei Yu mumbled weakly.

After that, he had no strength left and collapsed onto the lawn with a plop. His fluffy cat belly rose and fell as he panted heavily, too exhausted to say another word.

Fortunately, he was a Catfolk, so even if he slept with a human, there was absolutely no way he could have kittens.

Otherwise, every day would be such a nightmare. He'd rather be neutered.

*

The bell rang, ending class. The students in the classroom packed up their things and filed out through the front and back doors.

"I'm starving! Who designed this schedule? A full day of classes—are they trying to kill us med students?" As soon as class ended, Zhou Qian stood up from his seat and complained loudly.

He had been sitting for a full two hours, and now everything was uncomfortable. He cracked his stiff joints and stretched.

"No class tonight, A Ji. To celebrate my allergy recovery, wanna grab a bite later? My treat."

The young man beside him sat straight as a pine, not moving during the entire class. At that, he cracked an eye and glanced over, then deadpanned two words: "Busy. Not going."

Zhou Qian protested. "What's so important? Can't even get a meal?"

Song Ji: "Going to see Pearl."

Hearing his childhood friend's words, surprise flickered in Zhou Qian's eyes. He crossed his arms and looked at him with a leisurely air. "You're really gonna adopt the school cat?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you—raising a cat isn't that easy."

Most members of the Cat Association are total cat fanatics, joining just to mooch cat time on the association's dime.

What's more, some take advantage of the opportunity to fully interact with the cats in the association, working hard to win their favor, and wait until graduation to adopt the senior cats and take them home.

However, Song Ji was obviously not among them. Zhou Qian even suspected he only joined the association to score easy credits.

As a friend who had grown up with Song Ji, Zhou Qian could count off several of his quirks on his fingers: germophobia, OCD, and serious personal space issues.

None of that screams cat person.

And on top of that, the cat Song Ji wanted was that long-haired lion cat.

Not to mention the seasonal shedding—just scooping the litter box every day would be unbearable for someone with germophobia.

Song Ji said calmly, "I know."

Zhou Qian shrugged, then suddenly remembered the scene when Song Ji first saw the lion cat.

His usually aloof friend holding the little cat, looking utterly reluctant to let it go...

Zhou Qian went "Huh" and clicked his tongue in amazement. Sure enough, there's no human a cat can't tame!

Song Ji shouldered his bag, not wanting to chat more with him, and prepared to walk away.

Zhou Qian went "Hey hey" and quickly blocked him, waving his phone with a grin. "You definitely haven't read the group messages again, have you?"

The Cat Association just posted an announcement at noon. Some wealthy alumnus donated a large sum of money, specifying that it should be used to improve the lives of the school's strays.

"The school had no choice but to agree to take over the campus strays starting this semester. Now, Drumstick and the others have official positions too."

Zhou Qian opened the pinned group, and the announcement popped up. "Here, look, it's this one."

Song Ji opened the Cat Association group, scanned the messages quickly, and couldn't help furrowing his brows.

The school intended to cooperate with the Cat Association to provide fixed food and shelter for the campus strays.

This was certainly good for them, but it also meant that the Cat Association's management would become stricter.

For a cat like Pearl, who had just been taken in by the association, a lost cat notice needed to be posted first to confirm if there was an owner to claim it.

If there was no news after a month, then adoption could be considered.

In addition, the review conditions for adopters would become stricter. A current college student like him might not be able to compete with people in society.

Song Ji lowered his eyes, forcefully suppressing the irritation surging in his heart.

Zhou Qian beside him, who had been scrolling through something, suddenly burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "Hahaha, look at the main group. Isn't this the lion cat you wanted to adopt?"

The Cat Association main group's full name was "A University Students' Cloud Cat and Dog Petting Group," with many members. People often shared cute photos of the school's cats and dogs in the group.

Class had just ended, and the group was buzzing with activity; new messages quickly exceeded 99+.

Song Ji clicked in, scrolled up a few messages, and found the source that had sparked the heated discussion among students.

Someone had posted a video. The fluffy white lion cat filled most of the screen, its face round and cute, with a pair of golden eyes that were moist.

It stared at the camera for a few seconds, then walked forward with a catlike gait. Its fluffy, soft big tail hung low behind it, looking somewhat dejected.

Behind it were three orange-and-white kittens, poking their heads around curiously—so cute.

Suddenly, one of the kittens was attracted by something beside it and stopped.

The lion cat immediately noticed, curled its tail inward, and pulled it back into the group.

The video was only a few dozen seconds. At the end, one big cat and three small ones slowly walked away along the tree-lined path.

This video, with its perfect angle and lighting, quickly caught the attention of the group members.

"Aren't these Hua Hua's kittens? Which cat got unlucky this time?"

"So cats also look utterly hopeless when taking care of kittens [drooping rose]"

"I knew it! So many people were filming over by Teaching Building 3. Darn, if it weren't for that damn career class, I could have filmed too!"

"Don't envy me, I did take photos [image][image]"

"Ahhh I can't take it, so cute! I've met my dream cat!!! What's its name? Is it a stray on campus? Can I adopt it?"

"Its name is Zhen Zhu, a pure lion cat. I wonder which scoundrel gave it that name [rofl]"

"Zhu Zhu looks really big, want to pet it. Has anyone petted it? Come out and tell us how it feels—is it solid? [rubbing hands like a fly]"

Below, there was a string of "Want to pet," but Song Ji didn't have time to care about that.

He stared at the glaring words "Zhen Zhu," his expression stunned for two seconds as if in disbelief.

Then he turned his head and gritted his teeth, asking word by word: "Zhou Qian, who told you its name was 'Zhen Zhu'?"

"Ah," Zhou Qian scratched his head, looking confused.

"Didn't you name it 'Zhen Zhu'? I was wondering when you developed a sense of humor."

Song Ji gnashed his teeth: "It's Pearl, as in precious pearl... You illiterate."