The Strange Cat from Fuuto

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Inside the Sonozaki mansion, in a bright and clean room, Sonozaki Ryubei and Sonozaki Wakana are playing chess, but their method is different. The long, wide table is set with chess pieces that include almost every type of chess in the world.

Chess, Go, Shogi...

Judging from their relaxed and leisurely expressions and their extremely fast pace, it was clearly a very simple matter, at most a pastime.

Over the years, those who use the Golden Gaia Memory will inevitably be assimilated by the memory. Although the Earth Driver acts as a firewall to maintain rationality, the erosion of the human body is still unavoidable. The behavior of Sonozaki and her father perfectly illustrates this point.

"A very interesting dopont has recently appeared in the wind!"

"It's a cockroach!"

"That's a very interesting sample!"

As they were talking, Miku climbed onto the table and started moving around, destroying several chessboards in the process. But instead of being angry, Old Master Ryūbei was delighted!

"Did you find something?!"

"Come on, Miku!"

Ryūbei picked up the saber-toothed tiger memory device beside him and said softly, "It's time for you to make your move!"

Wakana Sonozaki, standing to the side, wore an expectant expression as she watched Ryūbei press a metallic Earth Driver onto Miku's back. With a soft "click," Miku curiously looked at the metal band on his stomach. On his back was the main body of the Earth Driver, consisting of two trapezoidal metal blocks enclosing a circular core, with a port for connecting the memory at the very center.

“Smilodon!”

The metallic sound of the memory rang out, filling Miku's ears with an evil aura. Ryubei, who had forcefully inserted the golden saber-toothed tiger memory into the socket, immediately put Miku down.

"Uh, what's this feeling?!"

Miku spoke with some pain. The original owner had undergone several transformations and was very familiar with it, but for Miku, this was his first time, and a very unpleasant experience. As the interface between the Saber-toothed Tiger Memory and the Earth Driver emitted ripples like sunlight, the Saber-toothed Tiger Memory transformed into a data stream and merged into Miku's body via the Earth Driver. A tearing and swelling sensation from the inside out was rapidly released from the deepest part of his body. A bright green hexagonal halo spread across Miku's body. Enveloped in the hexagonal halo, Miku transformed into a ferocious beast with a hunched back!

Chapter Three: Pride of Manhood!

With his back hunched, Miku felt his whole body brimming with power. Having temporarily escaped the four-limbed cat body, he was extremely satisfied with this new form.

Its shoulders and back were covered in tiger-striped fur, as was its waist; its silver-grey skin had a steely texture, and a long, powerful tail hung down naturally. A thick gauntlet covered its right arm. Its face wore a golden saber-toothed tiger mask, two sharp fangs extending to its chin, gleaming with a cold light. Wild stripes adorned its cheeks, and its slightly narrowed, scarlet eyes were filled with cruelty, ruthlessness, coldness, and bloodlust.

The current Miku is the embodiment of that prehistoric wild beast, the saber-toothed tiger!

"Roar!"

With a low growl, Miku disappeared in a few leaps under the watchful eyes of Sonozaki and her father. Without turning his head, old man Ryūbei chuckled and said, "Kirihiko, don't let Miku surpass you!" Hearing these encouraging words, Sonozaki Kirihiko, who was hiding in the side of the house, felt a sense of urgency for the first time!

As Miku crouched low to the ground, everything he saw moved slowly, like a snail's pace. Along the way, Miku even had the leisure to tease the stray dogs by the roadside, but urged on by the thrill within him, he unleashed his full speed and headed towards his destination.

"Hey, Tan Wu!"

Akiko, trying to stop the genius dancer Inamoto Dango, clung tightly to Philip's sleeve, but Inamoto Dango ignored her and headed straight for the swimming pool along the wooded path of Fuuka High School. The two hurried along, but still lagged behind Inamoto Dango. Just as Inamoto Dango was about to disappear from their sight, a flashing figure accompanied by a beastly roar forced them to stop in their tracks.

Looking closely, Philip only saw rustling sounds coming from the bushes ahead, and several afterimages lingering around them, accompanied by the roars of beasts.

"Wh-what, what is that?!"

Akiko screamed and shrank behind Philip in terror. Philip shielded Akiko behind him, his expression grave.

"I smell a wild animal!"

"Beast!"

With a scream, Akiko felt a fierce wind raging around her, and several afterimages overlapped with lightning. What appeared before them was a dangerous beast with a hunched back and a fierce glint in its eyes!

"I've never heard of that before!"

As Akiko uttered her catchphrase with a look of fear, Philip stood in front of her, carefully examining the beast before him. When his gaze fell on the beast's waist, he saw the Earth Driver encased in an amber semicircle at its center, and he suddenly realized what it was all about!

“Since you have a driver!” Philip stared intently at Miku and said definitively, “You’re an officer!”

"Are you here to arrest me?!"

Miku roared incessantly and did not answer Philip's questions. He was now completely dominated by the power given to him by the memory, and had even become a beast!

Miku, its left and right hands overlapping to form a ferocious beast head, mercilessly attacked Philip and Akiko. Faced with the overwhelming force of Miku, and with Shotaro absent and unable to transform, Philip was utterly powerless to resist. He could only flee in panic with Akiko!

The Saber-toothed Tiger Memory granted Miku the power to achieve top-tier speed on Earth, surpassing even A-san's Trial form. Like a cat chasing a mouse, Miku, despite his pursuit of Philip and Akiko, always manages to use his speed to preemptively block their advance!

Philip rushed out of the woods and ran straight to the overpass with Akiko. Akiko, panting heavily as she climbed the steps, anxiously asked Philip, "What should we do?!"

"Quiet, I'm searching for an escape route!"

Pulling Akiko along, Philip rushed towards the bridge, glancing at his watch on his left wrist and reading incomprehensible numbers.

"1457, 1504, 1523!"

At the same time, a small truck loaded with garbage bags drove towards the bridge. Philip said to Akiko, "Wait a minute, if I say jump, we'll jump together!"

"what?!"

Ignoring Akiko's bewildered expression, at the critical moment, Philip leaped off the bridge with Akiko, dodging Miku's attack! They landed safely on the truck bed, cushioned by the messy garbage bags inside, and neither of them was injured!

Seeing the two escape unscathed, Miku angrily slammed his claws against the railing, leaving several deep claw marks!

Miku, now shrunken, lay on the sidewalk, gazing blankly at the surrounding scenery. He had no memory of what came before; his memory stopped at the moment he transformed, after which everything went black!

In the words of a northern man, Miku just blacked out!

After rubbing his sweaty paw pads a few times, Miku was almost completely bewildered as he was picked up by the Sonozaki family's car and taken back to the Sonozaki mansion.

After enjoying the maid's service, Miku returned to his luxurious cat bed with a look of utter dejection. He covered his furry face with his paws and let out a meow that made no sense!

"What's wrong with me?!"

Looking at his pink paw pads, Miku could clearly feel his body trembling, as if he were standing naked in the snow. Helplessness, fear, and confusion completely overwhelmed him.

"Why did this happen?!" Miku screamed in agony, his eyes filled with pain. "It shouldn't be like this!"

Miku, who had been immersed in a paradise-like life, felt his own insignificance and humility after today's events. Even though he was a member of the Sonozaki family and a pampered member, today's events undoubtedly slapped him hard back to reality.

Reality wasn't as wonderful as he imagined. In the end, he was just a pet cat, a henchman of the Sonozaki family, completely controlled by the Sonozaki family, and he couldn't even control his own destiny!

"I don't want this!"

"I don't want this!"

"I don't want this!"

Miku, his mind raging, his emerald eyes filled with madness. "I have to get out of here right now!"

Miku, ignoring the greetings from the maids around him, walked straight toward the gate after leaving the cat's den, only to encounter Sonozaki Wakana on the way.

"Where are you going, Miku!?"

Wakana bent down and picked up Miku, gently stroking Miku's back. With this comforting touch, Miku's frenzied and chaotic mind gradually returned to normal!

"Where else can I go?!"

"No matter where I go, I'll be brought back once I'm labeled as belonging to the Sonozaki family, and it might even arouse their suspicion!"

Miku murmured to himself, lost in his grief, but to Wakana it sounded like a mournful cry, "What's wrong with you?!"

Upon seeing that Miku was acting strangely, Wakana immediately showed an extremely anxious expression.

"Under the shirt!"

When Wakana, the head maid, calls out, her previous air of elegance from the radio station is completely gone; she now exudes the power and majesty of the second young lady of the Sonozaki family.

"What have you guys done?!"

"Why is Miku like this?!"

"If you don't get a satisfactory answer today, you're all out of here!"

Wakana's furious outburst startled Miku, who was lost in grief. Looking at Wakana's stern face and hearing her serious voice, Miku felt that someone still cared about him! Even though he was being used, a pawn, there was still someone looking after him!

"Cai Cai, you're so kind!"

"I shouldn't have looked down on you because you were a tablet!"

After Wakana stood up for him, Miku's grumbling calmed down considerably. Miku returned to his cat bed, rested his head on his front paws in a comfortable position, and looked thoughtful.

Miku finally understood the source of his previous panic:

That's pride!

That was a shout!

That is the resentment of one's own humanity and human nature gradually sinking into depravity!

That is the pride of being human!

Since transmigrating, Miku has become intoxicated and corrupted by the luxurious lifestyle, which has led to her being gradually assimilated by the wild genes in the original owner's bloodline. The cruelty unique to felines that gradually emerges is the best proof of this.

Today's experience was a wake-up call for Miku, like a sudden blow to the head!

Awakened by the slap, Miku calmed down and thought things through. Although he was just a shut-in college student in his previous life, this life was different!

At this moment, Miku's eyes held a glint of shrewdness he had never possessed before!

Chapter 4: Picking him up and running, so exciting!

Fengdu, a city with an ever-present wind, is a semi-enclosed independent city with a uniquely advantageous geographical location. It is close to the ocean, has convenient transportation, a pleasant environment, simple and honest folk customs, and a world-renowned city landmark: Fengdu Tower.

Fuuto, Sonozaki Mansion.

Miku emerged from the room where his cat bed was kept, the metallic gray Earth Driver on his back particularly eye-catching. For him, all he could do was fasten the driver. After all, he just had to flip the driver over, lie down, and wait for it to automatically engage. The difficult task of inserting the Gaia Memory could be left to someone else!

After all, Miku is just a little kitten!

"We must keep the Saber-toothed Tiger Memory in our own hands, otherwise we'll have to find the old man and the others every time we transform. Once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, it will inevitably arouse suspicion!"

Miku, lost in thought, arrived at a door. She looked up and gestured to the maid behind her to open it. As soon as the door opened, Miku couldn't wait to run to the old man's side and fawned over him.

"Yo, Miku!" The old man picked up Miku and casually grabbed the memory device beside him, a hearty smile on his face. "Found something again?"

Miku, who was being held up by Old Master Ryūbei's hands, rolled his eyes speechlessly. "If I didn't have no hands, would I need you?!"

After letting out a few howls to urge him on, the old man activated the saber-toothed tiger memory and inserted it directly into the Earth drive.

"Sabertooth tiger!"