Kitty Killer Isn't Very Cold

"...Miss Nana... I... thank you so much... Not just for Kate, but the little ones too... If anything had happened to Andy, I really..."

Faced with Mrs. Cole's tearful thanks, Nana raised a hand to stop her disjointed rambling.

"I only happened to be there... I was just thinking that if things went more smoothly for him, Matilda would have it easier, and I could get better rest too, so I helped... I just didn't expect to catch him right as his illness flared up..."

As she spoke, Nana glanced at the children in the dining room. Though most of them were eating, every last one had their ears pricked toward the conversation. The black-haired cat took the flustered woman's hand and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Though it may be rude, I'll ask directly... Did you know your husband has Oripathy...?"

"This... I knew it... Once I learned you used Arts to treat Andy, I thought we probably couldn't keep it hidden... You're a professional caster, after all..."

With a helpless smile, Mrs. Cole looked away and nodded, her voice full of apology.

"My husband did contract Oripathy years ago... Um... If it bothers you, we'll move out as soon as possible."

PS: Please support the new book with votes and everything else...

PS2: Next, we'll more or less be entering the Loken Watertank arc... After all, it's an important transformation through which White Cat gains power. Though the process and logic will change a great deal, I still can't bring myself to remove it... After all, this land... you know...

PS3: Anyway, the main point of this book is cats cuddling cats... Though I won't rule out cuddling other things later. I hope readers who enjoy it will support it, QAQ.

Rosemary's Embrace: Scarborough Fair

"...In the past, Andy worked for the Tobacco and Alcohol Arts Unit and the Originium Products Administration under his father's arrangements.

"Not long after we came here from Victoria, everyone was just like the Columbia government's propaganda said... living amicably, advancing hand in hand... But after Andy became Infected during a mission, it seemed as if everything suddenly changed... No, perhaps everything simply returned to normal."

Listening to Mrs. Cole's wistful recollection, Nana glanced at the four white cats openly eavesdropping from the corner. Her expression grew slightly troubled.

"The correct thing for you to do would have been to keep hiding it... I could have pretended not to hear anything."

"I've hidden it for long enough. There's no point in continuing..."

As she spoke, Mrs. Cole looked at Matilda, her smile extremely strained.

"Perhaps I should have listened to Andy long ago and separated from him, but I always believed that as his family, we could become the strength that helped him fight the disease..."

Realizing that their mother had no intention of avoiding the subject around them, the little ones exchanged looks before stepping out from behind the wall and approaching the two women with complicated expressions.

n/a*n-/ji-/n-First Release

Though Cole smiled as she pulled the expressionless Matilda into her arms, her voice still inevitably took on a sobbing tone.

"...Though it was already too late by the time Andy could no longer control his emotions, I still hope you won't hate him... He was only sick... He never wanted to make your lives difficult..."

Hearing that, Kate remained silent while the twins exchanged a look and wiped the tears from their mother's face.

"We don't hate him..."

"We just think he feels like a stranger."

Though the twins' words somewhat soothed Mrs. Cole's sobs, Matilda's expression as she looked at her mother remained full of confusion.

Unlike Kate and the twins, throughout Matilda's childhood, her father had always been a violent and hot-tempered figure...

In her memories, her father angrily drove away people who came to trouble her mother. When she was bullied, he went to the school to argue with the teachers. When he saw the parents of bad children, he would curse at them and even throw punches... Though he also hit her when she made mistakes, being held by those hands made her feel incredibly safe... Her father's violence was both something frightening that required vigilance and the source of the girl's greatest sense of security.

Now, her mother was suddenly saying that this version of her father had been the result of an illness... It was equivalent to denying the greatest pillar of support in White Cat's memories. It was practically saying that the "strong" father in her memories had been a false lie. Matilda could not understand it at all.

Seeing White Cat enter a dazed state as though she were contemplating the universe and the meaning of life, Nana looked toward Kate, who had just settled Andy down.

"As an outsider, it isn't appropriate for me to judge the interactions within your family. Mr. Andy's lesion is in a very unusual location. Frankly, it is now difficult to determine whether his cruel treatment of his family was truly his intention, or a loss of control caused by enduring pain... As a registered caster, my first recommendation can only be that he seek treatment as soon as possible..."

"...This... Mom?"

Kate's reminder clearly indicated that she agreed with Nana's rational suggestion, but Mrs. Cole, who still deeply loved Andy, held Matilda tightly and wore an expression of utter despair.

"We... still have money... But those savings... might only... No, that was specifically for Kate to start a family... Hasn't Kate always said she wanted to open a bakery after graduating?"

"I don't really mind, but compared to me, shouldn't my younger siblings need the support more... Can they still scrape together tuition for college?"

Faced with her eldest daughter's realistic question, Mrs. Cole fell silent again. As for the mother and daughter's evasive conversation, Nana looked at the three confused white cats and offered a simple summary.

"In other words, if treatment is abandoned, the savings would only be enough for Kate to start her own family, and that calculation ignores Cole entirely... Rationally speaking, you would be gambling on whether Mr. Andy, the family's primary labor force, can recover his ability to work through treatment before the savings run out... Otherwise, the whole family will be living on air."

"This... Miss Nana, you could have said that less coldly..."

In response to Mrs. Cole's troubled expression, Nana merely shrugged slightly.

"Thinking in terms of human feelings is difficult for me. I'm only laying out the pros and cons..."

"...Family is always different. Even if you haven't started a family yourself, judging family members like objects is really..."

"Too much... I know. But after all, I don't have a family."

"Huh?"

Seeing that Mrs. Cole had been about to say something but swallowed it all back, Nana held her teacup and continued expressionlessly.

"I have no family. I don't know what it feels like to be with family... So I can't empathize with you... I'm sorry. These analyses are all I can offer."

"This, I wasn't blaming you... In fact, Andy is safe because of your Arts, Nana... But what do you mean, you have no family?"

Taking a sip of the slightly cooled tea, Nana looked at Matilda, who remained dazed in Mrs. Cole's arms, then reached over to stroke her soft hair and cat ears.

"I mean it literally. Because of an accident in the past... Or perhaps several accidents? I have no memories from several years ago, and I don't know at all what family feels like... Though I try to imagine it through close partners at work, family apparently isn't like coworkers whom you can abandon when necessary."

With a subtly puzzled expression, Nana put down her teacup.

"So perhaps my understanding is wrong... But that isn't important. What matters is your choice... You clearly intend to help Mr. Andy get treatment, right?"

After seeing Kate and Mrs. Cole exchange a look and nod in unison, Nana scratched her head awkwardly.

At most, the girl knew how to use her Arts for emergency treatment... What could an assassin who was not an Oripathy patient know about treating illnesses?

Still, based on her "work" experience, even if she could not offer anything profound, she could give some advice.

"Because Oripathy patients in Columbia are allowed to live in designated isolated communities, even if they are placed under isolation by the Disease Control Center, there is no need to worry too much about it affecting daily life. Of course, that is only relative... And if an outbreak can be prevented, even living with ordinary people does not make transmission likely. You can look up the specific regulations in public hospital informational pamphlets.

"However, because specialized Oripathy treatment teams are all located in designated communities, and public hospitals do not accept Oripathy patients, treatment in ordinary districts usually means dealing with Originium technology companies and laboratories... Once Mr. Andy's condition stabilizes, you can consider purchasing medication from a laboratory with suitable conditions. Of course, the ones I'm telling you about have reliable technology, and no one foolish enough would dare use their name to sell fake medicine."

After asking Kate for a sheet of writing paper, Nana took out a pencil and considered it carefully before writing down "Rhine Lab."

"Rhine Lab LLC... Though its headquarters are far away in Trimmounts Mobile City-State, it has an office here that handles basic business... If it is only examinations and Oripathy treatment, their technology is more than sufficient... And since your family has nothing they would be interested in, it would necessarily be a straightforward business transaction... So it's safe.

"Of course, the cost of choosing that kind of 'safety' is undoubtedly high. It might take the entire budget for a bakery..."

Seeing Kate tilt her head without concern, Nana blinked and continued.

"There are several companies on the same level as Rhine Lab... Raythean Industries, Blacksteel Worldwide... They are all international companies with independent treatment departments for the Infected, full support, and humanitarian safeguards.

"However, because their specialties don't align, if you want them to provide treatment, Mr. Andy would need to become their employee... But Mrs. Cole, you said Andy used to work for the Tobacco and Alcohol Arts Unit and the Originium Products Administration, right? With that résumé and his special combat experience, he is actually fairly attractive... It just depends on whether Mr. Andy is willing to give up living in the same city as his family and follow the PMC personnel of an international company along international routes."

While Nana paused to pick up her glass of water, Kate leaned over from behind her. She tilted her head and used her cat ears to rub against Nana's while asking in confusion.

"I remember there are many other medical and biological companies in the commercial district... Aren't they worth considering?"

"Honestly, I don't want to recommend second-rate companies to you... So-called second-rate companies may only look one tier below Rhine Lab in overall strength, but in reality, they are fourth-rate companies using a second-rate signboard to recruit third-rate researchers.

"Those people can provide basic treatment services for the Infected, but because even their leadership and staff may disagree with one another, combined with a lack of ethical oversight and weak awareness of the law... It is far from uncommon for the people upstairs to take your money and promise you everything while the people downstairs secretly plan to send you to an operating table.

"Big companies might at least hide their dirty work and consider public opinion, like how Haydn Pharmaceuticals is actually a shell company of Rhine Lab used specifically for unsavory work and does not accept outside business applications... Small companies, though, will greedily take everything they can get, so I won't recommend them to you.

"Come to think of it, I saw Mr. Andy bring back a recruitment poster from Loken Watertank earlier?"

At that, Nana did not look at Kate beside her or Mrs. Cole across from her. Instead, she glanced at the distracted Matilda.

Mentioning Andy made Nana think of the white cat who had been beaten. Mentioning White Cat made her remember that sleepless night.

She claimed it was for the good of the neighboring family, but after thinking it through carefully, it seemed she only cared about Matilda, and had therefore launched an intelligence-based rescue operation for her family... She had called the Cleaners of ICA awful people before, but now she herself had become an awful person selling information.

But she was not doing this for profit!

The people's lawful right to pursue happiness should be protected... That was something the broker often said.

How did that saying go? "From the bottom of one's heart"... right?

"...Though I can't provide detailed information, don't go there... It's a trap. Perhaps my words alone won't mean much, but I am indeed someone in the industry."

As she spoke, Nana took out a business card and slowly slid it across the table.

It was a very simple, stiff business card. The first line of small print in the upper left corner read ICA—International Contract Agency... Clearly, even though it concealed an intermediary service for an assassin platform, the shell of an international trade organization was still operating normally.

As for the prominent words National Laboratory below, they probably did not draw much attention. Without investigating, who would know that it was a place in Columbia specifically devoted to classified projects?

But those who knew the place might find the card even more unsettling... This organization was entirely state-owned, and its projects were all state-funded. Why did it have an independent finance department?

Nana could not answer that question either. Perhaps she would have to ask the broker.

Thus... it was both secretive and conspicuous... Those who did not know would be completely baffled and merely think it looked impressive, while those who understood would immediately know that it belonged to a member of that organization...

Nana was no fool. Over the past several years, the broker had given her many clues. Leaving aside her actual identity, it was certain that she herself held a high-ranking position in some federal department and could even act arbitrarily on her own authority.

Nana did not care about that. Whether the broker was good or bad did not really matter... Her reason for obeying the broker was simple: the woman had taken her out of the hospital and was something like a "parent."

Number Seventy-Seven had also considered whether her amnesia had been staged by the broker's organization... And the conclusion she reached was... Even if it was, it doesn't matter.

Nana, who had no memories, had no attachments, no weaknesses, no ideals, and no Despair.

Work, reports, life... Nana grew like a plant. She was more interested in Matilda than in her own background... At least Matilda's fluffy cat ears were within reach, while Number Seventy-Seven was ultimately nothing more than an illusory label for an assassin.

Nana trusted the capabilities of the team the broker belonged to. Behind this business card stood an entire professional team.

Whether it was verifying Nana's semi-civil-servant identity or seeking help from professionals at the National Laboratory, Nana believed this card had the power to keep Matilda's family from continuing to fall apart.

It would be even better if the card could dispel the Bruce family's hopes for Loken Watertank's high-paying recruitment.

At this point, Nana felt she had done everything she could for the Bruce family... It was truly absurd for a professional assassin to break an intelligence ban for her neighbors.

All she could say was that fortunately, Nana could claim this fell within the knowledge expected of her "persona."

Just as Nana confirmed Mr. Andy's condition for the third time and verified that she could leave, Mrs. Cole unexpectedly grabbed her again.

"...I know that simple verbal thanks have lost all meaning now... But on one hand, I'm worried about Andy's condition, and our whole family hopes you can stay here overnight. On the other... I suddenly realized that you have done so much for our family, yet I ignored the feelings of a neighboring friend. I did not even notice that you had lost a normal person's sense of the world... I don't think that's right!"

"Um... It really doesn't matter... Well, I have work tomorrow..."

Glancing at the birdhouse-shaped clock on the Bruce family's wall, which already showed half past ten at night, Nana thought of the flowers she had not brought in, the plants she had not watered, the dust she had not wiped from the leaves, the milk she had not bought for the morning, and the equipment she needed to organize for later use... She began to groan inwardly.

Perhaps because of what she had done over the past two days, coupled with this long speech for which she sought nothing in return, she had finally crossed some threshold of goodwill between people. Her distance from this family suddenly shrank, and Mrs. Cole unexpectedly displayed the clingy habits of a Feline... or perhaps simply a cat.

She was not merely talking. She directly hugged the assassin girl's arm. The problem was that Nana truly had no way to break free without hurting her... To some extent, Nana's social experience consisted entirely of commercial masks, and she had no idea how to refuse someone else's kindness.

"My family received care from Mrs. Jackson here, and then we met you... You were clearly trying so hard to look after us, yet all I could do was make you say something as cruel as how you lack feelings for family."

Holding Nana's hand, Mrs. Cole pulled her into an embrace as though she were holding Matilda.

"I am not God. I cannot bring back your relatives or your memories... If you had not happened to meet Kate and Mia before, I would never have known you were so lonely.

"Someone as mature as you may think I am only indulging in childish self-satisfaction.

"But you helped Andy without hesitation when he collapsed by the roadside. You devoted yourself to explaining how we could treat that illness, and you helped Kate, a stranger, without asking for anything in return... Even little Mia said that when she bathed... your hands would gently guide away every drop of water that might get into her cat ears and eyes...

"I think I have confirmed that beneath your seemingly cold exterior, you possess an incomparably gentle soul.

"But Andy's situation made me realize that no matter how gentle a heart may be, if it is left to be washed away by suffering, it will shatter, harden, and become a sharp blade...

"Andy became someone who abused his wife and daughter... Though pathological factors were involved, the true root of the Bruce family's decline was that I never noticed his psychological pressure and allowed it to worsen."

"So if you don't mind, I hope we can become your new family.

"My father once said that happy people use childhood to heal their whole lives, while unhappy people use their whole lives to heal their childhood... So do not let pain continue to grow. At its end, there is nothing but regret... This is the deepest lesson from someone who may have to spend the rest of her life making up for her husband."

Smiling bitterly at her own words, Mrs. Cole released Nana, who had stopped struggling... At that moment, besides Kate looking at her mother with admiration, Matilda also approached with her cowlick bobbing. She seemed to have heard something.

"Is Sister Nana going to become Mom's child too?!"

"If your Sister Nana agrees, then Mom has no objections~"

As the large and small white cats began celebrating on their own, Nana desperately wanted to go home, yet she also lingered and swayed from side to side... She wanted to feel the embrace a little longer... To feel what it was like to be treated gently by someone.

Even the broker... No, perhaps this was something the broker could never accomplish in her entire life.

But...

"Mrs. Cole... Um, perhaps you have something wrong..."

Taking an awkward deep breath, Nana raised one finger.

"You and I, if I'm not mistaken... My age... may be around your father's generation..."

"Huh?"

"Judging by the dates, you should have been born around 1070... And if my records are not fabricated, I participated in the Tenth Ursus-Kazimierz War... I mean, I was fleeing from it..."

Watching Cole become so stunned that even her expression froze, Nana's mouth twitched... It was not an act. She had unexpectedly relaxed her guard and continued.

"In other words, I was at least born during the Four Emperors' War. I might be thirty... Or, absurdly enough, perhaps I'm already pushing forty..."