CH 69

"Wake up son, it's already 8 o'clock." 

" Yawn. " Zel was still half asleep when he heard his door creak open. A tray with a plate of pancakes and a glass of milk laid on it greeted the boy. The sweet smell had energized the boy awake. But what made him confused were the pair of rubber shoes and jogging attire that had landed on his bedside.

"When you've finished eating, go for a walk. The nurse told us that you needed more exercise, it should help you relax better." Mel gave her son's forehead a kiss before she left his bedroom. Leaving the young boy to enjoy his breakfast.

Whenever Zel eats, he likes to turn on the TV or play some music. He just cannot stick to eating alone, he needs to hear something playing on the background. This time, he decided to turn on his TV.

(-ow let's go to Amelia whose waiting on standby at the site)

(Thank you, Jerry. I am here on the facility where the newly released Kelsey Vials are being manufactured. The Linton Industrial Enterprise has been under public attention due to their promised miracle, and boy, have they delivered. A medicine that promises to clear the mind of all mental hea-)

While the news was talking in the background, Zel took his phone out and checked his personal status once more. He wanted to see if there was more that he had missed.

'My mana is only half full right now. That means I need one more day to fill it up back to full.' 

(Thank you Amelia. The company that started releasing this product, Linton Industrial Enterprise, has already started campaigning their marvelous new invention. The man who oversees the operation for this proven product, Dr. Mark Linton, has alrea-)

Zel turned off the TV before checking the time. Since it was only 7 o'clock, he didn't mind taking his time. After eating his breakfast, he then started changing into the clothes his mother brought him. Before finally going downstairs with the tray.

His sister and father should be on their way to school while his mother rested on the couch. She looked quite tired so he laid the tray by the sink before washing the dishes himself. While preoccupied, he wasn't able to see that his mother had left the couch and took a peek before walking away with a smile.

He didn't say goodbye before heading out the take in the fresh morning air. The good thing about living next to an array of trees and grass is that the air is always delightfully pleasant. This makes it so that even as he pants from being tired, it is never an excruciating experience. 

Walking down the street, he finds himself passing along a neighborhood that he had never went to before. As he usually stays inside his room or travels outside their subdivision using their car, he doesn't know who lived here.

It was here that he found a fleeing cat running away towards his direction. The young cat had black hair with streaks of brown on it and was quite fluffy. Its dainty paws were rushing to his direction, as if to get away from a person chasing it.

Zel who was happily jogging didn't even register what was happening. So he wasn't able to move out of its way and inadvertently caught it in his arms.

" Oof! Hey, careful now, buddy." Holding it in his arms, Zel getnly cradled the small kitten that was quite agile for its age. He looked around to see why it was running so fast in the first place but didn't find anyone.

"Meow." The cat seems to like his touch, rubbing its head on his hand that gently scratched its ear. It mewled without stop, forgetting why it was in such a hurry in the first place.

" Pant. Pant ."

Zel was immersed in petting the kitten when heavy breathing sounds came from beside him. It was a raven-haired girl holding on to a bag of cat food. Her forehead was covered in sweat while her arms had a few scratches on them. She was looking at Zel, or rather, the cat in Zel's arms.

"Is he yours?" Zel was enjoying himself, but it wasn't right to keep the owner waiting. He was tried to hand the kitten back to the girl but the cat suddenly moved back to his arms. Eventually resting on his shoulder.

"Meow!" It looked at the young girl with fear, trying to keep its body as far away as possible. It even used its claws to hold on tightly to Zel.

"Ow! Ow! Hey! Quit it!" 

"Meow!"

A scene of a boy pushing a kitten off his shoulder while it desperately clung to him played out in front of Emilia. Her eyes were glittering when she saw the kitten being clingy to Zel, awestruck and envious.

"Hey! Miss? Take him!" Zel, who now had a few scratches on his arms as well, held the kitten to Emilia's direction. But she merely shook her head without saying anything.

"Huh? Oh, damn it!" Zel was confused as to why the little girl won't take her cat with her when the little creature suddenly leaped out of his grasp. It slammed right into the ground, but it quickly stood back up.

"I think he hates me now... I'm sorry for the scratches." Emilia pointed at Zel's lightly bleeding arms, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She looked so devastated that Zel felt something inside him break, then he heard a noise coming from above him.

' Ding!'  A screen appeared in front of Zel, though it is opaque enough to see right through it.

[Quest Function Unlocked!

(Make Her Stop Crying!)

Quest Rating: SSS

A person is crying in front of you because her cat is naughty! Go get the cat back and show her how to make it like her! Do it now!

*Rewards:

-Access to the Daily Quest Function

-Access to the Storage Function

-Stats Function Upgrade

-Time Marbles (F)-[3x]

*Penalty:

-Death! - Death by castration! ]

' Hick . What the hell?!' Zel looked flabergastedly at the screen in front of him. He wasn't about to try and see if it is bluffing or not, he will do it. His mind quickly came up with a plan as he took in every variable around him.

Emilia watched as Mr. Whiskers look warily at her. She didn't know why it suddenly disliked her, even running away when she opened the back door to throw the trash out. It was about to run away when it heard a sound.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..." Zel who was watching Emilia's sad look took her bag of cat food and shook its insides. The sound easily took the kitten's attention, eventually stopping in place before heading towards their direction.

"That's a good kitty, there, there." Zel who picked up a few of the biscuit-like food and presented it to the kitten. He squatted down before presenting his food-filled hand. Its rough tounge licked the hand that held the food, causing him to cringe from the unfamiliar sensation.

"Come here." As the young girl was just looking at him, he gestured at her to come closer. He presented the bag of food to her, making her take it back.

"Just take a few and do it like this, ok?" Zel gently caressed Mr. Whisker's nape, though not too much that it would disturb him from eating. He was waiting for Emilia to try but she just squatted like him without doing anything more.

" Sigh . Cats are just like any other pet. If you treat it right, it likes you."

Taking Emilia's hand, Zel gently prodded her to mimic his earlier action. Stroking the kitten's back gently, feeling its soft and warm body.

"Meow." 

"See? It just needs a gentle touch." Zel who had already let go of her hand watched as the girl had her eyes turn into cresents as she smiled. 

'She's so cute.'

"Oh, uhh. Thank you. My name's Emilia. Emilia Halsey." The girl extended her hand, the one that didn't have cat food on it. 

"I'm Zel. Zel Huertazuela." 

Reaching for her hand, Zel only thought that he did something good. His heart felt warm, joyful even. He didn't know that the two entities living inside the two of them were both smiling, as the fate that bound them together once again crossed paths.