A Family of Three

The mother cat raised her weary eyes, her single clear pupil fixed quietly on the girl leaning closer. Her body tensed slightly, but she did not arch her back or let out another warning growl.

Perhaps she had sensed Aimisi's goodwill, or perhaps it was because Wuling and Chisaki were there to back her up.

At last, Aimisi's fingertips gently touched the warm, soft fur.

It felt rougher than she had imagined, dry from exposure to the wind and sun, with a few small knots in it—the marks of a long life on the streets.

"So soft..."

Aimisi held her breath and whispered breathily, her golden eyes brimming with cautious tenderness. Even her gaze softened.

She did not dare stroke the cat too hard, merely brushing her fingertips against the top of her head, making the motion look a little clumsy.

The mother cat hesitated for a few seconds, then tilted her head slightly and let Aimisi touch her gently. She even narrowed her one remaining eye, letting down her guard completely.

Her tense back relaxed, and the body that had been poised to spring settled softly onto the fleece mat. It seemed she had accepted the newcomer.

"That's great! She's not afraid of me anymore!"

Tiny stars lit up in Aimisi's eyes, and a sweet, comforting smile spread across her face. She turned to the two behind her, unable to hide the delight in her voice.

"Take your time. After you've spent a few more visits with her, she'll be completely used to you."

Chisaki crouched beside her, a gentle smile on her lips as she spoke softly to reassure her.

Wuling stood quietly behind them, his gaze resting tenderly on the comforting scene before him.

[They look just like a family of three.]

Abu floated nearby and said, always eager to stir things up. No one else could hear those words anyway.

Wuling's temple twitched slightly, and he gave the big white furball a somewhat speechless look.

[Shut up and behave yourself. Stop imagining things.]

[We're just feeding some cats. Why do you keep thinking about all this weird stuff?]

He grumbled helplessly to himself.

Abu giggled and stopped teasing him, obediently floating at his side, though his two differently colored eyes continued to study the three people in the alley with curiosity.

The night breeze drifted gently through the alley, dispersing the lingering heat of the day and leaving only the cool, quiet stillness of late night.

They first helped the kittens move into a new bed, then transferred the towel from the box into it. After setting down a few small bowls for food and water, they quietly fed the cats.

Aimisi had a good eye. Everything she had bought was of excellent quality, especially the little bed. Wuling felt that if he were a cat, he might have liked living in it too.

Once the bed was in place, Aimisi set two small ceramic bowls securely on the dry ground in front of it, filling one with plenty of cat food and the other with clean, warm water.

The three innocent little kittens had already wobbled out of the bed and gathered around the bowls, drinking water in little sips. Their soft little bodies stumbled about, occasionally bumping and rubbing against one another, their round shapes utterly endearing.

Their eyes had not yet fully opened, and although their movements were clumsy, they were especially lively. Their tender little cries echoed softly through the quiet alley.

The disabled mother cat lay lazily at the entrance to the new bed, positioned just right to block the wind. Like a sturdy barrier, she silently protected her young.

None of them were in a hurry to leave. They simply crouched there quietly, enjoying this rare moment of leisure. The pressure of the day's schoolwork (except for the cheater) and the busyness and exhaustion of their part-time jobs all vanished at that moment.

Aimisi crouched at the very front, watching without blinking, the joy in her eyes nearly spilling over.

"They're really so well-behaved."

Aimisi murmured, her voice so soft it blended into the night breeze. "The first time I met the mama cat, she hissed at me. I didn't even dare go near her, but now she's actually willing to let me pet her."

"I've heard animals are the best at sensing the kindness in people's hearts."

Chisaki spoke softly, her gaze resting gently on the cat. "You mean her no harm, and your heart is full of tenderness. Of course she can feel it."

As she spoke, she reached out and gently straightened the corners of the towel by the bed that the wind had ruffled, smoothing down each raised edge of the cotton cloth.

"Oh, right, do you two want a piece of this?"

Aimisi held up the box of milk cakes Auntie Bo had given him before leaving. There were exactly three inside, one for each of them.

They ate the milk cakes as they watched the scene before them. When they had finished, Wuling brushed off his hands, took out his phone, and glanced at it.

"We should probably get going. There's only a little over half an hour until curfew. If we're late, we'll have to find a hotel outside to stay in."

At Wuling's reminder, Aimisi panicked for a moment and hurriedly pulled out her phone to check the time. Only after seeing how long they had left before curfew did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's fine, it's fine. There's still plenty of time."

She stuck out her tongue and reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the kittens, but remained crouched where she was, unwilling to get up.

"Then can we watch them for another two minutes? Just two minutes, okay?"

Aimisi lowered her voice and pleaded, her gaze glued to the kittens. She really could not bear to leave and wanted to watch them a little longer.

"No."

Wuling refused in a firm, righteous tone.

"Knowing you, after two minutes, you'll definitely want another two. And after those two, you might want to add one more. If we keep that up, we really will have to sleep outside."

"Besides, it's not like you'll never see them again. The cat bed is right here, so just come by whenever you want to see them."

"All right, then."

Aimisi sounded a little disappointed.

The three slowly stood and stepped back lightly, looking at the warm little bed with reluctance.

The mother cat raised her eyes to look at them and gave a soft, low meow, gentle and lingering, as though thanking them or saying goodbye.

Only after they had left the alley and put the cats' home well behind them did Aimisi finally let loose and return to her lively, irrepressible self, chattering to the other two as they walked and making plans for what to do next.

Chisaki listened patiently, occasionally adding a detail or two.

Wuling walked beside them, smiling as he listened to their conversation.

The three walked slowly along the smooth campus path. There were few people about at night, and the whole road was quiet and cool, with only the sound of their unhurried footsteps remaining.

Before long, the three reached the fork in the road to the dormitories.

"Then Chisaki and I will go on ahead."

Aimisi stopped, turned back to Wuling, and held out her little hand solemnly.

"High five. It's a promise: we'll meet up on time tomorrow night to feed them. No one's allowed to bail."

Wuling raised his hand and gave her a gentle high five.

"Got it. When have you ever known me to bail? All right, take care on your way back and get some rest early. Don't spend all your time on your phone."

"Mm-hm. Get some rest early too, big bro. Don't stay up late playing on your phone."

Aimisi waved, then slowly walked away beside Chisaki.

The two slender figures walked side by side, whispering to each other, and slowly disappeared at the end of the road.

After watching them for a while, Wuling looked away and headed down the other road.