Chapter 35: Clearly Different

Having finished worrying about the great military affairs, now this lingering romance also troubles Cat.

In other words,

He wonders how to tell Witch Miss that he plans to leave home for a few days to go adventuring.

This kind of long‑term business trip using a substitute is definitely unreliable; he can't even imagine what the consequences would be if he used a fake body to play a switch‑eroo on Witch Miss.

Of course, he is certainly not afraid of this woman.

He must reiterate: she is absolutely not afraid of this woman.

It seems that to emphasize the truth and importance of this statement, Cat even repeats it three more times in his mind.

It's like an old father on a business trip; he should be concerned about his daughter staying at home, right?

Both in daily life and mentally, right?

And because, for various reasons, he can't simply say "I'm leaving," the complexity of this matter in Cat's mind rises another level.

Perhaps he could use this chance to let Witch Miss know that he can speak; that also seems like a good idea.

For example, at the moment she opens her eyes tomorrow morning, he thrusts his cat head toward her and mews two lines, "Hello, Witch Miss. To conquer the stars and the seas, I'll be away for a few days—oh ho ho ho—don't mind the detail of why I can speak. That's it, I'm off, meow!" and then vanishes with a blink.

"Hmm…"

Although convenient, the feasibility doesn't seem high.

Either Witch Miss will think this must be a dream,

or… because such an irresponsible departure would make the already urgent situation even more terrifying and disastrous.

Just as Cat was at a loss, stuck in a mental deadlock, a booming voice cleared his mind,

"Great King! Have you encountered some difficulty, Great King!

I am willing to give my all—dog and horse—for you..."

"Stop, stop, stop."

Pikachu's "Great King" almost made Cat turn his back.

Now his ears buzz and his tiny heart pounds.

Seeing Cat's narrowed, flickering gaze attack, Pikachu let out another "Bang" and slammed into the floor in close contact,

"Great King, I acknowledge my guilt!!"

What do you know now??

You realize you're wrong again?

Speak up, this time what odd thing about yourself have you realized you're wrong about?

Then the Pikachu with a simple yellow round face suddenly lifted its head, its brown‑black eyes fixed on Cat, and said sincerely,

"Great King, you are so wise—how could you encounter a problem! It must be that I overstepped and was disrespectful!"

"..."

"Great King, you must feel regret over your subordinates' incompetence!"

That part is indeed true.

Pikachu! I truly feel sorry for you!

Where exactly did I go wrong, which step, that made you end up like this???

If I weren't powerless to let him return to the furnace for rebirth, I'd just #(*@&(*)) right now.

And at that moment, Pikachu weakly added,

"I dare to ask, Great King! Is there any hope for me?"

No hope—just bury it here.

"Sigh..."

Thinking of this another painful and unresolved matter, Cat couldn't help but sigh again.

However…

That said, even though this Pikachu is twisted—more crooked than an old twisted tree—he was at least enlightened by a spell that cost me 800 drops of blood.

Even if his nerves aren't quite normal, he should still be somewhat useful, right?

Three lousy craftsmen can still cobble together a Klee to toy with, let alone Cat and Pikachu.

So Cat, with earnest weight, said to the still head‑butting Pikachu,

"I say, Pik—"

"I am here!"

Σ(⊙▽⊙ "...

"Your voice need not be so loud."

"Understood, Great King!"

"..."

"Alright, alright, I know you understand.

We're just saying, how to properly do a fan‑fiction farewell without speaking, reasonably?"

Pikachu: (ﾟﾛﾟﾉ)ﾉ

"Um… I dare not presumptuously guess your intent, Great King, but I boldly ask: is this person important to you?"

Hearing the question from Unit‑01, Cat didn't hesitate and nodded affirmatively,

"Hmm, very important."

"One could say… the most important person to me in this world."

Upon hearing Cat's reply, Pikachu showed a 'just as I thought' expression,

"If that's the case… when we cannot speak, I think only by communicating in advance through letters can we show our regard."

A letter…

It really is a good way.

In advance…

Indeed.

When it comes to going out, it's indeed better to tell her in advance.

Words said right before leaving might as well be called a "notice".

The difference in meaning between these two actions is actually quite large.

Although Cat thinks that for Witch Miss, whose mind naturally lacks a few important strings, the distinction might not be that big.

Feeling that this plan is highly feasible, Cat nodded in satisfaction,

"Hmm… so it really has to be this way."

"Thank you, Pi Ka."

That thank you, however, made Pi Ka Qiu unable to stay still; he, looking as if he wanted to pierce the floor, once again lunged his head onto the ground and said to Cat,

"I am terrified, Great King's wisdom is far beyond what I can reach."

To devise life‑creating magic of this caliber, the Great King's wisdom is far beyond what this tiny Pi Ka Qiu can grasp.

Pretending to chat like this now must also carry another meaning.

Unfortunately, he is too dull; even racking his brain, he could only infer three points.

First, the Great King was warning him for his recent cleverness.

How could the master not know the significance of his turning to look at the bookshelf?

Impropriety must not be seen nor heard.

The so‑called "politeness" of smoothing things over is unnecessary before the Great King.

Second, it serves to stress the status and importance of this lady master.

His mistake just now was even wondering in his mind whether Witch Miss might be one of the Great King's concubines.

How could a woman who lives under the same roof as the Great King be ordinary?

He is truly short‑sighted…

Third, it probably hints that his current dungeon‑conquest plan has far‑reaching significance.

Combining the current marching objective that the Great King deliberately let him see, Pi Ka Qiu thinks the Great King intends to say that because his beloved Witch Miss cannot be separated from him, three days later the affairs of this territorial conquest will be handed over entirely to him.

The Great King advises him not to be careless in the coming days, to seize the chance to observe, listen, and learn more.

At this moment, Cat, who had half‑opened Witch Miss's desk drawer and finally found the letter paper, neither knows nor wishes to know what Pi Ka Qiu is actually thinking.

He is busy right now.

He is facing the greatest dilemma of his cat life since reincarnation.

—Writing a letter.

Since graduating from elementary school, he has never written a letter to his relatives again.

Even outings as a minor or returning home as an adult are just a brief message in SMS or WeChat.

"I will go out for a while, and will return no later than three days later.

—Cat"

"…"

After staring at the letter for three seconds, Cat immediately scratched it to pieces.

No, rewrite!

"For our future, I need to venture out alone for a while.

Rest assured, there will be no danger; everything is under control.

Do not move around here; I will be back within three days at the latest.

—Xiaohei"

"…"

Scribble, scribble.

This letter, too, cannot escape its destined demise.

"I will go out for a while, not for long, only three days…"

Scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble…

When Cat's view was already piled with paper shreds, he sadly buried himself in the wide chair.

"In the end… what exactly do I want to tell Witch Miss?"

He wants to say, I need to go on a distant trip, I hope you won't worry.

He wants to say, although I won't explain in detail what I'm going to do, this matter is crucial for our future, even the final guarantee of our later safety.

He wants to say, during my absence you must stay safe; I will leave a Xiaohei No. 1 by your side, and if danger arises, throw him out—I have installed a self‑destruct magic on him.

He wants to say… he still wants to say…

When I'm not here, don't miss me too much; I will return the moment I'm done, and you should train well at home and strive to become stronger.

I will remember to bring you a sack of oranges… of course, if you don't like oranges, I can eat two for you.

…

So a father's mindset can be this complicated and hard to express, huh?

Cat looked at the last sheet of paper before him, thought again about the words left in his heart, and put down the pen whose tail had just been curled.

This tiny piece of paper never seems enough, no matter how you think.

After another moment of silence staring at the paper, watching the slanting sun gradually set outside the window, and listening to the faint drips from a nearby shower, Cat finally lifted the pen.

Because time is short, if we keep leaving ink marks it will have to end tonight.

￥￥￥￥￥￥

"Cat?"

After finishing dinner and preparing to rest for a while before continuing to study the secret art "Gathering Monsters and Pulling" with the butler, Witch Miss discovered that Cat was skulking behind her with a sneaky expression.

"Meow~~"

(=｀ω´=)

Seeing Cat make an uncharacteristic little expression, Witch Miss hurriedly turned around, crouched in front of Cat, patted his head, and said with a smile,

"Aiya, the little cat is just being affectionate with Mom~"

"Come, come, come, Mom, give me a hug!"

Saying that, Witch Miss immediately exerted force and snuggled the tiny Cat tightly in her arms.

"*#&￥（*@#）"

And it was this posture that made Witch Miss notice the item the Cat had been hiding behind her all along.

"Hmm? What's this on the tail? A letter? Is it for me?"

"Hehehe, is this a love letter the little cat wrote to Mom?"

"……"

Seeing Witch Miss so happy, Cat, who wanted to hand over the letter, hesitated for a moment.

A duplicate… could it also go raid the dungeon?

And isn't that Pikachu full of schemes?

If it's so scheming, letting it go on its own doesn't seem impossible, right?

In the few seconds Cat hesitated, the letter on his tail was lost.

Witch Miss opened the letter in her hands with joy, but her smile gradually froze.

"……"

The letter was written in the common tongue.

"I need to go on a long trip, but I will return as soon as possible.

For your safety, I will send my duplicate 'Xiaohei No. 1' to accompany you; when danger arises, remember to toss him out, he's very useful (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

The place I'm going to isn't dangerous; you don't need to worry about me.

I will set out early tomorrow and return by the evening of the day after tomorrow at the latest.

During this period, remember to stay farther from the bedside when you sleep at night; don't fall again. This time there won't be a stray cat lying there.

If you still have to go to school, remember to change the flavor of lunch; although salad chicken rice balls are tasty, eating them for long makes nutrition unbalanced and can ruin your palate.

Also, it's best not to drink cola and Yakult together; they might become little back‑stabbers in your simulated battles.

I will set off with the Pikachus; for the next few days of simulated battles, you'll have to practice with the butler.

If the budget allows, Cat thinks you could consider buying some Beta Beasts to test your great strength.

Cat recommends you purchase Beta Beast No. 3.

—Xiaohei

Seeing Witch Miss pinching the letter with her slightly pale fingertips, Cat felt a bit panicked.

But…

Five seconds later, Witch Miss looked up and gave Cat an incredibly radiant smile,

"What? Cat, you're going on a long trip."

"Meow~"

"Then… go early and return early, and remember to stay safe."

"Meow~~"

It looks like there shouldn't be any problem!

So Cat, seizing the moment, summoned the Xiaohei No. 1 he had prepared.

"Oh~ this is the Xiaohei No. 1 mentioned in your letter? I'll remember to bring him, don't worry."

"Meow~"

Rest assured, the feel is top‑notch, guaranteed to be exactly like yourself!

"Hahaha, Cat, are you saying you and he are exactly the same?"

"Meow!"

"You're really… about to leave right away, yet you're so unhurried.

You go pack your things, I have to go back to change clothes; Grandpa Lin is already waiting for me."

"Meow!"

Watching Witch Miss hop away, Cat's chaotic feelings finally settled.

Early the next morning, the Cat who had planned to slip away discovered that Witch Miss had already gotten up, finished washing, and was waiting for him.

"Good morning, Cat."

"Meow~"

"Good morning to you too, Witch Miss."

After a brief meowing exchange with Witch Miss, Cat opened a teleportation array in the bedroom and left with a group of Pikachus.

After all, there's no time to waste; the sooner it's done, the sooner he can go home, and as a magical cat he has nothing to prepare.

In the room, Witch Miss looked at the spot where Cat had just left, then glanced at the sleeping No. 1 curled up beside her hand, and couldn't help but frown.

As the clock on the wall ticked on, Witch Miss's brows furrowed deeper, and her shallow breathing gradually turned into long, heavy sighs.

Suddenly, without any warning, she raised her hand and, with a snap, flung Xiaohei No. 1, who was lying on the bed, onto the floor.

Seeing the little cat, startled awake by the fall, Witch Miss's previously snarling expression suddenly turned to terror and guilt.

She hurriedly stepped down from the bed and, carefully, carried it back onto the bed.

She looked at DaiDai sitting on the bed with Xiaohei No. 1, then glanced toward the direction Cat had just left, bit her own lip hard, and tears began to fill her eyes.

"It's clearly completely different…"

"And didn't they say at most three days… why didn't they bring me along?"

"Cat… to you, I really am a burden, aren't I?"

As she uttered this choked sentence, Witch Miss's swirling tears could no longer be held back.

"If… if I become stronger, can you take me next time?"

"Next time… take me, okay… Cat."

When Cat could neither see nor hear, Witch Miss finally voiced the words she hadn't spoken last night.

While sobbing, she clasped her knees with both hands and buried her head into them.

The cramped, silent darkness gave release to her emotions, which were on the verge of exploding with nowhere to vent.

—Ding—ding—ding.

After an unknown amount of time, the six‑o'clock alarm rang.

A new Daily Task refreshed.

She raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face clean, and Witch Miss changed into sportswear and left the room.

Today Witch Miss did not, as usual, actively and enthusiastically complete this Daily Task; she found the steward who had just finished working in the kitchen.

Now her expression was just like the one she wore long ago when Cat had never appeared.

She said to the steward,

"Grandpa Lin, please buy some Beta Beast. No. 3, buy as many as you can find now."

"Also, if it is convenient for you, I would like today's training time with you to be doubled."

"Miss, you… okay, I understand."