Wanted: Purrfect Cat Guy 73 Something Shady

He knew the scent and but he couldn't remember what it was. The mouse sh.e.l.led the seed in a flash and took a large bite without hesitation. 

"Sunflower seeds!"

Tarou brought the seed closer to his nose and sniffed before taking another large bite.

"Do you like this food?"

Tarou, who had a greedy look on his face, nodded.

"Is it delicious?"

Tarou nodded several times while sinking his teeth on the snack.

"What do you think about Serket?"

Tarou barely heard the question because he was too focused on the loud munching sounds — it was music to his ears. Tarou looked up when he heard the human's voice and blinked.

"My boss is the best!"

With two paws reaching up, the mouse pleaded with Barca by wearing his most adorable look. 

"More!" 

Tarou caught a whiff of the same yummy snack but it was gone in a second. Remembering how Barca dangled it for a long time before giving in he immediately jumped to grab it. But before he could reach it, the snack moved away.

"Foood!"

Tarou couldn't get the taste of the sunflower seeds out of his head.

The fresh taste...

It was all he could think of.

The one he just tasted was more delicious than any food he tried.

"The cat fought with Serket."

Barca's voice was gentle like usual but Tarou gave him a blank look. 

'What's wrong with this human now?'

Tarou looked at the man with pitiful eyes.

"Humaaaan..."

"Why?"

Tarou's head shifted to the right.

"I want more food!"

The small insistent squeaks echoes inside the room. 

Tarou looked up at the human in front of him. When he sensed the grain dangling in front of his nose he jumped at the chance and bit hard. He tasted something odd — like raw meat tinged with a unique taste.

Tarou felt a sudden force that propelled him backward, forcing him to almost fall off Barca's hand. With some luck, the little mouse kept his feet firmly on the human's palm. Tarou heard Barca hiss and when he looked up, he felt the man's intense gaze.

With his brain clicking in place, Tarou focused on the familiar taste on his mouth.

'Did I just...'

Tarou rubbed his eyes while trying to get a sense of the human's mood but everything appeared normal. He looked at Barca again but his blurry sight made it impossible to a.s.sess the man's mood. However, he could hear the man's even breathing and nothing else and caught a whiff of a mild coppery scent.

'Was this human calm even after getting bitten?'

Frustrated, the mouse gnawed on his paw while trying to think of an escape route. Before Tarou could decide whether to jump or wait for Barca to take his revenge, he felt a soft pat on his head. 

 Tarou looked up at the human again. And then, he caught the alluring scent of sunflower seeds right in front of his nose. 

'Where's the food? It should be close by.'

"Why was Serket fuming earlier?"

Tarou caught the strong scent of the sunflower seed. It was right in front of him!

Without thinking twice, he extended his paws to grab it only to end up empty-handed.

The snack appeared to have disappeared out of thin air. 

"Human, you are more annoying than that bird!" 

"You don't like this snack?"

Tarou sniffed and sniffed to find where the snack disappeared to. There was a faint scent which means one thing — the seeds should be close by.  

"You! That Serket is jealous of my Boss! You unreliable human, you're jealous of my food!!!"

The long drawn out squeaks did not faze Barca who smiled as he placed a few seeds close to the greedy mouse. 

"Here you go, my little friend. Serket seems to have a strong opinion about the cat."

Tarou, who finally had his hands on the snacks, was lost in his own world. The little mouse quickly peeled the seeds.

"Boss is awesome, he is the a.s.sistant of some Devin. Following that black cat was the right choice."

With a proud look on his face, Tarou started to eat the food while talking about his great foresight. Before he knew it, all the seeds were gone.

Patting his stomach, the mouse couldn't help but sniff around to see if there was more food hidden somewhere.

"Too little!"

As if remembering something important, he looked up to the human in front of him. 

This human is acting unusual. 

Tarou paused.

Why is he asking me too many questions? 

A sudden thought crumpled his small face.

Could it be?

Is he...

Is he talking to himself because no one likes him that much?

Did he go crazy?

Tarou couldn't help but look at Barca with pity, but when he caught the scent of more food coming closer towards him, he shook his head. With a smile showing off his teeth, Tarou sniffed and caught his human's familiar scent and squeaked some of his thoughts aloud. 

'This human supplies the best foods!' 

'I'll stick to him even if he's crazy!'

"Don't worry, human, I won't abandon you." 

"Then, I'll hold you to that promise."