Work Text:
“Hey, lioness… Aren’t those things supposed to bring bad luck?” Senku asked, staring in disbelief at his classmate as they walked toward her house.
“Ha! Of course not. I never thought you’d be superstitious, Senku,” she scoffed, gently stroking the little kitten’s head with excessive care. “And I’m not a lioness!”
“Of course I’m not superstitious, but the gift you were planning to give your sister was supposed to wish her good luck for her literature contest, and… it just seems kind of contradictory to give her a black cat, considering all the absurdly superstitious myths surrounding them”, he said. He never looked up from his phone, still running calculations for his rocket, and somehow managing not to crash into a pole or trip as they walked.
“And why not? Ruri-nee loves animals, and her old cat ran away last week. I wanted to cheer her up and wish her luck with a new kitten, and this one was the most affectionate and sweetest. You shouldn’t judge him by his color,” she argued with her usual stubbornness, hugging the feline tightly to her chest.
The cat had been purring loudly under her affection, and when she squeezed him closer, the sound grew so strong that even Senku could hear it clearly.
The scientist finally looked up and glanced at the kitten, happily nestled against the blonde’s chest. That damn lucky cat…
He frowned and put his phone away, resting his hands on his hips as he looked at his athletic friend.
“I’m just saying anyone could think you’re playing some kind of joke on her. Superstitions are ridiculous and have zero scientific basis, but they’re deeply rooted in pop culture.”
“You think she won’t like my gift?” Kohaku looked worried for a moment, then relaxed. “Eh, whatever. If she doesn’t like it, I’ll get her something else and I’ll keep this little baby. He’s adorable!” she laughed, hugging the kitten tighter as its purring intensified.
Senku looked at the animal with obvious disgust (and maybe a bit of envy), wondering at what point in the millions of years of human evolution the cat-worshipping gene had taken root in the brains of certain unusual yet surprisingly common members of the human species.
How the hell was obsessing over cats supposed to help humans survive as a species? They even seemed to attract women more than men on average—and vice versa, since they also preferred women—making them a complete threat to reproduction.
The number of women who adored those pointy-eared creatures was ridiculous, and plenty of men couldn’t stop wondering what trick those selfish, gluttonous beasts used to be so adored, overfed, and endlessly pampered by women.
Senku had a solid hypothesis. A very scientific one. Well-founded, too.
He was absolutely convinced it had to be some kind of evil conspiracy! Those things were plotting against the human race by stealing their women! And now they were even taking over the girl he liked!
Damn his shitty luck. Those beasts, also known as black cats, really did bring bad luck—at least for men. Or, more specifically, for him.
This was what he got for trying to make Kohaku see reason and act logically for once in her life.
Logic simply didn’t work with that stubborn lioness. Maybe he should try an illogical approach and accuse her of loving the damn cat because it was her distant feline relative? No. Terrible idea. With his luck, she’d definitely kill him with one punch.
All he could do now was hope Ruri was just as illogical as her sister and would love the black cat as a good-luck charm… or at least that she’d keep the damn thing far, far away from Kohaku.
There was absolutely no way Senku was willing to accept having a stupid cat as his rival.
The End.