Joking aside, how could such a plot possibly happen? I, as a cat, am extremely calm. At most, I might feel just a tiny bit more flustered than the small amount of panic smaller than the pad on my paw.

Yes, just a little flustered, nothing to worry about at all.

Meow.

While I, the cat, was very insistently emphasizing how calm I was, the boy made a subsequent move.

"Keep it up," said the boy, who could change his voice, and then left casually. He probably thought that instead of him raising me, it would be better for someone else to adopt me, like Mai - of course, he wouldn't know who Mai is, at least not yet.

And then, without looking back, the boy walked away. In the cat's eyes, this boy seemed to have a lot of trust in the person (Mai, unknown to him) who he thought was looking after me, which is why he left carefree.

He could be considered a somewhat conscientious and morally aware guy, though not up to par with Mai. But there's no need to belittle him, right?

Anyway, no matter what, the boy left, so Mai could come out without any worries.

Just as the cat had predicted, shortly after the boy left, Mai came running from the end of the alley, swiftly tidied up the dishes and pots, carried me along with the basket, and started walking towards somewhere.

In this kind of scenario, unless those in charge of the script and writers are bizarre, the cat was almost certainly on the way back home with Mai... confirmed by Mai's words.

"Come back home with me, since..."

Yeah, it'd be great to go home with Mai, but... since what?

As Mai didn't finish her sentence, the cat didn't understand the second half of that statement at the time. It was only later, by some coincidental chance, that the cat realized why Mai was taking me home.

At that moment, the cat was completely immersed in the joy of being taken home by Mai, imagining a happy life living together.

As long as there are no little brothers or sisters at her home who like to bully small animals... it should be a happy and content life, right?

It should be.

The cat couldn't give a definite answer, but it wasn't due to those trivial matters.

Without any obstacles along the way, after being taken inside by Mai, the cat gracefully jumped from the basket to the floor without making a sound, a move that probably elevated the cat’s status in Mai's eyes even more. Don't get too obsessed with the cat, this is just the beginning.

After sniffing around and exploring Mai's house, the cat got a rough idea about the situation of this house.

The house was slightly large, with a master bedroom, a study, a guest room, a bathroom, a balcony, a living room, and a dining room, each with essential furniture and minimal decoration, very clean and orderly.

For such a house, the lack of human presence was too evident. Besides Mai, the cat couldn't smell any other scents, and the everyday items like water cups, slippers, and toothbrushes were singular...

The cat, it seemed, was the second member of this house.

Before the cat arrived, it appeared that Mai lived alone in this house.

At the moment, the cat somewhat understood the meaning behind the word "since" that Mai uttered.

It's hard to decide what emotions to feel at this moment. Being happy about the two-person world seems inhumane, and feeling pity without knowing the reason would just be arrogant and presumptuous.

So, the cat just meowed and jumped onto the table, sat down, looked at Mai, and waited for her to speak.

This kind of living situation was new to the cat, but for Mai, it seemed like a familiar routine.

It's truly terrifying, this enemy named "habit," gradually numbing the senses of its victims and ultimately killing them without any perception, a cruel method likened to boiling a frog in water.

"What's up? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Mai, who was tidying up, noticed the cat's gaze, smiled, and squatted in front of the cat.

Unfortunately, no matter how much the cat wanted to communicate with Mai, all that came out of its mouth were meows.

"Could it be... you want a name?"

After some failed attempts at communication, Mai couldn't understand the cat's comfort, but she did start a new topic.

Although it was unclear why Mai brought up the topic of names, the cat didn't mind, as long as it was a name like Gaius Julius Caesar or Arthur Pendragon, to showcase the cat's majesty...

In an effort to convey this meaning to Mai, the cat meowed very hard!

To be precise! =》"Meow meow meow meow meow, meow! Meow~ Meow! Meow—Meow meow!!!"

"Oh, it seems you really want a name~"

Yes, yes, it appears that communication is possible between the cat and Mai!

"Since you're so cute, let's call you Anna!"

Objection!

The cat strongly protests!

"Meow!"

"Hmm? Do you really like Anna?"

Objection!

The cat strongly protests again!

"Meow meow!"

"Great, great. Seems like you really like it, let's go with Anna then!"

Objection... can’t...

The cat couldn't... anymore...

"Meow..."

"Tired, Anna? I see. You've had a tough day. I'll leave the basket here, you can go to sleep on your own while I take a shower."

Mai said this, forcibly ending the conversation and leaving the poor, dejected and desolate cat behind...

Sigh...

Meow, can we change the script? At least, give a name that aligns with the right gender orientation, so this proud male cat won't turn into a shameful she-demon, even worse, a gender-confused she-demon!

Speaking of which, what is the cat's real name?

Hehehe, even if it were spoken, mere humans wouldn't understand it, right?

The cat's true name is — Meow meow meow, meow meow, meow meow meow meow meow meow, remember it?