Breakfast time. Ling Xiaoxiao used the fresh ingredients she’d bought to make a steaming pot of curry rice. The rich aroma, mixed with the soft stickiness of the rice, slid down my throat, warming my stomach. Even the confusion in my heart, brought on by the changes in my body, seemed to ease a little.
I poked at the grains of rice in my bowl, looking at my petite body, and something seemed to occur to me. The version of myself who used to stay up late rushing out drafts, living off instant noodles, and muddling through each day—it really was time to make a change.
I took a sip of hot soup. Reflected in the surface, I saw my current face. It was no longer the one with dark circles and exhaustion, but instead, my skin was fair and delicate, with a healthy rosy glow.
My eyes were bright and clear, even my nose had a cute pink tip, and from my hair peeked sky-blue cat ears, trembling slightly with the soup’s reflection.
At that moment, an idea quietly sprouted.
Maybe I should use this as a turning point and change something!
I put down my chopsticks and poked Ling Xiaoxiao’s arm. “I want to try getting a job.”
She was in the middle of shoveling curry rice into her mouth. At my words, she nearly dropped her spoon on the table. Raising her eyebrows, she looked me up and down, then teased, “Oh? Our Yun Dashi, who only knows how to draw risqué comics, is finally going out to face the world? Planning to become a mascot or sneak out to steal some fish snacks?”
Her words almost made me choke on my soup. I smacked her in frustration. “Meow!! Be serious! I want to try a proper job.”
Seeing that I was determined, she stopped joking and reached out to rub my drooping cat ears, her voice softening. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing. What kind of job do you want? Although you’re tiny now and might not even be able to open a bottle cap, isn’t drawing your strong suit? Why not look for something in that area?”
“Of course.”
I stirred the curry in my bowl with my spoon, thinking it over briefly.
“I’ll go out and have a look later. There should be jobs like that available nowadays.”
I looked at her chubby cheeks, stuffed full like a squirrel with nuts, and suddenly tilted my head as I remembered something. “By the way, Xiaoxiao, how did you turn into a bunny-girl in the first place?”
She nearly spat out her curry rice, her ears turning beet red in a flash. She waved her hands in a panic. “Aiya, that was ages ago… I just—one day I woke up, and I was like this!”
Watching her eyes darting everywhere, refusing to meet mine, I suddenly recalled how much she used to love those beast-ear girls. Could it be that this girl~
A sly glint flashed in my eyes at the thought.
But seeing her so flustered that even the tip of her tail was shaking, I wisely didn’t press further. I just tapped the rim of my bowl with my spoon. “Alright, hurry up and eat, or the curry will get cold.”
After all, if I annoyed this violent bunny, it wouldn’t end well for me. I’d already seen how strong she was.
But looking at the two of us now, and then at the little table in the corner, I remembered how we used to have to move it to an open area just to fit both of us for meals. Now, even with the table in the corner, there was still plenty of space between us.
Change, huh… it really is something.
I sighed inwardly and went back to my meal.
After that, we didn’t say much. When we finished eating and cleaned up, Ling Xiaoxiao left, while I decided to carry out my plan to look for a job.
After some thought, I decided to try Ning Dongya’s company. After all, her Technology Group was renowned throughout the city, and for a girl who’d just turned twenty to sit firmly in the CEO’s seat—she was certainly no ordinary person.
What’s worth mentioning is that someone like me actually crossed paths with such a prodigy, though I have to admit, it was a rather ill-fated encounter.
Also, when I thought of her, I remembered that not long ago, I submitted a piece of work for publication. One of the characters was even modeled after her.
My original thought was that by using a real person as a prototype, I could slack off a bit, and the character design would be less likely to fall apart.
But I was so lazy, I didn’t even bother to change many of the names that should’ve been altered, thinking that not many people would read my work anyway.
But as soon as the story was published, people started saying the female CEO in it was just like Ning Dongya, the girl boss in real life. That, I could handle. What I didn’t expect was that the story would become a hit! And then, it even caught Ning Dongya’s own attention!
Luckily, I’d used some old lady’s ID for real-name verification on the publishing site, not my own, so it shouldn’t be easy for anyone to track me down. Besides, she wouldn’t bother to come after a nobody like me over something so trivial.
Anyway, my visit to Ning Dongya’s company this time wasn’t because of her. That story ended long ago.
It was just that, through my previous interactions with her, I’d learned that her company treats its employees pretty well. It is a major enterprise, after all.
For someone who’s been out of society for so long and doesn’t know the current job market, it was a good choice.
And now that I look like this, I don’t have to worry about Ning Dongya recognizing me and causing all sorts of problems. Plus, she doesn’t have time to keep an eye on every low-level employee.
As for the position, I figured it would be safest to start at the bottom. Something like an illustration assistant or an art intern would be perfect—not only would I get to use my drawing skills, but lack of experience wouldn’t stand out so much.
Basically, those jobs involve helping lead artists organize linework, fill in base colors, or draw some background decorations for promotional posters. Sometimes you have to scan hand-drawn sketches and organize the materials library. It may sound trivial and basic, but it offers a chance to work closely with a professional art team.
With all that in mind, I decided to go to Ning Dongya’s creative subsidiary, the one famous for its game art and animation design.
I didn’t know if they’d want me, but I thought I’d take a look first and deal with the rest as it came.
I copied my digital résumé from my computer onto my phone, then set out.
Half an hour later, I was standing in front of Star Ray Creative’s glass-walled office tower. The pale blue logo gleamed with technological flair under the sun. By the revolving door, a digital screen played promotional animations for their games—the very RPG I’d stayed up all night to finish.
Taking a deep breath, I walked inside. The receptionist, dressed in a light uniform, smiled as she handed me a visitor form. “Hello, do you have an appointment?”
My cheeks grew hot and my fingers tightened around my résumé in my phone. “Eh?! N-no appointment…”
But the receptionist didn’t look troubled. Instead, she pulled up the intern recruitment form. “Today just happens to be an open interview day. Please fill out this form and I’ll contact the HR Department.”
“R-really?”
I breathed a sigh of relief inside. Lucky me—I hadn’t been turned away at the door.
Still, this made me realize just how out of touch with society I’d become—I didn’t even know something as basic as this. Who knows if things would go smoothly from here on out?
Three minutes later, she handed me a visitor’s pass stamped “Interview in Progress.” “The elevator is to your left, press for floor 3A.”
I accepted the pass, still feeling a bit lost. 3A floor… What on earth is that?
Maybe I should just get in the elevator and see? If all else fails, I’ll ask someone. Although, it’s a bit embarrassing to have to ask about something like this…
I squeezed into the elevator just as the morning rush hit. The car was packed with employees clutching design drafts. I was pressed so tightly in the middle I could hardly breathe, my cat ears twitching uncontrollably.
“3A floor… where’s 3A floor…” I muttered to myself, scanning the button panel with my finger. The numbers went from 1 to 28, but I couldn’t find a button with letters.
“You’re blocking the buttons.” A chilly voice came from behind me, startling me into retracting my hand and apologizing, “S-sorry.”
Wait?! Why does that voice sound so familiar!
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