I Was Reincarnated as the Villain in an NTR Eroge, but Since I Don’t Actually Want to Be a Villain, I’m Just Going to Live Normally - 17

Chapter 17: Rescuing a Stray Kitten

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I looked at the small kitten inside the cardboard box and asked Sakurajima:

“Hey, what happened to this cat?”

“Meow—”

“Uh…It looks like it’s an abandoned kitten… There’s a note on the cardboard that says ‘Please take me…’”

“Let’s see… Ah, you’re right.”

I looked at the side of the cardboard and saw a piece of paper that said, “Someone please take me.” It really was an abandoned kitten. I couldn’t believe someone would just leave a kitten like this on the street…

“Yes. So… If it’s left on the street like this, the kitten will weaken and die,  but I can’t have pets at my house so I wasn’t sure what to do…”

“I see, that makes sense.”

“Meow—”

Sakurajima stared at the abandoned kitten in the box with a sad expression. Well, even in the original game, she was a very kind-hearted girl. She clearly wanted to help this abandoned kitten, but even though she wanted to, she didn’t know what to do. She was conflicted.

“I see. Well, if that’s the case, I got it. I’ll take this kitten to my place.”

“Eh… Wha-what!? You…you’ll keep this kitten at your house, Kuze-senpai!?”

“Yeah… wait, did I even introduce myself? How do you know my name?”

“Eh!? W-well, that’s because… Well…You’re kind of famous even among the first-years…”

“Hm? Ah, I see.”

Sakurajima spoke nervously. It seemed I was known not only by my peers but also by the underclassmen. Of course, it was probably not in a good way.

Well, that’s to be expected. News about a dangerous delinquent like me would definitely spread across all grades.

I thought this was a good opportunity, so I decided to introduce myself properly to Sakurajima. I didn’t want to keep calling her “you.” After all, she was a heroine I liked, so I wanted to call her by name.

“Alright, then. I’ll give a brief introduction. You probably already know, but I’m Akira Kuze, a second-year. And… What’s your name?”

Of course, I knew this girl was Shizuku Sakurajima, but I pretended not to know as I asked.

“Ah, y-yes, s-sorry for the late introduction… I’m Shizuku Sakurajima. I-I’m a first-year. P-pleased to meet you…”

“Ah, pleased to meet you, Sakurajima. Now, back to the first topic.I’ll take this kitten, so don’t worry.”

“Eh… I… I mean… Can you really take care of it? Can your house accommodate a pet? Do you live in a detached house or an apartment that allows pets?”

“My place is a normal apartment. I’ll need to check with the landlord, but I think it should be fine. I’m pretty sure some other tenants have pets.”

The neighbors in my building kept some intimidating reptiles as pets. So pets were probably allowed. I’d still need to confirm with the landlord, though.

“I-I see… If pets are allowed, that’s good. But what about your family? Won’t they be surprised if you suddenly bring a cat home?”

“That’s not a problem. It’s just my dad at home, and he’s out on a boat for work right now. So basically, it’s just me at home. I don’t need anyone’s permission.”

“I-I see… But then… The kitten will often be alone, right? What if it gets hurt or something while you’re away…?”

Sakurajima looked at me with a worried expression, clearly concerned about whether I could properly take care of the pet.

Well, it makes sense to worry about leaving a kitten alone often. But…

“That’s fine. I’ll make sure the kitten has its own space. I’ll buy a cage and a pet monitoring camera. I know the basics of keeping pets, so don’t worry. I’ll also take it to a veterinarian for checkups and I have enough money from my part-time jobs, so that’s covered. I’ll take responsibility for the kitten’s care, so you can relax.”

“Meow—meow—”

I gently patted the abandoned kitten while explaining this to Sakurajima. Actually, in my original world, I had grown up with cats at home. So I knew how to take care of pets properly, and I had always loved cats. Whenever I went back to my family home, I’d always play with our pet cats. So if there was a kitten in trouble in this world, it was only natural for a cat lover like me to want to help.

Also, even though I had been reincarnated as a villain character, I had no intention of acting like a villain. I just wanted to live a normal life now. From now on, I could go to school every day, then come home and spend time with this kitten, relaxing and having fun. Not a bad life at all. In fact, it was more like the ideal “slow life” you hear about in isekai stories.

“R-Really? Th-That’s amazing,Senpai…! You understand so much about taking care of a cat…! But… How did you gain so much knowledge about keeping pets?”

“Well, I’ve had pets at home since I was young, so I thought it was only natural… Wait.”

“Hm? You’ve had pets at home? Did you have other animals in your apartment?”

“No, no, not that. I just… I just wanted pets since I was little, so I studied a lot, like watching videos and reading books. I wanted to be ready to take care of a cat or dog one day.”

“Ah, I see. That makes sense. Hehe, Senpai, you’re quite diligent. That’s reassuring! With all that knowledge, I can trust you with the kitten!”

“Yeah, exactly. So I’m going to take this kitten to the vet now. You can go home and relax.”

“Ah, n-no! If that’s the case… I want to come with you to the vet!”

“Huh? You want to come too, Sakurajima?”

“Y-yes! I-I want to help this kitten! I’ll pay for the vet fees and anything it needs… So please, Senpai, let me come with you…!”

“…I see. Well, if you insist, then okay. Let’s go to the vet together.”

With that, I picked up the cardboard box with the kitten inside and started walking toward the nearby animal hospital, accompanied by Sakurajima.

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