Became a Failed Experimental Subject Novel - Chapter 55

Waning monster damage by the day, villains scattered and apprehended one by one after losing their queen, Goo Seoryong, and rising public safety, peace, and stability. W City had become so stable that it spontaneously made one think, “Even A City would envy this.” All of this was thanks to the Espers who tirelessly fought monsters and villains.
Despite this, public dissatisfaction with the Espers in W City had recently reached an all-time high. The reason was that Espers were preventing people from approaching Black Cat throughout W City. Lately, for some reason, Black Cat had been appearing in various places even when no monster alert was sounded. Black Cat would lie down peacefully and nap, as if showing that W City was becoming increasingly tranquil. Naturally, people who saw him wanted to pet Black Cat. But each time, Espers would rush in from somewhere and stop the citizens.
“Now, now, you can’t. Don’t approach Black Cat.”
“Seriously, what is this every time? Why do you Espers block us as if you own Black Cat?”
“Black Cat-nim…? Hey, isn’t this… that thing?”
“Please come with us for a moment.”
“Wh-what?! Let go of me!”
They even arbitrarily arrested and interrogated innocent citizens! Espers would even make emergency arrests if the investigated citizen didn’t have a W City resident ID.
“What the hell! Can you really do your job like this?!”
“We just want to pet Black Cat!”
“Black Cat is a monster. This is all for the citizens’ safety…”
“If it’s for our safety, then why do you feed and pet him?!”
“Well… we, that’s… ahem.”
What made W City citizens even more displeased was that Espers would feed Black Cat and stroke his head right in front of them. This behavior, implying that citizens shouldn’t but Espers could, was increasingly angering the public.
[Damn it, why are they monopolizing Black Cat?]
[These Esper bastards, why are they the only ones petting Black Cat?]
[They feed Black Cat, so why do they tell citizens not to? Are they crazy?]
[Honestly, it’s pretty infuriating that they don’t let citizens approach Black Cat but then take pictures and play with him themselves.]
[No, they say he’s a dangerous monster, or that it’s a secret operation, but what kind of secret operation is that?]
[If it’s a secret operation to pet Black Cat, why can’t citizens participate?]
[Black Cat belongs to all of W City! Not to the Espers!]
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, W City Esper representative Yoo Anna appeared before reporters. Yoo Anna briefly explained the current situation and its reasons to the disgruntled citizens.
[It is an uncomfortable truth as an Esper that Black Cat is helping W City. However, we cannot deny it.]
[Currently, we are making various attempts to control Black Cat’s behavior. Citizen participation in this process can act as a variable, potentially leading to unexpected situations…]
[Furthermore, there have been instances of individuals from other cities provoking Black Cat, so we are simply thoroughly investigating citizens who approach Black Cat.]
After Yoo Anna’s explanation, public opinion was sharply divided. There were those who believed it was wrong for citizens to casually approach Black Cat, and those who argued that everyone already knew Black Cat was safe, so why couldn’t they pet him? The Black Cat No-Touch Faction and the Petting Faction referred to themselves as the “Waong Faction” and “Uong Faction” respectively, signifying their self-division into left and right.
[Isn’t it just about feeding Black Cat to gain his favor? Because Black Cat might be upset because of Bad Cats?]
[They say there are still many people who try to feed him meat with paralyzing poison or sleeping pills, so stopping citizens is probably the right thing to do.]
[It has long been said that cute things should only be looked at, not touched.]
[Even if Black Cat is W City’s mascot, he’s still a monster, right? It’s right to follow what the Espers say.]
The Black Cat No-Touch, Waong Faction emphasized that Black Cat was a monster and should not be forgotten, supporting the Espers’ attempts to control him.
[Why can’t citizens feed him?]
[Haven’t citizens been feeding and petting Black Cat well so far, which is why he hasn’t attacked us?]
[What if he only listens to the Espers and attacks citizens?]
[Citizens also have the right to pet Black Cat!]
[Black Cat also needs to feel that all of W City loves him to protect us. If he thinks only Espers like him, will he protect us? He’ll just become the Espers’ pet cat!]
The Black Cat Petting, Uong Faction, while agreeing with the Espers, suggested that it would be more advantageous for all citizens to participate if the goal was to gain Black Cat’s favor.
“Give us Black Cat! Black Cat belongs to all W City citizens!”
“Citizens also have the right to pet Black Cat!”
“The Black Cat feeding experience should be available to all citizens!”
Among them, the Uong Faction, driven by their desire to pet Black Cat, began sharing Black Cat’s appearance locations and staging protests against the Espers who were denying them the opportunity to pet him.
About three days passed. Black Cat no longer napped near citizens. Instead of park bushes or empty lots, he would nap on building rooftops, peeking his head out.
[We were a bit noisy.]
[I feel a little bad.]
[Black Cat ㅠㅠㅠ Come back ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Ah, damn it, I was going to see Black Cat this weekend, but if he’s on the roof, I can’t see him up close.]
Uong Faction citizens regretted their actions every time they saw Black Cat’s head high up on the rooftops. But soon, people began to think that this wasn’t so bad after all.
[Originally, cats often sleep on cat towers more than on the floor, right?]
[If you look from the opposite rooftop, he’s super cute.]
[It’s kind of nice, like he’s watching over us from a high place to make sure no monsters appear?]
[Honestly, I also found it a bit noisy when people were making a fuss to give him meat.]
[But now, even if he naps openly in front of people, Starlight doesn’t come.]
[What do you mean ‘doesn’t come’? He just runs away every time he does!]
Only one person in W City was dissatisfied with the current situation.
“Why doesn’t he eat only the meat I give him! Why does he run away whenever he sees me!”
Yoo Anna, still looking glum, ate the grilled meat she had bought for Black Cat today.
Why were Espers suddenly following me everywhere and throwing me meat? I soon found the answer to that question through the Espers themselves, who kept appearing before me.
“…Lately, the number of people who don’t disclose their origin when arrested has increased.”
“I seriously doubted it, but it seems like these guys are definitely trying to take Black Cat away, right?”
“They say those guys are carrying something like a chunk of flesh.”
“Hey, shush, Black Cat can hear you.”
The Espers knew that I understood their conversation. This was because Starlight had told everyone about me. Giving me meat, complimenting me with phrases like “cute,” “cool,” and “thank you,” and preventing citizens from getting close to me—all of it was Starlight’s instruction.
“Does he really understand what we’re saying?”
“Nah, people who like cats always say that. Like, ‘My cat understands everything I say.'”
“Senior, how did you end up becoming a Black Cat mom, anyway…?”
“Well, it makes sense. Thanks to the monsters he catches for us, we finally have some work-life balance.”
“True.”
When I quietly ate the meat, the Espers, perhaps thinking I was preoccupied, would chat among themselves and spill information.
“Even if we can’t truly tame Black Cat, I definitely don’t want him to leave W City for another place.”
“Isn’t the Captain being a bit too sensitive?”
“Well, they said all the meat we give Black Cat will be expensed, so there’s no downside for us.”
“They even said we could buy our own portion if it’s about one serving…”
The reason they took pictures was to expense the meat they gave me. The reason they fed me meat was to make me attached to the Espers and W City. And, to prevent me from being lured away by food from other people when I was hungry.
“Black Cat~ eat a lot, and don’t follow any strange people even if they offer you delicious things, okay?”
“Remember our faces well, and don’t eat anything if someone other than us gives you food.”
“Woong-oh-oh-oh.”
For some reason, it seemed there were people from other cities trying to take me. The Espers were anxious, thinking that if I was tempted by delicious food, I would docilely follow. Perhaps they were giving me so much meat to both gain my favor and fill my stomach, so that the “food operation” wouldn’t work on me. Knowing the reason for the meat, I stopped being wary and accepted it.
“Oh, right. When you take pictures, don’t get too close to Black Cat. They say the senior has been in a bad mood lately because of that.”
“Oh, really? Is she jealous?”
“Senior has to take responsibility and subdue Black Cat if Code Red is activated, right? Black Cat has been wary because of it so many times, so if we’re petting him and clinging to him saying it’s fun, of course she’d be angry.”
“Oh yeah, speaking of which, did you hear the rumor? Apparently, Senior finally bought that.”
“Really? Wow… that’s crazy.”
Day by day, the Espers made the area in front of me their resting place. While I ate meat, they would buy snacks and eat them nearby, and after taking pictures without bothering me, they would disappear without hesitation. Very occasionally, an Esper with electric or fire abilities would grill meat for me. They weren’t good at grilling, but it was better than not grilling at all.
Then one day. Most of the monsters hidden underground in W City had been cleared, and Lethal-class monsters, mistaking me, who was attacking remotely using spatial manipulation, for an underground monster, fled to the surface. Before the emergency monster alert even sounded, I had already dealt with the entire cluster of murder-class monsters and was quietly feasting. At that moment, Starlight dropped down in front of me.
“Hah…hah…hah…”
“Grrr…”
Considering the recent situation, this was very unusual. Starlight appeared when the opponent was Disaster-class every time, very rarely when they were Crushing-class, and never when they were Lethal-class. It only took me about 7 seconds to clear the Lethal-class monster group. Had she been nearby? Starlight, who had flown over in that short time, was bowing her head in power overload, panting for breath.
“J-ju-just… a moment…”
As I slowly sank into the shadows, trying to escape before being hit, Starlight frantically pulled something out of her bag. The moment I saw it, my eyes widened.
“I-I was wrong… I’m sorry, okay…? I’m truly sorry… I’m really sorry, Black Cat! Can you just give me a chance to apologize?”
What Starlight was saying didn’t register. A simple yet elegantly packaged box, the price tag written on it, and the rich scent of meat seeping through Starlight’s aroma, like a baked egg. Special grade, no, special 1++ grade beef… a whole box, various cuts for grilling! I had only heard rumors of such a thing. That such things still existed even in this monster era.
“I don’t want to keep going back and forth, changing my attitude…?”
“W-woo-oong…”
Ah, no, surely she didn’t bring something so amazing just for me? I opened my mouth and stared at the beef. One piece of that was supposedly enough to buy over 10kg, no, even over 20kg of pork shoulder. In this era where the government completely controlled livestock and food production, it was legendary beef that only high-ranking officials and high-ranking Espers could obtain. Its beautiful appearance, with fine streaks of white fat.
My mouth began to water.
“Oh…”
Whoosh, as Starlight moved the beef to the left, my head followed. Whoosh again, watching the beef move to the other side, Starlight glanced at my rigidly upright tail and ears and spoke.
“So… do you want to eat it?”
“Waoong?!”
Are you really going to give that to me?! As my eyes sparkled, Starlight gestured for me to come closer. And so, on the rooftop of an empty building. Sizzle… along with the sound of grilling meat, a rich meaty aroma filled the cold air. The meat grilled quickly in Starlight’s fire. And in front of my eyes… the cooked meat.
“Woong-oh-oh-oh…! Oh-oh-oh-oh…!”
“W-whoa…! Hold on! H-hee!”
Chop chop chop chop! The moment Starlight offered the grilled meat, held between her palms, I couldn’t wait and licked her hand. The flavor, the juiciness, the umami spread in my mouth. Just lightly mashing it with my tongue, the meat melted.
“Th-that tickles…! Ah…”
I pulled my tongue away from the smiling Starlight and nudged for the next piece of meat with my paw. Starlight then showed a subtly hurt expression. I didn’t care, I just waited for her to grill the next piece quickly, and Starlight, picking up a piece of pinkish meat, grilled it with exquisite fire control.
“Oh-oh-oh-oh!”
Starlight is a good person after all!