5, Lottie

Meow…

When the night came, a quiet corner of the park became lively. A crowd of fluffy and pink cats gathered around him, snatching the cat food from John's hand.

Among the cats, there was a big-headed tabby cat, who acted like a king of cats. He was arrogant and aggressive, and he pushed away several smaller cats to get more food.

Slap!

John smacked the "King of Cats" and gave him a stern warning: "King of Cats, if you bully the little ones again, you'll get nothing to eat."

The big cat stopped causing trouble and retreated sulkily.

A few little cats who had been picked on quickly ran over and cuddled at John's feet. They rolled and played happily, making purring noises.

John bent down and petted their little heads, looking for any signs of injury on their bodies. These kittens had lost their mother to stray dogs last month. They had a hard time surviving without their mother, and John had to look after them.

John, who was seventeen years old, had been taking care of these stray cats for two years. He had started with a few kittens, but now he had more than 30 of them. The group of stray cats was growing larger and larger.

He only felt calm and happy when he was with these cats, away from the stressful and gloomy mood of the school. High school was supposed to be a time of youth and challenge, but for someone like him who had no hope, it was better to avoid it, so he wouldn't get lost.

"Come on, little ones, eat fast, before the black guy shows up." John said.

Lately, something weird was going on.

A fat black cat had joined the stray cats. He was fast and nimble, and he always ate all the cat food. Sometimes he even grabbed the food from John's hands.

He didn't seem scared of humans at all.

John had tried to follow the big black cat a few times, hoping to find out more about him. But the big black cat always slipped into the sewer and vanished.

As he fed the cats, John glanced at the bushes around the park, wondering when the big black cat would appear.

"John, are you feeding the cats again?"

A crisp voice rang out, and a young girl ran over from the tree-lined path. She was dressed in white, with a slim and tall figure. Her long hair fluttered in the night breeze, and she radiated youthfulness.

"Lottie, you're always so busy with your studies. How come you have time to walk in the park?" John greeted her.

The girl's full name was Lottie Cruz. She liked to take a stroll in the park every evening. She was the president of the school's student council, a girl with influence and a wealthy family background. There were countless boys in school who wanted to get close to her, but she ignored them all.

She and John were not in the same class, but they were both seniors.

The class leader, Peak Zane, had tried hard to woo Lottie many times, but he failed. He didn't want John to approach Lottie either, otherwise, he would beat him up whenever he saw him.

"Walking helps me relax my mind." Lottie said as she walked over and joined John in feeding the cats.

She caressed the kittens gently.

They didn't talk much as they fed the cats, but they had a natural harmony.

John had been feeding stray cats in the park every day, and Lottie had noticed him six months ago. Lottie also liked these little kittens, so she offered to help.

So for the past six months, every evening in the quiet part of the park, a boy and a girl feeding cats had become a sight to see.

"John, what are you going to do after high school?" Lottie asked suddenly.

"I don't have any plans. My vitality is only 0.7, and I have no chance of getting into Star and Space University." John said, patting a kitten without looking up.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Lottie asked, looking at John with determination in her eyes.

"Help me?" John looked a bit surprised, then shook his head: "Thanks for the offer, but I can manage on my own."

After turning down Lottie's help, they both fell silent, feeling a bit awkward.

Lottie was quiet for a while, then got up: "I'm starting special training tomorrow…I won't have time to feed these cats anymore, so, I…hope you can take good care of them."

"Don't worry, these little guys are part of my life." John said, petting a kitten.

Lottie gave a slight sigh, turned around and left.

It was a fleeting encounter, like a passing cloud or a gentle breeze, leaving no mark.

"I know you meant to help me. But our fate is only to feed stray cats together. You come from a rich family, and I'm just a nobody." John watched Lottie leave and thought bitterly.

A toad and a swan could never be together.

Roar!

Another roar and commotion snapped John out of his thoughts.

A big black cat leaped out of the bushes in the park. Its fur was glossy and smooth, like a little black tiger. It dashed out with a gust of wind.

Thud, thud, thud… the big-headed tabby cat, the king of cats among the strays, was thrown away by it.

The big black cat ran to the front, grabbed the cat food as fast as it could, then bit a kitten and ran away quickly.

"The big black cat is here!"

John chased after it.

He didn't mind if the big black cat ate some cat food, but he couldn't let it take the kitten away.

"I'm going to find out who you are this time."

Zoom, zoom, zoom… The big black cat sped out of the park like a tornado.

John followed closely. His vitality was only "0.7" now, but he was not slow at running.

There were some people with high vitality in the school. They could run 100 meters in 5 seconds. That kind of speed was amazing. If he met those people, he would be left behind in an instant.

His younger brother Tedd could run 100 meters in six seconds.

The big black cat was very fast. John followed it out of the park and to the small river, but he couldn't catch up.

This was a strange cat, with ten times the strength of a normal cat.

While running, the big black cat suddenly darted and entered the city sewer.

John didn't give up this time, and went in after it.