It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 36

The shopping district was getting closer. Kitty hummed a tune, pressing down on her hat.

It was a thick fur hat that would hide her cat ears even in a crowd of wolves.

And the four wolves and one fox were happily watching the cat swaying to the rhythm as she looked out the window.

“Ummm……”

As time passed, Kitty, who had been basking in the sunlight, became drowsy and began to doze off. Her chubby, fair cheeks were pressed against the window.

The wolves felt the urge to let Kitty’s nodding head rest on their shoulders.

Almost simultaneously, three of them reached out their hands, then glared at each other.

“Ethan, what do you think you’re doing?”

“She’s my student. That posture puts a strain on her neck, which will interfere with the lesson.”

“No. This is what older brothers do.”

“That’s why I’ll do it, Deon. I’m older than you, right?”

“You were only born thirty seconds earlier!”

Kitty woke up to the sound of the wolves bickering. Kitty asked Clyde in a somewhat dazed voice.

“Clyde, what’s going on?”

“Ah, some overly attached animals are fighting. Anyway……”

Clyde’s eyes curved slyly. It was a charming smile that highlighted his ruby-red eyes.

“Now that I’m the young lady’s escort, please feel free to speak comfortably. All the seven-year-old wolves do that.”

“Ah, then me too.”

Kitty smiled brightly. It was only natural that the wolves’ fierce gazes were fixed on Clyde.

“Hey, Clyde. You know what your role is, right?”

“To be on high alert for the magic of the Blue Moon and protect the young lady.”

“Even our Soft Paw [a term of endearment for Kitty] knows that foxes are black-hearted, so don’t even think about doing anything foolish.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Haaam……”

Kitty leaned on Elliot’s shoulder to avoid the noise and closed her eyes for a moment. Elliot calmly accepted the glares pouring down on him.

“Does the young lady like the quietest person the most?”

“……”

Theo and Deon sat quietly in their seats and kept their mouths shut.

After a while, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the shopping district. Kitty woke up to the sound of people chattering. A surprised voice leaked out in her sleep.

“There are so many wolves……”

“But the young lady is also a wolf.”

“Ah.”

Coming to her senses, Kitty quickly straightened up and nodded. Elliot got off first to clear the area.

Kitty smoothed out her clothes and asked.

“Do people always find it amazing when a carriage comes?”

“They probably came out to see the Gridwolf Young Lady today. The procession is a bit extravagant, too.”

“Everyone is curious about Soft Paw.”

Kitty glanced out the window. A wolf of her age, holding bread and an apple, waved at her.

Ethan, confirming that the Soft Paw Kitty was waving back at was a boy, drew the curtain and changed the subject.

“Once Sir Elliot clears the area, you can go out and shop. Two of them will be following you closely.”

“Teacher. But how do you shop?”

At Kitty’s question, the three wolves blinked. They had never imagined that she wouldn’t know how to shop.

Theo asked very carefully.

“Kitty, have you ever been shopping before?”

“Umm…… Dad and big brother were often away on missions, and Mom finished work late.”

“……”

“But Mom and the neighbors got me clothes and shoes!”

She always got hand-me-downs, but she liked it when she got new clothes. Kitty smiled, reminiscing about her childhood.

The wolves, who had been listening quietly, exchanged glances for a long time, wondering what to say.

Eventually, Ethan explained it neatly.

“Look around and if you see something you like, tell Sir Elliot. We’ll put it on hold under the name of Gridwolf.”

“Putting it on hold means……”

“The family will pay for it all at once later.”

Kitty’s eyes sparkled with a face that said she was happy to know something.

“Ah, so people come to the mansion to ask for money! Many people came to our house too, so I know it well!”

“……Many?”

“Yes. You mean the people who put red cards on drawers and chairs, right?”

“……”

Kitty couldn’t understand why the three young masters were becoming so solemn.

‘Mom always hugged me tightly when I said those people came and went.’

She didn’t remember very well the loan sharks creating a menacing atmosphere. Kitty only remembered the moment when she was buried in her mother’s warm embrace.

The wolves were about to tell her that the family didn’t pay in that way, but quietly closed their mouths.

Clyde changed the subject to prevent the atmosphere from becoming more gloomy.

“Young lady, if you sense the energy of the Blue Moon, you must immediately lower your posture. The wolf knights will take care of the rest.”

“Just lower my posture?”

“Count backwards from 100 in your head. Those who are blank-minded are easily caught by the Blue Moon’s nasty madness. But if you are far away, you must let us know your location with a howl.”

Of course, in a situation like today where wolves are deployed, the young lady would be safe even if panthers rushed in.

Clyde clicked his tongue at the overprotection.

Kitty nodded, but thought to herself.

‘That jewel, did it only feel as warm as Mom’s embrace to me?’

After all, the special power her mother told her about at the last moment seemed to be related to the Blue Moon.

‘If I defeat the panthers, I’ll be able to catch Jerian’s tail [expose Jerian’s plans].’

Kitty clenched her Soft Paw tightly.

After a while. Elliot, who had cleared the crowds around, opened the carriage door.

“Then, young lady, shall we start touring the shopping district now?”

Theo quickly got off and held out his hand to Kitty. Originally, it was the rule to hold the hand of Clyde, the escort, but Theo had no intention of yielding.

“Thank you, Older Brother.”

Soft—

The wolves around her uttered their impressions as Kitty got off.

“Oh my, she’s so small, she looks like a fairy.”

“It looks like she’s already close to the young masters. Even Master Ethan of the Weebis family is here?”

“Still, to call her a wolf……”

When someone muttered unconsciously, the people around were startled.

It was because they remembered Jackal and Caris, the heads of the clan, howling fiercely on the night Kitty was adopted.

Moreover, the youngest daughter of Gridwolf was exuding the scent of Gridwolf and Weebis. It was clear that the heads of the wolf families had deliberately transferred their scent to her so that no one would touch her.

Wolves, who strictly adhere to the hierarchy, had no choice but to obey the decisions of their superiors.

“She looks like a little wolf to anyone.”

“Look at her confident gait.”

“Gridwolf Young Lady, hello!”

Kitty entered the store, receiving everyone’s attention. Elliot and Clyde followed closely behind her, on high alert.

“Everyone is welcoming a little wolf they haven’t seen before.”

Kitty felt proud and straightened her shoulders even more. She wondered what would happen if people recognized her as a cat.

‘Everyone seems to be kind.’

Emerald eyes held a happy smile. Kitty felt relieved and began to look around.

The first store she visited was, of course, a knitting supply store. Kitty let out a small exclamation as she looked at the colorful balls of yarn.

“Wow……”

Her big eyes sparkled relentlessly. Theo and Deon supported Kitty’s back so that she wouldn’t fall backwards while looking at the yarn hanging high.

“How is it, Kitty? They’re all pretty, right?”

“Soft Paw, do you like everything here?”

“Yes. It’s hard to pick just one.”

Kitty chirped in a voice filled with happiness. Her ears were twitching diligently inside her thick hat.

Theo and Deon quietly told Elliot.

“Sir Elliot, it would be nice to buy all the yarn here, one of each.”

“Because our Soft Paw likes it so much.”

Elliot, who knew the scale of the assets Gridwolf was accumulating, asked the owner without hesitation.

Without even knowing it, Kitty brought a ball of red yarn without realizing that she would soon have a lot of yarn balls.

“I’ll take this!”

“Pretty. Don’t you need anything else?”

“Not for now. I want to look around other stores too!”

Kitty was very satisfied with her first shopping experience.

* * *

A group wearing deep black robes was watching Kitty’s birthday shopping through the window on the second floor.

Their gazes relentlessly followed Kitty, who was walking lightly and smiling brightly, but their focus was lost as if they were possessed by something.

Behind them, staring at Kitty, the target, with cloudy eyes, stood a panther beastman with a haughty impression, arms crossed.

Dark blue hair, tied up tightly, fluttered around her chest. Gray pupils shone sharply under the glasses she was wearing.

A woman who has recently emerged as the second-in-command of the panther forces, Sigma.

“I wondered why our king took me out of the dungeon, but it’s certainly a unique research subject.”

A sinister light rippled in Sigma’s eyes.

“It feels very different from when I was doing biological experiments with panthers as materials.”

“……”

“To see wolf knights swarming around to protect that adorable thing…… Isn’t it too cute?”

When she spoke in a sweet voice, the beastmen by the window turned their heads. The blonde hair, unique to fox beastmen, was briefly revealed inside the robe.

When Sigma tightly gripped the imitation Blue Moon in her arms, the fox beastmen frowned as if in pain.

But since they were already mentally subjugated, they couldn’t resist any further.

“You guys go and approach that adorable cat quickly.”

“……”

“If it’s an ordinary cat, it will react more sensitively to madness than wolves, so narrow the distance until the gap is about three steps. The closer, the better.”

It was impossible to break through such protection. But Sigma didn’t care much about the fox beastmen’s circumstances.

There were plenty of fox beastmen in the basement of the panther mansion who could be tamed with madness and used as she pleased.

She originally had no ethical awareness to dissect and experiment on various beastmen, including her own kind, panthers.

“When you, exposed to the madness of the Blue Moon, approach, the cat will frown, right?”

If so, it meant that madness also affected cats. But if not…….

“If the cat doesn’t show any signs of suffering, it means it’s immune to madness, so kidnap it.”

“……”

To be completely dominated by madness and not even be able to answer. How pathetic.

Sigma’s red lips held a strange smile. She hoped that the foxes would sacrifice their lives quickly for her interest.

“If necessary, you can threaten the Gridwolf Young Lady.”

The fox beastmen moved with unfocused, cloudy eyes. Only Sigma’s voice echoed in their heads like a mantra.

Approach the cat.

If it frowns, step back.

If it doesn’t suffer from madness…… Kidnap it.

The fox beastmen changed their appearance like wolves with their unique sharp magic.

It was easy to hide in the crowd that had swarmed to see the Gridwolf Young Lady.

The fox beastmen narrowed the distance little by little from different places. Their turbid eyes were all directed at Kitty’s face.

Finally, the moment they reached the range of madness that Sigma had said.

“Kyaa—! I suddenly feel so good!”

“……?”

The foxes were momentarily confused because the cat showed an unexpected reaction.

‘She’s happy?’

‘Not being affected by madness?’

Sigma, who was watching the scene from afar, also frowned.

‘What the hell is that?’