"Mew~"
She'd run too far. The Corpse Parts had been right under her nose—and she'd left without getting them. She'd even forgotten to practice speaking with those two humans.
Kitty glanced down at her tummy. Just barely not hungry.
「Reminder: The Host's self-contributed Energy is a drop in the ocean. Please complete Tasks and Achievements to earn portal Energy more efficiently.」
「Reminder: A new Achievement has unclaimed physical rewards. Please collect at your earliest convenience.」
「Reminder: You have 1 unused gacha spin.」
Yimi, still getting the hang of language, took a moment to process all three messages. She only caught the second one.
She opened the Achievement menu. Two completed entries sat at the top. Below them—completely blank. No hints, no previews of future Achievements whatsoever.
A thought, and the reward for "Never Skunked" materialized in front of her: a thin booklet roughly the size of her head.
[Basic Fishing Manual] — Type: Skill Book. Contains fundamental fishing knowledge and bait variety/usage guides.
Learning Difficulty: Low
Note: This is a Skill Book, not a single-use consumable item. The Host must read it personally. If you don't learn it on the first read, read it again. If you don't learn it on the second, read it a third time. Mastery depends on the user's own comprehension.
Difference from ordinary books: Even knowledge that ordinary people cannot learn (e.g., chakra refinement) can be mastered through repeated study.
System: 「No knowledge can be mastered in a single reading. Please savor the content thoroughly.」
"Meow."
Kitty didn't read the wall of text. But kitty listened to the System's advice.
Savor this book's flavor, got it.
Yimi bit down on the Fishing Manual and tore off a corner. Chewed. Swallowed.
Disgusting.
A portion of the knowledge poured into her brain like a spilled drink.
"Mrrr... damn it..."
Revolting.
Yimi grumbled her way through the entire book, one bite at a time.
「...」
The System lagged for a moment—possibly processing the cat's methodology.
Then it delivered its pre-set voice line: 「Congratulations, Host, on mastering Basic Fishing Knowledge. This is the well-deserved reward of diligent study.」
Well, at least it filled her stomach.
In a good mood now, kitty began humming a tune she'd liked even before the isekai.
"Meow(3)—meow(3)—meow(4)—meow(5)—..."
"..."
Fewer than ten meters away, race contestant Ted Khan was feeding his horse a carrot. His hand jerked so hard he nearly shoved it up the horse's nostril.
Unless his ears were playing tricks on him, that cat was humming Beethoven's Ode to Joy.
Ted Khan aimed his flashlight toward the sound and beheld Yimi in all her panda-patterned glory, confirming that no, it was not a person doing a cat impression.
It looked like a cat, but its markings were identical to a giant panda's. Something this bizarre had to be supernatural—some kind of cat spirit.
"Meow?"
Yimi noticed the man and toddled over on her wonky little legs.
"What's the matter, are you hungry? I don't have any food to spare." Ted Khan eyed the cat warily. The uncanny markings alone were enough to make him decide not to provoke it.
Setting aside the skin-crawling color scheme, the cat's face was genuinely cute. Plump without being bloated, with a round head that suited the pudgy frame. The panda pattern combined with a cat's long tail and blue eyes created an effect that would unsettle anyone who'd actually seen a real panda.
Ted Khan was squinting, trying to determine if this was perhaps a baby giant panda or some unknown relative species, when the cat opened its three-cornered mouth and spoke in a clear, childish voice:
"Morning good!"
He froze. A phantasmal blue brain seemed to materialize beside his head, accompanied by bizarre background music.
「Reminder: The correct phrasing is 'Good morning.'」
Yimi understood now. No wonder the man had short-circuited.
"Good. Morning." Yimi repeated, stiff and deliberate, one word at a time.
She was looking for someone to practice conversation with.
Ted Khan's hand spasmed again. The carrot went straight up the horse's nostril.
"It—it talked?!"
"Meow?" Yimi didn't understand the problem.
Was saying hello wrong?
The System chimed in: 「Based on the Host's current situation, the System has curated the internet's most contextually appropriate greeting protocol:
1. Humans place great emphasis on first impressions. Begin with proper grooming—presentable appearance, formal attire, straight posture. 2. Given the Host's status as a cat, standard human greetings are inadvisable. Recommended dialogue script as follows...」
Straight posture?
Yimi looked down at her front paws.
Talking to big-big cats was such a hassle.
She struggled up onto her hind legs and stood as tall as she could.
System: 「Young one.」
Yimi parroted: "Young one."
System: 「Tell me—do I look human, or do I look like an immortal?」
Yimi, in her halting toddler voice, repeated: "Tell me—do I look human, or do I look like an immortal?"
"..."
Ted Khan, hailing from the Mongolian steppe, launched himself onto his horse with a speed that would have left ninety-nine percent of the other racers eating his dust. Race performance aside, this man could mount a horse.
"Hya! HYA! Go go go, MOVE IT!"
He whipped his horse's hindquarters hard enough to draw blood, nearly inventing an expletive that wouldn't be popularized for another century.
This was terrifying. How could he run into a cat spirit seeking investiture all the way over here in America?! Wasn't this a Yellow Weasel Immortal story?!
Left in a cloud of dust, Yimi flopped back onto her belly.
"Meow." How rude.
Yimi wobbled onward, looking for a nice spot to nap.
「Congratulations, Host! Achievement unlocked: [Meow-lightenment]. Reward: Portal Energy +5%.」
"Meow?"
「Congratulations, Host! Achievement unlocked: [Seeking Investiture]. Reward: Portal Energy +5%.」
"Meow meow?"
Huh. This Energy stuff wasn't that hard to get after all.
Yimi turned her attention back to the System interface, eyes drifting to the Task panel.
A thought, and a vision materialized before her—the comically fat catfish, its bulk pressing down on waves of malice.
Right. The thing hadn't disappeared. Somehow, a faint, indefinable connection still linked it to Yimi.
"Mew mew mew mew." Find the other Corpse Parts. All of them.
The devil's grin seemed to deepen by a shade: "This constitutes a second transaction, my lady. My price this time is the 'cuisine' you will enjoy over the next three days."
Its words were deliberately simple. Yimi had no trouble understanding.
Kitty had no concept of what three days of starvation meant—she couldn't even remember how many days she'd been starving before.
After barely a moment's thought, she was ready to agree.
"Never trust the whispers of a devil, little cat."
But then, somehow, the Saint's words echoed in her ears again. Not a memory surfacing on its own—she genuinely heard his voice.
"Meow?" Kitty didn't understand.
Yimi swished her tail, gazing steadily at the devil. Those beady eyes—absurdly tiny relative to that massive head—weren't looking at the cat herself. They seemed to be staring at a reflection of the Saint who'd whispered the warning.
"Not the next Corpse Part, little lady—all of them. That was the desire you expressed just now. 'The other parts,' not 'one more part.'"
The devil's voice carried a subtle, hypnotic undertow: "Three days' worth of meals in exchange for everything you need. And I only want cuisine—not the nasty stuff that merely fills a belly. Tell me that's not a bargain."
All of them!
"Accepting a devil's deal only drags you deeper into the abyss, little cat..."
Yimi locked eyes with the devil.
"...Refuse it..."
「Congratulations, Host! Achievement unlocked: [Angel and Devil on My Shoulders]. Reward: Portal Energy +5%.」
The System's notification seemed to snap the last thread of reason back into place, revealing that Energy could be earned through means other than Tasks alone. And with that clarity came the full return of Yimi's sharp feline senses—including the ability to smell the creature's malice, ancient and abyssal.
"Meow."
No.
"Is that so? A pity, my lady. That decision is about as wise as a mouse screaming in a bear trap. I look forward to our next collaboration."
The devil vanished.