The Calico Cat in the Infinite Monster House

Hua Li is an orphan. Having grown accustomed to the world's cruelty from a young age, he has developed his own philosophy for survival.

Tip 1: Without parents to protect him, his relatives will pass him around like a hot potato, so he needs to learn how to please them.

Tip 2: If he loses control and accidentally gets a great score, he must apologize as soon as he gets home. He needs to learn to dodge his cousin's fists and ignore the adults' taunts.

Tip 3: When he joins a new class, the first thing he needs to do is find someone powerful to cling to. That's the only way to keep everyone from bullying him.

Life is hard, but Hua Li stays optimistic. Even if there's no one in the whole world who loves him, he'll love himself.

In Hua Li's second year of high school, an infinite horror game swept across the world, drawing everyone into it. But when he opened his eyes, he found that he'd become a... soft, calico tomcat.

He'd actually become an NPC in a monster house. His coworkers included:

The Red-Dressed Ghost: She always gets blood on her hands at work, and she's a hopelessly lovesick, dangerously possessive woman. Every day, she spends three hours video-calling her long-distance boyfriend, a ghost.

The Eldritch Mermaid: Every day, it randomly runs over N players with its tail. But it's socially anxious, and after work it only dares curl up in the water and blow bubbles. It hiccups whenever it gets nervous.

The Skeleton Knight: Tall, broad-boned, and terrifying to look at, but really a nagging, fatherly type. He's long-winded and chatty, but his coworkers are all introverted ghosts, leaving him no one to talk to.

The Mummy: It usually lies in its coffin, so Hua Li thought it was a sensible old mummy. But as soon as it woke up, it grabbed Hua Li and kissed him madly, calling him "my long-lost Bastet"...

Each monster coworker has their own odd habits. Their one thing in common is this:

After committing a daily evil, they all return to the monster house, hug Hua Li, and take a big sniff.

"Comrade, you smell so good!"

In the game, Hua Li ran into the relatives who had taken him in, the cousin who bullied him, the classmates who tormented him...

They clung to Hua Li and cried, "Darling, save me!"

Hua Li also ran into the teacher who had helped him, the desk mate who used to share half their lunch with him, and the kind older girl who had encouraged him to get into university and escape the mire...

His coworkers let out cackles of auntie-like delight. "Got it, sweetheart. You just want us to go easy on them. Promise me you'll play ball with me after work today, okay? QwQ"

.

Gradually, players discovered that a mysterious calico cat existed in this terrifying game.

The calico cat appeared at random in various instances. The many disaster-level BOSSes that inspired terror wherever they went would turn into lovestruck fools the moment they saw it.

The Red-Dressed Ghost used her blood-red hands to make cat food for the little kitty.

The sea monster cut off its own tentacles to make sashimi for the little kitty, and even brought its own wasabi.

Players: ...Uh... I don't get it. Let's keep watching.

At some point, Hua Li merchandise began appearing in the System shop.

Hua Li's iconic moments in the instances all became viral photo spots.

A top player on the game's rich list put up a huge bounty for the cat, only to be told off by the monsters who had claimed Hua Li as their own...

Players: Join the Cat Cult! Worship the Meow-Meow God!!!

Everyone built him a magnificent cat mansion of his own. Players and monsters alike came to pay their respects. "May Hua Li bless us to survive to the end."

The Meow-Meow Cult grew stronger by the day, until one day everyone saw their leader transform into a gentle, refined young man.

The young man raised a hand. His robes fluttered though there was no wind, and the healing power he wielded could calm even the most terrifying monsters.

.

The players didn't know that their Cat God had been searching for someone all along.

He was Hua Li's high school "big brother," the cold, powerful backer who had once looked out for him.

Atop the throne at the very peak of the infinite game, the monster opened its golden eyes.

Raphael, Lord of Monsters, was also searching for someone.

He had lost some of his memories from when he was human, but his subconscious told him he desperately needed to find that person.

The Lord of Monsters split into countless incarnations, infiltrating the players again and again in an attempt to find that fragile human.

But he never found him.

Until a tiny calico cat opened its eyes wide and meowed at him.

[Reader's Guide]

1. My take on a near-future setting, with more advanced technology than we have today. This will be reflected in some of the instances.

2. A doted-on-by-everyone story, but with one-to-one romance: a flashy, domineering Lord of Monsters who only loves kitty X a sweet, kind little cat.

3. The love interest has amnesia and hops between instances. The protagonist can turn into a human.

4. A sweet, adorable story, like a cyberpunk stress-relief squeeze toy.

5. I'm no good at writing horror, so although this is a horror game, there's not much of a scary atmosphere. It's a lighthearted, indulgent power fantasy.

--- Another upcoming novel in the author's column: "They All Say Cats Are the Fiercest Beasts" ---

As the two most powerful nations in the stars, diplomatic relations between the Serra Empire and the Krendal Federation are... either one of us or the other, never both.

Their frequent wars have continued for nearly a thousand years and seem set to get worse. Then, just as things stand, the egg carrying the Serra Empire's little Crown Prince suddenly begins to hatch.

The Serra Imperial family and its people: !!!

The greatest astrologer once prophesied that the egg, which had slept longer than any of his older brothers, was carrying the fiercest beast in history!

Every known member of the Serra Imperial family is a ferocious beast. Their animal forms include a silver dragon, a vermilion bird, a cobra, and a great white shark.

And the little Crown Prince is destined to be a ferocious beast who surpasses them all.

Fourteen days until the little Crown Prince hatches.

The whole Serra Empire waits with bated breath.

The Krendal Federation's alarms blare across the country: [All citizens, highest-level alert! We may face the greatest crisis since our nation's founding. Everyone must be prepared to go to the front lines!!!]

What will his animal form be? A three-headed dragon? A phoenix? A qilin? Or something even more powerful...

The little Crown Prince is born amid everyone's eager anticipation.

"Meow... mew..."

The joyous news of the Crown Prince's birth goes out, and countless fireworks and celebratory cannons light up the sky. At the same time, everyone outside the delivery room watches as a tiny, damp-furred kitten, no bigger than a hand, slowly crawls out of the "egg."

It takes only a few steps before it goes "plop" and falls over.

Everyone: "..."

The prime minister ventures to ask, "Your Majesty, could it perhaps be... a snow leopard? A white tiger?"

The emperor is silent for a long while, then calmly replies, "No. It's a cat. Meow cat. C.A.T. CAT."

Now it's the Krendal Federation's turn to set off firecrackers.

The Federation's general sends a congratulatory telegram from the front lines that same night: [Hahahaha! The Serra Empire's bound to fall into decline now. This is our perfect chance to turn the tide and unite the world!]

One month later, the balance of power has not shifted.

The Serra Imperial family sends the Federation a taunting letter: [Greetings. The little Crown Prince has learned to crawl. So adorable.]

One year later, the balance of power has not shifted.

The Serra Imperial family sends another taunt: [Happy New Year! The little Crown Prince has grown a full coat of fur. He's a very, very white and incredibly adorable little cat. [Picture] [Picture] [Picture]]

The Federation's foreign minister says, "Prime Minister, in your opinion, is this a taunt, another taunt, or..."

The prime minister crushes the porcelain cup in his hand. "This is nothing but blatant bragging!"

Since the birth of the Serra Empire's little Crown Prince, the empire has enjoyed peace and prosperity. The mental storms caused by the genetic defects inherent to beastfolk have gradually calmed, and the soldiers' combat strength has surged!

The Federation's prime minister can no longer sit still. He decides to lure the enemy in, sending his own son to the Serra Empire to investigate in person.

After spending two years "investigating" in the Serra Empire, while his anxious father waited back home, his six-year-old son finally sent him a postcard, like a Frog Travels-style postcard.

[Hello, Dad. I've decided to marry Xi'er. That's all there is to it. Get things ready and prepare the betrothal gifts. Your most filial son, Qiu Luo]

Theme: Stay kind, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in