Disgusting Cat, So Disgusting Cat

Despite two setbacks, Bai, though inherently patient, found time slipping away.

Directly interfering with people, it seemed, was no longer a viable option.

‘What, then, was to be done?’

Bai squatted listlessly on the curb, observing the ceaseless flow of people and vehicles.

‘Hmm… hmm!?’

A faint glimmer of an idea seemed to emerge.

Humans traveled long distances by vehicle.

If stopping the people proved impossible, then stopping the vehicle might work!

The astute Bai had finally conceived another solution.

A fresh approach had been found, but what about the practical implementation?

‘This thing is called a tricycle, hmm, a tricycle…’

Bai narrowed her pupils, intently watching the vehicles flowing on the road.

Time was too short, and the influx of information easily overwhelmed a cat’s brain.

Bai observed for a long time before finally discovering a clue; the sunlight had already moved across the ground by more than a dozen of Bai’s own lengths.

‘Come to think of it, perhaps it wasn’t that long after all?’

The fortunate Bai tilted her head.

‘Never mind, it doesn’t matter, as long as a clue has been found.’

What was the clue?

The Cat had spotted a bicycle.

While it differed somewhat from the family’s tricycle, both were vehicles, so the differences surely wouldn’t be substantial.

Probably.

In any case, The Cat recalled that bicycle had broken down just a few days prior.

The reason for its malfunction was that its ‘tire’ had been gnawed through by a mouse.

Though not understanding the underlying principle, The Cat received a profound revelation: could biting through this round, dark, rubbery thing render a ‘vehicle’ unusable?

Bai’s eyes lit up.

She immediately scampered back with confident little bounces.

Upon entering the yard, Bai made a beeline for the tricycle, circling it twice.

A hint of confusion crossed her features—this tire seemed much larger than a bicycle’s.

She was unsure where to begin biting.

Tentatively, Bai tilted her head and vigorously gnawed at the side a couple of times.

(φxφ)!

Bai’s pupils dilated violently.

A earthy, burnt, and strangely nauseating, faintly perfumed taste spread through her mouth and nasal cavity.

This was accompanied by a remarkably tough texture that made her teeth ache, and a subtle toxicity that induced a physiological urge to vomit.

(QwQ)

‘So disgusting!’

Bai angrily extended her claws, nails gleaming, and unleashed a barrage of ‘cat combo’ attacks upon the innocent tire.

‘Mice must be deranged to chew on something like this. I thought it would taste much better…’

What could be done if it tasted so awful?

This was currently the only solution.

The resilient Cat endured the pain and continued gnawing at the existing teeth marks.

‘Ugh… so foul, so foul, so utterly foul, meow! #*※’

After a few more bites, Bai, unable to tolerate the peculiar taste, ran off to lap up some water.

Returning, she sat primly before the tire, narrowing her pupils to scrutinize it closely.

‘Oh! I see something different now!’

Without an earthquake, this amount of wear would cause an explosion—’bang!’—after the tricycle ran for four days, rendering it immobile.

However, tomorrow was the final deadline, so it wasn’t enough.

More wear was needed.

‘Mmmph…’

The Cat let out a mournful murmur.

‘I don’t want to chew anymore; it’s too disgusting.’

Bai imagined herself hunting a very, very powerful prey, all while trying to forget the strange taste in her mouth.

‘Ugh, I wish I were bigger. If I were just a bit larger, I could bite through this bad thing in two chomps.’

Alas, she was just a tiny creature now.

Stupefied by the stench of rubber, Bai remained oblivious to the man who had just arrived home and was standing behind her.

(0v0)?

Bai, diligently working, was suddenly lifted.

The man and The Cat stared at each other.

‘Ah-ha… caught red-handed causing mischief?’

“You little rascal, using the tricycle tire as a teething toy? Don’t you find it disgusting?”

‘How could a cat not find it disgusting?’

Bai licked the corners of her mouth, clearing the foreign sensation, and tried to twist her head to look at the tire.

‘Hey, perfect. Like this, the tricycle won’t go far tomorrow before breaking down.’

Suddenly, Bai became happy, swinging her body in the air.

“Sigh…”

The man sighed.

How could such a tiny creature be scolded?

He could only drop the struggling Cat back into her small bed, then crouch down to inspect the tire’s damage.

“Tsk… not big in size, but quite strong teeth.”

In the center of the visibly saliva-soaked area on the tire’s side, there was a tiny puncture.

The man felt somewhat incredulous.

Such a sturdy object, even when fully loaded and rolling over glass, might not be cut, so how had this little creature managed to put a hole in it?

He spat on it, examining it closely.

Fortunately, it wasn’t leaking air, so a patch wouldn’t be necessary.

‘It doesn’t seem like a big problem. I’ll take a look when I go into the city tomorrow, and the handlebar is a bit stiff anyway,’ the man thought, then dismissed the matter.

The Cat stealthily peeked out, watching the man’s departure.

Her constricted pupils dilated, returning to her adorable 0ω0 state.

‘This is great! Their future is back!’

Her efforts had yielded tangible (or perhaps foggy) results, and The Cat was especially pleased.

She rolled back and forth on her cushion, then dragged it into the sunlight and fell asleep on her back.

Time flowed by, little by little.

The sunlight vanished from her belly, and the warmth disappeared.

The Cat quickly awoke from her light slumber.

‘I feel a bit hungry.’

The Cat recovered from her daze.

After some thought, she decided to check near an uninhabited old house nearby.

There were many woodpiles there, and thus many mice.

Strolling along the dirt road as evening approached, Bai happily made her way to the destination.

“Hey! Hee hee! Mimi! Mimi!”

A half-grown child, somewhat cleanly dressed and sweating profusely, spotted Bai and waved, calling out.

Bai knew that even though she had been given the name ‘Xuan Bai,’ no one except Liu, who had brought her home, actually called her that.

Instead, she was called everything but Xuan Bai: ‘Cat,’ ‘Little Cat,’ ‘Mimi,’ ‘Xiao Bai,’ ‘Three Hairs,’ ‘Little Third One,’ and so on.

Regardless, Bai could always discern that she was being called, so it didn’t really matter.

“Meow!”

Not too close, Bai replied loudly and very politely, then slightly changed direction, preparing to go over.

She didn’t know why she was being called, but it was usually for something good—either pets or treats.

“Grrr…”

Reaching the little girl who was already squatting on the ground in a ready-to-pet posture, Bai smoothly lay down.

The girl, in turn, reached out and stroked her belly.

Bai suddenly grabbed the girl’s hand, kicking with her hind legs and gently biting.

Of course, no force was used, and no claws were extended.

This was a common game cats played; lying on the ground was essentially an invitation to play.

However, some humans never played properly.

Even when Bai hadn’t used any force, they would pull away and stop playing with the cat, some even blaming her for biting.

But this child understood the rules of the game somewhat.

After playing the ‘attack and resist’ game for a while, The Cat licked the girl’s hand, preparing to leave.

“Goodbye, Mimi! Summer’s coming soon. I’ll treat you to ice cream then!”

“Meow?”

‘What is ice cream?’

The Cat shook her head.

Too much thinking brought no joy.

It was better to fill her stomach first.

The eating process was unpleasant.

Bai constantly felt a faint, lingering rubbery smell at the tip of her nose—a truly dreadful scent.

Meanwhile, at Liu’s home.

“I’m going into the city tomorrow to buy some things. I’ll also get some cat food for the little one to try. She’s quite picky and won’t even eat leftovers.”

“You’re quite fond of her. She can catch mice on her own, you know. Didn’t our mom say last time that she caught a rat snake in the small plaza?”

Liu’s wife’s fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes curved into a smile.

“I’ll go with you,” she added, as if an idea had just struck her.

“She’s a good cat. It wouldn’t be a loss to treat her well. After all, she came from the temple.”

“Alright.”