Chương 5: Chapter 5:
Elina's back paw took a small step back as she tried to quietly slip away from the two pairs of eyes watching her. But before she could escape, the man stepped forward, slid his hand under Cat-Elina's belly, and lifted her up.
Cat-Elina's eyes widened in shock. This… this… could this be considered harassment…?
Her face felt hot, but cats can't blush, so she could only endure the embarrassment alone while the man, completely unaware of her turmoil, carried her over to the girl.
The man pointed at her.
"Isn't she adorable?"
The girl reluctantly reached out to stroke Elina's face and nodded half-heartedly.
"Adorable, sure, but think about it—you're out all day. Who's going to feed her? Who's going to clean her litter box, bathe her, or sweep up all the fur she sheds around the house and on the sofa? Then everything will fall on me…"
The girl hadn't even finished her complaint when the man started stroking Cat-Elina's fur and spoke sweetly:
"Call her 'Sister Umee.'"
Cat-Elina: "…"
A cat that can speak human language?
At this moment, Elina felt just like a child being held by their father in front of a stepmother, and for the sake of pleasing that new mother, the father would say, "Call her mother."
If only she were still human, she'd do it.
But just then, the man's gaze turned sharp, staring directly at Cat-Elina as if warning her that if she didn't "call," she'd be thrown out on the street. Feeling a massive weight press down on her, Cat-Elina broke out in a cold sweat and reluctantly let out two small "meows."
The man seized the opportunity and immediately added:
"There, see? She just spoke. She said, 'Sister Umee, please take pity on me. If you don't let this handsome gentleman adopt me, I'll be left on the street, becoming a homeless cat with nowhere to go.'"
Umee's lips curled in disdain.
"When did you learn to speak animal?"
Even Elina couldn't believe that this seemingly cold and composed man in front of her could suffer from such a severe case of narcissism. And not only was he narcissistic, but he also lied with such flair.
He made it sound as if Elina had just uttered those nauseating words.
Absolutely terrifying.
Umee seemed lost for words. The man took advantage of the silence and pressed his point relentlessly:
"Alright, it's settled. Now, go get me the essentials for raising a cat—a bed for her to sleep in, a litter tray, a scratching post, and, most importantly, cat food."
Elina's eyes widened in horror. No, she didn't want cat food—she wanted rice!
Elina began squirming frantically, wanting to express her thoughts, but she had no way of making the people in front of her understand. The man simply murmured, "Be good," and tightened his hold on her.
Elina couldn't help but recall his words from last night, saying that if she tore his suit, he'd skin her to make up for it.
Elina shuddered and instinctively went still.
At that moment, Umee spoke up:
"Why do I have to go shopping? Why is it always…"
"Oh, look at the time! I've got to head to work. I'm counting on you!" The man cut her off before she could finish, then, under Umee's despairing gaze, he placed Cat-Elina in her arms and vanished.
He just disappeared into thin air.
Elina was stunned. Her eyes widened as she craned her neck, looking around repeatedly. How could he vanish just like that?
At that moment, a hand gently patted Cat-Elina's head.
"You're surprised, right? That's because no one in this hotel is 'normal.'"
No one is normal?
What did that mean?
Fear gripped Elina's heart. The mysterious appearance of that man in the ancient tomb had already made her suspicious.
And now this?
Could they be ghosts?
Every hair on Cat-Elina's body stood on end. She let out a sharp "meow" and jumped out of Umee's arms.
She needed to see where this hotel was. If it was still in the city, fine, but if it was in some remote, desolate place, she was doomed.
Startled by the sudden movement, Umee took a few steps back. Before she could process what had happened, Cat-Elina had already darted off.
Elina sped down the stairs. Being a cat had its perks—one leap covered several human steps, and her body was incredibly agile. She quickly reached the first floor. Luckily, the man's room was only on the second floor; otherwise, she might have been exhausted by all the stairs. Elina saw the hotel entrance and felt a surge of joy and triumph.
But just as she thought she was about to escape cleanly, her entire body suddenly slammed into something. The impact sent her tumbling back. Her head buzzed, her vision blurred, and she collapsed on the marble floor.
Elina was sure she hadn't seen anything blocking the entrance, so why did it feel like she'd hit a wall? It looked like a light blue pane of glass, but the patterns on it shifted and flowed like shadows of water.
Just then, a pair of slow footsteps approached Elina.
Umee appeared. She picked Elina up and waved her hand, and the barrier at the entrance instantly vanished.
The shock cleared Elina's foggy mind. These people weren't ghosts or demons—they seemed more like… witches.
Because they appeared to have some kind of special power, some form of magic? Enchantment?
Elina couldn't believe such things existed. Weren't these just things that happened in movies?
But if she, Elina, could transform into a cat, what else could be impossible? Elina gradually started to accept this reality. Her head throbbed where she'd slammed into the barrier, and she nestled into Umee's embrace.
Seeing this, Umee's expression softened. She gently stroked Elina's fur while walking back up the stairs, murmuring:
"From now on, don't run around. Inside the hotel is fine, but outside isn't. This isn't a place for humans to live."
Umee brought Elina to another room, probably her own. This room was entirely different from the mysterious man's. The floor was made of polished wood, the bed looked like a giant bird's nest, the table and chairs seemed to have been carved from the trunk of a large tree, and the bathroom door was shaped like two flower petals, with the bathtub resembling a lotus pod. Everything in Umee's room looked as if it had been taken straight from nature.
Umee placed Cat-Elina onto her bed, then bent down and opened a drawer from the bedside table, pulling out a few small bottles of medicine.
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