Early in the morning, outside a run-down orphanage, Minara looked at the crumbling building. The words "Ai Shang Orphanage" on the wall were barely hanging on.
She suspected they might fall off at any moment. Taking a deep breath, she used her fingerprint to open the main gate and stepped inside the orphanage.
She was an ordinary girl from the 21st century and should have died in a plane crash. But three days ago, a system called System Y-01 dragged her into the interstellar world and told her she had to complete a mission to save the world.
At that time, she was completely confused. She was just an average college student, neither skilled in literature nor combat, and she couldn't understand how saving the world had become her responsibility.
She had thought about quitting, but System Y-01 warned her that if she refused the mission, she would die immediately. So for the sake of her life, she had no choice but to carry the burden of saving the world.
After three days to calm down, Minara finally arrived at the orphanage that System Y-01 had left for her. As soon as she entered, she saw a black cat lying lazily on a tree.
When it noticed her, it glanced at her coldly, flicked its big tail, and jumped down from the tree into the house. Such a handsome cat.
She looked at the black cat. It moved gracefully, and its fur was sleek and shiny.
It looked like it would feel very nice to pet. She looked around the courtyard and couldn't help but sigh.
The place was in terrible shape. It was hard to imagine such a rundown building still existed in the interstellar era.
There were two robots in the yard. Minara went up and knocked on them, but they didn't respond.
It was unclear whether they were broken or simply out of power. The paint on the walls was peeling badly.
The once-white walls had lost their color, and there were small holes in the corners, likely made by mischievous children. The house was still structurally sound and livable, but it was terribly shabby.
Looks like the environment of the orphanage has to be cleaned up first, Minara thought to herself. The previous director of the orphanage was an elderly man who had just passed away two days ago.
This place wasn't in a big city, and the orphanage had limited funding. If the system hadn't arranged for her to take over, it would have been shut down, and the children inside would have been moved elsewhere.
What a difficult starting point, Minara thought, half mocking herself. After walking around the yard, she arrived at the room where the young ones were.
She gently opened the door. The black cat from earlier was inside, along with two other cats — one pure white and one mixed-colored.
The black cat placed itself protectively in front of the other two and stared at Minara cautiously. Seeing the little ones huddled together, her heart softened.
The three furry creatures were cuddled up. It was just too cute.
"Don't be afraid, I'm the new director here," she said softly, not wanting to scare them. The black cat looked at her, full of distrust.
It already knew the old director had died and that the orphanage would be closed. They would be sent elsewhere.
It thought this person was a liar. With that thought, its gaze turned fierce.
But to Minara, that fierce look just made the black cat look even more handsome. Its black pupils narrowed into vertical slits, dangerous but strangely charming.
Such a cool cat. She screamed inwardly.
As a lover of animals and all things fluffy, she could hardly stop herself from reaching out. But she knew now wasn't the time to act recklessly.
Lowering her voice further, Minara opened the holographic brain device given to her by the system and pulled up a document. "Look, this is the transfer document for the orphanage. I'm the old director's granddaughter. He was worried about you all, so he specially handed you over to me."
The black cat looked at the file. Everything was clearly written, stating that the old director had given the orphanage to this person.
There was even a seal on it. In the interstellar world, government seals couldn't be faked, so the black cat quickly believed her.
Its sharp pupils slowly turned round again, and it resumed its lazy posture. It reached out a paw to pat the other two cats on their heads, lay down beside them, and occasionally licked their fur.
It didn't really matter where they went. After all, they were children no one wanted.
The black cat thought sadly, its shiny fur seeming a little duller. Once the two other cats let down their guard, they curiously looked at her.
They stared at her long hair, and their paws itched to reach out. Sensing that the black cat was still feeling down, Minara slowly tried to get closer.
As soon as she did, the black cat shifted its body and moved away. Seeing that it was still wary, she didn't go any nearer.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you. From now on, I'm your family," she said, patting her chest.
The black cat looked at her smiling face, which had a small dimple on the cheek. She looked warm and kind.
Family? Even the old director had never said that.
Under his care, the black cat had long known it was abandoned and alone. No one had ever called themselves his family before.
It must be fake. The black cat closed its eyes and pretended to sleep.
The other two were much younger than the black cat and didn't think too deeply. They just looked at Minara with wide eyes.
When her hair swayed as she bent down, they couldn't help but reach out and paw at it. Minara giggled and gently held their little pink paws.
"Cuties, I'll take care of you." The two cats looked at her with innocent eyes.
Her gentle expression made them feel warm inside. They tilted their heads, eyes wide and sparkling, and let out soft meows.
"Meow, meow, meow."
The young lady is so pretty.
So cute. Minara held her nose, looking like she was about to bleed from the cuteness.
Under her coaxing, the two kittens quickly warmed up to her and started treating her like a human cat tree, climbing all over her. Minara played with them, smiling like a doting aunt.
She looked over at the one lying on the windowsill with black eyes. Sooner or later, she was going to hug that one too.
She had just learned from the kittens that the cool black cat was called Trevor. Trevor really suited him.
"Meow, we're hungry," the two kittens meowed at her.
"I'll see what I can find to eat." Minara patted their heads and walked to the kitchen to check for food.
After rummaging for a while, she finally found a little bit of food made for young ones. Looking at how little it was, she sighed.
She needed to figure out how to make money soon, or they wouldn't even have money for food. Once it was heated up, she brought the food out.
Just smelling it made her turn her head in pain. What even was this?
Was it edible? After hesitating, Minara still brought it over.
They would have to make do with this meal. She would cook lunch herself.
When she opened the door to the young ones' room, the smell spread. The two kittens immediately scrunched up their faces and buried them into Trevor's chest.
His long wings quickly covered the kittens' heads. Trevor smelled it too, but his face didn't change.
He was clearly used to it. "Just make do for now. I'll make you something better for lunch," Minara said, putting the plate on the table.
"Meow, this is a nutrient meal. It's good for your body and can help awaken powers," Trevor said.
These nutrient meals were rare for them and not something they often got to eat. He nudged the two kittens toward the plate.
"Meow, hurry and eat," Trevor urged them. He sat behind them, tail slowly swaying.
The two kittens wrinkled their little faces as they nibbled bit by bit. Every bite made them sneeze, but they kept eating anyway.
They looked pitiful. "Aren't you going to eat?" Minara asked when she saw Trevor wasn't eating.
His slowly swaying tail paused, and a trace of sadness flickered in his eyes. "Meow, it's no use for me. I won't awaken powers. Let the younger ones eat instead."
Seeing how down he looked, Minara didn't know how to comfort him. Even though she'd just met this kitten, she already noticed how mature and caring he was.
He wasn't even ten yet. "Even without powers, you're still amazing," she finally said awkwardly.
"You're doing a great job taking care of your little siblings. You're a very dependable big brother." Trevor looked away, slightly embarrassed.
He didn't think he was that great. He had known for a long time that someone like him, without powers and with poor health, might never even transform into human form.
He was likely destined to live at the bottom of society. Eventually, the two kittens really couldn't eat anymore.
They rubbed up against Trevor and meowed sweetly. "Meow, big brother, I can't eat anymore. My tummy's round."
"Meow, big brother, we can't finish the rest. Meow~" Looking at the two who were trying so hard to act cute, Trevor sighed.
The food really didn't taste good. The younger ones often couldn't finish it.
But they had eaten a lot today. He lowered his head and cleaned up the rest, licking the plate spotless.
Minara watched, feeling a bit heartbroken. Back in her room, Minara took out the records of the three kittens and read them carefully.
All three had been abandoned due to health problems. Trevor had the worst condition and might never be able to take human form.
She put down the documents and rubbed her forehead. She didn't believe she couldn't find a way to improve their bodies.
"Host, friendly reminder, Trevor is one of the future villains," said the long-silent voice of System Y-01.
Huh? Hearing the reminder, Minara didn't believe it at all.
"No way. Trevor is so well-behaved and understanding." "I can only tell you that much. The rest is up to your effort," said System Y-01.
With Trevor's current personality, there was no way he could be a villain. That meant something must happen later to change him.
As long as she kept an eye on him, it should be fine. After thinking, Minara quickly figured out some possible reasons.
Feeling a bit more at ease, she applied for government aid through the light-brain system. Seeing the generous amount of money, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, the government support could help them get by for now. She needed to find a way to earn money quickly.