Purrfect Romance

A white fluff ball peeked its head out from the backpack, its golden cat eyes wide open.

"?!"

What's going on?!

Lion watched as the little creature, stunned for a second, turned around and clumsily attempted to run away. The sight of its stumbling, rolling gait was somewhat pitiful.

Fenix also felt miserable.

He was just a newly awakened, innocent, poor, and weak creature that couldn't even walk straight... whatever he was.

Why did he have to encounter Lion, the great destroyer?!

This wasn't right!

This should be an honor reserved for Athena!

After rolling for the eighteenth time, Fenix struggled to get up, feeling dizzy.

He shook his head and, before he could take another step with his tiny legs, was picked up by someone.

Fenix felt half of him freeze.

How did I get caught already?!

I thought I had run miles away!

Fenix turned his head defiantly and realized that he was only about two meters away from his backpack.

Fenix: "..."

Damn!

These legs are way too short!

Fenix kicked his legs and looked up at the bodyguard who had picked him up. The bodyguard didn't glance sideways as he bent down to retrieve Fenix's backpack and terminal. Then, carrying both Fenix and his belongings, he walked towards the black vehicle parked by the roadside.

"Boss," the bodyguard's voice was cold and stern.

Lion acknowledged him, took the dirty little creature, and placed it on the seat beside him.

The little fluff ball stumbled to the farthest corner of the seat, pressed against the door, its fur bristling out of fear.

This little guy was entirely white and looked like a cat, but had a thick mane around its neck, with tips glowing a beautiful golden-red.

Its fluffy white tail hung down, its length exceeding twice the size of its body.

It resembled a miniature lion but much cuter.

Lion tapped his terminal lightly. After comparing it, the AI responded that no such species existed in the universal database.

No match?

Lion narrowed his eyes, observing the small fluff ball cowering in the corner.

Fantasy species?

"Little one," Lion looked at the kitten in the corner, picked it up without hesitation, and shook it gently. "Make a sound for me."

Fenix: "?"

Do you think I'll just meow because you say so?

Is being the main character that impressive?

Does being the main character give you the right to do whatever you want?

Fenix sneered, "Meow."

That's right, being the main character is impressive.

Fenix waved his suspended paws, sighed sadly upon hearing himself meow.

It's a cat, so weak.

Why am I not a big lion like Lion?

Fenix shook his ears in disappointment.

He heard ethereal singing from the car speakers. It was Athena's debut song, "Siren."

There were no lyrics, just light humming throughout the song.

But as a mermaid, Athena's natural advantage made even a few notes sound heavenly.

Hearing Athena's singing in Lion's presence didn't surprise Fenix.

Because when Lion awakened, something went wrong, affecting his mental stability.

Athena's singing could suppress Lion's agitation.

Hmm, what a setup.

It's clearly designed for them to fall in love.

Unfortunately, nobody has achieved a happy ending with Lion yet.

Why?

Fenix believed it was because Lion could be utterly unpredictable when he went crazy.

Searching the forum for "Lion" would reveal that eight out of ten posts were about accidentally encountering Lion during his episodes and dying instantly.

Romancing others is called dating or playing the game.

Romancing Lion is dancing with death!

In the past, Fenix would sympathize with the game designers and players, thinking how unlucky Athena was.

But now, the unlucky one wasn't Athena.

It was an innocent little kitty.

I'm having a tough time!

Fenix felt bitter inside. He sat on Lion's lap, looking up at him.

Lion was indeed Lion.

As the former leader of the Lionheart pirate fleet, even though the fleet had disbanded and he now wore the guise of a successful businessman, he still exuded an aura of a bandit.

Wearing his suit jacket like a cloak and leaving his shirt unbuttoned, exposing scars that sent chills down one's spine.

His smile carried a hint of bloodiness.

Clearly not a good person.

This not-so-good person turned to look at the backpack beside him.

Fenix's student ID card was clearly visible in the mesh pocket on the side of the backpack.

Originally, Fenix had put it there for convenience to expedite the rental process, but now it caught Lion's eye.

Lion glanced at the name on the card: "Fenix?"

Fenix: "... Meow."

Lion then saw the age on the student ID and chuckled.

Judging by Fenix's sudden transformation into an awakened form, it was likely that he had just awakened and hadn't mastered control yet.

But he was twenty-two years old.

Everyone knew that the awakening period for teenagers was between thirteen and eighteen years old.

Lion looked towards the end of the alley, wondering where Fenix was originally headed.

He saw the sign "Renting Agent."

Unexpected awakening.

And he didn't want anyone to know.

Interesting.

"My name is Lion," Lion introduced himself. "The one working on clean energy."

Lion's previous identity was a secret.

According to the game's logic, this secret would only be revealed once the player had gained enough affection points to start dating Lion.

"You're looking for a place?" Lion asked, then added, "You can't find a place right now."

Fenix: "Meow."

Of course, I know I can't find a place right now!

Lion: "I have property here."

"?" The driver, preparing to head to a hotel, "Boss, you might be mistaken..."

Lion looked up, glanced at the driver, and smiled.

The driver shivered at Lion's smile.

The bodyguard next to him already had his terminal out and was swiftly searching and purchasing five suitable properties.

The driver, sweating, received a message from the bodyguard.

Bodyguard: [Boss says he has it, new guy, remember.]

The driver nodded repeatedly.

Lion looked back down at Fenix.

Fenix was oblivious to the undercurrents that had just occurred.

"I have property here," Lion repeated.

Fenix: "?"

Oh.

Well done, I guess.

But you don't need to show off your wealth to me.

Lion waited a while but got no reaction from Fenix.

Fenix looked up at him, confusion written all over his cat face.

Fenix: "?"

Fenix felt tired.

Fenix didn't want to meow anymore.

Lion: "..."

It had been a long time since he encountered someone so oblivious to hints.

"What I mean is, I can rent you a place," Lion said. "I'm also an awakened individual, and there are many things you need to know during the awakening period. I can teach you."

Fenix was stunned.

What's going on?!

Lion isn't supposed to be this helpful!

"I like you, little one," Lion playfully scratched Fenix's chin. "Awakened individuals are rare."

Awakened individuals were indeed precious.

Fenix knew that.

He also knew that Lion's Lionheart pirate fleet had eight fleets, but among the vast number of people, there were only a handful of awakened individuals.

Including Lion himself.

Their rarity was undeniable.

But Fenix didn't know that what initially caught Lion's attention wasn't the rarity of an awakened individual.

It was the sudden urge to catch the figure that darted into the alleyway.

This impulse was baseless, purely instinctive.

And the former pirate king always acted on impulse.

The result was good.

He gained a potential fantasy species companion.

Apart from Athena, there were no other recorded fantasy species.

Lion planned to catch this little one first and then study its species.

Eventually, he would figure out why it triggered such a strong impulse.

Even if the outcome wasn't surprising, recruiting an awakened individual was a win-win.

"How about it?" Lion asked, extending his hand to the bodyguard seated in the front.

The bodyguard respectfully handed him the terminal.

Lion took the terminal, dragged out projections of the five properties, and showed them to Fenix one by one.

"Which one do you like?" he asked.

Fenix was shaken.

Then tears welled up in his eyes.

None of these properties look like something I can afford.

This poor little kitty doesn't dare speak up.

"Don't like any?" Lion clicked his tongue lightly, frowned, then relaxed. "Buy a few more."

Fenix: ??????

Stop it!

I know you're rich!

Fenix shook his head vigorously.

He pulled up the typing panel on the terminal and poked at it with his fluffy paws.

[Rent?]

Lion glanced at the rental sign, seeing a price of 1500.

Lion raised an eyebrow: "1500 per month."

Fenix looked shocked at Lion, then at the five mansions.

Trembling, he asked: [One room?]

Lion: "One mansion."

Fenix: "..."

Lion: "Too expensive?"

Fenix: [No.]

Lion nodded: "Which one do you like?"

Fenix touched his conscience and typed: [I think you might be losing out.]

Lion chuckled: "Trading a property for an awakened individual's goodwill, I'm not the one losing out."

Wow.

Is this the world of awakened individuals?!

Fenix took a deep breath, feeling the air filled with the scent of lemons.

So sour.

Fenix looked at the five properties and eventually chose the one closer to the city center.

The city center had convenient transportation.

If he needed to move once the unstable awakening period passed, it would be easier.

Just as Fenix pointed at the projection, thunder rumbled overhead.

Fenix jumped in fright, leaping off Lion's lap and scurrying under the seat, trembling in terror!

I just took one little advantage of Lion, no need to strike me with lightning, right?!

Lion was momentarily stunned by his swift action, then looked up at the sky. "It's just a thunderstorm, it's going to rain. Are you scared of thunder?"

Fenix cautiously peeked out from under the seat and shook his head.

Lion looked at Fenix's cautious expression and found it amusing.

He leaned down, picked Fenix up from under the seat, and noticed the cat was now dirtier. "Head to Sunnyfields Manor."

...

The car entered the road and drove a short distance before a torrential rain began.

Fenix sat in the car, looking down at his dirty fur, resisting for a while but eventually couldn't help it and started grooming himself.

Oh well.

While grooming, Fenix thought.

I'll probably never be the kind of person who goes to sleep right after playing basketball without showering again.

Now, I just want to be a clean little kitty.

Fenix finished grooming and felt refreshed. He then noticed they were stuck in traffic.

Peering ahead, he saw headlights stretching in a long line through the rain.

Lion, seated beside him, had a frown on his face and was looking out the window, visibly annoyed.

Fenix was startled.

The car's audio system continued to play Athena's music, but Lion's annoyance seemed to be building rather than dissipating.

The air was thick with a sense of agitation.

Fenix feared Lion might lose it and cause a disaster, so he quickly tapped on the terminal.

Lion turned to look at him, noticing Fenix couldn't authenticate, and handed him his own terminal.

Fenix used both paws to type: [Traffic is usually smooth, but today there's Athena's concert.]

Lion acknowledged it, but his annoyance didn't subside much.

He showed no particular reaction to the name Athena.

Fenix: ?

Huh?

You two aren't secretly dating?

Then why is Lion, who could be ruling an empire, here on Cobalt Star?

Fenix was puzzled.

He continued typing: [I heard you were coming to our school for recruitment?]

Lion nodded: "Your school has an orca, and I need him."

Fenix understood.

Recruiting a specific awakened individual explained why Lion came personally.

Fenix looked at Lion and realized talking to him seemed to distract him.

Fenix looked at his paws, feeling they held the future of Marina City!

Fenix passionately engaged in conversation with Lion.

...

The car slowly arrived at the mansion and pulled up to the front door.

Fenix, not yet adept at moving in his cat form, clumsily jumped out of the car. Unaccustomed to his new body, he landed on his face and rolled several times.

Lion watched as Fenix, after rolling a few times, was momentarily stunned but then got up without any fuss, shaking his head and not showing any irritation.

Such a good-tempered little one.

Lion observed Fenix, who was now spirited, and his own irritation faded away unnoticed.

Fenix didn't notice Lion's gaze.

He instinctively shook off his fur, regaining his composure, and spotted a puddle nearby. His eyes lit up, and he carefully approached it on his short legs, peering in.

The reflection in the puddle showed a white, lively kitten with black pupils, round due to the dim light of the storm, surrounded by a beautiful golden ring.

Looking at his fur.

Smooth and glossy, thick and silky.

Looking at his paws.

Pink and soft, each a tiny flower.

Wow.

No wonder it's me!

So cute, hey!