kscans

Chapter 454 - Black Cat

"Let's go on an adventure together! I'll shower you with all the affection you could ever want!"

"Shaaa!"

The struggle between Parfait and the unique black cat monster, Black-Clawed Bishamonten, which had grown to the size of a tiger, continued. However, the one taking all the hits was Rick with his shield, while Parfait remained unscathed.

Rick focused on generating hate from the black cat with skills like War Cry, without attacking. He blocked the cat's attacks with his shield, and from the side, Parfait kept trying to tame it.

To an onlooker, it would have looked like a bizarre scene, but this was a legitimate strategy, and a commonly used one at that.

A tank takes the damage while the attacker deals damage safely. Naturally, dealing damage directs hate toward the attacker, but the tank employs various methods to generate hate and keep the attacks from being redirected. It was a basic tactic.

Normally, Rick would also attack to generate hate, but that would defeat the black cat. Before that, though, Parfait had forbidden him from attacking it. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if he broke that rule.

So Rick generated hate without laying a finger on it. In addition to the shout-like War Cry, he used Taunt, which meant exactly what it sounded like, and also recovered the damage he took with potions, as healing actions also generated hate.

Thanks to this, all of the black cat's attacks were directed at Rick, and Parfait was able to repeatedly attempt to tame it without a scratch.

But that was about to reach its limit. Rick was about to run out of the potions he had prepared.

"Parfait, I'm almost out of potions. Please give up soon."

"Endure it with fighting spirit! I have a feeling I'm just a little bit closer!"

"It's a matter of probability, isn't it?"

She had already tried to tame Black-Clawed Bishamonten over a hundred times, but there was no change. The probability didn't increase with repeated attempts, so it was simply a matter of bad luck.

Still, Parfait continued to try taming it without losing heart.

"Last three."

Three potions left. Hearing Rick's announcement, Parfait's mind raced with calculations. Rick's HP, the black cat's attack power, the potion's recovery amount, the taming skill's cool down time... all told, she had about fifteen more attempts left.

She thought it might be a failure this time too, but Parfait put all her spirit into the next attempt, thinking, "This one is mine!"

Putting that much spirit into it wouldn't affect the virtual reality, but just after Rick declared, "It's over," a change occurred with her next taming attempt.

"Huh, what?"

The black cat began to glow and gradually shrink. It then sat down, looked around curiously, and approached Parfait's feet. Then, it began rubbing its entire body against her, purring.

"Nyaan, gorogoro, funfun."

"...Howaaaaa!"

"Parfait, calm down. The taming just succeeded, don't scream."

"Huh, no way, what? This cat... could it be the cutest in the world...?"

Parfait said, covering her mouth. And she meant it. Parfait cautiously held the cat under its front legs with both hands, lifted it up, and brought it to face her. Then she stared into the black cat's eyes.

Parfait had heard from Maris that you shouldn't stare into a cat's eyes, but that was a real-world rule. She figured it would be fine in virtual reality, so she gazed intently.

"Nyan?"

The black cat looked puzzled. A moment later, it stretched its head forward and gave Parfait's nose a little lick.

"Gofu!"

"H-hey, are you okay...?"

Perhaps her legs gave out, because Parfait perfectly executed a move often seen in martial arts, collapsing from her knees. But she never let go of the black cat, holding it while sitting back on her heels. In that position, Parfait held the black cat up with both hands.

"It has been decided that my child is number one in the universe."

"Calm down."

"This is bad, what should I do, I think I'm going to die. In this case, would the cause of death be happiness?"

"There's no such cause of death, so don't worry. But if your heart takes too much strain, you'll get a forced logout, so endure it. Shouldn't you start by giving it a name and preparing some food?"

"...Having you here is a huge help, Rick-kun. You're always so calm and composed, you're so reliable..."

"I think I'm being praised, but given the situation, I'm not happy about it at all."

It wasn't so much that Rick was calm, but that Parfait was too worked up. She was in a state comparable to someone who had won a huge lottery prize. Though for Parfait, the joy was indeed on that level.

"For now, I'll name it later. First, let's take it back to the base. I'm going to spoil it rotten!"

"Do whatever you want with that. I'm going to wander around Azuma for a bit."

"Oh? Really? Did you have something you needed to do?"

"Not really, but I was thinking of getting some information on the next event. And for rehabilitation."

"Ah, that's right. Thanks, Rick-kun. Thanks to you, I was able to tame the number one cat in the universe."

"The fact that you seem to genuinely believe that is something else, but I'm glad I could be of service. Besides, I got to practice my tanking, so it wasn't a bad use of time."

Both Parfait and Rick were beginners in this virtual reality of Another Frontier Online. Parfait could fight with her real-world combat skills, but she still couldn't fight in a game-like way. The same went for Rick, who said that today's basic fighting style was good experience for him.

"Well then, I'm going to make the rounds at the guilds. A good amount of time has passed, so everyone should be at the base. Make sure you give that cat a proper introduction."

"Of course. This is bad, it's probably going to captivate everyone...!"

"You seem like the type to be a doting parent, Parfait... No, maybe it's genetic, from Hayato-san and Esha-san."

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing. Listen, calm down. Go back to the base calmly, okay? No screaming. And no grinning either. People will think you're a weirdo."

After saying that, Rick headed toward the town's commercial district.

As she watched him go, Parfait thought that he was more motherly than her own mother, a thought that was moderately rude to both of them, and looked at the black cat again.

Just that was enough to make Parfait unable to stop a grin from spreading across her face. She was completely unable to follow what Rick had just told her, but she was completely unapologetic, thinking there was no way she could.

"Alright, let's introduce you to everyone!"

"Nya?"

The gesture of tilting its head was enough to make Parfait feel like she would collapse, but she endured it with fighting spirit and returned to the base, holding the black cat.

When Parfait returned to the base, Natsu and Chris were there. The two of them were sitting around a table, eating snacks and talking.

"This is a general question, but does going to Colony 'Zoo' as a pair count as a date? This phenomenon is not recorded in my dark side, so I would like to confirm."

"It depends on the situation. If you were begged to go by someone who's like a niece or a younger sister, it's not a date, you're a guardian."

"I didn't beg. I just got tickets from Professor Maris and asked if you'd like to go together... well, this is just a hypothetical, of course."

"Oh, that. She gives them out periodically, so I go with my father and mother. It's pretty rare for the whole family to be together since they can't get much time off, but I like the zoo because you can feel the wildness... Parfait, you're finally back—"

Chris, who had noticed Parfait return to the base, stopped talking when she saw the cat in her arms. Natsu also noticed Parfait from Chris's gaze and froze in the same way.

Parfait showed them what could be called the best smug face of her life.

"I finally tamed it!"

Parfait held the black cat up with both hands. The imagery was such that it wouldn't have been strange if a halo appeared, but there was no such effect, and the black cat just said, "Nya."

"Oh, is that not the black cat from that time? Bishamonten, I believe... I have a memory of being defeated by it on my first day of login. In other words, the first enemy to defeat me. It won't go that way now!"

"I've heard about it, but a unique black cat monster, huh. Even if it's become a pet, it shouldn't forget its wild nature. I think it needs some level grinding."

"Could you two praise how cute it is first?"

Parfait was a little disgruntled, but she approached the table where the two were and placed the black cat on it. Then she sat down in a chair.

The black cat looked at Natsu and Chris in turn, then tilted its head. That gesture alone made Parfait want to give it a hundred points.

"I see, it is indeed cute. And a black cat. For the dark side, it is the ultimate cat!"

"Siegfried and his children are cute, but this one is just as cute. I don't know, its mannerisms are very much like a real cat's."

"It's so cute, right? Honestly, I don't want to log out anymore."

Surprisingly, there were many players like that, who didn't want to be separated from their virtual reality pets for even a moment. There were a certain number of players who just played with their pet cats and dogs without going on adventures.

"By the way, what did you name it? Are you going to stick with Bishamonten? I sense the touch of Professor Maris in that name, but I don't think it's bad."

"I'm still thinking about a name. I have to give it the best name, after all. I might skip school tomorrow."

"What are you saying so casually? If you do that, a lot of things will become very difficult. Mainly for my friend's mother and Simon-sensei."

"Reality is harsh, isn't it..."

"It's not on that level, but you should at least go to school and then think of a name."

"I agree with Natsu's opinion. We have another test soon. You wouldn't want to have less time to see this little one because you have to take makeup classes, would you? You should think properly about the future."

"I feel like I've just been plunged from heaven into hell... but I guess it can't be helped."

Parfait said this while petting the black cat. The black cat lay down on the table with a slightly entranced expression.

This seemed to strike a chord with both Natsu and Chris, and their smiles were softer than usual.

The two of them got permission from Parfait and took turns petting the black cat. Being hit by its tail seemed to be a sign of disapproval, as its tail attacked when Natsu petted it, but when Parfait or Chris petted it, its tail would also stroke their hands.

Parfait's mental fortitude was about to break, but this time she decided to feed it, so she brought the Nekomanma Deluxe she had prepared earlier from the storage.

Nekomanma Deluxe, a food that any pet would eat. Giving it to a cat would surely have a tremendous effect. Thinking this, Parfait placed it on the table, and the black cat began to eat happily.

"...I think I might be done for. I'm going to explode from the cuteness."

"My friend. I understand how you feel, but calm down."

"Indeed. Natsu is right. First, take a deep breath."

Remembering what Rick had told her, Parfait took a deep breath. Not that it would change how cute the black cat was.

"Phew, I'm calm now. I don't know how many times this little one has nearly killed me today..."

At Parfait's murmur, Natsu and Chris looked slightly exasperated. Completely oblivious to their expressions, Parfait continued to pet the black cat.