Cat's Rule the world.... since when?!

The Collar Conundrum

Alright, so maybe winning that fight was a little satisfying. 

But this whole "pet" situation? 

Yeah, that's still not happening.

After Bakugo finally gave up on forcing a check-up, he led me through the gigantic mansion. Seriously, this place was like a maze—tall ceilings, fancy chandeliers, and enough hallways to get lost in at least three times.

"Here," Bakugo grumbled, stopping at a large door. "This is your room for now. There's a bath inside. Get cleaned up. Clothes'll be brought to you soon."

I nodded, glancing at the door. "Thanks, I guess."

Bakugo huffed, clearly still irritated about the fight. "Just don't get any stupid ideas, Deku. You're still in my world, and we do things differently here. You might've held your own, but you're still human. Don't forget that."

Yeah, like I could forget.

"Got it, Kacchan," I said with a sigh, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The room was—well, it was huge. Big enough to fit three of my bedrooms back home. There was a massive bed with fluffy-looking pillows, a fancy dresser, and even a window with curtains that probably cost more than my entire apartment. But what caught my attention was the adjoining door, which I assumed led to the bathroom.

Finally, a bath. I need to scrub this day off me.

I closed the door behind me and made a beeline for the bathroom. The tub was already filled with warm, steaming water—someone must've prepared it beforehand. The scent of lavender hit me, calming my nerves a bit.

I peeled off my bloodied, dirt-covered clothes and stepped into the tub, sinking into the water with a sigh. For a moment, all the craziness of the day faded away. The car, the cat, the chase, the fight with Bakugo—it all melted into the background.

Okay, maybe this isn't so bad. A hot bath after everything? I'll take it.

As I leaned back, closing my eyes, my mind wandered back to the fight with Bakugo. I'd managed to dodge and block every one of his attacks, which still felt surreal. Sure, I'd trained hard to get into UA, but Bakugo was always leagues ahead of me. And now, here I was, keeping up with him in a world where I wasn't supposed to stand a chance.

Maybe I've gotten stronger than I thought...I did train with All Might after all. Or maybe... things just work differently here.

After a while, I finished scrubbing myself clean and got out of the tub, drying off with one of the fluffy towels. I still felt the weight of everything hanging over me, but at least I didn't smell like blood and dirt anymore.

Now, clothes...

I stepped back into the bedroom, feeling a bit more refreshed—until I saw what was waiting for me on the bed.

Clothes had been laid out neatly—a simple shirt, some pants, a jacket. Normal enough. But next to them, sitting right in the middle of the bed like some twisted joke, was a collar.

A collar.

Are you serious?

I walked over to the bed, staring at the thing like it was going to bite me. It was sleek, black leather with a small metal tag hanging from it, the kind you'd see on a cat's collar. The tag had one word engraved on it: Deku.

What in the world...?

I picked it up, holding it between my fingers like it was radioactive. The leather was soft, and the tag jingled a bit as it swayed. I could almost feel my blood pressure rising.

"They've got to be kidding," I muttered, my grip tightening on the collar. "This is a joke, right? A sick, twisted joke?"

But no, it wasn't. The collar was real. And it was for me.

A pet collar. 

For a human.

I dropped the collar back onto the bed, like it burned my hand. My mind was racing. The whole "pet" thing had been bothering me since I got here, but this? This made it all too real.

I wasn't just some stray they'd found on the street. I wasn't even a person in their eyes. I was a pet. And they expected me to wear a collar, like I belonged to someone.

No way. 

Not happening. 

Absolutely not.

I paced around the room, running my hands through my still-damp hair. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel that familiar frustration bubbling up again.

"How can they expect me to wear this?" I muttered to myself. "I'm not a pet. I'm not—"

But then I stopped, a cold realization creeping in. In this world, I was a pet. That's what humans were here—pets, property, something to be owned and taken care of. It didn't matter how hard I'd trained, how strong I was, or how fast I could move. None of that mattered here.

No. 

I refuse to accept this.

I wasn't going to let them collar me like some animal. I wasn't going to be treated like a pet, no matter what world I was in. I'd worked too hard, trained too long to let that happen.

UA wasn't some fluke. 

I'm stronger than this.

But as I stood there, staring down at the collar, doubt started creeping in. Could I really fight this? Could I really stand up to a whole world where humans were treated like pets? And what about Bakugo? He was part of this world now. A leader, even. How was I supposed to fight back against him?

I picked up the collar again, turning it over in my hands. The tag jingled softly, mocking me.

"No," I said out loud, dropping the collar back onto the bed. "I'm not wearing that. I'm not a pet."

I don't care what they say. I'm not giving in that easily.

But deep down, I knew this fight was far from over. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was in way over my head.