Author's note: I'll be working two jobs at once soon so let's see about regular updates :') My student loans ain't gonna pay themselvessss
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Alberu drums his fingers on his desk as he stares at the two things laid out before him. One of them is the post-it note they received 'anonymously' in their feedback box (which Alberu checks every few hours) and the next is Cale's 'anonymous' dorm life feedback survey.
"Do you think the handwriting is similar, Rosalyn?"
The vice president pauses in her stapling and looks up at her troubled president. "President, you've asked this before. I don't think it is. But..."
Between both of them, a video recording device floats in the air. It was previously installed on the ceiling in the hallway of the student council room. Even with the grainy quality, it shows a red-haired student clearly. The student dropped a letter in the letterbox then walked over to the suggestion box. He paused, seemingly hesitating, before grabbing a post-it note and pen. He used his left hand to write the post-it note, compared to Cale who filed up the survey with his right hand.
"Yes. But our hidden video recording device in the hallway caught his red hair. There aren't many red-haired students in this academy. Plus, he was the only one who wasn't at the dorms that night, and there was a letter for the Henituse estate that day. Why do you think he would submit this note anonymously with his handwriting altered? Do you think he's currently in danger?"
"He might be an unwilling accomplice who sold out his comrades? Or he could be the culprit himself, issuing a challenge to the student council."
Alberu drums his fingers on the desk. His smile is amused. "His alibi checks out, and I've looked at his student records. He's truly listed as an F-rank. When I spoke to him, he seemed pretty calm as well. I don't think he's capable of setting the high-level magic traps, and it doesn't make sense if he's the culprit and the whistle-blower at the same time. There's no clear motive. But the problem is... how did he know about it?"
"Perhaps he overheard something?" Rosalyn suggests.
"But if so, wouldn't he include more details in the note? He seems to only be aware of the event happening and not the people involved."
Rosalyn coughs quietly into a fist then crosses her arm. "I don't trust him, president. He chose to leave the school to save himself when he could've spoken to us about it. What if we didn't check the feedback box? The results would have been disastrous. Many students would be injured or even killed."
"But it's also because of his note that we were able to disable the magic traps in time. He trusted us with this information and believed we would be able to stop it. Maybe he has a reason to stay anonymous. Perhaps he isn't sure of the accuracy of his information?"
"... President, you said you spoke to him and asked about his powers? Does he have a power similar to yours?"
Alberu sighs, chuckling under his breath. "He has a good poker face. I can't figure him out. He showed no visible reaction when I asked him if he has the power to predict the future. But I'm not sure if there's any other power that allows him to find out information like this. Could he have holy powers? Maybe he's the long-awaited prophet of the church of light in the oracles?"
"...Church of light?" Rosalyn shakes her head. Nothing about Cale Henituse was in line with the church's conduct. "If you're unable to determine his powers and intentions, I doubt I'll be able to. Regardless, the way he behaves is incredibly suspicious. I'm sure he's hiding something."
"Me too. I want to keep him under close observation for now. He could make a fine ally."
"President. You can't be thinking of asking him to join the student council?" Rosalyn places the documents in her hand down on the desk. Her pretty face twists with a frown. "I don't agree. His low rank and average family standing aside, his reputation is terrible, his grades are abysmal and his attendance rate is the lowest in our academy."
"His intelligence and ability to act will be a great asset to the team. He would've slipped away from our hands if we didn't have the video recording device. He also protects those weaker than him."
Rosalyn protests, "If you want someone like that, I recommend Choi Han. He has S-rank abilities, excellent scores, and near-perfect attendance."
"He's of an even lower rank and he has no family standing to speak of," Alberu rebukes gently with a smile, reminding Rosalyn of her previous words.
"Yes, but President, having you always advocated for equality? Having a commoner as part of the student council will help provide a voice to the commoners. His case is different from Cale Henituse's."
"He sticks closely to Cale Henituse's side. I doubt he'd be willing to join us unless Cale is with us. So... how about we get them both?" Alberu presses his fingers together, smiling brilliantly at Rosalyn.
Despite her doubts, Rosalyn sighs. There's no stopping Alberu Crossman when he gets like this. He's always been better at reading people compared to her as well, so maybe this Cale Henituse really is a good person unlike all of his rumors.
"Yes, president."
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Cale returns to his room and unpacks. When he opens the door, he's greeted by Choi Han's smiling face.
"Are you ready to go to class, Cale-nim?"
... So much for keeping his room hidden.
Choi Han sure is sticking close to him. Doesn't he have any other friends? Cale wants to have some time alone to solve the mystery of the affection rating.
Cale tries to ignore Choi Han as he walks ahead, but Choi Han easily falls into step next to him with his long legs. Choi Han smiles and hands a notebook to Cale.
"Here are the notes from yesterday. You can keep the notebook, Cale-nim! I have a separate copy."
... Okay, so having Choi Han around is pretty helpful. Cale's never received notes from someone else before, so he flips open the notebook curiously. There's neat and beautiful handwriting and color-coded organization on each page. The notes span from the first class to the latest class, inclusive of all the classes Cale missed as well as attended. It seems to have taken Choi Han a lot of time to compile and copy. Now that he takes a closer look at Choi Han, the boy seems to have dark circles under his eyes. Did he stay up late to do it?
"Oh," Choi Han makes a noise as though he's suddenly remembered something. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but today's class is in a different location! I'll guide you there."
No, he hasn't heard. Even back when he was Kim Rok Soo, no one would tell him about classroom changes, and he'd sometimes be scolded for missing class or being late to class. Even if he tried to explain, the teachers only scolded him for not asking his 'friends', so Kim Rok Soo had given up on explaining.
It's quite a complicated feeling to put into words. Cale closes the notebook.
"Thanks. What are we doing today?"
"You're welcome, Cale-nim! We'll be trying to summon a familiar! They'll accompany us for the afternoon outdoor class later on. That's why we're going to the summoning room in the other building."
A familiar. Since he has never had a pet before, the idea feels quite interesting.
In the game, there were many types of familiars. Most of them were cute and fluffy. However, Mary summoned an undead bone wyvern, leading to ripples of fear and disgust. The teacher told her to continue resummoning, but only more undead creatures appeared. They then told her to have a proper familiar by the end of the week or she would be expelled.
Troubled and in tears, Mary wandered to the gardens and confided in the two cats who were her friends. They offered to be her familiars and signed a contract with her. Thus, Mary ended up having two official familiars and dozens of unofficial bone pets.
...
If he can see the affection ratings, and if the affection ratings are truly for him and affected by him, does that mean he would be the one summoning undead creatures? Since his father donates to the school, he doubts he'll be threatened with expulsion, but...
Cale glances at the affection rating above Choi Han's head.
36%
It might not be an affection rating. It's possible that it's a different sort of rating, and it might not even lead to different types of 'endings'. After all, he's no heroine. He's just a trashy truant student with a rich but estranged father. He's not even a good friend to have, let alone a romantic target.
They reach the building and Choi Han pushes open the heavy doors for Cale without a word. He smiles and gestures for Cale to go in, his expression one of sincerity. Truly, he's the nicest guy in the game.
"Thanks, Choi Han. I'd still be lost without you."
"No problem! We're friends after all."
Friends. Cale grips tighter onto the notebook in his hand. Right, since the very first day, Choi Han has been nothing but helpful to him. Since they've already come to this stage and Choi Han shows no signs of leaving no matter what Cale does, he might as well accept this friend of his.
Choi Han had been his favorite character while he was playing the game, after all.
"Yeah, we are."
Choi Han's eyes widen. The joy on his face grows by several degrees. His grin is bright and enthusiastic as he affirms again, "Yes, Cale-nim!"
38%
It seems to be a positive rating, whether it's an affection rating or not. If so, it should be fine to keep things as they are. Going by the game, since 90% is required for a route selection, it should be safe as long as he stays below that. His ratings shouldn't even matter compared to Mary's. He'll be able to graduate without any worries as long as Mary gets together with one of the good male leads and prevents the fall of the academy. Out of all the male leads, Choi Han should be the best bet. So, even if his rating is pretty high now, it'll be fine as long as Choi Han's rating for Mary is higher.
Plus, he's sure Choi Han will continue to protect and help him. He's going to live a life of hugging the male lead's golden thigh so he gets carried through the game. Staying away from the death flags should be much easier with Choi Han as his friend. He doesn't want to die from persecution over being a villain, but he doesn't want to die from being caught in the crossfire of the battle for Mary's affection either.
Cale turns to his friend and says, "Don't you think you should remove the 'nim'?"
"What? But I respect you so much, Cale-nim, I can't possibly..."
"There's no need for formalities between friends." What if someone thinks I'm bullying you?
"But Cale-nim-"
"Should I call you Choi Han-nim then?"
"C-Cale-nim!"
Choi Han's pretty fun to tease. Cale hides his chuckle behind the notebook, revealing only his smiling eyes. Choi Han flushes in embarrassment, opening and closing his mouth without any retorts coming to mind. The top of his head sparkles.
39%
Isn't it way too easy to get on Choi Han's good side? This naive male lead is likely to be backstabbed by villains at this rate.
Cale sighs and taps Choi Han's head with the notebook. "Stop standing there, open the door to the classroom." The doors of this academy are ridiculously heavy, as though even the act of opening doors is meant to be part of training.
"Sorry, Cale-nim!" Choi Han rushes to open the doors, and in his rush, he slams them wide open. Dozens of eyes stare at him. He bows down immediately, apologizing for the commotion he's caused. "Sorry!"
This helpless punk.
Forget it, since they're friends now, Cale's going to guide Choi Han from the background and try to keep him away from the dangerous characters and bad endings. It'll be best if everyone can graduate safely.
He reassigns himself to a new role. Goodbye, nameless passerby A. Goodbye, background student A. Hello, male lead's friend whose role is so minor I can't seem to remember his name or face. It's an important role that's present in almost any game or novel in keeping the story moving, but it's not important enough to be remembered or noticed. He's going to make sure to trigger all the good CGI scenes between Choi Han and Mary.
Pleased with his conclusion, Cale enters the classroom that's already rather crowded. It seems like everyone came early due to their excitement of getting a familiar.
Not long after, an unfamiliar teacher shows up in front of the class. He talks about different types of familiars and the summoning process, but it's clear that the students are getting too antsy to concentrate. Sighing, he decides to move on to the actual summoning.
"Stand in the center of the summoning circle and concentrate on your mana. Channel it into the ground and reach out to the other world. A spirit that's similar to you and attracted to your magic will answer your call. Who wants to go first?"
"ME!" Neo volunteers confidently before anyone else can step in. He looks incredibly excited, eyes wide and nose flared as his hand is stuck high in the air. He waves his hand from left to right so fast his hand becomes a blur.
"Alright. Then, please step to the front, Neo Tolz."
Neo grins and stands confidently in the bright purple magic circle that's thrumming with energy. He makes a flashy move as he gathers mana, spinning his arm before slamming his palm on the ground. "Answer my call, denizen of the other world!"
Everyone watches in awe as the light turns yellow, and only Cale is left unimpressed.
... What's with this chuunibyou bullshit? Does everyone have to do this?
A small form of bright yellow light starts to take shape. Soon, the light dims, revealing a brown small creature that resembles a chihuahua.
...It's oddly fitting? The dog-like creature starts to bark.
"A hell hound!" The teacher nods, approval clear in his gaze. "Although it's a young pup, how impressive!"
Excuse me?
Cale stares stupified at the cute little thing that looks like it has no attacking power. It looks like a regular puppy. Then he looks at Neo Tolz, who has his nose high up in the air and arms crossed with pride.
"Of course! I'm Neo Tolz! Sign a contract with me, Hellion!"
Incredible naming sense. Hellion for a hell hound? Cale watches as Neo grabs a small knife from the teacher's hand and slices it into his own palm. Wait, what? He's grimacing just as Neo does when Neo reaches out his hand. Then, the small hell hound bites its own paw with a sharp fang. They press their bleeding palms together and Cale is thoroughly disgusted. It's not sanitary, and also... why is there a need to hurt yourself and bleed?
Yellow light swirls around them and then settles, forming a bright mark on the back of Neo's bleeding hand. It then fades and turns invisible, signifying that the contract is done. Hellion barks and jumps up onto Neo's shoulder, and it reminds Cale of pokemon.
With his success, the students all clamored to be the next to summon a familiar. Cale watches as a wide variety of creatures are summoned, from small furry animals to reptiles to even spirits. Many of these familiars are small in nature, seeming to have a lot of room to grow. Maybe they'd evolve down the line? Cale's starting to wonder what sort of creature will appear for himself. A baby sloth? A snail? No way, maybe an ant?
When all the volunteers have had their turn, it was once again Choi Han and Cale who remained.
"Choi Han. Come up."
With the teacher's instruction, Choi Han walks into the middle of the summoning circle, a rare look of nervousness and anticipation on his face. He doesn't say anything, simply grits his teeth and focuses his magical energy in his hand. It surges off him in waves, causing his clothes to flutter. Then, with absolute determination, he kneels on one knee and presses his palm on the ground.
The magic circle turns bright blue. The crazy waves of magical power dance around the circle before gathering together, slowly taking the shape of a large four-legged animal. An impressive-looking blue wolf is revealed. It's about as big as a grown man.
"Lock!" Choi Han spreads his arms and the blue wolf tilts its head.
Wow, Choi Han has already prepared the name in advance? Compared to all of the students here, Cale felt very lacking in preparations.
"Isn't that an ice wolf? They're incredibly rare!"
"I've never seen one before!"
The loud whispers catch the wolf's attention. It glances around the room timidly, a contrast to its large size and strong claws. Choi Han smiles, patient as he uses a coaxing voice, "Come here, Lock. It's okay, don't be scared. I'm right here."
The ice wolf, Lock, slowly pads towards his summoner. Choi Han's smile brightens. Once they're close enough, Lock starts sniffing Choi Han, who hugs the wolf around its furry neck. "Thank you for coming to me, Lock." The wolf gives a low whine, but it snuggles into Choi Han's touch. It looks like a touching reunion.
"Ahem, please hurry up so the next student can proceed, Choi Han."
"Ah, sorry sir!"
Choi Han quickly cuts his palm without any hesitation or change in his expression. In comparison, the ice wolf hesitates. Choi Han smiles encouragingly at it, then after a few seconds, the wolf resolves itself. Its fang pierces its paw and they press their hands together. Tears well up in Choi Han's eyes as blue mana sparkle around them, forming a seal on the back of his hand. It looks magical. Basking in the afterglow of a successful contract, the contractor and the familiar stare at each other with gazes full of emotion.
"Ahem, Choi Han."
"...Sorry sir!"
Choi Han rushes off the large summoning circle with an embarrassed expression. His wolf falls into step next to him, sticking closely to Choi Han's side.
Cale stares at the large blue wolf. It looks anxious and afraid compared to all the other confident familiars. How interesting. All the familiars seemed to have their own personalities. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, Cale-nim!" Choi Han grins, petting the fur of his partner.
"Does your hand hurt?"
Choi Han's other hand is still dripping blood on the floor. However, Choi Han only blinks in confusion, as though he didn't realize it. "Huh? Oh, no. I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Cale-nim!" He smiles warmly. The numbers above his head sparkle once again.
40%
What's a normal affection rating between friends? Does 100% make them best friends?
Before he can dwell on it any further, the teacher calls his name.
"Cale Henituse, you're the last one. Come stand in the middle of the circle."
"Yes, sir."
"Pffft, I'm betting that he won't be able to summon anything at all!" Neo jeers. Choi Han glares at Neo, but Neo doesn't seem to notice as he continues, "I'm going to bet my entire year's allowance!"
Cale walks to the summoning circle with a poker face. He doesn't want to have any expectations in case he gets disappointed later on. With his minuscule and honestly pathetic mana capacity, It's hard to say if any spirit will answer his call at all. With that thought in mind, Cale gathers the barest bit of power he can muster and presses his palm on the cold ground.
!!!
It feels like the ground is sucking out all of his energy. Cale grimaces as the magic circle turns black, waves of darkness roaring around him. No way, is he really going to summon some undead creatures?
The energy gathers into a large ball before him, then condenses rapidly into a small ball. Soon, something begins to take shape.
...? Cale doesn't recognize this scaly creature. It's small and black, four-legged but with wings and a thick tail. There are horns on its head and its eyes are a brilliant blue like the color of the ocean under the warm sunlight.
"Is that a lizard?" someone comments.
The teacher shakes his head. "No, it appears to be a black dragon. My, I never would have expected to see a dragon in all my years of teaching."
"It's a dragon but... isn't it ridiculously tiny? A baby?"
"Impossible! An F rank summoning a dragon?"
Who are you?
A young and childish voice reaches his mind. It seems like no one else is able to hear it. Cale determines it to be the dragon's voice.
"I'm Cale Henituse. What about you? How old are you?"
"Pfft, does he think it can answer him? Familiars aren't able to speak until they form a strong bond. Seriously, how stupid can Cale Henituse get?"
Cale and the black dragon both ignore Neo's insults.
I'm a great and mighty dragon that has lived a grand total of four years. Do you deserve to be my contractor?
In all honesty, probably not.
If it's really a dragon, it shouldn't be shackled to a person like him. Dragons are noble and powerful creatures. Although he would love to have a strong familiar, it's clear that the black dragon being summoned is something of an anomaly. Besides, having something way too strong next to him made him a good candidate to be roped into battles. Alberu Crossman would not leave him alone.
And he's not too good at dealing with children.
The lack of response seems to upset the black dragon. It stares at Cale with a judgmental look and stomps on the ground as though throwing a tantrum.
You are weak. I can barely feel your magic!
The usual contract dictates that they have to slice their palms and exchange their blood. Even if it's a dragon, doing that to a four-year-old doesn't feel right.
"You don't have to be my familiar if you don't want to."
The black dragon's eyes widen, alongside all the other pairs of eyes in the room. A familiar that was the most compatible with you would be summoned, so rejection rates were incredibly low.
You... you're sending me back?
A growing child should be with their parents. It doesn't feel right to snatch children from the mysterious 'other world' to be their companions.
"Yeah, go home to your parents."
The black dragon's wings droop along the ground. His gaze falls, looking dejected.
... I don't want to go back. It's nothing but darkness there.
Cale doesn't quite understand what the black dragon means. Maybe his parents aren't very nice? Do these creatures not have a family? Is the 'other world' a place without a sun?
"Then don't go back."
The black dragon looks up at him.
"Dragons should be able to do anything they want."
The black dragon nods slowly. Then, it nods again and again, bobbing its round head. Its large eyes glimmer brightly. Yes! I can do whatever I want! Because I'm a great and mighty dragon!
"That's right."
Within the next second, the black dragon disappears from sight.
It's a bizarre situation that has never occurred before throughout the years of their teacher's teaching experience. It looked like Cale Henituse was talking to himself, and then the familiar disappeared.
Neo Tolz will never let go of an opportunity to make fun of Cale Henituse. "HAHAHA, I've never heard of anyone failing the summoning!"
"Try it again, Cale Henituse."
At the teacher's request, Cale tries it again, wondering if something else will show up. The black dragon appears once more and disappears once more.
He gives it two more tries, only for the same result to happen.
"...Hm... A familiar is necessary for future classes. It'll be part of your grade. It'll be best if you can find a way to form a contract with one, Cale Henituse."
See? No threat of expulsion. This is the power of money.
"Yes, seonsaengnim."
Cale walks back to his spot beside Choi Han, and the boy looks at Cale worriedly. "Cale-nim..."
"It's fine. I'm not disappointed. I'm surprised that a creature even appeared."
"Don't worry, Cale-nim! We'll be able to find a familiar for you if we work together!" Choi Han declares with a clenched fist and eyes blazing with determination.
"I already have some candidates in mind."
"Really? That's great, Cale-nim. I'd like it if we became second years together. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help!"
Cale thinks about his pathetic attendance rates and performance. Right, at this rate he might get held back a year. "Thanks."
"Anytime, Cale-nim!"
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It took a bit of difficulty to separate himself from Choi Han. Cale ended up asking Choi Han to buy them both food - he also requested a fizzy drink to make sure Choi Han can't run over.
Now finally alone, Cale heads to the infirmary. He opens the door without knocking, only to hear:
"Meowww."
"Meooowww."
He almost stepped on the two kittens who are standing right before the door. Meanwhile, they nearly scratch his shoes, since they were scratching on the door beforehand. The two kittens stare at him with round eyes. Cale nudges them gently with his shoe so they scoot in, then he closes the door behind him before they can escape. The red kitten rolls on the ground and the silver kitten runs after it.
Confused, Cale looks at Hans, who's watching the kittens with a blissful expression. "What's going on? Have they recovered yet?"
"They're already recovered! I used high-level potions on them, so they're completely healed, but I'm hesitant to let them go in case someone bullies them again... How can my cute little kitten-nims stand up to the horrible and evil humans in this academy...!"
Cale stares at Hans flatly. Perhaps the biggest threat to them right now is this cat fanatic.
"I have some questions for them, but I have some questions for you too."
"Yes? What is it, young master?"
"Did you report to anyone about the things that happened to me?"
"Uh..." Hans trails off awkwardly.
Cale smiles.
Hans shivers at the sight of that smile.
"Did. You?"
"Yes...?"
"Who did you tell?"
"I-I'll tell you, young master! But stop smiling like that! You're scaring me! And the kittens! Look! They're hiding under the bed!"
"I'm not a very patient person, Hans. Start talking."
"W-Well! I'm obligated to report to your father! About everything! I'm under very strict orders! And as a doctor under the school's employ, I have to send reports about injured students and medications used! And I have to tell the student council who's in charge of student affairs! And-"
Cale presses a hand against the back of his neck. His blood pressure is rising. "Just what the hell did you tell them?"
"I kept your blood capsules a secret of course! And the truth that your medicine is actually vitamins! But, ahem, that, everything else... ahahah... but believe me! I did it for you! I want you to have a good school life here! Young master? Young master ahhh why are you coming closer?! Eep!"
Cale slams his hand against the wall, effectively trapping Hans in place. Despite being a little shorter than Hans, his aura is dominating and furious.
This information leak has to be settled today before things get worse.
"The next time you report to others, I'm going to paste the embarrassing pictures of you drooling over catgirls all over the school. Not just the school, but the entire Henituse County. Let's see if you'll still have anyone to report to."
Hans squeezes his eyes shut and pleads, "Mercy! Young master, have mercy! Ahhh if I don't report I'll be fired too!"
That's a good point. Cale eases off Hans and takes a step back. He supports his chin with one hand and starts to think of alternatives. "How about this? I'll let you know what to report from now on, so you just have to follow my words."
"Yes..." Hans mumbles. His head droops down, seemingly in despair over being bullied by someone younger than him.
It's not like Hans can say no, but Cale still intends to make this a fair trade. Or well, as fair as it can possibly be.
"This way, we can all be happy, don't you agree? Here, have some money to spend on your catgirls." Cale smiles, pulls out a gold coin, and slips it into Hans' hand. He pats the doctor's shoulder encouragingly.
"Yes..."
With that settled, Cale turns around and crouches down next to the bed. The two kittens slowly back away from him until only their gleaming eyes can be seen in the darkness beneath the bed.
? What are they doing?
"Hey, I have a deal for you two."
"Meowww?"
"I know you can understand me and you're not normal cats. I need a familiar with me for classes. If you guys accompany me, you can have the spare bed in my room and I'll feed you decently. We don't have to sign a blood contract. What do you think?"
The two cats exchange a long look. The red one begins to meow, but the silver one smacks it softly on its head. The red kitten lets out a small whimper. It seems like they're still on the fence about it.
A sudden gust of wind blows, ruffling Cale's hair. Cale squints through his messed up fringe and fixes his hair. How strange. The window isn't even open.
"You won't have to fight or do anything dangerous or do things you don't want to do. I just need you to be physically present for some of my classes. This afternoon we'll have an outdoor class, so beginning today will be good. Meow if you agree."
The silver kitten starts to emerge from beneath the bed, and the red kitten follows her lead. They walk in circles around Cale, scrutinizing him.
"As for food..." Cale hums thoughtfully. "How about we start with tuna, and enjoy steak tonight?"
"MEOW!" The two kittens agree immediately, drooling.
Cale chuckles. As expected, food is the best.
"Looking forward to working with you two, On and Hong."
The kittens meow in acknowledgment of their new names. Names Cale stole directly from the game. Well, he's just borrowing the kittens from Mary temporarily. He'll give them back later - after all, Mary needs their help to escape from expulsion, and Cale's sure with his father's might that he can easily get a new familiar in the future.
The two kittens bump their heads against his legs as they continue to meow. They're kind of cute. Cale smiles and pats them on the head.
"Urk...!" Hans gasps as he holds his chest. "I'm so jealous...! They've never let me touch them!"
There are soft knocks on the door.
"Come in," Cale says instead of Hans.
The door opens to reveal Choi Han's smiling face. His arms are full of food, including Cale's specially requested fizzy drink and premium tuna cans. "Sorry for taking so long, Cale-nim!"
It's fine, I wanted you to be slow.
"It's fine, thanks."
Cale grabs the tuna first, and the meowing grows into a frenzied pitch as the two kittens paw at his calves. "Hans, didn't you feed them at all?"
Choi Han smiles as he watches Cale feed the kittens. The numbers above his head shimmer and change.
41%
It seems too easy to raise Choi Han's affection. What if it reaches 100% before Mary even arrives?
The cat-lover gasps in disbelief, breaking Cale out of his thoughts. "Wha, I, how could you accuse me like that? Of course I fed them! I fed them using my own blood, sweat, and tears!"
None of them are listening to his explanations. The kittens are chowing down happily on the delicious tuna, while the two boys are having their own sandwiches. They're all treating the infirmary like it's their own house.
Hans sniffles alone in the corner as he holds the gold coin Cale gave him. Even though he's always disrespected, at least he's paid well and he gets to see cute kittens...
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End Note:
Current ratings:
Adin: 0%
Alberu: 0%
Beacrox: 1%
Choi Han: 41%
Clopeh: 0%
Eric Wheelsman: 40%
Toonka: 10%
Honorary mentions of characters without ratings that have shippy scenes: Cage, Hans, Litana, Paseton (did I miss anyone??)
Comment to compare Cale's denseness with other objects. Let me start: Cale is as dense as a brick
Jokes aside it's rly nice to see him get more friends/family <3