Purrfect Romance

Fenix waited for a while but received no reply from Lion. Even after the robotic butler had prepared dinner, Lion still hadn’t responded.

Why isn’t he replying?

Fenix fiddled with his terminal, puzzled.

Well, maybe he’s just too busy!

Fenix shrugged it off. He sniffed the delicious aroma wafting from the food, picked up his terminal, and jumped off the desk, carefully hopping down the stairs on his short legs.

When Fenix reached the table, the robotic butler extended its mechanical arm to lift him onto the table and kindly tied a small bib around his neck.

Wow.

There’s even a bib!

Is this what it feels like to be rich?

I’m so envious…

Fenix sighed wistfully, metaphorically eating lemons in the air.

The meal on the table—one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a soup—looked very appetizing. Fenix sniffed the food and was about to dig in when he suddenly froze.

Oh no.

This is bad!

Something major has happened!

How do cats eat again?!

Fenix looked down at his bib and the fluffy paws beneath it.

They didn’t seem capable of holding utensils.

Fenix’s paws wandered aimlessly on the table as he turned to look at the robotic butler.

"Mew!"

Feed me, damn it!

Unfortunately, the butler didn’t understand cat language.

It stood still beside him, even entering power-saving mode.

Fenix: ?

Bro, your service is lacking.

Fenix gave up on the idea of the butler feeding him.

On second thought, it wasn’t possible anyway.

Fenix turned back to his dinner.

Recalling how cats usually ate, he approached the bowl of tomato egg drop soup, lowered his head, and tried to lick it.

The result was a face full of soup.

Fenix: “…”

Damn it.

Is this what awakening is like?

It’s so hard!

Fenix squatted on the table, dejected, and opened his social app.

Subconsciously, he tapped into the chat window with Lion to ask for help but deleted the typed message bit by bit.

Suddenly, Fenix realized something.

If I ask Lion how to eat, won’t I seem stupid?!

That would be too embarrassing!

Fenix refused to do that.

He thought for a moment and opened several videos of cats eating to try and learn. However, the cats in the videos ate with such skill that Fenix only ended up with soup all over his face.

Damn!

Awakening is really tough!

Fenix, with a face covered in soup, angrily opened his social app again!

Roommates Group Chat (4 members)

Fenix: "Guys, I’m having such a hard time!"

Lancelot: "What’s wrong? Feeling unwell again?"

Alfred: "Go to the hospital, quick."

Derek: "I won’t go to the concert; I’ll come back and take you to the hospital. Wait a moment."

Fenix was touched by his roommates’ concern and chuckled, tapping away at the keyboard with his paws.

Fenix: "No, I’m fine now."

Derek: "Then why are you having trouble? Hungry?"

Alfred: "Don’t worry, bro, I’ll bring you dinner!"

Fenix: "No need, I just wanted to tell you I moved out."

Derek: "…?"

Lancelot: "??"

Alfred: "???"

Fenix licked his nose, which now tasted of tomato egg soup, and sighed.

Fenix: "Here’s the thing, I found a job, working at Sunnyfields Manor now."

Lancelot: "What kind of job?"

Derek: "Is it legitimate?"

Alfred: "Is the boss nice?"

Feeling a pang of guilt for lying to his roommates, Fenix stroked his slightly aching conscience, thought for a moment, and began to fabricate a story.

Fenix: "It’s a legitimate job. The boss is Lion, you know him, right? The one from Lion Corp., Clean Energy. He’s pretty nice. The job involves tidying up the manor and helping the butler. It includes meals and accommodation. They were in a rush to hire, so I moved out straight away."

His roommates expressed their envy.

Marina City was a super-first-tier city on Cobalt Star with extremely high living costs.

Finding a job that included meals and accommodation would save nearly 90% of monthly expenses.

Things were easier for locals.

But out of the four roommates, only Lancelot was local to Marina City.

The rest had sent out numerous resumes and had received offers, but Marina City University was among the top three schools on Cobalt Star.

Most internships, however, would leave non-local students without savings and might even require them to spend more on transportation and meals.

Thus, Fenix was the only one who had successfully landed a suitable job.

Even if it wasn’t a perfect fit, it was still a fit.

Besides him, who else knew it was fake?

Lancelot: "I heard Lion is super wealthy. Why doesn’t he use the best robot butlers?"

Fenix blinked without missing a beat: "You don’t understand; rich people prefer human services!"

Derek: "What does Lion look like? I searched online but couldn’t find any photos!"

Fenix: "Looks okay, pretty handsome."

Fenix: "Just a little less handsome than me."

…

Keywords were frequently triggered, causing Lion’s terminal to beep incessantly.

The driver and bodyguard in the front seat remained focused and silent.

Lion opened the details and saw Fenix ranting about him.

The kid is pretty bold.

Thinking this, Lion activated the Sunnyfields Manor surveillance.

Fenix had thrown his social app to the side.

Sitting before a feast of fragrant dishes, he pondered and ultimately, in utter humiliation, reopened the post he had previously cursed.

The post mentioned: When starting to learn how to eat, you will naturally use your paws.

Remember to wash your paws before eating!

Fenix looked down at his dusty paws and felt it was a paradox.

Even if he washed them, wouldn’t they get dirty again on the way back?

Nope.

He had to think of a solution.

He couldn’t starve himself with all four paws intact!

Fenix pondered deeply, jumped off the table, and headed into the bathroom.

The bathroom had no surveillance.

Lion leaned back in his seat, no longer bothered by the traffic, watching the projection of the bathroom entrance with interest, waiting for the little kitty to come out.

Fenix turned on the tap, facing the rising water with trepidation, fighting the urge to run away, his fur bristling.

Cats generally disliked water.

Fenix thought this was also paradoxical.

Such clean freaks, yet they hate water!

You’re truly unique.

Fenix resisted the aversion, meticulously washing his front paws, including between the claws and nails, then turned to look at the nearby roll of paper towels.

When the white silhouette of the kitten reappeared on the surveillance projection, Lion noticed that the kitten’s entire body was wrapped in toilet paper.

His front paws were bundled up like buns, making walking difficult.

But Fenix still hopped back to the table with determination.

He shook off the paper stuck to his fur, bit off the small buns wrapped around his paws, and freed his paws.

Great!

Hands free!

Now my paws are clean!

Fenix perked up, wearing a bib with a big drumstick embroidered on it, and started eating the minced pork with eggplant with his paws, finally enjoying his dinner properly.

Damn.

I’m so clever.

Not bad for me!

Fenix proudly wagged his tail, purring contentedly after finishing his meal, ignoring the greasy paw prints on the table, and turned to the remaining soup to practice eating with just his mouth.

Being an awakened individual sure isn’t easy.

Fenix washed his face with the soup, feeling quite sentimental.

By the time he finished the large bowl of soup, Fenix had learned to control his tongue and maintain the right distance between his mouth and the food.

Overall, the battle went well.

Fenix was satisfied with his accomplishment.

He looked at his greasy paws and decided to go wash them in the bathroom, but turning his head, he saw that the toilet paper had been shredded.

Fenix was stunned.

Cleaning the dining table would be easier, but greasy paws on the carpet would be harder to deal with.

Lion’s generosity didn’t mean Fenix could wreak havoc in his house.

Even ordinary landlords would dislike messy tenants, let alone Lion.

Fenix squatted by the table, pondering for a while, then tentatively stood upright on the table to practice walking on his hind legs.

No need to go far…

Fenix thought.

Just from the dining room to the bathroom!

Come on, Fenix.

You can do it!

Lion watched Fenix’s antics from the car, a smile spreading across his face.

Fenix was truly a treasure.

He brought joy.

Thinking this, Lion watched Fenix practice walking on his hind legs for a while, then remotely instructed the robotic butler.

To wipe Fenix’s paws.

The butler, which had been dormant, suddenly came to life, startling Fenix.

The kitten watched warily as the robot entered the kitchen and returned with a warm, clean towel.

Just as Fenix thought the butler was going to clean the table and was about to give it space, the butler gently took his paws.

Then it softly and meticulously wiped his paws clean.

Fenix: ????

Bro, where were you earlier?!

Is your system so outdated that it has delays?

Even if it’s delayed, this delay is too much.

In a game, you’d have been kicked out and cursed at by now!

Fenix was shocked as the butler cleaned his paws, then replaced the towel and wiped his face clean.

Then the butler removed Fenix’s bib, hung the terminal around his neck, gently picked him up, and placed him on the ground.

Turning around, it started cleaning up the mess on the table.

Fenix sat there dazed for a while, then slowly left the dining room for the living room.

He opened the chat window with Lion, hesitating whether to mention the butler’s apparent malfunction.

But in the end, he didn’t say anything.

It felt shameless to complain about something after taking advantage of his kindness.

Life is so cruel to this fragile little kitty.

The tiny kitten sighed and closed the chat window, then searched for a list of essentials for awakened individuals.

Calcium supplements and multivitamins topped the list.

Apparently, due to frequent physical changes during awakening, a lot of nutrients were needed to ensure a smooth awakening process.

If things went awry, it could lead to lifelong issues with varying symptoms.

Though Lion’s issue wasn’t related to nutrition, looking at his condition made it clear that any problems arising would be lifelong.

However, awakening schools provided students with these supplements, so in recent years, the number of individuals with awakening issues was virtually zero.

Fenix knew nothing about this. After failing his awakening, he had stopped learning about the details of being an awakened individual.

He browsed through the recommended brands and was shocked by the prices.

Rent for a small room in Marina City: 1,500 per month.

Awakening school recommended comprehensive nutritional supplements: 5,800 per box.

One box lasted only a week.

Damn!

What kind of family can afford this?!

Are they mining diamonds?!

And drilling oil?!

And finding natural gas?!

Fenix’s cat face was filled with shock.

He opened his financial page, counted his savings, and immediately fell into a state of despair.

Damn.

I’m not worthy.

Fenix hugged his big tail with all four paws, buried his face in it, and silently shed tears of humility.

I only deserve to get crazy with Lion and debut as a dynamic duo of feline chaos!