Live Outside the Box! - A Survival Picture Book for Cats Dedicated to Children Who Fall Out of the Ordinary - | Parenting | Education | Crime Prevention | Psychology | Honest Opinions

To the lost children who have been cast out of the 'ordinary box'.

There is no time to hang your head in despair.
Come now, lift your head up.

Here, I shall leave behind an absolute record of survival, for those who would survive even if they had to drink mud.

Read this with care...

Yes, in this world, there are children who fall out of that box.
You must never forget that.
This is an observational record for survival by the absolute monarch, the cat 'Tuna'.

--I am a cat. My name is Tuna.

I am the supreme 'hermit' who reigns over this house, possessing a pure white, fluffy coat.

'The noisiness of the servants disturbs my afternoon nap.'

I am in the highest special seat on the cat tower.

It is not that I am afraid of the clamor of the world below and have taken refuge. I am always fully prepared, observing the foolishness of humans from the safest place.

Then, Mother returned from the town's hunting ground (supermarket), along with the noisy youngster, the third son.
The voice of the youngster talking to Mother in wonder shakes my ears.

'Mom, earlier at the store, there was a kid eating snacks without permission. Even though they hadn't paid for them yet...'
'I thought I had to tell that kid.'

Luna, the newcomer who was listening to this below, looks up at me and raises a young voice.

'Hey, Tuna-senpai! Luna doesn't really understand.'

If you're hungry, you eat the snack right in front of you.

Isn't that just perfectly natural and wonderful?

I stiffen my whiskers and prepare to teach her about that naive attitude.

Hmph, you don't understand anything, Luna.

In human society, there is a strict rule called 'equivalent exchange'.

No matter how delicious a snack may look, it is a strict law that you must not eat it unless you put money into the judge's box called a 'register'.

The third son was trying to follow the correct rules of the world.

Luna rests her small front paw on her chin and tilts her head even further.

But, after that, the child's mom came running over and said 'you can't do that,' and took the snack away.

This world is wrapped in a beautiful spell where everyone can gently hold hands, right?

So, that mom also ran over to pay for it properly, right?

I narrow my eyes and smile coldly.

I wonder about that, Luna.
The reason that parent said 'you can't do that' was simply because her eyes met with our mother's.

She was merely hurriedly pasting a fake mask onto her face that said, 'I am a proper parent who follows the rules.'

It is nothing but a deception called appearance, lacking any real substance.

Luna's ears droop sadly.

A mask...? Then, after she took the mask off, maybe she forgot to pay for it?

If that child doesn't know the proper rules, they'll eventually fall into a big pitfall and get hurt.

If no one will teach them the true laws, how are they supposed to walk forward from here?

That is truly, terribly pitiful..."

Just then, Mother, having finished her story, walked over to me and casually scooped up my large body.

Normally, such an act of disrespect—suddenly picking up someone as noble as me—would not be tolerated.
However, at the moment of the embrace, I let all the strength out of my body like a boneless stuffed animal and let her hold me.

I am by no means acting spoiled.
I am simply showing this human mother the vast, boundless mercy of a sage.

At that moment, perhaps due to fatigue, Mother's footing faltered slightly.

(Good grief. Her steps are truly unsteady. As I thought, if I, their absolute pillar of support, am not here to look after them, this pack cannot maintain its form.)

I casually pressed my fluffy body against Mother's neck, supporting her with my warmth, and stared straight at Luna as I spoke.

"Luna, no matter how much the world is covered in lies, you must never overlook the small sense of discomfort that dwells within your own heart.

If you think something is wrong, vibrate your throat and question the world.

Words swallowed in silence will eventually become a poison that rots you from within.

It doesn't matter who it is; by first voicing your thoughts and confronting them, the boundaries of what you 'cannot yield on' will finally become clear.

Mother is now about to praise our third son, who followed the rules and was able to put his thoughts into words, telling him how proud she is of him.

No matter how unreasonable the outside world may be, you need only believe in the righteousness of our pack first.

At that moment, from the distant serving area, the sound of the waiter (Father) opening the supreme offering (a can of tuna)—a sharp 'pop'—echoed, as if he were trying to gauge my mood.

"...Hmm!? The lecture is, um, temporarily suspended due to an emergency!"

I landed gracefully from Mother's arms.

Gone was the dignity of a sage I had held just moments ago, and now, a happy purring sound from deep in my throat would not stop.

Oh no, my great cat pride is collapsing, but I cannot stop it! My stomach is screaming toward that delicious scent!

“Servant, how dare you keep me waiting for my tribute.

Devouring the offering while it is still delicious is the absolute rule of the entire universe!

I shall inspect it personally right now! Logic and appearances do not fill one's belly. Survival is what this is all about!”

Luna could only watch in stunned silence as her senior, who had looked like a noble stuffed animal just moments before, suddenly transformed into a gluttonous one-year-old, tail held high, scurrying away.

(The End)