Kitty, Big Trouble

She was degrading herself.

Utoya could feel it—Irene didn’t truly want this.

She was just trying to use this way to hold on to… love.

Ha, ha…

Utoya suddenly wanted to laugh.

She had spent all night thinking she wasn’t worthy of Irene.

Yet now, Irene was willing to give up everything of herself, just to receive even the slightest bit of kindness from someone as rotten as her.

What kind of life had she grown up in?

Giving everything to those she cared about.

Destroying herself entirely, handing it to those she despised.

Like a broken little beast…

In her world, there was no self, no pleasure—only duty and will.

And all she did wasn’t for enjoyment, but only to seek “love.”

That had become an inseparable instinct for Irene—wandering endlessly, unsatisfied, searching for heartbeat and warmth.

Clearly, Utoya should have been the kind of person Irene despised.

Yet now… no.

She must never betray this feeling.

Otherwise, she would be no different from the beasts she had killed with her own hands.

But… if someone else could give her that same love, then she… would she…

Possess.

Utoya’s heart fixed on that word.

Love was useless.

Someone like her would never learn love.

That kind of selfless love… she could never master it.

She was filthy by nature.

She could never give Irene the blazing, angelic, selfless love she deserved.

But there would always be someone who could give her that love.

There would always be someone willing to love her unconditionally.

So…

She could never allow Irene to leave her.

…..

“I really don’t mind, you know.”

Irene looked at Utoya, who was hanging her head, and felt a little speechless.

This hunter woman, who looked so brutal, was surprisingly sensitive, as if overthinking again.

She herself was a man before, of course she didn’t mind such things.

Utoya’s looks might be ordinary to women, but to Irene, she was nearly perfect…

She had to admit, though Irene hated shallow people who chased her just because of her beauty—frivolous men and women alike—maybe she was no different.

Did Utoya really understand love?

Irene didn’t know.

No one could know.

If people could truly understand each other’s hearts, there would be no conflict, no war, no betrayal.

But at least for now, Irene was willing to believe Utoya could give her these things—or at least a substitute for them.

Forget it.

Rather than thinking about such headache-inducing questions… figuring out how to sell this batch of goods was more important.

Irene had taken inventory while cooking.

The haul this time was really quite good.

She also unpacked everything from both their backpacks—plenty of cash and electronics.

She couldn’t use the bank cards, but they could be sold on the black market.

There were several hundred in cash, which Irene planned to spend entirely on food, clothes, and daily needs for Rosakaya.

There were also two phones, some anti-radiation medicine, a few bottles of vodka, and five or six boxes of 9×39mm armor-piercing rounds—hundreds in total.

It almost made one wonder if the guy had come into the radiation zone to play some survival game.

But with powered exoskeletons able to carry tons of weight with ease, maybe he didn’t even care about the load.

Including that damaged exoskeleton suit, radiation and supernatural detectors—the value wasn’t small.

After careful thought, Irene decided to keep the VSS rifle.

The special marksman rifle came with a built-in suppressor, had low recoil, and was easy to conceal.

Irene didn’t like wearing heavy gear in the radiation zone, but this gun was light enough and good for self-defense.

All the rest combined, this haul was worth thirty to forty thousand at least.

That meant… three to four months without worrying about money.

Maybe it was time to find another side job?

“You’re leaving again?”

Just as Irene was smiling at her future plans, Utoya’s voice suddenly came, carrying a faint note of grievance.

Eh… was her mood really that easy to read?

“Mm… I can’t just leave everything here, right?

Besides, I need to explain things to that little nun, so she doesn’t go to the police.”

Irene sighed.

That child was a good person—she shouldn’t be left to worry.

When she woke up that morning, she had been bombarded with hundreds of messages—from Sydney and from Rosakaya.

She patiently replied to them all, assuring them she was fine.

As for what “fine” meant… well, living with a lonely, heavy-hearted huntress now.

Irene admitted it openly.

She wouldn’t be returning to the orphanage much anymore, though Sydney still seemed quite anxious.

Home… no matter how twisted or uneasy, was still her home.

She was a child who had a home.

Every time she thought of that, Irene felt an unprecedented peace and reassurance, as if in this world, she had finally found her respawn point.

“Mm… just one day.”

Utoya muttered an agreement, still sounding displeased… which Irene found oddly cute.

“Don’t worry!

Whatever you want to eat, whatever you want to play, I’ll bring it back for you.

Now that I’ve got money, I’ll even spoil you… ah, I almost forgot!

I got you a projector—when I’m back, let’s watch movies together.”

Irene smiled, glancing around the room.

The nights here were so dark—perfect for watching movies.

She should buy some popcorn and soda too.

“Mm… movies…”

Utoya still seemed absent-minded.

Irene sighed helplessly.

Even though she had become a cat, why was Utoya acting like a dog, despite not even being a supernatural?

Maybe she needed another hobby.

“Anyway, take care of yourself.

I’m heading out.

This meal should last until tonight if you reheat it.

I’ll bring back something tasty.”

Irene didn’t want to drag it out—otherwise she might really feel too soft-hearted to leave…

……….

When Irene arrived at the familiar shop, she found it pitch black inside.

Closed?

No messages on her phone either…

She frowned, checking her messages, but suddenly, a hand yanked her into the shadows.

“Meow!”

Irene reacted instinctively, eyes sharpening as her hand darted for the pistol at her waist.

But when she felt the softness of the hand gripping her, her guard lowered.

It was the boss.

“Well, well.

Did you really turn into a cat?

You even meowed.

I thought I’d grabbed the wrong thing—an actual cat.

But your reaction’s nothing like a cat’s, letting me snatch you so easily.”

The boss’s body was hidden in darkness, her chuckle low.

But Irene could hear the gravity buried in her tone.

“I’m not really a cat… Boss, what’s going on?

Why so mysterious?”

Irene didn’t resist.

Her supernatural enhancements had made her body far sharper—if she had wanted to fight back, she could have drawn her pistol in an instant.

But her boss wasn’t the type to play pointless jokes.

“I didn’t open shop all day, just waited for you.

Lucky you came quickly, or I don’t know how much I’d have lost.”

“Anyway, little cat, you’ve gotten into big trouble.

Look.

Here’s the latest bounty notice the black market sent out to us merchants.

Reporting the target earns fifty to a hundred thousand.

Catching the target brings a million.”

“And on it… is your name, Irene.”