Sure enough, he still cares about me.

"Eat this. Don't die in front of me, or all the effort I made to save you will be wasted," Maine said slowly, tossing a cat treat in front of me.

I tried to tear open the cat treat with all my might but failed miserably.

"Geigei, open it, I'm hungry," I said, batting my big blue eyes at Maine and pouting.

Maine paused for a moment, then pressed the treat under his paw. With a quick bite and a head shake, the treat was easily torn open. "Eat properly, speak properly, and stop grossing me out."

"Okay, bro," I said, finally tasting the long-missed treat, and happiness bubbled up inside me.

So happy, so content.

I kind of wanted to crawl up on Maine’s lap.

After finishing, I looked up, and Maine was gone.

Oh, I was alone again.

I returned to my spot.

I climbed onto the bed I had made myself over the past few days, which was surprisingly warm.

Hmm, I think I just sat on something.

I got up and looked—it was a small pile of cat food, the brand I love.

I sniffed it. There was Maine's scent mixed in with it.

Did Maine leave this here because he was worried I’d be hungry?

That stubborn softie. I knew no one could resist my charm.

Happily, I wagged my tail and fell asleep contentedly.

The next morning, I woke up to find a few more cat treats, all already opened, just like the ones Maine had given me yesterday.

But where was he?

For the next several mornings, I woke up to find food beside me—sometimes a small pile of cat food, other times opened treats, and once, half a can of cat food.

I even thought about pretending to be asleep to catch Maine off guard when he came in.

But I underestimated my own ability to sleep; I was always out cold.

Why did he keep secretly leaving me food?

I was being bullied again. Those nasty cats, seeing that Maine hadn't appeared for days, decided to turn their attention to me.

They stole my treats and even pulled out some of my precious fur.

I tried to fight back, but I ended up with more scratches and bloodstains.

Maine, where are you? I cried silently in my heart.

Maybe he heard my call, because, suddenly, he was there.

He saved me again.

I wanted to repay him for saving my life.

My owner always said, "A small favor deserves a great reward."

I'm a cat who understands gratitude.

But he turned me down again.

This time, I got smart. I secretly followed him and found his address.

If I came every day, he would eventually be moved by me.

The first day, he didn't even glance at me.

The second day, he only gave me a side-eye before going to sunbathe.

The third day, he didn't even leave his house.

...

I don't know if it was my sincere attitude that moved the heavens, but I was sure that I had at least touched Maine’s owner.

She was a beautiful young lady, about the same age as my owner. She exuded a kind and gentle aura, and I liked her immediately.

She gently petted my fur. "Little Ragdoll, you've been outside my door for so many days. Do you like my house?"

I purred contentedly as she stroked me, "Of course! I came to repay my life-saving favor."

To her ears, my words turned into "Meow meow, meow meow~."

"Then come home with me," she said, totally smitten by my cuteness. She picked me up and took me to the vet for a check-up.

After a bath, my wounds were treated, and I received some care.

I savored the same treatment I would have gotten from my owner, and my heart ached with longing. I missed them so much.

I returned to being the graceful, beautiful blue-eyed ragdoll cat I was before.

The young lady held me close, and I absorbed the warmth she radiated.

It felt so nice; I had a home again.

But, I couldn't help but wonder... how was my owner doing now?

Would they be worried when they came back and saw I was gone?

Would they be concerned about how I was faring?

I wanted to tell them that I was doing well, that I had met a handsome Maine Coon brother and his loving owner, the Maine Coon’s mom, who had adopted me.

Those worries gradually faded away under the young lady's tender caresses.

Even though I had been adopted, every day I made sure to visit my old home to check if my owner had returned safely.

I finally understood why my Maine Coon brother didn’t want me to come to his house.

That husky was always bullying me!

He would grab me and toss me around, and he loved pressing his heavy paws on my head.

Because of this, the young lady often punished him.

But he never learned his lesson, that naughty dog who wouldn’t listen to his owner!

Sometimes, when the husky bullied me, I would get so mad that I’d start meowing loudly.

That’s when my Maine Coon brother would rush to my side, standing in front of me like a protective wall, growling at the husky with a low rumble.

He would protect me while also acting like he was disgusted by me. It was so confusing!

The young lady had placed my bed and Maine Coon’s bed side by side, and I was very happy about it.

Sleeping next to him felt incredibly safe.

At night, the naughty dog would sneak out to drink water and quietly approach me.

I heard the sound and opened my eyes to find a pair of sharp, light blue eyes staring at me, full of interest.

I was startled and let out a loud meow.

My Maine Coon brother woke up immediately, standing in front of my bed, staring at the husky like he was preparing for a battle.

The husky and Maine Coon stared at each other for a while. When the husky realized he wasn’t going to be allowed to stay, he huffed and walked away.

“You’re such a scaredy-cat, look at you, making us felines look bad,” Maine Coon said, giving me a disdainful look.

I let out a soft huff, curled myself up, and comforted myself.

Maine Coon must’ve noticed that I was really scared, because he stopped teasing me and quietly lay down in front of my bed.

“Aren’t you going back to your bed?” I asked softly.

“Little kitten, you sleep, and don’t mind me,” Maine Coon seemed uninterested, turning his head away and falling asleep.

Looking at the Maine Coon sleeping on the floor, my heart felt warm, and I was also a little shy. It was my first time sleeping so close to a male cat.

Maine Coon seemed to have figured something out.

He started to nuzzle his face against mine, and sometimes, when I acted cute, he would even lick my ear.

The wet sensation was so shy, and yet I liked it so much.

Every day, he would secretly leave some of his cat food cans for me, sometimes with a little proud smirk, saying, “I don’t really like this, little kitten, you can have it.”

I thought he liked me.

Owner's mom told me that Maine Coon was in heat, which meant he was interested in little female cats.

If liking the opposite sex meant he was in heat, then I was too.

I wanted to be the little female cat that Maine Coon liked.

I started not wanting him to go out in the sun, not wanting him to go for walks. If he did go out, I would always follow him.

I wanted him to only have eyes for me, his little female cat.

But, life doesn’t always go as planned.

That day, I ate something that upset my stomach and went to the hospital with owner’s mom, so I didn’t go out with my Maine Coon brother.