Chapter 4: The General’s Cat (1)

Translator: deathbutlowkey
Editor: Mimishijie, vivi ☺

---


“After the explosion, we spent several years as refugees. During that time, I was sent to an interplanetary orphanage. Brother, you were unwilling to stay there so you followed a gentleman out to go work and would only come back every few months.” Shen Zhirou’s complexion didn’t look too good – it was clear that her memories of these days awakened lingering fears in her heart even now. “I stayed there until I became of age. Over the past few years, you’ve also participated in the mech league. It wasn’t until you gradually earned a reputation that our lives improved.”

Shen Zhifan’s mouth opened and closed, but he was speechless.

His elegant brows creased; he hadn’t thought this was the answer that he would get.

The room sank into a lengthy silence.

Shen Zhirou didn’t know how to comfort him. Without a better option, she quietly sat and stared.

This past year, Shen Zhifan really had been extremely busy. Although their lives had improved, the two siblings hadn’t properly sat down and talked in a long time. Training and battles in the mech league had snatched away a good part of Shen Zhifan’s energy and while there were still a few misunderstandings, they didn’t weaken the interdependent siblings’ feelings.

“How…how did they pass?” Shen Zhifan asked suddenly.

Shen Zhirou blanked before managing to respond, her voice low, “Even now, we still don’t know the cause of the explosion seven years ago. The explosions continued for three days, but I’d already been shocked dizzy by the first one and seemed to be in a half-unconscious state the whole time. By the time I regained awareness, only you were left by my side. Everything I know…was what you told me when I woke.”

Shen Zhifan nodded and they fell into silence again.

Shen Zhirou watched her brother with concern. Shen Zhifan’s exquisitely handsome side profile seemed like a plaster figure under the shadow, suddenly silent and sorrowful. It made her unable to say any words of comfort.

She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. When he was sixteen, Shen Zhifan had already gone through that nightmare, but now he unexpectedly had to bear it again.

“I’m sorry, brother…” Shen Zhirou felt herself falling apart. These hardships of the past few years had originally made her much stronger, but she’d always had a tendency to cry. “I’m too useless, I don’t know anything, and I look ugly too…”

Shen Zhifan had, at first, sunk wholeheartedly into sorrow. He was taken by surprise by Shen Zhirou’s assessment of herself and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He lightly wiped his face, then touched Shen Zhirou’s head, consoling her: “It’s alright, it’s all in the past. You’re not useless and you’re not ugly either.”

Shen Zhirou slowly lifted her head: “Really…”

Shen Zhifan glanced at Shen Zhirou’s appearance that could be traced back to their ancestors and automatically discarded the second explanation: “En, you were only twelve then. I believe I definitely worked hard during those past years because you were behind me, so I became even stronger.”

Youngsters always grew up overnight. The previous Shen Zhifan had grown up when he was sixteen, so the current Shen Zhifan could also do the same.

“I can’t say for sure if I chose this period of time to forget because it really was too painful,” Shen Zhifan tried to speak calmly, “Although I don’t why I suddenly lost those memories, you don’t have to worry. I’ve only forgotten, I will be able to recall them soon.”

Shen Zhirou swiftly threw herself into his chest. Curled up in her brother’s warm and wide embrace, it seemed like the grievances of the past years had suddenly raised their heads again. Her sobs were earth-shattering and enough to wake the dead.

Shen Zhifan patted her shoulder softly, his clear eyes gradually becoming calm.

Yesterday, he’d still been a sixteen-year-old youth, carefree and without worries. He would be flushed and excited at meeting an idol he liked, but now he would try to become a twenty-three-year-old adult. Between these two were seven years of memories that he’d forgotten, they might’ve been painful or bitter, but it didn’t matter. He was already in this situation and these were trials that he had passed, step-by-step. There was nothing to be afraid of.

But because he’d lost his memories there were now a lot of troublesome matters. Others weren’t as important, the most pressing would still be the matter of remembering how to pilot mechs to continue making a living.

Shen Zhirou said seriously: “Right now, although brother’s popularity – and income – is high, you had previously signed an agreement with Battlesquad V. At that time you were young and inexperienced, so you signed an overlord[1] contract – something all newcomers usually do. Now, even though your revenue is high, your share allotment is low, and if you don’t fulfil a certain quota they’ll use all kinds of ways to dock your pay. Even though the money that we have at hand isn’t little, it isn’t enough either. Before, you always wanted to terminate the contract, but the termination fee is too expensive so there’s no other way.”

Shen Zhifan nodded, somewhat distressed.

The sixteen-year-old Shen Zhifan had an interest in mechs, but right now, his memories were like a blank sheet of paper.

“This house isn’t ours either, Battlesquad V gave it to us.”

Shen Zhifan nodded.

Battle squads in the mech league always had people coming in and out, whoever was popular had a higher social status. Battlesquad V had, with great difficulty, baselessly acquired a treasure – no one had expected the casually signed newcomer from that time, Shen Zhifan, to cover the sky, reaching the heavens in a single step[2]. He’d also signed an overlord contract, so they naturally tried to make him stay on the team using many methods such as emotional attachment. When emotions didn’t work, they used logic. They were experts at playing the game of hitting a person before offering them a piece of candy[3].

But now, where would he find a twenty-three-year-old Shen Zhifan that could operate mechs for them?

“Was…...was I that great when I’d just started?” Shen Zhifan was somewhat disbelieving. “I’ve practically never touched mechs before.”

“That also baffled me,” Shen Zhirou thought about it, then sighed again. “But there was a period of time where we separated and I never heard from you, and then our lives suddenly improved. Since it was a good thing, I didn’t question it, how would I have known that today would come…”

Thump––––

Shen Zhirou hadn’t completely trailed off when suddenly, a shattering sound came from a windowsill further away.

He stood, stunned, and was just about to go take a look when he was stopped by Shen Zhirou.

“Wait!” Shen Zhirou seemed as if she was facing a great enemy. “No way, we were discovered this fast?”

Shen Zhifan didn’t understand her words, subconsciously let out an ‘ah’, then took another look: “Wasn’t it just a vase falling?”

“Aiya, brother, your popularity right now is at an absurdly high level. Battlesquad V so kindly bought us a house in the most expensive district with the best overall security facilities – just because there are always all kinds of perverts[4] causing commotions at our door!” Shen Zhirou counted on her fingers. “We’ve only been here for half a month and have already been found again? Ah, we should report it, the security system here is really too poor!”

Shen Zhifan frowned, a little hesitant: “Is it that excessive, shouldn’t it just be a few impulsive young girls?”

“Young girls?” Shen Zhirou’s eyes widened. “Have you ever met a young girl who is over 190 centimetres, covered in muscle, with a neck thicker than your thighs? What. Young. Girl?”

Shen Zhifan: “......” This was clearly an enemy, right?

“Exactly, it’s a pervert.” Shen Zhirou sighed, extending her fingers to pat Shen Zhifan’s face. Seeing her brother’s handsome appearance, she sighed sorrowfully. “Last time, that idiot really was too perverted – you can’t remember it now but at the time, he was stripping while about to push you down – otherwise we wouldn’t have gone as far as to move houses.”

Shen Zhifan imagined the scene for a moment. It really did make one tremble with fear.

“Ah, wait a moment…” Shen Zhirou took two steps forward, her voice suddenly softening. “It doesn’t seem to be a pervert, it’s…”

It was a cat.

Shen Zhifan caught sight of the white cat’s tail.

“It’s – it’s so beautiful.”

Shen Zhirou’s voice sounded a little dumb.

Shen Zhirou looked rather unusual, but this didn’t stop her from adoring attractive and fluffy things.

As a child, since she had the kind of brother whose existence was high on the attractiveness index, she had developed a certain understanding and resistance against male attractiveness. However, Shen Zhirou would bet that from when she was a child up to now, she had never before seen such a beautiful cat, so there were no resistance antibodies to be deployed.

With a body of snow white, it was a long-furred cat that had only the edges of its ears – as well as its four limbs – dyed in a faint grey colour. It’s light blue eyes seemed like a cloud of mist, hazy yet limpid. The edges of its eyes had two spots of eyeshadow-like grey, like a neat pair of identical masks.

It crouched there, its posture utterly graceful. Seeing the arrival of humans, it tilted its head slightly.

End of Chapter 4
---



The author has something to say:
A little play:
Once upon a time, there was a little brother Laurent.
He’d always played the roles of cannon fodder, but in during one work《Saving Humanity Today, Again》he successfully entered into a relationship with the director.
Yet even after that, he still didn’t get any scenes, tsk, it was very pitiful.
And so he planned to break up with the director.
The feelings that had developed from their secret relationship were unexpectedly very deep.
On Christmas Day, the director proposed to Laurent.
 ---
Footnotes:

[1] 霸王条款 - literally what it sounds like; a contract with extremely unfair conditions
[2] 一步登天 - instantly successful
[3] - carrot and stick method
[4] 痴汉 - loanword, from Japanese ‘chikan’
---
T/n:
Ragdoll cat: