It was already late at night by the time the two of them returned to the mansion.
Sherry returned to her bedroom with a look of exhaustion. The moment she opened the door, a maid standing inside bowed respectfully to her.
“Welcome back, Lady Sherry.”
“Mm, I’m back.”
Sherry handed the oil-paper bag in her hand to the maid. “Take this back for that child. She probably likes this kind of candy, right?”
“This is…”
The maid’s eyes filled with shock. She slowly took the paper bag and whispered, “Thank you…”
“Since you are willing to be used by me, I will give you something in return. It is only right.”
Sherry opened her arms, and the maid immediately understood, stepped forward, and began helping her change.
“Did you get the item?”
“Mm…” The maid bit her lip softly, as if she had something difficult to say, but Sherry did not notice.
Once she finished changing and washing up, the maid bowed to Sherry once more. “Goodnight, Young Miss.”
“Yes. You should hurry back and take care of her, too, Cybil.”
The room fell into complete silence. Sherry was in no hurry to lie down and rest; instead, she sat at the head of the bed, hugging a teddy bear. She curled her body up, her mind in a state of turmoil.
For some reason, her head was currently filled with thoughts of Anis.
‘I hate this feeling of being unable to see through, grasp, or understand someone! It’s like I have no control!’
Furthermore, there was now a new variable by Anis’s side — that cat!
In her last life, that cat had died at Anis’s hands, but in this life, Anis said she wanted to raise it!
‘Why has the timeline regarding her started changing so quickly in this life?’
Sherry desperately wanted to peel away the fog surrounding the girl, reach directly into her heart, and explore the mysteries she held.
Sherry tightened her grip on herself, her arms pulling closer as she murmured a vow to herself. “Anis, just wait. I will definitely see right through you.”
—
On the other side, Anis had returned to her own bedroom. She lit the fluorescent lamp on the desk, turning the pitch-black room into a dim grey.
She set the cat on the floor, petted its wonderfully soft head a few times, and spoke to it softly. “Go on and explore the room. Pick a spot you like for a nest.”
She stood up and walked to the wardrobe, placed her witch’s hat on a nearby rack, took off her long robe, and began to change.
As her hands moved toward the dark clasps on her back, Anis felt the temperature of her cheeks beginning to rise.
“Calm down, it’s not the first time. Whew…”
Even though she had been a girl for one week already, her heart still raced and her face still flushed whenever she took off her underwear.
Bending her body at a forty-five degree angle, she used the index fingers and thumbs of both hands to press inward. The moment the clasp released, the sense of looseness at her chest made her breathing much smoother. Those naughty white rabbits seemed as if they couldn’t wait to jump out!
Next, Anis hooked her thumbs through the straps and pulled down, gently and easily.
“Meow~”
Just as Anis finished folding her underwear to put it away, she felt a furry, tail-like sensation against her calf, accompanied by a high-pitched, cutesy meow.
“Big sister hasn’t finished changing yet. No being naughty.”
Anis took a step back, using her body language to reject the behavior.
However, the kitten used its four short legs to hop forward a few more steps, and its two front paws even began to climb up her!
“Meow — “
The cat’s “anti-air siren” meow was exceptionally loud. That cloying, spoiled tone made Anis’s entire body go soft, sending her heart soaring.
“Fine, fine, you win.”
Anis completely surrendered to the meowing that made her chest tingle. She picked up the clingy little kitten and held it against her chest, gently rubbing the top of its head.
“Ugh… you little pervert cat, what are you doing?”
But the kitten didn’t lie still; instead, it poked its little head around, sniffing all over her as if it were recording her scent.
“All right, down you go. I’ll hold you once I’m dressed!”
Anis hurriedly set the cat down. She was truly afraid the cat would push its luck and do something more.
While she put on her long dress, the cat continued to circle her feet, meowing and chirping. The instant she was dressed, Anis quickly picked it up. “There, there, come here.”
This was the second time Anis picked up the little pervert cat, but she didn’t hold it against herself. Instead, she held it up like a piece of cargo, scanning the cat’s entire body.
“You little pervert cat, you’re a female, too.”
Anis pulled it close again, burying her head into the top of its fur and taking a deep breath.
However, that single sniff nearly sent Anis to the afterlife. Years of living on the streets meant the cat didn’t smell very good at all.
Anis’s brow furrowed. “Ugh, you need a bath.”
“Meow!”
The kitten looked completely resistant. The natural law of felines hating water still applied in this different world.
“Don’t be afraid. You can get clean without water.”
Anis pulled out her wand, aimed it at the cat’s head, and softly recited an incantation. “CLEANING MAGIC, ACTIVATE.”
A vibrant emerald green light enveloped the cat’s body. While it cleared away the filth, it also inspected the creature’s physical condition.
Anis wanted to confirm what kind of Magic Crystal Ore the cat had accidentally consumed and whether it would harm its body.
According to the knowledge from her previous life, many of the Magic Crystal Ore veins in the Far North were radioactive and harmful to the body.
If ingested, it would not only harm the host but also cause destruction to the surrounding environment!
Although Anis really didn’t want to, if the cat had consumed radioactive Magic Crystal Ore, she would have to “harmlessly dispose” of it with tears in her eyes.
The Goddess of Fate was on her side. Although there was magic from the Magic Crystal Ore flowing inside the kitten, it was not the radioactive kind.
Not only was it harmless, but it also provided a buff to the host, which was the reason it had grown larger than a tiger.
All Anis was doing was suppressing the speed of that magical flow.
“There, all clean.”
She set the cat down, and after reciting a series of incantations, she pointed her wand at it once more. “GROW BIG FAST.”
The cat expanded rapidly like an inflating balloon. Very quickly, it turned into a giant feline monster that was half a person high and one person long.
Its soft fur became hard and glossy, draped over its back like countless steel needles.
Once Anis confirmed everything was correct, she applied the suppression magic again. The cute, soft little kitten was soon back in her arms.
“It looks like there’s no problem. Please look after me from now on, my good partner.”
“Meow~”
The cat affectionately rubbed its head against Anis’s chin a few times.
In the future Monster Subjugation missions, this cat would become her assistant. Her safety now had a solid, reliable layer of protection.
With the addition of a new partner to fight alongside her, a more important matter naturally rose for Anis to consider.