Chapter 359: Jealous Kitten
All he could do was smile wryly.
"Albe seems like a cat at first glance, but honestly, you’re more like a dog."
"...What part of me is like a dog?"
Albe looked genuinely puzzled.
Rather than answering immediately, Qiong Xing simply chuckled and continued stroking the kitten.
Albe might not realize it himself, but in Qiong Xing’s eyes, he was very much like a dog.
He cared deeply about his family and was always there to support and help Qiong Xing whenever he needed it.
Though he was not very good at expressing affection openly, the way he became visibly dejected whenever something happened to Qiong Xing, apologizing for not being able to do more, was incredibly endearing.
"Now then, where are your parents?"
"Meow~"
The kitten’s injuries had been healed and its stomach was full.
Qiong Xing tried asking whether it had somewhere to return to, but naturally he had no idea what a cat was saying.
The kitten showed no signs of running away either.
Instead, it simply rubbed itself against Qiong Xing’s hand while meowing repeatedly.
That only left him wondering what to do.
"In situations like this, if we handed it over to the town guards, would they take care of it?"
"Nope."
"Not a chance."
The two answered so decisively that Qiong Xing immediately gave up on that idea.
"...For now, let’s go meet up with Lian and the others. More time has passed than I realized, and they might be worried. As for you..."
"Meow."
"You’re coming too, huh? Well then... if you get hurt again, that would be a problem. Why don’t you stay in here for now?"
Qiong Xing looked down at the kitten and considered a safe place to carry it.
Since the kitten was still so small, there was a risk that someone might accidentally kick or step on it if it walked alongside them.
For that reason, Qiong Xing decided to use the baby carrier they had once used when Lingxiao was still an egg.
What surprised him, however, was how easily the kitten accepted the idea.
"Meow."
"...Do cats understand human language?"
The kitten looked up at him as if proudly announcing that it had climbed inside on its own.
For a moment, Qiong Xing wondered whether cats in this world could actually understand people.
When he looked toward Albe and the others, they immediately shook their heads.
"Of course not."
Well, as long as it saved them the trouble of coaxing it inside, Qiong Xing decided not to think too deeply about it.
Carrying the kitten securely, he headed off to find Lian and the others.
"Mama, you’re late."
"Sorry. Have you decided what you want yet?"
Lian had clearly grown tired of waiting and puffed out her cheeks in protest.
Qiong Xing apologized to both her and Katarina who had been waiting nearby.
Katarina looked worried and asked whether something had happened, so Qiong Xing briefly explained about the injured kitten.
As expected, Sarin’s attempt to sneak away from work had also been exposed and Katarina was currently lecturing him.
"A kitty?"
"That’s right. It was hurt, so we helped it."
The moment Lian spotted the kitten peeking its head out from the carrier, her face lit up with excitement.
"Kitty!"
She immediately rushed forward and reached out to touch it.
Unfortunately, the sudden approach startled the kitten.
"Hiss!"
The kitten arched its back, puffed up its fur, and hissed in warning.
It did not scratch, but that was enough to make animal loving Lian visibly dejected.
"It looks like you surprised it. Once it calms down, why don’t we ask if it’ll let you pet it?"
"...Okay."
Since the kitten would be staying with them for a while, there was no need to rush.
Qiong Xing gently patted Lian’s head before buying her the dress she had chosen as a reward.
As for Katarina, while Qiong Xing and the others had been gone, she had apparently bought Lian quite a large number of clothes and toys.
Qiong Xing had to gently caution her about it.
He appreciated how much she cared for Lian, but caring for a child and buying them everything they wanted were two different things.
"Now that Grandfather is here too, why don’t we take a little break?"
Seeing Sarin still desperately trying to escape Katarina’s scolding, Qiong Xing decided to throw him a lifeline.
As promised, everyone sat down together for tea.
The kitten, however, seemed to have become wary of all the unfamiliar people and no longer poked its head out of the carrier.
Qiong Xing felt a little concerned, but forcing it out would only frighten it further, so he left it alone.
"Are you planning to keep it yourself?"
"No. But it’s this frightened, so I think it’ll need some time to get used to people first. Until then, it’ll stay with us. Once it’s comfortable around people, I’d like to find someone who’ll cherish it properly."
Just like Ranga, the kitten had been hurt by children.
It needed time to learn that not all people were dangerous.
Qiong Xing would not feel comfortable leaving it with just anyone.
That was why he decided to take care of the kitten himself for the time being while searching for someone who would genuinely love it.
...
"He’s Lian’s mama!"
"Meow~ Meow~ Meow~!"
How adorable.
The words clearly indicated that the two were arguing, yet to anyone watching, it simply looked like a cute little girl talking to a kitten.
The adults could not help smiling warmly as they watched the scene unfold.
"No, no, no, stop this."
Only Albe remained level headed.
"What if Lian gets hurt!? She’s a little girl. What if it leaves a scar!?"
Or at least, he tried to.
In reality, he was being an extremely doting big brother.
"Hey, stop... Why are you patting my head!?"
"Because you’re cute."
Although Albe usually did not show it very openly, moments like this reminded Qiong Xing that he truly was an older brother.
