Something's up.

This is definitely something!

The fleet captain's senses were extremely sharp.

Who had ever seen Lion act so gently?

Who had ever seen Lion act so considerately?

Who had ever seen Lion refer to someone as a delicate flower and a cozy nest?!

Who had seen that??

Grass.

I saw it.

The fleet captain felt his breath freeze.

He quietly narrowed the camera angle and carefully examined the little kitten that Lion was holding by its tail, its face still full of shock.

It was a long-haired cat, white, with a mane around its neck, the tips of which had a hint of golden-red, not very noticeable.

If it weren't for the fleet captain's awakened form being an owl, it would have been hard to spot the difference under the night sky.

From the front, this little kitten looked like a cute miniature lion.

This cat seemed young, still retaining the fluffy soft fur of a kitten.

…Wait.

Is it still shedding its coat?

The fleet captain drew a sharp breath and asked, "Boss, is this a newly awakened kid?"

Lion casually nodded.

The fleet captain was silent for a moment before he couldn't help but show an expression of disbelief.

Lion could guess what he was thinking, but he wasn't going to explain.

Cases like Fenix, awakening as an adult, were exceedingly rare, and the fewer people who knew, the better.

"Boss, Raven seems to have located you. Do you need me to..."

Lion: "No need to come."

After coldly rejecting his fleet captain, Lion looked down at Fenix, who was still stunned, and lightly touched his head with his paw.

Fenix's head shook from the touch. He looked up at Lion, completely dazed.

He was really scared.

Lion simply picked up the cat and took him back inside.

Fenix was placed on the sofa, and the robot butler brought him a cup of warm milk to calm him down.

Fenix mechanically lowered his head to lick the milk, halfway through letting out a burp, finally coming back to his senses.

Grass.

Grass!!

Grass!!!

I almost died of fright!!!

Falling from the middle of nowhere, thinking I was going to meet my maker!

Fenix's scalp tingled as he turned to look at Lion sitting beside him.

Lion noticed the movement and closed the page of myths and legends he was reading, turning to look at Fenix: "Back to your senses?"

Fenix typed: "Yes."

Lion: "Since I caught you, you need a bath."

Fenix slumped even lower.

Being a cat is hard.

Cats falling from high places usually land perfectly on their feet, right?

Why not Fenix?!

Isn't it supposed to be instinct?!

Garbage awakening! Garbage!

Lion watched Fenix's dejected demeanor and turned to fetch a pack of dried fish, tore it open, and placed it in front of Fenix.

Fenix lowered his head to nibble on the dried fish, only to find it too big to chew!

Fenix: "..."

Fenix stared wide-eyed at the dried fish.

The dried fish seemed to stare back, its eyes mocking him.

Fenix sniffed and tried to hold back, but couldn't.

Waaah!!

Fenix doesn't want to live anymore!!

Even the dried fish is bullying me!!

Fenix scratched the dried fish with his claw, glaring at it, then decided it was unfair and picked it up to place it on Lion's lap.

Fenix angrily meowed and pawed at the sofa cushion: "Meow! Meow meow!"

Lion glanced at the kitten, thought for a moment, picked up the dried fish, tore it into bite-sized pieces, and placed it in his palm.

Fenix grumpily ate the pieces, covering up the evidence.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The cat's tongue tickled his hand lightly.

Fenix finished the entire piece of dried fish and looked up at Lion.

Lion seemed to be sending messages to someone.

Fenix touched his terminal: "Boss."

Lion felt the cat's paws nudge his hand and looked down: "?"

Fenix whimpered: "Don't want a bath."

Lion coldly refused.

Fenix sighed and was then lifted by Lion and taken to the bathroom.

Fenix looked at the small basin filling with water, trying to make a final stand.

He searched online for the dangers of frequent baths for kittens and showed Lion, trying to evoke sympathy from the ruthless lion.

Lion glanced at the web pages and closed them.

"The acceptance of water is part of the assessment."

Fenix hesitated: "Really?"

Lion nodded: "Really."

Of course it was real.

Fenix wasn't an ordinary cat, though his habits were the same, there were still differences.

These subtle differences might be clues to what species Fenix actually was.

Fenix: ...Alright then.

Fake things often resemble the real thing, but since this sounded too fake, it must be real.

Fenix convinced himself of this logic and crouched by the edge of the basin, hesitantly extending a paw.

Then, in the instant it touched the water, he snatched it back.

Damn!

No way!

I don't want to!!

Fenix disagrees!!!

Fenix held back, but eventually, unable to bear it, he jumped off the sink and ran around the house frantically.

Lion looked at the vanished Fenix, slightly surprised.

He was running much faster now, so letting him climb the tree earlier wasn't in vain.

Lion glanced at the basin and didn't care much about Fenix avoiding the bath.

Instead, he thought seriously about whether to play catch-and-release with Fenix for a day or two.

Fenix hid in the ceiling, holding his breath, and shivered inexplicably.

But Lion didn't force him; he just looked up at the swaying chandelier, his gaze landing on a shadow in the corner of the ceiling.

"Go to sleep," he said, walking into the bedroom.

Fenix crawled out a bit from the ceiling, looked at Lion's closed door, breathed a sigh of relief, prepared to go down to sleep in his cat bed, but stopped at the edge of the ceiling.

Fenix fell silent.

How... to get down?!

No, how did I get up here?!

Fenix panicked.

He touched the fur around his neck, finding the terminal removed by Lion before the bath.

Fenix: "..."

The kitten clung to the edge of the ceiling, peering out, wanting to meow for Lion's help but feeling too embarrassed.

Climbing up and not being able to get down was a cat's shame!

Damn!

If I had known, I should have taken the bath!

QAQ

...

Lion woke up the next morning and couldn't find the cat.

Breakfast was served, and still no cat.

He paused and called out, "Fenix?"

Fenix jolted awake.

He had been too afraid to fall asleep completely, huddled in the corner of the ceiling.

"Mew!" Fenix cried out.

Lion was startled and looked up at the cat still on the ceiling.

"Why are you still up there?"

"Mew!"

"Can't get down?"

"...Mew."

Lion: "..."

As expected of you.

Lion had a robot fetch a ladder and looked at the pitiful kitten after rescuing him.

"Why didn't you call me last night?"

At first because of embarrassment, later because it was late, and disturbing someone's sleep seemed impolite.

Fenix lowered his head, his paws nervously pacing on the table.

"Eat," Lion said simply, "We're going to your school today."

Fenix remembered today was Lion Corp.'s presentation and nodded quickly.

But Fenix miscalculated.

Lion went to Marina City University but showed no interest in the presentation of his own company, instead, directly arranging a meeting with the orca.

Even Fenix was left outside during their conversation in the lecture hall.

The bodyguard held the soft, fluffy kitten, unsure where to put his hands.

Though he had handled cats before, this situation was different.

Now, this kitten was someone he needed to protect.

Small, warm, fluffy, and soft, barely the size of two palms.

Like one wrong move, and he'd crush it.

His hands, used to holding guns, piloting spaceships, and firing cannons, were not used to handling something so delicate.

Especially after the second fleet captain called late last night and talked about protecting this kitten whom the boss personally deemed as... ahem, a pet.

The bodyguard's stern expression became stiffer.

Fenix was anxious in the bodyguard's hands.

Normally, companies participating in campus recruitment reserve some positions.

Alfred had excellent grades, but despite the relaxed criteria for campus recruitment, he hadn't been selected when submitting his resume directly.

Campus recruitment was a good opportunity.

But campus recruitment could be manipulated easily.

Lion Corp. was a great place to work, and those who came out of there were highly sought-after in the job market.

So there wouldn't be a lack of people trying to manipulate the process.

Alfred wouldn't do that.

Because he had no money, although he could get a recommendation letter from his mentor, he might not compete against those with connections.

Fenix looked at the calluses on the bodyguard's hands.

Lion also had thick calluses, which Fenix didn't mind.

He knew the bodyguard was the CEO's assistant, essentially the highest manager.

So the kitten thought and tried to start a conversation with the bodyguard: "Will the boss be rejected?"

The bodyguard was certain: "No, the boss won't let him refuse."

Fenix saw the determination in his eyes and typed: "I've wanted to ask for a while now, why do you call Lion 'boss'?"

The bodyguard froze.

Lion rarely appeared in public, and whenever he reported work or accompanied him, there were no outsiders, so he naturally kept calling Lion "boss."

Fenix knew why but asked anyway, even adding a question mark to prompt him.

Sigh.

Fenix didn't want to make it difficult.

But Fenix really didn't know what else to say to the bodyguard.

The bodyguard thought for a long time and dryly replied: "I didn't study well back then, got into trouble, and was picked up by the boss, so I started calling him that."

Fenix: "Then the boss is truly a good person!"

The bodyguard looked at the word "good" with a subtle expression: "Yes... yes, he is."

Fenix: "I heard Lion Corp. has a presentation today. Can I go see it?"

The bodyguard paused: "Let me ask the boss."

Lion agreed.

So the bodyguard followed Fenix's directions to the presentation venue.

Lion Corp. was quite large, rapidly rising in just eight years, young and vibrant, with plans for cross-industrial investments stirring recently.

Of course, the key reason many young talents flocked to Lion Corp. was more practical – Lion Corp. provided accommodation for employees.

Just this point alone was enough to attract many young people eager to make a name for themselves in the city.

The scale of Lion Corp.'s presentation was also significant, occupying Marina City University's main auditorium, packed to the brim.

The person in charge of the presentation backstage was surprised to see the boss's assistant and smiled nervously.

The bodyguard was a serious man. Since he came, he wouldn't just sit idle like Fenix.

He sat at the backstage desk and began checking resumes already screened once.

Halfway through, he frowned and glanced at the pile of rejected resumes, thinking for a moment, he picked them up to review.

Fenix spotted Alfred's resume among the rejected ones.

Just then, the bodyguard also picked up Alfred's resume, looking at the awards and social projects he had participated in.

He compared it to another resume, full of fancy text but lacking substance.

"Are resumes screened like this?" he asked the personnel standing nearby.

The recruiters felt a chill run down their spines.

Fenix pouted.

Just as he thought.

Fenix crouched on the table, peeking through the curtain gap, seeing his three friends sitting neatly in the front row.

Alfred took this opportunity very seriously; front-row seats were hard to come by.

Fenix watched as the bodyguard, after lecturing the staff, personally selected the suitable resumes and discarded the unsuitable ones.

Alfred's resume was among the selected ones.

As the presentation ended, the list of accepted resumes was announced.

Fenix saw his friends cheering and high-fiving, their tails almost touching the sky.

They must celebrate this with Alfred and Lancelot!

Especially Alfred, he can't escape!

Fenix happily returned to Lion, who carried him in his pocket to the car.

"Directly to BluBay," Lion said, then looked at Fenix, "What has you so happy?"

Fenix jumped out of his pocket, sitting on the car seat, trying to hide his joy.

Letting the boss know he pulled the bodyguard along to flex a bit for his friend wasn't ideal.

Fenix cheerfully typed: "Nothing, just a small matter!"

Fenix sent the message and eagerly opened his social account, harvesting a wave of red packets in the dorm group chat.

Fenix: "Alfred pays for dinner!"

Lancelot: "Alfred pays for dinner!"

Derek: "Alfred pays for dinner!"

Alfred: "Gotcha! When is Fenny free?"

Fenix hesitated: "I'm not sure, maybe not this weekend."

Derek: "Then the following or the one after, by then you'll be starting work, and I'll be heading to the capital for studies, possibly staying there for further education."

Fenix was taken aback.

He tapped Lion's arm with his paw.

Fenix: "Boss, how soon can I fully master my awakened form's abilities?"

Lion: "If you don't slack off, two weeks."

Great!

Two weeks it is!

Fenix calculated the timing and boldly accepted the invitation for the week after next.

Lunch with Alfred.

Dinner with Lancelot.

How delightful.

Fenix resolved his worries, sighed in relief, and began grooming himself.

Last night on the ceiling, Fenix felt he was covered in dust.

Fenix meticulously groomed his fur, noticing something granular falling into his fur.

He was puzzled, stood up to shake his fur, but nothing fell off.

?

Illusion?

Fenix was confused, lying back down to continue grooming, feeling a tiny bump.

Fenix frowned.

He pawed at the bump on his belly and discovered there was more than one!

Fenix was shocked: "There's more than one!"

What was this?

Did cats get pimples too?

Or some fungal infection or parasites!

Fenix panicked.

He hoped he hadn't picked up fleas or bugs from the garden and trees!

Lion was silent for a moment, looking at the panicked Fenix, his expression complex: "You..."

The kitten looked at him anxiously.

Lion sighed, opened a webpage, typed a few words, hit search, and showed it to Fenix.

The webpage was a Q&A.

Q: Do male cats have nipples?

A: Male cats usually have 8 to 10 nipples!

Fenix: "..."

Grass!!!