Anis asked tentatively, “Xiaomi, can you turn into a cat-girl?”
There were indeed cat-girls in this world, known scientifically as the Sub-cat tribe. They mainly gathered in the southern lands, a distance of 108,000 miles away from this northernmost territory.
When checking Xiaomi’s body earlier, Anis was certain that Xiaomi was just an ordinary cat.
After eliminating many incorrect options, the answer quickly surfaced in Anis’s mind.
‘Magic crystal ore?’
“Meow.”
The little cat-girl licked her paw — no, it should be the back of her hand.
“When I was wandering in the northern mining area, I fell into a mineral vein because I dug too deep.”
“I was so hungry that I tried the ore in that vein. It tasted terrible…”
At this point, Xiaomi stuck out her tongue, her features scrunched together.
“After eating one piece of ore, I felt my body grow much bigger and stronger. I wasn’t even afraid of the howling blizzards anymore.”
“With the help of the magic crystal ore, I walked south for a long time. But my physical strength also caused my hunger to increase exponentially. I started looking for food everywhere until I came to a wheat field…”
Anis understood what happened next.
Xiaomi took a bite, and after getting a taste of the freshness, she polished off the entire winter supply that the commoners relied on.
*Bonk!*
“Meow! That hurts — “
Anis raised her hand and delivered a merciless hand-chop to Xiaomi’s little head.
Mistakes had to be punished. She couldn’t let it slide just because the cat-girl knew how to act cute and meow.
“Do you have any idea how many people in this territory are going to struggle this winter because of one cat?”
“Ugh, I was wrong, meow. But it already happened. What should I do, Master…”
A few tears squeezed out of Xiaomi’s cat-like eyes as she stole glances at Anis.
This detail naturally didn’t escape Anis’s eyes. She could only secretly complain in her heart, ‘What a scheming little vixen of a cat.’
“Don’t worry. I’m your master, so I’ll settle this for you.”
“That’s great!”
The cat-girl Xiaomi switched from sadness to joy in just one second. She lunged forward to snuggle tightly against Anis!
“Guh…”
Anis froze in place from the sudden attack.
Don’t forget, this little cat-girl wasn’t wearing any clothes!
The distance between the girl and the cat-girl was only the thin nightgown Anis wore. She could clearly feel the warm body temperature and a violent heartbeat that she couldn’t identify!
An itchy, licking sensation spread from her cheek to her entire body. A fluffy tail moved nimbly up and down her waist, combined with the firm friction from those two cherry blossoms that didn’t belong to her…
Under the multi-layered assault, a strong sense of discomfort rushed into Anis’s mind, making her head spin from a lack of oxygen.
“Let go of me quickly… I can’t breathe…”
As she spoke, the burden on her body vanished.
With her legs feeling weak, Anis slumped to the floor, panting heavily. Now she could be certain that the source of the violent heartbeat was herself.
‘Is this what it feels like to be so close to another girl? Why is it different from the descriptions in books?’
It felt uncomfortable.
But…
Did it also feel a little good?
On the other hand, the cat-girl Xiaomi acted as if nothing had happened. She crouched on the ground with her smooth legs pressed together, asking with concern, “Master, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just stay in that position. Also, wrap your arms around yourself tightly.”
“Meow.”
In Anis’s eyes, the cat-girl Xiaomi, who did as she was told, finally covered herself up. Anis originally wanted to give her the nightgown she was wearing, but when she touched her own chest, she decided against it.
She only had this one layer of cloth covering her body, too.
Anis had a very specific habit when sleeping in her previous life, and she had carried it over to this life as well.
To hide her embarrassment, Anis changed the subject. “That magic crystal ore you accidentally ate… can you tell me more about it?”
She remembered that there were no records of such magic crystal ore in the original book. Had the world line changed again, aside from Sherry?
“Um… I remember that the ore emitted an emerald green light. The entire mineral vein radiated a very powerful and inaccessible mana. I only ate a tiny bit from the very edge, and my body became like this.”
“Do you remember the specific location of the vein?”
“I don’t. However, when I ran out of the vein, the sky was covered in a green aurora.”
Hearing “aurora,” Anis furrowed her brows in thought. According to the setting in the book, the aurora appeared at the North Pole. Could it be…
She remembered now.
Although the book didn’t introduce this kind of ore, it was detailed in the setting guide derived from that book!
If her deduction was correct, that ore contained extremely powerful mana. It could be used to develop entirely new magic and make her stronger!
That way, she would have a trump card to contend with Sherry!
“This is wonderful! Xiaomi, you’ve been a huge help!” Anis was very excited.
“Meow~ Master, can I have a little reward then?”
“No problem!” The excited Anis agreed readily.
“Yay! Actually, I want to eat another bite of that magic crystal — “
Before Xiaomi could finish, her image began to blur and dissipate like a signal experiencing interference.
Anis felt her body becoming light and floating upward. Something was forcibly interfering. Even though she reached out to grab Xiaomi, it was useless.
—
“Wake up, Anis!”
Sherry’s voice forced its way in. Following a sensation of being patted, Anis opened her eyes.
The first thing that caught her eye was a fast-asleep tabby cat. Its forehead was pressed against hers, and its white whiskers were twitching slightly.
Looking past the cat, Sherry’s beautiful face was smiling at her. But when Anis saw the object hanging around Sherry’s neck, her groggy state vanished instantly!
“Meow!”
Anis grabbed the cat and held it in front of her as a shield. This action naturally woke the sleeping kitten. Still grumpy from being woken up, the cat let out a literal air-raid siren of a sound when it saw who was in front of it.
“Wooo-meow — “
Looking at the ruby necklace hanging from Sherry’s neck, Anis’s vigilance reached its peak. On the surface, she used holding the cat as cover, but in reality, she quietly gripped her wand in her hand.
Was she planning to blow them both up?
Anis’s gaze was as cold as an ice cellar. “What are you doing here?”
“Don’t be like that. Did Sister Anis forget the promise she made to Little Sister Sherry tonight? Everything is already prepared.”
Sherry’s answer made Anis feel like she had thrown a heavy punch at a marshmallow. It was then that she remembered she was supposed to have dinner with Sherry tonight.
“I understand. Go out first. I’ll head over after I change my clothes.”
Anis issued an ultimatum without any attempt to hide it. Sherry obediently complied.
However, as she left, a “just as I thought” smile spread across the corners of her mouth.