[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 150 & 151. (Patreon)

Chapter 150: A new responsibility?

With how busy I was becoming these days, there was one thing I wanted to firmly maintain. Something I refused to let go. No matter what happened…

…Sundays would remain a day dedicated to resting, as God intended.

I needed to have my homework and other obligations done throughout the week so that I could actually rest at least one day a week. School, gym and work, combined with a social life to maintain… It was a lot.

Things were only just starting and I was already missing my days as a shut in. Kind of. Not really. I kind of missed playing video games all day, mostly. So that’s what I did that Sunday. Or planned to do, more like.

I had a liter of iced tea, 76 hours in an RPG I had yet to finish, and at least eight hours to myself to finally put an end to the demon lord. But before I could get an hour into my journey or even down half my first glass of iced tea, I heard many voices coming from the first floor. They were whispering loudly, defeating the purpose of whispering.

I recognized the voices easily. Isabelle and her friends, Alice and Noelle. Mom wasn’t home, but unlike Mila, Grace and Sarah, those two girls had been coming over for a long time by now, so mom gave them free pass to come over whenever they wanted.

But you see, that wasn’t a problem by itself. The girls went into Isabelle’s room hurriedly, and it had nothing to do with me. I was just going to continue playing my game and leave them to their business.

The issue arose when I went to the bathroom. I went out of my room and passed in front of Isabelle’s bedroom. The door was slightly opened, but I didn’t dare try to look inside. No reason to, and more trouble than it was worth. I entered the bathroom, relieved myself of the iced tea I’d been drinking so far and washed my hands. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Until I stepped outside and found a tiny kitten sitting outside, looking up at me. When I say tiny, I mean it. That cat could probably sit on my hands, if not a single hand. It was white except for the orange fur on its butt, tail, head and pointy ears. Large, golden, wide-open eyes stared up at me. It looked… skinny, too. Malnourished, more like.

“Where did you come from?” I asked it.

It answered in a single, high-pitched meow.

Then I suddenly heard a screech. Three screeches, actually, followed by the girls running out of my sister’s room.

“Where is she!?” Isabelle cried.

“One second she was there, and the other…!” Noelle stopped herself short when she saw me standing there in the hallway. She tensed up, but followed my eyes down and saw the kitten there.

“Oh thank God!” She rushed to it and picked it up, cuddling it against her… ample… AMPLE bosom.

Noelle Summers, the secretary of the Student Council. She had red, wavy hair that didn’t quite reach her shoulders and bright green eyes. She was short, shorter than me, even, standing close to 1.60 meters, but maybe less than that.

I was about to nod once and walk past, like I had done many times before. They were Isabelle’s friends, not mine. However, I couldn’t keep doing that. It was rude, I knew, but there was nothing else I could do before. But now I could at least exchange a few words. I think. I’d have to try.

“...Is that cat yours?” I asked Noelle, in a tone I tried to make casual but ended up a little too serious.

She flinched. “Eh? Ah, n-no, not really. You see…” Noelle grimaced and bit her lip, casting her eyes downwards.

“We found it abandoned close to her house,” Alice said, coming up to us. She took the kitten from Noelle’s hands and cuddled it against her also impressive chest. She smiled down at it and scratched it on the side of its neck. I thought I could hear it purr.

Hesitantly, Isabelle joined the conversation. “Noelle’s parents dislike animals in general, and Alice’s mom is allergic to cats, so we… brought it here. We were feeding it in my room.”

I raised an eyebrow, following that line of thought. An abandoned kitten neither Noelle or Alice could keep, brought to our house. I stared at Isabelle, waiting for what I was sure would come.

As expected, she clasped her hands together in front of her and pleaded. “Please, please! Help me convince mom to let us keep it!”

“Please, Oliver!” Noelle joined her, much to my surprise. “I’d keep it if I could, but my dad would go crazy if I asked. I’ll help with it, I promise.”

Even Alice was looking at me with pleading eyes.

I sighed. “Sorry, Isabelle. I can’t.” If I focused on talking to her, it’d be easier to refuse. “Not in good conscience. I’m more busy now than I’ve ever been. I can’t help you take care of a cat.”

“But you’ve always wanted a pet!” my sister said.

I winced. “I can’t, Isabelle. It’s too big a responsibility.”

The faces of the three girls fell. The kitten in Alice’s arms meowed again, making me look at it. It had a roundish face, and its large golden eyes kept looking at me, almost like… it was pleading, too.

I shook my head and walked past them, going back to my room and closing the door.

A cat was too much responsibility, and I always thought myself as more of a dog person, anyway. I had a job now, meaning I’d be coming back late some weekdays and be away almost all of Saturdays. Besides, if Isabelle hoped to continue her outings as she did with a kitten in the house, she’d be asking me to stay to look after it. I wasn’t willing to stay home taking care of a cat instead of going out with my girlfriends. Honestly, I felt bad for Alice and Noelle more than anything else, but I couldn’t take on even more responsibilities.

I couldn’t, even though I wanted to.

Dammit. That cat looked cute.

************

Chapter 151: They’re not giving up.

I could hardly concentrate on my game due to the mumbling from the other room. They were speaking in hushed tones, so I couldn’t quite understand what they were saying, even if I could hear.

I had to push away the feeling of guilt. Truth is, I always wanted a pet. It always seemed like a good idea, on paper. I was a lonely boy who stayed at home all day every day. A pet would’ve helped me, I think. But every time I asked my mom, she would give the classic answer.

“A pet is a lot of responsibility, you understand? It’s a living being who feels hunger, pain and suffers if not treated well. It’s not a toy. It will get lonely if you suddenly change your mind and don’t want it anymore. Are you sure you want a pet?”

The words always scared me off. I knew what it was to be lonely, and I didn’t trust myself to take good enough care of another living being. What if it got sick and I didn’t notice? What if I forgot to feed it because I’m stupid? I was a kid. I wanted a pet, but didn’t feel ready. Never felt ready.

I paused the game to rub my face and groan into my hands.

There was a sudden knock on my door, followed by several sets of steps running away. It was strange. I could believe Isabelle playing a dumb prank like that, but Alice and Noelle? I think they were the only reason I stood up to check what that was.

I opened the door, and again I found the kitten on the floor, staring up at me with those big golden eyes. It meowed once in that high-pitched tone and stumbled its way between my legs and inside my bedroom.

“H-Hey, wait, you!”

I was going to pick it up and set it outside, but I didn’t dare. If I touched that thing, if I had it in my hands… No, just ignore it. It’s for the best.

Dammit, Isabelle!

The kitten began exploring my bedroom, walking all around. it even tried and failed to climb onto my bed by grabbing the bed sheets with its tiny claws.

I sat down again to continue playing my game, intent on ignoring the ball of fluff awkwardly stumbling around. That worked until the tiny creature began trying to climb its way to my lap, clawing at my pants.

I was going to shake it off. I really was. But the more I looked at it…

“Ugh!” I picked it up. Its fur felt soft, but there were patches of knotted hair and others where some mud had dried up. The cat meowed at me again. It was such a small, fragile creature.

…

And I was playing right into my sister’s hands.

I walked out, left the cat in her bedroom and closed the door. God, hearing it meow for loneliness was fucking painful.

“Oliver, come on!” Isabelle said, coming from the stairs with her friends. “You know you want to keep it.”

“It’s not about wanting, Isabelle,” I told her, opening the door to see them. “What will you do when we’re all out of the house? We both go to school from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. That’s eight hours of leaving a young cat alone. I’m working on Tuesdays and Thursdays now, too, so I can help even less.”

“I…”

“Will you take it to the vet when it’s sick? Will you pay for its vaccines? Will you buy its food? Do you even know how to take care of a young cat like that? How old is it? Should it still be breast-feeding?”

Behind her, Alice and Noelle shared a look. “We can help with all that, Oliver.”

“No,” I answered quickly, firmly. “If we choose to take care of the cat, it’ll be our responsibility. Mom will tell you the same.” I swallowed, trying to keep them from noticing. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to convince mom. I’m saying I can’t help because I don’t feel like I can carry that responsibility.”

Isabelle looked down, pursing her lips. She went to her room, silently followed by her friends.

Man, I felt hated. Alice and Noelle didn’t shoot me mean looks or anything, and neither did Isabelle, surprisingly, but even so.

I went back to my room as well. I still heard the three girls playing with the cat, trying to get it to eat something or drink more water. What were they even feeding it? Before I knew it, I had stopped playing and started searching for info on taking care of young cats. Since its eyes were wide open, it must’ve been at least 2 or 3 weeks old, right? I wasn’t sure.

Then I heard mom’s car outside. Isabelle and her friends went quiet. Mom came into the house, and the girls all left Isabelle’s room and went down to meet her.

I was going to stay in my room. Let Isabelle deal with it. It was her idea, after all. Whether mom said yes or no didn’t concern me.

…

Clicking my tongue, I stood up and made my way down the stars, stopping midway to listen to them all talk in the living room.

“Will you take it to the vet, Isabelle?” I heard mom ask. “Will you buy its food? With what money? Will you leave it alone at home when you’re at school? Will you leave it to your brother or me when you go out partying?”

“...Oliver asked me the same,” Isabelle grunted.

“Of course he did. He’s wanted a pet since he was 10. He knows it’s a big responsibility.” Mom sighed. “I’m sorry, Isabelle. But you’ve always been one to quickly lose interest in things. What happened to your photography hobby? I haven’t seen you use your camera in years. What happened to the bike you asked for last christmas? It’s there in the garage still. I can’t let you make a decision like this on a whim, especially with a living creature. I’m sorry to you girls, as well,” mom continued, addressing Isabelle’s friends. “I’ll call some coworkers. I know a couple that would love to take this little creature in.”

“T-Thank you, ma’am,” Noelle said, but anyone could tell she was disappointed.

I groaned, rubbing the bridge of my nose, then went down to the living room.

“If I said I wanted to keep it, would you let me?” I asked mom.

Everyone turned to me, making me uncomfortable. Still, I kept my eyes on mom. She raised an eyebrow at me.

“Are you sure, Oliver?”

“...” I bit my lip for a moment before answering firmly. “Yes. I think… I think I’m ready.” Not true. I don’t think I’d have ever felt ready if I didn’t try it first.

Mom smiled. “Very well, then. Wait a minute. I’m gonna make a couple calls.”

“W-What? Who are you calling?” Isabelle asked, confused and a little afraid.

Mom smiled. “I’m going to ask some people if they know a vet that’s open on Sundays. You said it was abandoned, right? We need to make sure it’s healthy, and know how to take care of it.”

The girls all cheered, jumping for joy. As for me, I was… kinda dumbstruck? Was it that easy? Isabelle asked and got told no, but I asked and immediately got told yes?

It didn’t feel right.

Noelle came up to me, kitten in her arms and perhaps the brightest smile I had ever seen on her. Her green eyes sparkled like she was about to cry as she looked up at me. “Thank you, Oliver! Thank you! I promise I’ll help however I can! I promise!”

My heart skipped a beat looking at her.

That wasn’t right, either.