《Boosted Restart – A new chance in a different world》 Chapter 1 – A new chance Chapter 1 ¨C A new chance A lone girl was walking through the bustling streets of a city during the evening hours while letting out a sigh every now and then. "Come on, get a grip already, Sophia¡­" She was muttering to herself in a low voice. "All on my own even though I''m still more than young enough¡­ 23 isn''t old at all, and I should have no problems whatsoever with finding a partner¡­ I take good care of myself, as well, and love doing sport. It''s a weird thing to say to yourself, but I do think my looks are pretty good." While talking to herself, the girl stopped in front of a shop and nced at her reflection in its big window that faced the street to lure in customers. Sophia was just shy of being 165cm tall, had a sporty bodyline with long legs and the tiniest bit of tan. Even so, she still had decent curves in the area that were important for her, namely a more than sizeable enough chest for her body type and a slim waistline. Her honey-colored, blonde hair went well past her shoulder des and had a natural wavy look to them. The girl''s eyes had a greenish turquoise hue, and together with her longshes, they were a real eye-catcher. The rest of her face, including the spotless skin and the light-red lips, helped with that, too. Besides that, Sophia was wearing a short-sleeved white t-shirt together with a pair of denim jeans and ck sneakers. "Haa¡­" Another sigh escaped her lips as she continued to walk. "Well, I am into girls¡­ and if you''re one yourself, that doesn''t boost your chances to find a partner. Okay, no, that''s more of an excuse¡­ Others can ovee this hurdle just fine, but¡­ They can interact with girls in the first ce¡­ Me being a shy introvert that can''t speak with them, yeah, that''s a problem." "Talking to men is easier, at least if it''s not too long of a conversation, but that doesn''t help me¡­ Wouldn''t it be nice if I were into boys instead? Well, I doubt I would be able to ask one out, either, but¡­ I noticed every now and then that some of them seemed to be interested in me in the past, so¡­ Maybe it could have actually worked out? Okay, I really don''t want to, actually, but still." Looking around, Sophiaid her eyes on a random boy in the crowd around her and checked him out. "He is kinda good-looking, isn''t he¡­? Probably? I think so¡­? Aesthetically speaking, sure¡­ I guess? Maybe? Yeah¡­ yeah?" She actually had no idea what she was talking about, and it was apparent that there were no feelings involved in her assessment. "Well, one is way too less of a sample size, isn''t it?" Saying so, she checked out a couple of more guys, but the result was, at best, the exact same. "Well, that worked out as expected¡­" While rolling her eyes, she continued to scan her surroundings, and Sophia''s eyes eventually fell on an exceptionally attractive girl. She was a bit taller than Sophia and had long, tinum-blonde hair that almost seemed to be white. The girl was also wearing a pure-white summer dress that worked weirdly well with her simrly colored hair and perfectly entuated her figure. The dress went together with a dark-red handbag that added a bit of contrast and a ssh of color to the girl. Sophia couldn''t bring herself to look away. She immediately felt her pulse increasing ever so slightly, coupled with a somewhat warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest. "Of course, someone totally my type shows up now¡­ Yeah, it''s definitely never happening. Girls are the only option for me." "Great, now I hate myself for even thinking about trying to be with a man¡­" pping her cheeks once, she continued to walk around without a goal, only trying to clear her head. This, unfortunately, only made it worse, though. Sophia soon became aware that she had left the bustling shopping street and ended up in a park. A park that was mainly filled with couples taking an evening walk together while demonstratively holding hands with each other. "Perfect¡­" Sighing yet again, her mood just kept worsening. "How much I would give to get over my shyness¡­ I really hate being alone but at this point¡­ I don''t think I''m able to change myself anymore. It''s too deeply rooted in my brain by now. After all, I''ve been like that ever since, well¡­ puberty hit. Once I noticed that my interest in some of my female friends and ssmates in school was¡­ was simr to, or the same as their growing interest in boys¡­ It made me distance myself from them because I thought I was weird, and that''s something wrong with me¡­It all only went further downhill from there on¡­ to the point of not even being able to talk to girls at all. I''ve really made such a stupid mistake!" "I want to travel back in time and p my old self! There was absolutely no need to distance myself from my female friends! They didn''t distance themselves from the boys, either! If anything, they tried to get even closer to the ones they were attracted to, instead! That''s basically the same for me, save for some minor details. It''s not like I''m automatically into every girl I meet or get close with! I could''ve had friends normally, just like everyone else had! Even the female friends I had back then. Only one or two of them seemed to be getting interesting¡­ Now, though¡­ Yeah, the damage''s already done, and I have no idea how I would be able to get out of the pit I threw myself into!" "Grahh!" Out of the blue, Sophia started yelling loud enough for everyone around her to hear. "I want a restart and get rid of the mistakes that scarred me!" She didn''t care about the onlookers. "I want to go to a ce where no one knows about me and have a fresh do-over without any baggage! Well, it''s not like anyone of interest knows me here¡­" The girl mixed in some self-loathing. "A fresh restart with a non-corrupted mindset to get rid of my inability to talk to others would be the best thing ever!" While still not caring or even noticing the people around her, Sophia stopped paying attention to her surroundings altogether. She continued toin about her situation for a good while longer until something finally managed to get her full and undivided attention. "H-Huh¡­?" Suddenly, everything in the girl''s vision had turned pure white. "W-What''s happening?!" Naturally, being beyond surprised, Sophia was confused and began to panic. Do you really want a restart? An unknown male voice echoed through the ce. "Eh¡­ W-What is going on here?!" Her bewilderment grew even more because she was unable to locate the voice that seemingly came from nowhere. Do you truly desire to go to a ce where no one knows you? "¡­" Sophia''s face paled. She was clearly getting scared. To a ce DEFINITELY no one knows you. One that''s perfect for a fresh start. "I-I did say something along those lines, but¡­ ehh¡­?" She couldn''t keep up. I will grant you your do-over if you wish so. "P-Please wait a minute¡­ What''s going on here? Where am I¡­? Who are you¡­? What¡­ are you?" Ah, it seems that some more exnation would be appropriate. A blinding light appeared in front of Sophia. Once it died down, a person appeared. The guy looked like he was in his early twenties, a simr age to her. He had longer, darkish-brown hair and seemed rather casual and unreliable looking. "For what I am¡­ I''m the overseer of this and many other worlds." "You¡­?" For her, the title ''overseer of worlds'' sounded important, almost god-like. "Indeed." "You certainly don''t look the part." The shock was so big for Sophia that she entirely forgot about the situation she was in. "How rude! Though, I can see your point." He looked down at himself. The blinding light from earlier appeared again, and his entire appearance changed. He looked a bit older and more refined, wearing a fancy suit, his hair was perfectly made, and his expression turned firm and serious. "How is this instead?" "Sorry, your image''s already ruined." "Ahaha, you certainly don''t hold back, do you?" "Weird¡­" She mumbled to herself after noticing it. "S-Sorry, but well¡­ you do seem like you''re someone important. With the whole blinding light and changing trick¡­" "I''m d I got the point across, then." He changed back to his younger self. "Ahh, so much morefortable." "Yes, that form certainly is easier to talk to as well." "Indeed. It''s quite fascinating, though. ording to my records, you''re supposed to have a shy personality. I can''t say I see much of this characteristic. What''s this about~?" "Ah!" Sophia just fully realized it. "Y-You''re right! Why? How? Eh? D-Did you do something to me¡­? Being a god and all?!" "I never said I''m a god. But I get where you''reing from. Being from Earth, this might not be an entirely unfitting description of my position." "Uhm¡­" Sophia was still waiting for an answer. "Your talkativeness is a result of your own doing." His answer was slightly cryptic. "H-Huh? That''s weird¡­ Sure, I''m better at talking to guyspared to girls, but never to such an extent¡­ not even close." "Maybe we''re just superpatible?" He shed her a cheeky wink with a smile. "Sorry, not interested." There was not the slightest bit of hesitation in her answer. "Ah, I got shot down~." He didn''t seem sad, though. "It''s not like you¡­ aren''t¡­ interesting? It''s just¡­ physically impossible for me." "I''m aware of that. I was just messing around~." "Eh, you know¡­?" "Yes, to be more exact, I know basically everything about you." "That''s¡­ seriously creepy." "It is, isn''t it? Anyway-" He has a very easygoing personality. "He''s actually trying to just ditch the subject." "Want me to change it for you?" "Change what now exactly¡­?" She felt like she missed something along the way. "You being unable to be with a man." "W-Wha-" Sophia was too shocked for proper words. "I''m able to grant you a new body, together with new DNA, hormones, and all that. Well, it''s no guarantee, but there''s a chance you''ll be able to fall in love with a man that way." "¡­" Silence filled the area. "How about it? Before I summoned you, you seemed to be unhappy about your current situation." "Y-You saw that too, huh¡­?" She remembered her depressed grumblings from earlier. "¡­ Thanks, but no thank you¡­" "Oh?" "Liking girls isn''t the problem¡­" She paused for a moment. "I actually do like¡­ liking girls, no matter what kind of stupid nonsense I said earlier. I, myself, am the problem in the equation. I couldn''t properly deal with being¡­ different, to the point of not even being able to talk to girls anymore. It''s all my own personal fault, and I know that, but¡­ I can''t change myself so easily now. I have no ns to change my sexuality instead. I hate myself for what I said, even just as a joke in the spur of the moment. I really like girls, and I''m more than good with that. Though I had no luck with them regardless, but like I said¡­ that''s my fault entirely. I want to change who I have be and not what I am. If that makes any sense whatsoever to you¡­ Or wait, is it the other way around? A-Anyway, I hope you get what I mean." She confused herself towards the end. "I see. Yes, I understand. That''s fine, then." He seemed satisfied with her answer. "So, instead of a proper start from zero, you would prefer a stat boost, I take it?" "Stat boost?" Sophia tilted her head, wondering whether the two were using the samenguage. "Instead of starting over in a new body from scratch, you want to keep being your current self in your given body, but with better specs. For example, having the powers to ovee your current ws in your personality, getting a good Boost in every aspect." "Well, I wouldn''t mind being a couple of years younger again, but-" "Noted." "Eh? A-Anyway, by boost, you mean¡­ like improving my self-confidence, making me able to talk to girls and something like that?" "Sure, that too will get boosted." "Too¡­? W-Wait, what are you even talking about?!" Sophia wasn''t able to make sense out of their conversation. "I''ll get to that eventually." "No, wait¡­" She suddenly remembered something. "W-Why am I here in the first ce?" "You only start questioning that now?" "There was a lot to keep up with¡­ Wait, being in an all-white space, talking with someone equaling god or whatever¡­ D-Don''t tell me!" The girl realized something horrible. "A-Am I dead¡­?" "Technically not, I suppose?" "H-Huh¡­?" "Well, I summoned you about a second before your certain death." "Thank you very much! Wait! What''s that supposed to mean?! I was just walking around in the city¡­ How can that kill me all of a sudden?!" "Walking around, lost in thoughts and not minding their surroundings, failing to notice the red light when crossing a street and-" "Stop right there! I can piece together the rest myself¡­" "It won''t be something nice to look at. It sure was a big bus." "I said stop!" She didn''t want to imagine her own death, especially when it''s such a gruesome image. "Unfortunately, I was toote, though." "W-What does that mean¡­?" "You see, while I can stop time and summon people to this ce, I can only send them back to the same ce at the exact same time, meaning-" "I''ll die the moment I go back¡­" Sophia had be as white as the room she was in. "Well, a second after that, but yes, that''s how it is. I''m sorry for not summoning you earlier." "No¡­ Thank you¡­ for having a final conversation then¡­ It was¡­ something else, but¡­ nice¡­" Her voice sounded really heavy. "Not so hasty,dy!" "¡­Huh? "While it''s true that your future on Earth will onlyst another second, there are other options." "O-Options...?" "As I said, I''m the overseer of many worlds, not just yours. If you want to, I can send you to a different world. A world where you''ll be able to continue your life for a long time. That''s the reason why I asked you if you want a retry in a ce where truly nobody knows you when I called you over to this ce." "¡­S-So it''s either that or sure death, is it?" "Pretty much." "Ahahaha¡­" She snapped. "D-Don''t tell me all those books I read to kill time were actually legit¡­" "Oh, right, Earth does have a significant amount of literature around reincarnation and transmigration, does it not? I should''ve started with that to make things easier¡­ So, how about it, want to give it a try?" "G-Give me a moment here¡­ This is too much to take in at once." Sophia naturally was having a hard time with the situation. "W-What kind of world do you intend to send me¡­? If it''s a ruthless and brutal one, the powerless me will end up in this white ce soon again anyway, won''t I?" "Don''t worry, few of them are any more vicious than Earth." "That doesn''t mean much!" Depending on the area, it can also mean certain death, after all, and those ces weren''t few on her. "¡­" The overseer stopped for a second. "You got me there¡­ Well, worry not. I''ll make sure you won''t get harmed." "O-Okay¡­" Sophia only weakly nodded. "Can I take that as a yes?" "What is the world you want to send me like? Ah, don''t tell me there''s magic and all that?!" "Do you want to go to a ce where the usage of magic is possible? Sure, there are a few of them under my supervision." "Of course¡­ But there are surely monsters all over the ce as well, right? Going by the temte and all¡­" "You can''t have the one without the other. After all, that would be too boring to oversee." "Is that really something you should admit¡­?" She began to doubt the intentions of this so-called overseer. "Again, worry not. Even if there are monsters, they won''t pose a threat to you, girl." He decided not to answer Sophia''s question. "Are they all like super weak?" "Sure, let''s go with that." "Hmm¡­?" She was getting more dubious. "Anyway, with that being decided, are there any other wishes for your new world?" "So it''s decided, huh?" Sophia lost the will to argue. "Okay, sure¡­ might there be a world where¡­ my preferences are not discriminated against? Or at least¡­ not to a worrying degree¡­?" She wanted at least a little reassuring about the state of her new world. "A world where homosexuality is widely epted, huh? Hmm¡­ Ah, there actually is a world that fits perfectly!" "Really? I-I want to go there then!" "As long as that''s okay, the rest doesn''t matter?" "Well, I don''t want to be too greedy¡­ You''re doing me a favor after all¡­ to grant me a new chance¡­" Sophia remembered that she''s basically dead in her old world already. "What a nice girl you are. Okay, I''ll decide the rest, including the fine details on my own then." "N-Nothing too crazy, okay?" "Where''s the fun in that? I want to enjoy watching your new life, too, after all." "Ever the creep, huh?" "What a nice girl." His voice soundedpletely differentpared to earlier. "Ehehe~." For the first time in a good while, Sophia was genuinely smiling in front of someone. "You¡­ You have quite a charming smile." He had to pause for a moment. "T-Thank you very much¡­ That''s the first time someone ever told me that¡­" "Isn''t that just because you haven''t shown it to anyone before?" "T-That... That might not be entirely unrted¡­" Sophia shrunk down a little. "Ah, but don''t you fall for me now, okay? I already told you, but there will only be heartbreak for you there." "You cheeky little¡­ You being shy was a total lie, wasn''t it?!" "If only¡­ I don''t know what''s going on with me. I hope I can find a GIRL I can talk with in a simr manner in the new world¡­" She emphasized a crucial word in her sentence. "Maybe I did mess too much with the personality stats¡­?" His mumble was barely audible to the girl. "Did you say something?" "Ah, no¡­ you''ll find out about it sooner rather thanter." "Hmm¡­" Being suspicious about the guy had already be normal to her. Well then, have fun in your new world. With a voice much more powerful and dignified, he ended their conversation. "H-Huh?! Ah, uh¡­ Again, thank you very mu-¡­" Before being able to finish her sentence, the girl''s vision turned dark. "Sorry, Sophia¡­ I could''ve summoned you a couple of seconds earlier, but where''s the fun in that. Well, I can guarantee that you''re going to enjoy your new life much more than the previous one, though. Chapter 2 – Arrival in the new world Chapter 2 ¨C Arrival in the new world Due to an unfortunate event, Sophia''s life in her original world ended. Luckily, someone akin to a god, the overseer of worlds, saved her and let her continue it in another world instead. She just arrived and was naturally still confused. "Yep, I''m definitely in a different world." Once Sophia was able to open her eyes again, there was no denying it that the ce around her couldn''t possibly be on Earth. She found herself in an open field covered in lush green grass almost as far as the eye could reach. Even further in the distance, she spotted a ridiculouslyrge mountain range. Looking at the sky sealed the deal for her, though. Not only was the sun much more orange and slightly bigger, but Sophia was also able to see twos with her bare eyes in perfect detail. One was light green, and the other one was wrapped in a violet hue, together with pinkish stripes. "It looks stunning, that''s for sure¡­" It was too overwhelming, and she didn''t know how to react adequately. "H-Huh?!" Her eyes wandered around on the vast in when something rming entered her field of view. "Eh¡­? Wait a minute! You good for nothing god, or whatever you are! You can''t drop a girl in a ce full of slimes!" Indeed, Sophia found a group of slimy, semi-transparent globs with a diameter of 50cm to 1m, slowly wiggling towards her. "I knew you''re a creep!" She sent a curse towards the heavens before focusing on the problem at hand again. "As if watching others without their permission wasn''t enough!" "W-What should I do? Fight¡­? Big nope! I don''t have a weapon, and-" She nced at the creepy wobbling of the slimes again. To make it even worse, she then noticed that a few of them even had something resembling tentacles growing out of their bodies. "I''m so not going touch them, let alone go near! Not going to happen! Nope! Never! What else¡­? Running away? Yeah, I think that''s a good idea, I think. They don''t seem fast at all. I''m more than fit enough to outrun them¡­ Okay!" Having decided on a strategy, Sophia turned around and kicked the ground to sprint away. "Mhmm¡­? Something''s weird-" Not being sure what caused her to feel that way, she turned her head around and noticed what was off immediately. She only ran for a few seconds, but the starting point was already in the far distance. "I, uhh, wasn''t always this fast, was I¡­? Nope, surely not. Alright, let''s find a safe ce and find out what the hell is going on!" The confused girl continued to run for a couple of minutes before reaching an idyllic-lookingke surrounded by a few trees. There, she sat down on arge boulder near the shore to catch her breath, or so she had nned. "I''m not at all out of breath¡­ despite having run for what it looks like, uh, some kilometers¡­? W-What kind of monster have I be, to be able to run this fast¡­ and effortlessly? God guy, what have you done to me?!" She faced the sky again to get the retorts out of her system. "Oh, now that I think about it, he never told me his name, did he? Well, whatever¡­ I''m still grateful that you saved my life¡­ sort of, but I somehow can''t feel happy! You way overdid it! How can I have a normal life when I''m like this?!" Her continuousints got no response, of course. "Wait a moment-" After having finished voicing her frustrations, Sophia noticed something else. "I was kinda, let''s say, busy up to now¡­ but doesn''t my entire body feel somewhat different?! My hands, too, don''t seem like I remember them¡­" She looked at them for a good while. "Oi! D-Don''t tell me that idiot actually-!" She began to panic once she recalled her conversation with the overseer. While she clearly denied wanting to receive a new body, he apparently had other ns. "Okay! If that''s how he wants to y¡­ I''ll find a way to see him again, AND I''m going to tear him a new one!" In a flight of anger, she jumped off the boulder and kicked it with all her might. But, instead of feeling a sharp pain in her leg caused by the hard impact, the furious girl just heard a sound resembling an explosion. "Uhh¡­" The remaining color left on her face also vanished. Moving like a broken robot, Sophia slowly looked downward, only to find a cloud of dust and pebbles being left. "Y-You can''t be serious¡­ That guy seriously turned me into a monster¡­ but-" A smile appeared on her face. "Haha¡­ Ahaha¡­ With that kind of power, I actually can tear him a new one! That was your own mistake!" "Okay, now that my goal is clear, let''s find a way how I can reach him! Should I try to find a town and ask around? Yeah, asking people how to find a god to punch him is surely going to work out brilliantly¡­ Haa~" Letting about a sigh, she stopped. "Wait, do I even want to meet people now? Especially guys¡­? No matter how big or slim the chance might be¡­ W-What if my new body doesn''t agree with what I want?" A shudder ran down her spine from just imagining the conflict. "B-But what other choices do I have? Maybe I''m able to find a library in a town? I can look up stuff on my own, then. Ah, well... forget not wanting to talk to people right now. I''m not sure if I finally even can now¡­ judging by my past experiences¡­ With a library, the problem basically solves itself. Finding stuff like religious power spots or general ces rted to gods or h-higher beings should be well documented." She had trouble calling the overseer a higher being. "Good, let''s get operation ''rip him into shreds'' going!" Sophia raised a fist in her newfound vigor and looked around to decide which way she should go to reach a town. Her eyes stopped at the sparkling, almost mirror-like water of theke next to her, though. "Now that I''m stuck with this body for a while, I might as well¡­" Despite her evident and natural anger, Sophia still was a little curious about how her new body looks. Slowly, she walked towards the water to look at her reflection on the surface, taking a hesitant nce. "Hmm¡­?" She blinked a few times. "Hmmmm¡­?" The girl wasn''t sure what she had expected, but it definitely wasn''t what she was currently seeing. "T-That''s me. isn''t it¡­? Well, not the me me¡­ but me from a couple of years ago. I remember that look¡­" The person reflecting in the water was the younger version of herself. She was slightly smaller, not quite as well developed as she used, and liked to be in certain areas. The girl''s hair also was a bit shorter, about the length to just below her shoulders. It was slightly unruly, with a few strands sticking out, and the color seemed to be lighter as well, more resembling an ash-blonde hue rather than her honey-blonde from before. Sophia''s overall appearance appeared to be a bit more adolescent-looking. Even so, because her mind was still older, her experience showed up in her facial expressions. This made her seem slightly more mature than her body indicated. Her clothes, too, had changed because she was currently wearing a lime green t-shirt with a pair of brown shorts. While those weren''t precisely hot-pants, as they covered all the important parts with ease, Sophia didn''t overly like how much of her thighs they showed. The finisher of her new wardrobe were the light-brown boots that went up to above her ankles. Overall, the clothes also felt somewhat rough to the touch, not quiteparable to the quality she was used to in her old world. "15- maybe 16 years, I guess¡­? Haa~" A deep and relieved sigh escaped her lips. "What the hell! Don''t scare me like that, you freaking idiot!" Yet anotherint flew towards the sky. "A-Ah!" Sophia suddenly froze up as she remembered something. "I wouldn''t mind being a couple of years younger, but-" A snippet of the earlier conversation with the overseer came to her mind. "Ahaha¡­" A dryugh echoed through the area. "I-It''s my fault!" She sank to her knees. "He just went ahead with what I jokingly suggested! I didn''t mean it! Everyone will say something like that on impulse when asked about your body... Well, that''s fine, I guess¡­" Her anger was gone entirely. "Now that I know it''s actually my body, just a couple of years younger¡­ Ahh, I''m sooo d~!" Sophia was finally able to have a calm moment aftering to this world. "Wow, so much fuss over nothing¡­ If anything, being younger again is great! Though, it''s cruel to see how much I changed in these couple of years¡­ No, better not think about it." Feeling the need to rx, Sophia took a few steps away from theke and let herself fall on the nice andfortable-looking grass of the in. "Ahh, sofy~." Closing her eyes, she spent around five to ten minutes like that. Still, before she fell asleep, the girl''s eyes shot open again. "Being younger again is all fine and nice, but he still turned me into a damn monster!" She looked back at how she easily broke several world records with ease while running away from the slimes or how she casually pulverized a massive boulder with just a kick. "D-Don''t tell me he made me an overpowered cheat character like in all those novels! No way¡­" She didn''t want to believe it. "Also, I''m getting the feeling he messed with something else¡­ like my personality? I never was this frank before, was I¡­? Him being an idiot aside, he''s still something like a god, is he not? I don''t think it''s normal to be so casual with him? Actually, if he did that, I may have to thank him, after all¡­ I might be able to talk to people now? But still, altering my character¡­? Scary!" Even though Sophia liked the possibilities, it still felt wrong to her. Not to mention it also caused her to be all over the ce. She stopped once more. "-boost." Remembering yet another snippet of their conversation, more and more things began to made sense. "Ah, I see now¡­ that''s what he meant by boosting? That guy took things like my strength and even personality traits and, uhh, modified, well¡­ boosted them. I''m kinda scared by how much now, though. Strength-wise, I''m a total monster¡­ I sincerely hope he was a little more cautious with the rest. Well, he''s a god. I should have some faith in him making sensible decisions¡­" A minute in silence went by. "¡­ I''m doomed, aren''t I?" She was unable to trust him. "Then again, I used to be good at sports because it was a good distraction from¡­ less fun things in life, so¡­ Could that mean because I already was above average when it came to my body, he identally turned up my strength all the way to monstrous? This would mean that my, well¡­ way below average personality traits would be boosted to a normal level?" Sophia was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "Okay, let''s go with that!" She came up with a conclusion that worked for her. "If I''m wrong, I can still resort to operation ''rip him into shreds'' from earlier!" n B was also already taken care of. With her motivation on the high side again, Sophia pulled herself from the grass, pat the dirt off her clothes, and started walking towards the next city. "Yeah, uhh-" She quickly stopped again while noticing the fatal w in her n. "I still have not the slightest idea where I am. How am I supposed to find a city like that¡­? Depending on which way I choose, I could end walking in an entirely wrong direction, never reaching a city at all¡­" Being in a slight pinch, Sophia looked around, trying to find some signs of civilization. Unfortunately, there was only untouched nature all around her. "Okay, whatever, how about this way¡­?" She pointed in a random direction without thinking about it. "It''s not like there''s anything I can do here¡­ Let''s hope that guy also boosted my luck, making my guess right." With her worries cast aside, Sophia began to walk on the path she had chosen on a whim.
Illustration of Sophia (More in the next chapter): Spoiler [copse] Chapter 2.5 – Illustration Chapter 2.5 ¨C Illustration Chapter 3 – First contact Chapter 3 ¨C First contact After getting over the initial shock of being in a different world with a body younger than she used to, Sophia currently enjoyed her journey in search of civilization. Beforeing to this world, she had spent most of her life in the city, rarely seeing much greenery, aside from some parks she used to run in for training. She excitedly looked around, taking in all the new sights. Especially the exotic-looking nts and trees caught her interest. The girl constantly stopped to look at the flora she never saw before, not even in books or on TV. This made her progress rtively slow. Then again, not knowing where she was headed to, Sophia didn''t feel the need to hurry and prioritized having fun over being efficient. "What kind of tree is that?" Once again, her attention got caught by something. The tree in question was indeed a weird one. Instead of growing vertically, this one made a sharp turn two meters above the ground and continued to grow horizontally in an L-shaped form instead. Its branches and leaves were already touching the ground, and the easy-to-reach, small and spiky, red fruits, grew in incredible amounts on this tree. "These fruits kinda resemble lychees, don''t they? No, wait, it was something simr looking. Lychees didn''t have any spikes. Ah, I think they were called rambutan or something simr to that¡­?" She wasn''t sure herself. "Hmm? Does that mean they''re edible, then¡­?" Thinking so, Sophia was about to reach for a fruit but stopped herself before grabbing it. "No, even if they look the same, resembling some odd fruit I know from my old world, it still doesn''t mean it is the same. In the first ce, while I never saw a rambutan, or however they were called, tree before¡­ wait a moment, do they even grow on trees?" She tilted her head, trying to remember what kind of fruits there were and how they grew. "Whatever, I''m confident to say that wherever they grow on, it didn''t look like this thing." She nced at the oddly shaped tree again and retracted her arm. "Even though I''m curious, I better be safe than sorry." She was cautious enough not to taste test a random fruit in an unknown world. Once her interest in the tree faded, Sophia continued her journey to find a city. Eventually, she picked up her speed because there wasn''t much of interest, but she eventually had to stop for another reason. "Hmm~" She looked around before cing a hand on her chin while tilting her head. "I''m lost, aren''t I? Well, I was lost ever since I started, but it feels even more so now!" She was casually jogging for thest hour or two, equaling sprinting with a way higher speed than any ordinary human could ever dream of reaching. However, there were still no signs of civilization whatsoever. "D-Don''t tell me my luck was so abysmal before, that even with boosts, it still amounts to nothing?! Well, that would exin a lot, though¡­ Everything would make sense now, actually." Having depended entirely on luck to find her way, Sophia began to regret her decision. Not that she had any alternatives in the first ce. "Haa," Sighing, she grumbled over the possibility of not being very lucky, if at all. "What now? Yeah, whatever, let''s just continue in the same direction! It''s not like anything will change." Lucky or not, it didn''t make much of a difference at this point, or so Sophia had thought. That way of thinking may have been a mistake, though. "Ahaha¡­" A dryugh was the best she could muster. Not even five minutes after deciding it would be best to continue in the same direction passed before something blocked Sophia''s path, forcing her to stop. "Wow, that''s a huge doggy~" She tried her best to deceive herself. In reality, in front of her stood an at least two-and-a-half-meter tall animal that may have some dog-like features, but it was some sort of overgrown wolf no matter how one looked at it. His fur was mostly a mix of dark and light silver with white patches, and along his back and tail, some brownish-orange highlights could be seen. "I would like to have the slimes from before back, please!" Sophia thought for a moment that she would prefer to face the weaker-looking slimes from when she arrived in this world. "No, scratch that-" Still, once she remembered their creepy wiggling and slimy appearance, not to mention those aberrations sporting tentacles on their body, the girl shuddered and looked at the oversized wolf. "It at least looks fluffy. He would actually be adorable¡­ if he wasn''t that huge. Oh, and the fact that he''s baring its gigantic fangs at me, not cute at all¡­" She stopped for a moment. "Ah, that''s bad, isn''t it¡­?" Her expression changed while she focused on the monster aggressively showing its teeth. "W-Well then, goodbye!" Using the same strategy she had sess with on the slimes before, Sophia turned around. Then, she jumped into a sprint, using as much of her power as she could. Having superhuman features might not be such a bad thing, after all, was the thought she briefly had while fleeing until she turned her head around. Unfortunately, the gigantic wolf wasn''t bound by human standards, either. Outrunning a normal wolf is already impossible, after all. While not catching up to Sophia, he managed to run at the same speed, making the whole ordeal pointless. Even so, Sophia continued to run with the hope her endurance was higher than that of her predator. This hope turned out to be in vain as well. though. Neither the wolf nor the girl showed any sign of slowing down even a bit during their prolonged chase. Realizing that this was going nowhere, she hit the brakes. Quite literally. Sophia managed to stop so hard and fast that she even tore up the ground below her feet, leaving two brake lines behind her. Clearly not expecting this, the wolf sped past her before finally being able to stop a little way away from the girl. The two stared at each other for a good while. She then nced at her feet and the broken ground. Images of the destroyed boulder at thekeside also flew through her head afterward. "I-I''m quite strong, you know¡­?" She didn''t sound overly convincing. "I''m not sure h-how strong wolves are in this world, especially since you seem to be a, uhh, s-special case with your size and all, or how you could keep up with me¡­ Still, I don''t n on losing!" Sophia took a fighting stance, somewhat resembling that of a boxer, and tried to psyche herself up. "Hold on a moment, human¡­ girl? I have no intention of fighting you in the first ce. Earlier, I just wanted to scare you away because you were about to enter my domain. But, once you started running away at such tremendous speed, I got the, let''s say, urge to chase you." While he said so, Sophia noticed that the creature''s tail was wagging like crazy. "S-So you wanted to¡­ y?!" "As much as it hurts my pride to admit, this was indeed the case." The wolf hung his head in response. "Come on!" Sophia fell to her knees once the tension left her body. "Don''t scare me like that!" "I''m sorry." His tail stopped wagging as the wolf looked genuinely apologetic. "Haa~ Hmm? Wait a moment-" Having escaped a life-or-death situation, she finally noticed the strangeness of the situation. "What''s the matter?" The wolf didn''t get her reaction. "¡­" "¡­" The two continued to stare at each other in silence for a while. "You can talk¡­?" Totally out of ce, Sophia voiced the one thing that was bugging her the most. "Why shouldn''t I?" The wolf tilted his head, not understanding what this weird girl was going on about. "Ehh¡­ So, monsters can talk in this world, huh?" She wasn''t sure how to react to this revtion. "Human, don''tpare me to a mere monster." "A-Are you some kind of Boss-Monster then? Like the final enemy of this area?" "While not entirely true, it''s not that far off, either." "I really have rotten luck after all, haven''t I? Even in this world!" This was the only exnation possible for her. "You''re quite the interesting one, human...?" Thest part sounded more like a question. "Same goes for you, big guy." "By the way, what brings you here, girl? The next human settlement is multiple days away, even with your speed." "W-What¡­?" Sophia hoped she had misheard him. "You didn''t know? Where are you even from, then?" "That idiot!" She had lost count of how many times she hadined towards the sky already. Afterward, noticing the wolf''s confused expression in front of her, Sophia briefly exined how she ended up here while making sure to insult the so-called overseer at every possible time. Keeping something this ridiculous a secret hadn''t even entered her mind. "Oho, I wasn''t wrong. You certainly are an interesting one." He reaffirmed his earlier assessment, sounding even more convinced. "I never heard about someone entering this world from another." "Wait, you actually believed me¡­?" "Eh?! You lied?!" He seemed seriously shocked. "No, it''s the truth, but¡­ one normally wouldn''t believe such a story just like that, right?" "Ah, indeed, it sounds unbelievable, but you do seem very ignorant of this world. Your aura feels different as well. Not to mention that it makes way more sense than being a human of this world." "Hmm¡­? I-I see¡­" Sophia didn''t like being able to bebeled as an outsider so easily. "Don''t worry. Only individuals with high enough magical powers can sense something like that. Ordinary human beings are unable to do so." Having sensed her difort, the wolf gave her some peace of mind. "Heh~, so you can use magic?" Feeling relieved, that bit of information spiked her interest. "Of course, I can!" He sounded smug. "But, girl, you should be able to do so, as well. The magical power I sense from you, at the very least, rivals my own. I never saw anything even remotely close in any human before. You''re quite the monster in that regard. Are you truly human? It makes absolutely no sense." "That''s thest thing I want to hear from a boss-ss monster!" She had also realized she wasn''t normal but hearing it from him made the feeling way worse. "You should be proud, girl. Most cannot even dream of such powers¡ªalso, magic''s fun. After all, you can do whatever you want with it." "Magic, huh?" It was a foreign concept to Sophia because it wasn''t a real thing in her old world. "Interesting, I have to try itter!" She recovered quickly. "That''s the spirit! How about I teach you? I''m quite, uhm, free at the moment! It sounds interesting to train such a promising candidate in magic." "Really? You will?" She was genuinely happy about the offer but then hesitated. "Wait, where''s the catch?" "There''s none! As I said, I''m super bore- A-Ahem, I mean, I''m free right now, so I thought, why not." "Ahh, I see¡­" Sophia looked at him with sympathetic eyes after having found out his real motive. "A-Anyway-" He got flustered. "Before that, what''s your name, girl?" "Oh, right¡­ we kind of skipped over that, huh? My name is Sophia. It''s nice to meet you. Do monsters have names as well? Okay, boss-monsters or whatever you really are?" "Sophia, is it? Yes, it''s nice to meet you. As for my name, people used to call me¡­ uh, wait, what was it again¡­?" It seemed like it''s been a while since someone called him by his name. "Hmm, I think it was something that started with¡­ Fen-" "A-Ah! Isn''t that fine?! Fen, I mean? It sounds nice if you ask me." rm bells were ringing inside her head while she tried to stop him from remembering his full name. Sophia had a good idea of what it was going to be, and she wanted to escape this reality. Forget Boss-ss, that guy in front of her was straight up Mythical-ss, and that was too much for her to deal with. "Fen, huh?" He said it out loud to get a feel for the name, and at the same time, his tail started wagging again. "How nostalgic¡­ Yes, I like that name." "G-Good¡­" Sophia was d that she, at least theoretically, was still able to deny who the wolf in front of her really is. "Once again, it''s nice to meet you, Sophia." "The pleasure''s all mine, Fen." And just like that, on the very first day in the new world, Sophia made her first acquaintanceship. It was a somewhat crazy one she had never dreamed of, on top. Chapter 4 – Experiencing magic for the first time Chapter 4 ¨C Experiencing magic for the first time While exploring the new world''s flora, Sophia found her first friend, one she clearly never expected. At first, she thought it''s over because she met an over two-meter tall, wolf-like boss monster, but the two surprisingly got along very well. "Hey, Fen, is it really possible for me to learn magic?" Sophia faced her new, slightly oversized, and furry friend. The two currently rxed under the shadow of a tree, taking shelter from the heat that reached an all-time high during the afternoon. "I''m from a world where magic doesn''t actually exist after all." "Worry not, with magical powers as big as ours, using magic is as easy as breathing." "I see¡­ man, that guy sure messed with my stats big time¡­" She mumbled to herself, finding out she hadparable powers to a mythical beast. "Under my guidance, you''ll learn it in no time." "Quite the confidence you have, Fen." "That''s only natural. I take great pride in my magic!" "How reassuring. Speaking of which, I don''t have to chant super long and highly embarrassing incantations or the likes to use magic, right? I''m pretty shy, after all. There''s no way I''ll ever be able to do something like that in public. I''m positive I would die from shyness the moment I try." "¡­" With his eyes wide open, the wolf looked at the girl next to him in disbelief. "W-What¡­?" She didn''t understand his reaction. "¡­" He simply continued to stare at her. "Uh¡­?" "Sophia," Fen finally spoke up. "It seems like your definition of the word shy differs greatly from its meaning in this world." Thinking the two were facing anguage barrier was the only exnation for him. "In this world, being shy equates to being nervous or timid around others, especially when talking to them, ufortable even. I don''t know what it means to you, but it''s definitely something else-" "That''s what I wanted to convey, though?" Sophia tilted her head. "¡­" He needed another moment. "I truly fail to see in which possible way you are supposed to be shy, girl. Like, at all." "¡­" Sophia awkwardly looked away. "It''s true¡­ Well, it used to be, at least? I don''t know anymore¡­ When that god guy brought me over to this world, he somehow messed with my personality¡­.Or at least that''s what it feels like¡­" "This sounds¡­ concerning. Are you alright, Sophia?" "I''m not¡­ sure? As long as he just made me more confident, I would actually be happy because I was the exact opposite from that beforeing here¡­ Then again, I have no idea what exactly he did to me. I have yet to meet another human to see what I''m like in that situation¡­" Her sample size of one god and a mythical beast wasn''t overly representative to see how her personality had changed. "Okay, I do have to admit that you''re a rather enjoyable conversation partner now. While I don''t know how you used to be, these changes might really be positive." "T-Thank you¡­" A slight blush appeared on Sophia''s cheeks because she wasn''t used to gettingplimented. "Ah-" Fen got a nce at what she meant about being shy before. "I think it''ll be fine." It didn''t seem like the overseer overdid it with the personality boosts she mentioned earlier at this point to him. "Anyway, back to the magic thing." She had enough of her being the topic. "So, do I have to embarrass myself? That would be quite a dealbreaker." "Right. Chanting, huh? No, only the inferior beings have to resort to chants to get their sorry excuse of magic stabilized." "By inferior beings, you mean¡­?" "Ordinary humans and the likes." "R-Right¡­" Sophia immediately felt like she shouldn''t have asked. "Most of the beastfolk use chants as well, though not quite as lengthy and borate. Elves, and even more so, races like the dryads, are mostly fine with as little as Activation words. Basically, the more you are connected to nature, the easier it is for you to activate your magic, and therger your magical powers are. As always, there are some exceptions to these rules, though, of course." Fen nced at Sophia during thest part. "Soo, there are even more races than humans, huh? This definitely feels more and more fantasy by the minute. I kind of want to meet them in the future eventually. It sounds fun if you ask me." "The beastfolk doesn''t pose a problem. They''re everywhere. Dryads or elves, on the other hand¡­ They usually live secluded, and it''s hard to meet them." "I see¡­" She was a bit disappointed but quickly shrugged it off. "Well, it''s not like I have to. Let''s just hope for a lucky ident. Okay¡­ so, ordinary humans have to use chants. What about me, then? You said I have considerable magical powers. Does that mean I''m good with those Activation words you mentioned? I think I might be able to live with that." "No." He quickly shot her down. "Ehh¡­?" She felt cheated. "For such exceptions like you and me, having a good enough image inside our heads is more than enough to use magic." "Really? That sounds like cheating." She was d about not having to chant, but it was bing more and more like easy mode for her, which was concerning in its own way. "Look, just like that-" Saying so, a ball of water with a diameter of around one meter appeared in front of Fen, freely floating in the air. "Amazing!" She was seriously impressed by the spectacle in front of her and looked at it with sparkling eyes. "This is nothing. You should see me going all out! Ah, but I don''t feel like destroying this whole area for a mere demonstration." "I-It''s fine!" She felt truly d the two didn''t end up fighting during their first confrontation earlier. "How about you give it a try?" Fen let the water disappear and faced her. "Sure, it definitely seems fun. How exactly do I do it, though¡­?" "As I mentioned, just imagine forming a ball of water in front of you and give it a go." Fen made it sound way too easy, or so Sophia had thought, at least. "Let''s see¡­ hmm¡­ water¡­ collecting¡­ forming it into a ball¡­ Hmm~" While she was thinking out loud, the air in front of her was showing some slight distortions. "Okay, here goes nothing!" Closing her eyes, she tried to visualize the image she had formed in her mind. "Hoo~." "Hmm?" Hearing the wolf''s sound of admiration, she slowly opened her eyes again. "Wow!" In front of the girl, a vast mass of water was freely floating around. It wasn''t precisely shaped like a ball, but it was close enough, and for some reason, it was almost twice as big as Fen''s demonstration. "Not bad for your first try, not bad at all." "Ehehe, thank you very mu- AH!" Losing concentration after being praised, the mass of water stopped listening to Sophia, causing gravity''s rules toe back into action. The water hit the ground with a colossal sshing sound and drenched the two from head to toe, or paw in Fen''s case as a result. "¡­" Sporting a judging expression, the wolf looked at the girl in disappointment. "So, that happened, huh?" She only scratched her cheek. "Haa¡­" Collecting himself after a sigh, he gave her some advice. "Even though powerful beings like us don''t require chants and the likes, we still have to properly maintain our concentration while using magic." "I-I will keep that in mind." "I hope so." "¡­" "¡­" The two stared at their hideously drenched partner for a while. "Fen¡­" "Yes?" "You don''t look cute at all!" Trying her best not tough after seeing him having shrunk by over half thanks to his fur tightly clinging to him, she voiced her opinion on his new look. "You¡­ You¡­" Suppressing his anger, Fen instead took a jab himself at the girl. "You should take a look at yourself, girl. The water quite affected your look, too." "Hmm?" Being too busy with Fen up until now, she finally looked down at herself. Her hair was still drippingly wet, strands of it sticking to her face. Much like her clothes that were clinging to her body while being a total mess. "Ah, you''re right, though not as bad as Fen~." "Hmpf. Well, at least I know how to fix my appearance." While he looked slightly pouty, a strong wind formed around the pitiful-looking wolf. The spectacle almost looked like a tornado that swallowed Fen whole. A couple of momentster, these winds disappeared again, leaving only a thoroughly dried beast behind. However, he might''ve overdone it a little. "You look so fluffy!" Sophia''s eyes were sparkling as she looked at the giant furball. Thanks to the wind puffing up his fur, he had gained a lot of extra volume. "Hey, hey, Fen, can I touch you?! It looks reallyfy to touch!" Not waiting for his answer, she was already closing in on him, looking forward to the fluff. "Stop right there, girl!" He took a step back because he didn''t like Sophia''s expression. "In the first ce, dry yourself up first!" "Don''t know how, don''t care either." She continued to close the distance while making suspicious movements with her hands in the air. "I really don''t like the look in your eyes!" Feeling ever so slightly creeped out by her, Fen decided to take action himself. Those strong winds formed again, but this time it happened around Sophia. "Ah-" Snapping back to reality, she quickly realized the pinch she was in, but it was already toote to react. "Aaaahhhh!" She managed to let out a short scream before the tornado-like windspletely swallowed her. A few momentster, a miserable-looking girl reappeared. "Kukuku, it seems that I''m the one who has thestugh." Fen snickered while looking at Sophia. Her hair was all over the ce, and her clothes had seen better days as well. They were even more disheveled than before because the wind showed no mercy. "Grr~! That calls for punishment!" "Wait a moment! This was my punishment for you." "Lla, I can''t hear you." Feigning ignorance, Sophia leaped towards the wolf andnded on top of his back. "Ha~, I knew it! You''re so damn fluffy, Fen!" "That doesn''t make me happy at all!" Feeling defeated and slightly vited, he shamefully hung his head and let the girl do as she pleased. Their exchange went on for quite a while, and it was more or less how the two spent their afternoon. Chapter 5 – First meal in the new world Chapter 5 ¨C First meal in the new world Sophia somehow managed to learn the basics of water magic after Fen gave her a short demonstration. Once they finished fooling around with it, and the girl had enough of messing around with the wolf''s fur, she finally calmed down. "Fen, I''m getting kinda hungry." Having had her fill with fluffing up her furrypanion, Sophia noticed that her stomach was empty. "Now that you mention it, I haven''t eaten anything today either yet. Okay, let''s go hunting right now!" He suddenly seemed super motivated. "Ehh¡­" Sophia didn''t share his enthusiasm. "Hunting''s fun, you know!?" "Of course you feel that way, Mr. carnivore predator." She rolled her eyes. "I don''t quite feel it¡­ Aren''t there any alternatives?" "Alternatives?" "How about, you know, fruits or vegetables for me to eat?" "G-Girl, don''t tell me you''re one of these humans that refuse to eat meat?!" Mr. carnivore was fundamentally ipatible with individuals living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. "I can eat meat just fine¡­ But hunting, on the other hand, is¡­" "T-That''s good, then" He was genuinely relieved. "Anyway, while there are some fruits in this area, I would advise against eating them." "Why?" "Basically everything in this ce is super poisonous. If a normal human tried anything from here, they would die an agonizing death within minutes. Well, you are no ordinary human, but it still doesn''t sound fun, does it?" "N-Not really¡­" "Even worse are those nasty Rasputam fruits¡­ Those are even capable of killing someone as great as I when eaten a few of them." "Ras¡­ what now?" Sophia never heard this name before. "Or actually, they do sound slightly familiar¡­ Maybe I remembered the name wrong?" "Little red fruits with spikes all over its hull. Luckily, that makes them fairly recognizable. The tree they''re growing is also easy to identify because not many trees grow horizontally next to the ground¡­ Man, rasputam... To make them even worse, they''re supposedly delicious, meaning once you realize they''re poisonous, it''s already way toote." "W-Wha¡­" Her face lost all color because the description of this fruit sounded oddly familiar. "Is something wrong?" "No, it just seems like I narrowly escaped death¡­ again." "Hmm?" "You see, there''s a fruit in my old world that looks exactly the same but is perfectly edible. So, when I spotted that rasputam thingy here¡­ I almost tried it but stopped myself. This is a different world with different rules, after all¡­" "You''re quite lucky, aren''t you?" "I''m not sure about that." If anything, Sophia was sure the exact opposite was true. "Okay, with that being rified, let''s go hunting already!" Fen had enough of talking and wanted some action. "Hunting animals by hand and eating them¡­" "Girl, inferior beings are made to be eaten by the strong ones. There''s no need to feel reserved about." Being a huge and powerful carnivore, the entire world was an all-you-can-eat buffet for Fen. "I don''t think that''s how it works¡­ Wait a moment, Fen!" She noticed something disturbing in his im. "What is it now?" "Earlier¡­ youbeled humans as inferior beings as well¡­ D-Don''t tell me you eat them, too?!" Being one, or at least looking like a human, Sophia naturally had toment on that. "Nah, they don''t taste good at all." He made a slight grimace while admitting so. "S-So you actually¡­ did taste them¡­" She looked creeped out. "Well¡­ In the past, humans tried to attack and take me down all the time¡­ As a matter of course, I defended myself, and I might''ve bitten off an arm¡­ or an upper body during those times¡­ Later on, I just sted them into nothingness with my magic, and they stoppeding at me." "I-I see¡­ it couldn''t be helped, huh¡­?" "Exactly." "Haa, as long as you don''t want to try me." Sophia didn''t want to deal with the topic any more than that. Also, logically speaking, Fen wasn''t the one in the wrong after all. "I-I wouldn''t taste a friend! Not to mention, with your dormant powers, you would be able to seriously hurt me in the process." "That''s good then." "Anyway, girl, why are you so adamant about not wanting to hunt for food?" "Well¡­ I never hunted before¡­ Most importantly, that also means you have to skin whichever animal I killed, right¡­? Not to mention messing with the innards and stuff¡­ There''s no way I could do that! Way too disgusting! Even just thinking about it makes me shudder!" "Ahh, I see." Fen finally understood the real reason for her aversion. "Worry not, there''s magic for that." "Ehh¡­?" "You can skin your game with magic. After all, even though I look like this, I don''t enjoy eating fur personally. I don''t like the mouthfeel." "You''re something else, Fen." "Feel free to praise me more." "That wasn''t necessarily¡­ Whatever, isn''t magic way too omnipotent? Is it really supposed to be like that¡­?" She wasn''t convinced that magic should work like that. "The strong ones aren''t bound to the rules and believes of the weak. Because we can manipte magic directly, we can basically do whatever we want!" "Being strong sure is convenient, huh?" "You said it, Sophia." "Okay¡­ fine¡­" She gave up. "Let''s go hunt for some food." Her stomach had won. "Let''s show the weaklings their ce." Fen''s mindset had already begun to corrupt the girl. "Ah, but nothing that looks cute, okay?!" It was a slow corruption, though. "Well said, that''s apromise I can live with." Having finally agreed to something, the two got up and left theirfy ce in the shade of the tree, looking for prey. "So¡­ I never hunted before. Any advice for a first-timer?" While walking side by side through the in, she addressed the wolf. "Magic." "That''s your answer to everything, isn''t it?" "Naturally! I have perfected my detection magic, and I don''t even need to mention how I''m confident in my attack skills, right?" "Sure¡­ Detection magic, is it? How does that work?" "Easy! You just¡­ uh¡­" Fen had problems describing his magic. "Just feel where your prey is!" "Feel¡­ you say¡­ You aren''t very good at this whole teacher thing, are you?" Sophia couldn''t work with such a half-baked exnation. "Hmm¡­ Ah, I found some nice prey. Sophia, are you able to see the group of trees about half a kilometer away to your east?" He gestured across the in. "East?" She looked in the direction Fen mentioned and narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I do. What about it? Just some trees and a couple of bushes with orange fruits on it, from what I can see." "You have quite the good eyes." He hadn''t expected her to even make out the fruits. "Yeah¡­" She wasn''t sure how to feel about that. Beforeing to this world, her eyesight wasn''t nearly as good. "Behind the bushes, there''s some tasty prey hiding." "Really?" Sophia narrowed her eyes even more to identify whatever animal Fen was talking about. "Nope, all I can see are those bushes." "You''re not supposed to see, but to feel it!" He corrected her approach. "That again¡­ Feel it-, Feel it¡­ Closing her eyes because she wasn''t supposed to see anyway, Sophia concentrated on the spot where the wolf mentioned it to be. "Hrmm¡­ Hrmmm¡­ Hey, Fen¡­ you''re just messing with me, aren''t you?! I can feel absolutely nothing!" "Don''t give up so fast, girl. I told you something is there. Focus on the area and feel the power that is radiating from the ce." "Fine¡­" Slightly pouty, she continued to focus on the target. "Hmm¡­ maybe it''s something like a radar¡­? AH!" She suddenly pped her hands together. "Some sort of red dot appeared in my head!" "See, I told you so." "That''s super handy!" "Once you get better at it, you can even tell what kind of monster it is, or how strong. Well, not that their strength matters to ones such as us." "You''re rather proud about being strong, are you not?" She noticed just how Fen was boasting about it whenever he could. "You''lle to enjoy it soon enough as well. Okay, now that you have the basics down, two other monsters are hiding somewhere. Try to find them." "Sure!" Feeling motivated after her sess, Sophia kept going with her detection magic training. A little over five minutes passed before she finally broke her concentration and looked at Fen with a troubled expression. "Can''t do it yet, girl?" "Yeah, seems like it¡­ You said there are two monsters, but so far, I picked up four, no, five signals. Apparently, I''m doing something wrong¡­" "Eh?!" "Hmm?" Sophia didn''t understand why he sounded so shocked. "You¡­ W-Where have you detected them?!" "Uhh¡­ let''s see¡­ a group of two is about two kilometers to our left¡­ Two more, almost six kilometers in front of us, and thest one¡­ there''s a tiny red dot about seven, maybe a little more, kilometers behind us, I guess." "¡­" "What''s wrong, Fen?" She tilted her head, still not understanding his reaction. "¡­" "Hmm¡­? Ah!" She finally noticed. "Could it be, Fen~? You only found two monsters because the range of your detection magic isn''t that big~?" She looked unbearable smug after finding out the reason. "R-Range isn''t everything!" She was spot on. "Y-You still can''t make out details from your detections, r-right?!" "Didn''t you say yourself that details like their powers and whatnot aren''t of importance for the o so strong ones like us~?" "You insolent¡­" Clearly embarrassed, he was trying to stay calm under her teasing. "Anyway, putting that aside." Finally, noticing that she was overdoing it, Sophia decided to change the topic. "How do we hunt that monster¡­ animal¡­? Whatever it is now?" "Find it out yourself, girl!" Still angry, Fen turned his head away. "Come on, I''m sorry, okay? I didn''t mean to tease you¡­ that much. I''m still figuring out how much that god messed with my personality. It happened unconsciously¡­" "That''s some handy excuse you came up with." "It''s true!" "Fine¡­" Sighing, the wolf gave up and walked towards the target he had spotted in the beginning. "Yay!" Sophia quickly followed him, and the two stopped around 100 meters before the group of trees. "That should be close enough." "Hmm¡­ Ah, I just saw something moving behind the bushes!" "Were you doubting me?" "Well, all I saw was a red dot after all¡­ It''s still hard for me to fully grasp this magic thing." "Watch me closely then. I''ll show you the beauty of magic." "Bring it on, Fen!" Following his order, Sophia looked at him and eagerly waited for something to happen. Immediately after, three semi-translucent spears, apparently made of ice, formed in front of the wolf. Once they finished materializing, the spears shot towards the bushes with tremendous speed, followed by a pained cry. "M-Mooo¡­" The sound didn''tst long before the two heard a soft rumbling as if something heavy fell on the ground. "Moo¡­?" Sophia had no idea what kind of animal he had just killed, but she thought the cry sounded familiar. "Let''s go and look at our spoils." "Yeah." Saying so, the two approached the bushes where the cry came from and inspected the area. "One kow, ready to eat." "I wouldn''t say ready, but¡­ Wait, kow, huh? Well, it''s close enough¡­?" Sophia was looking at the killed animal while pondering about the name. No matter at which angle she looked at, it was a perfectly normal cow, albeit maybe a bit smaller. Assuming these kows aren''t naturally equipped with ice-spears sticking out of them. "Looks tasty, doesn''t it?" "Does it¡­?" The girl had a hard time agreeing with him on that, taking another nce at the dead animal, riddled with bloody icicles. "Now we wait until it''s bled out, and we can get to the skinning and preparing part." "S-Sure¡­" About an hour passed since the kow had met its icy end. Fen waited until it was bled enough and started with his skinning magic. Having no urge whatsoever to learn this specific magic, Sophia decided not to watch and gather firewood instead. For her, at least, meat has to be adequately grilled, after all. She didn''t know how Fen felt about this topic, but he''s probably okay with whatever as long as it''s a lot of meat, is what she thought. Once the meat vaguely resembled something she was used to from supermarkets in her previous world, thanks to the wolf cutting it into pieces by using some sort of wind des made by magic, the two sat down next to the campfire that was handily lit by Fen''s fire magic. "You sure are useful." Sophia was amazed by how versatile he was. "Teach me some of those magicster, okay?" "Sure, but foodes first." "Yes, yes." Fen threw a big b of meat on a t stone right next to the fire, lightly roasting it. This apparently was his favorite way of eating kow meat. Quite the gourmand was thement that Sophia gave in response. On the other hand, she used smaller pieces of meat, which she impaled on a branch before sticking it into the fire, grilling it at a higher temperature. While they enjoyed their barbecue, although Sophia was missing some vegetables as side dishes, the sun began to set, and their surroundings slowly turned dark. Chapter 6 – First identity crisis Chapter 6 ¨C First identity crisis Having finished their barbecue, Sophia and her big, wolf-like friend Fen enjoyed some after-meal rxation. The sun was entirely gone by now, having turned the entire area pitch ck. The only illumination was the fire in front of them, the countless stars, and something else the girl was staring at now. "Two moons, huh¡­?" Facing the sky, she stated her newest observation. "Your old world didn''t have any moons?" "Just one." She shook her head. "Oh, that must be an impressive sight, then." Fen could only imagine how she was feeling. "It''s something, yeah¡­ very fantasy-like. Although, thoses during daytime were much more impressive." She remembered the two colorful orbs the girl saw in the sky when she first arrived in the world. "I suppose." "I''m really in a different world, huh¡­?" Because it was one thing after another today, Sophia only now had time to think about it again. "So it seems." "Hey, Fen¡­ what''s this world like¡­?" She sounded unexpectedly serious as she faced him. "Hmm¡­" He gave the question some thought after noticing that Sophia seemed anxious. "I think it''s a good world." "How so?" "Let''s see. There are lots of interesting ces to see and explore. I''m also a fan of all the food, running around, and staying fresh for me. You can do whatever you want, and the magic''s the absolute best." "Is that so¡­?" She wasn''t that contentwith his answer. "What about the people?" "That''s a tough one-" He turned silent for a moment. "I''m honestly not fond of humans because they tried to hunt me down, attacking me in every possible situation. Well, it was nothing more than a nuisance to me because they were no threat whatsoever. It was still rather annoying. Not to mention their attitude is¡­ just wow¡­ Though I finally found an exception." He took a nce at Sophia before continuing. "The beastpeople, on the other hand, are quite the fun bunch to be around. They never tried to attack me and even seemed to be rather fond of me for some reason. They also gave me lots of good food on many asions when they saw me." "Well, of course. You''re probably some sort of deity for them." Sophia wasn''t sure what the beastpeople were like. Still, they probably would worship a mythical being (tentative) like Fen from their name alone. "Did you say something?" He hadn''t quite caught her mumbling. "Ah, no¡­ please continue." She didn''t want him to know. "If you want to visit a town, I really rmend a beastfolk one. They build interesting ces, and you''ll have a great time with them." "What about human settlements? Theoretically speaking, I''m one of them, after all¡­" "Right, with you being¡­ you, that tends to slip my mind after around three seconds." Fen saw Sophia as an exception and an entirely different being from the inferior humans he used to be in conflict with in the past. "I''m not sure. I never went to a human city for the sake of sightseeing. Well, I destroyed one or two in revenge¡­ or 17, but I hadn''t paid attention to what these ces were like during those times." "I''ve made a rather peculiar friend." She had to make sure never to get on his bad side. "I want to say the same." The wolf nodded in agreement. "A beastfolk town, huh?" Sophia thought about his rmendation. "Can I even visit them? Being human or whatever, in the end, I''m still from a different race." "Sure, as long as you don''t intend to harm them, they''re a very weing race. Humans, on the other hand, they''re known for racism, though." "Humans again. I''m not sure anymore whether they''re really that bad in this world or if you simply hate them with a passion." "50:50." He didn''t hesitate at all. "Were the humans in your old world different, Sophia? Being a conflict-less, peaceful, and sensible race?" "Ah¡­ uh¡­ well¡­ umm¡­ that''s¡­ hmm¡­" It was impossible for her to give him an answer to that. "A-Are there any cities nearby?" She decided to drop the topic. "Let me think¡­ I mentioned before, but a human one is a couple of days, maybe a week, away from here. For beastfolk¡­ hmm, yeah, that''s even a little bit further away from the humans." "We really are in the middle of nowhere, huh?" "Well, the country we are in right now is filled with and ruled by monsters, after all. Mostly mighty ones, on top. The weaker humanoid races won''t dare to set foot in this ce if they value their lives even a little." "I-Is that so¡­? Just what was that god thinking, dropping me here with absolutely nothing around? Wait, filled with strong monsters? Apart from you and some seriously creepy slimes, I haven''t seen many monsters, if at all, Fen. Ah, ignoring the cow, uhh, kow, I mean." "That''s only natural. Most monsters can sense magical powers and instinctively avoid other beings with much bigger powers than their own. There are usually a few more monsters with just me present around, but traveling together with Sophia, ourbined powers most likely drove out all of them in a ten-plus-kilometer radius around us. Some, mostly beings with little to no intelligence, like slimes or kows, are unable to sense it, though." "Ah, so that''s how it is." It became even clearer that she hasn''t much inmon with humans anymore. "If a normal person were to enter this ce, they would be flooded by a ton of monsters from all directions in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, it wouldn''t end well for them." "I-I see¡­" Sophia had a hard way wrapping her head around just how outrageous this ce is. "Enough about this world for now. You''ll see the truth soon enough, after all. No need to spoil the, let''s say, fun." Fen was sure it would be a much better learning experience for the girl to experience it with her own eyes. "What about you, Sophia?" "What about me?" "All this talking about another world made me curious. Just who are you, really?" "¡­ Who am I, indeed¡­?" Her voice instantly lost its power. "Eh?" The wolf hadn''t expected such a cryptic response. "I have no idea what I am¡­ who I am anymore¡­" Sophia seemed lost. "I know who I used to be, but I have no idea what I have be." "That''s¡­" Fen was taken aback by her answer, unsure how to react. "Back in my old world, I told you I used to be extremely shy and introverted for a long time. Forget having longer conversations. I could barely speak to people at all, especially other women¡­ I rarely had fun with anything, being on the depressed side most of the time, even. I''ve spent most of my time reading or doing some kind of sports, alone of course, or at best with my sister¡­ I don''t think I had a single person I could''ve called a friend at the moment I was transported to this world¡­" Sophia was talking about her past with her voice filled with self-loathing. "¡­" He didn''t know what to say. "It doesn''t sound like the me you got to know here, huh?" "No, it doesn''t." "That''s why I really have no idea who I am now." Sophia was in the middle of the most literal existential crisis possible. "¡­" Fen still had no reassuring words for her, so he decided to say nothing at all. "Don''t get me wrong, it may have only been a day yet, but I like the new me better already. Before, there would''ve been NO way for us to have be friends. It''s just, well¡­" "Just¡­?" The wolf tilted his huge head to the side. "Am I¡­ even still me¡­? Or have I be a different person entirely¡­? When he brought me to this world, that god said he would boost my stats¡­ Apparently, this also included my personality traits, but-" "Hmm-" He closed his eyes for a moment. "I think, fundamentally, you''re still you, Sophia. The overseer probably simply brought out your potential for bing the person you wanted to be all along." Fen remembered how she acted so embarrassed earlier when he praised her enough. "Yes, I''m certain you''re still yourself. Just think of it as progress. The all improved and better, ultimate form of Sophia, basically." "Haha, what''s that supposed to mean~?" Feeling a little relieved by his exnation, she let out a short giggle. His interesting conclusion made her feel better quite a bit. "Haa~" Yawning, Sophia noticed that she had gotten tired, bing even more aware of it once the feeling of relief had washed away the tension in her body. "Do you mind if I sleep for a while, Fen? It was a long day for me, and I''mpletely drained¡­" "No, of course not. Feel free to get some rest. I''ll watch out in the meantime." "Thank you¡­" Barely after that, Sophia leaned against his fluffy body, immediately falling asleep. "Sure, go ahead, no problem." Fen rolled his eyes and watched her for a good while before looking at the sky. "Canir¡­ just what have you done to this girl¡­? More importantly, what are you nning? I know you tend to get bored, but this¡­?" He wasn''t expecting an answer, and so, after a few moments, he lowered his head, cing it on his paws, and rested a bit as well.
Chapter 7 – Learning more about magic Chapter 7 ¨C Learning more about magic Sophia had slept like a log through the night after she poured out her heart to Fen. Not to mention that the new situation, being transported to a different world, bing friends with an oversized wolf, among many other things, had tired her out. She was so exhausted that the following day arrived without her even noticing. Yawning while still being half asleep, shezily opened her eyes and looked around to try and identify her surroundings. "Ah, so it wasn''t a dream, huh¡­?" Noticing the otherworldly-looking environment, not to mention the over two-meter tall wolf the girl was resting against, she once more was confronted with her new life. "Good morning, sleepyhead. You sure took your sweet time." Seeing that she had woken up, the wolf in question addressed her. "Good morning¡­ Fen¡­" Still sounding sleepy, she eventually returned his greeting. "You could''ve woken me up if you had to wait for me." "It''s fine. It seemed like you were in need of a long rest." After everything that happened to her the day before, he judged that letting her sleep in was the best option. "Thanks¡­ Haa~" Yawning again, Sophia stretched her upper body in every direction before finally getting up. "You sure arefortable." Having slept against Fen''s body with his soft fur, she looked well-rested. "T-Thanks¡­" He hadplicated feelings about thispliment. His pride didn''t feel that great after hearing that. "What are we going to do today?" "What do you want to do?" Fen didn''t have anything nned. "I definitely want to learn some magic!" She looked very motivated. "I see, that''s fine by me." "Yay!" Sophia, looking forward to learning more new things, had be excited. "I''ll show you the usage of the basic elements. No, categories are the better description. It would be best if you built upon that with your own ideas. After all, we use magic by imagining what we want, and nothing''s more powerful than one''s own imagination." "Basic elements¡­? Categories? Ah, like the water magic you taught me yesterday, or the air- and fire-based ones you used." "Exactly. To be precise, for a better understanding, it''s roughly categorized in water, fire, air, earth, nature, light, and dark magic." "Ohh~." Sophia was having fun already. "I get the first four, but nature¡­ Hmm, does it have something to do with nts?" "More or less. For example, controlling vines or roots to bind your enemy with them would fall in that area. Using pollen or spores to put someone out ofmission is another example." "Uwah¡­ sounds nasty!" "It sure is." "What about light and dark? What''s in that category? Probably more than just creating, well, light, right?" Sophia felt that this would be a littleckluster. "Ah, it''s something like that, right? Light being positive, something like healing, while dark magic contains the exact opposite, like curses and other negative effects." "Oh? I thought there was no magic in your old world, Sophia?" Fen was surprised that she seemed to be somewhat knowledgeable about it. "There wasn''t, but people fantasized about being able to use it, writing books, and the likes about it." "Humans sure are weird, no matter the world¡­ Yes, your exnation is mostly correct. The light and dark magic categorization are mostly about manipting, uhh, light and darkness, but higher-ss magics like healing or curses are also part of it." He added some more detail. "Sounds cool." "But the most interesting for us is the attribute-less magic, also called uncategorized, though." "Meaning?" Sophia tilted her head. "For example, my detection-magic." "Ah, I see. You''re right. That one doesn''t fit in any of the categories you mentioned." "So it is. This magic is called like that because you can literally do whatever you want as long as you have a good enough image of your idea inside your head. Ah, enough magic power for great magics is needed, too, of course. Well, that''s a requirement for this original magic anyway." "That sounds outrageous." Sophia did like the sound of it, though. "Because it is." "But why is having big magic powers a must for original magic?" "As I said, this particr magic isn''t categorized in elements, hence the name, and entirely relies on your imagination instead. That makes the use of chants or activation words for it rather hard. As most beings have to resort to these to make up for their inferior powers, only individuals with high magic powers can use it. This makes it a requirement for uncategorized magic." "Right¡­ You mentioned something along those lines yesterday. Without it, you''re unable to manipte magic directly. It makes sense you need it for magic created only in your mind." "Yes. Lucky for us, it doesn''t concern us in the slightest." "Yay for being strong!" The wolf way of living was already affecting her view on things. "You said it, Sophia." "Ah, but if that''s how it is-" She thought of the requirements for a bit. "Wait, isn''t this sort of magic extremely rare, then?" "Rare doesn''t do it justice. Optimistically guessing, out of all the individuals in this entire world, users of uncategorized magic are in the low double-digit area. Or on this continent at the very least." "S-So few?! And I''m one of them, huh¡­?" It was a shock for her, hearing that she had be a member of such an exclusive group. "Indeed. Not to mention, a very promising one, even." Fen remembered how she effortlessly had exceeded the range of his own original detection magic yesterday. "Ehehe~." The girl knew that it was painful to admit for him, so she decided against ament. "Wait, wouldn''t it be bad if someone were to find out that I''m capable of something this ridiculous?!" "Not really, no." He casually answered. "Some individuals, humans, that is, might get intimidated or scared. They might mobilize an army to y you, but that''s about it, I guess? That''s all that happened to me, at least." "¡­" It sounded plenty bad to Sophia. "I-I have to hide it then, don''t I?" "Why?" "Why?! I don''t want an army attacking me!" "That doesn''t need to concern you." "It sounds quite concerning, though?!" She raised her voice. "It''s not like they could harm you." "An army¡­?" "Yes." Fen only nodded. "Really¡­?" "Girl, you need to understand just what kind of individual you have be in this world already. While you''re still green behind your ears, once you have a proper grasp on magic and be able to make use of your dormant powers, you''ll be able to level an entire country without so much as lifting a finger if you desire so." "What am I? The next demon king, or what?!" Sophia just had to make this retort to Fen''s exnation. "I don''t want to be that!" "Demons, huh? How nostalgic." The wolf reacted slightly differently from her imagination. "Eh?! They exist?! Demons, that is." "Not on this continent anymore, no. It''s tough to get a hold of them nowadays." "Anymore? Did they live around here in the past?" "Yeah, but it was many centuries ago when they left this continent for another one. I kinda miss them. They were a fun bunch, always itching for a good fight and,pared to humans, were able to put up said fight as they''re really powerful and know what they''re doing." "Is that so¡­?" Sophia hadn''t much to add to these temte demons, but something else piqued her interest. "Many¡­ centuries¡­ Wait, Fen?" "Yes?" "How old are you?" "Old." "I-I see¡­" Seemingly a touchy subject for the wolf, she stopped probing after seeing his expression. "We''ve gotten rather off-topic, have we not?" "Ah, right¡­ I wanted to learn more magic!" "Exactly. I advise mastering the water, fire, air, and earth categories first." "Okay! Let''s see¡­ I already tried out water magic, so let''s put that aside for the time being. I saw Fen using fire and air magic before- Yes, I want to start with the earth category!" Having used, or at least experienced, those types already, Sophia wanted to begin with the yet unknown. "Earth? Coming right up!" While Fen said so, the ground in front of him began to shake and rise up. The dirt changed forms many times before forming into a perfectly square box about one meter tall. "The easiest way to use it... hmm, try to envision imaginary hands shaping the soil however you want it to be. For bigger constructions, that way of thinking is useless, though. You know, stuff like this." Fen caused their entire surroundings to rumble while having a smug look. Soon, an at least 50-meter-long and three-meter-high wall made of dirt rose from the ground. "Nobody likes show-offs, Fen." "W-Wha-?!" He had hoped for a more positive reaction and looked dejected. "Anyway, thanks for the tip with the imaginary hands. It sounds like a good starting point." Using his example as a steppingstone, Sophia practiced her earth magic. Getting it to work at all didn''t take too long, but adding fine details or sharp corners was challenging for the girl. By the time Sophia managed to fully recreate Fen''s perfectly shaped box, her stomach had finally noticed that they had skipped breakfast today, urging her to have lunch immediately. Fortunately, Fen had anticipated that much already and went hunting while she was training. Unfortunately, today as well, it was another feast of nothing but grilled meat. Even though she again loudlyined about wanting to have some veggies, it was only met with ack of understanding by the wolf. Chapter 8 – Fire magic Chapter 8 ¨C Fire magic Sophia had sessfully finished her earth magic training and perfectly recreated the cube that Fen tasked her to do to get a feel of the finer details when using magic. After she was done with a rather monotonous lunch, which was nothing but another feast of meat, the girl directly jumped back into her training. "So, now that I have mastered earth magic, let''s go with the next category!" She had taken quite a liking to magic. "I wouldn''t necessarily say mastered, but I do admit you''ve built a working foundation." "Any tips to get started on fire? I''ve already seen you using it, but where should I begin?" "Well, start by imagining, uhh, fire?" Fen himself thought his answercked elegancy. "Or no, instead, try to think about a heat source and slowly pour your magic power into it, letting it catch on fire that way." "Basically, like burning fuel, huh? Yeah, I can work with that¡­" Concentrating on the task, Sophia tried to form a fitting image before adding her magic powers to it. "Ah, but make sure to only use as little of your power as you can, and then half that again becau-" "Hmm, did you say something, Fe- Ah!" Because she was so focused, she didn''t hear his warning. Sophia then quickly noticed something was going wrong herself. "Toote, huh?" He sounded calm but was at the same time retreating backward, trying to get as far away from her as possible. "F-Fen, I don''t think I can control-" Before being able to finish her concern, a gigantic fireball formed in front of her and shot forward. It created a pir of fire and eradicated everything in its path whilesting several seconds. Because she was facing their campsite under a group of trees, only ash was left behind in the ce where it used to be. "It seems like we have to find a new ce for tonight." "Ahaha¡­" She awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Just what happened here, Fen?" "Well¡­ You used way too much of your power to fuel the magic. When I called out to you, it went berserk because you lost your concentration." "I barely used any of it, though?" "From our perspective, sure, but you just burned through the totalbined magic power of at the very least 70 to 80 humans, you know?" "S-Seriously?! That''s surprising¡­" "Now imagine using a muchrger amount of it. Then, we''re back to leveling a country again." "You really weren''t joking¡­" She had often heard Fen saying she wasn''t normal, but this incident really made it sink in. "Scared now, girl? Want to stop?" He tried to test her willpower. "Eh? Why would I? Magic''s fun! I just need to learn to control it better. Well¡­ it is a bit scary, but that much won''t bring me down!" "A good answer. Okay, do you want to continue or try your hand on some other magic for now?" "More fire first! I want to get at least basic proficiency before going on." "Very well." Fen had no intention to stop the girl. "Right, train some more and get ustomed to it. In the meanwhile, I''ll go look for a new ce to camp. After all-," He didn''t finish his sentence and simply nced at the still smoking pile of ash where the two had spent thest night. "O-Okay¡­" Sophia felt slightly bad about it. "Feel free to go wild while I''m not around. Nobody''s going to disturb you here." "I''ll try not to¡­" Once the wolf had left, she tried some other things to better control and limit her magic power. ---------------- While Sophia was training, Fen sped through the area to find a new ce to camp. Almost three hours passed since the two parted. Fen was currently rxing at the new camping ce he found. He had spotted a river and followed it until a suitable ce showed up. A couple of trees and somerger bushes were growing right next to the shore. Together with the soft grass, it was the perfect camping ground. Eventually, he heard a loud rumbling and turned his head to look for the source, only to see a gigantic pir of fire trying to reach the skies in the far distance. "Ah, it seems like I can take my time." It didn''t look like the girl would master her magic power anytime soon. "Still, what fearsome powers she has." Once Sophia finished up her training, she reached the ce the wolf found, as well, and lightly greeted herpanion. "Ah, there you are, Fen. Oho, it''s quite nice here. Good job." "Why, thank you. I wanted toe and get you in a bit, but it seems this wasn''t necessary. How did you find me?" "Your detection magic is very convenient." "Really, you can already identify individuals?" "Nope, still only red dots." "You were just lucky then?" "Uhh, not at all. You were my second try. First, I ended up visiting some huge and freaky-looking brownish-golden¡­ animal, no¡­ bird, I think? Not sure¡­ Well, whatever it was, that thing almost scared me to death!" "A bird that didn''t leave this area even with ourbined magic powers? That fellow must''ve been fairly strong. Were you okay, Sophia?" "I have no idea how powerful it was¡­ After realizing my mistake, I immediately burned that guy to a crisp because! I might''ve overdone it a little because it surprised me¡­" "Ahh¡­" Fen remembered the massive pir of fire he saw a little while ago and briefly felt sorry for the bird. "Have you be able to control it properly?" "Of course~!" With a smug look, Sophia stretched out her arm and hand. Afterward, a small, about 15cm tall me appeared on top of her palm. "Oho, very impressive. Well done, girl, and the only coteral was a campsite and one innocent monster." "Don''t sweat the small stuff, Fenny~." Sophia was way too happy to care about any of that. "If you say so." He wasn''t one to criticize the easygoingness of others. "By the way, what''s for dinner? All that training made me super hungry." "Hmm, let''s see¡­ Ah, there''s a small herd of kows nearby, so-" "Just meat again¡­? No way!" "Anything nt-rted around here is poisonous after all." "How far do we have to go until the vegetation changes in that regard?" She really wanted some variation in her meals. The girl was tired of eating nothing but meat already, not even factoring in the nutritional side. "Probably about half a day, maybe a little less if we hurry." "Oh?" She had anticipated it being much further away than just that. "Can we go there tomorrow?" "I don''t mind." "Then¡­ I think I can tough it out without dinner today. I should be able to survive until tomorrow." "If that''s what you want. Don''t mind me hunting some dinner for myself, though." Fen had no intention of skipping together with her. "Sure, go ahead." ---------------- Immediately after, the wolf went out to procure his dinner. It didn''t take him long to return to the camp, carrying a magnificently in kow in his mouth. "I''m back. Huh¡­? What are you doing?" Noticing how Sophia was intensely staring at the river, he got curious and approached her. "Ah, Fen, wee back. I''m thinking about trying something out." "Hmm¡­" Being slightly interested in what Sophia was up to, he sat down next to her. He watched the river together with the girl for a while. He asionally noticed the surface of the water stirring, figuring Sophia wanted to try out some sort of magic. More time passed, and the water was bing increasingly restless. Fen couldn''t make out what she was doing and wanted to ask her, but she was faster. "Ha, I finally got you!" She jumped up from her ce on the shore, and a pir of water shot up from the river. A few secondster, a wet, thud-like sound could be heard on the ground next to the girl. "Eh?" Looking at the noise source, the wolf found a fish helplessly pping around on the grass. "What did you do¡­?" "While watching the river, I was wondering whether any fishes are hiding inside. After concentrating for a while, a little red dot eventually appeared. After that, I tried to push it in a good spot by changing the current with magic. Once I had him where I wanted, I sted him out of the water." "R-Really? Good work¡­" He was visibly surprised by the stunt she had just pulled. "Fen?" "Yes?" "Descale and prepare this fish for me so that I can grill it, pretty please. Oh wait, I haven''t caught anything poisonous, have I?" Sophia had no idea whether that fish she had caught is even edible. "No, it''s perfectly fine to eat." "Great! Please do that for me then." "Meat is no good, but fish is fine¡­?" "Well¡­ it''s at least somewhat different, I guess? Better than skipping dinner." "What a difficult girl." "There might be some truth to that." There was nothing she could say in her defense. Fen graciously agreed to prepare the fish for Sophia with magic. Even though it wasn''t her sought-after vegetables, Sophia finally had a little variation in her meal. Interestingly, even though the fish had white meat and in no way resembled one, its taste almost perfectly resembled that of salmon. ording to Fen, the name was Rasmon,ting another close enough reaction from Sophia. Chapter 9 – Traveling to a new place Chapter 9 ¨C Traveling to a new ce Another dinner being dealt with, the oddbo of an oversized wolf and a human-looking girl was rxing around the fire of their impromptu camp. Watching the sunset in silence, Sophia''s second day in this new world was slowly nearing its end. "You''ve be rather quiet, girl. Is something the matter?" Fen noticed how she was absentmindedly staring at the fire after the sun was gone. "No, just tired. Today was rather eventful again. That exhausted me, I guess. Not to mention that the whole situation of me being here in the first ce is still mentally straining¡­" "Ahh¡­ Yeah, I can imagine that one can''t just go ''Oh, that''s awesome'', and goes on like nothing happened after finding themselves in another world." "Well, it is awesome in a way, and I''m already dealing with it way better than I thought, thanks to my personality changes, but that''s a part of the problem as well¡­ It only hits me once things calm down, like right now. I had way too much fun during the day after all." She remembered how she happily trained her magic the entire time without wasting a single thought on it. "We just have to keep you busy, huh?" Fen liked the fun Sophia more than the serious one. "Ahaha, that''s a good idea. At least until I get used to everything." She, too, liked her new self more after all, but that obviously came with various, veryplicated feelings. "Speaking of which, do you still want to go to the ce where edible nts are growing tomorrow?" "Of course! The fish earlier was a wee change, but that was not nearly enough." "Okay, let''s leave early in the morning then." "Ah, you''ll definitely have to wake me up if that''s the case, Fen. I never was a morning person. Probably never will, either. Feel free to use force. You''ll have to." "Noted. Speaking of which, how were you even able to catch that fish in the first ce? Your technique was impressive for a beginner." "Hmm¡­ even if you ask me, I just felt it? Like, I didn''t notice any fish in the river, but it felt like something should be there¡­ After a while, the little red dot from the detection magic popped up, proving me right. Maybe I have to really concentrate on finding smaller stuff with the detection magic?" "Well noticed. It only picks up targets with a certain power. For anything else to show up, you have to want it to appear. Imagine the detection reacting even to things like bugs. Your entire vision would turn red." "That would be super scary! For various reasons! Not to mention absolutely useless. Hmm, but going on a crusade against bugs might be¡­ N-No, absolutely useless." She had a scary expression for a second. "Yes. You did well on finding out how to change the reaction on your own. Guiding the fish by changing the current was a nice detail, too. I have the feeling that you''ll create some ridiculous magic in the future if you''re like that on your second day already." "Should I feel happy now?" Sophia didn''t know whether that was praise or not. "I''m expecting big things, and I''m looking forward to it." Fen had a thing for magic, so he was obviously praising her in his eyes. "Please don''t expect such things." The two continued to chat for a while during the evening until Sophia had be too sleepy. Having used his body, or rather fur, to get afortable night''s sleep, she was woken up when Fen moved his body in the morning. Rather, he ended up simply standing up, making the girl topple over because that was the only thing that worked. "Good morning, Sophia. As requested, I have woken you up." "Hmm¡­ fuah¡­ Fen¡­?" As she mentioned yesterday, she wasn''t a morning person. The girl never noticed it was the hard fall on the ground that actually woke her. "Ah, right, we wanted to get to the holynd of vegetables today¡­" Definitely still half asleep, Sophia remembered the n from thest day. She wanted to go to a ce with a friendlier type of vegetation to give her a wider food variety. "Something along those lines, sure..." "Haa~" Another yawn escaped Sophia''s lips while she got up from the ground and made a couple of light stretches to get rid of her fatigue. "You said it takes about half a day to get there, right?" "Less if we hurry." "No need for that. While I look forward to new types of food, it''s not like we have a deadline to pass. Also, I don''t want to miss anything interesting along the way." "I''m fairly certain there isn''t much to look forward to in the area we''re traveling, but I do not mind either way." Once the two, mainly Sophia, were ready, they began jogging, or sprinting at superhuman speed, towards their destination. Like Fen had said, there was nothing worth paying close attention to, only more untainted nature the girl was already familiar with by now. To keep themselves from getting bored, the two were holding a casual conversation, even during their high-speed travel, like it was nothing. "Hey, have you ever met a human you didn''t hate, Fen?" "Hmm? You¡­?" Not understanding her question, he tilted his head in confusion. "Well, t-thanks¡­ No, I mean the ones native to this world." "Ah¡­ That''s a tough question. Was there? Wasn''t there?" He had a hard time remembering, it most likely being a long time in the past, if there was one at all. "There once was a human that showed up in a small group and challenged me. He managed to put up a little bit of a fight for a few seconds¡­ That was somewhat fun. Does that count?" "Not really¡­ But, a human that was able to put up a fight against you, huh? No matter how short, that''s quite amazing, isn''t it? I bet that was their hero or something like that. Ahaha, just kidd-" "Oh, now that you mention it, I think theirpanions did call him something like that." "¡­" Sophia only wanted to make a little joke, but it had backfired on her. That Fen had yed around with the human hero, which posed no threat whatsoever to him, was not something she needed, or rather, wanted to know. Then again, it was nothing surprising either, so she managed to put it aside quickly. "No, that wasn''t what I had in mind, Fen." "Yeah, I figured. Actually, from time to time, some humans approached me while leaving some offerings. It kinda felt like they were apologizing for their kin." "Oh, so you did meet some nice humans, after all." "A pretty insignificant amount, though. It''s also been a very long time ago¡­" "Still better than nothing!" Sophia was happy that she was able to keep some faith in the humanity of this world. "Why are you asking?" Fen was trying to make sense of this conversation. "I want to visit a human vige, after all. If possible, sooner rather thanter¡­ I''m want to get a feel of what I have to expect." "While I still can''t rmend it, it makes sense for you wanting to visit one. You''re in luck in that regard because we''re already heading in the right direction for the next human settlement." "How convenient. Ah, but wait a moment?!" Sophia gasped as she suddenly noticed a fatal w in her n. "Wouldn''t me visiting a human ce mean that we have to part ways?! There''s no way we can go together with you. Not to mention you not wanting to go in the first ce¡­" "Do you want to go separate ways, girl?" "Of course not!" She put a lot of power into her immediate answer. "You''re the first friend I made in this world¡­ It''s only been two days, but you''ve already helped me out more often than I can count. You''re teaching me magic, exining various things about this world to me¡­ I don''t want to, definitely not, but-" "I guess I have no choice." "Eh?" "Looks like I''ll have to apany you then." He sounded a little happy. "W-What?!" Sophia couldn''t believe her ears. "B-But Fen, you hate humans." "That, I do." "T-Then why¡­?" "It''s been a short time, yes, but I''ve be rather fond of you, Sophia. It would be a waste to part now. I want to witness the future you create because it''s surely going to be an interesting one." "Fen¡­ I''m d you feel that way¡­ But isn''t it, uhh, physically impossible for you to apany me?" She looked at the wolf-like creature with his over two-meter-tall body. "You''re not exactly, how do I say it, inconspicuous¡­?" "Don''t worry about me. I still have a lot of tricks up my sleeve." Fen proudly puffed up his chest. "My magic''s amazing, after all." "Should I be scared?" The girl had a bad feeling about it. "Not overly much." He shed a cheeky smirk. "Okay, I''m worried. Very much so." "I''ll demonstrate it to you once pushes to shove." "O-Okay¡­ Well, whatever it is, thanks for sticking with me." Even though she was slightly concerned, Sophia was also genuinely happy as well. "No need for that." While the light small-talk during their travel transformed into something more serious, the odd duo eventually arrived at their destination right after the conversation concluded. The two''s surroundings had noticeably changedpared to the slightly barren in Fen and Sophia had spent thest days. Instead of the asional group of trees or bushes, they found themselves in a forest with many different vegetation types. The temperature was also much milder, thanks to the trees blocking the sun, creating lots of shade. Both had picked up their speed somewhere along the way, making it right in time for lunch at their new campsite, which was located at the corner of a small clearing inside the forest. "Okay then, Fen, let''s gather some food! Tell me all about the edible nts, fruits, and whatnot around here!" "Sure¡­" He wasn''t nearly as enthusiastic about it. Chapter 10 – Creative cooking Chapter 10 ¨C Creative cooking Together with herpanion Fen, Sophia had arrived in a forest after a long journey. They made camp near a clearing inside the sea of trees, and she immediately wanted to explore the area. "Hey Fen, are there really any vegetables around for me to eat? All I can see are trees, obscenely oversized ferns, and moss covering the ground." They came here to get Sophia a wider variety of food, but she couldn''t see why. "Well, I can detect some monsters hiding. They''re getting farther away, though, but¡­" "Don''t be so hasty, girl." He urged her to be patient. "Come, follow me." Guiding her, the wolf walked a little bit around the edge of the clearing before entering the forest. There, the two made their way through the undergrowth until Fen eventually stopped. "There, personally, I''m not a fan, but they''re edible." He gestured at a spiky scrub with groups of small, red fruits growing on. Laspberry''s the name of it." "Lasp¡­berry¡­?" Sophia tilted her head at the familiar-sounding name, taking a closer at the fruit. "Yeah, those are raspberries, no matter how you look at it¡­ What''s up with all these close but somehow different-sounding names?" "How am I supposed to know?" For the wolf, her names were the close but not quite ones. "Fair point¡­ How do they taste?" "Mostly sweet, slightly sour from time to time, but they have way too many seeds for my liking." "Yep, raspberries, alright." Now being sure that it is indeed the same fruit, Sophia gathered a couple and tasted them. "Delicious!" Tasting the first non-protein-based food sinceing to this world, the girl was delighted about their sweet taste. "Good for you." "Mhmm¡­ Mmffhm!" Having stuffed her cheeks with the fruits, she still tried to say something. "Eat or talk, not both." "Hmf¡­ Ah, sorry about that. They were just too good." Quickly swallowing the berries, she continued. "Is there anything else edible?" "There are a lot of herbs. Actually, I like to use some of them on my meat from time to time." "Is that¡­ so?" Sophia was trying not tough at the thought of Fen, a freakishlyrge wolf, carefully garnishing his food. "Herbs are nice¡­ but also a littlecking." "There''s also a root vegetable around. We should be able to find them somewhere around the clearing if I had to guess. It''s a starchy tuber that''s pretty popr amongst humans, as they like to crawl around in the dirt¡­ to dig them up." "Okay, leaving the remark aside¡­ It sounds like it should be a potato¡­ That would be perfect! Ah, wait, not potato, huh? Let me guess¡­ po¡­ bo¡­? Tato¡­ how about a do? Okay, Bonado, it is! How close am I, Fen?" "The name''s Diseko." "W-Wha-?!" Sophia almost tripped over her own feet and fell down as a reaction. "S-Seriously¡­? This is way too off from the temte until now!" "I''m just kidding, the actual name is podado." "That''s too close!" Her reaction changed to theplete opposite. "Why even bother?!" The girl''s protest wasn''t directed at Fen but at whoever named it. "You seem to be familiar with the nt. Can you find them on your own? I''ll go hunt some real food in the meanwhile." "I think I should manage." Sophia had seen a potato nt before, finding it shouldn''t be much of a problem, at least as long they looked the same in this world. "Great, let''s meet up at the camp then." "Okay." She agreed, and the wolf immediately disappeared into the forest. "Now then, let''s go and gather some!" Feeling motivated, she began searching for the potatoes, podadoes, that is. ---------------- About 20 minutes went by before Fen showed up at their campsite again. There, he spotted Sophia tempering with something. Putting aside his catch, something resembling a deer, he called out to her. "I''m back. Oh, it seems like you found them, huh?" He noticed the small mountain of lumpy vegetables next to the girl. "Ah, yeah, no problem. Magic''s really helpful. I managed to get them without getting dirty." "Oh?" "I simply removed the soil around them." "Ho, that was a clever idea." "Hehe~. Right now, I''m trying to find out what to actually do with those po¡­ dados." Sophia held up a single of them while thinking of a way to prepare it. "Maybe I''ll simply cook them, after all. With my limited resources, that would be the simplest and best thing to do. Yeah, let''s go for that!" "You seem to be having fun." "Hmm¡­ Maybe, yeah, it''s interesting to rece technology with magic. But, unfortunately, I don''t have a pot to cook, so¡­" She looked at the ground in front of her, and a perfectly round hole, about 30cm deep and wide, appeared. "That''s big enough, I guess? Ah, but will water even stay in there?" As she said so, the surface of the earthen hole began to change. Sophia had used more magic topress and smoothen the soil. "Okay, looks better already, but it''s still quite soft¡­ Oh, how about I bake it with fire? It would be something like a y pot, maybe? Let''s give it a try." Lost in thoughts, the girl set fire to the hole she had just made by pouring in her magic power to light a fire. "What are you doing, Sophia¡­?" Fen was watching and listening to her mumblings until now but just had to ask. "I''m cooking, can''t you see?" "Ah, is that what it is?" The cooking the wolf knew was nothing like this. "Well, I have to admit getting a little bit creative." "You¡­ You already have a good grasp on your magic, have you not? Those were some fine skills. Your growth is almost scary." Fen was surprised how she''s been using magic like it was absolutely nothing. "Beingbeled as scary by a legendary beast¡­" Sophia wasn''t happy. "What do you n to do with that hole?" "Put some water in and use it for cooking the po¡­ dadoes." As she said so, the pot started to slowly fill up, thanks to her magic. "I see, but how do you n to heat it up?" "Ah, that''s¡­" Sophia hadn''t thought about that before. "Let''s see¡­ Hey, Fen, when you taught me the fire magic, you said to imagine a heat source and pour my power as fuel into it until it catches fire, right?" "Yes, that''s a way to imagine it." He wasn''t sure what she was going for. "Does it have to, uhh, re up?" "Hmm?" "Whatever, let''s give it a try-" Focusing on the hole with water, Sophia closed her eyes to concentrate better. "Okay, if I do that¡­ then use it to¡­ Yes, that could work, so¡­ let''s see¡­" Mumbling some incoherent words again, she seemed to havee to a solution. Looking confident, she opened her eyes and looked at the water. A couple of momentster, steam already rose, and bubbles formed. Soon after, the water was magnificently boiling. "What are you doing¡­?" "Boiling water?" Sophia questioningly turned her head, not understanding why Fen was so confused. "I can see that much, but how?" "Hmm¡­" She thought about what she actually did. "I imagined a heat source inside the water and poured power into it until the water began to boil. The source being underwater means that it didn''t turn into fire. Well, it probably would eventually if I use more power, though¡­ probably." "What an outrageous girl." Fen heaved a sigh. "Outrageous? I''m just boiling water." "That might be true, but the way you''re doing it is¡­" "Ehh? I don''t see a problem." "Yeah, it''s fine. You''re strong, so you can be as creative as you want, using magic however you like to¡­ I''m just losing my confidence a little." "H-Huh? Don''t tell me I did something you can''t?!" "I can do it, effortlessly even, but you''ve only been using magic for a few days, and yet you''re already using it in such inventive ways." "So that''s how it is¡­ Don''t worry about it, Fen." "What do you mean?" "It''s all thanks to you teaching me in the first ce." Sophia was incredibly grateful to him. "Without you, I still wouldn''t know the first thing about magic. The reason I''m making such progress is because you''re my teacher." "Thanks. Well, it seems like I''ve found a good pupil. Still, I have to step up my game if I don''t want to be overtaken." Some strange kind of me lit inside the wolf as he got motivated by Sophia''s growth. "Let''s just get ready for lunch." Not wanting to deal with him, she continued her preparation. Washing the podadoes with water magic and throwing them into the makeshift pot, she let them boil for a while. In the meantime, Fen skinned the deer he had caught earlier and prepared it for grilling. ording to him, it''s called teer, causing Sophia to roll her eyes again but ultimately ignore it. Once the meat was grilled and the podadoes cooked, the two shared another meal together. Using some herbs she had gathered, Sophia was pretty happy about her meal this time, finally having some decent variation. Fen stuck to his meat-only diet, though he helped himself to some of the herbs. "By the way," The wolf suddenly addressed her. "Hmm?" "You can simply create boiling water with magic in the first ce, without all those fancy extras." "¡­" She didn''t, no, couldn''t answer. Sophia also decided not to talk to him for a while afterward. Chapter 11 – First bath Chapter 11 ¨C First bath Having finally had a genuinely satisfying meal for the first time, Sophia was delighted and brimming with motivation, itching to continue her magic studies. "Fen, give me a pointer for air magic!" "Oho, fine. Air, huh? Let''s see, air magic category¡­" He was thinking hard about it. "What''s wrong?" "Air magic''s kindaplicated to exin." "How so?" "You don''t really have something to work with¡­ Water magic''s categorized with water, earth has soil, and so on¡­ Air is just, well, air." "Just air, huh?" Thinking with her previous world in mind, Sophia knew that air was actually something ratherplex. "Oh, I wonder if I could mess around with the concentration of the gases¡­? Like increasing oxygen could be fun with fire magic¡­" "Oxy¡­ gen?" Fen didn''t seem to know about theposition of air, or it once more had a different name in this world. "Ah, nothing, just getting ahead of myself." Not even knowing the basics, thinking about such things was useless. "Okay then, let''s try this, Sophia. Can you feel the breeze that''sing from the clearing?" "Yes, it''s very nice." "Good. Now, close your eyes and focus your attention on it." As he said so, a gust of wind ruffled up his fur as if the breeze was getting stronger just for Sophia''s training. "Hmm¡­" The girl did as told. "Now, try to see the wind." "See...?" She was confused and opened her eyes. "Keep your eyes closed!" "Ehh?" "Don''t use your eyes to see. Instead, use your concentration and magic power to see it." Fen wanted her to pay attention to the second part, so he emphasized it. "I see¡­ well, not really." Sophia made a terrible pun before closing her eyes again. Concentrating on her surroundings, she felt the breeze hitting her body. Sometimes more substantial, other times gentler, but it felt like a constant stream. Using this observation, she tried to not only feel the breeze that was directly hitting her but also what was flowing around her. The girl kept increasing the range until she got a good picture of her surroundings, and she noticed something. "Ah." "Oh, do you get it now?" "Yeah, I saw it! No, well, I felt it¡­? It''s kind of like a river¡­ going along its path, being guided by something, letting it flow around corners, getting faster, slower, stopping even." "Good. Now, let that something be you. You have to be the one who guides the air, dictating its path, letting it flow, and whatever else you want it to do." Fen said so, and the breeze was beginning to die down, letting his silky fury t on his body again. "Ah, so you were the someone guiding the air for me after all, huh?" Sophia immediately noticed that the wind''s image in her head changed to something more uncontrolled-looking. "Indeed. Now take over the reins." "¡­" She went silent for a while. Eventually, the breeze around her seemed to be getting stronger, gently lifting up and rustling her hair, only for it to die downpletely a secondter. "Seems like you- Oi!" Fen noticed that Sophia was starting to control the breeze but then was hit by a strong gust, clearly created by the girl in front of him. "Ehehe, air magic''s pretty fun." She had already managed to put her new powers to mischievous use. "You¡­" Wanting to get revenge, Fen took control of the wind and literally blew Sophia off her feet, using his own magic. "Gotta train some more!" Being defeated by the wolf, she became even more motivated. Fen, not wanting to deal with her once that switch was flipped, left her alone and went to the other side of the clearing. There, hey down on the grass and rxed under the warmth of the sun. Sophia continued to get familiar with the new type of magic for the rest of the afternoon. She got a much better grasp of her air magic and the other categories, namely water, earth, and fire. Once the sun started to set, the girl reunited with the wolf again. "Wee back. How was the training?" "Very good. You may call me Avatar now." The girl looked really smug, much to the confusion of Fen. "Avatar¡­?" "I''ve mastered all four elements!" "There are more than four categories, though?" "Haa, forget it¡­" Sophia was sad that her joke didn''t work because it had no background in this world. "Okay?" Fen naturally was confused. "A-Anyway, yeah, I''m quite confident with the basics now. I think I want to try my hands on the nature magic category tomorrow." "That''s a good idea. This forest, with all its overgrown nts, is the perfect ce for it." "Great! I''m looking forward to it." Having agreed on a schedule for the next day, the two got ready for dinner, though it was primarily leftovers from lunch. After that, Sophia became painfully aware of something she had managed to ignore until now. "What''s wrong, girl?" "Fen, I want to take a bath." "Sure?" He wasn''t certain what to do with this kind of information. "Well, a shower would be fine, too." "Hmm?" He still had no idea what was going on. "While I haven''t worked up a sweat once sinceing to this world, thanks to the overpowered body god gave me, but¡­ Just thinking that it''s been day three already, something important to me feels like it''s about to die¡­ It''s disgusting!" Now that she''s been aware of it, she couldn''t stand it even a second longer. "Then go¡­ and take a bath?" Fen, still confused about her outbreak, failed to see the problem. "Mind telling me how? It''s not like you have a tub lying around somewhere, have you?" "Sophia, weren''t you the one who created an earthen pot, filled it with water, and heated it up all on your own earlier? Don''t you think this concept, when scaled bigger, would work rather well as a bath?" "Hmm¡­" She thought about his, well, her idea. "Are you a genius, Fen?" "You''re just incredibly scatterbrained." "I-, I can''t deny that¡­" "At least you''re self-aware." "Oi. Well then, if you excuse me, it''s time to build a bath!" She got up and was about to leave. "Ah, Fen, no peeking, okay? You might be a wolf¡­ and male, but I would still kill you!" "Why would I want to peek at a human?!" "Who knows what''s going on in this world¡­" "Don''t you worry, I''m not into the humanoid type!" "Good to know. Well then, untilter." "Sure." ---------------- Having given her warning, she left the camp and started nning out her bath some distance away from it. "Hmm, I know it''s not really necessary, but taking a bath out in the open without any viewing protection is a bit¡­ I don''t think I would be able to calm down." She knew that she was the only human-like being around, but it still felt wrong. "Okay, let''s make some walls!" Using her earth magic, Sophia created said walls, protecting three sides of her bathing space from uninvited viewers. "Well, the forest acts as a protective screen itself, I can leave that side open¡­ four solid walls would feel too cramped, anyway. Good, for the tub, let''s see-" Copying the same technique she used for cooking the podadoes before, Sophia created a hole big enough to fit her easily. Once that was done, the girl reinforced and hardened the sides of the impromptu tub. Afterward, she set fire to the hole, baking the soil, hoping it would withstand the water long enough. She wasn''t looking for a mud bath, after all. With the tub being done, Sophia filled it with hot water. "Let''s see¡­ Yeah, rather warm, but it feels good." Having confirmed the water temperature with her hand, the girl seemed satisfied. Once everything was ready, she began to undress while nervously looking around. The situation, taking a bath in the middle of nowhere, made her nervous. Finally, being fully naked, though, Sophia got distracted by something else. "I''ve really¡­ be younger, huh?" She looked down at her body. "N-Not that I was old in my old world, 23 obviously was still fine! Still, being¡­ around 15 now is a striking difference¡­ I know that''s the time where one''s body changes a lot, but I''m not sure how I feel about this revtion¡­ My skin''s now much more springy and soft¡­" She pinched and stretched the skin on her waist to feel the sticity. "Ah, no, let''s not go there, after all. I think I''ll get depressed, knowing how much my body changed in such a short amount of time¡­ or is going to change again in the future? Wow, this sure is confusing. Ah, but I do look forward to bing 16 once more¡­" She looked down another time and stopped at a particr area, her chest, to be exact. "I-It''s not that bad right now¡­ just a little modest, yes! At least my development is already at the point where clothes only make me look smaller than I actually am! There is something! Looking at them in the nude, there IS something!" She repeated herself for some reason. "Enough to get a handful to touch and enjoy looking at!" It was very important to the girl. "Not that this information is relevant for anyone else other than me¡­" "Actually, while everything became¡­ smaller and younger, I still do look somewhat mature, don''t I? Like my body is 15, but my mind isn''t? The way I move around and behave still matches my real age¡­ In a way, it makes me seem more, uhh, experienced? That''s great because I don''t want to be treated like a kid! But still, I miss the growth spurt when I was 16. Yeah, I was really happy about that back then¡­ Other than that, I don''t think I would mind staying young forever. Well, nothing I can do about that." Giving her chest ast grievous nce, Sophia finally entered the bath. "Haa~," Submerging herself, she let out a satisfied sigh. "That sure feels nice¡­" Doing nothing for a while, Sophia simply rxed in the bath. Looking at the sky and noticing the two moons again, she continued to stare at them. "To think I''m getting used to this view already¡­ Scary!" Sophia was once more surprised by her adaptability. "It sure is beautiful, though." Getting used to it or not, it was still a very splendid sight, and so she continued her observation of the sky for a while. Chapter 12 – Plans for meeting the first humans Chapter 12 ¨C ns for meeting the first humans Still rxing in the makeshift bath she made with magic, Sophia finished admiring the sky while letting out anotherfortable sigh. Feeling very rxed, thoughts about her new situation slowly crept up on her again. "Haa¡­ This whole situation is so ridiculous that it''s almost funny. Being transported to another world¡­ traveling together with an oversized¡­ not to mention, overpowered wolf. And now I''m taking a bath that I made myself with magic of all things in the middle of nowhere ¡­" It sounded even more unbelievable, saying out loud. "Not exactly the future I had in mind for me¡­ Well, the life I had on earth was even less what I wanted it to be, though¡­ This world definitely is more fun. Magic''s awesome! Not having to care about anything? Great! Having an, uuh, interestingpanion? Can''tin. Exploring nature, marveling at the exotic sights, and asionally running into monsters? Surprisingly not scary. Having strong personality shifts that made all that possible? Unsurprisingly, very scary!" Sophia came back to the topic that caused her great worry over thest few days. "I know there''s not much I can do, but is it really fine that I''m epting these changes so easily¡­? I mean, I''ve basically be someone else entirely¡­ Fen said I became more like the person I wanted to be, and that''s true¡­ I want to be how I am right now. Open, outgoing, and genuinely having fun¡­ simply enjoying my time. But at the same time. It feels like I''m denying my entire life until now, no matter how little I liked it¡­ Is that actually okay? It somehow happened way too sudden to deal with it¡­ Ah, one thing''s the same, though, I still get super philosophical when taking a shower or bath¡­" Sophia got distracted in the middle of her monologue. "Well, maybe the, in my opinion, better personality will help me talk to girls again? I think I''m more sociable now¡­ Maybe¡­ I''ll even be able to find a girlfriend¡­? Haa, one can dream, right?" There was little hope in her voice. "One slight problem before all that, though¡­ I have yet to meet any human in the first ce!" It was more than a bit of a problem, actually. "Also, ording to Fen, humans in this world don''t seem like anything desirable to have a rtionship with¡­ Although, I think his opinion about them might be biased¡­ I hope¡­" Her eyes started to nervously swim around at the possibility of him being right. "Imagine meing to another world and getting my personality, well¡­ fixed. Now, being able to talk with people again, maybe even having the possibility to find someone special, only for the entire human race to be too annoying to stand¡­? Ahaha¡­" Herugh didn''t sound happy, but nervous. "That god wouldn''t do something that cruel, would he? Surely¡­ not?" Sophia was second-guessing the motivation of the overseer she met once more. "Yeah, no¡­ there has to be at least one decent girl out there! I only have to find her!" Pushing away from the negative thoughts, she motivated herself and energetically jumped out of the bath. "A-Ah!" Only to fall over because she soaked in too long and got dizzy. ---------------- Once she had recovered, dried herself up, and got dressed again, Sophia eventually reunited with Fen. "Ah, you''re back, Sophia. You sure took your time." "Ahaha, yeah, I got a little distracted¡­ Hey Fen, you said you''de with me to the human city, right?" She sat down next to him, in front of the fire at their camp. "I''m really happy about that, but¡­ I still can''t imagine how¡­ Like I said before, you''re the absolute opposite of being inconspicuous in any possible way after all." She couldn''t see how the wolf could walk through a human ce without causing an uproar. "Like always, magic''s the answer, girl." "Even if you say so, I can''t see how that''s going to help¡­ Ah, don''t tell me you can make yourself invisible?!" She suddenly got excited at the thought. "Unfortunately, I can''t." "Aww¡­" She looked disappointed. "Then, how''s your magic going to solve the issue?" "How about I give you a little demonstration?" Fen stood up, and ck smoke began to form around his body. Once he was fully engulfed by it, a pop-like sound could be heard, blowing the smoke away. "Eh?" Sophia thought for a moment he was gone but then noticed something when she looked closer to the ground. The gigantic wolf had transformed into an ordinary-looking wolf cub, barely reaching her knees in size. "So, what do you think? Pretty cool, right?" "¡­" Sophia, unable to process the situation, needed some time to react. "With this, I should be able to enter a human town without attracting attention." "¡­" "Is something the matter, Sophia?" "You''re so-, so¡­ cute!" Not knowing what to say, she simply blurted out the first thing that went through her head when seeing the cub. "That''s not the point here!" "It''s not? Aww, it''s true, though¡­ Wait, is that really going to help? Sure, you''re not that¡­ eye-catching anymore, but cub or not, you''re still a wolf." "That shouldn''t be a problem. I saw humans using beasts to improve their puny attack power in the past. I have no idea how they did that, though¡­ If I pose as your tamed beast, we should be allowed to enter the city." "You''re basically my pet, then?" Sophia had her very own interpretation. "Don''t get ahead of yourself now, girl." "Hehe~. I hope that really works because I want to continue traveling with you." "Yes." He felt the same way. "Still¡­" Sophia looked at the tiny cub version of Fen with a dangerous expression. "What do you¡­" "You''re way too adorable after all!" Sophia had lost it, grabbed the wolf, and ced him on top of herp, where she started to pet him. "Haa~, such fluffy fur!" "¡­" Feeling humiliated to a degree he never was before, Fen was too surprised and shocked to react and let Sophia do as she pleased. "That was great~!" A good whileter, far longer than he''s ever going to admit, Sophia finally let go of the wolf with a very refreshed look on her face. "You should stay in this size the entire time." "Not¡­ going to¡­ happen. Ever." His opinion on the topic differed greatly. "Aww¡­" "Haa¡­ transforming into a cub was not a good idea¡­" Regretting his decision, Fen reverted to his old size. "Now that I think about it, a regr-sized wolf would make more sense anyway! Not even these stupid humans would let a cub fight¡­ probably." "Ehh, I want cub Fen!" "Alright, regr size, it is!" Hepletely ignored her pleas. "Well, Fen''s cute no matter the size, I''ll survive." "Hmm¡­ maybe I''ll make myself even bigger instead?" "Yeah, no¡­" Sophia wasn''t a fan of that idea. "It wouldn''t make sense anyway." "How far was the human city again?" The topic was over. "About two, no, rather three days, I guess. We might meet some of them earlier, though." "Hmm¡­? Ah, you mean like the humans outside the town? Like gathering food or resources?" "Yes. Few of them leave the cities for some reason, but we could see some the evening before reaching the city. Maybe sooner if wee across some particrly stupid, err, adventurous ones. A day for us could easily mean a week away from home for them, after all. "Oh~, I''m getting excited." Sophia hadn''t thought she might be able to see her kin, visually speaking, so soon already. "I don''t think there''s any reason to be¡­" The wolf didn''t share her feelings about seeing humans. "Put yourself in my shoes, Fenny. Wouldn''t you be looking forward to finding one of your own aftering to an unknown world?" "That''s exactly the reason why I want to keep your expectations low, Sophia. I already know more about this world''s humans than I want to." "I''m d about your concern, but I want to get my own impression of them." "Yes, this is why I''m not trying to force you to stop going, just saying you should keep your expectations low." Fen didn''t want her to get too disappointed. "Hmm¡­ I don''t think I can not get excited¡­ Sorry Fen, I''m the kind of person that only learns the hard way." "Just don''t say I didn''t warn you afterward." He gave up on persuading the girl. "Thanks." "Sure¡­" Even so, he wasn''t happy about it and did not look forwards to Sophia''s reaction. The rest of the evening had a slightly awkward atmosphere to it. Because of that and how she wanted to get a head-start the next day, Sophia decided to go to bed early. "Well, good night, Fen." "Yes, good night." He decided to stay up a little longer and thought about their next steps. "I mean, she could be right and somehow meets a nice human or two. She is exceptionally lucky, after all. Still, I really don''t think that''s going to happen. I feel that our stop in the human city will be a very short one. What to do after that? Beastfolk? Yes, that might not be a bad idea. Most of them do, again, visually speaking, resemble humans in a way. From what I''ve seen so far, these guys are good people. Maybe a bit on the wilder side, though. Ah, but so is Sophia." He nced at the sleeping girl. "Aside from when she''s thinking about her previous life, that girl''s unable to sit still for even five minutes. I feel like she would be superpatible with the beastpeople¡­ And, to be honest, I would prefer them so much more than humans, too. No matter how nice of a person could be out there. Still, that''s going to be Sophia''s decision, not mine. Let''s suggest the beastfolk city to her once we''re done with the human one." Having a backup n ready, Fen also called it a day. Chapter 13 – Playing with food Chapter 13 ¨C ying with food The duo talked about visiting a human city, and they had slightly different opinions about it. Fen wasn''t a fan because he''s not fond of them, but he didn''t stop her, either. Having gone to bed early, Sophia wasn''t nearly as sleepy as the day before. It still took some work of the wolf to wake the girl, though. "Morning, Fen..." "Yes, good morning. Want some breakfast?" "Nah, I''m good. I''ll just get some, uhm, what was it again¡­ Right,spberriester on." "I see. What do you want to do today, Sophia? Get started on nature magic or¡­" He tried to divert her attention regardless. "Can we cover some ground today? I am interested in the magic, but I don''t feel like I would be able to concentrate at the moment¡­" "Let''s do that, then. Yes, you need to be able to focus properly." "Okay, thanks." ---------------- After Fen had his usual breakfast and Sophia gathered some berries as a snack, the two got going. They simply kept advancing towards the human city with tremendous speed while having nothing to talk about. Running all the way into thete afternoon, Fen and Sophia finally decided to take a break, not because they were tired, but it became too dull to continue. "How about food now, Sophia? You must be hungry after all this running. "Yeah, you''re right¡­ It feels like I burned a million calories today." "Good. Let''s see, vegetables around here-" "Ah, no, don''t bother, Fen." "Hmm?" "Meat. I want to eat about a ton worth of protein. Having¡­ worked out all day¡­ I have a serious craving for protein." "Oho! So, you''ve finally epted the greatness of meat, huh? Splendid! That''s perfect! There are actually some kows around. Let me get them really quick." "Ah, can I give it a try, Fen? Aside from the huge bird¡­ thingy I identally killed because it surprised me, I have yet to fight anything." "Hmm? Sure, I don''t mind. Can Ie with you? I''m interested in how you''ll hunt them." "Of course. They are¡­ it''s these three dots about 300m behind those trees on our left, right?" Sophia used her detection magic to scan the area for fitting respondings. "Exactly." Having confirmed the target, the two carefully sneaked towards their prey. "Let''s see," While hiding behind some bushes, Sophia was thinking about a way to defeat them. "Can I y around a bit?" "Be my guest." "Okay, let''s trap them first." Saying so, the ground below the kows started to rumble. Before they could even react, the earth split open, and they fell into the newly created hole. "M-Moo¡­" The hole wasn''t deep enough to kill them because there could still cries be heard from the animals. "Well, I could''ve killed them, but because they pose not the slightest bit of threat, I kinda want to try a thing or two." "I get you! I so get you, Sophia! ying around with your prey because the power gap is so enormous brings me, too, great joy." "What now¡­ So many options¡­ I could close up the hole, letting them suffocate¡­ Push the walls together, ttening them¡­ Fill the hole with water, drowning them¡­ Setting the hole on fire, grilling them¡­" "M-Moo¡­" A pitiful cry came out of the hole. The trapped prey seemed to be aware that their end was imminent. "Sophia, please remember that we''re nning to eat at least one of them. Some of your ideas, as fun as they sound, wouldn''t leave much usable food behind. "Ah, you''re right..." Sophia noticed the mistake in her ideas. "Oh, there''s something I wanted to test when I was learning air magic. Might as well give it a try now." Closing her eyes, she focused on her concentration. "Hmm¡­?" Fen seemed interested in what she was up to. "Air-, How was theposition of air again¡­? Was it 20%...? Close, I think it was around 21% oxygen, right¡­? Almost the entire rest was¡­ nitrogen with a tiny amount of other gases like argon and carbon dioxide, but let''s not care about them for now. I''m fairly sure the air in this world''s roughly the same. It at least feels like that. Okay, let''s try to eliminate the oxygen inside the hole. I think you usually die after a short while when it falls below 10¡­? Or was it lower than 8%? Well, whatever, let''s just get rid of as much as possible!" "Sophia?" The wolf, having never heard about most of these words, was obviously confused about her mutterings. "Shhh, I need to concentrate here, Fen." "S-Sorry¡­" He didn''t mean to disturb the girl. "Let''s continue-" Regaining her concentration, she tried some things out until she found her answer. "Oh, I think it''s working!" "What is¡­?" He still didn''t understand. "Mo¡­ MoOoo¡­" Some cries came from the hole, but they were bing increasingly inaudible until it becamepletely silent. Shortly after, three thuds could be heard as the kows fell to their side, still slightly twitching but dying shortly after. "W-What did you do, Sophia?" He tried to get closer to the hole to take a look, but she stopped him. "Don''t go there yet, Fen. It''s dangerous¡­ even for you. Wait before my magic is fully gone." About a minute passed before Sophia walked up to the hole. "It''s safe now." "O-Okay¡­" Joining Sophia, he looked down and saw the dead kows without having any wounds whatsoever. "Uhh¡­ what did you do?" "Err, how to exin¡­ Fen, do you know what air is?" "Air¡­? Air is air¡­" His expression basically said ''what is this girl even talking about'' as he didn''t understand her question. "Ah, so it''s really unknown in this world¡­ Air or the atmosphere is actually abination of many different things. Fire, for example, doesn''t use the air as a whole to burn, but a gas we called oxygen in my old world. Once the oxygen concentration gets too low, the fire dies as well. That''s what usually happens with fires in a closed room. Well, the oxygen gets reced or converted to some other gases, but that''s not¡­ that important right now. I-It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t really know how it actually works or anything¡­" "A-Alright¡­?" He could barely follow her. "It''s the same for living things. Once the oxygen level in the air gets too low, they die. Actually, for them, it''s even worse. While fire mostly cares about having enough oxygen, when the percentage of certain gases in the air change too much, living beings can get poisoned by merely breathing the air itself. "Hmm¡­" Fen was trying to understand the concept. "So¡­ air''s basically a mixture of things¡­? Changing this mixture can kill us?" "More or less¡­ But that mixture, except for the oxygen being too low, has to be off by quite a bit. Else, it would only slightly harm you, or at best, kill you in a very slow yet agonizing way. That way of dying would be way worse than your standard run-of-the-mill suffocation because you can still sort of breathe, though. It can''t keep your body functioning, letting you die bit by bit over the course of maybe even hours." "S-Sophia, you can be quite scary¡­ Even I would be reluctant to use such a method." "How rude!" She didn''t like his usation. "The kows died really quick, didn''t they?" "Now that you mention it, it was about the same time as suffocating someone¡­ no, even faster than that. What did you do then?" "I got rid of the oxygen part in the air, letting them suffocate basically in an instant." "Ah, that''s how it is." "Well, suffocating them the normal way would''ve been much easier, but I wanted to try it¡­" "Yes, you apparently did something quite¡­ no, really outrageous, judging by the magic power you poured into this idea of yours." "Yeah, it was super hard to¡­ keep the oxygen out. Thanks to that, I''m even more hungry now¡­ Fenny, I leave the rest to you~." "This girl¡­" Doing as requested, he gathered the corpses and began preparing their meal. It was hard to decide whether it was ate lunch or an early dinner, thanks to the time being right in between. Because of that, there was still quite a bit of day left once the two finished eating. "Haa~, that was a good meal, thanks for that, Fen." Rubbing her stomach, Sophia looked satisfied. "That''s the superiority of meat for you." The resident carnivore was smug. "What now? Want to keep going a little longer?" "No, I think we covered enough ground for today¡­" "You''re right. We made way better progress than I thought we would already. Even if we don''t keep going, I would reckon that we could run into the first humans around the same time as now tomorrow." "Is that¡­ so?" Sophia somehow seemed much less enthusiastic than he thought she would be. "Is something the matter? You were all over the ce today already, and now you''re back to being down¡­" "I was thinking a lot, and now I''m kinda worried¡­" "Worried? "Yeah¡­" After being urged to, Sophia eventually opened up to the wolf, and the two had yet another little conversation of theirs where she let off some steam. Chapter 14 – Nature and Light magic Chapter 14 ¨C Nature and Light magic After Fen had addressed the case of Sophia acting so on edge today, she admitted being worried about something, which caused her to be emotionally all over the ce. "Worried, huh? That would exin why you didn''t want breakfast or spent almost the entire trippletely silent." "Yeah, I was lost in thoughts¡­" "Is it about those puny humans again?" It wasn''t hard for the wolf to guess the reason. "Well, yes, and also me¡­ I look like a human, but inside, aren''t I much more like you, Fen? Basically, a monster with a ridiculous amount of power...?" She just couldn''t let go of the topic. "That''s¡­" "I mean, that in itself is not a problem. Actually, it''s super cool." Sophia had already be fond of her magic. "But what if they do find out? Sure, you said they are no threat to me, but they sure as heck would get scared of me, wouldn''t they?" "Very probable." "Wouldn''t it be impossible to make friends with any of them then?" "Hmm, they can''t sense magic power, so as long you''re not hostile to them. If you don''t go crazy, which might be a problem for you¡­ ahem, they wouldn''t notice that you''re something entirely different than a normal, powerless human." "Soo, no shy magic?" "Best choice would be none at all¡­ Or think of some fancy chants as cover when using it." "No magic, it is!" Sophia had already decided that using chants and whatever is way too embarrassing and impossible for her. "If this is really what you want, it''s that, then." Fen thought the discussion was over. "But what aboutter on¡­? Let''s imagine the crazy thought of me finding someone. Could I ever tell them about me, or would their fear too much no matter how close we had be¡­?" "Do you want me to answer?" Knowing about the humans of this world, the wolf wasn''t sure she wanted to hear it. "No, I don''t." Sophia had a feeling she already knew his answer. "Well, thinking about all that made me a little frustrated, and that''s why I was¡­ like this today, and also ended up ying with those kows earlier as therapy, or rather, stress relief." "T-That''s what happens when you''re frustrated?" Fen made a note about not making her angry then. "Also, girl, you''re too invested in the topic. Instead of worrying about something that may or may not possibly happen, just focus on the now, and save the future forter. I mean, you''re already concerned about telling someone you got close with about your superior magic power. Sophia, you have yet to see an actual human in the first ce. You skipped at least five steps." "Ahaha¡­" A dryugh escaped her lips. "Yeah, you''re right. It''s an old habit of mine. Overthinking and getting depressed or frustrated¡­ Hmm?" Sophia suddenly stopped. "Eh? Why? Shouldn''t these habits be gone by now, after that god boosted my personality? Do your job correctly, you idiot!" It''s been a while since the girl sent aint towards the sky. "Hmm¡­" The wolf was thinking about something. "Tell me!" She figured it was about her. "I''m not sure, but I think I''m starting to understand your boosted traits a little more." "What?! Tell me!" "It''s just a theory, okay? I think the overseer took your stats from your old world and added x-something to it, rather than maxing it all out¡­ or putting some work into it¡­" "Oh, I actually had the same idea." She thought before that this might be the case, backing it up with how she already was above average when it came to fitness, making her strength monstrous in this world. "Ah, also, like how I was terribly unlucky in my old world and still have rather bad luck here?" "Uh, sure¡­" Fen disagreed with her, but she at least seemed to have understood the theory, so he didn''t bother correcting her. "I also think your boost can get overloaded." "Ehh¡­?" "I mean, I managed to get to see your shy side once or twice after something embarrassing happened." "Okay¡­" "Today was another indicator. What were the worries in your old world that made you depressed? Like most people, probably something as puny as love problems, right? "¡­" It was spot on. "On the contrary, here you were worrying about a whole race epting you¡­ The scale is so different that even with the boosts you got, you were unable to deal with it. There might even be the possibility that once you do have a negative feeling about something, these will get boosted as well." "That¡­ actually makes sense, Fen. Still, boosted negative traits¡­ He better be prepared for the next time I see him-" The overseer might''ve made a mistake. "And thus, like I said multiple times already. Stop worrying about everything already and just enjoy this world with your powers. Your bad habits or feelings shouldn''t be able to reach you that way." "I see¡­ Well, I can''t guarantee it, but I''ll keep in mind to live more freely." "Great!" "Okay¡­" Taking a deep breath, Sophia directly tried it out. "Fen, we have some of the day left. Give me some instructions on nature magic!" "On it!" Being in high spirits again, the two continued her magic training. Looking for a suitable test subject, Fen quickly found a nice-looking vine hanging down a nearby tree. "See that thick vine over there, Sophia? Try to get a feel of it." "I don''t exactly like the sound of that, but okay, sure." Sophia walked towards the tree, but the wolf quickly stopped her. "Not with your hands. Use your mind." "Of course¡­ should''ve known as much¡­ Hmm¡­ how do I feel something with my mind¡­?" "Locate it, just like living things with the detection magic. Then, try to touch the imaginary version of it inside your mind and think of it as the real thing." "Sounds a bit, uhh, kinky¡­" Sophia blurted out the first thing that went through her head. "¡­" "Sorry. Then again, wouldn''t it be better to touch the¡­ uh, real thing first¡­? Wow, I can''t believe I just said this¡­" "Fine, go ahead¡­" He gave up. "Okay." Having gotten permission, Sophia walked over to the tree after all and touched the vine in question. Having had her fill sooner rather thanter, she quickly went back to herpanion. "So, have you found anything out?" "Yeah, as it turns out, it''s a nt." "My, aren''t you a clever one? Try to be a bit more diligent about it, okay?" "Yes!" Heaving a slight chuckle, Sophia went back to serious mode. "Give it another try. Concentrate and connect to the vine now." "Hmm¡­" Closing her eyes as usual when focusing, she tried as told. "See the vine, feel the vine¡­ Connect to the vine¡­ hehe¡­ Control the vine!" Getting a hold of the nt, she seeded in her first, mostly serious try. The vine slowly began to move awkwardly, but the harder Sophia tried, the more fluid her control of the nt became. Soon enough, the awkwardness was gone entirely. "You sure are a talented girl¡­" Fen honestly hadn''t expected the girl to get the basics of nature magic this fast. Although, it wasn''t a new feeling for him anymore. "It feels kinda weird, but it''s quite fun. I think you said before that you could use vines and the like to bind your targets, right?" Her eyes started to sparkle. "You can, but¡­" He didn''t like how the girl was looking at him while saying so. "Just bear in mind that I''m able to do that as well, and I''m sure that I''m still better at controlling them right now." "Y-You might have a point¡­." Sophia gave up on whatever she was nning, mainly for her own safety. "Good choice." "What else does count as nature magic?" "Quite a lot. As always, actually, just about everything you can imagine being rted to nature." "That''s¡­ rather broad." She pulled a nk at the wide range. "Indeed, nature magic''s a veryplex one. To be perfectly honest, aside from a little tinkering with nts, I''m not overly interested in that category of magic." "Oh, that wants me to go wild even more. ying around with something you didn''t. I''ll have to give it some thoughtter on." "I expect big things." Fen wasn''t going to stop her. "Hehe. Only the basics of light and dark magic are missing now, huh?" "Yes, you''ve made some unbelievably impressive progress in just a few days. I actually have a hard time wrapping my head around this¡­ Well, there''s also the uncategorized or original magic left, which takes by far the most effort." "Ah, I''m looking forward to investing some more effort in that already." "You definitely have the right attitude, that''s for sure." ---------------- Having yet to think about some fun uses for nature magic, Sophia felt like it was enough training for today. The two started to set up their camp for the night. Once everything was ready, they rxed in front of their fire after the sunset. "Fen, is light and dark magic hard to learn?" She got too hooked to let go after all. "I would like to say yes, but I would''ve said something simr about nature magic, so¡­" He wasn''t sure how easily Sophia would be able to handle them. "Well, they''re definitely hard to imagine. I mean, creating light out of nothing is kind of hard to wrap your head around." While he said so, a small source of light appeared above their heads. "I''m not sure how I should exin what you have to actually imagine to activate the magic¡­" "Hmm¡­" Sophia was studying the tiny orb of light. "Isn''t that basically just a¡­ lightbulb¡­?" She actually had an effortless time imagining the magic. "Lightbulb, huh¡­? Hehehe~, let''s go all out then. Forget a singlemp¡­ Yeah, let''s go with a couple of those stadium floodlights~." "Sophia?" He once more had a bad feeling. "They use LEDs for them nowadays, right? A literal armada of those super-bright ones¡­ Okay, let''s give it a try!" Already having a good image in mind, Sophia snapped her fingers while activating her magic because she thought it would look cool. "A-Ah¡­" Immediately after the magic went off, she noticed how badly she overdid it. "S-Sophia?!" The wolf couldn''t believe his eyes. Their entire surroundings had turned so bright that it seemed like the sun had never set today. "Ahaha, let''s deactivate that real quick again¡­" Just like that, a secondter, everything turned dark again, with only the fire and stars illuminating the area. "W-What was that just now?!" "Yeah, sorry, I might''ve cheated a bit¡­" "Cheated?!" "You see, while we didn''t have magic in my old world, we had a thing called science. Using science and imagination, some brilliant heads managed to create many technologies, including artificial light, in my world¡­ I simply recreated one of the brightest from these and reced the science part with this world''s magic." "¡­" "What''s wrong, Fen¡­?" "Nothing, just thinking about my position in this world¡­" Having a slight existential crisis as one of this world''s strongest beings, caused by his very own pupil, the wolf wasn''t sure how to deal with the situation. "B-But¡­ technology, huh? I think the humans here have this thing as well, to make up for theircking magic¡­ It''s nothing worth mentioning, though¡­ Your old world seems to be quite¡­ something. To be able to create something like that without any magic." He was talking about the light stunt Sophia pulled. "That''s true. They were a crafty bunch." Today, Fen was the one feeling oddly tired and went to bed early for a change. Sophia continued to try out some smaller lights for fun for a while. She soon joined the wolf as it was an exhausting day for her as well, though. Chapter 15 – Finding humans Chapter 15 ¨C Finding humans After Sophia''s unexpected, or rather, sudden advance in nature, and especially magic rted to light, she and Fen decided to keep advancing towards the next human city today as well. Having made great progress, the two finally stopped in the early afternoon because they had found a smallke, which seemed like an excellent ce to make a camp for the time being. "I mean, we could keep going a bit longer, but it doesn''t make much sense as we would arrive after dark. I also don''t want to camp too close to a human city. It''s too bothersome to be worth it, really." Fen gave an update on their situation. "That''s fine by me. I wanted to y around with my magic anyways." "Go ahead. Ah, but I would advise against anything too shy, especially somethingrge-scale like yesterday''s light magic. I haven''t sensed any yet, but there might be a possibility of humans being not that far away from us." He warned her for her own good. "Hmm¡­" Sophia had aplicated expression. "Girl, what were you nning?" "Ahaha, I wanted to try a littlebination of fire and air magic. Remember the oxygen thing in the air I mentioned? I wanted to try and see what happens to fire magic when I increase the oxygen by a fair bit." "How shy would that be?" Fen couldn''t imagine the oue. "Well¡­ very." She was thinking of a gigantic fireball. "Personally, I don''t care and actually want to see it, but your humans might get scared by it. You decide." He was curious, but he knew Sophia might have a different opinion. "Yeah, you have a point. Let''s try it on a smaller scale first. By the way, if we really are close to human territory, wouldn''t that mean there''s a ton of edible nts, vegetables, and fruits around?" "Ah, I thought you finally converted yesterday." "An asional feast of grilled meat is nice and all, but I couldn''t do that every day." "Too bad¡­ But yes, most of the stuff around here that looks edible, actually is for a change." "Oh! Time for me to finally get serious!" The prospect of food made her very motivated, and Sophia was raring to go. "Haa¡­" Not having the best feeling about letting her roam around alone in this ce, Fen decided to follow her with a sigh. For the next half hour, Sophia was happily gathering nts and snacking on fruits she found. But a little whileter, though, she noticed that herpanion seemed to be getting a little restless. "What''s wrong, Fen? Found something?" "Well, there are some humans nearby¡­" He decided not to hide the information. "E-Eh?! Seriously?! I didn''t notice at all. Where?!" She looked around but still saw nothing at all. "Detection magic. A couple of hundred meters to our left, maybe a kilometer. "Hmm, I have the magic running non-stop, but¡­ to our left, huh? Let''s see¡­ There''s one red dot which size resembles your usual kow, so I didn''t pay any attention to it. Ah, there are three smaller dots around it. Huh, aren''t these just the kids of the kow? Being right next to them and so much smaller?" "Wait, constantly? No, Sophia, the size of the dots is determined by their power, not the actual size of the thing." "Ah, I see, yeah, that makes a lot more sense." She nodded in understanding. "Wait¡­ what?" Or not, because she didn''t understand at all. "The dots next to the kow are smaller, you know? How does that make any sense?!" "Sophia¡­" "Yes?" "I told you, humans are weak." "Sure, but not that much?! Humans can''t be weaker than our staple meal until now, right? Right?!" "Want to go and take a look?" "Yes!" There was no way she could believe it. "Fine." Saying so, Fen used his magic and shrunk his body to the size of a normal wolf, reaching around Sophia''s hips in height just in case. "¡­" She only stared at him disapprovingly. "What?" "I want cub Fen." "Not going to happen." "Aww¡­" ---------------- With a slight pout on her lips, Sophia began moving towards the reaction of her detection magic. Once she made visual contact with the group and noticed the wolf was actually right, about everything, she looked dumbfounded. "See?" "¡­" Sophia was looking at a group of three male humans that seemed a little older than she was, or at least her body. They were wearing a kind of leather armor and were all equipped with some sort of swords. As for their looks, Sophia was too disappointed about finding out they were a group of male humans. She didn''t bother taking a good look at their faces. Furthermore, those guys were currently engaged in a sort ofbat that made her question many things. Ganging up on a kow from every side, they were swinging their swords at it with great vigor. Unfortunately, the kow didn''t seem to be taking much, if any, damage from them. "F-Fen, what is going on here¡­? Is it some rare new-type, that kow? It looks totally normal, though¡­" "Because it is." "S-Seriously?" "Seriously." "Ah, they''re particrly weak guys, right?" Sophia tried to run away from reality. "They seem pretty standard to me." "Seriously?" She was repeating herself. "Seriously." So was the wolf. "But howe a sword doesn''t hurt a kow? Are they actually pretty tough¡­?" "Hmm, for humans¡­ probably? I mean, their skin has some slight, uhh, chew to it?" Fen wasn''t a good benchmark in that regard. "Is that so¡­?" Sophia wasn''t the ideal person to ask, either. Just yesterday, she yed around with a group of them as if they were mere toys. Not to mention she hadn''t noticed the supposed toughness at all, even thinking they were just slightly smaller standard cows she knew from her old world. "Ah, it seems like the kow had enough." "Moo¡­" Actually sounding bored, the animal let out an uninterested cry and charged towards the group. "Watch out! It started its attack!" One of the humans shouted once he noticed. "Nice, it seems like we dealt some serious damage! They only attack if they feel like their life is in danger!" "Yeah, and so fast! Aren''t we like the strongest hunter ever?" "Absolutely!" The guys shouted in unison. "Seriously¡­?" Sophia''s vocabry had decreased significantly since she started watching the first humans she met in this world. The only change was the tone of her voice, which had be increasingly more t as she watched the fight. "Seriously." Fen was suffering from the same fate. "Are they for real?" "So it seems." "Being proud of their dealt damage? What? What damage? I can''t even see a single scratch on that puny kow!" "Because there is none. It''s only natural that you can''t see it." "Also!" She wasn''t done yet and took a deep breath. "The kow attacked us because it felt danger to its life? Really?! No matter how you look at it, its expression is one of boredom! It''s likely thinking, are you guys done yet? I have better things to do¡­ It''s be rather bothersome because I wanted to take an afternoon nap, you know?, or something like that!" "That''s quite the fitting description of the kow''s feelings." Fen looked at the animal and came to the exact same conclusion. "I didn''t know you can speak kow." "They even think they''re the strongest?! What kind of joke is that?! Ahh, I get it now¡­ They aren''t hunters, right? They''re entertainers! I see! It all makes sense now!" "Sophia, stop deluding yourself and ept reality." "¡­" She looked at the pathetic sight again. "Is that for real?" "Unfortunately¡­ Ah, it seems like the kow wants to end it." "Moo!" Getting a tiny bit more serious, it increased its speed and effortlessly hit one of the guys. "Gahhh!" Screaming as if he were about to die, the boy fell out cold on the ground. "Y-You lowly beast! How dare you hurt one of us superior humans!" Seeing one of hisrades getting hurt, another one of them seemed to seethe with anger, beginning another attack on the bored-looking animal. "Don''t get ahead of yourself and tremble under the true power of humans, all monsters in the world fear!" "Exactly!" The third guy chimed in. "Your fate was already sealed when you didn''t run away after noticing us higher beings arriving, but now you even made us angry!" "Let''s go home, Fen." Sophia looked at herpanion with dead eyes and turned around. She was unable to deal with this farce any longer. "dly, but are you sure about that, Sophia?" "What do you mean?" "Those humans, they''ll die for sure. Personally, I don''t mind because it''s their own fault. They challenged a clearly s-su¡­ superior enemy and lost." He had a hard time staying serious while addressing his favorite food like this. "¡­" She actually needed to give it some thought after the show she had to witness. Then again, Sophia had yearned to see humans. Simply leaving them to die now felt very wrong to her, no matter how useless these specimens appeared to be. "Alright, fine¡­" pping her cheeks to motivate herself, the girl stepped forward and walked towards the group, hoping not to regret her decision. Chapter 16 – First time being angry Chapter 16 ¨C First time being angry
Having watched the human''s silly excuse of a fight, Sophia felt really reluctant to help them. Still, it would likely leave a sour aftertaste if she abandons the first humans she ever met in this world. For the better or worse, she decided to save their lives from the vicious beast. The bored kow, that is. "Uhmm¡­" Arriving at the group of the three mighty warriors and one bored-looking kow, Sophia was trying to find out how to actually tackle this task. "H-Hello there¡­" A little bit shy and incredibly awkward feeling, she made herself known to the group. "Haah?!" "A little girl?! Where did youe from?!" The two still-standing humans finally noticed her. "Uh¡­ I was nearby, and¡­ heard you guys fighting, so-" "Then, scram!" "Yeah, don''t you see we''re busy?!" "That''s why I, uhm, stopped¡­ You seem to be¡­ in need of some¡­ help." "Haaah? How''s a little girl supposed to help us?!" "Exactly! You''re just a hindrance! Go and y somewhere else! Leave this to us strong ones!" The two obviously didn''t want any help. "Err¡­ one of your oh so strong ones is already half-dead over there, though¡­?" She pointed at the guy that got hit by the kow earlier, lying unconscious in the dirt. "This won''t happen again! This beast just got a lucky hit! There''s no way such an inferior kow would be able to take out one of us powerful hunters with skill after all!" "Ah, is that so¡­" Sophia''s eyes looked dead again. "Now scram already! There''s no need for a weak little girl here!" "But¡­" "Ah, I get it now!" One of these guys seemed to have arrived at a revtion of some sort. "You''re scared, aren''t you, girl? Wandering around here alone, seeing this vicious monster," He pointed at the bored kow. "Not with us, girl! In this world, survival of the fittest is the general rule. If you''re not strong, you''re dead." "¡­" She tried not tough. "No, wait a moment¡­" The other guy stopped hispanion and looked at Sophia with dirty eyes and an expression she really didn''t like. "Actually, we can protect you, girl. That''s going to cost you, though~." He scanned her from head to toe. "We''ll just quickly beat up this monster, and we''ll pay all our attention to you. Don''t worry, it won''t hurt¡­ much." "¡­" The emotion changed to something different than being amused. "What? Did you think we would help you for free?! You need to give us some service, or else you''ll die out here!" "¡­" Sophia remained silent, obviously not because she was scared. The feeling she had right now was of an entirely different nature. "Weird¡­ I came over to help those humans¡­ But, why is it that I want to kill them myself now¡­?" She had splendidly snapped, and her voice was devoid of any emotion. "Ahaha¡­ No, they''re probably just talking in delirium because they''re terrified of being about to be killed by a not-yet-skinned dinner¡­ Yeah, that''s it¡­ They''re not bad guys, just weaklings barking up the wrong tree. Scared out of their minds, they are¡­ Ahaha¡­" Mumbling to herself, Sophia was trying her best to quell the urge to kill. "Haa¡­" Letting out a sigh, she walked over to the already out-ofmission guy and picked up his sword from the ground. "Guuh¡­" The unconscious person let out a groan because Sophia stepped on him while reaching for the sword. "Little girl, that''s not a toy! Put it back before you hurt yourself. We still need you after all~." "Could you maybe, shut up?" With eyes colder than ice itself, she red at him before looking at the sword. After getting a feel for it, she sent it flying with a slight movement of her hand. "W-Wha-?" The two guys were stupefied thanks to the sword that flew right past them with tremendous speed. "M-Moo¡­" A momentter, a pained cry echoed through the area. "H-Huh¡­?" While vigorously sweating, the two turned around and couldn''t believe their eyes. The kow, that was merely ying with them, was splendidly cut right in half, using the swords the humans couldn''t even put a scratch on with. "G-Girl, what are¡­" Still unable to believe the situation, one of the guys faced Sophia to question her, only to notice that she was long gone. "Huh¡­?" She couldn''t stand it anymore, and so, after listlessly flicking away the sword, the girl immediately left the ce. "¡­" "¡­" ---------------- A girl and a wolf were walking side by side inplete silence because neither of them could put what happened into words. Once they arrived at their camp, though, Fen tried to start a conversation with her. "So, uh, are you okay, Sophia¡­? Well, probably not¡­" "Did that actually happen¡­? There''s no way that happened, right?" She was still hoping that everything had just been a bad dream. "Sorry." He could only apologize. "I see¡­ Are they really all like that¡­? Are all humans in this world like that? Please tell me those¡­ things were an exception¡­" "¡­" He thought about a suitable answer. "I''m sorry." All he could do was to apologize again. "The unfounded feeling of superiority runs through all of humanity. They also all only care about themselves. Always wanting to get a profit out of anything. Conceived like nothing else¡­ They''re worthless in my eyes. Trash." It sounded like he could go on for a while. "¡­" She had heard those words time and time before from Fen, but they now carried an entirely different weight after witnessing it herself. "Sorry¡­" He apologized yet another time. "It''s not your fault, Fen." "I know, but-" "It''s fine¡­" "Is it really?" The wolf didn''t believe her. He wanted to and hoped to but couldn''t do so. "It''s¡­ not¡­." She was finally honest. "How could I be? I tried not to be negative anymore after our talk yesterday. I really did, but it''s impossible¡­ How could I stay positive after that¡­? After what those¡­ things said, wanted to do¡­ Are they idiots? They''re idiots, right?!" Her expression, even her aura, began to change. "What do they think they are? Some hot joke? They lost against a freaking kow of all things! And yet, they thought they were some superior beings¡­ Don''t mess with me¡­ Protecting me? They?! How deluded can one get?! Even as a joke, that''s way too much! Fen, how are the humans still alive in this world? They should''ve gone extinct decades ago already if they''re all like this!" "Sophia, you''re not depressed?" Fen hadpletely misinterpreted her earlier silence. "Depressed? Ah, maybe a little, but that''s not the problem here!" "Angry, huh? Well, not that I could me you." There was only one other interpretation of her outbreak, pure anger. "Obviously! How could I not be?! Why did I save such scum? I should''ve ended this filth myself! I actually feel sorry for that kow¡­ even though I already ate a lot of its kin. Okay, let''s go back, Fen! If they haven''t gotten killed by a bug already, let''s go and relieve them from their pain. The pain of what their life is, obviously." "How about we calm down for a moment, Sophia." He noticed that she was going slightly out of control. "I''m all in for an act of nice revenge, but you''re a bit too hasty." "Hasty¡­? Don''t you think these guys have earned this much?" "I certainly do. In fact, I would''ve ripped them to shreds after about three seconds talking to them if I had been in your shoes." "Then, what''s the problem?" "Sophia, in your old world, no matter how annoyed or angry you were, have you ever seriously thought about wanting to kill someone? No, were about to kill someone." "No, of course not! Hmm¡­?" Sophia noticed that something was off. "I naturally thought about things like Ah~, I wouldn''t be sad if that person falls from a cliff and dies¡­ everyone asionally feels like that. You aren''t really serious when saying it, but¡­ Wanting to kill one myself and seriously going for it? No way! Wait a moment, don''t tell me-" "Yeah, I think your boosts kicked in again after getting really irritated." "Boosting my anger to the point of an honest desire to kill someone?" "It seems that way to me. I mean, you did seem a little¡­ ruthless from time to time, but this desire earlier was not like you being you, in my opinion." "T-That''s-, That''s scary! Boosting negative feelings isn''t nice at all! Really, just what in the hell is that sorry excuse of a god thinking?! Okay, it''s back to n A!" "n A?" Fen obviously didn''t understand. "Operation: Tear that idiot a new one! I wanted to find a way to meet that god again and give him a nice talking¡­ with my fist, that is." "That sounds¡­ reasonable in this situation." "I know, right?!" Having vented her anger just a little bit, Sophia managed to calm herself to some degree. "What now, though?" Fen wasn''t sure about their next course of action. "Your first contact didn''t go quite as expected. Well, for me, it did, but¡­ Do you still want to visit the human city?" "Hmm¡­" This wasn''t an easy decision for her. "Yeah, I think so¡­ Earlier was shocking, but I still do have a slight hope that those things were some particrly exceptional examples, not the norm." "If that''s what you want." He had little hope that the city would change anything. Even so, Fen felt like she would need to make this experience. "Anyways, that''s a topic for tomorrow! Right now, I want to do something fun!" Sophia decided to change the topic, mainly to distract herself. "Time to do some magic experiments!" ---------------- Looking for afortable ce at their camp side, the girl sat down and looked at her held out, open palm. A small reddish-yellow me appeared there, and Sophia studied it for a while. After some time passed, the color of the fire suddenly began to change. Fen, who was watching, naturally became interested. "What are you doing?" "Hmm¡­ Did you know that the temperature of a me and its color are rted?" "Color¡­?" "Ah, let''s see¡­ for example," The me on her palm changed to a darkish-red. It also started to flicker as if it were about to go out. "This one''s rtively cool. Well, in terms of how hot fire is." "Ohh¡­" He got a little closer and felt that it was indeed not that hot. "Let''s increase the power a little." As she said so, the color of the puny me changed to a lighter red first before slowly traversing to a light orange, almost whitish color. "That one''s pretty hot, isn''t it?" "Yes, it definitely is." Fen didn''t need to get close to feel its heat. "This looks like the me I usually use in my fire magic when used for attacks. Now that you mention it, I did wonder why my fire looks a bit different and is way hotter than normal mes in this world." "That''s because it''s more powerful." "I knew I''m great." "You sure are, Fenny~." How about this, though?" The me''s color changed again and considerably shrunk in size. The base color turned to that of the blue sky, and the top was an even paler blue, almost invisible already. There was no sign of flickering left. It was perfectly stable. The me was so hot that you could even hear a noiseing from it, which sounded simr to a low grumbling. "A blue¡­ fire? Not to mention it''s ridiculously hot¡­ What did you do?" "You see, I haven''t changed the magic power for the fire once since I started experimenting here." "Huh?!" "I''ve been ying around with the air around my palm, increasing or decreasing the oxygen in it. For a fire to burn, it needs fuel, my magic power in this case, and oxygen together with a heat source to ignite. The me uses oxygen to burn the fuel. The more of it is around, the more powerful and faster the fuel gets burned. Have you noticed how the blue me''s much smaller than the other ones? The fire has so much oxygen at its disposal, it burns the limited fuel so fast and violent that it couldn''t maintain its size. A blue me also means the fire is most efficient as no fuel is wasted." Sophia tried to exin how fire worked. "Well, that''s at least how I remember it¡­ No idea whether it''s 100% true, actually. Well, my idea''s working, so I shouldn''t be that wrong. Probably." "I will admit that I haven''t fully understood the concept, but basically¡­ if you want a hotter me, increasing the fuel isn''t the only thing you have to do, right? For it to get truly powerful, it also needs more of this oxygen thing?" "Yes. Adding fuel is the first thing to get more power, as evident by your fire magic. At a certain point, adding more fuel just isn''t efficient anymore, though, because the fire can''t burn it all." "Ah, I actually tried that out before. No matter how much power I used, my me didn''t get any hotter, just bigger¡­ It did help when it was windy, so I actually used air magic when burning things before, but it never had such a result..." "Yes, exactly that. The fire didn''t have enough oxygen in the right ce. While wind gets the fire more oxygen, it can only do so much before the me''s saturated again." "I see¡­ Okay, so, if you were to increase the oxygen and the fuel?" "Well, that''s where the real fun starts." Sophia extinguished the me on her palm and pointed at a tree at a slight distance. "How about a small demonstration? I''ll fill the area around the tree with my magic power and ramp up the oxygen in the air before finally igniting it. Okay, I actually don''t have to use much magic power because the tree itself will be fuel, but let''s go all out." Concentrating on what she said, Sophia finished her preparations and activated her magic to get it started. The moment it ignited, the area around the tree turned into hell itself, a much hotter and blue hell. Just as fast as it started, it was over again as well. The fire was so violent that it had burned all the fuel in an instant. Once it entirely died down, one could see that not even the ash of the tree was left behind, and the ground had actually melted into a ss-like substance. "¡­" Fen was speechless. "Pretty neat, huh? I think I did a good job there." She looked very smug. "Sophia," The wolf took a deep breath. "Please teach me how to do that!" "Sure~." And just like that, the rtionship between teacher and pupil had turned around. Chapter 17 – Teaching Fen for a change Chapter 17 ¨C Teaching Fen for a change After Sophia had gotten a little bit disillusioned by the first-ever humans she met in this world, she distracted herself with magic. The girl came up with an overpoweredbination of the fire and air magic categories. It was so impressive that Fen just had to learn it as well. "Well, I agreed to teach you, but I don''t have the slightest idea how¡­" Sophia''s life as a teacher was going to be a short one. "I know what oxygen is. Okay, to a degree I can work with. It''s part of the air or atmosphere. Too little will eventually kill you, but it''s easy to feel it if it''s only somewhat lower. Too much, on the other hand, hmm? didn''t they use oxygen in hospitals? If the concentration of the other gases gets too high, you''ll also have a bad time, but oxygen? There was something like oxygen poisoning, wasn''t there¡­? I think divers had that problem, but I think that only applied to pressurized areas, like underwater, right?" She was thinking about how oxygen was used in her old world. "Yeah, hospitals definitely used it when people had trouble breathing for whatever reason¡­ I think I saw athletes using these mask thingies from the hospital as well before¡­ It shouldn''t be a problem if I do a demonstration in both ways, right?" "Uhm¡­?" Fen had no idea what was going on, but Sophia''s incoherent mumbling made him slightly concerned. "Hey Fenny~, how about a little experiment?" "D-Do I have a choice¡­?" He thought her eyes were super scary and that his answer wasn''t of importance. "That depends on whether you want to use my magic or not." "Fine¡­" His desire to use more powerful magic was stronger than his fear. "Great! Okay, let''s move to a more open space, then." She guided the wolf to the in next to the camp and then moved a good bit away from him. "Why are you retreating?" "Safety measures." "Ehh?!" He didn''t like the sound of that. "Don''t worry, it won''t kill you." "Hey! Don''t you normally say it won''t hurt you in this situation?!" "¡­" She remained silent. "Hey!" "Anyway," Ignoring him, Sophia continued. "As I can''t exin what oxygen is, I''ll try to show you what it does instead." "That means?" "I''m going to decrease the oxygen around you." "Hey!" He was repeating himself. "That will kill me, won''t it?!" "Rx, I''ll only lower it to a point where it affects you but doesn''t do anysting damage." "Really¡­?" "Of course." Ignoring any further protests, Sophia started to decrease the oxygen levels around Fen bit by bit. "Can you feel anything yet?" "It''s getting¡­ a little hard to breathe. A bit like on a high¡­ mountain¡­?" His voice sounded somewhat ragged. "Good, a little more, then." She continued to tinker with the air for a while. "Sophia¡­ haa¡­ I''m getting¡­ dizzy¡­ it feels like¡­ I''m going to¡­ lose consciousness¡­ soon¡­" "Okay, that should be enough." Immediately after, the girl slowly let the oxygen return to normal. "Are you alright, Fen?" "Somehow¡­ That was scary!" He hadn''t liked the experience. "It was a bit like suffocating, but¡­ different? You can breathe¡­ but it doesn''t work properly. It''s not like there wasn''t any air, but I could feel like something crucial was missing¡­" "Yeah, that something was the oxygen." "I see¡­ it''s still a foreign concept somehow, but I think I''m starting to understand a little." He was getting a grasp on it. "Great. Okay, I''ll increase the oxygen now instead." "That won''t be as¡­ scary, right?" "Not even close." Reassuring him, she started to raise the concentration. A couple of minutes passed before Sophia asked him about his status. "And?" "Much more subtle thanst time¡­ I can feel something, but I''m not quite sure what it is." "Okay, let''s continue." Going on for a while, the oxygen levels around Fen continued to rise. She wasn''t exactly sure how high, but it felt like a good part of the air had be oxygen. "You have to feel it really well now, Fen." "I do, actually¡­ I feel¡­ great? Breathing has be super easy. My body feels kinda light¡­ It also seems like I have much more power now. Physically speaking." "Yes, that''s oxygen for you. It''s the same kind of magic I used together with the fire magic earlier. I just didn''t raise the oxygen that high this time. After all, I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to breathe in too much of it." "I see¡­ Okay!" Closing his eyes, Fen concentrated on his surroundings, taking rhythmic breaths to feel the concentrated oxygen in the air better. Sophia let him do so for about 15 minutes. "Fen, how is it? It''s bing very tiring for me to maintain it¡­" "Ah, yes, can you slowly lower it?" "Okay." Doing as asked, she began to let the oxygen levels go to normal, but it was happening way slower than she had thought. "Gah¡­ it''s super hard!" Fen groaned for some reason. "Hmm? Oh, are you trying to maintain the level on your own?" "Yeah, it''s way harder than expected, though¡­" "Good work!" The two continued like that, Sophia decreasing it while the wolf tried to maintain the oxygen. He eventually seeded in having it stay at a much higher level than usual, albeit not as high as Sophia managed. "Okay¡­ I think I''m getting it now¡­ Being at the same level as you is just a matter of training now." He seemed happy about his progress. "Excellent job. You sure are talented, huh?" "Somehow, hearing that from you¡­ hurts." The wolf clearly wasn''t the prodigy here, at least between those two alone. ---------------- Thanks to the special training being seriously exhausting, the two decided to take it easy afterward until it was time for dinner. "So you''ve gone for yet another kow, huh?" She looked at his dinner, just having toment. "Naturally. Well, after I saw you ying with one earlier. I got hungry and wanted my own. What about you, Sophia? You sure went wild on this area''s vegetables." Looking at her meal, he saw that she had basically thrown together every edible nt that she could find. "Ahaha¡­ There''s no better way of finding out which of these I like or not by tasting every single one in one go. Ah, but save me a bit of this superior being, okay? I want to know how such a ferocious beast tastes." The girl was pointing at the big b of kow meat Fen was roasting over the fire. "Eh? It was quite hard to y, okay? I almost got killed while hunting it." He yed along with her joke. "But then, you managed to gather those vicious nts, so you know what I''m talking about, right?" "Absolutely! I have no idea how I made it out alive¡­" For them, ying kows and gathering nts had about the same level of danger. "¡­" "Ahaha¡­" They had tough at themselves. "Ah, but to be serious again, this kow is seriously delicious because it''s way fattier and the meat''s softer than the ones we ate before. It tastes like it got to sleep and eat all day because it had no fear of getting predated in this area." "No wonder. What do humans even eat? Meat doesn''t seem like a viable option." "Maybe even smaller critters? Fish? Probably lot''s of nt-type based food?" Fen wasn''t sure, either. The two spent joking and eating together until the sun had set in the evening. Noticing that it became dark, Sophia looked like she wanted to ask something. "What''s up?" "Hmm¡­ About dark magic¡­ Can I get an introduction to it? It''s thest I''m missing after all." "I''m not sure¡­ I''m going to teach it to you eventually, but is now a good time?" He had his doubts about the timing. "What do you mean?" "Well, dark magic¡­ is somehow the¡­ dark side of magic. Curses, soul corrupting, mind maniption, all such nasty stuff is part of that category. Also, it resonates with the negative feelings of the user, basically powering up when you harbor some sort of negative feelings about your target." Fen gave her an overview of how the magic works. "And what do you want to convey to me here?" "We''re going to visit a human city tomorrow, right? After today''s incident¡­ Sophia with dark magic, getting angry at the city gates¡­ I might get to witness the end of humanity. Again, personally, I don''t mind, maybe looking a tiny bit forward to it, to be honest, but¡­" He came back to the topic after enjoying the idea for a second. "You might not feel the same way." "Am I really such a¡­ ticking time bomb?" "Yes." The wolf didn''t try to deny it. "I see¡­ that''s¡­ shocking." She thought about the implications for a while. "So, how do I get started on dark magic?" Not too long, though. "Are you sure about it?" "Yeah, if I punish them, they most likely earned it some way or another. Also, if I were to run out of controlpletely, I trust you to stop me, Fen." She made her decision and had faith in herpanion. "I''ll try, but I''m not certain I would actually be able to¡­" The wolf had be to doubt his strength when it came to Sophia. "Not with force, but I''m sure your words would reach me, stopping me from going berserk." "You''re such a high-maintenance woman." "That''s¡­ not entirely untrue." She wanted to refute his usation, but she noticed that he was right. "Well, whatever." He epted her choice. "Dark magic, huh? Sure, let''s give it a try. What could possibly go wrong?" "I''m ready!" "Hmm¡­ Sophia, look at your shadow." "Okay¡­?" It sounded like an odd request, but she followed suit. She stared at her shadow, which was flickering behind her, thanks to the campfire. "Try to move your shadow without moving your body." "Ehh, moving my shadow¡­? Hmm-" She had no idea how that''s supposed to work. "Shadows are¡­ basically created by light. Without light, there are no shadows¡­ ironically, just darkness would be left. Covering the light would¡­ hmm, absorbing the light would work, I guess? Or creating a space so dark no light could prate¡­" Her initial task was forgotten entirely while she became lost in her own world. "Sophia¡­?" He had a bad feeling. "Hrmm¡­ Could I create darkness by myself? I can create light just fine, so? Wasn''t there some sort of ck in my old world that was so dark that it reflected absolutely nothing, even absorbing light¡­? So, recreating something like that¡­ Does that even count as dark magic in the first ce? You also said the magic''s amplified by negative thoughts, right? How about I think about my lovely encounter with those humans while trying it~? Well, let''s give it a try and let Fen judge¡­ Darkness¡­ dying everything around me in darkness¡­ absolute darkness¡­" Her words had be quite dark as well. While she was muttering her thoughts, pitch-ck darkness started to ooze out and crawl away from her feet, slowly covering the area around her in ck nothingness. It even spread over the campfire, robbing its light that was illuminating the ce. The further the ckness reached, the faster it was covering the area in perfect darkness. Soon enough, nothing but Fen and Sophia were left. "Er¡­" The wolf had asked her to move her shadows, but the girl turned everything to nothingness instead. He actually had no idea where he was going with the shadow thing. Still, Sophia had taken her own path anyway, an approach he was unable toprehend. "So, uhm, does that count as dark magic?" She wasn''t sure what kind of magic she had actually done. "Uhh¡­" While profoundly sweating all over his body, Fen was still trying to wrap his head around the situation. He was unable to do so, though. Chapter 18 – Human city Chapter 18 ¨C Human city
Having tried to teach Sophia the basics of dark magic, something wentpletely wrong. Fen wasn''t sure what was going on anymore. He had asked her to try moving her shadow a bit, but instead, the girl had somehow shrouded their entire surroundings in perfect and absolute darkness. "Uh¡­" Unable to process the situation, the wolf was at a loss for words. "Does that even count as dark magic now? It feels like I cut a few corners." "It¡­ definitely does¡­" Fen seemed to be hugely affected by his surroundings, or theck of it. He was sweating all over his body. "Really? Yay!" Sophia was happy, at least. "It''s, uhh, impressive¡­" "Still, how does this rte to stuff like curses, corrupting, or mind maniption? It''s just¡­ dark?" She didn''t understand the connection. "Magically created¡­ darkness has these properties¡­ If you''re subjected to it¡­ it starts to affect your psyche¡­ driving your mind¡­ crazy¡­ causing extreme panic¡­ eating away your rationality¡­ In this state¡­ the caster of the magic¡­ could easily destroy your mind¡­ even your soul itself¡­ Cursing one, or simply controlling your target¡­ is absolutely no hard feat to do¡­ in this¡­ state." His voice sounded ragged while he was exining the details of dark magic to her. "Ah, I see. That''s someplicated andplex magic. Not to mention, nasty¡­" It seemed like she understood. "Hmm? Wait a minute¡­ Fen! Are you affected by my magic as well?!" She finally noticed the wolf''s painedplexion. "¡­Yes." "Wahh!" The girl immediately canceled her magic. Their surroundings turned back to normal in an instant. "Tell me that sooner, you idiot!" "Sorry¡­ it was hard to keep my sanity in the first ce, so I kinda¡­" "Ehh?! Are you alright?!" "I''m¡­ better now." "Scary! Dark magic is scary! "Yes¡­" He wholeheartedly agreed. "I''m so sorry about that, Fen! You should''ve warned me before¡­" "Well, I was going to eventually¡­ You know, once it would''ve be relevant¡­ Someone decided to overdo it a little bit before I even had the chance to react to what was going on." He was just a little angry. "Sorry¡­" Sophia apologized again. "I didn''t understand the shadow thing, so I added a little twist from my old world to create my own version of it. It just kinda happened." "Just happened, huh? Your old world sure was an outrageous ce. Just how dangerous was it to live there¡­?" "Ahaha¡­" Hearing that from an oversized wolf native to a world with magic and monsters, she could onlyugh it off. "Man, I''m not a fan of dark magic¡­" "Really? I think it''s quite fun, though? Trapping an enemy in darkness, robbing their senses, slowly driving them insane¡­ Yeah, scary, but fun." "Err¡­" The wolf had the feeling that something inside Sophia had just awakened, something that absolutely shouldn''t have. "Light magic still seems to be more fun, though. Creating light has a nice ring to it." As she said so, a ball of light appeared on top of her palm. "It looks so pretty. Healing magic in that category sounds nice, too." "Y-Yeah, you should focus on that!" He wanted to prevent her full awakening to the most literal dark side at all costs. "Ehehe, now I have at least some basic proficiency in every magic category, huh?" "Now that you mention it¡­ You sure arepatible with magic. Especially foring from a world where there was none." "Yeah, that god really went all out with my boosts." "He did, yeah¡­" "I really need to get more info about those boosts of mine. What exactly did change, and how does it affect me? Positive traits and emotions did get enhanced, but so did my negative ones¡­ What does that mean for me?" Sophia was thinking about her predicament once more. "I don''t think I have to care much about the changes to my positive traits, do I?" "Well, I have the feeling you get carried away extremely easily." "Ahaha, that might be true. Somehow, that''s both a good and bad trait, huh?" "Yes, it''s a mixed bag, that one." Fen agreed. "Though the real problem are my negative boosts¡­ I get depressed, not easily¡­ but extremely strong if it happens¡­ Okay, I think I can deal with that somehow. I do have¡­ some experience with that from my old world." She was used to being down. "My anger to the point of wanting to kill someone¡­ yeah, that''s definitely new and no good¡­ I need to learn to deal with that as soon as possible¡­" "And you bing a sadis-, ah, no¡­ forget it." Fen wanted to add something to the table but decided against it, thinking it would be better not to make her aware of it. "Hmm?" "No, I didn''t say anything." "Really now?" Her voice changed for a second but immediately turned back. "Well, whatever¡­ What about the other feelings? Will I get extremely jealous, or maybe not jealous at all? What if something manages to seriously scare me? I REALLY don''t want to get my fear boosted! Actually, there are all sorts of feelings that sound scary when boosted. Negative AND positive ones¡­" "While I can understand that you''re concerned, I don''t think there''s much you can do before you have experienced the effect of the corresponding emotion at least once." "Just keep going, huh?" "Pretty much." "Well, I''ll probably see some new emotions in action at the human city tomorrow." "Lots of negative ones, I assume." Fen wasn''t feeling overly positive about it himself. "Whatever it is, it''s going to be a good learning experience, at least." "Yes, it also won''t get boring, I guess." "Though I don''t know if that''s a good thing..." "It sure is." The wolf had no interest in boring things. "Anything goes as long as you have fun, huh?" "As it does for you, doesn''t it?" "A valid point." Sophia had to agree. ---------------- The two kept talking through the evening about mostly meaningless topics until it was time to turn in for the night. Once the following day arrived, Sophia and Fen resumed their travel toward the human city. The wolf didn''t tell her anything, but he purposefully avoided any group of humans he noticed with his detection magic along the way. And so, with some minor detours, the city finally came into view around midday. "Looks like we have arrived." "Oh~!" Standing on a hill, Sophia could see most of the city from a distance and became excited about the view. "Now, that''s fantasy!" The whole town was surrounded by an about five-meter-tall wall with a central gate for entrance and exit. Outside the walls, the entire area was filled with fields, growing various vegetables and something resembling wheat. Thanks to the elevation of the hill they were on, she could see above the wall. It was just a smaller frontier city, so there was no fancy castle or anything like that, but she found it fascinating, nheless. There weren''t any tall houses either, but some bigger buildings at least. Not a single one of them seemed to be built with any sort of order or practicality, tough. They all looked different and were positioned all over the ce, with shabby and narrow streets somehow connecting areas. "Humans¡­ really aren''t very advanced in this world, are they¡­?" While it was fun to see such a chaotic ce, it seemed horribly inefficient and just in stupid in Sophia''s eyes. "Yeah¡­ they''re all idiots after all." "Ahaha, well, whatever. Let''s go. To the gate, I guess?" She pointed at the entrance of the city, where she spotted some humans. "Seems like it. Okay, we could simply jump over the wall as well¡­ or blow it to pieces." "Let''s not do that." Having agreed on a course of action, Fen transformed into a normal-sized wolf. The duo then started walking toward the city''s entrance. Once they arrived at the gate, Sophia noticed some guard-like-looking, middle-aged guys wearing some crude metal tes as armor and spears for weapons. "Stop right there!" The guards spotted the duo and immediately pointed their spears at them. "What''s with that lowly beast next to you?!" "A-Ah¡­" She thought for sure the guards were dead. "Grr¡­" Normal-sized Fen was not amused and showed his fangs. If not for Sophia, this ce would''ve had one guard less already. He had better self-control than the girl thought. "Ahh, well¡­ I tamed this wolf. I use him for hunting¡­ and stuff like that¡­" Sophia told him a story that would make sense in this situation. "So that filthy thing belongs to you, huh?" The second guard also seemed to have a death wish. "¡­" "Y-Yes¡­" Sophia answered before Fen lost his temper and had the chance to pounce on him. "I-Is there anything wrong with that?" "¡­" The guards didn''t seem happy. "What do you want here, girl?" "Uhm¡­ Enter the town¡­?" "Tsk¡­ Show me your ID then, girl." "ID?" Sophia wasn''t expecting something like that toe up out of nowhere. "Identification! How stupid are you, girl?! To not even know that! I can''t believe it¡­" "Err¡­" That wasn''t the problem, actually. "Do I¡­ need that to enter?" "Of course! There''s no way we''re going to let a filthy girl with an unknown background into our beautiful and perfect city! Especially not if that someone is apanied by such a lowly beast as that wolf of yours." The guard waved his spear around in front of Fen''s face. "I mean, it''s no problem for us superior ones to y him in case something happens. Still, you never know what idents could happen around such a mindless beast. Ignoring how dirty he is, as well." "¡­" Fen was twitching all over while trying to hold in his anger. "Is-, Is there no other way to enter?" "Hmm¡­" The guard thought while he looked up and down at Sophia with a nasty look. "Well, let us get rid of that filthy dog for you first. You won''t be needing that there anymore." "Yeah!" The other guard seemed to have understood his coworker''s idea and changed his attitude towards Sophia, although really not for the better. "If you really want to be part of our beautiful city, you have to do some work for that. With a bit of polish, you should be quite the beauty in the future, girl. Our brothel is always in need of new personnel, for reasons, hehe. It doesn''t care about the person''s background, either. Wouldn''t that be perfect for you, girl?" Having an equally vulgar expression as his colleague, the guard tried to ce his hand on Sophia''s shoulder. Amentable decision. "¡­" Her expression turned ice-cold. Her eyes were glued to the guard''s hand as it was trying to touch her. Losing to her umted rage, ck ooze began to cover the ground around her feet. A momentter, her ice-cold eyes turned towards the guard itself and addressed him in a t yet sharp voice that pierced his ears. "You really are all the same, huh?" Sophia grabbed his wrist of the hand that was about to reach her, and instantly crushed about every bone in it. She didn''t care about how much force she was using. Immediately after, the girl twisted the guard''s entire arm in a direction that shouldn''t be possible and almost ripped it off. She broke even more bones in the process and threw him onto the ground. He never made any sound as he fainted from shock and pain the moment his fist was crushed. "H-Hey!" Once the other guard finally noticed what happened, he pointed his spear at Sophia and was about to attack her. Another regrettable decision. He never got the chance to. "I don''t think so." Fen, too, couldn''t bear it any second longer. Seeing hispanion, Sophia, being about to be attacked, the guard''s fate was ultimately sealed in his eyes. He instantly jumped at him and disarmed him. Not caring about this human whatsoever, he used his fangs to take the spear from him. Unfortunately, Fen literally disarmed the guard. Instead of getting rid of the actual spear, he simply ripped out the guy''s entire arm. It was the weakest point to attack in the overpowered wolf''s eyes. "G-Gahh¡­" Noticing that his arm was suddenly missing, he let out a cry before joining his passed-out coworker on the ground, lying in a puddle of his own blood. "¡­" Sophia looked at the mess with her still ice-cold expression before changing her attention to Fen. "¡­" The wolf looked back at the enraged girl in silence. "¡­" They continued to stare at each other for a couple of seconds until her eyes turned kind again. At the same time, she gently stroked the wolf''s head. "Let''s go home, Fen." "Yes." Not caring about themotion forming further inside the gate, the two turned around and walked away from the city. Chapter 19 – How about a different folk? Chapter 19 ¨C How about a different folk? They had left behind the mess they created at the entrance of the human city the two wanted to enter. Sophia and Fen walked for an hour until they arrived at a forest a good bit away from the ce. "Gaah!" Crying out her frustration, Sophia punched a tree. Not holding back, it gotpletely obliterated the moment her fist connected, leaving only a splintered stump behind. "Uh¡­" "Seriously! What''s wrong with this world''s humans?!" Not caring what she just did to the tree, the girl continued. "Disposing of Fen? Are they that blind?! How can you not notice that he''s, like, super overpowered? In the first ce, your freaking race can''t even get rid of a kow! A KOW! Me working in a brothel?!" Her eyes turned cold again, and while she remembered, another tree had met its end by Sophia''s fist. "Don''t joke with me, you joke of a guard! Be happy you were so worthlessly weak! If you had put up even a shred of resistance, you would''ve been responsible for me leveling your entire city! Ah, but maybe it''s time to end humanity as a whole in the first ce? They''re too weak to survive in the long run anyway. There''s absolutely no worth in keeping this race alive. Okay, let''s go, Fen! Let''s go and have some fun!" "Calm down for a moment, girl! Your anger is goingpletely out of control again." He noticed that Sophia wasn''t herself anymore. "I am calm, though." Her voice had absolutely no emotion to it. "Calm people don''t normally call for genocide." "Hmm¡­ Really? Yeah, I think you might be right¡­" "No, I am." "I thought you would have fun doing it, though." "Might be a tiny little bit, but I honestly think humans aren''t even worth the effort to eradicate them." "So, they are still alive because they''re too much of a bother to end?" "Pretty much." "Haah¡­." Seeing his indifference, Sophia had no other choice than to calm down. "You really are something else, Fen." "You are the ONE person I don''t want to hear that from, Sophia!" "Ahaha." Once her anger fell below a certain point, it vanished altogether. "Oh,ughing again already? That was fast." The wolf noticed how her tamper had changed. "Yeah¡­ thanks for keeping your promise, Fen." "Hmm?" "For bringing me back when my anger got too boosted." "Ah, that¡­ What a peace of work you are, girl." "Sorry¡­" "No, it''s fine. It''s not that hard, actually. You only have to calm down to a certain point where your boosted positive traits take over again, and you simply stop caring. You''re also extremely prone to getting sidetracked. That helps a lot. It''s kinda funny how you are all over the ce in a matter of seconds." "Should I be happy now? Angry? Maybe both? Or possibly none of that? What is it?" She was confused. "Yes." "Ehh¡­?" That only made it worse. "Hehe, anyway," Fen continued after a slight chuckle. "Putting that¡­ and the genocide aside, I hereby dere that we''re not going to meet any more humans for the time being. I''ve had enough." "Agreed." Sophia''s feelings were finally on the same page as Fen''s. "I still believe there''s a decent human somewhere in this world. There has to be, but right now¡­ I don''t think it''s worth wading through a sea of cockroaches to find that certain someone¡­" She had enough for the time being, as well. "Corkroaches, huh? I like that analogy, very fitting." "Indeed. That''s really all they are." Sophia didn''t care about the wolf''s slightly different pronunciation of the name. "But¡­ what do we do now? Continue to wander around and train our magic?" "Hmm, I think that doesn''t sound so bad, actually, but let''s see-" The wolf thought about their next steps. "Ah, right, Sophia, instead of humans, want to try visiting a beastfolk city?" "Beastfolk?" Sophia tilted her head. "Yeah, you mentioned them before, didn''t you?" "Yes, andpared to humans, they''re mostly decent people. I would rmend visiting them if you want some morepany." "Really¡­? It won''t end up being like¡­ that again?" She roughly pointed in the direction of the city they visited. "I don''t think so. I actually enjoyed theirpany a lot in the past. They''re a bit wild but a genuinely friendly folk." "Is that so?" She had be wary. "They do sound promising if even you like them¡­ Well, I trust you, Fen. If you say it''s worth meeting them¡­" "Yes, I do think we should give it a try." Fen honestly didn''t care that much about meeting them or not. Still, he felt that Sophia needed anotherpanion, preferably a more humanoid one. "What are they like?" She got a little interested. "Let''s see¡­ Well, as I said, they''re mostly a rowdy bunch and a bit wild, or rather, free-spirited. They''re also really sociable, faithful, and caring. If you befriend one of them, you have a friend for life." "Hmm? Are you friends with any of them then?" "Not at the moment, but in the past¡­ Unfortunately, there''s a slight difference in life expectancy¡­" "Ah¡­" Sophia didn''t know how long the beastpeople lived, but Fen obviously was a special case. "Fortunately, this issue won''t be a problem with you, Sophia." "Yeah, you''ll have to put up with me for a long time." She answered before thinking. "Wait¡­ What?" "Ahh¡­" The wolf awkwardly looked away for some reason all of a sudden. "What do you mean by that, Fen¡­?" "Well, I''m notpletely certain as you''re not native to this world, but it''s likely true for you as well. Especially if that part of you, too, got boosted. Here, in this world, your magic power has a direct connection to your life expectancy. The bigger your powers are, the longer you live." "I-I see¡­" She looked shocked. "S-So with my level of power¡­" "A long, very long time." He kept it vague so as not to scare her, but it felt like he was implying that there might not be an end at all. "Ahaha¡­" Laughing it off was her only option to deal with this fearsome revtion, but then her thoughts wandered to something else before she could adequately react. "E-Eh, wait a moment¡­ If that''s the case¡­ how does my body age¡­?" "I''m not sure about humans because you''re the first case, but going by the long-lived elven race¡­ Their bodies grow normally until the age of 15 to 18, and then they basically stop, not visibly aging for a long time. Even those elves being over 400 years old don''t look any different from the average 18 to 22-year-old human counterpart. For you, Sophia, it''ll possibly take way longer for that." "N-No way¡­" Her face was as white as a sheet, and the girl fell dramatically to her knees. Her priorities were all over the ce with this topic. "W-What''s wrong? I thought human females would like the thought of being young forever?" "That-, That can''t be¡­" Despair was written all over her face. "Y-You see¡­ when that god brought me over to this world, he turned me a couple of years younger¡­ That''s why I know how my body''s going to¡­ develop. In about a year, halfway through my 16. birthday, I was supposed to have another¡­ growth spurt¡­" She touched a very delicate ce of her body, namely her chest, with a lonely expression and tears in the corners of her eyes." "Ahh¡­" Fen, getting a rough idea of what she was implying, had no way to console her. "Tough luck, girl." "Whyyy?!" A cry louder than ever echoed towards the sky. "Anyway¡­" Because Fen had not the slightest bit of interest in Sophia''s chest, he tried to get the discussion back on track. "So, about the beastfolk¡­" "Sniffle¡­" Wiping away her tears and fighting off the pain in her heart, she tried to focus her attention on him. "Speaking of which, what do beastpeople look like¡­?" "That''s not easy to answer. They''re a pretty diverse race. Some look almostpletely like humans, while others are actually closer to me. Of course, everything else in between that is also present." "In between?" Sophia thought back to the fantasy books of her old world. "Oh, something like a human with animal ears or a tail?" "Exactly. I''m surprised you know. Some of them have scales or wings as well¡­ They''re grouped into felines, canines, reptiles, and the like¡­ It''s a fascinating bunch." "Humans with animal traits, huh?" She ignored the beastpeople looking closer to Fen for the time being. "Fluffy ears and a tail¡­ cute¡­ Okay, let''s get going, Fen!" She had no intention of hiding her true motivation. "You¡­ Well, ignoring your shamelessness, their next city isn''t far. Even with us taking our time. We should reach it around tomorrow evening." "Great! Let''s leave this ce behind immediately, then!" She wanted to leave as soon as possible, being more motivated than ever. "Okay." ---------------- Having decided on a n, the two left the human territory for good and began their journey toward the beastfolk city. Sophia and Fen kept going until thete evening of the day before they decided to make camp for the night after having found a nice ce. Once the two ate and Sophia finished her makeshift bath, the usual scene of a young girl and an oversized wolf rxing in front of a fire could be seen again. "Fen, do I have to pay attention to anything once we arrive in the city? I''m sort of a human, after all. Could that lead to problems?" "They might be a little wary of you in the beginning, but contrary to those bugs, err, humans, they don''t carry prejudice against others. Once they get to know you, you''ll be fine." "Oh, I''m starting to like these guys already. What about my magic powers?" "Well, let''s just say they won''t be scared of you¡­ yeah¡­" He suddenly became evasive. "Fen¡­?" "Uhh, you see, there are a lot of muscle heads among the beastfolk. If they meet a strong individual, no matter how big the difference in power is, there''s a strong chance of them wanting to have a mock fight." "I-Is that so¡­?" "Oh, and they can sense magic powers to some degree, so they will know that you''re strong, whether you want to hide it or not." "Well, there goes that idea¡­" "Sophia." "Yes¡­" "You have to hold back during that mock fight." "So it''s already a given that I''m going to fight one?" "Yes." "..." "They''re vastly stronger than humans, butpared to us, it still doesn''t amount to much." "I thought so¡­ Well, excuse me then, I''m going to train¡­ Train to hold back, that is." Sophia wasn''t the least bit confident she could do so without preparing. "A¡­ wise choice." Fen had to agree. And so, for the rest of the evening, Sophia thought of some techniques to use this so-called moderation. A word that had not yet been part of her vocabry. Needless to say, it took her a long way to stoppletely overdoing everything she does. Chapter 20 – Meeting the beastfolk Chapter 20 ¨C Meeting the beastfolk After Sophia had trained the entire evening of the day before, she was confident in holding back enough. At least to not identally kill someone if one of the beastpeople were to really challenge her. Preventing any injuries might still be a challenging demand, though. That''s why she still hoped no one would want to fight her, but knowing her luck, she wasn''t confident about that. Having had a good night''s sleep, the two continued traveling towards the beastfolk city until early afternoon when Fen suddenly stopped. "Sophia, have you noticed?" "The red dots about a kilometer in front of us?" She, too, found something with her detection magic. "Yes. A group of three is fighting something, it seems." "D¨¦j¨¤ vu?" Sophia felt reminded of a particr encounter from not too long ago. "Luckily for us, they aren''t humans. Judging by the response of my detection magic, they should be beastpeople. I''m not sure about the monster they''re fighting yet, but it''s considerably more powerful than a kow." "Can anything be less powerful than a kow, anyway?" She had to make a remark. "Uh¡­ You win that round." Fen had noeback to such a burn towards the humans. "Are they able to win against the monster?" "Difficult to say from a distance, but judging by power levels alone, it''ll be a close call¡­ Want to take a look, Sophia?" He paused for a moment. "Actually, no¡­ it probably won''t be close¡­" "Hmm¡­ It can''t get any worse thanst time, can it? Sure, why not¡­ let''s go." ---------------- As a kilometer wasn''t a mentionable distance for the duo, they instantly closed up to the group. There, the two took a look at the battle while Fen changed his size. "Oh~, a rock-golem, I haven''t seen those in a while." Fen watched the over three-meter tall monster with a slightly humanoid-looking body, as far as having limbs goes, that was made entirely out of stone. "Eh? It''s actually called golem? Not something like a kolem or gorem?" The girl, having thought she finally got the naming system of this world, felt cheated. "What are you talking about?" "Don''t mind me. Mmnh, it does look quite capable, that golem. What about the beastpeople?" She shifted her attention to the group of three fighting the monster. "That''s a pretty¡­ interesting bunch." One was a mix between a reptile or even a dragon and a human, grey-ish skin, a scaly tail, and some smaller wings on his back. He was also holding a massive shield together with a sword in his hands. His face was definitely closer to a reptile rather than a human. The second beastperson was a girl and resembled a human a good bit more, but Sophia wasn''t sure how to feel about her. "Well, she is cute¡­ yeah, but," She started with an unimportant observation. Her face, quite attractive, and her body was that of a human of about 18 to 20 in age. Still, aside from the fluffy-looking tail and cat-like ears sticking out of her hair, which Sophia could easily tolerate, like, or adore even, the girl had hands and feet that resembled paws in a way. Her hands were slightly shaped like their human counterpart, but it was still covered in fur. This fact was a bit too much for her. Just like her hair, those were dyed in the same brownish-orange hue. For the group''sst member, aside from the small and round animal-like ears on top of his head, he looked like a normal human in his early thirties. He looked so remarkably unremarkable that Sophia almost forgot about him the moment she looked away. Although, she was curious about his ears because she couldn''t remember what animal these originally belong to, no matter how hard she tried to recall. "Hey, Masi, get your magic ready! I''ll get its attention in the meantime," The reptile readied the giant shield he was carrying. At the same time, he addressed the guy with the curious ears. "Chiyo, once he fired his magic, immediately attack! Give the golem no time to react!" "Roger!" The cat-girl did a cute pose before she grabbed the daggers hanging from her waist." "O powerful fire, please let me borrow your strength to y this foe!" The guy named Masi began to chant, and a medium-sized fireball appeared in front of him after a while. "Oho." Fen seemed a tiny bit impressed. "That''s a nice short chant. That guy''s not bad¡­ Rtively speaking." "Really¡­? That chant would already be way too much for me¡­ Sooo embarrassing!" She visually shuddered and was happy about having no need for spells. "Still, fire magic against a golem, that''s not going to do much." "Go!" After his magic was ready, Masi immediately fired it towards the golem, engulfing it in mes as a result. "Hyah!" Once the fire began to subside, Chiyo wasted no time and jumped at their enemy. Sparks flew as her daggers made contact with the rocky body of the golem, but that was about it. Noticing that neither her weapon nor herrade''s magic did much, if any, damage, the cat-girl swiftly retreated to a safe distance. "Oi, Rashk, I think we picked a fight with the wrong guy!" She addressed the reptile with aint while he was busy defending a punch from the golem''s huge fist with his shield. "Ahaha, you might be right about that¡­ What do we do? Bail?" "I think that''s the best choice!" The other two agreed. "Ehh¡­?" Sophia was shocked for some reason. "What''s that? They''re actually¡­ sensible and intelligent? I haven''t seen that before." "Well, they''re not humans." Fen had a simple exnation for her. "Still, as intelligent they might be-" He looked to his right. "Unfortunately, golems aren''t really alive and can''t sense magic power that would''ve scared them off from us being here¡­" "Hmm?" Following his line of sight, she noticed what he was implying. "Oh¡­" Two more rock-golems had shown up, blocking the group''s path to retreat. "Guys, let''s re- Oh¡­" Rashk turned around while he was giving instructions when he noticed the other golems. "Ahh, I''m sorry¡­ everyone¡­" "Oi! Don''t give up so fast!" Chiyo was trying to keep the morale up. "Masi, use all of your power and get the biggest wall of fire you''re capable of ready. Ignore strength and make it as shy as possible! We need to divert their attention!" "O-Okay!" "That girl has a great reaction, giving such precise instructions in this situation." Fen had a positive impression of the group. "Unfortunately, rock-golems don''t even react to fire." "They''re going to lose then?" "Yep, see?" The wolf gestured at the group. Masi had just set the entire ce on fire, but the golems paid no attention to it and simply kept advancing towards them. "Want to help them?" "Might as well give it a try." Hoping it''s not going to be a repeat ofst time, Sophia stepped forward. She soon arrived at the edge of the battlefield, where the group immediately noticed her, despite the danger they were in. "A human¡­?" "Girl, get away from here!" "It''s too dangerous! We''re trying to run as well! You still have time not to be a casualty!" They werepletely aware of the situation and didn''t want Sophia to get caught up in it. "Errm, that''s why I''m here¡­ I wanted to offer my help¡­" She tried to go with the same route asst time. "Help? A human¡­ hmm¡­?" The cat-girl, Chiyo, didn''t think a human could be of any help as absolutely everyone, except they themselves, knew how miserably weak they were. Still, she then noticed something being odd about Sophia. "Girl¡­ wait, are you even human¡­? That power I''m sensing¡­ Can you really help us? If so, I beg you! Please!" Completely different from the human party before, the cat-girl, noticing her power, immediately made the right decision in asking for help. "Yes, I fought against a couple of these golems before. I''m quite confident." It was aplete lie, but Sophia just knew that they were no threat to her. She just said it to relieve the group''s tension. "Ah, but my weapon broke during thest one¡­ Could I borrow your daggers?" Not wanting to put her chantless magic on disy the moment she met someone, and even less, wanting to fake a chant, Sophia thought about a way to hide her magical strength. Ripping apart those golems with her hands seemed a bit too shy as well. "Really?! Thank you so very much!" Chiyo was incredibly d to her. "Please take them! I don''t care if they break as long as you can save us with them!" "Alright." Receiving the daggers, she did some practice swings to get familiar with the weapons before jumping at the nearest golem. "W-Wha¡­" Chiyo couldn''t believe her eyes. The girl in front of her had basically vanished and reappeared in front of the enemy. There, she cleanly cut off one of the golem''s arms in a single motion with the same daggers the cat-girl failed to do as much as to put a scratch on it. Afterward, this outrageous girl jumped at its head, cutting it off that as well. Once it had lost its head, the golem''s body fell on the ground and stopped moving. "Fen!" As Sophia jumped at the second golem, she called for herpanion. "On it!" Understanding what she wanted him to do, the wolf attacked the third golem. "E-Eh¡­?" Chiyo was utterly overwhelmed. Not only was the girl already destroying the second target, but she also suddenly called out a wolf out of nowhere, a mighty one at that. Instantly after, the two remaining golems died at the same time. "Good job, Fen." "It was nothing." The duo had no sense of tension as they approached the group. "¡­" "¡­" The reptile, Rashk, and the animal-eared guy called Masi were unable to react at all. "H-Huh¡­?" Chiyo wasn''t much better off, though. "Here, your daggers¡­" Sophia handed back the weapons she borrowed. "Sorry, they got a little scratched up, but it should be fixable¡­" "¡­Thank you¡­" The cat-girl was still recovering from the shock, but tears suddenly flowed down her cheeks. "T-Thank you! Thank you so very much! You saved all our lives!" Ovee by emotion, Chiyo jumped at Sophia and wrapped her arms around the girl''s neck, tightly hugging her. "U-Uh¡­" Sophia didn''t know how to deal with this. All the girl knew was that she had someplicated feelings about the situation. All of which were purely her own fault. Thanks to the cat-girl having fury paws, she wasn''t exactly in Sophia''s strike zone. Still, the other parts of her body, especially the soft parts pressing against her, were fully human-like. This caused a significant amount of confusion in her head. Having never developed a resistance against this feeling because she had absolutely no experience in her past world wasn''t helping, either. But, seeing how scared Chiyo was before and seemed in need to be calmed down, she managed to ignore her slightly impure thoughts. "Ah¡­" Once she recovered enough, though, Chiyo pulled away from the girl again, looking slightly embarrassed. "S-Sorry¡­ I did that without thinking¡­" "N-No, it''s fine¡­ I-I don''t mind¡­" The mood got awkward all of a sudden. "A-Anyway, I''m d I made it in time¡­" "Yes¡­ Again, thank you very much for saving us!" "Thank you." Her twopanions, Rashk and Masi, finally seemed to have rebooted to the point of being able to use words again. "D-Don''t worry about it, uh¡­" Sophia was getting bashful by the repeated and heartfelt thanks. "Oh, I almost forgot! My name''s Chiyo, as you can see, I''m part of the cat tribe." "Rashk, I''m a lizardman, obviously." "Nice to meet you. Masi''s the name, and I''m part of the panda tribe." "Ahh!" Sophia looked at his ears again, finally noticing which animal these ears belonged to. "A-Ahem¡­ I''m Sophia, and this is my, uhm¡­panion¡­" "Fen." He took over. "As you might''ve noticed, I''m a full of the wolf tribe." "Eh?" Sophia was the shocked one, only to realize that he was making up a cover story on the spot a secondter. "Nice to meet you." The group seemingly bought Fen''s lie. "Likewise." "Erm, Sophia¡­?" Chiyo timidly addressed her. "You¡­ You aren''t human either, are you¡­? That power and¡­ positive attitude towards us¡­ You''re something else, am I right¡­?" "Uh¡­" She had no idea what to answer. Technically speaking, she was human, but not from this world. Not to mention her specs were anything but human. Furthermore, she really didn''t like to be associated with them anymore after everything that happened. Still, telling them about her background also seemed like a bad idea, so she wasn''t sure how to respond. Chapter 21 – New friends Chapter 21 ¨C New friends "You aren''t human, are you?" Sophia and Fen had sessfully saved a group of beastpeople from a couple of rock golems that were too much for them to take on. Then, she was confronted with a question the girl had no idea what to reply to. "Ah, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to!" The cat-girl, Chiyo, quickly offered Sophia a lifeline. "It''s just that I''ve naturally gotten curious about our savior¡­ You do look like a human, but-" "Yes, I know what you mean. I''ve met some humans before and almost killed them because they were so¡­ so¡­" Sophia was getting angry from merely thinking about them again. "I get you!" Chiyo sympathized with her, even without knowing any details. "So¡­ you really are not?" "It''s a bit, let''s say,plicated," Sophia thought about a way to excuse herself out of it. "Yes, I do look like a human, but¡­ I''vee from a very faraway ce, and aside from the aforementioned look, I have nothing inmon with these¡­ things." She didn''t lie, only kept things vague. "Looks of a human, but different¡­ This extreme power," Chiyo was mumbling to herself. "Coming from a faraway ce¡­ From a different continent, maybe? Sophia, could it be¡­ Are you a demon?" "Eh¡­?" She hadn''t expected that. "Uhh, err, If I were to say yes now, j-just asking, of course, what would that entail?" "That''s awesome!" Chiyo took it as a confirmation instead, and her face lit up. "I''ve never seen one before! So cool!" The beastfolk apparently harbored no ill will towards demons, and Fenter told Sophia that female demons typically look like humans. In contrast, male ones mostly had a pair of horns on their heads and asionally a tail. Also, as usual, only the human race hated the demons because they were scared of them and their power. "Ahaha¡­" After a dryugh, Sophia decided to roll with it, not correcting her assumptions simply. "What does a demon do here¡­? Don''t you guys live on an entirely different continent?" "Ah, well, I got bored and decided to travel the world." Not caring anymore, she just told whatever, though the core of her reply wasn''t actually wrong in a sense. "So free! I''m kinda jealous!" She had epted her answer. "Where are you headed, then?" "Well, I tried visiting a human city not too long ago, but¡­ big mistake." "Yeah¡­" She had an understanding expression. "I was thinking about visiting the nearby beastfolk city next." "Really? Do you mean Raumont? That''s where the three of us are from." "Oh, it might be. Do you think Fen and I can enter the city?" Sophia was getting slightly optimistic. "Just enter?" The cat-girl stared at her. "We''re heading straight to the next bar and drink until the following morning!" "Naturally, it''s on us!" Rashk agreed to herpanion''s n. "That''s the very least we can do!" "Fen¡­" Sophia addressed him in a quiet voice. "Hmm?" "I think I might like the beastfolk." ---------------- As the group got bigger, Fen and Sophia couldn''t keep going with their usual speed because the beastpeople, or anyone, really, wouldn''t be able to keep up. Thanks to that, reaching the city today had be impossible. The group decided to camp together once it was starting to get dark. "Sophia, are you okay with meat?" Chiyo approached the duo once her group finished setting up the camp. "I don''t have to ask you, Fen, right?" "Sure, why?" "Rashk spotted a kow and went hunting it, so I wanted to ask if you want to eat together with us." "Ah, so you can hunt kows, huh?" She once more was remembering the encounter from not too long ago. "Sophia," She sighed. "I know you saved us while we were losing against a monster, but a kow? Please." "No, it''s just¡­ I ran into a group of humans that was unsessfully ganging up on a kow before. I honestly have no idea about the power scaling around here¡­" "That''s just humans being exceptionally weak as usual." "Ahh, I''ll keep that in mind. Anyway,yeah, Fen loves kow, and so I''m, by force of habit, perfectly fine with eating it." "Great!" Having confirmed that, Chiyo happily went back to Masi, who was in the process of starting a fire. "What a busy girl." "Yeah." Rashk came back not too long after while dragging a freshly in kow. Once it was ready to be grilled, everyone gathered around the fire. "Err," While they were eating, Masi addressed Sophia for the first time. "Is it true that demons are powerful enough to use chantless magic like it''s no big deal?" Being the magician of their party, he was interested in a rumor he had heard before. "Hmm¡­" Sophia tilted her head and nced at Fen, who gave her a slight nod in response. Guessing it was okay then, she held out her palm and let a small me appear there. "Wow!" Masi was in awe. "So cool!" Chiyo''s eyes were sparkling. "Ahaha¡­" She once more was made aware of just how out of the norm she was. "Having power sure is nice¡­." Masi looked envious. "Well, your chant for the fire magic''s pretty short. Doesn''t that mean you have considerable power as well?" The girl repeated Fen''s earlier assessment of him. "No, I''m still no good¡­ Sophia aside, I don''t even have the slightest chance against Maya¡­ Not even close." "I told you to stopparing yourself to Maya." Chiyo interrupted him. "She''s a special case, after all!" "Still¡­" "Maya¡­?" Sophia looked confused. "A ridiculously powerful girl in our city. A beastperson from my fellow cat tribe, who was born with enormous magic powers." "How powerful?" Fen had be interested in the topic. "Hmm¡­ Not quite as powerful as the two of you¡­ I just noticed, but Fen, you''re ridiculous yourself, even for a full beastperson. Anyway, ignoring you two, Maya''s by far the most powerful person I ever met. She actually was about to seed with chantless magic for a single attack when west saw her a week ago. Other than that, all she ever needed was an activation word for her magic. "Oho?" The wolf seemed impressed. "She might be one of the strongest from the beastfolk then. A-Aside from me, that is..." Fen almost blew his cover. "Really? I might want to meet her." Sophia was curious as well. Having another irregr around would make her feel way less out of ce. "Don''t worry, she''ll find you." "Eh¡­?" "Not only is that girl powerful, but she''s also got the muscle brain to apany it. Once she notices a strong individual, she won''t stop nagging you until you agree to fight her." "Ahh¡­" Sophia remembered the warning Fen had given her about this exact topic. "I''ll root for you!" Chiyo was already cheering her on. "T-Thanks¡­" "Ah, but don''t beat her up too badly¡­ Maya''s actually a lovely girl once her fighting itch''s been dealt with. She''s one of the most caring persons you''ll ever meet on the inside." "Make up your mind, girl!" She had to make a swift retort. "Ahaha, that''s just how Maya is." "Er, sure, whatever¡­" Sophia was talking about Chiyo. "Be a bit careful, though¡­ Maya''s also crafty, so take care not to get yourself hurt! I wouldn''t want that!" "I-I see¡­" Teach her a lesson, go easy, take care not to get hurt. Sophia had no idea what the cat-girl wanted from her anymore. The two girls chatted untilte into the night about this and that. It had gotten sote that Chiyo fell asleep while leaning against Sophia''s shoulder at some point. Being in her strike zone or not, Sophia didn''t hate the feeling. Though she was embarrassed, the girl had no intention of waking her up, and she spent the night sitting like that. ---------------- On the next day, after the cat-girl finished apologizing to her with a red face, the group made their way toward the beastfolk town. Once it finally came into view and Sophia spotted it, she got excited again. "Oh~, it''s so different from the human city we tried to visit the other day!" The most noticeable change was that this ce wasn''t contained inside a massive wall, but only a little fence to keep critters like kows and the like out. The buildings also made much more sense, being built in straight lines with good roads connecting every part of the city. "Not having a wall makes the town look so much more friendly." "Naturally, being walled off would only make us depressed because the beastfolk like to be free. In the first ce, there aren''t many monsters that a city full of beastpeople has to fear because we are no cowards. And, if there''s a monster that we couldn''t beat even if we band together, then a wall wouldn''t make any of a difference, either." "Ahh, that''s true¡­" Sophia recalled Fen suggesting simply jumping over or destroying the wall of the human city. "Well then, let''s get going!" Chiyo guided the group toward the main entrance. Sophia was slightly concerned when the guards looked at her and Fen, but after a hearty Wee to Raumont, they were let in just like that. She found it even a tiny bit anticlimactic. Finally inside a city, even though it wasn''t the one she had imagined, Sophia was looking forward to exploring it. "Ah, I have no money!" Unfortunately, her excitement about exploring came to a sudden and abrupt end. Chapter 22 – Beastfolk city Chapter 22 ¨C Beastfolk city Sophia finally managed to enter a city after arriving in her new world. It wasn''t the one she had nned, as it was a beastfolk one, but that was for the better in the end. Naturally, she was excited about all the new sights and fascinating people. Still, before she could even begin exploring, she noticed the major problem at hand. "Ah, I have no money!" Being needlessly dramatic, she sank to her knees. "What are you even talking about¡­?" Chiyo looked at her with a questioning expression. "Well, I have absolutely no currency of this wo¡­ err, continent." "That won''t be a problem." The lizardmen of the group, Rashk, chided in. "You see, we didn''t hunt¡­ try to hunt that rock golem just for fun. A local jeweler made a request for it." "A jeweler?" Sophia didn''t see the connection. "Did you notice the red eyes of the golems? Those are actual jewels, expensive ones at that." "Ahh¡­ Sorry, I didn''t pay attention to that at all." "Don''t worry, Masi and I collected the eyes while you were busy talking with Chiyo. As you and Fen were the ones who killed them, they''re obviously all yours. Though, if possible, I would like to ask for one of the eyes to cover the expenses our group had..." "Eh? Of course, keep two if you want. We wouldn''t have known about the eyes in the first ce." "Nonono, we can''t do that! One is already on the greedy side because we contributed to nothing." Rashk vehemently denied her offer. "Okay, if you say so." Sophia had no reason to turn him down. "Speaking of which, what are these jewels worth anyway?" "Hmm¡­ let''s see, with five of them, you''ll probably be able to live with ease in this city for a couple of¡­ months." "M-Months?! Just by beating some small fries?!" "Sophia," Chiyo sighed. "Please don''t apply your sense here. Rock golems are exceptionally powerful monsters for most of us." "A-Ahh¡­" She noticed how Fen had already warped her knowledge of this world to an irreparable degree. That being taken care of, the group went to the jeweler who had asked for the golem''s eyes. Once he had recovered from the shock of being offered six eyes, he happily paid them and even gave a little extra. While walking along the city''s main road, Sophia looked at the bag full of golden coins she had received. "100 Gold coins per eye, huh? Is that much? Too little? Fair?" She had no idea about this world''s currency system. "It''s quite generous. He was happy being able to get his hands on so many at once, and overpaid a little." Masi gave her a short exnation. "Ah, I see." "By the way, depending on how extravagant you want to live, you need about 50 to 100 Gold coins per month. "Wow." She looked at her bag again. "How long do you and Fen intend to stay here, Sophia?" Chiyo asked her about their ns. "Hmm, good question. I wasn''t sure whether or not I could enter the city in the first ce, so¡­ Fen, what do you think?" "I don''t particrly care. You''re the one who wanted to travel. I merely decided to tag along." "Right¡­ Well, we''re not going to stay long enough to spend all the money. Maybe a week, I guess?" She wasn''t sure about it yet. "O-Okay¡­" Chiyo didn''t look overly happy with the answer for some reason. "Anyway, I know it''s still a bit early, but let''s go and hit the bar regardless!" Rashk announced so, and the odd group of a lizardmen, a cat-girl, a guy with panda ears, a wolf, and an alleged demon-girl went to the bar the beastpeople party frequented. ---------------- "Oh~." Sophia entered the ce and was instantly a fan of the atmosphere. The bar had a rustic feel, with lots of wood for the interior and slightly darker lighting. Even though it was only afternoon, the ce was already filled with all sorts of people. She was fascinated by the diversity of the beastfolk. The girl spotted a group that looked like bears, many hybrids like Chiyo, some leaning more towards their beast side, and others could be mistaken as humans at first nce. She even found some people that had bird-like features like feathers or even wings. A lot of them took a peek at Sophia as well because she seemed to be human. Still, as most of them could sense magic powers to at least some degree, they noticed that she definitely wasn''t one. They also understood that messing with that overly excited-looking girl would be a terrible idea. Though, some seemed like they would like to test her strength regardless. "Oh, Chiyo and the gang!" A red-haired girl with floppy dog ears and a fluffy tail in a waitress-like uniform approached the group. "You''re early today! Hmm? Who''s that new girl and the wolf?" "Ahh¡­ some stuff happened¡­ Well, they''re new friends, I guess." "Eh? Are you okay, Chiyo?!" Knowing the expression stuff happened never meant anything good, the waitress sounded concerned. "I''m perfectly fine now!" "Phew, that''s good then." Seeming visibly relieved about the cat-girl''s well-being, she guided the group to a fitting table afterward. She showed them to one with enough room for Fen to have a ce as well, by being able to sit beside the table. "What do you want to drink, Sophia?" Chiyo addressed her. "Fen, too?" "Hmm¡­" Not knowing anything about this world''s beverages, she took the easy way out. "I''ll leave the choice to you." "Okay." Nodding, she looked at her party members. "The usual?" "The usual." They gave her a slight nod. "Hey, Dannie, a round of the usual, please!" Chiyo called out to the dog-girl waitress from earlier. "Sure~." Happily epting the order, she arrived only a couple of minutester with a tray of drinks. It was a pale blue liquid in a small ss that the girl ced in front of everyone. "Soo, what''s this?" Sophia was curiously eying the drink. "It''s called Angel Sky, super delicious!" "I see¡­" Not really having gotten an exnation from Chiyo, she tried her luck and took a sip from it. "Sooo sweet! Ah, but not bad." "Yeah, it''s super sweet, but we like that after a day of work. You just have to take care because while you can''t taste it, this drink has a significant amount of alcohol in it." "Hmm, is that so?" Sophia took another nce at the ss before downing the liquid in one go. "Oho, seems like today''s going to be fun." Rashk downed his drink as well, and so did the others. Even Fen took part as he picked up the ss directly with his snout and threw back his head. Over an hour and many rounds of drinkster, the mood at their table had turned pretty festive. Sophia had eaten through half of the bar''s food but was slowly bing aware of something. "I can''t get drunk, huh?" She was in a good mood, no questioning that, but she felt that something was missing, especially after seeing in how high spirits the rest of the group was. Even Fen seemed way more loose than usual. "So that resistance got boosted as well. So, does that mean if I keep drinking until it gets overloaded¡­ do I get super drunk in an instant then, or what? Somehow, I don''t want to find out if that''s the case! Yeah, let''s keep it in moderation!" Even without the effect of the alcohol, she still enjoyed the evening, getting drunk on the atmosphere instead. The party continued for a good while. Sophia had switched entirely from alcohol to the tasty food of the bar eventually, fearing about the boost turning negative eventually. Getting dead drunk in an instant didn''t sound like fun to her. It didn''t dampen her mood whatsoever, though, because the food was excellent. Unfortunately, every fun time has toe to an end eventually. While the group was happily eating and drinking, the door of the bar suddenly flung wide open. ---------------- "There you are, Masi!" A girl was standing in the doorframe while pointing at the group. She looked to be around the same age as Sophia and even gave off a simr young-but-mature-looking feel. The girl was a good bit taller than Sophia, and it also seemed like she already had her much-desired growth spurt in certain other areas. Just like Sophia, she was slightly on the slender side. Still, she definitely had more curves, especially in the chest area¡ªmuch to the other''s envy. The girl had long, snow-white, open hair and big, deep-blue eyes with slightly slit pupils. Upon closer inspection, Sophia then noticed that, just like Chiyo, this girl was of the cat tribe as well. She had some cat-like ears on top of her head, filled with cotton-like fluff that looked like it would feel incredible to the touch. The animal ears were a set that came together with a seemingly silky-smooth tail, which was sticking out somewhere from her back. Both had the same snow-white color as her hair, without any discoloration whatsoever. Those were the only animal features the white-haired girl had, though. The rest of her body seemed to be the same as a human''s. The cat-girl was wearing a white, short-sleeved dress shirt with red ents and a fitting white vest over it, sporting a thin red outline. This perfectly matched her ever so slightly short, pleated white skirt with a red hem enting it, immediately followed by a pair of pure white thigh-high overknee-socks. Complimenting those, her slightly heeled boots were in a two-tone white and red color. "G-Geh¡­" The guy in question, Masi, had instantly sobered up and didn''t seem too pleased about the girl''s arrival. "I''ve been looking for you! Where were you?!" "I¡­ did tell you that our party went on a hunt a couple of days ago, did I not, Maya?" "Ah, right, I forgot." "Haa¡­" He let out an annoyed sigh. "Whatever! I managed to do it! I want to test it out immediately! Fight me!" The white cat-girl seemed excited about something. "Haa¡­" Another sigh. "Look, can''t you see we havepany? Not now, okay?" "Company¡­?" Only now, she looked at the rest of the group, and her eyes eventually met Sophia''s. "¡­" "¡­" They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, and as if being in perfect sync, the two spoke up at the exact same time. "You''re cute!" "Fight me!" Apparently, as it turned out, they weren''t in synch at all. Sophia was looking at her for a very obvious reason and identally blurted out the first thing that went through her head. Simultaneously, Maya had noticed the magical power of the new girl, making her excited for an entirely different reason. "Eh?" "Eh?" The first meeting between Sophia and Maya was a very particr one. One they would remember even yearster, whether the two wanted to or not, because it''s hard to beat in terms of how much you can embarrass yourself. At least in Sophia¡®s eyes.
Illustration of Maya (More in the next chapter): Spoiler [copse] Chapter 22.5 – Illustration Chapter 22.5 ¨C Illustration Chapter 23 – Playing around with a cat-girl Chapter 23 ¨C ying around with a cat-girl "You''re cute!" "Fight me!" An awkward silence around the table followed the first exchange between Sophia and Maya. Everyone in their group was attentively staring at the two without saying a single word. An extremely ufortable minute passed before Sophia finally noticed what was going on. "I¡­ did say that out loud¡­ did I not¡­?" Realizing her blunder, her face first turned white before she hid it behind her hands to not show her embarrassment. "Y-You¡­!" Maya''s face had turned red instead. It seemed like she wasn''t used to being addressed like that, at least not in such a direct way. "I-If you think that ttery can change my mind¡­ y-you''re mistaken! F-Fight me, uh," "S-Sophia¡­" Face still hiding behind her hands, she gave her name in a low voice. "T-Thanks¡­ By the way, I''m M-Maya ¡­" The two had managed to make the situation even more awkward. "Okay, now fight me already, S-Sophia!" "I don''t want to¡­" She was still busy being embarrassed. Fighting was too much to ask. "A-Also, it''s already dark outside." "I don''t care about that!" "Haa¡­" Even in her embarrassed state, Sophia got tired. "C-Come on, don''t be like that~. Just a quick little fight! Please!" She was recovering from the shock already. "I promise that I won''t hurt you! You''re strong yourself, aren''t you, Sophia? Don''t you get excited when you find someone with power?" Spoken like a textbook example of a muscle brain. "I''ll even hold back, okay? Nothing bad will happen, so¡­ okay?" She was pleading to her at this point. While she was able to sense that the girl was powerful, the cat failed to notice the difference between them, or at the very least, didn''t care about it. "Ohh?" Sophia''s bashfulness seemed to be washed away as she showed her face again, having a serious expression. "My, aren''t you full of yourself?" Some strange flip had switched inside her once she felt like the cat-girl was casually looking down at her. "Please don''t hold back, Maya. It would neither be fun nor could I teach you a lesson that way." She sounded like apletely different person while she shed a sinister smile at her. "Uh-oh." Fen had a bad feeling about this. He had seen this character trait of Sophia before when she wanted to punish her enemies with dark magic in a way that definitely didn''t seem wholesome. "Let''s go then." Her smile got even darker. "O-Okay¡­" She began to realize she might''ve barked at the wrong tree, ignoring the fact that she''s a cat. ---------------- While the entire group had left the bar and walked towards a field outside the city where the two girls had enough ce, Fen approached Sophia. "I never saw one of the beastfolk with such big magical powers as this Maya." "Really?" "Yes, calling her an exception among exceptions would be a huge understatement." Fen looked impressed. "Am I in danger?" "Nah. It''s amazing, but it doesn''t reach your power. Your magic''s also more advanced." "I see." "Still, what a magnificent meltdown you had." He let out a small chuckle. "S-Shut up! I didn''t want to say that out loud!" "Well, it was fun seeing your boost failing so spectacrly." "I disagree! I could''ve done without embarrassing myself that much..." "I think it was great." "Uuh, I''m d that it seems like I can talk with girls now, but I somehow can''t be happy about it either! Just blurting out whates to mind¡­" "Hehe, I worry more about your other mood swing, though." "Hmm?" She didn''t seem to have noticed it herself. "Haa, just go easy on her, okay? If you really think she''s cute, you wouldn''t want to hurt her, right?" "S-Shut up already!" "Haha." Fen enjoyed seeing the girl embarrassed. While the two were bickering, Maya was simrly approached by Chiyo. "Err, Maya, it''s not toote to apologize to her¡­" "Why should I?" "Sophia''s seriously strong, and I think you identally made her angry." "E-Eh? That wasn''t on purpose!" Deep down, she really was a good girl. "Still, I''m strong, too, you know? I''ll definitely apologizeter, but if that means she''ll fight me seriously-" "I don''t think you want her to be serious." Chiyo was worried about her. "Of course, I want to! It''s my first time seeing someone with that much power! I can''t help getting excited!" "Err¡­" Her worries were getting stronger. "Who is she, anyway?" "We met Sophia and Fen when we almost got killed by a group of rock-golems." "W-Wha-?!" it was the first time Maya heard about that, so she naturally was shocked. "E-Eh, are you okay?!" "Yes. Thanks to Sophia. She saved us by defeating the group of golems in a matter of seconds." "Huh?!" "Yes, she''s that powerful." "D-Don''t tell me she''s stronger than I am?" "Much stronger. Iparable even." "O-Oh¡­" She was finally getting fully aware of her mistake. "Wait, then what is she? She looks like a human, but I''m already sure that she''s not. That''s just impossible, after all." "Nope, no human." Chiyo gave her a short confirmation. "Then, a type of beastperson with hidden traits?" "Also not that." "What is she then?!" "She''s a demon." "D-Demon?" "Demon." "You''re kidding¡­" Maya couldn''t believe her. "I''m not." "These absurdly powerful beings that live on an entirely different continent?" "Yes." "Seriously? No way¡­ Ahaha!" She suddenly startedughing. "Isn''t that great?! I can go absolutely all out then!" "Huh? Aren''t you scared?" "Of course! But at the same time, I''ve never been so excited before!" "I see¡­" Chiyo looked into the far distance once she noticed how the girl beside her was a lost cause already. Once they had arrived at the empty and dark field, illuminated by the stars and moon only, the group got together in a distance while the two girls faced each other. "Sophia, is it true?" "What is?" "Are you a demon?" "People call me that, yes." Technically, she wasn''t lying. "Wow¡­ Sophia, I''m sorry I made you angry earlier. That wasn''t my intention!" "I was angry?" She hadn''t noticed it herself. "Yes!" The spectators loudly shouted in unison. "¡­Anyway, I changed my mind. I will go all out! I hope you''ll do the same, Sophia." "Do you really want me to?" "Yes!" She looked determined. "Just don''t say I didn''t warn you¡­ By the way, it''s already quite dark because it''s in the middle of the night. How about we fight in the light?" "That would probably be better, but I don''t care because I don''t want to wait until tomorrow! I wouldn''t be able to hold back my excitement until then." "No, that''s not what I meant." Sophia grinned at her, and with a snap of her fingers, the whole ce turned as bright as if it was the middle of the day. "How''s that?" "¡­" Maya could only stare at the girl with her eyes wide open and mouth agape. "¡­" The others had the exact same expression. "I don''t care anymore¡­" Except for Fen because he had given up. "S-Seriously¡­?" Maya managed to recover a little. "I-, I did pick the wrong fight¡­" "Now,e at me~." Sophia beckoned the cat-girl over with her right hand. "H-Here I go!" While still visibly shocked, Maya hadn''t thrown in the towel just yet. "Gust!" Like the name implied, strong winds quickly formed around her before shooting towards Sophia. "Oh, really just an activation word, huh?" She was sort of impressed, but at the same time, the gust never managed to reach the girl. She had simply created a barrier made out of fire, making it impossible for the wind to get her. "B-Both, light, and fire magic?! You really are talented¡­" "Eh?" Sophia didn''t understand what she meant. "So what, I can do the same! Fireball!" The moment she said the word, a ball of fire with a diameter of over a meter sped towards Sophia. "What are you even talking about?" Still not understanding, she tried to ask Maya while she effortlessly defended against the fire with an earth wall she let rise from the ground. "Y-You can even use three?!" Her face turned pale. "T-Then! des!" Resorting to air magic again, a de-like wind rushed towards Sophia, much like the ones Fen uses to cut his meat for grilling. "I still don''t get what you''re going on about." Even though she was distracted, Sophia had no difficulties defending against the de. Lifting two fingers, several roots shot out from the ground, taking the hit and getting shredded into pieces for her instead. "I-Is that nature magic? I''ve never seen that one before! What sort of monster are you¡­?" "Ahaha¡­" Sophia asked that herself many times before. "I-I''m not done!" While her confidence was shattering bit by bit, the cat-girl had not given up. "Tornado!" Precisely as the name implied, winds much more potent than her Gust spell formed around Sophia, and she got engulfed by the tornado. "Not bad¡­" A perfectly calm voice could be heard from the eye of the tornado. Soon afterward, it started to turn even more violent before it actually looked like the storm exploded. Sophia had activated her own air magic and easily overpowered the cat-girl, effectively canceling it out. "N-No way¡­" She was slowly running out of options. "T-Trap!" "Hmm?" This activation word was a little more cryptic as Sophia didn''t understand initially, but it became clear immediately. A circle of fire appeared on the ground around her before shooting up, literally trapping Sophia inside the mes. "Wow, that''s so cool!" Unfortunately, while she sounded impressed, it once more had no effect on her. Water began to form inside the fire trap, and once it was enough, Sophia used it to extinguish the fire in one go. "You''ve got to be kidding me!" "Feel like giving up yet?" "No¡­ I still have my trump card!" "Oho~, then do your best, Maya!" She couldn''t help but cheer her on. "H-Here I go!" Maya closed her eyes and concentrated on something. "Hmm?" Wanting to see what she was trying, Sophia didn''t interrupt her and just waited for something to happen. Without an activation word, strong winds once more gathered around Sophia, just like with the tornado spell earlier. Just much more powerful, but that wasn''t all. At the same time, the area around her was also lit on fire. The wind and fire slowlybined into some sort of me tornado and swallowed the girl in a colossal inferno. The entire area went silent except for the loudly raging fire, and nothing happened for a while. "D-Did I get her¡­?" Maya looked confident for a fraction of a second, but she immediately regretted feeling so. Suddenly, Sophia''s light magic, which was illuminating the area, vanished, or so it had seemed at first. It had actually be much darker than simple nighttime could ever be. Looking closer, the cat-girl saw that her fire tornado had turned pitch ck. Not only that, but she also noticed that this eerie darkness was slowly swallowing the entire area where they were fighting in. A ckness so dark that one couldn''t even identify the structures of the covered-up objects anymore. The closer the nothingness got to Maya, the more panicked she became to the point she couldn''t bear it anymore. "D-Dark magic?! N-No way¡­ Sophia!" She fearfully screamed in the direction the girl was supposed to be. "I give up!" "Okay~." A cheery response came before the darkness was instantly reced by light again, and even the fire tornado disappeared. It almost seemed like everything that happened was a lie. "¡­" Not even the sound of breathing could be heard because everyone was holding it in. "Ah, I think I overdid it a tiny bit¡­" Sophia looked around before finally focusing on Maya in front of her. The cat-girl had fallen on her knees after admitting defeat with a nk and teary expression. "Y-You-, You were just ying around with me, weren''t you?!" "Ehh¡­" Sophia wasn''t fond of her wording. "It''s the same you always do, Maya! Not to this extent, but it''s the same for me!" Masi recovered from his shock for a second, just for his retort. "Well, I have to admit your fire tornado thingy was quite something, so I got a little serious with my dark magic, but other than that¡­" Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Sorry." "She just went and admitted it!" "Ahaha¡­" She didn''t know how to react. "You really can use every magic attribute, huh¡­?" "Yeah¡­?" Sophia tilted her head. "Ah, I can also use attribute less or uncategorized magic, but I don''t have anything for attacking or defending in that regard yet, so I didn''t use it..." "S-Seriously?!" Maya''s face turned even paler. "Yes?" The two absolutely weren''t on the same page. "You¡­ have no idea just how ridiculous this is, have you?" "What is?" She looked more and more confused. "Your magic! Ignoring your power even! Being able to use every magic there is¡­ That''s¡­ I never even heard of anything close to that!" "R-Really¡­?" It honestly surprised her as the first person, or wolf, she met, Fen can do the same. "Really!" The cat-girl seemed angry. "You see, people called me a prodigy all the time before because of my high magic power and how I''m capable of using two elements because it''s incredibly rare!" "I-Is that so? I had no idea¡­" "Is everyone so ridiculous from where you came from?!" "Err, if anything, I was way below average¡­" Sophia was talking about her worth as a human being in her old world. So, while she wasn''t lying, this definitely wasn''t the thing Maya was talking about, causing a great misunderstanding. "W-Wha-?!" The shock over said misunderstanding was extreme. "I had heard that demons are supposed to be powerful, but that¡­" "A-Ah." She noticed that they were talking about different things, but it was toote to correct herself. "Sophia!" Power had returned to Maya''s voice. "Y-Yes?" "Please make me your disciple and let me train under you!" Because she still was on her knees, her plea carried a lot more power. "Ehhh¡­?" Sophia hadn''t seen that oneing and didn''t know how to react. Chapter 24 – Getting along with a cat-girl Chapter 24 ¨C Getting along with a cat-girl Still on her knees after being magnificently defeated by Sophia in a magic fight, the white-haired cat-girl Maya requested to be her disciple all of a sudden. This resulted in making the girl in question look very confused and troubled. "Disciple, you say¡­" Sophia didn''t know what to do. "I''m still learning magic myself, you know?" She nced at her own teacher Fen, but the wolf instantly turned away his head, clearly not wanting to have anything to do with this situation. "I don''t think there''s anything I can teach you." "Are you seriously saying that after what you did to me?" Maya wasn''t buying it. "T-That phrasing¡­" She was concerned about the cat-girl''s ambiguous wording. "E-Even if that''s the case, I''m not going to stay for long here, so-" "I''lle with you, then!" She was verymitted to her decision. "Ehh, I don''t even know where I''m going next¡­ I want to explore the world! We might end up at the other side of the continent, maybe even further." Sophia tried to talk her out of it. "Sounds fun!" It had the opposite effect. "Seriously¡­?" "Yeah, I always wanted to travel anyway. I just never had the opportunity!" "I-Is that so? What about your family? Won''t your parents say anything?" "Ahaha. Despite my looks, I''m already old enough to make my own decisions!" She looked smug while eximing so. "Really¡­? Wait, how old are you, then?" She noticed that Maya had a slightly more mature feel to her, at least when it came to her expressions, just like she had, but she didn''t think much about it until now. "H-Huh? Why would that matter?!" "It just does." As Sophia was the same, being older than her looks suggested, it was a topic of great interest to her. Also, she felt guilty just thinking about taking a girl much younger than herself on a journey with her. That alone was a knock-out criterion for taking her in. An age gapter in life doesn''t mean much, but something like around 16 and Sophia''s mental 23 was a different story. "2-¡­22¡­" The cat-girl had gotten embarrassed. It seemingly was a touchy subject for her. Nobody likes to talk about their real age, after all. No matter how much of a non-issuethe early twenties are. "Hee, is that so?" Finding out the two were basically the same age, she felt kinda happy. "What''s that supposed to mean?!" Maya had misinterpreted her and got angry. "Do you have a problem with that?! How old are you then? Being a demon, your looks might not imply what age you are either, right?!" "Not telling you." "Ehh¡­? That''s not fair!" "Why?" "Because I told you about my age!" "And?" "I want to know, too!" "Nope." "You''re such a bully, Sophia!" Maya was getting angry enough that even her tail began to swish from side to side in a frantic motion. "C-Cute¡­" Sophia got distracted by the tail, and her eyes were glued to it. "What?" "N-Nothing!" She realized her mistake and was happy she hadn''t heard her. "A-Anyways, it''s a secret." "So mean¡­" Feeling dejected, the cat-girl''s pure white tail stopped swishing angrily and lifelessly plopped on the ground. "¡­" Holding back her voice while enjoying its movements, Sophia felt like she went a little overboard. "Maya, do you really want to travel with Fen and me?" "Eh?!" Her tail instantly perked up again. She was a very expressive girl, both in body-, and spokennguage. "¡­A-Am I weak against tails?" Sophia muttered because she wasn''t able to peel her eyes away from it. "Now, do you?" "Yes!" Not a shred of hesitation. "Hmm¡­" She didn''t have a reason to say no. However, she still felt hesitant because the girl was almost too cute for her, being a possible problem for her mental sanity in the future. Seeing the cat-girl''s happily twitching tail and sparkling eyes, Sophia wasn''t sure whether she was able to continue staying calm around her. She was only learning to deal with people again, after all. Maya gave off a final boss feeling in that regard. "I''m staying in the city for maybe a week or so? I don''t know yet. If you still want to by then, I''ll think about it." "Really?! Okay! I won''t leave your side until I convince you!" She suddenly became extraordinarily motivated. "H-Huh?" "Prepare yourself, Sophia! I will definitely win you over for sure!" "¡­" Stumbling over her super ambiguous wording once more, she tried to collect herself. "Haa¡­" Sophia took a good look at Maya again. Her happily swishing tail and fluffy-looking cat ears, which slightly twitched from time to time. Her blue eyes and the snow-white hair. For some reason, that didn''t calm her down in the slightest, though. If anything, it was the exact opposite. "Fine. W-Whatever, do your¡­ worst!" Feeling her boosts were reaching their limits, Sophia gave up before she lost her coolpletely, implying there was anything left. She was concerned about making some sort of embarrassing mistake soon. Again. "Yes!" "¡­" Looking at the overly excited and happy cat-girl, she just knew she wouldn''tst much longer. ---------------- Once the two finished their little bickering, the rest of their group walked up to the two girls with wildly varying expressions. "So, the rock golems really were on the same level as small fries for her¡­" The lizardman, Rashk, couldn''t believe just how enormous Sophia''s powers were. "Such magic¡­ incredible!" Masi was still so amazed that he could barely speak. "Showoff." Fen was a little harsh, though far from being wrong. "Maya, you idiot!" Chiyo''s reaction was somewhat different. "Eh? W-Why?!" The idiot in question obviously had no idea what she had done to warrant such a treatment. "Forget it¡­" Even so, the other cat-girl was clearly pouting. "No, seriously, what did I do?" "N-Not telling!" "Come on!" Maya walked up to Chiyo and started pestering her about it. "What''s wrong with Chiyo?" Sophia had regrouped with Fen and asked him about the weird situation. "I''m not sure because these sorts of rtions have been a while for me, but I think she''s jealous." "I see¡­ Wait, what?" It took a moment before the words registered. "Chiyo jealous¡­? Of whom?" "Maya." "Huh? Why? What did I miss when I was busy with her?" "That''s exactly the reason why she seems to be jealous." "Ehh¡­?" She couldn''t see the connection. "It appears that Chiyo might be harboring some¡­ positive feelings towards you, Sophia, or is at least curious about you in that regard." "Ah, so that''s what it? Ehm, wait¡­" She needed a minute. "C-C-Chiyo does¡­? Eh?" "So it seems." "Err, no¡­" Sophia had stopped working. "W-Why...?" "Interesting¡­ So, romancepletely fries your boost, huh?" Fen noticed how the girl had be a useless mess in an instant. "E-E¡­ Even if she¡­ does¡­ which makes¡­ no sense¡­ We barely¡­ know each other!" Her face had turned bright red. "W-Why would she be¡­ jealous of M-Maya¡­?" "Well, she most likely didn''t enjoy seeing the two of you so openly flirting in front of everyone, I guess." "Yeah, that makes sense¡­ NOT!" Sophia had lost it. "F-Flirting¡­ what? I was just messing with her a bit¡­ and we were bickering a little?" "Yes¡­ that''s what we would call a form of flirting in this world, especially because it seemed both of you were enjoying your back and forth." "W-We were¡­?" She hadn''t noticed. "Well, I had fun t-teasing her, but¡­" "You even called her cute. Again." "A-Ah, you heard that, huh¡­? That was s-somehow¡­ out of my control¡­ S-So embarrassing!" "I do think that Maya was enjoying herself as well. Ah, maybe not the whole bullying part, though." The wolf had to take a jab at her. "Uhh¡­ I-I''ve never f-flirted with anyone before¡­ never had the¡­ chance to¡­ D-Did I really¡­?!" "Both of you did it unconsciously? You seem to be quitepatible with each other." "¡­D-Do we¡­?" Sophia wasn''t able to speak in coherent sentences anymore. "Are you interested in Maya?" The wolf seemed strangely invested in the topic. "I-I¡­ do think she''s¡­ a-a-adorable, but I¡­ don''t even know her yet¡­" "But you are not, not interested?" "¡­" She didn''t feel like dealing with the overly curious wolf anymore, as it had be too embarrassing for her. "Are you looking for a mate then?" "¡­" She looked at Fen in disbelief and simply turned around. "H-Hey, Rashk!" Deciding on a quick tactical retreat, Sophia addressed the first person her eyes fell on. "Yes?" "Uhh¡­ Ah, a-are there any inns in the town? It''s already reallyte, and the match with¡­ M-Maya made me a little tired¡­" "Yeah, that makes sense. Even though your fight has mepletely sobered up, I''m tired as well. An inn, huh? Ah, I can rmend the Sun Inn on the central street. It has very nice rooms,fortable beds, and the rent''s reasonable for what you''re getting there. "Sounds good, thanks." Having decided on a n, Sophia and the group made their way back to the city. After arriving at the inn, she opted to get a room of her own, and so did Fen. They even had rooms to amodate full beastpeople. The group split up for the time being. Once she noticed the fluffy-looking bed, she stopped caring about everything that happened this day. She fell asleep in around three seconds after jumping headfirst onto the bed. Chapter 25 – Determined cat-girl Chapter 25 ¨C Determined cat-girl Finally having slept in an actual bed for the first time sinceing to this world, Sophia was well-rested the following day, even after such a hectic day. Taking advantage of staying in an inn, she took her sweet time in the included bath¡ªan actual one for a change and not her makeshift version. While soaking in the water, the girl was thinking about yesterday''s events. "That was really something¡­" She stretched herself in the tub, rxing. "Maya sure is strong¡­ Okay, rtively speaking, that is. Does she really want me to teach her magic? Can I even do that? I''m using the knowledge of my old world for most of my magic, after all¡­ Ah, but I managed to teach Fen about the oxygen thing. Well, he knows that I''m from another world, though¡­ I don''t think I should tell anyone else so readily... at least in the beginning. Oh, I was fortunate that Fen epted it even though we had just met, huh?" Sophia got a little sidetracked. "Hmm¡­ Ah, she thinks I''m a demon, right? Wouldn''t that work? I could just tell her it''s demon knowledge. Maya does seem to be rather easy to fool¡­ I''m a bit worried about her." She ignored the part where she was fooling around with the cat-girl the most yesterday. "If I were to do that, she could travel with us, right? Oh, did I even ask Fen whether he''s okay with it? Well, I don''t think he would mind." He didn''t seem like the person, or wolf, who would care about that. "Am I¡­ okay with it, though? Hmm, it does sound like it would be fun. There''s just one problem¡­ Maya''s way too adorable!" While shouting out her real problem with the situation, she immediately pushed her head underwater, as she was still in her bath, to cool herself down. "Her expressive tail, the fluffy ears, that white hair¡­ No, Maya, as a whole¡­" The cooling-down didn''t work, and not only because the water was too hot. "It feels like I could be dangerous with her around. I mean, I naturally wouldn''t attack her. I''m not some lowlife after all! Not to mention that my boosts would have a spectacr meltdown long before that, anyway. Yeah, I''m not confident I could do that even if I wanted¡­ No, that''s not what I mean in the first ce! The bigger problem is,¡­ can I stay mentally sane around Maya? I''ve almost already lost my¡­ cool when I talked with her for just a couple of minutes. She''s dangerous!" Sophia remembered the cat-girl''s ambiguous way of wording things. "S-Speaking of which, Fen said so, but¡­ were we really f-flirting? That can''t be, right¡­? I wouldn''t even know how to¡­ My experience''s ZERO, after all. ZERO! Ahaha-haaaa." Herughter trailed off into a sigh. After having identally dealt significant damage to herself, she continued. "Could I learn¡­ how to talk? How to f-flirt¡­? Together with Maya? I don''t know what she''s into¡­ It surely wouldn''t be me, though, like ever... Just like what Fen told me¡­ As if Chiyo would be interested in me¡­ Me! It makes no sense!" Even while Sophia''s self-confidence had been boosted exceptionally whening to this world, it still amounted to virtually nothing when it came to this sort of topic. "Maybe in exchange for teaching her magic, I could learn how to interact with girls from Maya? Eventually, in the far, far future, I might be able to find someone¡­ Still, using her to get ustomed to girls? Isn''t that way too high of a difficulty level to start with? She''s almost too cute to look at, after all! Mmrgn¡­" Not being able toe to a conclusion, Sophia gave up on it for the time being. ---------------- Once she finished her bath that had gotten into slight overtime for some reason, Sophia quickly dressed herself after recovering from the heat-induced dizziness, got ready, and left the inn. "Finally!" A white-haired cat-girl was standing in front of the inn. Her arms were crossed, and her tail was impatiently swaying from side to side. "M-Maya?!" Sophia hadn''t expected to immediately run into the girl that was the cause of so many problems she had just a little while ago. "You''re way toote!" "Toote for what?" She didn''t remember having made any promises to meet up with her. "Sorry, I guess¡­? I''m not really a morning person. Also, I was thinking about things and lost track of time¡­" "Thinking? About what?" "You." "Me?!" Maya''s ears and tail twitched once and perked up at the unexpected reply. "Ah." Realizing her mistake, she awkwardly looked away. "Ohh~, so you''ve decided to take me with you already?" Thankfully, her interpretation of the ambiguous answer was perfectly innocent. "N-No." "Aww¡­ Well, I already nned to convince you all day long anyway." It didn''t dampen her motivation in the slightest. "I-I see." "Then, let''s go!" Being in high spirits, Maya wrapped her right arm around Sophia''s left and started dragging her off. "H-Huh?!" She desperately tried not to think about the soft feeling her arm was experiencing while it was pressed against the cat-girl''s body. The girl had already taken considerable damage not even five minutes after meeting up with Maya because she never had the chance to develop any sort of resistance to these feelings. "W-Where are we going¡­?" "Outside the city. To train, of course!" "Yeah, of course¡­" She didn''t know what she expected. Arriving at an empty spot far away from any curious onlookers, Maya let go of Sophia and looked at her full of expectation. "I look forward to learning from you!" "Hmm¡­" Sophia felt a little lonely when she nced at her freed arm, but she also was a lot more at ease now. After a moment, she concentrated on the cat-girl. "Learn¡­ what exactly?" "That''s a good question." Maya tilted her head. "Ehh? I thought you had a n?" "Coming here was all I had in store." "That''s not what one would call a n!" "Ehehe~. Oh, can you show me some more of your magic for starters, Sophia?" "Good grief¡­" She marveled at the girl''s easygoingness, not that she was one to talk. "Something with fire or air magic, if possible. Those are the two I can use after all." "Ah, I wanted to ask about that!" Sophia remembered being curious about that during their fight the day before. "Can you really only use two categories¡­ types of magic? "That''s actually extremely impressive, you know?! I never even met a single one that could use more than two, just like me, in my entire life! It''s basically always only a single type at best! Not before meeting you, that is!" "Really? Everyone I met beforeing to this city could use all types¡­" As she had only met Fen, Sophia, again, technically wasn''t lying, though it was a bit of a stretch. "Demons are amazing." The misunderstanding continued to grow. "But why is your magic limited?" "Why isn''t yours?" "That''s¡­ hmm¡­? Good question." She had no reply to this. "Indeed." "I wonder if there''s a way around¡­" She was lost in thoughts for a moment before quickly paying attention to Maya again. "Where were we again¡­?" "I asked you to show me some fire or air magic. If possible, something strong and shy." "I don''t remember thest part, though? Well, whatever. Especially the shy part is my specialty anyway. Let''s see¡­ What to show?" Thinking about a suitable magic, Sophia pondered for a moment but then had an idea. Presenting her open palm, she let her blue and violently burning me appear. It was slowly bing her trademark. "Blue¡­?" Maya curiously eyed the me as she got closer. "Whoa! It''s so small, yet way hotter than anything I ever managed to do with magic! What kind of fire is that, Sophia?!" "Hehe~." A smug look appeared on her face. "It''s an original magic of mine. A perfect fusion of air and fire, that is." "There''s air magic in that?" The cat-girl tilted her head. "A very powerful even." Sophia deactivated that part, taking away the extra oxygen power-up. The me immediately calmed down and turned to a much more orange-yellowish color. "Ah, it became normal¡­ Such a difference in power!" "Care to see it in action?" Sophia looked around and found a group of poor, innocent trees. A couple of secondster, a blue inferno instantly reduced the ce to nothingness with tremendous might. "¡­" Maya only stood there for a moment. "A-Amazing!" "Hehe, Fen had a simr reaction when I showed him. He really worked hard to learn it as well." "E-Eh?" She stared at Sophia. "Fen-, He can use more than one magic, too? I felt that he''s super powerful, but that much?" "I''m fairly sure he''s as powerful as I am, if not stronger." "W-What?!" She couldn''t believe it. "Just like me, he''s capable of using every magic category¡­ type thingy there is. In the first ce, he''s the one who''s teaching me magic." "W-Wow, I''m losing my confidence here¡­" Until now, Maya was an exceptional being, able to use two types of magic. "Hmm¡­ Does that mean you two are together all the time then?" "Yeah." She forgot to mention that it wasn''t even a week yet. "Well, I told you that everyone I met until now could use every magic, right?" "I didn''t think Fen would be included in that list." Maya also had no way of knowing that Fen was the list. "Fen''s extremely strong. He managed to get a grasp on that blue fire magic on his first day of trying." "I am capable of fire and air magic¡­ do you think it would be possible for me to learn, Sophia?" "Hmm, I don''t think it''s impossible." She gave it some serious thought. "It will take a while, though. You need to get a way better control of your magic power." "E-Even better? You did see that all I need is a simple activation word at best yesterday, right¡­? And my me tornado, as you called it, is chantless!" "Yeah, that me tornado was nice, but keep in mind that it uses the same two magics as my earlier inferno as its basis." "You''re right¡­" The cat-girl acknowledged the massive gap in their powers. "Actually, I learned chantless magic only. I don''t even know how to use activation words, let alone chants. I also don''t want to because I would die out of embarrassment when using thetter!" "That''s¡­ quite something." "So, chantless is the only way if you want to achieve anything meaningful. For my blue me, I directly manipte a part of the air and use my actual magic power as fuel for my fire." "T-That sounds reallyplicated¡­" She seemed overwhelmed. "What''s that, having second thoughts about wanting toe with me already?" "Not at all!" Maya gave her a firm answer. "I''m just bing aware of how conceited I was, thinking I was the strongest, while in reality¡­ I''m weak, really weak¡­ How exciting!" She was more motivated than ever. "Well, I think you''re a bit stronger than a human." "Hey!" There was a line you shouldn''t cross in this world. This joke had made Maya so angry that even her tail got all puffed up in response. "¡­" Seeing that, Sophia tried her best not to identally embarrass herself again by unconsciously leaking out how cute she thinks her reactions are once more. "A-Anyway¡­ no, I actually do think you''re really talented." "R-Really?" Her anger was nowhere to be seen anymore. "Absolutely. I''m sure you''ll get even more, uhh, amazing with the right teacher." "T-Then!" Her ears perked up. "Does that mean you''ve decided about me going with you?" "Hmm¡­ not yet~." "Ehh? Come on, we had such a nice moment just now, Sophia~! Just say yes already! I promise you won''t regret epting me!" "N-No¡­" She was bing weak against Maya''s pushiness. "I''m not quite convinced yet." "Ha! She said quite yet!" She made a little fist. "I''m getting closer! Okay then, let''s try a different approach!" "Hmm¡­?" She had no idea what was going on anymore. "Sophia, I heard you like food. Is that true?" "Yes, you could say that." It wasn''t a secret. "Great! There''s a really nice caf¨¦ with amazing sweets in the city, want to go?" "Sure, that sounds good." "Yay! Let''s go immediately!" With a bright smile on her face, and her tail happily pointing upwards, Maya linked arms with Sophia again before dragging her towards the city. "It''s date time!" "Huh¡­?" It took her another second to fully register the words. "Huuuuh?" Her confused cry waspleted ignored, though. Chapter 26 – A date with a cat-girl?! Chapter 26 ¨C A date with a cat-girl?! Sophia and Maya took a break from their first training, or rather demonstration, session. The cat-girl suggested eating something at a caf¨¦ in the city together. However, the way she had worded it and how she wrapped her arm around Sophia''s was a cause of great confusion for the girl. "D-Date?!" Sophia repeated the word. "Yeah~." A light reply came. "R-Really¡­?" "Hmm? We''re two, and we''re going to a caf¨¦ together. That''s a date, isn''t it?" Maya tilted her head and looked at the girl while she continued to drag her around. "A-Ahh." She realized that she got all worked up for nothing. "W-What kind of food does the ce have?" She tried to divert the attention away from her. "Their cake''s really delicious." "C-Cake?!" Sophia had a strong reaction to the word. "T-There''s cake?" "Of course?" "I hadn''t had any sinceing to this, uhh, continent. I didn''t know it even existed here!" "Seriously?! Let''s hurry then!" The cat-girl picked up her pace. She had no way of knowing that even while it sounded long, Sophia had cake in her old world a day before being summoned, making it rtively recent. ---------------- They arrived there before long and entered. There, the two were guided by a waitress and got seated at a small, round table while facing each other. "¡­" Sophia wanted to say something about this seating arrangement but managed to hold back. Instead, she looked around and noticed that this ce only featured this kind of table. The girl also became aware that the caf¨¦ seemed really popr because it was mostly booked out. One-on-one get-togethers upied almost every table. Two girls, two boys, mixed parties, there was absolutely no preferred kind of grouping¡ªneither in gender nor types of beastperson. "What are you looking at, Sophia?" Maya noticed that her eyes were all over the ce. "A-Ah¡­ Well," She faced the girl. "I was just thinking that beastpeople are really interesting." "Really? I''m surrounded by them every day, even aside from being one myself as well, so I wouldn''t know. Personally, I think you''re much more interesting, Sophia." "T-Thanks¡­" She had trouble appropriately reacting to the cat-girl''spliment. "I-Is there any cake you can rmend?" Changing the topic, as usual, was her best, or only, course of action to keep herself from having a meltdown. "Let''s see, I''m a big fan of the chocde cake. I can rmend that one." "Chocde, huh? The pronunciation again is a little bit off¡­ Wow, the one who thought of those names isn''t even trying, huh?" "Hmm?" Maya tilted her head again. "F-Forget it¡­ Anyway, yeah, I''ll try that one, and for drinks, just water''s fine." "Alright, I''ll go ahead and order then." She called out for a waitress. "Excuse me, the chocde cake and water for her. I''ll take the fruit cake with a tea that goes well with it, please." "Absolutely." She took their order, got it ready in a sh, and returned after just a couple of minutes. "Oh! It looks good!" Sophia was staring at her beautiful-looking cake made with a generous amount of chocde. "Yes!" She agreed while looking at her own before quickly trying a bite with her fork. "Delicious! I haven''t had it in a while, but the fruit cake is just as good!" Seeing how the cat-girl was so delighted that it was even showing on her perky ears and slightly twitchy tail, Sophia couldn''t help but smile. She looked forward to trying her cake and couldn''t wait any longer. "Oh, wow¡­ it''s good!" "Isn''t it?" She took another bite before ncing at Sophia''s one. "Mind if I try?" Maya pointed her fork at it. "S-Sure, go for it¡­ eh?!" Sophia presented her te with the cake on it but stopped mid-air. "Ahhh~." Maya had different ns, though, as she leaned over the table with her mouth slightly open. "¡­" She stopped working. "Ahh~." The cat-girl wasn''t giving her any room to work with, though. "S-Seriously¡­? No way¡­ Urgh, w-whatever¡­" Seeing how she didn''t seem to have a choice, no matter how embarrassed she was, Sophia lifted her fork with some cake on it and hesitatingly but carefully fed the cat-girl in front of her. "Delicious!" Having a taste of the chockdey goodness, Maya delightfully touched her cheek. "T-That''s-, That''s great¡­" "Want to try mine, too?" "A-Ah, no, I''m g-good¡­" She already knew where this was leading to. As Sophia''s boosts were already failing her, she wasn''t sure about being able to survive this sort of high-level embarrassment y. "You don''t like fruits?" "N-No, I''m a-actually¡­ a big fan." "Well then." Maya wasted no time, picked up some cake, and held up her fork in front of the girl. "O-Oh." She noticed her careless mistake. "Say Ahh~." "¡­" Sophia pondered whether to go for it or not, mentally debating whether something like this would kill her from sheer embarrassment alone. While looking at Maya cutely ying around with her fork in front of her face, she finally epted the offer because she didn''t want to disappoint her. "And? How is it?" "Y-Yeah, it''s d-delicious¡­" She actually had no recollection of how it tasted, being too distracted by various things and feelings. "Ehehe, that''s good then." The cat-girl didn''t seem to have noticed her inner turmoil. "¡­" Still fighting her bashfulness, Sophia broke eye contact and looked around to calm down. There, she noticed that she wasn''t the only one that had to go through this sort of shameful y. Many couples around them were doing the exact same thing, some of them more embarrassed, others not at all. Feeling stupid that something apparently so normal had made such a mess out of her, Sophia let out a small sigh and managed to recover. Taking a sip from her water, she looked perfectly serious again. "Haha, you''re so fun to watch, Sophia." "E-Eh?!" Her reimed calmness onlysted a short moment. "Your expression''s changing all the time. It''s almost as if you can''t decide how you should feel and flip through all your emotions, trying to find the correct one." "Ah." Sophia wasn''t aware that she was showing her feelings so open. She was surprised that Maya even noticed how her emotions were all over the ce, thanks to the mix of questionable boosts she received. Not to mention the inability to hold even a simple conversation in her past world, which didn''t help with this situation. However, the cat-girl obviously didn''t know that much. "Ehehe~, it''s cute how you''re so easy to read." Maya happily giggled as she said so. "¡­" The feeling of embarrassment was rising inside of her again. Still, Sophia also felt like she was being teased right now, and that was something she could deal with for some reason. "Funny you should say this, Maya. You''re the one I can read like a book after all, with your cute bodynguage." She pointed at her friendly swishing tail. "It''s easy to see that you''re enjoying yourself." "H-Huh?!" She looked at her tail that had dropped on the floor as a direct response. "I-I never knew about that¡­ Wait, is my tail really that expressive¡­?" "Yeah." "Ah¡­" Now her ears twitched in response. "And so are your ears. Hehe, I''ve only known you for a day, but especially watching your tail has brought me a great amount of joy already." "Uhh¡­ s-so embarrassing!" "It is, isn''t it?" Sophia wholeheartedly agreed. "¡­" "¡­" The mood turned a little awkward for a short while, but as the two stared at each other, their expression soon changed. "Ahaha." "Ehehe." Maya and Sophiaughed at their own idiocy and finally continued to enjoy each other''spany. ---------------- Some time passed, and as the two continued to chat about meaningless things, their cake had long since vanished. After a while, Sophia began to focus her attention on her half-empty ss of water. "Hmm, physicists would probably hate me, but isn''t air and water quite simr?" As she concentrated on the liquid, it started to swirl in a circr motion inside the ss. "Both of them also have a significant amount of oxygen¡­ In one way or another, at least." "What are you doing?" The cat-girl curiously eyed the ss. "Thinking about things¡­ Maya?" "Yes?" "Who decided that magic is grouped into elements and that you''re supposed to be only able to use a limited amount of them? "I don''t think anyone ever decided it¡­ That''s just how it is, after all." "Is it really? "Absolutely!" The cat-girl was sure about this concept. "Then, in your eyes, what sort of magic am I using right now?" She pointed at the swirling water. "Well, water magic, of course." She tilted her head, not understanding what Sophia wanted. "Really? I''m doing almost the same thing that I use for my blue me, and that has nothing to do with water, has it? If I had to decide, the cause of the swirling water is closer rted to air-, and not water magic." She was controlling the oxygen part inside the water right now to move it around. "W-What?!" Maya jumped up from her chair in shock. "T-That can''t be!" "Well, I do admit that I''m bending the rules a tiny bit. I''m sure grouping magic into elements makes sense, but I don''t think you''re supposed to only use some of them as the lines between the elements are quite blurry." "¡­" She couldn''t believe what this girl was saying. "In the first ce, Fen calls them categories and not types, which makes way more sense as it changes depending on how you use it." "¡­" "Maya, wanna try to learn a third element, no category?" "Huh?! D-Do you think I can¡­?" "I think so, yes. No, I''m actually sure of it." Sophia was confident about her theory. "Ah, I just had a great idea!" She suddenly started to smile. "How about that? I''ll try to teach you how to manipte water. If you be able to use your third element, or category, before Fen and I leave this ce, you cane with us." "E-Ehh?" The cat-girl naturally was surprised. "So, are you up for the challenge, Maya?" "Is that-, Is that really possible¡­?" She seemed doubtful. "It entirely depends on how serious you are. If you really want to, it won''t be an issue. To be honest, I learned water-rted magic over the course of a day or so. You''ll have at least a week." Sophia forgot to mention that this was the case for every single magic she had acquired. "What are we waiting for?! Let''s get going already!" She instantly became motivated and seemed determined to learn it. "That''s the spirit!" The two quickly wrapped things up in the caf¨¦, finished their date, and got ready to leave for more training. Chapter 27 – Destroying a cat-girl’s common sense Chapter 27 ¨C Destroying a cat-girl¡¯smon sense During her date with Maya, Sophia had decided on the conditions for the cat-girl being allowed to apany Fen and her on their travels. If Maya managed to learn water-rted magic before they chose to leave, she could tag along. Sophia did fail to mention that this condition was a little rigged. If she wanted the white-haired cat-girl to apany them, she could stay as long as it took, maybe even months, and if she didn''t, she could leave that day. After leaving the caf¨¦, the two split up for the moment to make some preparations for their next training session. "Oh, hey there, Fen." Sophia had gone back to the inn, where she met the wolf. "Ah, Sophia, I haven''t seen you all day." "Yeah, I was out¡­ with Maya." "Training?" "More or less, I guess." "That''s good." "¡­" "Hmm?" "That''s all?" Sophia thought he had some more toment on. "After all you said yesterday, I was sure you would tease me about it." "Did I say something about the cat yesterday?" Fen seemed confused. "Yes? The whole thing about Chiyo being¡­ jealous, me being cpatible with Maya, or how I was supposedly¡­ f-flirting with her." "¡­" The wolf looked even more confused. "Did I really say something like that? It doesn''t sound like me, at least." "It sure doesn''t, but that''s what happened." "Hmm, I can''t seem to remember¡­" "You were surprisingly talkative... Ah!" Sophia thought about the conversation. "Could it be¡­ Fen, were you still drunk back then?" "¡­" He didn''t answer. "Ehehe~, Fen gets talkative when he''s drunk, huh? That''s interesting to know." "Why?" "Anyway, back to Maya." She changed the topic. "She wants to travel together with us and learn my magic. I haven''t fully decided yet, but what do you think about it?" "Hmm? Why would I mind? I leave that decision entirely to you as I''m simply apanying you as well." "Thought as much. By the way, she told me that she''s pretty special because she can use two different types of magic, while most can only use one at best¡­ What''s up with that?" "Ah, I never understood why they limit themselves with elements in that regard¡­ In the first ce, those elements are simply supposed to be categories, making it easier for you to imagine. It makes no sense to be able to use just one specific type if you can use magic at all¡­ People probably simply use their favorite type because they were having trouble imagining magic as a whole. That''s also why activation words are a thing. Even strong people often struggle with their imagination. For example, saying Fireball makes it easier for you to clearly see it inside your head and use it. At the same time, this obviously hinders your creativity, making it less powerful than real, chantless magic." "It''s like that, huh?" While Sophia''s theory of the blurry boundaries of magic elements was a bit off, her im that everyone should be able to use any magic was still correct. "Well, you still need to have enough magic power to use that much magic in the first ce, though." "Soo¡­ let''s imagine I promised Maya that she coulde with us if she''s able to learn water magic before we leave the city." "We''ll continue traveling as a group of three." Fen had no doubt that the cat-girl would be able to do it. "I see¡­ Well then, I nned to meet up with her again, so I better get going." "Sure, have fun. I think I''ll go back to sleep¡­" The wolf didn''t seem very fit at the moment for some reason. ---------------- The two girls got together at the entrance of the city, where Maya was already waiting. From there, she guided her to a nearbyke for their training. As she seemed to have taken a liking to Sophia''s arm, the cat-girl had linked theirs once more while going to the ce. "Okay then, I''ll be in your care from now on, Sophia!" "S-Sure¡­" She was still weak towards Maya''s ambiguous wording. "What do we start with?" "That''s a good question." It all happened so suddenly that Sophia had yet to think of a n for her teachings. "You mentioned earlier that water and air are simr. What did you mean by that?" Maya remembered the topic from the caf¨¦. "Let''s see¡­ Do you know that air''s actually made up of various things?" As even Fen wasn''t aware of that, she had little hope. "Hmm¡­ Like when we breathe in, the air thates out is slightly different¡­? It doesn''t feel like the air gets, uh, used up? Rather, it changes to something we can''t use¡­ hmm¡­?" Maya touched her chin as she struggled to exin it with proper words. "I think the same happens with fire. A part of the air changes¡­?" "Wow, that''s unexpected." Sophia was surprised that the cat-girl actually had some sort of grasp on it. "Yeah, what actually gets used up by breathing or fire is something called oxygen. As we take in oxygen, our body, let''s say, converts it to something different and releases it back to the air. Fire, again, does something very simr. Simply speaking, at least." "That''s how it works? Wait, how do you even know that, Sophia?" "Ahh¡­ It''s widely known where Ie from." She had gotten rather good at weaseling her way around without actually lying to her. "Wow!" In response to that, Maya''s admiration of the demons had grown even more. "So, how does all that rte to me learning water magic¡­?" She couldn''t see the connection. "Right, just like oxygen is a big part of the air, it''s also abundant in water, though in a different form as it''s obviously liquid¡­ among a couple of other things." "Ah, is that what fishes, uh, breathe then?" She was quick on the uptake. "Uh, it might be?" She wasn''t sure. "Either that or some sort of oxygen gas that got trapped together with air and¡­ dissolved in the water¡­? Sorry, I have to admit that I haven''t paid much attention to the details. Anyway, what I wanted to say¡­ if you''re able to control the oxygen in the air, water shouldn''t be a problem, either. That''s also the reason why fixed magic elements make no real sense." "Is that¡­ even possible? Controlling only a part of something?" "Sure is. That''s what I do for my blue me, after all. "Wow¡­ Ah!" Maya suddenly stopped. "So, I have to master chantless magic first, huh? You said that for that blue me thingy, I need to get better control of my magic power, right?" "Of course. More like, before I can even teach you, you need to be able to do at least that..." Sophia only knew how to use chantless magic. "And thus, do your best~." "Ehh¡­? Just like that?!" "Sure." The girl shrugged her shoulders. "You already know how to use chantless magic. You just need to get, well, better at it. There''s not much I can help with there, right? Just concentrate on the image for your magic and give it a go." "You sure make it sound easy..." "''Cause, it is?" She didn''t let Maya have any room toin. While saying so, Sophia walked towards theke and sat down on the grass while looking at the water. "I''ll train my water-rted magic as well, so let''s both do our best." "O-Okay!" Maya epted the challenge and started to think about how she could improve herself. "Good luck." ---------------- Doing as told, the cat-girl worked on her imagination to use magic instantly, without any activation words and the like. She continued to train for a couple of hours, but her progress wasn''t any good. Still, Maya had be exhausted and wanted to take a break. Looking in the direction of Sophia, she didn''t know how to react. "Really now?" The girl had told her that she would train her own magic, but it seemed like she had gotten tired of it. Sprawled out on the grass, Sophia was fast asleep. It also looked like she was for a while already. "Haa¡­" With a sigh, the cat-girl walked up to her and sat down beside the sleeping girl. "How can one be so free?" Maya''s eyes shined with admiration as she looked at her peacefully lying there. "Going to a different continent just because she was bored¡­ Just how bored can you get for that? In the first ce, is it even possible to change continents? It''s all water in between. Well, it''s Sophia we''re speaking off, so¡­" She had no doubts that she had pulled off some sort of ridiculous stunt. "It really doesn''t seem like she''s lying, either. Hermon sense, assuming she even has some, doesn''t match the one on this continent at all. A demon, huh?" Maya took an even closer look at her. "Isn''t this girl just simply a cute airhead?" While hovering above her, the cat-girl yfully squished her cheek. "Enemy!" Sophia suddenly opened her eyes and bolted up. "O-Ouch!" Her forehead violently crashed into Maya''s head because she was in the way above her. "O-Ouch!" She, too, yelped in pain. "W-Wait¡­ I''m no enemy! It''s me, Maya!" "Maya¡­?" She was rubbing the sore spot on her forehead. "W-What are you doing?" Sophia only then noticed how close the cat-girl was to her. "N-Nothing! Anyway, I''m no enemy, okay?!" "Enemy¡­? Ah, right¡­ No, I wasn''t talking about you. I noticed a pretty powerful monster that ising our way." "S-Seriously? Wait, what? How do you even know? I can''t see anything¡­ More importantly, you were asleep in the first ce!" "Of course you can''t see it, it''s still some kilometers away behind that little forest over there." She pointed to her right at a range of trees. "Ehh¡­ How''s that even possible?" "Magic, of course." "Of course, she says." "D¨¦j¨¤ vu?" Sophia felt she had had a simr conversation with a certain wolf before. "Anyway, it''s called detection magic. A non-attribute, or rather uncategorized, original magic." "W-Wha-?!" "As the name suggests, it lets me detect every living creature around me and even roughly tells me how strong it is." "¡­" The cat-girl had no words. "Well, that''s how I noticed that a monster ising for us. I don''t know what it is, but it''s a rather strong one." "Who''s the monster here, really?" Maya couldn''t keep up with her ridiculous magic. "H-How strong are we talking about?" "I''m not sure, but it''s multiple times stronger than the group of rock golems that Chiyo and the others encountered the other day." "S-Seriously?! I fought against a rock golem before, but¡­ that wasn''t any fun! And that thing is multiple times stronger?!" She didn''t like the sound of it. "I can imagine that it wasn''t any fun with only air and fire magic." Sophia remembered Fen telling her that these don''t deal much damage to golems. "Oh, I think that monster can fly. It''sing in a perfectly straight line at us without caring for the terrain. We should see it any moment now." She concentrated on the sky without a shred of tension in her voice. "Really?" Maya was still a little dubious, but looked in the same direction and turned pale just a momentter. Her ears started toy down t to her head, and her tail tightly clung to her leg while her entire body began to shake for some reason. "T-That-, That''s a g-griphon!" "Griphon¡­?" Sophia tilted her head, feeling she heard about a very simr-sounding monster somewhere before. "Also, you have good eyes." "W-We have to run, Sophia!" Her voice was shaky. "Is that guy really so strong?" "It''s one of the rulers of the monster country!" "Monster country?" "A-A huge wastnd a good bit south from here. It''s a ce filled with powerful monsters, and even all of the fauna there want to kill you! Basically, every nt and fruit are poisonous in that area¡­" "I-I see¡­" Sophia knew about a ce with a shockingly simr description. "W-Why is something like that here?" "Hmm...?" She could finally see the monster as well and remembered something. "That thing¡­ it really looks like the bird I identally turned to ash before, just bigger¡­" Sophia realized she had seen this lion-like bird before when she was looking for Fen but followed the wrong reaction of her detection magic. "Y-You''re saying you fought a griphon before?!" "Yeah. Well, I wouldn''t call it a fight. I came past it by mistake, got surprised, and identally burned it into nothingness in an instant. Ah, maybe it''s its parent looking for revenge?" Sophia looked like she had solved some kind of mystery as she pped her fist on her other hand''s open palm. "That''s not funny!" Maya was panicking. "I was serious, though¡­" She had no sense of urgency. "E-Eh?! Wait! You actually were in the monster country?!" "Yes, Fen and I crossed it to get here. If you ask me, it was pretty boring, though¡­ Especially the food situation was way too monotonous." "¡­" The cat-girl had her confirmation now; Sophia had nomon sense whatsoever. "Well, whatever it is, I''ll go and defeat it really quick~." Sophia began walking towards the approaching griphon, but Maya immediately stopped her by grabbing the girl''s arm. "A-Are you sure¡­?" Her entire body was still trembling. "It''s really a very strong monster!" "Of course! Besides, if I didn''t go, there''d be a risk that it harmed you. I can''t let that happen." "Sophia¡­" Maya''s trembling eased down ever so slightly, and she let go of her arm. "Okay¡­ P-Please be safe!" "Thanks." Turning towards the griphon, Sophia picked up her pace and instantly closed the distance between them. "So embarrassing! What was that?! Where did that super corny linee from, me?!" Still without any sense of urgency, she was talking to herself after already having taken some significant damage before even engaging the monster. Chapter 28 – Making a cat-girl worry Chapter 28 ¨C Making a cat-girl worry While the girls were taking a break from training, a lion-like bird called griphon closed in on them. To keep Maya safe, Sophia got away from her and blocked the monster''s path, hoping to deal with it quickly. "Err, hello there¡­" She addressed the bird that was pping its enormous wings in the air above her. Thinking about how powerful the monster was, Sophia hoped it was able to talk, just like Fen. Unfortunately, the griphon didn''t seem to be able to do so. Without any warning whatsoever, the birdunched countless air-des at the girl in an instant. "O-Oh!" She didn''t have time to react adequately, and some of the des managed to hit her, cutting her skin in the process. "T-That hurts! What''s wrong with you?!" Trying to give it a piece of its own medicine, Sophiaunched some des as well, but the monster managed to dodge them all. Immediately after, fire suddenly rained down on the girl. This time, she barely managed to protect herself by creating a wall of water above her in time. "Also, why didn''t anyone tell me that monsters can use magic?! Ah, monster or not, why would it be any different to Fen?" Hurt or not, she still wasn''t taking it seriously. "What a rude fellow- Oi, w-wait!" While she wasining, another attack wasing at her already. Multiple spears made out of ice were about to reach Sophia. She hastily dodged the first volley before erecting an earthen dome above her to be protected from the rest. "T-That''s dangerous!" Sheined again. "¡­Hmm? W-What is it now?!" Sophia felt a rumblinging from the ground below her and instinctively dodged to the side. Not even a secondter, the ce she was before had been covered in rock spikes that had shot out the ground. "Okay, I''m getting angry now! Let''s see¡­ OI!" While she was thinking of a counter, the girl had almost gotten hit by another volley of ice spears. "Grr!" It was Sophia who let out this angry growl. She looked around and finally had an idea once she noticed that the griphon had gotten close to the overgrown forest. "Ha! I got you now!" Using her nature magic, countless vines shot out of the woods. They wrapped themselves around the monster, which fortunately wasn''t able to dodge them all. Not being able to fly anymore, the bird hit the ground like a stone. "Sweet revenge~." With a sinister smile, Sophia slowly walked towards it. While she was closing in the distance, she had already begun increasing the oxygen concentration around the bird. "It''s over now." Having gotten close enough to get a satisfying look at the monster''s future dying face, Sophia activated her fire magic. The area was lit up in her ultra-hot blue fire, giving the griphon a quick death. Or so she had hoped, at least. "A-Ah!" As a final act of resistance, the burning beastunched ast attack of air des. "O-Ouch!" Not having expected that, and being in point-nk range, she had no way to dodge and got hit by many des. It cut even more of her skin and shredding most of her clothes as a result. "Haa¡­" Letting out a slightly pained sigh, once Sophia confirmed that the bird had died, she let herself fall on the ground while bleeding all over her body from the cutting wounds. "Sophiaaa!" Once she saw that the fight was over, Maya immediately hurried to her ce. "Are you ok- AHH!" Getting closer, she noticed all the blood and freaked out. "S-Sophia! Hang in there! I''ll get help immediately!" Panicking, Maya looked around and was about to run to the city. Before that, a hand grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Calm down, Maya¡­ I''m fine¡­" "You''re not fine at all!" She screamed while she looked at her bloody body and cut-up clothes, or what was left of it. The missing fabric made things even worse because Sophia showed a lot more of her bloody skin because of that. "Those cuts are really shallow¡­ I think they stopped bleeding already. It just looks messy¡­" "R-Really?" The cat-girl asked her with tears in her eyes while her tail was all bushy and sticking straight up, making it clear that she was distressed. "Yeah¡­" Sophia took a piece of her ripped clothes and wiped it over her arm. "See?" After the blood and dirt were gone, only some thin cuts with next to no fresh blood remained. "T-Thank goodness!" She seemed honestly relieved. Her tail, too, calmed down and flopped onto the ground. "Still hurts, though¡­" Sophia wasn''t perfectly fine, after all. "You''re way too reckless!" Once she made sure the girl wasn''t in danger, Maya finally got angry at her. "Ahaha, you might be right about that¡­" "I know I''m not one to talk because I wanted to fight you the moment I saw you, but¡­" At least she was aware of it. "Sorry, I guess my sense of danger is, uh, quite low¡­ I hadn''t expected it would attack me instantly! That was such a surprise." "It''s a monster! A freaking griphon, even! What did you think would happen? It suddenly starts talking to you, or what?!" "N-No, of course not¡­" Sophia awkwardly averted her eyes. "Don''t ever do that again!" "I''ll try to¡­" She couldn''t promise it. "I''ll train my reaction time so that I won''t get surprised anymore¡­ Taking my enemies lightly, I don''t think I can do something about that." "Curse of the strong, huh?" "S-Sure¡­" The actual problem was that Sophia''s just way too carefree. "Still, that griphon sure was a cheeky one. I wonder what its problem was¡­ Did I really kill its child in that ident or what?" "C-Cheeky, she says¡­" Maya couldn''t believe her. "But why wait until now? Ah, was it scared of Fen or what? Too bad~." "Fen?" She didn''t know how the wolf fit in her exnation. "Ahh," Sophia wasn''t sure how to exin. "Ourbined powers probably scared it away until now or something. Anyway, enough of all that¡­" She changed the topic. "How did your training go, Maya? I was kinda busy, so I didn''t follow." "Anyway, this girl¡­" Any remaining tension was gone. "You were busy sleeping, weren''t you?!" "Ahaha, noment. So, how did it go?" "She says noment even though I caught her in the act¡­ Whatever, no, I can''t say it went well at all." "Really? What''s the problem?" "I''m having trouble getting the right image in my head." "Eh, but your fire tornado works just fine, doesn''t it? Easier magic should be, well, easier, right?" "You would assume so, but I''m not even sure how I managed to do that. It just kinda came to me, I guess?" "Oh, I''m good at that, too." Sophia was an even bigger airhead than Maya at times. "Hmm, still, your normal tornado should definitely work. Controlling wind''s really easy. Going to water from there shouldn''t be difficult, either. Maya, close your eyes for a bit." "Okay¡­?" She wasn''t sure what was going on but did so regardless. "Well then, a tornado, huh? Let''s see, Maya, can you feel the breeze around you?" "Breeze? There wasn''t any wind, was there?" "Try harder." Sophia remembered how Fen taught her air magic and tried to copy the same approach for the white-haired girl. To help her, she, too, created her own breeze. "Ah, I can feel something now." Maya''s eyes were still closed, but it almost seemed like she was looking around with her cat ears because they moved in all kinds of directions. "C-Cute¡­" "What did you say?" "N-Nothing!" She was briefly distracted by it but managed to snap back. "Describe how the wind looks to you." "Hmm¡­" She concentrated on her surroundings, and unlike Sophia before, she kept her eyes closed, understanding the task. "It''s kind of like a¡­ river? Like a¡­ current floating in the sky?" "I see. Yeah, I thought the same when I tried it." Sophia gave a couple of nods before continuing. "Now, try to take control of that current." "Eh¡­? What''s that supposed to mean?" "Yeah, I had my problems with that, as well. Concentrate on the breeze and forcefully alter its path with your magic power." "Hrmm¡­" Maya increased her concentration. "Try to let the river flow around a corner or something along those lines." "O-Okay!" It took a while, but it eventually started to seem like the cat-girl was getting the hang of it. "I-I think it''s working?" "Yeah, it has definitely changed." "Really?!" Maya sounded excited. "What now?!" "Let me think¡­" Sophia tilted her head. "Like a river, huh¡­? Do you mind if I try a little experiment?" "Sure?" "Don''t open your eyes, okay?" "I won''t- eh?" Immediately after her promise, the breeze disappeared. "What are you doing?" "Give me a second¡­" Sophia was busy with her own magic before continuing. "Okay, can you feel that current again?" "Hmm? Oh, yes! Wait, it''s even stronger now¡­ It feels like an actual river now. What did you do, Sophia?" "Just altered its properties a tiny bit. You should be able to control it better now, no?" "Let me try¡­ Indeed, it''s be much easier to manipte!" "That''s good then¡­ Okay, now imagine the swirl motion of a tornado and move it like that." "Swirl, swirl¡­ swirly~." She wasn''t sure what exactly Maya was imagining, but she knew that the cat-girl was having fun because even her tail was moving in a circr motion. "Yeah, it was the right decision¡­" She muttered something while she was watching Maya''s cute tail. "She''s fun to be around, and she genuinely cares about people she barely knows. N-Not to mention adorable." "Did you say some- ah, I feel like it''s working!" The cat-girl was about to ask what was going on when she got a reaction from her magic. "Yes, it''s working pretty well. Congrattions." "Yay! Now I''m one step closer to following you, Sophia." Her voice sounded genuinely happy. "About that, you might want to open your eyes." "Eh? Oh, can I?" Maya finally opened them again and immediately froze up. "E-Eh¡­? What?!" She was expecting to see something resembling a tornado, but that wasn''t exactly the case. "Like I said, congrattions." When Sophia announced her little experiment earlier, she actually reced her air magic with water. Instead of a breeze, there was a literal stream or river of water flowing through the air. While the phenomenon still resembled a tornado in a way, it actually was a whirlpool of water that Maya was controlling. "N-No way!" The cat-girl''s body began to shiver again. "Y-You''re kidding, right¡­?" "Nope." "I-, I''m really using water magic¡­?" "It was easy, wasn''t it?" Sophia, still lying on the grass in tattered clothes and full of blood, shed her a cheeky grin, not matching her appearance at all. "Too easy!" Maya had toin. "Have you any idea how stupid I feel right now for trying so hard my entire life?!" "Sorry¡­?" She felt like she had to apologize for something. "Don''t apologize!" "What do you want from me then, girl?!" Sophia had no idea what else she was supposed to do. "I don''t know!" She was a bit emotionally unstable right now. "Ehehe~." Once she looked at her new water magic again, a big smile appeared on her face, though. "Thank you very much, Sophia! I have no idea how I could ever repay you!" "It''s fine, it''s fine." "Hmm¡­?" Maya then realized something else. Something so big she lost her concentration, and the mass of water sshed on the ground. Luckily it was far enough away to not identally drench the girls with more than a couple of drops. "S-Sophia?" "I''m Sophia, yes." "You''ve taught me water magic!" "That''s what I did, yes." "Does that mean-," The cat-girl''s eyes grew wide. "Does that mean I cane and travel together with you¡­ and Fen?" "Yes." This was the reason she had swapped to water magic in the middle when teaching her. "Seriously?! YAY!" Feeling happy, Maya couldn''t hold herself back and jumped at Sophia on the grass, tightly hugging her. "T-Thank you!" Just as much as her face was beaming, her tail, too, was happily swishing from one side to another. "S-Sure¡­" The hugged girl felt thankful as well, but for an entirely different reason. Still, as her embarrassment was rising at an rming rate, mostly thanks to the feeling of various and, more importantly, soft bits, she had problems staying calm in this situation. Theck of having any resistance build-up against these sorts of interactions backfired on her once again. "Uh¡­ I said I''m fine earlier, b-but¡­ I''m still a bit sore, so, uhm¡­" It was mostly a lie, but she had no better excuse to get her off at the moment. "Ah! I''m so sorry!" Maya instantly jumped off here while apologizing. "D-Don''t worry about- Ah!" Sophia started to calm down again, but a different problem came to light when she looked at Maya. "Hmm?" The cat-girl wasn''t sure what was wrong but then looked down at herself. "Oh¡­" When she hugged the other girl, she had forgotten that Sophia was still covered in blood from her fight with the griphon earlier. As a result, her primarily white outfit had gotten a lot more red ents than before. Thanks to that, both girls ended up being covered in blood, making for a very interesting-looking picture. Chapter 29 – Going home with the new party member Chapter 29 ¨C Going home with the new party member Thest magic training session of the girls had be a lot more interesting than the two had imagined. Not only had Sophia gotten attacked by a mighty monster called griphon that even managed to hurt her, leaving the girl with bloody cuts all over her body and in tattered clothes, Sophia also managed to teach Maya how to use water magic afterward. This meant that the cat-girl was allowed to travel together with her and Fen. Unable to contain her excitement, Maya hugged the girl with all her might, which ended up with her also being covered up in blood thanks to the wounds Sophia received. "¡­" "¡­" They stared at each other''s state for a while, unsure whether tough or cry. "Wanna go home?" Maya felt like it was time to call it a day. "Uhh," Sophia finally got up from the grass before looking at herself. Her short pants had turned into something like shredded hot pants, and her green top was in such tatters that one could even see parts of her bra and lots of extra skin, not to mention all the blood on the girl. "I would like to, but¡­ it would be super¡­ embarrassing to be seen like that!" "True¡­ White, huh?" The cat-girl looked at her again and mumbled something. "I''m actually not sure where to, uh, focus my eyes on¡­" She seemed a little bit embarrassed, too. "Uuh¡­" Sophia shyly turned around, trying to hide herself, unaware that the back of her top was missing even more fabric, almost beingpletely gone. "¡­" Another nceter, Maya spoke up again. "W-Want to wear my vest, Sophia? It''s bloody as well, but hey, it''s your blood in the first ce. Most importantly, it''s still in one piece." "Are you sure? "Of course!" She quickly took off her vest and handed it over to her. "Here!" "T-Thanks¡­" Hesitatingly, she epted the offer and wore it over her shredded shirt. "Well, the coordination sucks, but it works¡­" Maya judged her new style with a giggle. "What coordination? There isn''t anything left on me to match your vest with!" Sophia, too, had tough at her ridiculous remark. "The bloody pattern matches, though." "Sure does." "Okay, good, with that taken care of, let''s go back~." The cat-girl held out her hand and waited for the other. "¡­" Sophia alternatingly stared at Maya''s hand and her face. "E-Eh?" Sophia''s brain couldn''t process her gesture. "Your arms are no good, right?" She questioningly looked at her. "They''re all cut up, bloody, and hurting after all, right? So, I can''t use them." "Uh, yes?" It had actually stopped hurting quite a while ago, and it even felt like most of her cuts had already healed again, which was worrisome on its own. Still, Sophia couldn''t think about that right now. "That''s why, let''s do that." She wiggled her hand around to make her point clear. "W-When did my arms be y-yours to use in the first ce? "The moment we met." Maya was slightly unreasonable. "Hmm, I must''ve m-missed that somehow¡­" "As long as you now know." She looked smug. "B-But-" Sophia couldn''t ept it just like that. "Don''t be such a pain~." Having had enough of ying around the bush, the cat-girl simply grabbed her hand. "See, it wasn''t that hard, was it?" "N-No¡­" Sophia stared at their joined hands for a while before turning her head away, too embarrassed to continue. The warmth she felt radiating from her hand didn''t let her calm down, either. To further distract herself, Sophia instead focused on Maya''s tail, happily swinging around. This cute sight finally managed to help her maintain a certain level of peace of mind while the two walked hand in hand towards the beastfolk city. ---------------- They caught a couple of confused nces on the way, but no one caused much of a fuss, at least not until the girls arrived at the city''s entrance. "Maya?" A fellow cat-girl, going by the name of Chiyo, spotted her and lightly waved. "Ah, Sophia''s there, as well." She noticed her behind the first girl a secondter and walked up to the couple. Following her, herrades, the lizardmen Rashk and the panda-eared Masi, showed up as well. "C-Chiyo?" Maya somehow reacted strongly to the sight of the girl as her tail first perked up and then flopped on the ground while she let go of Sophia''s hand. "What are you doing he- H-Huh?!" She was about to ask why the two were out here when Chiyo noticed the bloody stains on Maya''s clothes. "W-What happened to you?!" Her face turned white in worry. "It''s not my blood, okay? Ah, but¡­" She wanted to calm her down, but it wouldn''t actually help in this case. Still, having no other choice, she gave up on exining and stepped to the side. "A-Ah." Sophia had been half-hiding behind Maya until now but was now in full view. "H-Hello¡­" She awkwardly waved while everyone could see her tattered clothes and bloody body. "Err, some of my blood, uhm, ended up on Maya, but she''s actually not hurt at all." She tried to exin the situation, but it made things only worse. "S-S-Sophia?!" Having gotten a good view of the messy girl for the first time, Chiyo managed to turn even whiter. "Ahaha¡­" She only managed to muster a dryugh in response. "W-What happened?! Are you hurt?! How bad does it hurt?! Do you need a healer?! Who attacked you?! How much blood have you lost?! How did even your clothes get destroyed?!" She continued to barrage Sophia with questions as she worriedly patted down her entire body with her paws. "C-Calm down, C-Chiyoo¡­" Sophia tried her hardest to stifle herugh. Not because the cat-girl''s reaction was so over the top, but because her paws left a very particr and ticklish feeling behind on her, though she thought it didn''t feel bad. "I-It looks worse than it is." "R-Really? A-Ahem," The cat-girl took a deep breath and distanced herself slightly. "I-Is that so?" "Yeah, I''m A-okay~." She made some silly movements to prove she''s not hurt. "Still¡­ Really, what happened?" Rashk took over for the still slightly panicky cat-girl. "Did you get attacked by a dragon or what?" "¡­" Sophia and Maya stayed silent. "E-Eh?! I was just kidding, okay?! I mean, you probably need something like that to put Sophia in such a state, but¡­" "No, it was no such grand thing. I just got punished by ying around with the monster too much, and it got me when I wasn''t paying enough attention." "I see. Even someone like Sophia can get hurt by a monster if she doesn''t pay attention, huh?" Rashk nodded in understanding. "So, what monster was it?" "Uhh," She had already forgotten. "Some kind of bird¡­ What was its name again, Maya?" "Griphon¡­" She muttered in a low voice. "E-Excuse me, but I didn''t quite catch that." Cold sweat was running down Rashk''s scaly back. "It almost sounded like you said griphon just now¡­" "Yes, that''s what I said." "N-No way! How did you even manage to escape?!" "Escape?" Sophia sounded confused. "E-Eh?!" "Huh?" The two weren''t on the same page. "D-Don''t tell me¡­" "Yeah, after the two of us finished ying, I went ahead and killed it." Her answer was as nonchnt as it could get. "S-Seriously?" Just like his femalepanion, the lizardmen turned as white as a sheet. "Did I do something I shouldn''t have done?" "No, my head just hurts a bit¡­" Sophia''sck ofmon sense had actually managed to cause him a migraine. "Did-, Did you collect anything from the griphon''s body¡­? There never was such a case before, but whatever you got, it will sell for a fortune." "Err, no, actually¡­ I got kinda angry towards the end because he had hurt me... I went all out and burned it to absolute nothingness." "Aww, too bad¡­" "Y-You''re way too reckless, Sophia!" Chiyo only now finished recovering. "Ahaha," Another dryugh escaped her lips. "Maya said the exact same thing before." "Because it''s true!" The white-haired cat-girl supported her. "I get it. I get it~." "Do you really, now?" Maya doubted her and pushed her face right up against Sophia''s. "You surely don''t sound like you do, though." "I-It''s true!" "Hmm¡­" She continued to stare at Sophia with a judging expression. "Probably¡­" Sophia caved in under the pressure. "Hey!" She got even closer to her face and wanted to say some more but hadn''t gotten the chance to. "A-Ahem!" Chiyo made an audible cough as she noticed how close the two girls were, causing them to look at her instead. "S-Sorry¡­" Sophia didn''t know what was going on, but she felt like apologizing again. "As long as you understand." "S-Sure¡­" She didn''t understand a thing, though. "Err, Chiyo, do you guys mind if we continue this chatter on? I''m pretty tired, and I reeealy want to take a bath! I''m sure Sophia feels the same, right?" Maya looked at her even more beat-uppanion with a wry smile. "Absolutely!" She gave a big nod. "A-Ah, of course¡­" Chiyo could at least understand that much and let them go. For the time being, at least. "Let''s meet up in our usual barter in the evening and continue." "Yes¡­" ---------------- Having agreed on that, the group split up. After saying goodbye to Maya, Sophia went back to her inn. There, she promptly ran into Fen. "¡­" "¡­" They stared at each other for a moment in silence. "What happened?" "yed around too much." "What was the enemy?" "A griphon." "Why do you always get all the fun?!" Fen''s reaction was a little bit different from the others. "So unfair!" "Ahaha¡­" "But, a griphon in this area?" "Do you remember that bird thingy I identally killed back when I was searching for you?" "Probably, yes." "That apparently was a griphon as well, and I think that one was its child or something like that." "Ah, so it was looking for revenge, huh?" "I think so, too." Sophia had the same idea. "Happens all the time, doesn''t it?" "Absolutely." Finishing their slightly outrageous conversation, Sophia went to her room, where she finally could take her well-earned bath. Once she was done with that, she also needed to get some new clothes and went to the clothing store next to the inn. She liked her old green shirt and actually managed to find one that looked the same. Unfortunately, the store only had a limited variety of pants. It seemed skirts were a lot more popr in this world, or at least this city. Sophia had to get yet another pair of pants that were too short for her liking, covering only the minimum amount of decency. The only redeeming point was that the new clothes felt way nicer and softer to the touch. While she was at it, the girl also got a small backpack to carry a couple of things, like the gold from the golem eyes, for example. Afterward, the girl met up with Fen again and told him about the invitation to the bar. While the two were walking side by side towards the ce, Sophia remembered something she noticed while taking her bath. "Hey Fen, I think I found something else that got boosted." "Oh, what is it?" "I''m healing, like, super-fast¡­" "That sounds handy." "That stupid bird had cut my entire body all up with some wind des, but look," She showed him her arm, which was previously full of cuts and blood, but not even a scratch could be seen anymore. "Not bad." "Yeah¡­ Well, it''s a bit scary thinking about it, but I''m not going toin." While the two chatted about Sophia''s newly discovered boost, they had reached the bar. Upon entering, the two saw that the others were waiting for them already. Chapter 30 – Messing up with magic Chapter 30 ¨C Messing up with magic Sophia had taken a bath, got new clothes, and looked presentable again after the fight with the griphon. She and Fen then met up with Maya, Chiyo, and the rest of her group inside the bar they had gone to the day before already. "Ah, there they are! Hmm?" Maya spotted the two first and immediately noticed something confusing when she looked at Sophia. "You''re pretty again?!" "T-Thanks¡­?" She had no idea how to react to something like that. "No, you were all bloody and stuff, but now you don''t even have a single scratch left! Your skin''spletely spotless!" She sounded just a tiny bit jealous while she looked at Sophia''s exposed arms and legs. "Again, t-thanks¡­? Well, I took a long bath, so-" "Nonono! You were cut up pretty badly, you know? Wounds that had bled so much don''t simply disappear with just a bath!" "Ahh," Sophia finally understood what Maya was going on about. "My body heals up really fast, so it''s no problem~. I told you that I was fine after I got attacked, right?" Though, she had no idea about her self-healing abilities back then. "You''re really one source of amazement after another¡­" Rashk marveled at this high-spec girl. "Ehehe~." She took it as apliment. "You should''ve told me sooner!" Maya got angry instead. "You''ve made me worry way too much!" "I''m sorry, I forgot to mention it." Not so much as forgot, she didn''t know either, after all. "Hmph!" The cat-girl wasn''t happy with her answer and turned her head away with a pout. Coincidentally, the tip of her tail made the same motion. "¡­" Sophia barely but sessfully managed to hold back ament of her observation. "W-Well, isn''t it fine that no one got seriously hurt?" Rashk tried to mediate between the two. "I guess so¡­" Maya let it slide in the end. "I''m still wondering what a griphon was doing here in the first ce, though." It was a mystery to the lizardman. "Ahh, it seems that was my fault. When Fen and I were traveling through the, uhh, what did Maya call it again? Ah, right, the monster country, I ended up getting lost and ran into another griphon and killed it¡­ I think these two were rted or something. "She said monster country right now, did she not¡­?" The lizardman pretended to clean his ears. "I-, I shouldn''t have asked¡­" His migraine came back. "It''s not as bad as the name implies, right, Fen?" She looked at herpanion for support. "If anything, that ce was really boring." "Yeah, I think so, too." Both of them were high-spec idiots and far from a good example. "Was it really a good choice to go traveling with those two?" Maya slightly doubted her ns. "You can still change your decision, you know?" Sophia wasn''t going to force her. "No, of course not! While it sounds a bit ridiculous, it also seems fun! Besides, now that I''ve passed your test, Sophia, there''s nothing that can stop me anymore!" "E-Eh?" Chiyo sounded confused. "You¡­ passed? Already? You actually managed to do it? You''re going together with her¡­?" She seemed to know what Maya was talking about. "Yes, she let me pass the test earlier, or actually, she made me pass! Sophia wanted me toe with her so bad that she even cheated~." She exaggerated a bit. "H-Hey, that''s not¡­ exactly what happened." She tried to deny it, but it was mostly the truth. "I-, I just helped out a bit, nothing more!" "Someone just can''t be honest, huh?" Maya looked smug as she took a sip from her drink. "Oh?" Sophia reacted to that grin, as being teased often seemed to trigger something in her. "Who was the one that got so happy that she ruined all her clothes because she couldn''t contain herself and hugged the bloody girl without thinking?" "I-, I, uh, want to retract my earlier statement." "Good." Sophia was the one with the smug expression now. "I see¡­ so that''s how it is¡­ Congrattions, Maya¡­" Despite her words, Chiyo didn''t seem too happy. "Yeah, thanks¡­" Her reaction was lukewarm as well. "What test?" Masi felt like he missed something somewhere. "Oh, I didn''t tell you, right?" Maya faced him. "As a condition to apany Fen and Sophia on their travels, I had to learn a third type of magic. Earlier today, Sophia sessfully taught me chantless water magic." "Ahh¡­ Is that so¡­?" His dead-looking eyes stared off into the far distance, and he didn''t say another word. "Well then, congrattions Maya." Fen decided to also say some words. "Wee to our little group. I can''t say what''s in it for the future, as our unpredictable oddball here does whatever she wants. Still, I can guarantee you that it''s going to be interesting, at least." "I''m being insulted right now, am I not?" The oddball didn''t feel like these were kind words. "Of course not." Fen and Maya were already in sync. ---------------- The group stayed for a long time in the bar, drinking quite a lot, and were having a great time, though Chiyo gotpletely smashed for some reason. Sophia also got confirmation on her theory that Fen indeed bes rather talkative when he''s drunk. Thanks to that, she was rather busy during the evening stopping him from saying things that would embarrass her to death. On the following morning, Sophia, out of all people, was the only one who was fit and energetic because she couldn''t get drunk thanks to her boosts. Feeling bored from being all alone, she went outside the city to y around a bit. "Let''s see," She was back at theke where she had gone with Maya before. "I need to get better at reacting and dodging! That griphon wasn''t a serious threat in the end, but it still hurt, and I can do without that. Not to mention that I made others worry¡­ How to train that, though? I''m already super-fast, so that''s not the problem¡­ Hmm," She was trying to find a way to react faster. "Teleportation would be cool! Ahaha! Wait, could I actually do that? This world''s magic''spletely ridiculous, after all." She seriously thought about it for a moment. "It sounds cool, but¡­ what if I were to mess up my destination and end up teleporting into something?! Nope, way too scary!" Sophia gave up on the idea for the time being. "Maybe a permanent shield made of magic around me? That sounds like overkill, though. It could also trigger when friendse too close on ident¡­ I wouldn''t want that! Preemptively killing every enemy that I find with detection magic? Wasn''t I just talking about overkill?" The girlined to herself. "Wow, it''s actually tough to find a fitting strategy for my problem." Tilting her head to the side, Sophia tried to think of some more ways how magic could help with her reaction time. "Let''s see¡­ Fire magic? Nope¡­ Water? Another nope. Air? Not really. I can only think of ways to boost my speed even more with some wind¡­ Nature magic? No idea how that could help¡­ Light? Hmm, I could blind the enemy, but that wouldn''t help if theyunched their attack before me¡­ Dark magic? Probably the same? Robbing the enemy''s sight by turning everything ck would only work before it attacks¡­ I do have the feeling I could, uhh, absorb attacks with dark magic. Like, letting it disappear into the nothingness of my ckness or something like that¡­ This magic does give you the feeling you could do it, but I have not the slightest idea of how that''s supposed to work. Let''s ask Fen about it the next time." She thought dark magic was promising. Still, as Sophia couldn''t form a proper image of her idea, it was impossible to use right now. "What''s left? Ah, earth magic¡­ Hmm¡­" She looked at her feet and the ground around them. "I couldunch myself like a¡­ catapult, or a cannonball? Instantly getting away from the location the enemy''s attack was aimed at? Oh¡­? That could¡­ actually work, I think? Launching some sort of pedestal out of the ground below my feet would me some tremendous forward eleration. Okay, let''s give that a try!" Not wasting any time getting second thoughts about her idea, Sophia got down in a crouching-start position, just like in a sprint, while preparing her magic. A momentter, the pedestals she had thought of shot out of the ground and pushed away her feet. This actionunched Sophia forwards, the way she was facing, making her test sessful at first nce. The girl elerated from nothing to top speed in an instant. Unfortunately, she had used way too much power. She was flying above the ground with a speed far beyond what she had imagined with no means to stop. "A-Ah!" Looking in front of her, the girl noticed a huge treeing closer at an rming rate. "Stop! Stoop! Stooop! Time-out! I want a time-out! Please give me a timeEEoOOout!" Bracing herself for the inevitable crash, Sophia closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her face to protect herself. A moment passed, and then some more, but the feeling of a hard impact never came. Slowly opening her right eye, she tried to find out what was going on by ncing at the situation. ---------------- "Err¡­" Sophia quickly became aware of what was going on. Nothing at all was going on anymore. With her eyes now wide open in shock, she looked around again. She noticed that everything in the area had stopped moving altogether. The wind was gone as neither the trees nor the water of theke was moving anymore. No sounds of animals and the like could be heard. The sky stood still, and even her momentum had been killed. "I¡­ uuhhh, okay¡­" The girl needed a moment. "I-It''s great that I don''t move anymore and got the time out I wanted, but... I stopped time, didn''t I? I officially broke this world for good, huh?" Cold sweat, almost like a waterfall, was running down her spine. "W-What do I do now? How do I turn it back on?! W-What if I can''t? I-If I have to stay like that¡­" She panicked in an instant. "Err, calm down, me!" Sophia pped her cheeks to get a clear mind. "What happened, anyway¡­? Okay, I''m an idiot whounched herself into a tree and wished for a time-out¡­ Yep, I definitely got that one, but it would''ve been great if only my movement stopped, okay?! No need to overdo it, me... I didn''t need time to actually stop on top of that! So, uh, time-out stop¡­?" She awkwardly looked around once more, but nothing happened. "Uh-oh¡­" Beads of sweat also appeared on her forehead as well, while her face turned blue. "T-That''s bad! Super bad! W-What do I do now¡­? Seriously?! Okay! Concentrate. Concentrate, Sophia!" She was trying her best to psyche herself up in this situation to not lose herself to the panic which was creeping up inside the back of her head. "Time¡­ Time¡­ out¡­ Resume¡­ Resuming time¡­ get it flowing again¡­" Closing her eyes once more, the girl focused all of her attention on the problem. A couple of moments of absolute concentrationter, she gingerly opened her eyes again, only to see that nothing changed. "N-No¡­" She sank to her knees, about to lose to the despair that filled her mind. "T-That can''t be¡­ I-I don''t want this! I really don''t want this! Let it end already!" Sophia screamed with all her might. "T-This is way too scary¡­ Uuh¡­" Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "Think! This can''t be it¡­" She tried to keep herself going. "D-Did I do something wrong¡­? Let''s give it another try!" Closing her eyes once more, the girl ramped up her concentration even more and focused on it with all her might again. "Resume already! Time¡­ like a clock¡­ start ticking again¡­ Move! Flow! Whatever! Do your thing, idiot!" While she was concentrating andining simultaneously, Sophia started to pour her magic power into her feelings. A minute or so passed, and she finally began to feel like something was happening. After giving it some more time, Sophia opened her eyes very slowly and fearfully nced around. Bit by bit, she became aware that the leaves on the trees started moving again or that the grass was fluttering in the wind before a breeze gently hit her face. "T-T-Thank goodness¡­" With tears streaming down her face, which still was as white as a sheet, though with some blue mixed in, Sophia''s upper body fell forward while she barely managed to catch herself with her arms as she was on her knees. "I-I made it¡­ I actually made it back¡­ Uuh¡­" More tears fell. "Scary! Sooo scary! I''ve never been so frightened before!" No matter how much her ego was boosted, it was impossible topensate for such an experience. "Haaa¡­" She let out a relieved sigh while she wiped away her tears. Beginning to calm down, she did not move for at least half an hour. Her mind was utterly drained from the experience. "Ah¡­ S-Stopping time would be perfect for evading attacks¡­ but¡­ but¡­ Nope, not happening! I''m not going to use that ever again! It''s waaay toooo scaaaaryyy! No, nope, nu-uh, nai-wa, never! Not only that¡­ I feel like I shouldn''t use it-, it feels wrong¡­ way too overpowered¡­ I think I surpassed the rank of a demon lord candidate already¡­ Scary!" She repeated herself one more time. "Okay! Enough magic for today!" There was no way she could continue to train after such an event. "Let''s go back! I either need Fen for some serious fluff right now¡­ or maybe observe Maya''s cute tail! I don''t care as long as I get some healing right now!" A little bit broken after the incident, Sophia slowly made her way back to the beastfolk city, enjoying every passing second and minute it took. "Wait!" She suddenly yelled out on the way back. "I punched a tree into splinters using just my fist before! Even if I did crash into it, I probably wouldn''t have gotten as much as a scratch!" Feeling even worse now, she hung her head in shame. Chapter 31 – Getting ready to leave Chapter 31 ¨C Getting ready to leave Sophia took her time getting back to the city after her scary experience of identally stopping time out of all things. Once she made it there, she trotted towards the inn and noticed Fen outside of it. He was lying on a patch of grass next to the building, rxing in the warming rays of the sun. "Feeen~!" Seeing the wolf, she walked up to him and buried her face into his furry side, wishing he would turn back to his original size for extra fluff, but he unfortunately couldn''t do that in the city. "Sophia¡­?" "I-, I messed up¡­ very big¡­" Her voice was muffled while she was speaking into his fur. "I see." He said nothing more. Sophia stayed like that for a good ten minutes, slowly getting healed by the fluffiness of Fen''s fur after her scary experience. Eventually, Maya showed up at the inn as well and noticed the two. "Err¡­" She looked at them, Fen rxing on the grass with Sophia having her face deeply buried into his side. "Am-, Am I interrupting?" A grave misunderstanding happened. "You are not." The wolf gave a clear answer. "I see?" That cat-girl seemed confused, and even her tail formed into something resembling a question mark. "Soo¡­ What''s going on?" She kneeled down next to Sophia and patted her head, checking whether the girl''s still alive. "Actually, I have no idea." "Ehh?" She got even more puzzled after the wolf''s reply. "Hmm¡­?" Sophia finally noticed that she wasn''t alone with Fen anymore. She lifted her face, and once she saw Maya and her oddly question-mark-shaped tail, a goofy smile appeared on her face. "Just what I needed~." "What?" She was in dire need of some context. "Seriously?! What''s going on here, Sophia?!" "My magic''s¡­ too powerful." "Yeah." The cat-girl gave a blunt reply,cking any emotion. "Any other news that, you know, actually is news?" "So mean! I messed up while thinking of some ways to improve my reaction time. I don''t want to get surprised by an attack like the ones of the griphon again! One thing led to another¡­ and I somehow, uhh, identally ended up stopping time¡­" "What kind of crazy thing were you even trying in the first ce to identally stop¡­ time¡­ Wait, what?" Maya had only just processed the information and reacted with a nk face. "You did what?!" Fen reacted much stronger as he shouted while getting up from the grass. "O-Ouch!" Having leaned onto his body until now, Sophia lost her bnce and fell face-first down on the ground. "Did you seriously just say that you stopped time, girl?!" "Yes¡­ As expected, that was something I really shouldn''t have done, huh?" She had the feeling before that it wasn''t something she was supposed to do. "No, it''s impossible!" Fen didn''t believe her. "Trust me, it isn''t¡­ That frighteningly scary experience definitely was no imagination of mine!" She got goosebumps just remembering it. "Sophia¡­?" Maya seemed worried as she looked at her. "I identally, uhh,unched myself into a tree with earth magic, don''t ask." Sophia noticed the what-is-this-girl-even-doing? ¨C kind of expression on her face. "Before the impact, I strongly wished for a timeout with all my might because I didn''t want to crash into a massive tree. When I opened my eyes again, everything around me had actually been frozen in time, and not a single thing was moving anymore¡­" "T-That does sound scary." She nodded in understanding. "This wasn''t even the terrifying part! I had no idea how to¡­ un-stop time again! I was panicking like crazy because I thought I would be trapped like that¡­ No matter what I tried, nothing at all worked!" "Scary!" The cat-girl had a simrly horrified expression. "Yes! I was so unbelievably happy once I got it working again!" "No¡­ I''ve been experimenting with time for hundre-, erm, many years, and I was sure it''s impossible!" Fen was in despair for a different reason. "Yet-, Yet, she did it on ident¡­? T-That can''t be!" "How old is this guy, really?" Sophia muttered to herself as she didn''t miss his slip-up. "Sophia, what exactly did you do?!" "I don''t know. I don''t care. I''m never doing it again!" It had left a big scar on her. "N-No way¡­" The wolf looked like the world was ending. "Even if¡­ I really, honestly, have not the slightest clue what I did exactly." "¡­" Fen wasn''t happy at all. "It can''t be helped for now, but I''ll get back to you for this!" "Please don''t." "I get the distinct feeling that Sophia shouldn''t be allowed to roam around on her own." Maya felt like it was a bad idea to leave her alone. "Agreed!" The wolf shared her opinion. "Hey! Wait! When I was with you, Maya, I still got attacked by a griphon and all!" "That¡­ is true, but you at least didn''t break the world on ident when we were together." "Uuh¡­" There was nothing she could say in her defense. "Okay, with that being settled," "Ehh? It''s settled already? Well, I actually don''t mind not being alone¡­ Okay, go on." On second thought, Sophia didn''t hate the idea. "What is our n about leaving the city?" "Hmm, that''s a good question." "Should I start preparing already?" "I think that would be for the best. I actually want to leave sooner rather thanter." Sophia seemed like she was ready to continue her travels. "I also want to get away from bars for a while. Fen gets way too talkative when he''s drunk, and it''s too much work to keep him silent, not to mention embarrassing if I don''t!" "Nonsense! Alcohol has no effect on me!" "It sure has!" Both girls answered at the same time, having witnessed it before. "¡­" He didn''t, no, couldn''t answer anymore. "Is tomorrow too early for you, Maya?" "I guess that should work." She didn''t seem to have much of a problem with it. "Ah, but you have to tell Chiyo and the group about it. Especially Chiyo." "Okay?" Sophia didn''t understand why she mentioned her twice. "Yeah, I should do that." "Great. Alright, with that being said, I have to take care of some things as well. See youter then, Sophia, Fen." After that, the cat-girl left the ce with a slight wave of her hand. "Bye." She waved back. "Well, I''ll go look for Chiyo and the gang. Better get over with it soon." "Don''t leave the city, or that girl will get angry with you for going on another unsupervised adventure." "Haha, I get it." Leaving Fen behind, Sophia began to look around for the group. Luckily, it didn''t take long to run into them. ---------------- "Sophia?" Chiyo and her twopanions were walking along the main road when they spotted each other. "What''s up?" "Ahh, hello there¡­" She didn''t know how to start. "Hmm, I never said goodbye to anyone ever before¡­ How does one¡­ do¡­ Ah." Sophia stopped talking. "I said that out loud, right? I sooo have to get rid of that habit of mine!" "Y-You''re leaving already¡­?" The cat-girl reacted to it with a sad expression. "Yeah, I want to see more of the world, so¡­ I also need to get stronger, meaning I have to find some ways to train." "Stronger?!" Rashk unconsciously screamed out. "Yes. Okay, not my raw power, but polish the way I use it." "Ah, that makes a little more sense. Well, let me thank you again for saving our lives during the golem attack. We''ll forever be grateful to you for that. It definitely was¡­ an experience knowing you, mymon sense will take years to recover, but I''ll miss these days." Rashk was the first one to say goodbye out of the group. "What he said." Masi continued. "Really, thank you very much! You seriously made me want to restart as a magician. Next time we''ll meet, you''re going to be the surprised one!" "I''m looking forward to that!" She epted his challenge. "S-Sophia¡­?" Chiyo finally addressed her again. "Yes?" "Are you¡­ free for a little while now?" "Yeah, after that disaster earlier, I have nothing nned for the rest of the day." "Disaster?" "Forget it¡­ So, what do you want to do, Chiyo?" "Just walk around a bit¡­ and chat." "Sure, we can do that, no problem." "Great¡­ Rashk, Masi, see youter, okay?" She said goodbye to herpanions before focusing on Sophia. "Do your best!" "Fight!" The two were encouraging her for some reason. "Hmm?" Sophia tilted her head. "L-Let''s go!" ---------------- Afterward, the two leisurely and side by side walked through the city for a while. As it seemed like this would continue, Sophia addressed fidgeting and nervous-looking cat-girl eventually. "I''m no expert at this whole talking thing, but... didn''t you want to chat?" "A-Ah! Yes¡­" She froze up for a moment. "Is-, Is Maya reallying with you?" "Yeah, we talked about leaving earlier, and she''s currently getting ready for tomorrow." "I see¡­ lucky her." Chiyo seemed jealous. "Will she be a help to you?" "Help?" If anything, Sophia had the feeling that she''s going to have a lot more stress and mental fatigue in the future. All of which will be her own fault, though. "Well, she is really strong, that''s for sure, and she''s a fast learner when ites to magic. It will definitely be interesting with her around." "Magic, huh? Yeah, I can''tpete with that¡­" "Hmm?" "Do you¡­ D-Do you like¡­ Maya, Sophia¡­?" Chiyo decided to get to the point. "W-W-What?!" For her, this camepletely out of the blue. She began to stutter while her face turned red due to the embarrassment. "W-Where does thise¡­ from?" She wasn''t able to deal with that kind of topic yet. "J-Just¡­ interested¡­" Chiyo''s expression turned dark after seeing her over-the-top reaction. "And¡­?" "A-And¡­? No¡­ I wouldn''t say so¡­ Y-Yes, I think she''s¡­ c-cute, extremely so, but¡­ You are, too¡­" Though the levels of cuteness were on a different scale in her opinion, Sophia still told the truth. "A-Ah, uhh, so embarrassing!" She took some damage herself after realizing she blurted it out loud again. "W-Wha-?! D-Do you really think so¡­?" "Y-Yeah¡­" "I see, ehehe~." Chiyo''s face brightened up, and she smiled shyly. "I''m happy." "¡­" She wasn''t sure how to react. "Sophia?" "Y-Yes¡­?" She felt very tense for some reason. "Will you¡­ evere back to this city?" "Uh," She thought about it and decided to be honest. "I don''t know. Probably, but if I do so, it won''t be any time soon¡­ Sorry." "I understand¡­ I thought as much already." Chiyo''s expression became lonely again. "Can I make one¡­ just one request with no question asked? "A-As long as it''s not too outrageous." "I hope it''s not¡­" The cat-girl got closer to Sophia and suddenly, but gingerly wrapped her arms around the other girl''s waist. After pulling her closer in a tight hug, Chiyo rested her head on Sophia''s shoulder, staying like that for a while. "H-Huh?!" Panicking, the hugged girl couldn''tprehend what was going on. The drastic increase of hugs she receivedtely wasn''t good for her heart, especially because the previous amount was zero. "We said no questions, right?" "Y-Yes¡­" Even so, tons of them were racing through her head as the cat-girl was silently embracing her. "D-Don''t tell me, was Fen actually right?! But we barely even know each other?" Mumbling to herself in shock, she remembered the conversation with the drunk wolf, where he implied that Chiyo might have some sort of feelings for her. "Nonono¡­ no way!" "Thank you¡­" The cat-girl finally parted from her again and thanked Sophia with a shy expression. "S-Sure¡­" Her mind was somewhere else entirely. "I won''t say goodbye¡­ Instead, I''ll use see you. Is that okay?" It was a small but significant difference for her. "Yeah, I like that." "Great¡­" Chiyo took two or three steps and faced her again. "Well then, see you, Sophia!" Her smile seemed slightly forced, but the cat-girl tried while she waved at her ast time before being on her way. "Yes, see you, Chiyo¡­" She awkwardly waved back before she finally disappeared into the distance. Sophia stared in the direction of her in silence for a while. "T-There''s no way! No way that Fen was telling the truth, right? R-Right¡­?" She couldn''t think of it as anything but a misunderstanding. "It makes no sense at all¡­ We barely knew each other, and there was nothing that could''ve made her i-interested in me, w-was there? In the first ce¡­ why would she¡­ f-fall for me?" Her previous life still had a big influence on her self-esteem. She was bewildered about the weird turn of events that her meeting with Chiyo was, and Sophia stayed rooted in the same ce. Recovering for a while, it took some time before she eventually made it back to the inn for herst night in the beastfolk city. Chapter 32 – Going on a new adventure Chapter 32 ¨C Going on a new adventure Having slept in a bed ast time for the foreseeable future, Sophia was more or less well-rested. At least as much as a non-morning person can be. Once the girl got ready in the morning, she went together with Fen to the entrance of the beastfolk city where they had spent thest days. There, their newpanion, the snow-white-haired cat-girl Maya, was already waiting for the two. "You''rete!" She seemed rather impatient. From the looks of it, she was very excited. "You''ll have to get used to that. Sophia isn''t one to hurry in the morning¡­" "Indeed!" The girl in question showed no motivation to ever change in that regard. "Good morning, Maya." "Ah, yes, good morning." "Have you finished your preparations?" "Yes, I said goodbye to my friends and rtives. I''m all good to go!" "Good. Okay, it was only a couple of days, but visiting my first city on this¡­ continent was a great experience. We even ended up with an extra I hadn''t anticipated." "Hey!" The extra''s expression had turned into a pout, and her slightly puffy tail pointed straight up. "A loud extra." Fen, too, had to take a jab. "Ahaha, well enough of that." Sophia changed the topic. "Shall we head out, then?" "Yes." The other two agreed. ---------------- The group took ast look at the city before leisurely walking away. Maya took a little longer because she was leaving her home, but she got over it rtively fast. She was too excited for it to make her emotional. They kept a slow pace for a while and eventually found themselves in the middle of a forest when Sophia stopped and looked around. "By the way, where are we going?" "W-What?!" Maya reacted immediately. "Y-You do realize that Fen and I were following you?!" "Why would you do that?" She looked confused. "I''ve never been on this, err, continent before. I have no idea where anything is." "Well, you were walking so full of confidence that I thought you had a n." "I don''t care where we go in the first ce." Fen wasn''t any help, either. "Okay! Time for a strategy meeting!" Sophia was in high spirits. "I''m tired¡­" The cat-girl wasn''t. "While we''re at it, can we talk about something else first?" Fen looked at Sophia. "What do you think? Can I?" He gestured at his still small-sized wolf body. "Ahh, you want to transform back, huh?" "Eh? Transform? What?" Maya felt like she missed something. "Sure, go for it." "Great!" Immediately after getting the ok, Fen turned back to his original, over two-meter-tall body. "Haa, soo much better!" He did some stretches to get a feel for his body again. "H-Huh?" The new girl was staring at him with a nk expression. "Wee back, I guess?" "What? W-What is going on here?" "Weeell," Sophia scratched her cheek, thinking about a way to exin. "We thought his real size would, uhh, attract too much attention, and so he decided to turn himself smaller." "N-No way! That size, form, and power¡­ d-don''t tell me he''s actually-" "He is Fen." She cut her off. She had a feeling to know where the cat-girl''s going and didn''t like it. She was still in denial about Fen''s alleged real identity. "No, that''s not what I mean. Right, even the name Fen¡­ So he really-" "He. Is. Fen." Sophia was very insistent that he was just that and nothing more. "B-But," Because she couldn''t bear Sophia''s piercing stare anymore, she eventually gave up and looked away. "I-If you say so¡­" "Yes!" "What''s this about?" The wolf had only remembered this much of his name because it''s been a while, so he wasn''t sure what the two were talking about. "Anyway!" The topic was over for Sophia. While she, too, had reached the realms of ridiculousness already, she still didn''t want to admit traveling together with a mythical beast just yet. "Any ideas of where we should actually head to?" "Uhh," Maya needed a moment to ept the situation before going on. "W-What exactly do you want to see on this continent, Sophia? People? Cities? Monster? Landscapes? Ruins? Dungeons? Inds?" She made a couple of suggestions. "Yes." "This is not a suitable answer." The cat-girl stared at her, not looking pleased. "All of it! I want to see all of it!" "That doesn''t make it any easier." She thought of some options. "How about the beastfolk capital? It''s really far away, so we can set it as our goal, and along the way, we can visit and look at various things." "How far are we speaking?" "I''ve never been there, but I heard it takes about three months on a carriage, at least." "Fen, what do you think?" "Hmm, with just the two of us, we could make it in two or three weeks, but with our neer, I''m not sure yet. Ah, but we don''t have to stick to roads or have to avoid monster spots, so we might not take that much time regardless." "No, I mean, if you want to go? I nned on a leisurely approach anyway." "The beastfolk capital, huh? I''ve been there before in the past, and I''m a bit curious how it developed since then." He seemed nostalgic. "Okay! It''s decided then! Let''s go to the capital!" Sophia started walking again but stopped after just a few steps and looked around. "So, uhh, which way?" "Well, with Fenr-, Fen, we should avoid streets if we can, I guess? Let''s see¡­ If we keep going west, we''ll eventually reach the Forsaken Maze Dungeon. From there, we turn-" "Forsaken Maze?" Sophia''s interest was piqued. "What''s that?" "It''s exactly what the name implies. Nobody enters that ce because it''s a maze that no one ever managed to, or wanted toplete. After all, the ce only has somewhat strong monsters and no rewards. Hence, people stopped bothering with it." Maya exined why this dungeon is named the way it is. "Sounds fun, let''s clear it." "Ehh, you want to enter that ce?" "Of course!" "You¡­ did listen to my exnation just now, right? Why would you ever want to go inside?" "A maze that''s never been cleared before; doesn''t that sound exciting?" "If you put it that way¡­ M-Maybe a little bit?" Maya had to admit that it was somewhat intriguing, though not to the point she would suggest going there herself. "Okay, the first stop''s decided!" Sophia didn''t care about the details and was simply excited about exploring something like a maze for the first time in her life. "Girl, you should watch what you tell Sophia if you don''t want something like this to happen." Fen gave her the first of probably many tips on how to handle the other girl. "Y-Yeah, I''ll keep that in mind." "Personally, I''m with Sophia, though. It''s been a while since Ist entered a dungeon. I''m looking forward to it a little." "Ah, is that so? Well, I could train my magic on the monsters inside, I guess? Whatever, I''m in! Let''s go!" Ultimately, the cat-girl had taken a liking to the idea as well. ---------------- The group got moving, but as the dungeon was rather far away, they needed to camp somewhere along the way once evening approached. While getting ready for that, Fen had already organized some meat while the girls were in charge of getting whatever they wanted as side dishes because the wolf wasn''t interested in any of that. "I''ll get the fire ready, so feel free to prepare everything you want to cook." "Thanks, Fen." "Can you cook, Sophia?" Maya curiously looked at all the edible nts and vegetables they had gathered together. "Nope, not at all." She answered bluntly. "Usually, I simply threw together everything Fen told me is edible and hope for the best." "Okay, step back right now!" She pushed her away from the ingredients. "I''ll take care of the cooking from now on!" "You will?" "Yeah, I''m fairly confident about my skills." "Really?! Yay! That''s awesome! Thank you very much for that!" "S-Sure¡­" Maya had never seen her this happy before. "You really like food, huh?" "I like to eat good food." "Is that so? Well, looks like I have to do my best then." "Great! Ah, do you mind if I leave you alone with that for a bit? I''ll go and prepare the bath in the meanwhile." Sophia wanted to make the best out of her free time. "Not at all, go ahead and prepare... Wait, the what now?!" "A bath." She repeated herself. "Ah, do you prefer to shower? No problem, I could probably do that as well." "This¡­ isn''t the problem I''m having here!" Maya massaged the bridge of her nose while saying so. "We''re in the middle of nowhere, and you''re talking about a bath? What are you going to do?" "A little bit of earth magic, followed by some fire, and topped off with water magic." "Err, okay¡­? Whatever, I''ll just get tired if I keep getting surprised." ---------------- That being said, Sophia left the camp and searched for a suitable ce for the bath and soon found a secluded area protected by bushes and trees where she began working. "Hmm, should I make it bigger now? We''re two now, after all. A-Ah, where did that thoughte from?! T-There''s no way we''re taking one together! Why would we even?! Even if she wanted to, I would die! Like actually dying from sheer embarrassment! Anyway, not going to happen! Were my d-delusions boosted as well or what?!" With a flushed face, Sophia pped her cheeks and resumed her work. She created an even smaller than usual tub, got it ready for hot water, and made some earthen walls for extra privacy. "Haa, might as well go in now, huh? T-To wash away any impure thoughts or something like that¡­ Yeah, let''s do that!" Her mind was all over the ce and not working properly. About 20 minutes passed after that before Sophia arrived at the campsite again. "Ah, wee back." The cat-girl spotted her and left a greeting. "Yeah, the bath''s finished." "You actually built one¡­ hmm?" She took a better look at Sophia and noticed that her hair was still slightly wet. "Did you already take one, as well?" "I thought I might as well go while I was at it." "Ah, yes, that makes sense¡­ So, we aren''t going in together then, are we?" "W-Wha-?!" The girl hadn''t seen this oneing, especially after her earlier turmoil. "G-Going together? No, why? D-Do-, Do you want to or¡­ what¡­?" "Ahaha, I''m fine either way." Mayaughed, but her tail was showing some sort of more nervous reaction, twitching slightly and impatiently swishing around. "It really is entertaining watching your reactions being all over the ce." "Y-You!" Unfortunately, Sophia hadn''t noticed the cat-girl''s suspicious tail movement, which indicated that she might be better at dishing out than receiving, and had noeback ready. "A-Anyway, what about you? Also going to take a bath?" "After dinner, I guess? Cooking over the campfire makes one all smelly." "Ah, I forgot about that." "Wanna take another one together, after all?" "So¡­ what''s for dinner?" Sophia changed the topic. "Quite a lot, actually." The two joined Fen around the fire and got their food ready. Alongside the meat, Maya had prepared a sd-like-looking thing, various veggies, and even something resembling a sort of stir-fry. "Wow, I''m soooo d you came along now, Maya!" "Somehow¡­ I can''t feel happy about it when you say it like that!" They continued to bicker during their meal until they finished eating. Afterward, Sophia guided the cat-girl to the bath and reced the old and cold water with fresh, hot one before leaving her on her own. "Have fun." "It''s an actual bath in the middle of nowhere¡­" Hermon sense had taken yet another significant hit while she was getting ready. Chapter 33 – Exploring a dungeon Chapter 33 ¨C Exploring a dungeon After having had dinner together, Sophia guided Maya to the bath she created before. Filling it with hot water again, using magic, she left the cat-girl alone to let her have a soak in it. "That girl," Maya looked around while she was rxing in the tub. "I never would''ve thought to be able to take a bath in the middle of nowhere. Well, not that I''mining." Stretching her limbs, she looked satisfied. "Such a free spirit! Just what kind of life did Sophia live until now to end up like that? I''m quite curious. I wonder, would she tell me if I asked? Are all demons as entric as her, or is she a special case? Why do I feel like she''s actually some sort of bigshot? I have no idea how demons live, but maybe she actually ran away from something instead¡­? Her power and utterck ofmon sense¡­ She isn''t actually some kind of noble, right? Right?" Maya got extremely sidetracked and worked up over something foolish. "First time I got interested in something else than magic to this extent. Someone else..." "Ah, but there''s herpanion, Fen, who''s obviously, uhh, special as well. Would someone like him actually travel with someone who was merely bored? She does have the looks befitting someone of noble or even royal background. Well, at least as long as she isn''t covered in blood." She remembered the griphon incident. "Oh, but if she''s a demon¡­ princess? Maybe being covered in blood is part of the job description? ording to the legends, they love to battle¡­ Ahh, such a great race!" Maya''s asional muscle brain resurfaced. "I can''t wait for her to teach me more magic and then fight something strong! Fen, as well. Ignoring, or especially because what or who he most likely is, the things I can learn from him are endless!" "And it sure seems to be based on the truth. Sophia definitely enjoys¡­ ying with her enemies. She''s such a mystery~. Then again, her personality isn''t very princess-like, though. Rather, she''s all over the ce, not refined at all. Is that also a demon thing? Fen seems to be used to it, at least. Well, it''s fun to watch her reactions because it''s cute. She is pretty cute¡­ Nothing toin about here, either. Actually, if anything, she''s way too pretty! It''s kinda distracting! Also, why does she gets so shy and bashful out of nowhere on asions? It''s almost like she didn''t have many, if any, interactions with others... W-Was she some sort of princess who was so out of reach no one approached her? Lucky me, she ran away. Let''s think of some ways to make her get used to it. While her reactions are fun, I would like her to be more rxed whenever skinship''s on the table!" ---------------- After the cat-girl finished getting worked up over her delusions of who or what Sophia is, she quickly finished her bath and went back to the camp. "Wee back. How was it?" "Great! You did an excellent job there, princess." The weird idea she had during the bath stuck in her head. "I''m d to hear that." "¡­" "¡­" "S-She didn''t react?!" Maya stared at her with big eyes in shock while she mumbled these words. "I-Is she actually used to being addressed like this?!" "Haa~," Sophia let out a yawn while speaking to herself. "I must be really tired. I already hear things that make no sense at all." It was so impossible for her to believe that she refused to even think it happened. "I think I''ll go to bed soon! Ah, what are we going to do about the sleeping situation? I usually sleep while leaning against Fen, but¡­" She looked at the wolf''s side. It would get rather intimate with two people sleeping there together. "Don''t worry, I can sleep wherever and whenever I want, no matter time and date. Even a patch of grass is perfect in my eyes." "What are you, a cat?!" Sophia reacted without thinking. "Partly, yes. Not much, but a part of me is." "A-Ah, right¡­" She looked at Maya''s snow-white tail and fluffy ears on top of her head again. "Anyway, you really don''t have to worry about me and sleep however you want." "Well, if you say so." Dropping the subject, Sophia made herself morefortable while leaning against Fen. It didn''t take her long to fall asleep. "Eh, how can one fall asleep so fast? Even I can''t do that." "It seems that sleep''s quite important for her as she also gets upte in the mornings." "Haa¡­ That aside, are you really okay with that, Fen?" Maya pointed at the wolf''s side, where Sophia was buried into his fur with a satisfied expression. "I don''t particrly mind. She''s been like that ever since we met, anyway." "How long have you two been together? You seem to be really used to each other." "Hmm, ever since she came to the world, I guess?" "Oh, so since she''s born, huh?" "Yes, from the point where she was re-born." A slight misunderstanding had formed between them as the wolf hadn''t fully voiced the re- part. "Interesting. Speaking of the devil, who is Sophia anyway?" She nced at the sleeping girl with a questioning look. "She has a rather, let''s say,plex backstory. Lots of things happened that led to her ending up here. I don''t think it''s within my rights to tell you. You should ask her about it yourself somewhere in the future." "I see, so she actually is," The cat-girl''s imagination was going wild again. "That girl really¡­" "Hmm?" "A-Ah, no, I didn''t say anything!" "Okay?" Fen had the distinct feeling that something was amiss between their conversation but didn''t care enough to find out what exactly. "A-Anyway, I think I''ll rest as well. I have a feeling she''ll do something outrageous tomorrow that will tire me out way more than I would like." Maya was ncing at the other girl while giving her predictions for the future. "That, yes, that might be a wise choice." Fen had to agree. "Good night, then." She found herself afortable spot afterward and didn''t have much of a problem falling asleep a little whileter. ---------------- On the following day, once the two managed to wake up the sleepy girl, the group continued their travel. It actually took them a couple of days in the end because Sophia kept getting sidetracked, but they eventually reached the Forsaken Maze dungeon. "Well, I''m not sure what I was expecting, but this sure is a letdown." Sophia was staring at the entrance of the dungeon with a disappointed expression. A simple stone stairway led underground with no sort of decoration or the likes. Only a small and shabby-looking sign with the name was put in front of the entrance. Someone even added the words don''t bother with a different color on it. "I did tell you this ce has its name for a reason, right?" Maya didn''t understand her reaction after all this. "I do sense some monsters from underground, though." Fen added his own observation to it. "Y-You can sense monsters, too?" It was the first time the cat-girl heard about it. "Fen''s the one I learned it from." "Really? Do you think I could learn it, too?" She faced the wolf. "It seems super useful." "It''s quite advanced non-attribute, or more correctly, uncategorized magic." "I-Is that so¡­?" "I don''t think it''s impossible." "S-Seriously?!" "Yes. Although not to the extent of the oddball over there, your magic power clearly is on the extreme side. Once you''refortable using all sorts of magicpletely chantless, having a better control of your powers, ask me again." "Yes!" The cat-girl sounded motivated. "I was casually dissed just now, wasn''t I? That''s what happened, right?!" Sophia reacted to the oddball usation. "No." "Whatever," She didn''t push the issue any further. "Now that we''re here already¡­ Let''s take a look inside!" "Sure." The other two agreed and descended the stairs to enter the Forsaken Maze dungeon. On the way down, Fen also shrunk in size as it seemed rtively narrow. "Hmm," Sophia tried to look around once they reached the end of the stairs but didn''t see much. "It''s pretty dark, huh?" Everything around her was basically ck except for some weakly shimmering objects hanging on the walls, illuminating the ce just a bit. "Maybe that''s part of why nobody ever found the exit and didn''t bother exploring further?" Maya looked around, as well. "Even I can''t see very far ahead, and I have extremely good eyes." Her pupils looked really big, and her eyes were slightly shimmering from the reflected light in the dark, almost like an actual cat. "A-Ah¡­" Sophia found herself lost in her eyes for a while because she never saw something like that before she snapped back to reality. "C-Couldn''t they just have used light magic?" "¡­" The shiny eyes focused on her. "Sophia, light magic is one of the rarest types of magic¡­ Actually, you''re only the second or third person I ever met that''s able to use it, and none of them could illuminate a whole area." "I didn''t know that¡­" She was honestly surprised. "I expected no less." Maya had thought that themon sense-missing girl was not aware of her ridiculousness. "Okay, so let''s turn on the light then?" With a snap of her fingers for extra effect, Sophia lit up the entire area. "As outrageous as ever! Not that I''m jealous or anything." "I''ll teach you sometime, don''t worry." She nced at the cat-girl with a smile. "T-Thanks." "Well, let''s explore!" Taking in the new details, Sophia got excited for a moment. "Hmm, even if the light''s super useful, I still can only see up to the next corner." The path in front of them took a sharp right turn not too far away. Taking the lead, she was about to turn around the corner when Fen suddenly stopped her. "Wait a moment." He bit into the neck of her shirt and lifted the girl from the ground. "What''s wrong?" She was dangling in the air, unable to take another step. "Did something happen?" "This maze has some hidden traps. Maya, grab a stone, and throw it in front of where Sophia wanted to go." "Err, sure?" Doing as told, she grabbed a fist-sized stone and threw it. The moment it hit the ground, the floor crumbled away and revealed a pit filled with sharp spikes. "Y-Yikes!" "S-Seriously?! A deadly trap after the first corner?!" Sophia actually looked angry rather than scared. "What kind of joke is that?! Those are supposed to be on the lower floors only!" "Have you entered a maze before?" The cat-girl was wondering where her knowledge wasing from. "N-Not personally, but I read a ton of books regarding, or containing dungeon exploration and such." "Having had ess to so many books¡­" Maya''s misunderstanding about her background kept getting fueled. "A-Anyway, Fen, how did you know that there was a trap? Can your detection magic do that as well? Not just living things?" "It''s something simr. If I had to name it, I would call it Danger Detection magic. "Oh~." Sophia was interested. "You have to teach me that er." "Sure." "What do we do now?" The cat-girl looked at the big hole in front of the group that was blocking their path. "Err, it''s a bit anticlimactic, but why don''t I just use earth magic to fill the hole?" After saying it, Sophia did just that. "Itcks elegance, but it does the trick." Maya had nothing to add. "Fen, warn us again if you spot any trap, okay?" With Sophia in front, the group continued their exploration for a while without anything happening at all. After the first wee trap, there had yet to appear another one. Something else was bothering the leader, though, causing her to stop. "O-Ouch!" Not expecting her sudden stop, Maya bumped into Sophia''s back. "W-What''s wrong?" "My detection magic caught something. No idea why I only just now realized.¡± ¡°Sometimes, dungeon walls can block certain types of magic.¡± Fen gave her an exnation. ¡°Is that so? Well, there are four targets around the next corner." "Really? What kind?" "Let''s see¡­" Sophia took a couple of steps and nced around the corner. "A-Ah," Identifying the enemy, her entire body turned white while shepletely froze up on the spot. "S-Sophia?!" The cat-girl became worried. "¡­" There was no reaction. A couple of momentster, a blue light shone around the corner, apanied by the sound of a ming inferno and an enormous heat. "Ehhh?!" "Haa¡­" Sophia''s color slowly returned while she let out a sigh. "T-They''re all gone now!" "W-What kind of monster was there to frighten even you?!" "S-Spiders! Giant freaking s-spiders!" Her entire body was shivering. "Spiders¡­? Ah, you mean Spyders?" Maya corrected her with a slightly different sounding term. "I-I don''t care how they were called! They''re gone now!" "You''re kinda adorable, aren''t you?" She looked at the trembling girl with a warm expression. "S-So disgusting!" Sophia was still so creeped out that she missed getting embarrassed by the cat-girl''s remark. "F-Fen, can you detect any other monsters of the same type inside this maze?" "A couple, actually." "Eliminate them." "Which one?" "All of them." "Are you sure?" "Eliminate. All. Of. Them." Her eyes looked scary. "As you demand, my queen." With a roll of his eyes, Fen concentrated for a second, and soon after, explosions could be heard from various distances inside the maze. "They''re all gone." "G-Good¡­" "Shall we, uhh, continue?" Maya wasn''t sure what to say in this situation, other than making a mental note on how the wolf addressed Sophia. "Y-Yes." Once their leader calmed down, the group continued while nothing out of the ordinary happened because the floor was emptied out now. After a while, guarded by another pitfall trap, they found stairs that led downward. Chapter 34 – Second floor of the dungeon Chapter 34 ¨C Second floor of the dungeon The group was currently exploring the Forsaken Maze dungeon. After Sophia went on a rampage and ordered the genocide of all spyder-like monsters, they finally found the stairs leading to the second level of the maze. "Soo¡­ I''m guessing there''s a wee trap for us here as well?" Sophia looked around in the path they followed after going downstairs, trying to find anything suspicious. "Yep, there''s something in the walls." "Hmm, arrows?" She took a wild guess based on the books she had read before. "It seems that way. What will you do?" Fen looked at her. "Let''s see¡­ Maya, want to try if you can outrun an arrow?" "How about no?" She wasn''t a fan of the idea. "Fine, I''ll do it myself." "E-Ehh?!" "Okay!" Sophia got down in a crouching-start position and prepared herself. Carefully adjusting the power she''s going to use on her earth magic, not to recreate the disaster where sheunched herself into a tree, she instantly elerated on the spot. While it almost seemed like she was leaving after-images, the girl sped down the corridor. Sophia had already arrived at the end and barely stopped before crashing into the wall there, and only then the arrows started to shoot out of the other walls. "Uhh¡­" Maya had a nk expression. "Wow, you could totally outsprint me with that one, Sophia." Fen was impressed instead. "Ah, my danger detection stopped responding. We should be good to go now." The wolf started walking. "Ahh, sure¡­" The cat-girl followed behind him, looking slightly tired. "Fen, I''m sensing quite a lot of monsters now. A-Are there any more of t-these¡­ things?" "No, I''ve exterminated all spyders present. Actually, almost all of my monster reactions are of the slime type." "Ehh?" She didn''t like them that much more. With a disgusted look, Sophia remembered the slimy tentacle slimes she ran into the moment she arrived in this world. "S-Slimes?!" Maya had a much bigger reaction as she suddenly cried out. "O-Okay, let''s go home, you two!" Her face was as white as a sheet. "I-I''m not taking another step! S-Slimes are¡­ no¡­ They are the enemy of every woman!" "I, uhh, wholeheartedly agree, but¡­" Sophia surely wasn''t a fan either. "M-Maya, did s-something happen between you and those slimes in the past?" She thought her reaction was a little too strong. "N-Nothing too extreme, I assure you¡­ I-I just don''t like them." The cat-girl''s face still turned red. "Nothing b-bad happened to me, but¡­ A-Anyway, don''t ask¡­ okay? Please¡­" She turned her head away. "Ahh¡­ is that so?" Sophia''s voice suddenly turned t and monotone, missing any sort of emotion. "So it has be personal now, huh?" Even with theck of said emotion, it was evident that the girl was angry. "As if there weren''t enough reasons to hate you things¡­ Ahaha~." Once her eerieugh ended, the group was suddenly cocooned inside an earthen dome. A whileter, steam started to rise from the earth as it was slowly turning red, and the temperature inside was climbing at an rming rate. Before it became too unbearable, Sophia stopped whatever she was doing and removed the dome again. "H-Huh?" Maya was shocked while she looked at their surroundings. The walls, ceiling, and ground absolutely everything was covered in a thickyer of ck soot. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that some of the structures melted and turned into something ss-like, even though it was solid stone. "W-What did you do?" "Hmm? I simply erased any form of life except us from this floor." Sophia''s perfectly calm-sounding voice, together with her lifeless eyes, made her look really scary. "Fen, once we''re back outside, we''re going to eliminate every slime on this." "C-Calm down, girl." Even the wolf was taken aback. "I am calm." "That doesn''t make it any better!" "S-Sophia¡­ thank you for getting angry for me, b-but you don''t have to do that¡­ okay?" "Nonono, these things crossed a line they shouldn''t have. It''s game over for them." Some kind of fire was burning in her eyes. "N-Nothing even happened!" Maya turned to the wolf for help. "F-Fen, do something about her!" Maya turned to the wolf for help. "Mind telling me what exactly?" "Err¡­" She had no idea. "W-We need to divert her attention somehow!" "That job is more suited for you, girl." "Huh?" "Ehehe~, I can''t wait to hunt down every single one of them~." Sophia was losing it more and more. "You should hurry, cat." "What an unreliable retainer!" Mayained about something he didn''t understand before she raised her arms into the air. "Whatever! I don''t care anymore!" Giving up, she walked over to the enraged girl and hugged her from behind out of nowhere. "How about we stop that, idiot?" She whispered into her ear. "E-Eh?!" The effect was immediate. Her eyes turned back to normal, or rather began to swim around in confusion because she didn''t understand what was going on. "M-Maya?" Getting embarrassed from being embraced, together with the feeling of the cat-girl''s hair brushing against her cheek while she rested her head on Sophia''s shoulder, was enough to overload her brain. "W-What is going on¡­ here?" As if snapping back to reality, she almost seemed disoriented and entirely forgot about her slime-genocide n. "T-Thank goodness!" Sound relieved, Maya let go of her again. "You''re one scary girl!" "H-Huh? What happened?" She was still confused. "You went out of control. Again." Fen answered her. "Ahh¡­" Sophia averted her eyes. "That girl brought you back." He looked at the cat. "T-Thank you¡­" After awkwardly thanking her, Sophia turned around in shame and quickly walked forwards. "O-Okay, let''s keep exploring!" She ran away. "¡­" The wolf followed her without saying anything, and Maya was right behind him. "Fen?" She was staring at him. "What is going on? Out of control¡­?" "Well, it''s rather hard to exin because I shouldn''t go into details, but due to some circumstances¡­ Sophia''s emotions or character traits got a bit¡­ I wouldn''t say messed up, but rather, she cannot properly control them the way she wants sometimes. If she''s unable to process something or gets stimted above a certain point like getting too angry¡­ that happens." He referred to the attempted slime genocide. "¡­" Maya needed a minute. "Has-, Has she been cursed?" "I wouldn''t go that far. Though, someone definitely has altered her personality in a way. Sophia actually likes most of the changes because she didn''t like the person she used to be. She has yet to get used to these changes, though. So, when she goes out of control again, we have to stop her." "I-I see. Well, not really, but sort of...?" It was a lot for her to take in. "W-Wait, was it really okay to tell me all this?" "Probably not." Fen paused for a moment. "But I wanted you to know anyway. It seems like the girl''s enjoying yourpany, and so you should know what you''re dealing with." "T-Thanks for trusting me. Okay, I do feel kinda happy that she got so angry for my sake that she went out of control¡­ I''ve made quite the high-maintenance friend, did I not? Well, she''s quite huggable, so it could be worse." "Yes." Fen nodded his big head. "You won''t ever get bored, though." "That''s true." "Ah, but don''t mention I told you, okay?" "Now you say that¡­" Maya rolled her eyes. "Ahaha, you''ll understand why she''s a littleplicated once the girl does tell you about her circumstances. Don''t try to be too shocked. It''s quite something." "Haha¡­" The cat-girl let out a dryugh. Inside her head, she had already created her own slightly ridiculous backstory for the girl on her own. "Oi! Are you guysing or what?" Sophia, far ahead of them, urged the two to hurry up. "Yes!" They picked up their pace. ---------------- As there was absolutely nothing left on this floor, thanks to the girl''s rampage, the group didn''t explore much of this charred mess and headed straight to the third floor once they found the stairs that led them down. A pattern was slowly forming here. "Oh, there wasn''t a goodbye trap, was there?" Sophia tilted her head while they were descending on the stairs. "Err, I''m pretty sure that whatever trap there might''ve been, it simply got melted down to nothingness." Maya had a wry smile while she answered. "Ehehe¡­" An awkwardughter, the group arrived on the third floor. "U-Urgh, it stinks!" "Y-Yeah!" The cat-girl agreed. "Undead, huh? I''m not a fan¡­" Fen was the one who disliked the floor the most. Having a great sense of smell wasn''t doing him a favor here. "A-At least, I''m not detecting many of them¡­" "Undead? Stuff like zombies and skeletons?" "Zonbies, but yes, that kind of stuff." "Same difference." Sophia stopped caring about these weird names, which had no sense of continuity whatsoever. "Uhh, just asking to make sure, but what happens if a zonbie bites you?" ording to her old world, this should be avoided at all costs. "If they bite you?" Fen didn''t understand. "Well, you get bitten? I don''t think that''s any fun, though." "Ahh, I see¡­" She actually sounded a tiny bit disappointed. "How about we try to clear this floor the normal way for a rare change?" Maya made an unreasonable request. "Normal¡­?" Sophia tilted her head at the foreign concept. "Want to take the lead then, Maya? Go all out if you want." She couldn''t do such a thing as normal and gave up her leadership. "Really? Can I? I wanted to try some magic anyway!" "Yeah, no need to hold back. Ah, but there''s a condition for you." "I¡­ don''t like the sound of that." The cat-girl had a bad feeling. "Anything except chantless magic is forbidden." "Starting with a big hurdle from the get-go, I see. Well, okay¡­ but I want a reward if I manage to clear the floor on my own that way!" "A reward? I don''t think I particrly mind, but what do you want?" "That''s a secret~." Maya had a mischievous smile while her tail happily swished around. "S-Should I be scared¡­?" She already was. "No, it''s nothing bad." Her yful expression didn''t change, though. "Probably." "I-I''m not entirely convinced, but¡­" Sophia had her doubts while looking at the cat-girl but let her have it. "Well, whatever¡­ Sure, go ahead." "Great!" Having agreed on whatever Sophia agreed to, she let Maya take over the lead before the group started to explore the third floor of the Forsaken Maze dungeon. Chapter 35 – Third floor Chapter 35 ¨C Third floor The group had entered the third floor of the Forsaken Maze dungeon. Under the prospect of getting a reward of her choice from Sophia if she''s able to clear the level entirely on her own, Maya had taken over the lead. "Hmm," The cat-girl took only a couple of steps before stopping again. "Something''s odd about the wall over there." She concentrated her eyes on the wall at the other end of the corridor. "Wee trap?" Sophia looked in the same direction but couldn''t make out what the cat-girl was seeing. "Fen, what do you think?" "No, don''t answer!" Maya stopped him. "I want to find out myself." Taking some more steps towards the wall, she grabbed a nearby stone and threw it against said wall, but the stone simply disappeared the moment it was supposed to hit its target. "A secret passage? Does that count as a trap?" Sophia wasn''t sure what to think about it. "I''m not sure¡­ It doesn''t look like one, though. How about we find out?" She had an adventurous side to her. "Sure." Not being against it, the group stepped through the fake wall and safely arrived at the other side. "Well, that was disappointing¡­" Maya sighed while she looked around on the other side. Just like before, all she could see was a narrow passageway. "Maybe it was a shortcut?" Sophia tried to be positive. "Or the opposite." Fen didn''t. "A-Anyway, let''s continue¡­" Her confidence had taken a slight hit. Following the secret passage for a while, the three eventually ran into an enemy. "Oho, a skeleton." Sophia looked at it with interest. "It looks very cool, but it doesn''t seem very strong, though." It was rather crude looking, carrying a sword that barely ssified as one anymore due to its deterioration. "Yeah, lucky me." Maya was happy she didn''t have to start with a strong enemy from the get-go. "Don''t forget, chantless magic only." She remembered the cat-girl about their deal. "Y-Yes, Hmm¡­" She went silent for a bit, apparently thinking about something. "Water magic? Doesn''t seem to be the right choice¡­ Air? Maybe some wind des would do the trick?" Maya had picked up the other girl''s habit of mumbling around to herself. "Can I do it?" "Want a tip?" "No!" Her motivation was high. "Let me try first." She concentrated on her target once more. "Hrmn¡­" Giving it her all, wind slowly started to circle around the cat. With a snapping sound, it then violently shot toward the skeleton. Being squashed into pieces, bone fragments hit the wall where the monster was standing just a second ago. "Oh~, you did it. Good job!" Sophia praised her. "Ahh," She looked somewhat awkward. "I-I actually wanted to make a proper de¡­ but that didn''t work out quite the way I imagined. It sure was powerful, though." "It appears that your image of the magic wasn''t detailed enough." Fen gave his critique. "I-I see¡­ yeah, looks like I need more training." "B-But that air¡­ st was really nice!" Sophia tried to cheer her up. "I actually think that, as an attack against skeletons, it was more effective." "T-Thanks¡­" She didn''t sound too happy. "Anyway, let''s keep going!" Trying to stay on top of it, Maya marched forward. Navigating through the maze, the group eventually ran into a group of three zonbies. "W-Well, that''s nasty!" Sophia seemed disgusted as she looked at the half-decayed, greenish-brown mass that used to resemble something human-like a very long time ago. "Y-Yeah¡­" The cat-girl shared a simr expression, but Fen had the biggest grimace out of the trio. "Maya¡­ can I make a request? Please don''t use anything fire-rted. The only thing that smells worse than a zonbie, is a burning and charred zonbie." "R-Really?! I definitely won''t do that then!" "Thank you very much." He was visibly relieved. "Hmm, what could I use instead?" She once more closed her eyes and tilted her head while thinking. "Well, whatever¡­ I''m still learning and all." She gave up rtively soon, and the wind from earlier formed again. Using the same magic, the three zonbies were hit by a powerful st of air and sttered against the wall behind them with a wet sound. "Eww!" Sophia grimaced at the reddish-brown stain on the wall and the foul pieces of meat scattered around. "Sorry¡­" The source of this mess had nothing left to add. "B-But still, good job! That attack is really growing on me, no reason to be ashamed of that little mistake." "That is true, it''s quite effective. I''ll still train the right de attack once we''re done here!" Maya''s motivation was one big up and down. Quickly leaving the area as it was neither a pleasant sight nor smell, the group followed the maze''s paths while avoiding other zonbies whenever it was possible. The cat-girl defeated a couple more skeletons and got really skilled at her wind st she learned on ident. After having walked around for a while, they eventually found the stairs leading to the next floor, but something was blocking it. ---------------- "Okay, that guy doesn''t look like your standard mob character." Sophia said so while she looked at the monster that was blocking the stairs from a safe distance. It was almost 3 meters tall and wasn''t quite a skeleton in looks because it still had something resembling skin, but it was shriveled up and looked really leathery. Some ces of it also had holes and exposed bones from beneath. A blue light oozed out of its body, matching the equally colored, shiny orbs the monster had instead of eyes. The enemy was wearing some sorts of clothes, namely a worn-out type of robe, not to mention something resembling a crown on its head. Furthermore, it was carrying an old staff as a weapon. "A lich¡­" Maya muttered in a low voice. "Lich?" The girl thought about it for a moment. "Ah, the guys who are still intelligent, kinda ruling over the others or something like that? So that one''s called the same, huh?" The naming of this world was still beyond her understanding. "Have fun with that thing, Maya~." "C-Can I actually beat it¡­?" "Your raw power is much, much higher." The wolf added. "It''s all up to you how you''re going to make use of it." "Really¡­?" She didn''t seem convinced. "Well, I don''t think I''m confident to face it head-on with chantless magic out of the blue. I''m missing a lot of experience¡­ I''ll try to kill it in one go from a distance without actually engaging it." "That certainly is a levelheaded decision. Unlike a certain someone who always jumps into action without thinking." "Oi!" The girl in questionined to Fen. "It''s not like you''re any better, are you?!" "¡­" He didn''t answer because he, too, likes to bash first and asks questionster. "Ahaha, I used to be like that, too." The cat-girl sympathized with them. "At least until a certain someone came along and showed me what real strength is like, ridiculously so¡­ That calmed me down in an instant." "H-Hey, I have a name, okay?!" Sophia wasining a lot today. "Anyway." She ignored her. "I better go full power and instantly defeat it, huh?" Sneaking up to the lich as close as possible without getting discovered, the cat-girl got her magic ready. Wind quickly circled around the monster, and instantly after, a ring of fire appeared as well. Before the lich could react, it was already trapped inside a tornado of fire and swiftly died after not even letting out a cry. "Haa, that was refreshing~. Fighting is the best after all~." She looked satisfied. "Not that it was much of a fight." "Well, that, once more, was rather anticlimactic. Maya, you sure are one overpowered girl." "You''re the absolutest person I want to hear that from, Sophia!" She got a little angry. "Ehehe, I saw that oneing~." "She does have a point, though." Fen sided with Sophia. "While you''re still green behind your ears, with yourtent powers, ruling the world in the future is not impossible for you either." "Nonono." The cat-girl rapidly shook her head. "What are you even talking about?!" "I''m telling the truth. I''m not sure if you''re in the top 10 as I lived rather secludedtely and haven''t met with the others for a long time, but you''re surely in the top 30, Maya. 40 at the very least if things haven''t changed drastically while I was idle, which I highly doubt." "The others?" Sophia didn''t know who he meant. "Just some acquaintances." "Ahh," She had a rough feeling of what or who he was implying. "Then, what about me?" "Lately, I''m getting the feeling you might end up being above me, so¡­" "I shouldn''t have asked¡­" The implications of that scared her. She didn''t want to know how strong she ispared to everyone else in the world. "Erm," Maya missed something. "Top 30 of what?" "Most powerful beings in this world. Well, at least when ites to raw magical power." "¡­" The cat-girl had no response and only stared at him with her mouth open. "It''s probably hard to ept because you''re traveling with the two of us right now, but you actually are that much of an exception, girl. It''s been a while since I came across someone like you. Present oddballs among oddballs aside. "¡­" She continued to stay silent, trying to wrap her head around what the wolf was saying. "So, if any of us went rogue, this world would be in serious trouble, huh?" Sophia added her own twist. "Funny you should say this." Fen stared at her. "Who''s the one that almost started a genocide on multiple races already?" "As if you never wanted to erase a race or two!" "Uhh," Fen didn''t answer. "A-At least, I''m not nning to punch the overseer." "Ohh, right~." The girl clenched her fist. "I almost forgot about that idiot! Thanks for reminding me." "Sure. Anyway, Maya, it really is true. If you want to rule, it would be in your range of possibilities in the future. The same goes for Sophia, of course. Well, you two could be the overlords of this world together." He was having quite a bit of fun. "Fen, I already told you that I have no intention of bing the next demon king. We went over that already!" The two had a simr discussion when talking about her powers in the past. "Demon¡­ k-king?" The mentioning of this caused Maya to react and snap back to reality again. "Well, queen, of course, but¡­ Whatever, just forget about that. I didn''t say anything, don''t mind me." "O-Of course!" An aura of certainty had wrapped around the cat-girl, being convinced of something now while she mumbled something almost inaudible. "Royalty¡­" Her ongoing misunderstanding of Sophia''s background had grown out of hand. "Anyway," Sophia tilted her head for a moment because she didn''t understand what she said but ultimately ignored it. "Congrattions on passing the task." Now that the lich was defeated, the floor had been cleared, and the group was able to take the stairs to the next floor. "Just like I promised, you can have your reward, Maya. What do you want?" "E-Eh?! Ah, right!" The shock of Sophia being royalty in her mind had not only made her forget about being made aware that she''s part of the strongest beings in the world but also about receiving whatever reward she wants from Sophia. Even though it was all just a misunderstanding on her part, but she had no idea about that. "I have so many options that I have yet to make the final decision of what I want~." She had recovered enough to tease the girl a bit. "Aaaand I''m worried¡­" "You don''t need to. They''re all fun ideas." Maya''s slight grin and her happily waving tail didn''t let Sophia calm down at all, though. "Worried, it is!" Once she was done messing with Sophia, the group descended to the fourth floor. Arriving there, Maya immediately lost her smile because she received instant karma from her teasing. Chapter 36 – Fourth and fifth floor Chapter 36 ¨C Fourth and fifth floor Maya was in an excellent mood after she cleared the third floor of the dungeon all on her own. Looking forward to a reward of her choice from Sophia for this aplishment, she teased the girl with it while descending to the fourth floor. This stage was somewhat different from the others, though. Realizing what exactly this ce was, not to mention the monsters in there, the cat-girl''s smile had vanished in an instant. "Uuh, it was n-nice and all, this dungeon exploring but don''t you think this was enough? R-Right?!" She had tears in the corners of her eyes, and her face turned pale, almost like a ghost. This was also the keyword for this floor. Instead of a maze-like area like the previous ones, this floor was one big open space, though it was wrapped into an eerie and thickyer of fog. Looking closely, countless gravestones could be seen, but that wasn''t the worst thing. Multiple blue spheres with fire-like properties were floating in the air, and semi-translucent beings wafted through the fog. At the same time, howling echoed all over the graveyard-like ce. "Ohh~, looks fun!" Unfortunately, Sophia wasn''t sharing her opinion. "N-No!" The cat-girl''s face was a textbook example of the word despair. "I-I hate g-ghosts!" Her tail and ears were tightly clinging to her body as she hid behind Sophia''s back while furiously trembling. "P-Please-, Please let''s go back!" Even more tears formed as she was pleading to her. "¡­" Unaware of it, Maya caused the opposite effect on her with this reaction. "C-Cute¡­" Seeing the cat-girl being this scared and frightened had flipped some weird switch inside Sophia again because the gap in Maya''s personality was too big, and she started walking forward. "Noooo!" Her desperate scream had easily overpowered the creepy howling in the area. Having no choice because she didn''t want to be left alone at all costs right now, Maya very reluctantly followed the girl while she continued to tightly clutch onto the hem of Sophia''s shirt. "It''s sooo cool here!" She was having a good time. "Uuh, w-why are you no good with spyders, but g-ghosts and stuff are fine?!" "You seemed to be fine with them instead? Isn''t it basically the same, then?" "B-But ghosts are s-scary!" "And spyders are nasty!" The two agreed to disagree. "WuuUuuh" An eerie howl could be heard from very close to the group. "Eeek!" Unable to bear it anymore, Maya clung with her entire body against Sophia''s back as closely as she could. "¡­" This move caused her some damage as well. Mentally, at least. The cat-girl tightly hugging her, the feel of her soft body and the warmth radiating from it, together with her extreme shivering for an interesting bonus experience, it was a little too much. "M-Maya, it''s kinda h-hard to move¡­" She tried a more elegant approach to stop her before bing too embarrassed. "I don''t care!" Instead, she only increased her clinging. "I-Is that so?" Sophia''s mouth twitched. She wasn''t particrly angry, far from it, but she was getting nervous due to their closeness. "C-Can we go now? Like, really¡­?" "B-But I want to explore some more." "Uuh¡­" Maya was about to fully cry. "F-Fine," She started to feel guilty, seeing how affected the cat-girl was. "F-Fen, I imagine light magic to be effective? Am I right with that?" "Indeed. The ghosts and other spectral-based beings will vanish instantly with powerful light magic. Actually, I think this also might be the only way to leave this floor. It feels like the fog is of magical origin and somehow makes it impossible to find the next stairs." "Good." Having confirmation, she literally turned on the light on the floor. "G-GuuUuhHhh¡­" As the entire ce was bathed in bright light, anguished voices came from every corner, but these were gone for good soon after. Even the fog had mostly disappeared, leaving only the tombstones and some dead and half-rotten trees in the graveyard-y ce behind. "It''s fine now, Maya." "H-Huh?" She gingerly opened her eyes and hesitatingly nced around. "Haaaaa¡­" With a massive sigh, the cat-girl let go of her back and fell on her knees, looking very relieved. "T-Thank you so very much! I''ll be grateful to you¡­ for the rest of my life!" "I-It was that bad?!" Sophia was shocked by her reaction. "Y-Yes¡­" The corners of Maya''s eyes were still wet with tears. "I''m sorry for waiting so long then." She felt guilty because she wanted to leisurely explore everything and even teased her when she was this frightened. "Scared Maya made me a little excited..." Those words were barely audible. "N-No, I shouldn''t have freaked out this much¡­" "That''s not true. Everyone has things they aren''t good at dealing with. I have, uhh, quite a lot of them, actually. Ahaha¡­" She made a self-deprecatingugh. "Just earlier, Ipletely lost it with these spyders." "You really did." The answer came instantly. "Geh! A-Anyway, I feel bad for not watching you properly or rather, simply ignoring it¡­ or even enjoying it..." Sophia mumbled thest parts only. "I want to make up for it!" "Ah, then you simply have to always look just at me in the future." The cat-girl had recovered enough to get back at her. "W-Wha-?!" The way she worded it had a big effect on Sophia. The cat-girl''s slight grin,bined with her up-pointing and twitchy tail, wasn''t helping either. "T-That''s a little¡­" She wouldn''tst long if she were to actually do that. "H-How about you can ask for two things as your reward for clearing the previous floor?" "Yes!" She almost answered before Sophia finished her suggestion. "I-I mean, you don''t have to, but I''ll humbly agree to your generous offer." "There was nothing humble about your reaction!" She couldn''t stay still on this one. "Oh, can I also make one super request instead of two normal ones?" "I really, absolutely, super don''t like the sound of that. Not even a little bit!" "That''s a no, then?" Maya innocently tilted her head while giving her a little wink. "Feel free to make an even cuter face, but my answer will remain a big, fat no!" She was too scared about the super request to care about her own wording. "E-Ehehe~." Said wording caused a great smile to appear on Maya''s face. "Hmm?" Sophia couldn''t interpret her reaction until she noticed that she had just openlymented on Maya''s cuteness in the heat of the moment. Again. It was from the first time this happened. "A-Anyway, let''s go to the next floor. This one has nothing of interest left a-anymore, after all." She quickly changed the subject. "Sure." Having agreed, the two girls made their way towards the stairs at the other end of the graveyard. Fen quietly followed them without saying a word, not wanting to interrupt them, or worse, get involved in whatever they were doing. ---------------- "Huh?" Sophia was confused when the group finished descending the stairs. "What''s this all about?" "That''s a good question." Just as much, Maya, too, was confused. The group suddenly found themselves in a huge yet empty room. "Oh, is this a boss-room?!" She suddenly became excited. "Boss-room?" Both, the cat-girl and the wolf had no idea what she was talking about. "F-Forget it!" Embarrassed, Sophia turned her head away. "B-But what is this room, then?" "Hmm¡­ Ah!" Maya concentrated her gaze at the far-away other side of the dimly lit room and found a hint. "There''s something written on a stone te on that wall!" "Really? Let''s go and have a look!" With Sophia in the lead, they walked towards the mysterious sign to find out what was going on. "¡­" Reading the contents of the inscription, the group fell silent, unable to find any fitting words.
Wee, idiots, congrattions on having made it to the end of this pointless dungeon. That massive strength of yours sure is wasted. Not even realizing that there was no reason to advance this far is just¡­ I don''t even¡­ Why would anyone go deeper than the third floor? Especially because there are only monsters who are pointlessly strong and all of the nasty kind. I created this ce during an afternoon where I was really bored and never bothered finishing it. Never added any rewards or fun things to it. Ah, the wee traps were enjoyable, though~. Not that anyone would ever read this anyway¡­ Ahaha, nobody would be that stupid, after all. Greetings, Canir
P.S. If anyone actually really reads this¡­ AHAHAHA! There is an exit behind that rock over there. ? Feel free to use it, unless you''re so stupid and want to go all the way back, though.
"¡­" Their silence went on for a little longer. "Err, Canir?" Maya was lost in thoughts. "I think I''ve heard that name before. I can''t remember where, though¡­" "¡­" Fen''s ears twitched, but he remained silent. "What the- !" Sophia snapped. "Are you kidding me?! I don''t know who or what you are, but I''ll find you, and I will punch you, Canir! Fen, add their name to my to-do list!" "Uhm, s-sure¡­" He didn''t have to, actually. The wolf knew that Canir was the overseer who brought her to this world, and he already was on said list. "Seriously!" Her anger was still rising. "So, this ce''s just some kind of joke?! Something they build on a slow Tuesday afternoon?!" "C-Calm down, Sophia. I do share the sentiment, though¡­" Maya wasn''t exactly happy either. "B-But, the sign at the entrance did say don''t bother, right? There were some hints." "But not something like that?!" She wasn''t bothered by her wasted time. The reason why she had wasted it was the problem. "T-That''s¡­ true." The cat-girl had noeback. "Well, what''s done is done." Fen tried to defuse the situation. "Let''s just forget about it and leave this ce already. I miss the fresh air." "M-Me, too." "Sure, you two go ahead. I have a little something left to do here." She had a nasty expression. "S-Sophia?" "It won''t take long." "B-But!" "Don''t worry, I''m perfectly calm." She reassured Maya. The aura around the girl said something different, though. "Oh no." Fen knew what that meant. Still, once he realized that she could go wild here without having to regret itter on, the wolf thought it might not be such a bad idea after all. "Let''s let her have this, Maya." He started pushing her towards the hidden exit. "A-Are you sure? Isn''t she about to go out of control?" She doubted his decision. "Yeah, let her blow off some steam in an enclosed area where she can''t identally influence the poption count of the world." "Ahh¡­" The cat-girl finally understood his intention. "I''ll being in a couple of minutes~." Sophia waved after the two with a terrifying expression. ---------------- About 20 minutes passed since they had parted. Fen and Maya were currently waiting for the slightly angry girl on a tranquil in that the secret exit had let them to. Sophia eventually returned while looking extremely exhausted but also satisfied for some reason. "G-Girl, what happened to your magic power?!" Fen noticed that he could only sense a fraction of her powers at the moment. "I''ve emptied it." Her voice was as calm as it could be. "W-Wha-?! W-What have you done?" "Let''s talk about thatter. But for now, Fen, could you please go back to your normal size and let Maya ride on your back? We have to get away from here right now, and as far as possible¡­ Two kilometers should be enough¡­ or maybe three? Yeah, let''s do that. Four kilometers, that is." "H-Huh?! Okay, sure." Doing as told, Fen transformed, and Maya got on his back before he quickly ran away while Sophia was running alongside him. Having arrived at the distance the girl asked for, Sophia turned around and watched the in they had fled from. "It should happen in a couple of minutes now." "Girl, really, what have you done?! What happened to all of your magic power?!" "The usual, actually. I''ve turned the air into almost pure oxygen and used my magic power as fuel, but¡­ I''ve flooded the insides of the dungeon with my entire magic power. I also closed off every entrance of the dungeon so that nothing of it can escape. The fire trap I ced should go off soon." "A-Are you-?! Your entire magic power?!" The wolf was visibly distressed. "Yes." "Run!" Fen threw Maya on his back again in a panic and broke into a sprint, running much faster than before. "What is wrong?" Sophia was next to him and didn''t understand why he was in such a hurry. "You idiot!" "Ehh?" She didn''t like the treatment. The group managed to increase their distance by another six to seven kilometers because Fen had insisted on running their absolute fastest when it finally happened. It began with a low growling noise, which quickly expanded into a full-blown explosion. A short momentter, before the group had even the chance to look at the scene, they were hit by a powerful shockwave. It was so strong that it almost blew them off their feet, or paws. "Uhh¡­" Sophia awkwardly turned around, looking like a broken robot in the process to get a glimpse of what she''d done. "O-Ohh!" The entire in, including the ce they first evacuated to, was gone. It had turned into a gigantic crater. Debris was still flying through the air, and the area was wrapped in a thickyer of dust and smoke. "I, uhh, may have overdone it a little bit¡­" Awkwardly scratching her cheek was about the only thing she could do at the moment. "You¡­" Fen only stared at her. "What-, What just happened?" Maya was still processing the events. "Sophia¡­ is what happened." The wolf couldn''t think of a better exnation. "Fen, you idiot!" It was the cat-girl whoined. "Why me?!" "You''re the one that let her go wild, saying she should have her fun!" "Urgh!" "You know that stuff like this happens when you leave her unsupervised!" "T-That''s-," Fen was backed into a corner. "H-How could I have known that she''d do something this insane¡­?" "H-Hey, I''m right here in front of you¡­" "Shut up!" The two were in perfect sync when telling off Sophia, though. And just like that, a big piece ofnd had forever vanished, thanks to the anger of a single girl. A dungeon was destroyed as well, but that one most likely won''t be missed. Chapter 37 – Aftermath of the dungeon exploration Chapter 37 ¨C Aftermath of the dungeon exploration The group had finished exploring the Forgotten Maze dungeon. They also found out that the whole thing was just a joke, and Sophia got a little angry. She ended up blowing it up as a reaction. Unfortunately, she used way too much power and obliterated the entire area in a multiple-kilometer radius around it as well. Only a gigantic crater was left behind where once a tranquil in was. "So, that happened, huh?" Sophia was still looking at the chaos she created while trying to sound indifferent. "Don''t y it off like it was nothing!" Maya wasn''t letting her any of that. "W-What are we going to do about that?!" "Turn around and keep going? Which way was the beastfolk capital again?" She nced around, trying to find the right direction. "I believe it should be-" Fen was looking for the destination together with her. "Y-You aren''t going to fix that?!" She pointed at the crater. "I didn''t n to. I mean, why would I?" "I agree with Sophia here." The wolf nodded. "It''s not like it has any impact on us, has it? I do feel bad for letting her go out of control, but not for destroying thisnd. I couldn''t care less about it, even if I tried. It''s not like anyone would make us responsible for any of that, or rather, could." "Exactly." Sophia was influenced too much by the wolf already. "Well, I could!" Maya was angry. "No, okay, I don''t really care about thend either, but¡­ I mean, if Fen hadn''t noticed and evacuated us further, we could''ve been seriously hurt or even died¡­ I''m sure that at least I likely wouldn''t have survived that!" She was still pointing at the crater. "Ah." Fen understood the actual problem she was having. "¡­" Sophia just noticed this side of the story and looked utterly devastated all of a sudden. Immediately after the realization hit her, tears began to roll down her face out of nowhere. This revtion was too much to deal with for the already unstable girl. "H-Huh?!" Seeing that, the cat-girl started panicking. "D-Don''t cry, okay? I''m terrible with that!" "I-, I''m¡­ *sniff* sorry¡­" It was already toote for her to calm down. "I-I really, really didn''t want that! It would''ve been the¡­worst¡­*sniff*!" The girl continued to sob while apologizing to Maya after her breakdown. She was unable to control her emotions, more than ever now. "U-Uhhh," The cat-girl was hastily iling her arms around in a panic, and so was her tail. "Y-You didn''t do it on purpose, right?" "O-Of course not!" "I''ll forgive you then. S-So¡­ please stop crying!" "T-Thank you very much *sniff*" Sophia tried to wipe away her tears, but new ones just kept flowing. "I''m sorry, I might, *sniff*¡­ need a while¡­" "You are so hopeless." Maya let out a soft giggle. "I-I know." Some time passed before Sophia calmed down enough for her tears to finally stop. "Uuh, I haven''t cried like that in a while¡­ Not even when I was forced to leave my¡­ home¡­ toe here. I really have no control at all anymore, huh?" She was talking about her arrival in this world. Her emotions were all over the ce, today especially, thanks to her boosts. "¡­" The cat-girl didn''t say anything regarding her mumblings but had aplicated look on her face. "A-Anyway, again, I''m really sorry about what happened." She tried to regain her posture. "Hmm, alright, to make it for it even a tiny little bit¡­ Regarding that s-super request, you mentioned earlier, Maya. You can have it, together with the two normal ones of top." "Really?!" Maya sounded excited all of a sudden. "Great! That makes almost getting killed totally worth it!" "E-Eh?! Why do I feel like I just made a terrible mistake?! W-What are you going to do to me?!" "Who knows." She had no intention of telling her. "W-Well, though I''m scared, I earned whatever you have nned for me¡­" Sophia had resigned herself to it. "You make me sound like the bad person here." "Ahaha," The mood between the girls slowly returned to normal. "Hmm, it''s gottente already." Sophia looked at the sun getting lower while changing the topic. "Is there a ce nearby where we can camp?" "I''m not sure where we even are¡­" Maya looked around, trying to find a familiar-lookingndmark. "I sort of lost the orientation when we were running away." "We''re about ten to eleven-kilometer northwest of the entrance, err, former entrance of the dungeon. " "Northwest, huh? Let''s see, if I remember right, there''s a hugeke not far from here then. That should be a nice ce to camp, in my opinion." "This continent sure has a lot ofkes." It wasn''t the first time they camped at ake, after all. "Sure, sounds good to me. Let''s go there. Guide away~." "Okay." Showing them the way, they arrived at their camping ce soon enough and also gathered some food along the way. ---------------- "Right, now that''s ake." Sophia stared at the crystal-clear water that was so vast she couldn''t even see the end of it. Together with the white sand beach, it made a lovely picture. "I kinda want to take a swim now." "Why not do it?" Maya looked at her. "No swimsuit." "There''s no need for that, is there?" "There is, t-there definitely is!" "Ah, is that so?" She seemed ever so slightly disappointed. She had a lot of fun messing with the girl. "Well," Sophia walked towards the water regardless and took off her shoes and socks. "That much should be fine, I- Ah, COLD!" She dipped her right foot into the water and immediately jumped back. "W-Why?! It''s so warm out here!" "Ehehe~." The cat-girl wasughing for some reason. "Y-You knew about that, right?! And you still wanted me to go in?! N-Naked even?!" "Your reactions really are the best." Maya was smiling broadly, and her ever so active tail seemed to be happy as well, swishing around from side to side as usual. "Y-You!" Looking for a way to get back at the yful cat, Sophia nced at theke again. Then, a small orb of water emerged from it before speeding towards Maya, hitting her in the face before she could even react. "Eeek!" She shrieked up in surprise. "S-So cold! Why did you do that?!" "Do you really need to ask?" "Urgh! A-Anyway, take thi-!" Maya ran up to her, nning to get revenge, but she tripped on the loose sand and crashed head-first into Sophia. Losing her bnce from the impact, she stumbled backward and was about to fall into theke. "A-Ah!" Not wanting to suffer alone, Sophia barely managed to grab the cat-girl''s arm, taking the girl with her for the fall into the water. "COLD!" Drenched in ice-cold water, the shrieky cry of the two echoed through the area soon after. "Y-You''re the worst, Sophia!" Shivering, Maya vented her frustration. "Y-You started it!" She was equally angry. "Sorry¡­ That wasn''t the n¡­ Uuh, I really want to take a hot bath now!" Still shivering in her soaked clothes, the cat-girl wrapped her arms around herself to warm up even a bit. "¡­" Sophia took a quick nce at her body while her clothes were tightly clinging to it. A lot of it became see-through because most of Maya''s outfit was white. This didn''t leave much to her imagination. "H-How about this for starters?" Looking away, she invoked some magic, and warm wind wrapped around the girls and quickly but gently dried their clothes. "Better now?" "Thanks, I''m still cold on the inside, though. A bath would still be great." "I''ll build er, okay?" "Thank you very much!" For supposedly feeling chilly, the cat-girl was very energetic. "Let''s get dinner first, though." "Yes!" Having fooled around enough, the girls reunited with Fen, and the group prepared their dinner together as usual. Much to the delight of Sophia, with the arrival of Maya, who''s a decent cook, the food selection and quality had grown considerably. "Well then," After they finished eating, Sophia got up with a satisfied expression. "I''ll get the bath ready." "Okay!" Maya stood up as well for some reason. "Ah, I''lle with you." "Eh? Why?" "I want to see how you build it." "Sure? It''s quite boring, though." "I don''t mind." Decided on going together, the two looked for a suitable ce, and Sophia began preparing her magic to build it. "Any wishes before I begin, Maya?" "Hmm," She tilted her head. "I want a bigger bath!" "That''s no problem. What size do you want it to be?" "Let''s see¡­" The cat-girl paused. "Big enough for two people to get in without it feeling cramped, I guess?" "I can do that- Eh? W-Why are you using such a¡­ s-specific way for d-describing the size?" Sophia had a very bad premonition about this situation. "Because it has to fit two people, of course." "Y-You-, You don''t mean what I t-think you mean, right¡­?" Cold sweat appeared all over her body. "Yes, we''re going to take a bath together." Maya spoke like it was a matter of course for her. "No!" Sophia instantly refused. It was an impossible task for her. "Yes." "No!" "Yes." "No!" "Yes." "No!" "Yes." "Absol-." She was interrupted by the cat-girl in the middle. "Remember the requests, no, rewards I earned?" "A-Ah!" Sophia fell silent. "I''m going to use one on that." She seemed determined. "B-But, aren''t there any b-better things for you to request¡­ instead of b-bathing together?" "None that I can think of, or want to." "I-Is there really n-nothing else, like¡­ anything? Is this r-really happening? S-Seriously¡­?" Sophia was panicking and negotiating at the same time. "So, as I said, make it big enough to fit two people~." Maya answered her bypletely ignoring the girl. "Uuh¡­" With tears in her eyes, Sophia started working on the extrarge bath for the two of them. "So, this is how my life in a different world is going to end, huh?" Being sure she''ll die of a severe case of cardiac arrest in the very near future because there''s no way her heart''s going to survive such a situation, she mumbled thesest words to herself. Chapter 38 – Pushy cat-girl Chapter 38 ¨C Pushy cat-girl Sophia was currently in a big pinch. Maya had imed the first of her rewards, and she started with an outrageous one. At least in her eyes. Having requested to take a bath together, she was confident that she''s not going to survive, surely dying from embarrassment or other, more conflicting feelings. Still, as she had promised the cat-girl, there wasn''t much to be done about the situation because she had a high sense of duty in that regard. Going back on her word wasn''t her style. No matter how much she wanted to. "Uuh, are we really d-doing this?" Sophia nced at thepleted bath that looked more like a hot-spring bath now because she made it really big, trying to get as much space between the two as possible before getting back to the cat-girl. "Yes." A lively answer came in return. "F-Fine¡­" Resigning herself, she gave up. "Good girl." Maya praised her. "B-But, I''ll go into the water first, o-okay?!" She had onest request. "You can¡­ f-follow afterward." "Ehh? Let''s go in together~." "P-Please let me at least have this!" She was practically begging at this point. "Can''t be helped, huh? Okay, I''ll wait exactly two minutes. Not a second longer, got it?" "Pushy Maya¡­ N-Not sure if I''m a fan." Voicing a weakint, Sophia disappeared into the bath and quickly undressed there. Then, the girl entered the huge, almost hot-spring-like tub and made herself small while hiding in a corner. Mostly submerged in the water, Sophia faced one of the walls, not wanting to see anything else. "I''m g-d she''s unconsciously helping me out, b-but... her attack-power is way too high for the current me. I want to get better at it already!" "Ohh~, you really outdid yourself." Another voice entered the bath after a while. Soon, the rustling sound of clothes being taken off could be heard. "Uuh¡­" She tightly shut her eyes before feeling that someone had entered the water she was in. "You sure are a shy one." Maya got herselffortable and rxed. "Haa, so nice." "I-It can''t be h-helped, okay?!" She tried to exin herself. "T-That''s the first time I''ve ever done s-something like taking a bath with anyone else¡­" Sophia still refused to look her way while admitting so. "You never took a bath with friends?" "B-Before that, I can barely even remember the time I had friends in the first ce¡­" "Ah," Maya didn''t know what to say. "S-Sorry¡­" "No, it''s fine, I guess. It was mostly my own f-fault because of my¡­ c-circumstances, after all¡­ S-So, I''m sorry about reacting in such a w-weird way in this situation¡­" Sophia had a rare clear moment and came up with a somewhat solid excuse. "Don''t worry about it." Maya started to feel guilty about bringing it up. "Still, won''t you face me at least? Even if you''re embarrassed, which I can understand now, this makes it even more awkward¡­ Don''t you think so, too?" "¡­" She remained silent for a while. Eventually, Sophia then slowly turned around to face the cat-girl. Her eyes remained shut, though. "Oh, you''re actually not quite as slender when not wearing clothes." Maya was intently checking her out. "They''re bigger than I thought." "Hey!" Sophia sprang up and looked angry. "Noments on that, okay?!" Her biggest regret whening to this world was getting a body that hadn''t yet developed to the point she wants it to. It especially weighed down on her ever since bing aware that it''ll take a literal eternity to get bigger because she most likely doesn''t age much, if at all. "T-Touchy subject, huh? Don''t worry about it, you look great. Also, you''ll probably grow another bit in theing year or two. Well, unless you''re like me, whose body stopped growing for some reason." "Please stop¡­" Because she took even more damage from the cat-girl''s prediction, Sophia missed thepliment she had thrown in it. "But like I said, y-you do have a great figure regardless!" Maya could effortlessly tell because Sophia was currently presenting herself in full view after standing up out of the water in her fit of anger. "U-Uuh¡­" She finally realized that she was standing stark naked in front of the cat-girl and quickly submerged herself again while turningpletely red. "I-I mean it, okay?" She, too, got a bit flustered. "T-Thank you¡­ but," Sophia finally managed to take a peek at Maya and almost choked. Her glistening wet skin, the slightly flushed face. The snow-white and damp hair sticking to her body and face, together with her equally white cat ears, which seemed to sparkle from the droplets of water clinging to the fluff inside. The waterline partially distorted it, but she could still make out the girl''s figure, and she liked what she was seeing and was terribly jealous and couldn''t look away. Her emotions about the view were all over the ce. Unconsciously taking a longer than appropriate nce at her chest area, Sophia managed to stop herself before her line of sight began to wander further south. Feeling guilty, she looked away from her. "Hmm~?" Maya developed a grin. "Just where were you looking? Enjoying the view?" She didn''t fail to miss the girl''s suspicious acting. It''s basically impossible not to notice those gazes after all. "N-No, that''s n-not¡­" She turned even redder and was unable to give a proper answer. "Oh, so you aren''t, huh? I was kinda proud of my figure, though." It was near impossible to tell whether she was serious or teasing the girl. "E-Eh? That''s not what I, huh?" Sophia stopped in the middle of her sentence. "I-Is there a right a-answer¡­ I can give here?" She felt cornered and looked troubled. "Who knows~." The cat-girl was having her fun. "Uuh¡­" Sophia had turned aroundpletely again to hide once more. She couldn''t deal with it anymore. As much as she wanted to, the current her went already way past her limits. "Ah, you''ve stopped facing me again!" "W-Whose fault do you t-think that is?!" "Yours?" "T-That''s¡­ not the m-main reason here!" She had to pause for a moment. "Hehe¡­ Well, if that''s how it is," Maya''s grin became even more mischievous. She got closer to the embarrassed girl and wrapped her arms around Sophia''s waist from behind. Pulling her close, the cat-girl''s front came in contact with the other''s back before she ced her head on Sophia''s shoulder to rest it there. "E-Eek!" She made a pathetic scream before her entire body tensed up. "W-W-What are you¡­ d-doing, Maya?!" She''d gone useless in an instant. "Just some skinship." "S-Skinship?" Unfortunately, Sophia was slowly regaining the feeling in her back after going into shock for a moment. She became fully aware of Maya''s naked body pressing against her. She was feeling various things she had nevere in contact with from another girl, especially in such close proximity as skin to skin. In short, her brain overloaded. "¡­" Unable to say anything, she was at theplete mercy of the cat-girl. "That much ispletely normal between friends." "¡­" It took her a whole minute to reply. Her theoretical knowledge made her doubtful, but there was little she could say as she had no practical experience. "I-Is-, Is that so?" "A-Absolutely, yes." Maya''s voice cracked, but Sophia''s mind was in no position to notice this, let alone react. "¡­" She closed her eyes and tried everything to calm down even a tiny amount, somehow being able to deal with this situation in some way. --- "H-Huh?" She didn''t know how much time had passed since she tried to get used to the new feelings, sensations, it felt like quite a while, but when Sophia opened her eyes again, she wasn''t in the bath anymore. This caused her a significant amount of confusion. Looking around, the girl saw the campfire and spotted Fen sitting next to it. "E-Eh?" She also noticed that she was lying down close to the ground, based on her low point of view, but she felt strangelyfortable. Having a bad feeling about this, Sophia wriggled her head around, bing more aware of the soft surface shey on. ncing towards it, she finally noticed that she was resting her head on a pair of legs. Gorgeous legs, she added in her mind. "Err," Slowly, and even more awkwardly, the girl turned her head in the other direction, looking upward. There, she quickly managed to form eye contact with Maya, owner of these legs. "Oh, you''ve finally woken up, huh?" She smiled at her. "Eh? W-What happened?" Sophia was clearly confused. "That''s a good question. You stopped responding to me at some point, and then I noticed that you were out cold. It was quite the ordeal to get you out of the bath, and here, I''ll let you know." "S-Sorry¡­ Wait, t-that means-" She looked down at herself in a fluster and noticed that she was fully dressed. "Uurgh¡­ T-Thank you very m-much." Swallowing her embarrassment as much as she could, Sophia managed to thank her. "Well, that part wasn''t so bad~." She let out a short giggle. "Really, what happened? Did the heat get to you?" "Uhh," Not wanting to admit that some sort of heat indeed got to her, she kept it vague. "M-Might be¡­" "You''re such a piece of work, Sophia." "Ahaha." With a dryugh, she couldn''t exactly disagree and tried to get up from Maya''sp, but she wasn''t allowed to leave this embarrassing position. "Stay put, girl." She, not so, gently pressed her head down again, smooshing it into her thighs. "Rx a little longer and recover, okay?" Despite her wording, it wasn''t a question. "B-But¡­" While Sophia was indeed feelingfortable, the sensation made her unable to recover, or rx, for that matter. The feeling of the cat-girl''sp was too intense to let her calm down. "No buts!" "Uuh¡­" It didn''t feel like she could win against Maya. "Good." Seeing that she had stopped struggling, she started to pet Sophia''s head as a reward while her tail was happily swishing around from side to side behind her. "¡­" Sophia felt like she was about to pass out again because her brain was working way too hard right now. Still, the petting felt really nice, making her have very conflicting feelings about the situation. She remained silent while thinking about her boosts, which seemed to bepletely useless right now. Ignoring the part where getting ap pillow by a beautiful girl would''ve been entirely impossible for her in the previous world. "I hope you''ll hold out better tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" She was confused. "Hmm? Did you think the bathing arrangement was a one-time deal? Nonono, that would be way too little of a request, right? It''s going to be our new daily routine." Maya was still smiling at her, but the other girl felt ever so slightly intimidated. "W-W-What?!" In shock, Sophia tried to get up again but still wasn''t allowed to do so. "W-We''re going to d-do that¡­ every day now?! T-That''s impossible!" "Why not?" "¡­" There was no way she could answer. "Is there something about me that makes you don''t want to?" "T-That''s not it!" Sophia was the problem, not the cat-girl. In a way, she was really grateful to her and also enjoyed it. It just was too much for her current self to deal with. "Great! It''s decided then." "Uuhh¡­" Losing the little strength she had left, Sophia had no idea how she was going to survive in the future. She nced at Fen, seeking help, but he simply turned his head away. It was obvious that the wolf didn''t want to get caught in between them. "Now, be a good girl and rx." Maya increased her patting frequency as she said so. "E-Easier said than done¡­" Sophia squirmed around for a little while but ultimately settled down on herp before long. Definitely having taken a liking to the head-pats, she also didn''t seem to be that distressed anymore, either. Being able to calm down appeared to be impossible for her, though. Or so Sophia thought, at least. By the time Maya began to y around with the girl''s hair, a small yawn had escaped her lips before closing her eyes, seeming to be finallyfortable with the situation. That, or her brain turned off. "Good." Maya showed a gentle smile as she looked down and noticed that the girl in herp stopped shifting around nervously and had calmed down. Upon closer inspection, she noticed even more. "Ah, she''s fallen asleep¡­ So much for that. This girl sure is all over the ce." "I have the feeling that''s mostly thanks to you, though." Fen suspiciously eyed her. "Ahaha." "So, what are you nning, cat?" The wolf felt like Maya had some sort of ulterior motive with how she was acting. And so, once the person of interest had fallen asleep, he tried to find out what was going on. He enjoyed Sophia''spany, and so he wanted to protect her. Not that he would ever admit this to the girl in question. Chapter 39 – Nosy wolf Chapter 39 ¨C Nosy wolf Sophia had fallen asleep on Maya''sp after a long and exhausting day, mainly caused by the owner of saidp. Once they were on their own, Fen became curious about why the cat-girl was so pushy today and confronted her. "So, what are you nning, girl?" The wolf repeated himself while looking at Maya, who was still ying around with the sleeping girl''s hair. "Hmm, good question¡­" "Don''t try to avoid the subject now." He red at her. "I-It''s nothing bad, okay?" She felt slightly intimidated. "What am I doing? Some kind of brute-force attack, I guess?" "Brute-force?" "Shock therapy? No, that doesn''t quite fit¡­ Or does it? Trying to overload her in a controlled situation? Ah, that might be a better fit¡­ If she can be controlled, that is." She was trying to find a fitting description. "You don''t know yourself?" "I know what I want, but¡­ Wait, do I?" She took another peek at Sophia peacefully sleeping in herp. "Ignoring her anger and whatnot outbreaks, she seems to have a problem interacting with people, does she not? Getting really flustered over nothing. She even told me she hadn''t had any friends¡­ Is that really true?" "Yes." So he had heard from the girl, at least. "Sophia doesn''t look like it at first nce, but she used to be a shy and introverted girl. She was more or less always alone beforeing here. Stuff happened with that part of her past, and she became somewhat friendly with others or sociable. At least on the surface. Her mind still has its problems with keeping up." "I see. It actually makes sense in some weird way. Her personality really falls apart the moment I push her just a little tiny bit, after all." "I think your definition of alittle or tinyisn''t the same as mine, though." "Minor details~. Still, I don''t really get what exactly is going on, but this girl went through some stuff, huh?" She ced a hand on Sophia''s head and gently rubbed it a bit. "Hrmng¡­" The petted girl stirred a little but didn''t wake up. "You have no idea." "I have the urge to help her, and I wanted her to break out of her shell by doing what I did today¡­ Was that maybe a mistake?" Maya looked back at her pushiness. "Hmm, I think the idea itself is not bad, but you came in way too fast and strong. I''m certain you already helped her a ton. She changed a lot since meeting you two weeks ago. For the better, I want to add." "Really?" "Yes, you are good for her, but I don''t know what happens if you push her toomuch in that regard. I would be careful about that." The wolf wasn''t sure what Sophia would do if her shyness getsoverboosted,or perhaps even some other, morefeelings. "Okay, I''ll try to hold myself back a little then." Maya actually looked a bit disappointed. "That''s a wise choice. Still-" Fen stared at her. "W-What?" "Why are you doing this?" "Why, you ask?" The cat-girl tilted her head. "I like helping people? Aside from maybe Masi. Anyway, uhh, Sophia''s really interesting, and I just want to? Ignoring her power that made me want toe with her, something about this girl draws me to her. Now that we''ve spent some time together, more than ever. I really enjoy being with her, she''s a lot of fun. That''s why I want to help her out with whatever she''s dealing with." "I see. Though, is trying to help her really all you intend with your approach?" "What do you¡­ mean?" Maya stuttered over her answer. "Girl, are you-" The wolf tried to imply something. "Shh¡­" Maya put a finger on her lips and stopped him, not wanting to hear whatever he nned to say. "I won''t say I never got a little curious or appreciated the looks of someone, but... All I really ever cared for was magic and fighting." "Very rtable." Fen lived a simr lifestyle. "I have a lot of friends and care about them. I liked spending time with them, but I can''t say I ever wished to be closer with any of them." "Mh-hmm." "Sophia''s changed¡­ is changing something about me in that regard. I kinda want to stay next to her, but-" "But?" "She''s the most¡­interesting person I ever met, after all, but¡­ I have no idea in what way, and what that entails yet, either. Everything is happening so fasttely that I have no time to sit down and think about it. I''m not sure if I even want to... I only know her for not even two weeks now... It makes no sense." "Does it matter how long you two were together?" "Yes. No! Maybe? I don''t know!" The cat-girl couldn''t decide. "Let''s not talk about that anymore, okay?" "Hmm," Fen took a nce at her nervously twitching tail and granted her request. "Whatever you want." "Thanks¡­ I''m getting tired, anyway. How about we call it a day?" Maya didn''t feel like continuing a conversation about something she doesn''t understand herself. "This might be for the best." "Good- Ah." She looked down at herp, where Sophia was still sleeping and found herself in a bit of a bind. "I don''t want to wake her up, but sleeping without any support is hard, even for me." She stretched out her back to bring the point across. "What should I do now?" "Ahh, I guess it can''t be helped." Fen stood up, walked around the campfire, andid himself down right behind the cat-girl. "Will that work for you?" "Sorry, and thanks." Maya let herself fall back a bit and used the side of the wolf''s body as a support for her back. "It''s fine." "I understand why Sophia likes this so much now. You''re prettyfortable, Fen." "Not happy, not apliment." Having finished their talk and found a sleeping position that worked for everyone, they finally ended the day, having a somewhat slow start on the following one. ------------ "Haaa~. Hrng¡­" Sophia let out a prolonged yawn and stretched herself a little, but it was of no use. Without even opening her eyes, she nuzzled her head against thepillow again. "Soofy!" "Why, thank you." "¡­" Cold sweat immediately appeared on her forehead. Gingerly, she used her hands to pat all over herpillow, and the bad feeling got worse. Giving it a good squeeze, or three, Sophia became aware that it was indeed not a pillow she was resting on but a pair of legs after the fifth squeeze. They felt very pleasant to the touch, that''s why she ended it squeezing them two more times on top, but those definitely didn''t belong to her. Slowly opening her eyes, they met Mayas, the actual owner of these legs. "Good morning, sleepyhead." The cat-girl gave her a light greeting. "M-Moring¡­ So, it wasn''t a d-dream, huh?" Sophia still seemed to be rather sleepy. "Slept well? How was myp? Comfortable?" "N-No," She reacted on instinct but then managed to take herself a heart and tried to be a little honest. "Y-Yes, very¡­" The brute-force method of the cat-girl might be promising. "Good~." Maya liked the answer. "It''s all yours to use." She was in a good mood. "T-Thanks, I''m good." She was certain it would be bad for her mental health. "Ehh?!" That answer, she didn''t like very much. "Haaa¡­" Yawning again, Sophia ignored herints and finally found the motivation to leave the cat-girl''sp. She got up before stretching herself some more to fight her fatigue and drowsiness. "Oh, you used Fen to sleep, huh?" She only now noticed the wolf rxing behind them. "Good morning." He greeted her. "She didn''t want to wake you by moving, so I offered my services instead." "A-Ah, thanks." "E-Eh? O-Ouch!" While the two were talking, Maya suddenly yelped out, getting their attention. "W-What are you¡­ doing?" Sophia saw that the girl had fallen over and dived her nose headfirst deep into the ground. "Uuuh, I can''t feel my legs¡­" Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes once she dusted off her face before she fruitlessly tried to stand up again. "Ahh." She felt strangely responsible for the mess, not that it was her fault. "Help me up!" The cat-girl lifted her arms. "S-Sure¡­" Sophia grabbed her hands, gently pulled her up, and waited until she was somewhat able to stand on her own. "Pfft!" She tried her best to hold back herughter while watching the newborn fawn that was barely able to do so, wobbling all over the ce. "D-Don''tugh!" The cat-girl looked like she was about to fall over again, trying her best not to do so. "I-I''m trying to, b-but you just look way too funny!" She had a lot of fun with the situation. "You! Okay, let''s change positions tonight and see how you fare tomorrow!" "Yeah, no, let''s not do that." Sophia didn''t think she would able to deal with such a high-level task. "Tch! It was worth a try." Maya was recovering quite fast. "Sure was." She yed along. "So, anyway, what are we doing today? Except that, of course." "Hmm, you''re not in a hurry to reach the capital, right?" "Not at all. Why are you asking?" "Is it okay if we stay here for a while? I wanted to train my newly learned water magic and test some things out. I think this ce is perfect for that." Maya pointed at the hugeke right next to them. "Oh, that might not be a bad idea. Maybe I''ll do the same because I had some interesting ideas." "You''re staying with me!" She sounded extremely serious all of a sudden. "No solo trips for you anymore! Especially if you mention interesting ideas!" "F-Fine, let''s do it together¡­" Sophia felt that there was no room for negotiations here. Not that she minds spending time with Maya. Besides the mental strain, that is. "What about you, Fen?" "I have some things on my own that I want to test. Don''t mind about me." "Alright. Shall we go then, Maya?" "Yeah, let''s." Having decided on their n for the day, the girls left the camp after getting ready and walked over to the nearbyke to y around with water-based magic. ---------------- "Is there anything specific you want to learn?" "Hmm," The cat-girl intently stared at the water. "Yeah, something I can use as an attack. I want to get much stronger, after all!" "Drowning your enemy in a giant ball of water would be quite effective, I assume. Ah, just the head would probably enough, would it not?" "You''re quite¡­ extreme." Maya wasn''t the biggest fan of the idea. "I do like your enthusiasm, though." "Hehe, what about¡­ water des? Basically, just like the wind ones, but made out of, well, water." "Oh, that doesn''t sound half bad. I''ll give it a try!" This seemed like a much more feasible attack to her. "Okay, then I''ll go-" She turned to the side but didn''t make it far. "You''ll stay right next to me!" Maya didn''t give her a chance to run away and do something outrageous on her own again. "You can do whatever you wanted right here." "Fine¡­" She looked a little pouty. "What were you nning in the first ce?" "No idea." She was being obstinate just because she wanted to. "Ehh, then don''t be like that!" The cat-girlined about her unreasonableness. "I always get the best ideas when I''m just ying around without a goal." "I see. I''m sure you can do that just fine within my reach as well." "Probably, yeah." "Good." Having sessfully put a restriction on the walking catastrophe called Sophia, Maya started thinking about a way to learn the previously suggested water des. At the same time, the other girl began to suspiciously eye theke''s water surface, trying to think about something interesting to y with. Chapter 40 – Half-baked magic Chapter 40 ¨C Half-baked magic Maya had gone to theke next to the group''s campground to train her water magic. As Sophia wasn''t allowed to go out on her own anymore because this usually ends up in some sort of disaster, she tagged along. "Eh? How do I use water magic again?" The cat-girl had already forgotten how she managed to do it thest time. "You sure are hopeless, huh?" "..." She red at Sophia. "Okay, I''ll figure it out on my own!" The remark had rubbed her the wrong way. "Really? Okay, great." Sophia focused her attention on theke again and concentrated on its water surface. "Hmm," Maya wondered about the suspiciousck of a reaction. "You''re nning something, aren''t you?" "Just a little something. I have an idea but yet to flesh out the details... Anyway, don''t mind me." "S-Should I be worried?" She already was. "Not at all. It''s perfectly safe. Probably..." "Worried, it is!" Maya definitely had a bad feeling now. "Don''t worry about it and focus on your water des." "F-Fine." She tried to concentrate on it for a couple of minutes but ended up ncing at Sophia all the time. "Okay, just do it already! I absolutely can''t focus on my training otherwise." "You sure are demanding today. Well, whatever... Have you ever heard of surface tension?" "What''s that?" "Hmm," Sophia pointed at theke. "Ah, do you see how those insects are floating on the water?" "Yes?" "That''s not only because those insects are really light. That''s important, but the main reason is the surface tension and how they distribute their weight over their long legs. The water... particles form strong bonds which are hard to break. Well, in rtive terms, of course. This causes those insects to stay on the surface without sinking. That''s also why drops of water are rounded when they fall. The water wants to say together... Roughly speaking, that is." "Okay?" The cat-girl wasn''t exactly sure she understood what Sophia meant as she tilted her head while her tail also resembled a question mark. "Long story short, I want to walk on water." She wasn''t entirely sure what she was talking about, either. "Huh? That''s too short of an exnation... Wait, are you serious?!" "I always am!" "That''s rather doubtful... At least, I hope." Maya was confident in saying that the girl''s joking around most of the time. "Do you really want to walk on water?" "That was the n. Sounds fun, doesn''t it?" "It does, sure... but is there any reason for it?" "Being fun is the only reason I need." "Right... So, what are you going to do? If you''re telling me that you can use magic to make yourself lighter to help not breaking this surface tension thingy, I''m going to get angry." The cat-girl had an intense look. "You''re going to teach me that right now and here!" "Why would you need something like that?" "That doesn''t matter! Every girl would kill for such magic!" "You might have a point there." Sophia instinctively felt agreeing to her im. "Not that you need it, though." An image of yesterday''s bathing disaster flew through her head as she turned red. "Y-You look perfect... Ah-." This definitely wasn''t the word she wanted to use. Or nned to say out loud at least. "T-Thank you very much..." Maya got a bit embarrassed, as well. "S-So, is that what you''re nning?" "N-Not at all." She was happy the topic wasn''t picked up. "I''m going to mess with the surface tension of the water, making it way stronger." "I really don''t get it, after all, but okay." "Ahaha, I actually don''t entirely understand it myself, but that never stopped me before." Sophia was d that magic in this world was rtively forgiving so that she could scrape by with her superficial knowledge of most of these things. "So, what do you have to do?" "Ehm, imagine the water surface as strong, and hope for the best?" "That''s some half-bakedness if I ever saw one. Does it really work that way? I feel stupid for always putting so much work into my magic." "No, putting work into it definitely is the better approach. I probably wouldn''t have stopped time on ident if I were a little more diligent... brr..." Sophia shivered, just remembering the incident. "Well, I''m not the type for that, though." "You sure aren''t." "Alright, let''s give it a try!" Sophia approached theke and kneeled down to touch the water. "Okay, hard water surface... strong enough to withstand a person!" Mumbling about her ideas while trying new magic for the first time, as usual, Sophia poured her magic power into it once she had a good enough image in her head. "A-Ah." Looking at theke, she quickly noticed that she might''ve made a slight mistake. "You-, You''ve frozen theke, Sophia..." Maya, too, looked at the sparkly, frozen-up mass of water, or rather, ice now. "I don''t think that''s what you wanted to do, right?" "Err," The culprit scratched her cheek. "Oops." "That''s not the reaction you should have." "Ahaha! S-So, how do you like my demonstration on how putting work into your magic is important?" "You don''t honestly think I would believe that, right?" Maya just stared at her with a disapproving expression. "I-It was worth a try." "That''s fair." "Well, I did imagine a hard water surface, capable of people to walk on... That''s pretty much ice, isn''t it? I definitely did that one way too half-heartedly." "I got to admit that it''s pretty impressive, regardless." "Yeah, I did a solid job here." "Pun intended?" "L-Let''s say... yes." Sophia awkwardly turned her head away. "Yeah, we''ll leave it at that." "Thank you very much. Okay then, let''s give it a try." She took a cautious step forwards and entered the ice. "Seems like it''s really thick enough to walk on." "You don''t believe theke''s frozen solid, right? Like, all the way to the ground?" "Well, I used my magic on the surface, so... I don''t think, uhh, hope so." Sophia wasn''t entirely sure. "You''ll have killed a lot of fish if not." "That''s true. Hmm..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Yeah, it''s fine. I can still detect some fish, so they''re alive. Ah, want to try fishing for one as lunch? I''ve heard about ice fishing before, and it seemed a little fun." "We can?" "Should be doable, if-" She stopped mid-sentence and looked at the cat-girl. "Maya, what''s your opinion on eating fish?" She knew that actual cats loved to eat fish, but for cat-beastpeople, it might be a different story. "I like them?" She just tilted her head, not understanding what she was going for. "Not my absolute favorite, but they can be quite delicious." "O-Okay." "Sure?'''' She still didn''t understand her. "Let''s find a good spot." Together with the other girl, Sophia walked towards the middle of the frozenke, but she suddenly stopped while looking down. "Uhh, any interest in¡­ frozen fish?" She pointed at the ice, where a group of fish was frozen solid in. "Looks like there were some casualties." "Well, they''re still fresh, I guess?" Maya looked a bit awkward. "We shouldn''t waste it, right?" "That''s true." Frozen fish wasn''t anything new to her, so she didn''t mind. However, it was slightly different from what she usually got from the supermarket in her old world. "How do we get them out, though?" "What would you do, Maya?" "Eh? Let''s see..." She gave it some thought. "Maybe melt the ice until we can reach them?" "Sure, give it a try." "What?! Me?'''' Maya was surprised. "Okay." "Oh, but don''t overdo it. Else, we''ll end up taking a swim in ice water. Personally, I can do without that." "Nice, I love it when there''s no pressure! Ah, l just had an idea." The cat-girl concentrated on the area around the frozen fish. A little whileter, a ring of fire appeared around them and melted its way into the ice. After the mes died down, a perfect circle had been cut into the ice, separating the block of fish from the rest. "That was the beginning of your fire tornado, wasn''t it?" Sophia thought she had seen this magic before. "Yes, or chantless version of my trap? Well, I thought the ring would be quite fitting for separating the ice." She looked proud. "Yep, good job." Sophia liked her approach. "I''ll take over then." While looking at the separate piece of ice, she used water-based magic to pull it up. Once it was high enough, the girl pushed it out of the crater Maya had created. "Let''s bring it tond." "Yes." They pushed the block of frozen fish towards the shore and left it there. "What now? Thaw and grill them?" "Sounds like a n to me. I prefer an actual campfire, so let''s gather some wood." Having agreed on that, the two quickly gathered everything for the fire and got back to the block of ice. Using a little magic, Sophia freed the fish before Maya got them ready. Grilling them on a stick over an open fire got them done in no time. "Well, that was some unexpected way to have lunch, not that I''mining." Maya marveled at the way the two had acquired their food. "Life''s full of surprises." "No kidding!" Maya wholeheartedly agreed, especially thest two weeks were just one big surprise after another. Once the two had eaten their surprisingly delicious meal, the cat-girl wanted to continue training her water magic, namely learning the water des she wanted to before. "Want some help now?" "Well, sure, why not." She had gotten less stubborn after eating. "Great." Sophia thought about a good way to teach her. "Oh, how about this!" Thinking that showing her would be the best starting point, she did just that. Creating a ball of water in the air, she slowly formed it into a thinyer by shaving off the sides, somehow resembling a de. "Hmm," Maya tried to copy her. She managed to create her own water sphere but forming it into a de caused the cat-girl some difficulties. Once Sophia showed it to her some more times, she was finally able to do so. Afterward, it was just a matter of shooting it at a high enough speed. Using some innocent trees as a training target, Maya got the hang of it after about an hour or two. "Good job." Sophia praised her once she saw the cat-girl had sessfully learned her new attack magic. "Yeah, it actually wasn''t as hard as I thought it would going to be. Thanks for teaching me." Maya sounded grateful. "Hehe, you''re wee. How about we go back to the camp? It''s starting to gette after all." She looked at the sun that had begun to set. "That''s a good idea. I could also need a bath after all the training I had, so let''s hurry with that. Not to mention that the area around theke got rather cold for some reason. Warming up in a bath sounds great." "..." Sophia also froze up. "Come on, let''s go already!" Maya grabbed the petrified girl''s hand and dragged her back to the camp while being in a cheery mood. Chapter 41 – Making Maya cry Chapter 41 ¨C Making Maya cry After Maya had sessfully learned her new water des attack magic, she felt the need to take a bath. Knowing what that would entail, Sophia began to panic about having to do that together with her again. Still, even though she was tricked into it by the crafty cat-girl, a promise was a promise. Comining about it was fair game to her, but backing out of it was not an option. "..." Walking past Fen, who was taking a nap in their camp without a care in the world, Sophia was bing more and more nervous the closer the two girls got to the bath. "Uuh..." The fact that the two were still holding hands didn''t help, either. "Want to go in before me again?" "Yes, p-please!" "Okay, you have two minutes." Maya wasn''t giving her much time to mentally prepare herself. "..." She quickly disappeared into the bath and got herself ready by undressing and hiding in a corner in the water, just like thest time. "Ah, that again, huh?" Maya had entered as well and was watching the cowering girl. She went into the water and got closer to Sophia but stopped before making actual contact. "Turning around is not an option?" "N-Not yet." "What about a hug, then?" "I-Impossible!" Sophia immediately shot her down. "Aww," Slightly disappointed, Maya turned around and sat down. Stretching herself a bit while being submerged, she then leaned backward and used Sophia''s back as a support. "A-Ah!" She tensed up for a moment when their backs came in contact but somehow managed to deal with the sensation. "I-Is that s-skinship as well?" "Sure is!" "I-I see..." Having no experience, she simply had to believe the cat-girl. "Is it bad?" She tried to be less pushy today. "N-No... Not exactly, I think? I-I just need more-, a lot more time to get u-used to it..." She spoke very slowly not to choke on her own words. "Okay, great." Maya was happy that she made some sort of progress. Afterward, the two girls enjoyed each other''spany while leaning their backs against each other. Resting while being wrapped in the warmth of not only the water but also the other girl. "..." Sophia tried her best to stay calm, and conscious.While she did like the feeling and thepany, the atmosphere made it impossible for her mind to be calm. "Say, won''t you tell me a little more about you?" The cat-girl spoke in a calm tone without turning to face the person in question. "Uhh..." She didn''t see that requesting. "You don''t want to?" Maya shifted around a bit, causing the other girl to squirm as their naked backs rubbed against each other in the bath. "N-No, it''s not that. D-Do you want to know anything s-specific?" She was already doing her best not to be overwhelmed by everything. Her brain was fully focused on the current situation while trying her best to get used to it. Having a deep conversation was a tough order. Then again, talking about something might divert her attention to something else. "Anything is fine, really." "Hmm, my background''s, like, super cplicated. I would prefer not to talk about it right now..." "O-Of course!" The cat-girl had her own theory of her upbringing already, so that was fine for her. "Same goes for the source or my magic, as they''re rted to each other..Some other things are going on with me, but honestly, I''m still trying to understand those myself... Exining that is rather difficult." Sophia paused for a moment. "Sorry for being so secretive..." "Nono, it''s absolutely fine!" She really didn''t want to push her. In that regard, at least. Being shy and actually ufortable with something was a noticeable difference. "Oh, how about that?" It seems like she finally found something to talk about. "Maya, you told me that you''re older than you look, right?" "I-I did, yes." "How old were you again?" Sophia forgot the exact number. "I-l''ve turned... 22 a little while ago." She still seemed to be embarrassed about admitting her actual age. "We''re... rather simr in that aspect." "Huh?" "We not only look simr in age, we basically are." She paused for another moment. "Actually, I''m even a year older than you..." "R-Really? So you are 23, then?" "Yes... that''s what I am." She, too, wasn''t readily admitting so. It was still very young regardless, but it was a matter of principle. "Is that so? Ehehe, I''m happy that I''m not alone!" She seemed truly d. "Thank goodness my gut feeling was right!" "What do you mean?" "Well, it felt like you were older, and I was confident about it, but if you actually were only 15 in the end... That would be kinda-" She wasn''t sure how to finish her sentence. "Ah, I know what you mean. You being older than you look was the main reason I let youe with us back then. Traveling together with a girl much younger would''ve been way too much of a responsibility and didn''t feel right to me." "Y-Yeah, that..." "There''s more about my age, though." Sophia took a deep breath before continuing. "Fen told me that only recently, but it seems that I age very... extremely slowly, if at all, and it has a reason... Fen himself doesn''t age, either." "W-What reason?" Maya didn''t see this turn of eventsing. "Before that, it''s most likely the same reason why your age doesn''t match up, either. Do you really want to know?" "Err," Feeling that the conversation had turned serious, the cat-girl felt awkward having this talk in a bath, naked, and with their bare backs touching. Even so, she got a bit concerned now, as this seemingly heavy topic suddenly involved her as well. Having someone, quite literally, support her back calmed the cat-girl a good bit. "G-Go on, please..." "Okay. ording to Fen, your life expectancy is directly rted to your magic power, and you basically stop aging once you reach a certain age. As Fen and I have such a ridiculous amount of it, we might don''t... die... Fen''s actually very old." "W-What?!" She was obviously shocked. "And... your magic power, Maya, is off the charts, as well. Combined with how your looks differ from your actual age, there''s a high chance that the same logic applies to you..." "Me... immortal...?" "I''m not entirely sure if it''s to that extent for you, but there''s the possibility..." "T-That-" Unable to put her emotions into words, the cat-girl stopped after a single word. "Maya?" She was concerned about herck of reaction. "..." No response came. It was too much for her. "Are-, Are you alright?" "*sniff*" A faint crying sound was the only thing that could be heard from the cat-girl after a while. "W-Wha-?!" Sophia was unable to deal with many situations, but dealing with a crying girl topped everything. "Err, w-what do I do now?! Uuh..." Panicking, she stopped resting against Maya''s back and turned around. Realizing that she was indeed quietly sobbing, something took over Sophia, and she reacted on instinct alone. Wrapping her arms around the cat-girl''s waist, she pulled her close and tightly hugged her from behind. Sophia was sure she would, at best,st four seconds before she died from embarrassment. The feeling of their naked bodies pressed together, especially since she was the one who initiated it, was putting an extreme amount of strain on her mind. Still, she did her best to endure it because her embarrassment wasn''t of importance right now. All that mattered was to calm down the crying girl in front of her. "S-Sophia?" Even in her current state, this managed to surprise her. "S-Sorry... I had no idea w-what else to do! You probably don''t like it... right? Y-Yeah, I''ll l-let go-" "N-No." Maya quickly ced her arms on top of Sophia''s, which wrapped around her waist, making her unable to let go of the girl. "Please-, Please stay like that just a little longer." "O-Okay..." It was impossible to deny the request. "Thank you." The cat-girl wiggled around a bit until she found afortable spot between Sophia''s legs before gently pressing her body more against the other girl''s chest. "..." Sophia went silent, trying her best to stay conscious in this situation. She had fainted before for much less already, after all. "Sorry... for losing my cool." She suddenly apologized. "I don''t know, but being told that you''re most likely immortal, that''s... scary. Unbelievably scary... It seems like I couldn''t help but... cry." It was too much for Maya to deal with. "No, I can understand you. Well, I was too shocked to properly process it when Fen told me. Still, it is... a really scary and terrifying concept, immortality..." Sophia unconsciously gave Maya a slight squeeze. "Yeah..." Noticing her restlessness, the cat-girl gently returned the squeeze. "At least we''re not alone. I had Fen with me before, and now I got anotherrade. I would''ve gone insane if I were the only one!" "Yes, that would be extremely lonely..." Maya felt herself agreeing. "Oh, does that mean we''ll be together forever?" "T-That''s!" Sophia choked on her own words, thanks to the cat-girl''s usual ambiguity. "W-Well, in a sense... that might be the case, I guess? Only if that''s what you want, though, of course..." She wasn''t even sure what she was talking about anymore. "I don''t think anyone could bear with me for long¡­ let alone eternity, though." "Ehehe~." She sounded happy and yfully wiggled her body around, rubbing against Sophia. "I feel like I could." "Y-You seem fine now, Maya... W-Would it be possible for me to let g-go of you now? It''s extremely... embarrassing for me. My brain''s starting to f-fail me..." "A little longer, okay?" The cat-girl increased her grip around the other girl''s arms, clearly not wanting her to let go. She was better, but it was still a lot to swallow. "F-Fine, but only a... few more m-minutes, okay?" "Thank you very much!" Maya seemed to be alright with it. "..." ---------------- As agreed on, the two stayed in their embrace for a couple of minutes until Sophia was finally allowed to let go of the cat-girl. Soon after, the girls left the bath and reunited with Fen at the camp. "Soo..." The wolf looked at them, Sophia seemingly exhausted, to the brink of fainting, while Maya looked oddly refreshed, shining even. "It was soo much fun!'' The cat-girl was in a good mood. "I-I want to die!" Sophia wasn''t, though. "W-Why did I do that?! Something so b-bold! Urgh, I want to die!" Even after leaving the bath, she was so remorseful about her embarrassing act that she couldn''t calm down. "What sort of thing did she do to be like that?" Fen looked at Maya. "No idea. All she did was hug me. Well, we were naked, but... Okay, considering her personality, that might''ve been a little much. " "She hugged you?" The wolf couldn''t imagine the girl initiating something like that. "Well, she first made me, well, cry... and then hugged me to calm me down. Hmm, looking at it in retrospect, Sophia, you''re quite the crafty one." "That''s not what I did!" The girl in question was still aware enough of her surroundings to react to Maya''s usation. "Uuh, it''s exactly what I did... B-But that wasn''t my i-intention!" "She made you cry?" Fen ignored her. "What happened?" "She told me some heavy information... About how she most likely doesn''t age because of her vast magic power. Fen, my actual age, too, differs from my looks... Is that really because of my own magic power? Am I actually immortal?" She wanted some more confirmation. "Ah, I see... Yeah, that can make one emotional. Well, Sophia may have interpreted what I told her a little too literally. Only your aging is affected. You can still get killed or die from a severe disease. You can also end it yourself, so you''re not immortal in the actual sense, but... Although your magic power isn''t quite on par with Sophia''s and mine, it''s at a point where it most likely doesn''t matter anymore. Yes, you and Sophia should have the same life expectancy, just like me." He mostly confirmed Sophia''s story. "I-Is that really so?" There was a hint of relief in her voice. It was still overwhelming, but not having to live forever was much less scary. "Yes. It''s a hard thing to swallow, I understand, but actual immortality would be much more-" He didn''t finish his sentence. The wolf enjoyed his life, so there was no reason to go there. "How old are you, Fen?" Maya was curious as it seemed like he was very knowledgeable and pretty wise most of the time. "I don''t like talking about my age. Though, I will say the following; I''d already been around a long time ago when the demons still lived on this continent." "W-Wow..." She didn''t know the exact date, but she was aware that they left this continent a very long time ago. "Did you ever get... lonely with such a long life? Or lost someone important?" "..." He had a troubled expression and didn''t answer the cat-girl¡¯s question. "If you truly enjoy Sophia''spany, you should cherish her." "That was the n regardless." "H-How-, How can you say s-something so... e-embarrassing with ease?" While Sophia was busy dealing with herself and her remorse, she was still listening to the two, turning red just by hearing Maya''s words. "Do you have something against being cherished?" "I-I''m sorry..." She was extremely weak against the cat-girl¡¯s way of doing things. "Good. You''re forgiven." The group continued to chat deep into the night about the topic. Mostly Fen and Maya, at least, because Sophia could not fully recover from the damage her mind had taken, causing her to go to sleep early. Chapter 42 – Exploring a ruin Chapter 42 ¨C Exploring a ruin A little over two weeks passed since Maya learned about the shocking fact that she, together with Fen and Sophia, most likely didn''t have a finite lifespan due to their overwhelming magical powers. It was a pretty frightening concept to her, but being in it with Sophia helped her ept it. It not being actual immortality, but rather simply not aging, made it much easier to get on terms with as well. They stayed at the frozenke for a couple of days, but as it somehow didn''t seem to thaw at all, the one responsible for it decided to run away. Afterward, the group continued their journey toward the beastfolk capital for a while. There wasn''t much to explore on their way, so a lot of progress was made during that time. This was about to change, though, as the group had juste across some ruins in the middle of nowhere. "Now, that looks interesting." Sophia was looking at the ruins with sparkling eyes. While there wasn''t much left, it still vaguely resembled a fort with some extra buildings around. Even some parts of a protective wall could still be identified. "Hmm, is it just me, or do these ruins look like they were the result of a massive fight?" Maya pointed at the suspiciouslyrge holes in multiple walls and buildings that didn''t look like the product of natural deterioration over time. "You might be right." Sophia nodded. "It seems like some explosions, or maybe earth magic, did that. What do you think, Fen?" "..." He didn''t answer and seemed to be thinking about something. "What''s wrong?" "Err, I think I''ve been here before." The wolf seemed to know the ce from the past. "Did you do this to the fort?" Sophia could onlye to this conclusion. "It''s been a long time, but I''m starting to remember things. I used to live in this area for a while, and these pesky humans used this fort to... coordinate attacks against me." "Ahh..." She could piece together the rest alone. "Well, coordinated or not, they were still only humans. Destroying the fort was the easiest way to stop those pesky insectsing at me. It took me a whole five minutes or so." "Fen sure isn''t a fan of humans, huh?" Maya noticed how lowly he was talking about them. "Well, not that I don''t understand. Nothing good everes from them after all." "Did-, Did they do something to you?" Sophia''s aura changed again while her voice turned t and monotone. "H-Huh?!" The cat-girl had witnessed this way of speaking from her before and how it almost ended up in genocide. More than once, actually. "Nonono, I was just generally speaking!" "Oh, okay, I see." Her voice turned back to normal. "Phew..." She was relieved, having averted yet another crisis. "Do you have a different opinion on them?" "I haven''t met many of them yet, but so far, I almost killed a group of adventurers and destroyed a city of them. So... no, not really." "Uhh..." Maya nced at Fen. "I-I stopped her to my best effort, okay?" He knew why she was looking at him. "She said almost, yes? The city''s still there!" "Good job, thanks for your hard work." "Yeah." "But what did they do to you, Sophia? To have such a strong... reaction?" "Well, the first group of guys wanted to... get a reward from me by using my body... because they thought I wanted them to s-save me in their delusions." She couldn''t stay serious when saying it. "Then, some city guards wanted to sell me to a brothel. You know, to earn money to live in their oh-so-beautiful city..." "Huh?" Maya''s face twitched, and her tail stuck up while getting all puffed up in agitation. "They wanted to do what now?" While not to the extent of Sophia, she apparently, too, was capable of talking in a cold and emotionless way that lets shivers run down your spine. "Do you still remember their faces and can identify them? I would like to have a nice long chat with them." "Sorry, they were guys, so-" She mumbled that part, never having paid close attention to them in the first ce, aside from the fact that she couldn''t believe her eyes when she first met those sorry excuses of a lifeform. The humans she met in this world were all such a disappointment that she didn''t want to remember how they looked. "I mean, no, I usually don''t remember low lives." "Yeah, that makes sense." "But, hey, I shattered one of the guy''s arms into pieces, and Fen ripped one out of another." "Oh, I can live with that for the time being." Maya''s voice sounded much warmer, and her tail went down again. "You can be quite something as well, cat." Fen addressed the girl, that clearly seemed to be up to no good until just a moment ago. "There''s a time and ce for everything." She wasn''t apologetic in the slightest. "Okay, sure." Fen didn''t feel likementing. If anything, he would agree. "Anyway, how about we explore those ruins for a bit?" Not entirely understanding the two''s conversation, Sophia wanted to get on with it. "I''m in. We might find something interesting." Maya also seemed up for looking around. "I''m not sure whether I have left anything intact, though." "Let''s find out!" Sophia walked towards the ruins and entered the fort through one of the holes in its broken walls, followed by the other two. Inside, she found herself standing on the central za and spotted something she should''ve expected but still took the girl by surprise. "S-Skeletons, huh? The unmoving type." She was looking at the boney remains of at least 50 humans scattered around on the za. "Thorough job you did there, big guy." Maya nced around as well. She was impressed by how it looked like his enemies didn''t even have time to react and how basically no stone was still in the ce it was supposed to be. Together with the remains of severe burn marks all over the ce, it seemed like the wolf had used a bit of power when he raided this ce. "Why, thank you." "Never mind that," Sophia nced at the skeletons again. "Don''t humans recover their fallenrades?" "Do they?" "I''m not sure." Both, the cat-girl and the wolf didn''t know about it. "Wouldn''t their left-behind... families care?" "At least for us beastfolk, we won''t stop until we bring everyone home, no matter how hard it is. Dead or alive doesn''t matter." "That''s how it''s supposed to be." Fen agreed with her. "I would guess humans aren''t that noble." "Pathetic." Sophia''s opinion of them had sunken once more. "I could understand not recovering someone if their location is unknown after they died in the middle of nowhere. You know, inside a jungle or something like that, where it''s simply impossible, but these are soldiers who have fallen in a fort..." "Well, in their defense... Wow, I never thought I would say that." Fen had to take a pause. "I was a tiny bit agitated when I attacked this ce. There''s a chance they were simply too scared about me attacking again if they ever came near again to recover their lost ones." "Even so," Sophia didn''t like it. "Whatever, it''s not my problem." In the end, she didn''t want to waste time on something she couldn''t do anything about and continued her exploration. She wasn''t even sure why it had bothered her so much in the first ce. Entering the half-destroyed main building, the girl found some still rtively usable stairs and climbed them. "Are you looking for anything specific?" Right behind her, the cat-girl asked her. "Hmm, doesn''t this seem like it would be the room of the fort''smander?" She pointed at a rather fancy door that wasn''t destroyed. "I wanna see what''s in there." Saying so, she pushed against said door, which slowly began to open with loud creaking sounds. "Oh..." Her excitement died down in an instant. "Well, that''s disappointing." Maya had the same expression as Sophia on her face. "Sure is." They were looking at an almost empty room. There was only a desk with a chair in its middle and some old ck and white paper drawings stuck to the walls. "Hmm?" She took a closer look at one of them, and even though most details had faded already, the girl could still make out some of it. "Doesn''t it kinda look like Fen?" "Oh? Yeah, it definitely does." The cat-girl agreed. "It makes sense because they were here to fight against me." The wolf mustered the picture. "Those guys were neither good at fighting nor at drawing." He wasn''t a fan of what he was seeing. "Ever the critique..." Sophia rolled her eyes. "Oh, there''s another one. Looks like a slimmer Fen. Did you gain weight since then... or wait, was there another one of you?" She found another drawing of a slightly different-looking wolf. "L-Like I said, neither good at fighting nor drawing¡­" He seemed evasive for some reason. "I see?" She didn''t give his reaction much thought. "Anyway, it looks like this exploration wasn''t nearly as interesting as I had hoped... Shall we get going?" She had enough of these dull ruins. "Yes, let''s do that." Fen agreed. "Let''s go search for a camp for the day." "Oh, Sophia, can we get started on earth magic once we find a ce?" The cat-girl didn''t want to waste any time on her teachings. "Think you''re ready?" "Absolutely!" Maya seemed confident. "I''ve spent thest weeks polishing air, fire, and water-rted magics. I''m so ready for more!" "Okay, let''s give it a tryter." "Yay!" The cat-girl seemed happy. She had a big smile on her lips, and her tail excitedly swished around. For some reason, she was really looking forward to learning earth-rted magic. ---------------- Having decided on a course for the rest of the day, the group left the ruins and searched for a good camping ce. Walking around on a green in for a while, they eventually found a small forest that gave some sense of protection. None of them really need that, but it makes rxing a lot morefortable. "Yeah, this ce works. Oh, it even has some food readily avable." Sophia looked around and noticed some fruits and nts Maya often uses when preparing the food for the two. "That makes preparing dinnerter on really easy!" "Good for you." Fen wasn''t profiting at all. "Ah, but I already found some food running around, so it''s not a problem at all." "Good for you," Sophia repeated after him. "Ah, I want some, too." Those two were rather simr in a way. "Sure, sure." "Thanks. Okay, let''s get started on earth magic, Maya." "Yes! See youter, Fen!" Getting behind Sophia, she ced her hands on her back before she started pushing the girl with great vigor, obviously looking forward to learning a new type of magic. "Later!" She barely got the chance to say goodbye to the wolf. "C-Calm down a little bit, Maya!" She found her a tad too hyper for her liking. "Not a chance!" "Fine..." Sophia gave up and let herself obediently be pushed by the cat-girl to wherever ce she had nned to train for the rest of the day. She had no reason to protest, after all. Not to mention that, all things considered, she also found the overly excited side of the cat-girl a little cute in the end. Chapter 43 – Experimenting with light magic Chapter 43 ¨C Experimenting with light magic The group finished exploring the rather boring fort that Fen had destroyed in the past and decided on a ce to camp. As Sophia had promised Maya to teach her earth magic, the cat-girl had gotten too excited for some reason. She eagerly brought the girl to a suitable training ce by pushing her by the back all the way, wanting to start immediately. "The basics, please!" She was really looking forward to it. "Why are you so... like this, Maya?" Sophia simply gestured at all of her. "I know you love magic, as much as I do, but you''re way too excited over it." She was suspicious about why she was acting like that. "You need fire, water, and earth magic to build a bath, yes?" "Uhh, yeah?" She failed to see what this had to do with anything. "Great!" The cat-girl got even more excited, her ears pointing up, together with her tail sticking up and its tip twitching in the same rhythm as her ears. "What... are you up to?" Sophia didn''t like where this was going. "I want to try my hand on building a bath for us!" "W-Why would you want that? Is there anything wrong with how I build them?" "Yeah, it''s always way too big." "W-What''s the problem with that?" "While I tamed you enough over thest weeks that you stopped hiding in the furthest corner when I entered the water¡­ It stillcks a sense of closeness, being in such an oversized bath!" "T-Tamed?!" She had a strong reaction to the word and seemed embarrassed. "Y-You didn''t tame me! Did... you?" "''Course I did~." "E-Eh?!" This was clearly news to Sophia. "I''m just kidding. I think, hope¡­ you''re not doing that anymore because you''ve gotten morefortable around me." She corrected herself. "A-Ah, okay... good." "Can I tame you?" Maya looked quite cheeky. "W-What do you even mean?" "Ahaha~. Nothing, don''t mind me." "I-I do, and I want to know! Tell me!" Sophia was curious about it. "Eventually... Maybe in the future, once I''ve found out myself what I want." She got evasive all of a sudden. "Anyway, I want to add my own twist to it by building the bath!" "Uhh, I have a bad feeling..." Sophia said it out loud. "How about we postpone the training session? How does the same time, same date next year sound to you?" "Not happening." "Yeah, figured as much." She hadn''t much hope in her plea getting epted. "Whatever, let''s get over with it." She gave up. Until it stimtes her feelings too much, Sophia had be rather indifferent to most concerning things. "Yay, thank you very much!" "Sure..." Resigning to her fate, Sophia began showing the cat-girl the basics of earth magic. Remembering how Fen had taught her earth magic a while ago, she, too, created a perfectly shaped cube out of the soil and urged Maya to recreate it. "That''s a very pretty cube, I give you that, but how am I supposed to make my own?" "Hmm, I first got the hang of it by imagining a pair of hands that manipte the earth for me. Like forming a ball, or cube in this case." "Imaginary hands?" Maya thought about the idea for a moment. "I kinda get it, but somehow, I don''t..." "Please close your eyes for me." "No funny business now, Sophia. We''re training here!" "W-What do you mean? What should I do to you with your eyes closed?" She was confused but got embarrassed regardless because of her imagination. "F-Forget it..." The cat-girl was a bit shy herself. Finally, she closed her eyes as requested by Sophia, almost as if running away. "Ehh? Y-You always do that... Trying to tease me, I think, and then backing out..." "I''m waiting~." The topic was over for Maya. "Urgh, fine!" Sophia felt it would be the healthiest choice to ignore it. "Okay, now that your eyes are closed, think about your hands forming whatever object works best for you with dirt." "Okay... That, I can work with." Having a fitting image, she sooner orter seemed rtively confident. "So, what now?" "Try to use those imaginary arms on actual soil and manipte it. Try whatever you want first, but that square''s the goal for you to pass." She pointed at the thing she created earlier. "Ever the tyrant!" Maya nced at the absolutely perfect 90¡ã angles of the construct after opening her eyes for a moment. "I want a reward for doing something so high level!" "You''re learning earth magic because you want to build a bath... that''s nothing reward-worthy. Also, you are building. a. bath... for us!I-If that isn''t enough of a reward for y-you, I don''t know!" "I admit, fair point." The cat-girl could follow Sophia''s reasoning. "Good, let me train, then." "Feel free to ask if something doesn''t work." Suffering from the results or not, she still nned on helping her. "Thanks. Ah, didn''t you tell me yesterday about wanting to test something out as well? What was it again?" "Oh, thanks for reminding me, Maya. Right, I wanted to experiment with light magic. Just being able to turn on the light, literally, is a bitckluster..." "I don''t know. It''s pretty impressive to me." If anything, she thought it was one of her most shy magics, ignoring the time the girl blew up an entire in. "I-It''s not anything dangerous, is it?" Thinking about said explosion made Maya slightly concerned. "Absolutely not. Actually, it''s the most harmless magic I ever wanted to try my hands on." "That''s relieving. This also means you have no reason to run away, great. Let''s train together here." Preventing Sophia from running wild by being alone was still the cat-girl''s number one task. "Yeah, yeah, I wasn''t nning to run away." She had already epted not being able to be left alone for the time being, thanks to her track record. Though their topics were different, both girls began to train together. Maya was trying to figure out earth magic while Sophia yed around with her light magic. ---------------- A good couple of hours passed before the two took a break and shared their progress. "Earth magic''s somehow harder than the others." "Pun intended?" Sophia wondered if she used the word hard, on magic focusing around heavy soil, on purpose. "Maybe a bit, but it is reallyplicated to control." "Well, I do admit that it took me a little while until I had proper control of the details, as well." "I can kinda manipte the soil to some degree now, but yeah... I''m still unable to get the details." Maya looked at the pile of failures she created so far. Many shapes somewhat resembling balls, cylinders, cubes, and many others, but nothing seemed good enough to pass. "What about you?" "I''ve also hit a bit of a dead-end." She wasn''t making as much progress as she hoped to, either. "Something I can help with?" "Not really, except if you''re injured somewhere, which I really hope you aren''t." She scanned Maya from head to toe, and tail. "Nope, I''m in tip-top shape." She gave her a V-sign. "Wait, why are you asking? Hmm, what are you even trying to do? I totally forgot to ask." "Healing magic. I think it should work with the image I have in mind, but I obviously can''t test it without any injuries." "H-Healing magic" The cat-girl looked shocked. "Okay, that''s my fault. Yeah, my bad." She was apologizing for some reason. "I see now, just having her nearby isn''t enough to stop her. You actually have to constantly watch this girl, alright..." "W-What is wrong?" Sophia didn''t understand why she was so surprised. "Haa, healing magic''s not only extremely rare, but it''s also basically sacred. Only a chosen few should be able to use it! Those people can make a living and even be rich just by healing others." "Ehh? Will I get in trouble if I''m able to do it?" "That''s not it... It''s even written down in books that only people chosen by a god, or higher existences, depending on who you ask and what their religion is, are supposed to be able to use the high light magic healing... I have no idea what to believe anymore..." "People... chosen by... a g-god? Ahaha, that''s, err, so that''s... how it is, huh?" Even with her boosted stats, that cover-up was beyond pathetic. "S-Sophia, don''t tell me..." "l-I don''t think this applies to chantless magic users being able to use original, uncategorized magic..." This excuse of hers sounded much more believable. "I-Imagining fixing a wound with some slight medical knowledge should do the trick pretty well. You only have to take care of what exactly you want to heal to make sure you don¡¯t do more damage than good." "If-, If you say so..." Maya somehow had a strong feeling she really shouldn''t press the issue any further. The two continued on their own for another couple of hours until the evening. They actually managed to make some good progress before calling it a day. While still not perfect, Maya had gotten really close to recreating the training cube and should be able to do so on the following day. Sophia needed to be a little creative with her healing magic, as she had no living test subjects. Snapping the stem of a nearby nt, she yed around for a while until she sessfully managed to reattach it without destroying the nt. ---------------- Having found a good stopping point, the two reunited with Fen at their camp before going through their usual evening routine. Being d Maya had yet to fully master earth-rted magic, Sophia felt a bit relieved after heading over to their bath after dinner. She still hadplete control over theyout for today. Then again, she wasn''t sure how much would change in the first ce because she didn''t believe that taking a bath with the cat-girl could get any more tiring, anyway. As expected, being exhausted rather than rxed afterward, Sophia turned herself in for the night soon, leaving Fen and Maya on their own. She had taken somewhat of a liking to their routine, but it still weighed heavy on her mental sanity at the moment. "How did it go? Training, that is." The wolf addressed her. "Not bad, still working on the fine details, but I managed to learn earth magic." "Good work. What about Sophia? Something ridiculous again?" "Haa..." "Huh? I just wanted to make a joke. What happened?" "She was ying around with healing magic... and seeding..." "That girl." "Fen, has Sophia some sort of connection to a god?" "..." He tried to think of an answer. "I, too, can use healing magic, you know?" He kept it as vague as possible. "So, being powerful really is enough?" "Yeah. After all, we only need a good image of it to work with." "Wow... Hmm?" Maya was impressed for a moment but then noticed that his answer sounded somewhat evasive around the topic. "Huh?" The cat-girl also remembered who, or what the wolf most likely actually is. With him being who he''s supposed to be, having a connection to a god wouldn''t be too surprising. She was about to address her concerns when she looked at Fen and noticed that he didn''t look like he would answer any more questions. With her mind still full of questions no one wanted to answer her, she ultimately decided to drop the topic and got ready to sleep herself. Chapter 44 – Restraints Chapter 44 ¨C Restraints Maya sessfully learned the first steps of the earth magic category yesterday and spent the day refining her technique. Sophia yed around some more, healing all kinds of nts she damaged before. Once she was fully confident, the girl decided to try her luck on a nearby kow. Not wanting to hurt it too much, as it seemed rather cruel to her, ignoring the irony, she only scratched its skin a bit and effortlessly healed it afterward. Feeling happy about her sess, Sophia helped herself to an extra big portion of grilled kow during their lunch. It might or might not have been the same animal. ---------------- "I did it!" The sound of a happy cat-girl echoed through the area in the afternoon. "Congrattions..." Sophia sounded way less enthusiastic while looking at the perfectly shaped cube made out of soil right next to the example one she had created the day before. "Once you get the hang of it, it suddenly bes really easy!" Saying so, Maya let yet another wless cube appear. "That''s so awesome!" "You sure are in a good mood..." "Of course I am! Blocks, cubes, walls, all the same now! Give me another hour, and I''ll be able to build the bath for us!" "Yay..." She didn''t sound overly happy. "Ah, b-but we already have a bath here, and we don''t n on moving today." "Two bathrooms are all the rage nowadays." The cat-girl wasn''t letting her have any of that. "You can be quite a pain sometimes... " "I know. That''s why we work so well together." "When was I ever- Okay, no, scratch that. I didn''t say anything." Sophia wanted toin, but she knew better than anyone just how much of a pain she could be. "Though, I like that part about you as well." "W-What?!" Her face instantly turned red. "That side''s also great." The cat-girl was aggressive today. "P-Please... Stop that!" Getting even more embarrassed, Sophia hoped she would calm down soon. She didn''t want to misunderstand something, thanks to Maya''s usual ambiguity. "I''ll stop if I can take care of the bath today." "I don''t really have a choice, do I? There''s no winning with you, is there?" "Not really, no." Maya had perfected the way to handle the other girl. "Urgh, fine." "Yay! See youter, then!" Seemingly very motivated, she immediately left to begin the preparations. ---------------- "Stupid boosts..." Left behind, Sophiained to no one in particr. "Where are you when I need you? I would very much like to back-sass that cat... I don''t know why, but I''m at herplete mercy Not fun at all! Okay, maybe a tiny bit? Urgh, what''s wrong with me? I want to get back at her! Whatever boost of mine is responsible for that, please do your work already!" Whileining to herself for a while, Sophia eventually went back to Fen for the time being. "You look tired." The wolf was looking at her. "What happened to you?" "Maya." "Ah, I see." He didn''t need more of an exnation. "Where is she, anyway?" "Building a bath for us." "Why?" "If only I would know..." Sophia sounded exhausted just thinking about it. "Seems like she''s having fun, huh?" "Sure is... Haa..." She sighed. "I-, I do think she''s c-cute... being so excited, but it''s bad for my heart. I don''t know why, but I''ve somehow be unable to get back at her." "Weren''t you pretty soft on her since the very beginning?" "W-Well..." There was little she could say. "It getting worse, though." "Now that you mention it, you do seem more tame towards hertely." Fen seemed to have noticed as well. "Ugh," It wasn''t the word she wanted to hear. "So it''s that obvious, huh? What''s going on? It feels like I lost my boosts..." "Do you really think so?" "I don''t have a better exnation. Why else would I be unable to get back at Maya, letting her do whatever she wants with me?" "Yeah, I''m not going down that rabbit hole." The wolf didn''t want to get involved. "What''s that supposed to mean?!" "Like I said, not participating in that. Let me just ask the following; If you''ve really lost your boosts, why are you still talking like normal with me?" "That''s... hmm?" She had no answer. "Also, while the cat got the upper hand on you, you''re still having perfectly fine conversations with her as well. You''re also obviously enjoying herpany. From what you told me, that would''ve been impossible for the pre-boost you, wouldn''t it?" "Huh? You''re... right... Why? What''s going on? I don''t get it at all... Just what changed?" "Well, have fun with that." Fen turned his head around. "Oh, and with that." "Hmm?" Sophia followed his line of sight. "Ah." She spotted a brightly smiling cat-girl approaching. "Okay, I''m feeling generous." The wolf pitied her. "Try not to simply bear with her teasing; embrace it. Throw your restraints overboard." "Restraints? E-Embrace?" "What are you talking about?" "Ah." Before she could get any more information out of Fen, Maya arrived at their position. "N-Nothing, just chatting about nothing particrly. A-Anyway, given up on the bath already?" She was hopeful after seeing her so soon again. "Nope, I''m done~." "R-Really? That was fast..." "Yeah, it was easy once I had the right image." "Great..." Sophia wasn''t happy at all about the cat-girl''s learning speed. "Look forward to our after-dinner bath." "Hmm," Closing her eyes, she thought over Fen''s words about ignoring any restraints she has and embracing it. "Sure." Something happened, and her voice changed for a second. ---------------- After dinner time ended way sooner than Sophia wanted it to, the excited cat-girl grabbed her hand and guided the girl towards the bath she had made during the afternoon. Pushing her inside, Maya proudly presented her creation. "And, how do you like it?" "Nope, not going to happen. Absolutely not. Forget it. Never. Don''t even think about it. No." She instantly and strongly rejected it. The tub Sophia was looking at slightly reminded her of the one she had in the apartment of her old world. A tub with formed in a way tofortably amodates one person. "Ehh?" She sounded honestly shocked. "I think I did a pretty good job building it, though." "You did... but that''s not the problem here! It''s way too small for two people!" "It''s just a little snug, nothing more." Maya didn''t see the problem. "T-That might be true, but that''s exactly what I don''t like about it! I-It''s way too embarrassing for me... and you know that!" "Maybe that''s the reason why I''m doing that? To help you get over it?" "Maya..." She was touched for a moment, but then the fog inside her head suddenly cleared up, and her expression changed. "What''s the real reason?" "A-Ah." The cat-girl was caught red-handed. "O-Okay... as you know, I''m a big fan of physical contact." "I-I am very well aware of that." This really was no news to Sophia whatsoever. "With you, that is¡­ To this extent..." Her mumbling was barely audible. "T-That''s why I really wanted to do this... there''s no better form of skinship than this. None that I can think of right now." "Fine." Replying in a quiet voice, she gave her an unexpected answer. "S-Seriously?!" "Second thoughts now?" Sophia had be strangely calm for some reason. Fen''s words of embracing it apparently triggered something inside the girl. Something about her changed. "N-No, let''s go!" Maya was naturally surprised but also happy. Undressing while facing away from each other as usual, on the demand of Sophia, the two moved over to the tub and stopped again. "So, what''s the n, anyway?" Sophia looked straight ahead at the way-too-small tub while she addressed the equally naked cat-girl right next to her, trying not to steal a nce. "Uhh," Maya sounded troubled. "To be... perfectly honest, I didn''t think I woulde this far. I-I was sure you wouldn''t y along..." "Are you for real?" "S-Sorry..." She looked embarrassed about her mischief. "That can''t be... I''ve finally managed to pull through with it and then this." Sophia had taken a wrong turn in her way of thinking somewhere along and failed to see that it was actually a good thing for her. "Facing each other? One at each end? Hmm?" She imagined the situation in her head. "N-No... I wouldn''t know where to look. Also, no ce for our legs. Moreover, they even could end up in a dangerous -, situation." Her imagination was apparently pretty vivid. "S-Sophia...?" Maya had learned by now that when the girl starts to incoherently mumble about something, nothing good would ever follow. "Back to back?" Sophia was in her own world. "No, while not... dangerous anymore, there''s even less ce for our legs. Are there any other options?" "Y-You don''t have to think so hard about it. W-We can even change to your bath, Sophia..." The cat-girl was getting cold feet thanks to the other¡¯s sudden seriousness. Being on the receiving end was new to her, and she had no idea how to deal with that. "What else could we do?" She still wasn''t listening. "What about... could that work? It would be... embarrassing, but we have done something simr before. I can bear the feeling? Maybe. I also wouldn''t have to look at her. That would be reassuring... Yes, I think that could work. Maya, I have a n!" "Uh-oh..." She wasn''t sure how to interpret this situation. "Okay, get in the tub first." Sophia pointed at the right end of it. "I''ll follow you afterward." "E-Eh, are-, are you sure about that?" Maya couldn''t believe what she was hearing. "Well... before you change your mind..." Though she was confused and a bit embarrassed, the cat-girl still was curious and interested, looking forward to it in a way with a slightly flushed face. "So, just getting in... and leaning against the side as one normally would do?" "Exactly, yes." She waited for Maya to enter before following after her. "H-Huh?" The cat-girl wondered what she was nning when Sophia got in the hub with one leg while showing her back to her. Afterward, Sophia gently moved Maya''s legs before sitting down between them and using her body as back support. "Hmm... Still a bit cramped, but it works." Sophia looked at her own slightly cocked legs while being sandwiched between those of the other girl. "Are you feeling okay, Maya?" "Ah, uhh, yes... I-I''m fine..." The cat-girl needed a moment to react and snap back to reality. After cooling down a bit, Maya gingerly wrapped her arms around the girl''s waist. She pulled her even closer before she rested her head on her shoulder. She had no idea what was going on, and she was really embarrassed, but she didn''t want to miss such an opportunity. "You sure are warm." Sophia could feel the body warmth of the girl behind her spreading all over her back. "S-So are you..." Maya gave her a gentle squeeze to further prove her reply. ---------------- Once the two had gottenfortable with their position, they finally had the chance to calm down. Rtively speaking. The girls spent many minutes in absolute silence while simply soaking in the hot water. A couple of momentster, Sophia suddenly started to shift around while looking all over the ce, though. Eventually, after turning her head to the right, she came in close contact with the cat-girl, who was still resting her own head on Sophia''s shoulder there. "M-Maya...?" She seemed very confused about something. "Yes?" "What-, What''s going on... here?" "E-Eh? What do you mean?" "W-Why are we... t-together in this tiny b-bath? N-Not to mention this position..." She sounded incredibly embarrassed all of a sudden. "H-Huh?!" Maya, too, was confused by this unexpected turn of events. Experiencing a quirk of Sophia she never witnessed before, the cat-girl was at a loss for words and had no idea how to react, let alone what to do. Chapter 45 – Breaking down Chapter 45 ¨C Breaking down Maya was able to advance her magic so much that she''d been able to build a bath for the two girls and was really motivated about it. For the sake of extra skinship, the cat-girl made the tub as small as possible. Sophia was obviously against it initially, as it would be way too embarrassing for her, but some strange things happened afterward. Fen had given her the tip that instead of merely bearing with the cat-girl''s advances, she should go on the offensive herself while ignoring any restraints she might have. These words caused great turmoil inside her. Taking a liking to the bath arrangement all of a sudden, she got in the water together with Maya while cuddling with the girl. After enjoying their closeness for a while inside the tub, Sophia''splexion eventually changed, though. "M-Maya...? W-Why are we in such a small bath t-together?" The bold girl from before was gone and got reced by the usual Sophia. "A-Also... why are you hugging me s-so tightly? M-More importantly... Why am I sitting between your legs and leaning a-against you in the... in the first ce?" She apparently had no recollection of what happened in thest couple of minutes and had many questions. "Huh? Err, what?" Maya had no idea what to say or how to react. "Even if you ask me, it was your idea, Sophia..." "It was not." "It sure was." "No." "Yes." Their conversation was going nowhere. "Was it... really...? I-It was... wasn''t it?" Her memory was slowly returning. "W-What have I done... Why did I-, Huh?" "You did it... unconsciously...? Like when you lose yourself to your anger...?" "I-I don''t know... Maybe? But it feels different... When I''m angry and go out of control... I kind of let it happen because I actually am angry... and then it gets the better of me... It''s convenient. This time, though..." "This time?" "Itpletely happened without me noticing it, at least... I just went bam, and instead of being boosted, it felt like a different version of me took over..." "So, you mean you weren''t the one doing what you did, then?" Maya tried to make sense of it. "Y-Yes... Maybe? I barely even remember... How did I even... All of this should be impossible for me... No matter how much it got altered. H-Have I finally begun to stop... being me for good?" "Sophia?" The cat-girl had no idea what she was talking about. Still, she noticed that it was something serious, and it worried her greatly because the girl in her arms started shivering with her whole body. Entirely on instinct, the cat-girl hugged her tighter, hoping it would give her a sense of security and calm her down. "That can''t be happening... I-I don''t want that!" Unfortunately, Sophia was the exact opposite of calming down, and fear was her primary emotion right now. "I-I''m scared... I don''t-" "..." Still not knowing how to respond, the only thing Maya could do, was to increase the grip around Sophia''s waist even more. She was desperately hoping it would have some effect and stop her quivering even by just a bit. "S-Sorry..." She apologized for something but showed no sign of calming down whatsoever. "T-There''s nothing for you to apologize. You did nothing wrong. I-I don''t mind being in a position like this... I''m actually enjoying it." Maya was talking about their bathing arrangement. "Thank you... but... it seems I have finally lost control of... myself... I''ve feared the possibility... and it actually happened..." Her voice sounded as if she was about to cry. In fact, tears had already formed in the corners of her eyes. "Sophia," Maya couldn''t squeeze her any tighter without breaking anything, so she had to change her approach. "What happened to you?" "..." She stretched her neck and somehow ended up resting the back of her head on Maya''s shoulder behind her, and their cheeks almost touched, but she didn''t care, or rather, wasn''t even aware of her surroundings while she absentmindedly stared at the sky. "..." The cat-girl nuzzled her head against Sophia''s before watching the sky together for a while without saying a single word. ---------------- "Is-, Is a short version okay?" She managed to bring out some words again after collecting her thoughts for a long while. "I''m sorry, there are many things I can''t talk about it yet... Some of them... are connected to this. Not everything will make sense, but please... don''t ask about details." She had trouble talking in whole sentences while trying her best not having a full mental breakdown. "Really? That''s totally okay! As long as I can even learn a bit more about you and help with whatever''s going on, I''m happy!" "O-Okay," Even so, it took Sophia a good while before she began to talk. "Where to even start? I don''t get half of it myself." She had no idea how to exin her situation to the cat-girl. "Someone... messed me up, both in body and mind..." "W-What?!" "Ah!" Sophia realized her mistake. "Wait, that... came out a bit wrong... That''s not... exactly what I meant." "D-Don''t scare me like that!" Maya was barely able to recover from the shock. "Sorry... Though, technically speaking... it''s not entirely wrong, either. You see, I used to be extremely shy¡­ to the point of even having a conversation with most people was near impossible..." "I-I actually know a bit about that." "Fen?" "Yes... But he didn''t tell me any details whatsoever." "I see, that''s good, then. Although it would make this much easier..." She was both happy and disappointed at the same time. "Okay, so I was shy... terribly so, but as you can see, I changed..." "You can definitely talk to people now, but I think you still have your shy moments." "Whose fault do you think that is?!" Despite the situation, Sophia still got angry and had to retort. "Ehehe~." She let out a giggle. "Yes, you''re right. You do seem different from this description for most of the time." "Yeah, one would think that I worked hard to ovee this shyness, right? That''s not what happened at all. I tried it multiple times, but it was impossible for me... Till the day I was... removed from my homeworld, I was still useless..." Her voice was full of self-hatred while she emphasized some parts while only mumbling the others. "Removed? Useless...?" Maya didn''t like how these words sounded or what they could possibly imply. Especially whenbined with her ongoing misunderstanding of Sophia being a noble from the demon folk, it sounded very dangerous. "So, before I started traveling, I met a very powerful¡­ individual." If nothing else, the overseer definitely was powerful. "That person-, he experimented on me...?" It wasn''t perfectly fitting, but she went with that setting for theck of a better exnation. "He promised me to boost things like my self-confidence or ability to talk to people." "I-Is that even possible?" It sounded unbelievable to Maya. "As you can see, it was extremely effective... For the most part." "R-Right." "That experiment went somewhat wrong, though. He identally boosted basically every single aspect of me. My body, making me even stronger and faster than I already was, and much more concerning, my mind, feelings, and personality..." Sophia made a short break. "Feelings of joy, happiness, and all that got altered... I''m a lot more easygoing. I can talk to people again... I''m getting less embarrassed, and no, noments on that, please. I became much more excited about things and... Well, I think you get the idea?" "Yes... though it sounds unbelievable." The cat-girl was overwhelmed by her story. "But... Okay, while I think it would make me feel weird... doesn''t it sound like it''s a good thing?" "In a way, yes..." Sophia agreed with her. "I do like my new personality, but doesn''t that make me an entirely different person? Nothing of my old self is left, after all. Maybe, probably not? These boosts likely use my previous stats as a base? Basically making me an enhanced version of myself, right?" "Yes, that''s how I would interpret it, too, I think...?" She had a hard time even fully following, let alone making a guess of how it was working. "S-So far, so good...?" "If it would''ve stopped there, kind of...? Those boosts of mine tend to go out of control from time to time, and they also have a limit." "Limit?" "Take my e-embarrassment, for example... Though its limit is low, until a certain point, I won''t get that embarrassed. Still, once my boost can''tpensate it anymore, it stopspletely, and I get... super embarrassed." "Uwah, that sounds nasty! Exins a lot, though." "Yes... And just earlier ago, I found out that it can ovepensate as well for some reason... To the point that I can''t even influence what I''m doing... That''s really not me anymore, is it?" "Uhh, t-that''s... I''m sorry." Maya was drawing a nk. She had absolutely nothing on hand to ease the girl''s worries. "Oh, I forgot the best part..." A sigh escaped her lips before continuing. "When the boosts of my positive feelings or emotions fail, the responding negative ones actually get boosted instead... Making me extremely angry all of a sudden, for example..." "Ahhh..." The cat-girl had an enlightened expression as if everything about Sophia made sense now. "So, that''s what was going on." "Ahaha," A dryugh came in response. "It''s also fun that, when thinking about this predicament, my worries get boosted all the way into depression." "That''s... rough." "If I changed to a point where even I don''t recognize myself anymore... am I still me?" "..." "Yeah... So, uhh, that''s more or less my life right now... Questions? Comments? Comints? Anything else?" "No... I''m good. Thanks for telling me, Sophia." Maya had nothing to add. "For me, you''re still you, as I only know this side of you. I like this version of you, so my view on the topic is heavily biased. But... I can see why you''re worried. It definitely sounds like a heavy burden. So, if you ever want to blow off some steam or want someone to talk to, feel free toe to me." This was the only way the cat-girl was able to help. "I''ll... always be there for you. No matter for what. After all, I-" She didn''t manage to finish her sentence. "Yeah," Sophia bent her upper body forwards, away from Maya, and hugged her knees. "Thank you for that... I really appreciate it..." Her voice still sounded stifled while she was trying to hold back her tears. She wasn''t in a state where she was able to think about the cat-girl''s wording. "You''re wee... and I mean it. Everything." Maya gave the now visible, bare back of the girl in front of her a long and hard stare before moving her face closer. Mwah, a soft and gentle sound could be heard for about a second. "Hmm?" For a moment, Sophia thought that she felt something soft making contact with her back, and flinched. "Did you do¡­ something just now?" "W-What do you mean?" She immediately distanced her face again. "Was it my imagination? I guess I''m still scared about what''s going on..." She tilted her head. "Weird, it felt too... nice for that, though... Anyway, thanks-, Thank you for listening to my ramblings..." "Nice, huh?"A smile appeared on her lips as she touched them. "N-No, I''m grateful that you told me what''s going on, Sophia. I feel like I understand you much better now." "Really? I don''t understand me at all, though..." "It''s a figure of speech." "Ahaha..." Sophia was slowly starting to feel better. "Ehehe~." The twoughed with each other for a while. "Hey, mind if we get out of the bath soon? I''m starting to feel dizzy..." Sophia''s face had gotten slightly flushed, and not because she was embarrassed for a change. She was still barely registering her surroundings. "There are also many things I want, need to think about. Also, I feel... weird." "I''m not leaving you alone in this state!" She knew how unstable the girl was at the moment. She didn''t want to imagine what could possibly happen to her in this state of mind if she were on her own. "I''m not asking to be alone... Far from it. You, and also Fen, are the only ones who keep me sane. You are the reason I didn''t fully break down just now." Sophia had no intention of running away. "I just can''t stay in the water much longer..." "You sure aren''t good with water, are you?" Maya remembered that this wasn''t the first time. "Somehow, hearing that from a cat... I don''t know how I should feel about that, especially because you have a point." Shortly after, the girls finally left the bath and reunited with Fen after getting dry and dressed. There, they continued their conversation for a little longer while also telling the wolf, who then gave his input on the situation as well. Chapter 46 – Out of character Chapter 46 ¨C Out of character During their slightly more intimate than usual bath, Sophia, on the brink of a mental breakdown, confessed one of her secrets to Maya. She told her about her boosts and how they affected or altered her personality. Once she finished opening up to the cat-girl, they finally left the bath because she still wasn''t any good with staying in the water for too long. "Wee back." Fen spotted the two girls arriving in the camp and lightly greeted them. "Fenny~." Sophia was still in a high-tension mode after her talk with the cat-girl and everything else that was going on. She jumped at the wolf and made herselffortable while leaning against his side, enjoying the fluffiness of his fur. "What happened this time?" He knew that something was up. "Well-" Maya sat down next to the girl and wasn''t sure what to answer. "Some stuff happened." While she said so, she let her upper body fall to the side, and her headnded in Sophia''sp, where she made herselffortable. "Sure, go ahead. No problem..." Her voice carried a slight hint of sarcasm, but that was all. She showed no intention of stopping her. "Thanks, I will." She happily wiggled her head around in the girl''sp to find the best position, identally tickling Sophia''s thighs with her cat ear. "Haha." She tried not tough. "P-Pick a ce already!" Though the feeling of her fluffy ear brushing against the girl''s legs was far from bad, she would still prefer for her to settle down. "Sorry." Giving it ast wiggle, Maya finally found the perfect spot in Sophia''sp. "I''m good now." "Great." The bath, and much more, their conversation, had changed something between them. "Uhh? Fen was very confused. "What is going on here?" The Sophia he knew would never act even remotely like that. "Ahh, it seems that I''ve identally broken Sophia," Maya admitted so while awkwardly scratching her cheek. "Yep, I''m done for~." The girl in question gave a very lighthearted response. "Okay?" The wolf was missing a lot of information. "Just what happened in that hour you two were gone?" "Some of my boosts wentpletely berserk, I guess? You''ve told me to go on the attack myself, right? That, uhh, did something to me. Together with Maya''s stupid idea in the bath, a boost of mine, well, broke its limiter. That caused my brain to shut down, leaving me with almost no control over what I did..." "Really? That sounds concerning." "Yeah-" She nodded. "But then I told Maya about my boosts. That helped quite a bit." "So you''ve finally told her, huh? That''s good. But, aren''t you still acting, let''s say, out of character? As far as acting in character works for you, of course." "Yup, totally." One usually wouldn''t admit to something like that so readily. "I think the boost''s still running berserk. I reverted a bit after bing aware of it, but it ramped up again shortly after. Not to mention, what even is my character?" If she couldn''t answer such a question, no one would be able to. "Personally, I''m super okay with that." The cat-girl, who was still rxing on herp, enjoyed the more calm Sophia. "Don''t get used to it." She shook her head. "Knowing my boosts, it could copse any moment now. In the first ce-" She stopped for a moment and pointed at Maya. "This is still really embarrassing regardless." "Aww." She sounded disappointed. "Ah, but embarrassed Sophia is cute as well, so I''ll allow it." "How nice of you." She rolled her eyes. For some reason, Fen really didn''t feel like dealing with them right now. He actually tried hard not to get irritated at this overly sweet and unfiltered disy of affection he was subjected to. "Ehehe~." The cat-girl happily wiggled around in herp again. "C-Cut it out already!" Getting a little shy from the ticklish feeling, despite the boosts, Sophia lightly karate-chopped her head but then left her hand there. "Hmm..." "Ouch! What''s wrong?" She noticed that Sophia''s hand was still on her head and slowly moving towards her ears. "O-Oh, do you, uhh, want... to t-touch them?" Her voice suddenly changed. "A-Ah-!" Being caught in the act, her hand froze in position. Earlier, when the cat-girl identally brushed with her ear against her thighs, she got a quick taste of its soft fluffiness and had a strong urge to touch them ever since. "C-Can I?" The curiosity got the better of her. Maya went silent and closed her eyes, seemingly thinking about something. "Y-Yes, because it''s you, it is, it''s o-okay..." She suddenly sounded embarrassed for some reason and also seemed very fidgety. "T-Then-." Sophia gingerly moved her right hand towards the cat-girl''s right ear and gently poked it first to gauge her reaction. "Mrr~." Her entire body flinched while her ear twitched to the touch, but she said nothing more after the purr-like sound escaped her lips and stayedid down in Sophia''sp. "Hmm?" She tried to see the expression on Maya''s face because of the weird sound she heard. Still, as she was facing away from her body and looking slightly downward, it was impossible to get a good look. Sophia could''ve sworn that the cat-girl''s cheeks werepletely red, though. Afterward, she focused on the outer side of her ear first, gently stroking over the short fur-like hair for a while. Working her way up on her snow-white ears, she then yed around with the slightly longer hair on its pointy tip. "S-Sophia~, mrmn~ that t-tickles!" She had a strong reaction to being touched. "A-Ah-" Sophia stopped moving. "I''m sorry." She was in aplete trance and didn''t even know what she was doing with her hands. "C-Can I continue?" She had no intention of stopping, though. "Y-Yes, go, uuh, g-go on..." Maya was trying to keep her voice down, but her tail, which was going wild, violently swishing all over the ce, was a dead giveaway that she was far from calm. Not saying anything, she continued to focus her attention on the cat-girl''s ear. Having had her fill with the soft hair on the tip, Sophia became interested in the spotless and even whiter-than-snow-white ball of fluff inside her ear. While gently reaching for it, Maya flinched even stronger. "S-Sorry, did I, uhh, hurt you somewhere?" She bent over, trying to get a look at her face again, but all she could see was a tightly shut eye and half of an entirely red cheek due to her position and the angle. "Mrrmm~. N-No-" She tried to hold back her voice. "I''m just-, just not used to having my, you know, e-ears touched... p-please go on~." The sweetness and the purr in her voice made her answer hard to understand. "W-Wow-" She needed a moment to collect her thoughts. "O-Okay." She almost choked after hearing Maya''s voice. Continuing where she left up, Sophia gingerly touched the fluffy fur inside Maya''s ear, and her eyes began to sparkle. "S-So soft." Her expression was one of pure bliss. "It feels really nice. V-Very addicting~." "Hmmn~." The cat-girl still seemed nervous as her tail continued to work overtime, pping and swishing in every direction and all over the ce. Even so, it seemed like she was starting to calm down because she stopped twitching at every touch of the girl. Continuing in silence, Sophia further explored every corner of Maya''s ear while taking the greatest care not to identally hurt her. Using two of her fingers, she gently traced the insides of Maya''s ear before sinking her fingers into the fluff again. She quickly became addicted to the soft touch of it. The girl went on like that for a good while. At some point, she noticed that the cat-girl''s tail had stopped moving and how her body finally lost all of its tension. "Haa~" Maya''s breathing became slow and rhythmical. She eventually had even fallen asleep at some point after bing fullyfortable about Sophia touching her ears. "C-Cute..." Being even more careful now, not wanting to wake up the sleeping girl, Sophia continued to y around with her ear for a while longer. Eventually, though, she simply ced her hand on Maya''s head and gently patted her. "W-Wow, that was nice." She had a broad smile. "So soft, and fluffy, and so cute!" She stopped for a moment. "But-" Sophia remembered the twitchiness and rugged yet sweet voice of the cat-girl in the beginning. "W-Why do I feel so guilty?" "Well, I''m embarrassed just having been here." Fen suddenly turned his head around to look at the two again. "Of course, you would feel guilty after that." "F-Fen?!" Sophia shouted before blocking her mouth with her free hand after noticing how loud she just was. "Y-You were awake?" While she was busy, she hadpletely forgotten about the wolf behind her. "Unfortunately." He didn''t want to be a witness, either. "S-So embarrassing." Her face turned red. "Well, though I feel guilty, I regret nothing. Such fluffy goodness~." "Good for you, I guess?" He obviously didn''t share her enthusiasm. "Still, for a beast-girl, especially one of the cat-tribe, to let you touch her ears." "E-Eh, did I do something? Something I wasn''t supposed to do?" She looked at the head of the cat-girl with a shocked expression. "No, I wouldn''t say that. She gave you permission, after all, but that would mean-" Fen stopped talking midsentence. "Anyway, how are you feeling now, Sophia?" "I-I have the impression we ditched something extremely important just now, though?!" "Ask Maya yourself if you dare." "Aaand now I think I really shouldn''t!" Sophia felt like she didn''t want to know the reason all of a sudden. "W-What do you mean? How I feel?" "You were a bit out of it ever since your bath, weren''t you? When your boost ran amok, I mean. You''re still affected by it, aren''t you?" "Ahh-" She finally understood what he meant. "Yeah, I can still feel it, but I think it began to normalize ever since I began, uhh, petting Maya." She was ying around with the cat-girl''s hair while saying so. "That calmed me down, and I''m feeling really, no, extremely embarrassed right now." The girl paused for a moment. "I don''t want to wake her up, but my entire body just wants to scream. I feel like my brain is about to explode." "I can see why." He recalled just how different she was acting. "Does that mean you''re turning back to normal?" "Whatever you can call normal in my situation." Sophia scratched her cheek. "I think most of what took me over will be gone tomorrow." "I see, that''s good. Or is it?" "It is, no, it''s not." She corrected herself. " It''s not good at all. That''s why, please do me a favor and don''t wake me up..." "What do you mean?" "When I wake up tomorrow, after having turned back to normal and remember what I did today-" She closed her eyes. "I''m positive that I''m going to kill myself because I''m unable to bear the embarrassment." "That''s-" He understood her implications. "Good luck with that. I''m sure she won''t ever let you." He gestured at the sleeping cat-girl in herp. "Well, not that I would, either." "Thanks." She was d that the wolf was looking out for her. "Wait, what''s that supposed to mean?" "You''ll find out eventually." "Ehh?" Sophia looked at Maya and then back at Fen. "Somehow, err, it feels like I''m missing some context here. You know, something of great importance. For me, that is." "Don''t worry about it." "Is that really okay? It seems like I really should, though?!" "It''ll be fine. Not to mention more fun, for me, that is." With that said, the wolf turned his head around and stopped talking to her. "FE-! Ah-" She was about to shout his name again before she stopped herself. The girl noticed that she would definitely wake up the sleeping Maya in herp if she were to continue. "Grr~!" She had lost against the wolf. She grumbled over it a little more but soon gave up on it because she had no idea what she had missed and what was going on. On the following day, when she woke up and saw the peacefully sleeping cat-girl on herp and noticed that her boost had indeed not stayed so high, Sophia became far from peaceful, though. Chapter 47 – Remorse Chapter 47 ¨C Remorse Sophia wasn''t actually sure which of her boosted emotions or character traits went berserk. Still, some of them had basically taken her over and made the girl incredibly bold, and she took a very intimate bath with Maya. Even after she managed to somewhat retake control of herself, Sophia still spent the evening happily ying around with the cat-girl, having a rather intense petting session with her ears. The girl''s boosted stats had returned to a slightly more normal level on the following day, though, which was a cause for many worries. "Ha!" Sophia''s eyes shot open while her breathing was ragged. "W-What a scary? dream! Haa..." She looked around, disoriented after apparently having had a vivid dream. "Soo fluffy~." The girl noticed Fen behind her and rubbed the back of her head against his soft fur to calm down. "Hmm? My legs, no,p feels kinda heavy... D-Don''t tell me-" Without looking down, she patted the area with her hand and quickly came in contact with something. After making sure she was indeed feeling some silky hair, and a pair of incredibly fluffy and familiar feeling things resembling animal ears, Sophia''s face turned pale, and she slowly looked downward. "M-Maya." Fully awake in an instant, which was a very unfamiliar and unlikened feeling for her, Sophia became aware of the peacefully sleeping cat-girl in herp and stared at her with a panicked expression. "D-Did yesterday really happen? T-There''s no way, right...? R-Right?!" She nced at her hand and then at Maya''s ears. Reluctantly, she poked it as gently as she could and lightly scraped against the fur. "I-It feels exactly the same as in my dream... No way! It-, It was no dream, was it...? Uuh, this is bad... seriously bad. AH!" She suddenly looked even more shocked. "T-The-, The bath, it happened?! I did all that?! Or the one being in charge of me that time? No, this wasn''t me... It was someone else... NO! Wait a moment... That''s not true, either. Could it actually be?" Sophia stopped talking to herself and thought about the idea she just had, trying to understand her situation. "It was the person I want to be... aspire to be. My boosts didn''t go out of control but maxed out. It showed me... a glimpse of my full potential? Eh? Could that really be the case...? My normal mind just couldn''t keep up, let alone ept the huge gap and let me panic afterward? Is that why it somehow felt different from when I lose myself to anger? Because that''s not how I really want to be... I think? It''s just handy at times, getting so angry that I stop caring¡­ No, yeah... definitely not. Maybe, probably? Surely. Right?" Her newest theory still had a lot of holes. "L-Leaving that detail aside, for the time being, it would be really nice if that''s actually the case... B-But!" Sophia had to take another break. "But... the gap between those two me is still too big... Yesterday was-, it was way too embarrassing! Uuh..." Her entire face turned more and more red as she remembered the events. "I want to die." The remorse had finally hit her. "Crawl in a hole and die. NO, that''s not true! No matter how much I suffer in times like these, I don''t want to waste this chance! And, most importantly..." The girl rubbed the back of her head against Fen''s furry body before looking at Maya in herp once more. "I-, I definitely don''t want to part from those two, but, uuh, soo freaking embarrassing!" She still had toe to terms with her new emotions and feelings, which shed so extremely with her old self. "Sophia...?" The cat-girl slowly woke up and wiggled her head around in the other girl''sp a few times beforezily facing her. "Haa~... What''s wrong?" Even while still half-asleep, she noticed that something was going on. "M-Maya?!" She was surprised or the sudden waking up of her." N-No. it''s nothing..." "If you say so... haa~" After another yawn, she lightly stretched her limbs but made no movements indicating leaving Sophia''sp. "M-Mind getting up any time... soon?" "I wasn''t nning to, no." Instead, Maya repositioned her head some more before finding the perfect spot and getting morefortable there. "I-I would be really... d about it, though." Sophia''s face managed to get even redder while it was bing hard for her to speak. "Well, I wouldn''t!" She had taken a liking to the girl''sp. "P-Please..." "Don''t want to~." "C-Come on..." Sophia looked troubled because her embarrassment was rising at an rming rate. "Ah, I can just stand up, can''t I?" Having arrived at a simple yet brilliant idea, she did just that. "Eh?! O-Ouch?!" Losing her bnce after rolling off herp, Maya hit her face rather hard on the ground. "You''re so mean, Sophia!" Rubbing her slightly bruised nose, she looked up at the now standing girl andined to her. "Huh? How could you get up so easily? My legs are alwayspletely dead after you sleep in myp..." "Are-, Are you calling me fat right now?" Her voice changed, and her shyness was gone. "That''s thest thing I would call you!" She scanned Sophia from head to toe and then her chest a second time. "Eat something, girl! Ah... you eat quite well, though." As the cook of the group, she was well aware of that. "Where were you looking just now when you said this? Come on, tell me. Where? Don''t worry, I won''t get extremely angry." "D-Don''t people normally say they don''t get angry¡­? Like, at all?" "No, this saying certainly wouldn''t be fitting in this very scenario." Her eyes looked serious. "F-Fen, backup please!" "Cat, leave me out of this." He had no ns to assist her, possibly ending as coteral in the end. "Traitor! Err, I, uhh, I like you the way you are, okay?! T-There was nothing negative I wanted to convey in my answer, Sophia! Just making it clear that you''re not fat, not even a bit. Absolutely nowhere... Aaaand I''ll stop talking now!" Maya noticed her panic reaction and interrupted herself before making it worse. "R-Really?" Something in that reply had caught her off-guard, and it wasn''t the confirmation of her not being fat. "T-Thank you..." The rising anger was reced by embarrassment once more. "Ah, uhh, sure." She wasn''t sure how to react. "Maybe it''s just because I''m stronger? Even before my boosts, I was quite proud of my legs." Sophia gave her thighs a satisfied pat while saying so. "You should be," Maya answered without thinking again while she looked at the girl''s legs, her tail being all over the ce and moving in a twitchy motion. "O-Oh... No, I mean, yes! I mean, no... Wait!" The cat-girl stopped talking and took a deep breath to get herself back on track. "Yes, that could be the case. I really neglected training my bodytely. I should exercise more." "Y-You should do that..." If Sophia could properly think right now, she would¡¯ve loved to ask how the cat-girl managed to collect herself so fast again and learn from it. Still, she had only understood half of it at best, anyway. She was still brooding over how Maya had admitted liking her body earlier. "A-Anyway... If you would excuse me, I-I need to..." Before finishing her sentence, Sophia ran away from the camp so fast that Maya seriously thought the girl had teleported away for a second. ---------------- "Ah, she''s gone..." It took her a moment to even realize. "What a brilliant self-destruct." Now that the danger of ending up as coteral was no more, Fen spoke up again. "Yeah." The cat-girl could only agree. "I''m talking about you." "I know." She nodded. "I lost my cool there for a bit and got a little-" "Honest?" The wolf had seen through her. "Ahhh..." Maya''s expression became really awkward. "Am I wrong?" "You are-" She hesitated with her answer for a good while. "You are... not. Was it that obvious?" "You were basically marking her, weren''t you? For a while already, even. Petting Sophia, clinging to her, and not to mention how you were wiggling around in herp, rubbing your head all over herp." "You''re really sharp, huh?" "I don''t have to be, not for that." It was more than obvious for the wolf. "Ahahahaaa-" Herugh trailed off and ended in a sigh. "Yeah, I was doing that, though the clinging mostly was just me being me, actually. Okay, a good bit more than usual... Wanting to mark her, well, that''s a recent trend..." Maya looked conflicted. "I don''t know what happened. I mean, we only know each other for a month or so, but there''s something about Sophia... Yeah, I might''ve gotten more than interested in her. Especially after yesterday, things became different¡­" "You want her as a mate, then?" "A-Ah!" The cat-girl almost fell over. "C-Could you, could you not phrase it like that... please?" She wasn''t a fan of Fen''s wording. "Not... directly that? I''m not exactly sure what I want..." "Don''t you think yesterday was, let''s say, rather obvious?" The wolf wasn''t buying it. "Granted, I''m not perfectly familiar with the cat tribe, but weren''t you guys particrly fussy about your ears? Even amongst the beastfolk in general, that is. Wasn''t it... that only the ones you want to mate with were supposed to touch them?" "A-Again, could you call them partners? Other than that... maybe not to that extent, but, y-yeah, you''re basically right." Maya''s face turned redder. "Our ears are extremely, uhh, let''s say, sensitive. Letting others touch them is, has a deep meaning. I might''ve gotten ahead of myself a little and a-acted in the spur of the moment... D-Does Sophia know about, well, any of that?" "No, she never met any beastpeople before saving Chiyo and her group. There wasn''t much known about them from... where she came from, either. The ear thing, at least. The marking, on the other hand, all cats, no matter the kind, do that. She might connect the dots eventually." "Ahh... that''s good. I think I cane up with an excuse for the marking." "You''re not going to tell her?" "N-No..." The cat-girl sounded hesitant. "I''m not 100% sure what exactly I want yet. It''s, it is also my first time feeling like this... I have no idea how I could- Sophia, herself, is also going through a lot¡­ I don''t want to burden her with even more things right now." "I really don''t think you''ll be a burden to her." "Well... Also, there''s so much surrounding her that I don''t know yet. Not to mention our different standings..." She remembered her ongoing misunderstanding of Sophia being of royal origin in the demon realm. "Hmm?" Fen naturally had no idea what she was talking about. "Until I have the full picture, I think I want to continue exploring whatever... feelings I might have, or am developing right now, but I don''t want to make a decision yet..." She thought it was too early to act. "You are quite wise for your age, Maya." "No, I''m just a coward." "They''re often two sides of the same coin." "Ahaha." Her mood brightened up a little. "I really want to know more... everything about Sophia!" "I don''t think you need to explore your feelings any-. Whatever." The wolf stopped caring in the middle of his sentence. "You''re in for a surprise, that''s for sure. This girl''s story... Speaking of which, I want to retract my statement from the other day." "Hmm? What do you mean?" Maya couldn''t follow him. "About pushing Sophia too much. Whatever happened to her yesterday, I think it''s a big step in the right direction." "Ahh!" The cat-girl gave a big nod. "It felt a bit weird at first, but I think we got a glimpse at the real Sophia there... and I liked what I saw there." It was the moment when she actually fell for the girl, after all. "You certainly are not one to hold back, huh? But yes, I had the same feeling about her outbreak. Yes, I also think she misunderstood her outbreak. It really wasn''t someone else; it was the real her." "By the way..." She nced around. "Shouldn''t we look for her? It''s never a good thing to leave Sophia alone, after all." Maya suddenly had a bad feeling. "Leave her be. She needs to blow off some steam to clear her mind. I can''t imagine just how many things are going through her head right now." "You''re probably right. Still-" "GaaAaAHhh!" While the two talked, a loud cry of a familiar-sounding female voice echoed through the area. "See? Just blowing off some steam." Fen''s theory had gotten some vocal support. "S-Sure..." There was nothing else Maya could say in this situation. Chapter 48 – Decisions Chapter 48 ¨C Decisions Before Fen and Maya started their little love talk out of nowhere, Sophia had gotten really conflicted about her risen embarrassment after her boost went back to a more normal level. Also,ing to a possible exnation of why it happened, she ran away from the group to clear her head. "Haa-" Sighing after she covered a considerable distance, Sophia sat down on a fallen tree in a tiny forest she came across while running. "So embarrassing! Have I really reverted back to normal...? If so, that''s beyond frustrating! How about finding some middle ground, me?! Can I force myself to be so bold again? Wait, do I... want to?" She was unsure of how to continue. "Is it really what I think it is? Was that the full potential version of me? It may have a bit too high-spec, but I would enjoy it... I think? It''s hard to wrap my head around. I might have gotten a bit too confident and... Maya-" Sophia stopped mid-sentence when she thought about the cat-girl. "I''ve done her wrong. I got way too close to her... I mean, I enjoyed it, but it was wrong! She clearly was ufortable when I yed with her ears. Why else would she have squirmed so much after all?" She forgot about the part where Maya got so rxed that she had fallen asleep in herp afterward. "I probably should apologize, but... they felt so good! I want to pet them again!" Her conflicting emotions had taken a slightly impure turn. "In the first ce, Maya... if you let me y around so much, I might get the wrong idea, you know?! I know you like this, uhh, skinship thing and feel sorry for me, but what are you going to do if I get my hopes up?! If I didn''t know better, I would almost think you were marking me! The cat we had at my mom''s house acted almost exactly the same, rubbing her head all over me whenever I came over. Yeah, impossible... Urgh, what am I even thinking about?!" She got more than a little sidetracked. "Seriously, what should I do?! Embrace the overboost or whatever and force myself to get used to it? Suppress it...? Slowly increasing it bit by bit and trying not to go out of control? That seems like the safer choice, but... W-What if I suppressing eventually stops my boosts? If I get stuck, not being able to be who I want to be and the same as in my old world happens... Anything but that!" Being locked in the same or simr loop as in her previous world was thest thing Sophia wanted. "I need to embrace it." "Should I talk about it with Maya? I need her for the brute-force method, after all. Hey Maya, I want to get used to my boosts, can I molest and harass you a bit? Please?- Yeah, that''s a brilliant n... Hmm, I could always just get back at her when she overdoes it and get a little more extreme... It''s not my fault, then. NO! What am I? A low-life pervert?! That''s not what I''m going to do! Uuh... W-What should I do?" She was at aplete stalemate. "GaaAaAHhh!" Crying out the frustration about her indecisiveness, Sophia shouted with all her might, loud enough for it to echo through the entire area. "Maya..." Her thoughts had be entirely focussed around the cat-girl. "Should I tell her about me, after all? Who I am... What I am. Everything? I don''t think I can-, should try to get closer to her without being honest. That''s way too unfair. But... Can I tell her? Will she understand? Will she ept it... no, me?" There were a lot of undefined variables. "What if she can''t... Will she leave me? I, that, no..." She definitely didn''t want that to happen. "But hiding is also no good. Uuh... My head''s starting to hurt! I want some stress relief! I want to y with Maya''s ears! A-Ah-" Sophia stopped talking when she noticed that she had gone full circle with her thoughts. "Gaah!" Yelling again, she punched a nearby tree to calm down, leaving only splinters behind on the ce where it used to be. "I absolutely can''t decide! I have a feeling I can''t find an answer no matter how hard I try... Ahh! I give up! It''s no use!" Thinking never was her strong suit. ---------------- Unable toe to a conclusion, she had little choice and stopped worrying about it for the time being. After punching another innocent tree into smithereens to get the frustration out of her system, Sophia finally decided to head back to Fen and Maya in their camp. "Oh, look at that, the runaway girl''s back." The wolf was the first to spot her. "Ahaha, I needed some alone time... think about stuff." "Oh, we did a lot of that as well." "F-Fen?!" The cat-girl looked flustered as she faced him. "Maya?" Sophia had no idea what was going on. "N-Nothing!" She obviously didn''t want her to find out at this point and hastily tried to change the attention away from her. "W-We heard your shouting all the way over here... did something happen?" "A-Ah-, you heard that, huh? Uuh..." Sophia got a little embarrassed that her voice traveled so far. "I was... just a bit frustrated because I can''t decide on anything..." "Hmm? What do you mean? Decide what?" The cat-girl was interested in her worries. "Well, it''s about y-yesterday." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I think I''m starting to understand what actually happened to me there... I think it wasn''t so much that my boost went out of control, and I stopped being me, but I maybe was at my full potential. Though, I was unable to really control, handle it yet. Myself, that is." Sophia had epted this possibility as her desired oue. "Now I don''t know which way to continue onwards I should choose..." "What are the options?" "Ignoring it ever happened and suppressing my boosts with all my might. Somehow slowly trying to get used to it eventually...?" "I don''t like that idea." Maya gave a frank answer. "Neither do l." The wolf''s opinion was the same. "The other way would be to embrace it and not care about the bacsh. You two would need to keep my, uhh, tension up for that, though... I''m not sure how I feel about that." "I''m in." "Sounds fun." They didn''t sound concerned at all. Rather, the two seemed to look forward to it. "Ehh?" Sophia didn''t know how to take that. "B-But Maya, you saw what happened yesterday, right? I''ve... bothered you a lot." "H-Huh? " "There was the b-bath, and not to mention your e-ears, Maya... I don''t know what''s going to happen, but I''m afraid I could do more things to you that you wouldn''t like..." "Do you really think so, Sophia?" There was a hint of disappointment in the cat-girl''s voice. "I would never do anything I''m notfortable with just to entertain someone. I''m definitely not like that." "I-I''m sorry... for offending you." She felt the need to apologize. "Wait, does that mean?" "Y-Yes. Though I was a bit embarrassed while you were touching my e-ears, how you t-touched them... You still had my full... consent." "S-Sorry, I got a little too excited there." "Y-You sure did." "S-So...?" Sophia had lost track. "Prepare yourself! The next little while''s going to be seriously embarrassing... for b-both of us." "D-Did l-, did I really make the right choice?" She already started to second-guess her idea. "Toote now~!" With a slight tint on her cheeks, Maya showed her a nice grin. She then walked up to her and trapped the girl in a big, hearty hug. "H-Huh?!" This was too surprising, and her face turned full red again. Little did she know that the cat-girl looked the same. Unfortunately, because Maya was resting her head on Sophia''s shoulder, she couldn''t see her expression. "Y-You''re way too sneaky!" "Ehehe~. I-, I have to work hard for m-my goal, after all!" Stumbling over her words a little, Maya became conscious of her actions after the conversation with Fen earlier. "Yourgoal?" "E-Err, m-my goal is to help you reach, uhh, your goal!" She barely managed to cover it up. "Okay? T-Thank you?" Sophia felt that something was odd about her phrasing, but she couldn''t pin down what exactly was bothering her. "And... feeling anything yet?" "H-Huh?! Feeling, err-" She was feeling various things, both physically and emotionally, but there was no way she could admit to any of those. "T-This whole situation is... really embarrassing, but other than that... n-no, nothing like yesterday." "It is-, I-I mean, I see!" The cat-girl was having a hard time keeping it together. "What now... want me to stop?" She was about to let go of Sophia, but she didn''t get the chance to. "N-No, let''s try... let''s try a little longer." Not only feeling embarrassed but also a little bold all of a sudden, her expression slightly changed. She wrapped her arms around the cat-girl''s waist, hindering her from letting go and pulling her closer instead. "S-Sophia?!''" This action was too unexpected for the already flustered Maya. "I-It''s actually working, isn''t it?! My... uh, t-the Sophia I know would never do anything like this!" "Hmmn... You think so?" She hadn''t noticed the sudden change herself. "It''s... still super embarrassing, though, so... it''s kinda weird... this feeling." "Wouldn''t you call that... normal? You know, hugging someone is nothing one shouldn''t be able to do. It''s nice and perfectly normal. A full-blown, tight embrace, on the other hand... Yeah, I- I gotta admit, t-that can be... embarrassing..." Maya is not afraid to hug, so she knows what she''s talking about, but going further than that, especially today, was beyond her limits as well. "N-Normal...? No one-, no one ever used that word to describe me. At leasttely¡­ or thest 10 plus years, to be exact... including myself." Not that many had the chance to describe her in the first ce since then, though, being alone for most of that time. "You..." The cat-girl had no answer ready for such a heavy confession. "Isn''t that fine... being normal? I would like that..." There were many emotions in Sophia''s voice. "Uhh... Okay, give me a second here. I need to process this first-" She went silent for almost a minute, rather than a second, trying to wrap her head around what she just heard. "Sure... uh, being normal is not something to scoff at, but using your full potential you showed yesterday, you would be able to live your life with exceptional confidence. This would far exceed being normal, just in a good way, don''t you agree? I think that''s worth considering." "You might have a point..." She thought about it for a moment. "Yes, you''re right! I don''t want to be just normal, no, average! I''ve been given a new life, after all. I''m not trapped anymore! I want to go all out with this second chance!" Sophia''s motivation was high. "Given... a new life? Trapped?!" Maya had a veryplicated expression after hearing this. "Uhhhh-" She noticed her mistake. "I-I mean... bying to this ce-, c-continent!" "Hmm..." The cat-girl sounded suspicious. "Okay, whatever... So, what do you want to do now?" She was bing more and more curious about Sophia''s past, but she also didn''t want to push her too much about it. It wasn''t the right ce and situation for this. "Let''s try something more extreme!" "Okay! Wait, what?!" Maya agreed without thinking, but she then looked shocked and peeled herself away from Sophia as the words registered. "A-Ah... T-That, it was your idea in the first ce, r-right?" "D-Did I really say it like that...?" She didn''t remember ever sounding so suggestive. "You were the one who said it''s going to be embarrassing. I''m not sure what you''ve got in store, but it''s going to be extreme in my eyes, right?" "O-Oh-" Maya noticed that she interpreted a little more into the suggestive part than the other girl. "Today really isn''t my day..." Mumbling, she turned her head away in embarrassment. "S-Sure, let''s do something really extreme~." The cat-girl broke a little and gave up. Even so, after all that, the two spent the rest of the day apart from each other. The talk with Fen had made Maya incredibly conscious of the other girl, and she needed to cool her head. She had yet to get used to the feelings she was bing aware of for the first time. Once she felt calm enough to deal with her again, the cat-girl tried to think of an extreme n to help Sophia get used to being confident, and even more importantly, to get back at her. Although Maya ignored the fact she got flustered all on her own and how the other girl was rtively innocent for once. Chapter 49 – Maya’s plan Chapter 49 ¨C Maya¡¯s n While Maya was on her own, she tried to get an idea of how she could help Sophia getting used to her confidence boost. As the cat-girl had embarrassed herself a couple of times after somewhating to terms with her blossoming feelings for the high-maintenance girl, she also wanted to get back at her. But, this was way easier said than done for her. "Uuh, I shouldn''t have talked about this with Fen. Now that it''s sorta out in the open, it''s hard to ignore any longer! I''ve really made a fool out of myself... Stupid Sophia, you''re way too charming! Hmm? Too charming? Wait... Wait, wait... wait a moment!" "If what she''d said about her boosts is true... Did her charm get raised to super level as well?! I-Is that why Chiyo first got interested in her? I''ve spent some time with her now and understand her, well, charming points, but Chiyo was a little fast! She''s usually pretty dense, after all." Completely ignoring the irony, she continued. "I initially became interested in Sophia because of her magic. Still, after getting to know her better, everything about her became interesting¡­" "Oh, no!" Maya suddenly stopped, seemingly having realized something. "W-Wouldn''t that mean my rivals are going to increase whenever we run into someone?! I-I have to make her mine, rather, make her want to be mine so that I can be hers, before the capital then, do I not?! She''s gonna get swarmed there! Even some nobles would go for her! I can''t let anyone else have her! Uuh... but that''s wrong! You shouldn''t rush such things, right? Okay, it''s time for a detour! Let''s take the, uhh, scenic route to the capital! I need to buy some time! Ah, well, we already are taking the scenic route, though. That means I need to think of a way to increase our travel time even further!" "Urgh, you are so much work, Sophia!" Comining about the innocent girl, she cried out her frustration. "Anyway, ignoring that, where was l again?" She noticed that she got sidetracked. "Ah, right, getting Sophia more confident, or rather, making her get used to it. What to do... Should I kiss her? Not just on the... back this time? Yeah, that... should totally... work. Nope..." Her face turned increasingly more red with each word, and she was barely even able to finish her sentence while imagining it because her brain got overloaded. "Forget making Sophia more confident! It looks like I''m in dire need of that myself now! How did I be SO useless this fast? Ahh~, I want to fight someone strong and blow off some steam!" Being unable to deal with the situation, her old muscle brain took over. "Just not these monsters I''m traveling with! Oh, maybe we should head over to the sea? I''ve heard there are some strong actual monsters. It would also be a nice detour as well! Yeah, let''s do that. Let''s save the extreme n for Sophia for some other time. I can''t think of anything, anyway." ---------------- Having decided on a course of action, though it had nothing to do with what she was initially thinking about, the cat-girl finally reunited with the other two. "Ah, there she is." Sophia spotted her and lightly waved. "Wee back." "Y-Yeah, I''m back..." "And, found something? Something extreme...?" She had a bad feeling ever since the cat-girl ran away under that pretense earlier. "How about we go to the sea?" "Ehh? What does that have to do with anything?" Sophia naturally couldn''t see the connection. "D-Don''t worry, that''s just step one of my, let''s say, master n." "Oh, so that''s how it is. What''s step two, then?" "I''ll tell you, uhh, once I''ve thought of it." Maya had yet to form her master n, after all. "Ehhh~? Ahahaha~." She startedughing with a bright smile from her answer. "We totally are the same, huh? When ites to stuff like that." She was the queen of not thinking things through. "Y-Yeah..." The smilebined with theugh was too much for Maya to look directly at right now, and she averted her face. "The sea, huh? Sure, why not?" She had noints. "How far is it?" "Hmm-" She tilted her head. "I''m not entirely sure, but it shouldn''t take much longer than a week, I guess? Two at the very best." "Cool. Let''s start tomorrow morning, then." It was alreadyte afternoon, so it made little sense to leave immediately. "That means noon for you, right?" Fen doubted the notorious oversleeper would be able to get up in the morning. "Err, somewhere in between." There wasn''t much she could say in her defense. The rest of the day was rtively uneventful. The group had their usual dinner, but the cleaning routine of the girls was slightly different. Sophia took her bath alone for a change because Maya said she felt like taking a shower today for some reason. A cold one, she added. Afterward, the cat-girl also went to sleep early, apparently in preparation for tomorrow. Though, instead of cuddling with Sophia like she had done so often before, Maya slept a little away from her. She needed some alone time. Sophia used the fluffy body of Fen as usual. Still, while she wasfortable, she didn''t fail to notice the slightly lonely feeling in herp, almost like something was missing, or someone. ncing at the cat-girl a couple of times, she opted to keep this feeling to herself, though. It took her somewhat longer, but she still managed to fall asleep without much of an issue. ---------------- On the following day, or early noon, depending on which one you would ask in the group, they started their journey towards the sea as Maya suggested before. "Okay, let''s get going already!" Sophia seemed motivated and began walking towards their destination with big steps. "Already, she says." The cat-girl shook her head. "Also, you''re going in the exact wrong direction." "A-Ah..." Slightly flustered, she stopped and turned 180¡ã before continuing. "I-I was just testing you." "Oh, I see. Well then, keep leading if you know the way. I won''t stop you." "I''m sorry, I lied." She quickly gave up her act. "I know~," Maya stated the obvious. "I just wanted to tease you." The cold shower the day before, together with the lonely sleep, had helped her calm down a lot. "You... Well, I''m d you''re better. You weren''t very energetic yesterday, after all." "So you noticed, huh?" "Of course! I might be stupid, but I''m not entirely blind. Though, I have no idea what was going on." Sophia had noticed that something wasn''t right but didn''t know what exactly. "Y-Yeah, no need to worry. I''m feeling much better today. Thanks for worrying." "Great! Then, lead away, Maya!" "Sure." She raised her hand to indicate her readiness but then used it to grab Sophia''s before actually starting to walk. "Let''s go~!" "E-Eh?!" Sophia looked at their joined hands in shock for a moment but ultimately obediently let herself be dragged around by the cat-girl. Hand in hand, the girls kept going like that for most of the day. Fen was following slightly behind them with a faint smile on his face, silently cheering for the cat-girl. He also made sure not to get involved because he didn''t want to deal with either of them. Having made good progress until the evening, the group finally stopped once they found a group of trees that made for a good camping ground. After having eaten something, they were rxing around their usual fire. "We sure walked a lot..." Maya was sittingfortably on the grass while lightly massaging her legs. "I''m kinda tired." "Hmm..." Sophia, lying t on the grass next to her with her limbs sprawled out, didn''t feel tired at all, but she decided to stay silent. "I think I''m going for a jogter to power myself out a bit." Fen wasn''t as nice. "Want to join me, Sophia?" Knowing the speed and endurance of hispanion, not to mention her love for running around, the wolf knew that she was far from exhausted, either. "N-No, I''m good." "Sorry... for being so slow." "You''re not slow... Fen and I are just abnormally fast." She wanted to make her feel better. "Besides, I like to travel at this speed better anyway. Going slowly eliminates the chance of missing out on anything interesting. A-Ah-" She used the wrong word. "Uuh..." She intended to be nice, but Maya only took more damage. "A-Anyway, It''s bath time for me." Sophia quickly changed the topic. "What are you going to do? Another shower, or are you cing with me?" "Do you want me toe?" She recovered fast. "W-Well-" She stopped to think. "Y-Yes, I think... so. I''ve gotten a little used to it. A bit, at least. Ignoring some, uhh, a-idents, it''s be fun, I guess? Despite it being embarrassing, of course... Also, it''s a good training for getting used to my boosts, probably?" She wasn''t perfectly convinced about any of what she was saying. "I-I see. Well, looks like I have no other choice. I''ll apany you!" Maya tried to sound indifferent, but the smile and her happily swishing tail gave away that she was looking forward to it. Getting up from the grass, she grabbed Sophia''s hand and pulled her up from the ground as well. Still holding onto her hand, the cat-girl then left the camp with her in tow. "Y-You know... when you''re this excited, Maya, I''m getting a bit scared." "I-I''m not excited!" Her tail froze in ce when she was called out. "You are not, huh? Okay." Sophia didn''t buy it, but she also didn''t feel like arguing. ---------------- Having found a suitable ce, the girls started their preparations, and the bath was finished up in no time at all. "So, we are going for a big bath again?" Maya was looking at the huge tub with aplicated expression. "Yeah, ignoring various things... I think the small one was way too cramped because I like to stretch myself in the water." "l... can''t argue with that." "Well then, let''s go in." Facing her back towards the cat-girl, Sophia started undressing while looking straight forward, as usual, so she doesn''t get distractedbefore entering the water. "A-Ah!" Maya forgot to strip because she identally focussed her attention on something else that did distract her. After pping her cheeks, she quickly followed the other girl. She sat down behind her in the big bath and then pressed their backs together by leaning onto Sophia. "Y-You sure like that position, huh?" She remembered that the two often sat like that in the bath. Once she got used to the sensation, she leaned back as well before turning her head to look up at the sky. "Well, it feels... n-nice, and it''s not... that embarrassing anymore." "Yeah... Wait!" The cat-girl suddenly sprang up again. "Didn''t we want to make you extra embarrassed so that you can get used to your boost thingy?" "You''re right! Okay, not the wording I would prefer, but you have a poi- A-AH!" Sophia forgot about their situation for a moment and turned around. Thanks to that, she got a perfect close-up view of Maya''s glistening wet, not to mention, naked body standing right in front of her. She went silent and found herself unconsciously staring at her as a result. "T-That''s a bit embarrassing, you know...?" Feeling self-conscious after all that''s happening to hertely, the cat-girl twisted her body away from being watched. "O-Oh... I''m s-sorry, that''s not-" She looked in a different direction before even finishing her sentence. "W-While not exactly... un-effective, I-I think your n b-backfired a bit, M-Maya..." Sophia did get embarrassed, among many other things, by looking at her, but for different reasons, and she had the feeling the cat-girl took the most damage from this attempt. "T-That wasn''t what I had intended, idiot!" Because it had indeed affected Maya the most, the rest of their bath went on without anything noteworthy happening, and no further progress was made. The girls finished up before long and went back to the camp. Along the way, they ran into Fen, who actually went for an evening run, after all. Chapter 50 – Traveling towards the sea Chapter 50 ¨C Traveling towards the sea The girls had finished their bath, but instead of making Sophia more confident by raising her limits, it backfired on Maya. The cat-girl ended up being the most embarrassed one because she identally presented herself fully in the nude to the other girl and gave her a nice close-up view of her body. While rxing at their campsite afterward, the group was chatting about their ns for the following days. "How far is the sea again?" Sophia was leaning against Fen as usual when she looked at the cat-girl sitting next to her. "Hmm... We already made way more progress than I thought we would. If we get up early tomorrow and continue like that for the rest of the way, we might be able to reach it in under a week." "So, we need a week at the very least, huh?" The chance of her getting up early was near zero. "Ahaha... Yeah, we can take it easy." Maya was in absolutely no rush, either. If anything, it actually helped with her master n. After she said this while trying to get morefortable, she began to shift around her body to find a better position and kept ncing at Sophia for some reason. "Is something the matter?" She tilted her head, not understanding the cat-girl''s behavior. "N-Not at all!" Feeling caught in the act, her entire body, including her tail, twitched in response. Even so, she kept ncing at the girl regardless. "Seriously, what''s going on- Ah." Sophia followed her line of sight and ended up in herp. "Is... Is that what you want...?" With a light blush on her cheeks, she patted herp. "Y-Yeah." Maya slightly nodded while her tail made a couple of nervous movements. Her immunity against Sophia''s charm had worn off during their bath. "Geez~. Well, it can''t be helped." Trying not to grin at how cute the cat-girl was in her eyes right now, she repositioned her legs a bit. Her boosts seemed to be working very well at the moment, and she unconsciously decided to take advantage of them. "T-Thanks..." Still red in her face, she ced her head onto the girl''sp while facing the fire in front of them. Trying to find the perfect spot, she wiggled around for a good while, causing her hair and cat-ear to brush against Sophia''s thighs multiple times. "S-Stop that!" Feeling ticklish, she ced her hand on Maya''s head to keep her from moving around. "Fine..." She was disappointed that she couldn''t finish her marking, but Sophia''s hand on her head was nice on its own, so she settled for that. "Good girl." Sophia ruffled through her hair. "Is it just me... or have our roles changed a bit? Turned, even." She was confused about how she, of all people, seemed the more emotionally stable person right now. "F-Funny, I was just thinking the same." "Did something happen? A-Ah, did I do something again without realizing, for you to be so out of it?!" "Kind of... somehow yes, but also no..." Maya had be like that because of Sophia, but the girl wasn''t actively trying to make her life moreplicated for a change. "Ehh? What am I supposed to do with that answer?" "Don''t worry about it... It may be your fault, but you did nothing wrong." "Okay the- wait, what?! Huh? I-If it''s my fault, please tell me, or else I can''t fix it!" She only got more confused. "You don''t have to fix anyth- Actually, I don''t want you to fix it, so I''m not telling you." The problem was that Maya was falling hard for her, or already did so. Fixing that wouldn''t make her happy at all. "A-Anyway, your hand..." "What about my hand?" Thankfully, Sophia''s attention was really easy to divert most of the time. "Ah..." She noticed that she had stopped petting the cat-girl. "Haa~, what am I going to do with you? So spoiled." Heaving a sigh, the girl ruffled Maya''s hair again. "Well, not that I mind, not at all." "Mhmm~." With a cheerful, purr-like sound, she further rubbed her head against the girl''s hand. While she did so, one of her ears was brushing against Sophia''s thighs again. "I-I told you to stop that!" She pushed her head down again, stopping the cat-girl from moving. "W-While I don''t, uhh, dislike the feeling... as it turns out, m-my legs are kinda, no, super ticklish..." Sophia never knew about that until Maya first used them as ap pillow the other day because that was the first time someone came in contact with her legs in such a way. "Hoo?" The cat-girl got her hands on some very valuable information. "A-Ah!" She immediately regretted her slip-up. "I''ll put that to good use eventually." Not wanting to ruin the mood, Maya decided not to try it out immediately. "Uuh... I need to learn to shut up." "No, feel free to tell me more about you." She wanted to know everything about her, after all. "I have the feeling that would end badly for me..." Sophia had be wary of her. To end the topic, she entirely focussed on the cat-girl''s head, picking up the pace and intensity of her petting. She kept her hands away from her ears this time, though, because she still had a slightly guilty feeling from thest time. "Mhhmm~." Even so, from the sound of her delighted humming, Maya was enjoying it, not to mention how her tail was twitching from time to time whenever Sophia apparently hit a good spot. The two spend their evening like that until Maya had be so rxed from having her head pet that she eventually fell asleep. Sophia watched the peaceful cat-girl for a while before deciding to end the day as well, and she snuggled against Fen behind her, who had dozed off a while ago already. ---------------- The following days were basically a repeat of the same routine. The group kept advancing towards the sea all day, and the two girls were in their own little world during the evening. Sophia had gotten quite used to Maya''s advances, as much as it was possible for her, at least, and the cat-girl managed to regain her posture to some degree.After around a week and a half, things finally began to change, though. "Hmm? Oh, I think I can smell the sea!" Sophia was sniffing the air as she said so. "Yes, you''re right." Fen had noticed the smell as well. "Really?" Maya didn''t. "Then again, while my nose is decent, it''s more useful for nearby smells. I take more pride in my eyes. That being said, the sea should be half a day away at most, so you might be right about the smell. We should be able to see it once we pass that forest over there." She pointed to her right, where trees filled their vision. "Ohh? I can sense some monsters in there." Sophia focussed her attention on her forest. "Not terribly strong, but no small fries, either." "The ce''s filled with all sorts of baers." Fen was able to give some more details. "Baers? what''s that?" "You don''t know them, Sophia?" Maya tilled her head. "They''re big, carnivorous mammals." "Hmm?" She looked at Fen in response because he fits that description as well. "Let her finish, girl." "Most of them are either brown or ck, but some of them, primarily in cold regions, can be white as well. They haverge bodies, while normal baers are between two and three meters tall, really powerful ones can get much bigger. They have stocky legs, long snouts, small round ears, shaggy hair, and seriously huge paws." "I see..." Sophia went silent while mentally forming an image. "Oh, they''re bears! Come on, simply swapping two letters is way toozy!" "What is she talking about?" Maya looked confused as she nced at Fen. "Don''t mind her. She does that from time to time." The wolf was used to it already. "Okay?" "Do they put up a decent fight?." Sophia had be interested in the monsters. "They''re tasty." His answer was slightly beside the point. "Err..." "The strong ones should be above the rock golems from back then. At least in raw power. The baers have more weak points, though, as they, well, burn, for example." "Oh, they should be good for some experiments then. What about you, Maya? Want to fight some?" "Yes, please!" One of the main reasons for the cat-girl toe here was to fight strong monsters. "I want to have some fun as well!" "Alright then! Let''s get going! For experiments!" "For fun!" "For lunch!" While the three''s motivations couldn''t be more different, they were all looking forward to it when Sophia led them into the forest. ---------------- "You really eat those, Fen...?" Sophia was pointing at a particrity healthy and ferocious-looking ck-baer, being way past four-meter tall. "Of course! While I admit it''s a bit chewy, it has a nice and strong taste. I like that." "Yeah, I pass on that." While she didn''t dislike meat, the girl wasn''t fond enough of it to even eat strong-tasting baer meat. "I... might want to try a bite." Maya likes vegetables, but she was a little intrigued by it because, after all, a part of her is of feline origins. "At least someone gets it!" Fen was happy about having found arade. "Please don''t bond over something like that..." Sophiacked the enthusiasm of the two. "Can I give it a go?" Slightly excited, the cat-girl was looking at the colossal baer, itching for a fight. "Sure, be our guest." "Great! Let''s see..." With a great smile, Maya walked towards the monster. "Grrraarrr!" The baer greeted her with a very low-sounding growl to warn her. "Oho, feeling confident, are we? Too bad for you, I''ve been practicing. Not to mention I really need this!" She had umted a lot of stresstely. While she said so,pressed air, somewhat resembling a thin saw-de, formed in front of the cat-girl before itunched towards the monster. Compared to the first tries in the dungeon a while back, she hadpletely refined her chantless air magic. "G-GraAAhhHH!" Somewhat pained sounding, the baer released another cry after his chest started to bleed from a big wound that appeared in an instant. Identifying Maya as the culprit, it began to dash towards her. "A-Ah-" Not expecting it to survive the attack, the cat-girl was surprised for a moment. Still, she has excellent reflexes and effortlessly managed to dodge the huge beast. Rolling to the side, she instantly turned around and shot two more air des. They cut deep into the baer''s right arm and leg, rendering it immobile. "Grrhhh." Still growling, the blood-covered monster was approaching its end. "Now, for the finale~." Maya walked closer to the baer and finished it with a de directed at the monster''s neck. "Not bad." The wolf was impressed by her improvements. "Ehehe~, that was fun! Where''s the next one?!" She was far from being done. "Calm down, muscle brain..." Sophia approached her. "Good job at, well, keeping your clothes clean, but, uh..." She pointed at her face that was sprinkled with the blood of the baer. "You might want to clean that." "Oh, thanks! Maybe I should change my approach. I don''t want to ruin another outfit with bloodstains, huh?" She remembered Sophia''s griphon incident. "That would be wise. Buying new clothes around here might be difficult." She had no ns to stop the cat-girl from having fun but warned her about the possible issues. "Yeah, blood on white doesn''t wash out no matter what one tries..." She sounded like she had some experience with that, from more than one incident. "Too bad I like white too much to ditch it for something more convenient." "Yeah, it looks good on you. It perfectly matches your snow-white hair." Sophia smiled at her while saying so. "T-Thank you..." Not having expected apliment out of nowhere, Maya got slightly flustered and didn''t know how to react. "A-Anyway... I guess I''ll try fire magic then... S-So, where''s the next baer? If possible, a stronger one..." Primarily for fun, the muscle brain of a cat-girl continued to leave a severe impact on the baer poption of the forest they were in. Fighting off the slight embarrassment from Sophia''s sudden attackwas a small part of her eagerness as well, though. Chapter 51 – Shrine of the overseer Chapter 51 ¨C Shrine of the overseer Once Maya finished her killing spree inside the forest the group was walking through, leaving behind many corpses, they took a break for lunch. Sophia decided to skip it because the wolf and cat had decided to barbecue one of the baers she killed. As the meat was supposedly very strong tasting, she wasn''t overly interested. After smelling the meat while it was being grilled, Sophia was sure she made the right decision because its odor was very pungent, to say the least. But, the two carnivores of her group enjoyed it. Fen more than Maya, though. She also found it a tiny bit too much on the strong side, after all. While of feline origins, she wasn''t a pure carnivore in the end. Afterward, the group finally left the forest for good and continued their way towards the sea. "Hmm, I still can''t see any water, but the smell of salt has gotten stronger again." While looking around, Sophia was sniffing the air again. "Yeah, I kinda forgot how it actually was around here... Ah, but look at that!" Maya pointed at a weathered-down cobblestone road that stretched down the in they entered after the forest. "If we follow that, we''ll reach the sea in no time. The road doesn''t look like it''s used very much, so we shouldn''t run into anyone." She nced at the oversized wolf while saying so. "Is that so? Okay!" Raising her fist, Sophia energetically walked towards the road. "Ah! Wait for me!" Maya ran after her and grabbed the girl''s hand before the two walked together, hand in hand next to each other. It was already starting to be a habit. ---------------- The group, Fen slightly behind the girls, followed the street for a while. Eventually, they came across a roadside bulletin board at a fork on the path. "Let''s see~." Sophia looked at the messages posted on the board with interest. "Looking for kow meat... generous reward... only the most experienced hunters- That''s a human bulletin-board, is it not?" Her interest instantly died down once she had read the joke of a request. "Seems like it. Humans sure are helpless." "Idiots." Maya, and even more so, Fen, had their very own opinions on the topic. "There has to be something interesting... Slime hunting, yeah- no. Spyder extermination... hard nope! Can they even kill those things, or is it just to get rid of unwanted people? I can''t imagine a human winning against walking nightmares. Spyders, I mean. Oh, wanted posters, that sounds fun." Sophia looked at them, various murderers, theft, rape, and many other heinous crimes in an abundant amount. "Humans are something else..." She didn''t add ''in this world'' for various reasons. Hiding that bit of information from Maya was just one of them. "Hmm?" The girl''s attention fell on a rtively new and fresh-looking poster that had no portrait on it. "Wanted for multiple attempts of murder and disturbing the peace in the beautiful metropolis of Benva- What, or where the heck''s Benva?" She never heard that name before. "That''s a human city a little east of my home ce, Raumont. You know, where we met." "Hmm... Then, isn''t that the ce we tried to enter, Fen?" "Most likely." "That sure was no metropolis." She remembered the sorry excuse of a city. "What a scary ce. Good thing didn''t visit it, huh? Let''s see what happened there exact- A-Ah!" Sophia continued to read the wanted poster but suddenly froze up. "F-Fen, this sounds strangely familiar... Unknown female person... blonde hair, normal-to-slightly-short height. About 14 to 16 years... apanied by a lowly wolf-beast- ording to several witnesses, they attacked two city guards for no reason, almost killing them, and severely handicapped them for the rest of their lives." She looked at the wolf and then back at the poster a couple of times. "T-That''s us, isn''t it?" "Lowly beast, huh? They really never learn." Fen seemed slightly angry. "Wanted... dead or alive." Maya nced at it, as well. "Handsome reward, exact sum yet to be determined. Not bad." She looked slightly impressed. "You went all out there." "Ahaha... I''m wanted now? Well, that''s, uhh, something." She wasn''t sure how to react. "Sure, whatever, let them try their luck." Thanks to her previous experiences, and Fen''s propaganda, Sophia wasn''t the least bit scared. "You sure took this revtion lightly. Not that I can me you, it''s not really a threat." The cat-girl had a simr opinion on the matter. "So, anything else?" As the topic was done, the girl looked for other things on the bulletin board. "Oho, directions! Exactly what I was looking for! Hmm, Sea, 4.5 Kilometers on the right path. It really isn''t far anymore. Oh, what''s that? Shrine of Canir? 1.7 kilometers on the left path. Canir...?" She paused for a moment. "Where have I heard that name before? Ah, wasn''t that the bored idiot who build that joke of a dungeon we explored a while back?! Why does he have a shrine dedicated to himself?!" "Aaaahhh~" Maya suddenly eximed in a cheery voice, seemingly having remembered something. "That''s why I thought the name sounded familiar back then. Canir is the highest god for most races on this continent! I kinda forgot because I''m not, well, very invested in religious things. Or politics, while we''re at it." "The idiot who created that dungeon... a god? The highest one, even...? Is this ce alright? Like, seriously?" She began to doubt the sanity of this world if they worship such a god. "Okay, I have to see this." With an unhealthy mix of disgust and curiosity, the girl entered the left path, leading to the shrine. "Uh-oh..." Fen had a terrible feeling about the situation and what''s going to happen soon. "What''s wrong?" Maya was walking next to the wolf while the two followed Sophia. "A storm ising up..." He''d gotten very cryptic all of a sudden. "A big one." "Eh? The weather seems fine to me, though?" The cat-girl looked at the perfectly blue and cloudless sky, not understanding what Fen was talking about. "I don''t know how to exin. All I do know is that I''m about to develop a massive headache." He was not looking forward to Sophia reaching the shrine. "Okay?" She naturally was confused about his reaction. "Aaand there we are~." A little whileter, the group with Sophia in front had reached the entrance to the shrine. The only thing she could see right now was a massive wooden gate with brick-stairs behind, though. It led up a hill, and a small but fancy sign stood next to the entrance.
Shrine dedicated to the High god of life, Canir Overseer of the world, giver of many blessings May the benevolent Canir watch over us supreme ones forever
"Supreme ones¡­ human shrine, huh?" Sophia had a simr reaction to earlier. "That sure is a fancy description for a bored piece of tra- WAIT!" She suddenly froze in ce when she reread a specific part of the sign. "Oh no." Fen knew what was going to happen now. "Overseer... of the world..." Sophia''s eyes had lost all of their shine, looking dead. "Canir is... that guy?! That can''t be right, can it?" Without waiting for the other two, she sped up the stairs leading to the actual shrine. There, she spotted a couple of older-looking buildings and a huge statue of the god Canir. The person was male and seemed to be in histe twenties. He had very sophisticated features, styled hair, and wore something resembling a high-quality suit while overlooking the ce with a serious expression. "..." She had seen that person before. It was the very same guy the slob of a god had turned into for a moment when he was talking with Sophia before she came to this world. Forgetting even to breathe, the girl only stared at the statue, her expression slowly turning dark. "S-Sophia...?" The bad feeling the wolf was having for a while already, had finally reached Maya. She didn''t know what was going on, but she could tell that the girl was angry about something. "Ahaha!" She snapped. "So that''s how it is. Now that I think of it, the sign in the dungeon kinda gave off his feeling. That guy actually was that¡­ idiot, huh?!" She wanted to use a different word. "Giver of many blessings, huh?!" She remembered the description on the sign. "Sure, that''s one way to put it. Blessing''s really a very broad term. May he watch over us forever, it said... Yeah, that creep had such a hobby! Benevolent, my ass!" She snapped. Losing her temper altogether, Sophia formed a fist and punched the statue with all her might to get the rising anger out of her system. The figure exploded into thousands of pieces on making contact, and the entire shrine area was suddenly bathed in a blindingly white light. "Eh?! U-Uhh...? W-What is going on?!" Holding her arms in front of her face to protect her eyes, Maya couldn''tprehend what was happening. "Okay, that''s a turn of events I did not seeing." Even the wolf was surprised about the turn of events. "H-Huh?!" A few moments passed before the light disappeared. Once the cat-girl could open her eyes again to look around, she realized a huge issue. "W-Where''s Sophia?!" Fen and Maya were the only ones left at the shrine. Any signs of the other girl were gone, almost as if she had never been there in the first ce. Chapter 52 – Canir Chapter 52 ¨C Canir Sophia had found out that the person who mocked them in the Forsaken Maze dungeon a while back was actually the highest god of this world. To make matters even worse, it was the very same guy who brought her to this world and seriously messed with her personality. While it was mostly a good thing, the side effects were huge for the girl. Letting out her frustration and anger, she punched the statue of the god Canir with all her might, but something unexpected happened afterward. As it shattered into pieces, the entire ce was bathed in pure white light. "W-Where is Sophia!?" Maya was the first to notice that the girl was also gone after the light disappeared. "O-Oh..." Fen had no idea what to say because he was about as confused as her. "It''s fine... probably. Uh, is it?" He wasn''t sure. "She''lle back, I think? I hope..." The wolf really wasn''t helpful. "Tell me what is going on! Right now!" She knew that he was hiding something and demanded to be informed about it. "O-Okay-" Fen felt slightly intimidated by the cat-girl and started to talk after giving in to the intense pressure she was giving off. "Sophia-, she told you that she met a powerful individual that gave her those boosts and messed with her personality, right?" "Yes?" "The person she met was-, it was Canir." "What?!" She did not see that oneing. ---------------- While Maya was busy panicking, Sophia found herself in an all too familiar, pure white room again. "Hmm, I hadn''t expected that." While she was surprised, her voice sounded calm. "Wee back~." A casual and unreliable-looking guy in his early twenties suddenly appeared in front of her. The slob-version of Canir lightly greeted the girl. "Y-You!" Almost trembling in anger after seeing him and being ticked off by his casual way of speaking, Sophia wasted no time and instinctively closed the distance between them in an instant. Her fist connected with his face, and a loud and satisfying smacking sound echoed through the all-white ce before the benevolent high-god was sent flying with tremendous speed from the impact. Only his afterimage remained in front of the girl for a second. "Haaa~" She sighed while she was shaking and blowing on her hand that had turned red and bruised after the strong urge to hit Canir was satisfied. "Ouch! That guy''s face sure is hard... " "Wow, that hurt! I''m so happy that my regeneration is almost instantaneous." The perfectly fine-looking god reappeared before her after a couple of seconds. "Almost instantaneous, huh? That''s enough for me!" Seeing her chance, Sophia raised her fist once more and closed in for the kill. "H-Hold your horses, girl!" Actually being scared, Canir jumped backward. "T-That punch seriously hurt, okay? That would''ve killed almost anyone but me, you know?!" "Yeah, but I''m going for you, so-" She readied her fist again. "S-Stop already! L-Let''s talk this out, okay?!" The high-god of life was begging for his very own one. "Urgh, fine..." Reluctantly, Sophia took a step back. "Man, you sure have anger issues, girl." She sent him flying again, after all. Only this time, she used at least twice as much power. "Just whose fault do you think that is?!" Having vented her anger now, she sat down on the white floor and waited for him to appear again because it seemed like it would take a while. She couldn''t even see how far the overseer flew. "Alright, I don''t want that to happen again. I wanted you to be frank with me and ignore who I am. That''s why I took that into consideration when adjusting you. It''s more enjoyable to talk that way, but-" With much more distance between them than before, Canir came back after a couple of minutes. "Well, whatever~. It appears that I have to apologize for something?" "Something?! Very many things!" There were multiple things she wanted toin about. "But first... Benevolent god of life? Really?" "I am benevolent!" He sounded serious, but after looking at Sophia''s re, he stopped. "Okay... I''m not the one who came up with it. The residents of this world did that." "Ah, that makes sense." She could live with that. "Going on, what was that stunt with the forsaken Maze dungeon, or whatever it was called?! If you were just bored, destroy it once you''re done with it!" "You splendidly took care of that for me, didn''t you?" "Of course... you were watching. Still ever the creep." "H-Hey! I only watch when you fight or destroy something, okay?! The interesting stuff! I have delicacy, you know?" "You have not." She didn''t buy it. "Well, if it''s just when I''m doing stuff like that, it might be tolerable..." She didn''t like the thought of being watched when she made a fool of herself ever so often. "Yeah, the other scenes were too embarrassing to watch, so I stopped doing that." "Y-You!" She was about to pummel him once again, but the god himself jumped back in reflex. "Haa... whatever..." She gave up and got to her main topic. "What have you done to me?! You said you were going to boost stuff like my confidence and the like. I am grateful for this chance... But you clearly overdid it!" "Y-Yeah..." He rubbed his jaw and rapidly shook his face. "Yikes, way too strong. As for the other things, meh. Okay, you''ve gotten a bit, let''s say, too frank from time to time, and your anger''s not where it should be, but other than that, I don''t think I overdid it. By much, at least." He corrected himself a little. "You''re just starting to get a feel for it. Give it some more time and look for the right stimuli to get used to it. You''ve only been there for some months. You have all the time in the world, after all." "I-I see." It seems the group was right with their theories about Sophia''s boosts. "Ah, speaking of which, is it really true that I''m more or less won''t die of old age... or age in the first cebecause of my totally not overpowered magic power?" "Ahh, yep, that happened. I forgot about that when I gave you magic power. Sorry~." Canir didn''t sound apologetic whatsoever, though. "Well, I don''t particrly mind anymore. Thankfully, I''m not alone with that." She was lucky to have Fen and Maya, who are in a simr predicament, with her. "Say, is there anything you didn''t mess-, alter or boost?" "Hmm..." "Hey!" "Well, I mostly left anything rtionship-rted untouched. The positive kind, I mean. If someone makes you, for example angry, you know what happens." "Yeah... Wait, what does that mean?" "Let''s say, initial curiosity aside, because of a certain idiot''s charm on girls." He made sure Sophia didn''t hear thest part. "When someone spends time with you and gets interested, it''s their own decision. Your boosts didn''t help them to want to be with you." "T-That''s good." "Simrly, if someone falls for you. It''s 100% of their own volition. No matter how quick it seems." It was a very specific exnation for some reason. "Haha, if something like that would happen." She didn''t even try to imagine something so impossible. "Hmm..." He stared at her for a while, thinking whether the boosts he gave her might actually be too little instead. "Should I up that part some more? Yeah, it might be for the best." He mumbled something before addressing her again. "Whatever, the same goes for you, girl. Any interest you show in someone, it''s not altered whatsoever. Only how you deal with it might beimproved. If you like someone, go for it without caring about your boosts. They didn''t decide anything for you." "T-That''s reassuring. Thank you. For that, at least." "Sure thing~." "Okay, going on! Say, what''s up with this world''s humans?" She had enough of the other topic and came to one of her main problems. "I''ve only met a handful of them, but I already got so angry at them that they put me on a wanted list." "..." The moment he heard the word human, Canir turned his head away. "Oi!" "Yes... No, feel free to wipe them out. Unfortunately, that ship has long since sailed..." The god of the world had said something very dangerous just now, having given up on humanity. "S-Seriously?!" She couldn''t believe it. "l-, I have no idea what''s gone wrong with them... I mean, the humans of your old world weren''t perfect, far from it, but they were overall a somewhat decent bunch. Most of the time. This world? Nope. Maybe one in like a million is not terrible... If they grew up alone in a forest or something like that." "W-Why did you bring me to this world, then?" "You never said anything about wanting to meet humans, did you? All you mentioned was about finding girls." "Really now?" She obviously didn''t mention humans, as it was a matter of course for her. "A cat is fine, too, isn''t it?" "Wha-" Sophia raised her hand, indicating she wanted to say something, but she was speechless. Actually, there were many things she wanted to say, retort, and do, including punching him again. Still, his answer was too much for the girl. It didn''t help that he was right in a way, even though Maya wasn''t a full cat by any means. "Anyway~," He was pretty proud of himself for that. "While the humans are like that, the other races are mostly good ones, in my opinion. "Isn''t that right, miss self-proimed demon?" "T-That''s not self-proimed! Others assumed it, and I just, uhh, missed correcting them... But, yes, you''re right, the beastfolk are really nice." "Indeed, they''re a good bunch. You should also visit some actual demons when you have a chance to go to their continent. You''re going to like it there." "Hmm? Okay, I''ll keep that in mind for the future." "So, aside from those minor issues, how do you like the life in your new world, Sophia?" "I wouldn''t call them minor." She couldn''t agree with him there. "It''s interesting...? I''ve finally made some friends, outstanding friends, and the world itself is cool, but I think I have to get fully used to my boosts to give you a full review. Overall, I''m really enjoying it, though." "That''s good. By the way, if you ever want to meet up again, find one of my shrines. Ah, but simply touching my statue there and pouring some magic power into them is enough. No need to blow it into smithereens." "But I can, right?" She thought it was a worthwhile mission to free the world from these statues. "Please don''t." "Right, I can just punch the real one when Ie here. Actually, can I punch you again right now? Somehow, I really want to!" Sophia had already formed a fist. "I think it''s time for you to leave. Because I didn''t summon you today, time wasn''t stopped, and yourrades are probably worrying already." He ran away. ---------------- "A-Ah-" Before Sophia had the chance to punch him, or even react, her vision turned white. A momentter, she found herself inside the shrine again. There, she spotted the other two and lightly waved. "Hey there~. Wow, that sure was refreshing." "S-Sophiaaaa!" With tears in her eyes, Maya sprinted towards her the moment the girl came back and tightly hugged her. "Y-You idiot!" "Wee back." Fen wasn''t as emotional, but he still looked relieved about her return. "Ahaha... Yeah, I made a little side trip and met up with an old... acquaintance." "D-Do you mean Canir...?" Maya still wasn''t letting go of Sophia while she asked. "Y-You really met a god just now?! The most powerful, even?" "Sorry." The wolf apologized. "I had to tell her something in this situation." "No, it''s fine." She wasn''t angry. "So, how did it go?" Fen was a little curious. "Ohoho! I punched him! I punched him really good. Twice!" She looked incredibly satisfied as she smiled at him. "Y-You punched... Canir... the god?!" The cat-girl was sure she had misheard just now. "Yep~." "You idiooot!" Maya started to pummel Sophia''s back with her fists while she still had her arms wrapped around her. "What did I tell you about being reckless?!" "B-But, he deserved it! Ah! I forgot to ask him why he dropped me into a ce full of slimes! That deserves another smacking! As if bringing the already confused me to this world with all these messed-up stats wasn''t enough!" "E-Eh...?" That shock was enough for the cat-girl to finally let go of her. "W-What was that? Brought you to this world... D-Does that mean you''re actually the daughter of a god?!" The cat-girl made yet another terrible misunderstanding as only half of the other''s sentence had reached her brain. "I-I did say that out loud, huh...? Wait, what?!" Sophia only then noticed what Maya had said. "I thought you were a princess of the demonfolk, daughter of the current demon lord..." "H-Huh?! Ehh¡­? When did that happen?" This kind of backstory was news to the alleged princess, and she turned to Fen with a questioning expression. "Don''t ask me. I have no idea what she''s talking about." Unfortunately, the wolf had no answer for her, either. "Haa... It''s a little early, and I''m not sure if I want to, but I guess it''s time?" Sophia looked at the confused and somewhat frightened cat-girl and made her choice. "Maya, there''s something I need to tell you." She finally decided to talk about the full, real backstory of hers. Chapter 53 – The real backstory Chapter 53 ¨C The real backstory One thing led to another, and Sophia had another audience with Canir, the overseer that brought her into this world. This caused Maya to have all sorts of strange misunderstandings. Because of that, she decided that it was finally the time to tell the cat-girl who, or what she really is. "Uhh, I have no idea where to start..." Before she even began, Sophia was already at a loss. "Fen, I''m kind of scared..." She faced the wolf first with an uneasy expression. "Well, it''s toote now." Unfortunately, he had no calming words for her. "Urgh..." It was what she wanted to hear. Taking a deep breath, she eventually looked at Maya."Okay, first of all, I''m not the daughter of that Canir idiot." She wanted to clear up the thing that bugged her the most first. "Really? So... then, you are the princess of the current demon king, after all?" "Seriously, how did that story evene to be?" "Well, your powers,ck ofmon sense, wisdom of all kinds of odd things¡­ ess to as much literature as you desire, your ruthlessness in fights. You talking with Fen about not wanting to be the next demon lord. Me calling you a princess, and you not reacting, your wless looks, which has to be of royal origins! Well, all that and many more things..." Maya didn''t n on saying thest thing and got embarrassed. "A-Ah, t-thank you very much..." The mood turned awkward for a couple of seconds. "W-While there are many things I would like to address here, I may understand your assumption a little now..." "T-Then?" "Nope, no royal background whatsoever." "Is that so...?" The cat-girl was both relieved and a bit disappointed. On the one hand, Sophia didn''t seem to be out of reach anymore, but on the other hand, it was a sweet story, her being a princess. "To be perfectly honest with you-" Sophia took another deep breath before continuing. "I''m-, I''m not a demon in the first ce." "W-Wha-?!" Maya''s eyes opened wide in response. "This was a misunderstanding Chiyo made when we met because of my power and looks. As I wanted to keep my true identity a secret, I didn''t correct her back then. It was a convenient cover story. I''m sorry for hiding the truth." "W-What... Who are you, then? I refuse to believe you''re human! That just can''t be! Powers aside, it''s impossible for them to have even a shred of kindness in them, and you''re overflowing with it! As long as you''re not angry..." Maya had no idea what she was supposed to believe anymore now. "T-Thank you... Erm, well, strictly speaking, I am human, but I''m also not. Please don''t lump me together with the humans of this world." Thest thing Sophia wanted was to be put in the same group as them. "Of this world...?" "That Canir, he''s known as the god of life and overseer of this world, right?" "Y-Yes...?" "That idiot''s actually the overseer of many worlds." "W-What-, What does that mean...?" Maya could barely follow. "I''m not from this world." "E-Eh¡­?" She only shook her head. "I kinda, uhh, died in my old world." Sophia only made it worse. "W-What?!" The cat-girl lost trackpletely. It was too much for her. "Right before it was game over for me, Canir summoned me to his ce and offered me to continue my life in this world. He''s also the one who gave me those boosts as a gift for this world, but you know about them already." "You''re from a different world, died there... a god saved you and brought you here...?" "That''s roughly it..." Sophia added some more details afterward before she got the urge to lift the mood a little. "Ahaha, now you understand why mymon sense is a little odd, huh?" "Is that-, Is this really true...?" Maya didn''t feel likeughing, though. "Is this really what happened." She was having a hard time believing it. "Yes." "I-I see..." She was utterly overwhelmed and had no other reaction ready. "I''m sure it''s hard to ept... I think I wouldn''t believe it, but that''s actually what happened to me. If you have any questions, I''ll try to answer everything." "..." The cat-girl went silent for a whole minute. "I''m sorry, I need some time to think about all that. I can''t- My head..." Afterward, Maya left the shrine without saying another word. "A-Ah-" Sophia just stood there, rooted in ce while she watched her leave. "Did I-, Was that a mistake...?" She looked at Fen, hoping for an answer. "You did the right thing. It''s just not an easy story to ept. Especially since she-, since the two of you have been traveling together for a while already." The wolf wanted to say something else, but he opted against it because it was a private matter of Maya, the love talk the two had not too long ago. "Give her some time." "Okay... Yes, you''re right. I just hope shees b-back..." Sophia looked devastated just saying it out loud. "Want to eat something?" The wolf tried to divert her attention. "Not really, but let''s do that..." She wasn''t feeling hungry for some reason. ---------------- While Fen was trying to cheer Sophia up, Maya had covered some ground. She arrived at a massive boulder near a couple of trees and leaned against it while trying to wrap her head around the story she just heard. "Uhh... what was that just now?! Did she really tell me what I think she did?!" The cat-girl was freaking out. "T-That can''t be true! Sophia... she came from another w-world? M-Moreover, she''s here now because she-, she died there?! How''s this even possible? That makes no sense!" It was too much for her. "B-But why-, why does it feel like she''s telling the truth? She also seems to be an acquaintance of Canir. The highest god there is for most. Though, she seems to be on bad terms with him. If he''s really the one who gave Sophia her boosts... Could it be? Could it really be?" She was trying to convince herself. "He''s known as the god of life...That means it should be possible for him to save one, right? Still, a different world?! Do those exist in the first ce?! I never heard of anything even remotely like that!" Maya couldn''t wrap her head around the existence of multiple worlds. "She said that Canir is indeed the overseer of multiple worlds, but... do they actually exist, like seriously, for real?! I mean, Sophia as a whole suddenly makes perfect sense when you say that she''s not from this world... The concept itself just doesn''t! Urgh, Just why is this girl so freakingplicated!" She was starting to get a headache over Sophia. Her tail was hectically swishing in all kinds of directions, clearly showing how confused, distressed, and irritated she was right now. She even started running in circles while she was arguing with herself. "L-Let''s assume I believe her... which I don''t do yet. What would that even mean? Is it okay for her to be here? Well, of course, it is... the god brought her here. Still, won''t Sophia face a ton of problems if anyone finds out? Probably not? Eh? I don''t think anyone could harm her. Most wouldn''t believe her in the first ce, anyway. Actually, she could just keep pretending to be a demon girl, and absolutely no one would bat an eye." There were surprisingly few problems when thinking about it. "She definitely needs to learn more about this world''smon sense, though! It''s not even funny anymore how ridiculous she is. Okay, it is a bit." Maya had to correct herself. "Still, she has to learn it. At the very least to prevent her from doing stupid stuff like learning healing magic without a care, which normally only people with a connection to a deity or a... god can- Ah." She stopped in the middle. "Seems like it was okay for her to learn it, huh? Canir definitely counts for that part. I''m sorry I said anything, Sophia! My point stands nheless, though! It''s for her own good to learn somemon sense... and my sanity." The cat-girl was the one suffering the most from her over-the-topness, after all. "But... What about me? I only just became aware of my... feelings, and now that. Falling for another race is one thing. I was okay with that. But no, I went for an alien. A sexy alien, but still... Wait, is she an alien? Well, that or otherworldler, I would call it? It''s the same difference, really! I feel like just wanting to run away right now!" The scale was so big that details like the proper terminology had long since stopped mattering. All of it made her head hurt, and she instinctively wanted to flee. "Can I really love a person from another world? No... do I want to?" ---------------- Maya was having a tough timeing to terms with everything she found out today. While she was trying to find answers to her many questions and concerns, the other two of her group didn''t stay still, either. They finished dinner, though Sophia hadn''t much of an appetite, and made camp in a rtively visible ce near the shrine in the case the cat-girl came looking for them. "I think I have to apologize as well, Sophia." The two were sitting in front of their usual fire when Fen suddenly addressed her. "Huh, what''s that about?" "I know Canir. We met a couple of times in the past. I knew who he was the moment you told me what happened back when we met." "You know that idiot?" "Yes. I somehow missed the right time to tell you. And honestly, after the dungeon incident,I was a bit afraid to tell you that I''m acquaintanced with Canir." "Absolutely, that could''ve gone wrong..." Sophia had a feeling that she would''ve punched him at least once. "Yeah, but I should''ve told you." "Did you know that I can contact him through his statues?" "No, that was a first for me. He used to visit me down here from time to time." "I see, then don''t worry about it. It wouldn''t have changed anything." Sophia didn''t care. "Thank you." He was relieved. "By the way, is Canir still alive? After you-, you know?" "That guy''s crazy durable! I couldn''t scratch him! Or, more like, his healing was fast enough to not leave anysting damage. Visual ones, at least. I think I left some mental scars, though. He was pretty on edge during our talk afterward." "I can imagine. Even the overseer would be scared after you went all out on him." "I didn''t go all out... I felt too sorry for him before I had the chance to." "That''s scary in itself." "Ahaha." Fen went silent for a moment after their conversation was finished. He didn''t want to, not after he managed to divert her attention, but he had to bring it up again. "About the cat-" "A-Ah." Sophia clearly didn''t want to talk about it right now. "Don''t, okay...? Just like you said, all I can do right now is wait and hope for the best." With that, the topic was over before it even began. Afterward, the mood turned a little awkward in the camp, and the two spent the rest of the evening in silence. ---------------- Maya didn''t return that day. Not even when the night arrived, and the other two, one of them very reluctantly, finally decided to go to sleep. Chapter 54 – Maya’s feelings Chapter 54 ¨C Maya¡¯s feelings Sophia finally told Maya about the fact that she''s from a different world and how the overseer brought her here. The cat-girl was so overwhelmed by the revtion that she ran away to wrap her head around it. She thought about various things for a really long time, but she failed toe to a conclusion and never reunited with the other two that day. "Haa..." Sophia let out a big sigh during the morning of the following day. It was one of these extremely rare times when she woke up early, and all on her own, on top. However, that was a bit of a stretch because she had barely slept in the first ce. "Are you okay?" Fen was worried about her. "I''ve been better..." "The cat hasn''t moved, huh?" "No... she''s still at her spot about two kilometers away from us. I''ve been watching her with my detection magic ever since I identified her reaction. She sure has a big red dot. It almost looks the same as yours because I''m not that good at the details of the magic yet." "Of course, after the two of us, she''s by far the most powerful being in this whole area." "I was super worried when Maya went to the forest we came from, but she came back after some red dots the size of those baers disappeared." "Ahaha..." As a fellow muscle brain, Fen had a rough idea of what the cat-girl did, stress therapy. "I wonder if she wille soon. If... shees..." Sophia turned more and more silent towards the end. "..." The wolf had nothing to offer to make her feel better. "Haa..." "Want to eat some breakfast?" His ways of diverting her attention were rather limited. "Sorry, I''m not hungry." "I see." "Don''t worry about me, Fen. If you want to eat, go and catch something." "Really? Okay, I will." With slight reluctance, the wolf then left Sophia on her own to get a bit of food. ---------------- "Haa..." She sighed again and let herself fall t on her back. Lying on the grass, the girl watched the clouds passing by in the sky for a while. Severelycking in sleep, she was soon getting drowsy, despite all her worries at the moment. About twenty minutes passed, and while Sophia had closed her eyes, she didn''t manage to fall asleep at all. After a while, she felt the presence of someone next to her. Beingpletely absentminded, the girl lightly greeted them without checking. "Wee back, Fen..." "S-Sorry to disappoint, but-" "Maya?!" Sophia immediately sprang up when she heard the all-too-familiar voice of the cat-girl. "Yes, that''s my name." "Y-You''re back?!" She hadn''t noticed her arrival at all and was really surprised. "Can we talk?" Maya went straight to the point. "E-Eh? Huh? Ah, of course..." Sophia''s brain wasn''t working at full capacity yet. "About your old world... No, about the you in your old world. Please tell me about your previous life." "Err, I don''t think that''s going to be any fun..." She, herself, didn''t enjoy talking about it, after all. Even just remembering was painful. "Please..." It seemed to be important for her. "Alright," It didn''t look like she had a choice in this situation. "Let''s see... Well, I was a pretty unremarkable girl, absolutely nothing noteworthy... I had no special traits, there was no magic in that world either, so I didn''t have any of it. Canir gave that to me afterward." "No magic? That sounds harsh." "You don''t miss something you never experienced. Besides, I lived in a peaceful part of the world. Monsters didn''t exist, either, only normal animals. On top of that, we had something called technology, which kinda oveps with some of the magic here... Roughly, very roughly speaking." "Oh, that doesn''t sound so bad, after all... So, then you are really a h-human of that... world?" "Yes. In the first ce, humans were the only race that existed there." "Seriously?!" "Yep, it was a sad world... Neither cute cat-girls nor gigantic wolf-like fluffballs..." She spoke without thinking. "Y-You..." Maya took damage from the unexpected attack. "You said you were an unremarkable girl... Does that mean being shy and introverted, like you mentioned before, was normal in that world?" "Not at all... Haa- to be honest now, or not...?" Sophia was debating whether she should tell her the reason why she had be like that. "Please tell me!" "Okay," She couldn''t win against the pleading, almost desperate-looking eyes of the cat-girl. "Fine... I have no idea how it is here, but in my old world, uhh," Sophia was trying her best to keep the rapidly rising levels of embarrassment in check. "I''m not sure if it''s something I have to apologize for, but... I''m sorry, I probably should''ve told you sooner, especially after we took baths together and thep-pillows and the petting and stuff... I wasn''t trying anything, and I tried my best to keep a distance. In the bath, for example, I always did my best not to look at you. A-At least most of the time... especially in the beginning... uuuh... Here goes nothing! I-, I''m actually... i-into g-girls... My interest in boys is¡­ zero." It took her a lot to admit, but there was no way around it anymore. Not thiste in the game. "Okay?" Maya seemed to be missing the point and had a reallyckluster reaction. "And?" "E-Eh?!" The response was too underwhelming for her. "I-In my world, that was... while definitely not unheard of, still rtively umon, and quite afew people discriminated against it. So... while I was growing up and noticed my p-preferences, I became afraid... Afraid of being different. I distanced myself from my female friends because I felt guilty just looking at them. Even though I wasn''t really interested in most, if not any of them¡­ From there on, everything just went downwards... In the end, I was unable to speak to basically anyone, especially girls, because I had secluded myself so much from them¡­ Iter realized how stupid that was, but try telling a teen that they''re wrong." She had tough at herself. "It was a lonely life." "..." She was only listening. "After some years, when I became aware of my stupidity, it was already toote... My fear of being with someone was so deeply rooted in my brain that I became unable to change myself. Still, I really wanted to... Obviously. One day, I somehow got into an ident that would''ve killed me while I wasining about my situation in my old world. The next moment, I found myself in an all-white room and met a being with the name of Canir, which I found out, well, yesterday. His actual name, that is." Sophia took a deep breath. "That''s, more or less, my full story. You already know what happened after I met with the god after all." "B-Basically... you used to be a normal girl that made a wrong decision, wrong evaluation of your situation, which ruined your whole life?" "H-Having one''s life reduced to a single sentence stings a bit, but yes... that''s how it is." "And... Now you simply want to live your second chance here without regrets?" "Yes... though it''s not working that well." While she was having a ton of fun, there were also a lot of regrettable things already. "Just traveling the world and having fun. Hopefully, making some friends, and maybe, if I get really lucky¡­ a little more. In terms of finding someone, uhh, special... It''s unlikely that anyone would ever see me in this way, but... t-that''s the dream I had when Canir brought me to this world..." Especially after confessing her previous experiences, Sophia''s self-esteem had taken a big hit. "R-Really? Is that really what you want?!" Maya seemed very interested in that part. "It-, IT is. How unlikely it might seem, nothing would make me any happier." "I see... That means I- Okay!" The cat-girl didn''t finish her sentence, closed her eyes, and stopped for a moment before she suddenly looked determined. "Sophia." "Y-Yes?!" All the talking about her past had made her very shifty and nervous, not to mention embarrassed. ---------------- Before she said what she wanted to say, Maya thought about what she went through the previous evening once more, when she was alone and thinking about everything. "Haa... that helped~" Her hands were still soaked in blood when she came out of the forest that was filled with baers, or used to be so. It wasn''t her blood, after all. "Okay, now that I''m calm again, let''s give this another go!" She looked strangely satisfied. "Right... I feel like I can believe Sophia now. It needed some time to settle. I mean, she said she''s from another world! One does not simply shrug that off as nothing... It still sounds crazy, even now. I can only believe it because it actually makes some sort of sense in her case... Honestly, how can you be such an oddball thating from another world makes sense?!" "What was Sophia like in that world? Would she be considered normal there, or was she a special case no matter the ce?" Maya had a hard time imagining the girl like that. "Normal Sophia, huh? Sounds cute. I would like to see it. Then again, the normal Sophia here is the one I want... wanted? Her at full capacity was great. It was the moment Ipletely fell for the girl, after all. But, at the same time, this naturally makes me interested in her past as well... Also, how did she... d-die?" "Why is she here? What does she want to aplish in this world? Is there a ce for me? Obviously, there is, but besides being her friend, that is? Is Sophia looking for more than a friend, maybe a special someone? It''s hard to tell because she gets embarrassed over absolutely everything in that regard... Or am I the reason that she gets so embarrassed? She did tell me that she used to be shy, and I noticed... traces of it, but there''s a limit to everything, right? Right...?" She doubted herself for a minute. "Can someone be so like her simply from being close to another person, or is there¡­ more? Something that makes her embarrassed to be with me specifically? If she''s really looking for someone special, I want it to be me!" "Hmm, does Sophia even know the definition of the word limit? Okay, yeah, that''s a problem..." Maya was unsure whether the girl could actually even function in moderation. "Could the past her hold herself back? Are her boosts now the reason she can''t? Is it just a matter of getting used to it? Probably." She started debating herself. "Really now, could I have fallen for a lessplicated girl? Likely." "Should I have done so? Definitely!" "Do I want to? Nope! I''m happy that she''s the one." The cat-girl made sure of her unchanged feelings. "Ridiculous power? That''s awesome! Nomon sense whatsoever? That''s fixable. Her personality? Well, that''s all over the ce, but the current her is nice, and the full-potential-Sophia is, from the glimpses I got, just perfect. Her looks? One word, gorgeous. Though, well¡­ I admit that a tiny bit more in the chest department... I wouldn''tin. As our cook, let''s focus on nutritional food for a while!" She had gotten a little sidetracked toward the end. "Who cares that she''s basically a human! She''s from another world, after all. Who cares about that, either?! Being mysterious is great!" "I don''t know what the future holds, and I don''t know what Sophia wants. All I know is what I want. Now more than ever! I want to be next to her, and not just as her friend! I know it''s too sudden, and I should wait a little longer, but¡­ I can''t. I can''t keep it to myself anymore. After all, there''s no denying it, no need to make any more sure of it. These feelings of mine are crystal-clear now. No mistakes." "Definitely, I-" Maya finished recalling her past day and went back to the present, where she faced the girl of her desire. ---------------- "Sophia." "Y-Yes?!" "I love you." Chapter 55 – Sophia’s feelings Chapter 55 ¨C Sophia¡¯s feelings "I love you." "Eh?" Sophia stopped working upon hearing those words. ---------------- After Maya confessed to Sophia, seemingly out of nowhere for the girl, she had no idea what to say and was frozen in shock. Just a little while ago, she was desperately hoping that the cat-girl wouldn''t leave her for good, and now she confessed to her all of a sudden. It was only natural that Sophia was unable to wrap her head around it. "Eh?" She repeated herself a couple of times. "Ehhh?!" And again, but for a different reason now. Getting a glimpse of her surroundings and Maya in front of her, Sophia noticed that she wasn''t the only one frozen up, though not in shock. "Huh? T-Time stopped again?!" Nothing around the girl was moving anymore. "M-Maya...?" She stared at the motionless cat-girl in front of her, but there was no response whatsoever. "W-Why?! I didn''t ask for that! I-I hate this! How did that even happen?! Wait... was the shock so big that some sort of self-defense mechanism kicked in?! Do I have a feature like that now?! How handy!" "WAIT! That''s so not important right now, me!" She pped her cheeks to get back on track. "What just happened?!" No matter how severe time stopping was, there was a more important thing going on right now. Being confessed to was much more of a big deal than breaking the world. "Maya... c-confessed?! To me, of all people? Eh?" Her entire being was unable to ept it. "How did... why did... Ehh?" She was getting nowhere. "That super cute Maya over here... to me?" She took a good look at the frozen cat-girl from every angle. "T-Time being stopped might have its perks..." Because she couldn''t get embarrassed by the cat-girl''s reactions, Sophia could stare all she wanted. Her ears, beautiful face, the snow-white hair, ears, arms, legs, her slender yet curvy body in certain areas. Sophia circled around Maya to also get a look at her back, these fluffy ears again, and the equally white tail of the cat. She paid extra good attention to her ears. "Okay, I''m feeling guilty now..." Sophia''s face had turned red, and she stopped staring, having gotten flustered all on her own after all. "Not only her looks, her personality''s great as well... I had so much fun ever since we met... Though there were a lot of embarrassing moments as well... Such a girl c-confessed to me? Yeah, no way. But... she did say that, right? A Joke? Prank? Is she getting back at me for telling her about my past sote? She doesn''t believe it, and that''s her version of messing with me?" She came up with all sorts of exnations, refusing to believe the easiest, most logical one of them. "Would Maya really do that? Sure, she likes to tease me, but that would just be mean, downright evil. I don''t think she''d go that far. But, then, what else is it supposed to mean?" Sophia was back at the start once more. identally stopping time was the best that could''ve happened to her because this would take a while. "Is she actually interested in me? Why? A girl like her could have anyone. But she wants me? That makes no sense! I''m just a shy girl without any remarkable traits whatsoever. No, wait... that''s the old me. I''m not, uhh, quite like that anymore! Huh...? Wait, am I actually a viable choice now? Yeah, no way that''s possible." Sophia''s self-confidence was still stuck in the past, and had yet to adapt to her new person. "But maybe...? Still, Maya, out of all people? A girl that should be out of reach for everyone?" Her evaluation of the cat was extremely high. "I-If that''s the case... assuming she actually does l-love me... What would that mean? Eh, what about me? What about my feelings? I like her, definitely, but do I l-love her? Huh, what''s the difference in the first ce? Urgh... is this a case of having no experience in something you need to have experience for? Without, you can''t understand it? Stupid me!" Everything about this situation was new for Sophia. "Do I know her enough to love her? Do I even need to? Is that a requirement? She''s cute, and it''s fun with her around. Isn''t that enough? She''s also totally my type. Blue eyes and snow-white hair? How awesome is that? A-And her figure... wow! I was also always fond of cats, so..." She stopped for a moment. "Okay, I mean obviously not in that way, definitely not, but... Maya''s tail is adorable, and her ears... such fluffy awesomeness! The rest of her body is like that of a human, so there are no problems in that regard... The cat addons only make her better than a normal human. Still just because that''s all green..." Sophia definitely finds her attractive, but that doesn''t automatically mean it''s a no-brainer in her eyes. That''s what she tried herself to talk into, at least. A part of her still unconsciously wanted to find a way out because it seemed to be too good to be true. "Let''s go deeper here¡­ What did I f-feel every time we took a bath together, the look and feel of her n-naked body when she touched me? Or when we hugged, when she held my hand or clung to me? When I slept on herp? When she slept on mine, and I petted her, yed with her hair and ears? Uhh..." She stopped for a second, her face getting even redder. "Now that I said all that out loud... we d-did quite a lot, huh? So, really, how did I feel when doing all that? Embarrassed, duh! No... it was nice. Really nice... I felt all tingly and fluffy, just like when I think about her- A-Ah! That''s it, isn''t it?" She stopped midsentence as she was slowly realizing something. "Is itparable to Chiyo? The only other girl I met besides Maya? I know that I couldn''t see her in that way at all because she was a bit too much cat for me... Those paws, while fluffy looking, were no good, for many reasons. Was Chiyo cute? Absolutely. Would I want to pet her ears? I can''t deny that¡­ Would I want to take a bath with her? I don''t think so? I have no desire to see her naked. Huh¡­?" Sophia had to take another break. "Eh? When did I start wanting to see Maya...?" She was more and more realizing what was going on. "Would I want to hold hands with Chiyo? Err... would I want to lock arms with her instead?" There was a physical problem with holding hands to some degree. "I don''t think I would, uhh, mind, but other than that, like wanting to do so? I don''t think so. My cat-girl, though..." Sophia remembered the lonely feeling she had whenever Maya stopped clinging to her. Since day one, actually. "The same goes for thep-pillows... it''s a kinda indifferent feeling when ites to Chiyo. But, on the other hand, I don''t think I can sleep without either having Maya on myp or using hers anymore... I said that I might''ve liked to touch Chiyo''s ears, but... to the same amount I indulged myself with that pair of snow-white ears the other day? No way! In the first ce, Chiyo never made my heart skip a beat like Maya always does! Eh?! WAIT!" As her scream echoed through the area, it fully dawned on Sophia. "My heart constantly skips a beat or goes in overdrive when I''m with her, doesn''t it? Eh? It wasn''t just because she was messing with me¡­? It was something else, huh? Actually, that goes all the way back to when I first saw her and made a total idiot of myself... Getting overwhelmed by her beauty and calling Maya cute the moment I met her!" It was both a happy and embarrassing memory at this point. "Especiallytely, just looking at her is enough to-" Saying so, she took another nce at the still frozen-in-time cat-girl in front of her. "Y-Yep... this tingly feeling... and my heart''s definitely beating faster. When did it get to that point? How?! No, scratch that. I have a pretty good idea. With everything we did together, I actually went and fell for her without realizing it¡­? How pathetic am I? Very. Well, I''m trying to change! Give me a break!" She started arguing with herself. The girl needed a way to deal with the strain the situation was putting on her. "Now wait, let me get this right... I''m pretty sure I l-love Maya. No, I-I definitely do... and she actually confessed? It''s mutual? Eh? What? Have I died and went to heaven? Err, no, I went through that already. Dream? That would be one heck of a long and borate dream! Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in andsl¡ª Stop that, idiot!" She scolded herself for getting sidetracked again. "In the first ce, fantasy already became the real life for me, so... Is that even still fantasy then...? ANYWAY!" She drifted away even more. Her brain was slowly but surely frying itself. "It''s mutual? It''s actually mutual?! The feelings I just became aware of are reciprocated already?! No, I''m actually the one reciprocating her feelings! What a twist!" Her brain had turned into mush from being overworked at this point, causing the girl to be all over the ce. More than usual, even. "What does that mean now? We both feel the same? So... If I return her confession, we be a c-couple? Eh? It''s that easy?! I''ve ruined most of my past life for something this uplicated? No way! Are you kidding me?! That can''t be..." She felt incredibly stupid and regretful for a moment. "No! As painful as it was... All of that was responsible for me being here right now. Without suffering so much under my own idiocy, I never would''ve met Maya! A girl that no one on Earth could even dream ofpeting with!" Sophia managed to find something positive about her previous life. "It probably wasn''t easy, either, right? I was just lucky this time. No, exceptionally fortunate. It was worth not ever having been lucky before in my life! It seems like I was unconsciously saving it up for something truly miraculous. The miracle called Maya." "Such an awesome girl fell in... love, with me? What? The next time I see Canir, I''ll thank him... and then punch him because, uhh, well, he''s Canir, that''s why. Still, he gave me this second chance and made me able to change myself. He''s made me suffer a lot, but he''s also the reason I was able to meet Maya. Yep, it''s going to be a light punch." No matter how incredibly thankful she was, Sophia still held a grudge towards the overseer for messing so much with her. "What''s the n now? Return her confession, that''s for sure! H-How does one do that, though? Kiss her? Yeah, no. N-No way! I-I mean, uuh, now that I said it out loud... I kind of want to do it... BUT! B-But... there''s no way I could do it. That''s waaay too much of a hurdle for me! Unfortunately... I would die!" Embarrassed, Sophia looked for another way. "Die, I say!" She had to say it again first for some reason. "Okay, s-setting this idea aside for the time being¡­ Yeah, there''s only one other choice, huh? Easy but effective! I just have to repeat her confession, saying I f-feel the same way, right? Okay, here goes absolutely nothing!" Because her idea of a kiss was way too much, she didn''t notice that returning a confession was rather embarrassing, as well, but it most likely was for the better. ---------------- Feeling that her boosts were working at total capacity right now, Sophia gathered all of her courage and ignored everything around her because nothing else was of importance right now. Deciding to use it all up in one go to get her feelings across in this once-in-a-lifetime confession of hers, she put her heart into it as much as she ever could hope to. It''s only something she has to do once, after all. "Yes. I love you too, Maya. I was curious about you ever since we met, but it has be so much more. I''m so happy we feel the same!" She wanted to say some more, how she fell for her and how she noticed, but Sophia was sure that she would burn out any second now and bust her confession, which she miraculously managed to do without even stuttering. Because of that, she went for a safe route and kept it short. "..." There was no reply. "Hmm? A-AH!" Because she was so busy with herself and everything that was going on, Sophia overlooked something major. Realizing her horrible mistake, the girl dramatically fell on her knees with a crestfallen expression on her face. "I FORGOT THAT THE TIME''S STILL STOPPED!" Her desperate cry wasn''t heard by anyone, either. Having wasted all of her courage on a confession not noticed by her target of affection, Sophia just wanted toy down and cry a lot. Her once-in-a-lifetime confession ended up being one she had to do twice. Chapter 56 – Combined feelings Chapter 56 ¨C Combined feelings Maya''s sudden confession of love shocked Sophia so much that she identally stopped time on impulse. This ended up being in her favor because she now had more than enough time to think. She processed the shock and finally became aware of her own feelings for the cat-girl. Having determinedly returned the confession, Sophia had forgotten to turn on the time again, though. "Uuh..." She was lying down t on the grass with her limbs sprawled out. Her eyes were still wet from crying over the screwed-up confession while she looked at the frozen scenery around her. "S-Seriously, how stupid can one be? My idiocy got boosted, too, didn''t it? Not that I was ever the brightest bulb in the box. S-So embarrassing! Haa..." She sighed and concentrated on her surroundings again. "You know, now that my sense of panic has burned out from the earlier shock, stopped time is kinda cool. It''s really tranquil, a great ce to think. That absolutely nothing is moving, not even a bit, is really fascinating." While recovering from the botched confession, the girl focussed on the less pressing things, like how she broke the world yet again. "A-Ah!" She remembered the previous time this happened, and some of her panic unfortunately returned. "I-I can still turn it back to normal, r-right?! How cruel would that be... being stuck now, after Maya- Okay, full power from the get-go!" Not limiting the amount of her used magic power, Sophia concentrated hard on getting the time to flow again. Contrary tost time, when she was freaking out too much, the girl now felt an effect much sooner. She noticed a slight movement from Maya''s frozen body but then stopped her magic. "Good, it seems I have control of it now. Wait a moment! What am I supposed to do once Maya''s back again? I-I can''t just do that confession again! I still haven''t recovered from that failure! Uuh," She wasn''t confident about doing a repeat. "J-Just why am I so damnplicated?! The other two were right! I really am high-maintenance! Okay, let''s wait for an hour or so and gather some courage! Huh? If time''s frozen... what does an hour even mean?!" Sophia''s gotten philosophical all of a sudden. ---------------- A good while passed since the girl started puzzling over the concept of measuring a period of time where time itself doesn''t exist. Naturally, she was unable toe to a conclusion, but this sort of distraction was helpful nheless, as it was extremely distracting. "Alright!" Sophia was fully motivated again. "Now I wonder, though... can I invite Maya to this world? Can I unstop time just for one person? I really want to show it to her." She looked at the tranquil yet fascinating scenery around her once more. "Also, no one can bother us here. I wouldn''t survive having to do my confession a third(!) time just because something or someone interrupts me!" This was her real motivation. "Let''s see," Sophia circled around the cat-girl and then ced a hand on her back. "Maybe pouring some of my magic power into Maya will do the trick?" Concentrating while thinking about time resuming for only the cat-girl as well, she did just that. "..." Slowly, Maya started moving again. However, the rest of the area remained motionless. Even the birds in the sky were still rooted in ce. "Hmm? Eh? S-Sophia!?" Once she was fully back to normal, the cat-girl panicked. For her, no time had passed at all, and Sophia just suddenly disappeared in front of her. "W-Where are you?!" "Ahh¡­ this is getting reallyplicated..." Sophia was marveling about the effect of time. "H-Huh?" Hearing that familiar voice, Maya instantly turned around. "W-What is going on here?!" "Weeell..." She hadn''t thought her n through at all. She simply pointed all around her, the frozen area, and then at the birds in the sky. "E-Eh... Why aren''t they moving? W-Why isn''t anything moving?" She only got more confused. "Stopped time sure is weird, huh?" She couldn''t me Maya for having such a reaction. "S-Stopped time...? What?! If I remember right... didn''t you say you won''t ever do that again?!" She recalled the day when Sophia was all broken after trapping herself in there. "I didn''t do it on purpose... it just happened." "S-Stuff like this doesn''t just happen!" "In the first ce, it''s your fault, Maya!" "H-How can I be at fault here?!" The cat-girl wasn''t aware of any responsibility in that regard. "Your little... surprise shocked me so much that my body activated some sort of self-defense mechanism purely on instinct alone. You know, kind of a safety measure to protect me." "My little what, now-? A-Ah." She suddenly stopped talking when she realized what Sophia was implying. "Y-You were so shocked that you identally stopped time in self-defense just because I c-confessed to you?!" "That''s-, That''s what happened." "Drama queen, much?!" Maya instinctively retorted to her reaction. "As if that''s such a surprise! Given my track record until now." "Don''t you argue with reason now!" "What else am I supposed to do then?!" "I don''t know!" Maya also was slightly unreasonable. "Ehh? Wait, why are we fighting?" "I don''t know that, either!" The two had taken a wrong turn somewhere. "A-Anyway-" Sophia tried to get back on track. "Yeah, so that''s the world without the flow of time." She gestured all around her. "What do you think?" "Scary!" The cat-girl voiced the first thought that went through her head. "I know, right?!" "But... It''s fascinating..." She curiously looked around at all the little details of the frozen world. The unmoving birds in the sky had really caught her interest. "I''ve never seen anything remotely like that. It''s also so tranquil here, with no distractions whatsoever. I bet it''s a great ce to be alone and think." "You have no idea how great it is." Being all alone had helped her immensely in dealing with the current issue. "Sophia, how long have you been here?" Something bugged her about the way the girl had worded her answer. "Hmm... a couple of hours? Half a day, maybe? It''s hard to tell the exact duration when there''s, well, no time." "S-So long?!" Maya was shocked. "I had a lot to think about! My brain''s really not the fastest, after all. Not to mention that I got sidetracked all the time while searching for an answer for you." "E-Eh?" Maya stopped when she heard that. "H-Have you found one? An a-answer?" "I have." "R-Really?" Maya''s body tensed up. Her cat-ears also perked up, and her tail couldn''t decide on a position and nervously swished from one side to another. "Uuh... I really have to do it again, huh?" "W-What do you mean?" "I-, I actually gave you a reply already..." "Eh?! H-How did I miss that?!" "Because I''m an idiot! I forgot about the stopped time and gave my answer to the frozen you." "H-How did I fall for such a scatterbrain?!" Maya couldn''t believe this girl. "Funny, I was asking myself a simr question when I was processing all of it..." "Because you''re awesome!" "T-Thanks..." Sophia got a little bashful. "S-So...?" She was clearly nervous. "..." She went silent to prepare herself while scratching together everyst bit of courage she had left in her. "Yes... I love you, too. I''ve been-..." Sophia tried to recreate her earlier failed confession, but she never got the chance to finish. "S-Seriously?!" The moment Maya heard those first couple of words, she couldn''t contain her excitement anymore and jumped at the girl, tightly hugging her. "Woah?! W-Wait, this does count now, right¡­?" No one heard her first confession, and her second was interrupted. But this time, she thought it was a sess nheless. "I-Is this really true...? You were so hard to read in that regard because you''re always all over the ce. In that regard, at least... I had no idea about my chances, but I couldn''t keep those feelings to myself anymore..." "Y-Yes. Honestly, I only became aware of the depth of my feelings after your confession. Still, in retrospect, I noticed that you always were special to me. Since the day we met, actually..." "Well, you did call me cute before I even knew your name. That sure was something." There was no way Maya would''ve forgotten their first encounter, either. "Ahaha, I sure fumbled that one... Not that challenging someone to a fight without reason on their first meeting is any less, let''s say, interesting." "R-Right, I did that... Well, we at least got asting impression of each other." "Yeah, that''s for sure. I don''t think I''ll ever forget our meeting." "Ehehe~." Maya suddenly started to giggle. "It''s actually mutual... I can''t believe it." "That''s my line! For hours, I tried figuring out why such an awesome girl like you would ever fall in love with a mess like me... Never found an answer." "You''re interesting, funny, cute, mysterious, strong, friendly, beautiful, caring, not to mention-" Maya instantly showered her in a rapid-fire ofpliments that had no sign of stopping. "O-Okay, I get it... p-please stop... I can only take so much before my brain melts... Again." It almost seemed like steam was rising from her head. "I love that embarrassed side of you, as well." Maya was feeling yful. "Uuh... t-the same goes for you... your cuteness is criminal, no, not just cute, straight-up gorgeous, actually... You care so much for me, you''re doing so much to help me with my boosts. It''s so much fun to be with you, and it''s so rxing around you. W-Well, when you don''t tease me... Your fluffy ears are the best, and I just love your expressive tail!" "A-Alright, I understand, okay?!" The heads of both girls were steaming by now. Maya was good at dishing out, but being on the receiving side was one of her weak points. "Hehe~." The two shared a slightly bashfulugh. "Sophia?" Maya finally let go of the girl again and looked straight into her eyes. "Such a beautiful color..." She found herself lost in them for a moment. There was no holding back with her anymore. "Y-Your deep-blue eyes are much more gorgeous..." She was staring back at her and tried to return thepliment. "A-Anyway, what is it?" "Ah, r-right, yes..." She snapped back to reality. "Your eyes, can you close them for a moment?" "W-Why?" "Just do your... g-girlfriend a favor, okay?" The cat-girl stumbled over the word when she said it for the first time. "..." There was no way for her to say anything anymore after such an unfair attack. Doing as told, she then obediently closed them. Nothing happened for a while, and Sophia could only feel the warmth of Maya right in front of her face and the slight tickle of her breath. Eventually, though, she felt an incredibly soft and gentle but ever so slightly awkward sensation on her lips¡ªa feeling unlike anything else she ever experienced before. Chapter 57 – Their own world Chapter 57 ¨C Their own world After a lot of thinking and realizing her own feelings, Sophia returned the confession of the cat-girl in kind. Being overjoyed about their mutual feelings, Maya first hugged her for a good while before urging Sophia to close her eyes. Granting her wish, the girl then felt a sensation on her lips that was unlike anything she experienced before¡ªsoft, gentle, and ever so slightly awkward. Lasting just a couple of moments, only the lingering sensation with a hint of wet stickiness to it then remained on her lips. "..." Being in a slight daze, Sophia slowly opened her eyes once she didn''t sense Maya''s head right in front of her anymore. "D-Did you... Did you just k-kiss me...?" She had no previous experience with it, but there weren''t many alternative possibilities in this situation. "Y-Yes..." The cat-girl bashfully turned away. "I-I looked at you and really wanted to do it. S-Sorry, I should''ve-" "...Again." Her reply was barely audible. "What was that?!" Maya had heard her perfectly well, but that was precisely the problem. It was too unbelievable for her. "D-Do it-, do it... again." "R-Really?!" She was surprised. "It''s okay? Y-You didn''t dislike it? I didn''t ask for permission, after all." "W-What kind of question is that...? The girl I fell for... k-kissed me... Why w-would I dislike that...?" Sophia''s face, no, her entire body, had turned red from embarrassment. "Y-You''re so unfair... How could I not do it now?" "T-Then..." She closed her eyes again and looked up a little to make up for Maya''s height advantage. "Uuh..." Maya squirmed a little as she nced at the expectant-looking girl. Her confidence was slowly burning up, but not wanting to disappoint her, she closed her eyes as well while moving closer and tilting her head to the right. Slightly hesitant and awkward because she, too,cked experience, the cat-girl lightly brushed her lips against Sophia''s beforeing inplete contact with them. Savoring the soft and warm sensation of the other girl for a while, Maya reluctantly parted again a momentter. "...More." Sophia''s sweet-sounding voice leaked out the moment there was some slight distance between them while she stared at her with upturned eyes and a greedy expression. "H-Huh?" She hadn''t expected that. "I-, I didn''t imagine you to be this... thirsty." "S-Sorry..." Her shoulders slumped down. "I... wasn''tining." Maya, by no means, had something against this new trait of hers. "I-It''s just-, all of this ispletely new to me..." Sophia sounded really shy. "And it felt so... n-nice! I think it''s bing addicting already, and I couldn''t stop myself from wanting m-more..." "H-How can a girl be this cute?!" Her heart skipped more than just one beat in response. "W-What...?" "Oh, how about this? I want you to... kiss me." "HUH?!" Sophia raised her voice way more than she intended to. "Is there something wrong with wanting to be kissed by my... g-girlfriend?" "That''s unfair... p-please stop ying dirty..." "How am I ying dirty? Please tell me~?" Maya''s voice was full of yfulness as she was slowly getting used to the word. "I-If you call me your g-girl... girlfriend..." She stumbled more than a bit over the same word. "Is there something wrong with that?" "N-No... I am, after all... Just the same as you. I-It''s just-" "I am what?" She wanted to hear it. "Uuh..." Sophia was taking a lot of damage right now. "You-, You are my... g-girlfriend." She managed to squeeze it out. "V-Very good." The cat-girl liked what she heard. "I-I never thought I would ever be able to say that..." Sophia paused for a moment. "I''m feeling all tingly... but in a nice way. S-Still, so embarrassing!" "Ehehe~." She was happy. "Okay, back to the topic. I want a kiss from the girl I love. Will you grant me this wish?" "W-Were you always this... smooth?" "I''m trying my best! I''m still so happy that it''s mutual that I can''t contain myself!" Maya was super giddy. "S-Seriously, so smooth." "Well then~" Maya leaned slightly forward and closed her eyes, giving the girl no other choice. "Smooth... and sneaky... and unfair!" Sophiained, but with a smile, resigning to her fate, her sweet, sweet fate. Leaning in as well, she tried to recreate Maya''s motion from thest time, but it didn''t go that well as she had never done it before. Instead of a light brush-like touch, Sophia was a bit too eager, and their lips loudly smacked together. Luckily, it wasn''t hard enough to hurt either of them. Thanks to that, the two immediately parted again. "Ahaha." Sheughed at the girl''s clumsiness. "Urgh, j-just why am I so pathetic?!" Sophia felt more like crying. "Don''t worry, you''re not pathetic at all. If anything, this clumsy side of you makes you even cuter! Wanna try it again and redeem yourself?" The cat-girl showed her a little smile. "Yes, please!" She splendidly fell for the bait. Sophia moved her face closer and kissed her again. This time, she was much gentler. She lightly pressed her lips against Maya''s, and the sensation Sophia was slowly bing addicted to, got even stronger. As she was the one initiating the kiss this time, it felt more real, more intense, more overwhelming. Better. "W-Wow... You sure know how to redeem yourself. Y-You''re good at this." Maya seemed slightly unsteady on her feet. "O-One more time?" She was like in a trance. "S-So spoiled. Of course, you can. Do it as much as you like." The cat-girl had zero interest in stopping her. "Yay!" Feeling bold, Sophia wrapped her arms around Maya''s neck. She pulled her as close as possible before their lips connected yet another time. Their kiss this timested much longer, and the initial gentleness was slowly changing into something else. Sophia repositioned her mouth while pecking her a couple of times to get a better taste of the cat-girl. She had no idea what she was doing or how she was able to, but she liked it. While ying with her lips and sneaking in a slight nibble or two, she also began ying with the hair on the back of Maya''s head. Letting strands of the silky and beautiful white hair glide through her hand, Sophia waspletely immersed in the girl in front of her. "F-Fuah..." Maya parted from her after a good while, panting for air. She needed a minute to recover and then gazed at Sophia with an entirely red face, which wasn''t purely from theck of oxygen. "W-What was that!? W-Where did thate from...?" "S-Sorry... I don''t know what came over me... I saw you, I felt the touch of your incredibly soft lips... and I couldn''t think, no, I couldn''t stop myself... I regret nothing, though!" Sophia didn''t want to deny her actions. "Oh n-no, I wasn''tining! N-Not at all." The cat-girl quickly corrected the misunderstanding. "This kiss was incredible... you''re incredible." "S-So are you." "Who''s the smooth one here again?" "You." "H-How?!" Maya''s retort echoed through the area. "Ahaha..." She was feeling really happy right now. "Sophia... could it be? Your boosts are running at full capacity right now? Especially your... no, every single one of them." She wanted to say desire, or libido, which were at max right now but decided against it. The cat-girl didn''t want to kill the mood. "Of course! How else would I be able to do any of this right now?!" Sophia sounded strangely confident about it. "So... It could wear off any moment now?" "No, it feels like they''llst a while longer. But eventually, yeah, they might will? Though, ever since I met Canir again, it feels a little different? No idea why, though." "T-Then... can we keep going?" Maya ced a finger on her lips with a yearning expression. Sophia wasn''t the only one getting addicted to it. "T-To get you used to your boosts and keep them active, of course!" "No, not for such a reason." She didn''t like the sound or it. "Okay, because I want to!" The cat-girl corrected herself. "That, I can ept and will do." Sophia wrapped her arms around her neck again, and this time, Maya returned her embrace by hugging her waist. Both tilted their heads, and their lips soon came in contact once more. The cat-girl was much more assertive this time and initiated a couple of pecks on her own, as well. The two changed the lead every so often, and neither got enough of the other girl. Sophia was also ruffling the snow-white hair again and used her hand to lightly press Maya''s head against her own. A light brush against each other''s lips. A gentle kiss with almost no contact, a little stronger one, a much stronger one, full contact. A kiss on the cheek, one on the nose for some reason, because they just felt like doing it. Rubbing their cheeks for a change, back to some lighter pecks, their mouths fully closed, asionally slightly opened, a couple of yful nibbles on each other''s lips. Feeling bashful after their tongues identally came in contact, and exploring those very tongues after a while, getting ustomed to the warm and slightly slimy sensation. Coming to enjoy the ticklish feeling and seeking more of it. Licking each other''s dried-up lips to exchange some more kisses, sometimes using their tongues again, while other times not, rubbing their noses together before cing another kiss there. Maya tried to nibble on the girl''s ear while Sophia was caressing the cat-girl''s fluffy ears before going back to focus on their lips. Sometimes with tongue again, sometimes without. Tilting their heads at various angles to find the perfect position, another nibble or two, lightly sucking on the other''s lips, back to light kisses once again. Afterward, the two- ---------------- They had entirely lost themselves in the girl in front of them, and their exchange seemingly went on forever. Neither of them was nning to stop, wanted to stop, could stop. The only thing of importance was the girl of their desire. Everything else stopped mattering. Thankfully, aside from their brains, which were slowly turning into mush from overheating, the two had no need to stop and could fully give in to their blossomed feelings. They were still, literally, in their own little world. A world where time had stopped flowing and which was free of any possible interruptions. A ce where only the two freshly baked lovebirds existed. Chapter 58 – Calming down Chapter 58 ¨C Calming down After their sessful confession, Maya had kissed Sophia. This flipped some sort of switch inside her. Falling in love with her even more and not getting enough of her lips, Sophia kept asking for more. Later initiating her own ones, as well, the two got so absorbed in it that they forgot about anything except the girl in front of them. Exchanging kiss after kiss, exploring the mouth and face of the other, nothing else mattered anymore. "Haa... Haa~" Panting for air, Maya finally parted from her and sunk down on the grass because her knees gave in. "Haa..." Sophia sat down as well. "T-That was-," "A-Amazing." The cat-girl finished her sentence. "Yeah, intense..." "W-Where did that evene from?" "I-I have no idea." Both their faces were red. "It''s probably your fault, Maya." "H-How?! In the first ce... while I was the one who initiated it, you''re definitely the one who kept wanting more! N-Not that I''mining." "How could I not want more after such a beautiful girl kissed me? Not to mention it was the girl I l-love..." "Oh, that''s why I got so into it as well!" Maya found no w in her argumentation. "Ehehe." "Ehehe~." The two shared a bashful giggle. "Still... while I enjoyed every moment," The cat-girl touched her lips and savored the lingering feeling for a moment. "We might''ve overdone it a tiny bit. It''s not like we have to rush anything." "Hrmn..." She gave a slight nod. "Then again... It was the result of our feelings for each other, something we both wanted, so-" She pondered over it for a moment. "Okay, I regret nothing!" "No, we definitely overdid it." Sophia disagreed with her change of mind. "E-Eh?!" "N-No, don''t get me wrong, I want to do it again, but, uhh, my lips are all tingly and feel a bit chapped, you know?" She was talking about the physical problem. "A-Ah, you have a point there." Her lips had taken some damage as well from being overused by something they weren''t ustomed to yet. "Thank goodness your tongue isn''t the same as a cat... I think that would''ve hurt quite a bit." Sophia was happy that this part of Maya was like a human, not rough at all. "It was nice and smooth." "Y-You idiot..." She got embarrassed. "Hehe, oh, but my body recovers really fast, so my lips are good to go in a bit again~." "Uuh-" Maya wasn''t as high-spec. "I-I think we have to wait a little longer for that." "Ah!" It seemed like she had an idea. Sophia touched the cat-girl''s lips with her finger, and a blue light suddenly shone from it. "How is it now?" The light quickly disappeared again while she removed her finger. "E-Eh...? What? My lips, they''re fine again. Huh?" The cat-girl was confused. "I learned healing magic just for that!" "Y-You learned a sacred technique just so you can keep kissing your girlfriend?" "Shut up, Maya." "Ahaha! Anyway, thank you very much. Still... let''s take a break, regardless." She rolled over to Sophia, who was sitting on the grass, and ced her head on herp. "I think this is nice, too." "Yeah, I''m notining." "Please pet me~." With a sweet voice, Maya demanded to be spoiled. "M-My ears, please." "I-I can?!" She sounded excited. "Thest time felt kinda awkward after all..." "You, and only you are allowed to touch them. I was a little awkward because I was so bold and let you touch them the other day..." "Bold?" Sophia tilted her head. "Y-You see, our ears are really important for the beast folk... Especially for us of the cat-tribe, only the person chosen as our partner is allowed to touch them." "R-Really? Heh, that''s kinda embarrassing to hear now, in retrospect." "It was even more so for me during that time. But as for now, please pet me, p-partner." "I-I won''t survive this day, will I?" She took a lot of damage from the sweet disy of affection. Not to mention anything that happened before. "Anyway, dly." Sophia ced her hand on the cat-girl''s head in herp and gently ruffled her hair. "Mhmm~." Maya immediately responded with afortable purr-like hum while she rubbed her head against the girl''s thighs again. "F-For the-, I don''t know how many times... M-My legs are ticklish, Maya!" "I know~." She only increased her wiggling. "H-Hey!" Sophia used her hand to press Maya''s head into herp, stopping her from moving. "Why are you doing this in the first ce? If I didn''t know better, I would think you''re trying to mark me, being a part cat and all." "..." No answer came. "H-Huh? Wait, that''s actually what''s going on?!" Sophia didn''t see that oneing. "S-Sorry..." She sounded embarrassed. "Well, it worked... I am y-yours, so please stop that wiggling! It almost feels like those boosts made me more ticklish as well..." "Ohh?" "D-Don''t ohh me now! That was not an invitation!" "Aww..." "Anyway, no more marking!" "I can''t promise that. It mostly happens on instinct. I have to do it from time to time before it wears off. Moreover, I don''t want to!" Maya had no ns to change her behavior. "Haa..." Sophia gave up with a sigh for the time being and continued to pet the cat-girl. While taking great care of her ears, the two rxed for a good bit. ---------------- "Mhmm~." She was feeling good but eventually shifted around a bit and looked up at Sophia. "Hmm?" "I sure was lucky." "No, that''s my line!" Sophia was feeling the same. "I was unable to find anyone in my old world, but here I actually found a girl that''s into other girls as well. Not to mention a perfect girl. Even ignoring how my idiot personality was at fault there, how high were the chances for that?" "Not that low, actually." "Eh?" "You said that being interested in the same sex is rare in your old world, right?" Maya remembered that bit from when she learned about the girl''s past. "Yeah... I don''t know the exact numbers, but it was roughly around 5% of the poption who weren''t interested in the opposite gender, or in some cases, not exclusively, at least." "W-Wow, I really was super lucky, then!" "What do you mean?" Sophia was confused. "If the numbers were higher, someone from your world would''ve definitely taken you already! Even this world''s humans couldn''t be that blind!" Though biased, she was sure Sophia wouldn''t have been single otherwise. "It''s also a little different here..." "Hmm?" "Well, you see, it''s not rare at all here. I think it''s roughly a third each? People being into the same sex, the opposite, or not having a preference, that is. Well, there are some more types, but those big three are the majority, and no one bats an eye. So, for you to find a girl that''s not, at least partially, into other girls is actually the rarer possibility." "S-Seriously?!" That obviously was a shock for her. While she was overwhelmed by it, many questions also came up. Mostly how a race with only a third of actual straight people can survive in the long term. She then thought about actual animals and remembered how they reproduce much more frequently. The number of offspring often is higher, too. Thinking this might be, to some degree, the case for the beastfolk as well, she didn''t question it. Not to mention that it was neither time nor ce to ask such questions. "Yep." Maya smiled at her. "Oh, by the way, I''m just like you. I''m exclusively into girls. Or, to be more precise now, I''m exclusively into the girl called Sophia." "Oh, so we aren''t the same? I''m into someone called Maya, after all." "I don''t think it''s going to work out with us." "Yeah, we''re too different..." The two were joking with each other. "Seriously though, this world''s awesome!" "By the way, this world''s humans, on the other hand-" "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Sophia interrupted her as she had a pretty good idea already. "Don''t mention them when I''m happy!" "Sorry~." "The beastfolk definitely is a great race... To be that diverse. Coming from my world, that was quite a surprise you dropped on me here." "Is it really? Remember our date in the caf¨¦?" "S-So it was an actual date date, after all?!" "I won''t deny that I was getting curious about you that time, but my main goal really was the cake there. That''s the reason I often dragged Chiyo there, and we never were more than friends." "I knew it sounded weird back then! I should''ve gotten more suspicious!" "Ehehe." "So, what was your point again?" "The caf¨¦''s a couples-only ce." "S-Seriously?!" "Someone told me about their cake one time, and I had to try it. Using Chiyo as an alibi girlfriend, I finally got to taste it~." "I was wondering about the guests there, but I thought they were simply friends, exactly because there was absolutely no preference in the groupings..." "Nope, they were all dating. Okay, most of them. I''m sure a few of them came just for the cake, like Chiyo and I did, though." "Y-You seriously dragged me into such a ce without telling me, a day or two after we met?!" "Would you havee with me if I did tell you?" "Fair point." Sophia would''ve passed out before the chance of that happening. "I was delighted being able to go there again because you didn''t know about it... Chiyo was the only close enough female friend to not misunderstand. Also, going with male friends to a date spot, even as an alibi, I wasn''t a fan of that." "Did you stop going with Chiyo? Why?" "Dannie got jealous when she found out. Not wanting to make her feel sad, I stopped inviting her." "Dannie...?" Sophia felt she heard that name before but couldn''t associate it with anyone at the moment. "Remember the waitress in the bar we went with the gang?" "Oh, the dog-girl? Floppy ears and a super fluffy tail?" "Y-Yeah..." Maya wasn''t sure how she felt about how she linked the name to the picture. "D-Don''t worry, I''m totally a cat person! Fen doesn''t count..." She noticed her mistake. "Wait, she got jealous? D-Do I have a rival?!" "You have a couple, actually. Not wanting to boast, but I was pretty popr in my hometown." "I-Is that so?" "Yep~." She enjoyed her reaction. "Wasn''t interested in any of them, though. Magic and fighting were my only love. But Dannie isn''t one of your rivals." "Huh?" "She was jealous of me, not Chiyo. Ahaha... now that I think about it, the person I used as an alibi girlfriend is the one that turned into my rival... Wow, that''s a twist I hadn''t seening." "Wait, what?" Sophia was still hung up on her own rivals, so she couldn''t entirely follow. "Dannie''s interested in Chiyo. Chiyo''s interested in you... and I-, I got you." "What''s this, a high-school drama?!" She retorted purely on instinct. "A what?" "F-Forget it..." "A-Ah!" Maya suddenly covered her mouth. "If we see her again, please don''t tell Chiyo about it... It was supposed to be a secret." "Don''t you think you have bigger problems with her than that the next time we meet?" "Oh, yeah... W-Well, she only started to get curious about you and didn''t know what exactly it was yet, but-" "I didn''t fully believe it back then, or rather, I couldn''t... but the way she sent me off made me a bit suspicious. Ah-, she even asked me if I like you..." She rubbed Maya''s head while saying so. "What did you answer?" "Not in that way... I wasn''t-, or wasn''t aware...? Uuh, that''s going to be awkward." "Yeah..." The two weren''t looking forward to that reunion. "W-What about Chiyo and Dannie? Does she not like the, uhh, dog-girl...?" Sophia thought about actual cats and dogs for a moment but decided not to bring that up. "No, they''re really good friends, actually. Chiyo just has absolutely no idea about Dannie''s feelings." "..." Both fell silent for a moment. "Please do your best, Dannie!" The two thought that this would be the solution for everything whenever they visited Maya''s home again. "Anyway..." Sophia changed the topic. "Ahh, but now I can''t punch Canir the next time I see him! I asked him to be put into a world where homosexuality isn''t widely discriminated against. As usual, I got way more than I asked for, but it''spletely positive this time! I feel happy but also conflicted that he did something that nice for me!" "How about not wanting to punch a god in the first ce?!" Maya couldn''t believe the girl. "Not an option. Then again, he probably did something else I have yet to discover, which will make me angry again. Yeah, no problem." "Y-You really are something else... like, entirely." ---------------- The couple rxed for a while longer. Maya had gotten reallyfortable on Sophia''sp while she was being petted, and the girl herself was in heaven for being able to do so. "A-Ah." Sophia suddenly stopped moving her hand. "Ehh? What''s wrong." The cat-girl looked slightly pouty over her having stopped. "I forgot about starting time again..." "Huh?! Oh, right!" Maya had forgotten as well when she looked around and noticed that their surroundings were still frozen. "W-Wait, you can, right?! Thest time, you said you struggled so much!" "Of course! I properly tested it before bringing you over to here." Sophia closed her eyes and concentrated on the task. A couple of momentster, the world started to turn again. The wind was moving the leaves on the trees and the grass, birds weren''t frozen in the sky anymore, and various animals and other noises could be heard in the distance. "Aaaand we''re back!" "G-Good..." The cat-girl let out a relieved sigh. "Wow, I never knew how loud the world actually is..." She marveled at all the sounds she never paid attention to, not until they were gone. "Yeah, it''s bizarre." After this slight oversight was taken care of, the two decided to rx for some more time while enjoying each other''spany because neither of them felt like moving or getting up yet. Chapter 59 – Telling Fen Chapter 59 ¨C Telling Fen The time went back to normal again, not frozen anymore, and the couple slowly had enough of idly rxing. Or not, as Maya was enjoying her ce on Sophia''sp and the owner of said had a great time petting the cat-girl, but everything had to end eventually. "You know, I''m getting hungry... I ate very little during thest dinner and even skipped breakfast because of you... It feels like it''s been two days since I''ve eaten anything meaningful." Sophia''s stomach was loudlyining while she said so. "N-Not to mention all the, uhh, exercise we had..." "Y-Yeah, I could eat something as well." Maya agreed with a slightly red face. "Wait, why haven''t you eaten anything because of me?" "Who ran away after I told you about myself and my past again? Not to mention how you never returned, not even during the night. How could I be hungry in such a situation?" "Urgh, sorry." She felt guilty. "I-I had a lot to process and think about, okay?" "It''s alright. I can''t me you, and moreover... it ended exceptionally well." "Ehehe." "Still, now I want some food. I, uhh, stopped time not long after Fen went for breakfast. Then, I spent like half a day thinking on my own. After I invited Maya, another half-day passed...? Oh, did I go full circle? Does that mean I still skipped breakfast if I eat some now? It''s a dayter for me, after all? Ehh...? For Maya, it''s only half a day, so she''s having an early dinner now when I eat breakfast? But it''s still morning... For both of us... Huh? How does that work?" Sophia got herself confused. "Stopping time sure isplicated. How about we simply have some food? No need for an actual meal-time." The cat-girl offered an easy solution. "R-Right... we''ll do it that way. Okay, let''s go look for Fen!" "Ahh, I kinda don''t want to see him right now..." Maya looked somewhat troubled. "Why?" "I talked with him about you and my feelings not too long ago." "Eh? Something like that happened?! Wait, where was I during that time?!" "Fast asleep." "Aaah... no wonder I had no idea. When I sleep, I sleep." "You sure do." Maya rolled her eyes. "So, what''s the problem?" "Weeell, I told him I want to wait and not rush things with you." "That definitely didn''t work out." "Not at all. Whatever, the pros, you, are bigger than the cons, Fen''sments." "That wolf sure is a meddlesome one, huh?" "Absolutely! That''s not even the first time he started questioning me!" "S-Seriously?!" Sophia was shocked. "I really have to stay up longer! It seems I''m missing out on some really interesting discussions." "How about no?" "Hehe. Anyway, hungry!" "Yeah, yeah, let''s go. I can deal with Fen... somehow." The cat-girl grabbed Sophia''s hand, and the two made their way towards the wolf and see what he''s up to and get some food together. ---------------- "Err... what?" The couple arrived at his location, and Sophia was somewhat confused by the sight. Fen was currently busy dissecting a kow. That alone wasn''t anything noteworthy or new even. Still, the kow in question was even taller than the already oversized wolf. "Don''t you think that''s a bit much, big guy? No matter how hungry you are." "Haha, you might be right about that. I just saw this marvelous thing, and I had to get it. I simply had no other choice." His hunting instinct had gotten the better of him, "Hmm? Oh, Maya, wee back. You two are together again? Good. Did you already made up in the short while when I was gone?'' "Uhh..." The girls were at a loss. "Am I wrong? Still fighting?" "No... we definitely made up, and then we started d-dating." The cat-girl decided to make it short and painless. "What? When? How? What¡­?" Fen didn''t follow. "Sophia, could you exin? I don''t get half of your side, either." "What made you think I do?" The girl in question only tilted her head in confusion. "Well, try." "Sure. Let''s see-, Maya wanted to hear more about my old world and my life there. I told her. Maya suddenly confessed. I panicked and thought about it for half a day. I realized my own feelings. Took me another couple of hours to gather my courage. I returned her confession. We did some, uhh, post-confession rituals? Talked some more and rxed for a few hours beforeing back here..." Sophia gave a rough rundown on what happened. "Err... how long was I hunting that kow? I don''t think it took me longer than half an hour?" He was confused as the timing didn''t match. "Ah, right... I forgot. Maya''s confession shocked me so much that I instinctively stopped time as an emergency response. In my own little world, I thought about it for half a day. Once I found my answer and was ready, I invited Maya to the frozen ce, and we spent another half day there. So, yeah... since you left for breakfast, Fen, it''s been around a day for me." "S-Seriously?!" Fen didn''t even know what to react to first. "Y-You stopped time again?! For a whole day even?!" "Whatever a day is worth when there is no time... It felt that long, at least. It could''ve been more, or maybe less? It''s a rough estimate." "Wait, you can actually do it that long?" "I don''t think there''s a limit? I activate my magic once to stop time and again to, well, unstop it." "T-That''s ridiculous!" Fen couldn''t ept her outrageous im. "Wait! Maya was with you?! You can unstop time for selective people?!" "I tried. It worked." "Y-You... You need to show it to me! If I see it with my own eyes, I-I might be able to find a way to recreate it for myself!" He sounded excited and slightly desperate. "Yeah, once I figure out how I properly stop time when I want it, and not something causes me to do it, I''ll show you." "Yes! Thank you very much!" "You sound me a tad too excited, Fenny. Stopping time shall only be used for good things! No shady stuff." "O-Of course! It''s purely for researching powerful magic." "Is that so...?" Sophia doubted his intentions. "Hey, weren''t you the one who stopped time for a prolonged amount just so you could be alone with Maya?" "Like I said, only to be used for good things~." "There is no winning with you, is there?" "Not right now. My mood''s way too good for it." "So self-centered..." "I don''t think she''s self-centered." Maya chimed in. "I fully support the use-case of being alone in a ce where no one can interrupt us." "I get a distinct feeling your opinion is slightly biased, cat." The wolf didn''t buy it." No, wait just a moment-" He finally focussed his attention on the cat-girl. "What was that about wanting to wait again?" "Ahaha... Yeah, I did say that. Well, a ssic heart vs. brain argument. My heart easily won." "I didn''t expect it to be this fast, but I''m not that surprised it happened." "Really? That wasn''t nned at all, though." "It was clear that you wouldn''t be able to keep it bottled up." The wolf could read her like a book. "You can be in love without realizing it for years or more without an issue, but once you do be aware of it, you won''t be able to continue in the same way." "Romance expert Fenny~." Sophia found it interesting. "Where did you get that wisdom from?" "I have some experience." "Oh? Please borate." She was very interested. "I will not." The way his bodynguage worked, he made it clear that this topic was over for him in an instant. "O-Okay..." Sophia didn''t push the issue and pointed at the giant kow. "Anyway, while still way too big, I''m hungry. Please cut something for us as well." "Didn''t you say you were going to skip breakfast?" "No, that was yesterday. For me, at least." "Right, stopping time. That sure is confusing." For the wolf, not much time had passed, after all. "You have no idea... Also, I''m not only hungry, but I also feel incredibly jetgged even though I didn''t move ces at all. So weird!" "Jet...gged?" Neither the wolf nor the cat had heard this word before. "I, uhh, it means I''m tired." Sophia didn''t want to bother exining. Once the group ate breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever meal they had, Sophia decided to take a nap. No matter what happened, only getting a wink of sleep in what''s essentially two day''s worth of time was too much for her. After epting Maya''s offer to use herp for a change again, having no reason to decline, she gotfortable and fell asleep in no time. ---------------- "What is it?" While the cat-girl was entertaining herself with the sleeping face of Sophia, she was feeling the stare of a certain wolf. "Nothing much. I guess congrattions are in order?" "Haha, thanks, Fen. So much happened today..." "And it''s only morning." "Man, that time thingy... crazy stuff." "That''s true. But, I''m d for you that it worked out this well." "So am I. Really happy." "Be sure to make her as well." He gestured at Sophia in herp. "Or else I''ll make sure you''ll never be happy again, either." "Are you her father?!" Maya just had to make thatment. "Oh, shut up." "Or could it be? Are you jealous?" "Jealous? No, I''m not the least bit interested in either of you in that regard." He clearly denied it. "If anything, I might be feeling a bit... nostalgic?" "In what way?" "..." He didn''t answer. "Ah... the experience you were talking about earlier?" She had a rough idea about his implications. "More or less. Though that story didn''t end on a good note, so don''t even think about asking. " "O-Of course. Well, don''t worry. Her, no, our happiness is the top priority. Always has been, always will be." "That''s good." "Though I''m a bit concerned... Sophia was really, uhh, proactive today. Most likely thanks to her boosts running literally amok. What happens once she calms down again? It''s the same girl who broke the world... again... once I confessed to her, after all." "Weeell... good luck." He wasn''t overly helpful. "C-Come on!" "I did say you should push the girl to get her used to it. You did a thorough job there. I don''t think she can gopletely back to before. I guess that the more you push her, the higher Sophia''s baseline will be." "Hmm... Now that you mention it. Since the bath, let''s say, incident, she wasn''t that much of a nervous wreck anymore." "No, but you were." He just had to make use of this chance. "Uuh... Well, it all worked out, so I don''t care!" "What a strong girl." "It would be nice if we really can increase Sophia''s level in that way." "I think that''s the right way. Though, I''m sure she''ll continue to go out of control from time to time." "Yeah, no doubt about that." Maya caressed Sophia''s head in herp. "I doubt anyone can ever fully tame her." "I don''t think that''s necessarily a bad thing." "Definitely, as long as she stays less shy and gets more self-confident, that''s all I want from her." Her wish list wasn''t long. "That, and maybe those genocide ns of hers. The desire to punch a god is debatable as well, though... I really went all out, falling for this one, huh?" This time, she pinched the sleeping girl''s cheek. "Guuh..." While not waking up, Sophia still had toin about her treatment. "B-But, well, she''s cute, so it''s okay." "You..." The cat and the wolf chatted for a while longer about this and that. They killed time and rxed until Sophia eventually had enough of her nap. Chapter 60 – Arriving at the sea Chapter 60 ¨C Arriving at the sea Being exhausted and hungry after everything that happened, getting confessed to by Maya, stopping time, a lot of thinking, bing a couple with the cat-girl, and much more, Sophia finally got something to eat and went to sleep right after. Herlittle power nap ended up being a full 3-hour long slumber before she managed to recover enough from being, mostly on ident, awake for almost two days. "Fuah~" Yawning, she slowly opened her eyes and tried to identify her surroundings. "Oh, look who''s up." Maya looked down at the sleepy girl. "Hmm? Oh, Maya... ''morning~." "It''s past noon already." "Same difference..." Sophia was still half asleep. "How are you feeling? "Tired..." She turned around on Maya''sp, indicating she wanted to sleep some more. "I can see that. What about the other stuff?" "What... other stuff?" "Us, for example? Are your boosts still working?" "Hmm, I still love you. A-Ah-, that just now was e-embarrassing!" Sophia managed to say it without a problem, but once the words had left her lips, her face turned red in an instant. "I love you, too." "T-Thank you, I''m h-happy..." Sophia burrowed her face into Maya''s legs to hide her blush. "Uuh..." "Ahaha~, your breath, i-it tickles!" "Shorryy..." Her voice was muffled. "Ahahaha~." The cat-girl couldn''t hold herughter. "Your... leghs an... shuuuper nisce..." Sophia was still talking into herp. "Ahaha, s-stop it!" Not being able to bear it anymore, Maya pushed the girl away from herp. "Haa~!" "Being tickled is no fun, huh?" "N-Noment... haa~. But being the one tickling the other is." "N-Noment." Sophia turned her head away. "Ahh, I''m just happy that you haven''t fully reset." "Reset? Oh, you mean my boost thing? Y-Yes, it feels like I progressed a bit. I mean, on the inside, I''m screaming like a three-year-old whose candy got stolen right now when remembering the events, but on the outside, I''m perfectly calm~." "I wouldn''t go that far, but..." Maya wasn''t sure she was this calm with her bright red face. "Baby steps, okay?" "Sure, let''s leave it at that." "By the way," Sophia wanted to change the topic. "We nned to go to the sea, but it feels like that was an eternity ago. Are we still going?" "Hmm, I''m fine with whatever. I already got what I wanted toe there for." "Huh?" "Sorry." The cat-girl suddenly apologized. "The sea was actually a huge detour towards the capital, but I panicked and had no better idea..." "Eh? What did I miss this time?" "I suggested the sea shortly after I realized my feelings for you. Back then, I wanted to wait and get to know you better. But, I was scared about the thought of you meeting other people, and that''s why I wanted to take more time before reaching the capital." "Why were you scared about me meeting people?" The more she heard, the more confused she got. "I have the sneaking suspicion that your charm got boosted as well, Sophia." "What?" It was news to her. "It would exin why Chiyo got curious about you so fast. She''s usually so oblivious after all. I think it affected me a bit as well... After our mock fight, I really wanted toe with you to train, but I felt kind of attached to you since the beginning. I mean, I like being touchy-feely, but not with people I don''t know... That was a lucky incident, though, because I got to know you that way and fell in love." "M-My charm got boosted? W-Wait, wouldn''t that just mean it isn''t negative anymore?" Sophia still couldn''t follow. "You know, I don''t like it when my girlfriend sells herself short. I''m proud of her after all." "S-Sorry, but, uhh..." She honestly believed it is the case. "Anyway, still, what does that has to do with me meeting people?" "I didn''t want more rivals by you identally charming every girl wee across. I wanted to be the only one... Sorry for being selfish." "S-So cute!" Sophia had her very own opinion. "Uuh..." Now it was her time to be embarrassed. "Good job!" "T-Thanks..." "Okay, let''s show the sea our gratitude as well. Let''s still go visit it." She was happy about the detour or rather, the result of it. "Sure, I don''t mind." Maya was okay with the n. "Also, I want to eat some fish!" "Didn''t you just eat right before your nap? Quite a lot, I want to add." "I missed several meals, after all." "Well, truth to be told, I might also could eat a little again." While not as much as Sophia''s, Maya''s eating routine, too, got somewhat messed up. ---------------- Having decided on a n, the group got ready and going. Instead of tracing back their way on the road, they simply went in a straight line. It''s not like they had anything to fear when straying from a rtively secure path. Actually, the onesing across the group were the poor souls. Walking not too long of a distance, the sea finally came into view too the first time. "Ohh~. It even has a beach!" Sophia was looking at the mostly untouched, almost white sand in front of the gigantic mass of blue water. "Kinda makes me want to go for a swim." "Why don''t you do it, then?" "I don''t have a... Wait, we had this exact same conversation before, hadn''t we?!" She remembered the time when Maya had almost tricked her into jumping into an ice-coldke. "Tehe~." "What''s wrong with this sea?!" "Nothing, I think? Nothing I know, at least. My goal was a different one this time." "Eh?" "You still don''t have a swimsuit, right? So..." "What does that- Ah!" She needed a moment to get the cat-girl''s implication. "P-Pervert." Her face turned red. "W-Wha-?! Why...? I just wanted- Okay, I get it." She had no way to defend herself. "L-Let''s focus on fishing, okay? "Fine..." Maya looked a bit disappointed. "Y-You..." Ignoring her, Sophia dashed towards the beach, but she made exactly one step on the sand before shepletely froze up. "E-Eh?!" "What''s wrong?" The other two seemed slightly concerned. "Err..." She got on her tiptoes and ced a hand on her forehead while trying to look into the distance of the sea. "Nope, it''s too far... I can''t see a thing. Hey, is there an ind or something like that on the other side of the water? Around 40 kilometers away? Maybe a bit more?" "I''m not sure about the distance, but yeah, there''s actually a huge mass ofnd over there. As far as I remember, it''spletely uninhabited, though. Why are you asking?" Maya knew a little about the geography around here. "Oh no, it''s not uninhabited. Definitely not." "What do you mean?" "Just when I took that step, something entered the range of my detection magic over there..." "Just hold on a moment!" Fen interrupted her. "Y-You can detect things that far away now?!" "Yeah... I have the magic on constantly, and its range just keeps growing..." "Y-You have it on all the time?!" "Yep, though I blend out everything that''s not at least as strong as Maya unless I look for something because it''s annoying." "W-What about the cost of magic power?" The wolf was confused. "Hmm? It recovers faster than I can spend it with detection magic, so I never bothered..." "W-What a monster!" He looked shocked. "Uhm?" Maya had a question. "If you ignore everything weaker than I am, j-just what is over there?" "Bad news, seriously bad news! Let''s never go to that ce, okay?!" She seemed really nervous. "Y-You''re scared of a monster?!" The cat-girl couldn''t believe it. "Fen, how many beings are stronger than you in this world?" "Not wanting to boast, but there are few." "Well, over there is one of them." She pointed at the sea, or rather the ind behind it. "What!?" Both, cat and wolf, couldn''t hide their surprise. "It actually gives off a simr feeling to you, Fen? Though it''s a bit foggy because it''s still so far, but, uhh, I think whatever''s over there, it''s at least 50% stronger than you." "5-50%?! No way!" Maya turned white. "A-Are you sure?" Fen, too, was shocked. "At least, yeah." "T-This can''t be... Such a being shouldn''t exist." The wolf was overwhelmed by the revtion. "What''s the problem?" "While there are ones stronger than myself, it was only by a slight margin. We were basically equally matched." "That guy sure isn''t." "Another unknown? Interesting." "Sorry to disappoint, Fenny, but we are not going to check." Sophia wasn''t interested in engaging someone far stronger than her already overpowered wolf. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Maya strongly agreed. "I wasn''t nning to. I''m curious, but the risks with such a powerful being are too big." He wasn''t stupid. "Good." "I suddenly don''t feel like fishing anymore... What if ites after us?" The cat-girl wanted to put more distance between them. "There''s a fair bit of water between us, you know? Also, there''s no way it knows that we are here, anyway." "Are you really, definitely, absolutely 100% sure about it?" "Err... So, where we are heading to next?" "To be honest, I''ve never been further than this ce" Maya shook her head. "I know that we have to follow the coastline for a good bit and then keep going west to reach the capital, but I have no idea what''s in between... Sorry." "Oh, so we are entering unchartered territories? Very interesting. I like it!" Sophia wasn''t the least bit disappointed. "Anything goes for you as long as it''s fun, huh?" "Precisely! Well then, let''s get going!" Energetically raising her fist into the air, Sophia started walking. "..." The other two didn''t follow her, though. "W-What is it now?" It took her a while to notice that she was alone and quickly came back. "Wrong direction." "E-Eh?! But you said to follow the coastline?" "Sure, but I also said that the capital is westwards. A coastline typically has two directions, right? Following the east one won''t do us any good." "And how am I supposed to know that this was east just now?" "Common sen- ah, sorry, my bad." Maya had expected the one thing she shouldn''t have from her. "I feel deeply offended right now!" Sophia started pouting. "Give me a reason to stop doubting yourmon sense, and I''ll do so." "..." She didn''t answer and simply started walking again, just in the right direction this time. "Ah! Wait for me!" The cat-girl ran after Sophia and grabbed her hand before the two continued together to the yet unexplored area. "Hmm..." Fen cast another nce beyond the sea with a slightly troubled expression before following after the couple. Chapter 61 – Definition of common sense Chapter 61 ¨C Definition ofmon sense The group had ditched the beach after Sophia detected a mysterious and mighty monster in the distance. Judging it was too dangerous to stick around, they continued their way towards the beastfolk capital. "Hrmn..." Sophia was grumbling over something while the group was walking alongside the sea. "What''s wrong?" "I can still sense its presence. That thing always stays at the corner of my detection range." "I-Is it following us?!" Maya didn''t like the sound of it. "I don''t think so. Why would it? How could it? In the first ce, there''s still like 30, 40, or maybe even 50 kilometers of water in between us. That''s not so easy to cross, you know?" "Y-You''re right..." "Ah, and just as I said it, it''s gone now." "Great!" The cat-girl was visibly relieved. "Let''s keep going and increase our distance!" "You''re way too worried, Maya~." "I''m not so sure about that..." ---------------- The group kept going for about half a day until evening, and the monster never showed up on Sophia''s radar again. Once the sun was about to set, they made their usual camp for the night and had just finished dinner. "Haa, that was good~." Sophia was rubbing her belly in satisfaction while rxing in front of the fire. "Okay, bath time! I''m looking forward to that." "A-Ah," She flinched at Maya''s suggestion. "I-I forgot about that..." "Let''s go~." She grabbed Sophia''s arm and dragged her away. "Have fun." Fen sent them off, hoping to finally have some peace and quietness. Once the couple went and built the bath, the two entered the tub, and things became a little awkward. "Uuh..." Sophia let out a soft squirm. Feeling the gaze of Maya all over her body made her really self-conscious, and she turned her body away. "Why are you hiding?" "B-Because it''s embarrassing to be seen!" "Eh!? I thought we were over that?" "I got used to it... sort of, but that was that... Now''s an entirely different situation!" "How so?" "B-Because we are d-dating now... Being seen in the nude by your girlfriend... s-super embarrassing!" Sophia turned redder and redder. "Really? You can look at me all you want, though." "I-I don''t think that would... help... in... any... way-!" Sophia wanted to deny it, but she still slowly turned around to face the cat-girl and lost the ability to talk. Mesmerized, she couldn''t look away anymore. "Uuh..." After a while, Maya turned away with a slight squirm. "O-Okay, I think I get what you mean..." She had be self-conscious as well. "B-Being watched by your lover is something else entirely, alright!" "Y-Yeah..." With a slight hint of tension in the air, the mood got a little awkward. "W-Well, let''s do that in the meanwhile." Maya got next to the girl and leaned her back against the side of the tub while cing her head on Sophia''s shoulder. "T-That much is fine..." She tilted her body a little,ing more in contact with the cat-girl, and leaned her head against hers. The two stayed like that for a little while, just enjoying each other''spany, with the awkwardness slowly fading away. "Sophia?" Maya spoke up after a bit. "Hmm~?" She was slightly dozing off. "I love you." "A-Ah!" In an instant, the girl was wide awake again. "N-No sneak attacks! My poor heart won''t survive something like that without prior warning!" "Ehehe~." "..." Sophia went silent. After preparing herself for a moment, she turned her head and gave the cat-girl a quick kiss on the cheek. "I-, I love you, too." She was trying her best to keep up with the other one. "W-Who''s the sneaky one here?!" Maya, too, took some damage. "You." "Ehh? So unreasonable!" "Hehe." "Hrmn..." Maya pouted for a while. Once she was done with that, she had the urge to get back at her. Facing her, she gave the smug girl a surprise kiss directly on the lips. "That''s how it works~." "Grrr..." Sophia''spetitive side was lit, and she immediately returned the kiss. "That''s your game, huh?" This back and forth went on for a while. The two exchanged kiss after kiss, trying to top the other girl, getting more and more heated up- ---------------- "E-Eh?" The next thing Sophia saw with her eyes was the fire in their camp. "Uhh, this feeling on my head..." Having a slight sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, she slowly looked up and eventually made eye contact with a certain cat-girl. "Oh, look at that. The sleepyhead is back." She lightly greeted her. "Wow, you really are bad with hot water." "Urgh," Sophia squirmed around in Maya''sp after regaining consciousness there, still trying to figure out what happened. "T-That''s all your fault, idiot." The hot water was only part of the reason this time. "Hehe." The cat-girl understood her implication and replied with a smug grin. "S-So embarrassing." "You say that, but you were pretty bold yourself, Sophia." "T-That''s the biggest problem! I want to do the things we, uhh, did. I really l-like them, but a part of me can''t keep up with it right now, so I get excited and embarrassed at the same time. It''s a veryplicated feeling!" "As long as you don''t get excited from feeling embarrassed." That would be a bit much for Maya. "No, thank you!" "Then it''s fine. You-, we''ll be able to deal with it eventually. How does lots of practicing sound~?" "P-Practise, huh?" Sophia wasn''t sure whether she should look forward to it or be scared. Or scared that she''s looking forward to it. "Lots of it." It was important, so she said it twice. "O-Okay." While her face was red, all things considered, Sophia wasn''t against it. "Ehehe." They chatted a while longer before the group decided to call it a day. Somewhere along the way, the couple had changed positions, with Maya iming the other girl''sp for the night. Once she got scolded a couple of times for tickling Sophia''s legs, as usual, they finally closed their eyes. ---------------- On the next day, after breakfast, the three continued to follow alongside the coastline towards the beastfolk capital located in the fast west. "Hmm..." Sophia seemed to be thinking about something. "What''s wrong? D-Don''t tell me you''re detecting that monster from before again?!" "No, I was trying to search for it, but I can''t sense it at all. Kinda disappointing, huh?" "Not at all! If anything, I''m really very happy about that! I don''t mind a strong enemy, but too much is too much!" Maya wasn''t sharing her sentiment. "Well, I don''t want to meet it either, but it was interesting, wasn''t it?" "I have very mixed feelings about that..." "But Fen, you were curious, right?" "I''m wondering who it was, but as I said before, not enough to risk meeting it." "Yeah!" Sophia agreed with him. "Not worth it." "Still-" Fen was intrigued nheless. "Could it be another human from your world, Sophia? Someone, you know, maybe? I have no other exnation for such powers." "I didn''t know many people there... In the first ce, there were something like seven or eight billion humans in my old world. The chances for that would be extremely slim. " "S-Sev-, e-eight... b-billion?!" The wolf''s entire body shivered. "S-Such a ghastly world exists?!" "Yeah, it wasn''t a fun ce. It''s sooo much better here!" Sophia nced at Maya a couple of times while saying so. "Hehe." She didn''t fail to notice it. "Anyway, no, I don''t think so. I''m still not that good with it, but it didn''t feel human...-oid to me. Actually, was it even a monster? It really felt simr to the reaction I get from you, Fen." "That makes... no sense... at all." The wolf hesitated with his answer. "There should be... none..." "Hmm?" His reaction confused her a little. "Well, I could be wrong. I''m not very good at properly identifying individuals. I''m only certain about its power, after all." "Yes, that could be the reason..." ---------------- Once that topic was over, the group continued their journey and covered a lot of ground. A couple of dayster, however, a slight obstacle blocked their path. "Uhh..." Sophia nced down a massive and seemingly endless canyon that created a gap of at least 50 meters in front of them. "Err-" The cat-girl was looking at the other side at the same time. "The path continues over there, though? Shouldn''t there be a bridge or something like that?" "Hmm..." She looked around and quickly found the answer. "Well, there was." She pointed at two posts and the remains of a suspension bridge hanging down the cliffside. "Ah, you''re right." Maya spotted the destroyed bridge, as well. "What now?" "Jump?" "Seems like a n to me." Fen and the other idiot took a couple of steps back to have a run-up. "How about no?" The wielder ofmon sense tried to stop them. "There''s no way that we, no, I can jump over that gap!" "You really need to get in better shape, cat." Fen was slightly disappointed. "Y-You two do know that I''m the normal one here, right?! Jumping over a 50m gap is not something you can ovee with training!" "Nonsense!" "Urgh, just why am I the only one withmon sense?" "If you''re the only one... is it really sense?" Sophia was confused and tilted her head while thinking about the terminology. "Don''t get philosophical on me again now! I''m generally speaking!" "Is retorting fun? You seem so energetic." "Oh, shut up, Sophia!" "Ehehe." She chuckled at Maya''s reaction. "On a more serious note... How about we simply build a new bridge?" "One does not simply build a bridge-" "Why not?" Sophia didn''t see the problem. "Why, she asks... Because... hmm?" She didn''t have an answer. "Am I in the wrong here?" "You keep going on aboutmon sense, but that''s just by the standards you grew up with." Fen tried to exin it for the cat-girl. "The members of this group are way out of this norm. All members of this group. For us, something like this should bemon sense, you know?" While saying so, the wolf looked at the canyon. A momentter, multiple stones floated up from down below and slowly began to form a passage. Soon after, a picture-book-worthy stone bridge had closed the gap in front of them. "Good job." Sophia praised him. "That much is nothing." "R-Right..." Maya wasn''t sure how to react. "I actually am not normal either, huh?" "Nope." The other two nodded. "Uuh, what have I gotten myself into..." "Something great, I would like to say." "That is true, Sophia." Maya heavily emphasized her name "The power scaling is just a bit much for me." "Don''t worry. You''ll get used to it eventually." "That''s my main worry!" She didn''t feel relieved at all. While the cat-girl was busily retorting, the group crossed over the newly-built bridge and continued on the path at the other side of the canyon. Chapter 62 – Spotting a beastfolk village Chapter 62 ¨C Spotting a beastfolk vige To cross the massive canyon they came across, the group had to build their own bridge with earth magic. Logically, as Fen took care of it, it wasn''t an issue whatsoever. Afterward, they kept walking alongside the coastline for around two days, but Sophia was bothered by something again. "I''m boooored~!" As nothing interesting had happened for around half a day, she was getting tired of it. "Well, while I tend to agree, there''s nothing we can do about that. We have a long way to cover, so of course, not everything would be interesting." Maya urged her to be patient. "Yeah... By the way, how much longer is it to the capital, anyway?" "Hmm, we took a ton of detours, so it''s hard to tell, but I guess the beach from before day would be around halfway there?" "S-Seriously?! There''s still so much left?! Wow, someone in this world needs to invent cars already!" "Cars?" The other two had never heard this word before. "Err, it''s a vehicle from my old world. Something like a carriage here, I guess? Just iparably faster, we could''ve reached the capital in like a day with it." Sophia missed travelingfortably and fast. "That''s amazing!" "Yeah, not that it has anything to do with us. I had a rough understanding of how they work, but not nearly enough to even think about recreating them." Her little theoretical knowledge would be of no use for the real thing. "Just tough it out, girl." Fen wanted her to stop whining. "Booored~!" It wasn''t very effective, and Sophia raised her arms to indicate her displeasure. "Yeah, yeah, we get it." Maya grabbed one of her arms, dragged it down, and interlocked their hands to calm down the girl and, more importantly, distract her. "Not quite as bored anymore~." It helped a little. "Still, isn''t there anything interesting? Let''s see... Oh?" She stopped walking all of a sudden. "What is it? A-Ah! D-Don''t tell me the monster''s back?!" "No, I lowered my detection sensitivity and found a spot full of people a couple of kilometers in front of us. It feels like a vige or something like that." "T-That''s great..." The cat-girl was relieved that the overpowered monster wasn''t following them, after all. "I just detected them, too." Fen nodded. "Around 150 people, I guess? Yep, they''re beastpeople." "Aaaand it''s gotten interesting!" Sophia''s boredom was washed away. "Let''s go there!" "Sure!" The other two had noints. "Ah, but no flirting with the girls there, Sophia!" "H-Huh?! Why would I do that?!" She didn''t understand where Maya''s implication wasing from. "You''re too charming!" "Ehh... that again? I obviously won''t! But if that''s the case, the same goes for you, Maya! You''re much more charming, after all!" "Ehehe~. I wouldn''t think about it." "Get a room, you two." The wolf''s teeth started to hurt from all the sugar. "S-Sorry..." ---------------- After the couple apologized, the group got going again and made their way towards the beastfolk vige they found with detection magic. As they got closer, Fen also transformed into his smaller version to not confuse the vigers. "Oho~." Sophia seemed excited as she spotted the couple dozen old-looking yet orderly-built redbrick houses and the central za of the ce with a small fountain in the middle. While they followed the nicely maintained cobblestone road, the group got spotted by a duo of lookouts at the edge of the vige. "Wee to Alva!" One of the rather hairy and bear-like-looking guards greeted the group. "Now, that''s a colorful group... A girl from the cat tribe, a full and even a hidden. You don''t see such abo often." He hadn''t even assumed Sophia was a human after sensing her power. "Hidden...?" Sophia leaned towards Maya and whispered the word that confused her. "Beastpeople that have no apparently visible animal traits like a tail or ears. They usually have only animal character traits, or it''s hidden by their clothes. They''re quite rare, so people often forget to mention them, though." "Oh! Wait, does he mean me?" "Who else? Lucky misunderstanding, huh?" "Yeah, I''m good at those." It wasn''t the first time people had gotten confused with Sophia. "You sure are." The cat-girl gave a heartfelt nod. "I guess I''m a beast-girl now, huh?" She officially graduated from being an alleged demon. "Could be worse, couldn''t it?" "Ahaha, sounds fun." "So, what brings you here?" Noticing that the girls finished talking about whatever, the guard continued. "Wait, the direction you came from... How did you guys cross the canyon?! The bridge there broke down a while ago, and we weren''t able to repair it yet." "Ah, uhh-" Maya, the only actual beast person in the group, decided to take over. "When we tried to cross there, we, err, built a new bridge for it." "Oh, jokesters, I like you lot already." The bear-like guard naturally didn''t believe her. "No... We''re pretty good at magic, so that actually happened." Showing off the fruits of her training, the cat-girl let a small earthen wall rise from the ground. "C-Chantless magic?!" The guard was shocked. "Y-Yeah, the other two are much, much, MUCH better at magic than I am. So, we really crossed the canyon with a bridge we made ourselves." "S-Seriously?!" "Actually, the bridge''s still there. Feel free to check it yourself." "Melv! "The guard addressed his co-worker. "Get a harse ready and check their story." "Yes, sir!" He immediately left. "A-Anyway, again... Wee to Alva. There''s a small inn at the za. As there are currently no other travelers, there should be plenty of free rooms avable. Feel free to rest there a bit. I can really rmend the attached bar there. Good food and even better alcohol. Once my colleague returns and confirms your story, we''lle back at you guys to discuss the reward." "Reward?" Maya tilted her head. "We just made a bridge to cross the canyon, though?" "Yeah, and you saved us a ton of gold and time if that''s really the case. The vige would obviously reward you for that. Assuming the bridge is usable, of course." "I see. Yeah, it makes sense if you put it that way. It''s a pretty sturdy all-stone bridge made by Fen over there, so-" Maya pointed at the wolf. "I wanted to prove a point when I built it... That bridge shouldst a couple of centuries." "R-Really? So not only the cat-girl is abnormal?!" The guard could barely believe them. "A-Anyway, just follow the road, and you''ll end up right in front of the inn." "A-Abnormal?!" Maya was shocked. "Thanks." Waving after him, the group finally entered the vige. "Poor guard..." Sophia felt sorry for him for some reason. "Eh? Why?" "Mayapletely destroyed hismon sense." "W-What?!" "Talking about a bridge being made in an instant, using chantless magic, something incredibly rare, like it''s nothing. You totally broke him~." Sophia was clearly getting back at the cat-girl who criticized her about the same thing countless times already. "For someone who constantly retorts at us for exactly that, you sure aren''t any better." Fen, too, had to use this chance. "A-Ah-" She just noticed it. "Uuh, I actually became one of them... So embarrassing!" "Ahaha!" Sophia was having a good time. "l-I''m sorry for making fun of you... As it turns out,mon sense is indeed a very perspective matter." "Y-You don''t have to apologize so earnestly..." She had gotten flustered about the cat-girl''s honesty. "I mean, I really have none of that... thismon-sense thingy, for various reasons." "As long as you understand. Though, I''ll try not to tease you about it in the future." "T-Thanks... Okay, let''s head to the inn!" ---------------- Once Sophia finished rolling her eyes after learning that harses are indeed just simple horses, the group continued walking along the main road for a bit. Eventually, they ran into a group of children, probably around grade-school age¡ªtwo boys with dog ears and a bushy tail, together with three girls. One of them was a cat-girl like Maya; one resembled a deer with her big ears sticking out of her brown hair while also having a small tail. Thest girl was simr to the boys, but together with the dog''s ears and tail, she also had actual paws for hand and feet, and a part of her arms was covered in fur. "Eh, a human...?" One of the boys spotted Sophia and walked up to the group. "You''re right!" The rest of his gang followed after him. "What is a human doing here?" "I''ve never seen one up so close!" "How did she not die beforeing here? I heard humans can''t even fight a kow... I knew daddy was lying! No one can be that weak, after all!" "You''re beautiful, miss!" The little cat-girl of the group had a slightly different reaction. "Are you really human...?" "T-Thank you..." While being slightly bashful about the suddenpliment, Sophia squatted down in front of her to get on the same line of sight while giving her head a quick pat. "You''re quite cute, as well." "Ehehe~." The little cat-girl giggled happily. "Grrr..." The bigger, white-haired cat was not so happy, though. "S-Seriously now, Maya?" "..." She didn''t answer and turned her head away, somewhat embarrassed by her own action. "Anyway," Sophia faced the children again. "No, I''m not one of the humans you know. I''ve been called a hidden, you know?" Her way of weaseling herself out while not actually lying had be even more skilled. "A hidden?" A few of them tilted their heads. "Oh, daddy told me about them!" The deer-girl seemed to know about it. "Those are beastpeople where you can''t see that they are one at first nce. That makes sense because you don¡¯t seem like you want to do bad things to us!" "Hmm¡­? That''s right. You''re really smart." Sophia smiled at her. She was curious about the bad things the girl mentioned but thinking about the humans again, she didn¡¯t want to know, after all. "T-Thank you..." She had gotten shy all of a sudden. "..." Maya was still not amused. "What are you doing here, miss?" The girls of the group had gotten very interested in Sophia. "I''m traveling with mypanions. We came across this vige on the way to the capital." "The capital?" "So cool!" "How long are you staying?" "We''re just passing through, so, not that long. Probably just the night." "Aww..." The little girls were disappointed. "Do you have a lover, miss?" The small cat of the group was an aggressive one. "E-Eh...?" "She does, in fact!" The big cat-girl was, too, and got really close to Sophia and linked their arms. "I''m her girlfriend!" She sounded reallypetitive for some reason before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "M-Maya?!" She got embarrassed in an instant. Doing something like that in public was too much for her. "Ehehe." She liked her reaction. "Too bad..." The little one seemed disappointed. "I would''ve waited! Then again, you two are a good match, so it''s okay! Ah, guys, we''re going to bete! Bye-bye, miss!" "Bye-bye!" The small gang left while waving at the group. "Bye...?" Sophia awkwardly waved back. "Wow, they were like a storm. Still, they were so adorable!" She had taken a liking to the little ones. "My, aren''t you popr?" A cold voice came from her side. "Eh?! Ma-, Maya.?" She awkwardly turned around to face her. "Wait, I have no idea how any of this works, but don''t tell me-, Are you... jealous?" "Am not!" She puffed up her cheeks. "W-Why are you so adorable?!" It had a very different effect on Sophia. "S-Shut up!" Her puffed-up cheeks turned red. "Come on~. Those were just some little kids! Adorable as they might be, they''re OBVIOUSLY no rivals to you, idiot." "Uuh... I''m sorry..." The cat-girl felt embarrassed and stupid for losing her cool over something like that without thinking. "Seriously." "L-Let''s just go to the inn, okay...?" She wanted to run away. "Sure~." No matter the idiotic circumstances, Sophia was still happy that Maya got jealous. ---------------- Once the group found the inn and entered, Fen got a room specifically for full beastpeople, but getting a room for the girls involved a bit of work. "Do you two want rooms next to each other?" The receptionist with some floppy dog ears asked the two. "No, we''ll be sharing one." "Eh?" Sophia hadn''t heard about that before. "I''m sorry, but we only have rooms with one bed." "That''s perfectly fine." "Eh?" She was only getting more surprised. "While our beds are on the bigger side, it could be a bit cramped with two people..." The receptionist tried to change her mind. "Perfect, that''s just what I hoped them to be!" It had the opposite effect on Maya. "Eh?" Sophia felt left out. "But..." "Don''t worry. We''ll pay extra if that''s the problem." The cat-girl was dead-set on sharing a room, or rather, a bed. "Well, it''s your choice..." The dog-girl stopped objecting. "Great!" Once the room situation was solved, the group got the keys and walked towards their rooms to get a bit of rest. Well, most of them. "Eh?" Sophia was still confused about what just happened, or rather, what''s going to happen. The mention of sharing an actual bed wasn''t good for her imagination. Chapter 63 – Maya’s preference Chapter 63 ¨C Maya¡¯s preference After arriving in a small vige called Alva and causing a bit of amotion, the group went to an inn that was rmended to them by the guards. The room situation there had left Sophia a bit confused, though. "Eh?" She was still rooted at the reception. "Are youing already?" Maya went back to her, grabbed the girl''s hand, and dragged her towards their room. "A-Are we really going to share a room...?" "Sure." "Even s-sleeping together in that... bed?" Sophia was nervously ncing around until her eyes fell on the bed that would make for a rather cozy fit for two people. "Of course~." "Uuh... I-I might die, you know?" "Why?" "B-Because it''s embarrassing and... I haven''t, uhh, p-prepared myself... yet..." Her voice trailed off towards the end. "Huh? Aren''t we sleeping together all the time, though?" The cat-girl didn''t understand her reaction. "B-But... that''s different!" "How?" "B-Because... we''re alone... and sharing... a bed, s-so-" Speaking was bing hard-, harder for her. "Oh?" Maya''s lips formed into a grin. "Ahhh, just what do you think is going to happen, Sophia~?" "A-Ah..." She realized her mistake. As her face turned red, she jumped onto the bed and buried her face into the pillow, trying to hide herself. "Uuuh..." "First, flirting with a group of girls, even though she promised me not to, and now that. My, what a pervert." "Am not!" "Really now?" Maya sat down on the bed and leaned her back against Sophia''s body, effectively using the girl as a cushion. "I-In the first ce, I didn''t flirt with them!" She dodged the subject. "They were just little kids!" "They seemed to be quite taken with you, though." "Even so! W-Wait, you''re angry, aren''t you?" "Why would I be~?" "Totally angry... M-Maya, there''s really no need to be jealous of little girls, you know? I have absolutely ZERO interest in them that way, okay?" She somehow had the need to make this very clear. "ZERO!" "I-I wasn''t jealous! I, uhh, just got a little upset that you were getting along with them so well... Not to mention that these girls, no matter their age, clearly had ulterior motives!" "Does jealous mean something else in this world?" "Urgh!" The cat-girl shrunk down. "S-Sorry..." "Haha... You''re the only one for me, okay? " "Yeah, I get it. I don''t know why I''m bothered by it. I have to get used to it first, I guess. I''m sorry." She apologized again. "So, what did you want to do in this bed?" Maya recovered fast. "S-Sleep, just sleep! Cut me some ck already!" Sophia didn''t want to talk about it anymore and pressed her face deeper into the pillow. "What a cutie~." Maya leaned further against Sophia''s body and rxed for a moment. "Uuh, such a mess... just because they thought I''m a human from this world..." The kids only approached her because of her non-beast-girl-like body. "Maybe I should change how I look?" "Eh? What do you mean?" "Like changing my body with magic, or something like that?" "What?! I like you the way you are, though!" Maya wasn''t an immediate fan of the idea. "T-Thanks... I mean only temporarily. Like Fen, just in the times we meet other people." "Oh, I see! I think I can allow that." "My, aren''t you generous? She had to roll her eyes at the response. "So, what do you want to change?" "Hmm, that''s a good question..." Sophia hadn''t thought that far ahead. "Maybe add some ears and a tail like you? They''re adorable, after all... Oh! Do tiger people exist in this world?" "Tiger? Tiger, huh? Wait... hmm?" She tilted her head for a moment, thinking about something. "Uh, yeah, they''re rare, but I, uhh, yeah, I saw them before." "Perfect! Well, I''m blonde, ash, to some degree, but I think I''ve seen tigers in a simr color before? Or maybe change it? Wouldn''t that look super cute? Some fluffy ears and ck highlights in my hair, together with a bushy, ringed ck and blonde tail? Or maybe go orange like most of the real ones, after all?" She wasn''t sure about the color yet. "Hmm..." Maya closed her eyes for a while and imagined the new version of her girlfriend. "Ehehe~. A-Ahem, yes... though reluctantly, I think I''ll allow it." She had a bright smile at the same time, though. "You like it, huh?" It wasn''t a hard guess. "Yeah, I think it would be cute. I''ll ask Fen how to do it. I''m sure he has a tip or two for me." "Y-Yeah..." She was slightly excited about it. "Okay, anyway, I''m hungry! Let''s test that bar-, restaurant thing the bear-guard told us about. No, wait.. it would be baer guard, right? Whatever! Let''s check it out. "Sure." ---------------- Leaving together, the two collected Fen from his room and went to eat something. And drink. "Changing your appearance?" The wolf was looking at Sophia while they were eating. "Yeah, I''m getting tired of being mistaken with those human... things." "Ahh, I see. That''s a very valid concern." "I want some fluffy ears and a cute tail! Is that possible?" "Sure, with a bit of training, no problem." "Yay!" "We can train it once we''re back on the move again. The basis of that magic is the same as my shrinking, after all, appearance alteration. It changes your, well, appearance without making any permanent changes to your body." "Great, thank you very much, Fen!" Sophia was happy that it seemed to be easy. "But appearance alteration magic, huh? If that''s the case... I wonder, can I-, could I... make my breasts bigger as well?" She looked down at her chest, her biggest regret aftering to this world, being stuck with a not yet fully developed body. "What do you think, Maya?" "..." The cat-girl was strangely silent on the topic. "Err-" She stared at her with aplicated expression. "I''m no expert on rtionships, far from it. Actually, I''m thest you should ask... and I''m also the one who brought it up... But, shouldn''t my girlfriend say something here?" "A-Ah, right... Y-You''re, of course, fine the way you are, as well!" "A-As well?! Well, I''m sorry for being small!" She covered her chest in response. "T-That''s not what I meant... I-I mean... Wait, is there anything I can say now that won''t make it any worse?!" Maya felt trapped after she messed up. "This question doesn''t help your case, that''s for sure." Fen sighed, wishing he would be able to do a facepalm as a wolf without looking stupid. "What he said." Sophia had to agree. "I mean... I, of course, like you the way you are. You''re the most beautiful girl I ever met! That naturally includes your body as well... It''s-, it''s, uhh, I like them that way-" Maya looked at a particr part of Sophia''s body. "I saw them in the bath, after all... and they''re beautiful, b-but... I may... wouldn''t necessarily, you know, err,in if they were one size... bigger. Or two." She only mumbled thesest two words. "So, you do like them bigger?" "I-I like you, okay?! The size doesn''t matter!" Maya was getting desperate. "Fen, as soon as we leave, I want to learn that magic!" "Sure..." He didn''t care anymore. Not that he ever did. "I knew it! There was no right answer!" The cat-girl had lost the moment she brought it up. ---------------- While Maya was trying her best to get on Sophia''s good side again, the group ate some more, and, as they were in a bar, lots of alcohol, too, was served. A couple of hours went by, and the couple eventually made up to some degree. A short whileter, the baery guards from earlier entered the bar and approached the group once they saw them. "Ah, there they are! Looks like you guys are having a good time." One of the baers saw the empty tes and sses on their table. "Yeah, sure..." The couple had a rough start and a slightly different opinion. "I''m having fun~." As most of the empty sses were in front of Fen, he was feeling great. "Here, have another one." Sophia wanted to shut him up. "Anyway, what''s up?" She faced the guards. "We finished the investigation on the bridge you built." "Already? That was fast." "That bridge-" The second guard seemed overwhelmed. "I never saw anything like that, really... Seriously, who are you guys?!" "We? Just a small group of traveling magic enthusiasts." Sophia was doing the talking as she was the only one still sober, whether she liked it or not. She didn''t have a choice, after all, being unable to get drunk. "How mysterious. Well, we''re not going to pry. Everyone has a secret or two, and it''s more than obvious that all of you are extremely powerful." "S-Sure..." It really was basically all they were, a group of bored magic enthusiasts, but she didn''t feel like correcting them. "Anyway, we spoke to the major earlier, and he agreed that you did us a huge deed. While we think the bridge''s worth a lot more, this is all our little vige canfortably offer at once without suffering." With a big thud, he ced a heavy bag full of coins on the table. "Those are 750 gold coins. I hope that''s enough for you." "SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY?!" Sophia couldn''t believe it. "F-For a minute of work?! Seriously?!" "A minute, she says... Girl, such a bridge would''ve taken us weeks, no, months of verybor-intensive work. That much ofpensation is the least we can offer." "Well, okay... On behalf of those two drunk idiots here, I ept the reward." She pointed at herpanions. "I''m notsh drunk...!" "Meee neitsher!" "Of course..." Sophia rolled her eyes. "Anyway, thank you very much!" "Nono, we''re the ones that are grateful." The two guards bowed a little. "Alright, I''ll throw in a little extra. Keep eating and drinking, you all. The night''s on us!" "Are you sure? That could end up being expensive. Maya feels, let''s say, guilty about something and is drinking, Fen is a heavy drinker anyway, and I n on trying every dish on the menu." "Y-Yeah, go for it." He had slight doubts about his offer but didn''t take it back. "Thanks." ---------------- The guards took a couple of drinks with them but left after a while. The group continued to drink and eat deep into the night, though. Once it was closing time, they finally went back to their rooms. Sophia first had to help Fen reaching his before she could leave with Maya. "Shophiaaa~." Once the door of their room closed, the cat-girltched herself onto Sophia and whispered her name with a sweet, almost purr-like voice. "W-Wow..." She took a lot of damage from the sensual way of how she called her." M-Maya, I think... hmph!" She wanted to say something but never got the chance. The cat-girl got even closer and kissed her on the lips before pushing her down on the bed. "Shophiaa~!" Another sugary purr echoed through the room while Maya climbed on top of Sophia before taking her lips again. "O-Oh..." Sophia was getting embarrassed by the situation. A part of her felt like she had to stop the cat-girl, but she was also getting excited. In the end, she was unable to bring herself to stop her. Instead, lying with her back on the bed while getting pinned down by Maya on top, Sophia wrapped her arms around the cat-girl''s neck and returned the kiss. Unsure, embarrassed, excited, and slightly turned on, Sophia decided to let herself be guided by the cat-girl and let her do whatever she nned. Chapter 64 – Sophia’s old self Chapter 64 ¨C Sophia¡¯s old self Because it had gotten reallyte in the small vige bar they came across, or early, depending on how one would interpret it, the next day didn''t start before noon for the group. After they had lunch together and Fen didn''t feel like his head would explode any second anymore, the three left the vige again. They were currently walking through a lush, green field. "..." "..." There was an awkward silence between the couple, and they were unable to look at each other, their faces slightly flushed. "I''m not sure if I should ask because I doubt I want to know, especially because my head still hurts, but... did something happen?" Even though he was still hungover, Fen didn''t fail to notice the mood between them. "N-Nothing happened..." "Nothing at all." "Y-Yeah." "After we entered the b-bed... Maya fell asleep in under a minute..." Sophia''s voice was aplex mix of subtle relief and utter disappointment. "I-I simply passed out before-" She didn''t finish her sentence. While the cat-girl clearly sounded disappointed as well, there was also a considerable amount of shame mixed in. "The bed wasfortable, though." She wasn''t sure what else to say anymore. "T-That''s true..." Neither was Maya. "Okay." Fen decided that he really didn''t want to push the issue any further. He felt that his current headache was more than enough already. With that, the group continued to walk for a while longer in silence. "Sophia...?" "Hmm?" She nced at the cat-girl. "I''m sorry. Forst night..." "W-What exactly? Starting what you started, or falling asleep before going through with it?" "Uhh, both? I shouldn''t have done it in the first ce because we were drunk, but falling asleep was really rude, as well." "I see. I wasn''t drunk, though." "Eh?" "Didn''t I mention that? Thanks to my boosts, I''m basically unable to get drunk. They made me more or less immune to alcohol." "W-What? I never heard about that! W-Wait, does that mean you were fully conscious when I-" "Mh-hmm." Sophia gave her a slight nod. "T-Then!" "I-I think, all things considered... it was a good thing you fell asleep. I-I lost myself in the moment, thanks to your overly sweet purr-like voice... b-but, while I-I... I don''t think I would''ve r-regretted it, just, uhh, I think it would have been a l-little early...?" She was having trouble keeping thest bit of calmness she had left during her exnation. "Y-Yes, I actedpletely on... i-impulse..." Maya, too, had be really flustered. "I-I mean, I''m not one to talk because I was the one who, let''s say, j-jump-started our rtionship-" She remembered the excessive amount of kissing she initiated right after the two got together. "We agreed that not holding back is no problem and all. If it h-happens, it happens kinda deal, but, uhh, just..." Sophia had gotten nervous when thinking aboutst night again. "Y-Yeah, I fully get what you mean..." She agreed. "Also, I don''t want it to happen when I''m drunk, even though I remember everything. Painfully so..." "A-Anyway," Sophia wanted to change the topic. "It seems that I have to apologize as well, though..." "Huh, why?" Maya didn''t understand. "Well, yesterday when I, let''s say, got upset over the topic of my breasts... It appears that you were indeed... honest." "E-Eh?" She still couldn''t follow. "You tried to go after my body, regardless of the size, after all." "W-Wha-?!" There was nothing she could say in her defense. "Y-You''re still angry about that, aren''t you?!" "Who knows~." "Uuh... there are actually times where l miss my shy Sophia." "Ehehe~, I''m getting better at this!" "While I''m happy for you, I''m also... not." She was having mixed feelings about the matter right now. ---------------- "Okay, Fen, how does your head feel?" Sophia decided to change the topic for real this time. "I don''t want to rely on it, but I decided to apply some healing magic after having had to listen to two flirty idiots. I''m fine now. " "That''s goo- Oi! Well... I can''t me you." She had to ept that they were idiots. "So, what do you want?" The wolf stared at her, knowing she didn''t just want to know about his well-being. "The appearance alteration magic thingy!" Sophia was getting excited just thinking about it. "The what now?" He tilted his big head. "Huh? Don''t tell me you forget everything about yesterday again?! Fenny, you drink too much!" "I do not." "Really now? Then, you should definitely remember what we talked about in the bar." "Urgh..." He stopped for a moment. "A-Ah, right! You were unhappy with your chest size and wanted to make them bigger! See, I totally remember!" "My dear Fen, while this topic indeed came up during our conversation yesterday, this was not what I had in mind right now." Her voice sounded warm, but her eyes were far from looking friendly. "S-Somehow, I''m sorry..." He stepped away a couple of steps to increase his distance from her. "I want animal ears! And a cute tail!" Fortunately, she had more important things going through her head. "R-Right... there was a topic like that." The fog inside his brain was clearing up. "Okay, teach away!" "You''re way too hyper. Okay, whatever... Well, as you know, I exclusively use that kind of magic to shrink myself. Like you''d expect, it''s category-less magic because it''spletely unique. For the imagination, think about a smaller version of yourself and start by shrinking a small part like your hand and visualize it inside your head. Do that with every part of your body, and-" "Nope." Sophia interrupted the wolf. "No more shrinking for me. That idiot, err, Canir did enough of that to me already. I''ve gotten small enough already." She nced at a part of her body that had gotten way too much attentiontely. "Eh? What do you mean?" Maya was confused. "Hmm? I told you that I''m older than I look, did I not?" "Yeah, just like me... But what has that to do with what you just said?" "Huh? Ohhhh!" She opened her eyes wide when she realized the part she missed. "Err, right, you see... that only happened when I came to this world. Bing younger, that is. In my old world, I looked like my actual age." "W-What?! Seriously? A-An older Sophia...? You''re already stunning... H-How would a more mature version of you look?! S-So unfair! I wanted to see that!" "Hehehe, my looks were actually the one thing I was proud of in my old world." "Grmnn!" Maya almost looked in pain when she was trying her absolute hardest to imagine it. "F-Fen, help a girl in love out here! Make it possible that she can transform into her old self. Only for a second! T-That''s all I want!" "..." Sophia wasn''t sure how to react. "I-It''s not like that, okay?! I-I just found out there''s a version of my girlfriend that I don''t know. Of course, I''m curious about that!" The cat-girl tried to talk her way out. "While I doubt your sincerity, I apud your excuse. That was a good save." She didn''t fully believe her. "Fen, is that possible? To turn to my old self again?" "If you still remember how you used to look, I think that would be even easierpared to shrinking yourself. You already know how you want to look, after all." "Awesome! So, what do I have to do? Simply imagine how I used to look and, uhh, give it a go? Pour some magic power into my imagination?" "More or less." "Isn''t this world''s magic way too half-assed?!" "It''s great, isn''t it?" Fen looked smug. "He''s definitely the one responsible for destroying every trace of Sophia''smon sense..." Maya couldn''t help but sigh. "For most people, it''s not that easy, you know?!" "Well, normally, you have to put in a little more effort in changing your appearance, but as she''s only changing to her previous self, it''s not much work." The wolf corrected himself a little. "Hrmnn~!" She already stopped listening and was instead concentrating on her task. ---------------- Sophia stopped responding altogether for around half an hour while concentrating hard because she didn''t want to rush and make any mistakes. She shuddered at the mere thought of messing up while altering her own appearance. "I-Is it really going to be okay?" The cat-girl was slowly bing worried. "It should be fine. But then again... we''re talking about Sophia, so... maybe?" Fen couldn''t predict how their resident walking oddball of a catastrophe could mess up this time. "Uuh..." She got nervous. "Okay, I think I got it! Alright, do your thing, magic! I want to look like my old self!" Announcing so, Sophia was suddenly swallowed by a cloud of smoke after activating her magic, just like Fen when he shrinks or erges himself. Once the smoke disappeared, a familiar but also different-looking girl appeared. Sophia grew by around five to seven centimeters and was just a few cm short of Maya now. Her usual, ash-blonde hair got closer to a honey color with a slight orange shift and also got longer. Instead of roughly around the girl''s shoulders, it now reached almost all the way to her middle back. Her face had lost a bit of its roundness, making her features slightly more defined. It gave her a more mature look befitting a girl that had stopped being an adolescent and was turning into a young adult. While being even more trained from all the sports in her old world, Sophia''s body had also gained a lot more curves and a bit of a tan while still maintaining her slender image. More than anything, her chest had grown by one or even two sizes as her sought-after growth period had finally happened again. Because her clothes had be a little too small, thanks to her new body, the girl''s changes became even more prominent. Her shirt had gotten rather tight, and her shorts were even more revealing now because mostly her legs were responsible for Sophia''s height gain. Thanks to that, she was showing off even more of them now. "..." Maya was mesmerized and could only stare at her girlfriend in utter silence. "Oho, so that''s how you looked like in the past, huh? Yeah, I can see the resemnce." As Fen wasn''t interested in her, he could calmlyment on her new, old looks. "Hmmn..." Sophia twisted her body, looked at her chest, arms, chest, stomach, hips, legs, and chest again. She grabbed a couple of strands of her hair to look at it and then touched her face before stretching her new, old body some more. "Yeah, that''s the me I remember." "..." The cat-girl was still staring at her with a slightly agape mouth. "What do you think?" Sophia did a cute twirl in front of her girlfriend to present herself. "Uhh-" She was in the middle restarting. "W-Wow!" A single word was all she could squeeze out. "T-Thanks." "Ahh, n-now I get it! Y-You were illegal in your old world, right?" Maya could finally speak again, but the words that came out of her mouth made little sense. "That''s why you came to this ce, right?" "Illegal? What are you talking about?" "I-I mean, nobody would be allowed to be this beautiful, after all!" Her opinion on the old Sophia had exceeded all expectations. "T-Thank you...?" It was too much for her to appropriately react to such overly high praise. "I am so happy that you were unable to talk with women in your old life!" "W-Why?!" Sophia was shocked by her statement. "Because if you could, there would''ve been no way you were single and ended up in my world! You would even make straight girls question their sexuality for a moment if you started flirting with them!" "N-Now you''re just overexaggerating..." "I am not. I am so not!" Maya was dead serious. "Y-You''re so beautiful that I''m having problems staying sane right now!" "R-Really? Then I better change back, huh? Wait... back? This is the original me, so l already changed back? Back to the future? The present? Past...? Uhh... change to the previous me? Which is the previous one? Eh? The new... old me...? The old... new me? Huh? Wait a moment? Who was I again? Aaaand I''m confused!" "Just take the younger one, idiot!" Fen couldn''t deal with the dorky girl any longer. "A-Ah, okay, thanks!" "W-Wait!" Maya interrupted them. "J-Just give me a minute, okay?! Just five minutes to burn this image into my head!" She changed the time in the middle of her plea. "You do know that I will naturally turn into this girl eventually, right?" "Yeah, in a couple of hundred years at the earliest." The wolf wasn''t helpful. "If ever." "J-Just ten more minutes, okay?" The time increased again. "15 minutes is all I ask of!" "Fine..." She gave up. ---------------- Doing as told, Sophia waited with turning back, and the cat-girl used every second to burn every detail of the adult version into her memory. Circling around the girl a couple of times, making sure that she didn''t miss anything. "Thank you very much!" Precisely 30 minutester, Maya let her obediently turn back. "A-Alright..." Smoke swallowed her again, and a familiar, younger-looking girl was left behind. "..." "..." "..." Maya stared at the new, old Sophia "..." She stared back at her. "..." Fen nced at Sophia as well. "Girl, you forgot to turn your chest fully back to before." "Fen, you idiot!" Both girls instantly and loudly scolded him. One of them was slightly teary-eyed, as well. Chapter 65 – Itchy Chapter 65 ¨C Itchy Once Sophia had fully converted back to her younger self, after sessfully transforming to her older looks, based on her previous world with appearance alteration magic, she finally concentrated on the actual task. "P-Putting many regrets aside-" She nced at her chest while saying so. "Time to get back on track." "Many..." Maya agreed as her tail flopped lifelessly on the ground. "Do we need to have another talk?" "N-No!" The cat-girl immediately turned her head away. "Good." She looked down at her body. "I''m actually kinda torn here... You know, looks aside... that one definitely is a big regret of mine and makes me wanna adjust them again. Now I know it''s pretty easy, actually. But... smaller ones do feel better, or rather, they are morefortable, at least. I mean, even my old ones weren''t gigantic, far from it, but I still felt them on my shoulders and back from time to time, especially when running. I''ve gotten used to being less restricted when moving around now... Smaller breasts might actually be better, after all? Or maybe a middle ground in between instead?" "..." Maya desperately tried to hold herself back. "S-Sure..." It almost looked like she was in physical pain when answering. "I-If you think it''s... better, I f-feel the... s-same." "Okay... Let''s try to transform into a tiger-girl next!" Full of energy, Sophia simply went on, sat down on the grass, and patted herp. "Come here for a moment, Maya. I need you for a little something~." "S-Should I be scared?" She was a little hesitant, especially after what just happened. "Think of it as redeeming yourself from you know what~." While she ignored Maya''sments before, it wasn''t like she hadn''t heard them. "F-Fine..." She had no other choice. Slightly reluctant, Maya walked up to her and gotfortable on the girl''sp. "W-What are you nning, anyway?" "I need to get a better understanding of how your ears and tail work before I can recreate them for myself." "T-That means-" She had a bad feeling. "Lot''s of fluffing~!" Sophia, on the other hand, had a bright smile on her lips and a scary look in her eyes. ---------------- Half an hour and intense petting of the poor cat-girlter, Sophia not only looked extremely satisfied, but she also learned a lot. "Ha... Ha... Haa..." Maya''s breath was still haggard when she was finally freed from the girl''s clutches. "I-I... I feel vited..." She had tears in the corners of her eyes. "l-, I finally know why scientists are so engrossed in their studies! Knowledge is fun!" Her take on it was very different. "Y-You two should get a room already." Even Fen was affected. "Ehehe~." Sophia didn''t care about any of that. "Alright, I think I now can create my own ears and tail, now that I have a really good understanding of them." "W-Way too good of an understanding..." There was still a bit of life missing in Maya''s eyes. "Mind if I go on a walk?" The wolf wanted to run away from them. He had enough and felt a little stupid not thinking about it earlier-, way earlier. "You already know how to transform, right?" "Sure, have fun." "Thanks." "Okay, let''s give it a go! Cute is a must!" After voicing her preference, she closed her eyes and thought about the beast-girl version of herself for a while. "Just like Maya, but I want to be a tiger-girl instead!" ---------------- A couple of minutes passed, while the girl was concentrating hard on the task, she was eventually wrapped in smoke once more. Soon afterward, an all-new Sophia appeared. Her ash-blonde hair changed to a deep orange hue. She wanted to recreate the color of an actual tiger, after all. It was also decorated with a couple of striped ck highlights. On top of her head, a pair of feline ears in the same color appeared, together with a generous amount of pure white fluff inside. They were slightly rounded, just like those of an actual tiger. Out of her lower back, below Sophia''s t-shirt, was now a sleek and moderately thick tail sticking out. It had the same base color as her new hair and was covered with ck stripes that ringed all around it from base to tip. Once she had fully transformed, the girl did a short and clumsy twirl again to get a feel for her new body parts. After that, she created something simr to a mirror with water-based magic and gave a satisfied nod to what she was seeing. "C-Cute..." ording to Maya''s reaction, Sophia''s main goal had been achieved. "How does it feel?" "I-Itchy..." Her response was slightly odd. "Itchy?" The cat-girl tilted her head. "Super, super, super itchy! Itchy! Itchy! ITCHY!" Her face grimaced as she shook her body around. "I-I''m feeling parts that shouldn''t be part of my body... M-My brain can''t process that I have a tail now! Argh, itchy! S-So weird... what is this feeling?! It feels a little like when your arm or leg falls asleep and thenes back to life¡­ the tail and my lower back are all tingly and prickly. Just much more intense! D-Do you have this feeling all the time, Maya?!" "Err, no? I''ve been born like this, after all? How about you try to move your tail? Maybe it stops itching if you get used to it?" "T-That might be the case... urgh... itchy! Wait, how do you move your tail, Maya?" "How do you move your arms? Breathe? Sorry, I just do?" She had no exnation how she moves a part of her body that had always been there. "Makes sense... W-Well, I feel it, itchingly painfully so! That means I should be able to control it, right? Let''s fight this itch! This itchy, itchy itch!" It really was bothering her to no end. "Move my tail... move it! Gosh, it''s sooo weird... Oh? I think I''m feeling the tip now." She stopped for a moment after saying that out loud. "Wow! wow, wow! I NEVER thought I would say these words. Like, ever." She was getting incredibly sidetracked. "Thank goodness it''s just because I grew a tail and not because- Anyway!" She stopped herself before her mind wandered somewhere she really wouldn''t want to imagine. "For the time being, let''s focus on the tip of the thick... urgh!" She couldn''t stay serious and facepalmed at her own idiocy in this situation. "Sophia...?" The cat-girl had gotten slightly confused while she was watching her. "Don''t mind me, and especially don''t listen to the nonsense I''m spouting!" "Can I ever talk to you again, then?" She just had to use this chance to be sassy. "Okay, that one was good. I don''t even want to get back at you for that." "Hehe." "Enough with the distractions! I need to focus on my tail! For the itch! Uh, against the itch!" Sophia closed her eyes and tried her best to move the tip of her new tail. A few minutes passed, and it suddenly twitched. "Oh, I felt that! I did that! Alright!" Motivated by her small sess, she continued to get used to her new body parts. ---------------- Once she stopped facepalming herself after saying she wanted to move down the tip and use the whole thing, Sophia finally regained her concentration once more and actually made some progress. Eventually, she became able to, at least clumsily, move her entire tail after a lot of training. "Oh, seems like you''re getting the hang of it." Maya was watching the somewhat choppily yet gently swishing orange and ck tail of the newborn tiger-girl. "How does it feel now?" "Less itchy, but still very itchy!" One could mean she had taken a liking to the word. "But yeah, it''s getting better, I think? I might get used to it eventually. It looks way too cute to give up!" Sophia clumsily moved her tail to her side to get a look at it. "So very cute~." "Yep, cute." Maya wasn''t looking at the girl''s tail but rather at her bright and adorable smile while she was doing so. "Let''s see how walking or running works with it! Here I go-" "Ah, I wouldn''t do that if I were you- Aaand I was toote." She wanted to warn her about something but didn''t get the chance to finish her sentence. "Huh? Eh?! O-Ouch!" Sophia elerated as usual, but she managed to move at best three meters before she tripped and skillfully nted her face into the dirt. "W-What was that?!" She got up and took a couple more steps. "Ehh?! I-I can barely walk at all!" She looked really wobbly and unsteady while moving. Her new tail was also twitching and swishing all over the ce while doing so. "Ahaha..." The cat-girl watched over her with an awkward smile. "W-What is going on here, Maya?!" "The tail is an integral part of our bnce. If you, who has absolutely no control of it, try to run, your tail''s all over the ce and destroys said bnce. It''ll work against you in that situation." "Urgh, this sure isplicated. And itchy!" She definitely had taken a liking to the word. "It would probably be the other way around for me. If I were to lose my tail, I would have some serious problems, as well." Maya looked at her own snow-white one while saying so. "Want to try? If magic can add tails, it probably can temporarily remove them, too." "Yeah, no." She wasn''t a fan, and her tail, as if having a mind of its own, angrily swished around and twitched a couple of times. "I''m quite fond of it." "Yeah, me too." She stared at Maya as a whole, though. "So, how do I use my tail for bnce?" "That''s... hmm? That''s actually a good question. Wait? Seriously, how...?" The cat-girl had confused herself over the question. "I-I never thought about that before... I just do it. Eh...?" "I am so happy that I''m not the only one that gets distracted by trivial stuff while thinking!" "Okay! Sophia, I will walk around a bit, and you watch me! We''re going to find out how this thing actually works!" She gave her tail a slight re while saying so. "S-Sure..." She was a little confused why the cat-girl was so motivated about it. As said, she watched Maya walking around and focused on her backside while doing so. While she paraded around, Maya made some extravagant movements with her hips, getting a better understanding of how her tailpensates for that kind of walking. "And? What did you find out?" She stopped walking around and faced her. "S-Sorry..." Sophia awkwardly looked away with a slightly red face. "E-Eh? Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?!" "All those fancy extra movements of your hips-" "Yeah?" "I-I ended up staring at just your... legs and b-butt. Sorry." "Pervert." While she seemed a bit embarrassed, Maya didn''t look angry. "P-Please do it again. I''ll do it properly this time!" "Okay." With a slightly doubtful expression, she walked around some more. "And?" "Hrmn..." Sophia was seriously thinking about it. "I believe I found a pattern, actually. Whenever you move or take a step, your tail swings in the exact opposite direction." "Oh? Really? I never paid attention to it." Maya was learning new things about her own body. "Fascinating, but it actually makes sense, improving your bnce with a counter-movement." "Oh, kinda like when you il around your arms when you try to bnce on a narrow object?" "Exactly! Well, I use my tail for that, now that you mention it... but, I guess that''s precisely it." "Interesting. So you don''t have a tail just to make you look even cuter. It has a practical use as well!" "T-Thanks." "Time for more training! I at least need to be able to walk and run properly... And get rid of this itchy itch!" Sophia was still greatly bothered by it. "Sure, break a leg... Not literally, please, though!" She had a feeling the next hours would involve a lot of stumbling and falling for the alleged tiger. Now that the girl had a rough understanding of how her new tail was supposed to work, she became motivated. A couple of hours passed, and as predicted by the cat-girl, Sophia had kissed the dirt more than just a couple of times. Mainly because she always got overconfident once she could walk a couple of steps and directly tried to run, which didn''t work out. At all. After a lot of trial and error, though, she was slowly getting a better feel of her tail and became able to use it for slightly more refined movements. Once the sun began to set, and it was getting time for dinner, Sophia had be able to walk again, albeit clumsily. That she asionally seemed like a grown-up newborn, just learning how to walk, didn''t bother her much because the tiger-girl was having way too much fun with her new tail. Sophia stillined about the lingering itchiness during their dinner, though. More than once, actually. Chapter 66 – New sensations Chapter 66 ¨C New sensations Sophia had spent most of the day trying to get used to her tiger-girl transformation. Not only were her new body parts making her feel incredibly itchy, but thanks to the tail she now has, even as much as walking had be difficult for her because it was seriously tipping off her bnce. By the time Sophia had at least gotten some basic proficiency, the sun was down already, and she was exhausted from all the training she had to go through with her new body. "Haaaa~." Letting out a massive yawn after the group finished dinner, the couple was currently alone again, and Sophia made herselffortable on Maya''sp and just wanted to rx. "Who knew that learning how to use a tail is so exhausting. I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep!" She even attempted to do just that, but thep she was borrowing was unfortunately too small for that.Instead, shey with her stomach t down on it and her limbs sprawled out in every direction. "You don''t fit there like this." Maya was looking at the spectacle of the tiger trying to find a good position on her legs. "I don''t care! I make myself fit!" "Are you a cat now or what?!" As a fellow cat-girl, she was well aware of the irony. She just had to make thisment when she saw how she was acting while being all over herp. "Actually~" Sophia concentrated a bit to move her tail and swished it around in front of Maya''s face before gently hitting her with it a couple of times. Afterward, she repositioned herself a little and nuzzled the side of her head between Maya''s thighs while trying to curl up her body around the cat''s legs in afortable way. "What a dork." "Ehehe." "What about the itch?" "Itchy!" She gave an immediate response. "It''s gotten a lot better, though. I think my body and brain are slowly epting it." "And your ears?" She looked at Sophia''s head and her tiger-like ears. "I''m not so sure about the strong orange shift of your new hair color, but I really like the ck ents." "Hehe, I wanted to make it look the part, after all. My ears, huh? Not nearly as itchy. Basically, not at all anymore, actually. Maybe because I already had ears before, though slightly different? I mean, it feels weird, and my hearing has be different, but I''m strangely okay with the change." "Your hearing has be different?" "Yeah... not necessarily better, but it feels easier to locate the sound now? Kinda weird, but very cool." While she said so, her new animal ears twitched and turned to the direction of a nearby forest, making out some sort of noise. "Right, you weren''t able to move your normal ears on their own and individually, right? Pretty handy, isn''t it?" "Totally!" "Still, a tiger, huh?" Maya looked at her girlfriend''s new features again. "It feels like I''m forgetting something here..." "Eh? You said they exist, didn''t you?!" Sophia panicked at her wording. "They do... but that''s not it... what was it again?" She tilted her head while trying to remember. "D-Don''t tell me they''re evil or something like that?!" "No, something like an evil beastfolk race doesn''t exist." "That''s a relief." "Hmm... Well, it can''t be that important if I have no idea what it was, right? Yeah, I''m sure I just mixed something up, don''t worry." "Okay?" Sophia was a little confused. "Anyway, tail''s still itchy, huh?" She changed the topic as she really couldn''t remember. "Yes!" "..." Maya watched the orange and ck tail that was moving around in choppy and twitchy movements in front of her face. She quickly got mesmerized by it and somehow got the huge urge to pounce on it. "Hyaaah!" Sophia shrieked the moment the cat-girl had grabbed her tail. "W-What are you doing, Maya?!" While ncing over her shoulder, she stared at her with teary eyes. "C-Cute..." Something seemed to have awakened in her. "W-What was that adorable scream?! And this reaction?" "Y-You just surprised me!" "Really now?" Maya was clearly up to no good as she readjusted her grip on the tail. "HiYaaAh !" Her shriek was even louder this time. "Oh, surprised again? "T-That''s... not... yaahn~!" Sophia wasn''t able to finish her sentence. "Tails sure are sensitive, aren''t they?" She looked delighted right now. "Y-You knew...? I-If so, please stop..." "Mine''s the same, after all... And so, it''s time for some sweet revenge now~." "N-Nooo-HiyaaAAAah!" The shrieking girl, unfortunately, had no sayings in the matter. --------------------- Around 20 minutes passed, or an eternity, depending on which girl one would ask before Maya finally let go of Sophia''s tail again. "Haa~, that was a fun exercise." "I-It was... haa... not!" Her opinion on the matter was very different. "V-Vited! I''ve been vited! I need an officer over here! Or a guard¡­ or whatever!" "Now you know how I felt earlier, huh?" The cat-girl had gotten her sweet revenge. "Uuh... Nobody would want me anymore now..." "Ahaha, don''t worry, I''ll dly take you." "Y-You''re so mean, Maya..." Sophia''s eyes were still filled with tears. "D-Don''t make me the bad girl here... Y-You''re the one who started it." Thanks to her reaction, the cat-girl was starting to feel bad. "H-How''s the itch now?" "I only feel shame... and embarrassment..." "Urgh, You can be such a pain to deal with." "Don''t say that to a girl you just vited!" Sophia wasn''t giving her any ck. "You''re just doing it on purpose now, aren''t you?" This was too much, and she noticed what was going on. "Ah, I got caught..." "You cheeky little-" Maya attacked her tail again and showed no mercy this time around. "Uuh... Even more vited now... I was mostly serious before, okay? Just a little extra dramatic... To get toyed with so much..." "Want me to do some more? I''m up for it. You have no idea how much of a great time I¡¯m having here." "N-No, thanks!" Sophia had enough. "Is your tail really that sensitive, as well?" "I developed a bit of resistance during my life, but more or less, yes." "I''m sorry for ying with it so much earlier." "As long as you understand. Well, I don''t dislike when you touch my tail. I-It feels good, but... You got a little too excited... and s-stimting." "Y-Yeah. It was... somehow nice before it became, uhh, o-overwhelming." Sophia started to blush when she recalled the feeling when Maya was being gentle with her tail. "We got a little too excited there..." "Say-," Sophia then touched one of her new tiger ears and looked confused. "I didn''t feel anything when I touched my own tail, either." "Well, it''s probably like how you normally can''t tickle yourself." "Fair point. So, about our ears?" She had gotten curious about them. "Can I-, Can I touch them...?" Maya sounded timid all of a sudden. "Uhh..." After what happened earlier, she was slightly reluctant about it. "I''ll be gentle! I wouldn''t dare to treat your ears rudely!" "Right... Oh, wait, you did say that the ears are really important to the beastfolk, especially for the feline ones... Only your partner was supposed to touch them, right?" "That''s the case, yes." "A-Are they really that sensitive to the touch of others?" "Sensitive? In a way, they are, I guess?" The cat-girl''s response was slightly cryptic. "Uhh... Well, you are my partner, so it would be pretty rude on its own if I were to say no, right?" "Nonono! If you don''t want to, it''s thest thing I would force!" "Now I''ve gotten curious... I trust you, so... yes, please go ahead and touch them." "O-Okay." Reluctantly and very carefully, Maya then proceeded to reach for the tiger-girl''s ears. "Mmng~" Far from a shriek, something akin to a moan escaped Sophia''s lips the moment Maya''s fingertips came in contact with her ears. At the same time, something resembling a strong electric current shot through her and caused her entire body to shiver in response. "W-W-W-W-, What was that?!" She had gotten incredibly flustered in an instant, her facepletely red. "..." Maya had taken a lot of damage from the girl''s reaction. "W-While sensitive isn''t technically wrong... a s-sensual sensation might be the better fit here, isn''t it?" "Y-Yeah... Wait, what?! What happened just now?!" Sophia couldn''t keep up. "Well..." She went ahead and caressed her ears some more. "NnnhH~." She was unable to hold back yet another moan. "S-Sophia, your voice... it''s..." The sweet moaning was doing things to her. "W-Whose fault... do you think... that is~?" Sophia''s breathing started to be slightly unstable. "W-What is this feeling?! W-Why is it so strong? M-My whole body is trembling! Just from a light touch..." "It''s really, uhh, intense, isn''t it?" "That-, That doesn''t even... begin to describe it..." She had problems staying sane. "W-Wait, when I was ying so, let''s say, excessively with your ears... shortly before we started dating... w-were you actually... feeling the same... I currently am?" "Mhm..." Her only response was a slight nod with a blush on her cheeks. "W-What a bold girl..." "W-Well, your reaction seems s-stronger but still... D-Do you now understand why? Why touching your ears is only supposed to be done by your partner?" "P-Partners?! This should be limited to, uhh... long-term couples! N-Not to mention behind closed doors. T-This feels more intense than tou¡­ ing... yourse-" Sophia abruptly stopped herself while her face was so hot that it seemed like steam would rise from her head. "I-I-I... I mean, it feels very intense..." "Y-Yeah..." The cat-girl decided not toment on her implication, mostly as not to get caught up in friendly fire because her face was in a simr state. Especially after whatalmost happened in the inn the other day. "U-Uhm..." She felt the need to change the topic. "W-Why do I feel so strongly in the first ce? A-And get excited...?" "B-Because I''m the one touching you...? I hope?" Maya got even more embarrassed when she said so. "W-Wow, that was smooth..." "T-Thanks..." "No, I mean, yes... that''s probably the reasonit-, it feels good, but that''s not what I meant. Why am I feeling it so intensely?" "Uhh, because that''s how the bodies of the beast folk work, after all...? The feline type, at least." "Yeah... I get that and all, but I am not a beastperson, though? I only altered the look of my body. I''m just a slightly entric girl that wanted to look like one... Huh?" "Ah, you''re right... Eh?" The girls had gotten themselves confused. "I had no idea that one''s ears and tail are weak to the touch of others, and yet... the same rules you obey are true for me as well." "Hmm... There''s also your new directional hearing... your tail throwing off your bnce. The cat-like behavior on myp before, and your sensitivity that''s just like mine..." She seemed to be onto something. "M-Maya...?" Sophia didn''t like where this was going. "Err... can you try to look around in the area and tell me what you see, please?" "It''s already pretty dark, though? My eyes aren''t that good in the da-, eh?" Once she actually paid attention to it and actively looked around in the vicinity, she seemed surprised. "I-I can see pretty well, actually... W-What is going on?" "Please look at me now." "Okay...?" "A-Ah." After Maya got a better look at her eyes, her expression turned somewhat awkward. "W-What''s wrong...?" Her already bad feeling became even worse. "Uhh," She had no idea how she should exin that Sophia''s eyes were slightly glowing from reflecting the light of their surroundings or how she suddenly had slit-like pupils that looked just like those of an actual cat. Basically, an exact copy of Maya''s right now, safe for the color. The glowing dark blue of the cat-girl,pared to the luminous greenish turquoise of the other girl. "P-Please talk to me! I''m getting scared over here..." The bad feeling was bing stronger and stronger. "When-, When you transformed your looks to your previous world one''s... you know, the super hot one. What exactly did you do when you activated your magic?" "Huh? I just thought about wanting to look like my old self. Why are you asking about that all of a sudden?'' "So far, so good. Okay, so when you changed to your current tiger look... What did you do, then?" "Well... I imagined a tiger, your beastfolk or cat features, and all that. Then, I thought about wanting to be a tiger-girl?" "..." She''d gone silent. "S-Seriously, what is going on?!" Sophia was properly panicking now. "A-Are you sure you used the right magic, Sophia...?" "Yes...?" "You wanted to be a tiger-girl?" Maya put extra emphasis on her wording. "Yeah...? I mean, that was the whole n?" She felt like she was missing something here. "You really wanted to be a tiger-girl? Not just look like one?" "..." "..." The whole area turned silent for a full minute. "H-Huh...?" Sophia''s expression turned nk once the words finally registered. Chapter 67 – Tiger-girl Chapter 67 ¨C Tiger-girl Sophia had sessfully transformed into a tiger-girl and also got rtively used to it after a while. While she was ying around with Maya during the evening, she became aware of how sensitive her new ears and tail actually were. The two then found out that Sophia had adopted basically every aspect of a feline beastperson. Instead of merely altering her looks, Sophia apparently got way more than she bargained for after she slightly messed up her magic. "I-I turned into an... actual tiger-girl?" She looked extremely confused right now. "Is that what you want to say?" "It appears so... you''re way too much of the real deal." "Uhh, that''s kinda bad... Wait, is it...? Wait, what?" It was too much at once for her. "Hmm..." Maya also seemed conflicted. "I''m happy that we are the same now? Mostly, at least. Generally speaking. You''re also still the same person, just different... and you''re still beautiful. Your new weak points are great fun, too, but I''m confused¡­ My girlfriend has two different human forms and now an actual beast-girl version. Not to mention all your personality shifts. Just why are you so freakingplicated, Sophia?!" "l-l''m not doing that on purpose, okay?! I''m just stupid!" She had no way to defend herself. "I know that." "Urgh, at least fake to deny it!" "Sorry, I can''t." "W-What should I do now?" "What do you want to do? I love the old Sophia, but I''m also enjoying the current tiger-girl version. I love my Sophia as a whole. I''m okay with whichever person you want to be on the outside, as long as the inside stays the same." "N-Not helpful, but thank you very much... I love you, too." "Ehehe~." As usual, they got a little sidetracked. "I like this look, as well. I think it''s super cute!" She happily, although still slightly awkwardly, wiggled her tail around while saying so. "But the other me is how I''ve been born, so I''m naturally attached to it. Not to mention that changing races is, I don''t know... I''m not the least bit attached to this world''s humans as of now, but I still am a human. Was? Then again, I now finally would have a ce where I can fit in? Saying I''m a tiger-girl doesn''t make me feel ashamed in this world. But still..." Sophia couldn''t decide on her feelings for the matter. "That''s fair." "Seriously, though... What should I do?" Sophia was at a loss. "Turn back? Stay like this?" "Is-, Is turning to your older self an option...?" "No, you get way too excited by her." "Aww... But you are her! Isn''t it fine to get excited?!" "Anyway," She dropped the topic. "To turn back or not... Wait, can I turn back? What if that was a one-way ticket? Should I try? Should I not? Could it be dangerous?" "Maybe we should ask Fen about it?" "Yeah, that''s a good idea. Hey, Fe-... eh?" She looked around to find the wolf but didn''t see him. "Wait, where is he?" "Huh? You just noticed? He''s been gone for hours already, left directly after dinner." "W-Wha-?! How did I miss that?!" Sophia couldn''t believe that she overlooked the absence of the gigantic wolf the entire time. "You, well, we were pretty busy." "Ahh... I can see why he left." "He probably wanted to give as some alone time, huh?" "Or got fed up." "Or that, yes." Maya found herself agreeing. "Hmm... Oh, he''s just a kilometer away. Let''s go and pay him a visit." She immediately found him with her detection magic. "Sure." ------------------ The couple got up, pat the dirt from their clothes after being on the ground for so long, and began walking towards the wolf''s direction. As Sophia still had some issues with keeping her bnce, covering that single kilometer took a surprisingly long while. Thankfully, as Maya held her hand the whole time, the clumsy tiger-girl didn''t trip more than three times along the way. "Oh, Maya, what''s up? Err, So... phia...?" Fen spotted the two approaching and got really confused when he looked at her. "I understand the cat''s eyes, but why are yours glowing in the dark, as well?" He noticed how both had the properties of feline eyes. "W-Well, about that..." Sophia awkwardly looked away before exining the situation to the wolf. "You... You identally turned yourself into an actual beastperson?" "Yep." "You''re a special kind of idiot, aren''t you?" He had no words. "I am very well aware of this fact." "Honestly, to think there would be another one to actually change races..." "H-Huh? You know someone who did the same?" "Yes. Back when the demons were still around here... He was an interesting guy and a real genius when it came to this kind of magic. He turned himself from a demon to a beastperson as well during his research. I''m not sure what exactly anymore, but it was some type of bird because he really wanted to have wings for some reason. He was a bit weird." "What a fun guy!" Sophia had the feeling the two would''ve be friends if they met. "Don''t get any strange ideas now!" Maya stopped her before she could even think about adding wings to herself. "So, uhh, I assume it''s no problem for me to turn back?" "..." "...?" "..." The three stared at each other in silence. "F-Fen?!" Sophia turned white and began to panic over hisck of a response. "W-Well, that demon ran into a couple of problems the moment he transformed." "W-What do you mean?" "Like, he felt... ah-" The wolf suddenly stopped. "D-Don''t do this to me!" She panicked even more. "I just remembered... His new body parts felt incredibly itchy to him." "Tell me about it!" Sophia had slightly noticed this minor issue before. "The reason for that apparently was that his new wings and a couple of extra features became an actual and full part of his body forever. These additions apparently overloaded his brain for a while until it epted it." "Uhh..." "But there was more. As he was a male demon, he had horns, which he lost after his transformation. The problem was that he could still feel them, and they hurt. Quite badly." "L-Like phantom pain?" She roughly heard about this phenomenon before, in her previous world. Still feeling one''s lost body part, them even hurting at times, was a big problem for many amputees. "Exactly." "B-But I lost my human ears, too... I don''t feel them, though." She pointed at the now empty spot at the side of her head that was hidden by her hair. "Ultimately, they simply got reced by a different set of ears. Your body most likely was able to adapt to that much." "Oh, is that why my new ears weren''t nearly as itchypared to my tail?" "Most likely. The actual problem was something else, though." "H-Huh?" There were more than enough problems for her already. "After half a day, he couldn''t bear it anymore and transformed back to his demon self. Fortunately, his horns immediately stopped hurting once they came back." "T-That''s good, isn''t it?" "Not really. As the wings had already be a part of his body, he was feeling a different version of phantom pain now." "O-Oh..." "We tried various kinds of healing magic on him, but nothing actually ever worked. You can''t heal what''s not there anymore unless you restore it, but that was exactly the problem in this case. You can fix brain damage, but you can''t, uhh, damage it? Well, get rid of the hardcoded feelings of body parts or something like that?" "T-Then-" "Have fun as a beastperson." He made it quick and painless. "..." Sophia was speechless. "You sure messed that one up. Then again, I mighte to like you even more now. This way, no one will confuse my lover as a human of this world, either. So, when you see it that way... Good job, girl." Maya was conflicted about the many sides of Sophia before, but after giving it some thought, she adapted fast. "T-Thanks..." She still was slightly overwhelmed by the situation and unsure how to feel about it. "I mean, you should try turning back once. Maybe the demon was a special case?" "Y-Yeah, I''ll try that. Wait, what did that guy do in the end? With phantom pain in both forms?" "Horned bird-man demon." Fen tried to hold back augh when reliving those memories. "Of course." She wasn''t sure what she expected. "By the way, appearance alteration, you know, the thing we actually talked about before, that works slightly different. It doesn''t transform your body but rather temporarily alters the appearance of it." "I see." It was toote for this kind of information now. "It''s a small but significant difference. "Yeah... Well, it looks like you''re actually dating a fellow feline now, Maya..." She was beginning to ept her fate. "I''m okay with that. You''re still mostly the same and just gained a couple of cute extras. If anything, I feel even closer to you now. Although, I think I''m going to miss the original girl from time to time." "Hmm... Fen, could I use the real alteration magic to look like my old self without actually transforming my new body?" "Of course. In the first ce, wasn''t that the n from the beginning? It''s just the other way around now." "R-Right..." She was feeling really stupid. "Okay, I''ll diligently try thatter. For now, I want to find out if I actually turned myself into a tiger." "You''re going to transform back?" "I have to try." "D-Don''t overdo it, okay?" Maya was worried about her. "Okay... mrmngh!" Concentrating on her old self, she was soon shrouded in the usual smoke while transforming. "Ah, there she is again, the usual Sophia." The cat-girl was looking at the Sophia she originally got to know. The roughly 15-year-old, beautiful human girl with ash-blonde hair and greenish-turquoise eyes, who also was ever so slightly t. Not that Maya would ever mention that part again. Ever. Probably. "..." She didn''t answer. Instead, she sank down on her knees a little whileter with a few tears in her eyes that slowly ran down her cheeks. "S-Sophia?!" The cat-girl panicked and rushed over to her. "W-What''s wrong?!" "M-My tail... it''s still there... but it''s not... M-Moreover, it hurts!! My tail hurts! I-It feels like someone is sticking... red-hot needles in it!" "Ouch!" Maya yelped in pain, just imagining someone doing that to her tail. Fen, too, grimaced after hearing those words. "F-Fen..." With a pained expression, Sophia faced the wolf. "Did-, Did that... demon ever try to... s-sit out... the p-pain?" "Yes. He tried to wait for a couple of months, but nothing ever changed." "I-Is that so...? Wow, I''m really such an idiot... Thankfully, I like my new form because it''s cute... Argh! I-It hurts! O-Okay, time to transform... b-back..." The pain was getting more intense, and she didn''t want to bear it any longer. "A-Ah, can I make a little request before?" Maya stopped her from turning into the tiger-girl again. "W-What is it...?" "That really dark orangey hair you used with your transformation... It''s cute, but I don''t think it fits you that much. I know you did that to better fit the looks of a tiger, but I like your original color much more... Ah, but the ck highlights were adorable. You should keep them." "Hmm..." Sophia didn''t seem convinced. "Oh, how about the honey-blonde from your adult version? I liked that color even more! I think that should work well as a base color for a tiger, as well. It''s somehow kinda orange, too, isn''t it? Well, just much lighter than that of a tiger, thanks to the blonde and brown parts." "Ah, you''re right about that. Alright, I''ll do that for you. I like that idea... as well... O-Okay, now I better transform back... I feel like I''ll pass out from the pain... any second! It almost feels... like it''s at a p-point where my... boosts are kicking in... and making it.. w-worse... B-Boosted phantom pain¡­ That''s another punch¡­ C-Canir!" Sophia''s face had a seriously unhealthy color while saying so. "Then hurry up already! Sorry for stopping you!" "Haa..." After ast sigh, she closed her eyes and focused on turning back to a beastperson. A short but painful whileter, once the usual smoke had vanished, Sophia''s new and improved tiger-girl version appeared. Her body, tail, and animal ears remained unchanged, but her hair color and fur on the ears and tail had changed. Instead of the deep orange hue of her hair and furry tiger parts, it was now of a honey-blonde color. It almost looked like the hair of her adult version in her previous world, just with a light tint of orange now. The ck stripes and highlights stayed the same, though. She also made her hair a little longer. Instead of just around her shoulders, it now went almost past her shoulder des. Remembering that tigers often also have some white parts, Sophia had made the fluffy bit inside her ears and the tip of her tail snow-white. She was a big fan of that color, after all. "Yeah, that was the right decision... Such a lovelybination. The white ents are a nice touch, too." Maya was staring at the tiger-girl''s new hair and tail. "S-So, how are you feeling now?" "Let''s see," The pained expression on Sophia''s face was gone. "Ever so slightly itchy, but..." "Business as usual, then? Great. Is the pain gone?" "Yeah, everything''s good again... My tail''s-" She turned around to watch her now blonde and ck, ringed tail move around a bit. "Yep, perfect... and cute. You were right, Maya. This color is much better. Ah, now that I think about it, that''s why I became honey-blonde before in the first ce... I''m also pretty proud of my idea with the white bits~." "Ehehe~." She was happy that she liked her suggestion. "I love it, too." "So, what''s the n now?" Fen stared at the new Sophia. "That''s a good question. I have no idea. Also, I''m honestly too tired to think about anything anymore." "A lot happened today, huh?" "I''m exhausted... I just want to sleep~." Her brain had burned all of its capacity and then some more. The group went back to their campground, and the girls got ready to sleep. As Sophia had the strong urge to sprawl herself out over Maya''sp again, their usual sleeping position was reversed this night. Chapter 67.5 – Illustrations Chapter 67.5 ¨C Illustrations Sophia with a lighter hair color: Spoiler And even lighter (+Tail): Spoiler [copse] I think the original color fits the bill of Honey-blonde (also a caramel/brown/honey hue) with a bit of orange the best. These here work, too, though, I guess? If you imagined her hair more like this, here you go. [copse] Sophia with short hair: Spoiler I''m normally more into longer hair, but this one is speaking to me and I had to share it. There are currently no ns for her to appear like this in the story (for now), but I think it''s really nice to look at. [copse] Chapter 68 – Instincts Chapter 68 ¨C Instincts It was a very hectic and eventful day for Sophia. By sheer ident, she transformed her body into that of an actual tiger-girl, and to make matters worse, this change was more or less irreversible. Because of all that, she had tired herself out and immediately fell asleep once she gotfortable on Maya''sp in the evening. "Fuah... so tired~," Sophia yawned whilezily opening her eyes on the following day and blinked a couple of times. "Urgh, so bright... was it always this bright? And... eh? Were the direct surroundings always so... crisp and sharp?" "Wee to my world. Also, good morning." Maya looked at her during her greeting. "M-Morning..." She blinked a couple more times to get adjusted to the light. "Your world?" "Our eyes can be really sensitive." "Hmm...?" Sophia turned around on the cat-girl''sp, and their eyes met. She stared at them for a while. "Those slitted pupils of yours... Are mine the same now? I actually didn''t pay attention to my eyes when I checked out the transformation." "Yep, I think a little more even, actually. Though, they''re a bit more rounded right now. It seems like you can''t fully adjust them yet. That''s most likely also the reason why it''s so bright for you at the moment. The bigger the pupils, the more light enters. Well, I have the same problem from time to time after waking up, so you don''t need to worry about that." "Okay... Oh, it''s actually getting better already..." "Great." "I''m really d that I still see all colors, though." Sophia remembered that normal cats are more or less color-blind. "Yep, we got the good parts of the eyes but without the drawbacks. Well, most of the time." "Being a cat-, or tiger-girl isn''t all about being adorably cute, huh? Though you nailed that part, Maya." "Wow, a-aren''t you in a good mood?" "Uhh, I just felt like saying it... Kinda happened on impulse..." "I know that feeling. You really became one of us." Actual cats, too, can be quite impulsive. "Not that this is actually new." "As if I didn''t have enough personality quirks already!" Sophia had mixed feelings about also having feline-rted traits added to her repertoire. "B-But on that note, I-I better get up from yourp now..." She sounded nervous all of a sudden. "What''s wrong?" "W-Well... remember the other day where you said that you like marking me and how it''s happening on instinct?" "Of course." "Uhh... I think I''m starting to understand what you meant... I''m also not sure if I want to understand... That''s why-" Without finishing her sentence, Sophia was trying to fight her newly awakening instincts by getting up from the cat-girl''sp. "Oh~?" Maya''s lips formed into a grin. "You are feeling it now as well, huh? Ehehe~." Using her hand, she pushed the tiger-girl''s head down into herp again. "Go ahead, I don''t mind at all." She wanted to awaken those new instincts forcefully. "H-Huh?!" "If you''re getting the urge to mark me, that''s making me really happy! It means you genuinely want me to be yours, after all! You''re trying to im me. It''s a sign of affection!" She seemed excited about it. "B-But does it really has to happen that way...? S-Somehow, this is really embarrassing! Having the extreme urge to r-rub my head all over you..." "Nooo, I can''t imagine a better way~." Maya was in a great mood right now. "F-Fen, I could use some help over-, huh, Fen?!" She looked around but couldn''t find the wolf anywhere. "He left before you woke up, saying he wanted to hunt and train a bit." "A-Ah." Her one escape route was gone. "He''s gotten too good at running away at the right moments!" "Well then~" Maya pushed the girl''s head down on herp once more. "Mmnhpfhh..." She wanted toin about something, but as her face was pressed against the cat-girl''s thighs, only muffled gibberish could be heard. "I''ll let you go if you give it a try." While she said so, she began to gently pet the tiger-girl''s head. "Rrmngh~" As much as Sophia didn''t want to admit to in this situation, she was enjoying it very much. "H-How does t-this kind of marking work, anyway?" She was starting to lose to her new instinct. "Just listen to what your body tells you, and give in to the desire." "Uuh..." She was embarrassed about the urge that was welling up inside of her. "Ehehe~." Maya continued to pet her head with a great smile. "..." The tiger-girl silently enjoyed being spoiled for a while, but this only increased her desire. Unable to fight back her instincts any longer, Sophia slowly began to move her head from side to side, causing her face and hair to gently rub against the other girl''s legs. "..." Maya didn''t think she would actually do it and became so surprised that she stopped petting her. "Don''t stop..." Sophia turned around and looked at the cat-girl with pleading eyes as she rested the back of her head in herp. "More..." She already was like in a trance. "T-This girl... She actually managed to be more adorable after transforming. H-How is that even possible?" "Maya, more~" She hadpletely lost to the new feline side of hers. Grabbing Maya''s hand, she ced it on her head again, urging the cat-girl to continue her petting. "Urgh..." Her heart tightened from the sight of her girlfriend being in such a state. "F-Fine, it can''t be helped." With an awkward but warm smile, she continued to stroke her hair. "Rrhhmn~" The blonde tiger-girl had her eyes closed and looked very pleased. Whenever Maya came near her forehead, Sophia lifted her head and pushed it against her hand, seeking the contact while making a deep purr-like sound. Afterward, she plopped back on the cat-girl''sp, where she proceeded to rhythmically rub the back of her head all over her legs. "Rrmn~." "Hnngh..." She was in pain, but the good kind, as she was currently overdosing on cuteness. Their exchange went on for a while. Maya continued to caress her hair while enjoying Sophia''s reactions and the purring sounds that somehow had much more power behind them than her own soft purring. The tiger-girl kept on showing her affection by seeking the touch of her hand and rubbing her head against the other girl''sp while being in a trance-like state. ---------------------- "I-I want to die." It took Sophia around 15 minutes before she finally snapped back to reality. She was currently hugging her knees while rocking back and forth. Her face had turned crimson, deeply embarrassed from the shameful disy she showed earlier when she lost herself to her new instincts. "D-Don''t be like that. You were adorable!" Maya was basically glowing after being showered with so much affection. "That doesn''t make me happy at all!" "Come on. You made me fall even more for you." "Okay, that does make me happy!" Sophia''s mood was all over the ce. Even more than usual. "Don''t be like that. It was so obvious that you enjoyed marking me." "That''s exactly the problem!" She regretted having lost to said instincts. "Ehehe~." "You''re so meeaan!" Her angry and desperate cry echoed through the area. "What... is going on here?" Just at the perfect moment, Fen arrived back at the camp. Seeing Sophia hugging her knees with a bright red face and screaming out her frustration confused the wolf a bit. "Feeen~!" The second the embarrassed tiger saw him, she sprang up and hid herself behind his massive body while pointing at Maya. "She''s bullying me!" "Maya, what did you do?" "I''m innocent!" "Are you?" He suspiciously eyed her. "M-Mostly..." She lost to his pressure. "S-Sophia was awakening to some of her new feline instincts... I just gave her a little push!" "Y-You forced me to!" The girl in question had a different opinion. "Wait." The wolf needed a moment. "Not just looks and the properties of your body, you even assimted feline character traits and instincts?" "I-It appears so... I became a full, 100% tiger-girl." "Wow, even when messing up, you go all out, huh?" Fen wasn''t sure whether he should be impressed or not. "Y-Yes, yes, I do. Especially when messing up." "Don''t you think your persona wasplex enough already, girl? With the whole boost story and such?" "It''s not like I wanted to, okay?! I''m still not happy at all about any of this! Well, my new looks aside." "I am, though!" Maya wasn''t being helpful. "Uuh... Fen''s right, I already had enough going on. I don''t want to be like a cat as well, on top!" "You already were pretty cat-like even before your transformation, though. Actually, you were more cat than I am... and I''m born as one." "In what way was I cat-like?!" This usation was news to Sophia. "Well, sleep is the most important thing for you. You''re shy but alsoid-back and easygoing, super stubborn, and moody. Not to mention how curious and unpredictable you are. Ah, and once you warmed up to me, you became super affectionate." "Don''t forget her slight S-tendencies." Fen added something to the list. "Yeah, that." "Uuh..." She had no way to defend herself. "Wait, what was that?!" "Nothing!" Cat and wolf were in perfect sync. "B-But even so-" She really couldn''t say anything against most. "Actually having such distinct instincts is too much for me... T-They''re super embarrassing!" "I don''t think they''re embarrassing. They''re perfectly natural." "For you, they might. You were born with them, after all. You''re also not shy, and don''t get embarrassed by those instincts!" "And that''s what makes you twice as adorable when you give in to them, Sophia~." "Y-You''re such a bully!" "She, too, is a cat after all." Fen saw the connection. "Urgh..." Maya finally also took some damage. "So, how do you stop those instincts?" Sophia wanted to get rid of them. "Well, they''re instincts. That means you don''t. You can be able to deal with them better, but they''ll always be there." "Not what I wanted to hear! Bing able to deal with them? How?" "Getting used to it. Mostly by living them out." "Y-You''re kidding..." It was the exact thing the tiger didn''t want to hear. "Nope~. We usually do that with our parents or friends when we were really little." "T-That''s bad for me, isn''t it?" "It''s really good for me, that''s for sure!" The cat-girl enjoyed the situation way too much. "W-Why...?" "Because you can live out all those instincts on me~." "G-Great..." She was at aplete loss. "Soo..." Fen tried to change the subject. "How about we cover some ground today? I know it''s just one thing after another with you, and thest one was quite significant-" He nced at the tiger-girl. "Just, if it keeps on going like this, we''ll never reach the capital. Not that I care that much." "Sorry..." She apologized for being such a handful. "Y-Yeah, let''s do that. I want to see it, too." "I''m for it, as well." "Alrigh, let''s g- Ouch!" As if running away from the situation, Sophia tried to take a couple of big steps, but she didn''t make it far. "Stupid tail!" Having forgotten about it already, as there was no muscle memory yet, she had lost her bnce and splendidly tripped over her own feet. "Yeah, we won''t reach the capital any time soon, huh?" The wolf sighed at the hopeless sight of the girl. "Here, let me help you." Maya got next to the tiger and offered her hand to bring Sophia back on her feet. "T-Thank you..." She dly took her hand and stood up again. "Time for a second try!" Not letting go of the tiger-girl, Maya took the lead now. Sophia was rtively soon able to walk somewhat okay again after recalling her training from the other day. Even so, their speed was severely reduced for apparent reasons. It will most likely take quite a while until she bes able to run at her best again. As a result of all that, the group''s progress wasn''t all that noteworthy. Chapter 69 – Hunting Chapter 69 ¨C Hunting The group continued their journey toward the beastfolk capital. Still, after Sophia had identally turned herself into one as well, their progress had be severely impacted for the next couple of days. The new tiger-girl was still fighting with bnce issues caused by her tail. Because of that, everything faster than simple walking had be impossible for her at the moment, and even getting that fast took her a while and a lot of concentration to maintain. "I''m sorry..." Once the group stopped for their camp in the evening, Sophia suddenly apologized. "We didn''t make any progress because of me." "It''s fine." "Yeah, it''s not like you''re doing it on purpose." The two didn''t mind at all. "Thanks... Seriously, from being the fastest to holding everyone super back. I hope I improve soon!" "You already did. I mean, you can walk again." Maya tried to cheer her up. "I somehow can''t feel happy about that." It didn''t help her at all. "It really sucks because I like to move around and run, but I can''t. So incredibly frustrating!" "Don''t worry, once you get fully used to your tail, you''ll be faster and more nimble than ever! That''s what our tail is for, after all. It keeps our bnce inplicated situations, or making tight turns and the likes when chasing something." "Really? So it actually isn''t just a cute essory once it doesn''t interfere with my bnce anymore?" "Of course. That thing wouldn''t make much sense if it doesn''t give us any benefits, right?" Maya looked at her own tail, moving it around while saying so. "That''s great. I''m looking forward to it. Especially because I have the strong urge to hunt something... To the point of feeling all itchy, actually. And I don''t mean my tail for once!" "Ehehe~, your instincts are pretty strong, huh?" The cat-girl chuckled at how she was trying to resist the feeling. "A-Ah!" Sophia only now noticed why she had the itch to hunt something. "I hate this!" "How about you try to hunt something?" Fen egged her on. "I know that itch, especially when it''s not taken care of." As a predator himself, this sort of instinct was very dominant in him. "It could also help with regaining your bnce." "Eh? What do you mean?" "We look for a slightly fast monster, and you try to catch it. It''s not like anything could harm you here, no matter how clumsy you are right now." "Oh, that sounds like a great n!" The tiger-girl liked his idea, and it wasn''t just her instincts speaking. "But is there even anything I can hunt that fits the description? Even in my current state, a stupid kow wouldn''t be much of a challenge." "There are some baors nearby. They would work pretty well." "Baor...? What''s that?" Sophia tilted her head at his suggestion. "A wild pig-like animal with bristly fur and fangs. Very delicious." Fen''sst detail was slightly unrted. "Ohhh, a boar! Wait, but a pig is still a pig? I seriously don''t get this world!" "You want to hunt them or not?" The wolf didn''t want to deal with that again. "They can''t sense magic, so you''re good on that side, but they have good reflexes. You have to sneak up on them." "Oh, that''s perfect! I don''t know why, but stalking my prey sounds really alluring~!" There was a yful tone in her voice. "Hehe!" Maya had to chuckle at this textbook-like feline behavior. "A-Ah." The tiger-girl got embarrassed. "Now that I think about it, Fen, would the actual appearance alteration magic do anything against those stupid instincts?" "Aww..." Maya didn''t like the idea. "Nope." He quickly shot her down. "It doesn''t actually affect your body after all. And, no, it also wouldn''t help you with your bnce issue for the same reason." He already knew what Sophia would ask next. "There goes that idea..." "Yay~." The cat-girl was happy again. She really came to like the new Sophia. "Okay, screw it... I-I need this hunting itch to be taken care of!" Fighting one''s instincts is a surprisingly challenging task. "Can I join you?" Maya seemed excited. "Seeing you all fidgety about stalking your prey... made me kinda itchy as well." "I-I wasn''t fidgety! Okay... maybe." She gave up. "Sure, let''s do it together." -------------- Fen guided the couple to the group of baors, and the two cats hid behind a nearby bush. As it had be already slightly dark, it was rtively easy for them not to get spotted by their prey. They were currently developing a strategy while their two pairs of shiny eyes scanned the area. "They''re still a couple of hundred meters away, huh?" Sophia stuck her head out of the bush while watching two singled-out baors. "So, how are we doing this, master?" "M-Master?!" "You''re the expert here, aren''t you? I''ve never tried to hunt stealthily. Actually, my only hunting experience is killing some kows." "Right... Let''s see," The cat-girl thought about a n. "Well, as I''m currently the faster one, I should take the lead." "No objections here." She was painfully aware of this fact. "We should first sneak a little closer to the baors. There are still some more bushes between them and us, so we should be able to get really close." "You''re really good at this, Maya." "Ehehe~, I did this kind of hunting a ton when I was little." She had a yful expression while remembering it. "Y-You already hunted baors when you were little?" "Yep." "What a rowdy girl. I like it!" "I stopped hunting like that when I started being able to use magic. By then, I could simply set them on fire. Made things much easier." "W-What a rowdy girl." Sophia repeated herself. "I had no idea how much I missed it. Thanks for reminding me, Sophia. I''m somehow really looking forward to it. You might not like your new instincts, but I''m a fan." She looked at the tiger-girl with a genuine smile. "D-Don''t do this to me, Maya... I-I want to be angry at them!" "You should embrace it instead~. I really have the feeling your transformation, including those instincts, will bring us even closer together." "Uuh." It was hard for her to keepining after this. "L-Let''s focus on the hunt for now." Changing the topic was her only solution. "Yeah, let''s!" The cat-girl agreed. Stealthily sneaking up to the baors, the two feline girls got really close to their prey without getting noticed by hopping from one bush to another. All while making no sound whatsoever. "Ehehe, this is great." Sophia was in a good mood while smiling broadly. She stopped caring about having lost to her instincts. "It is!" Her eyes were fixed on their prey, but she, too, was having a really good time, as indicated by her equally big smile. "So, how are we going to continue?" "You go over there-" The cat-girl pointed to her left, at a small range of trees. "While hiding there, I''ll get closer to the baors, and then I will chase one towards your direction. Once you think you can get it, break into a sprint and go for it." "I''II probably mess up, but I''ll try my best!" As instructed, Sophia stealthily moved toward the trees and waited for Maya to take action while she was hiding. The cat-girl waited a bit longer but then shot out of the bush and raced after the baor that fled towards the trees after it got surprised. Running in a slight lom to make sure her prey didn''t change direction, Maya kept her distance while also not letting the animal have any room. She could catch it at any time, but that would defeat the purpose. Once the animal was close enough, the tiger-girl sprang into action as well. She jumped out of her hiding ce and tried to cut off the escape route of the fleeing baor. She ran towards their direction and even managed to somewhat keep her bnce while doing so. Noticing Sophia, the animal panicked and made a sharp turn, immediately changing its direction. "A-Ah!" The girl tried to do the same but unfortunately didn''t manage to do so. "O-Ouch!" As she had no idea how to use her tail for sharp turns yet, Sophia failed miserably in her attempt. She moved it in thepletely wrong direction and splendidly lost her bnce. Tripping over her own feet while attempting the turn, the tiger-girl made a summersault in the air before nting her face deep into the dirt. "W-Wow, that must''ve hurt..." Maya was watching her crash with a grimace on her face. "A-Are you alright...?" She stopped the chase to check up on her girlfriend. "Y-You little-" Though dirty, she seemed perfectly fine. "I''ll end you!" A fire was burning in her eyes, and her scratched-up face showed a sinister smile while something had apparently awakened inside her. Getting up, Sophia''s eyes fixated on the fleeing prey again. Immediately after, the tiger-girl jumped into a full sprint and chased after the baor. "W-What just happened?" Maya had no idea what was going on but rushed after the girl a momentter. Sophia continued to run after the baor and was somehow getting reasonably good at it. She was still nowhere near as fast as in her previous body, but her bnce problems seemed to be getting better. The tiger-girl''s tail was working as intended most of the time all of a sudden because she was able to take rtively tight turns without kissing the dirt anymore. This went on for a good while, and Sophia kept consistently getting closer to the animal. Maya, noticing how much fun she was having, decided to stay in the background while making sure the baor wouldn''t be able to get away. Minute after minute, meter after meter, and turn after turn, Sophia inched closer to her target while having a great smile, and her glowing eyes never let go of it. Once she finally got close enough, the tiger-girl leaped at the baor. After sessfully catching it, she used both her hands to press the animal''s neck down in the dirt, making it unable to move. "Aaaand THAT''s how you do it!" She looked incredibly smug and satisfied while dominating the baor. "G-Good job..." Maya was a little surprised at how much she had gotten into the hunt. "What now?" She stared at the caught animal. "Setting it free and catch it again?" Sophia wanted to y around with the baor some more and spoke like a true feline. "Let''s... not do that." "Aww... Hmm, what else?" The still excited tiger-girl tilted her head while thinking about it. "Ah!" She seemed to have a n. After sharing her idea with Maya, the couple got back to their camp, where Fen was waiting. A little whileter, once the preparation was finished, Sophia found out that baor meat is surprisingly delicious. Though, having hunted it herself while chasing it all over the ce with a massive grin on her face might''ve affected her opinion ever so slightly. Chapter 70 – Unexpected differences Chapter 70 ¨C Unexpected differences Sophia had sessfully hunted a baor using her feline instincts alone, without the help of magic. Once she caught it, the couple brought it over to Fen, and the catch ended up being roasted over their campfire. While they were eating, the girl made yet another discovery. "I''ve tried boar, err, baor before, in my previous world, but I wasn''t a fan. It tasted too gamey¡­ or strong for my liking. This one, though, was surprisingly delicious! I wonder why? Because I''ve hunted it myself and am proud of it?" "This might be it." Maya agreed. "That, or because you''ve partly be a tiger. One of the most predatory carnivores there is. Like, at all." "A-Ah." "That''s awesome!" Fen seemed happy for some reason. "Sophia has finally fully awakened to the superiority of meat!" The resident carnivore weed his newrade. "M-Maya!" She panicked and turned to the cat-girl. "L-Let me try some of the zhini thingy you roasted over the fire!" "The zhini?" She pointed at a long, green vegetable that she had put on a stick to grill it over the mes. "Those names, seriously... Also, we definitely need some dishware, pans, and the likes." She had gotten sidetracked. "I would love that, but mind telling me where we should put them?" Maya agreed, especially because she''s the main cook of the group, but there was no ce to keep them. "Good point... Anyway, yes! Please let me try the zhini or whatever, I don''t care about the name." "Sure, help yourself." She handed her the stick with the vegetable. "P-Please still be tasty!" Slightly shaking, she slowly brought the zhini to her mouth and hesitatingly took a bite. Chewing on it for a bit, her face eventually brightened up. "Phew... Not my favorite, but it''s still good!" "Aww..." The wolf was disappointed. "So close." "Hey!" "Don''t worry, Sophia. It''s not like you''re nothing but a tiger now. Your liking for meat just got enhanced thanks to being partly a tiger now. I like vegetables as well, after all, and actual cats are carnivores, too." "Y-You''re right... I got a little too worried there." The tiger-girl was visibly relieved. "Then again-" Maya wasn''t done yet. "Your instincts are really pronounced. You might''ve been lucky there." "They really are, aren''t they?" "A bit, yes. You''re still in the progress of getting used to them, but I don''t think mine were ever as strong as yours, like during our hunt earlier-" "You''ve noticed, huh?" Sophia looked awkward. "After I tripped," "In an extremely showy way." She had to add that. "Y-Yeah," Her cheeks turned red. "After that, my brain kinda took a break, and my body worked on its own while chasing the baor. It felt great, but it was also scary..." "But it also helped you getting used to your tail, though." "That''s true. I''m able to walk now properly. Even running is not impossible anymore. Still, just why are my new feline instincts so- Oh no!" Sophia suddenly stopped in the middle of her sentence while her face turned white. "W-What''s wrong?" "My-, My boosts... are they affecting those instincts as well?" "Ah." The other two looked at each other. "Wait, could that even be? That Canir boosted me only when I came to this world? How would new aspects of me be altered, then? D-Don''t tell me that idiot of a god is still messing with me?!" "Why would he do that?" The cat-girl thought that this would be very unlikely. "He''s a bored idiot that loves to stalk and harass me." "I-I don''t think a god would be such a bad guy." "He said that he''s bored himself. He admitted that he''s stalking me. The harassment is obvious in my boosted negative traits and that he''s an idiot, well, that''s just a fact." "..." Maya had no response to this. "Great!" The tiger-girl had a weird follow-up. "I was actually rather thankful for himtely, but now I have another reason to punch him again~." "What did I tell you about your urge to punch a god?" "I am most definitely sure I never agreed to stop doing that." "A-Anyway," As it was Maya''s loss, she wanted to change the topic. "It''s great that you can walk and run again, huh?" "Absolutely! Today''s hunt was great, and I can''t wait for tomorrow! I''m going to run around all day long! Barely being able to move for a day and mostly having stuck to walking for a couple of days was way too much!" "Even though sleep is so important to you, you really like to move around, huh?" The cat-girl found the contrast rather interesting. "Yeah, that''s a habit from my old world. I did a lot of sports there and always got itchy when I had to stay still for a day." "You sure get itchy a lot." "Tell me about it!" She didn''t found it funny. "Though, ever sinceing to this world, the itch to move my body got way stronger." "Boosts?" "Probably. It''s great that I can run around for multiple kilometers in the nature each day. Sleeping feels really great after such a day, as well~." "Ahh." That sounded more like the girl Maya knew. "I wonder what we run into tomorrow~. I hope something interesting." "D-Don''t jinx it! Your interesting usually ends in a disaster for us." "Ehehe~." "A-Alright, let''s take a bath first. We skipped it yesterday, and I really want to have one now!" "And that usually ends in a disaster for me!" Sophia didn''t like this turn of events. Or so she said, at least. "Ehehe~." Their reaction, too, was the same. ---------------- Even so, because the tiger-girl wanted to take a bath, there wasn''t much room for her superficialints. After leaving their camp, the couple created their bath a little distance away. "Hrmmn..." Once she undressed, Sophia was staring at the water with aplicated expression. "What''s wrong?" Maya finished undressing as well and popped up next to her. "Do I... still like water?" "Why wouldn''t you?" "Well," She pointed at her ears while swishing her tail around. "Ah, I''m good with water as well, so it should be fine." "T-That''s true... B-But if that got boosted as well, then-" "Actual tigers love water too, right? You should be good either way." "Yay, tiger!" Sophia was happy about her choice. "Let''s go in, then~." Saying so, she entered the water, sat down, and immediately had a rxed expression. "Such bliss~. Water never felt this great before! A-Ah!" "Sophia likes water, tigers like water; Tiger-girl Sophia loves water. Sometimes, your boosts are everything butplicated." "Ahaha..." A dryugh escaped her lips. "P-Putting that aside, do I need to know anything about my new ears in terms of hygiene? A tail probably doesn''t need much more attention than normal hair, right?" Taking a bath right now, she thought it was a good time to ask. "Yeah, a tail is pretty low-maintenance. Okay, mine needs a little attention because of the color, and it can get a bit itchy if you use the wrong shampoo, but other than that..." "Snow-white gets dirty easily, huh?" "Yeah. It''s worth it, though. I''m pleased about my color." The cat-girl caressed her tail while saying so. "Yep, it''s beautiful." Sophia was a fan of it the moment she met the girl. "Thanks. Your blonde''s stunning, too. Your new honey even more than the old one. Wait, or is it that the new one which is your old color...?" "Sorry for being so confusing." The tiger-girl constantly confuses herself with the same kind of topic, as well. "Let''s go with my current one." "Yeah, I love your current color." "Ehehe~. Wait, where were we again?" "Huh?" Maya stopped as she, too, had forgotten about the topic after the two got absorbed in their flirting. "Ah, right, ear hygiene!" "That''s it!" "They actually do need a little care. Want me to clean yours?" "That''s a hard no." She instantly shot her down. "Ehhh?!" Maya was naturally shocked by such a strong denial. "I''ll be gentle, okay?!" "T-That''s part of the problem. I-, I am curious, but you touching my ears... w-with how i-intense that feels... All while I''m in the bath. Sorry, I''ve passed out enough already!" "A very, VERY good point. You''re seriously bad with that. Though, I enjoy drying and dressing you up afterward. Nursing you on myp''s great, too." "P-Pervert..." "Did-, Did I say that out loud...?" Maya''s face turned red. "Y-You sure did." Sophia also got embarrassed. "A-Anyway, back to our ears." "Let''s do that." "As I said, they do need some care." The cat-girl pointed at her right ear. "See that fluffy bit?" "Hmm?" She touched the white ball of fluffy fur inside her own ears. "What''s up with that?" "Dust and other small things like to collect there. Together with some earwax, it can be quite a pain." "Ehh... but it looks so beautiful and feels nice." "All nice and beautiful things need to be taken care of." "That''s a fair point." Sophia nodded in understanding. "That''s why-" Maya leaned over to her to whisper something into the tiger''s ear. "Let me take care of you~." "..." She needed a moment. "Maya?" "Yes?" "Shut up." "Too much?" She had noticed it herself. "A-A bit." "Okay." "Sooo, I have to carefully clean the fluffy bit?" The tiger-girl brought the topic back on track. "Yeah, but you really need to pay attention. This soft fur also acts as a barrier against water and the likes for your ear canal. Get water in there while cleaning, and it will stay there for days. Super bad time, I can guarantee you." "Speaking from experience?" "Unfortunately... I was half-deaf in one ear for like three days after getting some water inside." "Yes, that indeed does sound like no fun." She didn''t want to go through something like this. "I wouldn''t wish that even my worst enemies." "You have enemies?!" "Figure of speech." "Ahh..." Afterward, Sophia extremely carefully cleaned the fluffy part of her new animal ears. It took her quite a while, but she sessfully managed to keep the water out. Once they were clean, the girls finally got out of the water. "Being a beast-girl''s surprisinglyplicated." Sophia hadn''t thought their bodies or instincts would be that different from what she was used to. "Well, it''s not like we have a... choice- sorry." She answered without thinking. "Ahaha. But, in a way, I had no choice, either. At least, staying a tiger-girl, that is." "Fair point. On an unrted note," Maya looked at her while she was in the middle of getting dressed. "You sure have developed well." "E-Eh?!" Sophia instinctively covered her exposed chest with her arms while her face turned red. "T-That''s sexual harassment!" "H-Huh? Ah, no! That''s not what I meant!" She quickly tried to correct this misunderstanding. "There''s no development!" Only to make it worse. "Did you identally make them a little smaller when you turned yourself into the final tiger version?" Way worse. "Hmm?" Her expression turned a bit scary. "T-That''s wrong! I-I meant your embarrassment and whatnot! Not only were we pleasingly intimate all day, but we''re also able to take a bath together without you having aplete meltdown now." She was desperately trying to save herself. "Ahh, well, It''s still embarrassing, but I''m getting used to it. It''s at a point where my boosts can take care of it, I guess? Or rather, my improved personality at this point. Most of the time, that is. Also, we''re together now, so... I still get shy and self-conscious when I''m naked, and you''re looking at me... often, but-" "Y-You noticed?" "It''s hard not to..." "Uuh, w-what''s the but about?" Maya, too, got embarrassed again. "W-Well, the feelings I now have, are, uhh, different from before..." "Oh, how so? What feelings are you having?" "A-Anyway, let''s go back to the camp!" Sophia dropped the topic, finished dressing up, left the bath, and walked away with a red face. "Ehh?!" The cat-girl ran after her. The couple bickered, flirted, around the campfire for a while longer before eventually turning in for the night. Sophia''s urge to sprawl herself all over Maya''sp was still overwhelmingand so she made herselffortable there before the cat-girl could evenin about it being her turn. Chapter 71 – Shopping plans Chapter 71 ¨C Shopping ns Sophia had gotten rtively used to her new tail during the baor hunt the couple did. Her bnce issues became much more subtle, and she was able to run reasonably well again. The girl still wasn''t as fast as Maya yet, but she wasn''t considerably holding back the group anymore. "Let''s have some lunch!" After having run around for half a day, Sophia decided it was time for a break because she was getting hungry. "Good idea. I''ve spotted a couple of vegetables as well. I''ll get it ready in a sh." Maya also was ready to eat something. "Thanks~." "There''s also some meat running around." Fen was a little peculiar as always. While the wolf was collecting some meat, the couple went and gathered a couple of vegetables for them. Afterward, the tiger-girl watched Maya prepare their lunch while the tiger got the campfire going. The cat-girl made some sort of vegetable skewers by roughly cutting them with wind magic before putting them on a stick. She also used a somewhat t stone as a makeshift pan to stir-fry the rest next to the fire. "Hmm..." Though Sophia was impressed by her skills to improvise, she remembered the discussion from the other day. "We could really use some cooking utensils after all, huh?" "As I said, that would be great, but carrying them around would be a major pain. They''re heavy and bulky. I don''t think they''re worth the hassle because we''re traveling so much." "Yeah, you''re right." Sophia had to agree. "Anyway, let''s eat." ---------------- Even so, Sophia couldn''t let go of the idea during their meal and kept thinking about ways to solve the problem. "Is there space-type magic in this world?" "Space...? Like teleporting from one ce to another?" The cat-girl had misunderstood her a little. "You''re not going to attempt that!" For some reason, Fen really didn''t like the idea. "I-I wasn''t nning to...? Okay, I thought about that before, but given my, uhh, track record, this really doesn''t sound like a good idea. I''m way too scared to mess up!" "M-My Sophia''s growing up!" Maya was deeply moved. "Hey!" "Good. Don''t ever try that, okay?" The wolf was really insistent on it. "Don''t worry...?" The tiger-girl was a little confused by his reaction, but not enough to care for the time being. "Anyway, no, that''s not what I meant. More like dimensional space...? Uhh, for example, creating a space outside of this reality where you can freely store things inside." "Never heard of such a thing." "Me neither. Can''t say I understand what you mean in the first ce." "Too bad..." "Where did you get that idea from? It sounds like a fascinating concept." Fen got curious. "It''s a popr thing in the fantasy books I read in my old world. It''s basically a limitless storage where you can just throw in whatever you want and take it out again once you need it. It would be super handy for us because we could get all sorts of convenient things while still traveling hands-free." "That sounds awesome!" Maya was an instant fan. "I wonder if I can do it?" She tried to recall how this concept worked in her fantasy books. "Let''s see, they created some type of portal... gate thingy that connects to an empty room? In there, you can store all sorts of stuff. How would that work...?" Sophia was having a hard time imagining it. "How about you simplify it?" The cat-girl tried to help her. "Instead of this dimensional... space stuff, uhh, in a separate reality thing? Well, how about you think of a huge warehouse instead? The portal or gate, whatever, is like the door that opens it, or something like that?" "That''s genius! You''re awesome, Maya!" "Ehehe~, feel free to praise me more." "Soo, a warehouse, huh? I should be able to work with that image!" Sophia closed her eyes to concentrate. "Warehouse... huge, empty hall. Lots of space to store things... Alright, that''s not too hard to imagine. How to actually ess it, though? A real door popping out in the middle of nowhere would be too weird. Maybe some sort of invisible portal thingy floating around mid-air? There, I could stick in my hand and grab whatever I want?" "How-, How''s that any less weird...?" The other two looked at each other while being slightly confused. "Ahaha. Whatever, should I give it a try?" The tiger-girl grabbed a fist-sized stone and closed her eyes again. "Hrmn..." Concentrating for a while, she suddenly thrust out her arm in the air beside her. "H-Huh?! Sophia?!" Noticing that everything up to the girl''s elbow had disappeared, Maya got confused and slightly scared. Looking from a different angle, she saw that around her elbow, a couple of purple distortions appeared in the air. It formed a circle that looked like a portal that had swallowed the tiger''s arm. "Those purple distortions and particle effects look kinda like... E-Eh?! It-, it actually worked?!" Sophia needed a moment, but she was actually the most surprised out of the group while she looked at her missing arm. "Don''t worry, it''s still there." A short momentter, she retracted her arm, and it was in full view again. Only the stone was gone. "T-That''s good." She was visibly relieved. "So, where''s the stone now?" "Well, I put it in that warehouse space thingy." "Really? That''s so cool!" The initial shock was reced by curiosity. "Yep. Let me take it out again-" The tiger-girl stretched out her arm once more, letting it disappear in the extra space. It seemed like she was rummaging around for a while, and Sophia slowly but surely turned pale. "H-Huh?" "What''s wrong?" Maya and Fen tilted their heads. "It''s gone...?" "Eh?" "The stone, I can''t find it..." "Huh? Where did it go, then?" "Thaaat''s an excellent question." Sophia had no idea, either. "Hrmn... Let me try again!" This time, she grabbed a twig from the ground and let it disappear in the extra space, as well. "And now?" Maya tried to understand what she''s doing. "Well," After she ced the twig inside, she closed the space again before driving her arm inside once, trying to get it out. "E-Eh, why?! I can''t find that one, either! What''s going on? Why isn''t it working? Where did that stuff go in the first ce?! Is it one way only, or what?" She couldn''t understand what''s wrong. "O-On the bright side, it''s good for getting rid of trash." The cat-girl tried to cheer her up. "And bodies." Fen had his very own way of cheering her up. "Sure..." She wasn''t happy. "I want to get this to work!" The tiger-girl had no ns to give up yet. "Seriously, what''s going on?" Not understanding the problem, she faced it head-on. Literally. Instead of her arm, she stuck her entire head inside the extra space to find out what''s in there. "S-Sophia?!" Maya naturally didn''t like this view. "She sure is reckless, that girl." "Haa,- haa..." A couple of momentster, the girl''s head appeared again while panting for air. "O-Okay... That was scary! As it appears, there''s no oxygen, or air, or literally anything in there... Just pitch-ck nothingness..." "Sophia, you idiot!" The cat-girl got angry. "W-Why?!" "Y-You can''t just stick your head in that! Inside a hole where everything disappears into! "A-Ah!" She only now noticed the issue. "I''m sorry, I just really wanted to find out what''s going on." "Think before you act!" "Yes..." Sophia looked genuinely apologetic. "Alright, good." This was all Maya wanted. "So, any findings?" "Hmm... Well, I found nothing. That''s the problem, I guess? It was nothing like the warehouse I wanted. Seems like I didn''t imagine it properly. Okay, warehouse-, warehouse... big ce, properly lighted and full of usable air!" She made a couple of tweaks after her experience. "Another try!" "Are you sure it works now? No more sticking body parts into holes you aren''t certain they''re good!" "Err..." The ambiguity of the cat-girl was killing her. "...Idiot." It took her a moment to notice. "Y-Yeah, I think it''s a good hole now." Sophia just had to do it. "S-Stop it already!" Her face turned red. "Hehe." After a short chuckle, the tiger-girl grabbed another stone and let it disappear in the different space just like before. A momentter, she stretched out her hand into the portal again and rummaged around. "Stone... Stone, where are you, stoney~? Oh? I think there''s someth- Ah!" Her expression changed, and she pulled out her arm again, holding the stone from before. "There it is!" "It worked?!" Fen was surprised. "Wow." ---------------- For the next half-hour, Sophia continued to throw all sorts of stuff in the extra space and took it out again, getting used to it. Losing anything useful would be pretty bad, after all. "Alright! I don''t want to put anything too valuable in it yet, but in the next city, we''re going shopping, Maya!" "Yay!" She was looking forward to it. "I wonder where the next city is. Let''s adjust my detection magic to regr beastfolk power and take a look~." "Not any lower than that, okay? We don''t want to end up in front of a human city!" "What he said!" Maya heartily agreed to Fen''s urging to be cautious. "Girls, if I were to search at human power levels, my entire vision would turn red by the reactions. Do you have any idea just how many bugs or insects are out in the nature?" "Good point." "Anyway, hmm..." She concentrated on her magic and looked for a grouping of beastpeople. "Around 30 kilometers west from here seems like it fits the bill. Oh, that''s totally our direction, isn''t it?" "Yeah, we''re heading that way... I''m surprised you identified the right direction." The cat-girl had to take a jab at her sense of direction. "H-Hey! I may be stupid, but I''m capable of learning! Also, it''s the same direction we were walking the entire day!" "Ehehe, anyway, 30 kilometers, huh? With Sophia''s speed, though increasing rapidly again, and her getting distracted by literally anything, all of tomorrow and maybe some extra, I guess?" "Yeah, I think so, too." Fen agreed. "Uuh... Fen and I used to cover that much in like an hour... half, if we were going for it." "That''s just you two being way too abnormal!" "I-, I won''t deny that. Still, I at least want to match Maya again! Alright, let''s keep going until it gets dark. The more I run around, the sooner I''ll get better at it again!" ---------------- The other two agreed to her suggestion, and the group covered some more ground for the next couple of hours. Once the sun had set, they ate their usual dinner in front of their campfire while talking about their uing ns. "Is there anything specific you want to buy, Sophia?" Maya looked at her. "Hmm, I definitely want all the things rted to cooking. Dishware, pots, pans, all that stuff." "Sounds good. I would really like that. Oh, we could also get spices and other non-perishable food." "That''s a great idea! We''ll definitely get them!" Sophia always wanted more and better food. "How about some extra clothes?" "Absolutely! I want some long pants already!" She wasn''t a fan of the shorts she got whening to this world and wasn''t able to buy a different style because she couldn''t find anything besides skirts and more shorts yet. "No." The cat-girl instantly shot her down. "Ehh, why?" "Nice view,p pillow, bare thighs." She didn''t even bother to form aplete sentence. "So selfish! How about some extra clothes just for sleeping instead? That would be way morefortable, anyway." "I-, I''ll allow that." "My, how generous." Sophia rolled her eyes. "Oh, what about a swimsuit? You wanted to go swimming a couple of times already." "That''s true... Hmm, only if you get one as well, Maya." "Oho, why do you want me to get one, too~?" She started to grin. "The-, The same reason you¡­ actually want me to buy one." "A-Ah..." Her grin vanished. "Y-Yes, let''s buy some together." "Okay." The couple kept chatting about her shopping ns for a while. Even Fen had a couple of requests, mainly all sorts of spices to make his meat taste better. This conversation went on all the way until they decided to go to sleep. Chapter 72 – A royal mistake Chapter 72 ¨C A royal mistake Sophia had sessfully learned some kind of storage magic and directly wanted to put it to good use. Finding the next city to visit, she was looking forward to going on a shopping spree. Now that the group was able to carry things, they could buy everything they dream of. The day after she learned the magic, they kept going for most of the time. Thanks to that, the tiger-girl got a lot more used to running around, and the group made rtively good progress. "Haa~" During lunchtime of the following day, Sophia let out a familiar sigh. "I''m hungry~!" "Yeah, I could eat, too... Ah, but isn''t the city really nearby now?" "Yeah, with my speed being somewhat okay again, we should reach it in around an hour or two?" "How about we wait until then?" Maya had other ns. "We could eat at a restaurant there." "That''s a brilliant idea!" She liked the idea. "What about you, Fen?" "I would eat the same either way, so I don''t particrly care." One way or another, it would be a big chunk of meat. ---------------- They kept going for a while, and the city finally came into view. It was far bigger than the previous vige and had roughly the size of Raumont, the ce where they picked up their cat-girl. It even looked simr as everything was orderly build and easy to navigate thanks to the linear streets. "Uuh, I''m getting a little nervous..." Sophia was looking at the city from a distance and noticed all the beastpeople running around. "Why?" Maya tilted her head. "Won''t they notice I''m a fake?" "Fake? Oh, you mean about being a tiger-girl now?" "Yeah..." "Don''t worry about that. You''ve turned yourself into a proper member of the beastfolk. In the first ce, you''re more feline than I am, and I''m born as a cat-girl." "That''s good, well, debatable..." She hadplicated feelings about being more of a cat than Maya. "Ehehe, you''ll be fine." "Okay..." Even so, she naturally was still concerned. The group walked towards the entrance, and Fen had turned his size to a reasonable one along the way. Arriving there, they stopped in front of two middle-aged guards. One looked a bit like a monkey, while the other seemed like a humanoid version of Fen, wolf-like fur, tail, and ears, but a human body. "Wee to Val- Hmm?" The monkey-guard greeted them but stumbled over his words once he noticed Sophia. "I-Is-, Is there a... problem?" The girl in question instinctively hid behind Maya in response. "A... tiger?" He tilted his head. "Y-Yes?" "Wow, to think I would ever see one up so close in this remote area!" "E-Eh...?" Sophia was confused. "Ah, n-no... Anyway, wee to Valona. E-Enjoy your stay!" After this slightly weird greeting, the group entered the city and was currently walking around the main road, but something was still amiss. Wherever they went, Sophia could always feel multiple stares directed at her. Almost every person they walked past turned around to take a second nce at the tiger-girl. "M-Maya...?" She was already confused by how the guard had acted, but she was getting increasingly more ufortable by the minute. "W-What is going on here...?" "That''s-, That''s a good question." The cat-girl had obviously noticed that everyone was staring at her girlfriend. "Give me a minute, and I''ll tell everyone just how I feel about that!" She also was far from happy about this fact, but for very different reasons. "Anyway, let''s find a ce to eat." Fen, as always, had his own priorities. Doing as told, the group entered the next best restaurant. Having ordered some food, they finally had theirte lunch. Unfortunately, Sophia was unable to enjoy it. Just like on the streets before, she continued to be the center of attention inside the restaurant. Everyone was looking at her while whispering around. "A tiger... here?" "An actual tiger-girl? "What is she doing here?" "Her followers seem to be special as well. Is she the real deal?" "I''ve never seen one looking like her, though." "Yeah, I would definitely have remembered her. First time seeing a blonde." "Absolutely, even for the already beautiful tiger-family, she''s in a league of her own. It''s way better than the usual dark orange!" "I''m sensing something juicy~." "Maybe she''s been hidden from the public?" "Why would you hide someone like her, though?" "Good point." "Maybe her hair? They''re usually way more orangy, after all." "The blonde is a definitive step up, though." "True." "Should we approach her?" "I would really want to, but she''s a tiger... way above us. Also, that white cat-girl beside her looks really scary for some reason..." "Y-Yeah... Is she her bodyguard?" "Hmm... I don''t think so? First, it seems the tiger-girl is much stronger, and... the two give off a different feel." "Ohh~, good for them. They look nice together. It really is something else if both are so beautiful, huh?" "Absolutely, as expected of the tiger-family." The beastpeople around the group had gotten really chatty for some reason while they kept ncing at Sophia. Especially the female guests in the restaurants seemed really interested in, and excited about, her. "M-M-Maya...?" The tiger-girl in question was naturally aware of all the whispers. "S-Seriously now! What-, What is going on here?!" "I honestly have no idea..." "I-It seems there''s something wrong about me being a tiger?" "They''re not doubting you are one, though. So, you''re good on that part." "Y-Yes, but something''s... definitely odd here! Are tigers perhaps anything special... and I made a big mistake? Maya, didn''t you say you saw tiger-people before?" "I did. Well, it was only once, and it was over ten years ago, but I definitely did see them! I mean, I don''t remember much about it, but it happened. Maybe they''re just that rare, and people are interested in you because of that?" "Hmm..." She wasn''t convinced. "Fen?" "Well, I''ve met a bunch of them thest time I was in the beastfolk capital. Granted, that was a very long time ago. The capital was way smaller than this city back then." "Isn''t the capital supposed to be gigantic? Seriously, just how old is this fe already..." Maya only stared at him with big eyes. "That doesn''t seem to be it, then..." Sophia was still confused. "Excuse me~," Because the cat-girl had no issues starting a conversation with random people, she leaned over to the table next to them and addressed the couple there. It was a male half-dog and a female fox-girl with an extremely bushy tail and big ears. "Y-Yes...?" Slightly bewildered, the two turned to look at them. "Is it really okay to talk to you...?" "Of course?" Maya was confused by their reply. "No need to be formal." "O-Okay..." "It''s a weird question, but is there something wrong about her?" The cat-girl pointed at Sophia, who awkwardly waved at them. "She''s getting a lot of attention, and none of us can understand why." "E-Eh?!" The couple looked dumbfounded. "Sorry... We''re from pretty far away, and we honestly have no idea." "How can one travel with royalty without knowing?" "Aren''t the two of you even a couple?" The fox-girl looked at the two. "How''s it possible not to notice, then?" "H-Huh?!" It was Sophia herself who sprang up in shock. "R-Royalty...?" The couple was more than confused. "She is of the tiger-family, is she not?" "I-I am, but... Eh?" Sophia couldn''t follow. "The tiger-n founded the capital and ruled it ever since... Wait, how don''t you know about that, either?" The fox girl looked at her now. "Nowadays, the only tigers are the ones of the royal family and those with the highest noble ranks." "I, uhh, I''ve never... been to the capital before... I, err, spent my entire life... somewhere elsepletely... Never met another tiger-person, either..." "S-Seriously?" The couple from the other table was shocked. "A fugitive royal?!" "Ehhh...?" That was too much for Sophia. ---------------- The fox and dog couple also was too overwhelmed, and their conversation broke off soon enough as they couldn''t get any more information out of them. The group spent the next couple of minutes in silence, trying to wrap their heads around the info they had just received. "So that''s why I met so many tigers when the capital was still small." Fen was the first to speak again. "Ah!" Maya followed shortly after. "Looks like I wasn''t that wrong, after all! In some bizarre way, that is... Instead of a demon, my Sophia ended up to be a beastfolk royal..." Her delusional misunderstanding from a while ago made an unexpected return. "Maya?" "Yes?" "Shut up." Sophia didn''t want to deal with that right now. "Okay." "S-Seriously... Can''t I ever catch a break? Haa..." Sighing, the royal tiger-girl let her head fall down on the table. "O-Ouch!" Unfortunately, she hit it pretty hard. "W-Why does everything I do go so extremely, horribly wrong...? Every decision, a mistake-" "Hey!" Her girlfriend felt offended. "Present mis-, exceptions aside, of course!" She barely saved herself. "64 Points." Maya wasn''t that happy about her reply. "S-Sorry... You''re the best that ever happened to me. No decision I ever made regarding you was a mistake, and I l-love you!" "93 Points." She liked that version much more. "Close enough." Sophia didn''t want to try and go for full marks. "41 Points." Fen, too, had something to say. "Give me a break already, you two!" "Hehe." The two let out a giggle. "Seriously, though, Fen aside, Maya, how did you not know about tigers being, well, royal?" "W-Well... The capital''s really far, and I''ve never been there. I also never cared about politics. Raumont''s pretty much self-governed, as well, because it''s a frontier city at the border to the monster country... Royalty wasn''t that much of a deal there, I guess? The tiger-people I saw all those years ago probably were some officials looking how it''s going then, I guess...?" "Man, my luck''s really the worst. To identally transform into a fake royal..." "No, it''s not." The two had different opinions about her luck. "Haa..." "Though, what are you going to do now, Sophia?" Maya looked at her, especially her tiger parts. "Transform into a different type of beastperson? As long as you stay feline, you shouldn''t have any problems with that phantom pain thingy, right?" "Hmm, it would be for the best, huh? It would definitely make things easier, but... well, it hasn''t been long, but I immediately fell in love with being a tiger... save for the instincts thing." She already was really fond of her transformation. "And that part wouldn''t even change..." "That''s the best part!" "Anyway," She ignored the cat-girl. "I really want to stay the way I am now. Besides, changing my body more often than... even the style of my clothes is kind of..." "Yeah, getting a third, no, fourth girlfriend... wow, I lost track already. Well, it sounds better than it is. I want to settle for one, okay?" Maya had her own problems with the multiple versions of Sophia. "If possible, I would like for you to stay a tiger-girl now. Not that I wouldn''t love any other version of you either, of course!" "Thanks..." "Oh, now that I think about it, it would also really help with your training if you stay that way." "Eh? What do you mean?" "Judging by the reactions here, if a wild tiger-girl runs through the capital... Yeah, you won''t ever be shy or reserved again after that." "A-Ah!" Sophia forgot that they were heading to the tiger-people central. "It might be a bad idea, after all? It could cause many problems..." She wanted to run away. "It''s not like anyone could do anything to you. If it bes too bothersome, we can simply leave again." "No one could stop us." Fen agreed. "You two... Also, Maya, you took after Fen way too quick." "Like you''re one to talk." "..." Sophia had no retort ready. "Anyway, let''s give it a try. Your boosts should be working overtime in that situation, getting you used to them in no time." "Hmm..." She wasn''t convinced. "Well, we could always resort to n A. Now that we''re a couple, I can think of all sorts of extreme things. Either way, you will get used to your boosts before long." "Uuh... I''m i-intrigued, but also scared... Let''s try the capital thing first." "Aww..." The cat-girl was actually disappointed. Ever since her confession, she had gotten slightly thirsty. "Let''s make that, uhh, n B f-for now, okay...?" Though her old personality made it hard for her to talk about it, Sophia wasn''t much different from Maya in that regard. "Yay~." She was okay with her answer. After the group finished their slightly turbulent lunch, the two girls could finally do what they came to the city for, going on an extended shopping spree. Chapter 73 – Shopping Chapter 73 ¨C Shopping Sophia had found out that her transformation into a tiger-girl had way bigger consequences than she thought it would have. Visiting the first beastfolk city since she became one, the group learned that tigers are actually a royal race. Once she had recovered from the initial shock, the girls decided to focus on what they actually visited the city for, though. Not only to get a distraction. "Okay, what do you want to shop for first, Sophia?" Dragging her by the hand, Maya was walking through the streets with the girl. "Hmm, good question... Wait, where''s Fen?" Looking around, she noticed that the two girls were alone. "Weren''t you listening?" "Huh? Guess I was too busy with the whole tiger and royal thing..." "Fair excuse. He said he''s feeling under-challengedtely and that he''s going for a walk... No idea what he was implying, but¡­" "Should-, Should I be scared?" Sophia had a bad feeling about this walk of his. "I want to say no, but it''s Fen, so-" "Yes." The couple answered at the same time. "Okay, back to shopping." They ditched the topic of the wolf. Neither of them wanted to know. "A good idea." Sophia felt the same. "Ah, look, a store for kitchen utensils. Let''s go there first!" She pointed at a ce with many pans, pots, cutlery, tes, and the likes on disy. "Oh, I''m getting excited!" The cook of the group was looking forward to it. The two entered and were immediately greeted by the owner. "Welco- Eh?" The slightly elderly-looking male half-bear beastman looked at Sophia and froze up. "A-A tiger!?" "Shhh..." Maya put a finger on her lips, urging the owner not to mention it. "We''re traveling incognito because we''re on a mission. Please don''t raise a fuss." She already found a way to use the new situation. "Y-Yes, this won''t be a problem for this old me." He had gotten formal all of a sudden. "H-How could this humble store and I be of use for you?" "Err..." The cat-girl sounded a little awkward. "We need some basic equipment for preparing, cooking, and eating." "O-Of course! Are there any preferences?" "Nothing too fancy. Just sturdy and reliable with a good value." Maya already had an idea of what she wanted. "Yes, I have a lot in stock that fits these requirements." Afterward, the store owner showed the girls all sorts of pans, pots, cutlery, and many other things that could be interesting. Using the money the group had earned by doing basically nothing, they bought about anything that could be remotely of use during their camping. "Ahaha~." Once they left the store, Maya couldn''t hold herughter any longer. "That was fun. How easy it was to deceive him." "We''re on a secret mission now, huh?" Sophia rolled her eyes before she let the bought goods disappear in her extra space when nobody was nearby. "I think that was a good excuse. Way better than exining to him how you are not royalty and all that." "That''s actually... a really good point." "Okay, let''s continue our secret mission! Shopping, that is!" The cat-girl was in a good mood. "Sure." "Alright, let''s get this date going!" She grabbed Sophia''s hand and started walking again. She didn''t make it far, though. After just a step, Maya had to stop because the tiger-girl hadn''t moved an inch. "D-Date...?" It had caught her off-guard. "Yeah. A couple, walking hand in hand, shopping together. That''s a date. An actual one." "O-Oh, okay..." A slight blush appeared on her cheeks. The tiger-girl had gotten a lot better with the situation, but she still wasn''t used to any of this. "Embarrassed?" "A-A bit... but also really happy. It''s aplicated feeling." "Ehehe~. Let''s work hard to only leave the happy part." Maya squeezed her hand and gave walking another try. "Y-Yes..." ncing at their hands for a moment, Sophia then followed her with a smile on her lips. The two held hands basically constantlytely, but doing so on a date somehow felt different. "Oh, a grocery store." After walking next to each other for a couple of minutes, Maya spotted another ce of use for them. "Let''s get some spices and non-perishable food like pasta or rice." "I''m going to love our new camp meals!" Sophia was a big fan of the idea. The couple went inside, and after telling the surprised owner about their secret mission, they went on. The two got pasta, rice, and all sorts of other grains in vast amounts. Dried fruits were on sale, and so Sophia got them as well. All of them. She also bought a ton of nuts and seeds for snacking. After getting various spices, especially the staple sugar, salt, and pepper, together with some dried herbs, the two left the store again. "What a haul!" Maya looked at the bags of food before handing them over to Sophia, who stored them away. "I expect big things during our next outdoor meal. We spent a lot of money, after all! I think...? Uh, did we spend a lot? I have no idea how money works here..." "It was not a little. Ignoring the tons of nuts and dried fruits, especially the cooking equipment, was pretty costly." "Well, we''re using money we got from a couple of minutes of work. All we did was kill some golems and use a bit of earth magic... It''s hard for me to see the value of money now." The tiger questioningly tilted her head. "Uhh, I want to retort something, but I can actually understand. My poormon sense is getting corrupted." "Haha. I mean, killing a golem, and you can live for a month or two. It''s half a year for the bridge... Let''s fight some allegedly strong monster, collect whatever''s valuable from them, and buy a house in the capital after a couple of hours of work." "I don''t think it''s that easy... Wait a moment, it actually is, isn''t it?" Maya didn''t know what was normal anymore and what wasn''t. "Well, I''m not nning to buy a house, but... Alright, what''s left for our shopping spree?" "Didn''t you want to get some clothes?" "Right, long pants!" "No." The cat-girl immediately shot her down once more. "Ehh... didn''t we agree on that? It was okay when I got some clothes to your liking for when we sleep." "Hmmn," She was conflicted. "W-Well, let''s see how you look in one before I decide." "Don''t you mean before I, as in me, decide?" Sophia pointed at herself while saying so. "No." ---------------- Having agreed to disagree, the couple walked around some more while ignoring the stares Sophia was getting until they finally found a clothing store. "Wee~." A cheerful greeting reached them the moment they entered. A tall blue-haired girl with long bunny ears and some otherrge assets smiled at the two. Agewise, she seemed to be in her early twenties, visually a couple of years older than the couple. "My, some interesting customers have arrived. How can I be of help~?" "Not raising a fuss, huh?" Maya was relieved that the store clerk didn''t flinch at Sophia''s presence. "Do you wish me to? I could do that. It''s not every day that such important customers visit this ce." She was a professional. "No, we prefer it this way." "So, what can I do for this adorable couple? "Ehehe." The cat-girl was happy about how they were addressed. "It''s still fresh, huh? Congrattions~." The clerk giggled at Maya''s shyugh. "You managed to catch quite the big fish there. Ignoring the obvious, even without talking, this girl''s oozing with charisma. I''m getting quite charmed here, and I''m not even really into girls~. More importantly, I''m not interested in stealing others, either. Still, you should be careful, cat." "Tell me about it..." Maya immediately bonded with her as it seemed the girl was no rival and simply understood and sympathized with her. "H-Huh...? Oozing with charisma...? M-Me?" "Yes!" The cat and bunny had the same reaction to Sophia bashfully tilting her head while pointing at herself. "Ehh...?" Her cheeks turned even redder. "What a cutie. Okay, enough of that." The bunny-girl tried to get back on track. "Looking for clothes, I take it?" "Yeah." "Y-Yes, I wanted to get some actual, long pants... " "Why would you want that?" The clerk looked confused. "You shouldn''t hide such beautiful legs." "Thank you!" Maya liked her even more. "Uuh, s-so unfair!" Sophia had no allies. "Let''s start with the stuff we actually want." "We, huh?" She lightly red at Maya. "Alright." She ignored the tiger-girl. "Well, it''s not clothing in the truest context, but do you also have pajamas and swimsuits?" "Of course. We even have some cute couple-look pajamas." "Sold!" The cat-girl instantly bought them unseen. "Thank you very much. As for bikinis, you''re in luck. We Just got the new arrivals of cute two-piece ones from the current collections." "And just like that, things have gotten really interesting." Maya certainly wasn''t holding back. "Urgh, this world''s too advanced in the weirdest things..." Sophia was quietlyining to herself. "No cars or other quality of life things of a modern civilization... but freaking two-piece bikinis... Just because you have magic to take care of everything, don''t focus all your ingenuity on weird stuff!" "Did you say something?" "No... Ah, but you''re getting one, too, Maya!" In the end, she just wanted toin about something because her thoughts weren''t the purest ones, either. "As long as you choose a good one for me, I don''t mind." "I-, for you...?" "Of course! And I''ll get one for you in return!" "N-Nothing too s-skimpy, okay?" She reluctantly epted with conditions. "A-Ah..." She awkwardly pulled her eyes away from a model on disy that was notably missing in fabric. "Y-You¡­" "Ehehe~." "Also, if you n on getting me one with a frilly top only to mask something, I won''t talk to you for at least a week!" "I-I wouldn''t dream of it." "Oh?" The bunny-girl nced at Sophia''s chest. "Self-conscious?" "It''s, uhh,plicated..." Her current looks were a decision she made, in which she prioritized function over form, but that didn''t mean there was still a little regret left. Especially when Maya was missing them more than anyone else. "I don''t think you need to be. They''re not that small. They also perfectly fit your sporty figure." "Doesn''t sound that credible,ing from you..." Sophia looked at the clerk''s massive assets in return. "Ah." She had no reply in store. "Okay, bikinis!" The cat-girl had enough. ---------------- The couple browsed around in the swimsuit section for a while until both found an interesting one for their partner. Sophia was the first one who had to enter the fitting room with the bikini Maya had chosen for her. "S-So embarrassing..." After changing, she reluctantly stepped outside again to present herself. As she likes to move around, the cat-girl had chosen a sporty bikini with a little more fabric for her. Its base color was a dark blue, almost ck, but it also had two pink stripes on the left cup and the bottom part for added cuteness. "Even the fabric feels modern... I don''t get the priorities of this ce..." "*p p p*" Instead of a spoken answer, Maya and the clerk were simply apuding her. "Uuh, this was a bad idea..." She bashfully squirmed around so much that even the tiger-girl''s tail seemed to be nervous. "Sold!" Maya, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. "You look great!" She was excitedly moving around her to get a good look from every angle. "I have to agree." The clerk knew how to sell their stock. "There''s absolutely no reason to worry about your chest, either. If anything, I would advise you to get some shirts that better entuate your figure." "..." Maya seemed like she wanted to make ament as well when she followed the clerks'' line of sight, which ended on Sophia''s breasts but decided against it. She also looked a bit confused for some reason, but she still felt that staying silent was the best, the healthiest, option. "W-Well, the bikini itself isn''t bad..." Her main problem was being stared at with such vigor. "O-Okay, it''s your time now, Maya!" "Sure~." Grabbing her swimsuit, she disappeared into the fitting room. A couple of minutes and lots of rustlingter, the transformed cat-girl stepped out again. Her bikini had not have quite as much fabric, highlighting her curves, and especially her chest, much more. Held together by thin strings at its sides, the bikini was primarily white, while one of her cups was filled with red polka dots, perfectly matching her usual clothes. "My, how bold~." She didn''t fail to notice the difference in skin exposure between the two of them. "W-Well, you like the color... right? T-Though, I, uhh, might... wanted to see you... wearing a bikini like that..." "I-Isn''t she the cutest?!" Maya faced the bunny-girl and boasted to her. "I have to agree." "W-Why am I always the embarrassed one, in the end, either way?!" Sophia had utterly lost. "Hehe~. Well, I like the bikini. We''ll be getting both." "Thank you very much." The clerk was happy about the sale. "Anything else you two want?" "To go home..." Sophia had enough embarrassment for a day. "Let''s see~," Maya didn''t, though. "Oh, I want to get some spare underwear, but other than that..." Sophia joined in with that request, and both got a couple of extras. Thankfully, for the tiger-girl, she wasn''t urged to show them off before buying. Suspiciously enough, while she was browsing through them, Maya and the bunny-girl had disappeared for a while. Afterward, the bag the cat-girl was carrying when they left the store, was much bigger than Sophia''s for some reason, even though they had supposedly bought the same. The cat-girl also forbade her to look inside when she handed it over to Sophia, so she could store it away in her extra space. In short, the tiger-girl had a very bad feeling. After the couple said goodbye to the overly cheery bunny-girl clerk, whose smile was even bigger when she parted from Maya while looking at Sophia for some reason, they went to look for Fen, wondering if he was done with his walk already. Chapter 74 – New clothes Chapter 74 ¨C New clothes The couple finished their shopping trip and left the city again to search for Fen. Using her detection magic, Sophia found out that the wolf was a good bit away. The two needed around an hour to reach him, thanks to the tiger-girl still not quite being on par with Maya''s speed. "Ah." Having covered around half the distance, Sophia suddenly stopped and nced around. "What''s wrong? Lost the big guy?" "N-No, he''s still there... Nah, it''s nothing..." She seemed evasive for some reason. "Wait!" Something else bothered her, as well. "In the end, I never got my long pants." "wless victory!" Maya seemed really smug. "Uuh, I totally forgot because I was so caught up in yours and the bunny-clerks pace..." "Yep~." "S-So unfair!" "Well, she, too, said you look better in shorts, right?" "Still..." "And they''re easier to move in. You don''t want to hinder your mobility even further, do you?" "Urgh..." Sophia didn''t like being confronted with reasonable arguments. "Maybe we should get you a skirt?" The cat-girl was having fun. "Your legs will bepletely free, then." "S-Shorts are fine! I like them!" "Alright, if you love them that much, you can keep wearing your shorts." "Thank you ve-, Wait!" She noticed that Maya had tricked her. Dejected, she simply kept walking until they reached Fen, only to find themselves rather overwhelmed by the sight. ---------------- "Err," The couple found the wolf peacefully napping in a rocky wastnd. The area around him was far from peaceful, though. Aside from the signs of destruction all over, everything around him had burned down to nothingness. This wasn''t the most shocking sight, though. Scattered around Fen, there were the remains of at least 30 rock golems. Most of them had melted into something ss-like, and a few others were reduced to piles of sand, and only their jewelry eyes remained. "Looks like we could''ve spent some more money during our shopping trip." Sophia remembered that one golem eye was worth around 100 gold and was enough tofortably live for a month. "Oh, wee, I guess?" Noticing their arrival, the wolfzily opened his eyes. "So, this is what happens when you go on a walk, huh?" Sophia looked impressed. "It was a productive walk, yes." "I can see that." "W-What happened here?" Maya wasn''t quite as easygoing as the other two. "I detected those guys, and I thought it would be fun. Turns out, it really was. I even tried out your wind st magic from the dungeon back then, Maya." He gestured at the two pulverized golems. "It''s really powerful." "T-Thanks..." "The destruction and the melted, ss-like rocks..." Sophia was looking around as well. "Yes. Rock golems are normally basically immune to fire. Not against your blue version, though. Seriously, to easily melt stone... That me''s so messed up! I''m so d I was able to learn it!" "Good for you." "How did the shopping go? Have you gotten my spices?" "Of course, we''ve gotten everything remotely usable." "Great." "Eh? Spices or food''s more important than this mountain of dead golems?" "Of course!" Wolf and tiger were on the same wavelength. "Why am I even surprised?" Maya questioned why she bothered asking in the first ce. "Fen, do you mind if we collect these eyes?" Sophia pointed at the dead golems. "They''re rather valuable, after all. Well, for those who can''t hunt them themselves, that is." "Sure, I don''t mind." And so, for the next 40 minutes, the group collected the eyes of all 30 golems, and Sophia stored them away. They nned to sell them the next time the group needs money. Afterward, they left the graveyard and entered a little forest not too far away, where the wolf also collected some meat. ------------------------------ "Alright, I''m looking forward to dinner, Maya!" The tiger-girl took out all the cooking equipment and looked at her with expectant eyes. "Leave it to me!" She was fired up. Going all out, it took Maya around an hour because she had yet to get used to the new knives and the like. Also, because she had so many choices now, the cat-girl had way overdone it with the food. It almost ended up in an all-you-can-eat buffet. She prepared various cuts of meat with different spices, lots of vegetables, rice, pasta, and even a sd with some grains, seeds, and nuts. "Shopping was totally worth it!" Sophia was happily rubbing her stomach with a satisfied expression after they finished eating. "Definitely." so was the wolf. "I''m d you like it." "Alright, bath time?" She looked at the cat-girl, looking forward to a warm bath after a satisfying meal. "Sure. Can you go ahead and build it? I''ll clean the cooking utensils first and follow you then. "Sounds like a n." She was about to leave when Maya stopped her again. "Ah, can you give me my bag with the clothes from shopping? I want to change into themter." "Good idea, I almost forgot about that." Sophia let both bags reappear from her extra space and ced them on the ground before leaving for real this time. "Hurry up, okay?" "I''IIe in a few minutes!" She sent her off and stared at the bags with a smile. "Ehehe-." Maya followed her around 15 minutester, and the two had a rxing bath together. As much as that was possible with the two of them, at least. Afterward, it became a little more hectic, though. "Err," Sophia wanted to get dressed after drying herself, but she noticed a small problem. "Where are my clothes?" She nced at the cat-girl behind her, who had just finished changing into her new, light-grey, fluffy, andfortable-looking pajama from the store. "I wanted you to change into something I bought, first. That''s why I hid them, giving you no other choice." "Ahh, I see... Wait, what?!" "And so, here~." She fished around in her bag before handing over a white piece of clothing to Sophia. "W-What is that...?" She had a bad feeling about this. "A dress." "A dress?" "Yeah." "Phew..." Sophia seemed relieved. "I expected whatever now, but a dress should be fine, I guess. You could''ve just asked." "Eh?" The cat-girl hadn''t expected such an answer. "You''re fine with wearing dresses? Even though you were so fixated on long pants the entire time?" "They''re not my favorite piece of clothing, and I feel a little ufortable walking around in them, too breezy... But, wearing it in front of you, not that much of a deal." "I-I''m so blessed. Wait! What did you think I would be going to make you wear?!" "I-I don''t know, something embarrassing like, uhh, l-lingerie... or something like that?" "There was that option?!" Maya simply hadn''t thought about this idea and seemed really regretful. "A-Anyway, no, I''ll settle for the dress... This time!" "I shouldn''t have said anything... Huh? Maya, where''s my underwear?" "A-Ah!" "Hey!" "I think I hid them with your clothes..." "Oi!" "Don''t worry, goingmando with the dress is perfectly okay!" "..." It was not. Because of that, she made Maya get her some before she changed. Bathing together naked all the time should make goingmando a nonissue, but it still was. Naked in a bath and not wearing any underwear beneath clothes were two very different things for some reason. Once this was taken care of, she changed into the cat-girl''s dress. It was a primarily white summery sundress with a subtle pinkish-red floral pattern together with a ruffled gaze belt and a red ribbon to keep the form around her waist. She would''ve preferred apletely straight neckline or maybe a style of dress that had no d¨¦collet¨¦ at all, mostly for reasons she''s not going to name. It reminded her of slightly better times. Other than that, the tiger liked it, especially because it was a rtively longish dress, covering her legs almost all the way to her knees. It even had a hole for the tiger-girl''s tail at the backside. Afterward, she did a short twirl to present herself to Maya. "I-It''s-, You''re beautiful." She was mesmerized by the very feminine-looking tiger. "T-Thanks... Save for maybe the neckline, it''s a very nice dress. I actually like it a lot." "It makes you look bigger, though." "Well, my shirts are a little baggy, so the dress works better with what little I have?" "..." Maya continued to just stare at her. "Hello...?" "A-Ah! Uh, y-yes?" "What''s wrong?" "No... Well, actually, they do seem bigger. I''ve actually been wondering about thattely, especially during our baths. Now, with the dress, it seems even more obvious. While not like your old, adult form¡­ Sophia, you''ve made your chest bigger, didn''t you?" "Ah." She turned her face away. "I knew it! There¡¯s no way I would''ve missed your breasts changing! I was just too, uhh, scared to bring it up!" ¡°So you did notice, huh?" "Your shirts hide a lot, after all. So¡­ Why the change?" "Well, Idomiss them¡­ But running around feels sooo much better! I want to find out where the happy medium is. Big enough to make me happy and-" "And me!" Maya answered on instinct. ¡°Yeah, that, too. Making you happy is a nice plus. Anyway, big enough, but also don''t interfere with my running around." ¡°A-And? Have you found it yet?" "I think they can grow a little more." "Yay!" She, again, blurted out the first thing that went through her head. "I-I mean, I''m d that you''re-" ¡°Stop trying to save yourself. It''s not working." Sophia could only roll her eyes. "S-Sorry." "You feel yours on your shoulders after walking around, yes?" "Considering the stakes, I really want to say no, but... Well, they''re roughly the size of your old ones, so... There asionally is a bit of pain after a long day." The cat-girl decided to tell the truth. "Thanks for being honest." "It was hard!" "Well, current me''s still a good bit smaller, so you might be in luck about getting something extra." "Why not constantly use healing magic?" Maya was trying her best. "Ehh...? Well, that could work, but it sounds incredibly wrong. Even to me..." "It was worth a shot. Yeah, you''re right. That might be a little much. Still, shouldn''t be your pain resistance be boosted?" "When were my boosts ever consistent?" "Fair point." "Also, even if, they would still move around and be annoying when running." "That''s true." Maya seemed to be able to rte. "I hate it when you have reasonable arguments." "Hehe." "Thankfully, that''s a rare urrence." "Urgh." "Well, whatever." The cat-girl gave up. "I admit liking them bigger, but I love you. If I get a little extra now, I won''tin." "S-Sure... Anyway, thanks for getting me a long dress." Sophia wanted to change the topic. "..." The cat-girl went back to staring instead. "Maya." "Huh? Err, yes?" "So hopeless... I said thanks for getting me a long dress." "Well, personally, I would''ve gone for a shorter one, but that would''ve been the wrong choice. It''s perfect. I got it because you were so going on about your long pants, buying you a too-short dress in that situation, bad idea." "My, aren''t you considerate?" "I always am!" "I wonder about that. I really do..." "You should keep wearing it! It looks really good on you!" "I would prefer not to. Especially when we''re traveling or even fighting. A dress like this only gets in the way. Also, while not as much as a skirt like yours, there''s the chance of ces being seen I would rather not show off..." "Panties?" "Well, yeah..." "But only I would see them." "Still¡­ Or rather, especially because of that." "Aww... but when we''re in a city and just leisurely walking around?" "I-I''ll... think about it..." Sophia gave in. "Yay! Wait," Maya was happy, but something bugged her then. "What do you mean by not as much as a skirt like mine? I''m wearing it all the time, and it''s not like I''m showing off anything." "..." She looked away. "Hey! Look me in the eyes!" "S-Sorry... I, uhh, I knew after our first training session what kind of, well, underwear you prefer. AND! I wasn''t trying to look!" "S-Seriously?! N-No way..." Her face turned red. "I-I''ve been wearing this type of clothing forever... So EMBARRASSING! Wait!" She looked at Sophia with a pout. "W-Why didn''t you say anything back then?!" "Hello? I was happy to be able to talk to you at all! With me being how I was back then..." She would''ve been way too shy and embarrassed to mention something like that. "Fair point... But why didn''t you say anythingter on? At least after we got together. It should''ve been fine then, right?" "..." She looked away again. "Sophia~?" "I-, I might''ve... possibly, let''s say, liked the, uhh, view..." "Y-You... I''ll so get you a miniskirt the next time I have the chance!" "Urgh..." There was nothing she could say in her defense. "I''m looking forward to that." Afterward, Sophia showed off her dress some more to the cat-girl before she finally was allowed to change into her new pajamas as well. It was the same light-grey one Maya was already wearing. "Ohh~, it''s so fluffy and feels so nice!" "It''s great, huh?" "Absolutely!" "Though," Maya looked at the tiger-girls legs. "I wonder if bare thighs would''ve been better, especially to sleep on..." "How about you not sleep in myp?" "Not an option. Besides, if I weren''t the one doing it, you would definitely use mine instead." "N-Noment..." Both feline girls had taken a liking to the other''sp, after all. "Ehehe~." That topic being taken care of, the two finally went back to their campsite. There, after chatting for a while with Fen, the couple got ready to sleep. As it turned out, the fluffiness of the pajamas, together with the warmth of Sophia''s thighs, the cat-girl had no way of resisting the allure. She fell asleep in under two minutes once she had gottenfortable on herp. Maya liked it very much. Sophia had a moreplicated opinion on the matter, mostly because she was jealous, though. Chapter 75 – Entertaining Fen Chapter 75 ¨C Entertaining Fen The couple got some new clothes during their shopping trip, which ended up with Sophia suddenly having a dress thanks to the cat-girl, who enjoyed her wearing it very much. They also got matching couple pajamas, and Maya immediately put them to good use, iming the tiger''sp for the night, she had a lovely sleep and was very energetic the following morning. "Haa~, I don''t think I ever slept so well! The fluffiness of your pajama pants, together with the warmth of you, such bliss~! Your bare thighs are nice, too, but the fluffy can''t be underestimated." "Thanks..." Sophia wasn''t quite as enthusiastic, and not only because it was still morning. "Tonight, we''re switching ces. I''ll ept no discussions." She was mainly envious. "Aww, well, giving ap-pillow is nice on its own." She reluctantly agreed. There were worse fates in her eyes. "Either way, I lose, huh?" "No, either way, I just win. But I think that''s a win-win for both of us." "You have a point there. That definitely is a win here." "Ehehe. So, what''s the n for today?" "Hmm... Do you mind if I pay some attention to Fen today?" "Huh? Me?" The wolf turned his head after hearing his name. "Sure? I don''t mind. Any specific reason for it, though?" Maya didn''t see a problem with it. "Well, the two of us are kinda, uhh, all over each other ... I feel like I''m leaving him out a lot recently." "Ahh..." The cat-girl knew what she was talking about. "You really don''t have to be concerned about me. It''s perfectly fine by me if you two want to spend time together." The wolf was very understanding. "Really? Well, I wanted to show you my time-stop magic, but if you don''t wa-" "I''m sorry! Please pay some attention to me!" Understanding, but greedy nheless. "Ahaha, alright." "So, what do I have to do?!" Fen was already really excited. "Hmm... nothing much. I first have to find out how to stop time on purpose in the first ce. Both times before happened unconsciously, after all." "Okay, I''ll patiently wait!" There was nothing patient about his reply, though. --------------------- Giving it her best, Sophia concentrated for the next hour to stop time on her own demand while the wolf ran in circles around her, and his tail definitely wasn''t wagging the entire time. In his words, at least. Once she had a good enough image of the magic while also remembering what happened and her feelings during the times it happened on its own, the tiger-girl finally gave it a try. "Hmm?" Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around and confirmed that everything stopped moving, including her twopanions. "Still scary..." While she learned about the good side of this magic after Maya''s confession, she still found it creepy. "Alright... now to unfreeze Fen-" She looked at the wolf, the reason for why she was doing this. "Although-" Sophia then nced at her cat-girl. "Ehehe~." She circled around her with a goofy smile. "Just how lucky am I?" Bringing her face closer to Maya''s cheek, she gave her a quick kiss before turning to the wolf again. Not having to fear getting attacked by Maya, she got a little bold. "O-Okay..." Sophia had gotten embarrassed over her own action and focussed on the wolf again. "I kinda want to y a prank on him! Oh, right! When we went clothes shopping, I also got some hair bands and clips... You can always use those, after all. Not to mention that I lose a couple... hundreds of them every year. Even though I rarely use them in the first ce? Stupid things... Let''s gather a flower or two and have some fun~." Feeling yful, she yed with the fur on top of the wolf''s head and added some clips and hairbands. She made some short braided pigtails and decorated them with a bunch of colorful flowers. "Adorable!" Sophia was happy with the oue. "Time to be serious now, though." She walked up to the wolf again and touched his side. Once she poured some of her magic power into him, Fen soon started moving. "Wee~." "O-Oh?" He needed a moment to adjust because, for him, the tiger-girl had basically teleported, thanks to the difference in time. "Ohhh!" Fen finally noticed his frozen surroundings. "And? How is it?" "It''s... surreal... Ah!" His gaze fell on the still motionless cat-girl. "Very surreal." "Feel free to look around." "Will do!" Excited, the wolf dashed away to take in all the little details. "Alright, let''s bring Maya over as well. It''s getting kinda awkward..." Touching her back, Sophia made time for the cat-girl move again, as well. "A-Ah... so freaky!" Noticing Sophia being in an entirely different spot, too, confused her for a moment, but she then stopped moving and tilted her head. "Hmm...? What did you do?" She suddenly touched her cheek and rubbed it a bit. "E-Eh...? Wha-, What do you mean?" The tiger awkwardly looked to the side. "I don''t know. There''s a lingering, kind of warm and fuzzy feeling on my cheek that wasn''t there before." "Err... Well, t-there might be the possibility that I maybe, possibly... potentially, uhh, could''ve kissed you... T-Theoretically speaking, of course..." "Unfair!" She immediately started to pout. "Again! Do it again!" "H-Huh?" It was not the reaction Sophia had expected. "R-Really...?" "Hurry up!" Maya walked up to her and presented her cheek right in front of the girl¡¯s face. "Uuh, it''s rather... embarrassing it you''re so pushy..." As it turned out, Sophia wasn''t even safe from her advances when she stops time. "It''s better than kissing a defenseless girl, is it not?" "Urgh." She had no excuse. A little momentter, after preparing herself, Sophia leaned in and gave the cat-girl another quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you very much~." She was happy. "Here, have one, too!" Returning the favor, Maya kissed her, as well. "T-Thanks..." Her face had turned red. "A-Ah! This was supposed to be for Fen, and yet we still..." "Ehehe~." She was d that the two always ended up in their own little world, even though it currently already was a world where only three individuals existed in the first ce. "I don''t mind." The wolf showed up again. "You''re a good guy, Fe- Wow!" Maya looked at the wolf and noticed Sophia''s prank. "What''s wrong?" "Ehh-" She noticed that the tiger-girl was grinning mischievously and connected the dots. "N-Nothing, you''re cute, big guy." "I would prefer being called cool over cute, you know?" He seemed even more confused and tilted his head, causing his pigtails to sway around a bit. "V-Very cute..." Sophia had difficulties staying serious. "A-Anyway, found anything of interest, Fenny?" "Everything''s really fascinating! Thank you very much for showing me!" "Think you can recreate it for yourself?" "No chance." The wolf wasn''t confident. "I have not the slightest idea how this magic of yours works..." "You''re not alone with that..." Sophia, too, couldn''t really understand what she was doing. "I''ll be cross-referencing with some theories we, err, I had in the past... Maybe I''ll find a hint. Now that I know that stopping time is not only theoretically possible, but it actually works, I''m really motivated again!" "Good for you. Huh, we?" She noticed his little slip-up. "Now that I think of it, what happens if we fight a monster while time''s stopped?" Fenpletely ignored her question. "Does it die the moment I kill it, or only once time''s back?" "Hmm? Well, that''s a very interesting question." Sophia hadn''t thought about that before. "Let''s find out!" He was definitely trying to change the subject. "Hmm? My detection magic isn''t working?" "Really? Oh, you''re right... neither does mine. No, wait, I can still detect you and Maya." The tiger-girl tried the same, but she wasn''t getting any detections. "That''s weird... Why?" "Yes, I meant beside our group." "Maybe it''s because we''re the only living beings?" Maya had a theory for the situation. "No, I detected some food before Sophia stopped time." "Yeah, well, technically animals..." The wolf''s and tiger''s magic still worked before. "No, I mean right now. With everything, everyone but us frozen in ce due to time being stopped... aren''t we the only actual living beings right now?" "Ah." The two looked at each other and then at the cat-girl. "You''re quite smart, aren''t you?" "That doesn''t mean much in this group..." Maya didn''t take it as apliment. "On a more serious note," Fen had just yed along. "You might be right. We mainly detect the magic powers of living beings. As time is stopped, their life is stopped, as well, and thus their magic isn''t working." "Sounds usible." Sophia nodded. "But I still roughly remember the position of a herd of kows." "Those guys sure are everywhere, huh?" "Let''s do a little experimenting." Fen was still excited about the situation. "Sure, why not? I''m getting hungry, anyway." The tiger-girl knew how this experiment would end. ------------------- The group walked around for around 30 minutes until Fen finally found the kows he detected earlier because he had mostly forgotten about their position. "Finally!" The wolf had almost given up. "A-Ah." Sophia stopped and looked a little awkward. "I could''ve just unstopped time, look for them, and stop it again..." "Seriously, how did I fall for such a scatterbrain...?" "What an idiot." Herpanions were rather harsh. "H-Hey... Wait! While I''m admittedlyte, you guys didn''t have the idea at all!" "..." The two didn''t reply. "Hey!" She felt bullied. "Anyway," Fen faced the nearest kow. "Let''s give this a try!" Saying so, he formed multiple spears made out of ice with his magic and shot them at the animal. "W-Well..." The tiger-girl was looking at the result with aplicated expression. Three thick icy spears had impaled the kow, but it wasn''t bleeding and still standing. Not even the look on its face had changed. "I don''t know..." "I feel a little bad..." Maya, too, wasn''t a fan of the sight. "Yeah." Even the wolf was questioning his doings. "Something about this is... wrong." "I-, I mean the result would''ve been the same anyway, but this... Normally, it at least theoretically has a chance." Sophia found the reason why they didn''t like it. "Yes, it''s cowardly." "Resume time for now?" She felt like it was enough. "Yes." The other two agreed. "I need some time to think about possible ideas to recreate the magic first, anyway. I''ve seen enough for the time being." Sophia concentrated on activating her magic, and the flow of time slowly turned to normal. Once everything went back to how it was supposed to be, the impaled kow immediately started bleeding and fell over before even realizing that it had died. "Yeah, we''re not doing that again..." Maya pointed at the dead animal as she spoke for the group. "Agreed." Afterward, they collected the kow and turned it into a nice barbecue. While the three were eating, they continued to chat about what happened. "I still can''t believe it... I actually witnessed time being stopped with my own eyes!" Fen was really happy. "Again, thank you very much for showing me, Sophia!" "I''m d my stupid and scary idents bring you joy." No matter how cool it is, the scars from the first time she almost got stuck in it were still there. "You''re doing a lot of those, huh?" The cat-girl was ncing at her. "Stupid mistakes with a good oue, that is." She was specifically looking at her tiger ears and tail. "It''s my specialty." She was well aware of it. "Ehehe~. Well, I like that about you. Okay, most of the time..." She corrected herself a little. Because there was still a lot of the day left, because they hadn''t spent much timeyet, the group kept going after their barbecue. They covered some ground until the evening and got yet a little closer to the beastfolk capital, though it was still a long way to there. Chapter 76 – A sad memory Chapter 76 ¨C A sad memory Sophia had shown Fen the world where time had stopped, and he was very grateful for it because he always wanted to see it. Afterward, the group covered some more ground towards the capital of the beastfolk and ended the day after making camp in the evening. On the following day, the three kept going just like that. Thanks to the continuous moving around, the tiger-girl had finally be at least as fast as Maya again. That meant the group had reached their old travel speed again. Before Sophia had identally transformed herself into a tiger, the cat-girl was the slowest of them. "A-Ah." Just before noon, Sophia suddenly stopped walking and looked behind her with a worried expression. "What''s wrong?" Maya turned to look at her. "I hate it when you do that." "Err," She needed a moment. "There-, There''s something I''ve been hiding from you two..." "Don''t you think your backstory is long enough already, girl?!" The wolf instinctively retorted. "No, that''s not what I meant. Remember the strong monster I detected at that beach, the one on the ind?'' "Y-Yes...?" The cat-girl suddenly had a bad feeling. "Well, it''s back... and it''s following us... For some days already, too." "W-What?!" Maya didn''t like this revtion at all. "That''s impossible!" Fen, too, had gotten a little loud. "Uhh, that''s what I''m seeing, though?Well, sensing..." "But detection magic''s mine. Nobody should be able to follow us. Especially not from such a range!" "My range''s bigger than yours, too? Maybe because that thing''s so powerful?" "Yeah, but I taught you my magic." "Ah, that''s true..." Sophia finally understood his problem. "You haven''t shown it to anyone besides me?" "There was one in the past... She was also really talented in it, but..." "Maybe it''s her then? That acquaintance?" "There-, There''s no way she''d ever look for me again..." Fen''s expression changed. "Oh~? Ex-girlfriend?" Sophia''s eyes lit up. "She''s not." "Really now? Sure sounds like it, though. Come on, tell us what happened for her to never approach you again?" The tiger-girl was really curious. "I bet if you earnestly apologize, she''ll forgive you." "I don''t think that will happen..." "Just how much did you mess up?!" "I didn''t. She... She''s dead. That''s why there''s no chance she would ever look for me again..." "Ohh..." Sophia went silent while her face turned blue. As it turned out, she was the one who messed up. Big time, at that. "Sophia..." Maya sighed. "I love you, but you''re an absolute ass." "That... Yes, I am..." Feeling incredibly guilty, she eventually faced the wolf again. "I-I''m really sorry... That''s not where I wanted this to go! Not at all!" "Well, it''s been a long time since it happened, so... Still, you should learn to think before you speak already, girl." "I really should..." She had no excuse. "Yeah..." No matter how much time had passed since then, it apparently still affected the wolf. "What, uhh, happened? If you don''t mind telling us?" "It was an ident. She was a bit like you, Sophia, always trying out all kinds of interesting magics she came up with. One day, she wanted to teleport herself... It failed. As a test, she only tried to teleport like ten meters or so. I''ve never seen her again after that..." "A-Ah... Is that why you reacted so strongly when I mentioned teleporting the other day?" "Yes. I don''t want it to happen again." "I can understand why now." "Uhh," Maya had a question. "How do you know that she actually... died?" "Yes, I had thought about the possibility that she''s just lost. But then she could-, should''ve just teleported back." "That''s true..." "Also, the reaction of her magic power also vanished and hasn''t shown up ever again since. I was living in the area where it happened for a while, but there was nothing. Even in the years after, there were no signs of her. None of my acquaintances from back then had seen her ever since then, either." "I-I see... I''m sorry for your loss." Maya hung her head after it seemed like her idea had no chance of being true. "Thank you." "A-Ah..." "What is it now?!" The two looked at Sophia. "No, I just had an idea, but I''ll keep it to myself because I don''t want to be called an idiot again. Not to mention the mood would turn even weirder." "Just tell us, idiot." "So unfair!" She had no means of winning against those two. "W-Well, maybe we''re just too paranoid?" "What do you mean?" Maya tilted her head. "Ignoring their mysterious power, maybe it''s just someone heading to the capital, as well? Not following us at all, just going in the same direction?" "A-Ah." The other two had the same reaction. Because this exnation was so anticlimactically reasonable, the group dropped the gloomy topic of Fen''s lostrade and resumed their travels again. The mood didn''t feel right to talk about it anymore. --------------------- While Fen was preparing the meat he had collected during the evening, Maya chatted with Sophia while she was getting their dinner ready. "Say..." The cat-girl was ncing at the wolf. "Hmm?" "Do you think Fen and this dead girl were together?" "I don''t know... I don''t even know what she was. For example, a wolf like ours here? A beast girl, demon? Heck, I wouldn''t be surprised if he was hanging out with an elf." "That''s true." "All I know is that she wasn''t a human." There was at least one race Sophia could exclude. "Haha." "I do think he is, well, was quite fond of her, though..." "Well, he did tell me he was in love with someone in the past. Maybe it really was her." "Possibly- Wait, what?!" The tiger-girl heard something she couldn''t ignore. "When did that happen?! Where was I?!" "You were asleep." "Ehhh?!" She has shocked to have missed such an important event again. "Alright, I need to find some energy drinks in this world!" "Some what now?" "Something that, uhh, works like coffee? Anyway, don''t mind me, go on." "It was when we were talking about you and me, shortly before or after my confession? I don''t know the exact time anymore. Whatever, okay, he didn''t explicitly state he was in love, but his words made it seem like it..." "Fenny''s girlfriend, huh? I would''ve loved to meet her." Sophia was really interested. "It''s too bad..." She hung her head a little. "Yeah... By the way," She nced at the wolf again because she wanted to talk about something else. "Yes?" "Aren''t you going to tell him about- Wait, are those new flowers in his hair?" The cat-girl was talking about his pigtails decorated with flowers that Sophia made when the time was stopped. "It''s super cute, isn''t it? I nned to keep it~." "I see." "Last night, I woke up because I was thirsty. While I was at it, I also exchanged the flowers for fresh ones." "You really are motivated about the strangest things..." "Ehehe." "Oh, so this was why myp felt lonely for around ten or so minutes in the middle of the night, huh? I knew I didn''t just dream that." "There''s just no way you''d notice that while being asleep." "I even noticed you kissing me while I was frozen in time." She had a pretty smug expression for some reason. "Y-You know, in a way, I think you''re the most overpowered member of our group." "It''s the power of love!" "Wow..." Sophia''s face became red just having heard that line. After this, because Maya was too embarrassed to talk for a while, thanks to unconsciously having said a way too corny line, the group''s dinner was much more peaceful than usual. A whileter, the couple took their regr bath, and following that, they gotfortable before their day finally came to an end. -------------- "Fuah, I can''t get enough of this~." Just having woken up, Maya was happily wiggling her head in Sophia''sp. "These pajamas, plus your warm thighs, are as heavenly as always!" "T-Thanks..." The tiger-girl was still sleepy. "Well, I had the pleasurest night, and I have to agree." The two decided to change positions each night, so no one gets too pouty. "Sooo good!" "Hmm... Fen?" Sophia changed the topic. "Yes?" "Your detection range''s still around five kilometers, right?" "Roughly. My focus is more on details, rather than range, after all." "Too bad." "Why are you asking, Sophia?" "That strong one. They slowed down during the night, but it got a good bit nearer to us. Around 25 to 30 Kilometers, I would guess." "Sorry, too far for me." "A-Are you really sure it''s merely heading to the capital, not us?" Maya still had a bad feeling about this. "Okay, I have an idea. How far is the capital?" "A week? Maybe ten days, give or take." "We reach it if we keep going west, right? How about we travel north for a while? It''s going to be a detour, but we''ll find out if that thing''s following us or not." "Right... if it turns north, as well, we''re screwed. If not, we really were just too paranoid..." "Exactly." "Let''s do it!" The cat-girl liked the idea. ---------------------- Having decided on it, the group changed their route to find out whether they''re being followed or not. They kept going in the wrong direction for most of the day, and they strayed way more than a marathon''s length away from the path to the beastfolk capital. They wanted to make sure whether the powerful being was actually after them or if all of it was just an unlucky coincidence. "Is there really no one else that you taught your detection magic, Fen?" Sophia nced at the wolf while the group was currently resting near a shore of a river they found, grilling some meat and fish over their usual fire. "I-Is it-, is it really following us, after all?!" Maya was panicking again. "I''m not sure yet. The strong one isn''t strictly heading for the capital anymore, either... but it''s also not exactly our direction... somewhere in between." "I-I see..." "No, you and myte...panion are the only ones who learned my detection magic." Fen answered Sophia''s question. "Hmm, just because it''s your original magic, that doesn''t mean it has to be exclusive to you, does it? Someone else,pletely unrted, could''vee up with the same idea, right?" The tiger-girl was looking for a suitable exnation. "Unlikely... but not entirely impossible, either." "Do you have a better exnation?" "No, I have not." The wolf couldn''t think of anything else. "If it''s actually following us... Why? I can safely assume I angered no one. After all, no one knows me here." "Ahem." Maya coughed into her hand. "No one with mentionable power." Sophia had excluded the humans in her im. "That''s fair. You''re also by far the strongest one I ever picked a fight with, Sophia. I''m sure I''m not the reason, either." The cat-girl, too, doesn''t know anyone with so much power she could''ve offended. "What about you, big guy?" The girls stared at the most likely reason they would be followed for. "Ahh, let me think..." He seemed to have an entire list to go through. "Well, no, as I said before, no one with such vast powers should even exist. At least not to my knowledge." "So mysterious~." "Sure is." Tiger and wolf were on the same wavelength. "It''s scary!" The cat wasn''t. The group stayed at the river for a while, waiting for something to happen. A little over an hour passed, and they were about to decide to head back, but Sophia''s face suddenly tensed up. "A-Ah..." "Don''t say Ah! It never means anything good when you say that!" Maya''s bad feeling was on an all-time high now. "There are some asional exceptions." "T-Then-" "This-, This is not one of them..." The tiger-girl smashed her faint hope. "N-No way..." "Unfortunately, that thing changed directions. It''s heading straight for us now..." "W-W-What should we do now?!" "There''s nothing we can do." "W-We could run, r-right?!" "It''s a gooood bit faster than Fen and I at top speed. It''ll reach us in half an hour at best." "Oh." Maya''s entire body turned full-white, and she fell down on her knees in despair, devoid of all hope. Just like Sophia, she can be pretty dramatic when the situation calls for it. Chapter 77 – Their pursuer Chapter 77 ¨C Their pursuer Sophia had detected the strong being she first noticed back when the group arrived at the sea again. They hoped it was just a coincidence, but it had now be clear that the being, which was at least 50% stronger than Fen, was indeed following them. Even worse, it was now heading straight towards them with tremendous speed. "I-Is there really nothing we can do?! L-Like, at all...?" Maya was still panicking. "Hmm... Ah!" "Stop that already, Sophia!" The tension caused her to snap. "I''m stressed enough already! I can''t deal with even more now!" "It''s a good Ah this time!" "R-Really...?" "Do you have a n?" Fen also looked at her. "Should I stop time again? If we travel that way for a while, we should be able to lose it after a couple of days while they''re frozen." "Let''s do it!" The cat-girl sounded desperate. "I think that would be for the best." Even Fen agreed. "Alright." Putting her idea into action, Sophia stopped time and brought herrades over to the frozen world. "It''s still as fascinating as ever..." "And scary!" Maya wasn''t in the mood to enjoy the sight. "S-Speaking of scary... N-Now that it can''t fight back... how about instead of running away, we go and defeat the strong one? I know it''s cowardly, and I said it''s a bad thing, but I really don''t care about any of that!" "Hmm..." The tiger-girl wasn''t convinced. "We still don''t know if it''s an enemy. Maybe it just wants friends, and we''re the strongest around?" "Uuh..." It wasn''t what she wanted to hear. "Maybe we should still take a look at it? I''m not going to lie, I''m really curious about that individual." The wolf wanted to find out what or who was following them. "That''s a good idea." Sophia agreed. "How about we decide what to do when we see it, Maya?" "O-Okay..." Having agreed on a n, the group decided to head towards their pursuer while time was stopped. ---------------- It had taken them a couple of hours worth of time, but the three eventually reached a lush green in where Sophia hadst detected the strong being. "Uuh..." The cat-girl was fidgety for the entire time. "I-Is it really safe to approach it...?" "Yeah, once you''re frozen, you''repletely defenseless." Sophia was sure there''s no danger. "R-Right, I even was molested without being able to do anything..." "H-Hey... it was just a kiss!" "Hehe." Maya''s tension eased up a little. "Haa... I think we should see that thing any time now- Oh?" The tiger ced a hand on her forehead while looking into the distance and stopped. "W-What is it now... Eh?" She looked in the same direction and froze up, as well. "What''s going on, you two?" The wolf was more specialized in hearing and smell, and so he couldn''t see anything yet. "It''s-, It''s, uhh, another Fen..." "Huh?!" He hadn''t expected those words. "The fur''s a little darker and more of a greyish-blue together with lots of white, and it''s a bit thinner, but it''s another oversized wolf..." Sophia identified the being as something rather familiar. "B-Blue and white¡­? No. H-How can that be...?" Fen wasn''t sure how to react. "Let''s get a better look~!" With the tiger-girl in the lead, the couple made their way closer to it while their resident wolfgged behind. "I-In a way, he looks kinda cute. Somewhat scary, but cute nheless..." The two arrived, and Maya took a good look at the two-meter tall, mostly blue and white wolf. "Hmm?" Sophia bent forward to look under the belly of the wolf for some reason. "She looks cute." She noticed that a certain detail was missing. "Where are you even looking?!" "W-Well, she looked female... smaller than Fen, not such a big build, the fur, and just the overall feel. I just wanted to make sure." "I see... You''re right. She does look feminine." She took another nce. "Oh my gosh, she''s soo fluffy!" The tiger-girl wasted no time and touched the side of the wolf with her hand. She looked ecstatic as it hadpletely sunken into the thick and soft fur. "W-What are you doing?!" "How could I resist such a temptation?" By now, she had both her hands deeply burrowed into the fur. "You should try it, too, Maya!" "R-Really¡­?" She was a little intrigued. "W-Wow, so silky-smooth and soft! And this volume!" The couple was enamored by the fur of this female wolf. "I want to keep her! She looks like a gigantic husky! She''s so adorable! I don''t want to let go of this supremely fluffy fur! Is she really an enemy...?" Sophia wanted her as apanion. "Err, I have no idea how we could find out..." "Fen, what do you think? Huh, Fen...?" She looked for their wolf and noticed that he was still around 100 meters away, not moving a single muscle for some reason. "..." He blinked a couple of times with a very shocked expression, seemingly distressed about something. "Hmm?" The couple noticed that something was amiss and walked back to him. "..." He continued to stare in silence at the other wolf. "E-Eh?!" Sophia took a better look at his face and noticed that the corners of his eyes were wet with tears. "Wolves can cry...? Wait, that''s not important! W-What is wrong?!" "A-Aura...?" After his low mutter, Fen slowly staggered towards the other wolf. He almost tripped over himself a couple of times. "Aura...?" The girls looked at each other in confusion. "Does he know her?" Maya tilted her head. "Seems like it." "Aura..." Fen arrived at the female wolf and was staring at her in point-nk range. A short whileter, he made contact with her nose before he gently rubbed his face against her neck as a greeting and trying to make sure it really was the wolf he thinks she is. "H-How...?" Having slight difficulties with standing, he eventually sat down on the grass in front of her without ever looking away. "F-Fen...?" The couple approached him with a very worried expression. "What''s... going on, big guy?" "I-I-, I have no idea... T-This can''t be-... She couldn''t be-... It''s impossible." "Do you know her?" The cat-girl tried to ask him. "She''s... Aura... Or Aurora. She''s my old...panion. My... deadpanion..." "E-Eh?!" The girls were in perfect sync. "Y-You mean the one who teleported herself into nirvana, err, the other side?" "Yes..." "How''s that even...? It makes no sense." Sophia was confused. "..." Fen was obviously the most affected one by this whole situation. "Maybe it really was a different kind of ident?" Maya tried to understand what happened. "She teleported herself to a really far away ce and needed this long toe back?" "It''s-, It''s been almost... 200 years since the ident." "A-Ah... Really, really, REALLY far away...?" "Stop talking, Maya." Sophia wanted to keep the damage low. "Yes... Urgh, to be told that by you of all people..." "Fen... What do you want to do now? Maya wanted to kill that strong being, but-" "H-Hey!" "But the situation has obviously changed." "I... want, no, I need to talk to her." "Is it safe for us to unstop time?" "She is... was a bit entric, but a truly gentle soul. Well, at least before we parted..." "Okay, entric is our specialty, anyway. Maya, is it alright if we risk it?" "Yes! The circumstances are something else now!" "Thank you." Fen was d that the couple was so understanding. "Alright. Well, if pushes to shove, I can stop time again." The risk wasn''t that big. "Ah, but we should distance ourselves a good bit. She, uhh, Aura, was it? She''s currently running at full speed. Once time resumes, she would crash into you with so much force, Fen... Maya would need another set of clothes because they would be died blood-red again." Not being interested in such a future, the group got a couple of hundred meters away from the female wolf. Just enough room for her to realize their arrival and stop her chase. The couple also distanced themselves from Fen because it was his reunion. Once everyone was in position, Sophia unstopped time again. ------------------- Immediately after time resumed, the female wolf continued her high-speed sprint for a second or two before hitting the brakes. Once she realized their instant arrival, she barely managed to stop about 20 meters in front of the waiting Fen, followed by a massive cloud of dust behind her. "Aura..." "Fen..." The duo stared at each other for a good minute. "Is it-, is it really you...?" Even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, he still couldn''t believe it. "Yes... it''s me, Aurora, Fenrid." "Fenrid...?" A little distance away, Sophia tilted her head. "It''s simr but different! I''m safe!" For the first time, she was d about the slightly different sounding names in this world. Now she can really convince herself that he''s not the mythical beast she''s known from her past life. "S-Shut up and read the mood, idiot!" Maya ced a hand on her lips to silence the tiger-girl. "Why... How... are you here...?" The group''s wolf was still overwhelmed by everything that was going on. "It''s a long... long story. Before that, though... Fen, how did you appear here in an instant? Don''t tell me you continued to pursue teleportation magic in my stead after I disappeared?!" "No... I traveled here while time was stopped... It only appears that I arrived in an instant." "Y-You''re able to stop time now?! After all those years we researched it together, you finally seeded?!" "Unfortunately, I can not... One of my currentpanions made it possible." "These two over there?" Aura nced at the couple. "This continent sure changed a lot since I was gone. The cat''s already ridiculous, but the power of that tiger... What''s up with her?" "No, these two are rare exceptions among exceptions... If anything, this continent got worse... But yeah, Sophia, the tiger... she''s the one who can stop time. She''s an absolute monster." "Hey!" The monster in questionined from a distance. "S-Stay silent already!" Maya shushed her again. "You two,e over for a bit." The female wolf wanted them to join. "Is it okay...?" Sophia was hesitant. "It''s the reunion of the two of you, after all." "You''re eavesdropping anyway. Both of you." Fen saw through them. "A-Ah." The two then walked towards them. "N-Nice to meet you. I''m Sophia..." "Maya." "I''m Aurora, an old... of your Fen. Feel free to call me Aura." "O-Okay." "So, you''re able to stop time, huh?" She looked at the tiger-girl. "Y-Yes... Although I have no idea how to really do it. It happened on ident..." "You identally stopped time?! Just how ridiculous are you, girl?!" "You have no idea..." The wolf and cat sighed in unison. "Ahaha..." A dryugh escaped her lips. "I-, I do think there are more important topics other than my idiocy right now, are there not?" "Yes... Aura, what happened?" Fen looked at his oldpanion again. "I thought... No, I was sure you died back then. "I... almost did when I teleported myself. It was a close call, but I somehow barely managed to survive the aftermath... " "Really, what happened...?" "It''s a very long story... How about we get some food while I tell you? It''ll take a while. I''ve run for a long time, and I''m hungry." Having agreed to that, the group gathered some food and had their usual camping activity, only now with an extra member. While a ton of meat was being roasted over the fire, the three, especially Fen, were waiting for Aura to tell the story about her sudden and, not to mention, long disappearance. Chapter 78 – Aura Chapter 78 ¨C Aura While time was stopped, the group approached the powerful being that was following them for a long time. Arriving there, Fen was in for a big surprise. Their pursuer actually was his long-lostpanion he thought had died in the past. It was a two-meter tall, grayish-blue and white female wolf, going by the name of Aurora, or Aura. "Alright..." While they were eating, the neer tried to start her story. "You teleported yourself to a very remote ce, I take it?" Fen wanted to help her. "Yeah... basically to the other side of the, actually. I found myself in the middle of the demon continent." "Oh, is that why it took so long toe back?" Sophia also tried to understand it. "If only... Crossing the sea was a bit of a pain and took me like a month or two, but... all in all, the entire journey ofing back here was one, maybe two years?" "What happened, then?" "I did mention that I almost died, right? I didn''t literally teleport myself on the demon continent... To be more precise, I ended up high in the sky above... The teleportation also emptied out my entire magic power. Thanks to that, I took a free-fall dive towards the ground without any chance to dampen my impact with magic..." "Ouch!" Sophia couldn''t help but grimace at the mere thought. "You have no idea, girl..." Aura had a simr expression, together with everyone else. "I, uhh, Inded in a forest in the middle of nowhere and barely survived. The trees probably dampened my fall a little. If you can call that dampening... I spent the next weeks recovering and healing myself until I was finally able to leave the forest. My magic power was still low, and I never was that good at healing magic in the first ce, after all." "I''m d you survived that." Fen seemed relieved. "But," Maya looked confused. "This happened around 200 years ago, right? And it took you two years toe back here? So, what happened in between?" "A good question..." The female wolf paused for a moment. "Well, probably thanks to the crash, I''ve lost my memory about almost everything." "E-Eh? Amnesia?!" The tiger-girl didn''t see this twisting. "Yes..." Aura nodded to the shocked girl. "Because of that, I had no recollection of this continent... or Fen, and simply didn''t know I had somewhere to return. After leaving the forest, I eventually ran into a group of demons and lived in their vige for a while. Once I was back to full strength, I spent many years hunting all the monsters I never saw before. Compared to here, everything is iparably stronger there. It was soo much fun~!" "Great, another muscle-brain..." Sophia rolled her eyes. "Is that why you became so insanely powerful?" Now that he was near enough, Fen could also detect the overwhelming power of Aura. "You overdid it!" There was a hint of envy in his voice, too. "I''m actually not sure about that. Your magic powers increase a little when you use it a lot, but it''s usually not at a point where it''s worth emptying your magic every day. I think my teleportation used way more power than I had at my disposal and changed something about my capacity or something like that?" "Is that so? Anyway, it''s quite something. Ah, so that''s why, the numbers aside, your magic also feels different." "Ehehe~, were you surprised when you noticed me?" "Sophia was the one who detected that you were following us. We actually decided to run away because we didn''t want to engage such a powerful being." "A-Ah... Oh, you taught her the magic? Wait, you knew that I was following you, girl?!" "Y-Yes...? Around two weeks ago, maybe three? When we reached the sea, I detected you on that huge ind on the other side." "Really? How big is your detection range?" "Right now? About 50 kilometers, I guess? Give or take." "Wasn''t it 40?!" Fen couldn''t ignore her im. "That was a little while ago. It keeps growing all the time, after all." "You..." "That''s not bad." Aura was impressed. "Mine''s around 60 to 70 kilometers." "Why is my range, the inventor of the magic, by far the shortest?!" "Because youck imagination~." Sophia and Aura were bonding already as they said the same thing together. "I do not." "Looks like my n would''ve worked, then." The tiger-girl continued. "We wanted to travel while time was stopped so you would lose sight of us." "Definitely. It was a happy incident when I detected you on the ind and found you again after crossing the water. If you had increased the distance, I most likely would''ve lost you. I''m d you guys approached me first before running away." "Fen had gotten curious about this powerful being and wanted to take a look." "You''re still too curious for your own good, huh?" Aura looked at the wolf. "Well, it worked out in my favor in the end, so I''m happy." "But then-" Fen still seemed confused. "If you''ve lost your memory about me-, this ce... Why did youe back? Actually, why do you even remember now?" "I lived near the demon capital for thest... 100 years? Awesome ce, you should totally visit it one day. Anyway, around two years ago, when I was fighting some huge kind of dragon, itnded a good hit on my head, and I suddenly remembered everything..." "Demon capital?! How cool!" Sophia liked the sound of that. "I''m happy you remembered." "Err..." The cat-girl''s reaction was a little different. "S-She said dragon just now, right? Huge dragon, that is." "They''re everywhere on the demon continent. Great fun." "Ehh...? S-Sophia, we''re not going there, okay?!" "Demon capital~." Her eyes were sparkling. "Nooo!" Maya knew what this meant. "Well, once my memories were back..." "You immediately traveled around the entire world to see our Fenny here again?" The tiger-girl was smiling broadly. "You''re a feisty one, huh?" "I have my moments." "You have a lot of them." The wolf and cat sighed again. "So~?" She concentrated on Aura. "Wouldn''t you want to go back to the ce you came from after being transported somewhere far away?" "Not at all." Sophia answered instantly. She actually was in a very simr situation. Still, she had no desire whatsoever to go back to her old world. "I''m not from here either, but all my loved ones are." "W-Well... I didn''t make any meaningful connections in the demon realm, and I got homesick." "So, Fen wasn''t a reason at all?" "l-, I wouldn''t go... that far." "Sophia." Fen red at her. "Yes~?" "I''m about to get angry." "I am very sorry!" She didn''t sound like it, though. "Whatever. Okay... I want some more meat. It''s okay if I go and hunt some, right?" Rather than that, it seemed like the male wolf needed a break. "Have fun." ---------------- After Fen was gone, the three girls were left behind and talked some more. "Ah, he ran away..." Aura noticed his real intention. "Well, in his defense... It must be a huge shock for him." Maya sympathized with him. "For thest 200 years, he was convinced you died in that ident." "I guess that''s true... Did he... ever mention me?" "He actually talked about what happened back then just before we met you." "He also looked really sad while talking about how you died in that ident..." "I see..." Even though she felt bad, Aura seemed ever so slightly happy. "So you dide back for him?" Sophia couldn''t let go of it. "It''s not... unrted. Well, it''s been a little while since then, I don''t know..." "Interesting." Dealing with this topic as a third person was much easier for the tiger. "Sophia." Aura looked at her. "Hmm?" "You and Fen seem quite close. Are the two of you...?" "Haha, no way. He''s special to me because he''s the first friend I made here, but we''re just friends!" "Is that really all there is...?" "Absolutely! Fen''s a cool guy... but he is a guy. Not interested in that. Also, while nice and fluffy, he''s way too furry for me. I''m into humanoid girls. Also, most importantly-" "She''s mine!" Maya finished her sentence. "Y-Yes, that." "Ohh, so that''s how it is." Aura was relieved. "You two look cute together. Good for you." "T-Thanks..." Sophia''s gotten bashful. "So, Fen''s free~." "G-Good to know..." "Now go after him already!" The cat-girl had something to say, as well. "Any feelings aside, you two werepanions, friends, whatever... I bet you have a lot of catching up to do. Without the two of us meddling." "Thank you, I will." Afterward, Aura turned around and went after the wolf, leaving the couple behind. ---------------- "She sure is cute." "She is." Maya agreed. "I wonder what there really was between the two. They definitely had, uhh, have some kind of feelings for each other. Were they a couple before the ident?" "Hmm... I''m not sure? I would say, almost?" "Almost?" The tiger-girl tilted her head. "It feels like they were close to it, but the ident... interrupted whatever was going on between them." "Ah, yeah... that might be it?" She agreed. "Fight, Aura! Well, if that''s what you want, of course." "Haha." "Ah, but if the two are... Is Fen going to leave us?" "How about we ask Aura if she wants to join us?" "That''s a brilliant idea!" Sophia liked the n. "I would love for the super fluffy yet silky-smooth wolf to travel with us!" "You only want a new pillow, don''t you?" "l-, I won''t... deny that. No, I think I''m going to like her. She seems like a fun person, err, wolf." "That''s true." The cat-girl agreed. "She lived for 200 years on the demon continent. I bet she has a ton of interesting stories. It sounds like a great ce. Really makes me want to visit it." "Y-You did hear her saying that there are tons of dragons, right?! Dragons!" "Yeah, great, isn''t it?" "It''s not!" "I think that sounds very exciting!" Sophia''s eyes were sparkling again. "Maybe not fighting one, but I definitely would like to see one!" "I strongly disagree, though!" ---------------- While the two were bickering about various things, Aura arrived near Fen''s position but hesitated to approach him. She thought about what to say for a while but came to no conclusion. Giving up on it, she then simply greeted him. "Hey there..." "Aura..." "How are you feeling?" "Confused... Overwhelmed... I was sure you''re dead. But... just as quick as you disappeared, you suddenly popped up again." "I''m really sorry about that..." "No, I''m just d you''re okay." "Thanks." "Can you tell me what happened in those 200 years? Besides what you said earlier already." "Of course." The two then sat down and talked about thesest 200 years and what happened when they were apart from each other. Chapter 79 – Her accident Chapter 79 ¨C Her ident The powerful being that was following the group for a while already turned out to be Fen''s oldpanion, Aura. A female wolf who he was sure of that she died in an ident 200 years ago. This unexpected reunion shocked him quite a bit and was the cause for many questions. "So..." Fen and Aura were currently alone, and he wanted to know what happened to her after she disappeared. "So..." She wasn''t sure where to start. "Yeah,pletely out of magic after my messed up teleportation, I hit the ground after falling from the sky. Hard. I have no idea how I survived that... It felt like basically every bone in my limbs was broken, and I was lying in a puddle of my own blood... I couldn''t move a single muscle, either. I doubt any of them were intact anymore, actually..." "W-Wow..." He was shocked. "How high-, how long were you falling?" "I''m not sure anymore. Some minutes." "Y-You actually survived that?!" "Barely, yes. It was a miracle." "Definitely. Wait, weren''t there any predators around? It sounds like you werepletely defenseless." "I don''t know how long I was unconscious after my crash, but when I came to me again, a pack of wolves was protecting me." "Oh, yeah, we have that kind of effect on them." Fen remembered that wherever they went, the two ended up being the alphas of every more normal wolf around them. "Yes. They were the reason I wasn''t attacked. The pack also brought me water and food while I was recovering." "You''re almost as lucky as Sophia..." "What''s that supposed to mean?" "A long story; let''s finish yours first." "Sure. Anyway, after I regained consciousness, enough time had passed to recover some of my magic power, and I started healing myself. The next days and weeks continued like that. I ate and rested while the pack protected me, and I poured every bit of my power into healing. As you know, healing magic was never my forte... Combined with the severity of my injuries, it took me a really long time to be able to walk and protect myself again." "Have you ever found out what went wrong with your teleportation?" "No." Aura shook her head. "In the first ce, while I remembered my fall, I had no idea why... I only found out it was the result of my teleportation two years ago when my memories came back." "Wow, that must''ve been confusing." "You have no idea. I gave it some thought while I was traveling back here. I think it happened because my image of the destination was rather half-hearted, and I messed up... big time." "You''re going to be best friends with Sophia." "Huh? Why?" "She''s the queen of half-assed magic. If she doesn''t mess up catastrophically at least once a week, something''s wrong. Or Maya got too angry with her." "Oho, she''s an interesting one, huh?" "She sure is." Fen agreed with her. "You two are quite close, aren''t you?" She was still hung up on it. "Hmm, thest... dozens of years were really dull for me. Since I met Sophia, these slow days became a thing of the past. Though,tely... I''ve be a bit of a third wheel. " "What happened?" "Maya happened. These two fell in love at first sight, and since they confessed their love, they can''t let go of each other anymore. Not that they could before." "Yeah, that sounds like it could get annoying." "Well, I''m happy for Sophia... them. Really happy, so I don''t particrly mind. She deserves this happiness." "Has something happened to her?" Aura seemed interested. "Yeah... a lot. Ask her yourself if you''re curious." "Will do." "Alright, back to you... So, you''ve healed yourself and left the forest? What happened then?" "Well, I was confused and disoriented. I wandered around for a long time, beat a couple of strong enemies, and eventually ended up in a demon vige." "It''s been a long time since I met any of them. Are they still those easygoing, magic-loving, and fighting-enthusiastic idiots they used to be?" "Ever the same." "Man, I miss them." "I rmend a visit. It''s great there." "Sounds fun, indeed." Fen was always a fan of the demon race. "I lived with the demons there for a while, trained with them... Maybe ended up forming a fighting squad there. They learned really fast and were super into it. A couple, maybe ten or 15 yearster, I left to explore the continent. I stayed here and there, but ultimately, I was just wandering around, finding a ce for me... I was lost." "Understandable." "I''ve ended up spending most of my time fighting all sorts of strong monsters. Even without any memory, old habits die hard. They''re really on an entirely different level there. Eventually, I ended up in the capital of the demon race. An incredible ce. Huge, unlike anything else, and full of curious things and sights. I took it easy there for a good while, but they were slowly developing a bit of a dragon problem. It was awesome! Well, a big one of them managed tond a good hit on me, causing my memories to return. After that, once I gave that dragon a good smacking, I immediately headed back." "What a story..." There was a slight hint of jealousy in his voice. Aside from the tragedy, he thought it sounded fun. "Hehe. What about you, Fen? What did you do in all those years?" "I have nothing of interest to tell. I''ve spent a couple of years in the area where you disappeared and-" "You waited for me?" Aura sounded a tiny bit happy. "Yeah, that, too... I wanted to make sure, after all. After that, I eventually left and studied magic as usual, but most of the time, I was simply bored. Also, asionally pretty annoyed when those humans pestered me once again." "Ahaha, you and your humans. Are they still such a pain?" "Believe it or not, they''re getting worse with each passing year." "Seriously?!" Aura was shocked. "That you still haven''t eradicated them..." "Well, Sophia was about to do that not too long ago, but I still don''t think they''re worth the effort." "Fair point. Sophia hates them, too, huh?" "They have a bit of a history... and she has, uhh, anger issues from time to time." "Really? She doesn''t seem the type, though." "She has aplex, veryplex personality." "Hmm? How did the two of you meet, anyway? It''s quite an unusual paring, the two of you." "That irregr powerhouse of a girl simply suddenly appeared right in front of me, and I decided to travel with her because I found her interesting. Her extraordinary powers really caught my curiosity. And I was right, Sophia''s magic is unlike anything I ever witnessed before." "Is she really that much of an exception? Sure, her raw power is slightly above yours, but... current me aside, there were some others that were stronger than you, right?" "Sure... The ideas she has for magic are just surreal, though. I mean, she can effortlessly stop time! Ask her to show you a little of her original magics. You''ll understand what I mean, then." "Now I''m interested." Aura had gotten even more curious about the tiger-girl. "Also, Sophia''s magic power recovery is insane. She has no need to be reserved about her magic. Her maximum power is basically irrelevant." "What do you mean?" "My detection magic... How long can you use it before your power gets to a concerning level?" "I''ve been using it a lottely to search for you, Fen... The consumption got a lot better. I guess two hours of constant use before I feel ufortable about the remaining amount? Normally, I use it for a moment, run for a while, and start over." "Two hours, huh? Not bad." "Thanks. It sure is a costly magic. I usually only use the danger detection variant as a passive because that uses next to nothing. I mean there aren''t many things dangerous to me or us, but it''s a good feeling to be protected." "Yeah, me too." "So, what about the detection magic?" "Sophia learned it from me a couple of months ago." "Mh-hmm?" "She hasn''t turned it off since then." "WHAT?!" Aura loudly cried out. "How''s that possible?!" "Her magic power recovery is so fast that she doesn''t even notice the cost of the detection magic." "N-No way..." "One day, she had emptied out her entire power for somerge-scale magic... It took her maybe two hours before it was full again." "S-Seriously, how''s that even possible?" "She''s a gifted one." "It sure sounds like it." "Yeah..." The wolves chatted for a while longer, but Aura was bothered about something for some time already and just had to address it now. "Say, Fen..." "Hmm?" "My memories might still be a little foggy, but were you always trying to look cute?" "Eh, what do you mean?" "The fur on your head. The pigtails and the beautiful flowers. It looks adorable, but I don''t remember you wearing something like that ever before." "What are you even talking about?" He was confused. "Here." Aura created something simr to a mirror with magic and showed him his own reflection. "Hmm...? W-What is that?!" For the first time since it happened, Fen noticed that the fur on his head was styled-up and decorated with many colorful flowers. "You weren''t the one who did it?" "Of course not! Sophia! Where are you?! I''m going to kill you for sure now!" He got angry. "I think I''ll like that girl." ---------------- The two reunited with the couple, and Fen had a rather scary expression. "Sophia!" "Yes?" The tiger-girl faced him. "Wee back." "What did you do to my fur?!" "Ah, you finally noticed? It''s adorable, isn''t it?" "Absolutely." Aura agreed. "It''s not!" "Even though I put so much effort into it..." Sophia started to pout. "That''s not the issue! I look like a fool!" "You don''t." "I agree." The female wolf nodded her head. "Me, too..." Even Maya had the same opinion. "Uuh... You girls, stop screwing with me!" "Ahaha!" Fen and Sophia bickered some more, and the other two barely stopped them from using magic to bring their standpoint across at one point. Once everyone had calmed down, the group got together again. Aura wanted to get to know the couple better, especially after the male wolf talked so much about the ridiculous tiger-girl. Chapter 80 – Getting to know the group Chapter 80 ¨C Getting to know the group Fen and Aura had talked about their past when they were apart from each other to catch up on everything that happened. Afterward, the two reunited with Maya and Sophia because the female wolf wanted to get to know them better, as well. "Sophia, I heard your magic power is rather unique. " "Is it?" She tilted her head. It was also news to her. "Fen told me that your recovery speed is abnormal." "Ahh... he mentioned that before, didn''t he? Well, my self-healing ability is extremely high, as well. Maybe it''s rted together?" "I could''ve so used that in my ident!" Aura was envious of that ability. "Ahaha..." "Is it because you''re from the tiger family? They were always some sort of oddballs along the beastfolk when it came to their magic powers. Though, not even nearly to this extent. Like, at all." "Ahh... No. In the first ce, I''m not really a tiger-girl..." "Eh? You look exactly like I remember them, though? Safe for maybe the color of your hair." The female wolf took a better look at her. "Yeah, let me correct it a bit... I''ve not always been a tiger. I messed up my magic and ended up like this... It was an ident." "Oh? That''s quite something. Fen told me about that, too. He said you''re really disaster-prone, mess up a lot, and lose yourself from time to time?" "Nice to meet you, my name''s Sophia." Her description was spot on. "I would love to get a rundown on that. I like these kinds of stories." "Hmm..." Sophia thought about it for a moment and then looked at Fen. "Is it okay to tell her? Can I trust her?" Thest time, when she hid her past from Maya, it almost backfired, and so she wanted toe clean from the get-go now. At least to someone she wants to be a permanent addition to the group. Even more so because she''s a close acquaintance to Fen, her first friend in the new world. "She definitely was trustworthy in the past, and I doubt she changed." "Alright," She took a deep breath because she had to list a ton of things. "Let''s see,
  • I died, I came back to life.
  • Met a god, picked a fight with him.
  • My personality got altered, not fun.
  • That god transported me to a ce full of slimes, hated it.
  • I ran into Fen, almost picked a fight with him while I had no magic.
  • Learned magic, made more careless mistakes than I can count.
  • identally tested darkness magic on Fen, almost drove him insane.
  • Killed a baby griphon, mom came for revenge, grilled her, too.
  • Met some humans, almost ended them.
  • Found a human city, almost destroyed it.
  • Wanted to start a genocide on humans, Fen didn''t let me.
  • Met Maya, totally embarrassed myself, continue to do so every day since then.
  • Launched myself into a tree during training, identally stopped time.
  • Panicked, almost trapped myself inside the frozen time. SCARY!
  • Wanted to start a genocide on spyders, wasn''t allowed to.
  • Wanted to start a genocide on slimes, weirdly wasn''t allowed to, either.
  • Got angry, blew up a dungeon.
  • Got really angry and destroyed a good portion of thend around, too.
  • Turned an entireke solid.
  • Was put on a wanted list by humans, had a goodugh.
  • Found a shrine of the god I met before, got angry.
  • I punched a god, it was great.
  • Punched a god again. I did it twice because it was important.
  • Told Maya about the real me, almost lost her.
  • Maya ended up confessing to me afterward, I stopped time again on instinct.
  • Detected an insanely powerful being, decided to run away.
  • Got fed up with being mistaken for a human, changed my appearance with magic.
  • Surprise, I used the wrong magic and royally messed up.
  • Instead of looking like a tiger-girl, I became one.
  • Changed my race to beastfolk on ident. I''m an idiot, after all.
  • Forgot how to walk because of my new body. That was a major pain.
  • Gained a ton of animal instincts, still feel veryplicated about that.
  • Of all beastpeople I could choose, I picked the royal ss.
  • Tiger-girl''s cute, so I stayed like that, anyway.
  • Created an extra dimension for luggage, almost got pulled into it.
  • Detected that insanely powerful being again, ran away even faster.
  • Met Aura, the deadpanion of my best friend, very confused.
Well, that''s the top 10... err, 30 plus... of the stuff I went throughtely. As in, thest three to four months or so. Kinda lost track of time already." "Uhh..." Aura clearly looked overwhelmed. "Are-, Are you serious?" "I probably forgot half of the things." "Wait, you died?!" The female wolf couldn''t keep up. "Yep, right before I was transported to this world." "I see... Huh?! You''re from a different world?" "Ah, did I forget to mention? Yep, I am. See, I forgot some minor details in that list." "Wow... Wait, you punched a god?! Twice?!" "I''m eagerly awaiting the third time~!" A fire was burning in Sophia''s eyes. "Which god could''ve possibly made you this angry? Ahh, was it that little prankster Canir?" "That very idiot." "Then, I totally get it. Good job, girl." "Ehehe." "From the sound of it, you, just like our Fen, aren''t the biggest fan of the humans, huh?" "Yeah, no good experiences yet. Makes it all the worse that I''m, technically speaking, one myself." "You''re human?!" "In my old world, I was. Here, as I said, I identally turned myself into a tiger-girl, all the way down to a biological level... No regrets~." "Wow, you sure are something else, girl." Aura had no other response. "Yes." Fen and Maya wholeheartedly agreed. "I try my best... and fail horribly." "Also, just how many genocides did you try to start?!" "A couple? What needs to be exterminated needs to be exterminated." There was no remorse whatsoever in her voice. "Wow. Fen, did you raise her?" "Leave me out of this! She already was like that when we met. I mean, that part of why I like her so much, but still!" "What a wild girl. The magics you invented seem to be really interesting, too. How did youe up with them?" "Most of them are based on stuff I learned in my old world. That''s also the reason why I mess up so much. Most of my knowledge is rather half-assed and superficial. Not to mention that it asionally doesn''t trante that well to magic over here." "How interesting! Magic based on the principles of another world! Please show them to me sometimes!" "Sure, I don''t mind." "Yes! I finally get to see the magic of an otherworldler!" "Eh?!" Cat, tiger, and wolf all had the same reaction. "W-Wait... That almost sounds like there are more like me?!" Sophia looked the most surprised. "I haven''t met them, personally, but I heard stories about them in the demon capital. Maybe they were a thing in the distant past? No idea... Most of them were supposedly really strong and ingenious. They apparently designedrge parts of the capital." "What?! No way... There are actually others like me...?" "So I''ve heard. Well, I''m not sure if it was actually true or made up, but-" "W-What a surprise." "Do you-, Do you want to see them, Sophia?" Maya nced at her with a worried expression. "Hmm... I''m interested, sure. Though, I don''t even know if we''re from the same world. Rather than the desire to meet someone from my old world, I''m just curious about how they fared here." The tiger-girl only wanted to see how other people in a simr predicament coped with the situation. The desire to meet random people from her homeworld was basically nonexistent. "G-Good... I''m not sure if I couldpete with someone from your old world..." "Yeah, you couldn''t... It wouldn''t even be a contest. You''re in an entirely different league, Maya. Someone as beautiful and nice as you only exist once, after all." "Sophia... Thank you, you''re unparalleled, too." "Ehehe~." Her cheeks turned slightly red. "Are they always like... that?" Aura looked at the other wolf. "Mh-hmm." Fen only nodded. "I see what you meant earlier..." She remembered him mentioning being a third wheel. "It almost hurts having to listen to that..." -------------- The couple needed five minutes before they rejoined the discussion with the wolf after returning from their own little world again. "By the way," The neer now nced at Maya. "That girlfriend of yours sure is something... How outrageous are you, then?" "Sorry to disappoint... Aside from my slightly out-of-the-norm magic power, well...pared to normal people, not this group, at least... Yeah, I''m just a normal girl that enjoys fighting strong enemies. Ones I have a chance of winning against, that is." She looked at every single one of them during thest part. "Oh, sounds fun enough to me, though." She didn''t seem bored. "Let''s go hunting together one time." "N-Nothing too ridiculous, okay...?" While intrigued, the cat-girl had a slightly bad feeling about going on a hunt with someone who casually mentioned how they took town a dragon or two. "Don''t worry, a dragon''s actually not that scary." "E-Eh?! How did you know what I was thinking?!" "Just a wild guess. You''re quite easy to read." "A-Ah... Anyway, I can do without dragons, okay?" Maya didn''t have a death wish. "Aww... What about you, Sophia? It''s really fun." "Err, I''ll obliterate every dragon that wants to harm Maya or me, but actively hunting one... Probably not? Though, it would depend on my mood during that time." "It''s getting warmer. Fen, you''re cool, right? You''ll hunt one with me, right?" "Theoretically, sure. I haven''t seen one in ages, though. I think they only live on the demon continent nowadays." "That''s too bad. You''ll have to apany me there eventually, then." "Oh, I want to see that continent, too!" Sophia was very interested. "The more, the merrier." The female wolf had nothing against it. "Ehh?! We''re actually going there?!" Maya did, though. "Sure~." "Ahh... the future keeps being eventful, huh?" She began to resign herself to her fate. "Oh, now that I think about it... We''re heading towards the beastfolk capital. Do you want to join us, Aura?" The tiger-girl looked at her. "Your pseudo home, huh?" The wolf nced back at her tiger bits. "Y-Yeah... You know about the royal tiger thing after all, huh?" "Of course?" She tilted her head. "I don''t really care about the royalty of the beastfolk, but only idiots wouldn''t be aware of that." "Only idiots, huh?" Sophia faced her two idiots. "Aura knew about it, girls... Someone who lived on the demon continent for thest 200 years." "We''re very sorry!" Fen and Maya could only apologize. "Anyway, yeah, that was the n. How about it, Aura?" The tiger ignored the two. "It sounds like that could be fun. If it''s okay with everyone, I would like to apany the group." "Of course!" No one had anything against it. "By the way, can you transform to a smaller size, too, Aura? For the sake of not attracting too much attention, that is." "No problem, every size you think is best." "A cub would be great!" Sophia got greedy. "Don''t do it, Aura. It''s a trap." Fen warned her. "She only wants something small and fluffy to pet." "Fen, you spoilsport!" She immediately started to pout as she red at him. "If it''s just that, I don''t mind at all." "Really?! You''re awesome, Aura!" "Big mistake..." The group weed Aura as a new member. After chatting a bit more, they resumed their travel towards the beastfolk capital, now without any additional detours. The four kept going until the evening when they made camp, which included an extra fancy dinner for their new friend. Chapter 81 – The capital Chapter 81 ¨C The capital The group weed Aura as a new member, and they had a nice dinner together to celebrate it. Afterward, Maya and Sophia took their usual bath before getting ready to sleep. "It''s my turn to use yourp, right?" The cat-girl was talking about their sleeping arrangement. "Hurry up and lie down already~!" "Hmm..." Sophia then alternatingly looked between the two wolves. "Aura... let''s assume I want to use your side as a pillow for tonight, what would you say? How are my chances?" "I don''t particrly mind. Why, though?" "Because you''re so incredibly fluffy, and your fur''s so nice to the touch!" "Thank you very much. I''m quite proud of it, actually. Wait, how do you know how my fur feels?" "A-Ah... When we found you, while time was still stopped... Maya got a little excited about your fur, and I ended up also touching it because she was praising it so much..." "Hey! It was you! You''re the one who buried her face deep into the fur!" The cat-girlined. "It did feel nice, though." "You two sure are an... interesting couple." The female wolf wasn''t sure how to react. "Well, I still don''t mind. Feel free to getfortable." "Yay! Thank you very much!" Feeling happy, Sophia immediately snuggled against Aura''s side with a rxed expression. "So fluffy~!" "You''re so spoiled." While Maya said so, sheid down and gotfortable on the tiger-girl''sp with the exact same expression. "You both are." Fen could only roll his eyes. Thanks to the supremefiness of Aura''s fur, Sophia needed not even five minutes to fall asleep. Having a simr opinion about the tiger-girl''sp, Maya didn''t need much longer, either, leaving the two wolves on their own together. "These girls are something else..." Aura looked at her side. "That''s for sure. They usually use me to sleep, so it''s nothing new." "Oh? Jealous?" "N-Not really..." He turned his head away. "Ahaha, you''ve be quite the softie, huh?" "Oh, shut up!" "Ehehe~. Well, I might like this new side of yours." "I''m not sure if I should be happy now..." Fen had some difficulties epting thispliment. "I''m getting old. Bing docilees with age." "It''s only been 200 years since west met, though?" "I was just messing around." The two''s sense of time was slightly different from the norm. "No... After you, uh, left, as I said before, I was really bored... That surely had an effect on me. Combined with our pushy Sophia here, which I ended up taking care of... I calmed down. In a way, at least. You have to constantly watch and keep her in check, after all." "You totally are her father, huh?" "..." "Papa~." She was enjoying this very much. "C-Could you not? Bad enough Maya implied the same..." "Oh?" Aura was curious about that. "Well... she talked about her feelings for Sophia with me of all people before... and I may have gotten a little overprotective,ting that retort from her, as well." "Ahaha, that''s great! The ferocious Fenrid became a doting dad. I didn''t see that oneing." "Were you always like this?" "Whatever do you mean?" "I don''t remember you being this... yful." Fen remembered her being a bit more serious in the past. "Thanks to my temporary loss of memory, I lived thest 200 yearspletely free, and I had tons of fun. I''ve be a lot more cheerful, I guess?" "I see..." "Do you like the old me better?" "Hmm... No, I think it''s good." "Great." She looked relieved. "I like the new softie, daddy Fen, too." "A-Again, could you not...?" "Ehehe~. Even though it''s only two or something years since I remembered¡­ Still, I really missed this." "What do you mean?" "Us talking the night away." "Ahh, yeah." Fen agreed. "Though our topics were vastly different back then. We mainly tried to invent new magic, after all." "That''s true." "But, yes, I missed this, too. For the past 200 years, that is." Unfortunately, Fen never lost his memory. "..." She wasn''t sure what to reply. "Say, Aura... are you really here?" He paused for a moment. "This isn''t some sort of cruel dream, is it?" "I''m back, and I''m here to stay." "Thank you..." ---------------- The two chatted for a while longer but eventually turned in for the night as well. On the following day, after breakfast, Sophia and Aura were together and already up to no good. "Alright, let''s try out some ridiculous magic!" "Let''s do it!" "Fen..." "Maya..." Cat and wolf were awkwardly looking at each other. "I''m not sure if I like this pairing..." "Funny, I was just thinking the exact same." "Okay, what''s your most impressive magic, my dear otherworldler." Aura was really excited. "Hmm... I guess that would be my time-stopping, but honestly, I don''t want to use it too often... As cool as it is, it''s at least twice as scary..." "Definitely!" Maya instantly agreed from the sidelines. "Other than that, let''s see... I showed you my storage magic during dinner already... Oh, my darkness magic is really cool~." Her voice suddenly got a nasty undertone. "No!" Fen and Maya''s voices ovepped, trying to suppress her S-tendencies. Maya wasn''t one to talk when it came to that, but Sophia''s dark magic was something else entirely. "I''m not really a fan of dark magic... too creepy." "T-Thank goodness..." "Aww..." Sophia seemed disappointed. "The sun''s already long up... light magic''s no fun now... Well, I guess it''s my signature blue fire then, I guess." "Blue fire...?" "Yeah, this." Sophia opened her palm, and her usual oddly-colored me appeared. "Ohh... Wait, is that apletebustion of pure magic power you''re doing there?!" "Pretty much. Eh...? You actually know what this is? Even I''m not sure what I''m doing¡­" The tiger-girl had not seen this replying. "More or less. I''ve heard about it in the demon capital. They were trying to get it done there, too, but never got this far. I didn''t know pure magic power could burn with a blue me. A fairly light white was the hottest I ever saw. How high is the oxygen concentration you''re letting it burn with to reach fullbustion?" Aura seemed pretty knowledgeable about it. "Huh? Doesn''t every me burn blue when in an area with enough oxygen?" Sophia didn''t know about the properties of fire to that extent. "It also depends on the fuel, as far as I heard." "Oh, it seems like I mixed that up... I never went in that deep into the topic, after all. Eh...? Wait a moment, Aura, you know what oxygen is?" "Roughly. It''s part of the air, and it''s what you actually need to breathe in the right mixture with other gases to survive, as the body needs it for some kind of function that I forgot the name of... Much like fire, which needs it to burn." "Wow, the demons sure are advanced." Sophia had gotten even more impressed by them. "Yeah, they have a bunch of interesting stuff going on." "Sounds like it''ll be a fun visit in the future." "By the way, how destructive is that blue me?" The female wolf came back to the topic. "Hmm... Well, I used it in an explosion that turned a in into a crater... I can also probably burn down an entire forest in a matter of seconds." While she said so, the girl found an innocent tree nearby and instantly burned it to nothingness. "Oho, we definitely have to go dragon hunting together in the future!" "Urgh..." That wasn''t Sophia''s intention. "I look forward to it~." ---------------- Afterward, the group continued their travels toward the beastfolk capital once more, but after around two hours, Sophia suddenly stopped. "Ah..." "Stop that already!" Maya instantly retorted, being tired of her ominous reactions. "No, this one of these rare times where it''s a positive ''Ah''." "Really...?" She naturally was dubious. "Yeah. I adjusted my detection magic to include the beastfolk again. I''m getting, I don''t know... many tens of thousands of reactions. I think I''m detecting the edge of the capital now." "Oh, you''re right." Aura concentrated for a second and nodded. "My range''s a bit higher, and even I don''t see the end yet." "Finally! It feels like we''ve been traveling for a year already!" The tiger-girl was getting excited. "It''s not nearly been that much, though." Fen corrected her. "Minor details! Urgh... 45 to 50 Kilometers? With Maya''s and mine speed... Whatever, it''s way too long! Ahh... now that I''m detecting the capital, I want to reach it instantly!" She was getting impatient. "Want a ride?" Fen gestured at his back. "Aura and I should reach the capital in a fraction of that." "Really?!" "I don''t mind." "Me neither." Both wolves were okay with it. "Thank you very much!" Sophia was happy. "Alright, since I used Aura to sleepst night, I''ll ride on Fen to even it out. Are you okay with that, Maya?" "Sure, she''s the fluffier one, after all. No offense, Fen." "None taken." ---------------- The couple climbed on the two''s backs, and they began their high-speed travel. Not even 20 minutes passed before the group arrived at a hill from where almost the whole capital of the beastfolk could be overlooked from. "Wow!" "So huge!" The cat and the tiger were overwhelmed by the sheer size of the capital. "It really has grown a lot since thest time." "Yeah, it''s been a while, but it''s way more impressive than I would''ve thought." The two wolves had been there before, but it was in the distant past when the capital was just a tiny vige, iparable to the metropolis they were looking at now. It was a gigantic circr city, being multiple kilometers in diameter. Right in the middle of it, there was a huge gray and white castle with many towers and some extra buildings with greenish roofs. All around it was a vast and colorful garden, and the area was protected by a brownish-red wall with a single gate for entrance and exit. Outside the wall, there was a huge green patch with smaller pces in the four cardinal directions. Between those castles, many dozens of mansion-like buildings with fancy gardens could be identified. From the look of it, this was the nobleyer. Around this area, there, too, was spanning a wall all around it¡ªthis time with a gate near every one of the four pces. Thest and outeryer of the capital was by far the biggest and made up for at least 90% of the whole city. There were next to no green patches because the ce was filled with many thousands of houses of various sizes. Almost every one of them was orderly built and had a uniformly red roof, making for a well-thought-out look. The entrance to the capital was handled by fourrge gates in every cardinal direction. From the biggest main gate led a huge road all the way to the castle in the innermostyer, while the streets from the other three gates terminated at the smaller pces in the middleyer. Many other roads obviously connected every part of the capital with each other, though. Every gate was packed with people, and especially the main one was so busy that it was impossible to count just how many people were going in and out. Coincidentally, this main gate was also the one closest to the group. After the two wolves turned to a more reasonable size, they headed toward it, blissfully unaware of what kind of uproar they were going to cause. Chapter 82 – Exploring the capital Chapter 82 ¨C Exploring the capital It felt like an eternity to Sophia because of just how much happened sinceing to this world, especially after meeting Maya, but the group had finally arrived at the beastfolk capital after their long and eventful journey. "Uuh..." They were currently walking alongside a big road that leads towards the main gate of the capital. There, the blonde tiger noticed that every single gaze of the beastpeople along the way was focused on her while they were respectfully stepping aside from the group to make way for them. "S-So much attention¡­" "The lost tiger has returned home." Aura was having fun. "Everyone is, of course, curious." "I''m not lost! Nor have I returned!" She retorted on instinct. "Well, that story makes a lot more sense than what actually happened, Sophia..." Maya, unfortunately, had no nice words for her. "I hate that you''re right..." She hung her head. While trying her best to hide herself between the wolves, which wasn''t overly effective because they had shrunk in size, the gate soon was in full view. "Ahaha..." The cat-girl let out a dryugh when she spotted a couple of stone statues near the gate. There were a few actual tigers and multiple tiger-beastpeople that had very simr features to the one in their group. "Uuh... I should''ve gone for a cat-girl, after all... They''re super adorable, as well, I would''ve matched Maya even more, and I wouldn''t get so much attention!" "You decided that yourself, though." "Because it''s cute! I love the stripes!" "Then stopining!" Maya naturally had no sympathy for such a reason, not that she disagreed. "Urgh..." There was a lot of regret in her voice, but Sophia had gotten way too attached to her tiger form that she didn''t want to give it up anymore. "Come on, it''s going to be fun." Maya grabbed her hand while saying so. "It''ll also help you get rid of the rest of your shyness." "F-Fine..." "Shyness?!" Aura sounded surprised about this absolutely unfitting description. "Long story, don''t ask." Fen stopped her from going down that rabbit hole. "Haa..." Sophia keptining all the way until the central gate, which didn''t take long because everyone was making room for the group, parting the crowd while they were whispering about them, or rather, her. "Eh...?" They had reached the guards, who looked very confused about their arrival. From the looks of it, it were mostly men in theirte thirties with all kinds of animal-like features to varying degrees. "Excuse me this terribly rude question, but... who are you?" A guy with ears resembling those of foxes addressed them while he was clearly looking at Sophia as he said out loud what absolutely everyone around them was thinking. "We know every individual of the tiger family, but I never saw you before..." "Uhh..." She tried to find an answer. "I... I''m S-Sophia... It''s my first time he-... I-It''s my first time being here. It''s natural you never s-saw me before..." She needed two tries. "How''s that supposed to be possible? Every member of the royal family has its permanent residency here. I mean, your hair color is different, but there''s no doubt..." "W-Well, no one told me about that... In fact,... I only learned that me being a t-tiger-girl is something out of the ordinary a little while ago... I''m from, err... really far away and never met another tiger before..." "S-Seriously?!" The guards were shocked. "Y-Yes..." "Wow... this is going to be a massive uproar!" "O-Okay... let''s go back, girls..." Sophia already had enough and turned around. She had thought that it was not going to be easy for her, but actually hearing it was too much. "Nonono, you can''t just leave now, miss. Now that you appeared, they''re going to dispatch search parties to find you again if you disappear now!" "Urgh..." "We could easily outrun them, though." The high-spec Fen didn''t see an issue. "T-That might be true... but I like the beastfolk. So, having to run away and hide from them is a bit..." She didn''t like the idea and faced the guards again. "W-What''s going to happen to me if I enter the capital?" "Hard to say... This had never happened before. I would reckon the royal family is going to seek an audience with you, and you have to exin who you are..." They could only guess. "Haha, I would like to know the same..." "Yes, I can imagine you have a lot of questions, too." The guard misunderstood her reaction. "S-Sure..." She just rolled with it. "Anyway, wee to Tirago, the capital of the beastfolk, founded and ruled by the tiger family." "T-Thanks..." "I look forward to the uproar." Aura was still having a great time. "I-I could do without that..." ---------------- Afterward, the group finally entered the capital while Sophia was already tired enough to look for an inn and take a long nap. Continuously being pierced by the gazes of everyone around her didn''t help, either. "Hmm...?" Maya suddenly noticed that Sophia had disappeared. After looking around for a second, she found the girl inside some sort of hat store next to the group. "What is she doing...?" "Ahh... much better!" When she exited the ce, the tiger-girl was wearing a medium-sized, white hat. It was made with beastpeople in mind, so it provided extra space for the ears and hid them beneath the fabric at the same time."I should get a bit less attention now... Even the clerk I bought it from was super confused..." "Most of your striped hair''s still out in the open, though." Maya didn''t find it to be overly effective. "So is your tail. It angrily swishing all over the ce doesn''t help much, either." "I-I''m nervous, okay?" Sophia red at her tail as if ordering it to stop. It didn''t help, though, and it almost seemed to get even more lively instead. "Stupid thing... W-Well... It''s at least a little less obvious, right...?" "Sure... That being said, a white hat with your green shirt? It doesn''t match at all." "You''re so picky!" "Am I wrong?" "You''re... not." Sophia had to agree. "I didn''t buy it with fashion in mind, anyway! My priorities were elsewhere!" "But, you know... it would go perfectly with the white dress I gave you. You should totally change into that!" "Yeah, that would be a good match... Wait! An all-white and floral-patterned dress would bring even more attention to me in this situation!" "Tch! So close..." Maya had her very own motives in this situation. "Y-You!" ---------------- They continued to walk around in the capital for a while, and Sophia''s hat idea worked to some degree. People who didn''t look at her tail simply walked past her. But everyone who paid a little bit of attention to her immediately became suspicious and took a better look. Interestingly enough, it was mostly girls who managed to instantly identify the tiger-girl for some reason. Maya also didn''t like this observation one bit. Eventually, they came across a nice-looking inn and decided to get two rooms for a couple of days while they were at it. Maya and Sophia obviously shared one, but the two wolves did the same. Rooms for full beastpeople didn''t have any actual beds in the first ce, but rather the floor had some sort of cushioning. Other than that, both of them are adults, so there''s nothing to consider because whatever happens, happens. After resting there for around an hour, the group went back to the streets of the capital. "Anything you want to explore, Sophia?" Maya was walking beside her and curiously looked around. "Hmm... Oh, what''s this?" She pointed at a massive building at the end of the street they were following. Various kinds of beastpeople were going in and out, but their looks were what pulled Sophia in. One half of them looked like warriors, covered in many different types of armor and carrying a wide variety of weapons. The other half was much lighter dressed, and there were no visible weapons. Still, the way they were dressed caught her attention. entric, one might say. Large hats, extremely colorful clothes, robes, capes, there was nothing that wasn''t there. "They look a little like Chiyo''s group, don''t they? Maybe a little more, uh... dedicated?" "So, is it a gathering spot for adventurer... type of people?" The tiger questioningly tilted her head. "Seems like it. Want to take a look?" Maya was a little curious as well. "Hrmn..." Sophia wasn''t sure. She didn''t remember why, but something about entering such a ce in another world made her uneasy. "Yeah, whatever, let''s go. I have a bad feeling, but I want to see it..." Having agreed on it, the group walked over to the building with the many interesting people. Arriving there, they earned a ton of curious gazes, as usual, but no one raised too much of a fuss. "Wee to the Adventurer Guild of the capital! How can I help... huh?" An energetic girl with brown hair and dog ears stood behind a counter inside and greeted the group once they entered the building. Even her tail seemed to be wagging for a moment, but she stopped when she saw Sophia and noticed her features that the hat wasn''t hiding. "Shhh." The cat-girl put a finger on her lips. "She wants to explore the city on her own because she hasn''t had the chance to do that yet." "I-I see..." "So... adventurer guild, what''s that?" Maya tilted her head. "As the name implies, it''s a ce where adventurers gather together and do quests or tasks for rewards." The dog-girl managed to keep herposure in front of the tiger. "Oh, is that so?" Sophia had gotten interested in it because she had read about this in countless novels in her previous life before. "Like, you have to register with your party and advance in ranks to do more profitable quests?" "No?" She immediately shot her down. "Ehh...?" "You juste here, either solo or with yourpanions, and fetch a quest that tickles your fancy." "But... how do you make sure no one takes quests that are too difficult for them?" "We don''t? People havemon sense and know that they''ll die if they undertake a too difficult task. Well, we''ll provide assistance and rmend quests that match your power, but it''s ultimately your own responsibility not to die a stupid death." "I-I see..." Sophia sounded a tiny bit disappointed that there were no ranks and the likes. "I''m sorry for this girl. She doesn''t do well withmon sense." Maya apologized for some reason. "Hey!" "I understand." The dog-girl simply nodded. "Hmpf!" She pouted for a moment but swiftly recovered. "Wait, so we could do some quests, as well?" "Uhh..." The guild worker looked at Sophia, mainly at her tiger bits. "Technically... yes? There aren''t any rules against it, but... are you sure?" "Great, let''s take a look at the quest board thingy!" She didn''t care about her reaction and headed straight for the bulletin board. "Don''t worry, it''s fine." Maya gave the dog-girl a slight reassuring wink before following after Sophia. "Let''s see what kinds of quests are avable in this terriblyckluster guild..." Sophia was still disappointed that they were so easygoing. "Escorting a merchant... Nah, let''s not do that. Oh, teaching someone fire magic, huh?" "We''re definitely not doing that!" The cat-girl instantly stopped her. "You already destroyed mymon sense enough." "Aww... I thought that could be fun. Hmm... fetching kows, yeah, we did that enough already..." "Are there any dragon-hunting requests?" Aura also had gotten interested. "Dragon, dragon, dragon... nope." She actually searched for it. "Aww..." "Thank goodness... Also, there are no dragons here!" "Okay... giant frok killing... Frok?" Sophia tilted her head. "Ahh... probably frogs? Green, somewhat slimy amphibians with long tongues?" "Theye in all sorts of colors, but yeah, that sounds like them." Maya confirmed her suspicion. "This world... Wait, how giant are we talking about here?" "About three meters tall. They even attack beastpeople or humans and try to catch them with their tongues, swallowing them whole. You apparently can get out by cutting their stomach from the inside, but you''ll be slimy and smelly for days, or so I''ve heard." "W-What else is there to do?" She didn''t even want toment on it, let alone consider going near them. "Forest lizards... 10 silver coins each... 100 silver was one gold, right? Wow, that doesn''t sound profitable at all." "They''re really easy to catch." "Hmm... you would still need to catch a 1,000 of them to get the same pay as for a rock golem, whose eyes sell for 100 gold each." "Sure, but they''re also 5,000 times tougher. Ten silver is still enough for a somewhat decent meal or a ton of sweets because those lizards are mainly hunted by children, and that''s some nice pocket money for them." The cat-girl was telling her more about this world. "Ohh... yeah, wrong quest for us, then... Also, the sweets example just now sounded oddly specific?" she looked at Maya for a moment, who averted her gaze. "Ah, look at this! They''re actually looking for the eyes of said rock golems. Wait, don''t we still have a ton of them left from Fenny''s killing spree the other day?" "Right, you kept them, didn''t you?" The wolf in question had already forgotten about it. "Let''s sell a couple of them the next time wee here. I don''t think taking them out of my extra space here and now would be a good idea." "My girl''s growing up!" Maya was proud that she had developed a tiny sliver ofmon sense. ---------------- Because there was a distinctck of interesting quests, the group left the adventurer guild for the time being, but Sophia immediately regretted this decision. "There she is!" "Wow, the rumor was actually true... An unknown tiger-girl has really arrived in the capital." Two male and official-looking beastpeople were waiting in front of the guild. While of feline origin, as well, they didn''t look like tigers. Instead of stripes, their yellowish hair, fur, and tails had more of a rosette-like pattern, resembling those of a jaguar. "A-Ah." Sophia had a bad feeling about this and wanted to go back inside the guild again. Chapter 83 – Invitation to the castle Chapter 83 ¨C Invitation to the castle The group had finally arrived in the beastfolk capital. Though, as expected, because Sophia identally turned herself into a tiger-girl a while ago, the same as the royal family, she was gathering a lot of attention. They had just exited the adventurer guild when they ran into some official-looking people who were searching for her. "There really is an unknown member of the royal family..." The two beastmen, who somewhat resembled jaguars, as far as their hair, ears, and tail were concerned, couldn''t actually believe it. "How can we help you?" Maya took over the talking for Sophia. "A rumor of an unknown tiger-girl had reached the royal castle, and his Majesty dispatched us to confirm it." "And?" "He entrusted us with a message in the case it''s actually true. On the wish of his Majesty, King Menzor, we invite you to the royal castle for tomorrow at noon." "W-What happens if I were to decline...?" Sophia wasn''t exactly looking forward to it. "Well, we most likely are going to be good friends because he''ll send us out every single day to convince you, I presume? Now that the rumor''s confirmed, his Majesty definitely wants to at least see and talk to you." "A-And what happens if I meet him?" She was trying to find a way out. "He probably wants to get to know you. I''m guessing he''ll also invite you to join the royal family with official measures. Or some of the other high positions the tigers are responsible for." "How?!" Maya interrupted them with a serious expression. "How is she supposed to join the family?! She''s not going to marry any of them, I''ll have you know!" "M-Marry?!" Sophia stumbled over the word. "Unfortunately, I don''t know. Then again, unofficially, she''s already a part of the tiger family, after all. It''ll most likely just be made public, then." "Ah, I see." Her expression softened again. "Do I, uhh, have to join the family in the first ce?" "It''s supposed to be an honor, you know?" "I-I see." She didn''t feel like arguing at the moment because she was still too overwhelmed. "Then, can I bring my friends with me when I meet this king?" "That''s..." "Just so you are aware," Maya interrupted them once more. "I''m going with her, regardless of the answer." "Well..." The jaguar-man gave up with a sigh. "Yes, that would be eptable. Only the two of you for the time being, please. Your wolfpanions are free to visit at another time." "Sounds good to me. I wanted to explore the city some more, anyway." "Yeah, that sounds more fun to me than meeting the king." Fen and Aura had no problems with it. "Y-You two!" Sophia couldn''t believe how readily they bailed out of it. She wasn''t angry, though, just terribly envious. "So, err, can we tell his Majesty that you''ll meet him tomorrow?" "Hrmn¡­" She needed a moment. "Y-Yes, if Maya cane with me, I''ll somehow manage." She still didn''t sound happy, though. "Excellent! We''ll immediately head out and tell King Menzor the news!" "S-Sure." "An audience with the king on the first day in the capital... You sure are something." The cat-girl shook her head. "W-Well, you insisted on tagging along, so we have an audience with him, Maya." "You want to go alone?" "Thank you very much foring with me!" Sophia really didn''t want to do it on her own. "I simply wouldn''t go without you at all." "Hehe, even if you would''ve said yes now, it wouldn''t change anything. There''s no way I could let you go alone! I''m way too worried!" "Yeah, I might say or do something stupid. Offending the king seems like it would not be overly good." "There''s that, too." She stopped for a moment. "But, I''m more worried about them stealing you away from me. Who knows what they''re really nning to make you part of their family!" "Is that what the m-marrying thing was about?" "Yes! It doesn''t sound that far-fetched, does it?!" "Hmm," Sophia tilted her head. "That jaguar-guy did say that it''s just about making it public, didn''t he? Well, that doesn''t sound fun either, though." "W-Who knows if that''s true?!" Maya seemed really fidgety about it. "I bet he has no idea, either, or just wanted to lure you in!" "Don''t worry, before anyone steals me away from you, I''ll rather burn down the royal castle." "Really?" "Of course!" "Ehehe~." The cat-girl''s expression turned bright again. "Err," Aura stared at them before looking at Fen. "Don''t worry, castles take a lot of time and work to burn down. Most of it is solid stone, after all." "I know that. It''s not my first time, but is that really the problem here?" "Nah, I don''t think the king''s that stupid." "I see." She let the couple be. "Well, not that I care either way." "It''ll be fun~." ---------------- The next day, unfortunately, appeared before long. After having had a good night''s sleep, thanks to sleeping in an actual bed, not to mention having shared it with Maya, Sophia was extra reluctant to get up. "Should we dress up?" The cat-girl was already out of bed and in the middle of sorting out her clothes while only in her underwear. She was wearing light pink panties and just finished putting on a bra in the same color. Both had some lightce applications on the hem and looked really borately crafted. "Hmm~, your style is fancy enough, I guess? I think you''re fine." She took a good look at Maya while saying so. The tiger was still confused about why this world was so advanced when it came to such things, but she definitely had no ns toin here. "Say that after I''m wearing some clothes!" "Ah, yeah, those are fancy, as well." "Hey!" Maya was not amused. "Oh, while we''re at that, why light pink?" She had no intention of stopping looking at Maya in her underwear. "It looks great, I love the color, but going by your normal clothes, I was expecting full white underneath, too. I was a bit surprised that you usually go for more subtle shades." "White on white can show through." "Seriously?! That makes no sen- Ah." She stopped for a moment. "Right, white tends to be a bit see-through in the first ce, so a different type of clothing beneath in a simr color kinda gets entuated instead¡­ I remember now. You want underwear closer to your skin color, right?" "Yep, else, the contrast between your skin and underwear will show through the clothes." "Shows how much I wear white clothes¡­ I prefer looking at them.~" "Thanks." Maya had a rough idea of what the tiger meant. "Ehehe. Anyway, what about me? I love my shirts, but they might be a bit too casual, huh?" She got back to the topic of dressing up for the visit in the royal castle. "Well, they want something from you, so it should be fine either way?" The cat-girl didn''t think she had to put so much thought into it. "Ah, then again, it would be the perfect opportunity to wear the sundress again I got for you." "Oh, that might be a good idea." Sophia wasn''t against it. "Seriously?! And just like that, I''m suddenly looking forward to this meeting!" "What a thirsty girl you are." "Are you really saying that, Sophia? While still staring at me? All while I''m in just my underwear?" "F-Fair point." She didn''t look away, though. "Ah, and now I know I shouldn''t wear white underneath! Good thing I got curious about your underwear~." "Sure, you only now got interested in it." The cat-girl didn''t believe her. "Err," She averted her eyes. "Interested in the color, I mean." "Better." She was satisfied with that much truth. "Also, aww, was a bit looking forward to your white on white¡­" "Hey!" The tiger got angry. "Why would you do that?" "Because it''s a nice view for me?" "And for everyone else!" "Ah¡­" She hadn''t thought that far. "R-Right, I wouldn''t want that. It''s my personal privilege!" "Sure¡­ Anyway, do I even have anything that doesn''t show through¡­? Most of my underwear''s the sporty type, and they''re either white or ck¡­ or some other, pretty bright colors." "Hmm¡­ Your default setting is blush, so you should aim for something along those lines. Ah, not setting, I meant skin color¡­" "Sassy today, aren''t we?" "Yep, today." "You¡­" Sophia stared at her for a moment. "Okay, whatever, I don''t have anything blushy, though." "Anything peachy would work okay enough. Your dress isn''t a very bright white, so maybe even a light gray could work." "I also only have darker types of gray¡­ Peach, huh? Let me see¡­." The blonde rummaged through her extra storage for a minute and eventually pulled out a matching set of underwear in a subtle shade of peach out of it. It also wasn''t the sporty type but closer to Maya''s with a fewce applications on the hem. "I got those thest time we went shopping but haven''t had the chance to wear them yet." "Perfect." Maya liked the idea. "Good." "The color''s also good. It shouldn''t show through." Turns out, it wasn''t the idea the cat-girl liked, but rather what she was seeing. "Hey! But, t-thanks¡­" Sophia''s face turned to the color she, unfortunately, hadn''t any type of underwear of, a subtle shade of blush. ---------------- Once she was finally able to leave the bed, the tiger-girl got ready. She changed into the floral sundress, together with her carefully chosen underwear. Afterward, the couple got some breakfast, left the inn, and slowly walked towards the royal castle while the tiger also had put on her new hat. "This dress looks so nice on you!" Maya couldn''t avert her eyes. "T-Thanks..." She got a little shy. "Wait, isn''t that bad for me?!" The cat-girl suddenly stopped in her tracks. "If you''re too pretty, they''ll want you even more! I''m such an idiot! I only thought about my own enjoyment¡­" "As I said, that''s not going to happen!" "Y-Yes." She couldn''t help but be worried regardless. The couple kept walking for a while, hand in hand, of course, until they eventually arrived at the gate in front of the castle. There, the two were stopped by the guards. "I''m sorry, girls, the royal pce is only for- Oh!" The guard, yet another beastmen with jaguar-like features, stumbled over his words when he looked past Sophia''s hat. "Wee back, my Lady- wait...?" He looked at her again, seemingly confused. "I-It''s my first time being here... I-It''s only natural that you have no idea who I am." She had a rough understanding of why the guard was so all over the ce. "R-Really? Ah, could it be? You''re the new member of the royal family that appeared in the rumors yesterday?" "Err, well, the king wanted to see me after these rumors reached him, yes." She didn''t address any of his other ims. "I see! We were actually informed of your visit today. Together with yourpanion, that is. Because I sincerely doubt that there''s yet another unknown tiger-girl running around in the capital, it has to be you. You two can proceed now. Head towards the main entrance of the castle at the end of this road. Someone will pick you up there." "Okay, thank you very much." "Thanks!" Following the instructions, they walked along the street until the two arrived at the actual castle. There, the couple spotted three jaguar-girls that were dressed like maids. "Are jaguars like the attendants of the tiger family?" Sophia was wondering about it as it started to look like a pattern now. "No idea, but I was just thinking the same." If Maya had known the royal family to this extent, none of this would''ve ever happened because she would''ve stopped Sophia before she transformed herself into a tiger. "Wee to the royal castle," The maids did a slight bow while addressing the couple. "His Majesty, King Menzor is awaiting you already. May we ask for your names to properly announce you to his majesty?" "l-I''m Sophia." "M-Maya." The situation made them a little tense. " I understand. Lady Sophia, Lady Maya, please follow us. We''ll take you to his Majesty." "L-Lady?!" The couple felt incredibly awkward, but the maids paid it no mind and silently guided them through the castle. "I-I''m getting kinda nervous now..." "Mm-hmm." ---------------- It took almost ten minutes of walking around before the maids stopped in front of a huge and fancy wooden double door. "We have arrived. His Majesty, King Menzor, is behind this door. Please wait here for a moment until we announce you." "O-Okay..." Just like that, the couple was left alone. "I guess I should take off my hat, huh? Well, I probably should''ve done so a long time ago, now that I think about it¡­ My mind was too preupied." "Sounds like a n. The king probably wants to make sure about your tiger origins." "What origins?" She had none of those. "You know what I mean." "This is so messed up." "You can say that again." Five more minutes passed before the heavy wooden doors slowly opened again, and the maids beckoned them in. "Your Majesty, this is Lady Sophia, together with Lady Maya on the left." "N-Nice to meet you, y-your Majesty." Unsure how to reply, the couple became even more awkward. "Haha, there''s no need to be so formal." The king, a dignified-looking tiger-man, greeted them with a heartyugh. It somehow was hard to guess his age, but he seemed to be somewhere in his forties. He had the same ears as Sophia, but his tail was a bit longer and thicker whenpared to his body size. The striped, ck pattern was the same, as well, but his hair and fur had a dark-orange hue. "O-Okay." "The rumors were true after all, huh?" The king took a better look at Sophia. "Although, your hair''s somewhat different. While there are some slight derivations of the orange hue, I''ve never seen a blonde tiger before." "W-Well," She had no idea how to react or what to say. "From which family are you, Sophia? Maybe I can find an answer to your hair if I can trace back your ancestors." "I don''t have... a family." She stopped for a moment. "I''ve been on my own ever since I came to this, uhh, the world." Though there were a ton of details missing, it technically wasn''t a lie. "I have friends andpanions but no actual rtives." "I-Is that so?" He looked genuinely apologetic. "I''m sorry for being insensitive and asking about something painful." "A-Ah, no, it''s fine. I''m living a good life now." She ended up ncing at Maya while saying so. "There''s no need to feel bad." "Ehehe." The cat-girl liked her answer. "That''s good. Still, for someone from the tiger family to be abandoned. This is uneptable!" The king seemed angry. "But there are no reports of any members missing, even going back as far as 50 years. This doesn''t make any sense..." "Well, of course." She only mumbled these words. "Where did youe from, Sophia? Was there maybe a tribe that got overlooked during our migration to the capital in the distant past?" "Uhh," This was aplicated question. "Are you familiar with the so-called monster country?" "Yes, it''s a vicious area far away. Even our most remote settlements that are directly governed by us aren''t overly close. Why are you asking? W-Wait, don''t tell me-!?" "Yes, I originated from deep inside of it. I''ve been there ever since I can remember." Again, it technically wasn''t a lie. "Unbelievable! Wait, is that why I''m feeling this massive powering from you?! Because you had to survive there for your entire life?!" "Well, err, more or less?" While Canir gave her this power, he did drop her there to survive. "Y-You''ve had it rough, huh?" "Absolutely!" The two tigers weren''t necessarily talking about the same thing, but they still came to a mutual understanding. "That catpanion of yours seems to be quite powerful, as well. Maya, was it?" "No, I''m simply born with these high magical powers. There''s no fancy story behind me!" She didn''t want to bepared with Sophia. "I see. Still, it''s at a level where even I lose my confidence, the king of a whole country. No, actually, mine''s not even a sliverpared to it." "..." The cat-girl went silent. "Okay, let''s get back to the topic." The king''s voice changed. "Sophia, even though you should be part of the royalty or high nobility of this country, you had to go through such a tragic and hard past." "..." She, too, went silent. "We still need to investigate a little further, trying to find your real ancestors. Regardless of that, though, I want you to formally be a part of the royal family, Sophia. My family. We can''t let this incident go on without doing anything and let such an outstanding individual not benefit from her origins." "Err..." She was at a loss for words. Chapter 84 – The Princess Chapter 84 ¨C The Princess The rumor of a new tiger-girl, Sophia, arriving in the beastfolk capital had even reached the king, head of the royal tiger family. He invited her to the pce and offered her to join the family as a result. After all, that''s supposed to be the role of every tiger. "H-How am I supposed to join the family?" "Well, my oldest son and daughter are still not enga-." "No!" Maya instinctively interrupted the king without thinking. "A-Ah, I''m terribly sorry, but... NO!" "Y-Yeah, I have to agree here. M-Marriage is not an option here." "Could I ask wh-" The king couldn''t finish his question because the enormous wooden doors suddenly flung open in the middle of his sentence. "Father, I have returned home from school! I heard you wanted to see- Oh! I''m very sorry for interrupting! Hmm?" Another tiger-girl had appeared in the room. She seemed to be around the same age as the couple, maybe one or at best two years older, at least judging by her face with her cat-like and cheeky-looking eyes that were a mix between yellow and orange with a hint of blue around the iris. For a moment, a certain girl became a bit envious because the growth spurtof the new tiger was in a league of its own, as she looked even more developed than the cat-girl in certain areas. Luckily, because Sophia had adjusted herself in a way she was happy with by now, it wasn''t much of an issue, and she simply enjoyed the splendid view. She was a good bit taller than Maya, too. These two things made for a big contrast between the two tiger-girls. Her animal features were the exact same as Sophia''s, save for the base color of her fur and hair, which was of a darkish orange, just like her father. It was less faded out, more glossy, and overall looked very cared for, though. The length of her hair seemed to be rather long, but it was hard to guess the exact length as she had tied it up to a ponytail. This tiger-girl was wearing something resembling a summer-themed school uniform. Dark-brown shoes and ck socks, which covered half of her calves and featured a white line at the top. A tartan-styled, checkered with different hues of red and ck, skirt entuated with white stripes. Her white dress-shirt looked slightly simr to Maya''s, but instead of red applications, it had a ck stripe on the sleeves and a ck cor. The style, too, looked less casual. It also had a golden badge on the chest area, which seemed to have some symbols resembling elements like water, fire, and the likes engraved on it. Rounding everything up, she was wearing a bowtie-like ribbon in the same pattern as her skirt. Spoiler: Click here for a picture of her [copse] "Anna," He stared at the girl. "Wee back¡­ How often did I tell you to knock?" "Ahaha, sorry." "Haaa..." Menzor let out a sigh. "Whatever, please introduce yourself now that you''re here already." "Of course! I''m the oldest daughter of King Menzor. I''m Anna, the first princess of this country. It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintanceship." She did a little curtsy towards the end in stark contrast to her earlier roughness. "Someone troublesome has appeared." "Mm-hmm." Inaudible to everyone else, the couple came to the same conclusion. "May I ask about the names of our guests?" "Ah, right, I''m Maya." "Sophia here, it''s n-nice to meet you." "The pleasure''s all mine. Oh? Ohh, so that''s how it is!" Anna took a better look at Sophia. "You''re the rumored lost family member, I take it? The fellow tiger-girl." "Y-Yes, I''m that, uhh, rumored girl." "Hoh~." The princess mustered her again. "You''re pretty hot!" Her formal speechsted for around four seconds in total. Afterward, the room was wrapped in absolute silence for a good minute. ---------------- "Anna, behave yourself!" "What? It''s true!" She didn''t seem apologetic whatsoever. "Seriously, can we keep her, father? I want this girl to be around all the time!" "Anna!" The king rubbed his temples before continuing. "Wait, you never were so interested in others before, were you?" "I''ve never met anyone as interesting as her before, after all." "I-I see..." "So, is she sticking around?!" "We just started talking about his topic when a certain someone interrupted us, dear daughter of mine." "A-Ah." "I mentioned my children before, Sophia. Anna is one of them, and while she''s a bit of work, I think she''s still a good option." "H-Hey!" "Prove me wrong." "..." She didn''t reply for a moment. "Wait, option? Are you trying to use me to have Sophia marry into the family?!" "Not without your consent, obviously. We aren''t barbarians, after all." "Hmm-" Anna looked at Sophia while thinking about it. "Jackpot!" Seemingly having warmed up to the idea in an instant, the princess inched closer to the tiger girl, but she didn''t make it far. "Aaand stop!" Maya literally appeared between the two girls and forcefully stopped Anna from doing whatever she nned to do to Sophia by holding her off with her hand. "I-I''m sorry for doing this to a princess, but I''m about to explode here!" "Err, y-your Majesty... it''s great that you ask your daughter for consent and all, but I sincerely hope that, well, my consent is as important in this." Sophia was hoping to debate the situation peacefully. As the cat-girl had gone down the path of emotion here, she had to be the voice of reason. "Eh?!" King and princess looked equally dumbfounded. "It''s a very generous offer, and Princess Anna is certainly b-beautiful. I should be happy, I guess, but I have to respectfully decline." "Aww,e on! Once we get to know each other better, I''m sure we''ll be happy!" "Bad princess, stop!" Maya noticed that she tried to get closer to Sophia again, but her defenses were imprable. "Come on, help out a girl here. I just want to get closer to my future wife~." "That''s never going to happen!" The cat-girl was getting angry. "Well," The king faced Sophia. "Naturally, I won''t force you. That would never work out. Still, I might be biased, but you said it yourself that my Anna is beautiful. Again, yes, she''s a bit of a handful, but I''m certain she''ll calm down in the future." "W-Why is my own father the one ying down my worth?!" "That''s your fault alone!" The king and his daughter seemed to be getting along great. "Urgh." "Princess Anna herself isn''t the problem. I have a soft spot for girls that are high-maintenance, after all." "Hey!" Twoiners raised their voices. "May I ask for the reason then? Joining the royal family is a huge opportunity, is it not?'' "Exactly! The two of us would be so great together!" Anna hadn''t given up yet. The blonde tiger really seemed to be her type. "You two will never be a thing!" A vein was about to pop on the cat-girl''s forehead. "S-She''s the reason." Sophia pointed at her Maya. "The girl who''s about to attack your daughter is my partner. In the g-girlfriend kind of sense." Admitting it in front of others made her bashful. "Hehe~." Full of smug, the cat-girl triumphantly shed the princess a big grin. "Won''t you at least think about it? Considering that she''s the first princess of a nation, shees with a lot of benefits." "No, I''m sorry." There wasn''t even a shred of hesitation. "There''s no need to give it any thought. I love Maya." "Sophia..." The girl in question was deeply touched. "Sharing wouldn''t-" "No!" Maya didn''t let the king finish his sentence. "A-Ah, I''m sorry! I-I don''t want to offend his Majesty, but-." "It''s alright, I fully understand. While it certainly is allowed and also practiced to have multiple lovers, I, too, wouldn''t even dream of sharing my lovely wife with anyone." Menzor wasn''t angry about her reaction. "T-Thank you very much." "Yes." Sophia also agreed. "I''m a one girl... girl. I''m dedicated to a single one, and that won''t change. Also, I can barely handle Maya, another one on top? No, totally impossible." "Yeah¡­" The king had an understanding expression for some reason. "Also, why would you ever want to have more than one girl as your lover? Do you have any idea how much work we are? Dealing with multiple sounds more like a curse than anything else. Just a single girlfriend can be really exhausting." Sophia apparently preferred monogamous rtionships. "I mean, I won''t judge anyone, but no¡­ it''s sooo not for me." "Why do I feel like there was a jab against me in there?" Maya didn''t like everything about her exnation. "Would you want multiple girls? A couple more of me? Maybe also a royal princess? Having to deal with everyone at the same time?" "Uhh," The cat-girl stopped for a moment and then shuddered. "W-What Sophia said. Aside from not wanting to have anyone else in the first ce, it does sound like a major pain." "Eh, so it''s over already?!" Anna didn''t like this development. "Sorry, toote~." The levels of her smugness were still increasing. "Grr! Alright, let''s have a match! The winner will get Sophia!" "Anna, behave yourself already!" "Maya, too, stop egging her on." "You two stay out of this!" Aside from everything that was going on, the cat-girl and the princess were in total sync. "Haa..." So were Sophia and the king as they shared a sigh. "You have it rough, huh?" "We both have." "How about no?" The cat-girl turned her down in the end. "She already is my girlfriend. I won''t lose, but there''s nothing to gain for me here, is there?" "A-Ah." Anna noticed her oversight. "Y-You can show off your strength in front of her, uhh, to make yourself look good!" "We train together every day. There''s no need for that." "Seriously?! That sounds awesome! Wait, no! Stop making me jealous! A-Anyway, what do I have to give you to ept the match?!" "There''s noth-." "Maya, entertain her a bit." Sophia saw no harm in them having a match. "You want to fight her, don''t you? Ignore the part where the match is about me. After all, there''s no way you''ll lose." "Well, of course. I just don''t like the fact that I should fight for such a reason." "Nah, it''s fine, I don''t mind, and I have faith in you." "Uuh, now I have to." Maya was pretty easy to handle from time to time. "Alright, let''s have that match, Princess Anna." "Guh, after openly flirting so much!" She seemed a bit envious. "I''ll make you regret epting! Let''s go to the training ce in the backyard immediately!" "Are you sure about this?" The king addressed Sophia as the two were following the duo with a tired expression. "It''s okay." "She''s a prodigy at the academy, though. She always scores first ce in the practical magic exams." "I''m sorry, but your Anna has no chance. My Maya has vastly superior magic powers, not to mention actual experience in fighting monsters. She''s not going to lose to anyone." Both of them sounded like boasting parents. "Also, I love her. Even if the match''s about me, I wouldn''t suddenly ept Princess Anna. I''m sorry for raising any hopes in her. Maya also knows that." "Are the two of you really the same age as my daughter?" The king felt like the two were much more mature than Anna. "The cat-girl of yours is also really skillful in egging her on." "Ahaha." She had tough that he said it after Maya was being so immature. "The princess is around 17?" "Yeah, she turned 17 quite a while ago. Her next birthday isn''t that far off, actually." "Then no, Maya and I are a good bit older." "Yeah, that makes sense-" Menzor agreed without thinking. "Wait, what?" He only wanted to make a joke. "Both, Maya and I, are in our twenties. Ah, early twenties, I''ll have you know!" She felt the need to correct herself. "S-Seriously?! Okay, my wife will kill me when I tell her about this, and I didn''t ask you¡­ What are your secrets?" "Ahaha. Uh, I''m not sure if it''s okay to tell you, but whatever," She didn''t feel like the info could harm her. "Actually, your life expectancy is directly rted to your magic power." "H-How do you know about that?!" He seemed visibly shocked. "This is supposed to be a top-secret!" "Eh? Well, I know a really powerful individual who made the connection himself after growing really old." "I see. Please don''t spread this information. It''s the reason why the tiger family is so long-livedpared to the rest of the beastfolk, too. We have the biggest magic power by far, so we grow up to 50 % older than most others. It would be hard to exin to the public. " "Yes, I have nothing to gain by spreading it, anyway." "So, what does that have to do with you being older than you look?" "Maya''s and mine magic power are at a level where our bodies more or less stop aging altogether when we reached this age." "..." He needed a moment. "I''m sorry, what?" "You didn''t mishear." "I-Is that even possible? I mean, we also age slower than most, but not to a point where we looked like 16 in our twenties. S-Sorry, early twenties." He corrected himself after seeing Sophia''s expression. "You know, the guy who told me about it also frequently tells me stories about when he roamed around with the demons on this continent." "W-Wha-!? How old is that friend of yours?!" "He refuses to tell me, but he''s old." "Hmm... Wait, I can sense that you''re powerful, but just how big is your actual magic power?!" "Let me put it that way," She tried to find an exnation that didn''t sound too unbelievable. "Maya started traveling with me because she initially wanted to learn my magic. In order to do that, she first had to learn chantless magic because I have no idea how to use spells or activation words." "You shouldn''t mess with the king of a country, girl." He still didn''t believe her. "Hmm?" In response to that, Sophia opened her palm and created a miniature tornado on top of it. "I wasn''t messing around, though." "..." Menzor needed a moment to process it. "D-Does that mean your cat-girl can use it, too? Or are you still teaching her?" "So far, she can use chantless magic of the air, water, fire, and earth category." "F-Four types of magic?! H-Huh?! Does that mean you can use even more, Sophia?!" "Of course. Every single one, including the category-less, original magic." "Uhh," The king rubbed his temples again before his expression changed. "Sophia, you have to be a part of the royal family, after all. As the ruler, I can''t afford to let go of such a valuable person." "Your Majesty, if you can offer me a way that doesn''t include m-marriage, or hurting Maya in any other conceivable way, I will at least listen. If not, don''t waste your or my time trying. I''m sure the time of a king is a very valuable asset. I, too, have better things to do." "You just became one of the most important topics on my agenda. The development of magic has been stagnant for a while already. I have the feeling that would change with your presence. I have to get you for my country!" Menzor seemed incredibly determined about his n. "I''ll find a way that won''t hurt the rtionship with your partner." "Thank you." While Sophia still wasn''t sure whether she even wants to be part of the royal family, now she didn''t have to fear anything stupid or regrettable happening. "A-Ah, speaking of stupid and regrettable." "What do you- Ah." He looked in the same direction as the tiger-girl and saw his daughter facing off the supposedly ridiculously powerful Maya with a smug look after they arrived at the training field behind the castle. "Do your best, cat. I''ll definitely make you regret epting this match! Your Sophia will be mine very soon!" "..." Her left eye was a little twitchy, but she managed to not react to the cheap provocation of the princess. "I''ll apologize in advance if anything happens to Princess Anna." Sophia felt that Maya was slightly angry. "Don''t worry, I''ll immediately heal her if something happens." "She has no chance, has she?" "It''ll be a short fight. " "Yeah... Wait, you can even use healing magic?!" "Yup." "Ehh?!" Using the dumbfounded cry of this country''s king as a starting signal, his daughter faced off Maya in a match for Sophia''s hand. Not that the girl in question had any intention of going along with it. Chapter 84.5 – Illustrations Chapter 84.5 ¨C Illustrations Here''s the extra chapter for Anna''s illustrations. There might be more eventually so make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom. Chapter 85 – Anna ‘vs.’ Maya Chapter 85 ¨C Anna ¡®vs.¡¯ Maya During the audience with the king of the beastfolk, Sophia was offered to marry his oldest daughter, the first princess of the nation. Obviously, Maya couldn''t let that slide, but Sophia naturally wasn''t a fan, either. Unfortunately, Princess Anna was, though, because she had taken a liking to the blonde. She had gotten ratherpetitive, and it ended up with her challenging Maya to a match with Sophia''s hand as the reward. "Is this going to be alright?" King Menzor looked at his daughter and the cat-girl with a worried expression. "Yeah. You know, in a way, Princess Anna reminds me a bit of Maya. She, too, challenged me to a duel the day we met and refused to listen at all. If it wasn''t for, uhh, me, I think the two could''ve be good friends." "Who knows, maybe they still will once my stupid daughter calms down." "Or if a certain someone would''ve asked me about the matter first before mentioning anything to his daughter, and, more importantly, listened to ourints¡­" "Ah." Menzor had an awkward expression. "Well, it would be nice, them bing friends." While they had a conversation that sounded a bit like two fathersining about their idiot daughters, though it couldn''t be further away from Sophia''s rtionship with Maya, said idiots finally started their match. "Okay! I hope you had a good time with Sophia because she''ll be mine soon!" "I sure had~, and I sure will for a long time~." As usual, the sass was strong in her. "Well, try me, princess." "Your overconfidence will be your end, cat!" "I-I''m sorry for my daughter." The king seemed embarrassed. "N-No..." Sophia was trying not tough instead because this exchange resembled more and more her first meeting with Maya. "O powerful wind, heed my call and cut this girl!" After the princess'' short chant, two medium-sized air des shot toward Maya with moderate speed. "Well, that''s disappointing¡­" After a small yawn for extra mockery, Maya simply stepped aside to dodge the des. "Grr." "Is that all, princess? There''s a limit to underestimating someone!" "Are you really saying this, Maya?" Sophia had to make a retort from the sidelines. "S-Shut up! I''ve changed since then!" "Ahaha." She couldn''t help herself. "True enough." "T-This was just a warm-up!" Anna''s face turned red. "Windy whirlwind, trap her!" As the name implied, a precursor to a tornado formed and tried to entrap the cat-girl, but she was well ustomed to this type of magic. "Tornado." Not feeling the need to resort to chantless magic, Maya used one of her ssics. Immediately after, a much stronger whirlwind formed and swallowed the magic of the princess. "S-So you''re capable of using activation words only, huh?" "Of course? You''ve felt my power, didn''t you? Why would activation words surprise you?" "Seriously?!" The blonde was stillmenting on their match. "A-Alright, I''ll stop holding back!" Anna seemed a bit flustered. "Mm-hmm." The cat-girl was not the least bit intimidated. "Prison!" After the princess shouted the word, Maya was trapped inside earthen walls that had shot out of the ground. "How''s that?! You can give up if you want." "Hmm... No, I''m good." Sounding unfazed, Maya let a door appear in the walls Princess Anna made and stepped in front of her as if nothing happened. "W-Wha-?! Completely unharmed?!" She was shocked. "Wait, I didn''t hear a chant or activation word?!" "Of course. I used none of that, after all." "Eh?! H-How...?" "Huh? Have you never heard of chantless magic?" "O-Of course I have! You can actually use it?! Even father can''t do that!" "Well, I''m still in the middle of learning it, but so far, I can use it for four different types, err, categories." "Y-You can use four different types of magic?! I thought I was special for using two?!" "D¨¦j¨¤ vu?!" Sophia still couldn''t stay silent on this exact copy of her match with Maya from back then. "A-Ah!" The cat-girl just now made the full connection to the couple''s first meeting. "Ahaha." "Uuh," The princess sounded desperate. "Is there anything left I can do?" "That depends. Do you want to be set on fire? Cut in pieces by wind? Crushed by earth or drenched by a couple of thousand liters of water? Those are my answers to your next attack." "I-I don''t like any of these options! M-Maybe the water¡­ I-I mean NO!" "You could also give up." "B-But then... Sophia won''t..." "Princess Anna," The cat-girl sighed. "We love each other, and even if you would''ve won, this wouldn''t have changed. You had no chance since the beginning." "Urgh." "Your girlfriend sure is harsh, Sophia." The king was impressed by her ruthlessness. "W-Well, she''s normally pretty gentle, but your daughter might''ve hit a nerve." "Yeah, she''s good at that. She takes after her mother, after all." "I don''t think so, dear. She''s much more like you used to be." Next to the king, a woman suddenly appeared. She was the exact copy of Anna, or rather, an older version of her with medium-long and slightly wavy hair. A beautiful tall, and well-endowed tiger-, who seemed to be rather intimate with the king. She appeared to be roughly around his age, or maybe a couple of years younger. "K-Kira?! Where did youe from?" "I heard that something interesting was going on in the training area, and I came to take a look. It seems like our pretentious daughter got a small reality check, huh?" She looked pretty satisfied. "Who is this cat-girl she lost so badly against?" "Oh, she''s called Maya. She''s the partner of Sophia over here." He stepped aside to bring her into full view. "A-Ah." She was still bad at talking with people for the first time. "I''m Sophia. It''s n-nice to meet you." "The pleasure''s all mine. I''m Kira, wife of Menzor and mother of our stupid Anna, effectively the queen of this country." She then took a better look at her. "So, you''re the girl from the rumors, Sophia?" "That, I am¡­" "Oho, indeed, you''re cute." As it turned out, the king might''ve been right about who the princess takes after. "I''ve never seen a tiger with blonde hair before. It looks great, though. So do the white bits." "T-Thanks..." "So, why were those two having a duel?" "Well-" Both, Sophia and the king, awkwardly looked away. "Dear, what did you do?" "I wanted to integrate Sophia into the family because she''s special, and I couldn''t afford to let go of her. Marrying Anna was on the table. Our girl liked the idea, Maya, uh, not so much." "Obviously! Which girlfriend would like this? Why did you even suggest something so stupid?!" Kira got angry at her husband. "I didn''t know the two were a couple when the idea came up." "A rtively solid excuse. You might want to get your eyesight checked, though, dear. Still, why are they fighting? It''s not like a duel would suddenly change their feelings." "Our daughter wanted to fight for Sophia''s hand, as in the loser has to back down." "And my Maya got a little angry about her wanting to steal me away." "You gave her thest push, though." "A-Ah! You didn''t have to mention this, your Majesty!" "I''m not going down without you." "S-So unfair." "You two get along great, huh?" "We bonded over amon source of problems." "Yeah..." As they said so, the king and Sophia looked at their daughter, respectively girlfriend. "A-Alright, I ept defeat." While the queen was chatting with the two, Princess Anna finally gave up with a mortified expression. "Good~." Maya''s expression, on the other hand, was one of pure smugness. "Maya, stop ying with your prey already. You''ve won." "That''s not what I''m doing!" "Really? Sure seems like it, though. Just looking at you makes me want to catch something so I can y around with it." "That''s just because you''re super instinct-driven!" "Urgh!" Sophia took a lot of damage from her reply. "I-It''s not that bad." "Compared to your feline instincts, I might as well be a fish." "Uuh..." "You have strong instincts?" The king seemed interested in the topic. "W-Well-" She had a hard time answering. "Ignoring her looks, which is hard because she''s gorgeous, Sophia also could be an actual tiger at times." Maya couldn''t stay impartial while addressing her looks. "A-Are you holding a grudge against me for some reason?" She was wondering why the cat-girl was teasing her so much. "I would never~." Her voice implied otherwise. "E-Even though I lost, you can still choose me, Sophia! I wouldn''t treat you like this!" Princess Anna had yet to step down on her chase. "Hmm~." She put a hand on her chin to think about the suggestion. "S-Sophia?!" Maya instantly panicked. "Ahaha, getting back at you is fun~." Her expression loosened again. "A-Ah." "I''m sorry, Princess Anna, I''ll stick with Maya. I enjoy our bantering." "No fair!" "Perfect victory!" "Maya, stop this stupidpetition and be nice to her!" "I-I''m sorry. Wait! You''re the one who gave thest push for thepetition!" "She''s usually a good girl, princess." The blonde ignored her protest. "If not for her jealousy, that is. I have a feeling that this is going to be weird, but, well¡­ a rtionship is impossible¡­ S-Still, I would be happy if we could somehow be f-friends regardless..." "I''ll settle with that for now. Ah! l-I mean, yes, I''ll dly be your friend!" Anna quickly corrected herself. "S-Sophia, you mustn''t! She''s dangerous!" Maya definitely wasn''t a fan of this budding friendship. "Sooo..." King Menzor wasn''t sure what to say and came back to the previous topic again. "What was that about you and your feline instincts?" "A-Ah, that''s embarrassing..." Her face turned slightly red. "Basically, the instincts of my tiger-side get really strong from time to time. To the point of them even taking over for me in some situations. Really, so embarrassing." The shade of her cheeks turned even darker. "Even my ears and tail are hypersensitive." "Really?" "Mmh~. Oh, if you try to touch either of them, especially my ears, I won''t hesitate in even attacking a king of a country, you know?" Her expression suddenly turned cold. "Don''t worry, he wouldn''t dare. Right, dear~?" Queen Kira had the same expression for some reason. "I-I would never!" He backed off a couple of steps from the two in defense. "I wouldn''t dare to touch the ears of a fellow feline, especially one in a rtionship, even more so because I''m married. Happily, so!" "Good." The expression of both girls returned to normal again. "I-In the first ce, that wasn''t what I meant! I was talking about your instincts, Sophia. I know from the records that our early ancestors had pronounced instincts, as well. Still, nowadays, they''re more on the unobtrusive side in the tiger-family. At least the offensive-oriented instincts. It''s the same for you, isn''t it, Kira?" "Yes. Actually, in my lineage, they might be even weaker. General feline instincts and the sense of duty are still strong, though." "That''s true." "Really? I''m so envious!" Sophia wasn''t a fan of her instincts running wild most of the time. "Quite the opposite. I''m envious that the tiger blood in you is still so thick." "Nonono, losing your reason in the middle of a hunt is far from desirable, if you ask me¡­ Going for your prey purely on instinct alone." She remembered the baor hunt shortly after turning herself into a tiger. "Wow." He sounded impressed. "You might originate from an ancient tribe of the tiger folk, Sophia. Probably a very long-lived one, judging by just how extreme your magic power is. That would result in way fewer generations over time. You could be some sort of primal type of tiger-girl. " "I-Is that so?" "This could also partially exin your hair and fur¡­ From the records, the founders of our capital from many centuries ago were of a lighter orange, as well, and it started to darken over the generations. Still, your full blonde hair with only a hint of orange could very well mean that you''re from an even more pure line than the founders¡­" "R-Really¡­?" She had no idea how to reply. In a sense, she actually was something along those lines. Sophia was the first tiger in her lineage, but this was a pretty far stretch. The reason Sophia''s instincts are so aggressive is because she turned herself into a full-fledged beast-girl, a pure one, without any watering down over generations. Not that the blonde girl could admit to any of those at this point. In a way, she was a fake, but she also was the most real tiger-girl there is. Aplicated situation. "Ahhh..." The king sighed. "Is it really impossible for you to ept our Anna? A primal tiger-girl, together with our daughter. Your offspring would bring the tiger folk to new heights!" "It. Is. Impossible!" Maya answered for her in a very direct and absolute tone. "Y-Yeah, I love Maya and Maya only. Wait, what¡­?" Something in the king''s plea had confused her. Greatly. "I have to ept that. I won''t drive a wedge between lovers. I need to wrack my brain about how else I can include you in the family. No, I have to find a way you want to join¡­ Maya," Menzor suddenly faced the cat-girl. "The tiger-side of the parents is the dominant one in their offspring if both are feline. That''s how the royal family was kept alive for so long. I would be d if I could count on you for that somewhere in the future." "H-Huh?! T-That''s... that''s way too early, your Majesty! Along with many other things to c-consider here¡­" Maya had gotten incredibly flustered. "I-Impossible!" She had to repeat herself. "I didn''t mean right now." "Uuh..." Her face was bright red by now. "Wait a moment¡­" Sophia got only more confused. "Princess Anna and my Maya, together with me, as well¡­ No matter my partner, we''ll always both be girls. There won''t be any c-children between us. That''s impossible, after all." "It''s not, though?" The king objected with a calm voice. "What?" Question marks started to float above her head. "Blessing magic takes care of that for same-sex couples. It''s fairly easy andmon for two women." "E-Eh?!" Completely bewildered, she looked at Maya for confirmation. "..." Still deeply embarrassed by the king''s request, the cat-girl couldn''t look at her directly and only gave a slight nod. "W-Whaaaat?!" The shock was way too big for her. After this revtion, the group had to take a small break because the two guests of honor got put out ofmission for a while. Chapter 86 – Blessing Magic Chapter 86 ¨C Blessing Magic Maya naturally won the duel with princess Anna and was allowed to keep Sophia. Not that any other oue would''ve changed anything. Even so, it didn''t seem like the princess had entirely given up yet, but there were more important issues at hand right now. Because Sophia didn''t want to marry his daughter, the king tasked the cat-girl with the topic of children because the bloodline of Sophia''s tiger side must be preserved in his eyes. "M-Maya... could I talk to you for a moment? A-Alone?" It sounded like a question, but Sophia had already grabbed her hand and was dragging her away. "S-Sure..." Being embarrassed beyond belief herself, thanks to the king''s request, the cat-girl was unable to resist. "Y-Your Majesty, we need a break here!" She also didn''t wait for his answer before the two disappeared. "Menzor." A cold voice came from his left. "Y-Yes?!" He reluctantly faced his wife. "I don''t mind that you want to bring Sophia into the family. I, too, find her interesting, after all. BUT!" She raised her voice. "If you don''t stop butting into their rtionship, I''ll get angry. Leave these girls alone!" Kira was a strong ally of the couple. "I mean, I bet a child between them would look adorable, and I would love to see it, but have some delicacy!" Strong, but maybe not the strongest ally. "Y-Yes." "Besides, the earlier misunderstanding of you touching her ears, where she threatened to attack you, the king, her eyes were serious. Even more so than mine. I have the feeling that angering her is not a good idea. For this country, that is. You know that I''m sensitive to magic power levels," Kira stopped for a moment. "Maya already is on a level I doubt anyone would be able to beat her. Any of us,bined, that is. But Sophia... she''s simply scary." "T-That much?!" The king was shocked. "Well, I don''t think we have to fear her because she doesn''t seem like she even cares about her power. Still, as the saying goes, the silent types are always the scariest when angered. She''s one of us, so let''s treat her with the same respect as one." "Alright, I''ll leave their rtionship alone." "You, too, Anna," Kira faced her daughter. "Don''t overdo it." She knew that she hadn''t fully given up yet, and also not to tell youths to stop entirely. That only acts as a motivation. "Urgh." The princess looked away. "Not that Maya would let you. Her defenses are strong." ---------------- While the family was chatting, Sophia had found a suitable secluded ce to question the cat-girl. "M-Maya?" "Yes...?" "What is this, uhh, Blessing magic the king mentioned?" "W-Well¡­" Her face kept getting redder. "It''s-, it is a type of magic for, you know, same-sex couples to have a... c-child together. T-Their child." "E-Eh?" The words didn''t register in the tiger''s brain. "Yeah¡­." "Ehhh?!" Sophia needed a minute. "W-Wait- Wait! A-Are you telling me there''s magic to impregnate someone in this world?!" "¡­" Maya didn''t answer and only slightly nodded her head. "H-Huh?!" Her face was going through all sorts of expressions and emotions at the same time. "S-So... I can get someone pregnant just by concentrating on it?! That''s on a whole other level of messed up!" She instinctively covered her stomach with her arms as a form of defense. "N-No, that''s not how it works." "T-Thank goodness! What a scary thought! Bing pregnant just by someone thinking about you..." The tiger-girl shuddered from imagining such a scenario. "Y-You need the consent of your partner, a-and both have to use the magic together..." "O-Oh, I see-" Her voice became more rxed again. "T-That''s reasonable... Eh?" While she was bing visibly embarrassed as well, Sophia was also curious. "H-How does this magic work? Do you actually get pregnant afterward, or does it literally create a child out of thin air?" "Complete, with p-pregnancy and a-all." Maya was taking a lot of damage during this conversation. "W-Wow, what a world this is. Wait! Girls are one thing... but how does that work for male couples? T-They don''t get pregnant now, do they?" "Err, I don''t know. I assume they get help? In the first ce, I''m not that knowledgeable about the whole magic. It didn''t have much of a rtion to me before, after all... I don''t know much more than the basics about it." "I see." She nodded. "Ah, now I understand how this world''s poption is still fine even though a third of it prefers the same sex, and another third goes for both sides. That part bugged me a bit when you first told me about it." "Yes... Hmm? Huh? You seem really s-surprised, Sophia. How did this work in your old world?" "Well... it didn''t." "Eh?" "It was impossible to have our own kid. You''d either have to adopt a child, like from an orphanage... or borrow a man." "Eww..." Maya really didn''t like the sound of the second option. "W-Well, you didn''t actually have to d-do it with him. You only need his, uhh... Y-Yeah, it''s a valid option, but I wasn''t really a fan, either. I would''ve gone for adoption for sure. Not that I ever was at a point to decide on that in my old world." "..." The cat-girl broke. "That''s why," Sophia took a deep breath. "Hearing that I can be an actual, biological, if you can call it that, m-mother... It''s quite, I don''t know, e-exciting¡­? Not that we''re going to talk about that now. Our rtionship is not at a point where this topic should have any kind of importance. Not even close." Sophia didn''t think the two were at all ready for such a conversation. "Y-Yeah..." "By the way¡­" The tiger''s expression suddenly becameplicated. "This blessing magic¡­ it doesn''t involve temporarily g-growing any, err, extra body parts, does it¡­?" "Extra¡­?" Maya needed a moment. "No!" "Alright, let''s go back and tear the king a new one for making things all awkward between us!" Sophia didn''t push the topic any further, and a fire started to burn in her eyes. "C-Could you not? Okay, he deserves it, especially when counting in the whole Princess Anna thing, but... he''s still the ruler of this country." "You really don''t like the princess, do you?" "Of course not! She wants to steal you away from me! Not that I can me her, though! I would try to do the same in her position!" "You''re such an unreasonable girl, Maya." "That''s why we''re such a good fit." "Wow, you really know how to talk your way out." "Ehehe." "Even so, I want to be friends with her, so be nice." "B-But-" "She won''t make me fall for her. Have a little faith in me that I can make her keep her distance!" "I''m sorry." "I''m sorry." "You''re way cuter. Also, she''s SIX years younger! Not going to happen. Some years down the line, when such an age gap doesn''t matter anymore, she might''ve been a threat to you age-wise, but not when she''s 17! And no, me looking younger doesn''t change anything." Her body looking like 16 years old right now, wasn''t helping her argument a whole lot, but Sophia was very adamant about it. "That''s crime territory in my old world... After all, I only took you with me back then because you admitted to being the same age as me." "O-Okay." The cat-girl was convinced about her seriousness. "W-Wait... So if I lied about being 22-" "W-What?! No way! Y-You''re seriously-?!" Her face turned white. "Oh no... What have I done?! I-I-, that''s bad! But I love her already! P-Please, tell me you''re still at least 18 or close to it! Urgh... I guess I have tomit to the crime I''ve done, huh? I hope I don''t get a too harsh sentence... I never knew and wouldn''t have done so if I did! I knew it was going too smooth for me!" "S-Sophia, calm down! This was just a what-if scenario! I''m really 22-years-old! In fact, I''m turning 23 in two months." "R-Really...?" "Yes!" "T-Thank goodness-" She let out a deep sigh. "Don''t scare me like this, Maya!" "I''m sorry?" The cat-girl wasn''t sure how to react. "W-Well, now I can see that you''re definitely not going for a younger girl." "I won''t go for an older one, either! I''m only going for you!" "Okay. Alright, I''ll try to get along with the princess for you." "Thank you very much." Sophia was happy about it. "But only as long as she behaves herself. As soon as she gets too close to you or tries something, it''s war!" "Ehh? I can''t punch a king, but you''re allowed to dere war on the nation''s first princess?" "All''s fair in love and war!" "You... Again, you really are such an unreasonable girl." "Tehe~." "Urgh..." "By the way, the legal age in this world is 17." "Really...?" "Yup." "I don''t care!" Sophia got loud again. "Ehehe." ---------------- A little whileter, the couple finally went back and reunited with the king and his family. "I''m sorry about that." Sophia apologized for suddenly running away. "Nono, I''m the one who should apologize." The king, too, felt sorry. "I shouldn''t have tried to push our Anna onto you without asking first." "I don''t mind at all~." "Not now, Anna!" He scolded the princess before continuing. "Also, about the whole offspring thing¡­ This was very insensitive of me." "It''s alright now." Maya had calmed down. "It''s too early for us, though." "Yeah... I didn''t even know that it was possible for two girls, so it was a real shock for me. A happy one, sure, but really surprising! Still, waaaaay too early to even think about it." "Hmm?" The king tilted his head. "The blessing magic should bemon sense, though." "Sophia doesn''t do well withmon sense." "Maya, shut up. Well, she has a point, though." She had to admit that she was painfully unaware of this world. "Thanks to my, uhh, past, I don''t know many things that should be known to everyone." "Oh-" Menzor remembered that she was most likely abandoned and grew up alone in a harsh area, or that''s at least what he believed happened to her. "My magic teacher wasn''t of any help in that regard, either. I know how to level a city or erase a country, but even everyday magic, well, that''s still fairly underdeveloped." "..." King, queen, and even the loud princess went silent. "A-Ah!" She realized what she had just said, "I-I wouldn''t do that, though!" "You did eradicate that dungeon, though. Not to mention the 15 or 20 square kilometers ofnd around it." "Not helpful, Maya!" Sophia red at her. "I was angry back then, okay? I like this country, so that won''t ever happen." "A-Alright...?" Menzor looked at his wife and nodded, vowing never to make the girl angry. "So, you have a teacher, Sophia?" He wanted to change the topic away from nation-destroying asap. "Yes! I owe him a lot. He took me in when I was alone and lost. But, he''s a bit of a muscle brain, so a lot of my magic is rather battle-oriented." "Really? He sounds like a capable man." "Fenny sure is. He''s actually here, as well, currently exploring the capital with his friend, uhh, girlfriend? It''s a littleplicated between them, not that this matters here." She got a little sidetracked. "Is that so? I would like to meet him." The king seemed interested in her teacher. "I wanted to bring him along, but your jaguar-man messenger guys only allowed Maya to apany me. Well, Maya allowed herself." "The jaguar family has served the tigers for a long time already, but they''re a little overprotective." "Well, you are their king, so it makes sense for them wanting to protect you, doesn''t it?" Sophia couldn''t me them. "True. I look forward to meeting your teacher. Alright, let''s get back to the main topic. Sophia, I still want you to join the family." King Menzor, too, hadn''t given up. He had the same tenacity as his daughter, or it was the other way around. "Mm-hmm." Maya was the one who answered. She didn''t sound or seem to be overly cheerful, though. "D-Don''t worry, marriage is definitely off the table now." "Good." She calmed down a bit. "Aww-" The princess wasn''t a fan of this decision, onlyting her a re from the cat-girl. "We should discuss a couple of things, including what you want, so we can find the best way for it to benefit both sides." "Err, honestly, while I said I would listen to your offer¡­ I-I''m still not sure if I even want to be a member of the family, though? I mean, it sounds kinda enticing, but, again, I hadpletely other ns for my future." After Sophia''s unenthusiastic reply to the king''s offer, it was time for yet another break. Chapter 87 – The group’s plans Chapter 87 ¨C The group¡¯s ns Many things happened, and King Menzor offered Sophia once more to join the royal family, this time without marrying anyone. Though, while she was intrigued to some degree, the tiger wasn''t sure if she wanted to because she had other ns for her future. Taking a break for a couple of hours, the couple then went back to the castle and was guided to a conference room, where the maids had already prepared snacks and some drinks. Princess Anna didn''t join this time because she had homework to do. This wasn''t her idea, but she had no sayings in the matter, which was made very clear by Queen Kira. "So, you really don''t want to be part of the royal family¡­?" The king hung his head while sitting on one of the sofas in the room, next to his wife. Divided by a table, Sophia and Maya sat on a different one across them. "Well, it''s not like I absolutely don''t want to. I mean, being a royal sounds kinda cool, but as I grew up without having any contact with it¡­ no offense, but it doesn''t appeal to me that much. If anything, it feels like it would make my life a lot moreplicated. I''m simply not sure if it fits with what I had in mind. My ns were rather different." "What did you n?" "Hmm," She thought about it again. "l want to travel. Up until a while ago, I was holed up in the same ce the entire time. Now that I''m capable of meeting people, among other things... I want to see the world! I recently met someone who came back from the demon continent, and it sounds super interesting over there, too. While I nned to stay here for a good while, I want to also go there eventually!" "D-Dear, I think my hearing is deteriorating... I heard this girl saying she met someone from the demon continent just now." "Weird, I heard the same..." Menzor and the queen couldn''t keep up with her. "Ah, she''s not a demon, okay? She just spent a little while there and recently came back." "T-That''s still-" The scale was too big for the king. "She''s the one exploring the capital together with my teacher right now. Although she wants to go dragon hunting with me there, I want to see that continent eventually, though." "D-Dragon?! Okay, please stop. I''m developing a headache¡­" He started massaging his temples. "T-Those aside things, just how strong are you really, girl?!" "Uhh-" "To bring it into some context, your majesty," Maya finished her sentence. "Griphons are on the level of nuisances to her." "God, I hate those pesky things!" "G-Griphons?! T-They''re a nation-level threat, you know?!" "Yeah, well, one of them did manage to destroy my clothes and scratch me, but..." "M-Maybe a post in our military would be a good idea..." Menzor was getting desperate. "That sounds pretty restrictive." "Lead them for all I care!" He broke and gave up. "With your power, no one would bat an eye." "I''m actually not that much into fighting in the first ce, though. More like the annihte if they attack -type of personality. Maya and Fen would be much better militarymanders or whatever." "I have yet to meet this Fen, but I would take Maya in a heartbeat!" "Ahaha," She could onlyugh. "Oh, how about an ambassador kind of position? I could travel all I want while still being associated with the royal family." "I don''t think you would be a good representative figure of a whole country, Sophia." Maya had her doubts about the idea. "Urgh." She didn''t, couldn''t, talk back. "It also defeats the purpose of you being here so that we could learn from your magic and whatnot." "I see." Sophia understood his point. "But, if I can''t move freely anymore, I''m going to decline the offer. The downsides are far bigger than any fun such a position could possibly bring." "A-Ah," The king panicked. "H-How about we prepare a mansion for you? You could have a veryfortable life." "Is that really something a good king should do? Buying someone to get what they want?" "I''m deeply sorry!" He bowed his head. "I got desperate." "Besides, I could also just hunt, I don''t know, a hundred golems? It would take me half an hour, and I could just buy a vi. I really don''t have any problems with money. Despite that, didn''t I just mention that I want to travel? What good will a mansion do me?" "This girl really works on an entirely different level altogether." Menzor was starting to understand that winning her over would be no easy feat. "How long have you nned to stay in the capital?" "Hmm, that''s a good question. I haven''t thought about that yet. I could imagine staying for a couple of months and making it my base for the time being." She was in no rush. "Excellent!" The king seemed relieved. "I''ll find something to convince you during that time!" "I''ll at least listen to those ideas while I''m here, I guess?" "Great. Where are you staying right now?" "Uhh, some random inn we came across that looked good when we arrived. No idea what the name was..." "That, I can''t ept! At least during your stay, you, one of the tiger n without a residence, should live in the castle." He wanted to keep her close. "We''ll prepare a more than suitable room for you!" "I don''t particrly mind." Sophia wasn''t against the idea. "But only if Maya and my other two friends can stay, as well." "Also, I don''t trust your daughter, Princess Anna." The cat-girl wasn''t starting to like her any time soon. "Letting Sophia stay here on her own is NOT an option." "T-That, well¡­. ahaha..." He had no reply. "Maya was naturally included in my offer. We need her favor in order for you to stay, too, after all. For your otherpanions, I would like to meet them first before my final decision." "Sounds reasonable enough." Sophia agreed. "Alright, how about this? We''ll stay another night in the inn, and tomorrow we''ll visit again while I bring those two along as well?" "Yes, let us handle it like this. Alright, on that note¡­ let''s end the meeting for the time being. I need to think about a lot of things, and also do something about my headache." "Fine by me." Immediately after, Sophia jumped off the sofa and did a few stretches. "I''m kinda tired..." "Indeed." Menzor only nodded. "I''ll escort the two of you to the front." "I''ll apany you, dear." Kira also wanted to move a bit. Doing as told, the group went to the entrance of the castle together before stopping there. "When should we meet again tomorrow? I''m pretty much free whenever." Sophia had no other ns yet. "If possible, the same time as today would be perfect." "Not a problem. Well then, bye, I guess...?" She had no idea how to say goodbye to a king. "Y-Yes, I''ll await your arrival tomorrow." With this, Sophia and Maya turned around. They walked along the broad and grandiose road that led away from the castle while the royal couple looked after them. "T-That was something..." The queen, Kira, didn''t know what else to say in this situation. "To put it lightly, yes. I''ve never met anyone even remotely as... unique as her..." "Me neither. Ah-!" Kira suddenly stopped when she looked at the couple that was slowly leaving the castle grounds while walking next to each other, naturally holding hands. "S-Sophia just pulled out a white hat out of thin air and put it on..." "My head..." The king was rubbing his temples again. "W-We need to bring this girl over to our side. We can''t let someone like her slip through our fingers." "True. We need to be careful, though. There has to be something that makes her want to stay. Forcing is not an option." "Yes. I need to rest for an hour now, but I''ll do some intensive brainstorming afterward." "A break sounds lovely. I''ll join you, dear." Needing to take it easy after the whirlwind called Sophia left, the king and queen went inside the castle again, ordering the maids not to disturb them for a while. ---------------- The cat-, and tiger-girl eventually arrived back in the non-noble part of the city and quickly ran into their wolf duo. The two stood out, after all, making them easy to find even without using detection magic. "Fenny, Aura, hello there." "Oho, Sophia, back home from your audience with the King? Maya, did she behave herself?" Fen greeted them back. "Err," The cat awkwardly looked away. "Sophia... What did you do?" "I''m innocent!" She didn''t like to be under general suspicion all the time. "Maya''s the one who bullied and attacked the first princess of this nation!" "Wow, you''re pretty wild." Aura was impressed. "I-It couldn''t be helped, okay?!" She tried to defend herself. "The king wanted Sophia to marry the princess! Sophia, overflowing with charm, as usual, the princess totally fell for her and tried to steal her away from me! I couldn''t let that happen now, could I?" "Is she, uhh, is she still alive?" Fen knew how Maya could be when it came to her girlfriend. "I wouldn''t kill a princess!" "Princess Anna surrendered, and I prevented the, well, catfight by declining the marriage and turning her down. "She still hasn''t given up, though! We''ll have to settle this another day!" Maya was still raring to go. "I told you to be nice to her!" "Urgh..." "Sooo," The male wolf tried toe to a conclusion. "You had fun?" "I did not!" Maya had a clear opinion. "Hmm, I don''t know." The tiger-girl wasn''t quite as clear. "M-Marriage thing aside, the king really wants me to join the royal family. I''m not sure how I should feel about this. It does sound a little cool, but he wants me to stay in the capital, and that doesn''t seem fun at all. Traveling the world is far more interesting." "I''m with you, girl." Aura felt the same. "I wouldn''t mind staying some years... multiple dozens even, in the same ce if it''sfortable, but being tied down sounds like the worst." "Yeah. Oh, what do you think, Maya?" Sophia turned to her most important opinion on the topic. "So much happened that I only now have the chance to ask. I mean, effectively, you''ll also have some sort of connection to the royal family then." "You''re right!" Because she was so busy with Anna before, it only hit her now. "While my home, Raumont, is pretty much self-governed, my parents would still freak out for sure." "Come to think of, I never met them, did l?" "There wasn''t much of a reason back then, after all." "That''s true." "Now, though... I look forward to your introduction to them." "A-Ah! I''ll train a lot to not fumble that one up... too badly. I''m not confident about it." It was a high hurdle for her. "Ehehe~. On a more serious note, ignoring the part where I somehow be a rtive to that princess... I think it''s a very enticing offer if you ask me." "I see. I guess I should give it some more thought..." "Let me finish, Sophia." Maya wasn''t done yet. "It is indeed enticing, but I''m with you and the wolf. I''ve been longing to travel for a long while already, and I don''t want it to be over so soon. Also, while Aura''s demon country sounds a bit scary, I want to go there because I like the demon''s way. Most of them being quite powerful, and how they love to fight all kinds of strong monsters to test their strength¡­ it resonates quite well with me." "Ohh~." Aura liked the sound of that. "Once we want to settle down or whatever, it would be a really exciting offer, but right now, I don''t see the immediate appeal." "We''re on the same page, huh?" The tiger-girl was happy their feelings were the same. "Uuh... Turning down the king for real will be a major pain. " "Yeah." "Oh, but I would like to ept his offer about staying in the castle. We probably won''t get a chance like this in the near future. Maybe we should wait for a bit before telling him?" "You sure are greedy." Maya rolled her eyes. "Well, I''lle with you." "Protecting me from the princess?" "Mm-hmm." "You''re staying in the castle?" Fen felt like he missed something along the way. "Ahh, about that..." Sophia exined the king''s offer to live in the castle while they were in the capital. After hearing that the wolves were also invited, the two agreed, as it seemed a little interesting. Chapter 88 – Staying in the castle Chapter 88 ¨C Staying in the castle Sophia, together with Maya, decided to turn down the king''s offer about joining the royal family in some way or another. Before that, she wanted to stay in the castle for a while, though, so she decided to wait before telling him. They wanted to get something out of the situation, after all. During the next day, after Sophia finally woke up and changed into her white dress once more, Maya might or might not had thrown her out of the bed to achieve this, the group had ate breakfast together in the inn. Once that was taken care of, they explored the capital a little more before heading over to the royal castle again. "Wee back, Lady Sophia and Lady Maya." Arriving there, the maids greeted them. "We''ve awaited your arrival." "L-Lady...?" Fen looked at the tiger-girl while trying to stifle hisugh. "S-Shut it!" "Might we ask for the names of your two newpanions?" "Of course, the one with the big mouth is called Fen, and the one with the silky-smooth fur is Aura, or Aurora." She thought it would be for the best not to mention Fen''s full name. "Madam Aurora and Sir Fen, alright." "Pfft... S-Sir!" Sophia wasn''t able to stifle herugh when she looked at the wolf. "Okay, I''m sorry, it is funny." "You little..." "His Majesty, King Menzor, is ready to meet you. We shall guide you." Navigating through a castle for a while, the group eventually arrived at the same huge wooden doors Maya and Sophia were the day before already. "Sophia, Maya, wee back." This time, the king greeted them himself. "It''s great to have you back here. Oh, are these two full wolves thepanions you mentioned, Sophia?" "Yeah, the nice-looking one is Aurora, and that other one is Fen, my magic teacher, among other things." Aura seemed to be enjoying a much nicer treatment from her. "I see. It''s nice to meet you." "No, the honor is all on our side." "Fen, is it?" Menzor looked at the wolf and turned silent. "..." He looked back at the king. "..." They stared at each other for a while. "Yes?" Fen finally tilted his head, trying to find out what he wanted. "Somehow, I have the feeling I know you from somewhere..." Menzor was slightly suspicious about something. "T-That must be your imagination!" Sophia really didn''t want the king to learn about Fen''s alleged real identity and intervened before it was toote. "You might be right..." Thankfully, he didn''t press the issue. "So, you''re the one who taught Sophia her magic?" "I only taught her the basics and things like how to hunt. The crazy stuff is all her own doing. She''s a very creative one, on top of being a fast learner. It felt like only a couple of days went by until she could use intermediate magic of every category there is." That was precisely what indeed happened, but it sounded too unbelievable. "T-That''s incredible... Wait, does that mean you, too, can use every type of magic, Fen?" "Naturally. Just like every other being that''s capable of using magic at all." "That''s not how it works, though? You normally can use only one element. If your magic powers are on the high side, you might be able to use two. Like our daughter Anna, for example." "She had high powers...?" Maya wasn''t nning to go easy on her anytime soon. "Power has next to nothing to do with what kind of magic you can use. In the first ce, magic is magic. Such things as hard types or groups don''t even exist." "What do you mean?" The king couldn''t follow the wolf. "People are simplyzy and or stupid. Their thought process is like; ''oh, fire is cool and easy to imagine~'', and that''s it. They don''t even try to learn anything else. Especially if the self-proimed wise, or idiots, keep teaching their own stupidity to others because they, too, learned it like that from their teachers. Those who learned magic that way then think it makes no sense to even try. Some, like that daughter of yours, might be interested in more things or didn''t bother to listen when they get taught, and once they put in a little bit of effort, o wonder, it suddenly works." Fen was being tired of them misunderstanding how magic works. "The part where magic power is of importance is the scale or shiness and the way of activating magic. You know, the more power, the bigger the bang." "T-That can''t be!" "It''s true." The cat-girl agreed with Fen''s im. "Since my childhood, I could only use fire and wind, and I was really proud of being able to use two elements. After meeting these two, though... Well, I''m currently about to learn the fifth element, or category, as he likes to call it." "Impossible!" It was too much for the king. "This continent really isgging behind, huh?" Aura had her opinion, as well. "On the demon continent, this much ismon sense. There was not one guy who limited themselves to one element. I mean, why would they? Sure, everyone has their favorite and things they aren''t too good with, but no one goes out of their way to limit the magic in any way." "So, it was true. Sophia actually knows someone who was on the demon continent..." This meeting wasn''t good for his heart. "Yeah, it was an ident. Teleportation magic is a fickle thing." "T-Tele...?!" "I can''t rmend it, though. Veryplicated and unforgiving magic." "Y-Yeah... no... even if I were to gather every court magician, I don''t think even in theirbined effort, they would even dream of such a thing." Menzor''s sanity points were quickly dropping. "Back to the im about the magic types, please. Is it true? This would change absolutely everything." "Yes, as long you can use magic at all, it''s absolutely possible with a bit of training." "T-Then, what do I have to give you in order to train our magicians?" The king wanted them to improve. "Hmm... Aura, can you detect a person capable of using magic with at least around a tenth of Maya''s magic power in the capital at the moment?" "None." Aura quickly shook her head. "Then, it''s impossible." Fen turned down his request. "There''s no one powerful enough to use chantless magic around at the moment." "H-How do you know that?!" "The three of us can detect the magic power levels of the individuals around us. Those two girls even in a radius of over 50 kilometers." "Urgh..." He had to hold his head in response. "That''s why I can''t do it. I first had to learn how to use chants or at least activation words to teach them. There''s just no way I could be bothered, for any reward possible." "Not really interested in teaching at the moment." Aura only nodded. "I would rather die before using those embarrassing chants." Sophia had the strongest aversion. "Oh, but Maya could teach the strongest ones because she used to work with activation words." "I-I''m not sure if I''m confident about teaching someone, though." "You should try your ability with someone interested in magic." Fen tried to encourage her. "Someone who already can use two categories would be perfect for this matter. That means they''re open to the idea of using more and better magic." "Someone with an interest in magic and being able to use two types already?" King Menzor tilted his head. "A-Ah! Maya, would you please teach my daughter Anna?!" "Ehhh¡­?" Her expression made it clear that she really didn''t want to. "I beg you, please." He lowered his head. "T-That¡­" "Please do it, Maya." Sophia tried to convince her, as well. "B-But Princess Anna and me¡­? That''s impossible." "Is it really?" The blonde smiled at her. "You can boss her around and be as harsh as you want when teaching her." "Y-You know me so well." The cat-girl was touched. "A-Alright, I promise nothing, but I''ll give it a try." "As a father, I should be concerned. But, as the king who wants to improve his country, thank you very much!" "I''m so going to regret this." She already had her doubts about the n. "I''ll inform her once she''s back from school." "I''m going to enjoy watching this~." The tiger-girl''s real intention identally leaked out. Her personality can be pretty simr to Maya''s in some aspects. "Now that I''ve met your entire group, Sophia, my offer about having you stay in the castle still stands." "Great, I was looking forward to that." "How about we take a break, and I''II have the maids guide you to the rooms we had prepared for all of you?" The king needed a breather. ---------------- Doing as suggested, the group followed the maids through the many corridors of the castle. Parting with the wolves at some point, the couple eventually arrived and entered their room. "Wow..." Sophia was looking at the interior with sparkling eyes. The room was enormous and fully equipped. Two huge, red, andfortable-looking sofas, a big table, a small bar, a door leading to a luxurious bath, and most importantly, a spacious canopy-style bed. "Okay, that''s better than the inn." Maya, too, was impressed. "The king''s really trying his best to win me, or us over, huh?" In her eyes, he was obviously trying to bribe them. "Well, I''m not going toin. This most likely also is the standard for rooms in the royal castle?" The cat-girl''s eyes were fixed on thefy and soft-looking bed. "Want to take a nap?" Sophia noticed her gaze. "Not at all." She apparently had other ns. "Ehh?" "Hehe~." Her expression changed. Then, Maya turned around to face Sophia and ced her hands on the other''s shoulders. Immediately after, she guided her a couple of steps before pushing the tiger-girl down on the bed. There, the cat-girl swiftly climbed on top of her and brought her face close. "Ah, I see~." Sophia was up for it. Wrapping her arms around Maya''s neck, she pulled her even closer and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. "Someone''s thirsty~." They both obviously were, and she eagerly returned the kiss. Exchanging kiss after kiss, the two rolled around on the bed, trying to top the other. Sophia ced a couple of pecks on the cat-girl''s mouth before going for her neck, identally being too vigorous and leaving behind more than just traces of lightly glistening saliva. Maya then turned the tables around and sought revenge. The sweet type. She, too, focused on the tiger-girl''s lips for a while before going for the neck, as well. She didn''t stop there, though. Maya decided to take full advantage of the slight neckline of Sophia''s dress. After showering the girl''s nape in kisses, she slowly moved towards her corbone. From there, Maya made her way towards Sophia''s subtle cleavage the dress provided, leaving behind a trail of faint red marks. Not wanting to be outdone, Sophia went back to the cat-girl''s nape and neck, trying to draw a nice pattern there with her kisses alone. Today, they were engaging in a different kind of marking. A more visual one, that is. Almost as if unconsciously wanting to show off who they belong to. ---------------- The two were enjoying their alone time, quite loudly at that, but they were eventually interrupted by a soft yet determined knocking on the door of their room. "..." There was a short pause after the knock. "... Lady Sophia, Lady Maya, Princess Anna has returned home a little while ago. After being informed about the arrangement his Majesty made in regards to being taught magic, they want to see you." One of the maids exined the reason for the interruption. "A-Ah..." This was the only sound that could be heard before the room went silent. Nothing happened for around five minutes before the maids heard the rustling of clothes, and two girls with crimson faces finally opened the door with veryplicated expressions. "Please let me guide you." As expected from maids serving in the royal capital, they were professionals and made no remark. The group walked inplete silence towards the king and the princess. "Ah, Soph-!" Anna''s face lit up when she saw her, but it onlysted for a second once she took a better look. The tiger-girl''s neck, corbone, and the visible part of her cleavage were full of small marks, which origins were clear to everyone present. To make matters worse for her, the princess then looked at Maya and saw as many and equally vigorous marks on her. "..." "..." "..." "..." The silence went on for a long while. "Weeell... About the training we talked about..." King Menzor couldn''t read the mood and made things even more awkward. Having his daughter taught advanced magic wasn''t off to a good start. Chapter 89 – Teaching Anna Chapter 89 ¨C Teaching Anna After being persuaded by Sophia and the king, Maya agreed to teach the princess more magic. The couple was also provided a room in the castle and directly tested it out. As a result of their little make-out session, the two were covered in hickeys. Unfortunately, immediately after, the king requested for them to meet Anna. This ended up being incredibly awkward as it was clear what the couple was engaging in prior to the meetup. "..." "..." The silent staring continued for even longer. "Soo... how''s the room we''ve provided?" The king had no idea how to handle the situation. The interactions between teenage and/or young adult girls were way beyond his abilities. "I-It''s nice..." "The bed''s very...fortable." Maya only made it worse. "..." "..." "I want one, too!" Princess Anna finally snapped and got unreasonable while she pointed at her neck. "How about no?" The embarrassment in the cat-girl''s face vanished in an instant. "Come on, don''t be like that, Maya." Sophia''s expression changed to a grin instead. "Ehh?!" The other two girls had the same reaction. "If she wants a hickey, give her one." She gave the cat-girl a slight push on the back. "Not from her!" The retort of the princess echoed through the entire castle. "Oh, you meant me?" Sophia pointed at herself. "Ah, no, that''s not going to happen." "Haa..." Maya seemed relieved. "You''re so mean! Bully!" She squirmed around a bit while loudlyining. "I''ve heard that a couple of times now... I don''t think so, though..." "No, she''s right." It was a rare case of the cat-girl agreeing to Anna''s im, ignoring that she''s pretty much the same, if not worse. "Hmm... Anyway," As usual, Sophia couldn''t be bothered to put any thoughts into it. It definitely didn''t mean she silently agreed, though. After that, she touched Maya''s neck, which then was wrapped in a pale-blue light. Once it disappeared, only her usual, spotless skin could be seen. "Technically speaking, they were an injury, right? Well, I healed them. Mine will probably heal in a couple of minutes on their own regardless because of my natural recovery." "She actually can use healing magic..." Menzor didn''t fully believe her when she first imed to be able to do so. "Sophia..." Maya suddenly red at her. "Y-Yes?" "Why didn''t you do this before we left the room?!" "A-Ah." Her trademark reaction. "I-It''s not like you had that idea, either." "Urgh..." The cat-girl flinched before changing the topic. "O-Oh, yours are actually mostly healed already, too." "I heal fast, after all~." "T-That bite mark might need a little longer, though." "Eh?!" Sophia touched her corbone where Maya was pointing at. "W-When did you... d-don''t do that during daytime!" She had only just noticed the bite. "Sorry." "A-Alright..." After witnessing his daughter''s expression, the king also thought it was more than overdue to talk about something else. "I told Anna about the teaching in magic." "Right." The couple regained their focus. "Why does it have to be the cat-girl?! I want Sophia!" "That''s one of the reasons." Maya red at the princess. She was doing that a lot today. "Also, I wouldn''t know how to teach you... I''m only able to use chantless magic, after all." "Prodigies are scary!" "How about you girls go to the garden? There shouldn''t be any onlookers, and you can train all you want." Menzor wanted them to get going. "Also, Anna, behave yourself." "W-Why me?" "You know why. Maya''s doing all of us a favor. So, keep your hormones in check!" "F-Father!" Her face instantly turned red. "W-Wow..." "T-That''s..." Even the couple, the sole reason for the mess in the first ce, felt bad for the princess. "Just go already!" Being a father of a teenage daughter only means suffering. ---------------- Fleeing as fast as possible, Anna grabbed the hands of Maya and Sophia and ran as quickly as she could. Sympathizing with her, the cat-girl didn''tin about her holding hands with Sophia in this situation. A short whileter, the three arrived in the garden located behind the castle. "Wow, it''s so pretty!" Sophia was excitedly looking at the scenery. The lush, green grass, neatly aligned and trimmed hedges, and most importantly, an uncountable number of colorful flowers. "Those roses are beautiful and so huge!" "Roses...?" Anna tilted her head. "Ah, you mean rozes. What a funny way to pronounce them." "..." She only rolled her eyes in response. "Yes, they''re currently in full bloom. That''s why so much is going on in terms of colors here right now." "What a time to visit~. It also smells so nice." The blonde tiger was enjoying the garden. "Yeah, it''s quite nice." The princess nodded. "So, Maya, are you really going to teach me magic¡­? I admit that you''re powerful... regrettably so, but is there anything you can teach me the school or private teachers from the court magicians can''t?" "Well, the king and Sophia asked me to, so I''ll at least try. The result will entirely be up to you." Maya still wasn''t the most enthusiastic about the whole thing. "Though, I don''t remember how to use spells, so you''ll have to put in some effort because it''ll be activation words only training." "S-Such a high difficulty!" "Sophia banned everything except chantless magic for me since day one of our training and threw me in a monster-filled dungeon before I learned a single attack the no-chant way." The cat-girl recalled their first weeks together. "So, don''tin here." "W-Wow." "Spartan training, best training." Sophia shed them a victory sign with her hand. "Spa... what?" Anna looked confused. "Don''t mind her." Maya didn''t want to deal with this. "Alright, princess, you already understand air and... uhh, earth-rted magic, right?" "Yes, though I''m better at earth." "Hmm... Other than that, I can show you water and fire-rted magics. I rmend fire, though." "That could be interesting." "Fire, it is. Can we get any candles? " "Candles? Sure, I''II have the maids bring some." At this exact moment, said maid appeared seemingly out of nowhere and walked towards the castle after a short nod. "But why do we need them?" "That''s how I learned fire magic. Okay, I was six back then, so I''m not sure how effective it''ll be." "Y-You learned magic when you were six?!" "No?" Maya tilted her head. "I started with air magic when I was five." "Ehhh?!" "Hold on a moment!" Sophia interrupted her. "Didn''t you mention that you hunted animals the old-fashioned way before you could st them away with magic?! Just how old were you when you went hunting?!" "Four?" "W-What a rowdy girl..." Anna and Sophia''s voices ovepped. "Hehe." ---------------- A little whileter, the maid returned with a couple of candles and handed them to the cat-girl. In the meanwhile, Sophia went to a nearby bench and gotfortable there while watching the duo from a slight distance. "What are we going to do with them?" The princess suspiciously eyed the candles. "We, well, you are going to use its me to learn fire magic." "Okay...?" She was rather dubious but still concentrated on the small me after Maya lit one of the candles. "Soo... back then, I was watching the candle for around an hour and got the strong urge to yell fireball while thrusting out my hands for extra effect. I... I, uhh, set the chair across the table on fire, and my mom yelled at me for a long while afterward..." "The heck?!" Sophia instinctively retorted from her bench. "No remarks from the peanut gallery!" The cat-girl was not amused by her reaction. "That''s so cool!" Anna''s eyes were sparkling. "Oho, you might not be such a nuisance, after all, princess." The cat-girl started to ever so slightly bond with her. "Funny, I just thought the same." "Aaand I''m out." Sophia was unable to understand those two. She was far from being reasonable most of the time, either, but she couldn''t do anything with this conversation. ---------------- "Oh my, Sophia. What''s up?" Queen Kira was walking through the garden at the same time and spotted the blonde. "Trying to understand what''s going on inside their heads, but... that''s beyond my capabilities." She pointed at the two idiots. "That''s a tough nut." She nodded in understanding. "Yeah... Hmm...?" Sophia finally looked at Kira and noticed that she was holding the hand of a small girl not even half her size with long, orange and ck hair. Just like the queen and Princess Anna, she was another tiger-girl who looked really simr to the two, as far as one could tell from a small child. "Who''s the little one in the adorable light-blue dress?" "She''s my youngest daughter. Come on, introduce yourself to Sophia." She gave the little kid a gentle push on the back. "I-I''m Ellie! I''ll be four really soon!" Saying so, she tried to hold up three and a half fingers while looking really giddy. "Oh my goodness, she''s adorable!" She instantly fell in love with her. "She sure is!" Kira looked highly proud. "By the way, she turned three two months ago¡­" "Nice to meet you." She got up from the bench and squatted down to be on Ellie''s line of sight. "I''m Sophia, and I''m staying here for a while. The girl over there ying with your big sister is called Maya. We''re here together." "They are ying?" "... Yeah." She didn''t have any better words to exin. At least none that a 3-year-old would understand, let alone be appropriate for them. "Ellie wants to y, too! Let''s y, So... So... So-phia!" She needed a few extra tries to pronounce her name. "Uuh... I love her!" The blonde couldn''t keep her feelings to herself. "Don''t worry, it''s the same for everyone." Kira was seemingly used to people fawning over her daughter. "So... So-phia! y!" The little one was getting impatient. "Though she usually doesn''t take that quick to others..." "Can I?" Sophia gestured at Ellie. "As long as you take care, sure." "Of course! So, what do you want to y?" She faced the little tiger again. "Piggyback! I want a piggyback ride!" "Ehh? Well, sure, I don''t mind." Agreeing to it, Sophia turned around and presented her back. "Jump on and hang on tight." "Yay!" Wasting no second, Ellie climbed on her back and hugged the girl''s neck for support. "Let''s go!" Sophia was also having fun. Supporting the legs of the small princess with her arms, she sprang up and ran around in the garden. "Ahaha~!" She was iling around. "Faster! Faster!" "My, aren''t you a wild one?" "This way! This way!" Ellie wasn''t listening and pointed to their right, leading deeper into the garden. "Aye aye, captain!" Turning towards the direction the little tiger-girl on her back was pointing at, Sophia dashed away. ---------------- "They''re both wild." Kira sent them off with a smile. She then sat down on the bench and watched the magic training session of the other two girls for a good while. "Oh, they''re actually somehow getting along, huh?" "Fireball!" While thrusting out her right arm, Princess Anna yelled at the candle the two were using as a catalyst for fire magic. "Put more feeling into it!" Maya wasn''t happy with her enthusiasm. "Ehh...?" "Try it like this." The cat-girl imitated something Sophia would call a superhero pose. "Imagine a nice and big fireball and then BAM!" She finished her stance, and a ball of fire shot out from the candle. "Bam, she says." Anna rolled her eyes. "Exactly." "Imagine a fireball... and then, Bam! Fireball!" Imitating Maya''s moves, the princess yelled at the candle again. "Oh my gosh, it moved!" "That was just the wind generated by your hand, princess." "Auu..." she looked deted. "Let''s take a break and..." Maya nced at the bench and suddenly stopped when she saw the wrong tiger-girl there. "Eh? Where''s Sophia?" "Mother?! Since when are you here?" Anna was also surprised. "Quite a while already. It was rather enjoyable watching the two of you training together." "I didn''t notice at all..." "So, where''s Sophia?" Maya was still waiting for an answer. "She dashed away with Ellie like two hours ago." "So unfair!" "Wait, who''s this Ellie?" The cat-girl didn''t like the sound of it. "She''s my little sister." "There''s another princess?! Alone with Sophia, on top?!" "Calm down, Maya. Ellie''s only three years old." Kira tried to reassure the panicking girl. "Three, huh...? I guess that should be safe... probably. Yeah... Well, let''s go take a look regardless..." The logical side of her brain was naturally okay with it. Still, the emotional part didn''t trust Sophia''s over-the-top boosted charm stats in her imagination, no matter how extremely unreasonable it was. Feeling nervous, she immediately went to look for her. While she wasn''t as much of a nervous wreck as Sophia when it came to rtionships, the blonde tiger''s still her first girlfriend. She hasn''t fully figured out how to deal with anything regarding to be in a rtionship yet. Having not gathered much experience yet, and feeling slightly insecure can lead to some slight rash reactions. Chapter 90 – Sophia’s weakness Chapter 90 ¨C Sophia¡¯s weakness While Maya was trying to teach the princess fire magic, Sophia met Ellie, Anna''s three-year-old little sister. She instantly took a liking to the adorable little girl, and the two went to y together. Once the cat-girl found out about this, she immediately searched for them to ensure her girlfriend wasn''t in any danger. Maya knew how stupid it was, but her brain tends to short-circuit when she gets jealous, and she just couldn''t help it. "Ah, there she is!" It didn''t take Maya too long to sniff her out. "Oh, Ellie''s really with her... So unfair!" Anna''s expression changed when she spotted the duo. Sophia was sleeping while leaning against a tree, taking advantage of its shade, but that wasn''t the problem. Her little sister was sitting on Sophia''sp, equally fast asleep, and leaning against the bigger tiger-girl while being tightly hugged by the blonde. "Outdone by one of my own..." "My, how adorable." Queen Kira followed them, and her expression grew gentle when she saw the two peacefully sleeping together while embracing each other. "Hmm..." The cat-girl was still deciding how she should feel about this. After watching this innocent disy of affection for a while, she began to smile as well. "Y-Yeah, this is alright. It''s cute." Something about this sight made her feel all warm and fuzzy. "Guh... Wait, since when''s Ellie this good with strangers?" "Ahh, that''s Sophia''s fault..." Maya sighed. "Wherever she goes, girls are drawn to her, fawning over her. Very irritating." There was some spite in thest part. "As if something like that''s possible." Anna didn''t believe her. "..." One cat-girl and one queen stared at the princess with cold eyes before Kira continued. "Dear daughter of mine, I recall that a certain girl had absolutely zero interest in romance just two days ago. The same girl is now enviously looking at her little sister hugging someone she fought for to marry." "A-Ah..." "Lost horribly, I''d like to add." Maya rubbed salt in the wound. "Urgh..." "Sophia''s charm is way too overpowered..." "That must be hard on you." Kira looked at the cat-girl. "Mm-hmm." "So, you always have to keep thepetition in check?" The queen gestured at her daughter. "It''s a full-time job." "Any ns for a vacation yet?" Anna tried her luck. "None!" Maya got angry and shot a tiny ball of fire toward the princess. "Stop it with the FIREBALL!" Her response was a little heated while she thrust out her arms to defend herself against the mes. "E-Eh?!" Opening her eyes again, Anna noticed that the fire had changed direction and was flying back toward Maya. "Oho." The cat-girl seemed impressed as she stepped aside to dodge the me. "Though I have my doubts about the motivation, not a bad job, princess." "Huh? D-Did I do that? Seriously?!" "Yep." "N-No way..." Kira couldn''t believe it. "That''s incredible." "A-Amazing..." Anna was shocked. "I... I really used fire magic? Thank you very much! You''re awesome, Maya!" Emotionally all over the ce, she jumped at the cat-girl and tightly hugged her. "My, aren''t you two good friends now?" A new but very familiar voice joined the conversation. "Here I am taking a quick nap, only to wake up to my girlfriend hugging someone else." "A-Ah!" Anna was the one who reacted. She let go of Maya again and took two steps back. "I-It''s nothow it looks like! You''re the one I want!" "Princess, shut up." Maya red at her. "And Sophia, who''s the one who ran away with a girl and slept with her in a tight embrace." "Wow, that sounds really bad without context... Wait!" She stopped to think about it. "It''s even worse with context! She''s three, you know?! Okay, I do want to keep her, but..." "You''re not keeping my Ellie." Kira instantly shot down her wish. "Aww..." The blonde looked genuinely sad. "You can keep me, though." Anna was on a roll. "No thanks." "So close." "Not at all." Maya disagreed with her im. "But seriously... Ellie''s so adorable!" She gave the little tiger-girl, still sleeping on herp, another squeeze. "And so full of energy! The piggyback went on for a while. We ran a ton together, yed tag, hide and seek, and much more until she finally got sleepy. Okay, we got sleepy... " "It seems like someone powered herself out while ying, huh?" Kira patted the head of her youngest daughter. "Ellie seems tired, too." "Ahaha." "But you sure are good with kids, Sophia." "Ehehe~." She gave the princess in her arms another squeeze. "Well, I always liked them, so I''m d that it looks like that. Though, Ellie''s really easy to get along with because she''s so lively." "Except the part where she''s usually bad with strangers when ites to beyond introducing herself." "Ehh?" Sophia was surprised because that didn''t match the impression she had whatsoever. "It''s because it''s you she got so attached." Kira recalled what Maya had told her earlier. "Ehehe~." She giggled again. Somehow, she was really happy about that. "Oh yeah, good job with the fireball, Princess Anna. I woke up when you were bickering with Maya and saw it." "Ah, t-thanks... Also, sorry for waking you up." "Don''t worry, you didn''t. It was just a coincidence." "Really?" "Yeah." The cat-girl answered her. "You need more than that to wake Sophia up. Trust me, I''m speaking from experience..." "Exactly! I normally put even the sleeping princess here to shame." She gave Ellie, who showed no sign of waking up anytime soon, yet another hearty squeeze. She was very huggable, and Sophia enjoyed doing it very much. "That''s nothing to be proud of!" Maya loudlyined, fueled by the daily struggle to wake her tiger-girl up. "Ellie loves to sleep like 16 hours a day, though." The queen didn''t believe her to be as sleepy as her daughter. "That sounds great!" Sophia felt even closer to her. "Well, I literally kicked my girl out of the bed this morning, and it still took her over half an hour to actually get up." No matter what the topic is, Maya always likes to getpetitive. "The wooden floor was surprisinglyfortable, nice and warm." The girl in question was totally alright with it. "Okay, that''s something else." Kira epted defeat. "Hehe." ---------------- The group chatted a little longer before going back to the castle to report Anna''s magic progress to the king. As Sophia didn''t want to wake up Ellie, she ced her on her back again and gently carried the little tiger-girl to the meeting room. There, she sat down on the sofa and got into the same position as before, embracing Ellie from behind while she was sleeping on herp. "I''m repeating myself, but you''re not keeping her." The queen warned her while looking at the two. "I-I know..." "I''m starting to have some doubts about this." "Mm-hmm..." The cat-girl and Princess Anna weren''t sure how to feel about Sophia fawning so openly over another girl, no matter their age. "W-Well, it''s still adorable, so¡­" Maya was especially torn about it. "What... is going on here?" King Menzor arrived and looked rather confused, even more so after seeing his youngest daughter. "Ahhh, hello, dear. Sophia here has taken quite a liking to our Ellie. Though, as you can see, it''s rather mutual." "That was an outstanding job, your Majesty. You have one adorable daughter there." "Hey!" The first princess jumped at the way she had worded it. "T-Thank you. Kira, uh-" The king wasn''t any less confused. "We took a stroll through the garden and ran into her. Ellie got attached to Sophia, and they yed together a lot." "Ah, so that''s why she''s sleeping so soundly. Not that she ever needed a reason for that. Still, since when''s our girl..." Menzor was surprised at how close the two got. "Sophia, you sure are popr with my daughters." "Too popr..." Maya nced at Anna. "Are there any other princesses I have to be wary of?" "We only have another son, but he''s currently not in the capital." "A son? Nah, that''s fine. Right, Sophia?" "Hmm?" Because she was busy petting Ellie''s head, she wasn''t even listening. "These two have a brother, the prince of the country." "Cool...?" Sophia tilted her head. "And?" Her interest in him was clearly zero. "Yeah, a prince is safe." "Soo... Why are we here?" The king dropped the topic. "Maya attacked me with a fireball." "Context, princess! Context!" "What did you do?" He looked at Anna instead. "H-Hey... I just wanted... with Sophia..." Having no way to defend herself, she could only squirm a bit. "Alright, I get the gist of it." Menzor didn''t want to hear it. "Uuh... Anyway, let me finish, father! Maya attacked me with that fireball, and I got angry, as well. Then, I managed to throw the me back to her! She dodged it, though..." Anna mumbled thest part. "W-What?! You used the magic?!" "Yes! I was able to control it!" "Incredible! I-It''s actually possible...? Anna, I''m so proud of you! Maya, thank you very much!" "Ehehe~." "The princess still needs a lot of training, though. A lot." "Urgh..." "Maya... Sophia, I have no idea how to thank, no... reward your group. If this catches on, it''ll change the usage of magic in the kingdom from the ground up." "It''s not that big of a deal..." Sophia didn''t see the significance. "IT IS!" All the others loudly disagreed with her. "Shhh! You''ll wake her up." Not caring about their reactions, Sophia put a finger on her lips while her other hand continued to caress Ellie''s head. "..." The royal family couldn''t believe herck of situational awareness, while Maya only rolled her eyes, being used to it. "No, I''ll need to think of a suitable reward. Also, can I ask you to continue teaching Anna?" "Hmm..." The cat-girl needed to put some thought into it. "We could try out water-based magic, but... We would need to do that without Sophia around because your daughter gets too distracted by her." "What''s even the point, then?!" She wasn''t helping her point. "No problem. I''ll y with Ellie during your training." The distraction in question didn''t mind at all. "Why do I feel like I got reced?!" Maya didn''t like the sound of that. "I did pay a lot of attention to you today, though." Sophia didn''t understand the issue. "T-That''s true..." Maya remembered what happened in their room earlier that day. "I also want some attention!" Anna only got even more jealous. ---------------- After everyone finished ignoring the princess, Maya agreed to teach her some more. As the couple wanted to explore the capital a little more, they called it a day. The two were about to leave when Kira suddenly stopped them. "Sophia." "Hmm?" "Leave Ellie here." "A-Ah" She looked down at herself and noticed that she was still literally princess-carrying the little tiger girl princess. Once she, very reluctantly, handed her over to the queen, they finally left for good. "You know... Ellie might be the key for Sophia to stay." The king looked at his daughter when he was alone with Kira. Anna had gone shortly after the couple, as well. "I''m not giving her away! No matter how much they like each other or how it would benefit our kingdom!" "No, that''s not what I meant. They seem to really get along, and if Ellie''s here, Sophia might simply not want to leave." "Oh, yes. I think our girl here would also be delighted if she were to stay." "So... phia...?" Right on cue, the little one started to wake up. "Where is So... phia?" The name was still a little tooplicated for her. "She left a little while ago." "So... phia left? No! I don''t want So...phia leave!" "Don''t worry, she''ll be back soon." Kira tried to calm her down. "How soon?" "Very. Maybe in the evening?" "Yay! Ellie wants to stay with So... phia!" Her voice turned really happy again. "You should tell her that the next time you see her." The king wanted to try his chance. "Dear, don''t use our daughter. Any of them." "Y-Yes..." "Do you love her that much?" Kira faced her daughter. "Yes! Ellie likes So... phia very much!" ---------------- "Brrr¡­ Huh?" While walking through the capital, Maya suddenly shuddered, sensing that someone else wants the blonde, too, though in an entirely different way. "What''s wrong?" "No idea..." Totally unbeknownst to the couple, the biggest question mark in Sophia''s n to turn down the king''s offer about staying in the capital had arrived. She didn¡¯t see any benefit in bing a royal herself, but being near Ellie all the time might make her reconsider.
Chapter 91 – Being popular Chapter 91 ¨C Being popr Maya somehow managed to teach princess Anna fire magic, or at least made her aware that she could use it. While the two were training, Sophia was fawning all over Ellie, the three-year-old little sister of Anna. An attachment between the two formed, deep enough to cause her problems in the future, but she wasn''t aware of that yet. "Anything you want to do, Maya?" The two were walking through the capital together, taking a break from the royal family. Sophia was wearing her white hat again to gather a little bit less attention. Unfortunately, she was also wearing the floral sundress she got from the cat-girl. This caused her to get attention for a different reason. "My, look at that girl in the white dress over there." "Really, she''s pretty cute!" "I''m being healed~." The pedestrians the couple came across were very drawn to Sophia. Curiously enough, it was almost entirely female onlookers that paid attention to her. "Yeah... Wait, that tail... isn''t she..." "Hmm...? She''s from the tiger-family?! I''ve never seen her before, though..." "Wait, wasn''t there a rumor about a new tiger-girl arriving in the city? Guess it''s true?" "The royal family is something else. Everyone''s so good-looking." "Definitely, but she takes the candle there. I love the blonde hair and fur." "Absolutely. Though, Princess Anna has a lot of things going on for her, too." "A very fair point you have there. I''ve always been a fan of how tall the princess is and those legs thate with it~." "I like your priorities!" The pedestrians were having a lot of fun. "Oh, but look at her partner? She''s also stunning." "The cat-girl? Yeah, I was wondering which one of the two was actually the lucky one there. Again, amazing legs~." "You have a thing for tall girls, huh? Not that I can me you. The short ones are really cute, too, though." "A-Aren''t you a popr one, Maya?" Sophia was listening to the gossip around them. "Really, Sophia? Really?" She didn''t want to deal with this. "Anyway, let''s go inside somewhere." "Y-Yeah... While teasing''s always fair game, all these stares are making me feel nervous. Ah, there''s a caf¨¦!" "Oh, I would like some cake." Grabbing her arm, Maya dragged her into the caf¨¦. There, the two ordered some delicious-sounding cake sets and chatted while waiting. "So, are you getting better along with Princess Anna yet? I didn''t watch most of your training, after all. " "Well, you were busy with the other princess..." "Ahaha." "Hmm... That''s a littleplicated, actually. I think I could get along with her really well. I''m not sure if I want to, though... She''s waaay too into you!" "Is that really so bad? I haven''t had any friends my age in way over a decade, let alone... more, so I''m kinda happy to be d-desired... I obviously won''t answer her feelings, though." "If you put it that way... I am d for you in a way, but still... While I trust you, the others are the problem. Especially that thirsty princess! Who knows what she''d try if she''s alone with you!" "And I would never let that happen." "Are you sure? You''re so scatterbrained that one could easily trick or surprise you! I could kiss you before you''d even react." "That''s... My guard around you is way lower!" She stopped for a moment. "Okay¡­ I-I''ll be careful... I''ll only let little girls get close to me." "..." Maya stared at her with aplicated expression. "Okay... that sounded wrong." Sophia noticed her mistake. "In a totally innocent way! Don''t look at me like that!" "You sure like Princess Ellie, huh?" "She''s adorable!" "That was fast... You might have a point, though. She was rather cute. You two together were." "Ehehe~." "But what about our n to leave? If you got that attached to her, will you be able to say goodbye?" "A-Ah!" Sophia froze up. "Uuh... that''s a dilemma..." "Is she more important than your dream to travel?" "Urgh, what a decision. Probably... not..." She wasn''t fully convinced about it. "I wonder if there''s a way to travel, but also return in an instant whenever I''m needed... or want to y with Ellie!" "Your real intention leaked out there, idiot." Maya rolled her eyes once more. "Your idea sounds a bit like teleportation, but..." "Yeah, I''m not going to try that, don''t worry." "Good." "Maybe I''ll give a couple of alternatives some thought." "Princess Ellie really got you good..." "She''s adorable, after all!" Sophia repeated herself. "I feel a bit left out..." "Y-You''re adorable, too! Adorable and much, much more~!" "Good safe." "You''re the bestest!" "Thanks... By the way, where have Fen and Aura been all this time?" "Good question... I haven''t seen them since we got our rooms..." Sophia closed her eyes for a second. "Oh, it seems like they''re still on the castle grounds from what I can detect." "I wonder if it''s alright to leave them alone there..." Maya sounded a little concerned. "They won''t do anything stupid, like, for example, attacking a princess or something like that." "I did that only once! Okay, maybe two or three times..." She corrected herself. "But it''s alright, Anna''s a tough one! But maybe not enough for our wolves..." "This continent is not tough enough for them..." "Not that this makes me feel any less concerned." "It''s fine~." Sophia trusted them enough. "Yeah, you''re probably right..." "Oh, how about we pay the sorry excuse of an adventurer guild another visit and sell a few of the golem eyes?" The tiger-girl was still disappointed that the ce was so easygoingpared to what she read in those fantasy books of her old world. "From the group Fen had killed? Sure. Maybe not all of them at the same time, though... That would create quite themotion. Then again, that''s a given with you, anyway." "Y-Yeah... but we shouldn''t make it worse..." "Might be fun?" Maya wanted to tease her a bit. "Might not." Sophia didn''t share her opinion. "How about we sell four eyes for starters? Basically, killed two of them?" "Sounds like a n. But what do you need the money for? Buying a house, after all?" "Probably not? Still, money''s way more useful than golem eyes." "That''s fair." "Ah, maybe some more clothes?" "Ohh~!" And just like that, Maya was suddenly very motivated. "K-Keep it reasonable, okay...?" She had a bad feeling about the reason why she was looking so forward to it. "Actually, why do I care? We have enough money, and you can''t be worse than I am when ites to uselessly spending it, anyway." "Sure~!" ---------------- The couple finished their cake that had arrived while chatting and left the caf¨¦ again before long. Walking through the capital, Sophia was still catching many curious nces, but she was beginning to get used to it to some degree. The two eventually arrived at the adventure guild and entered the ce. Luckily, it seemed to be a good time because the building was basically empty. Only a mature-looking female receptionist with ck hair and cat-ears was present. "Wee. How can I help the two of you? Oh...?" She stopped after Sophia took off her hat inside the building. "Might you be here for an inspection of the guild?" "Huh...? A-Ah, no... While I look like this... I''m not officially linked to the royal family right now." "We''re here on our own ord." "Alright...? Oh, are you the rumored-" "Yes, that''s me." Sophia didn''t need her to finish to understand. "I see... Well then, again, how can I help you, stranger with a very interesting-sounding backstory?" The receptionist adapted fast. "Ahaha..." A dryugh escaped the tiger-girl''s lips. "W-Well, when we were here before, I saw the request for golem eyes... Is that still up to date?" "Of course! That''s a permanent request. Crafters are always looking for them. Especiallytely because the supply seemed to have declined a lot for some reason..." "Yeah, because our Fenny has destroyed a nest of them or something..." She mumbled in a voice low enough for only Maya to hear. "Y-Yeah..." "Could it be... do you have some at hand? The two of you seem to be really powerful, so it would be possible." "Ahhh... yes. We ran into two rock golems yesterday. We have four eyes right now..." "Two even?! That''s incredible! Please let us buy these eyes!" "W-Well, that''s why we''re here..." Judging by her reaction, Sophia was d she mentioned only two golems for now. "Thank you very much!" "Sure." Sophia grabbed into the backpack Maya was carrying and took the four out. She had put them in there before because her storage magic was deemed as way too shy by the cat. "Those are indeed rock golem eyes..." The guild worker confirmed the goods before handing over the reward. "Four eyes, that''ll be 500 gold coins in total. Do you want it like that, or should I exchange them for five big gold coins?" "Five big ones, please." "Alright." "Eh? Wait... Isn''t that too much?" She was confused about the amount. "Well, not that I''mining, but-" "They normally go for around 80 to 100 gold per eye, depending on the size. As these are high-quality items,bined with the current low supply and high demand, they''re worth more." "Oh, I see. So, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to hunt some more of them, huh?" "If you''re up for the challenge and run into them, by all means, please do so! We''ll happily buy them from you. Just take care, and don''t do anything too dangerous." "Of course. Maya, we should scout the area where we found the two. There might be some more." "S-Sure..." She yed along with her act. "Okay then, I hope you find some more golems. Assuring your safety, of course." "We''ll, uhh, manage..." Sophia looked a little awkward. ---------------- A littleter, the couple left the adventurer guild again but decided to save the clothes shopping for another time. As it was thete afternoon by, the streets began to be really lively, and the stares at Sophia multiplied, as well. Before, she had somewhat be able to deal with it, but this was too much. As a result of this, the two headed back to the castle for the time being. "So... phia!" They had just entered through the main entrance when a familiar voice called out to the tiger-girl. "Ellie?!" "So... phia!" Trying her best to keep her bnce, the little girl ran towards Sophia. "Ahh... I know that feeling..." She felt nostalgic watching the slight unsteadiness in her steps while trying to bnce with her tail. Waiting for Ellie, she squatted down and weed her with open arms. "Yay!" Happy about the invitation, she jumped at Sophia before getting hugged by the bigger girl while they spun around on the spot. "Ahaha." "Ehehe~." The two wereughing while spinning through the entrance hall. "Yeah, we''re not going to leave, are we?" Maya quietly mumbled while she looked at the two ying around. "So... What''s going on here?" Once she put the little tiger-girl down again, Sophia finally questioned the situation. "Well..." Watching from the sidelines until now, queen Kira finally joined the conversation. "She wanted to see you as soon as possible and decided to wait here... Immediately throwing a tantrum whenever I wanted to bring her to her room." "Ahh... Ellie, you should listen to your mom." "B-But So... phia waste!" "Even so, you shouldn''t do that. Mom only wants your best, okay?" "Uuh... I know... Ellie will listen next time." "You''re a good girl." Sophia petted her head as a reward. "Thanks." Kira was grateful. "Now let''s go, Ellie, it''s almost time for dinner." "B-But..." "Don''t worry, we can y a littleter." Sophia gave her another pat before gently pushing the girl towards her mother. "Yay!" Ellie had a broad smile. "Ahaha... Oh, Maya, Sophia, you might want to take a look at the training grounds..." Kira received her daughter before looking at the two. "Fen and Aura did a couple of, let''s say, demonstrations for a few of our military personnel, and... things got a little out of hand." "E-Eh?!" "I knew it!" Maya already had the suspicion before that it wasn''t possible for the wolves to stay quiet all day long. Chapter 92 – Veggies are important Chapter 92 ¨C Veggies are important After the couple came back from exploring the capital, Sophia was ambushed by Ellie in the entrance hall of the royal castle. Once the two finished cuddling and ying, they were informed by Queen Kira that the two wolves had overdone a demonstration of power in some way or another, having caused a bit of amotion. "I wonder what the two did~." "I''m kinda scared..." Maya wasn''t as easygoing. Navigating through the castle and getting lost only twice, ording to their own report, the two finally arrived at the training grounds after around 20 minutes of wandering around. "We should''ve asked someone for the way..." "Yeah." "Okay, what do we... have... here?" Sophia looked around and stopped talking. The training ground was riddled with craters of varying sizes. Next to it, on a patch of grass under a tree, Fen and Aura were quietly taking a nap without a care in the world. "Uhh..." The cat-girl also was speechless. "It was amazing!" Besides the couple, Anna suddenly popped up. "Princess?!" Maya got surprised. "What was amazing? What did the two do?" "Father''s in a meeting with some of our militarymanders at the moment. When they walked past here and saw the two napping there, themanders noticed the power radiating from them challenged them to a fight. Well... tried to challenge them." "O-Oh..." The cat-girl turned pale. "Are... Are they still alive...?" Sophia, too, had a bad feeling. "Of course. The male wolf... Fen? He couldn''t be bothered whatsoever and simply turned around, sleeping some more. The other one... Aura, was it? She humored them a bit. She told them to all attack together with everything they got... Three secondster, she went to sleep again, as well. Father''s currently busy nursing the broken egos of a couple of middle-aged men." "Yeah, I''m not going to visit him today..." Sophia really didn''t want to deal with the aftermath. "He wanted to see you, though." "Nope. I''ll pretend I never heard about this." "Heard about what?" Maya was with her on that. "Exactly." "I probably would do the same..." Anna couldn''t me her. "Still, Aura''s awesome! She beat them so easily, and it was clear to even me that she was considerably holding back! Just how powerful is she?" "That''s an excellent question... I don''t think any of us could beat her using normal methods." Sophia could stop time if she really wanted to, but that wouldn''t be a good answer. For various reasons, that is. "I see... Speaking of which, how strong are you, anyway, Sophia? From what I can feel and also heard, it''s ridiculous, but...pared to Maya, which I..." "Lost horribly to~." The cat-girl finished her sentence. "Uuh..." "Compared to Maya, huh...? That''s a tough one." "The gap between Sophia and me would make our fight look like a close call, princess. Comparing the two of us in terms of power is a direct insult to magic as a whole." "S-Seriously?!" Anna was shocked. "It''s not that extreme, okay?" Sophia wanted to y it down. "I was even slightly downying you in that im." The cat-girl didn''t let her have any of that. "W-Wow, you should really stay away from father, then... Not that the military guys try to challenge you, as well, to get back their pride, only to be crushed even harder. They''re good guys, after all..." "Ahaha... I wasn''t going to, regardless of that." "Your group sure is freaky..." The princess was amazed. "How did you all be like that? I mean, I''m the most talented in school, but... yeah." "I know that feeling." Maya sympathized with her. "I, too, thought I was the strongest. I mean, being able to use two elements, how amazing is that? Then, I met Sophia... I, in my presumptuous way, challenged her to a fight, even mocking her by saying stuff like I would hold back or not hurt her..." The cat-girl remembered their match. "Only to be destroyed. Being the sadistic girl she is, from time to time, Sophia deliberately used a different type of magic whenever I attacked topletely crush my spirit... Even forcing me to give up by activating darkness magic..." "H-Hey!" She heard something she didn''t like in there. "T-That''s... Wait?! Sophia has a sadistic side, as well...?" She nced at the cat during thest part. "I-I have not!" The girl in question loudly protested. "Fen! Wake up for a moment!" Maya yelled towards the wolf. "What?!" He sounded grumpy after being woken up by her. "About Sophia''s sadistic side..." "Eh?! We''re talking about this now?!" Fen wasn''t ready for this. "l thought we''re keeping it a secret?!" "No, just proving a point." "Don''t get me involved in that, cat!" "Sorry!" "S-Seriously?!" Sophia was in shock. "I had no idea... Really? Howe I never noticed?" "Well, it mostly happens when your boo-, you know what I mean." "Ahh..." She understood that the cat-girl meant her boosts. "Uuh, how very embarrassing... He really gave me the short end of the stick..." She sent anotherint toward Canir for messing with her personality. "He did not. For the most part..." "What are you two talking about?" Anna seemed confused. "It''s kindaplicated..." "It''s alright, I won''t pry." Despite anything, she was a good girl. "T-Thanks." "But a sadistic Sophia...? I might want to see that." There was a hint of excitement in the voice of the royal tiger. "Ehh...? You''re into that?" Maya hadn''t expected that from the princess. "W-Well, it could be... i-interesting..." "No sadistic Sophia for anyone!" The girl in question had no intention of ying along. "Aww..." "There''s no reason to be disappointed here!" She was getting angry. "Fen, you''ll regret this!" "Why me!?" The wolf woke up again from the sheer unreasonableness. "Because I just decided on it!" "Ehh...? Aura, some backup, please..." "I have no idea what you''re talking about, but I do know that I don''t want to get involved. So, no thanks." As the female wolf didn''t know all of Sophia''s quirks yet, she simply turned around. "I really have no allies..." "Sorry for bringing you into this..." Maya felt slightly apologetic. "I''m dragging you down with me when she makes me regret it!" He had no intention of forgiving her. "A-Anyway..." Princess Anna thought it was about time to change the topic. "Err, we''re about to have dinner. Are you two joining us?" "Well-." "Don''t worry, father won''t be attending. He''s still with the military." She guessed why the blonde tiger-girl was hesitating. "Oh, then we might, Maya? These two are fine with a generous helping of meat, after all." She gestured at the wolves. "A royal dinner? I''m intrigued." "We don''t eat overly fancy, okay?" ---------------- As the two didn''t want to get lost again, the couple let themselves be guided by Princess Anna. And so, after just a few minutes, the three arrived in the dining hall. "So... phia!" Ellie, together with Queen Kira and two maids, were already present when the little tiger-girl spotted her and got excited. "Ellie~." She happily waved back. "You know, my little sister never before greeted me like that. Not even once..." Anna softlyined to Maya. "Hrmn..." She, too, hadplicated feelings about this. "I invited the two for dinner. Was that okay, mother?" "Of course. That was the n, anyway." "So... phia, here! Here!" Ellie pointed at the chair next to her, urging her to sit there. "Sure. " "No hesitation whatsoever..." The cat-girl seemed slightly pouty. "What? I wanted to sit opposite of you in the first ce. It''s easier to look at you that way." "O-Oh..." She had noeback. "Wow... That was smooth." Mother and daughter were impressed by Sophia. "Alright, I''ll sit next to Maya, then. That way, we''ll be in the same line of sight!" Anna was still going strong. Once the seating arrangement was taken care of, the maids soon served dinner. As it was a carnivore family, there were plenty of meat-based dishes. While Sophia was liking meat a lot more ever since she became a tiger-girl herself, she was still happy that they were also plenty of vegetables. Because of that, she didn''t hold back on the broli, carrots, and various others, or whatever they''re called now. She didn''t listen to the names when she was corrected. "So... phia likes vegetables...?" The little tiger-girl seemed to be a bit of a picky eater because only the pre-cut meat on her te was gone. "Of course! They''re delicious." "Really...?" Ellie suspiciously eyed her carrots. "Here~." Sophia picked up a small one with her fork and waved it around in front of the girl. "N-No..." She turned her face away. "Come on, they''re important for you. All good kids eat their vegetables, you know? Are you not a good kid?" "Ellie is good!" "Then," Sophia waved around her look some more. "Say ahh~." "A-Ahh... ham!" Reluctantly, the little tiger-girl bit down on it. "Ahh..." Chewing for a while, Ellie opened her mouth to show it was gone. "I ate it!" "She ate it?!" Kira was the most shocked one. "Very good!" "Ehehe~." "Now you can eat the rest on your own, right?" "No! Feed me!" "Ehh~?" As Sophia couldn''t help but spoil her, she did just that and picked up some more vegetables. "Ham!" She obediently ate everything now. "What?! Huh? H-How...?" Kira couldn''t believe what she was seeing right now. "E-Ellie is eating her vegetables...? I tried the exact same thing, but there was no chance!" "Really? What did you do until now, then?" "I, uhh, had the maids mix the vegetables into the meals in a way she wouldn''t notice..." "Clever. Ellie, you''ll eat your vegetables from now on, right?" "Only if So... phia eats with me!" "That''s no good. I won''t always be here when you''re eating. I also want to eat with Maya alone from time to time. That''s very important for the two of us. But when I''m in the castle, I''ll try to eat with you, okay?" "Yes... I understand." Though looking sad, Ellie epted it. "Great. It''s important for you to eat your vegetables." "Ellie will eat them now. B-But no pell-pepper! They are bad! EVIL!" "Pell...? Ah..." She managed to link them to bell pepper. "W-Well, everyone has stuff they dislike..." "You''re not a fan either, are you?" The others instantly saw through Sophia''s reaction. "Shh!" She put a finger on her lips. "I''m trying to do something here. A-As long as you eat most of your food, it should be fine. Ah, is that okay?" She looked at the queen for confirmation. "Y-Yes, of course..." Kira was still baffled about what was going on. "Sophia, you''re... amazing. You''re really so good with her." "Ehehe~." She was happy about it. ---------------- They finished eating before long, with Kira being very d that Ellie ate almost all of her vegetables. The evening was far from over with that, though. "Alright, Ellie, let''s get you in the bath." The queen grabbed her, but the little girl had different ns. "I want to go with So... phia!" "Eh?!" Maya was the one who reacted first. "Ahaha... I''m sorry, Ellie, but my bathing time is reserved for Maya. We promised a long time ago, and I can''t change that." The cat-girl''s request to take a bath together with her every day was still active. "Eh?!" The wrong, grown-up princessined now, but she was easily ignored by everyone. "Aww..." The little one seemed sad. "But if So... phia promised, there''s no helping it..." "Thank you for understanding. Is she going to bed afterward?" She looked at Kira while asking. "In around an hour after, why?" "Ellie, how about Ie to your roomter and tell you a story before you go to sleep instead?" "Really? Yay! It''s a promise, okay?!" She got really excited. "Of course. Now go and take your bath." "Yes!" Finally motivated, Kira was able to lift Ellie up and carried her over to the bathroom. "Shall we head out, as well?" "Sure..." Maya agreed. "So... just for the record, I''m going to take a bath alone?" "Yes!" The couple yelled at Princess Anna while leaving. Chapter 93 – Story time with Ellie Chapter 93 ¨C Story time with Ellie After the dinner with Queen Kira and her daughters, Sophia promised Princess Ellie to tell her a story after she''d taken her bath and gotten ready for bed. In the meanwhile, the couple got back to their room and prepared for their own bath. "Soo..." The two had entered the attached bathroom, and Maya addressed the tiger-girl while they were undressing. "You''ve fallen quite badly for the little one, huh?" "Ahh... Maybe a bit... She''s just so adorable!" "You know, while I don''t fully, uhh, support you loving her so much, I don''t particrly mind either." While saying so, she got into the water of the big tub and gestured to the ce right next to her. "You still have your priorities right after all." "Haha, I want to take my baths with you, too, after all." Sophia knew what she was implying. "Good." The cat-girl looked satisfied. "Still... don''t you think it''s maybe a bit much?" "Huh?" She sat down next to her in the water and rxed for a moment before tilting her head. "What do you mean?" "Didn''t you want to turn down the king? We wanted to leave eventually and continue traveling, right? How are you going to tell Ellie about that? Now that she''s so attached to you." "T-That''s... But it''s not like I could''ve distanced myself, either!" "The heartbreak''s going to be brutal." "Yes." "Ellie will be sad, as well." "Yeah..." Sophia didn''t talk back about whose heart''s going to be broken here. "She might cry, even." The cat-girl rubbed salt into the wound. "Urgh... which side are you on here?!" "I have yet to decide." "Ehh...?" "While I enjoy watching you with the little one. It gives me a nice fuzzy kind of feeling seeing your interactions... most of the time. At the same time, I enjoyed traveling with you. I don''t want to give up on that just yet." Maya also wanted to continue exploring the world. "Y-Yes, I''ll find a way... " "Will you really?" Maya ced her head on Sophia''s shoulder while stretching out her limbs in the water, seemingly being prettyfortable. "Well, the alternative isn''t the worst, but still..." If pushes to shove, she could get used to this lifestyle. "Haha." The tiger-girl, too, rxed by stretching and gently rubbed her head against the cat''s. "The view from here is also nice." "There''s no window in the bath, though?" "I know." She stared right at Sophia. "Pervert." Sophia yfully whacked the cat-girl''s head. "I do agree, though. It is a nice view." "So, we''re both perverts, huh?" "Huh? I was talking about the bath tiles. I really like the floral pattern on them." "Oh, shut up already~." She didn''t believe her for a second. "Ehehe~." ---------------- Enjoying their intimate togetherness for a while longer andfortably soaking in the hot water, the couple eventually had to get out again. Sophia didn''t want to faint again, after all. "Say," While they were drying themselves and getting dressed, Maya seemed to be interested in something. "Hmm...? Ah!" Sophia had just put her head through her shirt when she looked at the cat-girl and stopped. She wasn''t quite as dressed yet, and the tiger needed a moment after getting a point-nk view of her. "...Y-Yes?" "Enjoying the beautiful tiles again?" "I-I might..." The tiger nodded. "I can''t get enough of them and will always react like that when I get a look at them." Her intonation on thest word was slightly different for some reason. "Really now..." She only rolled her eyes, but Maya also seemed d that Sophia likes the tiles so much and has such a strong reaction to them. "Anyway, what story are you going to tell Ellieter?" "Eh? Ah, uhh... That''s actually a good question." "You haven''t thought that far, huh? Can''t say I''m surprised." "Let''s see... Oh, I think I''ll go with a fairy tale from my old world. I know a lot of them." "Really? That sounds kinda fun." "It''s mostly cheesy make-believe stuff." "Less fun..." Maya had lost interest. "Well, have fun with her. Ah, maybe I''ll go and visit Anna in the meanwhile." "H-Huh?!" She didn''t see that oneing. "You''re going to visit the princess...? During the evening...? A-Alone?" Sophia''s ears and tail perked up upon hearing this. "Are... Are you jealous?!" "A-Are you the only one allowed to?" The tiger thought she had a right for it, too. "Urgh!" "I, uhh, don''t know if it''s exactly that... I can''t picture either of you falling for the other after all, but... concerned might be fitting?" "Good enough." Maya felt slightly happy. "No, of course not. If you''re not there, I might actually be able to teach her something because she won''t be getting distracted by you." "T-That''s true. She''s so aggressive..." "Yes. I hate that, but I also can''t me her... I won''t give her any room or chances, but I sympathize with her... I think I would do exactly the same in her position. One cannot not fall for you, after all." "Well, you were¡­ are quite aggressive, too." "Y-Yes¡­ You weren''t in a rtionship with anyone when I went for it, though. I think it was mostly justified to get it into your thick skull." "Fair enough. Still, your evaluation of me is way too high... But thank you." "It''s not!" "l-I see. Anyway, it sounds like we should find a girlfriend for her." "Haha, that would be perfect. Do you happen to know any teenage girls that would be willing to date the first princess of this nation?" Maya had her doubts. "Also, a girl that could hold a candle to you! Spoiler alert; Not going to happen." "Uuh..." The tiger-girl wasn''t sure if she should feel happy or embarrassed about herst im, so she opted for both at the same time as her face turned red, but with a smile on her lips. "I mean, look at you!" "T-Thanks... Though I think you look much better..." "Ehehe~." Before the two were able to fully lose themselves in their own little world, the tiger-girl remembered her date with the little princess and decided to leave before they got too flirty. ---------------- "Ah, there she is." Kira stood in the hallway and greeted her once she saw Sophia. "She''s waiting already." "Ahaha... I got a little lost on the way... Should''ve asked a maid..." It was the second or third time already, so she most likely won''t learn. "It''s alright. She can still stay up a little longer. Not that she''d ever fall asleep without you arriving." "I promised her, so I''ll obviously show up. I like that adorable little girl, after all." "Thanks. For the dinner, as well, it''s awesome how you can get through her. Ellie totally loves you." "I''m really happy to hear that... I don''t know what it is, but there''s something about Ellie that makes me want to spoil her. I''ve always been a fan of kids, but something about her is different." "She''s the first small child you met from your own race, is she not? Maybe some sort of instincts are kicking in? You did mention something about having strong ones, right?" "A-Ah..." "It would exin why you''re so drawn to her. We from the tiger family are extremely protective of our children." "Uhh... It actually makes sense..." Sophia had no doubts that any motherly instincts of a tiger would go wild inside her, as well. "I wonder what''s going to happen if you ever have your own child." Kira was a little interested in the idea. "I-, I haven''t thought about that before..." Until a little while ago, she never imagined it would be relevant. Even in her dreams, blessing magic wasn''t something she could''ve imagined, but her answer to the idea was still clear. "Yep, I''ll bepletely useless if that ever happens." "I look forward to it. Show them to me, then. I want to spoil them, too." "S-Sure... But... n-no, it''s not going to happen any time soon... W-We are not at this point yet, like, at all..." Just thinking about it made her nervous. "No, don''t worry. It''s just a personal interest, not a prompt." "T-Thanks... Anyway, Ellie''s waiting, so I better get going." "That''s a good idea. Ah, would it be possible to ask you to watch over her until she falls asleep? Menzor''s meeting with themanders is taking longer than anticipated, and he asked me to join." "Of course. Wait, that sounds serious. Did something happen?" "Nah, it wouldn''t be the first time that they''re nning to get dead-drunk and invited me to join, so... Probably no need to worry." "Hehe, have fun with that." "Thanks~." ---------------- The two split up, and the blonde tiger-girl was finally able to enter Ellie''s room, who already eagerly awaited her. "So... phia!" The little girl was sitting on her bed, wearing some red pajamas, and was kicking her feet in the air while happily smiling at her. "Uuh..." Her heart took a lot of damage from this adorable disy. "Sorry, I''mte. I got held up a little." "So...phia''s here now, it''s okay." "You''re such a good girl." She sat down next to Ellie on the bed and gently patted her head. "Ehehe~." "Do you want to hear a story now?" "Yes!" "Well then, how about youy down first?" "Alright!" Agreeing, Ellie ced her head on the pillow before Sophia covered her with a nket. "Everything nice andfy?" "So... phia! Here!" She patted down on the ce next to her on the bed. "You want me to lie down, as well?" "Yes!" "Geez~, can''t be helped." Unable to turn her down, not that she tried to, Sophiay down next to her, and the little tiger-girl immediately snuggled against her side. "Ehehe~, So... phia''s warm." "..." The hugged girl wondered whether it''s possible to overdose on adorableness because it felt like it would be to her. "O-Okay, storytime!" "Okay!" "Let''s see..." She had still to decide on a story. "Once upon a time, a cute little princess, just like you, Ellie, was ying in the garden of her castle. There, she met a lovely hummingbird that sung her a beautiful song..." Not knowing what to tell, Sophia simply mashed together some of the ssic fairy tales she remembered from her old world. While avoiding stories that would obviously not work here, like the beauty and the beast as this is most likely, in some way or another, amon urrence now, she told the little tiger-girl a wonderful tale about a foreign world with a beautiful and sweet princess over the next half hour. "... and they lived happily ever after." "Yay!" It seemed like Ellie liked the story. "Was it good?" "Very!" "Great." "So... phia, another one!" "Only one per evening." She needed time to think of another one first, after all. "Aww... okay..." While sad, Ellie still epted it. "Besides, it''s gottente, and good kids need their sleep." "Is So... phia going to stay?" "Yes, I''ll be here for a while." Technically speaking, storytime had somehow turned into babysitting, not that she minded it even a bit. "Yay!" Obviously feeling happy, Ellie snuggled even closer to the bigger tiger-girl in response. "All right, it''s time to sleep. Need some water? Toilet?" "No!" "Perfect. Then, good night, Ellie!" "So... phia, night!" Increasing her hug even more, she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep in no time. "Soo... what now?" Sophia was trapped in the bed and had little room to move. "Well, I might as take a nap, too, huh?" Saying so, she also closed her eyes and did just that. Being able to fall asleep everywhere, at any giving time, in any situation, was one of her biggest strengths. ---------------- Quietly napping together, time passed in the blink of an eye, and two hours had already gone by. The peacefulness was soon interrupted, though. Noticing the presence of someone entering the room, Sophia woke up and opened her eyes. "Shh..." She put a finger on her lips after seeing it was Kira. "Don''t worry... I once dropped a te, it shattered into a thousand pieces, and she still didn''t wake up. " "Oh, so she''s a good sleeper, just like me." "You woke up pretty easily, though." The queen had her doubts about her im. "I''m pretty sure I made next to no sound." "I''m using something called detection magic. I simply knew that someone wasing" "My, aren''t your defenses something else?" "Well, I have to make sure nothing happens to the little one here." Sophia pat Ellie''s head before gently freeing herself from her grip. "Impressive dedication. Care to be a full-time babysitter?" "Enticing, but I''ll have to decline." "Aww." "So, why are we having this conversation?" Sophia knew that something else entirely was going on. "Ahaha, well... a messenger arrived during the meeting with themanders." "I don''t like where this is going..." She already had a bad feeling. "Yeah... let''s say we''ve run into a bit of a situation, and Menzor wants you to attend, as well." "As I said, I really don''t like where this is going!" Unfortunately, herints fell on deaf ears as Kira escorted her out of the room. Chapter 94 – An unpleasant conference Chapter 94 ¨C An unpleasant conference Sophia had told Ellie a good-night story, and the two fell asleep together afterward. Unfortunately, the peace was eventually interrupted by Kira, who came to get the blonde tiger for a meeting on behalf of the king for some reason. "Could we stop for Maya? I kinda need her to watch out that I don''t say anything too stupid..." The cat-girl had be her speaker when it came toplicated and/or delicate matters. Sophia''s notpatible with either of those things, after all. "She''s already there, and so is Anna. The two were training magic together when I wanted to pick up your girl." "T-That''s good... Were they behaving themselves?" "Maya was bullying my daughter a little, but that might be for the best. Maybe she''ll be a little more docile with that. We spoiled her a bit too much when she was a kid, and she got a little bratty." "Ahaha... What a thing to say as a queen about her daughter, the first princess of the nation." She had tough at it. "Ah, but don''t you expect me to stop spoiling Ellie now." "Don''t worry about that. I mean, neither will I, after all. It''s simply impossible." "Good." Sophia was relieved. "And there we are." Kira stopped in front of a rather big wooden door and opened it, revealing a big room with arge round desk inside. Gathered around it were many middle-aged men exclusively of feline origin, or to be precise, either jaguar or tiger beastpeople. Their clothes resembled military attire, and they had a varying number of different medals on them. The tiger faction was considerably more decorated. King Menzor was seated in the middle of them and looked around with a stern gaze. All in all, not Sophia''s favorite sort ofpany, so her face lit up all the more when she spotted Maya in the corner of the room. She was standing next to princess Anna and gently waved her hand upon seeing her. ---------------- "Thank you foring, Sophia." The king addressed her. "Commanders, generals, this is the girl I mentioned, the rumored lost member of the tiger family. She has a bit of a backstory, so please don''t ask her about the n she originated from. Anything of her past, really." "T-Thanks..." She was d about not getting pressured. She still didn''t like the situation itself, though. "The cat-girl in the corner, next to my daughter, is her partner, Maya. They came together with the two wolves you all already are acquainted with." When he mentioned them, the entire group became flustered. "H-Hello..." Sophia had no idea what to say and only wanted to go back to Ellie. "You must be wondering why I asked you toe, right? It''s a bit of a touchy subject, but word reached us that a city of our kingdom, Tga, will soon be attacked." "E-Eh?!" The girls, Maya, Anna, and especially Sophia, were surprised about the sudden and unexpected revtion. "W-Why are you telling us that...? Princess Anna aside, Maya and I shouldn''t be hearing this!" It was only partly because she didn''t want to hear it. "Yes!" The cat-girl vigorously nodded to Sophia''sint. "Normally, I would agree, but the two of you are in a special position. Sophia, I do know that you have your doubts about my offer to join the royal family. Actually, you''re probably thinking about how to turn it down right now, aren''t you?" "T-That''s..." He was spot on. "But even so, official member or not, I want you to be treated like one, a fellow tiger, no matter your decision. Also, you like this country and its citizens, do you not?" "I love it." Fen aside, the beastfolk was the first to ept Sophia in this world. They have a special ce in her heart for this. Not even taking Maya into ount. She has met many of them by now and still has yet to have an actual bad experience. "And that''s why you''re here. You''re one of us, regardless of the circumstances and your ns for the future." "I-I see. So, who wants to attack us?" His words had worked on her. "The humans." "Ehhhh...?" After getting hyped up so much, Sophia felt cheated. "My peaceful nap with Ellie was interrupted for that?! Can I go back now?" She already turned around after hearing this lousy joke and almost reached the door again. "P-Please wait!" The king tried to stop her. "Why?" Her voice sounded a tiny bit cold. "I know exactly how strong every individual in this room is... No one here, not even Anna over there, who probably has no experience in fighting, should feel the slightest bit intimidated by those insects! Err, humans, is what I wanted to say." "Does she have a history with them?" Anna leaned closer to Maya while she asked her. "It sounds like it." "Yeah, don''t ask... I don''t want to remember what they tried. Well, the punishment Sophia delivered wasn''t that bad, but..." The cat-girl clenched her fist and didn''t want to think about how some humans tried to sell her or wanted to use her body in the past during Sophia''s first contacts with them. "Uhh?" "You are not... wrong." Menzor nodded while sighing. "Individually speaking, or even in small to medium groups, humans are, well, harmless. But, just like actual insects, they like to attack in hordes. With enough of them, everything bes a threat." "Urgh, strength in numbers, huh? How many are we talking about here?" "We don''t have exact numbers yet, but we''re guessing around 10,000 to 20,000 humans. They seem to be really trying it this time. That''s the reason I, the king, and our higher militarymanders are involved. Normally, humans are dealt with by the local troops." "Y-Yeah, uhh... I think I heard Ellie calling for me just now... I better go and take a look." Sophia didn''t want to deal with this. "She did not." Kira stopped her. "I have pretty good ears, you know?" "I could hear Ellie calling for someone across the continent." "Uuh..." Sophia had no chance of winning against a doting mother. "But 20,000 of these pesky, narcissistic, idiotic, self-centered, egoistic, nasty, gross, stupid pricks of a sorry excuse for a living being... I don''t wanna!" She threw a tantrum. Some of these adjectives were somewhat redundant, but that was no ident. "While I can''t me you..." The King was amazed by her extreme reaction. "We have to repel them. For our citizens." "Alright, I get it..." There was nothing the blonde could say. "Fine... Can I quickly get over with it? I want to go back to Ellie and continue my nap." "Were you even listening, girl?!" Menzor got angry. "Yes?" "It might be close to 20,000 humans!" "Yes?" Sophia failed to see the problem. "Also, Tga is around 200 km away. Our army will need at least-" "200 kilometers?! Ehh... going there, beating them... and back to the capital... That would be easily five hours, you know?! It''ll be way toote for a nap by the time Ie back! Ellie might be already awake by then!" She''d need to ride on Fen to even be that fast. "Sophia," Maya red at her. "Neither your nap nor princess Ellie is of any importance right now." "I beg to differ!" She thought otherwise but gave up after seeing her re getting stronger. "Fine..." She needed to yield a lot today. "G-Girl..." The King and every single member of the military was staring daggers at the already irritated girl. "Did you say five hours just now?!" "I did? Covering 200 Kilometers, well, 400 for a round trip, takes a while. Also, I don''t want to kill them, so I''d need to considerably hold back." There was still a little bit of attachment left for them. For now, at least. "Oh, never mind, for the way, I could just stop-"She couldn''t finish her thought. "Are you being serious right now?!" "I always am!" Sophia''s determined expression only caused Maya to roll her eyes. "Travel aside... How would you beat 20,000 humans in such a short amount of time?!" "Uhh... blinding them, stealing their sightpletely, flooding, a couple of tornados... Squashing them with earth magic or setting everyone on fire. Trapping them with nature magic''s vines or roots... Oh, letting them faint by getting rid of the air around the army could be entertaining. There''s also-" Sophia had so many means to eradicate an army that she had a hard time deciding. "..." The room fell silent. "Err," Anna leaned over to Maya again. "T-The sadistic thing we talked about not too long ago... I believe you now. You two might be a good match, after all¡­" "Y-Yeah." "I-, I can''t let you go alone... But I hope you''ll apany us, regardless. Half of the generals here and I will depart tomorrow at noon, together with a couple of retainers. We''ll meet up with an around 3,000-member strong army of ours that''s currently stationed not too far away from Tga." "The king is going too?" Sophia was surprised about that. "Of course. It''s my job to oversee such arge battlefield." "Oh, I see." "Father!" Anna suddenly spoke up. "I want to go, too. I think I''m old enough to apany you now. It''s about time. I promise you that I won''t leave the backlines and stay away from danger!" "Why do you think you''re attending this meeting?" The king apparently had already nned so. "Thank you very much, father!" "Maya," Kira addressed the cat-girl. "It seems like Sophia will be busy, so can I ask you to protect her? As far as you''re willing to go, of course." She didn''t question her husband, but as a mother, she was naturally concerned about her daughter. "You can leave it to me. But with Sophia around, you don''t have to worry that much. There''s no way she''d let any of us get hurt." "Thank you." "By the way... this, uhh, Tga, was it? Is there anything interesting over there?" Sophia got a little curious. "Are you wondering why the humans attack there?" "Err, no... I was more interested in sightseeing. This whole ordeal should be good for something, after all..." As usual, her situational awareness was non-existent. To others, that is. "It''s... It''s one of our major trade hubs..." Dealing with Sophia wasn''t good for his mental health. "Oh, sounds good for some shopping. Ah, but now that it got mentioned, why are they attacking?" "To disy their superiority." "I see. Wait, the what now?!" She almost tripped over those words. "Their words, not mine." King Menzor also disagreed with their im for apparent reasons. "There''s also their strive to enve us-" "I''m sorry?" The temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees when Sophia''s ice-cold voice leaked out. "Could you please repeat that? I''m sure you didn''t say what you just did, right?" "W-Well..." Everyone was taken aback. "They try it every so often, but the humans only ever get themselves killed in the process. I don''t know why they-" "And stop right there." Sophia interrupted the king, and her expression was unlike anything anyone, even Maya, ever saw on her, and the cat-girl had seen her angry before. "So, this happened more than once, huh? Why are they still alive? Their race as a whole, that is." "They, uhh, aren''t sessful, so we normally-" "Oh, just because they aren''t any good at it, it''s okay?" There was no emotion left in her voice. The others felt only cold- and darkness radiating from her. "Don''t you think, no matter the result, the emotional trauma of someone trying to take-, or kidnap you, force you to do something you don''t want, or even sell you, is reason enough? To end them, I mean?" She got oddly specific, probably remembering the times she met humans before. "W-Well..." Themanders didn''t dare to answer. "N-None of the humans that tried it made it out alive¡­" Menzor tried to de-escte the situation. "How... How would they even try to enve a beastperson? It''s not like they have enough strength to forcefully take one." "They asionally try to go for the kids ying outside the cities... There never anything happens because we can sense an ambush, so-" "Ohhhh, so they''re trying to kidnap the little ones? I see~." Her voice wasn''t cold or emotionless anymore, but everyone sure wished it still was. The militarymanders and even the king were feeling physically ufortable now. "My, aren''t they a funny bunch~." "Oh no..." Maya finally noticed that Sophia had lost it again. "Your Majesty, how about you give the army a day off? There are one or two things I would like to try on these humans, and I want to avoid friendly fire." While it was still the blonde tiger-girl who was talking, the personality behind it waspletely unlike the usual happy-go-lucky girl. "W-While I want to trust your words, that''s not something I can do." The king couldn''t grant her request. "That wasn''t a question, your Majesty." Sophia paused for a moment. "Fine. Just keep them in the background until I''m done with them. We leave tomorrow at noon, was it?" "Y-Yes." "Alright." Sophia simply turned around and left. The topic was over for her. "I''m, err... sorry..." Maya wasn''t sure what to say and simply apologized to the group. "Sophia has-, she has a bit of a history with the humans, to put it lightly. Also, after spending most of the day with your daughter, Princess Ellie, the information about the attempted kidnappings was a bit much, your Majesty. She can get a... little angry when something bothers her too much... I''ll be able to calm Sophia down a bitter. Still, you might want to think about her request to put the army on standby in the beginning, at least." As Maya knows her strength, she had no doubts about them not being needed. "Again, I''m sorry about her, your Majesty. I''ll go after her now, so I''ll take my leave, as well." Doing as told, the cat-girl also turned around and ran after the upset girl. ---------------- "..." After the couple left, the room fell silent again while everyone just looked at each other with baffled expressions. "S-Sophia''s scary..." Princess Anna spoke out what everyone was thinking. "Y-Your Majesty, just who is this girl?!" One of themanders was close to freaking out. "I never was subjected to such an intense pressure before!" "Who is she, indeed..." The king wasn''t sure, either. "All I do know is that she''s strong, ridiculously strong. The two wolves you met are herpanions, after all." "..." The room fell silent again, with themanders hanging their heads in shame now. "She also has a strong sense of justice, as you just witnessed." "We could see that, yes... But can we trust her? She seems a little bit... unstable?" "I do believe we can. Hermon sense might be a bit¡­ different, but she has the same ideals as I have. Also, my daughter Ellie adores her. You know, the girl who cried after meeting half of you guys and is wary of the other half. That has to speak for Sophia in one way or another. Actually, both of my daughters love this girl, but that''s another story..." Menzor nced toward Anna while saying so. "Urgh..." She didn''t meet his gaze and only looked away. "She definitely is an ally. Likely the most important one we have evere across. We''ll naturally rally the corps near Tga. It would be foolish to decide on anything else. That being said, I''m willing to give Sophia the chance she asked for. If her ims of being able to deal with their army on her own are true, we won''t have to put our men in danger. I think that is a worthwhile option to consider. We shouldn''t waste any lives, especially if there might be an alternative." "Yes!" Themanders agreed with the king. "Alright, but we still need to strategize our n B." Menzor mostly trusted Sophia, but betting everything on a single card was stupid at best. "My men, it''s going to be a long night." "Yes!" Their meeting went on for many hours after the couple had left. It would most likely end up being wasted time, but they couldn''t count on it as they hadn''t seen Sophia in action yet.
Chapter 95 – Getting ready to depart Chapter 95 ¨C Getting ready to depart During the meeting with the king and his militarymanders, Sophia found out that the humans n to attack a beastfolk city. To make matters worse, she was also informed that humans regrly try to kidnap children to enve them. As she had spent most of her day with Ellie, a little child, anger had taken over the blonde tiger-girl once more after hearing this story. "Sophia!" After having left the meeting, Maya ran after her to talk about what had just happened. "Ahaha..." She stopped walking and faced the cat-girl. "I messed that one up, huh?" "Well... you made a room full of militarymanders wet their pants, so... I think I even saw a stain on the king''s-" "Where were you looking?!" "Ah, that''s better." Maya sounded relieved. "I was just kidding. Well, I didn''t look, I mean." "O-Oh... thank you. " She noticed that it calmed her down. "Though, this time, it''s reasonable to get angry. I had heard about these attempted kidnappings before, but I had no idea it wasn''t an incredibly rare urrence..." "When I heard about that... kidnapping little children, especially right after my nap with Ellie, I kinda lost it..." "Okay, I''m not going to imply anything here now, alright...? If you''d taken a nap with your own c-child right before hearing about it, what would''ve happened then?" The cat-girl wanted to find out about her priorities. "..." She went silent, and an eerie sensation filled the hallway the two were standing in. At the same time, a pitch-ck darkness began to fill the floor around the tiger-girl while her eyes turned lifeless. "S-Sophia...?!" Only a few moments passed, but she already felt really ufortable and started to panic. "S-Sorry..." The tiger quickly returned back to normal. "I was just thinking how time-consuming it would be to erase the human race from this world. Just out of interest, where''s their capital?" "I-I feel like I shouldn''t tell you." "Might be a good decision." "You having a c-child might be too dangerous for the world right now." "Sentences I never thought I''d hear..." Sophia wasn''t sure how to react to something like that. "Though, yes... there''s some truth to it. Overprotectiveness plus my boosted anger, which I have no control over right now... badbination. It''s a good thing I''m not r-ready for that yet." "A-Ahaha..." She let out an awkwardugh. "So, this time, you got angry for Ellie''s sake, big enough to start a war. Harm to your own kid would result in genocide... What would you do if I were kidnapped?" "Aside from the part where I would be confused about you being kidnapped by humans or even the possibility of such a thing?" "Fair... Hypothetically speaking, then." "Didn''t I almost start one or two genocides for you already? The slime thing in Canir''s joke dungeon, for example. That was even before we got together." "Is it just me, or are you quite the brutal one?" "You just noticed?" Sophia tilted her head. "I finally have people dear to me and the power to protect them. I will let no one steal them away from me or let them get harmed. And from the currently living ones, you''re the most important one. I''m too scared to even imagine what I would do if something were to happen to you." "I''m d to hear that... in a way. I''ll have to make sure to stay safe, though. For the sake of the world." "By the way, the kidnappings and thinking about Ellie made me very upset. Something happening to my future child or you, I might actually get angry instead~." "O-Oh..." "I wonder if Canir himself could stop me..." She''d gone off the deep end. "A-Alright... back to the problem at hand." While touched, Maya was too scared to continue the topic. "What are you going to do about this impending human attack? You made it pretty clear earlier that it''s going to be a short excursion." "That''s a good question. I don''t want to kill any humans because... well, you know why..." Sophia used to be one herself in the past, after all. "But at the same time, I have no lingering attachment whatsoever anymore... For obvious reasons, that is, when taking these humans into ount. I''m a tiger-girl in both body and mind now. I also love the beastfolk, so if I was forced to make a choice between saving the folk, I love and identify myself with now or... ending the lives of humans threatening them, there''s only one choice." "What do you want to hear from me...? "How am I supposed to know?" "Do you think you need to kill them? Even if you hold back considerably, you could easily scare them away without killing anyone. If you''re notfortable with it, you don''t have to." "Probably... But would simply scaring the humans away bring any results? I want them to stop their idiocy. Quite honestly, it''s soooo bothersome, and I just want to talk myself into humans simply not existing for all I care, but... The envement or kidnapping attempts, at least, have to end. " "That''s... I don''t think even killing their whole army would lead to such a result." Maya didn''t think the humans would ever stop, no matter what happened. "I mean, the beastfolk usually might not go on the offensive, but they don''t show mercy, either. Even if they killed a bunch of them, it never changed anything." "Why are they such idiots...?" "Only the gods know that." She had no idea. "They don''t, actually... I asked Canir about them when I met him thest time. He had no idea how they developed into that. Actually, he went as far as admitting he has given up on humans." "S-Seriously?!" "Y-Yeah... Means it''s up to me if I want to change anything." "Again, how?" "That, I still don''t know..." Sophia was at a loss. "Something... with asting impact, I suppose?" "Well, you''re good with impacts, that''s for sure... If anyone''s able to change the humans, it''s you." "What a pain!" She gave up. "Thinking about it will get me nowhere! Alright, whatever, I''ll go to bed!" "What a transition..." Maya rolled her eyes at the tiger-girl''s slight mood swings. "Are you... going back to Ellie?" "Hmm... No, I won''t. I''m not in the mood to cuddle with the little one anymore..." "Ah, is that so?" She didn''t sound unhappy. "Might I offer my services then?" "To cuddle?" "And to sleep together." "A very enticing offer. I might actually take you up on that." "Great!" With a smile on her lips, Maya grabbed her hand, and the two went back to their room. ---------------- The next day arrived before long, and the castle seemed really busy. The word about the attack had obviously gotten around, and everyone was preparing for the king''s departure. Sophia and Maya didn''t take part in any of that, though. The two were ready to go whenever, after all. Instead, they met up with the wolves to tell them what was going on. "Haa... these fools..." Fen sighed when he heard the story. "They really became even bigger idiots, huh?" Aura, too, was astonished. "Are you going to fight them, Sophia?" The male wolf looked at her. "I want to teach them a lesson. The beastfolk are my friends. If anyone tries to harm them, they''ll get to know me." "These poor souls..." Fen actually pitied them a bit. "Is it known how many humans are attacking?" "They''re guessing around 10- to 20,000." "Oh, good, so you won''t need us then, huh?" He had no doubts she could easily deal with them on her own. "There are also 3,000 soldiers on our side. It won''t be a problem. Why? Do you already have ns?" "Aura and I went out drinkingst night and met a couple of fun people in a bar. We originally nned to meet up again today." "What?! That sounds so much better than my ns!" Sophia was a little jealous. "No, you two go do that. I still have Maya, not to mention the other soldiers. Also, I can always stop time in case of something dangerous happens." "If you struggle against those humans, I''ll personally train you without holding back, and Fen''s in trouble, as well." "Why me again?!" He red at Aura, who just threatened him, too. "Because you obviously didn''t teach her right, then." "P-Please don''t struggle, Sophia!" "Hmm~." She yfully put a finger on her chin while tilting her head. "Hey!" "Ahaha, don''t worry, I don''t n to." She had to tease him a little. "Ah, but could the two of you do me a favor while we''re gone?" "Of course?" "I don''t think they''re that intelligent, but in case this attack is just a decoy to lure the king and some of his personnel away from the capital to attack here, please watch out for this ce. Especially Kira and Ellie. I don''t know what I would do if something happened to the little one." "Yeah, they aren''t that intelligent, but of course, we''ll be on the lookout and protect if necessary." "My detection magic reaches way beyond the city walls. I''ll keep scanning for approaching humans." Aura also agreed to help in case anything happens. "Thanks, you two." She was happy. "Well, I guess it''s time to head over to where the king is." "Maya," Fen stopped the cat-girl before she also left. "I know Sophia''s going to be a little... extreme, but please watch out that she doesn''t do anything she may regretter on once she returns back to normal." He was worried. "I think it''s toote for that. It seems like she made up her mind that the beastfolk are obviously more important to her..." "I see..." "I''ll try to keep the damage low." "Yeah..." Fen settled for that, and Maya quickly followed after her tiger-girl. ---------------- While the two were walking through the halls of the castle, naturally not knowing where to go, the couple eventually ran into Princess Anna. "Oh... Good morning, you two. " "''Morning. Hmm? You look tired, princess." Sophia noticed some dark circles beneath her eyes. "Y-Yeah, I haven''t slept well. I''m a bit nervous..." "Why?" "Because we''re heading to a battlefield, idiot." The wielder ofmon sense, Maya, exined the situation to her. "Well, I haven''t slept much, either¡­" "Ahh..." Sophia nodded in understanding. "Wait, are you nervous, too?" She looked at the cat-girl. "For a different reason... Nervous about you overdoing it. I know we are going to be safe, after all. Not to mention that you kept me up for most of the night." "Ahh..." Sophia repeated herself. "Me overdoing is something that could actually happen." "You don''t have to be concerned, princess. There''s little danger for us with Sophia around. " "T-That''s reassuring?" "Besides, Queen Kira also asked me to look out for you, so you''ll definitely be fine." Maya tried to make her feel better. "Thank you... Wait! You''re only doing it because mother asked you?!" "N-No... I would''ve done so regardless." While she clearly wasn''t a fan of her, deep down, Maya didn''t hate the princess. "Ehehe." Anna''s mood improved. "Oho, looks who''s started to be friends." Sophia seemed happy about it, as well. "Oh, shut up!" "J-Just friends, okay?" Anna somehow felt the need to make this detail very clear. "Isn''t that great~?" "Urgh..." The two girls had the same reaction after seeing Sophia''s smile. ---------------- After they were done with their chat and the couple had gotten themselves a guide for the castle, the princess and the group went to the previously mentioned meeting point together. "Ah, there they are." Kira noticed the arrival of the girls. "Wow, sure is busy here." Sophia looked around and was amazed by the mass of people. Not only the king and around half of themanders fromst night''s meeting were present, but also a dozen maids. Furthermore, there were also 60 to 70 soldiers on site. Interestingly enough, a good number of them were jaguar beastpeople, probably indicating they were rtively high-ranking members. "Well, the king heads out for a potential battlefield. This much is the absolute bare minimum. More soldiers are waiting outside, too." The queen exined the situation. "Sounds reasonable." She agreed. "By the way, where''s Ellie?" Sophia noticed the distinctck of her favorite girl in the castle. "She''s too young to learn what''s going on, so I just told her that daddy''s going on a trip and sent her to y with the maids." "I-I see..." She was visibly disappointed and sad about not being able to see the little one before leaving. "Alright, my men!" Before she couldin anymore, the king suddenly and loudly spoke up. "I''m well aware that this is on short notice, but we have no time to lose! Once again, these foolish humans have challenged us, and we''ll show them that it was yet another mistake!" "Yeah!" The morale appeared to be high. "We''ll regroup with the main unit near Tga. Until then, I''ll put my trust in you guys to protect me and my daughter, Princess Anna, who''ll apany us today!" "Yeah!" "I like the sound of that! Let''s depart!" Chapter 96 – An uncomfy ride Chapter 96 ¨C An ufy ride The king finished his speech to raise morale before they left for the soon-to-be battle between the beastfolk and the humans. Afterward, they boarded the carriages, ten in total, drawn by two horses, or harses. The king and his group ofmanders, just as Sophia, Maya, Anna, and two maids, were seated in the two middle ones, each driven by two soldiers. The remaining soldiers boarded the remaining carriages in front and on the back of the convoy. "By the way... how long is this trip going to take?" They had only just left the capital, and Sophia was already bored. "We''ll have to stay the night in the carriages once and continue our travels in the early morning. We should reach the troops near Tga around the same time tomorrow." One of the maids apanying the group answered her. "So long!" She didn''t like the sound of that. "Also, leaving early in the morning? Don''t even bother to wake me up..." This part sounded even worse to her. "At least riding in a carriage is nice... It''s my first time, but it''s reallyfy and rxing, though really slow." "Yep, slower but nice." Maya agreed. "Wait a moment..." Anna interrupted them. "If you''ve never ridden a carriage before, how did youe to the capital? Father said that you''re from really far away." "We walked?" Sophia tilted her head. "We''re much faster than those carriages, after all. Not having to follow roads speeds things up, as well." "S-Seriously...? How long did you walk?" "Three months? Maybe four, I''m not sure... It could''ve been longer, actually." The blonde''s sense of time was already long gone. "Yeah, we took a lot of detours..." Maya, too, had lost track. "It really isn''t a good idea to applymon sense to the two of you..." "H-Hey!" Maya didn''t like the sound of that. "But sleeping in the carriage sounds, uhh..." Sophia looked around. "It will be... snug or cozy? There''s not exactly much room, to say the least." "I don''t mind at all!" Anna saw her chance to sleep with Sophia. "I do, though!" The cat-girl put up her guard. "You''re not going to sleep next to her, princess!" "Aww..." "Sophia, we''re camping outside!" She didn''t trust Anna, after all. "I don''t mind either way. Though, I''ll miss my body pillows. Fenny and Aura, that is." "E-Eh?! Isn''t sleeping outside dangerous?" "Not really. I''ve done that almost exclusively, actually. Nice campfire, good food, some friends. I think that''s good fun~." "Yep, it''s great." "It... does sound fun when you put it that way." Anna sounded a little envious. "Wanna try camping tonight, princess?" "Eh?!" It was the cat-girl who reacted to Sophia''s offer. "I only suggested it to get you away from her, you know?!" "Don''t be like that. No matter what she w-wants to do... Princess Anna would never do anything that would make me lose my trust in her, would she?" She looked at her towards the end. "I-, I wouldn''t... Consent is important..." Anna could do nothing against the pressure she was feeling. "Great~! I look forward to it." "Y-Yeah..." The other two girls once more shared the same expression. ---------------- About four hours passed since the convoy left the capital, and it was time for the first break to let the harses rest. Feeling a little sore after sitting for so long, the girls decided to take a little walk. "I might want to rethink my earlier statement." Sophia rubbed her butt while saying so. "My backside''s all tingly... A carriage isn''t sofy, after all..." "That''s true..." The other two shared her assessment. "Also, I''m hungry!" "I think food''s scheduled for the evening..." Anna swiftly crushed her dreams. "Uuh... Hunting and grilling something takes too much time- Ah!" It seemed like she got an idea. "Anyone wants some nuts or dried fruits?" "You actually still have some left? You''ve constantly been snacking on them, after all." Maya rolled her eyes in response. "Of course. I mean, I bought out the entire shop." "Err..." The princess seemed lost. "What nuts or fruits...? You''re not carrying anything, are you?" "Ahh, want to see a little party trick?" While saying so, the blonde tiger-girl stretched out her hand, which suddenly disappeared into her extra storage space, giving Anna quite the fright. "H-Huh?! Your arm! W-What is going on?!" "Y-Yeah..." Maya could sympathize with her, having had the exact same reaction when Sophia first tried out this magic. "Aaand there we are." Pulling out her hand again, she now held a bag filled with the previously mentioned nuts and fruits. "Oh, I love that mix. Gimme some." Being used to it already, the cat-girl simply went for the snacks. "Ehh...?" The princess, on the other hand, was still quite confused. "What... What just happened here?" "A magic I, uhh, invented. I didn''t want to bother carrying luggage, so I created a ce with magic where I can simply dump everything into." "..." She needed a moment to wrap her head around it. "Some nuts?" Maya held out the bag she''d snagged from Sophia before. "They''re good." "T-Thanks..." epting her offer, Anna had a small snack to calm her nerves. "Seriously... what sort of monster are you, Sophia?" "J-Just why does everyone keep calling me that¡­?" "Because you are!" As usualtely, the princess and the cat-girl were in perfect sync. "I-I''m just... creative, and maybe a bit entric. " Not that she''d never called herself a monster, either. "Same difference!" "Alright, give back the snacks. The monster''s hungry." The blonde just rolled with it. "We''re very sorry!" "Seriously... are you guys getting along now or not?" Sophia was confused about their rtionship. "We are not!" Their syncing wasn''t helping. "Okay, maybe a bit." "That''s nice." "But you''re still my number one!" The two, again, replied with the same. "Oookay, and it''s gotten creepy..." Their continuous syncing up was too much for even Sophia. ---------------- After having had their snack, the girls finished their walk to get rid of the soreness from sitting for so long and went back to the resting ce of the convoy. There, they ran into the king, who had juste back from some sort of meeting. "Oh, where have you girls been?" "We had just a little walk, father. The ride in the carriage was a little tiring." "That is true." "Is something the matter? We saw you talking with themanders just now?" Anna seemed concerned. "No, everything''s alright. We were just talking about how we''re making surprisingly good progress because no monster had held us up until now. Normally, some of them would''ve tried to attack us." "Ahh... That''s Maya''s and mine fault." "What''s that supposed to mean?" The king looked at Sophia. "Monsters... Actual monsters," She red at the other two girls while adding that part. "They can instinctively sense magic power and stay away from sources that are much more powerful than themselves. Because Maya and I have so much of that, no monster is stupid enough to attack us." "I-Is that true?!" Menzor was shocked. "Yes. When I lived in the monster country with Fen, the only monsters that tried to attack me was a group of slimes because they''re too... basic to sense it. From what I''ve heard, it''s normal instant death there because you''ll be flooded by monsters the moment you enter the ce." "T-That''s how it''s supposed to be..." "Ah, well, I was attacked by a griphon once but only because it was blinded by rage after I identally killed its child. That''s a different story, though." "..." The king needed a moment. "A-Alright, I think the break was long enough." While holding his head, Menzor went back to his carriage. "Poor father..." "Yeah." "H-Hey!" Sophia began to dislike the bond that was forming between Maya and the princess. "..." They didn''t reply, and soon after, the three girls also went back to their carriage before the convoy resumed its travel. "Hrmm..." After a little while, Sophia began to shift around her butt on the bench inside the carriage. "Urgh... Maya, remind me to buy some extra fluffy pillows in that Tga or whatever it''s called city for the way back... It''s really no fun for longer than half an hour." "Good idea." She gave a big nod. "S-So carefree..." "Maybe I should get a couple of then? Pillows are always useful. They would even be a nice addition for camping." "H-How big is that storage space thingy of yours?!" Anna was surprised it would even fit multiple pillows. "That''s a good question. I''ve never tested the maximum size. Right now, you couldfortably live in there, though." "S-Seriously?!" "Live in there, huh...?" Sophia got interested in her own words. "Don''t get any weird ideas now!" The cat-girl, on the other hand, didn''t. "I-It wasn''t... that weird..." Her defense was weak. "Entering the ce might be useful for something... somehow?" "It sounds like it would be a great hiding ce for when you don''t want to deal with something." "That''s brilliant!" Sophia liked Anna''s suggestion. "Don''t spur her on, princess!" Maya, once more, didn''t. "There''s definitely more potential in the extra space than just storage!" "Great, now she''s motivated..." The cat-girl had lost in persuading her to drop the idea. "By the way," The blonde tiger-girl looked at the orange one. "You''re still going to school, right? Aren''t there any problems with you taking off a few days for this trip?" "The magic academy, to be exact, but there are none at all~. I mean, I''m the daughter of the king, after all. This falls under royal duty or something like that." "Fair point... What do you do there anyway? Such an academy didn''t exist from where Ie from." "Interested? Want to apany me once we''re back? I have some good connections, so it should be possible." If anything, a princess should indeed have good connections. "Hmm... me going to school...?" Judging by her cramped-up expression, Sophia wasn''t the biggest fan. The memories of her school life weren''t something she liked to remember because she hadpletely isted herself ever since puberty started. "Definitely not a good idea!" The cat-girl stepped in. "Sophia in a ce full of teenage girls?!" She had her very own worries. "M-Maybe I''ll check it out..." While a part of her was happy about the cat''s feelings, she also felt her jealousy was a bit too much. "You have to grow a bit of a thicker skin. Also, i-it might help with the other thing, Maya." "Uuh..." She had no defense, and also knew Sophia was talking about her boosts and shyness. "I still don''t like it, though! O-Only if I, too, cane with you... for protective measures!" "That''s fine... I wouldn''t survive there without you, anyway. A-Alright, princess, I''ll t-think about it..." While she didn''t overly like the idea, she saw it as a challenge to ovee in order to be the person she wants to be. "Really?! That''s going to be so much fun!" Anna was really happy about it. "I wonder..." For once,tely, the couple had the same reaction, but for very different reasons. "I look forward to it!" "Good for you..." The journey continued for a couple of hours until it started to get dark when the convoy finally took its second break. They had already done more than two-thirds of the distance, but going through the night would only increase the theoretical danger. That''s why the second break included an overnight stay inside the carriages, though the girls nned to camp outside. Before that, the three first had to take another walk to get rid of their soreness.
Chapter 97 – Camping with the princess Chapter 97 ¨C Camping with the princess The convoy made its second break on its way toward Tga, a beastfolk city that was about to be attacked by humans. As it was getting dark already, it was nned to spend a night inside the carriages as traveling through the night was needlessly dangerous. Together with the princess, the couple had other ns, though, because they wanted to camp outside. "Haa..." Lightly stretching herself during their walk after sitting for so long, Sophia let out a soft yawn. "How is it possible to be more tired after doing absolutely nothingpared to walking on your own...?" "Being bored is exhausting." Maya felt the same. "You two sure are whiny. Well, not that I disagree. " "Oh, out for another walk?" Once the girls were closer to the carriages again, they promptly ran into Menzor once more. "Yeah, you should invest in some better carriages, father." In the end, the princess was alsoining. "They''re carriages made for the royal family. They''re more than alright. Stop whining." "S-So unfair... " "By the way," Sophia faced the king. "Am I right to assume we''re around 50 kilometers away from Tanaga?" "Tga." Maya corrected her. "Same difference." The blonde still wasn''t good with names. "Wow, that''s a good guess." The king ignored the other part. "Not really. I just started feeling the presence of the citizens there before we stopped here. 50 kilometers is roughly the range I can detect magic power around me." "Has... Has anyone ever told you that you''re kind of a monster, Sophia?" He was baffled about her skills. "..." The mood turned awkward because it was only a couple of hours ago when his daughter implied the same. "A-Anyway," She didn''t want to answer that. "You might be interested to hear that I can only detect the power levels of beast people. There''s no response on the insect, err... human level as of now." "Really? That''s reassuring. " "I can''t feel a second group that would be our army either, though..." "Yes, going from here, they''re stationed behind the city. Around ten kilometers, to be exact." "Ah, then we first have to get a little closer. What''s the direction of the humans?" "The same, our troop''s ced between them and the city. " "Oh, of course... makes sense. Should I go and take a look? The ten kilometers to detect our army won''t take long, and five more to see if anyone''s approaching is no problem, either. I''m also in serious need to properly move my body after sitting for so long!" "Can I ask that of you?" "I''m already getting nervous and twitchy from being so idle! Please do!" "Well then... " "Alright! Okay, Maya, watch the ce for me~!" Sophia was suddenly very motivated. "S-Sure..." The moment the cat-girl agreed, the blonde broke into a sprint. "And she''s gone..." "S-So fast!" The king quickly lost sight of her. "You know... I always thought that Sophia''s... quirky, but I imagined her to be more on thezy side..." Anna was also confused. "She''s surely not." Maya corrected her. "While sleep is probably the most important thing for her, she''s by far the sportiest girl I''ve ever met." "Really now?" "Yep. A little while ago, she, uhh¡­ had an ident that... let''s say, handicapped her for a while." The cat-girl had no better idea how to describe it when Sophia turned herself into a tiger-girl. "A-Anyway, during that time, she was unable to run. Even walking was hard for her in the beginning." She had to learn how to use her tail, after all. "So, because of this, that idiot couldn''t power herself out. She was so twitchy and whiny during that time it actually became annoying. Once Sophia was... healed, she just kept running and running to get rid of her excess energy all day long... Not being able to move is her, one of her worst nightmares." "T-That''s unexpected... Also, what happened to her? It sounds really serious?" The princess got worried. "One of her magic experiments went... wrong, and it had some, uhh,sting effect on her body. But don''t worry, everything''s fine now. As you can see... or saw, she''s the very picture of health." Sophia loves her new body, after all. "G-Good..." ---------------- Not even half an hour had passed since the blonde tiger-girl left for her reconnaissance mission, but she already arrived back at the resting ce of the convoy. "I''m back! Sorry, it took so long... I got a little distracted." "L-Long?!" The king held his head. "A-Anyway, how did it go?" "I found a river and caught some fish!" She looked at Anna and the cat-girl. "Let''s grill themter." "Sophia..." Maya warned her. "His Majesty didn''t want to know why you got distracted." "A-Ah, right... Everything seems to be in order. Just like you said, I spotted the army around ten kilometers behind the city. There were no suspicious movements that would indicate that humans are anywhere close to the troops." "That''s great news." Menzor looked relieved. "It seems there''s still enough time to form a proper formation once we arrive." "Just give me 15 minutes at the front, and we can go back home. There''s no need to invest so much time in those things... humans, I mean." The air around Sophia suddenly changed again. "I... I''ll decide on that once I get a proper overview of the situation at hand." He flinched upon hearing her cold voice. "Fine." It took a moment for her mood to return to normal. "Anyway, I''m hungry... Let''s have dinner!" "So jumpy... " "Maya, can you prepare the fish I caught?" "Sure." "Oh, I forgot..." Anna jumped in. "The two told me about their camping outings, including campfires, barbeque, and sleeping under the stars... I got interested and wanted to try it out. Would that be alright, father?" "Is that so? Hmm, as long as you stay within sight... Yes, I think it would be a valuable experience." "Thank you!" Having gotten permission, the three girls distanced themselves a little from the rest of the group and prepared everything for their camping. "Let''s see..." Sophia looked at the mountain of firewood they had gathered. "Well then, start the fire for us, princess." "H-Huh?! Why me?! I can''t even use fire magic!" "Of course, you can. You attacked Maya with it, after all. " "I defended myself!" She felt the need to correct the blonde tiger-girl. "Basically the same. Just imagine what you did back then and put your feelings into it." "My feelings... What did I feel? Riiight... Fireball!" For some reason, the princess'' expression darkened before she shot a perfectly shaped ball of fire toward the pile of wood and effortlessly ignited it. "Not bad. How did you do it?" "W-Well¡­ When I first used it... Maya teased me about how you''re only for her and... I got a little jea-, angry!" "Seriously...?" The cat-girl stared at her in disbelief. "So, you were... literally burning with envy?!" "Pfft!" Sophia couldn''t hold it in. "S-Somehow... sorry." "Urgh..." "I-I''ll try to be a little nicer in the future..." The cat-girl, too, felt a little bad. "Being pitied, especially by you, only makes it worse, Maya!" Anna took even more damage. "I think that calls for a reward." The blonde tiger-girl wanted to cheer up the princess. "Also, to make up for this cat''s rudeness." "H-Hey..." "I want a head-pat!" Anna immediately jumped on the opportunity. "A head-pat?" "Yes! It''s not too intimate for Maya to raise any meaningful protest, but it would still be a sign of affection for me!" She actually had nned it out. "Y-You..." The protestant was speechless. "Just the head, okay?! No touching of the ears is allowed!" She gave in. "O-Of course!" Anna agreed. "I''m still a princess! Not just amon pervert!" She obviously knew the meaning behind it. "Urgh..." The couple couldn''t look at each other. "It''s way too early for that..." Anna slightly reworded her reply. "That''s not the issue!" Maya snapped. "Sophia''s ears are mine, and mine only to touch!" "Now, now, stay calm, you two..." "You stay out of this!" Their voices ovepped again. "Ehh...?" The owner of the aforementioned ears had no idea what was going on anymore. "You''re so unfair, Maya." The princess kept going. "Is it so wrong for me to want to get closer?" "It''s not, technically speaking. I totally understand you, but as her partner, that''s a big no. I obviously don''t want anyone to get too close to my girlfriend, especially when the person in question has such obvious motives!" "W-Which motives would these be?" Anna feigned ignorance. "Well~," The cat-girl''s expression changed. In the next moment, she pulled Sophia closer and surprised her with a kiss on the lips before parting again while grinning at the princess. "This kind." "A-Ah..." "Don''t use me to prove your point!" The blonde girl didn''t seem too angry about it, though, as she couldn''t hide her smile. "Ehehe." "Uuh... y-you don''t have to rub it in like that..." The royal tiger-girl took a lot of damage from this disy. "Meaning I was right, huh?" She was very smug. "Y-You''re not... wrong..." "And that''s why I''m so defensive! There''s no way I could rx when the two of you are together! " "Urgh... s-so no head pat for me...?" "Just get over here already..." Sophia had had enough. Once the princess was within reach, she gently ced her hand on the girl''s head. Softly caressing it in a circr motion, the blonde enjoyed the incredibly smooth feel of Anna''s hair while taking care not to identally touch her ears. This was reserved for her partner, after all, because they''re so sensitive in the sensual kind of way. Once Sophia thought it was enough, she slowly removed her hand again. "Mmm..." With a low, almost purr-like sound, Anna followed her hand for a second before she stopped her head. "..." Maya did her best to stay silent. "l-, I hope this was sufficient. I won''t be doing any more than that." After actually petting her, Sophia also felt this was somewhat borderline in terms of showing innocent affection. "Y-Yesh... Thank you very much!" She bit her tongue. "By the way, what kind of hair care products are you using, princess? Your hair''s so silky and nice to the touch." "So, I really have no chance, huh...?" Noticing that Sophia was only interested in her haircare even after a somewhat intimate contact, Anna looked downwards while mumbling her reply. "I, uhh... There''s a really nice shop in the capital that sells all kinds of beauty products. I''ll show it to you when we get back..." "Thanks, I haven''t found anything good until now~. Alright, let''s get dinner done already. I''m about to starve!" She got the topic finally back on track. "Yeah..." As the mood was a little awkward, the other two readily agreed. As Maya has the only one with meaningful cooking skills, she was in charge of preparing the food. Using the fish Sophia had caught earlier, together with some other side dishes from their pantry, the cat-girl effortlessly created a delicious meal. "As usual, your cooking''s great, Maya. I''m so happy to get to eat it almost every day." "Y-Yes, it''s good..." The princess had to agree, painfully so. "I''m happy to hear that." After the girls finished dinner, they chatted for a while longer while watching the starry sky. After a while, much to the envy of the princess, Maya made herselffortable on Sophia''sp. Partly to show Anna her ce, but mostly because she simply wanted to. But, because the day was mentally exhausting for her,bined with being reallyfortable, the cat-girl was the first to fall asleep for a rare change. This gave Anna and Sophia the chance to have an uninterrupted chat for the first time since they met. The princess definitely didn''t want to waste this opportunity. The other tiger-girl, too, wanted to ask a thing or two and get to know her better without the cat-girl interfering. Chapter 98 – Sophia and Anna Chapter 98 ¨C Sophia and Anna While camping outside during their travels to Tga, a beastfolk city about to be attacked by humans, Maya fell asleep first after being exhausted from keeping Anna off of Sophia. This actually caused these two to be alone together for the first time since meeting each other. "Say..." While the two were sitting next to each other in front of the campfire, the princess looked at the cat-girl peacefully sleeping in Sophia''sp while also having her head lovingly stroked. "How did the two of you even meet?" "That''s such a stupid story..." Even so, the blonde was smiling broadly. "Fen and I had just left the human territory after we ended up attacking a city of theirs¡­" "H-How nonchntly she admitted it..." "Well, I got kinda upset... Anyway, Fenny suggested visiting the beastfolk to have some nicepany for a change. On our way, we saved a group of adventurers from a couple of rock golems. Those were friends with Maya, and when we were out drinking together, she ran into us. This cat''s a bit of a muscle brain, so she challenged me to a fight the second we met..." Sophia left out the part where she embarrassed herself. "She thought she was the strongest, after all. Well, she already mentioned how that ended up for her, right? After that, Maya didn''t stop bugging me about wanting to travel together with me so she could learn my magic. As you can see, she seeded." "So... it was basically fate? You saved the life of someone and got rewarded with meeting her?" "S-Sounds super cheesy, putting it that way. I think it rather was one of these rare cases of me actually being lucky." "And I was unlucky..." "I don''t think it''s that easy... Just because I met her first doesn''t mean I would''ve c-chosen you if it were the other way around..." "I-I see... yeah, you''re right..." Anna managed to ept this. "Hey," Sophia also wanted to know something. "W-Why... Why did you fall in... l-love with me, anyway...?" She had a hard time asking. "I-I mean... we just met... and you know nothing about me..." "I, err... just did? When I saw you talking with father, it was like something hit me." "R-Really...?" "Yep." The princess nodded. "Totally love at first sight." "Uhh..." "You''re really charming. I also think I have something for girls that are shorter than me. Not that this means a lot,ing from me." The princess was taller than most, after all. "Urgh..." She remembered Maya mentioning that she thinks her boost also increased her charm. "I think your personality is interesting, too." "No." Sophia instantly denied that im. "That''s just a huge mess. I''m a huge mess..." "Aren''t you too harsh with yourself?" "You have no idea... Though, after meeting Maya, it''s gotten better... I''m not a mess anymore." She looked at the cat-girl in herp with a gentle expression. "You... really love her, don''t you?" "Yes." There was no hesitation. "My life until a while ago wasn''t a good one, and Fen was the stepping stone for a better one, but after meeting her... She''s the reason I''m able to enjoy it again. She''s my light. Maya was able to ept everything about me and still loves me. I really never ever was so happy before meeting her." "If-, If I were to ept everything about you, as well... Would it still be impossible for me, Sophia...?" "How do you know you could? You''ve seen nothing I''m capable of. You have no idea what I be like when I''m really upset, or even angry, for example." "Oh, I saw that yesterday during the meeting with father and themanders. You were s-scary, but I think I could get used to it." "In terms of what I let out¡­ At best, I was somewhat annoyed there... You might see me really upset, maybe even angry, when I meet this human army. I don''t think you''ll want toe near me again afterward." "W-What are you nning...?" "I''m going to end the pretentiousness of those insects-, humans." "That''s... That''s simply not possible." Anna didn''t buy it. "I. will. end. it." Her expression changed again. "H-How...? Even killing all of them would do nothing in that regard. It''s the first time I''m going to see it with my own eyes, but I heard from father how many humans already died because of their idiocy¡­" "With force. There are ways other than killing to make them listen, though I''m not sure if they''re any better. At the end of the day, their entire army will be kneeling in front of me, begging for forgiveness." Sophia''s voice grew colder with each word. "Depending on my mood and their behavior, my level of forgiveness will vary between nonexistent and very little." "W-Wow..." "Do you still think you''d be able to I-love me when I turn into an angry and brutal monster?" "T-That''s... I might be...?" The princess wasn''t 100% convinced about it anymore. At the end of the day, she still was just a young girl, but she was still willing to try. "You''re getting angry for the sake of our people, after all..." "You''re a strong one, huh?" Sophia was a bit impressed. "Even so..." "Even so?" "I''m sorry." The blonde tiger-girl nced at Maya while having a great smile. "I''m really sorry. She''s the one. The only one. I love her. I genuinely love this girl. She''s my first love, and while I''m aware these often don''t work out, I''ll try my best to stay by her side as long as she lets me. I hope she feels the same, too. That would make me the happiest person in this world. There''s a chance we might b-break up... in the future... these things happen..." She made herself sad while just imagining it. "Maybe-" Anna tried to say something but managed to hold back and let Sophia continue. "I sincerely hope we don''t, though. That''s why, don''t get your hopes up, Anna. I do like you, but not in this way. I don''t know what''s going on in ten or so years, especially when the age gap between us isn''t criminal anymore..." She mumbled thest part to herself. "I''ll do my best, and if I''m lucky, I''ll still be together with my dream girl." Sophia gave Maya''s head yet another pad. "¡­" She was only listening. "You''re really beautiful, and I think your personality''s great, as well... You''re super funny when you''re not too pushy... I''m sure you''ll find a wonderful partner in the future. That person will be extremely lucky, but... it won''t be me. I can''t forbid you to... l-love me, but we won''t ever be more than friends..." "..." The princess was unable to reply. "I''m... sorry." Sophia felt bad, really bad, but she had to properly turn her down, or this situation would go on forever. "D-Don''t be... I was aware... I really was. Even so, I ignored it, l-I didn''t want to believe it... Uuh... M-Maya is so lucky... It won''t be in an instant, but I''ll try to get... over it somehow... I... I need a moment." Anna stood up and turned around to leave. ---------------- "..." Unfortunately, Sophia saw something she didn''t want to when the princess turned away from her. She really wished she wouldn''t have noticed those big tears running down her cheeks. "Are... Are you happy now, Maya?" "..." The cat-girl stirred in herp before opening her eyes. "How did you know?" "The heartbeat of a sleeping person is different from one simply pretending. It''s pretty easy to tell when your head''s on myp." "I-I see..." She felt a little awkward. "Happy... is a pretty wide term..." "Well, I''m not very happy right now..." If anything, Sophia looked quite sad. "U-Understandable... The princess isn''t a bad girl. So, seeing her heart getting broken does sting... But... thank you. You did it for me, after all. Us, and that does make me happy." "Y-Yeah..." "Your speech was great, too, and I feel the same. I also will work hard to keep us going. You were the best that happened to me, too." "A little more happy now." Sophia liked Maya''s answer. "Still... I know I''m thest person who should say this in this situation, but I want to help Anna out somehow..." "I think I''m the one, but... How? "How am I supposed to know...? Up to a little while ago, I had neither friends nor a girlfriend... I have no idea how any of this works. You''re the popr one, Maya." "Says the girl who just turned down the first princess of the beastfolk kingdom. Again, actually..." "Urgh!" She had to give her props for theeback. "Y-You know what I mean..." "Hmm... Both of us are the wrong girls to help her at the moment. I think time''s pretty much the only thing able to heal these kinds of wounds... Or maybe a distraction." "By that, you mean-" "Another girl, or boy... who knows. Though, she feels kinda girls only. No one couldpete with you, but now that this door''spletely closed for her, there might be some options now. Not that ying cupid for a princess sounds easy." "T-True..." Sophia agreed. "Oh, are we still going to visit her school?" "Maybe? Depends on whether she still wants. Do you have an idea?" "Well, she is a princess, after all... I also do have to admit that she''s pretty attractive. There''s bound to be one or two that have a crush on her, don''t you think?" "S-School crushes..." Sophia''s face grimaced by just repeating these words. "Something''s wrong?" "N-No..." She shook her head. "Just some suppressed memories came back to me... ying matchmaker might be fun, though. Do you think it will work out?" "That entirely depends on the princess having someone else in her life she finds interesting." "F-Fair point... It would be great. I would like to finally get a real friend... As in a female and humanoid type... That''s still a very sad part of my life sinceing here..." The tiger-girl had yet to find someone who was more than an acquaintance and roughly the same species. "E-Eh?! Am... Am I not your friend?" "Someone I''m not... romantically involved with, I mean. It''s not like I can boast about you... to you." "Ehehe~." Maya was happy with her reply. "Orin to." "Huh?!" Not so happy anymore. "You know, I love my girlfriend, and I''m happy that she feels so strongly about me, but her jealousy can get really annoying... Is not something I can tell you, can I?" Sophia, suspiciously quick, had a very specific example ready. "..." It was impossible to say anything in her defense. "Though, if that''s a thing, you need a whole group of friends, Maya." She was fairly self-aware. "With all the stuff you canin about me. Rightfully so." "T-That''s..." The cat-girl didn''t deny it. "Have you imed the princess as a ranting partner already?" "Oh, shut up." "Tehe~." "Speaking of which..." Sophia looked around. "Anna''s noting back, is she?" "Obviously. Would you? She needs a little distance right now." "Y-Yeah... It''s too bad... She was looking forward to camping outside with us so much." "There''ll be another opportunity¡­" Maya did seem a little conflicted, too, but the couple could do nothing about it right now. ---------------- The princess indeed never returned that night, and the two had to camp out alone. The cat-girl gotfortable in Sophia''sp again and fell asleep rtively fast. The tiger stayed awake a little longer, thinking about things. Still, she ultimately followed the other girl not too long after. On the following day, once Sophia was awake, forcefully awoken, the convoy resumed their travels for thest leg of the journey towards Tga. There was a slight change in the carriages, though. Sophia and Maya were now alone in one with a few maids. Anna needed some more time and rode in the carriage of her father for obvious reasons. "A-Ah..." One and a half hours passed when Sophia''s expression suddenly turnedplicated. "I told you to stop doing that already!" Maya really hated it when the tiger-girl did her Ah thing because it basically never meant anything good. She didn''t listen to the cat and exited their carriage without it ever stopping. They weren''t traveling at a speed where she could get hurt, after all. Effortlessly jogging up to it, Sophia then knocked on the door of the king''s carriage and entered it after politely waiting for three seconds, delivering the news of the human army that she had just detected. Chapter 99 – Arriving at the battlefield Chapter 99 ¨C Arriving at the battlefield The trip towards the battlefield between the beastfolk and humans had imed its first victim. Sophia had a serious conversation with Anna and turned her down . She made clear that the princess has no chance of being romantically involved with her. This caused Anna to want to distance herself from the couple for a while to cool down. Then, on thest leg of their travels, the blonde tiger-girl picked up something with her detection magic. Something she had to report to the king. "S-Sophia?!" Menzor was bewildered about her suddenly entering the carriage while it was moving at full speed. "E-Eh..." Anna was inside, as well, and awkwardly looked away. "..." The selection of militarymanders had no idea how to react, either. "Is, uh... something the matter?" "The human army just entered my detection range." "What?!" The carriage grew noisy. "They''re around 30 to 40 kilometers away from our troops, slowly advancing towards them." "Good!" The king and themanders were relieved. "It''s a bit unfortunate, though." Sophia, on the other hand, seemed to be ever so slightly disappointed. "W-What is?" "It''s a little hard to get a definite reading... Their magic power literally is on par with insects, after all. It''s nowhere near close to 20,000 humans. They''re around 7,000 at best." "That''s good news, girl!" They didn''t understand why she was unhappy about their numbers. "Well... I''m not sure whether instigating a deeply rooted fear in just 7,000 is enough for forcing humanity to change or not..." "Y-You..." "Okay then, that''s all from me." Not wanting to deal with them, Sophia simply left their carriage again and went back to Maya. "S-She''s dangerous..." Themanders once more felt intimidated by her. "She''s also reliable, though." ---------------- "What happened?" Maya asked the tiger-girl once she was back. "I''ve found the humans." "R-Really? So there actually is an army...?" She was hoping until now that it was all just a mimunication of sorts. "Only like 7,000. Much fewer than anticipated." "Oh, that''s good." Maya, too, disagreed with her. "Is it? I wonder if that few are enough for my n." "Well, I wasn''t sure so about this n of yours in the first ce..." "Alright, I''ll just have to make sure to be extra persuasive with the few that are present~." "I don''t like the sound of that." Maya wasn''t the biggest fan of this side of Sophia. "How about you let our army do the job, after all?" "No. They won''t get an easy way out now." "I figured as much..." "Actually, the humans only using 7,000 people... Doesn''t that imply even more how they''re just looking down on us?" Sophia had no ns of backing down. "Well..." ---------------- They traveled for another hour before the convoy finally arrived at its destination. It was a fort around 5 kilometers north of the trade city called Tga. Positioned there were about 3,000 members of the beastfolk army. "I''m seriously considering walking back home..." Sophiained the moment she exited the carriage while stretching her body. "It would be faster, too." Maya gave her a nod. "These two..." The king rubbed his temples while walking towards the couple. "Sophia, I''m having a meeting with the troopmanders here soon. Could you update me on the position of the human army?" "Sure, let''s see... roughly 10 kilometers less thanst time. Around 35 kilometers, give or take. Maybe 30. They sure are slow." "Thank you very much." "Can''t I just do a quick sprint and... go through with my n? I''ll be back in an hour, two if I find anything interesting to eat along the way." The blonde tiger-girl''s priorities were as interesting as usual. "No, we want them to get closer to the fort so that we have the territorial advantage in case anything goes wrong. If they scatter and run around in small groups, it would be quite the hassle for us." "Suuuch a hassle, indeed... Alright, Maya, let''s go and get lunch." "Okay." The cat-girl stopped caring. "Ah, wait a moment!" Menzor stopped her. "Hmm?" "What happened to Anna? She seems depressed but refuses to talk to me... even though she wanted to ride in my carriage. I think it''s also the first time I''ve ever seen her cry-" "Maya, lunch!" She really didn''t want to deal with that. "Stop right there, girl." He grabbed her shoulder. "Uhh... The princess and I had a little talk yesterday... She didn''t ept it the first time, but Ipletely turned her downst night. I want Maya, not her, and she finally understood it this time." "Ahh, I see..." He nodded in understanding. "I''m deeply sorry for creating such a mess between all of you." "I think little would''ve changed even without you suggesting the marriage thing, your Majesty." Maya had the feeling Anna wouldn''t be any different even without her father trying to matchmake. "Yeah..." The other two had to agree. "It didn''t help, either, though." Even a king wasn''t safe from her sass. "Okay¡­ Now that I know my daughter''s fine... rtively speaking, I''ll head for the meeting." "Take care!" "So, lunch?" "Just how hungry are you?!" Maya had to retort. "Not overly, actually... Just bored." "Haa... Whatever, how long do you think the humans will need to reach us here?" "If they''re intelligent, they''re going to camp not too far away and attack well-rested tomorrow morning." "So?" Maya didn''t feel like her question was answered. "In around four to five hours." "Hmm... Are you really going to execute the n you told me about?" "That depends on the humans. If they want to talk it out..." "It''s a yes, then?" The cat-girl had little faith. "Yeah. I''m counting on you for the countermeasures in case I can''t properly hold back." "Yes, I''ll do as you instructed me when pushes to shove..." "I''m sorry... Also, thank you." "I want a reward when we''re done here." "Ehh... again?" Sophia felt reminded of their dungeon exploration. "Wait, have you even imed all your rewards from back then?" "I''m not sure... I kinda lost track." "And yet you want another one?" "Yep. You can never have enough of those." "Should... Should I be scared?" "A little~." Maya wanted to tease her. "I want something big this time." "Well, fair enough, I guess." "That was easy... You''re going to go really all out on these humanster, aren''t you?" "Not all out, but that''s the n. A reward is the very least I can do to make it up to you." Sophia was about to do something outrageous. "I''II have to think of something nice." ---------------- A couple of hours passed, and the human army had advanced so far that they could be seen from the fort with bare eyes. Just as Sophia had detected, the beastfolkmanders and the king could confirm that they were roughly 7,000 soldiers. Also, as expected, the humans really didn''t take a break to attack while they were rested. Once they were only 5 kilometers away, a single human on a harse rode close to the fort. As it turned out, he was a messenger, out to deliver a letter. It was forwarded to the king and hismanders. Sophia and Maya, too, were present in the meeting room because they''re a part of the upper echelon right now.
Mere beasts of Tga, we, the superior human race, havee to im this eyesore of a city. It is uneptable that beasts live so close to our own beautiful cities. If you surrender right now, we swear to not use our strength to annihte you. Dirty as they are, leave any still young and trainable members of your race behind as they''ll be a usable workforce for us. Adhere to these demands, or we''ll use the superiority of our army and im them with force. - Long live the only important human race.
"These insolent-" The king crumbled the letter in his hand before mming his fists on the table. "They''ll pay for this!" Themanders were naturally furious, as well. "I wonder what stuff they put into their food¡­" The cat-girl, who hadn''t had much contact with humans besides knowing their stupidity, had a little different take on it. "..." Sophia, on the other hand, was silent, but precisely this caused even Maya to take a couple of steps away from her. "H-Hey..." She tried to address the blonde. "Your Majesty," The room suddenly got noticeably colder when Sophia opened her mouth and looked at the king with an even icier stare. "Inform your troops. I''ll take care of this. Alone-." "T-They already are. Our men will be on standby in and around the fort in case something unpredictable happens." "There''s no need for that, but it''s good enough for me." "Sophia..." Menzor managed to bear with her stare and looked at her. "Are you really alright with this? Doing me such a huge favor even though you don''t have to?" "You seem to be misunderstanding something here. I''m not doing this for you." "Y-You''re not?" "No. I actually just got¡­ angry. Angry about some insects that barked at the wrong tree. I love the beastfolk because they''re great people, and so our interests align here. I don''t want to simply defend against these humans. I''m going, not nning, I''m going to crush their spirits and break their wills. They angered the wrong girl. Today will be thest day they picked a fight with us." "YEAH!" Even though they were scared of Sophia and her chilly aura that had filled the room, themanders felt strangely motivated by her speech. "A-Alright." Menzor epted it. "I''ll leave the battlefield to you, Sophia. Commanders, we''ll head to the observation tform at the outer wall." "Maya," The blonde faced her. "I know. I''ll make sure no one here will be affected." "Thanks. Well then, I''ll head-" She was about to leave when another person stopped her. "S-Sophia..." "Yes?" She turned around when she heard the voice of Princess Anna. "Please stay safe, okay¡­?" "Of course!" Feeling extra motivated now, the blonde tiger-girl finally left to confront the approaching human army all on her own. In the meanwhile, King Menzor, his militarymanders, together with Maya and Anna, went to the observation tform to overlook the battlefield. Chapter 100 – A quarrel with the humans | Part 1/4 Chapter 100 ¨C A quarrel with the humans | Part 1/4 The beastfolk convoy around King Menzor and his militarymanders had reached their destination, a fort near Tga with a 3,000-man strong troop of their own to defend against the human army. Sophia had her own ns, though. After receiving a letter from the humans, demanding unconditional surrender and leaving behind their children as a cheap workforce for the superior insects, she got angry. Putting the beastfolk troops on standby, the blonde tiger-girl decided to deal with them all on her own. "Uuh..." Maya seemed slightly fidgety while standing on the observation tform at the fort''s outer walls with the king, hismanders, and Princess Anna. She nervously walked back and forth with her tail darting all over the ce while watching Sophia approaching the army. "Are... Are you scared, Maya...?" Even though it was a little awkward between them right now, Anna was still concerned about her. "I am..." "I''m sure it''ll be fine... Sophia''s strong, after all." "Eh? Ah, no, she''ll definitely be fine in that regard. I''m more concerned about her mental side... I don''t like it when she''s like that." "Huh? What do you mean?" The princess looked confused. "Sophia was angry before... very angry, to the point where she caused a lot of destruction, among other things." "O-Okay?" "Yet, I don''t think she ever admitted or even noticed being angry during those times before. It was all on a level of a mild annoyance to her. But now she''s even noticed herself... It''s-, it''s very worrisome." "Is she actually that much of a dangerous being...? I mean, the coldness she was radiating is a bit scary, but¡­" "Sophia bes someone else entirely when she''s angry. The girl you know is gone at the moment." "R-Really...?" "Yeah... Your Majesty?" Maya suddenly looked at the king. "How fast can I, err, you order your outside troops to retreat in or behind the fort if I give the signal?" "It won''t take any time at all. Why are you asking?" "Sophia tasked me to protect you... or this group here, but my magic is not strong enough to cover much more than this observation tform at the moment. Your men would need to get away from the battlefield by retreating inside the fort, or at least get to the other side of it because we''re so many¡­" "They can protect themselves quite well against the humans. You don''t have to watch out for them, Maya." "No," The cat-girl shook her head. "Sophia tasked me to protect this ce from her." "W-What?!" "W-Well, her n''s a bit... Ah, it''s starting. You''ll probably see it soon." ---------------- While the group was watching Sophia with concerned eyes, the blonde tiger-girl was still walking towards the human army with a slightly scary expression and had just reached the outer edge of their troops. "Stop right there, beast!" Once she was close enough, Sophia found herself standing in front of the pointy end of a couple of swords, which were held by a group of human soldiers in crude-looking uniforms who had encircled the girl. "Have youe to deliver the confirmation of your surrender?" "Ha, pathetic! For this lousy king to send one of his own... Just how desperate can you be." Even the humans were aware of what being a tiger-girl implicates. "..." She was at a loss for words. "What is it? Are you that scared by us?" The humanspletely misunderstood her trembling. "Could you, I don''t know... shut up?" Sophia couldn''t bear with it any longer. "What?! Know your ce-!" "I. said. shut. up!" Grabbing the sword swung at the girl with her bare hand, she effortlessly flung it away while ring at the previous wielder. "Hiieh?!" "Where''s that superiority you''re talking about? I''m not seeing any of it right now." "Die!" The other humans, feeling offended, attacked the tiger-girl at the same time with their swords. "Yeah, pathetic..." Borrowing their words, she activated her magic, and the des never came in contact with the tiger. Instead, strong winds gathered around her and blew away all the humans around the girl. "I have to apologize to the insectster... It was wrong of me topare humans to them. " "Uuooaahh!" Seeing their members being attacked, the remaining troop in the vicinity around Sophia all charged at her. "Haa..." Letting out an annoyed sigh, she closed her eyes, but she had far from given up. "Suuuuch a bother... I miss Ellie¡­" While the girlined, the entire ground in the area started to rumble. A secondter, two gigantic earthen walls, several hundreds of meters long, shot up left and right from Sophia, dividing the entire battlefield. "Ahh... that''s much better~." The walls shielded the tiger from the soldiers, and she could walk all the way into the core of their army without having to deal with anyone on the path she created. ---------------- On the observation tform of the fort, it had gotten quite silent. Equipped with binocrs to see more details, they had no words for what they had just witnessed. "Ahh... she really is serious. There goes that hope..." Maya''s eyes looked a little lifeless. "W-Wow, she''s intense..." Anna, too, was overwhelmed. "I-I''m so d she''s on our side..." The king let out a relieved sigh after a while and looked at the cat-girl. "Say, what actually is her n?" "I don''t know how far she''ll go... has to go. I don''t want to say anything unnecessary, so you''ll just have to watch." ---------------- In the meanwhile, Sophia had reached the core of the human army. There, she found a rather grandiose-looking red and white tent that was guarded by what seemed to be elite guards. In human terms, that is. Their uniform looked slightly fancier, and the swords they were holding were pointlessly decorated, as well. Even though they noticed themotion and the huge walls appearing out of nowhere, no one seemed to have fled from the ce. "Idiots... Any sane person would''ve run..." Even though she was the reason, Sophia couldn''t believe it. "Also, the circus colors of the tent are oddly fitting for the situation¡­" "Halt, you vicious beast!" Once more, the tiger-girl was staring at the pointy end of some swords. The humans guarding the tent wasted no time and seized the girl. Tried to, at least. "Stop with the swords already. They''re dangerous." With a gentle snap of her fingers, she flicked away the closest sword pointing at her face, and itnded about 50 meters away from the guard who was holding it before. "M-Monster!" "Don''t you have any more creative insults? I''m used to that already. Also, while I do see where everyone''sing from, and I might even agree... I still don''t like it!" While her ice-cold voice echoed through the camp, the other swords pointing at her were flicked away, as well. "W-What are you even nning, beast?! You can''t be expecting to leave this ce alive, do you?" "And why would that be? I just walked past your entire army, right to the core, and disarmed some joke... err, elite guards. I have not even used a shred of my power. Just who are you trying to scare here, o you superior being?" "There''s a limit to your mockery, you insolent-" "Yeah, yeah, I told this to your colleagues at the frontlines already, but just shut up, okay?" Saying so, Sophia lightly lifted one of her arms, and roots shot out of the ground, binding the soldiers charging at her and forced them to kneel down. "That looks way better now, o you superior humans~. That position should be your default one. It perfectly matches your power level. You know, the nonexistent one." "Gah... Y-You..." "Didn''t I just tell you to stop talking?" She red at them, and they immediately stopped talking. "Ah, but I do have a question. Inside that pointlessly decorated and tacky-looking tent over there... I guess there''s some sort ofmander inside? Maybe a couple of them? Three, for example? How important are they in terms of human ranks? Are they close to your king or whatever sorry excuse is ruling over you?" "..." They didn''t answer. "Oh, now you know how to shut up... My, aren''t you guys learning fast?" Her re intensified. "Well, whatever... I''ll just go inside and ask them until they talk. But then again, I sometimes have problems holding back with my questions... so I might overask one or two. Ah, as long as a single one survives, it''ll be fine~." "S-Stop!" "Oh?" "I-If you hurt any of the suprememanders, the entire human nation wille after you!" "S-Supreme... man, you guys are such a joke. But they are that important, huh? Lucky me~." Ignoring the guards'' protests, she simply entered the tent while erecting an earthen wall around it, hindering any interruptions from getting in. Chapter 100 – A quarrel with the humans | Part 2/4 Chapter 100 ¨C A quarrel with the humans | Part 2/4 Sophia had entered the battlefield between the humans and the beastfolk and pretty much speed ran to the heart of the enemy where theirmanders were located. Once she entered the tent they were in, the observation tform of the beastfolk fort turned noisy. "T-This girl..." Menzor held his head. "She walked right into enemy''s army and effortlessly disarmed the elite or whatever guards of theirmanders... Not to mention the whole binding them with nature magic." "She''s... She''s..." The beastfolkmanders had no words. "So far, so good..." Maya was d that her tiger-girl hadn''t done anything too outrageous yet. "She''s properly holding back." "E-Eh?!" More than just one beastperson reacted to her im. "I-I wonder what she''s doing inside that tent now..." The princess seemed curious. "We''ll have to wait for the bang..." "Bang?!" The king didn''t like Maya''s wording. ---------------- Back inside the tent, Sophia was currently regretting her choice to enter it. She found three humans in there. Their military attire was decorated with many colorful badges of some sort, but that wasn''t the problem. These threemanders were so horribly obese that they resembled more pigs than actual humans. There was no way that any of them had any actualbat experience. "Of course... ugly, fat bastards... Why am I not surprised...?" Her eyes looked dead when she forced herself to muster them. "Couldn''t you be some cute girls, so I at least would''ve gotten something to look at?" "Hiieh! D-Don''te near us, you beast!" "Seriously... People who look like an ugly version of a pig beastperson shouldn''t say anything like this. Actually, no, now I feel super bad for having said that¡­ I didn''t want to insult my fellow pig friends." "Don''tpare us to these lowly creatures!" "Oi." Her expression turned even colder. "Let me ask you something... Why is the beastfolk even considered lowly in your eyes?" "Because you''re the descendants of actual beasts! They can''tpare to us pure and superior humans!" "Haa¡­ Even though you lot look like mutated goblins?" She didn''t know if goblins were a thing in this world, but she couldn''t even try to care about that right now. "Y-You!" "What''s so wrong about having the blood of beasts run through us? It''s clear that it makes us much stronger than pure humans. Cuter, too." She only thought thest part. "You''re not! It was pure luck that you managed to surprise us!" They actually looked serious during their im. "Err, it was not. Do you have any idea how much I had to hold back to not kill any of your soldiers? Pathetic doesn''t even begin to describe your powers. Humanity should learn to be humble... It''s such a joke... You humans are such a joke." "How dare you, a mere beast, talk about us in such a way?!" "A mere beast, huh...? Is this the first time you moved your fat asses to an actual battle¡­?" The tiger just couldn''t understand their way of thinking. "How about this, then?" Smoke enveloped Sophia''s body, and once it vanished, a different girl was standing there. The hair color was still roughly the same, but her tiger ears and tail were gone. She grew a bit taller and more mature-looking. Sophia had returned to the looks from her previous world. "Am I any more credible now?" "Y-You''re human?!" They were naturally shocked. "Who knows~? It''s pretty easy to change your appearance." "T-That''s unheard of!" "Ahh... yeah, you need some power for that. Of course, you weak humans wouldn''t understand." "S-So you aren''t..." "I don''t want to be associated with you lot. No, I''m not a human. The beastfolk is the much more likable race." While saying so, Sophia reverted back to her original tiger-girl appearance. "Ahh... much better. Yeah, I can''t be anyone else anymore. This is the true me, idiots." "J-Just what are you?!" "Your enemy." Her gaze pierced right through themanders. "Y-You do know that if you do anything to us, you''ll be antagonized by the entire human race?!" "That''s the n." Sophia''s cold voice and nonchnt answer caused them to shiver. "W-What do you want?!" "For all of you to learn your ce in this world." "We already know! We''re at the top!" Themanders were highly stubborn. "Yeah, that''s your problem. You''re by far the most arrogant race, that I can guarantee. But even then, you''re also one of the weakest. Even with just the beastfolk, have you won even a single battle? Were any of your attempted kidnappings ever a sess?" "..." There was no reply. "Exactly. These attempts end now. The inferior human race won''t ever try to harm the beastfolk again. No matter in which conceivable way. It''s over. You''ve lost." "There''s no way we would ever agree to this!" "Yeah, I thought as much. Well then," Sophia closed her eyes, and a secondter, the tent they were in was set on fire and burned down in an instant. "Hiieh!" ---------------- This fireball that reduced the camp of the enemymanders to ash was naturally seen from the beastfolk fort, as well. "W-Woah!" Menzor sprang up after witnessing the explosion. "Has she killed them already?" Hismanders were also surprised. "Ahh... it has begun." Maya was focusing on something else. "H-Hey..." The princess, too, has noticed something. "Is it just me... or are the surroundings starting to turn, uhh, dark?" "Oh, now that you mention it..." Her father realized it, as well. "Your Majesty! Have the troops withdraw into the fort!" Maya suddenly shouted at him. "W-Why?" "Now!" "A-Alright!" The king grabbed a horn from one of hismanders and blew into it after taking a deep breath. Immediately after its sound echoed through the area, the entirety of the beastfolk troop began to swiftly retreat. "Now, what''s going on here, cat!?" "Sophia''s going on the offense... There, look," She pointed at the ce where the remains of the tent were burning. Bit by bit, the mes started to turn dark. A perfect, pitch-ck darkness. Once the fire was consumed, the ckness rapidly grew in all directions, swallowing everything in its path. Before long, a massive radius around Sophia had lost all of its light and even form. The core of the human army was already consumed by the darkness. It was hard to see because there wasn''t much visible anymore. Still, judging by the agonizing screamsing from all over the swallowed battlefield, the soldiers were despairing and slowly going insane after being subjected to Sophia''s darkness magic and whatever thoughts she was putting into it while using the magic. It didn''t stop there, though. The pitch-ck nothingness was still spreading. A radius of at least a kilometer was soon shrouded in it, but it still showed no sign of stopping. More and more, it was rapidly approaching the fort. "E-Err..." The observation tform turned noisy once. Seeing how the nothingness was creeping dangerously close to them, they also started to panic. "M-Maya, you have to stop her!" Menzor had a bad feeling about this. "Don''t worry... As I said before, I''m here to protect all of you." The cat-girl walked a couple of steps forwards and closed her eyes while also raising up her arms. A few momentster, the observation tform was enveloped in a blindingly white light. "E-Eh...?" Once his eyes adjusted to the light, the king looked around in confusion. "W-What is going on?!" "It''s light magic. This will cancel out the effects of Sophia''s darkness magic on us. Think of it as something like a shield." "You can use light magic?!" Everyone looked at the cat-girl in disbelief now. "Sophia taught it to me before we came here in order to protect everyone from her once she has to resort to this..." She gestured at the battlefield in front of them, or theck of it because nothing was visible outside the fort anymore. It had turned into a pitch-ck void by now. "W-Wow..." Everyone was speechless. "W-What''s going to happen now...?" Princess Anna, after a while, spoke out what all of them were dying to know. "Well¡­" Maya wasn''t sure what to reply and urged them to simply watch and wait. Chapter 100 – A quarrel with the humans | Part 3/4 Chapter 100 ¨C A quarrel with the humans | Part 3/4 Sophia had bathed the entire battlefield into the pitch-ck nothingness of her darkness magic while the beastfolk group was nervously staring at the event, not that they could see anything more than a ck void. Eventually, the blonde slowly began to wrap things up. "S-Spare us... please!" "W-We''ll do anything... Help... S-Spare at least us¡­" Darkness magic was quite effective. The ever so proud suprememanders of the human army had turned into a sobbing mess while cowering on the ground, trying to shield themselves from the all-embracing void. "Anything, huh?" She raised an eyebrow in interest. "A-Anything!" The leader of themanders, the one with the wettest pants, raised his voice. "That sounds lovely~. You guys are aware of what''s going to happen if you''re lying, right?" Her voice was both sweet and intimidating. "Y-Yes!" "Perfect." Sophia seemed satisfied. A little whileter, the light slowly returned to the area, and soon enough, everything was back to normal. "Hah... hah..." They were sweating profusely. "T-Thank goodness..." Themanders were visibly relieved while trying to get away from the tiger by slowly retreating. "W-What are you going to do to us now...?" "Well~, unfortunately, like most grievous wounds, it''s going to get worse before it bes better." "Hiieh!" They flinched again. "Let''s get over with this." The moment those words left her lips, many roots shot out of the earth, binding themanders and forcing them to kneel down in front of Sophia. Once they were in a nice and humiliating position, the entire ground around them started to rumble. It slowly raised up and formed into a sort of pedestal, presenting Sophia and the bound-upmanders to the human army. "T-The suprememanders." "I-Impossible!" "M-Monster!" "W-What have you beast done?!" A good number of soldiers had fainted from the darkness magic, but most were still up and raised quite a fuss. Even so, behind theirints, pure terror was written all over their faces, and they tried to put more distance between Sophia and themselves with a mortified expression. It almost looked like something was telling them to stay away from her. "Silence." A loud yet calm voice of a girl echoed through the area, and not a single sound could be heard anymore afterward. "My, aren''t you good listeners now?" Sophia seemed to be using some sort of magic to amplify her voice. "..." No one dared to talk back. "You might ask who I am. Well, let''s just say I''m the one who brought you this nightmare, and I''ll bring you many more if you don''t listen now. As you can see, you''ve lost this war." She pointed at theirmanders. "A dirty little beast like me kicked the asses of you superior humans. Quite easily so. You may call yourself superior, but you''re the furthest away from it. You''re in the realm of being entirely powerless. The only thing the humans are good at is opening their big mouths, but all thates out there is hot air. You''re such a joke. It''s at a point where it stopped being funny, went full circle, and went back to hrious again. Just in a painful and unfunny way, though." "..." The soldiers were unable to give a reply as fear and terror were still ruling over them. "You might also be thinking now what this bastard is even talking about, huh? Whatever she wants, we''ll neverply. You know, I wouldn''t rmend this way of thinking." The tiger-girl pointed at one of themanders, whose expression quickly changed. "Gah! Haa... Haa..." After a quick pained cry, he began to pant for air, but it didn''t seem like he was getting any. A momentter, his face turned blue, and he lifelessly fell face first down on the ground. "Hiieh!" Yet another pig-like squeak could be heard. "S-Suprememander!" "M-Monster!" The battlefield turned noisy again. "Silence." Her cold voice once more echoed through the area. "..." They turned into good listeners. "Just to be clear, I can do that to every single one of you without moving from this ce. I highly suggest you to listen to my words. I will now rmend a couple of things to you all, and with that, the entire human race. Also, with rmendation, I mean absolute, non-negotiable rules." She made a slight pause to add some drama to it. "..." Everyone seemed to be on high alert. "You''ll never again attack or even try to attack the beastfolk. No, merely thinking about it is a no-go. The attempted kidnappings will never ur again, either. You are not superior to anyone, don''t act like that. Tell your family, friends, fellow citizens, ANYONE. If even a single beastperson is harmed by a human again or inconvenienced for that matter, I''lle to your homes, and this time, I won''t be holding back. I''ll end you. Every single one of you. An army of 5,000 or 5 million, it makes no difference to me. Not to mention that I have a couple of friends who are at least as powerful as I am. Don''t even try to think of anything funny. It''ll only lead to your ruin." "..." She was continued to be met with silence. "That''s all. Now to show you how serious I am, a small demonstration might be appropriate..." Sophia raised one of her hands, and the battlefield became noisy again. A final time. "G-Grah..." "W-Wha-... a-air..." "H-Help!" Anguished screams echoed from all corners while the soldiers were grabbing their throats and panting for air, seemingly suffocating. "..." Bit by bit, the area was turning silent. One human after the other fell on the ground and stopped moving, just like theirmander earlier. "Alright..." Sophia turned to the two remainingmanders. "W-Why... Why did you kill them...?" "T-This makes no sense... after your speech." "They''re not dead." "E-Eh?" They obviously couldn''t believe her. "Just like your colleague, too." Sophia pointed at the human lying in the dirt next to the two. "I just let them pass out by temporarily removing the air in the area." She didn''t feel like exining how she did it. "They''ll wake up again and without any sort ofsting damage. Probably. They''re of no use for me dead. It was a mere demonstration to you." "Y-You can remove our air to breathe...?" "It''s quite easy. Do you understand how simple it would be for me to eradicate a city of yours? I wouldn''t even have to actually destroy it. Also, while this here is indeed my true form. I am a tiger," She pointed at her body. Is her true form, became her true form, same difference for Sophia. "I don''t have the need to, but I can simply turn into a human shape and walk right into your capital. And it will happen if I find out that a human tried to harm another of my fellow beastfolk. Contrary to today, I won''t hold back then, though. Not even ash will be left behind of your capital. Go to your king or whatever sorry excuse rules over you and tell them what happened today. Inform him of my demands and what happens if they get ignored. If he doesn''t listen, make him. Do you understand? Even the effects of the darkness magic you''re feeling right now, it''s not even half of what they could be if you don''tply." "Y-Yes!" Both suprememanders were shivering like crazy. "Though I''m not unreasonable, you know?" Sophia smiled at them, which only caused the two to shiver even more. "The humans have one week to put these rules in effect." "T-That''s-!" "One. week." There was no room for negotiation. "Y-Yes!" "Oh, onest thing. While I am of the tiger family, I''m not directly affiliated with the king in this matter. I''ve acted on my own here because I love my fellow beastfolk. While I think the king agrees, I decided to end this stupidity on my own." She didn''t want to give Menzor even more of a headache, not that it would change anything. "W-We understand." "Alrighty~." Her voice turned cheery, or extra scary, depending on the listener. "I guess it''s only fair for the two of you to join yourrades, no?" Once she said these words, the only two conscious humans fainted in a matter of seconds. "Ahh, I''m sooo tired~." Sophia''s anger was also gone as she looked across the silent battlefield. Chapter 100 – A quarrel with the humans | Part 4/4 Chapter 100 ¨C A quarrel with the humans | Part 4/4 Sophia had finished her squabble with the humans, and it ended with every single one of them being tortured with darkness magic before she let the entire army faint. The battlefield wasn''t the only quiet ce, though. Not one sound could be heard from the beastfolk fort, either. Especially the observation tform was in shock, and they were unable to wrap their heads around the events. "..." The king, Anna, and themanders only stared in Sophia''s direction with their mouths wide open. "This idiot..." A certain cat-girl didn''t stay silent, though, and let out a strained sigh while facepalming. "There''s a limit to overdoing it..." "D-D-Did... Did she really just... kill all of them...?" The princess couldn''t believe it. "E-Eh?" Maya looked at her. "Ahh, no, It''s a type of air magic. Sophia can literally control the air itself. She simply got rid of it for a while, letting the humans faint." "..." "Well, I have a bit of a mess to clean up..." The cat-girl pointed in the exact direction of Sophia before gesturing at the rest of the battlefield. "I leave that mess to you, your Majesty." "A-Ah, uh... s-sure..." He was still dazed. "Alright." She left without saying anything more and slowly made her way towards Sophia, leaving the others behind. The group around the king needed some time to fully reboot and understand what they saw. "Uhm... I''m... I''m not dreaming, am I?" Menzor blinked a couple of times. "No, there''s no way that just happened, right?" "I-It sure did." His daughter didn''t let him escape from reality. "My head." "Y-Your Majesty!" Themanders finally came back to their senses, as well. "W-We said it before, but this person''s incredibly dangerous! I-Is it really okay for her to be around you, us?! Our Kingdom might vanish in a fit of anger of hers..." "W-Well," He needed a moment. "There is some truth to it. She is, uhh, dangerous, but we just have to treat her with care. Sophia''s very clearly on our side. As long as we don''t anger her, we''ve found the strongest ally in our history." "T-That is true... She, well, destroyed the humans because they looked down on us and tried to harm the beastfolk. We''re just not sure if it''s... worth the risk?" Themanders pointed at the battlefield and all the passed-out humans. "I don''t think we can handle something of her caliber." "It''s impossible to handle her. I don''t n on that... anymore, either. I''m just happy she loves our folk, just like any member of the tiger n should do. It''s true that I want her to join the royal family and stay in the capital, but I surely won''t force her. She should be introduced to the public, but if she wants to be free, there''s nothing any of us could do." "That''s true." "I''ll talk to her once we''re back in the castle and find out what her ns are. Though, I most likely already know her answer." "She''s... going to leave, isn''t she?" Anna didn''t sound happy when she replied to her father. "Probably, yes." "..." ---------------- In the meanwhile, Maya had reached the ce where Sophia had beaten the human generals, finally reuniting with the girl who had slightly overdone it. "Good job, is what I want to say, but... uhh..." The cat-girl looked around and didn''t know how to react to all the chaos around them. Be it the terraformed ground or the hundreds of unconscious humans in the direct vicinity, ignoring the thousands more in the further distance. "A-Aha... haa..." Her reply was rather meek and sounded more like a sigh. "Hmm?" Maya then noticed that her partner was looking ever so slightly pale. "Are you okay...?" "Urgh..." Before she even gave her time to react, the blonde suddenly sunk on her knees. "S-Sophia?!" This action caused her to immediately panic. "D-Did you get hurt somewhere?!" Maya frantically patted down the tiger-girl, searching for any injuries. "No... as if they could''ve hurt me." "B-But you''re definitely feeling unwell! Don''t try to hide it! Ah, could it be you ran out of magic power? That makes me feel sluggish, as well. I still feel it, though." "No, I only used a little over a third of it... and at least a half of that is already back." "Seriously?!" Maya was briefly amazed before going back to being concerned again. "T-Then, what is wrong...?" "W-Well..." Sophia hesitated for a moment. "I feel kinda sick... Actually, it''s like I''ll throw up any moment now...." She got even paler. "E-Eh... Why?" The cat-girl looked around to find the source of her unwell being, and her eyes stopped on the three horribly obese, pig-like goblins disguised asmanders of the human army. "Okay, I don''t want to look at them, either, but it''s that bad...?" "No. Well, yes... but that''s not it... uhh...." She held her stomach while paying no attention to the orcs. "I just now... realized what I did... and that made me feel incredibly sick..." "Err..." Looking slightly confused, Maya sat down in front of the kneeling girl while gently cing one of her hands on Sophia''s. "I, well... I think my boosted anger ran out the moment I finished things up, and that made me notice just what messed up kinds of things I did." "A-Ah..." She wasn''t sure what to say because she definitely agreed with this point of view. "Uhhh... Seriously, just what have I be?" "Do you regret what you''ve done?" "Yes! Well, no... Maybe?" She couldn''t decide how to feel. "It''s not something I can answer for you." "I know... just let mein." Sophia didn''t actually want any help. "I''m just surprised how far I''m willing to go. I managed to not kill them, but the darkness magic I used and the effects it''s going to cause in them isn''t much less messed-up¡­ It''s scary. I don''t know, some months ago, I was so shy that I could barely interact with anyone. Right now, I''m in the middle of a battlefield filled with thousands of defeated humans, by me no less... It''s hard to wrap my head around." "W-Well," "Then again, aside from my family, I never had anyone to get angry for or wanted to protect... Maybe I''ve always been like that?" "I''m not so sure about that..." Maya had her doubts about Sophia being able to get this angry in her old life. "Maybe you always had a strong sense of justice, though. It would exin why, with your boosts, you get so angry at humans." "It sounds logical, yeah. In a way, I''m d that I now have the power... and mental fortitude to do something and pull through, but uhhh... The way I end up doing things is really bad for my stomach..." "That is very true." The cat-girl, too, had her fair share of stomach-rted problems since meeting her. "What''s that supposed to mean?" "You know exactly what I mean." "I sure do." Sophia was already able to tease her again. "I really love how easily you recover. Feeling better now?" "Urgh, I''m not so sure about that¡­ I''m either way too easygoing, or Maya''s too good at cheering me up." "Yes." "That''s not... Well, whatever." The blonde gave up. "Hehe. Anyway, now that that''s taken care of, how about we leave this ce? Our fellow army will most likely survey the area soon. And, most importantly, my mood''s starting to turn sour because these things identally keep entering my vision all the time." Maya nced at the unconscious humanmanders, who really were no sights for sore eyes. "Agreed!" The tiger-girl didn''t even want to look in the same direction. "Oh, let''s go to that nearby city! Nabiko, was it?" "It''s... called Tga." "I''ve heard it both ways." "It wasn''t even close." "Shut up and help me up~." The tiger-girl raised up her arms while still kneeling on the ground. "So spoiled. Well, it can''t be helped." Saying so, Maya got up first before extending her hands to help Sophia. Without letting go of one of her hands, the couple then finally left the battlefield and all the chaos the tiger-girl made there, behind. Neither of them cared about whether or not the king still had some business with them. In fact, Sophia hadpletely forgotten about them at the moment. A date with her cat-girl in the nearby city she just saved was the only thing on her mind right now. ---------------- "E-Eh, so they''re just leaving¡­? I really have to deal with cleaning up this mess on my own...?" While the king couldn''t listen to the couple back in the fort, he still saw them leaving. "A-At least she seems okay..." Princess Anna got worried when she saw Sophia going down on her knees for a moment. After this anticlimactic end, everyone in the beastfolk fort was at a loss. Chapter 101 – Talaga Chapter 101 ¨C Tga Once Sophia finished dealing with the human army, she decided to leave the battlefield together with Maya to get a change of scenery. Remembering the nearby beastfolk city called Tga they saved, the two headed there without ever regrouping with the king and his men. "Urgh... now that I think about it, what are we going to tell the people in the city?" Sophia had no problems finding their destination thanks to her detection magic, but entering the ce was an entirely different matter. "They definitely know about the war thingy, and when they see a tiger-girling from that very direction..." "Next time you change races, go for something lessplicated, okay?" "I-I''ll keep that in mind... Not that I''m nning to. I''ve gotten way too fond of this version of me." "Mm-hmm~." Maya gave a satisfied nod. She, too, liked it. "How about we act as messengers of the king who sent us ahead of time to tell the city that the war is over?" "You''re a genius!" "Ehehe, I have my moments." After deciding on a story, the two quickly reached the city gates of Tga. As expected, a whole group of guards was standing there while seemingly being on high alert. They most likely added up the numbers just in case something might''ve happened. "What are you girls doing out here?!" One of the guards noticed them and panicked. "Don''t you know what''s currently going- hmm?" He stopped talking after taking a better look at Sophia. "Yes, we do know. To be more exact, we areing from the battlefield." As usual, Maya was doing the moreplicated talking. She''s better at it, after all. "I see... and escorting a member of the esteemed tiger family, your words are credible, but... We didn''t expect a messenger so early. D-Don''t tell me something happened?! Just in case, we already prepared for evacuation, so-" "Calm down..." Sophia interrupted him. "Remember, we only faced against inse-, humans. Do you have that little faith in us?" "O-Of course not!" The guard, a brown-haired guy of the dog-beastfolk, who seemed to be in his early twenties, winced under the tiger''s cold voice and re. "P-Please excuse my rudeness. This absolutely wasn''t my intention! We''re just surprised that you''re here already. We calcted it would take around two to three days." "Haaa..." Sophia took a deep breath to calm down. "No, I should apologize. I''m still a little tense from the events. I tend to lose my temper when humans are involved. It was a wise decision to prepare an evacuation n in the off-off-off-chance something goes wrong." "Anyway, there''s no need for any of that." Maya came back to the point. "The humans are already defeated. We came to deliver the message that the war is over." "A-Already?! Isn''t that way too fast? Our survey said the human army was multiple thousand men strong." "No matter how much you pile it up, trash remains trash." She still hadn''t entirely calmed down. "Sophia..." "A-Ah, I mean, they weren''t much of a threat, and it even was a smaller army than we had anticipated. Thanks to that, we managed to finish up quickly." She noticed her dark side was leaking out again and corrected herself. "I see... That''s amazing. I know the troops stationed near Tga are great, but it seems his Majesty brought his elite army for it to finish this quickly." "S-Something like that, yeah..." The cat-girl wasn''t sure what to reply here. "I don''t know if his Majesty himself wille, but at least a delegation of our militarymanders will arrive soon and give a full briefing once they cleaned up. The battlefield got a little, uhh, messy, so it might take a bit." She had no idea whether it''s true, but it made sense to her. "I understand. They sent you beforehand to give us an update. As expected of our king, so thoughtful." "S-Sure..." The couple awkwardly looked at each other. "Well, I''m sure you''re tired from traveling, not to mention the battle itself. As we''re a trade city, there are lots of, not to mention many different kinds of food to be had here. I''m sure it''ll help with fatigue, too." "And just like that, you have my full attention." Sophia liked the sound of that very much. "Ah, but the city shut down a good bit because of the attack, so I don''t know how much you''re able to experience..." "Stupid humans." "Anyway, thank you very much foring to inform us that the possible danger is no more. Even more so, thank you foring all the way from the capital to help us repel the human army. Judging from the power I can feel from the two of you, I''m sure you took an active part in it. The king''s army in the capital is something else entirely." "It wasn''t much, really." Sophia wasn''t trying to be humble. Feeling a little awkward when all the guards suddenly started to salute while the girls entered the city, they tried their best to stay serious. ---------------- "Say, what do you think about getting another member for our group?" "Hmm?" The tiger-girl seemed confused when she looked at Maya. "Where did thate from?" "I''m tired of being only the responsible one withmon sense! Fen is wise, but he''s useless when ites to making sensible decisions. I don''t know Aura well enough yet, but I don''t have high hopes there, either. And you''re just a walking catastrophe in every conceivable way!" "H-Hey! Well... go on." She had no examples to build her defense on. "I want to fool around, as well!" Her real motivation leaked out. "But with everyone else being like that, too, I have to keep it together so I can deal withplicated situations." "I see." "That''s why, let''s get a proper voice of reason, one who thoroughly enjoys being the straight man. Preferably a male candidate. No pun intended here." "Eh... why?" "Because of you! We have yet to meet a girl that wasn''t at least a bit into you! With a boy, I can have a peace of mind in that regard, and even if he tries something, shortly before I kill him, that is, there''s no chance that you''ll ever cave in." "You worry way too much." "None of it is unfounded!" "Sure..." Sophia had nothing in her defense. "But a boy, huh? Well, I don''t particrly mind... But a girl would be so much more enjoyable to look at..." "Not helping the case." "Hehe. Oh, how about a full beastperson like our Fenny or Aura instead? They would at least have the fluffiness going on for them, then. There''s also a zero chance I would be interested in them, too. I need myself a humanoid partner. Extras like a tail, ears, maybe even wings, and the likes are okay. No, they make an individual even better, but recing parts is too much for me. Paws or even full-body fur do nothing for me in that regard." "Yeah, paws, while cute, could be pretty impractical for some things. Outright useless, for certain other things, even. Alright, that''s fine by me." Maya apparently wasn''t the biggest fan, either, but something about her expression was indicating that it''s stemming from something deeper than a pure visual preference. "Now we only have to find a person who''s levelheaded enough to deal with all of us and can match our power, or at least the speed we travel at." "A-Ah..." Maya noticed that such a person most likely doesn''t exist. "Alright, let''s try to find something to eat." "Yeah, why not..." She gave up on the idea for the time being. ---------------- Walking around in the city, getting food was easier said than done. Just as the guard had said, because everyone was getting ready for the possibility of an evacuation, the streets were rather empty, and most restaurants closed. "Hungry!" "First, you almost threw up because you wrecked your stomach by the recoil on the battlefield, and now, you''re starving..." "I''ll never forgive those humans, keeping me from my well-earned food!" She was needlessly dramatic again. "I have a very active metabolism, after all." "You sure have." Having known her for a while and taking care of the cooking when traveling, Maya was very well aware of that. "Oh, I think the bakery over there is open. Not what I was hoping for, but they might have some sweet pastries, and I never not want those. Let''s go!" She seemed very motivated as she entered said ce. "Wee!" An older half-beastdy with greyish-white hair and ears resembling those of a horse greeted the couple. "This looks promising!" Sophia saw that there were indeed all sorts of pastries on disy, causing her eyes to sparkle. "Is it okay to be open? Everyone else''s closed because of the current situation, after all." "Why wouldn''t I open my bakery? Just because some puny humans want to y war? Let them have their fun. They''ll get their asses beaten immediately, anyway. There''s no way they''ll make it to here, and even if, I''ll just beat them up on my own." "Oh my gosh, thisdy''s awesome!" The blonde was an instant fan. "Happy to hear. My, would you look at that?" The owner focussed on Sophia in front of her. "What a surprise do we have here? Not that I don''t feel honored, but shouldn''t you on the battlefield, miss of the tiger family?" "It''s fine. Only the cleanup''s left. I couldn''t be bothered with any of that and left it to the king." "It''s already over? Wow, humans aren''t even good enough to get a worthwhile training out of them anymore, huh? Makes one wonder why they even keep trying." "That''s what I want to know! I still can''t understand why they actually think they''re superior!" "The weakest cry the loudest." Thedy had her own answer. "All bark, no bite, huh? But to be so delusional..." "Pitiful, isn''t it?" "What am I listening to here...?" Maya had mixed feelings about the two bonding over this topic. "I don''t disagree, but..." "Anyway, so yeah, the humans are indeed already defeated." Sophia got back on track. "Not bad. They might just be humans, but defeating that much this quickly isn''t half bad. Good job." "Thanks, though the hardest part really was the travel from the capital. That carriage ride nearly killed my butt." Sophia patted her backside while remembering the numb feeling. "Sassy, I like it. Still, you know..." The owner took yet another good look at her. "I can''t say I saw you before, and I''m pretty sure I would''ve remembered a blonde tiger because that''s a first. Did the king lock you away until now or what?" "No, it''s kindaplicated, but let''s just say I''m new. I only met the king and the royal family a couple of days ago. He asked me to help in this operation, and I obviously agreed because I want to protect what is dear to me." "Wow, jumping right into a war even though it had no rtion to you. The devotion of the tiger family to the fellow beastfolk really is second to none." "Well, what can you do, it just feels right?" After all, Sophia was really grateful to the beastfolk because those, Fen aside, were the first to treat her nicely. She made many friends and even found more in Maya. "It''s almost like an¡­ ah¡­ l-like an instinct for me¡­" "Commendable, it''s no wonder the royal tiger family is so popr. Great to see they found another valuable member." "T-Thanks..." She got a little embarrassed. "Not to mention your strength, missy. From what I can feel, if you were to tell me that you defeated the human army all on your own, I wouldn''t be the least bit surprised." "A-Ahaha..." Maya couldn''t stay silent on that. "You''re quite something, too, miss white cat, and I''m rather good at sensing the strength of others." "Well, I used to be really confident about my power, at least until I met Sophia over here." "You have all the reason to be confident. I don''t think anyone in this city can hold a candle to you. Well, there''s always someone better than you." "She''s absolutely right, Maya!" Sophia nodded to the owner''s im. "You''re plenty strong. Also, Fenny''s about as strong as I am, and Aura has quite a bit more power than me. So, yeah, there''s always someone stronger." "Seriously...? You actually know someone who has even more magic power? Have I really gotten so old that I''m this out of touch?" The bakery granny looked surprised. "Please don''t take her or the other two as a benchmark. It''ll only give you a headache otherwise." Maya was speaking from experience. "Anyway!" Sophia apparently had something important to say. "I haven''t eaten anything since morning. Can we buy some of these nice-looking sweets already?" It wasn''t so important, after all. "We can talk some more after that." "By all means, go ahead." The couple got a decent variety of pastries, and after giving them a slight discount, the owner prepared a table where the girls could eat while they continued to chat. At some point, Sophia noticed a familiar-looking power with her detection magic roaming through the city, though. Still, she remained silent about it to enjoy the current calmness because that had be a rare urrencetely. Chapter 102 – The bakery owner Chapter 102 ¨C The bakery owner Sophia had ended the war against the humans with a total victory and decided to do something way more important, getting something to eat in the nearby city together with Maya. They found a lovely bakery and somehow forgot about time while chatting with the owner, an older horsedy. "Hmm..." "What''s wrong?" Maya noticed that Sophia was staring out of the window of the bakery while overlooking the street. "You''ll see in 3- 2- 1-" "Haa¡­ Hello, granny, I''vee... eh?!" A familiar, orange-haired tiger-girl, Princess Anna, flew into the bakery and energetically greeted the owner while catching her breath before spotting the couple. "Eh...?" The cat-girl was as surprised. "There goes the quiet time... How long did itst?" Sophia looked at an imaginary watch on her wrist while asking. "There you are! I''ve been looking all over the ce to find the two of you! Father asked me to find you after you simply disappeared once everything was over... Do you have any idea how hard this was?!" The events of the war apparently had blown away the awkwardness between Anna and the couple for the time being. "Sorry." Maya had nothing to say in her defense. "And now I run into you by chance because I needed a break because I''m no good at running for long and wanted to visit granny here!" "You know each other?" Sophia ignored all the fuss as she faced the owner. "I''ve lived in the capital for a long time and met her once in a while, yes." "Why are you downying it? Granny here worked in the castle before she decided to have a quiet life here! She was one of the most powerful magic instructors we had." "Oh?" This piqued the blonde''s interest. "Princess, there was no need to tell them that. Wait, how did you even know the princess was arriving with such precision, Sophia?" "I can sense the magic power of everyone around me and noticed a familiar one zooming around through the city beforeing here." "So, you knew I was running all over the ce?!" Anna got upset. "Wait a moment!" The owner got loud, as well. "Most of us can sense how strong an individual is if they''re in front of us, but how can you sense it from all over the city?!" "Some original magic a friend came up with. It lets me visualize the magic power of everyone in a radius around me. It doesn''t work that well on humans, though, because they have the same power levels as insects." "Is this girl serious...?" The granny looked at the princess for help. "I always am!" "That''s not even the tip of the iceberg... trust me..." Her eyes looked dead for some reason as Anna ignored Sophia''s protest. "W-Wow." "Wait a moment..." Sophia wasn''t overly hurt. "Anna said you were a magic instructor at the castle? I don''t want to be rude... but it doesn''t seem like you''re exceptional powerful. Your magic seems perfectly average. Not that that''s a bad thing." "That''s on purpose. I''m masking my true magic power because being average makes for an easier, less eventful life." "That''s possible?!" Sophia almost jumped off her chair. "I''ve gotten involved in tons of stuff because people sensed my magic¡­ Something like this would be very handy!" "We''re mainly only here together because I got curious about your magic, though..." Maya got a little grumpy. "T-That''s true... but it might prevent some other people from getting interested in me in the future." "Please teach her, granny!" From time to time, the cat-girl was extremely easy to please. "Listen here, this is my masterpiece. It took me years to create!" "Don''t worry, I''m a fast learner." "Haa..." The horsedy seemed like getting a headache. "Well, you don''t have to if it''s a secret. I just thought it would be helpful to know." "It''s great to be curious and wanting to learn new things, but..." She struggled to decide. "Actually, I''m not even sure you want to learn it." "Why?" "In a way, it''s the opposite of magic. Let''s say, if you want to mask all your magic power, it makes you unable to use magic." "Oh..." The enthusiasm in Sophia''s voice was gone. "I''m using magic literally the entire time. Even when sleeping, I''m passively using it... Seems like this isn''t the way for me." "Huh... hold on! Did you just say you''re constantly using magic? Even with the power I can feel from you, shouldn''t you run out of it eventually? Especially something grand like sensing the magic of everyone around you should be very taxing." "People keep saying that, but aside from the one time I did it on purpose, my magic regenerates faster than I could possibly spend it reasonably. It''s aplete nonissue for me." "Seriously?!" Both the princess, as well as the bakery owner were shocked by her nonchnt answer. "Yeah, it''s quite convenient." "You don''t say!" Now even Maya joined the two. "Hehe. But, well, now I know it''s at least possible to hide your magic power. It''s not a priority, but I might find a way without sacrificing my magic." "I wish you the best of luck. I sadly couldn''t figure it out." "I have two friends who are very good at making original magic. Maybe they have an idea." "Really, just who are you...?" The granny was at a loss. "As the princess said, I was a magic instructor at the royal castle... I''m able to use 3 different elemental types, all on an activation words basis. With the wind-type, I even had some sess in chantless. I never cared much, but people called me a miracle among prodigies. Most experts are even doubting that original magic or magic not grouped into elements even exists... and here you are, talking about it like it''s nothing. Total magic capacity aside, just how big is the gap between us?" "Yeah... Well, my teacher never taught me chants or activation words, so all I know is chantless magic. Also, magic isn''t limited, so I naturally know all of it, every element-type, including nature, light and dark, as well as things that can''t be categorized." "W-Wow... the gap''s even big-! Wait, what do you mean with magic isn''t limited?! Of course, it is! It''s a fact that people can only use a limited amount." "No, it''s not." Maya and Anna denied her im. "What does that even- Huh, princess...?!" "I couldn''t believe it either, but it''s true, granny... Do you still remember how I was able to use wind and earth magic?" "Of course, even that''s rare, after all." "Well, I have still to master it, but after training with Maya, I was able to use fire-based magic." "R-Really...?" "It''s the same for me." The cat-girl chimed in. "Ever since I was little, I was treated as a prodigy because of myrge magic power and being able to use more than one element. I''m traveling with Sophia and her teacher for only a couple of months now, and now I''m able to use every element besides nature and dark. All of them are chantless, as well." "This can''t be... Princess, does his Majesty already know about this? This is beyond huge. If it''s true, it will change everything!" "Yes, father also was shocked. He had them test it out on me, which, as I said, worked. Afterward, the thing with the humans here came up, so he hadn''t had the chance to talk more about it." "Is heing to this city before going back to the capital?" "Yes, he sent me beforehand to look for these two troublemakers, but he''ll arrive in the evening with the rest of hismanders. Why?" "I''d like to have an audience with his Majesty. I''ming back to the capital." "What about the bakery?" Sophia''s interesty in the food, as usual. "My granddaughter''s been helping me recently. She can take over. I want, no need to see what this revolutionary revtion will cause." "I''ll dly tell father. I''m sure he''ll be overjoyed because he''s stillmenting over how big of a loss it was letting you resign." "Why... Why does it feel like I''m going to have to teach a bunch of people stuff I don''t even know how it works, either?" "Because you have no situational awareness and keep destroying people''smon sense on a daily basis." Maya had no sympathy for Sophia. "Hmm... Well, I''ll just force it on Fenny instead. He knows what he''s doing, and he''s also the one responsible for me being who I am." "That''s... actually a sound argument." The cat-girl had to give it to her. "Anyway, enough of that!" Sophia wanted to change the topic. "More importantly, Anna, you came with an envoy, right? Well, the first princess is probably one of her own, though." "Yes, father sent amander and a couple of soldiers with me to inform the city beforehand." "Great! That means the city will be lively again, right? Maya and I wanted to go shopping, but everything''s closed..." "T-That''s the most important thing to you?! Even after the magic bombshell you dropped?!" The bakery granny looked at her in shock. "Of course, for me, my magic''s not that exciting because I''ve never done it in any other way, but a shopping date with Maya, that''s very exciting." "¡­" Anna needed a moment after that. Having recovered a little thanks to the events of the war or not, Sophia openly bragging about a date was still hard on her. "Sorry to disappoint, but the stores won''t open again until tomorrow." The horsedy crushed her dreams. "Aww..." She looked visibly disappointed. "A-Also, father wants to speak with you the moment he arrives." "Urgh... I think I''ll pretend I never got this memo." The blonde tiger-girl had no intention to deal with any of that. "What memo?" As usual, Maya yed along. "Exactly!" "Do you really think you can run from father after what you did on the battlefield? There''s no way that''s going to happen!" "What... did she do?" The granny sounded curious. "Listen to this, Eluna!" Apparently, this was the name of the bakery owner. "You''ll never believe this, but this girl beat the entire human army all on her own in like half an hour!" "Did it really take half an hour?" Sophia focused on the most irrelevant part. "Well, I did mess around a lot." "What...?" Eluna joked about it before, but she obviously never thought it actually happened like that. "You''re kidding, aren''t you...?" "No, I saw it with my own eyes." "I got a little angry at them, okay? They got on my nerves, and I needed to teach them a lesson." "I-I see..." Eluna noticed the slight coldness in her voice and took that as a warning to not pry any further. "Besides, it was only a couple thousand of humans... Maya wouldn''t have had any problems with it, either." "Hey, leave me out of it!" The cat-girl in question didn''t want to be involved in any of this. "Am I wrong, though?" "I-It would definitely take me longer than half an hour!" She ultimately didn''t deny it. "I would need at least four times as long." "Two hours... what have I been doing my entire life?" It wasn''t any less shocking for the granny. "Don''t be down. Everyone had the same reaction when they saw the two in action." Anna knew exactly how she felt. "Who knew that I, with my age, woulde across something like this... Even though it seems like I wasted a lot of time, this is getting me excited." "Absolutely! I also got all jumpy when I used fire magic for the first time! I never thought it would be possible!" The princess shared her excitement. The group talked a bit longer, but Sophia eventually seemed to be getting a little shifty for some reason. ---------------- "A-Ah..." "What is it now?!" The cat-girl immediately reacted. "It never means anything good if you go Ah all of a sudden!" "W-Well... I just remembered that we have something to do. Maya, I think it''s time to leave." "Did something happen...?" Anna also looked confused. "N-No, it''s fine..." "Hmm?" Maya stared at her. "You just sensed the king arriving in the city and want to run away, right?" "How do you know me so well?!" "I want to say because I love you, but it''s really not hard to read you." "Urgh..." "Father''s already here? Great! Let''s go meet him immediately!" The princess didn''t want to waste any time. "I don''t wanna~!" Unfortunately, the blonde tiger-girl was in the minority and eventually gave up. She obediently came with the princess and the others to meet the king. She never stoppedining, though. Chapter 103 – First debriefing Chapter 103 ¨C First debriefing While the couple was rxing in the bakery they found, Anna eventually arrived in the city and managed to find them. She also knew the owner because, as it turned out, she was a magic instructor at the royal castle before wanting to have a quieter life. Although, after hearing what stunts Sophia''s pulling, Eluna wanted to know more about it and decided to return to the capital for the time being. A short whileter, the king also arrived in the city, and Anna dragged off the blonde tiger-girl because he had tasked the princess to find the couple. "I still don''t wanna~!" While walking through the city, Sophia couldn''t stopining because she didn''t want to meet the king after going so crazy on the battlefield. "Stopining already! If you don''t want to deal with bothersome stuff, stop overdoing it whenever you do, well, anything." "You know I can''t do that, Maya! It''s not like I''m doing it on purpose! It just kind of happens all the time..." "That''s not a very solid defense." "I am well aware of it!" "Well, you''ll always have to face the consequences if you don''t get it together." "Then I''ll forever have to deal with it!" Sophia had no intention to change or believe she even could. "Sounds rough." "Absolutely!" "Are they... fighting...?" Anna wasn''t sure how to interpret their conversation. "I think they''re just having fun." Eluna didn''t see a problem in the couple''s interaction. "If anything, they''re flirting." "Really...?" "Yeah, teasing Sophia is fun~." Maya answered her with a yful tone in her voice. "Yep, I''m just ying along~." The blonde sounded the same. "Besides, if Sophia wouldn''t want to deal with his Majesty for real, she could just literally disappear without even me being able to do anything to stop her. She just wants toin because she really likes to do that and maybe get some more attention from us that way." "I sure do! And so, I will! I reeeally don''t wanna~! Can''t we just go back to the capital? I miss Ellie!" "Just get going." The yfulness in the cat-girl''s voice wasn''t as pronounced anymore. "Fine, but I won''t be overly cooperative nor particrly helpful in this meeting!" "Sooo, business as usual...?" There was a lot of sass going on with her today. "..." Sophia stopped talking. ---------------- The group continued to walk through the city to meet the king. The blonde thought for a moment to go in a different direction because she didn''t think anyone other than she herself would actually know where he was, but Menzor, unfortunately, had told his daughter beforehand that they should meet up in the mayor''s mansion. Arriving there, the group had no problems getting past the guards. Not only did the king and the mayor apparently inform them beforehand, but a group with two tiger-girls also didn''t leave much to spection, anyway. The group was immediately escorted to a big conference room that sounded extremely busy from the outside. Once the door of the room opened, all eyes immediately fell on the group. "Alright, I showed my face. Okay, see you all tomorrow, bye-bye!" "Stop right there, Sophia!" King Menzor didn''t even give her enough time to turn around. "Nice try." Anna had to give it to her. "Alright... fine. I''ll stay." "You better be... hmm? Wait, Eluna?!" Menzor seemed angry but immediately became confused when he saw the castle''s old magic instructor in the group. "What are you doing here... or rather, why are you with the girls? What did they do this time?!" "I am 100% innocent!" Sophia noticed that he was staring at her and got defensive. "Maya and I just wanted to get some food and ended up in her bakery. Anna onlyter told us that she''s someone important." "It''s somehow still your fault." The princess wasn''t helpful. "Granny Eluna heard about Sophia''s ridiculous magic and got really interested." "Ahh... today''s one of these days where I have no allies, I see..." The blonde girl finally looked like she had given up. On everything, that is. "Excuse me, your Majesty, even though I didn''t n toe immediately, I somehow ended up going with the flow. I got very curious about this child''s magic and how her presence has the chance to change a lot of things, including the very foundation of the magic we all use and thought to know." "Ahh, right... with everything that''s going on, I almost forgot about that part." One could actually see his migraine getting worse. "Well, I really want to see where this is leading to, and so I decided to return to the capital for the time being. I''ll dly assist with things rted to magic research during that time." "Seriously?!" Menzor''s face lit up. "You have no idea how much this would help me out!" "It''s an honor." "Finally, a ray of hope for my headache..." He only whispered those words. "Eluna, I know it''s not your field of expertise, but would you mind joining the after briefing of the war between the humans and us? I would love to get the input of as many people I can trust as possible." "I don''t mind, but I didn''t participate, so I don''t know how valuable my opinion would be." "Don''t worry, we took part in it and still have no idea how to add any valuable input..." One of themanders answered her, while all the others nodded in confirmation. ---------------- Once these formalities were taken care of, the group got seated at the massive table in the conference room, as well, and everyone''s eyes immediately fell on Sophia again. "Err... even if you all look at me like that, I have no idea how any of these debriefing thingies works¡­ So, please don''t expect anything..." "Sophia..." The king held in a sigh. "First and foremost, thank you very much. Thanks to your efforts, the war immediately ended without even as much as an injury on our side. We were as confident as possible be to win the war, but we were prepared for injuries and even casualties. This oue was beyond our expectations." "Well," She scratched her chin. "I''m, of course, very happy about this, but it honestly wasn''t the reason I took care of everything." She naturally was d that no one on her side got hurt. "The thought-process of humans, or rather the distinctck of it, tends to agitate me to no end. I had some confrontations with them in the past, and none of them ended well. From them wanting to sell me to certain establishments, to simply trying to use me, or rather my body on sight, all the way to outright killing me." Sophia obviously didn''t mention that all this happened even before she became a part of the beastfolk, which probably would''ve made things with the humans ten times worse. "..." The entire room fell silent. Aside from Maya, no one knew about it after all, and they didn''t know how to react. Everyone looked really concerned, and especially Princess Anna had turned pale. "Why are you all looking like that?" The girl in question tilted her head. "After you saw what I did on the battlefield, do you really think any of them actually had sess in their tries? The one human who got a little too close and tried to touch me, I basically crushed every bone his entire arm." "Haa..." Even though it was obvious in hindsight, everyone still let out a relieved sigh. "Afterward, I almost killed a bunch of them and barely stopped myself from destroying an entire city of theirs, buuut..." "..." Silence again, now for a different reason, though. "I don''t think anyone could me me, right?" Her innocent smile while she cutely tilted her head didn''t make the situation any less extreme. "So, then I found out that those very humans actually try to kidnap the members of the beastfolk, people who are dear to me and treated me well. It made me upset. The same guys who dered war on us. They wanted to kill us, enve the children, do inexplicable things to them just because they think they have the right to do so based on the twisted audacity the human race has about their imagined superiority. All of this led to what happened on the battlefield. I went from being upset to actually angry. If anyone wants to me me for anything in that regard, please speak up now." "..." No one dared to say even a single word, and that was not just because of the pressure she was radiating. "Alright, I know that my methods are far from perfect, I''m sure there would''ve been more elegant methods to deal with them, and I hate how my emotions can get the better of me... Once I calm down, I feel disgusted with myself for a while, but I still regret nothing, absolutely zero. If anything, now I think I let them off too easy." There were a lot of different emotions in her voice. "..." Even though she said not to expect anything, everyone was holding their breath during the speech of the blonde tiger-girl. "I honestly think this world would be a better ce without humans around because I have yet to see a redeeming feature of them. I thought of getting rid of them more than once, and I even think I threatened the humanmanders I would do it if they don''t listen to me..." She made a slight pause. "I know how all that sounds. I also know what most people in this room are thinking because, while I''m dense, I''m not stupid. Can we trust this girl? or She''s dangerous." "Err..." The king and hismander awkwardly looked at each other. "I don''t me any of you. I am dangerous. Very. Okay, I can be." Sophia had no intentions to deny it. "Let me ask you something, though. If any of you would have the power to protect everyone dear to them, their family, friends, nation. Their entire race. You have the power to effortlessly repel any foe without having to fear any sort of consequences because they can''t even scratch you. Would you have done anything else from what I did? I know it''s hard to imagine because I see how my power is far from normal to most of you, but be honest here." "No..." One of themanders spoke up after a while. "If I had such powers, I would''ve done exactly the same..." "I''m... actually unsure if I would''ve spared them." Another one joined. "Though, the state the soldiers were in afterward¡­ Maybe death would be sparing them¡­?" "I am sorry, Sophia." The king suddenly apologized. "You are right. Many called you dangerous, and quite honestly, I agree." "It''s fine." She took no offense. "As I said, I thought as much. If anything, I, uhm, I''m sorry, but I would''ve doubted your ableness as a king if you didn''t." "No, it''s alright. But! Personally, I never doubted that I could trust your intentions. My men just have to ask this question, no matter the circumstances. I can feel how you genuinely care about people dear to you, including our folk and my very family. My wife''s very fond of you, and both my daughters, well..." He stopped midsentence. "I''m confident in saying that something like that wouldn''t be possible for any shady people. I instinctively knew that, as long as we don''t anger you, you''re our best friend." "Yep, most of the time, I''m the most easygoing person you''ll ever meet. Unless you do something to warrant it, I won''t ever do anything to you." "I think we can all agree on that now." "Yes." Themanders nodded. "We have to be cautious, and quite honestly, after meeting your two wolfpanions and saw you getting angry, most of us were terrified. After listening to your speech and thinking about it, though, you are without a doubt an ally of us. Thank you very much!" One of the jaguarmanders took it onto him to speak for everyone. "As I said, I did what I did to satisfy my own sense of justice, not to do anyone a favor, but you''re wee." "Alright!" King Menzor pped his hands once. "This debriefing got slightly emotional... I think it''s best to stop for the day. Everyone here needs some good rest and recover... mentally." "Okay!" Sophia immediately sprang up. "Bye!" "See you tomorrow." The King looked at her. "There are still a lot of things we need to discuss, and we want you to be present for that." "Fine..." Once she was finally good to leave, the blonde tiger-girl immediately fled the scene while Maya followed her. "This girl..." Watching her with a sigh, Menzor eventually turned around to face Eluna, who seemed more than a little lost. Unfortunately, his day was far from over. Chapter 104 – Second debriefing Chapter 104 ¨C Second debriefing During the first debriefing after the war, Sophia got somewhat talkative and told everyone why she tends to get so angry when humans are involved in any way. Sharing her previous experience with them, everyone present understood her motivation and felt less intimidated by the girl, too. Once the king decided on ending the briefing for the day, Sophia immediately decided to run away. However, Menzor was fast enough to invite her for the continuation on the next day. "Well, that was something..." Maya stretched herself on the bed of the room that was prepared for the two. As the mansion of the mayor was big enough to amodate everyone of importance, they didn''t have to look for a ce to stay in the city. "What made you tell them so much?" She faced Sophia, who had gottenfortable on a nearby armchair. "Good question." She tilted her head. "I started talking and... kinda just felt like it? Though, I think that much was needed for them to understand my standpoint." "Yeah, they don''t seem to be as scared anymore." "But, on the other hand, I maybe could''ve skipped tomorrow''s meeting if they were still afraid of me." "Just give it up already." "Yeah..." Sophia sighed in response. "I''ll have to deal with it." "Good girl." Maya got up from the bed and gently patted the tiger-girl''s head, caressing her hair a little while lightly brushing against her ears. "Mhmmm~." A deep and almost purr-like sound escaped her lips. "I-I still can''t get over how sensitive my ears are, and by extent my whole head. It feels really nice when you do it, though~." "Ehehe~." She smiled because there are few more intimate things for the feline beastfolk, and it''s a sign of absolute trust. "Don''t let anyone else ever touch your ears! It''s a privilege only lovers have, after all." "It would be thest thing they ever do." Sophia instinctively knew that she would hate it with every fiber of her being. "Great!" She gave her another ruffle before removing her hand. "How about we have our bath and then call it a day?" "Absolutely! I want to rx a little and then sleep for about 20 hours. So, no touchy in the bath or bed today!" "I would ne-... Okay, fine." Maya stopped in the middle and recalled how a lot of their bathing session, among other things, often went. "You also have to hold yourself back then, though. It''s not like I''m the only one." "I promise nothing. NOTHING!" "Hey! Unfair! Wait, why am Iining¡­?" Once the couple finished with their way of flirting, they went to the adjacent bath and took a rxing dip in the water. After they most definitely didn''t spend twice as long as one usually would in the tub, the two finally went to bed. There, Sophia fell asleep instantly, though. It was a long day for her, after all. ---------------- Unfortunately, she didn''t get her 20 hours of sleep. The second after-war debriefing was scheduled for the following day, and the king made clear that the blonde tiger-girl had to be present. Once Maya finally managed to wake her up, they rushed to get ready and met up with everyone else after somehow managing to have a quick breakfast because the blonde demanded to have that. "So sleepy~..." Even though she was present, Sophia had yet to reach the point where her brain''s working. "Wee, everyone." The king ignored her slight sloppiness and greeted everyone. "Yesterday, we talked about Sophia and learned about her motivation about why she did us such a huge favor. Again, on behalf of everyone, thank you very much!" "Haa~¡­ As I said, it''s fine~." "Today, we''ll have to talk about the possible consequences of the war, though. Sophia announced that she was doing everything on her own ord to the humans. Still, they most likely won''t believe her because she is of the tiger-family, after all. Also, I, the king of the beastfolk, stand 100% behind her words. Her feelings on the matter are my feelings, our feelings. There''s no doubt they''ll me the royal family and the entire folk regardless." "Err... maybe it''s because I''m still half asleep... but what me...? What kind of right do they think they have to put any me on us?" "They obviously have none. They started the war. They lost it." One of themanders understood Sophia''s confusion. "The problem is, they''re humans. They''re neither reasonable nor particrly intelligent with these kinds of things. Do they strike you as the type to stay quiet after this?" "Well, if you put it that way..." Sophia couldn''t disagree. "But! I think I made myself pretty clear that I won''t tolerate any of that. I''m also sure I mentioned going after them if they don''t stop." The sleepiness in her voice was gone by now. "As a matter of fact, I most definitely will." "Yes, you did make your standpoint clear." Everyone nodded in agreement. "To add, none of these human soldiers will ever fight again. I made sure topletely break their mind and spirits with my darkness magic. They shouldn''t have many problems with a normal life, but ever standing on a battlefield again, or going near the beastfolk should be next to impossible for them." "Yes, we stayed behind until they regained consciousness to make sure they retreated and noticed their mental state. Those who hadn''t yet, immediately soiled themselves the moment we came near with a terrified expression. We tried to interrogate theirmanders, but it was of no use. They weren''t able to converse in an understandable way. Because of that, we only took care of supervising their retreat." "I''ve seen people die on the battlefield, and they didn''t look nearly as mortified as some of the humans when we came near them." One of themanders also shared his experience. "That darkness magic of yours is something else entirely." "I''m still a little confused..." Sophia tilted her head while trying to understand the problem. "Imagine you''re one of these self-centered and conceited humans." The king tried to exin it to her. "I would rather not." She didn''t like the idea one bit. "Just y along for a minute." "Alright..." "Even better, you''re the king of such an arrogant race. The army you sent out to defeat some lowly beastfolkes back to you after gettingpletely beaten into submission. The soldiers are useless now, and your bestmanders are begging you to never touch these beasts again. Do you listen to these failures, or do you get angry and try something even more stupid? Remember who you are in this situation." "If you put it that way... Well, I did tell those supreme idiots they better convince their higher-ups to listen to them. I guess that''s easier said than done, huh?" "We believe this to be the case." Menzor agreed with her conclusion. "Also, there''s the distance you have to keep in mind. They''ll need months to reach the human capital." "I see... It was a little naive to think this would instantly do the trick, huh...? Do they even have enough people for any kind of revenge? I took a lot of their soldiers out ofmission, after all." "Unfortunately, numbers are about the only thing humans have going on for them. This war was nothing but a scratch to their army. This is the reason we have to take them somewhat seriously. Their individual strength is nonexistent, and even small groups pose no threat to a single one of us. Still, if you pour wave after wave of humans at us, they''ll eventually manage to hurt us." One of the armymanders exined the problem with humans. "They really are just like insects..." The blonde tiger-girl was baffled. "What are our options, then? My goal still is for them to stop harassing us." "It''s a certainty that they''ll seek retribution. Once we''re back in the capital, I''ll immediately send messengers to our intelligence units to gather intel and to watch out even more for suspicious movements." "Together with the king''s decision, we''ll also order our subdivisions to increase their presence. Our borders aren''t strictly defined, so we''ll have to spread thinner to cover enoughnd to deal with any surprise attacks." Themanders were also prepared. "Hrmmm..." It seemed like Sophia wanted to say something. "Speak up." Menzor noticed her grumbling. "Well... First off, I think it''s a great idea to increase our defenses and protect the people, but I''m looking for a less passive method... If they really learned nothing from yesterday, I want someone to tell me the location of the human capital." "..." The conference room fell silent once again. "I don''t n to raid it. That would be too much. I threatened the supreme idiots with destroying the capital. Still, I don''t think I could actually do that unless something really extreme happens. Until now, I managed to hold myself back on killing someone because I don''t think I''m emotionally prepared for that. Yes, even after what you all saw yesterday." She added that sentence after looking at the expression of the crowd. "Then... What is your suggestion?" The king didn''t fully understand her. "Assuming nothing will change on their side, I might feel the need to visit the human king. I''ll go to their capital, and I''ll walk right into the castle to have a nice chat with him. I''m good with words, so I''m sure he''ll understand once I get my point across. " ..." The silence continued. "Take it easy, Sophia." Maya grabbed her hand. "I do. I actually mean it when I said I want to talk with him. What kind of conversation it will be, that''spletely up to them, though." "Oh, okay." "The human capital is quite big." Amander addressed her in a skeptical tone. "If you simply walk around there and enter their castle to speak with their king, you''ll have much more than just a conversation. You won''t get there without fighting. Hordes of humans, that is." "I guess that''s to be expected..." Sophia wasn''t surprised. "Well, I am able to visit the human king in his office or whatever without anyone noticing, so there''s always this option." "You can?!" More than one person in the room cried out. "It''s quite easy." "That doesn''t mean anythinging from you." The cat-girl spoke out what every single soul was thinking. "Hmm... I need to consult my aides first..." Menzor naturally couldn''t decide on the spot. "We always need to think about the possible consequences. It sounds more like a n for when every other one failed." "I don''t want to be rude, but... didn''t everything up until now fail? The humans still don''t know their position, do they?" "That''s... I have no words..." The king''s head sunk down. "I have to admit that we treated the humans too half-heartedly." "I know I''m more or less an outsider, but I think this has to change." "You most definitely aren''t an outsider anymore." He immediately corrected her. "You are right... Even so, I want to wait this out a little more and see the effect of yesterday. Depending on how that goes, I n to go the diplomatic route. I''ll request a formal meeting with their king to try and negotiate to end this farce. And then, if it doesn''t work out, we''ll form a n around your idea." "Fine¡­ I''ll be waiting for it to go wrong." "Thank you." Menzor nodded. "Unfortunately, I have bad news for you, too, though." "Eh?" Sophia didn''t like the sound of that. "As you most likely are already aware of, rumors about your person started floating around in the capital. Combined with what happened yesterday and the ns with the humans in the future, which highly involves you, we have to formally introduce this new blonde tiger-girl to the public." "E-Eh...?" Sophia really didn''t like the sound of that. "If we don''t, all sorts of conspiracy theories will pop up sooner orter." Themanders agreed with the king. "Uuh..." "I respect that you declined my offer of joining the family through my daughter, we don''t need to talk about that anymore. I leave the sort of connection you want with us up to you. It doesn''t have to be immediately, but I''d like to hear a suggestion soon enough. Of course, in the end, you don''t absolutely have to. I won''t force. I can''t force you. Still, without you being formally introduced as some sort of member of the royal family, it''ll beplicated to rely on your help in the future." "l... understand... I''ll think of what I want to do..." Sophia''s voice became somber. "Thank you." The king was grateful for her understanding. "Alright, I think we''ve taken care of everything for the time being. I''ll have a talk with the mayor now, and I suppose we''re good to head back to the capital in the afternoon. I want to go back as soon as possible because there''s a lot of work to be done. Everyone, prepare what you need to and get ready." Once the meeting was over, Sophia left without saying a word and a slightly dejected expression on her face. Knowing thest part of the king''s announcement was a lot to take in, Maya immediately followed her for mental support. Chapter 105 – Change of plans Chapter 105 ¨C Change of ns The second after-war debriefing ended, and Sophia didn''t like how it turned out. She could live with how the king decided to wait and see how the humans will react to their total defeat instead of directly going on the offensive, but another decision was hard on her. Menzor wants to introduce her to the public because all her achievements would only fan the already ongoing rumors around the blonde tiger-girl even more. Being left with the choice of how she wants to be introduced, Sophia was lost in thoughts after the meeting. "Are you alright?" The couple went back to their room, and Maya was slightly concerned about Sophia being unusually quiet. "Hmnn..." She only replied with grumbling noises because she was mumbling into a big pillow the tiger had pressed against herself as she was hugging her knees while sitting on an armchair in their room. "I see." Not that she actually did, though. "I''m... a little surprised that I got so aggressive so fast again. I thought I would be calmer for a little longer after my boosts ran out once the battle ended." "Err...pared to that, you were a lot calmer today. You were mostly reasonable during the conference if you ask me. Are you even sure the anger boost stopped working in the first ce after the battle was over?" "What do you mean?" "To me, it feels more like you were ovepensating in both directions and got hit by the rebound. Maybe you didn''t feel sick from getting too angry, but you rather tried to suppress it too much after calming down. The difference might''ve been too much for your stomach. I mean, you were too angry and then calmed down too much...?" Maya obviously was just guessing, but she tried her best to help. "Today, you seemed better in tune with it... Not sure if I''m making any sense... Sorry." "You think so? I went from one extreme to another too fast...?" "Probably? I''m not really sure how your boosts work, but..." "Neither do I, though." "W-Well... Anyway, I think it''s your usual problem of getting used to it and finding the middle ground. I do like that you get angry for the sake of other people, but it''s too much if you lose yourself. Do you regret anything you said during the debriefing earlier?" "Hmm... Not exactly what I said, but I did, at some point, wanted to turn the human king into a mist of blood." "Yeah, while I feel you, this might be the line you should try not to cross. Or not too often, and only when it''s appropriate." "And how do I know how much is appropriate...?" Sophia''s sense won''t help her here. "I would say it''s a matter of experience. Until then, please rely on me. I''m more than happy to help you with that!" "Thank you, Maya. I really appreciate it." "Ehehe, I''ll try my best to forever be there for you, after all." The cat-girl really enjoys taking care of Sophia. "So, how about we get to the thing that''s really bothering you?" "I definitely need to get a better poker face..." "No, you don''t." Maya liked that about her. "The king wanting to introduce you to be public is making you feel uneasy, isn''t it?" "Uneasy is a way too light wording... It sounds like a major pain, and I totally don''t want to!" "Then don''t. The king said you don''t have to." "But I still want to help them..." "I know." "I thought you want to help me?" Sophia couldn''t do anything with her reply. "You already know what you want to do. There''s nothing for me to help. The question is how you want to do it." "Urgh... you are right. Okay, being treated like royalty sounds like it could be fun in some ways, but..." "You don''t want to permanently stay in the capital." "Exactly." The tiger-girl nodded. "I like all of them, especially Ellie. Just... ying royal or exploring the whole world, one I''m not even from, that''s just¡­" "Not even apetition?" "Get out of my head!" She was spot on. "Well, I am from this world, and it still sounds like more fun." "Hrmn...." Sophia went back to grumbling noises as she pressed her head into the pillow once more for a moment. "I wonder if there''s a way for both." "Both?" "Exploring the world while still being able to help out the royal family... and y with Ellie." The intonation on thest part made it sound like it was the most crucial part to her. "I''m not sure how that could work out without something like teleportation, and we agreed not to try that." "Absolutely!" Sophia shivered just thinking about it. Especially after Aura already did it and ended up on a different continent with no easy means to return and almost dying in the process. "Good girl. Then, isn''t it impossible to do both?" "I actually have an idea... but I''m not sure if it even works, and it might also be dangerous, too. I kinda doubt you''ll allow me to try it." "I''m listening... Concerned, but listening." Maya wasn''t sure what to make out of it yet. "Well, you know my storage space thingy... I take stuff out and put in things through something that looks like a door, right?" "Yes? Not sure if I''d call it a door myself, but I get what you mean." "Okay, I had the stupid idea to use my storage space as some actual sort of portal..." "Come again?" The cat-girl was more than just a little confused. "Hmm... I don''t even know how to describe it. I put my hands inside the door thingy to get out what I want." "Uh-huh?" "I was thinking of making a permanent door, big enough to step inside..." "I''m starting to dislike the idea." "Then, at a different ce, I''ll make another door. It should connect to the same storage space, and we could travel from one ce to another almost instantaneously..." "And that... works?" Maya sounded dubious. "Maybe?" So did Sophia. "I like how confident you are." "Well, I couldn''t test it yet." "How do you want to test it? If you nned to simply step in there, without making sure it works or that you can get out again, I''m going to get angry." "O-Of course not! I already put my head inside and saw what was going on, which led me to add air and light to it, but going inside for real might be a little too dangerous. The quick idea I had was... I make two doors and shove an animal or monster inside. If it manages to get out again, I feel like my n could work. After that, I might ask good old Fenny for a favor. Even if some problems pop up inside the storage, I''m sure he''d figure something out." Sophia had actually nned it out for once. "Hmm, I actually am interested..." "E-Eh?!" She didn''t see thating. "Don''t be that surprised! I do really like magic, after all. You just tend to overdo things, and I have to be the voice of reason to keep you in check. That''s why I want another member for our party! To push all that responsibility to them and fool around with everyone!" "That does make me very motivated to look for someone for us. So, does that mean I can experiment with my portal idea?" "If you promise not to do anything stupid and only when I''m with you." "I can live with that! Ah, the king wanted to leave soon... That''ll be two wasted days in that stupid carriage. The only thing that actually managed to hurt me in this world so far..." "I, uhh, I saw you getting turned into a bloody mess by a griphon, though..." "Those were just some shallow cuts... Nothingpared to what the rocky carriage did to my butt!" "I don''t know if I agree to that extent, but it wasn''t nice, yeah." "Hey, Mayaaa~." From her sweet voice, it was clear she wanted something. "Say, can we ditch the king for the time being? They don''t need our protection, and I kinda don''t want to face him right now. I really want to experiment instead. Not to mention, even if we leave a dayter, we might still arrive before them... " "Sure, we can ditch them. It''s not like we have any obligation. I also rather spend my time with you alone instead of half an army getting in our way~. Want me to tell him for you?" "Really?! You are the best!" "I know~." Maya looked smug. "Alright, I''ll get over with it immediately." "Thanks. Okay, then, I''ll pack the stuff we have lying around in the room here and, let''s see¡­ how about we explore the city some more? We should get some decent choice of food now." "Sounds like a n to me." The cat-girl got up and decided to pay the king a visit while Sophia tidied up their room. ---------------- "Oh, how can I help you?" Menzor noticed Maya and was a little surprised about the unexpected visitor. "W-Well..." Now that she was alone in front of the king, she wasn''t quite as confident anymore but still managed to get it out. "Sophia and I aren''ting with you and your men..." "H-Huh?!" This was too sudden for him. "A-Ah... I mean, we''ll go back to the capital eventually, just not today. Sophia, uhh, isn''t feeling well, and I don''t want to burden her with a two-day long ride in a carriage now." "I-I see... Is it something serious?" "No... Uh, it just came pretty unexpectedly¡­" She stopped for a moment. "Oh, let''s just say it''s a sort of cramps... You have a wife, so-" "Ah... I get it... No need for details... Tell her to get well soon from me." "No, I won''t." "... Good idea." The king reconsidered after giving it some thought. "But, Sophia and I are much faster on our own. Depending on how long she needs to get¡­ better, we''ll arrive at the capital not that muchter." "That''s reassuring. Alright, take it easy and let her rx." "Thank you, I will." Maya was d that he''s a good-natured ruler. "Well, I guess we''ll see all of you in the capital in a couple of days." "Yes. I''II inform Anna once we''re on the go so she won''t make a fuss." "Good thinking." ---------------- Once she finished her business, the cat-girl went back to their room, where Sophia had already finished packing and was waiting for her. "Wee back. Did it go well?" "Err... l-let''s go with yes... He doesn''t mind us noting with them..." "Okay...?" She felt that something wasn''t right. "I''m very sorry!" Maya apologized out of the blue. "What did you do...?" "I didn''t know what to say and improvised... very badly... I might''ve used you feeling unwell because of sudden period cramps as an excuse to stay..." "The heck?! Why?! Why would you tell the king, of all people, something like that?!" "I don''t know... it was the first thing that came to my mind, and I just blurted it out. I-I only actually mentioned cramps in an ambiguous way, though..." "That doesn''t matter! It means exactly the same, anyway!" "Yeah, I know... Sorry!" Maya looked really apologetic. "Even though I''m fortunate and rarely have problems with it... In the first ce, it was you who begged me to use healing magic on her to ease the pain two weeks ago because she felt like dying from never-ending cramps where even standing was a tall order." "I am very sorry! Also, again, thank you very much for the healing magic and the massage back then! It felt very nice and helped a lot! I decided to never let you go because of the warm water bottle thingy alone that you made for me. That was the best!" "You''re wee, anytime you need it. Whatever, no use crying over spilled milk... I''ll try to bear with my cramps in the meanwhile. So, let''s go explore the city!" Sophia couldn''t help but tease her a little. "Do your best!" The cat-girl yed along. ---------------- Going with the n, the couple went back to the city, and it was much more lively. Almost all the stores were open again, and the streets were bustling with people once more. Compared to yesterday, where they were having a hard time finding a ce to eat, today, having too much choice was the main issue. Then, while walking on a less busy side road, Sophia found something else that caught her interest. "Now, I might actually get some cramps." She said while pointing at a waypoint sign. "A different kind, though..." "Let''s see..." Maya took a look at it. "Old shrine of Canir, huh?" "That''s..." Not having expected that, Sophia needed a moment to react. "Oh, wow, speaking of cramps. Imagine he ended up boosting my period, too¡­" "Oh my gosh!" Maya didn''t even want to think about it. "The highest god of this world¡­ gone. Turned into a pile of censored flesh¡­" She looked terrifying for a moment. "I wouldn''t even me you." "He sure is lucky~." "If anything, it seems like he boosted you by being less affected by it..." Maya sounded envious. "Nah, safe for some exceptions every now and then, it''s always been pretty light for me." "I hate you." She was very envious. "Ahaha..." "Anyway, weird transition and everything, but do you want to go? You said you can meet him inside those shrines, right?" "I can, yes... Hmm, might as well, I guess? I should take the chance when I have one. I wanted to tell him a thing or two anyway." "So, because he didn''t mess you up in that regard, please don''t punch someone a lot of people worship... again." "I promise nothing! Then again, they were mostly positive things I wanted to share." "Good." And so, in a change of ns, the couple made their way towards the shrine of the overseer for Sophia to meet the person who''s responsible for bringing her to this world once again. Chapter 106 – Catching up Chapter 106 ¨C Catching up The couple decided not to return to the capital together with the king for the time being. Instead, they wanted to explore the city of Tga some more and experiment with a new magic Sophia had thought of. While searching for a ce to eat some food, the tiger-girl found a shrine dedicated to Canir instead, though. This discovery resulted in a change of ns, and the two went there instead. As Sophia can meet with him again by interacting with the statue in the shrine-like thest time she did, she decided to do that first. "It actually is here..." Sophia didn''t fully believe it until they entered the shrine area. "Also, why does his statue look so smug?" The facial expression of Canir annoyed her a little. "Isn''t that how all sculptures of important people are?" "Now that you mention it... Anyway, whatever, want toe with me?" "E-Eh?" "If we do something like holding hands when I pour my magic into the statue, we might be able to go together." "Me meeting a god of sorts...? N-No, thanks..." Maya didn''t seem to overly like the idea. "That''s too much of a hurdle for me..." "He really isn''t someone you have to treat as special." "Easy for you to say! No, I''ll have to decline this time. Ah, but please thank him for bringing you here for me." "Aww... Okay, will do!" She was touched. "Alright, I guess I''ll see youter." "Make sure toe back." "Nothing could ever stop me from that." Promising her return, Sophia then touched the statue. The whole shrine was immediately bathed in a blindingly white light. Once the cat-girl could see again, she was alone in the ce. "So surreal..." A feeling she already had countless times since meeting her. "Maybe I''ll get something to eat while waiting..." It didn''t bother her much anymore. ---------------- In the meanwhile, Sophia found herself in the all too familiar pure white room once more. Canir, in his younger version, just like how she first met him, was also present, but the two just stared at each other for some reason while keeping their distance. "..." "..." The mood was a little awkward. "I''m back, I guess?" "Yeah, wee..." "Why are you so far away?" Sophia had gotten suspicious about his behavior. "Thest time we met, you sent me flying with a punch out of nowhere! I''m just cautious!" "It really wasn''t out of nowhere. Guess I left a trauma, huh? Not bad, me." She looked pretty proud of herself. "Don''t worry. I''vee in peace today~. I don''t actually have that much toin about." "That''s good to know..." Canir rxed a bit and went a little closer to the girl but then went silent again. "..." "What is it this time?" "You know..." He took a really good look at her. "I mean, I already saw your new look, but¡­ Last time, I did say that a cat''s fine, too, but that''s not what I had in mind." During their previous meeting, Sophiained about the useless humans, and Canir replied with how she got a friend in Maya instead, a cat. "Shut up. It was an ident, okay?!" "Changing races on ident is quite the talent." "I know, thank you very much!" Sophia had epted her talent. "Want me to change you back into a human without any side effects?" "You can do that?" "Not a problem for me." "If you do that, I''ll punch you so hard that you''ll need to reincarnate yourself." "O-Okay¡­" He retreated a few steps again. "Enjoying your new self, huh?" "Yep~." "Well, it suits you. It''s pretty cute." "Thanks~. Yeah, I really like it, too. Although, all those feline instincts and changes to my senses were... or are kinda extreme. Not to mention how these new ears are something else entirely, or how that tail was a major pain to get used to..." She let her ears twitch and wiggled her striped blonde and ck tail around while thinking about how she had to relearn how to walk. "Well, of course! You messed with your body more than I ever did when I brought you to the new world. The actual amazing thing is how fast you adapted!" Canir couldn''t believe the easygoing girl. "Maya helped, though she had a little too much fun when my new instincts got the better of me. S-So embarrassing..." "It sounds likeining, but you''re smiling broadly." "A-Am I?" She touched her cheeks to confirm. "It''s hard to be mad at her." Her smile got even brighter. "Are you happy with your new life?" Canir felt like asking after seeing her expression. "As a tiger-girl? Yeah, I like the new looks, and I feel closer to Maya. Okay, that the beastfolk royalty got interested in me was unexpected, though... Well, it''s great to be a member of said beastfolk. Even thinking about beingpared to that world''s humans stings really bad!" "Your ability to get involved with even the most impossible things is absolutely unparalleled. It''s amazing. The other part is very understandable." "Yeah, tell me about it." "But, no, I was generally asking." He corrected himself. "Sinceing to the world? I''m sooo happy it scares me! Again, I may get involved in a little too many things, but it''s an absolute st!" "Great." "Again, thank you for giving me this second chance." Sophia was incredibly grateful. "Ah, Maya told me to thank you in her stead, as well, for bringing me to her world." "That Maya''s the one, huh?" "Y-Yes... Yes, she is." She got a little bashful. "You two already were pretty close thest time we met, but even I was a little surprised it happened that fast. Your cat really knows what she wants and wasted no time." "Were you spying on us?" "Not for that, I promise. It''s just impossible to catch you two not flirting for a change." "I''m sorry..." The girl apologized on instinct. "Don''t worry." "Wait, why am I apologizing to you in the first ce, you creep?!" Sophia noticed how wrong this whole situation was. "Like I mentioned the other time, I only watch when you''re doing something I find interesting. What you do with your girlfriend, be it at night, behind closed doors, out in the open, or whatever... None of my business, and I also don''t care besides being d to know there is someone." "T-Thanks... Still creepy, though." "Well, what can I do~. I cannot not watch you. It''s too interesting. Consider me taking a peek at your adventures a payment for your stay." "If you put it that way, there''s little room for me to argue." She still didn''t feel good about it, but it also was a small price to pay for what she gained. "But please continue to respect the more private parts of my life, and especially Maya''s. You don''t want me to visit you angry again, do you? Actually angry, not just half-hearted like thest time." "Y-Yes." Canir took a step back again. "But Maya, huh? You''ve be quite popr, though. What made you choose her?" "She''s saying the same... How am I supposed to know whether I''m popr or not? That''s all new to me. Then again... three girls confessed to me so far..." "One of which is the first princess of the beastfolk kingdom, a princess who wanted to marry you on sight. If that''s not popr¡­" "Urgh, that''s all your fault!" "How?!" He felt like the girl was being unreasonable again. "I wasn''t popr in my old world. I especially had no random princess wanting to marry me out of the blue! It only happened after you messed me up with those boosts." "You phrase it like that, but I hear no sign ofining in your voice." Canir noticed that she sounded warm and happy. "Of course! It''s not perfect, but a thousand times better than no one being interested in you at all. Especially if it helped with Maya getting interested in me." "Hmm¡­" He tilted his head for a moment. "Well, you''ve really got it bad for her, huh?" "Absolutely, big enough to turn down a beautiful princess of a nation. My heart wants Maya. To me, she''s the most beautiful girl with the best personality I could wish for. She''s caring, funny, intelligent, and loves to spoil me... and prevents me from doing too stupid stuff while still being super yful~. I didn''t think loving a person would be something this fulfilling." "Now you''re just bragging." "You bet I am! Why wouldn''t I be?" Sophia looked so proud that she already seemed smug about it. "It all happened kinda fast, but I don''t regret anything in the slightest." "Yep, sounds like you''re having a good time." "The best! I don''t even care anymore how screwed-up this world is. The humans are a lost cause, but the beastfolk became a more than great recement. I wasn''t expecting that in the beginning, but it works out because they look much cuter, anyway." To ent her im, she moved her ears and tail a little bit. "Yes, the beast race developed splendidly... The humans, on the other hand, well¡­ Speaking of which, I saw the little quarrel you had with them yesterday. It was very entertaining, thanks for that." "You''re wee...?" Sophia had mixed feelings about that. "I can''t say I had that much fun." "It seemed like you enjoyed tormenting them, though." "T-That was just my anger at almost full st!" "Almost, huh?" "I didn''t dye the valley where the war happened in a sea of red, did I?" "Well... Maybe I did mess up your boosts?" "..." She just stared at Canir with an exasperated expression while she cracked her knuckles. "C-Calm down!" He put even more distance between them because he didn''t like how Sophia had clenched her right fist. "Okay, I admit, the way I applied your boosts wasn''t my most precise work, but-" "What do you mean?" "When I made the modifications to you, I added a t multiplier to everything, so all of you was boosted equally without taking your baseline into consideration. The multiplier was also based on one of your lowest stats." "I see... so that''s how you did it. I guess my first guess back then wasn''t so wrong." She thought about her boost working roughly like that before. "This implies that you already had the ability to get seriously angry in your previous life. It didn''t seem like that the first time we met, though." "Err, well, I had no loved ones besides my family I wanted to protect, but I was constantly angry at myself for being such an idiot because I ruined my life over a stupid misunderstanding. Maybe that has something to do with it?" "Well, duh! No wonder... Maybe I should''ve put more thought into these boosts." "Well, duh!" Sophia reacted the same way he did, for obvious reasons. "Want me to change it?" "E-Eh...? Change what?" "Your boosts." "Seriously?! You can do that even now?!" She got excited. "Wait, is that an all or nothing thing? Can you just adjust my anger?" "That takes a little longer, but it might should be doable. Do you want me to?" "Hmm..." The girl went silent while she thought about it for a while. "You know what, leave it like it is. I really dislike it, but I want to try and get used to it. With that, I at least know what I have." "Fine by me, keeps the entertainment high." "..." She rolled her eyes. "Also, by your wording alone already, the chance of you messing up catastrophically is just too high of a risk. Who knows what happens if you mess with me again. I''ll probably be unable to get angry at all..." "Hey, have some faith in me!" "If you provide me one reason to have faith in your skills, sure." "You cheeky... Well, whatever, if you change your mind, tell me the next time we meet. In the meantime, I''ll make sure it doesn''te with any unwanted side effects." "Wow, thank you." Sophia might be able to have a little faith in him. "Why are you doing so much for me? Don''t you have more important things to do?" "Well, the world I sent you to is one of my main worlds to oversee, and I don''t like how it developed itself. I feel like you''ll be the key to significantly change it for the better." "That''s waaaay too much responsibility!" She didn''t want to be the key to something this big. "Don''t worry, I''m not tasking you with anything. Just do whatever you think is right. You''re already doing a good job." He didn''t pressure her. "Also, I feel kinda bad how you got ripped out of your old life without any notice or time to prepare..." "Ah... S-Say..." Hearing that, Sophia''s voice suddenly changed. There was more than just a hint of sadness in it. "A-About that¡­" "Yes?" "Because I left so abruptly... and without a trace... I know I''m going to regret it, but-" She took a break and deeply breathed in. "My family... my mom and my sister... how are they doing after I disappeared...?" She tried to hold back a tear while asking. Sophia hadn''t told anyone or ever let it show, but this was the one thing that continued to weigh on her conscience ever since she arrived in the new world. "Your family? Well..." Canir went silent after this. So did Sophia, and nothing in the all-white rooms made a sound anymore for a good while. Chapter 107 – Family Chapter 107 ¨C Family Sophia met Canir again, and the two talked about all sorts of things. Maya and the blonde''s boosts that might be a little imbnced were a favorite topic. At some point, the mood had gotten a little awkward, though, because Sophia asked an unexpected question. "You want to know how your family''s doing...?" "Y-Yes... I feel awful that I couldn''t say goodbye... For them, it must be ten times worse... Because they have no idea what happened... I just vanished..." Judging by the sadness in her voice and the heavy feel around the girl, it really affected her. "Also, if they don''t, I might still cry..." Them not being sad would hurt in an entirely different way. "I''m sorry." Canir simply apologized. "W-What?!" It was responded to with instant panic. "No, I just have no idea how they are doing." "D-Don''t ever scare me like that again!" She got angry. "I''ll end you!" Very angry. "It wasn''t my intention. My powers on Earth are somewhat limited. I can''t watch over specific people without randomly spotting them first. That''s how I found you, too. I was simply looking around and decided to follow you for a while. I got pretty interested and continued to watch you before you surprised the heck out of me by suddenly running in front of a bus..." "A-Ah..." Sophia wasn''t sure how to react to this. "That''s why, I''m sorry. I have no information on them." "..." "Want me to look out for them?" "E-Eh...?" "If you tell me some ces they frequent, and I''ve been there before, I might be able to spot them eventually. It might take a while because I can''t really work with addresses as I don''t have street names when I look from above. Still, once I see them with my own eyes, I can peek at them whenever I want." "W-Would you do that for me...?" "If you keep doing interesting things in the new world, I''ll dly help you out." His ulterior motives of wanting to be entertained were more than clear. "I have the feeling that all sorts of things will continue to happen even without me trying." "Even better." "Thank you." It was one of the most heartfelt thanking she ever did. "Having faith in me now?" "Maybe a little." "You..." "Hehe." A small chuckle escaped Sophia''s lips. Her mood had increased ever so slightly. "Time for a different topic?" "Yes, please." "Do you already have some ns for your new human friends?" "Aaaand my mood went from depressed to disgusted..." It, unfortunately, wasn''t a topic she''s going to enjoy very much, either. "The beast king asked me to wait. He wants to try a diplomatic approach first and talk to them..." "Not wanting to spoil anything, but that''s not going to work." "It''s not me you have to tell that. It would be nice, but I''m certain that angry Sophia is going to visit the human capital in the future." "That has a much higher chance of sess. It also might end their capital." Canir didn''t sound particrly concerned. "I''ll try not to get too aggressive, as a part of my, uhh, anger management. I do n to talk with the human king. It''s just not going to be diplomatic whatsoever. I will demand things, and he''ll consent to absolutely everything. Whether he wants to or not doesn''t matter. Everyone gives up sooner orter if one''s persuasive enough." "Your definition of anger management is pretty interesting." "I don''t want to be an angel, you know? Well, maybe one with a shotgun, but that''s a different story." Sophia got a little sidetracked. "I don''t want to avoid violence at all costs, just be more reasonable. If one hurts the ones dear to me, I''ll still make hell look like heaven whenpared to their life." "In a way, I guess that''s indeed reasonable." "Really now, what is going on with the humans here?" It was impossible for her to understand them. "I don''t believe it when you say you have no idea. I know, people in my old world also had the tendency to be conceited or presumptuous... Still,pared to them, we actually were, technology included, on the top of the food chain, at least." "A long time ago, the humans lived on a secluded continent where they actually were the strongest." "Ehh...? So, it was just them, some weaker insects and a couple of chickens...?" "More or less." Canir actually nodded. "Doing as humans do, they multiplied like crazy while also making their continent uninhabitable by destroying its nature." "Somehow... I''m sorry..." Even though she had no rtion to it, the girl still felt guilty about something. "Eventually, they relocated to the main continent while still being under the delusion of being the mightiest. Even though they never won a fight against the beastfolk and got curb stomped by the demons before they decided to leave, the humans never stopped thinking they''re the best." "That doesn''t make any sense." She looked confused. "How can they not notice that they aren''t the strongest? As in, not even close? Okay, humanity rarely learns from their mistakes, but this much?" "Quite honestly, I stopped paying attention to them a long time ago. It wasn''t entertaining at all, just pure, rage-inducing frustration... Especially when the other races, first and foremost the beastkin and demons, are really enjoyable to watch. From the nces I did gettely, meaning thest 1000 years or so, they live in their own little fantasy world." "Yeah, no kidding." She had already realized that herself. "They delude themselves. Whenever a war is lost, it gets hushed up by the higher-ups and the royalty especially to save face. Soldiers get brainwashed and are forbidden to talk about whatever happens on the front lines. Furthermore, only people with some margin of power, calling themselves adventurers, leave the cities ande in contact with other races or individuals that have more power than them. Thanks to their questionable upbringing and education, they can''t help but get cocky. Most of the time, it will result in their deaths, and dead men tell no tales. Those who do survive will just getughed at back at home. Themon people rarely leave their cities, making them pretty ignorant of the outside world. They basically get oppressed by knowledgeable people or higher-ups who talk them into thinking they are the best. Not knowing it any better, they have no reason to disbelieve the stories." "Wow..." Sophia needed to let this sink in first. "And here I thought they''re just stupid..." "Well, that''s also definitely a factor." "It''s much worse than I thought... Huh? Wait a moment¡­" It seemed like she suddenly got an idea. "Hmm?" "If themon humans simply don''t know any better because they get oppressed and or brainwashed... If I put up a nice show for them, I wonder what would happen~. They can''t hush me up, trust me." "Maybe, but if the humans are good at one thing, it''s twisting facts. I wouldn''t be surprised if they find a way." Canir had really lost all faith in them. "Nope, I won''t let that happen. I''m more surprised that no one else thought about it before... If the beastfolk is capable of doing that, I''m sure those demons would''ve had no problems with invading their capital and show those humans who really is the boss..." "That''s easy. Why would they? Would you proactively attack an insect nest that can''t harm you just because it''s a little annoying?" "That''s... That''s actually a good point." Sophia had noeback. "Well, they threatened me personally and the people I like. I guess it''s time that someone finally takes care of it. Unfortunately, for them, they barked at the wrong tree this time." "I won''t stop you, and I''ll definitely watch it with great interest." Canir was looking forward to seeing something entertaining. "All the power to you, girl." "Oh, speaking of which," She had enough about humans being the topic and changed the subject. "I''ve been going kinda crazy with magictely... Is it really okay for me to use it without any restrictions?" "Absolutely!" "''Cause it''s entertaining?" Sophia figured out how he thinks. "Yep." He had no intention to hide it. "Well, it would be great if you''d avoid using magic that could destroy the world or make it uninhabitable with things like nuclear magic." "I''m not that much of a maniac!" "Well then, go nuts with it~." "Great! I wanted to experiment with magic that lets me fast travel from one ce to another by creating portals in different areas and connecting them in another dimension." "Err... Sure, have fun." He seemed a little perplexed for a moment. "It''s a fascinating idea, I would say." "Yes, I hope it works." "Alright, is there anything else you want to talk about, or should we wrap it up for today?" Canir thought it was enough for the time being. "Hmm... Oh, Fen mentioned he knows you and how you''ve met from time to time in the past. Do you n oning down again at some point? I think it would be kinda nice for all to get together. Not only so I can boast with Maya to you in person, either." Her real motivation leaked out for a second. "Fen, huh? We did have some nice evenings together while enjoying a couple of drinks. You know what, I might give it some thought." "Cool!" "Alright, I guess that''s it for the time being. Oh, there''s a shrine in the beastfolk capital, too. If you''re bored or somethinges up, feel free to swing by." "I doubt I''ll be bored any time soon, but I don''t think that''ll stop me." "Okay. In the meanwhile, I''ll look out for your family. Maybe I''ll see them and can give you an update the next time." "T-Thank you..." "Then, I guess I''ll see you next time." "Yeah, see you..." While Sophia was thinking about her family again, she was eventually swallowed by the white light once more. A few momentster, she was back at the shrine in the city of Tga, where Maya was already waiting for her. Chapter 108 – Homesick Chapter 108 ¨C Homesick Once Sophia finished her conversation with Canir, which ended up being pretty lengthy, she reappeared back in his shrine, where Maya was already waiting for her. As she talked with him about magic, the humans, and her family, the blonde was gone for way longer than she had initially nned. "Wee back! You sure took your time." Maya sounded slightly impatient. "I''m back... Sorry about that..." She was still lost in thoughts after Canir reminded her about her family right before leaving. "What''s wrong? Did something happen?" The cat-girl immediately noticed that something was going on. "No, we talked about something that made me feel... down..." "What did he say to you?!" "No, I brought it up..." She took a short break. "To be honest, I''m feeling pretty... homesick right now..." "Huh...?" Maya''s face instantly lost its color. For a moment, she thought she also could use magic to stop time because it felt like everything around her froze up for a second. "W-Why...? Don''t tell me... are... are you going... b-back?" She sounded so insanely worried and scared about the possibility that the cat-girl almost lost the ability to speak. "I... I don''t want that..." Her voice trailed off. "Eh?! That''s... not what I... Wait a moment!" Sophia wanted to clear the misunderstanding, but once she looked at the emotional cat-girl and saw how she tried to hold back her tears, and more importantly, was failing at it, she also panicked. "I''m not going anywhere! I would never leave you! I''ve never been happier! Why would I give up on that?!" She desperately wanted to calm her down before she loses the possibility to. "Then why...? Why would you feel h-homesick...?" Maya lost the fight entirely, and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "M-Maybe homesick isn''t actually the right word..." The tiger-girl wasn''t missing her home, but rather her family there, or how she couldn''t have met them ast time. "Do you... Do you miss your family, Maya?" Tears appeared in the corners of Sophia''s eyes, as well, by just mentioning it. "My family...? Yes, I do miss them a little. It''s the first time I haven''t seen them for such a long time. But at the same time, it''s exciting because I''m finally fully independent from them!" "Hehe. I was also really excited when I became independent, even though it was scary at first." Sophia looked nostalgic for a second. "Did you do anything with them the day before we left?" "Of course! Unfortunately, my big brother wasn''t there because he''s traveling himself for a while already, but I spent the entire evening and night with my parents." She wiped away her tears and smiled at the memory. "I told them how I found this very interesting girl and how I want to explore the world with her. I want to learn magic from this person, and she seems really funny, so I''m sure it''s going to be exciting! They were surprised because I never paid much attention to other people, but after they saw how happy I seemed, my parents supported me. Sure, they were sad, and so was I, but they were d that I found something I want to do." "How nice..." Sophia was clearly envious of the memory. "You were close to your family, huh?" "Yes!" "I was also really close with them in my old world..." Her voice turned somber again. "Do you remember how I ended up here? How I got into an ident that ended my life in my old world...? "l... I do remember that..." "Because of that, I couldn''t say goodbye to my family..." "O-Oh..." Maya started to see the issue. "That''s not even the worst part. For me, it''s just... unfortunate because especially my sister was really important to me. She was about the only person I regrly spent time with, and she really helped me staying sane by not feeling too lonely... I was really close with her. It hurts not having seen her or my mother ast time..." "..." She couldn''t find any helpful words. "Now imagine their side... For them, I was just suddenly gone, disappeared into thin air. It''s been¡­ I don''t know, half a year already...?" Sophia was now the one who failed at holding back her tears. "I''m sure they must think I''m dead, but they''ll never find out... I don''t even exist in their world anymore, after all. Just thinking about how they won''t ever get any closure about me, I... I..." More and more tears were falling. "I-I''m sorry!" Out of nowhere, Maya suddenly apologized and jumped at the blonde. She tightly hugged her while the cat-girl gently caressed her back for a while. "I hadn''t... I had never thought about that before... You never said anything, either... I''m so sorry for selfishly just thinking about myself earlier! When you were hurting so much more..." "..." She just buried her face in her nape while staying silent. "Why didn''t you tell me...? Please remember that your problems are my problems. I admit this is a little above my abilities... but I would''ve offered you my shoulder much sooner!" "..." She needed another moment. While still in the embrace of Maya, she eventually opened up, though. "I had no idea, either. At least not that it had affected me by this much... I mean, I missed them, of course, but... I guess the feelings kept umting somewhere in my subconscious. When I met Canir again, the only link between my new and old life... it probably finally overflowed..." "I see... What are you going to do now...? Now that those feelings are out..." The cat-girl''s voice also got heavier again. "Don''t worry," Sophia returned Maya''s embrace by wrapping her arms around the other''s waist. "I won''t leave my... new f-family to see my old one again. It hurts, but I have to look forward, not behind." "New family...?" Her ears twitched and perked up after hearing those words. "Y-Yes. There''s Fen, who''s like that one, slightly entric uncle everyone has and denies to know, but secretly loves." "I think he''s more like the overprotective father every daughter has and lover fears..." Maya still clearly remembered the time when she had started dating Sophia, and Fen made it very clear that she should never hurt her. "Hmm? Well, there''s also Aura now. Though we only met her recently, I have a good feeling about her." "Yes, she seems nice." "And then there''s this overly emotional cat-girl who effortlessly managed to speed run her way into my heart." "Oh no, it took some effort, alright?!" She lightly pummeled Sophia''s back whileining. "Ehehe~. You''re the main reason I''m having such a great time. You have be the by far most important person in my life, Maya. I can''t think of anything that would make me feel like leaving you because I love you from the bottom of my heart. You''re the center of my new family." "T-Thank you..." She got a little shy from the straightforward confession. "I love you, too." "Yay~. Wow, that was embarrassing..." "You don''t say!" Throwing the jab back at her, Maya finally let go of the girl. "You''re too smooth sometimes." "Better than you who''s too smooth all the time. Anyway, are you feeling better now?" "I should be the one asking you this question! But yes, I am... I''m sorry for freaking out without taking your side into consideration..." "It''s fine. If anything, it makes me happy that you were scared of losing me." "Urgh..." Maya had mixed feelings about being so unstable when it came to the blonde. "But really, what about you? I don''t think that is something even you can get over so easily." "Yes... Canir offered to look for my family and tell me how they''re dealing with what happened to me... If he finds them and they''re still hurting, I''ll do my best to convince him to let them get a message from me... Something along the lines of ''I''m sorry'', or ''I''m doing fine, please don''t worry anymore'' and a ''I love you, goodbye''. It''s not much, but everyone should get some sort of closure this way..." A couple of fresh tears appeared after thest line. "Myself included¡­" "Canir sounds way nicer than you give him credit for, Sophia." "Yes, irritatingly so..." She enjoyed ming him for everything, so him acting like a good person rubbed her the wrong way. "Okay, can we talk about something else? It''s getting depressing." "Of course, but if something makes you sad next time, please tell me immediately!" "I will. The same goes for you." "Naturally." "Okay¡­ Putting all that aside, I''m also reeeally hungry!" Sophia started to feel better. "Ehehe~." She liked the sound of that. A hungry tiger was a good sign. "Oh, while you were gone, I scouted the area a little and found this shop where they sell this thing called piizza. I had a slice, and it was amazing! You have to try it!" "Eh, pizza?!" Hearing this familiar word, even though the intonation was slightly different again, the blonde got highly excited. The heavy mood was immediately forgotten and reced by her desire to get a pizza, something that almost sounded nostalgic to her already. Chapter 109 – Nostalgic food and shopping Chapter 109 ¨C Nostalgic food and shopping Sophia was back from visiting Canir, and after Maya learned that the tiger-girl''s feeling homesick, she instantly got anxious because she was afraid of losing her. Following that, Sophia exined how she couldn''t say goodbye to her family and how none of them got any sort of closure because she had simply vanished. She also gave the cat-girl peace of mind by making clear that she would never willingly leave her new family. Once the two calmed down again, Sophia got very excited about the nostalgic-sounding food called piizza that Maya had found. "Just to be sure... this pizza, or piizza, you found. What kind of food is it?" Sophia wanted to make sure not to get too hyped over nothing. "Let''s see, the basis is a t dough topped with some fruity red sauce. You could also add various toppings, but I went with a slice of cheese and some herbs only." "M-Maya...?" "Hmm?" "Can we hurry up?" Hearing her description of it, the tiger-girl got even more excited. She now was certain it''s the same food. "Sure..." Being slightly hurried by her girlfriend, Maya quickly made it back to the ce where she got the piizza earlier. ---------------- "Ehh...?" Entering the restaurant, Sophia''s eyes grew wide. The decoration of the ce made her feel even more nostalgic. It had the same Italian or Mediterranean feeling as she saw in these kinds of restaurants in her old world. "Wee! Ah, the girl from earlier. Did you forget anything?" The owner, or a worker of the restaurant, gave them a casual greeting. He was a middle-aged man with an intense tan and massive horns on his head, resembling those of a mountain goat. Even he had the Mediterranean feel to him. "Ah, I see you brought a friend. Thanks for rmending my- Oh?" He only then noticed Sophia''s features. "My, that''s a surprising guest. Wait, didn''t his Majesty and his army leave a couple of hours ago already?" "He did." The tiger-girl answered. "The two of us stayed behind because we have some other¡­ tasks to take care of." She usually left the talking to Maya, but the piizza had made her very motivated. "Oh, I guess even after a won war, the royal family keeps being busy, huh?" "Y-Yeah, something like that..." "So, the two of you took part in the war? Thank you very much for your service. Everyone''s d it ended so quickly so we could open up our businesses again." "You''re wee. It wasn''t much." "Humble, as well, very admirable." His impression of them soared even more. "T-Thanks..." Sophia really wasn''t trying to. "Maya here guided me to this ce because I was hungry. I hope it lives up to the praise." "Wow, that''s some pressure. Good thing I''m confident in my craft." "I like the sound of that. What''s the rmendation?" "Hard to say," The owner thought about it while guiding the couple to a free table. "It really depends on your taste. We offer various toppings based on meats or veggies. Though simply cheese is by far our most popr piizza." "It was delicious.''" The cat-girl agreed. "Sounds good to me. Maya, are you still hungry?" "I could eat a little more." "Great, I''m also very hungry. Could we get a whole, freshly made pizza?" "I like myself a girl who can eat~! An oven-fresh cheese, got it. I''ll get to work right away." After repeating the order, the owner left. "Are you sure? They seemed pretty big." "And I have a big appetite." Sophia didn''t see a problem. "Right... I forgot about that for a second." Maya took back her concern. ---------------- About 20 minutes passed before the horned owner came back to the couple. He held a huge te with a steamy and delicious-looking piizza with lots of cheese and garnished with a couple of leafy, green herbs. "I put a little extra effort, so enjoy your meal." He left the two alone afterward. "Thanks!" "Wow, it tastes even better oven-fresh." Maya had the first try and seemed delighted about it. "..." Sophia, on the other hand, stared at it for a little longer. "What''s wrong? Don''t like it?" "That''s not it... This piizza was a verymon dish in my old ce. I wasn''t expecting to see it in a restaurant here. I mean, it''s really not hard to make, but I''m still surprised..." "I see... You''re right. It seems easy to make. I wonder why I haven''t seen it before somewhere. Maybe no one ever thought about it?" "Well, less nostalgia, more eating." She finally grabbed a slice and finally tried it. "Wow, he wasn''t kidding. The owner has all the rights to be proud of it. It''s amazing!" The two continued to eat their piizza in delight while having a good time together. Once they finished it and stopped chatting about all sorts of meaningless things as is custom on a date between them, the horned owner came back to their table. "I see it''s all gone. I hope it lived up to the expectation." "Yes, it was delicious." Sophia seemed satisfied. "It was one of, if not the best Margherita I ever had." "Margherita...?" The other two tilted their heads. "A-Ah." The tiger-girl noticed her mistake. "Owner, did youe up with this piizza on your own, or did you learn it from somewhere?" "I actually learned it from a wandering trader a couple of... decades ago and came up with some toppings that go well with it. I don''t know why, but this dish resonated deeply with me, and I had to have it." "Interesting... You see, I know the ce this dish originated from." She left out the detail that she was speaking about a different world. "The cheese variant is called Margherita. Also, in theory, it''s called pizza, not piizza, but that might just be a regional intonation thing." "R-Really?!" He was surprised. "Well... I can''t change the piizza name now, it''s already established, but do you mind if I use Margherita from now on? It has a really nice ring to it. I bet it''ll increase sales!" "Uhh, sure... It''s not like I came up with that name myself." "Thank you! Still, how do you know the ce it came from? I thought the entire tiger-family lives in or near the capital?" "Err, I''m a bit of an exception... I lived very far away until recently and only came to the capital not too long ago. Just arrived, the king immediately sent me to another mission, and now we''re talking here." As usual, when she was talking about her past, Sophia, technically, wasn''t lying. "Wow, it seems like I served my piizza to someone extraordinary, huh?" "Don''t mind me, just treat me like any other person." Her evasion skills definitely got boosted, as well. "Of course..." ---------------- The couple chatted a little longer with the owner. Sophia also remembered a couple more pizza names, depending on which toppings are used. Because he was pleased about them, the piizza the two ate ended up being free. "Haa... that was good~." Sophia rubbed her stomach with a satisfied expression once they left the restaurant. "Yes!" She agreed. "What''s the n for now? With your earlier, let''s call it a meeting, and the restaurant now, it''s alreadyte afternoon." "That''s true... Hmm~," The tiger looked around. "How about we do some shopping before we look for an inn? Tomorrow, I would like to experiment with my magic idea." "Sounds like a n to me. Anything specific you want to buy?" "Nah, let''s just look around. " "Alright~." Maya liked the idea. The two got some more supplies and essories that could be useful for camping outside before leisurely strolling through the city. They checked out a couple of general clothing stores, but neither of them found anything of interest. A little bitter, though, Sophia suddenly felt a tug on the hand that was intertwined with Maya''s. Looking at said girl, she noticed that she had stopped in front of a store without saying a word. "Oh, did you find some-" Taking a better look at the store, the tiger-girl''s voice trailed off. It was a boutique store, which, after she nced through the window, seemed to be specialized in lingerie. "Looks fancy~." "Can we take a look? I could need some new bras." "Why...?" She raised an eyebrow. "If you''re going to tell me the size isn''t right anymore... I might get a little env-, erm, angry." Her voice sounded just a little scary as she alternatingly nced between Maya''s and her own chest. "Well, I mean, I''m good now, but I already needed to resort to magic, and yet you-" "N-No, I have not! Also, I''ve already told you many times when we took a bath, and you asked the same question, I haven''t really grown in years!" "R-Right... Sorry..." "Most of the ones I currently own have started to wear down from all the running around we''re doing. They either lost their shape, or the fabric has gotten too thin." "I see... Good point, actually. Even though I wear mostly sporty ones, and they have... a little less to hold, I also had to retire one the other day. I think I''ll get a new one, as well." ---------------- Having decided on a n, the two entered the boutique, and with the help of a clerk, they quickly found something adequate. Prioritizing function because they move around and travel a lot, the decision fell on a sporty andfortable-to-wear type or bra for both. "Will you help me with the fitting?" "E-Eh...?" Sophia stopped in her tracks and looked at the cat-girl. "Me...?" "Who else?" "The clerk? I admit that I don''t really need a fitting for a sports bra because... it doesn''t have to do quite as much work for me, and I''m used to them already, but you should let a professional help you. You haven''t really used sports bras yet, right? You should make sure to get the right size." "I want you to do it!" "But a fitting''s kinda... you know...?" She wasn''t sure if she would survive such an intimate thing right now. "It involves a lot of touching and shaping one''s chest, after all. Okay, maybe not to such an extent with a sports bra, but still¡­" "Come on, you sissy!" Maya simply grabbed her hand and dragged her into a free dressing room. Some time passed, much more than a simple fitting would typically take, and the two finally left the dressing room again. "I''ll take these for me and those for my girlfriend~!" With a cheery voice and refreshed expression, the cat-girl addressed one of the clerks while holding a couple of bras in each hand. "Haa..." Sophia, on the other hand, looked slightly exhausted. "Also, why did I have to get a fitting, too...? I know my size, and I''m used to sports bras, anyway... Actually, you can''t really call what she did to me a fitting in the first ce... That was something else. Wait a moment, I didn''t try on a single bra in the first ce! She didn''t give me a fitting at all! She just yed with... My cat''s even thirstier than usual- WOW." While Maya was paying for the bras, she walked through the boutique and stopped at a very interestingly dressed mannequin. "I said it before, and I''ll say it again... this world''s weirdly advanced in the strangest areas. This is quite something." The mannequin was wearing a rather sensual type of lingerie. It was a ck demi-cup style bra with flower-patternedce embroidery. It also was an unlined type of bra, making it mostly see-through as they had no sort of padding behind thece. It was the epitome of form over function, the exact opposite of the sporty bras they just bought. "..." She absolutely didn''t mind, though, and her raised eyebrows signaled deep interest over every other feeling. It also came with a matching pair of panties with the same floweryce embroidery, and they were just as see-through for the most part. Rather than protecting and hiding one''s private parts, the set was made to make them look their best and maybe entice everyone who''s chosen to see it. "Do you like this type of lingerie?" "H-Huh?!" The tiger-girl jumped from the unexpected voice. She hadn''t noticed that Maya was suddenly standing next to her because she was focusing all of her attention on something else. "Do you?" She repeated her question. "W-Well, I think it... looks amazing, and it''s really well made..." She gave it another nce. "Though it''s not something you usually wear, I guess...? Well, some would? Nothing wrong with that, but for me, they''re more for behind closed doors to show off? Lingerie you don''t wear for very long because you put them on to get, uhh¡­ l-lucky... and take them off soon again¡­?" She trailed off a little towards the end. "Is that so?" Maya stared at the lingerie for a while. "To get lucky, huh?" Looking at it for a bit longer, she tilted her head and eventually nced at the inventory below the disy. "Indeed, they look great. I wonder if they have the set in my size." "Eh?" Sophia''s eyes became twice as big as she froze up. "Oh, they do! Perfect!" "E-Eh?" "I think I''ll get the set. You never know when you need it, right~?" "E-Eh...?" "Please wait for me. I''ll go ask the clerk if I need a fitting for it. As you said, I, I mean one doesn''t n to wear it for long, after all. It should still look good, though. I, err, one wants to show off what I, no, they have, right?" "Eh?!" Sophia had stopped working. 25 minutes passed, and the couple was back on the streets of the city. It had gottente, and the sun already went down. The two were currently looking for an inn to stay in for the night. Well, Maya was. Sophia lost the ability to talk and couldn''t turn her eyes away from the two bags the cat-girl was holding ever since exiting the lingerie boutique. A fuse in her brain had blown, or maybe even a couple of them. Chapter 110 – Maya’s powerplay Chapter 110 ¨C Maya¡¯s powery The couple went shopping together and ended up in a lingerie boutique. Initially, they only got a couple of new sporty bras, which arefortable to move in during their many and long travels. There, Sophia also spotted a very sensual and provocativecey lingerie, the type one usually wears indoors to get in the mood. Seeing how interested she was in it, Maya actually went ahead and bought it for herself. Sophia was so overwhelmed by this unexpected powery by the cat-girl that she lost the ability to talk. She had no idea how to deal with whatever the other girl tried to imply with this action of hers. "Ohh, this is a nice room!" The two had found an inn and got a room together. There, Maya had taken off her shoes and overknee socks before she threw herself on the big andfortable-looking bed while acting as if nothing happened. "..." Sophia was still very confused. Walking around in the room a little longer, she eventually sat down on the other side of the bed after she got rid of her shoes, too. "S-Say..." "Yes~?" She sounded really cheerful. "The... the lingerie you bought..." "The ck one you liked?" "Y-Yes... You bought them... after I voiced... my opinion on what... they''re u-used for..." She was barely able to speak inplete sentences, her face utterly red from embarrassment. "Yep." "Does... Does that... Are you... trying to tell me... s-something...?" "..." Maya stayed silent. A short momentter, she got up and walked in front of Sophia. There, she put her hands on the tiger-girl''s shoulders and pushed her down on the bed. Climbing on top of the blonde, the cat-girl basically mounted her while still pushing her down. Eventually, Maya brought her face closer and lightly kissed the girl''s cor bone a couple of times before she slowly moved her way up on Sophia''s neck before giving her a deep kiss on the lips. Once she was done with that, Maya looked her straight in the eyes with a deep blush on her cheeks. "What... What do you think I''m trying to t-tell you...?" Even the cat-girl couldn''t stay calm or unaffected by her own actions. "..." Sophia''s face became even redder as she stared back at the girl on top of her while having an expression that clearly showed how overwhelmed she was by this attack. "S-Say something..." Maya''s confidence finally got entirely reced by embarrassment. It apparently had taken her a lot to be this bold. "Give me... a moment... I''m restarting my brain..." Sophia tried her best not to break eye contact. "Is there... Is there s-something I missed today?" "What do you mean...?" "You were really emotional when I told you about feeling homesick... How pushy you were about the bra fitting... Not to mention what happened inside the cabin. The lingerie you brought in front of me, which clearly is made for one thing and one thing only... And now this..." With her one free arm, she gestured at the scene of her getting pinned down on the bed by the cat-girl. "So, what are you implying...?" "You got... frisky before... We both did... But this much¡­ A-Are you in, uhh... heat? Wait, does the beastfolk go into heat? Wait, will I go, too, now?! W-Will that get boosted, as well?!" As usual, she got sidetracked. "Sophia..." Maya let go of the tiger-girl''s arms and simply sat down upright on herp. "Y-Yes...?" Just by the tone of her voice, she already knew she messed up. Her expression was far from embarrassed by now. "Shut up." Whatever mood they had going on, it was dead. "I-I''m sorry... very sorry..." She deeply regretted blurting it out. "It had already left my mouth before my stupid slow brain could stop me." "Haa..." Maya took a deep breath. "No... the humanoid-type hybrid beastfolk, like we are, they don''t go into heat." "I-I see... Right, I wouldn''t suffer from monthly period cramps like at the moment then, would I?" "Shut up." This time, the cat-girl''s voice sounded much lighter. "But, yes, we wouldn''t have to deal with that every month because going into heat works differently..." "G-Good to know..." Their conversation took a bizarre turn somewhere. "Do you want to know why... Why I behaved as I did?" "Please tell me." "First of, when you mentioned being homesick, I wasn''t emotional. I became terrified. Terrified of losing you. Then, when you told me you love me and how I''ve be your most important person and a part of your new family, I was happy. Incredibly happy. That''s what most likely led to my behavior and raised my affection towards you even more afterward... My heart wanted more, I guess." "..." Sophia tried her best to hold back a stupid grin. "I''m happy, too." "Ehehe~. Also, it made me think..." Maya nced at the bag from the boutique in the corner of the room. "I think I''m... ready." "..." The tiger-girl nced to the side of the bed and noticed where her line of sight ended up at. "We almost... crossed the line a couple of times already, after all..." "We... d-did... but it was always in the h-heat of the moment..." Sophia clearly, and vividly remembered more than a few make-out sessions that ended up being extra spicy before they even noticed. "B-But, saying it out loud... themitment to it, I mean... m-my brain starts melting just thinking about it..." "H-How do you think I feel? Like you said, acting on... impulse is one thing, but giving out an... i-invitation is on a whole other level. Do you have any idea how much it took me to act so confident and all today? Inside, I was screaming the entire time!" "S-Sorry..." For some reason, she felt the need to apologize. "What about you... are you... r-ready, too¡­?" She locked eyes with her. "..." Sophia clearly heard the question, but it took her quite a while to answer. "A-As in right n-now...?" "Someone... killed the mood... So, maybe not..." "Sorry..." She got the urge to apologize once more. "I, uhh... was physically ready a c-couple of times already, I think... If I hadn''t ruined the mood earlier, w-we might... But, s-saying it out loud, inviting you is... You''re amazing, Maya. I want to have at least half as much courage as you have." "Thank you... Hmm?" Maya noticed there was no denial in Sophia''s words, only that she was too embarrassed to verbally invite her. Physically speaking, she even approved. "I see." She kissed the tiger-girl on the cheeks before changing her position on the bed. Sheid down next to Sophia and hugged her side. "How about we settle for cuddling today? We''re really too much all over the ce for anything else right now." "C-Cuddling won''t ever not be eptable!" That''s something Sophia''s more than confident enough to engage in. "Ehehe~." She let out a giggle. "Well, I am ready for anything else, in multiple ways, so it''s not up to me, anyway." She gave the lingerie bag from the boutique another very obvious nce. "Is that... Is that a subtle hint for me to think... about going shopping and or to prepare myself...?" "Nah." Maya shook her head. "R-Really...?" She thought for sure the cat-girl was implying something along those lines. "I wasn''t trying to be subtle." "..." Sophia didn''t say another word for the rest of the evening. She didn''t stop cuddling with the cat-girl, though, because she never not wants to cuddle, after all. Her brain might''ve been fried once more, but her Maya-rted instincts were still working just fine. ---------------- During the morning of the next day, Sophia felt a little sporty and wanted to go on a run to move around and clear her head a little from the events that happened. Because she wanted to do a high-speed run, she decided to go without Maya. That''s what she told the cat-girl. In reality, Sophia went to the lingerie boutique again. There, after thoroughly looking at everything with great interest, she also bought something with an impractical little amount of fabric, which was entirely made up by its looks, though. The form and design were simr to the set Maya got. Only the generous amount ofce embroidery on the cups of the bra and front of the panties resembled butterflies instead of a flowery pattern. They didn''t have the bra in the perfect size for the tiger as everything was too big for her, but the girl had a way to get around that problem. She decided to solve that issue with magic in a way Maya would enjoy very much when the time to wear ites. After the conversation with the cat-girl, she thought it wouldn''t be wrong to be prepared. Fortunately, Sophia''s very good at hiding secrets, and Maya never thought she was easy to read before. Thanks to that, she never found out that the tiger didn''t go running but had other ns entirely.
Chapter 111 – Storage dimension Chapter 111 ¨C Storage dimension Sophia had finished her morning run and came back to the inn. Maya suspiciously eyed her for a while but said nothing. She was pretty sure that the tiger went shopping instead. After all, the blonde''s terrible at keeping a secret, but she decided against making ament. Once they ate something, the couple left the city around noon. "Any idea where we''re going?" The cat-girl eventually addressed her partner while walking on a path that led them away from the city. "Hmm... I want a ce away from possible onlookers so I can experiment freely. Oh, how about that forest over there?" She pointed to her right at a vast group of trees. "We should find a nice ce in there." Saying so, the two did just that and looked around in there. "This seems nice." Maya found a small clearing and took a liking to it. "It even has a little river flowing through it." "Yeah, it''s perfect." They went closer to it and sat down on the lush, green grass near the riverbed. The couple looked at the scenery for a while before Maya shifted her attention to the tiger-girl. "Do you remember what you promised me with your experiments?" "Yes, ma''am! I won''t do anything dangerous!" "Good. Do you need any help?" "Not yet, I guess. I have to change the space of my storage first before I can put an animal inside to find out if living beings can survive in there and, even more so, can get out again... Right now, they would most likely end up wanting to live there because all of our proviant is in it." "Yeah, if you want to find out if living beings can get out on their own, this wouldn''t be helpful." She understood the problem. "But... to do that, I have to take a look inside..." "You want to stick your head inside again, don''t you?" "Yes... I already did it before, and the only dangerous part was theck of air inside the storage... but I fixed that since then." "It sure looked scary, though..." Maya didn''t like it. At the same time, she wanted to support her, though. "Be careful, okay...?" "Of course!" Having gotten the permission, Sophia wasted no time. She created something that looked like a purple portal and slowly put her head inside. "Ugh... it''s already freaky when she only uses her hands, but this..." The portal was rather two-dimensional, so looking from the side, it seemed like Sophia had no head anymore. ---------------- "Wow, it''s gotten so messy in there!" About five minutester, the tiger-girl''s body wasplete again. "Well, we bought a ton of stuff and just shoved it in there..." "W-Wee back..." Maya looked visibly relieved. "Hehe." "But, yeah, we did go kinda wild with shopping..." "All the money from the golem eyes... and unlimited ce to put stuff... In retrospect, that''s a very dangerousbination." "Y-Yes..." She felt a little guilty. "I regret nothing." Sophia didn''t. "By the way, I''ve been wondering... Normally, you simply put your hand inside the portal thingy and pull out whatever we want. How do you even know where to get it if it''s so messy inside?" "No idea." Sophia just shook her head. "Ehh...?" "I just think about what I want to get, and I, uhh, get it..." "Seriously?" "Yeah... Like, if I want a fishing rod," After saying it, Sophia put her hand inside the portal and brought out a pole. "See?" "Yes, I see that this magic might be too much for me to understand..." "By the way, why do we have that?" The tiger looked at the fishing rod she pulled out of the storage. "Because you saw that in a store in the capital and wanted it. No reason was provided by you." "Sounds like something I would do." Sophia didn''t doubt her exnation "Can I have that rod? Watching you messing with the portal makes me kinda nervous... Trying to fish traditionally, without any magic, could be a fun distraction." "Oh, I want fish for dinner!" "I''ll see what I can do." Maya took the fishing rod and went closer to the river while Sophia got back to reorganizing her storage dimension. Almost an hour passed before the tiger-girl took another break because she noticed something rather interesting. ---------------- "You know... now that I shoved all of our stuff into a corner, it kinda looks like the ce where I always meet Canir." "Eh...?" "I wanted it to look like a warehouse... but it''s actually just an all-white ce that seemingly goes on forever. I''ll never forget the first time I was teleported somewhere with absolutely nothing existing as far the eye could see..." "Scary." Maya only needed one word. "A little, but after seeing it so many times... It''s more boring than anything else if you ask me." "Still, being able to create the same space¡­ thing as a god... You won''t get in trouble because of that, right...?" She got worried again. "Oh, I actually asked Canir about my magic. He said that I should try not to destroy the world, but other than that, I can go wild." "I''m not sure if I feel any better now." Maya had very mixed feelings. "I wonder if I can change the design... If we use that ce to travel, I want it to look nice and cute." "Sophia, before you think about the design, it should work first." "R-Right..." She noticed that she was getting carried away again. "How''s the fishing going?" "Not very good. I saw some fish, but they''re not biting at all. Well, I guess I need some bait. I''ll look for some insects or wormster." "..." The tiger-girl went silent and looked away with aplicated expression. "Seriously...?" "..." "How can a girl who started a war against an entire race be scared of bugs and the likes...?" "I-I''m not scared! I just don''t like their wiggling or all those extra legs many of them have... brr..." Her entire body shivered. "Really now...? Those spyders in the dungeon back then made you freak out a lot, though." She remembered the joke dungeon Canir made when the group traveled to the capital. "S-Spyders don''t count! They''re the spawns from hell! Especially if they''re half my size! Nope, just nope!" "Doesn''t sound very convincing~." Maya looked like she wanted to tease her some more. "Hmm... Well, the only thing I still really remember from the dungeon is the graveyard area where a certain cat-girl almost wet herself from seeing some ghosts. " "I-I am very sorry!" Her expression immediately changed. "Forget I ever said anything!" Without another word on the topic, the girls went back to their tasks. Maya searched for bait she could use for fishing. At the same time, Sophia continued to sort all the stuff inside her storage dimension. ---------------- "Alright, I think I''m done!" Another hour went by before the tiger-girl got her head out of the portal again. "I''ve created an actual room with walls where I put all of our stuff. Then, I made something like a hallway with visible corners. If I put a portal at each end, even the most mindless monster should get out again. Chances are that even a human could make it with enough tries." "Wow, you really put in a lot of effort!" Maya yed along. "Are you going to test it now?" "Hmm... Yeah, that''s the n. I''m just wondering how I can, uhh, convince an animal to get in the portal... Just grab one and throw it in?" "I don''t think there''s a living being that would say no to you. By that, I mean could." "I kinda don''t like the sound of that..." Sophia wasn''t a fan of the implications that entailed. "Does it even need to be a living being for a first test? If you made a corridor, can''t you just throw a stone into one portal and see if ites out the other? You know, to see if it works, like, at all?" "We need to work on magic together more often! You always give such great tips that I somehow never manage to think of!" "Because you tend to oveplicate things." "Don''t hit me with facts out of nowhere!" The blonde didn''t like being called out. "Ehehe." Maya chuckled at her reaction. "But, I would love to do more magic with you, rather than just learning from you. Though the gap between us could be making itplicated." "It''s not like I only do things that are so over the top that I only I understand... Not implying that I actually understand what I''m doing." "..." She didn''t answer. "..." The tiger-girl also paused for a moment. "Could you please think of something we can do together?" "Okay!" "Alright, let''s try the stone idea. It won''t answer the question if living beings can move inside, but it''s a start, I guess." Saying so, she created two door-sized portals around 10m apart from each other that connected to her storage space. "W-Wow... So freaky..." Maya stared at the portals. They looked like purplish-violet distortions floating in the air, forming a semi-translucent wall. "Later, you actually want us to walk through that...?" "Only if it works, obviously. But then, yeah, sure." "Hrmm..." She eyed the portals some more with a skeptical yet curious expression. "I don''t know if I want it to work or not..." "Alright, let''s give it a try!" Ignoring her, Sophia grabbed a fist-sized rock from the ground and threw it into one of the portals with all her might. It sessfully disappeared inside, but nothing else ever happened. "Why?!" "Guess it wasn''t that easy, huh?" The cat-girl was a little curious, picked up a small pebble near her feet, and lightly flicked it into the portal. Around two secondster, it suddenly hopped out of the second portal. "E-Eh...?" "Why?!" Sophiained even louder this time. "Even if you ask me..." She was the most surprised one. "You did it, but I don''t... how''s that even possible?! Okay, I''ll take a look inside!" Clearly confused, the tiger-girl walked up to the portal she threw the stone into and peeked inside. "..." A minuteter, she pulled her head out again while having a slight blush on her face together with an awkward expression. "What''s wrong?" "I, uhh, err... Anyway, it seems like it''s working!" "What did you do?" Maya wasn''t fooled by her shoddy acting. "W-Well, I might have thrown the rock at a slight angle... Instead of reaching the second portal... I mmed it into the wall next to it instead..." She looked very embarrassed. "Wow... just wow." "Y-Yes..." She hung her head in shame. "Wanna eat something? I caught a couple of fish earlier." The cat-girl had the feeling that it was time for a break. "Please..." While preparing the fish, Sophia quickly started a campfire. Maya gutted and impaled the grilled fish with a stick before cing them over the fire. It didn''t take much time or effort before the two could eat. ---------------- "Better now?" "Yeah... Food always helps. Still, why am I so good at messing up in the most stupid ways possible?" Sophia couldn''t believe herself. "Well, everyone needs a talent." "H-Hey!" "Hehe~." The cat-girl enjoyed teasing her. "So, what now?" "Hmm... Alright, we know that it''s possible to cross the storage dimension with portals. Now we must find out if living beings can do the same, preferably doing so without dying." "That part is very important if you ask me..." "I saw a deer in the corner of my eyes earlier..." Sophia looked at the forest, and her feline eyes turned bigger as she focused on something there. "Yeah, it''s still there... I didn''t even need my detection magic. Wait, it''s called teer here, isn''t it?" She vaguely remembered Fen using this as their name. "I¡­ could catch it and use it to¡­ experiment." Her tail already started twitching in anticipation. "Sure, go for it~." Maya could easily see that she just wanted to hunt it for fun. "Alright!" The tiger''s ears perked up, seemingly in full attention mode already, and her pupils looked evenrger now. Using her tail to bnce, she sprinted into the forest while keeping a low profile. Without making a single sound, she quickly advanced towards the teer she made out with her sharp eyes a while ago while disappearing into the forest. "If I wouldn''t know better and someone told me she wasn''t born as a feline, I would call them crazy... She''s more cat than any cat I ever met, myself included." The actual cat-girl watched after her with a warm expression. "God, I love that dork." Chapter 112 – Travel dimension Chapter 112 ¨C Travel dimension Sophia was trying to find out if she could use her storage dimension as a way to travel fast between two ces. The n was to use two gates and skip the distance in between. With the help of Maya, they found out that it was, in theory, possible. All that was left was to see if living beings could even use it without being harmed. The tiger-girl wanted to use a teer as a test subject, but her feline hunting instincts had taken over, and it became more like ytime for her. "I wonder if she''s even able to catch it alive..." Around 20 minutes after the tiger-girl disappeared into the forest, Maya started to second guess her n of catching the teer. "Ehehe, look what I got~." 15 more minutes passed before Sophia showed up again. A teer was nowhere to be seen, though. Instead, she was holding some sort of rabbit with big antlers. It violently thrashed around, but the girl had grabbed it by its neck, making any resistance futile. The tiger also looked strangely proud when she was happily presenting her catch to Maya. "Good girl~." She praised her before addressing the elephant in the room. Or rabbit. "That teer looks suspiciously close to a yackalope if you ask me." Maya was alternatingly looking at the two. "..." The blonde didn''t evenment on the name, and her expression turned slightly awkward. "I, uhh, might''ve gotten carried away and let it escape..." "Really?" She didn''t believe her. "Y-Yes! I totally didn''t jump at it and snapped its neck on instinct or anything like that..." Her eyes nervously swam around for some reason. "So?" The cat-girl decided to ignore the teer murdering that definitely had not happened in the forest and pointed at the rabbit hybrid instead. "That critter''s aggressive as heck! Itunched itself at me with like supersonic speed! I could barely dodge before it collided with the tree behind me..." "Yeah, yackalopes are quite something. If you don''t pay attention, they can seriously hurt you with those antlers, especially at high speed." "No kidding! Scared the heck out of me! Well, now he''s my new test subject and will find out for me whether it''s safe to cross my storage dimension." Saying so, Sophia walked towards one of her gates and threw the rabbit inside without a second thought. "Have fun, idiot~." Her slightly scary smile made clear that those two won''t ever be friends. "They''re quite the delicacy, though." "Ohh?" Maybe Sophia will like him in the future, after all. ---------------- "Soo..." Around five minutes with nothing happening passed before the cat-girl spoke up again. "It''s noting out, is it?" "Doesn''t seem like it. I also don''t want to look inside because it might jump at me the moment it sees my head..." "That''s possible... Those freaky yackalopes jump at anything that moves." "Hmm..." She tilted her head while thinking about a solution. "Maya, on a totally unrted note, want to see how it looks inside the storage dimension?" She pointed at one of the portals. "Sure." The cat-girl didn''t move an inch, though. "Fine, I''ll do it myself¡­" With a sigh, she cautiously peeked into one of the portals again, only to immediately pull her head out again. "..." "What''s wrong?" "That idiot''s all curled up and fast asleep in a corner inside!" "Pfft!" Maya couldn''t stifle herugh. "W-Why does it always end up in something stupid like that with you...?" "If only I would know! Stupid rabbit..." "Well, at least we now know that living beings can fully go inside without getting hurt, I guess?" "Sure..." The tiger-girl had mixed feelings about it. Then, she grabbed another stone and lightly flicked it inside the portal. "Oh." There was an immediate reaction. The yackalope came out of the second portal and noticed Maya. It instantly charged at her and tried to take her out with a super-strong jump. The cat-girl didn''t look fazed at all, though. She lightly dodged to the side and turned around. She then raised her leg high and gave the still mid-air rabbit a kick to the neck with the back of her heel. The yackalope died on the spot and lifelessly fell on the ground. "And that''s how you deal with them." "T-That was sooo cool!" "Ehehe. Well, it''s easier to kill them with magic from afar, but-" "Nonono, it was amazing!" Sophia''s eyes were still sparkling. "Although," She looked at Maya''s bottom half. "Doing a dropkick with that skirt... Well, thank you very much." "A-Ah..." She noticed her wardrobe malfunction. "Well, there''s only you around." She didn''t mind Sophia seeing it. "Anyway, it seems the portals are working, huh? That idiot was definitely still alive when it came out." "It also was still very energetic." Maya agreed. "Was, yes." The tiger-girl nced at the dead rabbit again. "What now?" "Well..." She looked at the portals and let them disappear. "From the looks of it, it''s working. Now, I need Fen or maybe Aura to test it out because I think they could figure something out even if anything goes wrong. I promised that I wouldn''t do anything dangerous, so I''ll be thest to test it. N-No matter how hard I''m having to hold myself back right now..." She was actually slightly shaking in anticipation. "Thank you very much for your noble sacrifice. I really appreciate it." Maya then sat down on the grass near the river and stretched out her legs while patting her thighs. "Want a reward for keeping your promise?" "Well, I don''t need a reward for making you happy, but I definitely won''t say no to your offer." epting her invitation, Sophia sat down next to her and ced her head on the cat-girl''sp. "If it''s not a reward, let''s swapter, okay?" Maya ced a hand on the tiger-girl''s head and gently caressed her blonde and ck hair. "Mhmm~." She gave a deep, purr-like confirmation. "Petting you feels really good, too." "Thanks. Being on the receiving side''s much better, though~." Feeling happy about thepliment, she wiggled her head around, and her tiger ears brushed against Maya''s thighs. "T-That tickles..." "Sorry..." "I wasn''tining. It feels nice." She petted her some more in return. "Mhmm~." Another low and deep hum escaped Sophia''s lips while she continued to rub her head against the cat-girl''s hand. "You really got in tune with your inner cat, huh?" "..." She paused for a moment. "I''m pretty sure that even as a human, I would''ve enjoyed yourp just as much..." "Purring or whatever your deeper version is, and marking included?" Maya didn''t believe her. "..." Another pause. "Let me be." She turned her head to face away from Maya with a slight pout but never denied anything. "dly! Tiger Sophia''s also at least 70% cuter than human Sophia, and she already was 200% cute." While saying so, Maya gently reached for the blonde and ck striped and very fluffy-looking tiger ears and yed with them for a bit. "Mhrmn~... I-Idiot~" It didn''t sound much likeining, though. The emotions in her voice sounded like something else entirely. "Ehehe." Maya continued to spoil her for another half an hour before the two eventually switched ces. With the biggest smile she had today, the cat-girl dived into the other''sp and immediately found a good spot. "Comfy?" "Very!" Just like Sophia before, she was happily wiggling her head around. "It''s the best ce in existence!" "G-Good..." Because her thighs are incredibly ticklish, the tiger-girl also ced her hand on the other''s head, firm enough to stop her from moving around too much, but also so gentle that it wouldn''t hurt her. "It''s gettingte, huh?" Maya looked at the sky and noticed how low the sun was already. "Want to head back?" "Not yet. I want to enjoy thep pillow a little longer~." "Of course~." Seeing her expectant gaze, Sophia began to gently stroke her snow-white hair, as well, while asionally also caressing her cat ears. "Mhmm~." Maya had a great time. "It''s been one and a half days now... They''ll probably arrive back in the capital right around now, huh?" Sophia didn''t want to mention the king by name, but it was clear what she was talking about. "No, it''ll take a while. He told me that they were going to stop in a couple of territories on the way back. To inform them what happened and the future ns." "Oh, I guess that means we can take it easy for a little longer, huh?" "Yep." "Good." With a smile on her lips, Sophia continued to pet the cat-girl. ---------------- The couple continued to y around, cuddle and flirt for almost another hour before they finally headed back to their inn. On the way back, Sophia was rtively silent, though, seemingly thinking about something while often ncing at her hand that was connected with Maya''s and their intertwined fingers. After the two were back in their room, they took their usual bath together. Done with that, Maya left the bathroom first and wanted to get ready for bed, but she stopped in her tracks once she noticed something new in their room. They had already unpacked the normal underwear they got, and only Maya''s other bag was supposed to be left. Still, there were now two bags from the lingerie boutique again. The cat-girl knew or at least was pretty sure that Sophia went back there to get, just like her, something more appropriate for a special night in the future. What surprised her the most, though, was the fact that the tiger-girl had put the bag on disy out in the open. Right next to hers, even. Not entirely sure how to interpret this, she turned around to confront Sophia in the bathroom, but the tiger-girl was standing right behind her already. The two looked at each other for at least a solid minute in silence. Sophia''s face became more and more flushed before she eventually gave a slight but clear nod while never breaking eye contact with Maya. Actually inviting her with words was too much of a hurdle for the blonde, no matter how much she wanted to. However, words aren''t the only way, and she still managed to get her intent across regardless. Chapter 113 – Playing tag Chapter 113 ¨C ying tag Sophia had sessfully tested the idea of using her storage dimension as a means to fast travel by connecting an entrance and exit portal between a long distance. Afterward, the couple rxed for a while and enjoyed each other''spany. As usual, they got a little touchy and very flirty in the process. Eventually, the two got back to the inn they were staying and took their usual bath together. Then, Maya noticed a new bag of the lingerie boutique they visited before. The cat-girl had bought a set of showy underwear to wear for a special night. Apparently, Sophia had bought equally provocative lingerie and ced the bag right next to Maya''s. She faced the tiger-girl to find out why she was presenting the bag so openly. With an intense blush on her face, Sophia only responded with a slight nod, indicating and consenting that she was ready to put it to use. ---------------- "..." "..." The following morning was more than just a little awkward. The couple had taken another bath and also already had breakfast together. Afterward, they went back to their room but had yet to have an actual conversation. "..." "..." They continued to steal nces at each other for a while without saying a word. "O-Okay..." Maya couldn''t take it anymore. "W-Want to, uh, talk?" "A-About...?" Her face turned red from just hearing the cat-girl''s voice. "Well, y-you know..." She wasn''t doing much better. "Err..." Sophia was having a hard time. "I''m sorry, I have no idea what to say... Never been in this situation... no idea how to react... Besides being embarrassed and, uhh... trying my best to not... show a stupid grin on my face... when looking at you... Sorry for being so awkward..." She barely managed to get the words out. "E-Eh...?" Maya turned to get a good look at her now. "That''s... That''s the reason? I thought I... did something wrong... You aren''t avoiding me because of that...?" "Huh?!" Sophia finally stared back at her. "N-Not at all! I-I was just embarrassed by how happy I''m feeling... If anything, I thought you were ignoring me... for that exact reason... " "O-Of course not! It''s the same for me... embarrassed, but the happy kind..." It appeared that there was a slight misunderstanding about the cause of their awkwardness. "R-Really...? Haa..." The tiger-girl looked relieved. "I-I mean, it wasn''t as, uhh... s-smooth as I had... fantasized... before, but that''s because it was the-" "F-First time...?" "Y-Yes..." Sophia was currently inventing a new shade of red. "That''s true... It was still n-nice. I''m d I got my first experience with you, Sophia. Well, I got a lot of those first with you, but now we''ve finally gone all the way after chickening out right before many times. Both of us." Maya sat down next to her on the bed and rested her head against the girl''s shoulder. "A-Absolutely! I couldn''t be dder about my partner!" "Ehehe~." The cat-girl looked happy. "As for the r-rest... we just need more practice. How about lots of practice, actually~?" "H-Huh?! "Sophia''s eyes sprung open in shock. "You don''t want to?" "No... I-I mean, yes... I mean... no. Yes! Uhh, wait a moment, my brain''s turning mushy..." Sophia needed a moment to collect herself. "Y-Yes, I do want to... Though, I might need around three days... to feel confident... and b-bold again. That includes my boosts working overtime to recover on these days..." "Y-Yeah... it took me a lot, as well... Being confident isn''t nearly as easy as I thought. Can I have some of your boosts? Ah, but only the positive ones, okay? I have little motivation to start a war because I got angry." "Nope, those are all mine. For the better or worse..." "Hehe." "Ahaha." The awkwardness between the couple was finally starting to subside. They cuddled and enjoyed each other''spany for a while longer before leaving the inn around noon. Once the two had lunch in a restaurant that tickled their fancy, they went outside the city once more. ---------------- "By the way, are we going somewhere?" The couple was walking on a path leading through an extensive in when Maya noticed that she had no idea what the current n was. "Good question." Sophia just tilted her head. "Ehh?" "I just felt like moving around because I''m feeling way too energetic for some reason." "... Idiot." The cat-girl took a guess why Sophia''s feeling like that and developed a slight blush in response. "A-Ah..." Her face turned red, as well, while both of them got embarrassed once more. "W-Wanna y tag?" Maya needed to change the topic. "Huh?" The suggestion was too unexpected for her. Though, it was actually a good thing, as it distracted her from the current conversation. "Don''t want to? I had an idea I wanted to try out a while back, and I think it would be a great way to power you out... and myself." "Oh? What''s the n?" Sophia was curious. "Do you think it''s possible to boost my running speed with air magic? Like creating some wind behind me?" "I would say yes. I actually thought about that before, too. Never tried it, though." "Can I give it a try? After you got used to your new body, I''m the slowest in our group again, and I want to make up for it." "You don''t have to, though." The tiger-girl didn''t mind not traveling at max speed all the time. "But I want to!" As usual, she was verypetitive. "Alright, all the power to you." She had no ns to stop her. "Should I do anything specific? Holding back, maybe?" "No, please go all out. Ah, but maybe no magic." "Are you sure? I''ve been training a lottely, especially when you were practicing magic, and I''ve be fast. I''m not 100% back to my original form, but I''m running a lot, and my new feline body''s awesome. I love it!" "You mean like yesterday? When you went for another run?" "Yesterday...? A-Ah..." Sophia remembered the excuse she made up for secretly going lingerie shopping. "A-Alright, you said you want full power?" "Yes, please. Then, I''ll test out air magic to run faster and catch you." "Try to catch me, you mean." The tiger-girl looked smug while she started stretching her body. She was already preparing herself. "Sure~." She seemed pretty confident herself. "Alright. Well then," Sophia finished stretching and got down in a crouching-start position. Her tiger ears were cocked up, and even her tail pointed up, signalizing she was ready. "Bye~!" she kicked the ground and was gone. "E-Eh...?" Before Maya even realized what was going on, the other girl was already a couple of hundred meters ahead. "W-Well... I guess that''s what I get for being cocky, huh? Maybe I should''ve tested my idea before letting her run away..." She noticed that she could barely see Sophia anymore. "Okay, let''s see... If I create some strong winds behind me, they''ll push me, and I should be able to run much faster. Probably." Imitating her girlfriend, the cat-girl also got on her knees for a better start. Breaking into a sprint, she then activated her air magic, which noticeably boosted her speed. "W-Woah!?" Being surprised by the eleration, Maya almost tripped over but managed to stabilize herself and chased after the tiger. "Oho!" Sophia had slowed down after a while and watched the cat-girl get ready. "Not bad! Looks like this game of tag will be fun~." With a sparkle in her eyes, she increased her speed again, visibly having fun running around like that. ---------------- Maya kept chasing the blonde for around 20 minutes over the vast in, but even with the magic boost, she couldn''t catch her. She also began to notice that the constant use of magic was everything but easy, too. "Haa... my magic-power reserves are still good but using it nonstop is kinda tiring on its own¡­ Also," She looked at Sophia in the distance again. "Yeah, I''m not getting closer at all... She wasn''t lying about her training... Seriously, how can a girl I have to use force to get her out of bed in the morning, be so sporty, and loves to run...? It makes no sense! Boost or not, I can''t even catch up with magic. I should apany her to train more often and get a little fitter... For now, though..." Maya looked around, trying to think of a n to catch the other girl. "Hmm...?" Sophia nced behind her and noticed the cat-girl had stopped. "Did she give up? No, that doesn''t sound like Maya... She''s nning something, isn''t she?" The tiger-girl knew she wouldn''t give up just like that. "And just as I say it, she''s on the go again. Oh, a new strategy, huh?" She noticed how the girl stopped simply following her and instead seemed to be running at an angle and started drawing circles around her. Following her new strategy, Maya stopped running behind the blonde and got next to her in the distance. From there, she tried to intercept Sophia when she ran out of space on the in, which was their ying field. The cat-girl now knew that it was impossible to catch the tiger with speed alone. Instead, she hoped that her reaction time and body controls were still better than those of Sophia. Maya was born with feline reflexes and always had a tail, which significantly boosts one''s agility. The tiger-girl''s fast, but she''s still a little clumsy when ites to cornering. "I think it''s working. Great!" She noticed that with every turn the two had to take, she was getting closer to Sophia. The blonde was still able to dodge her pursuer, but it seemed to be only a matter of time now. "Urgh, I thought my agility was better... Maybe I should''ve done more than simply running to get faster. Tight cornering''s also important! I guess a natural cat is something else, huh?" She naturally noticed the pinch she was in. "I won''t ever lose, though!" Their game of tag had gotten rather intense. "I''ll just do this, and- A-Ah!" Sophia tried to do a perfect 90-degree turn while running at full speed, but her body didn''t fully listen. Her tail iled around, causing her to lose bnce, and she almost tripped in response. "Ha! got you now!" Not wasting her chance, Maya instantly increased the power of her air magic and jumped, basically catapulting herself at the other girl. She tackled Sophia''s back and dragged the two to the ground. "wless victory!" For her, ying tag, too, was serious business. "Y-Yeah, good job." Sophia had to acknowledge her loss. "Mind getting off me, though...?" After getting tackled, she was lying face-first down on the grass with the cat-girl sitting on top of her. "Hmm~" From the sound of it, she had little ns to do so. "H-Hey!" "Let''s see..." Maya moved around a little and let the girl below her have enough space to turn around. Once Sophia was on her back, the cat-girl sat down on herp, restricting her movement once more. Then, she leaned forward and gave the tiger-girl a quick kiss on the lips. "..." Sophia froze up, and her face turned red. It seemed like the kiss and the position the two are in made her remember something that made the girl feel bashful. Even more than usual. "A-Ah..." Seeing her response, Maya had a simr reaction, feeling equally embarrassed with a deep blush on her face. She got off the tiger-girl a momentter but still stuck to her, leaning against her side while the two sat down on the grass. "..." Sophia needed another minute. "Y-Your air magic was quite impressive..." "T-Thanks... but even that wasn''t enough to beat you while using no magic..." "Well... I''m pretty sporty. I''ve been running basically daily for over ten years now. Add Canir''s boosts to that and also the extra agility I gained from bing a feline type of beast-girl¡­ Not to boast, but I''m quite proud of my fitness." "Though cornering is still a bit of a blind spot, huh?" "W-Well... Technically speaking, I''m still a newborn baby tiger~." She had a handy excuse. "Wow, that sounds wrong... I get the point, though. Do you mind if Ie with you the next time you go on a run? A normal, non-top-speed one, I mean. I want to train and get faster the normal way by training my body." "Absolutely not! That sounds like so much fun! Ah, but then you also must train me in fully unlocking my true feline agility. It seems like I still have a lot of room to grow in that regard." "dly!" ---------------- Having made ns to train together in the future, the two rxed a little longer on thefy grass while enjoying each other''spany. Half an hourter, Sophia''s expression drastically changed, though. With a very stern look and a slight grimace, she stared off in the distance to their left. "What''s wrong?" Maya quickly noticed that something was amiss. "..." Her face became even darker. "I was ying around with the sensitivity of my detection magic... Around 500m beyond the in, that way-" Sophia pointed in the direction she was looking. "There''s a lone human hiding..." "E-Eh...?" The cat-girl hadn''t expected that. "I thought our army made sure they all left?" "Yes." Sophia stood up while saying so. "I guess someone wants a personal invitation to leave from me." Without saying another word, she started walking in the direction the detection magic was guiding her. "Stupid humans... always killing the mood! I hoped we could do a little more¡­" Maya never was a fan, but she found another reason to dislike them. Once she finishedining about the wasted chance, she apparently had recovered from the awkwardness in that regard a lot faster than imagined, the cat-girl ran after Sophia, bracing herself for whatever was going to happen. Chapter 114 – Anger management Chapter 114 ¨C Anger management The couple yed tag together because Maya wanted to test whether she could use air magic to run faster. It worked but even then, she couldn''t match Sophia''s raw speed. Fortunately, because her feline instincts are more honed than those of the new tiger-girl, she managed to outmaneuver and catch her in the end. Taking tight corners and having Sophia make a mistake by the pressure she was applying on her brought her the victory. While they were rxing after their workout, Sophia yed around with the sensibility of her detection magic and found something that didn''t belong to the area, a human. "Why did you detect that human only now?" While the two were walking towards it, Maya tried to start a conversation. "Don''t you have a huge range on it, and it runs constantly?" "Yes, but I only let it show stronger targets because it''s too much otherwise." "I see... yeah, a human wouldn''t show up, then." "Absolutely. It was more of an ident for me to find them." "So... what are you going to do?" The cat-girl wasn''t sure if she even wanted to know. " That entirely depends on that human. If they''re hostile, so will I be. If not, I might even try to start a conversation." "Really...?" She was surprised. "I honestly expected something else." "Well... I want to learn to control my anger better. What''s better than a human for that?" "Literally everything." Maya stared at her with a disapproving expression. "Like, for real. Anything that exists in this world would be better." "..." Sophia had noeback. "Err... Canir also told me a couple of things about the human race that made me rather curious." "Did he? Wait... is it really okay for a higher being such as him to meddle so much with the world...?" "He''s just bored." "What a thing to say..." Maya rolled her eyes. "His words, not mine." ---------------- The couple eventually entered a little forest next to the in they were ying on before. There, they quickly found the human Sophia had detected, but the situation was a little different from what she imagined. "Well, that''s unexpected." Maya voiced the thought both of them had. "Yeah, that leg''s definitely broken... and that''s definitely not an easy fracture¡­ yikes." There was indeed a human, but he was in bad shape. It was a male human in his mid-tote twenties wearing the same military uniform as the humans Sophia fought a couple of days ago. He had brown hair, and his features were remarkably unremarkable. Though, the state of his health was far from that. He was leaning with his back against a tree and was either sleeping or unconscious. Judging by his body, thetter seemed much more likely. Not only did he look highly dehydrated, but his cut-uppants also revealed a swollen, ck and blue leg, which was bent in a way legs definitely aren''t supposed to. "Hmm..." Sophia stared at him for a while. "Are you going to help him?" "Wasn''t nning to, no." She didn''t care much about his injuries. Instead, she picked up a nearby stone and lightly flicked it at the human. "A-Ah..." Unfortunately, her aim was a little off and perfectly hit his broken leg. "Gaahh!" The intense pain forced him to regain consciousness and made him loudly scream in response. "..." Maya felt a little sorry for him. Not overly much, though. "Well, whatever. He''s awake now." Sophia didn''t feel sorry at all about her mistake. "It hurts! It hurts sooo freaking much!" Out of reflex, he grabbed his leg, the cause of his pain, but that naturally made it only worse. "Gaaah!" "Wow, he''s an idiot... How unexpected." The tiger-girl had no sympathy whatsoever. "Don''t be such a crybaby." "E-Eh...?" The human was so focused on his leg that he only now noticed that he wasn''t alone. "H-Huh?! You are-! Nooo, the m-monster! Please don''te near me! I-I won''t try to do anything! Please!" Seeing Sophia, he instantly began to panic and screamed while covering his face with his arms. "How rude!" "I kinda get his point, though..." Maya could see where he wasing from. "It''s still not nice." While not denying it, she still pouted a little before focusing on the human again, and the tone of her voice changed once more. "Why are you still here?" "W-Why...? Look at my leg... t-there''s no way I can walk!" "Oh, such a puny little injury is enough to put a superior human out ofmission, huh?" "..." He didn''t answer. "Well, we all know that your race is by no means superior to literally anything, so I don''t need a reply, anyway." While saying so, Sophia walked over to a tree a little away from him and sat down there while leaning her back against it. Maya did the same right next to her. "T-That''s-!" "Just don''t even try to say anything. You know what I''m capable of." "Urgh." "So, again, why are you here? You guys had a full army... carrying an injured person shouldn''t be a problem." "..." He awkwardly looked away. "The suprememanders... they ordered a swift retreat and to leave everyone behind who can''t walk on their own..." "Haa¡­" She needed a moment. "Seriously...?" Sophia was baffled. "You are joking, aren''t you...?" "Do... I look like it... It''smon practice in the army." "It is not. Really, why are you humans like that? Don''t leave your people that went to war, no matter how pointless it was, behind to die in a field!" "Don''t any of you have any sliver of shame...?" Maya, too, was appalled. "How... How does the army of the in... uh, the b-beastfolk handle such a situation...? "What did you want to say?" Sophia noticed his pause and red at him, but the cat-girl took over before she got too angry. "Ignoring the part where we don''t start a war, we know we have no chance of winning? For us, the war is only over once everyone is back home. It doesn''t matter if they''re unhurt, injured, or even dead. Every single one will get reunited with their family in one way or another." "I-I see..." He hung his head. "Mind answering a couple of questions I have about humanity?" "Do... Does it m-matter if I mind?" He at Sophia with a terrified expression. "No." "I understand... What do you want to-... ack!" He suddenly and violently started to cough. "What is it now again?" "Cough... It rained a bit yesterday... but I haven''t drunk anything much... since the war... three days ago..." "Haa..." The tiger-girl sighed. It wasn''t like she didn''t understand, but something about the whole situation annoyed her to no end. "Here, have some water..." She thought for a moment about doing something akin to dropping a bucket on him, but it felt like it would waste too much time. Instead, she let a small ball of water appear in front of the human''s face for him to drink. "T-Thank you..." He marveled at the magic for a moment before quickly drinking it. "I''ve only heard about s-silent magic in fairy tales..." "Silent...? Ah, chantless... Well, you actually need to have powers for that." "..." He hung his head once more. "While we''re on the topic, why do you guys even think you have any sort of mentionable power?" "I... I don''t know what to say... From when we''re little, the royalty, teachers, everyone always tells us we''re the one supreme race. Naturally, you would believe it when you don''t know any better, right...?" "He actually wasn''t messing with me...?" Sophia nced at the sky, recalling how Canir told her how the humans get misled by their higher-ups. "But... It''s honestly not hard to find out about the undeniable truth, is it?" "Well... until a certain age, you''re strongly advised not to leave the city. Even after that, you''re given little reason to leave. We even grow all our crops directly next to our cities. Except for hunters procuring meat other than chikens and the likes we raise on our own. and the army, people have basically no contact with other races... So, when the king or the officers say, the beastfolk''s... you know..." "Come on, say it." The tiger-girl had no intention to make it easy for him. "The beastfolk is a... f-filthy and, err... i-inferior race that should s-serve us... and do all the dirty work..." He closed his eyes and turned his head away, feeling like it was finally over for him now. "Hmm..." Her face was a little twitchy, but she managed to keep it together. "So, what do you personally think about it now? About us." "..." He paused. "The beastfolk''s... scary. I''m terrified of them..." "Ahh..." Maya nced at her girlfriend as he said it. "Not exactly what I had in mind, but it works for me." She wasn''t concerned about her image. "Me aside, though, you''re part of the human army. You should''ve known by now that you''re no match to any of us." "It was my first draft... Themanders kept telling us how lucky we were to go on such an important mission..." "You were a couple of thousand, though... That can''t possibly have been all new soldiers now, can they?" "Unlikely... we were all made to sign a contract to keep the events in the military a secret. Any sort of leaking would be severely punished. Also, once you''re in the military, you''re part of it forever. Deserting, too, would result in the same punishment. That''s why, even if some soldiers were already aware of it, they had no other choice..." "Why..." Sophia was massaging her temples. "Why would you ever sign something like that...? It couldn''t be more any more suspicious even if they tried..." "They are constantly looking for new people for some reason and pay well." "Haa..." She looked tired. "Some reason, sure¡­ Why are you guys so stupid?" "..." Once more, he had no answer for her. "Anyway..." Sophia gave up. "Now that this headache of mine is already throbbing, I want your opinion on something." "Y-Yes...?" "Our king wants an audience with yours to demand the end of the human efforts to mess with us." " ..." The human turned his head away again. "Not going to happen, is it?" "N-No chance..." He nodded. "Thought as much." The tiger-girl wasn''t the least bit surprised. "So, what would happen if I visit the human capital and show everyone how their view about their position in this world is slightly wrong?" "Y-You... in the capital...?!" His eyes grew wide. "Yep~." "I-It would cause a mass hysteria... The capital most likely would end up in mes..." "Really...?" Sophia hadn''t thought about that. "What about me meeting your king? No arranged audience or anything. I''ll just show up in front of him, and we''ll have a nice chat. I''ll demand things. He''ll listen." "T-That''s-" "How would that work out?" "l... I''m just a simple soldier... I never met our king. I assume if anything could work, this would be it, though..." "I see." she nodded. "Thank you very much. Still, are you alright with telling me all that? You''re basically betraying your whole race." "What were my options?" He hung his head for the nth time. "I fear you much more than anyone else. Your magic... that ck nothingness... it broke something inside me... My motivation to be a soldier, serve the army, care for our country, people¡­ gone. My leg''s done for... even in the off-chance I survive this, I''ll never walk again...What do I have to lose, anyway¡­?" "Hmm... What would you do if you weren''t injured?" Something in Sophia''s voice changed again. "What does it matter...?" He looked at his leg in regret. "Well... I don''t know... look for a remote vige and live there in peace? I don''t want to be involved in any of this anymore... I want a slow and quiet life. There was also a rumor that deserters formed a new colony somewhere deep in the middle of nowhere¡­ Sounds lovely now, doesn''t it? I don''t care if any of the higher-ups or the armyes after me anymore¡­ They can all keel over dead for all I care. I think I would even be happy about that¡­ Screw all of them!" "Wow, that mind maniption part of my darkness magic is scary... The hate towards your own race wasn''t even intended¡­ Anyway," She didn''t sound that concerned, though. "You were way more cooperative than I thought and hoped... Do you promise that you won''t ever try to harm any of the beastfolk? No¡­ anyone at all as long they don''t start it?" "I-I won''t ever go near the beastfolk again! My brain is in physical p-pain just thinking about it! They¡­ y-you¡­ too scary! Still, it doesn''t matter¡­" He once more nced at his destroyed leg. "Alright, I think I''ll help you out a little." Sophia got up and walked over to the guy. There, she held up her hand over his broken leg. A momentter, it was shrouded in a blueish-white light. Once it subsided, any sign of an injury was nowhere to be seen anymore. "W-What did you do...?" His eyes grew wide in shock. "I healed you." "Something like that is possible...?" "Looks like it, doesn''t it?" "T-Thank you very much... But why...?" "You showed me that humans might not be aplete lost cause, after all. You are extremely stupid and too easy to influence. Still, there might be possibly a tiny shred of reason left deep inside of you." "..." As usual, he had nothing he could reply. "Well, use your second chance wisely. I don''t want us to meet again." "Y-Yes... Thank you..." "Okay, that''s a bye, then." Not waiting for his reply, Sophia looked at Maya and signaled that it was time to leave. ---------------- The couple walked for a while until they were back on the in where they yed tag before. There, the cat-girl finally addressed her. "That was something..." "Yeah." "I''m impressed you stayed so calm." Maya hadn''t expected that. "I wanted to kill him about seven times." "That sounds more like the Sophia I know." "I tried to suppress my anger as much as possible. I want to find out how much is healthy." "And?" "I need more than this to be satisfied." The tiger felt like she held back too much. "Well, if you hold back on starting wars, I think getting a little angrier than earlier might not be such a problem." "Yes." "How about we go back?" Maya wanted to change the topic. "I''m getting a little hungry. Let''s get some food." "Best thing I''ve heard in- Ah..." She suddenly stopped mid-sentence. "Stop that!" The cat-girl already acts on instinct when her girlfriend suddenly says Ah out of nowhere. "My detection magic just picked something up... Fen and Aura are heading this way." "Eh? They''re supposed to be in the capital..." "Not anymore. They''ll be here in half an hour or so." "Weird... Oh, maybe the king''s back, and they noticed we''re not with them?" "That makes sense." And so, the couple had a change of ns and waited for the wolves to reunite with them before doing anything else. Chapter 115 – Back with the wolves Chapter 115 ¨C Back with the wolves A couple of hours before the couple found the injured human, King Menzor arrived back in the capital. Once he showed his face to the people, announcing they won the war, he returned to the castle. "Wee back, dear. You, too, Anna." Queen Kira weed the two in the castle''s entrance hall. "I heard we were victorious. Congrattions." "We indeed were..." Menzor didn''t sound that enthusiastic, though. "Well, Sophia was..." "She took on the entire human army by herself..." Anna, too, didn''t seem so happy. "That''s... something... Wait, where is she? And Maya, too?" She noticed that the two were missing. "Also, why do you two look so depressed? Wait, did something happen to them?!" "No, both are fine." "Father messed up with Sophia, and she..." "I did no-, let''s have this conversation somewhere else." Menzor wanted to defend himself, but the entrance hall wasn''t the best ce for that. "I had the maids prepare some tea in the garden earlier." Following Kira''s suggestion, the three went there to have a bit more private conversation. "So, what did you do, dear?" "She''s just not here because she''s not feeling well..." He seemed very evasive. "Father, again, that was just an excuse... Mother, Maya mentioned Sophia has cramps... If that isn''t a spur-of-the-moment reaction because she couldn''t think of anything better, I don''t know anymore..." "Dear, what did you do...?" The queen repeated herself while having the same disapproving expression as her daughter. "I-, I don''t know where to start..." He finally caved in. "Kira, do you remember the meeting we had with themanders before we left? Where Sophia got so, let''s say, emotional about the attempted kidnappings?" "Yes?" "As it turned out, there was more than one reason for it. We thought it was, well, not alright, but... because the humans only attempted to kidnap but never were sessful... No, we were wrong. Just as she mentioned, we ignored possible emotional damage that could get inflicted on you..." "Did you meet a potential victim...?" "Yes." "Who was it?" "Sophia..." "E-Eh?!" Kira was shocked. "She told us how they wanted to use, sell, and even kill her... She had all the rights to get angry at us. If it affected her this much... What about our normal citizens? We only heard about those attempts from reports of further away ces. They also always included that nothing happened, so we never put it on a high priority... The humans never dared to go near the capital, but if it had happened around here, maybe even to people we know¡­ Us? In retrospect, I''m amazed Sophia didn''t punch me in the face when she heard about it. She had all the right for it, after all¡­ Why didn''t I care more? I''ve made an unforgivable mistake¡­" "Uhh... Was she okay otherwise...?" The queen looked really concerned. "It''s Sophia we''re talking about." Anna answered her. "The humans are the ones who weren''t okay..." "I-I see... Yes, that makes sense." "She''s also pretty resentful... She used the whole couple of thousand men strong human army as stress relief and obliterated all of them in like 30 minutes." "Wow... She really held word, huh?" Kira remembered Sophia saying she would take care of everything on her own. "So, why didn''t theye back with you? I feel like there''s still something missing here." "Well..." Menzor took over. "Rumors about Sophia, the apparently lost member of the tiger family, are already circting all over the capital... Now, this very girl took out an entire human army division on her own... We can''t keep her a secret anymore. That''s why I told her about my ns to introduce her to the public." "She really didn''t like that..." Anna added the vital part. "I can imagine." The queen nodded. "While she''s definitely not good at avoiding it, Sophia doesn''t seem to enjoy getting too much attention..." "Yes... but what other choice did I have?" "You could just lie." A male voice interrupted them. Turning around, the group noticed two wolves, Fen and Aura, appearing out of nowhere. "A ruler has to make decisions that are best for his people, not the ones they want to hear." "That''s-" "Just say that, yes, we found a lost member of the tiger family, but we have to protect her true identity for reasons regarding her past. We aren''t hiding her, she runs freely around the city, after all. Some of you even already met her. We just decided against a grand public reveal, and we implore all of you not to crowd her and ask any questions that could make her ufortable." Fen came up with something on the spot. "Actually, it''s not really even a lie, now that I''ve said it out loud." "..." Menzor went silent for a moment. "I could''ve... should''ve done that..." "Anyway," Fen didn''t care about any of that. "The two are still in the city all of you went to, right? Aura, shall we go? There''s no reason for us to stay here anymore." "Sure, I felt like moving around, anyway." "Good, let''s leave. Royal family, it was an honor, but we''re going back to ourrades." "I see... Could I ask you to put in a good word for me? I never had the intention to scare her away." "I won''t plead your case, but I''ll at least tell Sophia about this conversation. Whatever her decision''s going to be, I''ll support it." Fen had no ns to help out the king, but neither did he want to make his life even harder. "Understandable. I thank you nheless." After that, the two wolves left the capital and headed straight towards the ce the couple was, thanks to the extended range of Aura''s detection magic. ---------------- "And that''s what happened." Once their party regrouped on the field, Sophia and Maya yed tag earlier in the day, Fen told the two what happened in the castle. "Wow... What a mess." Sophia shook her head. "I just didn''t go with them because I wanted to think a little longer and, more importantly, y around with magic. There was no deeper reason. What do I care about any of that?" "..." Fen and Aura only looked at each other, thinking how it was such a Sophia-like answer. "We actually nned to go back tomorrow..." Maya, too, didn''t see a problem. "Haa¡­ On an unrted, but much more important note..." Sophia didn''t feel like talking about it anymore and looked at the male wolf. "Why are you looking so smooth and shiny, Fen?" She noticed that something was up with his fur and walked up to him. There, she took a closer look before she ran her hands through his fur. "So silky! It feels amazing! What did you do with it?!" "..." He turned his head away without answering. "You can thank me for that!" Aura chided in. "I found a store in the capital that sells grooming products for fur and hair with an attached salon. Naturally, I took Fen along for a full-course treatment." Her fur, too, was shining, even more than it already always was. "Good job!" The tiger-girl gave her a thumbs up before burying her entire face into Fen''s side. "Shoo nice!" "I have very mixed feelings about this..." The wolf in question didn''t look so happy. "Hmm..." Maya walked up to him as well and also petted him. "You need to learn to say no to these two, Fen. You''ve always been way too lenient towards Sophia, and Aura doesn''t seem to be any different." "..." "It does feel really nice, though~." The cat-girl petted him a little more. "..." He feared for his position in the group. "Y-You seem to be in a good mood, though, Sophia." He wanted to change the topic. "Sure am. It''s been a great vacation." She had an interesting way of describing their trip. "I got to beat up a couple of thousand humans, and it was great against stress. The city has some delicious food, we did some shopping. Maya and I also... we, uhh... yeah, we had a great time." She had no better way to describe it. "Hmm...? "Aura noticed how the couple slightly awkwardly looked away from each other after Sophia finished her sentence. "Good for you~." She instantly knew what was up. "So, you finally faced off against an army, huh?" Fen hadn''t noticed and was interested in a different topic. "I think it was one of the first things we talked about regarding your magic power, wasn''t it?" "Y-Yeah... Never imagined it would actually happen. Not to mention how I won without even putting in some effort..." "I told you so." "Sure did... Speaking of which, I also had an actual conversation with a human just before the two of you arrived here." "Eh?!" This naturally surprised him. "How...?" "l usedrge-scale darkness magic on the human army and broke them a little~. They''ll never be able to be soldiers again." "That''s... something." "So, earlier, I found an injured soldier who had been abandoned by his army. Because he was super terrified of me and a tiny bit mind-broken, I was able to have a chat with him." Sophia then exined to the wolves what she found out about how messed up humanity is. "Wow..." Fen couldn''t believe it. "I knew they''re stupid, but this is..." "Yeah, but it also means there''s a chance to change something. If we gently convince the higher-ups of the humans, it''s possible. Or shroud their entire capital in darkness. Though, I would rather not if I don''t have to..." Her voice rxed after saying it. "Seeing the effects of that on the human earlier actually made me a bit ufortable... It''s really effective, but I might have to adjust it a bit." "Do you still want to find humans to get along with?" The male wolf was questioning her motivation. "Nah, I don''t care about that anymore. I''ve found a much better alternative." She took a quick nce at Maya. "I love the beastfolk, and I want to help them. That''s my motivation. Well, having some nice humans would still make me feel better, though." "I see." "Once his Majesty fails with his diplomatic approach, I might actually go to their capital." "Sounds like a pain, though." Fen wasn''t a fan. "Don''t worry, it won''t take long. I''ll just quickly go there, force their king into submission, maybe with a bit of brainwashing or a more gentle approach of convincing them, and we''re good to go." "Oh, okay then." He sounded happier now. "Uhh... wow..." The other two just looked at them. "Your girlfriend sure is something else." "Yeah... Your Fen''s influencing her quite a bit." Maya med the wolf. "I like it, though. Keeps things interesting." "S-Sure, that''s one way to look at it." She had mixed feelings about it. "Also... he''s not mine." Aura corrected the cat-girl. "Really? What''s keeping you?" "Yes... Well, the gap year I took added some baggage... We''re just getting to know each other again." "That makes sense." "Fen''s also changed quite a bit." Aura gestured at the wolf, who had started bickering with the tiger-girl about something at some point. "Did he?" "Yeah... He used to be a lot stiffer. Researching magic was always his top priority, though I never minded that because I loved doing that, too." "Really? So, what about the new, easygoing Fen?" "I like it. Very much so." "Isn''t that great? Good luck, then. If you ever need help, just ask." "Thank you. Well," Aura looked at Sophia. "You seem to know how to win over the odd ones." "Ahaha..." She could onlyugh. "By the way, Fenny~." While the two girls were chatting, the tiger-girl addressed him again. "Keep yourself free tomorrow, okay?" "I have nothing nned. What''s the n?" "I created a new magic and need a test subject." "Wait... did you say tomorrow? Sorry, I''mpletely booked out." While he was always interested in new magic, he had a bad feeling about this specific one. "Oh, what did you do?" The other wolf got interested instead. "I''m in!" "Aura~!" She gave her a hug. "You''re the best!" "H-Hey!" Fen almost sounded jealous. "Wow..." Maya pitied him a little. "So, what''s up?" "You saw my storage magic, right?" "Of course! I''m also terribly envious of it!" "Ehehe~. Well, I''ve further improved and radically changed it!" "How?" "I changed the insides and made bigger portals. You can enter it now!" "Eh...?" Aura needed a moment. "Then, I made another portal and connected both to the same ce." "W-Wait a moment... You don''t mean..." Fen seemed to have noticed where she was going. "Yes, we can use it to fast travel from one ce to another." "Seriously?!" Both wolves were shocked. "Yep~." Sophia was really proud of herself. "Does it... actually work?" "Maya and I tried it with stones and a yackalope I threw inside. It all came out the other side... eventually." She briefly remembered how she messed up her throw or how the rabbit first took a nap inside. "Wow..." The two couldn''t believe it. "Now, I just need someone to test it who can also give me feedback." "Why don''t you try it yourself?" Fen got a little wary about the whole thing. "I promised Maya not to do anything dangerous carelessly." "So, it is dangerous?!" "Probably not?" She didn''t sound overly convincing. "I just can''t guarantee it, meaning someone else has to try it first." "I-I see." "Well, it''s alreadyte." Sophia looked around and noticed that the sun was almost gone already. "Let''s give it a try tomorrow." Afterward, the group went back to the nearby city. There, they had dinner in a restaurant together before going back to the inn the couple was staying in. Fen and Aura also stayed there, and a very eventful day finally neared its end. Chapter 116 – Thinking with portals Chapter 116 ¨C Thinking with portals Once Sophia finished her conversation with a human she found, she noticed that Fen and Aura were closing in on them. After the group was reunited, the wolves told the two that there was no reason to stay any longer in the capital without them around. They had no way of knowing that the couple was nning to return soon. While they were at it, Sophia also told the wolves about her new magic. The two were naturally surprised that the outrageous tiger-girl actually invented a way to fast travel between ces. Having had breakfast in the city, the group then returned to the empty in from the day before again. There, Sophia created the two portals to enter her storage dimension. "Well then, hop in there, Fenny~." She wanted to waste no time. "Hmm..." He got closer to one of the purple portals and mustered it. "And this really works?" "Almost 70% fairly sure that it might possibly could work." "..." He didn''t like the sound of that. "This is seriously impressive." Aura was looking at the other portal. "Ehehe~." "So, how does it work?" She seemed really curious about it. "Do you enter one portal and immediately exit the other?" "Not quite. They''re both connected to my storage space, and you have to walk through it like a hallway." "I see..." The female wolf tilled her head. "Oh, does that mean you could use even more portals? Creating like a hub that connects many ces with each other?" "That sounds awesome!" Sophia liked the idea. "You two... We aren''t even sure it works at all yet." Maya tried to not let them get too excited. "R-Right..." The two hung their heads. "Okay! Let''s change that!" Aura walked back a few steps to get a running start and simply leaped into the portal without warning. "Wow, she''s fearless!" The tiger-girl was impressed. "Eh?!" Fen saw her disappearing and lost his cool. Immediately after, he jumped into the portal next to him without thinking, as well. "Uhh..." The couple couldn''t keep up with the events. "What just happened?" "Hmm..." Maya thought about the situation. "He probably panicked when Aura suddenly disappeared." "What do you- Ohh!" She stopped mid-sentence. "Because he had already lost her once before?" "That''s my interpretation, yes." "Fen''s adorable!" Sophia loved his reaction. "Yes, he scored a lot of points with that. I bet Aura''s really happy, as well." "Oh, yeah, how is it going between them, anyway?" Yesterday, Sophia was busy with the male wolf, so she didn''t hear about the other two''s conversation. "They want to get to know each other again first." "Yeah, makes sense. A lot happened, after all." "Though their feelings are obviously stronger than that." "Obviously." ---------------- "..." Around ten minutes passed, and the couple didn''t know what to do. "So... What now?" Sophia looked at the portals. "That''s an excellent question." "I also don''t want to take a look inside. I feel like that could end up being very awkward and or embarrassing." "True." Unsure how to continue, the two waited around half an hour for anything to happen. Sophia was about to take a peek because they took too long, but she luckily didn''t need to. Both portals suddenly showed some movement, and the two wolves reappeared. "A-Ah... Wee back, I guess?" The tiger almost bumped into Fen because she was so close. "Yes, we, uhh, safely returned." "Your magic''s amazing, Sophia." Neither of them addressed what happened. "Thanks. Were there any problems? With getting in and out, I mean?" "No, there weren''t any issues with that at all." He sounded a little awkward. "That''s awesome!" She had no ns to press the other issue, either. "Alright, let''s go in together next, Maya." "E-Eh?!" The cat-girl hadn''t heard about this before. "Should I go alone?" "No!" She gave an immediate reply. "Nothing good ever happens when you''re alone!" "Well then," She pointed at the portal. "Let''s a go!" "Uhh... Aura, is it really safe?" "It''s a little bright inside, but other than that, it was really smooth." "F-Fine... Let''s do it, Sophia!" In the end, she also was curious about it. "Yay!" The two lined up next to each other, and the tiger-girl counted to three before they went through the portal. That at least was the n. Maya was the only one who entered because Sophia stopped at thest moment and turned around for some reason. "What''s wrong?" Fen looked confused. "I didn''t want to worry Maya, but... I''m a little concerned about what could happen if I gopletely inside my own portals. What if they vanish if I''m not on this side anymore?" "That''s..." "My storage dimension seems simr to the ce I meet Canir from time to time. He has a shrine in the city¡­ If the portals do vanish, try to contact him there. You know each other, so he might answer and has an idea how to get us out..." "S-Sure." "I don''t think it''s needed, but just in case..." Saying so, she turned around again and followed Maya through the portal. "Phew..." Fen exhaled when he saw that that the purple gales were still here when the tiger-girl disappeared. "I think she''s the most easygoing and serious person I''ve ever met." Aura had a hard time categorizing her personality. "No kidding." ---------------- Sophia arrived at the other side of the portal and was immediately greeted by an angry-looking cat-girl whose tail was impatiently swishing all over the ce. "You''rete!" "Thank god it worked!" She instantly turned around to see whether the portal was still there. "What took you so long?!" "Ahh... Sorry about that. I had to tell Fen something." "Couldn''t you have done that before I went in?" "No, because you never would''ve allowed me to try it, then." "Huh?" "I didn''t believe anything would happen, but I was wondering whether anything could go wrong if I fully pass through my own portal... There was a slight chance I could be trapped in here..." "What did I tell you about dangerous experiments?!" She was seriously angry. "I''m very sorry... I just really wanted to try it out. I also gave Fen instructions on what to do. I tried to minimize the risks as much as possible." "Urgh..." Maya didn''t know what to say. "Wait a moment! So, you wanted to trap me, too?!" "W-Well... When I saw what Fen did without thinking when he saw Aura disappearing earlier¡­ Well, I have no idea what you would do... Also, I probably would''ve lost it and did something really stupid if I were to be stuck alone here..." "Hrmn..." There wasn''t much the cat-girl could say. To either of those ims, that is. "I''m sorry." Sophia apologized again. "It''s fine..." She couldn''t stay angry at her. "But think a little more about my feelings, though, okay?" "I always do! I''m just not that good at picking the right course of action." "Idiot." Maya let out a small chuckle. "So, how does all of this work?" She gestured all around her in the white corridor they were in. "What makes you think I know?" Sophia only stared at her with a questioning expression. "..." "I just imagined an empty ce to store our stuff and changed around a couple of things so living beings can survive in here. I''m more surprised than anyone else that it actually worked out." "You really are something else." "Ehehe~." "Sure, take it as apliment, I don''t mind. Speaking of it, where is all of our stuff?" "Let''s see... err... Ah, I think it''s around here." She looked around for a moment before tapping against one of the white walls. It opened up and revealed another, much bigger room. "W-Woah..." The cat-girl peeked inside and was shocked. It was filled with all sorts of non-perishable food, many clothes, cooking and camping utensils, pillows, nkets, and tons of other misceneous things. "D-Did we really buy that much stuff...?" She knew that the two didn''t really hold back when it came to shopping but seeing everything at once shocked her a little. "Impressive, isn''t it?" "I think we should watch a little more what we buy." "Nah." Sophia had no intentions to change her shopping habits. "Anyway, should we leave?" She quickly closed the storage room to not give her any more stupid ideas. "Sure." Maya looked at the purple portal for a moment before walking through it with her eyes closed. "It worked!" She sounded relieved once she saw the in and the two wolves again. "Wee back." They lightly greeted the couple. "It works perfectly!" Sophia made a victory pose. "This is so amazing!" "It absolutely is!" Aura shared her enthusiasm. "You''ll have to teach me how to do it sometime." "Sure. Once I understand out how I do it, I''ll dly tell you." "..." Everyone remained silent. "By the way, what do you want to do with this magic?" Fen was curious. "I n to ce a portal somewhere in the capital. I want to continue traveling and see more of this world, but I also want to help out the king and the beastfolk. With the portals, I can do both. Explore interesting ces wherever and be back the moment something happens." "Oh, I see. That''s quite clever." "You have to carefully hide it, though." Maya warned her. "I have no idea how much of amotion these portals would cause." "True." The tiger-girl nodded. "That is a thing I have yet to figure out. That, and how I exin any of this to the king in a way it even remotely makes sense." "Good luck." Maya didn''t even try to help. "What now? Heading back to the capital?" "While taking our time, please. I''ll have to think about a solution to these problems while we go back." "Sure. I''m in no hurry." Except for maybe Ellie, there wasn''t much in the capital that makes her want to return in an instant. "A-Ah..." "What?!" Everyone in her group hated that exmation of hers. "N-No... I just had another idea with my portals... I could''ve tried to make them see-through. It would''ve saved us, mainly me, a ton of work and trouble..." "Idiot." Maya and the wolves had the same reaction. ---------------- As the wolves never had any luggage and the couple hadn''t left anything behind in their room of the inn, they didn''t need to go back to the city. Sophia let the portals disappear, and the group began to roughly walk into the direction of the capital together. They kept going until the evening before deciding on a ce to camp at the edge of another in next to a small forest. They had already eaten, and the couple also had also taken their regr bath when they all got together around the campfire. There, Sophia absentmindedly stared into the mes for a while. "What are you thinking about?" Maya addressed her. "Same as earlier, trying to find out what to say in the capital..." "How do you feel about exploiting the king a little, Sophia?" Fen suggested something slightly outrageous sounding. "I''m listening?" She wasn''t against it from the get-go. "Sometimes, I really don''t like their dynamic." "I think it''s cute, in some way or another." Aura didn''t share the cat-girl''s opinion. "King Menzor really wants you toe back to the capital. Let him pay for it." "How''s money going to help here?" The tiger-girl didn''t see where he was going with it. "No, let him give you a vi, mansion, house, whatever. There, just put the portal in the basement, and you''re good to go." "Would he actually give me a house...?" "Girl, you won a war for him, not to mention without any casualties. A vi or two is the least he could... or should do." "Hmm... What do you think, Maya?" "Aside from wanting to make ament about the two of you being okay with extorting the ruler of a country...? Well, then again, I don''t think it''s actually extortion in this case. You really should get a reward for what you''ve done. I don''t know if it''s to the extent of a vi or two because I haven''t gained much experience in that regard in my life before, but still." "Fair point." Sophia, too, never participated in something like that before. "As for the other thing," The wolf continued. "Just don''t tell them the details about your methods to travel. They saw what you''re capable of. Everyone will believe it if you simply tell them that you just can travel from one ce to another in an instant." "You sure make it sound easy." "Because it is." "Okay, whatever, it''s worth a try." Sophia wasn''t sure whether it works, but she had no better idea, either. "Let''s do it like that." Being d that she finally had some sort of n that allowed her to help the beastfolk and explore the world at the same time, the tiger-girl felt pretty happy. The group chatted for a little longer before eventually turning in for the night and continued their travel on the following day. Chapter 117 – Returning to the capital Chapter 117 ¨C Returning to the capital Sophiapleted her fast-travel magic by using her extra dimension as a shortcut, and everyone sessfully tried it out. Afterward, the group began to make their way back to the beastfolk capital. The tiger-girl wants to use her new magic to further explore the world while also being able to help out in the capital when she''s needed there. As they could travel much faster than a carriage, the capital was already in view before noon of the following day, even with the four having taken their time. "Wow, it feels like half an eternity since I''vest been here even though it was just around a week..." Sophia overlooked the colossal city from a distance and felt a little nostalgic. "Well, it was pretty eventful." Maya understood her feelings. "That''s true. V-Very eventful..." The tiger-girl stuttered for a second before continuing. "And I somehow feel it''ll get even more lively..." "For the better or worse." "Yeah..." Sophia paused for a moment. "Well, let''s get going. Straight to the castle, I say!" She was strangely motivated. Leading the gang, she entered the capital through the city gate and walked along the main road towards the castle. As usual, she caught a lot of curious nces, but no one tried to approach her. The rumors around her had already reached most people, so they weren''t as surprised anymore. ---------------- Arriving at the royal castle, there was a bit of amotion, though. The jaguar-girl maids, with yellowish hair and ck spots, naturally recognized the group and got lively. Two of them disappeared inside while thest one walked up to them. "Wee! We''re d to see you again." The maid seemed cheerful. "Were you waiting for us?" The tiger-girl tried to interpret her words. "We were hopeful. Us maids naturally aren''t in the know about many things, but we''re aware that his Majesty is under a lot more stress ever since he came back without you." "If anything, I would''ve been sure that he''s having a lot less of it now." "Oi! Well, true." The blonde couldn''t say anything against Maya''s jab. "Please follow me." The maid guided them inside, but they only made it to the entrance hall, where someone else was waiting for them, too. "So... phia!" A little tiger-girl in the arms of queen Kira seemed really happy about her arrival. "Ellie!" So was the bigger, blonde one. "Wee." Kira greeted them and put her daughter on the ground. "So... phia!" She immediately began running over to her. "Ehehe~." She met the little girl halfway, lifted her up, and spun around in a circle with her a couple of times. "I missed you!" "Yay! Ellie missed... you too!" She had a bright smile while they were ying around. "Sooo..." Maya ignored her idiot and looked at the queen. "How''s the current situation?" "Well... Menzor''s running in circles like a caged animal in his office ever since he came back. I hope it''ll get better now that you''re all here." "I have my doubts about that..." Maya''s future included a king with a massive migraine. "Sophia''s n probably isn''t what he''s hoping for." "She isn''t going to stay, is she?" "It''s, uhh... ." The cat-girl couldn''t exin their ns. "Is he avable at the moment?" "Even if not, he would make time. Should I guide you to him?" "This would be helpful. Sophia, enough ying around, we''re going!" "Ehhh?" Both tiger-girls, the small and the blonde one, didn''t like the sound of that. "You two can continue with thatter." "Yay!" Their expressions brightened up again. ---------------- Sophia reluctantly let go of Ellie and then followed the queen with the rest of her group after leaving the little princess to one of the maids. Kira guided them to the office of king Menzor and announced their arrival. "Dear, you have guests." "Yes, the maids already informed me. Wee back, Sophia, Maya. It hasn''t been that long, Aura, Fen, has it?" "I''m sorry for the mess I caused around my return." "No, I didn''t handle it with enough care, either." Menzor now knew that Sophia felt too pressured by him. "Yeah, I''m quite the handful." "No kidding." Maya was proud of her self-assessment. "How can I interpret your return to the capital?" He came straight to the point. "Is it good news?" "Well," Knowing that this will be a long conversation, Sophia sat down on the sofa in his office, and the others followed her example. "It''s good, bad, andplicated news if anything..." "I didn''t expect anything less from you." "Ahaha... Where do I even start?" "Make it quick and painless, please." "That''s a tall order..." Her n was more of the long and painful type. "First off, I need a ce to stay in the future. Somewhere that is not inside the castle." "By that, you mean...?" "Fen advised me that I should ask for a reward for my achievements in the war. All things considered, I think I did a good job which not even caused casualties." "This is certainly the case." "That''s why, I think a house, like my own ce to stay, would be a suitable reward for what I aplished." "I see... It certainly is not an unreasonable request. Though, I''m a bit surprised. I first need to check which ces are free to offer." He apparently wasn''t against such a reward. "Wow, that was a lot easier than I imagined." The blonde tiger-girl didn''t expect it to go this smoothly. "But, does that mean you''re going to stay in the capital, Sophia?" "I''m... not?" It sounded more like a question. "I don''t understand." Naturally, Menzor was confused. "Why do you need a mansion, then?" "Because, in a way, I''m also not leaving¡­?" "..." He started to understand why quick and painless seemed to be a tough order. "As far as I know, people can''t be at two ces at the same time." "That''s true, but people can travel from one ce to another almost instantly." "No, they can''t." "Well, I can." "..." Menzor stopped and held his head. Maya''s predicted future, where the king developed a migraine, became true. "I won''t go into detail because it''s original magic I developed and don''t want to share it. Long story short, I can go from one ce to another, no matter the distance, in a couple of seconds." "..." He could still only massage his head. "With this, I can still live my dream to travel and explore the world while I also can help out in the capital... and y with Ellie." Chances are, this was her actual, true motive for all of this. "Err..." It obviously was too much for him. "I want to say it''s impossible and that you''re crazy, but..." "You''re right with one of those things." Maya partially agreed with the king. "Hey! It might be true, but it still hurts!" "I assume this magic requires special requirements to be used? If it actually exists, it would be extremely useful." "Yes, it requires multiple uncategorized types of original magic that I came up with myself. Nobody besides me can use it." "I see..." "That''s how it is." "Too bad... Okay, let me try to understand the situation." King Menzor took a deep breath before continuing. "While you''re not going to permanently stay in our capital, you''ll be around from time to time, and when you''re needed, you''ll be avable." "Well, not for every little thing, except when Ellie''s the one asking, but I''m happy to help out the beastfolk when I feel like it, or my powers are needed." "Of course. I think I need a night to sleep over it, though. My brain''s having a hard time keeping up with everything." "Sure, I''m not in a rush. Although," Sophia, unfortunately, wasn''t done yet. "There''s more." "M-More?" "Indeed. You said before that you want to introduce me to the public. I''m... not going to take part in that. I know how Ie off as, and my shy actions speak a differentnguage, but I don''t like getting too much attention. I believe Fen already gave you an alternative. You can announce my existence and all that, but I won''t appear in front of a crowd. That''s only something I can do when I''m angry and don''t care about the other side. This is clearly not the case here." "Yes. I gave it a lot of thought after Fen told me about this option. "We can do it like this. Our people already know about your existence, so just announcing it to the public is enough." "Thank you." "No, I thank you. Still," He stared at the blonde tiger-girl. "Did something happen after you stayed behind? You seem different." "W-What do you mean?" Many things happened, none of which Sophia had any intention to share. "You seem more mature or serious... No, confident." "Ahh... Well, I have my moments. Some stuff also happened, and I did a lot of thinking because it was important to me. I''m really grateful to beastfolk because they took me in when I had no one else anymore, aside from Fen, of course, and I somehow feel a deep connection to them. Helping them out seems like a matter of course for me." "The blood of the tiger family runs deep in you." He was impressed by her devotion to the beastfolk. "Y-Yeah..." Sophia looked a little awkward. While it''s correct that she''s a true tiger-girl, it was more of an ident that she became one. "But there''s also my personal dream of exploring the world. With the magic I came up with, I''m able to do both, and that made me extremely happy." "I understand. I''m also d we won''t lose you. Well, I would say that we end it here for today. I need to talk to some ministers to see which kind of housing is currently free that we can offer you, and also how I can sell our arrangement here to everyone." "Alright, sounds good to me." "But still... Magic that lets you go from one ce to another..." Menzor couldn''t let go of it. "It would be so incredibly useful for ruling the nation." "Even if I would share how I do it, your Majesty, only these three have enough power to actually be able to use it." Sophia looked at herrades. "I see... Yes, that makes sense." "Well, there''s another one in the castle, but she''s way too young for it." "Huh? Who do you mean?" The king seemed confused. "Eh?" Sophia also tilted her head. "Ellie, of course. She doesn''te close to Maya, but she has around half to maybe two-thirds of her magic power." "What?!" Both, Menzor and queen Kira, who was in the background until now, cried out. "Hmm? I thought you knew...?" The blonde didn''t understand their reaction. "She isn''t able to use magic yet, so it''s impossible to sense her powers!" "Huh? Fen, did I make a mistake?" She faced the inventor of the detection magic she used to notice the power of the little tiger-girl. "No, you are correct. It''s a little under half of Maya''s power. After our cat, it was the second time I was surprised about the magic of an individual from the beastfolk. S-Sophia, Aura, and I excluded because I''ve known them for longer already..." He quickly added thest part to not raise any suspicion. "Nonono, as I said, she can''t use magic yet." "We use a different approach than instinctively sensing power. We''re using a magic that lets us gauge the magic power of an individual. It also includes the potential of said being." "S-Seriously?!" "Our Ellie... She will have this much power?" Her parents were naturally shocked. "Did I say something I wasn''t supposed to say? "N-No... We''re just surprised. Neither of us even thought about such a possibility..." "Are there... Are there any downsides to having that much power? Especially when you''re still little like our Ellie?" Kira was a little concerned. "Not really." Maya, the only actual beastperson who grew up with extreme magic powers, answered her. "You should watch her a little more closely when she starts using magic, though. I had the tendencies to experiment with magics that were slightly too dangerous for my age because I couldn''t stop my curiosity. I was a very healthy kid otherwise." "That''s reassuring. Thank you very much for this information." The queen sounded relieved. After the royal couple learned the news about her youngest daughter, together with everything Sophia said before, they really needed a break. The group around the blonde tiger-girl left them alone and tried to find something interesting to spend the rest of the day on. Chapter 118 – Playing tag with Ellie Chapter 118 ¨C ying tag with Ellie Sophia and the group returned to the capital and talked with the king. She told him about her n to travel while also being in the capital by using a magic that lets her change ces quickly whenever she''s needed. He naturally needed time to think about it and, most importantly, understand it, but he wasn''t against it. Sophia also identally told them about Ellie''s vast magical powers. Her parents weren''t aware of it because their daughter wasn''t able to use magic yet. This caused quite a bit of a shock, and everyone decided to take a break. The group was currently rxing in the garden of the castle. The maids had served the couple some tea while the two wolvesy sprawled out on the freshly cutwn while bathing in the rays of the sun. "Not going to lie, if I wouldn''t care about traveling and exploring the world, this life wouldn''t be so bad." Sophia took a sip from her tea with a rxed expression as she overlooked the beautiful garden with its many colorful flowers. "While I find myself agreeing at the moment, I would probably get bored in about three days." "True." She shared Maya''s opinion. "Not sure if I would evenst that long." "Yeah, I can''t imagine you sitting still for three days." "Impossible." There was no reason for her to deny it. "Although, it''s about to get even livelier, so..." "What do you mean?" "Huh?! Sophia, Maya!? You came back!?" Another tiger-girl, this time with more orangy hair, had entered the garden. It seemed like princess Anna just came back from school because she was still wearing her uniform. "Hey there, Anna~." Sophia had already known that she would arrive at this moment. "Yeah, we came back a few hours ago. Already back to school? Didn''t you guys arrive yourselves not too long ago, either?" "Yes, but Father immediately sent me back to the academy because I was gone for so many days. It''s sooo unfair!" "Tough luck." "Absolutely! Wait, that''s not important!" She suddenly raised her voice even more. "I see what you mean now..." Maya sighed as she looked at Sophia, understanding what she meant by livelier earlier. "Want to sit down, princess?" She offered Anna the free seat at the table the couple was sitting at. "Ah, thank you." Doing as told, she sat down next to the couple." I... wasn''t sure if I would see any of you ever again..." She sounded both relieved and sad when thinking about it. "The royal family sure likes to overreact. I just needed a little time to clear my head and think. That''s why I had Maya excuse me for the time being. Though, that might''ve been a mistake..." She remembered how the cat-girl told the king about it. "She sucks at it." "I-I already told you I''m sorry! I just panicked..." "So, it really was just a feeble excuse, huh?" "Of course! I''m still around a week away from it even now. More importantly, I would never tell the king of all people that I''m on my period! Not to mention that I''m rarely affected by it to such a degree. Actually, my cat here probably used that excuse because two weeks prior to her excuse, she felt like dying because of the very same reason." Sophia was still a little upset about the pretext she used. "H-Hey!" "I see... You should think a little more next time, Maya." "Urgh..." She had no allies. "I don''t like when you two bond... Especially when it''s over something like that..." Because what happened during the war was so over the top, the awkwardness between the tigers wasn''t as apparent anymore. It helped Anna getting somewhat over it for the time being. "Hehe." Sophia let out a small chuckle. "¡­" Bonding, now that it was over between them, still hurt a bit, though. "A-Are you two... well, you four going to stay?" The princess nced at the wolves napping side by side on thewn. "Err, that''s a littleplicated. I''m still discussing the details with your father. We''ll definitely be around a lot, though." "Really?! That''s great!" Anna seemed really happy. "A-Ah, I''m d about both of you, okay? I would''ve missed you, too, Maya. N-No matter what happened between Sophia and me, or rather, not happened... I still consider both of you my friends." "I wasn''t going to say anything." The cat-girl looked perfectly calm as she took a sip from her tea. "That''s unexpected..." She remembered her to be more jealous. "Well, Sophia told you how she feels, and I unconditionally trust her. Other than that, you''re a nice girl, princess, so I''m d you want to get along with us." "Okay, what happened?" Anna immediately became suspicious. "W-What do you mean?" "You two seem different... Somehow calmer... more at peace... Especially that uber-jealous cat." "Y-You''re imagining things..." Maya naturally had no intention to tell her what happened, what made them like this. "Really now?" She nced at the two for a moment. "Well, whatever, it''s a good thing." "Sure is." The couple answered at the same time. Once the cat-girl managed to divert her attention, the trio chatted for a while longer. Unfortunately, Anna had to leave at some point because she had a couple of school-rted duties to take care of. Luckily, nothing else happened anymore, and the group leisurely spent the rest of the day doing nothing. On the following day, Sophia was a little busier, but in a way she didn''t mind. ---------------- "So... phia, let''s y!" The little princess, who has slight problems with pronouncing the blonde tiger-girl''s name, had missed her and wanted to spend some time with her. "Of course!" Being really attached to Ellie as well, she directly agreed. As everyone was in the garden again, the two opted to y tag. As she naturally couldn''t go all out as she did in the game of tag with Maya not too long ago, Sophia obviously severely handicapped herself. "Yay!" The princess immediately began to chase the taller tiger, and both disappeared somewhere in the garden before long. "Those two..." Maya sighed as she watched them while sitting on the same terrace as yesterday while enjoying yet another cup of tea. "It''s adorable, isn''t it?" Queen Kira was sitting at the same table and looked in the same direction. "It might be... It''s a cplicated feeling, watching them..." "Seeing your future?" "E-Eh?!" She almost spat out her tea. "N-No... I think I already told you we''re not at that point..." "Really? You two definitely have changedpared to a week ago, though." "Urgh..." She got a little embarrassed over how absolutely everyone had already noticed that something between the couple had changed. "Not one wasted thought? About a kid, that is." "Not really... We''re both too young in my eyes, and while I admit that it doesn''t seem like it, the two of us haven''t even been dating for that long. Also, Sophia and I want to freely explore the world right now." "I see." "Although..." Maya nced at Sophia ying with the little princess in the distance. They had switched ces at some point, and Ellie was running away while being chased by the blonde tiger, who was, for some reason, unable to catch the girl. "Although?" "It''s, uhh... reassuring to know that she''ll be a good... m-mother..." "You''re right. That''s always good knowledge to have." Kira agreed. "She definitely will be. Though, I have the feeling she would be very overprotective." "Yep." She didn''t even need to think about that possibility. "A-Anyway, did sleeping over Ellie''s magic power help? You and His Majesty were both quite shocked about it, after all." She desperately wanted to change the topic. "Yes... it''s as you said. It has no real downsides, so we''re actually really happy for her. Still... don''t get me wrong, Maya, but I hope she doesn''t get quite as... entric as your Sophia..." "Oh no, don''t be sorry! I''ll pray for you that it doesn''t happen!" The cat-girl wasn''t the least bit offended. "Well, while I admit I have my moments, I still think I''m somewhat normal. Ellie should be alright." "We also don''t understand where ites from. Menzor and I have rtivelyrge magic powers but evenbined, it''s nowhere close to it." "I don''t think that''s always how it works. While I don''t know about Fen''s or Aura''s family and Sophia... Well, she doesn''t have any family she could tell me about the magic power they had... My parents arepletely normal. My father actually has barely enough power for everyday magic." "I-, I see..." The queen was a little affected by Sophia''s part of the story, unable to know why Maya worded it like that. "Though, there might be some drastic change in Ellie''s life with so much magic, after all..." "E-Eh?!" Naturally, Kira didn''t like this turn. "It''s about the corrtion between magic power and your age..." "Ahh..." She looked relieved. "The royal family knows about it, don''t worry." "Do you also know to what extent it affects someone?" "What do you mean?" "I don''t know how it really works myself because I haven''t known about it for so long either, but all of us, Fen, Aura, Sophia, and I, we''re at a point with our power where we stopped aging at all. I mean, I''m five years older than Anna, and yet I still look younger. Sophia''s even a year older on top... We grew up with normal speed, but we basically stopped at our current age." "W-What...?" "I doubt it''s the exact same for Ellie because she still has a lot less power than I have, but... I wouldn''t be surprised if she gets to the age of Anna and stays with those looks for a looong while. I would imagine that she''ll be quite simr to what we know about elves in that regard. Someone with a youthful look and who''s very long-lived." "R-Really...?" The queen seemed overwhelmed. "Yeah, sorry... It''s kinda hard to wrap your head around, I know..." Maya had gone through the same, after all. "Y-Yes... I guess it''s a good thing...? Staying young, that is." "Depends on who you ask, I guess... Sophia would''ve loved to age another year or two." "A-Ah..." Kira wasn''t sure what to say. "Well, if she really wants to, I''m sure she could invent some magic to mature at least parts of her body." Maya waswell aware that Sophia can do that already, verywell, but she didn''t feel like telling her that much. "She''s quite the outrageous one, isn''t she?" "Always has been." "Still, Ellie will be significantly older than anyone in her family, huh...? In a way, that''s pretty sad... Though, as a mother, I''m also happy that she most definitely won''t go before me... Stay with her in that future, okay?" "Do you really think Sophia would ever leave her on her own? And I mean ever." "d to hear." She sounded ever so slightly relieved. "I wonder what that means for our country, too. They know that the tigers get older than most, but this is something else entirely." "Imagine her taking over the throne in the future to be theEternal Queen." "A-Ah..." Kira''s expression turned very awkward. "W-Well, enough of that..." Maya felt like changing the topic. "Are there any news around Sophia''s... project?" "M-Menzor met the Minister of Housing this morning to discuss which kind of property we can offer." "Minister... property...? Isn''t that a little over the top?" "Not at all. She won a war on her own, and above all, she''s more or less part of the royal family as a fellow tiger. Anything less than a mansion doesn''t work for publicity reasons alone." "S-Seriously?! For my girlfriend to be treated like that..." "Not just Sophia. You, as her partner, have basically the same standing as her." "Ehh...? My parents will have a heart attack the next time I see them..." "They don''t know her?" "Indirectly... I told them about going on an adventure to train my magic with an interesting girl, but I omitted a couple of... details." Details that didn''t exist yet because she thought Sophia was a demon back then. Obviously, Maya couldn''t tell her that, though. "Oh my, good luck with that." "T-Thanks..." "The minister wanted to get back to Menzor soon. You might get to visit a few options in the afternoon." "I doubt that..." Maya nced at the two tiger-girls who were still chasing each other through the garden. "I think today''s Ellie Day for her." "You... might have a point." ---------------- They chatted for a while longer while watching the two ying in the garden, but those tiger-girls eventually came back to the terrace for some reason. "Maya!" Ellie seemed to be excited for some reason. "Y-Yes?!" Not expecting this, her voice cracked. The cat-girl hadn''t had much interaction with the little princess yet, so she was surprised about the turn of events. "So... phia told Ellie you are reeaaally good at tag!" "Am I?" "Queen of tag, So... phia said!" "Really?" "You sure are." The bigger tiger chimed in. "You definitely earned the title when we yed the other day." "I see... Well, I did go all out back there..." "Maya, y with Ellie and So... phia!" "Ehh...?" "Come on, it''s fun!" Sophia also wanted her to join. "Hrmn..." "Please~." Both tigers looked at her with pleading eyes. "... Fine." She couldn''t say no to them. "Give me a minute to finish my tea, and I''ll join, okay?" "Yay!" The two seemed happy and went back to ying. "Bad with kids?" Kira noticed her slight reluctance. "I, uhh, wouldn''t say that... I just never interacted with them much before, and I''m not really sure how to act around them..." "Just look at Sophia, be friendly, and let her win after a bit of struggling." "I guess..." "Why don''t you take it as a test?" "Test?" "Well, we saw that Sophia has the potential to be a good parent. How about you try to find out what your chances are?" "Y-You... really like this topic, don''t you?" "Very much!" "..." Maya needed a moment and gulped down her tea. "A-Anyway, I promised them, and I''m bored, so I''ll y with them." She stood up and walked towards the other two before turning around again. "And that''s the only reason!" "Have fun~." Kira just waved at her. The cat-girl joined the two tigers and yed together with them. In the beginning, Maya was a little awkward and reserved around Ellie, but it didn''tst long. They got along unsurprisingly well because they love the same thing, Sophia. She also discovered that the little princess is just a bundle of joy one simply has to spoil. Maya finally understood why Sophia was so taken by her. The three yed together for a long while, and Ellie was crowned as the new queen of tag at the end of the day. The only regret the cat-girl had was when she looked at Kira and saw the warm expression in her eyes while she watched the couple as they yed with her daughter. Chapter 119 – Good with kids Chapter 119 ¨C Good with kids The couple had a pretty rxing day in the royal castle. Sophia promised Ellie to y with her, and she dly did just that for the entire day. Even Maya had joined their game of tag at some point, and she had a lot of fun with them. "Haa... isn''t Ellie adorable?" It was thete afternoon, and the couple was on their own again because the princess had entirely powered herself out and couldn''t even keep her eyes open anymore. As a result, Kira had collected her and brought the little tiger back inside to let her have a nap. "She sure is." The cat-girl couldn''t deny it. "She took a liking to you real fast, too, Maya. Ellie really wanted to y with both of us again soon. You''re good with kids, huh?" "S-Seems like it..." Her cheeks turned slightly red while she remembered the conversation she had with Kira about the same topic earlier. "Is something wrong?" "N-Not at all. Kids are surprisingly fun to be with." "Absolutely!" "Though, you seem to be especially good at dealing with her. Is it because you''re a kid yourself at heart?" "Ahaha, that might be a part of it." Sophia didn''t say anything. "I just really love kids." "You said that before, didn''t you? W-Wait! You d-didn''t have any k-kids in your old world, had you?!" As usual, Maya was second to none when it came to jumping to conclusions. "..." The tiger-girl only stared at her in disbelief. "Hello, nice to meet you. My name''s Sophia. I''m a lesbian who couldn''t even hold a conversation with girls my age and older in my previous life." "R-Right..." She forgot about that in her panic. "No, I was a kindergarten teacher before. Or, rather, training to be one before I ended up here." "Eh...?" "Kids were about the only human interaction I could hassle-free deal with because of my personality back then, and it was a lot of fun. It was perfect for me. Even better, my mom ran a kindergarten, and so I totally lucked out. Though, that was more or less the only time I was lucky in my old life..." "Seriously...?" Maya was too surprised to follow. "Hmm?" Sophia looked at the confused cat-girl. "Didn''t I tell you before?" "Not at all!" This was all news to her. "Really? Well, I don''t enjoy talking about my old life, so I most likely also forgot to mention the few positive things... Wait, do kindergarten even exist here? It''s something like a nursery school...? Uhh, it''s a ce where kids-" "Kindergartens are a thing here." "Ah, okay." "One day, you have to tell me all the little things about the previous you." Maya naturally was really curious. "Uuhh..." She didn''t like the idea. "The next time I see Canir, I''ll ask him about the ability to get drunk again, and then I''ll think about it." It wasn''t a conversation she wanted to have when sober. "I look forward to it." "I don''t." "But your family seems nice. This shouldn''t be a topic that needs alcohol, does it?'''' "Yeah, my mom and sister were great. For that, I would need alcohol... for not crying the entire time... while telling my girlfriend about my family she can never meet..." Her voice turned rtively silent and somber towards the end. "I''m sorry..." Maya hadn''t thought about that. "No, it''s not your fault¡­" "Still, a kindergarten teacher, huh? That''s amazing!" She wanted to change the topic as soon as possible. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun." "Do you want to do it again?" "Here? Hmm... I don''t think so? Or at least not anytime soon. I''m enjoying my time with you, Fen, and also Aura way too much. If we settle down eventually, maybe? Though, doing something with magic also sounds very alluring. Still, right now, I just want to explore everything around me." "I see." "Oh, but teaching kids magic could be fun." "And now I fear for the future of this world." Maya was sure this couldn''t end well. "Ahaha." "Still, though it''s of no importance anytime soon, it''s g-good to know." "What is?" "Eh?! Ah, uhh... n-nothing!" she didn''t want Sophia to know why being so great with kids is something positive at this point. "Hmm?" "A-Anyway..." The cat-girl changed the topic once more. "I talked with the queen earlier. It seems like they''re actually nning to give us an actual, full-fledged mansion." "Seriously?!" "Yeah, they even got the minister of housing involved." "For real? I know what Fen said, but I would''ve been fine with a simple house..." "Apparently, because you''re technically a part of the royal family, being a tiger-girl and all, that''s the least they have to do for publicity reasons." "Wow..." "Also, fun fact, because I''m your partner, it seems I''ll formally be treated as royalty, as well." "Uhh... congrats?" Sophia wasn''t sure what to say. "Thanks. It''s quite something, isn''t it? It might be bad for you, though." "Why?" "As regretful as it is, while I, unfortunately, won''t meet your family, I''m nning to introduce you to mine in the future." "R-Really...?" The tiger-girl got nervous just thinking about it. "Of course!" "Urgh... Wait, what does that have to do with the whole royalty thing?" "Who do you think is going to exin this whole mess to my parents? I, for sure, won''t be the one." "Y-You can''t be serious?!" "Sure am. Don''t worry, I''ll be with you, then." "Uuh... Thanks..." "Sitting in between my parents, judging every word of you." "M-Maya?!" ---------------- The cat-girl kept teasing her until it was time for dinner. Afterward, the king asked the group to meet him again to discuss some more about their n. "Wee," Menzor greeted them as they entered his office. "I have good news." "This fast?" Sophia looked surprised. "I worked through the entire night. Met with countless ministers, the generals, and various other counselors." "W-What?!" She seemed shocked. "Y-You didn''t need to rush that much..." "No, I absolutely had to." The king cut her off. "While your proposal wasn''t the best-case scenario, it was still more than I could''ve hoped for. That''s why I decided to act fast and get everything settled before you change your mind again. You are pretty jumpy, after all." "I am not!" "Yes, you are!" More than just Menzor answered her. Actually, Sophia heard four voices ovepping. Coincidentally, as Fen and Aura were present, as well, these many people were in the room right now, not counting herself. "Fine... So, what¡¯s the news." She gave up. "We can work with your n, Sophia. I''ll soon announce your existence while keeping things vague. A lot of people already know, or at least saw you in the capital before. There''s no need to add details to your persona, and you don''t have to introduce yourself to a big group. The currently most important people, our militarymanders, even already had the honor to go to war with you, after all." "So far, so good." "I admit, I still don''t get your fast travel or whatever magic, but if it means you can visit the capital whenever you want to, I''m more than happy." "That''s the gist of it, yeah." "Perfect. I also met the minister of housing because he is in charge of the noble and royal properties. There are two estates we can offer you. It would be great if you could take a look at them tomorrow and decide on the one you prefer." "I''m free, so that won''t be a problem. Maya, you''reing with me, right?" "Of course. Why are you even asking? I won''t be of any help, though. I have no idea about real estate whatsoever." "Neither do I. Fen, Aura, are you tagging along, as well?" "I have nothing nned." "The ces might have some nice patches of grass to take a nap." The two wolves turned out to be prettyzy when not traveling. "Alright, looks like we''re doing some house viewing together!" Sophia had no idea what to expect but started to look forward to it. "Excellent, I''ll let the minister of housing know. Well, that''s all for today." "Okay." With the conversation being over, the group left the king on his own and left his office. By now, it had gotten rtivelyte, and they decided to head back to their rooms that were provided for them in the castle. ---------------- On the next day, the group got together for the aforementioned house, or mansion visiting. While waiting for the minister of housing, Sophia spotted Princess Anna walking alongside a maid she hadn''t seen before. Albeit much smaller than the princess and actually closer to Sophia, in both height and figure, she seemed to be around the same age, and from their smiling expressions, they seemed to be talking about something fun. The maid had deep ck hair that reached down to her middle back, which was a stark contrast to her fair skin color. Upon closer inspection of her hair and fur, there was also a bit of a yellow hue shimmering through it that entuated a rosette-like pattern in it. Together with the slightly stubby and rounded feline ears on her head, and the thicker tailing out from her rear, it seemed like she was a dark variant of a jaguar or a ck panther. The two walked together for a little longer before the ck-haired maid eventually disappeared into another room while waving to the princess.
Click on the spoiler for a picture of her: Spoiler [copse]
"Bye~." Waving back, Anna eventually turned around and noticed the group. "Oh? What are you all doing here?" "We''re waiting for the minister of housing to visit some properties. Some things led to another, and I''m getting a mansion." "Eh...?" "Well," Maya took over because Sophia''s exnation was far from understandable and told the princess about the reward from winning the war and a part of the arrangement with the king. "Oh, I see. Mind if I tag along? It sounds like it could be fun. It''s the weekend anyway, so I was about to get bored." "What a thing to say as a princess." Maya didn''t know how to react. "I don''t mind. What about you?" Sophia looked at her cat-girl. "The more, the merrier." "Hmm..." Anna looked at her. "I don''t know how I feel about the new and friendly Maya..." The change was a little off-putting to her. "Want me to revert back? Old Maya won''t let youe with us, though." "I love the new Maya!" "Ehehe." Sophia chuckled at their bickering. "So happy you two really get along now." "..." Both of them fell silent after looking at her smile. "Anyway," The blonde tiger-girl changed the topic. "Who was the maid you were talking with just now?" "You mean Ari?" "Ari?" The couple tilted their heads. "Her full name''s Arianne, but she''s Ari to me. She''s the head-maids'' daughter." "I see. Her hair''s amazing!" Sophia had taken a liking to it. "The deep ck with the yellowish shimmer and the dotted rosette pattern is one of the greatest things I''ve ever seen!" "Hrmn..." New Maya needed a moment to keep old Maya''s jealousy in check. "It is, isn''t it?!" Anna heartily agreed with a sparkle in her eyes. "It''s the absolute best! She doesn''t like it herself because she''s the only jaguar with ck hair, but I love it!" "Ehh...? But it looks so amazing! If anything, being the only one with this kind of style makes it like ten times better." "I knew I could count on you, Sophia!" The princess was happy the blonde saw it the same way as her. "Can I introduce you to her in the future? You have unique hair, as well, so she might believe us then that her hair is amazing!" "A-Ahem." New Maya was losing against the old one. Seeing those two bonding over the looks of a third girl was a bit much. "You seem to like her quite a bit, princess." "Ari? Yeah, we grew up together in the castle. She''s basically like a sister to me." "Oh, that''s cute." Sophia enjoyed the background and the closeness between them. ---------------- The three chatted for a while longer until a middle-aged man eventually appeared. He had simr animal features as the maid earlier, but his hair color was the usual yellow/orange hue. He introduced himself as the minister of housing and how he''s in charge of them today. Once the greetings and introductions were over, he guided them out of the castle. "What''s wrong?" While they were walking, Maya noticed that Sophia was staring at the minister for some reason. "Hmm... Hey, Anna?" "Yes?" The princess turned to look at her. "Jaguars are the retainer of the royal family, right?" "That''s how it''s always been, yes." "That''s the reason the minister or most of the militarymanders are jaguars?" "Yeah?" "Why are the maids also jaguars? There''s quite the gap in between." "Hmm...? Ah, you probably only met the head-maids, huh? Only those three and Ari are jaguars. The others are of normal origin. The heads may seem humble, but those three and their ancestors actually run the castle in the background. They''re much more important than most of the other people here." "Ohh, I see! That makes a lot more sense now." While they were talking about the power bnce of the royal retainers, the group eventually arrived at the first property, which was in very close proximity to the castle. The actual house, or mansion viewing was finally starting. Chapter 119.5 – Illustration Chapter 119.5 ¨C Illustration Profile Page/chapter for Ari with some extra illustrations. I might add some more in the future, but we''ll see about that.
I also have a version with a background of her from the artist who did quite a few illustrations already:
And because I love Ari so much, here''s also an initial concepts artist one did before deciding on the final one: Imagine the pain that I had to go through because I had to decide on one of them... Purely on looks, I probably would''ve gone with C because that pose is amazing, but it doesn''t fit the image I have in mind for Ari. A big thanks to @San_plus_ on Twitter for creating her! (The Ari without the BG and the sketches)
Fun fact: Even though I had so much effort put into her design already, Ari won''t actually be relevant in the story for a while. It''s nothing more than a teaser at this point~.
Chapter 120 – Mansion visiting Chapter 120 ¨C Mansion visiting The group met with king Menzor again, and he agreed with Sophia''s n of traveling while asionally checking back in the capital with her magic. As a reward for the won war and also to use as a base for Sophia, she received a mansion in the capital. Taking Anna along, as well, and guided by the minister of housing, the group was currently checking out the estates. "And here we are at the first object." Still in the innermost circle of the capital, not far from the castle, the middle-aged minister with the jaguar-like hair and features eventually stopped and pointed at a huge building. "E-Eh...?" Sophia looked at the property and was at a loss for words. Walled off by a fancy metal fence, the group looked at a huge patch of greenery through the magnificent gate they were standing in front of. The mansion was a little back on the property and partially hidden by trees. The building itself was made with white stone and looked simply gigantic. It was two and a half stories tall and symmetrically built. Right above the huge and arched entrance door was a big balcony and many, big windows went along the fa?ade on both sides. "Wow¡­" Maya had a simr reaction. "That''s way too big! Cleaning and taking care of the building will be way too much work!" The blonde wasn''t an immediate fan. "All estates for the noble and royal families will be maintained by gardeners, maids, and the likes when they''re needed." "S-Seriously?!" "Also, this is the smaller of the two properties we can offer you at the moment. This one''s biggest selling point is the close proximity to the castle. The second one is at the edge of the inner circle, around 20 minutes from here, but both the plot and the building itself are around 50% bigger." "We''ll take this one!" Sophia pointed at the white mansion in a panic. "I-I''ll often be visiting the castle when we''re in the capital, so the location is much more important." The location actually was a total non-issue for Sophia, but this mansion was already too big for her liking. The alternative sounded even worse. "Certainly, please check the inside of the mansion to see if there are any issues. I''ll also take a look at the property in the meanwhile because I hadn''t had the chance to do it beforehand. This arrangement happened on very short notice, after all." He opened the gate and gestured the group inside. ---------------- "T-Thank you..." With Sophia in front, they walked towards the mansion and entered it. "This is really yours now...?" Maya looked around in the entrance hall and wasn''t sure how to react. "Ours." She corrected her. "Seems like it..." "Wow¡­" "It seems like a nice ce." Even Anna, a princess who lives in the royal castle, thought the mansion looked good. "Well, uhh, let''s take a look around...?" Sophia was still a little overwhelmed. "Wait, where''s Fen and Aura?" She only then noticed that the two wolves weren''t with them anymore. "They went that way a few minutes ago." Anna pointed at a ss door to their left that connected the entrance hall with another room. "Really? Well, then..." She also stepped through the door, looking for her runawaypanions. The room they entered was a fully furnished living room with a lot of natural light from the big and numerous windows. It featured a couple of cupboards and the likes, but the main attraction was the three light-ck or anthracite sofas in a U-shape in front of a massive firece. "Oh, not sure about the color of them, but they sure lookfy. The would''ve looked much better in pure white~." "Idiot." Maya had a hunch of what Sophia was talking about when she alternatingly nced at the sofas and the white cat. "Ehehe. So, what are you two doing here?" The blonde tiger addressed the elephant in the room. Or wolves, in this case. Fen and Aura were both sitting in front of the firece and looked at it with great interest. "J-Just checking out the ce." Fen awkwardly turned his head away. "Is that so? Hey girls, is it just me, or do these two look like some dogs who want to take a nap in front of the fire?" "..." Maya and Anna looked at each other but couldn''t bring themselves to say a word. "Anyway," Sophia interpreted the non-reaction of the wolves however she wanted and changed the topic. "I like the living room. It''s cozy." "Yes." The cat-girl agreed. "During the winter, we''ll have toe here a lot." She also eyed the firece. "Sounds like a great n!" The cat in Sophia, or tiger, agreed with her on a spiritual level. "I''ll have toe and visit a lot." Anna, too, was of feline origin. "Doesn''t the castle probably have like 20 fireces?" "Yes, but it should be more fun with friends." "That''s fair." Maya couldn''t say anything against that. "Ah, bring, uhh... Arianne, was it? Bring her with you, then." "Ari? Sure, that sounds like a great idea. We did that whenever it got cold before, but I bet it''s even better with more people." "Alright, with the winter ns taken care of, let''s continue. I want to see the kitchen!" Sophia ignored the wagging tails of the wolves and sounded very motivated. "Hungry?" The cat-girl could read her like a book. "A little." "You do know that there will be no food in the kitchen, right? We haven''t moved in yet." "A-Ah." She hadn''t thought that far. "Well, let''s take a look regardless..." There was a lot less enthusiasm in her voice now. "Absolutely!" Maya, the cook of their group, got excited instead. "I want to see how big it is and what kind of furnishings and appliances it has!" ---------------- The trio walked around for a little before they eventually found the kitchen on the ground floor. It also had two windows that let in a vast amount of natural light, and the room was as spacious as it could be. All the furniture was white, and it had many cabs and cupboards to store whatever one wanted, and the countertop spanned almost around the entire room. Multiple cookers were integrated into it, and a couple of pans hung on the wall next to it. "Woah..." Sophia found no better words. "I''m looking forward to the meals from here~." "Now that''s a kitchen! Let''s go shoppingter and get some ingredients! I want to try it out immediately! Cooking during our camping was one thing, but now I can show you what I''m really capable of!" "Calm down." The blonde tried to stop her cat. "Maya likes to cook?" Anna looked at her. "She always does it for us when we''re traveling." "Also, because you''re hopeless at it." "True." Sophia''s best cooking-rted skill was staying alive after eating whatever she threw together. "Well, your cooking''s delicious, so I don''t mind at all being bad at it." "Hmm~? I bet Ari''s better." The princess sounded strangely proud for some reason. "I always taste-test her new creations, and it''s the best!" "Oh?" Maya''spetitive spirit was lit. "I think we have to find out about that in the future!" "Sure, let''s have a contest! Ari will take you on any time!" "You two... especially Maya." Sophia wanted them to act more their age. First and foremost, her girlfriend, the older one. "Wait, doesn''t that mean I can eat twice the amount of delicious food?!" She decided against being a grown-up herself in the end. It wasn''t her style, anyway. ---------------- The cat and the princess bickered and boasted for a while longer until the three finally left the kitchen. They ran into a couple of storage rooms that were of little interest until the girls found the bathroom, which actually more resembled a public bath with its size. "I don''t like it." Maya had aplicated expression while looking at the way too big tub. "Ehh...? I think it''s great!" Sophia didn''t share her opinion. "I like smaller, more cuddly tubs better, and you know why." "A-Ah..." Unable to answer, she went silent. Ignoring the confused princess, she led them out of the bath, and they went upstairs. "That''s more like it!" The first door they opened there led to another bath, which was one-fourth the size at best. It was most likely intended for guests to use, but Maya didn''t care about that. "Really?" Anna tilted her head. "Personally, I enjoy stretching out as much as possible or even move around a little when bathing, which, because I''m pretty tall, wouldn''t work here at all." "Save your breath, princess." Sophia stopped her with a tired expression. "Maya has her very, uhh... peculiar tastes when ites to taking a bath... Just let her be. You have no way of winning against her. Trust me, I tried." "I see?" She was obviously confused. ---------------- The following two rooms seemed to be intended to be used as offices. They both had arge desk, a couple of bookshelves, and arge, round table with chairs lined around it. As the blonde tiger-girl had absolutely zero interest in ever doing office work in this world, she didn''t even enter them and closed the doors again after giving a half-hearted reaction to these rooms. "Next!" Leaving the offices behind, Sophia opened the door to the adjacent room. It seemed like a bedroom intended for a guest. It had a small desk, a wardrobe, afy-looking red armchair, and a cupboard together with a medium-sized bed that seemedfortable for one person and slightly cozy for two. Like most of the rooms, the big windows of the buildingted a lot of natural light. The next three rooms beside it looked precisely the same. "Guest rooms for days, huh? I think we need to find some more friends..." The mansion already had more rooms they could use at the moment. The bathroom and the guest rooms were all located on the left side of the building. Going back to the stairwell, the group entered the other side of the mansion, whose hallway had its own kind of entrance. Behind, there were two doors at each side of the corridor and one big and borate one at the top end. "..." Maya curiously opened one of the standard doors and froze in ce. There wasn''t much in terms of furniture. Still, the colorful walls, the small bed, and how everything was arranged to have as much ce as possible to y and not get hurt made only one thing possible. Actually, the other rooms across the corridor, too, all were rooms for children. The cat-girl had zero interest in filling those rooms anytime soon, but the timing overloaded her brain. Just the other day, she was teased by Kira about this topic and also found out that Sophia loves kids so much that she even was a kindergarten teacher in her old life. "Oho, not bad." Sophia wasn''t nearly as affected. She found out that she could actually have her own kids in this world a while ago and was incredibly happy about it. Still, not only did she know it''s way too early to even think about it, the remains of her old personality made it impossible for her to even imagine a future with children at the moment. She had changed dramatically ever since Maya entered her life, being capable of having a mostly normal love life. However, there were still many limits she had yet to ovee. "Anna, please warn Kira that she has to watch Ellie better in the future. Now that I have a ce for her, I might end up wanting to keep her." Growing up also was one of the hurdles she had yet to ovee. "Uhh, I know, saw, how strong you are, Sophia, but if you n to take Ellie away from mother... I can only pray for your safety." "Ahaha, don''t worry, I wouldn''t do that. Well, I might want to borrow her for a sleepover, but only with permission, of course." "You''re such a dork." Thanks to her girlfriend''s stupidity, Maya managed to recover from the shock and left the rooms behind her while feeling stupid by how affected she got by something that has no rtion to her current life. ---------------- "Ehehe." Sophia took it as apliment. "Alright, time for the main attraction!" She opened the fancy double doors at the end of the corridor. As expected, it was the master bedroom. "Uhh... I, well... I might have to reconsider this whole traveling thing..." One of the walls was made out of floor-to-ceiling windows, which connected the bedroom to its own balcony. Several cupboards, cabs, and a huge walk-in wardrobe didn''t let any room toin, either. The room even had its own attached bathroom, which was roughly simr to the other upstairs one, just a bit fancier. In one of the corners were two armchairs and a small leather sofa lined around a round ss table. But the reason for Sophia''s wavering about her future ns was the bed. It was a huge canopy bed, which was as wide as it was deep, beautifully adorned by a whitish, see-through curtain. "Oi!" Maya tried to tell her off, but she, too, was drawn in by it. She walked up to the bed and lightly touched it. "W-Woah, it feels like a cloud!" She was fighting a losing battle. "Eh?!" The blonde reacted strongly to these words and instantly made her way towards the bed. Her afterimage remained for another second in the doorframe next to Anna. "l-It''s true!" She let her hand sink deep into the mattress and was mesmerized. "I thought the bed we have in our room in the castle was the best, but... wow. Good luck ever waking me up here, Maya." "I''ll simply kick you out of it." She had no mercy. "Urgh, my one weakness!" "One of many." "Hey!" Sophia stopped for a moment. "I-In bed, I mean." "..." Maya didn''t answer at first. "Sure... Let''s leave it at that." "W-W-What''s that supposed to mean?!" "Who knows~." The cat-girl smirked at her. "There might be a rtion to the training I suggested after our... well, you know what." "Training...?" Sophia needed a moment. "Ahh... the t-thing we both need to get better at. I get it." "..." There was nothing Maya could answer. The slight blush on her cheeks already said everything. "S-So..." While the couple was busy with each other, Anna seemed to be affected by something, as well, as her face was even redder. "So... you two are really sleeping in the same bed...?" "Eh...?" They first looked at each other in confusion before staring at the blushing princess. "I-I knew you two are dating and even k-kiss... but... s-sleeping together..." "Hmm..." The cat-girl didn''t know what to say at first, but, unfortunately, a grin eventually appeared on her face. "What are you trying to imply, princess?" "H-Huh?! I mean... you s-sleep in the same b-bed and¡­" Her face kept getting redder and redder. "And?" Maya wasn''t letting her go. "W-Well... it means t-that, right...?" "It means what?" "Y-You..." She was almost glowing. "You... are d-doing... it..." "What do you mean by it? Please exin it to me with as many details as possible." "Stop it, Maya." Sophia thought it was enough. "F- Fine..." She looked at Anna''s bright blush and eventually agreed. "T-Thank you, Sophia." "No problem." She knew all too well how it''s to be embarrassed, after all, and wanted to end her suffering. "Still, for someone who wanted to marry me moments after we met, not to mention how aggressive you were, you sure are innocent. That''s a princess for you, huh?" Unfortunately, she''s an incorrigible airhead. "Uuh..." It was too much for Anna, and she fled the scene. "Ahh, I see~, you stopped me because you wanted to deal the finishing blow, huh? I couldn''t have done it any better myself." "That wasn''t my n!" Sophia''s cry echoed through the mansion. "Hehe." The cat-girl let out a chuckle. "She''s really only a sheltered 17-year-old princess in the end, huh? I tend to forget that because we don''t look any older. Younger, if anything, actually. I bet she was only acting tough and confident when it came to you before." "Yeah, it''s a delicate age." Sophia agreed. "Not that we were any better before meeting each other. I was aplete mess, and you only cared about magic. Actually, are we even any better by now? Ipletely lost it when the lingerie shopping happened, and you weren''t brimming with confidence all the time, either." "We''re missing practical experience, that''s for sure." She didn''t deny it. "Though I think we can talk more openly about these kinds of topics thanks to having more theoretical experience in life. Compared to a teenager, at least." "Yeah, well now I can, but yeah. Okay, if I have enough time to prepare myself, that is¡­" "She''ll, too, get there eventually." "I guess so." "Speaking of training," Maya came back to the earlier topic and nced at Sophia''s chest. "D-Do you think that..." "Hmm...?" The tiger needed a moment. "Ah... you liked that I made them bigger to fit the lingerie, didn''t you?" "Yes!" She didn''t hesitate. "Sure, they''ll make a return." "R-Really?" The cat-girl hadn''t expected it to go this smooth. "We should have the most fun during our t-training, don''t we?" "T-Thank you!" She looked really happy. "Though, maybe not all the time. Your breasts, that is. I want to y with normal Sophia, too from time to time!" "Greedy, aren''t we?" "Yes!" Again, Maya didn''t hesitate. "Ahaha... Well, whatever. Those arefier, the ones that fit into the lingerie are fun, too. Why not~." It seemed, embarrassment aside, Sophia was looking forward to the training. "Yay." So was the cat-girl. The couple explored their new bedroom a little longer while heavily concentrating on the bed. They might or might not have nned some training sessions already. Half an hourter, they thought Anna had cooled down and went to look for her. The two found her in the living room, where the two wolves were taking a nap. The mood was a little awkward, but as nobody mentioned it, the princess got over it eventually. Sophia and Maya also discussed a couple of details with the minister about taking over the mansion. Once everything was taken care of, the group returned to the castle for the time being. Chapter 121 – A new place to stay Chapter 121 ¨C A new ce to stay Sophia and the others went to visit the mansion she received from the king for winning the war against the humans. It was way too big, but they still liked it a lot, and everyone already found their favorite spot. While not admitting, the wolves loved the firece in the living room above everything else. Maya was taken by the kitchen, and Sophia almost canceled her ns to travel the world because of the mansion''s bedroom. Once they finished exploring, the group went back to the castle. Moving in would take a while, after all. There, Sophia met up with King Menzor again while Maya also tagged along. "Oh, you''re already back?" He hadn''t expected to see them so soon. "Yeah, we only looked at the first mansion." "Really? Was there an issue?" "Not at all!" Sophia shook her head. "That one was already way too big, and the other one was supposed to be much bigger... I wasn''t a fan of that. The first one also was really nice, and everyone liked it, so there wasn''t much of a decision to be made." "I see. I''m d we could offer something to your liking." "Much more than that." She would''ve been perfectly content with a simple house. "Well, now we have one more thing to look forward to when wee to the capital." "Perfect." This might''ve been the king''s real aim. "Right, I also wanted to tell you that I sent a group of envoys to the human capital. To inform them of our intention to meet with their king." "Ahh, right... that waste of time..." The blonde respected the king most of the time, but she already knew this n was sure to fail. "How long will it take before we get a reply?" "The round trip with our fastest harses takes at half a year... Plus, how long we have to wait for their reply. They might even arrive before the defeated human army''s back at their capital, which would increase the time of their response even more." "Seriously?!" Coming from a ce where one was able to make a round trip literally around the entire world in a day or two, Sophia really hated how slow everything here is. "I suppose I have to wait until they''re back before I can try it my way with the humans?" "I implore you." "Urgh... Even though I already know it''s going to be fruitless... The royal family of the humans is one of the biggest reasons why they''re so deranged, after all, and we still have to wait for them... Well, it''ll give me more than enough time to think about what I really want to do with the humans¡­" "What do you mean?" Her words made Menzor curious. "When Maya and I stayed behind in... uh, what was it called again... Erime?" "Tga." "Right... Close enough." She still was terrible with names. "We met a human near the battlefield because these lowlifes left him behind after he broke his leg. I couldn''t miss the opportunity to question him. After I broke his spirit with my darkness magic during the war, he was pretty talkative." Sophia then told him about how their higher-ups use propaganda against other races to brainwash the ordinary people. How soldiers aren''t allowed to talk about their military campaigns or how everything that questions their superiority gets hushed over. Most humans simply don''t know their standing in the world. "Are you... serious?" He needed a moment. "That''s what I was told." The blonde naturally couldn''t tell him that a part of this information came from Canir. "Wow... Oh, this would exin why themon soldiers and adventurers we questioned never said anything useful. They really didn''t know any better. But still... wow. I need to inform themanders and see how we can use this information." "Sorry..." Sophia noticed that she gave him even more work again. "No, if anything, thank you." He wasn''t upset in the slightest. "For now, I would like to continue with my diplomatic approach until we find a way to use this new intel." "Fine..." She reluctantly agreed. "Though the moment I hear about them trying to do anything shady on us again, I''ll be in their capital." "Yes..." King or not, Menzor knew that entirely stopping Sophia was way above his powers. ---------------- Because he had to inform the militarymanders about this new information asap, he cut the meeting short, and the couple was on their way again. "What now?" Maya asked as the two were walking side by side through the castle. "Good question... That Ari dragged off the princess the moment we came back, so... I guess that previously mentioned cooking contest isn''t happening today?" "Still hungry?" "I could eat something." "Want to get a snack? "Now that''s a n!" As the two had no idea how to get food on their own in the castle, the couple informed the maids they usually run into about wanting to eat something quick and simple. Afterward, they went back to the terrace in the castle''s garden, which had quickly be their favorite ce. Not even a couple of minutester, two maids had already arrived and served them a te with widely assorted canap¨¦-like snacks, together with a pot of tea to satisfy their drinking needs. "That''s neither quick nor simple!" Maya retorted the moment they were alone again while ncing at the colorful and borately crafted food. "I think it was pretty quick, though." Sophia didn''t waste any time and immediately tried something that caught her fancy. "Delicious!" "You know what I mean." Even so, she obviously still tried it. "You''re right. It''s good." "Ehehe." "So, we have a mansion now, huh...?" While the two were snacking away on the canapes, the cat-girl summed up their day. "Can''t say I saw thating when I arrived here." Sophia still hadn''t fully processed it. "Any of this." She pointed all around her, including at the cat-girl. "I want to retort with an ''Imagine how I feel'', but I would lose that contest..." While Maya''s life had drastically changed, it was nothingpared to the tiger, who wasn''t even a tiger not too long ago. "Haha." She had to chuckle. "Well, I surprised you quite a lot, so I would say it''s only fair." "That''s putting it lightly." "We both didn''t get what we signed up for, huh?" "Eh¡­?" Maya seemed to disagree. "The other way around. I got way more than I signed up for. I wanted to travel with you and learn your magic. Instead, I got you. Though, getting you also included somehow ending up bing part of the royal family." "Oh, I like that way of thinking." The tiger-girl, from time to time, still tended to see the negative side of things first. "I wanted to have a slow life, without much action, but what I now have is surprisingly fun. Well, for the most part. Not even including you, Maya." "And what is it with me included?" She got curious. "A dream." Sophia spoke without thinking. "W-Wow." Maya felt embarrassed just hearing the line. "..." She turned silent while her face almost lit on fire. "l, uhh... don''t know how to react to that." "T-Then just don''t!" The blonde wanted to die while she covered her bright-red face with her hands "I... I mean, I''m happy, but..." "Just stop!" Sophia already had a talent for embarrassing herself, but she still managed to ascend even higher from time to time. "I didn''t want to say that out loud! It was already out in the open before my stupid brain could stop me!" "Were your corny lines boosted, as well?" "Uuuh... " She put her head on the table and used her arms to shield her face, trying to run away from everything while she also stopped responding. A couple of groaning noises were all that came out of the girl for a while before Maya finally changed the topic. "Soo... about that mansion," "Y-Yes...?" Hesitatingly, Sophia lifted her head again and gingerly nced at the cat-girl. Her eyes were still wet from the tears caused by the massive self-loathing she went through. "What about it?" "Gosh, you are adorable..." Maya was unable to react any differently after seeing the frail expression of the girl. "..." Sophia needed another five minutes to recover. "Anyway... Do we need anything for the mansion?" "Hmm..." She was d the topic was finally over for good. "L-Let''s see... Oh, the windows were all bare, so maybe some curtains? At the very least, for the living room, our bedroom, and wherever Fen and Aura want to stay. Though, they might be happy with just a fluffy rug in front of the firece." "Ahaha, you could be right there. Those two are pretty docile if there''s nothing to do, huh?" "Yeah, they''re super cute." "Well, curtains are a nice idea. Let''s get some tomorrow." "Yay, shopping trip!" "A-Ah..." Maya stopped while she remembered saying something about reducing those trips after seeing how much junk had piled up in Sophia''s storage dimension. "W-We need them, so it''s fine..." "Hehe." Sophia knew what she was talking about. "Anything else?" "I need to take a better look at the kitchen, but with everything we''re already hoarding, we should be mostly fine. Save for some ingredients." "Yes, there''s almost a whole kitchen in my storage." "Sorry..." Maya, too, gets carried away when they go shopping. "Don''t be. It greatly enhanced my camping experience." She loved her cooking, after all. "Do we need anything for the bath?" "Hmm, we more or less have any care products we need, right?" "Or too much. When I cleaned the storage, I found like 50 bottles..." "There''s no such thing as too much!" Maya disagreed with her im. "Fair... Especially because your hair''s such a piece of work." Sophia stared at the cat-girl''s long, snow-white hair. "It needs a lot of care!" She was very proud of her hair. "Ah, I might want to get some bigger towels. Quickly drying my hair with air magic tends to make it frizzy... Not to mention too puffed up when I don''t pay attention." "Suuuch a piece of work." She repeated herself. "Oi, like you''re one to talk!" She couldn''t stay silent on her remark. "At least 30 bottles are from you alone! They''re all special shampoos for feline hair, fur, ears, and tails you tried and hated." "Guh..." She hadn''t expected a reversal. "I-It can''t be helped¡­ Tail aside, which already is next to impossible, my ears are very sensitive, and every shampoo I tried out feels disgusting!" "They''re also very sensual~." She shed her a cheeky grin. "S-Shut up." "Tehe~." She stuck out her tongue as a reply. "Ah, now that I''ve remembered, I could ask Anna about that... Maybe she knows about some care products specially made for tigers. There might be a difference between different felines?" "Or your boosts are bullying you again." "..." This possibility felt way too real for Sophia. "I-l already was pretty fussy about those things before... especially shampoos and conditioners. If Ibine that with my overly sensitive ears..." "I just wanted to make a joke..." It hadpletely backfired. "I-I''ll ask the princess immediately when I see her again!" "Good luck..." "..." Sophia needed five minutes to recover. "A-Anyway, let''s see, curtains, ingredients for cooking, towels, and care products tailor-made for tigers!" From the sounds of it, thest part was definitely the most important one to her. "That should be it for the time being. We can always get more stuff once we live there and notice what''s missing." Maya agreed. "That''s a good point." "Wait a moment..." The cat-girl suddenly stopped and tilted her head. "What''s wrong?" "It sounds more and more like we''re actually moving in there for good. I thought we''re only going to use it as a base where we can hide the portal to return to the capital with your magic?" "Well, I wanted to stay here for a while regardless. The king said it would also take around half a year for the envoys to return from the human capital. That sounds like a good amount of time." "Might as well make it as nice as possible for that, huh?" "Exactly. Also, I really don''t feel like camping outside when it''s getting colder. Some people are into winter camping, and they have my utmost respect for that, but... Once it gets cold, I need a lot of willpower to go out at all. Getting warm and toasty in front of a firece sounds much more enticing." "Is this Sophia speaking, or the cat, err¡­ tiger in you." "Yes." It was the same for her now. "Ehh...?" "I never liked the cold. Before, the only motivation I had was my daily running and work. Now, feline me seems to hate the cold even more." "I see... So, are we going to hibernate in the capital during the winter months?" The tone of Maya''s voice showed no indication that she disliked the idea. "Hmm... I first have to see how the winters are like here... That being said, there''s no need for us to camp anymore if the weather doesn''t y along or we don''t find a good spot. We can simply return to the mansion and sleep in the amazing bed, of which I''m pretty sure is made out of magic-infused clouds. Sure, I could probably use magic to keep the campsite warm, but that somehow also takes out the fun..." "A-Ah." The cat-girl hadn''t thought about that. "We travel during the day,e back for the night, and continue where we left off in the next morning?" "Early noon." Sophia didn''t like the word morning. "Whatever." She was used to it. "Anyway, that''s a brilliant idea!" "Well, I do like our camping nights still. If the weather''s good and we find a nice ce, we''ll still do it. Watching the campfire under the starry sky, preferably from yourp, has its very own charm." "Ehehe, that''s true. I also would miss that. Ah, but always remember that we''re alternating positions every night!" While the couple talked about all those topics, the rest of the day went by in a sh. In preparation for the next day, where they nned to go shopping and start getting the mansion ready, the two went to bed slightly early. Chapter 122 – Interior shopping Chapter 122 ¨C Interior shopping The couple went over the things they needed for their new mansion. As it didn''t seem to be much because the ce was already fully furnished, the two decided to buy the rest the next day. Before that, Sophia had to take care of something of utmost importance, though. "Anna!" The two spotted the princess in a hallway inside the castle, and the blonde immediately ran up to the other girl. "Y-Yes...?" "Say, do you use any special kind of shampoo? Wait, I think I actually asked you about it before, didn''t I? On our way to Ta... Ta¡­ Tanzania." "Tga." "I''m pretty sure that''s wrong... Well, whatever, it was so hectic afterward that I forgot about it. Anyway, have you?" As usual, she was all over the ce. "Ehh¡­?" She felt like missing a lot of context in this conversation. "For the ears and tail!" She pointed at her tiger bits and moved them around a bit. "I''ve tried out whatever shampoo Maya rmended, but I didn''t like any of it... No, I hated all of them!" "Ah, I see..." Anna finally understood. "No wonder. Tiger fur is somewhat different from most felines. It''s a little thicker and sleeker because it''s more or less watertight. Normal shampoo just sticks to it without doing anything... It feels slimy, disgusting, and doesn''t even really clean it." "Exactly!" Sophia was delighted because this was precisely what she wanted to hear. "So, is there a ce where I can get the good stuff?" "Of course. Well, mother and I let the maids get it for us, but I can give you the address." "Thank you very much!" "Why is she so hyper¡­?" The princess looked at Maya for help. "Ahh, let her be... She''s happy that the shampoo''s at fault for her suffering. She had a lot of problems with her tail and ears especially." She knew that the blonde was the happiest that her boost hadn''t messed something up for once, but the cat-girl couldn''t tell her that. "I see... Wait, what have you been using until now, Sophia?!" "The one that felt the less bad and willpower. Lots of it." "W-Wow... poor you." Anna obviously didn''t know that it only had been like two months. But even then, that was already plenty bad. "Thanks... I''ll immediately get it when Maya and I are going shopping togetherter." "You''re going shopping?" "Yeah, we need a couple of things for the mansion." "Oh, I see." "Want toe with us?" Sophia invited her. "Unfortunately, I can''t... I still have some homework left and promised Ari to do it together with herter." "No problem. Does that mean you two go to school together?" "Yes. We''re actually in the same ss, too." "Oh, that''s cool." ---------------- The trio chatted for a bit longer before they left for their shopping trip. The two also didn''t want to hog the princess for too long when she already had another appointment nned. Before leaving the castle, Sophia also put on her hat again. It didn''t do that much because her very noticeable tail was still out in the open but hiding the tiger ears made her stand out at least a little less. Going shopping while absolutely everyone took a nce at her made it a lot less fun and a lot more tiring. The top priority was obviously the tiger shampoo, and so they first went to the store Anna told them about. The ce had specialized sections for all sorts of beast people. It even had an adjacent salon where you could get treated with their products. For some reason, it seemed to be very popr with the wolf beastfolk. They all seemed very satisfied when exiting the saloon with their hair and fur all shiny and silky-smooth looking. Remembering how Fen and Aura also had be all fancy, Sophia was sure the two went to the same store, and she was more motivated than ever. Inside, a cat-girl with brown hair noticed the blonde tiger and immediately knew what was up. After receiving a bit of advice on what''s best for her hair and fur and how it''s used, Sophia went for the so-called ''Royal package''. It was an assortment of care products crafted explicitly for the royal family, as they''re the only tigers. Though, ording to the clerk, it was also fairly popr with the female jaguars as their fur was rtively simr. Maya, seeing how happy her girlfriend was while also ncing at the fellow cat-girl clerk with incredibly smooth and silky-looking hair, couldn''t leave the store without buying anything, either. Holding herself back with impulse buying wasn''t off to a good start. Afterward, the two went to the next best restaurant that seemed interesting to have lunch. While eating, the couple chatted about what to do next. "I kinda just want to go to the mansion right now, hit the bath, and try out all the stuff I just bought..." Sophia was slightly impatient. "Ahaha, let''s save that for tonight." She urged her to wait. "Though, I''m looking forward to it, as well." Maya also had spent a lot of money on hair care products. Not to mention having gone all out on skin-rted stuff, too. "Fine... Okay, we also need curtains and towels, right?" "Yes. Oh, we might get both in an interior decoration store. Wait, can you even get curtains for a mansion in a normal store?" "Why not?" Sophia tilted her head. "Are they supposed to be any different than normal ones?" "It''s a fancy mansion... so fancy curtains?" "Ehh...? Let''s just get some that look nice and do their job." She didn''t care about any of that. "Right, good idea." Once they finished their meal, the two looked for a store where they could get the mentioned curtains and towels. It didn''t take them too long, and the two quickly got over with it. ---------------- Afterward, the couple also got a few, a lot, ingredients to stock up their new kitchen and made their way towards the mansion. Getting lost only about seven times, the two arrived there in no time at all. "Why are both of us useless with directions¡­?" Sophia looked a little exhausted. "I''m not bad with directions, but navigating through the castle or those streets where everything looks the same... Nope." "Let''s get a map of the area when we''re back in the castle." "Good idea." "Still," The tiger-girl stared at the oversized white mansion with the lovely garden all around it after opening the gate. "Really...?" "It more and more appears to be so..." Maya had the same nk expression. Both still couldn''t wrap their head around any of this. "What a turn of events." "My thoughts ever since meeting you." The cat-girl couldn''t agree more. "Let''s go inside!" Having nothing to add to this, Sophia started walking forwards through the front garden. She unlocked the door of the mansion with the keys she received from the minister the day before. "Ehehe." She followed her with a slight chuckle, and the two entered together. There, they went to the living room and sat down on one of the sofas to rx for a moment. "Sofy~." "Yes." While saying so, Maya leaned against Sophia and nuzzled her head into the other''s shoulder. "Very." "..." She enjoyed their closeness in silence for a while but eventually started looking around. "I don''t think we bought enough curtains..." Her eyes stopped at one of the many windows. "Yes. I somehow already forgot just how many windows there are." "I like how much light they let in, though," "Absolutely, it makes the room feel really nice." "How many curtains did we get again?" Sophia tried to recall what they bought. "Ten. It never was enough for the whole ce because we don''t need all the rooms yet, but seeing now that the living room already needs six..." "True. Especially those offices. Never going to happen. Still, we barely have enough for this and the bedroom, huh?" "Seems like it." Maya agreed. "Well, depending on where Fen and Aura want to sleep, it might be enough. Not that I think Fen cares for curtains." "Hmm...? Oh, how about we just ask our wolves?" While saying so, Sophia suddenly got up from the sofa. This action caused the cat-girl, who was still leaning against her, to fall to her side. "Ehh?" Maya looked at her with a grumpy expression. She clearly wanted to cuddle for a while longer. "Wee back to our humble home... or whatever." The tiger-girl ignored her and went to the door instead. There, she weed the wolves who she had noticed approaching with her detection magic. "Bored?" "A little." Aura gave her a light-hearted answer. "Hello¡­" Still a little pouty, Maya also greeted them once they all were in the living room. She only stopped looking grumpy once Sophia sat down next to her again. "Interrupted on something?" Aura nced at the clingy cat-girl. "No... Nothing of that sort. We were just talking about the room arrangements¡­" "Speaking of which, where do the two of you want to sleep?" Sophia addressed the two neers. "For when we''re staying the night here." "I don''t particrly care." Fen could sleep wherever. "Even the harse barns outside would be more than fine." "Eh?! We have a barn?!" It was the first time the tiger-girl heard about that. "Yes, it''s in the back yard of this building, a little hidden behind the trees there." "Seriously?! The five-old me had a heart attack just now. I always wanted a horse... harse when I was little. Can''t say I care much now, though. What a waste. Anyway," She got back to the topic. "Letting you sleep there feels a little wrong. Ah, but you probably want to transform into your big selves when sleeping? That could be a little difficult inside." "It doesn''t bother me staying small." The female wolf had nothing against it. "Me neither. After staying in the capital for a while, the difort about changing my appearance is basically gone." "I see. So, do you want a room upstairs? Two? We have enough of them. Well, we''ll mostly be here during the winter months only, or if the weather''s bad, so..." "Winter, huh...?" Aura''s head slowly turned her head towards the firece. "You want to sleep here, don''t you?" Sophia then focused on Fen, who also stole a nce or two of the firece, as well. "And so do you?" "L-Like I said... I don''t particrly care." "No need to be so stubborn, Fenny~. It''s not embarrassing wanting to sleep here. I''ll probably do the same a lot in the winter. Actually, once it gets cold, you most likely have to fight me to the death for the best spot in front of the firece." "Never get between a cat and the warmest ce in the house, eh?" Aura had her very own interpretation of Sophia''s words. "Exactly." She really had fully merged into her new role. "Say," The female wolf stared at her. "The whole thing about you identally turning yourself into a tiger-girl was a joke, right? I don''t think I ever met a hybrid feline beastperson that went so hard on the cat-like traits." "No, I just always go all out with whatever I do, especially when I mess up." "I see, but you sure like what you''ve be, huh?" "Absolutely! Well, I could do without a couple of those instincts, but..." "No, these are the best!" Maya, on the other hand, was very fond of the behavior Sophia shows when those instincts take over. First and foremost, things that involve her as well, like the marking, for example. "Urgh..." "That being said, you''ll have to fight both of us for the firece." Maya, too, was a cat. "There you have it, big guy." Sophia looked at Fen again. "If you aren''t honest now, you''ll be the only one without a spot in front of the fire." "There are days where I really don''t like you, girl¡­" He could only sigh. "Ehehe." The tiger took it as a confirmation. "Aura, want to go and buy a big and fluffy rug to put in front of the firece? Only to rx on in the evening, of course. If someone falls asleep on it and stays for the night there, it''s surely just an ident. No matter how often it happens." She fabricated a story the male wolf''s pride could ept. "Sounds like a n." She was in. "Fen, can you help to get the basement ready for the portal we''re going to use to travel between ces?" "Basement?" Maya interrupted her. "I don''t think this mansion has one." "Eh?! That was the whole reason to get a ce for our own! W-Well, we could also just use one of the empty rooms, but still..." She hadn''t anticipated this turn of events. "O-Okay, Fen, can you make a basement?" "No problem." It wasn''t hard for him. "Ah, but please take care that the mansion doesn''t get destroyed. Oh, a secret entrance would be very cool, too." "I''ll strengthen the ground below the building before carving out the basement with magic." "Perfect. Maya, should we get the curtains done and rearrange a couple of the furniture while we''re at it?" "Fine by me." Once everyone got assigned a task, the group moved out to customize the newly acquired mansion to their tastes. Chapter 123 – Getting the mansion ready Chapter 123 ¨C Getting the mansion ready The group ended up meeting up in their new mansion and started customizing it to their liking. Aura went out to shop for a fluffy carpet to put in front of the firece. Fen nned to excavate a secret basement for future use, and the couple took over the interior design like installing curtains or rearranging some of the furniture. "Hmm, where do you want the entrance, Sophia?" Fen walked around on the ground floor to find a suitable spot to dig. "Let''s see..." She looked around while both were in the entrance hall. "Oh, can you do it behind the stairs leading up? There''s a bit of a blind spot, and no one would go there without reason." "Not a problem. Any requests other than a hidden entrance?" "I don''t really need much besides a room to put a portal. Well, try to make it look nice, if possible." "So, no secret underground dungeon to guard it?" The wolf wanted to go all out. "Oh?" Sophia raised an eyebrow in interest. "Just any old room will do!" Maya stuck out her head from the kitchen where she was in and stopped the duo from doing anything stupid. "Aww..." Both sounded disappointed. "Hey." The tiger-girl got closer to him and started whispering. "Second secret entrance inside the room for you know, okay?" "Got it." He whispered back. "I heard that!" "Why are your ears so good?!" ---------------- After exchanging a couple of suspicious nces, Fen got to work behind the stairs. At the same time, Sophia went to her cat-girl in the kitchen. "No dungeon, alright?" Maya repeated herself. "It''s up to Fenny now~. I have no say in this anymore." "Dork." She gave up. "Anyway, have you seen any firewood outside?" "Firewood? It''s way too warm to test out the firece." "No, the oven and stove use it, as well." "Ohh." "Well, we have both types in the kitchen, the other one works with magic, but I like the wood version more. I think it tastes better." "I see. Firewood, huh? Maybe somewhere in that previously mentioned barn?" "That could be. I''ll take a lookter. Well, I already finished sorting most of the stuff we bought earlier. How about we get started on the curtains for the living room?" Doing as told, the two got to work. It didn''t take much time at all, though. There were already some curtain rods installed, so they only had to hang them. The couple had gone for white semi-transparent curtains. Nothing too fancy, but they also didn''t feel out of ce in the mansion. "That doesn''t look half bad." Sophia seemed satisfied when she looked at the windows. "There''s still a ton of sunlight getting in, but the curtains give a sense of privacy." "Yeah, I don''t think anyone could look inside in the first ce because the property''s so big, but I don''t think I could calm down with bare windows." Maya also liked their addition to the mansion. "Sofas next?" She nced at the three next to the firece ced around a wooden coffee table. "What do you n to do with them?" "Let''s just get them a little further away from the fire. Enough for whatever carpet Aura''s buying and have our wolves rxfortably there." "Got it." ---------------- As both, especially the tiger-girl, were on the stronger side, rearranging a couple of sofas was no work. After they were done with that, the changes for the living room were done for the time being. "Hmm..." While back in the hallway to go to their bedroom on the upper floor, Sophia got curious about how Fen was doing. "Wow, I guess he took the secret entrance part very seriously." She looked behind the stairs and noticed that there were no signs of a hole ever being dug. "Are you sure he actually even started digging?" Maya thought it was too clean. "He might as well have given up and taken a nap in the garden." "That''s... I guess we''ll find out eventually." She couldn''t deny this possibility. "I just hope it won''t turn into a dungeon." Afterward, the couple finally went upstairs to get their bedroom ready. They got the same white curtains as in the living room, and they, too, were installed in no time because of the already existing rods above the windows. "Haa~" Once they were done with that, Sophia let herself fall on their new bed with a satisfied expression. "Why is this thing sofy?" "Well, it''s made with nobles or royalty in mind and is super high-quality." She touched one of the canopy posts before gliding with her hand over the soft andfortable-feeling bedspread. "Lucky us." Afterward, shey down right next to the tiger-girl. "I''ll be useless with this thing~. Well, even more useless." "..." Maya didn''t reply. "Hey... I''m still far from an expert on this subject, but shouldn''t you at least fake to raise an objection here, miss girlfriend?" "Hmm? Did you say something? I was busy with not dozing off on the spot..." "Nevermind, I''m in goodpany." Sophia noticed they were both useless. ---------------- The couple rxed like that for around half an hour. They also cuddled a little, but mainly because everyone was still in the middle of getting the mansion ready, that was all the two did. Somehow escaping the clutches of the way toofortable bed, both eventually went downstairs again. It was right in time because Aura came back just a couple of momentster. "I''m back~." The female wolf entered through the front door while carrying something white, big, and fluffy looking on her back. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a rolled-up skin or fur of some sort of animal. The trio went to the living room, where she ced it on the ground in front of the firece. "Err..." It turned out to be a snow-white sheepskin rug, but a certain detail caught Sophia''s attention. "I didn''t know that there are... sheebs in this world." She tried her luck with the name. "Or rather, why is this guy about as big as you and Fen in your original form?!" The rug Aura brought was gigantic. "That''s just how sheebs are, though?" The wolf tilted her head. "Well, they are kind of rare in this area, so I was lucky that I found it." "Ehh? Also... seriously?!" She was mainly surprised that the name she decided on a whim wasn''t corrected. "Am I finally understanding it?" "Just a quick question..." Maya''s eyes wandered between the rug and Aura. "Did you buy or hunt it?" "Silly you, I bought it. You can''t use the fur of a freshly in animal as a rug. You have to process it to make it more durable and to preserve it." "Yeah, have somemon sense, Maya." Sophia took the opportunity to tease her. "Wait, you can''t? I had no idea." Noticing how the cat-girl was looking at her, she quickly changed position and got Aura between the two before changing the topic. "A-Anyway, I like it. It looks really good. You can never have enough of white in your life!" It was a desperate attempt. "..." She ignored her and kneeled down to touch the rug. "It''s sooo fluffy and feels super nice. You got a good one." "I know~." Aura was proud of her buy. "Let the expert have a look." The tiger-girl wasted no time and directly jumped on the white and fluffy goodness. "T-That''s bad..." Her expression changed. "What''s wrong?" Maya didn''t understand her reaction. "I don''t think I''m ever getting up again." She rubbed her face all over the fur. "I''m going to live here from now on~." Sophia liked it very much. "Stop marking it." The cat-girl quickly noticed what she was doing. "A-Ah..." She hadn''t even realized it herself. "W-Well, it''s an instinct, right? Nothing I can do there, can I~?" She showed no sign of stopping and only buried her face deeper into the fluffy rug. "Urgh... Using my own words against me..." Maya uses a simr excuse whenever she doesn''t want to stop marking Sophia''s thighs during their regrp pillows, for example. "Ehehe~." Sophia continued for a while. Eventually, she readjusted her position and curled up in an almost perfect circle. Even her tiger tail tightly wrapped around her legs, which she was lightly hugging. "Well then, good night, everyone~." A different instinct had taken over her. "Oi!" The cat-girl tried to stop her but falling asleep instantly was one of the tiger''s biggest talents. "Aaand she''s gone..." "Okay, be honest with me already. That girl never was a human." Aura gestured at the textbook example of a cat sleeping on their new sheebskin rug. "..." The actual cat had nothing to reply to here. At some point, she had started doubting it ever happened herself. ---------------- "By the way..." The two continued to watch Sophia for a while before Aura nced around. "My detection magic''s better at picking up far away reactions, so I''m a little confused. It seems like Fen is here somewhere, but I can''t see him." "Last time I saw him, he started building the basement." "Oh, that''s why it feels like his signal''sing from below. Wait, are you sure he isn''t building something like a dungeon? The area I can sense him running around in is way too big for a basement." "E-Eh?!" That was the one thing she didn''t want to hear after the male wolf, and her tiger got a little excited about that earlier. "This idiot..." "You don''t want him to?" "Obviously!" "Why not? Sounds like fun if you ask me." "Wait," Maya stopped. "Am I the odd one here?" She noticed that she was the only one who disliked the idea. "Seems like it. Where''s the problem?" Aura didn''t see the issue. "It''s not like there''ll be any monsters or the like. At best, your tiger most likely will turn it into a maze, thinking it would be cool." "You''re starting to understand how her brain works, huh?" "It''s not that hard. In that aspect, she''s quite simr to Fen. He also tends to get excited easily. I think it''s cute." "Well, yeah... But still, a dungeon under our home is a little..." "Don''t worry. With those two, that dungeon or maze will span below the entire capital, not just our ce." "Feeen!" For some reason, it didn''t calm down Maya in the slightest. Instead, she cried out the wolf''s name, hoping he would appear. "Yes?" As if on cue, he actually entered the living room from the hallway. "How can I be of help?" "Wow, what timing." She was impressed for a moment. "Say, dear Fen, what might''ve you been doing below the mansion?" "W-What do you mean? Sophia asked me to make a basement, right?" "Sure, and I said no dungeon, right?" "Yes...? That''s why I simply made a single room." "Really? Then, why did Aura detected your presence darting all over the ce below the mansion?" "T-That''s... detection magic doesn''t work that well underground. Your target often jitters around thanks to the soil interfering with the signal." "Ah, is that how it is~?" Maya didn''t believe one word. "Fen!" Noticing his presence nearby, Sophia finally woke up again, and the cat-girl had to pause her questioning. She got up from the rug, stretched herself, and then faced the wolf. "Is it done?" "The basement? Yes, all done." "Great! I want to see it." "Of course." He guided the group out of the living room and stopped next to the stairs leading up in the hallway. There, he concentrated for a moment, and a part of the ground behind the staircase disappeared. "Oh, very cool!" Sophia liked it. "It''s like a hidden trap door!" "Yes. Just focus your magic on that spot, and it will open or close." "Awesome! Let''s have a look." Leading the group, the tiger-girl went down the stairs that appeared inside the hole Fen opened. Eventually, they arrived in a dimly lit room. It was around 7 by 7 meters big, and its walls, floor, and ceiling seemed to be made out of polished ck marble. "Oh, very stylish. Where''s the illuminationing from?" "It''s just the remains of light magic I used to work. It''s pitch ck in here without it, after all. Well, all of us can create artificial light, so I thought it''s fine without natural light." "Hrmm..." Maya had aplicated expression as she looked around in the room. It seemed like she was searching for something. "What''s wrong?" Sophia noticed her behavior. "I''m looking for the entrance to the dungeon Fen made." "Eh, you made one?!" She looked at the wolf with sparkling eyes. "I-I did not. The cat asked us not to do it, so I let it be." "Aww..." "Hmm..." Maya was still dubious. It also didn''t help that she could''ve sworn that the two exchanged a suspicious nce for a second afterward. "Anyway," Sophia quickly changed the topic. "This basement is more than perfect for cing one of my portals to the extra dimension. From now on, we can travel as much as we want and alwayse back here a momentter!" After a while, once the cat-girl stopped being suspicious of Fen and her tiger nning something else in the basement, the group got back to the living room to rx and to n what to do next. Fen refused to admit it, but he, too, took a liking to the sheebskin rug in front of the firece. This time, Sophia managed to withstand the urge to curl up and fall asleep on the fluffy white fur for around five minutes. Still, she ultimately lost to the allure once more. Maya watched her girlfriendfortably sleeping there for a while, and the desire to follow suit was rising to a point where she couldn''t hold back anymore. The cat-girl rolled up into a ball right next to Sophia and judging by her expression, she seemed to be in heaven. Thanks to her snow-white hair that had basically the same color as the rug, together with her also primarily white clothes, she almost disappeared in the fluff once she was fully curled up. Chapter 124 – Housewarming Chapter 124 ¨C Housewarming The group mostly finished up getting their new mansion ready. Fen dug up a basement, and possibly more, for Sophia to use herst travel magic in. The couple put up a few curtains and rearranged some of the furniture while also filling the kitchen with supplies. Aura went out to buy a gigantic, snow-white sheebskin rug to ce in front of the firece in the living room. The two cats loved it so much that both of themfortably curled up on it and took an afternoon nap there after having lost to their feline instincts. "Those two..." Fen looked at the couple napping next to each other on the rug with a satisfied expression. asionally, their tails swished around, or their ears twitched, and it seemed like they were having a good time. "And, how much do you want to join them, my dear Fen?" Aura looked at him with a judging expression. "..." He didn''t answer, but his tail stopped wagging as he looked away. "I see~." She didn''t need more of an answer. "You sure have mellowed down." "Oh, shut up. This continent has be pretty boring, so it''s only natural that I calmed down, as well." "Was this continent ever interesting, though? After the demons left, I mean? The humans... well," Aura didn''t even finish. "The beastfolk are good people, but they don''t pack that much of a punch. Resident oddballs aside. And the other races are drastically underrepresented." "You''re not wrong." "So, what''s the difference between now and the past?" "You." He looked at the female wolf. "You were here with me." "..." She needed a moment. "Were... Were you always this smooth...?" "I''ve been traveling with those two flirty idiots for some months now." Fen nced at the sleeping couple. "Some of their sappiness might''ve rubbed off on me. " "Well, I like it. You were a little stiff in the past." "You have to thank Sophia for that. Though, I''m not entirely sure how I should feel about that." Fen had conflicting emotions about herpliment. "She did a great job." She enjoyed the new wolf. "I might miss seeing your wild side after inventing a new type of attack magic and testing it out, though." "That side''s still alive, but it''s strangely enticing to leisurely travel around. I like it a lot." "True. I haven''t been part of this little group for too long, but it''s fun." Aura agreed with his assessment. "We should still visit the demon continent at some point. I really enjoyed it there." "I nned to go there a long time ago. Sophia''s also interested, so we''ll most likely end up there before long." "Maya seems to be against it, though?" "Don''t worry about her. She''s only cautious because she still hasn''t fully realized just how powerful she is. She''s also trying to keep Sophia in check. That''s why she''s a little stern from time to time. That cat actually loves to fight and y around with magic." "Oh, then she''ll love it there. Maya''s still more powerful than the demons, but they know how to use their strength perfectly. They put up a good fight." ---------------- The two wolves chatted for a while longer until the couple finally woke up from their nap. Stretching themselves after letting out a yawn, both of them still looked sleepy. "Haa... This rug''s dangerous, Aura." Sophia had to put in a lot of effort to get up. "You justck self-discipline." Fen had a better exnation. "That''s not... entirely untrue." She had no way to defend herself. "W-Well, Maya also fell asleep, so... I do still have a point!" "It-, It is veryfy." The cat-girl was slightly ashamed about having given in to the temptation. "By the way," Sophia held her stomach while facing Maya. "How are the chances of you giving the kitchen a test run? All the working... and napping made me really hungry." "I was just about to suggest that." Luckily, she had the same idea. "Perfect! Thank you!" "Fen, Aura, we got a lot of meat that Sophia put on ice inside her storage to keep it fresh. Should I prepare all of it, and we have some sort of housewarming dinner?" "I like the sound of that!" The male wolf supported the idea. "If it''s not too much work." Both wolves did. "Not at all. I''m going to show this kitchen who''s its new boss!" Maya was very motivated. After letting Sophia give her the meat, she banned everyone from the kitchen and got to work. "Ahh~, I''m looking forward to it." The tiger-girl was with the wolves while showing an expectant expression. "Alright, while we wait, my dear Fenny~," "I don''t like this new way of addressing me." When Aura and Maya used it earlier, it wasn''t any fun for him, so he had be wary. "I do, though." "So do I." Unfortunately, the two girls didn''t agree. "Anyway, now that Maya''s busy, could you show me the real basement?" "W-What do you mean?" "Don''t worry. Whenever Maya''s cooking, nothing that''s going on around her, enters her mind." "Really?" "Come on, you started building one, right? A dungeon." "There is no dungeon." He stopped for a moment. "It''s a maze." "Seriously?! Awesome!" Sophia''s eyes were sparkling again. "Show me!" "Fine." After ncing into the kitchen and making sure the cat-girl was indeed in her own little world, he guided them into the basement again. While Fen was indeed much stronger than Maya, it didn''t mean he wasn''t afraid of her. As Aura was interested, she tagged along, as well. "So?" The group was back in the basement that seemed to be chiseled out of ck marble, and the tiger-girl was looking around. "I can''t see anything, but I assume there''s another hidden door?" "You''re standing right next to it." He gestured at the wall she was looking at. "Ehh...?" Sophia touched the wall and poured a little of her magic power into it. A momentter, a hole opened there, and a dark corridor became visible. "I love those hidden doors!" "Ehe~." Fen was slightly proud of himself. "There isn''t anything to explore yet, though. I''ve only created a couple of passageways, some turns, bends, and the likes." "I like it! Say, are there any underground structures in the capital? I want this maze to span below everything eventually!" "As always, I love the scale your brain works on." Not few would say that the meeting of Fen and Sophia better shouldn''t have happened. When chaos meets chaos, disaster often isn''t far away. "Maya will kill you if she finds out." Aura recalled the conversation she had about this very topic with her. "Both of you." "A-Ah!" The chaos duo froze up. "Are you... going to tell her?" Sophia looked scared. "Why would I?" She shook her head. "I want to get in on the fun!" After all, they weren''t a duo. It was a chaos trio. They talked about their ns for the maze for a while before eventually leaving the basement again. Back in the living room, Sophia threw herself onto one of the sofas to rx. She preferred the sheebskin rug, but there was a high risk of oversleeping their dinner. Instead, the two wolvesid down there for the time being. Fen tried really hard to not let it show on his face, but that made it only more evident. He had found his favorite spot in the mansion. ---------------- The three lounged around for another hour before Maya announced that dinner was ready. They got together in the dining room adjacent to the living room and stared at the feast. There were a couple of big cuts of seared meat, obviously made for the wolves. There were many normal-sized roasts, a big bowl of a sd, and stir-fried veggies for the couple, along with various other sides. "Maya, I love you." The sight made Sophia emotional. "Ehehe~." "Me, too." The wolves also fell for her, trying to hold back their drool while staring at the big chunks of perfectly seared meat. "Let''s eat." The cat-girl rolled her eyes at the group of dorks that surrounded her. Around an hourter, not a lick of food was left, and the group was back in the living room. The wolves on the sheebskin rug, trying their best not to fall into a food-induceda, while the couple sat on one of the sofas. "Uggh..." A groan from Sophia echoed through the room. While resting her head on Maya''sp, she held her stomach with a slightly pained expression. "I ate waaay too much~." It didn''t sound like she was regretting anything, though. "It''s your own fault for tackling one of the bs of meat I roasted for the wolves." Maya ced one of her hands on the tiger''s head and gently rubbed it. "B-But... it looked so good... that gigantic piece of meat... and once I tried it, I couldn''t stop because your cooking''s too good!" "Sweet talking won''t make you feel better but thank you." "Hehe... ugh..." "Still, your meat consumption is steadily going up, isn''t it?" As their cook, Maya naturally noticed such changes. "Because it''s sooo delicious... Ah." She suddenly stopped talking. "She''s finally fully awakening to her carnivore self!" The group''s biggest carnivore, Fen, seemed to be overjoyed by this revtion. "Uggh..." This time, Sophia didn''t groan just from having overeaten. "I-I still like vegetables... s-so it''s fine!" "For now~." "M-Maya, he''s bullying me..." "Then stop being such an idiot." She had little sympathy. "Uggh..." The list of things that made Sophia groan kept getting longer. "Now I just want to sleep and leave the day behind me..." Saying so, she nuzzled her head against Maya''s thighs and closed her eyes. "Good night~." "You''ll get fat if you fall asleep right after eating so much." "Very unlikely. I burn so many calories every day that I actually have trouble keeping my weight up. I don''t think it''s possible for me to get fat." "I hate you." "Huh...?! W-Why?" She was shocked. "It''s not like you have even one gram too much on you." "Thank you... But, as a girl, hearing that someone is unable to gain weight, this reaction happens on instinct." "That''s... fair." Sophia had nothing to add. "Anyway, good night~." She closed her eyes again while once more gettingfortable on Maya''sp. "Not so fast, I still want to take a bath." "Uggh..." Sheined a lot today. "Sure, have fun. I''ll be here, sleeping." "No, you''reing with me." "Ehh... but I don''t want to get up. I''m also not sure if I can keep the food in if I move around too much now..." "I guess you''ll have to power through it, then." It didn''t seem like Maya nned to take a bath on her own. She pushed Sophia away from herp and got up from the sofa. Then, she grabbed the tiger''s hand and dragged her off and out of the living room. "Uggh..." Yet another groan escaped her lips as she was forcefully made to leave the room. "Well then... good night." Fen had enough of the fooling around. Still on the white sheepskin rug in front of the firece, he ced his head on his paws before closing his eyes. "That''s a good idea." Aura, next to him, did the same. "Good night." They were living the blonde''s dream. ---------------- In the meanwhile, after a lot ofining from Sophia on the way, the couple had reached the upstairs bath. As it was much smaller and morefortable, in Maya''s eyes, she chose this one. As it usually would take a while to get it ready, the cat-girl simply used magic to fill the tub with hot water. Once everything was ready and the two undressed, Maya noticed something else, and she intently stared at the tiger. "W-What...?" She noticed the game and turned her body away. "I-I still get embarrassed if you do that... I''m also not in the mood, n-not a good idea when I feel like throwing up..." "No, that''s not why I''m looking. Well, okay... it''s not my main motivation. This time." She didn''t entirely deny having ulterior motives. "Are you sure you can''t gain weight?" The cat-girl pointed at the other''s stomach. "Hmm?" Sophia looked down at herself and noticed that her stomach was sticking out a bit. "Wow..." she ced a hand on it and gave it a quick squeeze. "Well, the food has to stay somewhere before it, uhh¡­ gets out again¡­ Okay, I think I''ll go on an extra-long run tomorrow to make sure... Your food''s too good." "Thanks." "Still..." She nced at her stomach again and gently patted it. "What would that be? Around the third month? Not quite, I guess?" "W-What?!" Maya froze up. "Wow, I never overate so badly that my belly sticks out from it. Anyway, let''s take a bath already. I want to go to bed!" As she hadn''t put any thoughts in her question, she didn''t notice the cat-girl''s reaction and simply entered the tub. "Oh, the water''s perfect~." "Eh...?" The topic hade up way too often for Maya''s likingtely, so she needed another moment to restart before joining Sophia in the bath. After they finished their bath, which had a slightly awkward mood for some reason the tiger-girl never found out, the two went to their bedroom in the mansion. There, they closed their new curtains and entered the bed. As it wasfortable beyond belief, the couple fell asleep in an instant, even though Sophia was still feeling bloated from overeating and Maya''s mind being overloaded from the conversation in the bath. Chapter 125 – Sore muscles Chapter 125 ¨C Sore muscles The group had gotten their new mansion ready and spent the first night in it. As a sort of housewarming, Maya had cooked avish dinner for everyone, which caused Sophia to grossly overeat. The carnivorous side of the tiger-girl was at full st, and she ate almost as much meat as the wolves. As a result, she felt horribly bloated and was on cloud nine when she finally got to sleep. On the following day, once she finally got out of bed, Sophia decided to go on an extended morning run to burn some extra calories to make up for her feast. This was easier said than done because the couple''s bed in the mansion was far toofortable for her, which almost made it impossible for the girl to leave it. After Maya heard about her n, she decided to tag along. She wanted to train her running speed and stamina for a while already, and a still bloated- and sluggish-feeling tiger girl seemed to be the perfect partner. On a normal condition, the cat-girl was no match for Sophia when ites to pure speed and endurance, after all. Sadly, this was a colossal miscalction on her part. Feeling not on top of things and actually wanting to burn calories for a change, Sophia was extra motivated. "I''m back~!" Around three hours passed since the couple left for their run before Sophia''s cheerful voice full of energy echoed through the entrance hall of their home. "I-, I''m dead..." Maya didn''t sound nearly as cheery. In fact, there wasn''t the slightest shred of life left in her voice. Actually, that wasn''t the only part of Maya that had no power anymore. "Think you can stand on your own again?" Sophia slightly turned her head while trying to look at the cat-girl who she was currently giving a piggyback ride. "M-Maybe..." Slightly unsteady, Maya got off from her back and stood on her own shaky legs. "I''m going to be so sore tomorrow." She lightly massaged her thighs with a pained expression while saying so. "That''s why I offered you multiple times to slow down. But, no, you wanted me to run at a decent speed." "Urgh..." "That''s what you get for being needlesslypetitive. Well, I''m not one to talk when ites to that..." There was little Sophia actually could me her for. "By the way, I was running to burn calories. If I run to train, I don''t do it nearly as leisurely as earlier." "N-No need to rub it in!" "Ah, but carrying you on my back for thest 10 kilometers was a nice workout. Thanks for that." "Is today the second day in a row I''m going to hate you?" Yesterday, Maya disliked the girl when she mentioned she couldn''t gain weight and had already found a new reason. "Ahaha." Sophia scratched her cheek. "Well, you are quite fit. Justpared to me, who''s running for a long time already, and got her strength boosted, it''s not a fairparison." "I need a shower..." The cat-girl didn''t reply to her im. "I''m all sweaty, and I feel gross!" "Have fun." "You''re not taking one?" "Not yet. I''m good for now. The only type of sweat I''m covered in is yours that stuck to my back while carrying you." "..." Without saying another word, the cat-girl disappeared into the bath on the ground floor. Upstairs was currently too much for her sore legs. "A-Ah-" Sophia only now noticed her insensitiveness, realizing that today might actually be the second day in a row where she''s disliked by Maya. ---------------- To divert her attention, she checked up on the wolves to see what they were doing. Using her detection magic, Sophia quickly noticed that the two were underground and went downstairs to their new basement. "Ah, good, you''re alone." Aura was waiting there for her. "What do you mean?" "We sensed the two of youing back and hastily stopped." "Uhh¡­ did we, well¡­ interrupt you on something? Sorry!" The tiger-girl looked awkward. "Eh? What do you- Ah!" She noticed her ambiguity. "N-No! Nothing like that... Fen and I were working on the maze!" "Ohh!" Sophia hit the palm of her hand with her fist in understanding. "Because of Maya. Good thinking. She''s already angry with me, and I don''t want to die just yet." "What did you do?" "I opened my mouth without thinking." "Ah, the usual, I see." Even though the two don''t know each other for that long yet, Aura didn''t need more information. "More or less. So, how''s the mazeing along?" "Pretty well. We obviously can''t add any monsters in there because we''re in a city, but if you''re going to be lost in there, you''ll be lost." "Sounds awesome!" "I bet it''ll be a good training ground on how to navigate in a dungeon." "Are dungeons normally mazes?" Sophia only explored one before, and it really wasn''t a good example. "Not all of them, but it''s prettymon. I also really like the maze parts. If you don''t cheat your way out with magic, it doesn''t matter how much power you have. It''s a lot of fun. Normally, unless the dungeon''s guarded by a dragon, the monsters inside aren''t anything worth mentioning, after all." "Strength-wise, sure, but they still can be nightmare fuel." The blonde remembered the oversized spyders from Canir''s dungeon and shuddered. "God, I hate insects!" "Really?" "Yep~." Even though she was smiling broadly, her response didn''t seem cheerful. "So, let''s say, scorpions the size of a house, gigantic centipedes or sandworms some hundreds of meters long would be no good?" Technically, they weren''t all insects, but just like spyders, people usually don''t care about the distinction. As soon as many legs and/or any form of a creepy wiggling is involved, it''s all the same. "Ahaha~. No." Her expressionpletely changed while her voice turned to pure ice. "If those things were to actually exists, I would set the entire continent they live in on fire. I would take no chance and burn absolutely everything to the ground." "I-I see..." "Why are you asking? It''s not like they''re a thing, right? Right~?" "I-I was just curious! About how you would think about such creatures." Aura retreated a bit, increasing the distance between her and the tiger. She fights dragons without batting an eye, but the wolf''s instincts were currently screaming at her. They knew the girl in front of them was dangerous. "I wouldn''t enjoy it~." Sophia''s cheerful yet eerie-sounding voice had a very distressing feel to it. "It would make me very scared, followed by really disgusted, and finally extremely angry." Her voice turned dark before she returned to normal in an instant. "Anyway, about the maze," "S-Scary!" Aura mumbled the only thing that went through her head. "W-What about it?" "When have youst seen Fen? From what my detection magic is telling me, he isn''t even near us." "Ah." Aura stopped for a moment. "We split up a good while ago but actually wanted to take a break around, uhh, an hour ago..." "Is he lost?" Sophia nced at the enhance of the maze. "Nah, I don''t think so." "Good." "Probably." The wolf corrected herself. "Hey!" "He can always use magic to find the way out." "Right." Sophia looked relieved. "If he remembers about that." "Oi!" "Uhh... How about I go look for him?" Aura looked a little awkward. "Sounds like an idea to me. I''ll keep Maya in check in the meanwhile. We don''t want her to find out, do we?" "Great thinking!" The wolf liked her idea. "Alright, we''lle upstairs once I find our resident idiot. Make up with the cat in the meanwhile, okay?" ---------------- After rolling her eyes, Sophia parted with Aura and went back upstairs. Looking around for a second, she then found Maya in the living room. Leaning her upper body against a huge pillow, she had upied a whole sofa for herself by stretching out her legs on it "How was the shower?" The tiger-girl noticed that she hadn''t even bothered fully drying her hair as it still seemed a little damp. "Grrm..." Maya decided tomunicate in groaning noises. "Tired? Legs are hurting?" "Hrrrmn." She didn''t even feel like using words. "Imagine how it''s going to feel tomorrow. Sore muscles need around a day for their full effect." "Urgh..." Maya finally looked at the tiger. "It sounds like that will also be the third day, then." "A-Ah." She stopped for a moment. Not wanting a future where she''s going to be disliked by her cat for three whole days, Sophia walked up to her. There, she gently lifted up the girl''s legs with the utmost care before sitting down on that ce on the sofa. Afterward, she carefully ced them on herp. "Want a massage?" While saying so, she lightly touched Maya''s calves. "I want some healing magic!" Maya sounded more than a little spoilt. "Nope. No pain, no gain." "Ehh?" She didn''t like the sound of that. "If I heal your muscles now, all that running would''ve been for nothing." "Seriously?! "Yep, that''s part of gaining muscles. Well... mainly if you overdo it. So, still want some healing magic?" "Massage, please..." Maya didn''t want to lose her progress and having suffered for nothing. "Good choice." As her hands were already on the cat-girl''s calves, she began to massage them first. "Hrrn..." She let out another groan but started to rx after a while. As Sophia has a lot of experience with running around and, as a result of that, how to deal with muscle pain, the tiger knew precisely which parts of Maya''s legs she had to focus on. ---------------- Sophia continued to massage her for a good while, and the cat''s expression had considerably softened up. The tiger''s expression turned a little moreplicated, though, while she worked on every inch of the other''s legs. Not only her calves but also Maya''s thighs had gotten a lot of attention while the cat-girl decided to y with Sophia''s tail as a form of thanking her. "Hmm..." The blonde stopped massaging the girl and stared at Maya''s legs, of which she got an excellent close-up view in herp right now while feeling their sublime soft- and smoothness. "What?" There was more than a hint of disappointment in the cat''s voice. She really didn''t want the tiger to stop moving her hands. "I mean, it''s not really news to me, I always had the feeling, but I''m reeeaally into legs." She couldn''t peel her eyes away. "Your thighs are amazing!" "Thanks. Also, no kidding." Maya rolled her eyes. "What''s that supposed to mean?" "You look at my legs more than at my face." "Eh?!" The tiger was shocked. "T-There''s no way that''s true." "Yeah, I exaggerated a little. Still, it''s pretty obvious that you''re staring at my legs. A lot." "S-Sorry..." Sophia got a little embarrassed about being so obvious. "Why? I don''t mind at all. If anything, I''m happy that you enjoy looking at my body." "I-I see." "Well, I would be even happier if I don''t asionally catch you ncing at those of the princess, but..." "A-Ah." The tiger-girl instantly turned her head away. "I-I was just looking, okay?! Just admiring the view! No impure thoughts were involved!" "It''s alright. I can''t exactly me you. That princess is extremely attractive. That was a big part of the reason why I was so wary of her when she was going after you with such vigor." "Is that so? Wait, that sounds like you were also looking at her?" "Sure was. There''s nothing wrong with enjoying the view as long as you know where you belong to and don''t do anything stupid." "That''s good to know. Oh, was there anything specific you enjoyed?" "N-No... just generally." It almost looked like Maya nced at Sophia''s chest for a second before she immediately changed the topic. "B-By the way, where are our wolves...?" "Hmm?" Sophia''s expression changed for a second after she noticed Maya''s gaze but managed to swallow it as she didn''t want to ruin the mood between them yet again. She managed to learn. It''s also not like she doesn''t like that part of the princess, far from it. "That''s a good question." Because it had been almost two hours since shest saw Aura, she had the feeling that both wolves were lost in the maze by now. That, or they found something better to do. ---------------- Almost three more hours, which the couple spent flirting, including Sophia massaging her cat-girl some more passed before the other two finally showed up again. Maya was pretty suspicious of them for a while because it seemed like they came from the supposedly empty basement, but the tiger barely managed to divert her attention. As the cat-girl was too exhausted to cook, she immediately sent Fen and Aura to organize take-out food. They naturallyplied because neither of them wanted Maya to find out about their little project.
Chapter 126 – First visitors Chapter 126 ¨C First visitors Tagging along with one of Sophia''s usual running sessions and urging her to not hold back too much was a big miscalction on Maya''s side. She had utterly overexerted herself because she, as usual, got toopetitive to stop. As a result, the cat-girl was in a lot of pain caused by her aching muscles. Sophia pitied her and gave the poor girl an extended leg massage to ease her pain. However, the tiger enjoyed it just as much because she really likes Maya''s legs. Be it touching or simply looking at them. Unfortunately, as is customs with sore muscles, the real pain started on the next day. Sleeping almost till noon, after waking up and noticing how she was feeling, Maya somehow managed to get some necessities in the bathroom done before she decided to not leave the bed that day. As Sophia was a big fan of their new bed, she stayed with her for quite a while. Sadly, the cat-girl felt so sluggish that even cuddling wasn''t an option. Because of that, even though the tiger still enjoyed herpany, she eventually got up. "Bored~." Around an hour passed since Sophia left the bed, and she had nothing to do. Judging by her detection magic, the wolves were once more working on the maze, but she didn''t feel like helping at the moment. "Ah, I have yet to explore the backyard of this ce, huh? Fenny and Aura mentioned a barn, didn''t they? That''s also where Maya got the wood for the stove, didn''t she? Wait, formally speaking, this mansion is mine, and I''m the only one who hasn''t seen it?" Saying so, she left the building through the terrace of the living room. Looking around in the garden for a moment, she quickly found a path that led her to a building in the corner of the property, which was hidden behind a range of trees. "Oh, it''s pretty cute." The tiger looked at the brown all-wood barn. It looked a little older, but just like the mansion, it was perfectly maintained. Right next to it was a roofed area with tons of already chopped wood. As the wooden window blinds and the massive barn gate were currently closed, Sophia couldn''t look inside it yet. "Alright, let''s see how the inside''s like." Removing the big woodentch that kept the gate in ce, she carefully pulled it open. "Oh~." Seeing the insides for the first time, Sophia''s eyes started to sparkle. "Five-year-old me definitely would''ve had a heart attack." The barn was filled with hay, and each side had three stables, making it six in total. "Should we get some horses? Err, harses, I mean." Child Sophia was trying to influence the current one. "Nah, too much of a hassle to take care of¡­ Hmm, if we have someone to take care of the mansion and garden, could we get someone for the horses, as well? Probably, right?" The tiger-girl tilted her head while thinking about it. "Wait, why would we even need harses? Overpowered me is faster than them, and my endurance is also higher. If anything, Maya and I can ride on our wolves if something calls for it. Harses are pretty cute, though, no matter if they''re useless..." Even though they had no use for them and how Sophia had previously thought she didn''t care, now she was a little conflicted about the topic. "Well, whatever, I''ll leave that decision to future Sophia. Current me is hungry." She closed up the barn again and made her way back to the mansion. "Oh?" Before arriving, she then noticed a familiar presence with her detection magic. ---------------- "So... phia!" As she walked towards the gate at the entrance, Ellie noticed the blonde tiger, and her face lit up. Holding the hand of the little girl, queen Kira used her other one to wave at Sophia. "Ellie~!" She, too, started to smile. "What are you two doing here?" She looked at the queen. "She wanted to see you, and I wanted to take a look at your new ce." "Oh, well thene in, you two." Sophia opened the gate and gestured them inside., "I was about to look for some food, though." "Oh, that''s perfect. Ellie?" "Cake~!" The little tiger held up a box that seemed to be from a bakery. "We naturally didn''te empty-handed." "I-I love you two!" The cake made Sophia very happy. Afterward, she escorted the two to the mansion and into the living room. ---------------- "Where''s Maya?" Kira noticed the absence of a certain cat-girl as she sat down on one of the sofas with Ellie. "Ahhh," Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. "She''s not, uhh, feeling too well and decided to stay in bed." "Maya... sick?" The little tiger tilted her head. "No, nothing like that. We did some sport yesterday. Running, to be exact, and Maya overexerted herself. Now, her legs are sore." "How much did you run for her wanting to stay in bed all day?" The queen was a little surprised. "Not much. Miss ovepetitive just pushed herself too much with the speed we ran at." "Oh, I see." "Want me to get her?" "Wouldn''t it be better to let her rest?" "Nah, it''s fine. After all, she''s just a little sore and sluggish. If anything, she''ll probably get angry if she doesn''t get any cake." "Well, if you say so." Afterward, Sophia got upstairs and entered their bedroom. "Maya~?" "Mrmng..." She only responded with a groan. "And here I thought I like to over exaggerate." The tiger rolled her eyes. "It hurts, okay?!" Even so, Maya''s answer sounded pretty lively. "That''s more like it. Ellie and Kira are in the living room." "Ugh, really?" "Yep, want to join us?" "I, uhh, do, but honestly, not enough to leave the bed. My legs feel like pudding. Can youe up with an excuse for me?" The cat-girl prioritized beingzy over havingpany. "A-Ah, a sensible excuse, please." "Sure." Sophia turned around and was about to leave. "Well, more cake for me~." "Wait!" She raised her voice. "Cake?" "Yep, the two stopped by a bakery, and it''s currently waiting for us downstairs." "Carry me!" Maya raised up her arms, indicating that she wanted to get picked up. "You..." "Wait, let me get dressed first¡­ Give me a fresh shirt and skirt, please! Don''t need anything else." "Wow¡­" Rolling her eyes again, Sophia walked up to the cat-girl, helped her into new clothes, and gently picked her up in a princess carry. "You sure a spoiled." "Sure am~." She regretted nothing. "Hehe." With Maya in her arms and a smile on her lips, she carefully went downstairs and gently ced the cat-girl on an empty sofa in the living room. "Wow." Kira looked at the scene with a warm expression. "H-Hello..." Acting like that in front of the queen made Maya a little embarrassed. "Just how much did you overdo it? Sophia said you two didn''t run that much, but..." "T-That was your first mistake, listening to Sophia." "Hey!" The blonde tiger didn''t like the sound of that. "We still ran about 40 kilometers! If not more!" "Seriously?!" "I offered you multiple times to slow down or take a break." Sophia didn''t want to be responsible for it. "But no, you kept saying you were fine and urged me to keep my pace only to copse at some point, and I had to carry you home on my back for about ten kilometers." "Uggh." She let out another groan. "I-I''m sorry." "It''s fine~." "Wait, you ran for 40 Kilometers and then carried Maya on your back for ten more?" Kira looked at the blonde girl. "Howe you''re not sore?" "Why would I be? With Maya on my back, I actually could run a good bit faster because I didn''t have to match her pace anymore." "How fit are you?!" "Ehehe. I''ve been running almost daily for a big part of my life. It''s one of my big passions in life. I can''t do without it. Or in other words, I''m pretty fit." "Uuh..." The cat-girl felt stupid for trying topete with her. "On a more unrted note," Sophia looked to her side and changed the topic. "Someone fell into the trap, huh?" She noticed that Ellie had found the white sheebskin rug. There, sheid down at some point, curled up, and was currently fast asleep. "S-So cute." "Yeah, she saw it and just had to do it. Well, Ellie''s still small, so it''s only natural she couldn''t hold herself back." "A-Ah." Slightly embarrassed, the blonde turned her head away. "You totally curled up there and took a nap just like her before, didn''t you?" Kira didn''t need to think too hard to connect the dots. "M-More than once, actually. Stupid instincts..." By now, they had be more of a handy excuse rather than an actualint. "You sure are something else." The queen then looked at Maya. "You need to be harder on her, girl." "A-Ah..." Just as Sophia before, she, too, awkwardly looked away. "The two of you took a nap together there, huh?" "Y-Yes..." The cat-girl was a little ashamed. "I regret nothing!" Sophia wasn''t. "If anything, I want to join Ellie." She enviously nced at the little girl napping on thefy rug. ---------------- Some miracle happened, and the blonde tiger managed to win against the urge to take a nap. Instead, she got up from the sofa and picked up the little one. Afterward, she sat back down and ced Ellie on herp before wrapping her arms around her to cuddle with the small tiger. "You sure love my daughter, don''t you? This one, that is." Kira pointed at the sleeping girl in Sophia''sp with a gentle expression. "Of course. How could I not? She''s way too adorable!" She gave her another squeeze while saying so. "I''m not sure how about I feel about the other part you said, though. I don''t dislike Anna even a bit. Maya, too, likes her quite a lot." She remembered how the princess was a topic between them just the day before, though they mostly talked about her looks. "I-, I wouldn''t go that far..." The cat-girl didn''t want to admit it. "It''s just that I, uhh, don''t like her the way Anna wanted it to be. Ellie, on the other hand, I can spoil all I want because she''s still little." "So... phia?" As if on cue, she woke up again and looked up. "Ehehe~." Noticing she was being hugged by the blonde girl, she let out a happy giggle. "Hnng..." Sophia''s heart took a lot of damage from his reaction. "H-How could you not love her?" "..." The other two had nothing to add. "Maya¡­?" As the little tiger was asleep until now, she only now noticed the cat-girl next to them. She was leaning against the side rest of the s with her legs stretched out on it, iming most of the sofa all for her alone. "Still hurt?" She looked at her legs, remembering what Sophia had said before. "A little. My legs don''t feel good. I''ll be better soon, though." "Can Ellie help?" "Do you want to?" Maya smiled at her. "Yes! Ellie will try!" She climbed off from Sophia''sp and crawled over to the cat-girl. There, she gently ced her little hands on the other''s legs. "Pain, pain, go away!" She put some real energy into her cute little chant. "Hnng..." Just like the blonde tiger before, Maya was in a different kind of pain now. Her chest tightened significantly from this attack. "Wow..." Kira and Sophia, too, were caught as coteral damage. This was too much and took everyone out ofmission. "Did Ellie do good?" The small girl innocently tilted her head while she looked at Maya. "Y-Yes." All of them answered at the same time. Afterward, the group had to take a small break to collect themselves again before they could finally get to the cake the royal family had brought along. Chapter 127 – Hide and seek Chapter 127 ¨C Hide and seek Queen Kira and Ellie decided to visit the group in their new mansion. As Maya was currently suffering from extreme muscle pain, the little tiger princess tried to heal the cat-girl with a cute chant. She, just like the other two girls, took a lot of damage from that, though, because it was too adorable. Afterward, they had to take a small break to recover from their aching chests before the group finally got to eat the cake Kira brought with her for a visit. "Oh my gosh, this cake''s amazing!" Once everyone had calmed down after getting hit by Ellie''s cuteness, they got to the cake, and Sophia apparently liked it very much. It was an assortment of various fruit-based slices of cake. She silently went for the one with strawberries, not even asking about the actual name of them. She didn''t care. "Delicious!" Maya got a colorful slice decorated with what looked like peaches, kiwis, and a few berries. "The bestest!" The little tiger was happily munching on a slice of apple cake. "As expected of the bakery that also delivers to the castle." Kira, just as the blonde, also went for the strawberry one. "You just can''t beat them." "Plea-" "Please tell me the address of this bakery!" Sophia wanted to say something, but the cat-girl was faster. "What she said." "Someone likes sweets, huh? Sure, I''ll note it down for youter." "Thank you very much!" The couple chatted with Kira for a while longer, but once Ellie finished her cake, she had different ns. "So... phia, let''s y!" "Oh? Sure." She had no better ns. "Yay!" "But Maya has to rest today." "Yes..." "I''ll y with the two of you in a few days again, okay?" The cat-girl promised her to join them soon. "Okay!" The little tiger showed her a big smile. "Alright, what do you want to y?" "Hmm... hide and seek! Ellie wants to y hide and seek!" "Sounds fun. I don''t know this ce yet, and I have no idea where to look for you. You''re really lucky." "Super!" ---------------- Afterward, the two tigers exited the living room, leaving Kira and Maya behind. "So, how do you like the mansion?" After waving to the two leaving girls, Kira faced Maya. "Right now, I would''ve preferred one without stairs..." "Ahaha." She let out a chuckle. "Isn''t Sophia able to use healing magic? You shouldn''t suffer that much, right?" "She said that if she heals my legs, all the running would''ve been for nothing because it would reset my muscles or something like that." "Oh, that makes sense. Tough luck, girl." "Yeah..." Maya weakly nodded. "But this mansion is too amazing. Sophia and I are still overwhelmed by everything. I mean, Sophia never knew that her being a tiger is anything special, and, no offense, I totally forgot about that. My hometown''s so far away, and I had so little interest in politics that itpletely slipped my mind. We only found out on our travels, and now Sophia''s ying with one of the nation''s princesses while I''m chatting with the queen in our mansion that the royal family gifted us. Yeah, sooo... a lot to take in." "It surely makes for an interesting story, though." "That''s for sure. I can already see the bewildered faces of my friends and family when they find out. Not sure yet if it will be fun or extremely exhausting to tell them, though. Probably both at the same time." "Feel free to bring your family to the castle when you tell them. I''ll dly give them a tour~." "I somehow doubt the queen giving them a tour will make that situation any easier." Maya wasn''t a fan of the idea. "Hehe. Well, I would still like to meet your parents at some point." "Sure, once we, mostly Sophia~, managed to exin what''s going on, as long as they want, that should be doable." "I look forward to it." Kira had fun. "Well, you now even have a ce to amodate them if they visit you in the capital, huh?" She simply gestured around her. "Well, my parents don''t even know I''m in the capital, so..." The cat-girl doubted it''ll happen anytime soon. "But, yes, we definitely have enough rooms to let them stay here. If anything, we have too many rooms. More than anything, the types of rooms..." "Types?" "The offices and tons of guestrooms aside, the, uhh, c-children''s rooms, they were a little much." "Ohh~." The queen liked the sound of that. "You know my view on that." Maya didn''t want to talk about it again. "Actually, you should be more concerned about those kids'' rooms." "Eh, what do you mean?" "Sophia now has a room where a child can live. You know, the girl who really loves your youngest daughter and is currently ying with her in this house." "A-Ah." Kira froze up. "S-She wouldn''t do that, right?" "The girl who destroyed an army because of attempted kidnappings, among other things, taking Ellie away from you? Unlikely." "R-Right..." The queen looked relieved. "There might be a lot of whining for some sleepovers in the future, though." "Well... " "Ellie might try to persuade you, too." "Ahaha... Well, that might, eventually... not impossible..." Kira sounded somewhat reluctant still. "If there''s a ce where Ellie''s safe, it''s this household." The group''s so overpowered that nothing can happen to the little tiger. "Speaking of Ellie, do you already have any ns for when her magic awakens? I was about her age when it happened for me." "Really, that early? It usually happens between five and six, though?" "I could actually use it with four, but I remember, uhh, feeling it before?" Maya wasn''t sure how to word it. "Maybe it happens earlier when you have more power? If so, it might happen to Ellie soon, too." "Is that so?" Kira tilted her head while thinking about it. "Menzor told me that Eluna will return to the pce soon thanks to Sophia and you. Maybe I''ll try and get her to teach Ellie." "Hmm..." The cat-girl''s expression indicated that she wasn''t the biggest fan of the idea. "She is-, was one of, if not the most renown teacher in our country, you know?" "Yes, Anna mentioned something along those lines, but... Sophia and Fen, and Aura, too. They proved that the very foundation of the way we thought magic works is just in wrong. You saw how I managed to teach Anna the basics of fire magic even though it should''ve been impossible. Don''t you think she should learn magic the right way from the beginning?" "If you put it that way." The queen had to agree. "Does that mean you want to teach her?" "I was more thinking about Sophia. She jokingly mentioned wanting to teach kids magic in the future. While I think that would be a bad idea for the general public, Ellie might be a different topic. These two are extremely attached to each other, and your daughter has the power to learn chantless magic only." "Sophia, huh...?" "Don''t worry, I''ll help out, too. The concept of restraint doesn''t exist within my idiot, after all. Because of that, I''ll have to watch and keep her from doing anything stupid, anyway." Maya knew why Kira sounded slightly hesitant. "T-Thank you. It''s an interesting idea, and you''re right. I''ll talk with Menzor and see what he thinks about it." ---------------- The two chatted for a while longer, and almost two hours passed since the two tigers left to y hide and seek. Eventually, though, they finally returned to the living room. "Mama!" Ellie seemed to be very excited about something as she energetically addressed the queen. "Yes?" "Ellie wants to stay here!" "Ah." Kira and Maya awkwardly looked at each other before focusing their attention on the blonde tiger behind the princess. "I''m innocent!" Noticing their gazes, Sophia immediately threw up her hands in defense. "Really now?" The two didn''t believe her. "Yes! While we were ying, Ellie found one of the kid''s rooms and really liked the colorful walls whileining how boring her room in the castle is!" "Boring!" The little tiger in question tried to get her point across. "I-I see... Should we get your room painted, then?" "Yay!" The little princess liked the idea. "Good, we''ll do that." "Ellie still wants to stay with So... phia!" The topic, unfortunately, wasn''t over yet. "It was worth a try." Kira hadn''t had high hopes for her to forget about it. "Ellie, even if you''re staying in that room, Maya and I, just like your parents, have our own room. I won''t be sleeping with you... most of the time." Sophia tried to help out the queen, but she didn''t fully manage to stay serious. "Oh." The little tiger stopped for a moment and looked down with a sad expression. "Ellie understands... " "Ugh..." More than one heart just got broken. "Alright..." Kira was the first to cave in. "How does a sleepover every once in a while sound?" "Really?" Sophia immediately reacted. "I mean, I''m super happy about it, but isn''t she a bit young?" She was surprisingly reasonable. "A little." The queen agreed. "But she''s so attached to you, and if there''s a ce for her to be safe from any danger, it''s this house, after all." "I see. Well, I''m honored." "What''s a sleep... over?" The princess in question was a little confused over the word she apparently hadn''t heard before. "You stay the night with Maya and me. We''ll have dinner together, y a whole lot, and then sleep together." "Really?!" Her face lit up. "Ellie wants to have lots of sleepovers!" "Let''s do it once Maya feels better again, okay? We can all y together, then." "Yay!" As Ellie was very satisfied, the topic was put on hold for the time being, and the group continued to chat for a little longer. Eventually, though, Kira and the little princess left again, and Sophia had to carry Maya back to the bed upstairs. As expected, nothing else noteworthy happened that day anymore. Chapter 128 – Busted Chapter 128 ¨C Busted Around a week passed since Maya got over her sore muscles when she tried to match Sophia''s running speed. She was as good as new after two days and continued to run with the tiger-girl, just at a pace that wasn''t too much for her. None of that was of importance right now, though, as the group was going through a severe crisis right now. "Sooo..." Maya and the two wolves were currently in the living room, and neither Fen nor Aura were able to look the cat-girl in the eyes and turned their heads away. "Here, I felt like taking a look at the basement because I liked the ck surface of the walls and wanted to recreate it with my own earth magic, and guess what I found? A door leading to something that looks like a maze. Care to exin?" "Uhh... W-Who would''ve thought that the beastfolk capital''s built on a dungeon, huh?" Aura tried her luck but immediately stopped once she saw the cat-girl''s expression. "F-Fen, why didn''t you close the door when you finished up earlier?!" "It wasn''t me! Y-You left it open!" "I left before you, though." The female wolf wasn''t going to take the me. "A-Ah." "Alright, my dear Fen, I''m waiting for an exnation." "I still don''t like that way of addressing me..." "I''m waiting." Maya didn''t care about that. "Uhh..." He didn''t know what to say. "Where''s Sophia when you need her?!" "She went out shopping a while ago. " "Ugh, why''s that idiot always so lucky?!" Fen wanted her to suffer, too. "Don''t worry, I''ll have a chatter with her, as well." "Well," He gave up. "What do you want to hear? It''s exactly as it looks like, I helped Aura build a maze." "Hey! I helped you! It wasn''t my idea, okay?!" "I wasn''t absolutely sure, but you did help out, huh?" Maya looked at her. "A-Ah..." Aura noticed her mistake. "Fen, what did I tell you about a dungeon underneath our house?" "Actually, it''s a maze, soo-" "Do you think that makes a difference?" "A-Also, technically, only the entrance is below the house. The maze itself is more, uhh, besides or around the property..." The male wolf was trying to find a loophole in Maya''s demands about not building anything here. "How much around us are we talking? How big is it?" "Is there-, Is there an answer that gets me out of this situation?" "Surprise me." The cat-girl wasn''t nning to let him out. "Well, we- Oh?" Fen suddenly stopped talking and looked towards the door that led to the hallway. "Hmm?" Maya''s ears twitched, and then turned towards the door as well. She, too, had heard something. "Sophia?" "Err, yes?" Her voice echoed how the hallway. "I''m back~." "Would you minding to the living room? There''s something we need to talk about." "I really don''t like the sound of that, though?" The tiger instantly became wary. "Run!" As Aura liked her, she had to warn the girl. "Uhh..." Naturally, her feeling about it got even worse. "If you run now, you can sleep on the sofa for quite a while." "I''II take the rug, okay? That one''s morefortable to sleep on." Sophia instinctively felt that entering the living room was the worse alternative. "Get in here, idiot." "F-Fine..." She was already halfway through the front door before the tiger turned around and closed it again. Resigning to her fate, she then, very reluctantly, entered the living room. There, the girl met eyes with the wolves. "W-What happened?" "D-Do something about your girlfriend!" Fen was getting desperate. "She, uhh, found out about the maze..." Aura averted her eyes. "O-Oh..." She wanted to turn around again. "Please sit down." Maya simply gestured at the sofa opposite of her. "Yes..." There was nothing Sophia could do. "W-What happened?" She nced at the female wolf while sitting down. "Fen forgot to close the door behind him." "You idiot!" "I know... " "So, you knew about it, too, huh?" The cat-girl focused her gaze on her girlfriend. "A-Ah." Sophia walked into the same trap as Aura before. "Okay, the first one to talk will get a milder pun-" "It was all Fen''s idea!" The two girls immediately sold him out before Maya could even finish her sentence. "H-Hey!" "I know that already. I was present when he had the idea. After all, that was when I said you shouldn''t do that." "R-Right..." Unfortunately, Sophia and Aura''s efforts to save themselves were for naught. "So?" She gave them another chance. "Say," The tiger tried a different approach. "What''s actually the problem?" "Besides building a gigantic maze below the capital of the beastfolk?" "Uhh..." She needed a moment. "Y-Yes." "What if something happens? All those tunnels can''t be good for the foundation." "Unlikely," Fen disagreed. "The maze''s pretty deep underground, and we strengthened the soil around it." "Still..." "Actually, while digging, Aura and I found a cave caused by groundwater erosion. In a year or two, it most likely would''ve copsed and, at the very least, destroyed a street. We took the liberty to fix it." "S-Seriously" Maya was losing her arguments. "See? We even saved the city! Wait, that happened?" It was the first time Sophia had heard about it, too. "Yes," Aura nodded. "A couple of days ago. We strengthened the soil above the cave and decided to use the ce as something like a rest stop in the maze. It looks a bit like an undergroundke there, very pretty, and the ambiance is amazing." "I can''t wait to explore all that!" "Urgh." "Do you dislike mazes that much?" The female wolf looked at the cat. "No... they sound quite fun, even." "Maya, is this about having to be the voice of reason for us again?" Sophia remembered the conversation where she wanted to have anotherpanion, so she could y around with the rest of the group. "What''s this about?" Aura tilted her head. "Our cat here decided to y the role of the reasonable one in our group because all of us have to be kept in check." "Ohh." The wolves knew precisely what she meant. "Maya hates it, though. She much rather would like to y around with us but fears we could destroy the world if nobody holds us back." "Ahhh." The two nodded again. "I never went that fa-, Hey, don''t just agree to that, you two!" "Ahaha~." Everyone except the cat had a goodugh. "Anyway," Sophia continued. "Maya wants to find another member for our group to take over that job. Someone who enjoys having a serious personality, so she can be stupid with us. The requirements for that person''s just a bit high, as they would have to keep up with at least Maya during our travels." "Good luck with that." Fen didn''t sound overly hopeful. "Hard would be an understatement for that." "Yeah..." The couple agreed. "Should we, uhh, try to hold back a little?" Sophia nced at the wolves before facing Maya. "Thanks for suggesting it, but we all know that won''t happen. You are physically unable to hold back." "Ahhh." The tiger had the same reaction as the other two before. "Should I help out a bit for the time being?" Aura addressed the cat-girl. "What do you mean?" "Well, I like to y around and all that, but I can be serious if the situation calls for it. I might be able to lessen the burden by keeping an eye on Fen and not ying along with everything." "Hmm... Thanks, but I don''t want to ruin your fun. If I can blow up on you all every once in a while, like earlier, I should be fine." "You enjoyed scolding us, didn''t you?" Sophia saw through her. "A little~." Her voice sounded much lighter all of a sudden. "This girl..." Everyone sounded relieved by her answer. "Anyway!" The tiger seemed to have a new idea. "Fenny, how big is the maze by now?" "Massive." He only needed one word to describe its size. "Oho, I like the sound of that! Maya, let''s go explore it!" "Eh?" She hadn''t seen that suggestioning. "It sounds like fun, doesn''t it? Also, as there are no enemies, there''s no reason for me to do anything stupid and cause a catastrophe." "Since when do you need a reason for that?" "Ah." Sophia had no counter for that. "Come on, don''t be like that~. Let''s go and y!" "I don''t remember saying no." Maya had nothing against the idea itself. "Really? Yay!" She was very happy about her answer. "Oh, but let''s have lunch first, okay? I''m pretty hungry." "I''m shocked." "Ahaha." Afterward, the cat-girl had released the wolves and allowed them to finally leave the living room again. Then, the couple went to have lunch together. Once that was taken care of, the two got ready to explore the underground maze Fen and Aura had been building for thest one and a half weeks. Chapter 129 – The wolves’ maze Chapter 129 ¨C The wolves¡¯ maze The group had narrowly escaped a life-and-death situation. Maya found out about the wolves'' maze below their house and the capital and got angry. Luckily, Sophia somehow managed to defuse the situation and even talked the cat-girl into exploring said maze together with her. The couple had finished their lunch and went to the basement. There, Sophia created a portal to her extra space to quickly return if they want to take a break or have enough of exploring. "Alright!" She was really looking forward to it and energetically raised her fist. "Lead away, Maya." "Eh, me?" She hadn''t heard about that before. "Of course! I want you to have the most fun!" "I see. Whatever, sure." Maya epted the leadership role and took the first step through the entrance but immediately stopped again. "You don''t think there are any traps, do you?" "Ah... Well, Fen and Aura built it, so..." "Again, you don''t think there are any traps, do you?" It being made by the wolves didn''t calm her down in the slightest. "Uhh... Be careful!" "Hey!" The cat-girl didn''t like the sound of that. "Well, that''s part of a maze exploration, I guess?" "That''s true¡­" "I''m also almost rtively certain that they most likely didn''t put any super deadly traps in here. Probably." "And I''m very certain that I''ll give the lead back to you!" Maya wasn''t a fan of those odds. "Come on, don''t be like that~." Sophia simply started to push the cat-girl''s back through the entrance. "D-Don''t push me!" Resigning to her fate, she eventually, and cautiously, began to walk on her own but stopped again after two turns. "Say..." "Nope, I can''t see a thing, either." The tiger knew what she wanted to ask because the two found themselves in a pitch-ck corridor. As there was no light left to reflect, their feline eyes had be useless, as well. "What now?" "Time for some light magic, I suppose. Do your best." "Eh? Me?" Repeating herself, Maya pointed at herself while tilting her head. "Stop being cute and do it." She liked her innocent pose. "I taught you light magic already, so it shouldn''t be an issue, right?" "Hehe. Well, this shield thingy I had to use in the war because a certain someone felt like going wild, but..." "I gotta do what I gotta do~. If you can do that, something like illuminating this passage should be nothing." "Alright." Maya closed her eyes and tried to imagine a type of magic that wasn''t quite asrge-scale as the other one. A couple of moments passed, and their surroundings slowly started to brighten up. "See? It wasn''t so ha- Eh?!" "I did it! Huh?!" The cat-girl was happy about her sess for a second but then froze up, as well. Now that the two saw something again, they noticed the roughly three-meter-deep pitfall right in front of them that was impossible to see in the darkness. "S-Seriously?!" "W-Well, it wouldn''t have killed us." "That''s true, but..." Maya nced at the hole again. "It wouldn''t have felt nice, either." "Fair point. Fenny''s in trouble, huh?" "That''ll depend on what other surprises he has in store for us." "So, he is?" "Probably." They had the feeling the wolf hadn''t held back. Luckily, the hole was just a surprise and didn''t cover the entire corridor. Once they found it, the couple could simply walk around it. ---------------- The two kept navigating through the maze for around 15 minutes. Eventually, they found a passage that seemed to be leading down somewhere as it was on a slight slope. Then, Sophia heard a weird sound and had to stop. *Click* "C-Click...? " She froze on the spot and slowly looked downward at the source of the sound. "Uh-oh..." Her face turned white as her eyes stopped at her right foot that stood on something that resembled a pressure te. "What''s wrong?" "Uhh... It might be time for my turn to get angry at Fen..." Cold sweat appeared on her forehead. "Seriously, if we''re about to get chased by a massive boulder now, I- Ah." In the very moment she said those words, their surroundings began to shake. As if on cue, a gigantic boulder actually did drop from the ceiling behind the girls. "Fen, you idiot!" Maya noticed the boulder speeding towards them and made a quickint before she panicked. "R-Run!" "Well, duh." Sophia was already a step further. She grabbed the cat-girl''s hand and broke into a sprint while dragging Maya with her. They ran for a couple of hundred meters before the two reached the end of the slope. There, the couple was greeted by yet another pitfall. This time, it was much deeper and around 10m wide, though. "Hang on tight!" She wrapped her arm around Maya''s waist and simply jumped. "Eh? Huh?! Waaaaaaiiit!" Not having expected any of that, the cat-girl could only scream as the two flew over the pit. "Phew, that was fun~." As 10m wasn''t a mentionable distance to jump for the tiger-girl, she safelynded on the other side. Letting go of Maya, she turned around just in time to see the boulder fall down the pitfall. "Wow, just like a movie!" Despite the situation, her eyes were sparkling. "W-What just happened?!" Maya was a little confused by the events. "I identally triggered a trap. Those wolves sure are something else. I couldn''t have done it better myself." Instead of being angry, Sophia looked pretty proud after the initial surprise had worn off. "T-That''s way too dangerous!" "Is it?" She tilted her head. "Sure, it scared the heck out of me, but thinking calmly about it, was there much danger? Both of us are way faster and can jump over the pitfall. Not to mention that we could''ve easily stopped the boulder with magic." "Ah." Maya stopped to think about it for a second. "You''re right. I just panicked..." "Maybe that''s the point of those traps? For learning to deal with a situation calmly and quickly?" "Oh, that might be true. Or they just want to mess with us." "Uhh¡­" She couldn''t defend the wolves in that aspect. "Well¡­ Aura also mentioned that mazes are her favorite part of a dungeon because, unless you cheat with magic, your power doesn''t really matter, and that''s a lot of fun." "So, you mean we should watch out for traps and try to solve them creatively?" "Sounds great, doesn''t it?" Sophia had a bright smile and seemed to be really looking forward to it. "Sure, let''s do it!" The cat-girl, too, took a liking to the idea. "Yay, lead away!" ---------------- Leaving the pitfall behind, the couple continued on the path that eventually ended in a three-way intersection. "Hmm..." Maya looked at the different corridors. "Any preferences?" "Preference, huh?" She looked at the path to her left, right ahead of them, and then to the one on her right. "Well, I don''t go straight, so it''s either the left or right one." "Idiot..." She could only roll her eyes. "Ehehe." "Alright, well, straight''s out of the question." The cat-girl yed along. "Left or right, left or right... Left!" Seemingly on a whim, she then pointed at the corridor. "The reason is?" "Why not?" There was none. "Perfect." Sophia herself wouldn''t have done it any differently. The two followed the path for around half an hour. As there weren''t any more intersections where they had to choose, and no traps either, they had covered a lot of ground. Unfortunately, there was a reason that it went so smooth, or too smooth. "A dead-end... Seriously?!" The couple had just walked around a corner, and Maya wasn''t overly happy about the sight. "Ahaha..." The tiger, too, had aplicated expression. "Our wolves sure know what they''re doing." "Oh, maybe it just looks like a dead-end, but it''s actually just an illus- Nope, it''s solid rock." Maya touched the wall to see if it was real and got disappointed yet again. "Well, time to head back, huh?" ---------------- Doing as told, the two turned around and went back to the intersection from earlier. This time, the girls followed the path they had previouslybeled as the right one. Immediately after, they had to turn left before deciding to continue or go right as the corridor gave them two options. "You decide this time!" The cat-girl didn''t want to be responsible for another failure. "As said before, I won''t go straight~!" After Sophia''s reasonable and carefully considered decision, the two turned right. "Sure." They followed the path for around ten minutes. It had a couple of left and right turns and eventually ended up at another intersection, which gave them the option to continue ahead or turn Left. "Left, it is!" The tiger had no ns to change her approach. "Hmm...?" Something about this crossroad bothered Maya, but she followed her for the time being. Another ten minutes and some more left and right turnster, the couple once more had to decide whether go straight or turn left "Well, you know the drill!" She still refused to go straight. "Wait a moment!" Maya stopped her. "Doesn''t this corridor seem familiar to you?" "I can''t say I paid much attention to it. Looks all the same to me." "Hrmn... I feel like we''ve been here before." She looked around some more. "Yeah, definitely familiar. Let''s mark this wall before we continue." Saying so, the cat-girl used some fire magic to scorch the wall. Once this was taken care of, the two followed the left path for yet another ten minutes, and they actually ended up at the same crossing where Maya had marked the wall before. "Wow, that point goes to you." "I knew something was odd here!" "The corridors all look the same to me. I have no idea how long it would''ve taken me to notice..." Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. "So, this path''s just a loop, and we''ve been running in circles the entire time?" "I think so. Let''s find out." This time, the couple didn''t go left, and after another turn, they were back at the intersection where the two arrived after running away from the giant boulder. "Ah." "That sure was a lot of wasted time." Maya, too, had an awkward expression and nced at the only path left before facing Sophia again. "Looks like, in the end, we have to go straight, huh? It''s the only thing left for us. We have no other choice. There''s no use fighting it anymore. The other paths were just a phase, and that''s the real one." She pointed at the straight path. "We just wasted our time the entire time. Everything else is a dead-end, after all. This is the only right way for our future." "Having fun?" Sophia only looked at her. "A lot~." "I never should''ve told you how some individuals in my old world thought about homosexuality." "Ehehe." The cat-girl let out a small chuckle before energetically raising her list. "Let''s leave our dark past behind and finally go straight! It''s the one true path that will show us the light~." Maya looked at the two dimly lit corridors they tried before, gave Sophia a quick kiss on the lips, and then entered the straight path that was shining brightly from her light magic. "Were you always such a dork?" "Not before meeting you~. I hope you take responsibility." "Sorry~." Sophia followed after the cat-girl with a goofy smile Interestingly enough, the straight path took a sharp left turn after around 50m and continued in a jumbled mess of corridors with a ton of intersections that led up and down, went in a zigzag way, and many other types that were anything but straight. If looked at it from above, it most likely would''ve beenbeled as modern art. Chapter 130 – More exploring Chapter 130 ¨C More exploring The couple was currently exploring the underground maze the wolves had built. Their progress was rtively moderate, though. They activated a few traps and got lost a couple of times by running in circles or reaching dead ends. The two were currently in a hallway that was connected to a jumbled mess of corridors that led up and down, made all kinds of weird zigzag turns, or simply made no sense at all and looked very confusing. "Now that''s the type of straight I can get behind." Sophia initially didn''t want to take the straight path just because it isn''t her style but this confusing mess resonated strongly with her for some reason. "Ahaha." "You don''t think the wolves nned this, right?" "What do you mean?" Maya tilted her head. "Well, I''m pretty simple, right?" "Yes." "Hey... Hesitate at least a little!" She made a short pout before continuing. "Anyway, me making that straight joke wasn''t that unexpected, was it? Aura was also there when I mentioned the dark side of homosexuality in my old world. Seeing how now the straight path was the only right one and everything else was just trolling us..." "Hmm... I think you''re reading a little too much into it. Well, then again, I wouldn''t be surprised if she did it on purpose, though. She is a yful one." The cat-girl couldn''t rule out the possibility. "Alright, it was fun, so whatever~." Even though the topic was heavy in theory, there was no malice behind it, and they had a goodugh while ying around. "So, where should we go next?" "Uhh..." She looked around, but there were so many paths that making a decision was impossible. "I''m not even going to try." Saying so, Maya closed her eyes and spun around a couple of times before eventually pointing to her right without looking. "That way!" "God, why are you so perfect?" Sophia really liked the way her cat decided and how cute she was while doing so. "Hehe." Maya, too, enjoyed being yful. ---------------- Afterward, the two entered the corridor she had chosen on a whim. Unfortunately, it ended up being a dead-end right after the first corner. "..." "..." They went back to the hallway with an awkward expression. "Let''s, uhh... Let''s try this one!" This time, Sophia chose a path by pointing at a random one, and they tried their luck again. The two followed that way for a while. It twisted and turned a lot and was generally all over the ce. It went up and down before leveling out again to continue in a zigzag way instead. "You know, more than any of them doing a yful job at our straightness..." Maya looked around in the confusing corridor. "I more and more get the feeling Fen was just drunk when he made this area." "That''s, uhh... That''s not an unlikely exnation, either." There was nothing she could say here. "So, anyway, what do we do about this?" The cat-girl pointed at the slight problem the two were currently having. "That''s a good question." Sophia then, too, looked at the big hole at the end of the path they were following. It was so deep that with Maya''s current illumination, they couldn''t even see the bottom. It seemed just like a ck void. "Jump?" "How about no?" "That''s probably a better idea." Even the tiger wouldn''t do something like that. "I guess we''re heading back?" "Hmm..." Sophia got closer to the hole and looked down. "If you''re actually going to jump now, I''ll kill you if you survive." "What?" There were all kinds of things she wanted to retort to in this sentence. "No, I just think there''s something odd about this hole. It actually feels darker than it should be?" "Isn''t that just because it''s really deep?" "I don''t know. Is it?" Sophia stared at it for another moment before snapping her fingers. Immediately after, the hole was bathed in a bright light. "Eh?" The cat-girl was confused about what she saw. The hole actually wasn''t even 15m deep, but its walls and ground were made with pitch ck and smooth rock. Thanks to that, it only looked bottomless with little light. "Our wolves sure are having fun with this maze." She was impressed. "Oh?" The tiger then noticed a small exit at the wall near the bottom of the hole. "That''s pretty clever." "Yeah!" Sophia liked these kinds of things. "Seems like we have to jump after all, huh?" "How about some stairs with earth magic instead?" She didn''t feel like jumping down a 15m deep hole. "Sure, knock yourself out." "In other words, I have to make the stairs myself?" "You think it, you do it." "Alright." Maya got closer to the hole, closed her eyes, and concentrated for a few moments. A little whileter, a couple of pedestal-like footrests around one meter apart from each other spiraled around the walls towards the bottom of the hole. "Good work. Not really stairs, but it does the job nheless." "Yeah, stairs seemed like too much work." "A valid reason." Sophia''s favorite one, actually. Afterward, the two jumped on Maya''s makeshift steps and reached the bottom of the hole in no time. There, the couple looked around to see what was going on. "It looks a little like the basement Fen made." Maya touched the ck walls. "No, they''re actually way darker. Very interesting." "I think this here is closer to obsidian or other volcanic rocks." She, too, touched the smooth and perfectly ck surface. "Is the capital built on a volcano?" "Not that I know. Though, we''re quite deep... I think? Nobody would probably know about it." "That''s true. I hope it''s inactive." Sophia casually said something worrisome. "Scarry!" "Well, if it''s active, the capital would''ve noticed by now. There should be some frequent earthquakes if it is the case." "Y-You''re right..." "Okay!" The tiger faced the dark tunnel inside the wall of the pitfall. "Wanna find out where this leads to?" "Of course!" Maya was having a good time during their exploration. As there wasn''t anything extraordinary happening, Sophia was rtively behaving herself, and the cat could let loose. ---------------- It was a perfectly straight tunnel around 500 meters long and led to a gigantic cave. The path''s exit was slightly elevated, so the two could perfectly overlook the dimly lit area. "Seriously?" The cave had several supportive pirs, but it was easily 1km by 1 km wide. That wasn''t the surprising part, though. Looking down, Sophia noticed that the entire floor was a gigantic actual maze made with roughly three-meter-tall walls. All of them were arranged at perfect 90¡ã angles. "Wait, didn''t the two start building this maze once we moved in? How?" Maya was amazed by just how much the wolves did. "Well, now we know why we''ve barely seen themtely." "Fair point. Though, I thought they went on dates or something like that. There''s a nice mood between themtely." "Like when Aura and I immediately sold him out to save our skin earlier in the day?" The tiger let out a small chuckle. "Idiot. You know what I mean." "Yeah, they do feel closer. Maybe building a maze together is just their type of date? I mean, I''m exploring one with you right now, and I''m having a great time!" "I don''t think I can call exploring a dungeon a date... I''m still a girl, after all." "I am one, too, though?" "Yeah, I''ve noticed." The cat-girl looked at her from head to toe. "I''m very well aware of that~." "Haha, no, I get your point. Even for me, that''s a little entric. Well, it''s fun and enjoyable, so I don''t care what we call it." "Yep~." She gave a big nod. "Let''s have a date date in a caf¨¦ or something like that soon." "Sounds great. Oh, how about we see if that bakery Kira told us about has a caf¨¦ attached to it?" "That! Let''s do that!" Maya was a big fan of the cake the queen brought with her the other day. "Ehehe." Chuckling at how adorable Maya was for a moment, Sophia then looked at the maze beneath them again. "Wanna clear it?" "Absolutely!" "Good answer." "Do you think the tunnel exit ended up being elevated on purpose? Maybe we''re supposed to memorize the pathing of the maze?" "Uhh..." The tiger took another nce at the gigantic 1 by 1kmrge thing. "You don''t expect me to remember that, do you?" "Well, it should help if we even memorize a little, right?" "Sure." The couple looked at the maze from above for around 15 minutes before eventually making their way down to it by ascending some stairs next to the exit of the tunnel they arrived from. The entrance was a three-meter-tall gate, and the couple was immediately greeted by the choice of turning left or right after stepping through it. "Alright, this way!" As the couple paid good attention and memorized a good part of it, they were confident with their decision as the two eximed the correct direction at the same time. "Eh?" Unfortunately, the couple was pointing at the exact opposite paths. Clearing this maze might involve a bit more work than Sophia and Maya had previously anticipated. Chapter 131 – Taking a break Chapter 131 ¨C Taking a break Maya and Sophia were still exploring the underground maze the wolves had been buildingtely. They ran into a lot of traps and got lost many times and now found an actual maze inside a gigantic cave and decided to clear it. As the couple had the chance to overlook it before entering, the girls managed to perfectly remember the path to effortlessly navigate through it. "It''s this way!" "No, it''s this way!" As confident as the two sounded, they didn''t even manage to get past the first fork right behind the entrance. While they were pointing in opposite directions, both were sure about being right. "We''re already one mind, huh?" Maya could only roll her eyes. "It''s amazing, isn''t it?" She yed along. "But seriously, I''m 100% certain we have to go left!" "Well, then I''m 200% sure it''s right!" "That''s a lot of percents. Especially for someone being wrong." "I''m twice as sure that you''re wrong, though." Maya wasn''t going to give in here. "How about we find out, then?" Sophia had a new idea. "Each of us takes three turns in our paths and see which one looks more promising." "Finally, something I can agree to. Alright, let''s meet here again afterward, okay?" "Sounds good." Doing as told, Sophia took the left path and walked around three corners while Maya turned right. This was their n, at least. "A-Ah." In the end, they didn''t need to take three turns. After the tiger went right two times and the cat had to go left two times, as well, the two suddenly stood right in front of each other again. The path after the entrance split up only to immediately lead together again after a few meters. It was utterly irrelevant which way they went first. "W-Well, this is, uhh..." "Awkward¡­?" Maya finished her sentence. "Y-Yeah..." "Soo, err, this way?" The cat-girl pointed at the only direction they could go without returning to the entrance. "Yes, I would choose the same direction now." The two followed the path for a little bit, but they soon ended up at a four-way intersection. "It''s definitely this way now!" And again, the two managed to point in the exact opposite direction. Maya to her left and Sophia to the right. "Why?!" For not being in sync at all, they still were in one way or another. "I guess there''s only one thing we can do now, huh?" The cat-girl looked at the third option they had. "Looks like we have to go straight again." "Nooo~!" Despite their disagreements, the couple was obviously having a lot of fun. ---------------- The two continued to navigate through the maze for around an hour. Somehow, they managed to disagree at every fork or intersection they came across. Finally having enough of that, the couple decided to take turns deciding which way to take. It took them around five minutes to determine who goes first, though. "Haa... I''m getting a little tired." "I''m hungry." The couple continued for a while until they reached a bigger corridor where they had to choose between ten different paths to continue. Seeing that, they felt the need for a break. "I kinda lost track of time, but it feels like it''s already way past dinner ti- Ah." As if on cue, Sophia''s stomach, too,ined right before she finished her sentence. "Yeah, I think it''s already evening." "Should we head back for today? I don''t think we''ll finish this maze anytime soon." The tiger nced at all the options they had in the corridor again. "Yep, it''ll take a while. I don''t even know if we''ve made any meaningful progress yet. I wouldn''t be surprised if they''re just messing with us again or we''re doing something wrong here." "That''s... definitely a possibility." She nodded. "Alright, let''s call it a day and get some food." "And a bath!" Being underground all day made the cat-girl feel a little yucky. "Sounds like a n." Sophia felt the same, and while agreeing to the idea, she let the purplish portal to her extra space appear. Entering it and walking through the all-white corridor, the couple was soon back in the basement of their mansion. "This still is really freaky..." Maya still wasn''t sure how she should feel about this traveling method. "It definitely is convenient, though." "Sure is." ---------------- They went back upstairs and noticed that it was already dark outside. Entering the living room, the two then found the wolves peacefully napping on the sheebskin rug in front of the firece. "Looksfy." Sophia felt like joining them. "Has Fen not slept a night on it yet?" "He really likes that thing." "Haha. Alright, food?" The tiger decided to leave them alone for the time being, and the two went to the kitchen together. "Is it okay to make something simple? I somehow don''t feel like doing much work right now." "Eh? Of course!" There was no way she wouldn''t be okay with it. "Is there anything I can help with?" "Sorry," Maya shook her head. "I believe it would take longer with you helping." "Urgh..." Not what she wanted to hear. "Not today... but can you try to teach me a little cooking at some point? I wanna be able to help you!" "Aww, that''s sweet. Sure, I''ll think about some easy dishes for you." "Yay!" "For now, how does, uhh..." The cat-girl looked around in the kitchen. "We have some bacon left, I think. Stir-fried veggies with that?" "I like the sound of that." She wasn''t hard to please. Maya prepared theirte dinner in a sh, and once the two finished eating, the couple went upstairs to have their regr bath together. After freshening up, they went back to the living room. "Oh, wee back, you two." This time, the wolves were awake and greeted the couple. "Finished your nap, Fenny? Lost to the sheebskin rug again, huh?" "A-Ah." He turned his head away. "It-, It was an ident!" "Sure~." "How was the maze?" Aura changed the topic. "It''s impressive." The cat-girl answered for them. "How far did the two of youe?" The male wolf was d that they didn''t push his love for the rug. "We went past the darkness trap and the giant boulder. Good job on that one, by the way, it was amazing." Sophia liked that one. "Hehe." Fen looked proud of himself. "Afterward, the two of us got stuck at a very obnoxious intersection. "Oh~?" Aura seemed interested in that. "Which way did you two go?" "Well, we ended up in a dead-end one way and kept running in circles with the other one." "So?" "Yes... Maya and I ended up going straight..." "Ehehe, I knew you would react like that." "You made the intersection like that on purpose, didn''t you? Well, good job. Maya and I had a few good chuckles with that." "d to hear. I knew I could count on you for my stupid little joke to work out." "I especially liked how the maze was anything but straight afterward. It was super all over the ce and curvy. The corridors almost seemed to look like cooked spaghetti if looked from above." "Uhhh... that actually wasn''t part of the joke anymore, though it worked out perfectly." She nced at the other wolf while saying so. "Our dear Fenny got super drunk on the evening we worked on that part, and..." "Ahh..." The couple looked at each other while remembering how they actually mentioned this case being a possibility. "I wasn''t drunk!" "You totally were." The girls replied at the same time. While the couple wasn''t present, they still saw the result. "Did you make it out of his mess?" "Yeah, we needed a few tries but eventually found this big all-ck hole." "Good job." "Once we found out what was going on with it, we discovered that long passageway at the bottom of it." Sophia told them about their findings. "Say, Fen, is the capital built on a volcano?" "Hmm? What made you think so?" He tilted his head in response. "That all ck hole and the passageway inside looked a little like obsidian or other previously molten volcanic stone." "Oh, I see what you mean. No, the capital isn''t built on a volcano. Well, not that I''m aware of, at least. I was just ying around. I used your fire magic to actually melt the stone. That''s how I created the hole and the tunnels. It looked likeva while I was doing it, so the properties of the cooled-down stone might be simr." "Wow, not bad." The tiger was impressed. "You sure enjoy building the maze, huh? To go that far." "Yes. I haven''t done something like this ever before, and it''s really enjoyable." "Yep, same here." Aura agreed with his view on the matter. "d to hear." Sophia was happy to see them having fun. "You can also see that. Maya and I arrived at the maze, and that thing is amazing! "You two already made it that far?" "We totally got lost inside, though. That''s why we gave up for today." "Ahh..." The two awkwardly turned their heads away for some reason. "What''s wrong?" Sophia was confused by their reaction. "Well... Fen and I were working on it on our own. He started from the entrance while I began at the exit. We''ve never seen each other, though. I''m not sure if our halves even connect somewhere..." "Seriously?!" The couple had the same reaction. "If you don''t make it out within a day, I might advise climbing over it." "..." Sophia and Maya had no reply to that. Suddenly feeling even more tired for some reason, the two then decided to head to bed. They still nned to explore the maze some more on the next day, though.
Chapter 132 – Mazes are confusing Chapter 132 ¨C Mazes are confusing After getting lost in the underground maze Sophia and Maya were currently exploring, the couple decided to take a break. Using the tiger''s new transportation magic to go back to their mansion. After having eaten something and taken a bath, the two chatted with the wolves. Unfortunately, Aura and Fen, the makers of the ce, confessed that they weren''t even sure that there was a way out. Hearing that, the couple decided to go to bed because it was too much to deal with. On the following day, once they finished breakfast, the couple was freshly motivated again and decided to explore the maze some more. As Sophia''s portal was still active, they could jump right into it again. "Alright!" Energetically raising her fist, the tiger looked around in the huge corridor while guessing which of the ten paths connected to it the two should follow. "What do you think, leader?" "I''m still the leader, huh?" "Sure are~." "Okay." She didn''t mind. "Let''s see..." Maya, too, inspected their options. "Where did wee from again?" "Uhh..." She had no idea. "We''re off to a good start, huh?" "Ahaha." Sophia let out a chuckle. "It really doesn''t matter if the wolves maybe never connected the halves of this maze, does it?" "Nope, not at all. We would be trapped in here for weeks either way." She, too, had no faith in them. "Whatever, Sophia, give me a number between one and ten." "Hrmm... Four?" "One... two... three... Alright, we''ll go this way!" The cat-girl pointed at the fourth path leading out of the corridor. "H-Have I ever told you that I love you?" She was a massive fan of the easygoing side of Maya. "asionally, but I''ll never not like it when you say it~." "Ehehe." "Let''s go!" Also sounding motivated, the cat-girl grabbed Sophia''s hand before guiding her into the path. The two kept going like this for a while. Randomly deciding on a way whenever they had to choose, except going straight, of course, the couple made great progress. ---------------- "Err..." Roughly two hours passed since they started their exploration, and even Sophia noticed the problem they were having now. "Wee back?" "Seriously?" The two had returned to the corridor they started in the morning. "Aren''t we the best?" "Sure... in some way, we definitely are..." Maya didn''t specify in which way, though. "Haha. Do you want to guess a number now? I''ll start counting on a random path, then." "One!" "Oka- Wait a moment! If I choose the path to start and the number''s one, doesn''t that mean that simply I decide which way we go?" "Yep~." "You cheeky... Well, in a way, I would''ve chosen either way... It''s just even more obvious like this..." Sophia noticed that her n was pretty wed from the beginning because Maya knew why she should guess a number. "Whatever... This one!" She simply pointed in a random direction without looking. Following the new path for around an hour, the couple got a little confused. While the two didn''t return to the original corridor again, every single turn they took eventually ended up in a dead-end. "Weird..." Maya tilted her head. "Dead ends are nothing new, but one of the paths should connect to somewhere, right? Especially because it feels like we''re in the dead middle of the maze..." "Hmm... Ah!" "Stop that!" "W-What...? I didn''t do anything?" The tiger got confused by her sudden yell. "S-Sorry. Whenever you say ''Ah'', my body reacts on instinct." "How rude!" "You conditioned me to do that. You say that whenever something catastrophically did-, or is about to happen." Maya had heard it way too often to not be wary of it. "F-Fair point..." She had nothing to say in her defense. "So, how''s the world going to end now?" The cat-girl was prepared for the worst. "No, it''s an innocent Ah. If we''re in the middle of the maze and somehow everything ends up in a dead-end... Maybe it''s because the connection between Fenny and Aura''s side is missing? That would-, should be in the middle, right?" "Ah." She had to make the same reaction. "You might have a point." "So, what now?" "Hmm..." Maya looked around before pointing up the three-meter-tall walls of the maze. "Let''s have a look?" "Sounds like a n." The tiger created a couple of steps with earth magic on the wall, and the two reached the top of it in no time. As the maze was so gigantic, their new point of view wasn''t actually all that helpful, though. Because of that, Sophia let the wall below them rise even further. She created a tform from where the two could overlook a good part of the maze. "Really?" Maya was not amused by the sight. Upon closer inspection, the gigantic maze was actually two separate ones divided by a perfectly straight wall right in the middle. Unfortunately, that wall had no opening to cross from one side to another. "Wow... all they needed to do was to get rid of 5 meters to finish the maze. So close, yet so far." She wasn''t sure whether to be disappointed or impressed. "What now? Jump over it and continue on the other side?" "How about we connect the two parts by taking down a bit of the wall. That wouldplete the maze." "Oh, I like that idea." Saying so, the couple got rid of the tform again. Afterward, they destroyed the wall on which Sophia put on the steps before. Now that the exit should be reachable, the two resumed their exploration. ---------------- They continued to navigate through the maze by randomly guessing their direction, and another hour quickly went by. "Alright, this way!" The two stopped at another fork, and Sophia pointed to her right. "Nope, we definitely have to go left." As it had be customs in the maze, the only thing the two agreed on was to disagree on everything else. "The usual?" "The usual!" "Alright, we''ll meet here again after three corners to see which path looks more promising." Afterward, the two split up to see which is the best way. "Mine looks really great!" They were back together, and the cat-girl was sure that she had found the right direction. "After two corners, there''s a really long path that definitely leads to somewhere!" "Really?" "Yep, I''m 100% sure it''s better than yours!" "Is that so?" Sophia seemed to be trying to hold back a smile for some reason. "No, 200 %!" The cat-girl was very confident. "Hmm... Still, would you do me a favor and go around the first corner of my path? Just to make sure." "I don''t know why because there''s just no way, but as we''re in no hurry, I can do that much for yo- Ah." Maya stopped talking once she went around the corner and saw what was going on. "What do you think? I haven''t seen your path yet, but I have a pretty good feeling about this one." Sophia stood next to the cat-girl as both were currently looking at the exit of the maze that was right behind the first corner. "Uhh... I don''t know. I still think my path looks better, but... I think we can try yours for now." "Just go already, idiot." The tiger got behind her and pushed Maya out of the maze. "Ehehe." Despite having lost, the cat-girl still had a good time. "Wow, all things considered, that was pretty fun~." "Sure was!" She shared her opinion. "Wanna continue?" "Of course! It''s probably only around noon, and I have no other ns." "I still can''t believe I got up so early..." As they were in the maze for over three hours already, it was actually true. "Kicking you out of the bed helps a lot of the time." "What?" "Nothing~." She wasn''t actually trying to hide it. "Well, I don''t particrly mind." As it was far from the first time, Sophia was used to it already. "I wonder what else our wolves built down here." "Wow, remembering how angry you were about the whole underground maze thingy makes your current bright smile''s all the better." "Shut up and let me have some fun." She didn''t want to think about it. "I surely won''t be stopping you. I enjoy it-, you way too much for that. I hope I see more of that side in the future." Not that she disliked any part of Maya, but her fun side was an especially sweet treat for the tiger. "So, can we continue?" "Of course!" Sophia gave her cat a big nod. "I wanna see that groundwaterke cave thingy or whatever Fen and Aura mentioned yesterday!" "Oh, I almost forgot about that. I want to see that, too!" "I bet it looks cool. Alright, lead the way!" The tiger looked forward to it and raised her hand in anticipation. "Okay!" Maya, too, energetically put an arm in the air before grabbing Sophia''s hand once more. Afterward, the couple followed the path that got them away from the maze and eventually led them into a new tunnel. The exploration of the underground area seemed to be far from over. Chapter 133 – Underground lake Chapter 133 ¨C Undergroundke Sophia and Maya had finally cleared the maze inside the underground area the wolves built. However, the couple was still super motivated and decided to explore the ce some more. After the maze, the two found a path that led them into a long and dark tunnel, which they chose to follow for a while. "Ohhh!" Once they finally reached the end of it, the couple found themselves in yet another cave. Still, this one had nothing inmon with the previous one with the maze. It was a good bit smaller but much more impressive nheless, and Maya let out a sound of admiration. "I''ve never seen so many glowworms at once!" They found the cave with the undergroundke the wolves mentioned, but there was something much more eye-catching. The ceiling above the crystal-clear water was filled with an uncountable amount of tiny blue lights illuminating the cave. It almost looked like a starry night sky if not for the many nts and web-like strings hanging from the ceiling. "So pretty!" "Uhh... T-Those countless blue dots are i-insects...?" Sophia''s expression was as far away from admiration as it was possible. "What else should it be?" "H-How am I supposed to know?! Glowy cave magic?" The tiger would''ve liked this exnation much more. "Nope. Thousands, if not millions of insects." "I-I see..." Sophia nced at the ceiling again while a shudder ran down her spine. "W-Woah... T-They''re m-massive, too!" As if on cue, some of the glowworms descended from the ceiling, and flew around in the cave. Naturally, they came pretty close to Sophia''s face, too, because why wouldn''t they. "Uuh..." Her expression changed even more as she squeezed Maya''s hand she was holding. "Don''t tell me you''re scared of them, too?!" The cat-girl remembered that she wasn''t good with any sort of insects and the likes. "I-I''m not scared!" She didn''t sound overly convincing while her ears started to nervously dart all over the ce. The tiger''s tail also looked all puffed up while it had wrapped itself around her leg. Her inner cat had betrayed her. "Really now?" Maya only stared at her. "I-It can''t be helped, okay?! She caved in. "It''s not like I''m doing that on purpose..." "But it looks so pretty!" The cat looked at the beautifully illuminated ceiling created by the blue light of the glowworms that was even reflected by theke''s surface. "I-I want to agree, but right now... I just want to set the entire cave on fire... Literally, I want to add. I have the strong urge to use some fire magic." "Please don''t." "I''ll try..." "But why? It''s not like they can hurt you." "Basically nothing can hurt me." It didn''t help Sophia to calm down. "F-Fair point." Maya forgot how ridiculous her girlfriend was for a moment. "I just think bugs are nasty! I don''t have to be rational to dislike something..." "Yeah, why would you start there." Maya didn''t think much, if any the tiger does, is based on rationality. "Urgh..." "But look at it." The cat-girl pointed at the top part of the cave. "It looks so beautiful, romantic even." "Uuh..." She nced at the blue illumination, trying not to be disgusted by ignoring the source of the light. "Y-You might be right. It''s fascinating." She still looked scared, though. ---------------- Once Sophia got somewhat used to the glowworms above them, the two got closer to theke in the middle of the cave. "The water looks so great! The reflection of the blue light is so beautiful, and it''s so clear. You can see all the way to the bottom." Maya was mesmerized by the view. "Yeah, it''s amazing." Sophia, too, liked it. She then remembered something else that often happens when the two are at ake or the sea. "Wanna go for a swim?" "I think my swimsuit is in the mansion." "You don''t need that, do you?" The tiger wanted to get back at Maya, who tried the same many times before. "That''s true." Unfortunately, the cat-girl doesn''t get flustered that easy most of the time. Instead, she simply took off her vest and threw it at Sophia. She didn''t stop there, though. Immediately after, Maya started to unbutton her shirt. "H-Hold on!" Once Sophia got a good view of the sporty bra beneath and enjoyed it for a couple of seconds, she finally stopped the cat-girl from stripping. "I-I was just kidding! In the first ce, it''s pretty cold in the cave. I don''t even want to know how freezing the water is." "Aww." With a slight pout, Maya buttoned up her shirt again. "You''re no fun." "W-Why are you so good at this?! I probably would''ve simply gotten embarrassed and useless again if you asked me..." "Well, I don''t mind undressing in front of you. I did that a ton of times already. Not to mention that we''ve gone a lot further already. All the way, to be exact. Multiple times, I want to add." "T-That is true¡­ but still¡­ I really need to get more confident¡­" "Also, I had a greater goal in mind." "Hmm? What do you mean?" "Do you actually think I wouldn''t make you strip, too?" Maya shed her a cheeky smile. "Who knows what would''ve happened afterward, then~." "A-Ah." "You might be right, though. The water''s guaranteed to be ice cold. Okay, let''s save the stripping for when we''re back in the mansion. In our bedroom, to be more precise." "S-Sure..." Either way, Sophia ended up being the embarrassed one. She didn''t seem to be against the idea, though. "I really can''t win against you, can I?" "Do you feel like you''ve lost, though?" Maya yfully nudged her side. "Uhh..." The tiger thought about what stripping in their bedroom would entail. "N-No." "I thought as much~." She liked her answer. Afterward, the two got even closer to the water and sat down on the shore there. While rxing, they looked around in the cave to take in the sights. "Soo... we''re in a cave below the beastfolk capital after running through a maze made by two oversized, not to mention overpowered wolves. What did you think your life would look like a year ago?" Sophia found their situation very bizarre. "You forgot to mention being surrounded by millions of glowy insects." "Stop that!" She only barely managed to blend that out before. "Ehehe." Maya couldn''t help it. "I most likely would still be researching magic on my own and bugging Masi to test it out on him. My life sure made a drastic turn back then. Thanks for that." She sounded pretty happy. "You?" "I honestly don''t even want to think about it." Sophia made a slight grimace. "I''m definitely better off now. No questioning that." "Absolutely." The couple continued to chat and cuddle for a while, but even them being all over each other didn''t make up for the rather cold climate inside the cave. Its size and the groundwaterke made the temperature drop considerably. As it was slowly bing ufortable, especially because neither of them was dressed enough for the asion, the two decided to leave. Magic to heat up the area around them would''ve been an option, but they wanted to explore more, anyway. ---------------- Looking around in the cave for a minute, they soon found the exit at the other side of theke. It was yet another tunnel that led the couple to whatever the wolves had in store next. "Hmm..." While the two were navigating through the tunnel after the cave, Sophia looked a little confused. "What''s wrong?" "This new part of the maze is super weird. We went up for a while, and now it doesn''t stop going down. Every time wee across a fork, the elevation seems to change." "Yeah," Maya nodded. "I even think we''re running in circles. It seems like they made the floors all connected with each other through those ramps. Multiple times even, because it feels like we''ve been in this tunnel before." "Really? So, we''re lost again, huh?" "Nothing new, is it?" "Not at all." Sophia agreed. The two probably took every wrong turn possible in the maze. "This one might be easy to solve, though." The cat-girl apparently had figured it out already. "If we keep going up, we should eventually reach the surface, right?" "You think so? I kinda doubt this secret maze would lead to the surface somewhere in the capital." "Ah." She hadn''t thought about that. "Well, it might lead back to our home." The tiger wasn''t against the n. "I have no other ideas, either." Setting the n into motion, the couple decided to go up inside the maze whenever it was possible. They kept going for around an hour before the corridors eventually leveled out. It seemed to be far from over, though. As expected, there was no exit in the middle of the capital. Instead, the path they were following simply didn''t stop. There were many twists and turns, but the two had to make no decisions anymore as there were no forks and the likes. "Seriously...?" Maya looked disappointed once, after another half an hour, the path finally did stop. "A dead-end? Wow, you can do better than that, Fenny." Sophia had a very simr expression, but it soon changed to surprise as she looked towards the ceiling. "Oh?" "What''s wrong? "We, uhh, ended up in a very interesting ce." "Where?" "We''re right beneath the castle." "Ehh?!" The cat-girl naturally was shocked. "Wait, how do you know?" "I''m detecting Ellie, Anna, and all the others above us." "Okay, I had a lot of fun in the maze, and I really enjoyed it, but I''m going to scold the wolves for that. Tunneling below the royal castle is a little too much." "Ahaha." Sophia could onlyugh. "How about we pay them a visit?" "Our wolves?" "No, the tigers." "Ahh. Wait, how? You don''t want to dig a tunnel into the castle, do you?" "I was more thinking of a faraway corner in the garden. I look out for any people with my detection magic, we get out, and I close up the hole again." "I always get confused when you have a n that makes sense..." "Oh, shut up." "Ehehe. Sure, why not. We''re here already, after all. Well, more or less." Maya agreed to the n. "Alright." Sophia concentrated on her detection magic for a while, and once the coast was clear, she quickly created an exit of the maze behind a couple of trees. Once the two were out, the tiger let it disappear again. Walking around in the garden for a while, the couple then looked for some familiar faces to spend a little time with them.
Chapter 134 – The bane of homework Chapter 134 ¨C The bane of homework The couple finished exploring the maze build by the wolves and ended up beneath the royal castle. Deciding to pay their friends there a visit, they dug up a tunnel and exited in a hidden area in the castle''s garden before letting it disappear again. "Oh, there she is." Thanks to her detection magic, it didn''t take Sophia long to find Anna. The princess was sitting at a table on the big terrace behind the castle. The table was filled with a couple of books and lots of paper scribbled on with all kinds of stuff. "Eh?" She noticed the couple and became confused. "Sophia? Maya? Where did the two of youe from?" "Ah." The two hadn''t thought about how their sudden appearance out of nowhere could be suspicious. "Uhh... "So, what are you up to, princess?" Maya didn''t address it and simply tried to divert her attention. "Homework..." Any enthusiasm had instantly left her voice. "Well, that doesn''t sound like fun." The blonde wasn''t overly interested in that. "Tell me about it... Though, right now, I''m just killing time to wait for Ari. We wanted to do it together, but she''s still a little busy." "Weren''t you in something that was called magic academy?" Sophia got a little interested in the end. "It''s also a normal school, but magic''s the focus. Well, thanks to me being the princess of this nation, I had private teachers ever since I can remember, and I don''t really have the need to, but school seemed fun, and I dragged Ari with me to attend together." "Hmm..." Sophia had a hard time imagining school being fun. These two things didn''t work together in her eyes. "Homework''s a different topic, though. Well, and anything rted to magic after meeting your group..." "What do you mean?" The couple tilted their heads. "Here," While saying so, Anna gestured at the textbooks on the table. "Let''s see..." The blonde grabbed one and flipped through the pages. "Eh...?" The more she looked at, the nker her face became. "The importance of chants and how to word them properly to get the most out of it... A quick introduction to activation words, the pinnacle of magic... How to find out which element you''re capable of using... Merits and demerits of each element - Find out where your specialties are and which future you should pursue... Chantless magic - A special gift for the elite with dozens of years of training... Uncategorized magic - The romantic myth..." She listed a couple of headliners in the textbooks. "What kind of joke is that?" "Ahaha..." The princess could onlyugh. "It''s been a while..." Maya seemed nostalgic. "Pre-Sophia magic." "Why are you still learning this...? It''s wrong. Basically all of this." The girl in question developed a slight headache just from reading it. "Well, I know that, and so does the royal family after meeting you... Father still has no idea how to make these new discoveries public, though. So, the school''s, of course, still teaching the old ways." "I see..." "Isn''t it super hard for you to take any of this seriously after I taught you another element? And after Sophia demonstrated what real magic is?" Maya couldn''t even imagine ever going back. "Of course! No one wants to learn stuff they''re never going to use anywhere!" "Why did you want to go to a school again¡­?" Sophia had to make a silent retort. "That''s why I need Ari for the magic-rted homework. She hasn''t been, uhh, corrupted by your group yet and can still follow the old teachings." "So you can copy it, huh?" The cat-girl saw through her. "W-Well, yeah... I-It can''t be helped, okay?! I''m good at every other topic, so I can help her with whatever she struggles with!" She tried to justify it. "Heh~, is that so~?" Maya honestly didn''t care, but it was a chance to tease the princess, and that, she cared about. "Ugh, I can''t wait for Eluna to arriveter this week..." "Elu¡­? Ah, the bakery granny!" Sophia needed a moment to connect the name. "She wanted to see more of my magic, didn''t she?" "Yes," Anna nodded. "I hope she forms a n with father to make the new magic public soon. I don''t want to learn this outdated stuff anymore! Maybe she can evene to the academy, too, to teach us there. Together with the two of you." "Eh?" The couple looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean?" "Eluna is a magic instructor in the first ce. Sophia''s the poster girl of the magic revolution, and Maya''s actually capable of teaching normal people." "When did I be poster girl?!" She hadn''t heard about this. "Fen''s the one I learned it from." "You''re cuter, though. A much better fit for a poster girl." The princess mixed in something rtively unrted. "W-What?! What has that to do with anything...?" She was still weak against receivingpliments out of nowhere. "She''s right, though." Maya sided with Anna. "If you want to sell anything, you have to be the face of it, Sophia." "Why do I feel like you''re biased?" "Because I am." She didn''t try to hide it. "Urgh..." "I think it could be a lot of fun if the two of you teach us in the academy for a while." "I don''t know..." Sophia had mixed feelings. "I kinda agreed before, but I already had my doubts about this possible school arc before¡­ Doing that as a teacher sounds like hard mode, then..." "I think it might be worth a try," Maya said something unexpected. "We should help to get the hard elements system abolished as soon as possible." "Really? You like the idea, Maya? Really?" The princess only stared at her. "What Anna said." The tigers were confused about the cat. "What''s that supposed to mean?!" "Me teaching in front of a group of teenagers in Anna''s age... Judging from previous... experiences..." "And how you reacted thest time I suggested Sophia visiting my school!" "Ah." The cat-girl noticed the issue. "T-That''s old Maya! New Maya''s a lot calmer in that regard." "Great, that means you''re going to teach us in the academy if ites up?" "I see no problem with that!" Maya fell for the bait. "Great!" "Whatever..." Sophia gave up. "By the way, I''m super popr in school." Anna looked at the cat-girl. "Everything else aside, a lot of people also try to get close to me because I''m the princess. Ari''s, too, as she''s the closest to the royal family there. I bet Sophia''s going to be an instant hit." She used the chance to tease her back. "Uhh... what?" New Maya had a slight hup. "It''s going to be sooo much fun~!" The dynamic between Anna and Maya was rather peculiar since the beginning, and ever since Sophia turned the princess down, it''s gotten a lot more yful. She was initially sad about the lost chance, but it happened early enough to not burn any bridges. Anna needed a little time to recover but still wanted to be friends with the two. ---------------- The trio chatted for a while longer, mostly the princess and the cat teasing each other. Eventually, Ari, who was wearing the same school uniform as Anna this time, finally appeared on the terrace. Noticing the arrival of the ck-haired jaguar, the couple decided to leave them alone to let them do their homework in peace. While leaving, Sophia witnessed something that confused her greatly, though. "H-Huh?!" The two had just entered the castle, but the tiger was still staring at the terrace. "What''s wrong?" "Ari totally red at me just now... right before sitting down next to the princess." "Why would she do that?" Maya tilted her head. "I have no idea. We haven''t spoken a single word yet." "Are you sure she was ring at you? Maybe you just imagined it?" "Hmm... It sure seemed like it. She definitely looked angry when ncing in my direction for some reason..." "Weird." The cat-girl had no real exnation for it. "Well, not everyone will always like you. She sure has a bad taste, though." It was the only thing that made sense to her. "Haha. Still... we haven''t actually met yet, let alone exchanged a single word..." Humans aside, it was the first time Sophia came across someone she didn''t befriend at first nce, and she didn''t like that feeling. She knew that it was nothing noteworthy, but it still bugged her because it slightly reminded her of her previous life. She unconsciously got used to being popr, and potential embarrassment aside, she enjoyed it very much. "Let''s ask the princess the next time we see her. The two seem to be super close, so she might know what''s going on." "Good idea. There''s always the chance I messed up with something and left a bad impression on Ari. I would like to correct any potential misunderstanding." "Yeah, you have the tendency to do that." "Oh, shut up." The tiger''s mood brightened up again. "Hehe." "Ah, I detected myself an Ellie nearby!" Luckily, as always, Sophia''s attention was extremely easy to divert. Putting the issue with the ck jaguar to the side for the time being, she decided to look for her favorite tiger in the castle instead. Maya obviously tagged along because she, too, had taken a liking to the little princess, after all. Chapter 135 – Playing in the garden Chapter 135 ¨C ying in the garden The couple chatted with Anna for a while about the magic academy. Somehow, one thing led to another, and the two might end up with a temporary teacher role there in the future. As the princess still had homework to take care of, the two left her alone afterward, but on the way back, the ck-haired jaguar-girl Ari appeared and red at the blonde tiger. Naturally, this confused her greatly because she had no recollection of having anything ever done to her. As she had no exnation for it, Sophia instead searched for Ellie as that seemed to be more fun. "So... phia!" The little princess spotted her in the hallway and immediately ran up to her, leaving her mother, who was right next to her, behind. "Ellie~." She kneeled down and weed her with a hug. "Yay!" The small tiger jumped right into her arms. "Up we go." With Ellie still in her arms, Sophia stood up again. "Hey hey." Maya ced a hand on the little one''s head and lightly ruffled her hair. "Maya!" Her smile got even brighter. "Legs better?" It was the first time Ellie saw the two since the cat-girl was suffering from her severe muscle ache. "Yep! Better than new." She gave her a big thumbs-up. "Yay!" "Where did the two of youe from?" Kira waited until Ellie was done before joining them. "The maids didn''t inform me at all." "Uhh... We wanted to surprise the little one?" Both patted Ellie''s head while saying so. "Ehehe." She enjoyed the treatment she was getting. "Well, that worked out." The queen didn''t ask any more questions. "Anything new in the castle?" While putting Ellie down on the ground, Sophia faced Kira. "Not much. Menzor''s really looking forward to Eluna''s arrival in a few days, and he hopes she can help with all the new magic revtions." "Ah, Anna told us about that already. She actually wants Eluna and the two of us to visit the academy to showcase the new magic to everyone once there''s a n." "My, that''s a lovely idea." The queen liked it. "Would you actually do that?" "Well, we kind of promised her, I guess?" Sophia couldn''t fully follow the conversation with the princess earlier, but that was the resolution she got from it. "I would say that we''re going to at least try?" "That''s great! That daughter of mine had a good idea there for once. The magic academy is the perfect ce to introduce the new knowledge to the public. Menzor''s going to like it, too. He''s been working his head on the topic recently but didn''te up with a conclusion yet. Do you mind ying with Ellie for a bit? I''ll go and tell him the idea right now." "Yay!" The little princess only cared about thest part. "I won''t ever mind that." Sophia naturally liked the n, too. "Do you want to y anything specific?" Maya also was up for it. "Ellie wanted to y in the garden! Let''s go there!" "Sure." "Thanks, you two." Saying so, Kira left her daughter with the couple and went to visit the king. ---------------- Holding the hands of both while walking in the middle of them, the little princess happily guided Maya and Sophia to the garden. There, the trio decided to y hide and seek. A little over an hour passed, and the blonde tiger was currently searching for the little one. Naturally, she had her detection magic altered to not see Ellie while ying. "A-Ah." Sophia managed to get lost in the garden and ended up near the terrace where the couple had chatted with Anna earlier the day. Unfortunately, the princess was already gone, but her timing was even worse. A certain ck-haired girl was currently cleaning up the table. It was Anna''s childhood friend, the rare-colored jaguar-girl going by the name of Ari. Their eyes eventually met, and the mood became awkward in an instant. "H-Hello..." After the blonde caught Ari ring at her earlier, she was unsure what to say. "A good day to you. Do you need something?" The words she said were just like those of a professional maid, but her voice was ice-cold. The expression she had while looking at the tiger was the exact opposite of friendly, too. "N-No, just a greeting..." "Good. As you can see, I''m busy." "O-Okay... Ah, have you seen Ellie? Anna''s little sister?" "I... I have not." The ck-haired girl flinched once after hearing Anna''s name but then ignored Sophia and turned around before entering the castle. "T-Thanks..." She needed a moment. "She definitely... hates me. Why?! I am 87 % sure I never did anything to her!" As she is who she is, Sophia never could be absolutely certain of these kinds of things. "Ah, I need to find Ellie!" Because she was still ying with the little princess, she had to worry about this at ater point. Once she collected herself again, she went to look for Ellie. While it didn''t take long to find find her, Sophia naturally took her time to catch the little princess. She hadn''t shown the same mercy to Maya, though. The cat-girl was taken out instantly. The trio yed together for another hour while changing out the hunter ever so often. The couple couldn''t exin it, but Ellie somehow won most rounds. After the little tiger had finally powered herself out, Kira arrived in the garden and picked her up. She also mentioned how much the king liked the idea of having Eluna and the couple visit the academy in the future. He wants to see the two once Eluna''s back in the capital to n it out. ---------------- The couple finished their little chat with the queen and decided to leave the castle. It was slowly gettingte, and after ying with Ellie, not to mention the whole maze exploration, the two had gotten pretty hungry. While walking towards their home, Sophia told Maya about her encounter with the jaguar. "That''s so like you to directly run into Arian... uhh, Ari afterward." She forgot her full name as Anna never used it again while talking about her. "So, she first red at you and then treated you coldly and was snippy? Well, I guess she''s straight, huh?" The cat-girl had only one exnation for all of this. Non-straight girls simply had to fall for her, after all. At least in her eyes and judging by experience so far. "Please take this seriously." "I do, though?" Maya only tilted her head. "Okay, you did nothing to her, so I''m pretty miffed that she treats you like that. Kinda makes me want to talk to her." "Please don''t." Sophia didn''t like the cat''s expression. She was sure this would only make things worse. "Aww... Maybe it''s just some kind of misunderstanding?" "Well, I am good at those." "We know." She collectively spoke for everyone. "Urgh... Still, earlier was the first time I spoke to her... I haven''t had the chance to create a misunderstanding yet." "It''s you we''re talking about. I''m sure you''ve somehow found a way." "I hate it that you''re most likely right!" Sophia had nothing to defend herself. "Ehehe." While the two continued to lightly bicker, they reached their mansion in no time. ---------------- After greeting the wolves, or at least Aura because Fen was busy napping on the sheebskin rug in the living room, Maya started preparing dinner while Sophia stayed with Aura. "Did you two finish the underground area?" The female wolf faced the tiger, who gotfortable on one of the sofas. "Maybe?" She didn''t know what the end was, after all. "Maya and I ended up under the castle and decided to pay everyone a visit there." "Yep, that''s where we stopped." "Are there ns to continue?" "Definitely. Fen wanted to expand it more tomorrow." "Great. It''s a lot of fun, and Maya, too, was enjoying it very much." "Really?" "Yep. I told you that Maya''s actually super adventurous. She just prioritizes watching over us for the time being." "I see. Kinda makes me want to y with her, too." "Ahaha. We have to find someone who can take over that job in our group. You don''t know anyone powerful with a serious personality, do you? Well, or at least fast enough to keep up with us while traveling?" "Hmm... those two things rarely go together. We''re all a really easygoing bunch. Fen actually used to be the most serious guy I''ve ever met with power." "Ahh..." Sophia noticed that getting a new party member might be an even more hopeless task than she thought it would be. "I think the demon folk would be our best bet here. Well, most of them aren''t the stuck-up type, either, but there are many of them, and almost all of them could boost their speed with magic to keep up with us. We should find someone who could take over Maya''s position of babysitting us." "I want to go to their continent, but I doubt it''ll happen anytime soon. There''s still so much I want to see and explore here." "That''s fair.... If it''s on this continent... Hmm, maybe we should try to find an elven vige?" "Eh?!" The tiger didn''t see this turning. "Most of them have a rather serious personality. Some are pretty hard to get along with because they''re too stuck-up, but I met lots of friendly ones, too." "Seriously? Fen briefly mentioned the elves, but if I remember right, he also said that they''re incredibly hard toe across. I definitely would like to meet them, though." She got interested in the idea. "That''s true. Many of them migrated with the demons, but I dide across a vige or two when searching for Fen on this continent. Totally forgot where that was, though..." "Urgh..." Sophia got a little hopeful before thest sentence. "Sorry about that. Well, you want to visit the human capital, don''t you?" "Nope, I really don''t. I''ll most likely have to, though..." She knew that there was no way she doesn''t have to scare the people there eventually. "Wait, why are you asking?" "It''s pretty far, and we have to travel a lot to reach it. If the two of us focus on our detection magic and improve the range even further, we might be able to sniff out an elven vige." "Oh, I like the sound of that!" The two chatted for a while longer, and Aura exined what kind of reaction elves give in their detection magic, so the tiger knows what to look out for. Afterward, Maya announced that dinner was ready. Waking up Fen, everyone then ate together, and the day soon came to an end. Chapter 136 – Being hated stings Chapter 136 ¨C Being hated stings Shortly after Sophia noticed that Ari had red at her for some reason, the tiger identally had her real first encounter with the ck-haired jaguar maid. It didn''t go any better, though. If anything, it was much worse. Ari not only treated her very coldly, but it was also very obvious that the maid didn''t want to be near her. "I don''t get it!" Sophia was still brooding over it on the next day. "Can we go and visit Anna today? I want to know why Ari hates me!" "That really affected you, huh?" Maya looked at the irritated tiger, whose tail was angrily swishing all over the ce, with a warm smile. "Of course! I never had any friends in my old world, but I changed here! So... knowing that someone hates me without reason super bothers me!" "You don''t have to be that obsessed with it." "I can''t not!" Sophia unconsciously enjoyed being popr and loved by everyone way too much for that. Especially when factoring in her previous life, it had be a very addicting feeling. "I also wanna know what I did wrong so that I don''t identally scare away the elves, too." "I see. Well, I can understand that a little. Being hated by someone doesn''t feel nice, after all¡­ Wait, what?" Maya first nodded but then became pretty confused. "Elves...?" "I want the new member of our group to be an elf!" "Sorry, I need some context here." The cat-girl couldn''t follow her. "Hmm? Oh, right... we went to bed kinda early, and I forgot to mention it, didn''t I? I talked with Aura about getting a newpanion to take over your job of babysitting us." "Okay?" "Well, she mentioned that almost everyone with big powers is usually very easygoing." "I am very well aware of that." "Ahaha." Sophia couldn''t say anything here. "She also said that our only option would be the demons. Most of them aren''t serious either, but we should still find someone because they''re so many of them. As I don''t n to go to their continent anytime soon, though, Aura suggested the elves instead. A lot of them apparently have the personality we''re looking for." "I think I get the picture now. As expected of you... I briefly mention wanting anotherpanion, and you go hunting for elves." "Go big or go home." "You''re the personification of this motto." The cat-girl couldn''t help but sigh. "I never met anyone who saw an elf, though, let alone met one myself. I heard that they exist, but other than that..." "Fen also said that they''re very rare toe by. ording to Aura, most of them migrated together with the demons." "So?" "She came across an elven vige or two while looking for our wolf. She also told me what to look out for with my detection magic. Once we''re back to traveling for real, the two of us n to specifically look out for them." "You really are the most motivated about the strangest things." Maya marveled at how much energy the tiger put into her ideas. "Still, elves, huh? I kinda want to meet one, too." "I know, right? I can''t wait~." "Don''t get too excited too soon." "And here I thought you know me." She expected the cat-girl to have learned by now that this is impossible. "Oh, shut up." "Alright, back to topic!" Sophia put the elves on hold for now. "I want to go to the castle and talk to Anna about Ari. Are youing with me?" "Yeah, I have no better ns. You sure have grown, though." "What do you mean?" "When we met, you could barely speak a sentence to me without having a meltdown or five. Now, you''re seeking the help of the nation''s first princess to get along with her maid." "G-Good point... Well, I feel like I''ve gotten better at talking with people, and I really love that! I never want to go back to how I was before! Also, I''ve gotten more used to my boosts, which makes me less nervous. Not to mention that..." "That?" "I want to be friends with them. The princess and, even more so, Ari look great, but there are no other feelings involved. You were a much bigger hurdle in that regard." Sophia was unconsciously falling for the cat-girl since day one, which increased her embarrassment manifold during their interactions with each other. "Ehehe, good answer." Maya showed her a big smile. "I love you, too." "A-Alright, l-let''s go immediately..." As if to further prove her point, the tiger developed a slight blush while she got bashful over the cat''s disy of affection. "Sure~." This sight put her in an even better mood. ---------------- Sophia immediately left the mansion while Maya followed after her. As they used the official entrance of the castle this time, the couple had one of the maids guide them to Anna''s room. Sophia knew where she was, thanks to her detection magic, but navigating through the corridors of the gigantic castle and reaching it was an entirely different matter. "Princess, you have visitors." The jaguar maid politely knocked on the door of her room. "Really?" Anna''s voice soon returned from the other side. "Yes, Lady Sophia and Lady Maya want to see you." "Perfect!" The door immediately flung open, and the princess greeted the couple with a big smile. "I was so booored~!" "Hello~." The two lightly waved at her. "Come in,e in!" She gestured them inside. "I''ll prepare tea and a couple of snacks." With a slight bow, the maid excused herself, and the couple entered Anna''s room. "I''m so d I finally have something to do!" The three sat down on the two sofas in her room and started chatting. "School''s over for the day, and it''s the weekend now, but there''s nothing interesting to do!" "You could always study magic on your own." Maya immediately had an idea for her. "U-Urgh..." She flinched after hearing this. "W-Well, I''ve gotten fairly good at using the fireball you taught me. But I only know how to study magic the old way, and I lost every bit of motivation for that!" The group had already thoroughly corrupted her, after all. "That''s fair." The cat-girl understood her reasoning as it was the same for her. "Oh, while we''re at it already, would you mind teaching me some moreter, Maya?" "Hmm..." She thought about it for a moment. "Whatever, sure, I don''t mind." "Awesome! Thank you very much! Now I finally have something to look forward to today after Ari went shopping with her mother directly after school was over. We couldn''t even go home together¡­" "Ah." Hearing that name, the couple awkwardly looked at each other. "What''s wrong?" Anna noticed their odd reaction. "Uhh... Sophia, exin. It''s your problem." "Yes... Err, Anna, why does Ari hate me?" She decided to make it quick. "Eh?" She looked extremely confused. "My Ari? The jaguar with the gorgeous ck hair?" "That very girl." "She hates you...?" Anna got even more confused. "I didn''t know you two even know each other." "That''s exactly it. We don''t." "What...?" The princess couldn''t follow her even a bit. "You see..." Sophia then proceeded to exin what happened the day before. How the jaguar-girl red at her and seemed somewhat hostile when the two exchanged a few words. "Ehh...?" The princess'' confusion only continued to grow. "I don''t think I''ve ever seen Ari ring at someone, let alone address anyone with a cold voice... She''s about the sweetest girl I ever met. Well, it''s not like she doesn''t have a yful side and likes to tease me every now and then, but... That said, she can also be a bit too serious at times and scolds me when I don''t behave, but she does it in a way that I want to stop, rather than her getting angry. She has a bit of a mom feeling to her when reprimanding someone if you know what I mean. Super warm, super gentle, but it just makes you want to stop whatever you''re doing wrong." "T-Then..." Sophia didn''t like the sound of that because it was nothing like the girl she met. "That means she reaaally hates me, huh...?" "I somehow still can''t imagine it... So, yesterday she behaved like that around you. What about before?" Anna tried to make more sense of the situation. "As I said earlier, that''s the thing... Remember two or three weeks ago when we looked at our new mansion and talked about Ari''s awesome hair?" "Yep, I was delighted that you thought so, too!" "That was the first time I saw her, and yesterday was the second time... I really don''t understand." "You''re right. That makes no sense, especially because it''s so unlike Ari..." Anna, too, couldn''t make any sense out of it. "Do you mind if I ask her what''s going on once she''s back?" "Not at all!" Sophia gave her a big nod. "I would be really happy to find out what''s going on!" ---------------- As there was nothing more to talk about this topic, for the time being, the girls chatted about some other things while enjoying the tea and snacks the maid from earlier had brought at some point. An hourter, they decided to go to the garden once more so that Maya could teach Anna more magic. While the two were busy, Sophia sat down at a table on the usual terrace, and she watched them ying around from a distance. Mostly a cat-girl yfully bullying the first princess of the nation, that is. Another 30 minutes passed, and the blonde tiger somehow felt being watched. Looking around while using her detection magic, her eyes eventually met those of a certain ck-haired jaguar, who was half-hiding behind a nearby wall. Noticing that she got spotted by Sophia, her expression changed, and she disappeared behind the wall. "Yeah, no!" The blonde tiger got up from her chair and immediately ran after the girl. The urge to find out what was going on was way stronger than anything else. Chapter 137 – Ari Chapter 137 ¨C Ari The couple met with Anna again, and Sophia told her what happened between her and Ari. Unfortunately, the princess had no idea what was going on because the jaguar-girl''s usually pretty sweet. Anna promised to talk with her, but things turned out differently. While Maya was training magic with the princess, Sophia noticed that they were being watched by the ck panther. Acting on instinct alone, the tiger immediately ran after Ari when she wanted to run away after being caught. "Stop!" Sprinting after the fleeing jaguar, Sophia tried to get her attention. "..." Reluctantly, Ari eventually stopped running and turned around because she noticed that there was just no way she could run from the blonde. "What do you need?" Her expression made clear that she really didn''t want to, though. "I-I, uhh..." Sophia caught up to her and needed a moment because she hadn''t prepared anything yet. Looking at the girl in the same school uniform as the princess usually wears because she apparently hadn''t had the time to change yet, the tiger needed a moment to collect herself. Once the blonde managed to peel her eyes away from the ck and slightly semi-opaque tights the jaguar was wearing that covered her super long legs whenpared to her height, which took her quite a while, she slowly tried to find a way to start a conversation. It was also the first time Sophia actually got a good close-up view of her. Height-wise, Ari was only a few centimeters taller than the blonde. Her size was somewhere in between the improved tiger and Maya. Though, just as her height, inparison, her chest was actually much closer to the blonde, too, but it also fitted her style perfectly. The maid outfit had hidden it a bit before, but with the school uniform she was currently wearing, Sophia now was certain that the two, visually speaking, in terms of their figure, were built very simrly. Compared to Maya and especially the very tall and stacked Anna, the two weren''t the biggest. Still, in terms of their other curves, in rtion to their height and size, they definitely couldpete. Her animal features, the slightly rounded feline ears, and the tail were also pretty simr to Sophia and the princess, only the ears were a little bit smaller and even rounder. The most eye-catching about Ari was the color of her fur and hair, though. The base color was pitch-ck, but there was a hint of yellow and orange showing through it. This contrast made the dotted, rosette-like markings jaguars usually have visible on her tail and long hair, although it was pretty subtle. "I-I want to talk to you!" After admiring her hair for a moment, Sophia finally got the words out. "I don''t think there is anything between us that could lead to a worthwhile conversation." "T-That''s exactly it! I want to know m-more about you!" "Unfortunately, I don''t share this sentiment." "Urgh..." It was costing the tiger a lot to keep the conversation going. "D-Did I do something to you...? I''m not good at reading between the lines, but it seems fairly obvious that you d-dislike me..." "Of course!" Ari didn''t try to hide it. "Why do you even need to ask?!" "W-What did I do?" "Are you serious?" "Y-Yes?" Sophia really wasn''t aware of having done anything to her, after all. "Wow..." The jaguar rolled her light-yellow eyes. "First, you arrived here in the capital like the new queen..." "Eh?" "You wrapped the royal family around your fingers and even tried to marry my-, the princess, to officially be a part of it. Even though you already have a partner!" "What...?" Sophia naturally got confused, but Ari didn''t stop. "Then, you apparently changed your mind after ying around with Anna for a while and canceled any marriage ns. Now, after you broke her heart, you still have the audacity to be around her all the time as if nothing ever happened!" She sounded angrier and angrier with every word. "P-Please wait a moment!" "Why?" Ari red at her yet again. "There are still so many more reasons for me to hate you. I don''t need any cheap excuses from you." "I-I wasn''t nning to, uhh... apologize." "Wow, you''re even worse than I thought!" "No... it''s just... everything you said is, well... wrong." Talking to strangers on its own wasn''t easy for Sophia, but this conversation was on a whole different level. "Sure, everyone would say this." Naturally, the jaguar didn''t believe a word she was saying. "D-Did Anna tell you this?" "No, she just keeps boasting about you and the white cat-girl because you turned her brain to mush after you charmed her!" Her re only intensified. "But it''s clear what happened!" "Urgh." Some of this actually had a bit of truth to it. "C-Can I try to exin my side...?" "I highly doubt it would change anything." "Please let me try! For Anna''s sake!" "F-Fine..." Hearing that, Ari finally caved in. "Thank you..." Sophia took a deep breath before continuing. "You know, I had no idea that me being a tiger is anything special. I''m from a really far away ce and grew up without any knowledge of the beastfolk because I was on my own for most of my life. I only found out about it a month beforeing here. The same goes for mypanions, they had forgotten about the aspects of a tiger because it had no rtion to them. Arriving in the capital, the king immediately sent out his retainers to hunt me down after the word about me had reached him. I never nned any of this. I just wanted a peaceful life and some friends whening here." "W-What...? "The jaguar''s eyes shot open. "Upon being forced to meet his Majesty, he then tried very hard to make me join his family. Do you want to know how? By trying his very best to marry off his daughter to me. Multiple times." "Huh?" "I declined. Very strongly. Then, Anna joined the party, and she liked her father''s idea very much. She apparently took a liking to me and the idea of marrying me. I declined her, too. That princess didn''t listen at all, though, and kept chasing after me." "W-Wait..." Ari started to lose the color of her face. "I love Maya. You know, the white-haired cat-girl. If there''s anyone I''m going to marry in the future, it''s definitely not the princess. Anna''s advances started to be too much at some point because they began to affect my rtionship with Maya. So, on our way to the warst month, I finally and shut her down. I made clear that the two of us will never be a thing. I maybe should''ve done it even sooner, but it was really hard to make her listen. I never, at no point, p-yed around with her." "I-Is that why she was so devasted aftering back...? The princess refused to tell me what was going on. It was obvious that her heart was broken, but..." "Yes... and I still feel terrible about having made her cry..." Sophia didn''t want to remember the scene. "Still, I had to do it. She''s a good option and whoever''s going to marry her in the future is incredibly lucky, but... I like her, but I don''t want any sort of romantic involvement with her. Again, I love Maya and Maya only." "..." The jaguar had gone silent. "As for why I''m still hanging out with her, both Maya and I think she''s a great girl, and Anna herself wished to be friends with us even after everything that happened. You saw them ying around earlier, didn''t you? Did that seem like they were fighting over me, or just two friends having fun?" While it definitely started out as the initial thing, it eventually transformed into thetter. "Uhh..." Ari had a really awkward expression after hearing all of this. "I don''t know if you believe me, but it was all just a gigantic misunderstanding. Again, I treated Anna with the utmost respect and never once yed around with her in that way. She was just too hyper for her own good and overdid everything she got involved into." "N-No... romance aside... it does sound very Anna-like..." "That''s, uhh, good to hear?" Sophia felt a little sorry at how it seemed like she was used to the princess behaving like that. "Well, I hope that you think a little better of me now. It kinda stung a little being hated by someone you didn''t even know... Okay then, with that being somewhat resolved for now, I guess I''ll head back for now." The tiger knew how it''s like when being pushed too much, so she wanted to give Ari some room to breathe after the story. That''s why she turned around to go back to the terrace, but she didn''t make it far. "S-Stop!" The ck-haired girl grabbed Sophia''s hand to keep her from leaving. "Y-Yes?" She also wanted to leave because she was running out of steam from talking to a stranger for so long, all on her own. Not to mention that it was an extremely difficult and serious topic. "I am so sorry!" While still holding onto her hand, Ari hung her head while apologizing. "I treated you horribly just because of some stupid misunderstanding..." Any coldness in her voice was gone. It was much warmer, and she sounded genuinely apologetic. "It''s alright. I''m used to that." As the tiger basically was a walking misunderstanding, she couldn''t hold a grudge against anyone having one around her. "No... I''m really so very sorry! I-I said so many mean things to you..." She let go of the blonde''s hand and looked her in the eyes. "I hope you''re somehow able to forgive me in the future¡­" "Y-Yes." Sophia, again, noticed that she''s weak against honest or earnest girls. "Well, I approached you because I wanted you to forgive me, so... It took a weird turn somewhere, but I''m super happy that there''s no actual bad blood between us." "T-Thank you very much!" She seemed very relieved. "Please believe me that I''m usually not like this. I''m normally way more levelheaded. I just couldn''t keep my calm when I saw the princess, well..." "You really care about Anna, huh?" "Y-Yes. Yes, I do." "You''re childhood friends, right? She mentioned that the other day." "Huh? A-Ah, yes, we are. We''ve been together before I even can remember." "Must be nice. I''m kinda envious of such a long and deep friendship." "Yeah... Okay, again, I''m very sorry for acting so hostile towards you, Sophia!" Ari apologized for ast time to make sure everything was good between the two girls now. Afterward, both of them went back to the terrace. There, they watched the still ongoing magic training of Maya and Anna together.
Chapter 138 – The voice of reason Chapter 138 ¨C The voice of reason Sophia confronted Ari, the jaguar-girl with ck hair, because she wanted to find out why she hated her. As it turned out, it was all just a big misunderstanding because she thought the blonde was the one who wanted to marry Anna, but in the end, she simply threw her away after being done ying around with the princess. Once everything had been cleared up, the mood between the two became much more rxed "Ah, I''m d to see that Maya''s properly holding back." Sophia looked at the two''s training session with a relieved expression. "Eh?!" Ari didn''t share the sentiment and pointed at the cat-girl, who had just drenched the princess from head to toe with a bathtub worth of water magic. "That''s what you call holding back?" "Yep. It''s not like she drowned her, right? It was also a pretty small amount of water." "You work on an entirely different scale, don''t you?" The jaguar didn''t need long to figure her out. "Ahaha. Again, it''s nice to meet you. My name''s Sophia." "I''ll be honest... Most of the time, when Anna mentioned anything about the two of you, I didn''t listen because, well... you know," She awkwardly looked away for a moment before continuing. "Just how powerful is the magic of your cat? I''m not that good at sensing magic power, but even I noticed how much of an exception she is. You are, too, while we''re at it." "Well, Maya is the fourth most powerful individual in the capital right now." Only the two wolves and Sophia herself were above her. "She can use... uh, the four base ones and the light category, I think...? Yeah, she can use at least five categories or elements at the moment." "..." Ari only stared at her. "It was a serious question, you know?" "And I gave a serious answer?" She looked back at her. "The princess can use three elements. Why shouldn''t my Maya be able to use five?" There was a hint of boasting in her voice. "And Anna''s known all over the capital for using two... wait a moment, did you say three just now? She can only use air and earth, though." "And fire." "No?" "I saw her using it, though. Maya taught it to her, and Anna''s definitely able to use the ''Fireball'' magic or however you''d call it with activation magic." "R-Really...?" "Also, why do you think Maya''s been bullying her with water magic for a while already?" "Because she''s enjoying it?" Ari nced at the cat-girl. "That''s what her expression''s saying, at least." "Uhh..." Sophia stopped for a moment. "N-No, that''s not her... main motivation." She couldn''t really deny it. "Maya''s trying to, let''s say, unlock the fourth element for the princess." "Are you serious right now?" The jaguar couldn''t believe it. "Anna never told me about any of this..." "Of cours- Ah." She froze up. "Could it be that the king told her to keep it a secret for the time being? Well, I don''t care about that. I''m not trying to, after all." "What is going on?" Ari couldn''t follow her. "Err, how much do you know about magic?" "I''m pretty confident about my knowledge. I''m amongst the top students in the academy." "Well, everything you know is wrong." The blonde had no intention to beat around the bush. "W-What?!" This naturally shocked her. "Only using like one element is an artificial limitation that doesn''t actually exist. Magic is magic. Grouping it into elements only helps with visualization. It''s all a matter of imagination, after all. People arezy by nature and focus on the one element they''re good at and be done with it." Sophia remembered Fen''s exnation about why you would limit yourself. "T-That can''t be true..." "What sort of magic can you use, Ari? Your power seems to be at least on par with the princess." "Yes... I haverge reserves, but I can only use water magic. I don''t really mind, though, because that''s the most helpful type for maid-rted work. You know, for cleaning and stuff." "Ah." The tiger looked at her. "And there''s your problem." "What do you mean?" "Have you ever tried other magic?" "When Anna somehow managed to learn earth, I gave it a try, too, but quickly gave up again because it didn''t seem to work, and I liked water more, anyway." "See? You''re having an easy time imagining water magic because it''s useful for you. So, why bother about different things, right? Common belief told you it''s normal, and so you never bothered putting any real effort into branching out, didn''t you?" "..." As she was spot on, Ari couldn''t defend herself. "Anna could use two elements even before meeting Maya, and the two of you have the same amount of power. Haven''t you ever questioned yourself why?" "Uhh." She had no answer. "Personally, I think fire magic for cooking or air for cleaning like dusting off things would be pretty useful for a maid, too, wouldn''t it?" "It would¡­" "Yet, you never tried to put some actual work into it?" "N-No..." The jaguar shook her head. "I, more or less, ended up epting what''s written down in the books. Magic is an everyday urrence. For most, including me, it just exists, and you don''t put much thought into it. Anna''s always been a bit of an odd one, so I really never did question it..." "That''s the problem everyone seems to be having. If you can use magic at all, there''s no reason to only use a part of it." "That goes against everything I''ve ever learned about magic... Wait, if that''s true, are you okay with talking about it so lightly?" "What do you mean?" Sophia tilted her head. "It''s a very grand revtion, which sounds like it should be handled with the utmost care. Telling this to someone you barely know doesn''t seem like the best idea." "Why? I don''t really care. If anything, it should spread so more peoplee to know it." "That''s a very noble way of thinking. Even so, it feels like it could make your life needlesslyplicated if you blurt out such things like it''s nothing." "A-Ah." The tiger-girl froze up, and she took a lot of damage from this. "I often get too excited and or don''t care enough to filter my words..." "Wow, wouldn''t that lead to inconvenient situations all the time? It would definitely tire me out to stumble from one incident to another." "Urgh..." Sophia''s health plummeted to critical levels. "A-Anyway, that''s why Maya''s teaching the princess right now. To prove that the magic elements are only guidelines and no hard limitations." "Impressive... Oh, is that why Anna seemed so bored whenever we''re getting taught magic in the academytely?" "Can you me her?" "No, not really." Ari saw her point. "What about you, then? If the cat-girl''s already so proficient at magic?" "Want to get taught, too?" "I am a little interested now..." "I already struggle a lot while teaching Maya. She''s a much better teacher. I will ask herter to include you in the training." "Thank you... So, if Maya learned from you, then-." "Well," As Sophia was more a girl of actions rather than words, she opened her palm and demonstrated a miniature magic of every category there is. Except for the dark-rted one because that often ends in a catastrophe. "Unbelievable." Ari''s eyes grew wide. "Ehehe." "Still..." She then looked at the tiger. "Do you mind if I give you another little tip?" "Hmm?" "Just say you''re good at magic. No need to make such a grand demonstration that could make some people lose their minds. You seem to be pretty easy going and that''s a lovely trait to have, but I think it would make your life a whole lot easier if you hold back a little." "A-Ari?" Her expression suddenly changed. "Yes?" "How good are you at running around?" Sophia wanted to keep her. It seemed like the jaguar-girl was the voice of reason her group needs. "Where does thate from?" She was naturally confused. "Well, my stamina''s pretty good, but I''m not overly fast." "Argh, too bad." The blonde''s dreams were shattered in an instant. "Why are you asking?" "Well, I know that I''m a little stupid when ites to these kinds of things. Except maybe Maya at times, the others in my group are also like me. It would be amazing to have someone with an actual voice of reason to watch out what I''m doing during our travels." "Ahaha, even putting my running aside, I have no ns to leave the capital for the time being ... or Anna. So, sorry, I can''t go with you." Ari earnestly turned her down. "Not to mention that I''m still attending the academy for another half a year." "If Anna''s the problem, I would totally take the princess with us, too. Not sure how the king would feel about that, though." "You could actually have a chance with that. She''s been bugging his Majesty ever since her older brother left to take a look at the country to do the same. Anna can be pretty good at annoying people, so he most likely will cave in soon." "That''s true..." Sophia could only agree to Ari''s assessment of the princess. "Well, unfortunately, we need someone fast to apany us because we travel long distances in a short amount of time." "Yeah, neither of us would be useful there." The jaguar shook her head. "Anna''s the exact opposite of me. She''s actually quite sporty, but she''s all sprint, no endurance. She runs out of steam after like a single kilometer, so she mostly does exercise that''s based on short and bursty types of action. It always makes for an amusing picture if we do any sorts of sports together." "Heh, I can imagine that. Too bad... I guess I have to find an elf to take over the job of watching over me, after all..." "Sophia." "Yes?" "Too much information." Naturally, Ari was missing the whole picture, and it looked like she didn''t want to know, either, but it was easy to discern that the tiger had some sort of outrageous n again. "Y-Yes." She hung her head. After the topic was over, the duo continued to watch the other two girls, who were still training their magic in the distance, while chatting some more. Chapter 139 – Unique hair Chapter 139 ¨C Unique hair Sophia and Ari made up with each other by clearing up the misunderstanding the jaguar-girl had, and the two seemed to be bing good friends. The duo had a great time chatting with each other while loosely watching over Anna and Maya training. "S-Say..." After fidgeting and stealing some nces at the tiger for a while, Ari finally addressed her once the two took a break from watching the other girls. "Hmm?" She only tilted her head in response. "Your blonde hair... There are some different shades, yes, but I never saw anyone in the tiger family with hair or fur that wasn''t a deep orange..." "Yeah, the king also told me that I''m the only one like this. " "Really? T-Then..." "It''s great, isn''t it?" "Eh?!" Ari looked shocked as she stared at her. "I really like my hair color, and Maya loves it, too." She chose to have it, after all. "I couldn''t be happier about it." "E-Even though you''re the only different one?" "W-Well..." Sophia really didn''t like the sound of that. "No, I don''t mind having different hair. I don''t think being unique is anything bad." "I-Is that so?" The jaguar didn''t know how to react. "Y-You see, I really dislike my ck hair..." "But why?!" She had heard about it before, but it still made no sense. "I''m the only jaguar with ck hair... and people keep looking at me because of that... I don''t like getting so much attention." "That''s..." The tiger understood her pretty well. "I am sure they pay attention to you because they''re jealous about it, though." ording to Maya, the blonde has the same problem, but Sophia refuses to ept that, too, but that''s apparently a different story. "You don''t have to tter me. I know they stare at me simply because I''m an odd irregr..." "..." The amount she could rte to her almost hurt. "E-Even though Anna loves your hair, too?" "She only says that to make me feel better..." Ari sounded pretty sad at the same time. "Wow, the princess was right. You actually don''t listen to her at all when she mentions your hair." "S-She talked about me with you?" "Do you want to know what happened when I first saw you?" Sophia recalled the events from roughly two weeks ago. "I had no idea who you were, and the first thing I asked the princess was who the girl with the amazing hair was after seeing you. Afterward, Anna kept boasting about you and your awesome hair for around ten minutes. Actually, the two of us gushed so much about it that Maya got super jealous about me being this interested in another girl. Or the hair of her, you." "W-What...?" "I admit that I don''t know her that well yet, but I don''t think Anna can lie to make others feel better. She strikes me as stupidly honest." "T-That''s true." "I think she was a lot more excited while talking about youpared to the stupid period when she wanted to marry me." "R-Really...?" A slight blush appeared on Ari''s face. "I also agree with her. Well, I''ll ignore our first impression..." "T-Thank you." "You seem really nice, and I''m happy I got to know you better. And I repeat myself, your hair is absolutely amazing. It''s the second most stunning hair I''ve ever seen. Also, just so you know, I''m heavily biased towards the first ce because it''s the snow-white of Maya." "..." "From one girl with a unique trait to another, be proud of it." Sophia meant every word. "I know the curious gazes can be a bit intimidating, but everyone who thinks your hair looks bad is an idiot. If you ever feel ufortable, stick to the princess. I''m sure she has some nice words for those idiots. Maya looks out for me in the same way because I get intimidated by all those stares often enough, myself¡­ Sure, our rtionships might be different, but it''s obvious how much she cares about you. Anyway, your hair is seriously amazing. Be proud of it, dammit!" Sophia ran out of motivational words. "Urgh... I wanted to be mad at Anna for wanting to marry you for a while, but now I can''t anymore." "Huh?!" The tiger didn''t expect this turn of events. "I kinda doubted myself about something for a moment just now." "W-Wait a moment." She didn''t want to deal with that again. "I hope Maya knows what she has." "Haha, ask the princess how aggressive my cat got and how much she bullied her when Anna went after me." "That stupid princess." Ari stifled augh. "Ha, good..." Sophia seemed relieved. "I know it sounds terribly conceited, but I thought for a moment you tried to go after me just now." "Ah, no, it was just a figure of speech. I don''t n to go after you." "Phew, that''s great. I didn''t want it to beplicated again. I just want a friend without any extras..." "That idea, I would like. I want to be your friend, too." "Yay!" The blonde looked genuinely happy. "Hehe. Again, thank you very much for all the kind words about my hair. Hearing that from you, someone who is in the same position, really gave me a lot to think about. I can''t guarantee anything yet, but I''ll try to be more confident." "Good. I meant every word. By the way, if you didn''t like it, why is it so long? People will see it even better that way, don''t they?" "Because I love long hair?" She only tilted her head. "I didn''t want to suffer twice by the wrong color and wrong length." "Fair enough. I''m a big fan of long hair, too. Maya does a lot for me in that regard. I grew mine out a little, but I currently can''t be bothered with having it even longer because it bes even more of a pain to deal with. My cat needs days to get hers in order, even with me helping her after a bath." "That''s the only downside." The jaguar nodded in understanding. "Still¡­ Your hair really does make me a little jealous. The glossy ck together with the shimmering yellow and orange highlights¡­. Also, the pattern on top of it, how could anyone not love it?" While saying so, the tiger got closer to her to get a better look at the ck hair. "And I''m jealous of yours!" Ari yed along and touched the tips of Sophia''s blonde hair in return. "Let''s just agree to disagree!" "I disagree!" She had a pretty yful side to her. "That''s good... Wait!" She got confused over the jaguar''s answer. "Ahaha¡­" "Oh, you..." Sophia started to chuckle as well. She also went ahead to touch Ari''s hair because she really liked it. While the two had a goodugh while enjoying each other''spany and admiring the hair of the girl beside them, a minor incident happened. ---------------- "Ahem." A certain cat-girl and princess suddenly stood next to the duo. "A-Ah." Because Ari and Sophia were quite busy, they totally missed that the two finished their training and walked up to them. That the blonde and the ck-haired girl seemed like they were heavily flirting to outsiders while ying with their hair wasn''t overly helpful, either. "My, don''t you two have a good mood going on?" There were many emotions in Maya''s voice. Friendliness wasn''t one of them, though. "Might I know what is going on here?" Anna, too, didn''t overly like it and her eyes looked quite scary. "Uhh..." The duo immediately let go of the other''s hair and put some distance between them. "I-It isn''t what it looks like!" The two tried to defuse the situation. "Tell us, what does it look like?" Unfortunately, neither Maya nor the princess nned to let them out easily. Them being in perfect sync only made it much scarier. "W-Well, we just, uhh..." Sophia stopped mid-sentence. She made up with the jaguar and held a motivational speech. Still, the extremeplimenting and ying around with the other''s hair really was hard to exin. Especially with the tiger''smunication skills, there''s a high chance to only make it worse because they really did look quite flirty. "Seems like being hated was just a pretense, huh?" Anna stood right next to the cat and looked just as disapproving. "I-I really did think that she hates me!" "It''s true, A-Anna..." Ari tried to help. "I actually disliked her a lot, b-but it was all a misunderstanding, and we made up." "You sure did." The two were still in sync. "Urgh." So was the questioned duo. "P-Princess, do you remember when we talked about Ari''s hair when we went to look at our new mansion?" The blonde hoped she would understand this way. "Of course, I do." "I just wanted her to understand that her hair''s great..." "You were very thorough with that." "Mh-hmm." The cat-girl was on the same wavelength. "You, too, Ari... You never yed with my hair like that!" There was a hint of jealousy in the voice of the princess. "T-That!" Ari''s cheeks turned a bit red, and she didn''t know how to react. "I-I just wanted to get a better look at Sophia''s hair because she''s the same as me, someone who''s unique! We just got a little yful and messed around a bit with our hair! I-I have absolutely no feelings for this tiger!" "E-Exactly!" Sophia confirmed her im. "I just want to be friends with her! Nothing else!" "Really?" "Yes!" The used duo was getting desperate. "W-We even talked about that after Sophia told me what happened between the two of you! I have no intention to marry her!" "A-Ah." The princess didn''t like the sudden reversal. "I kinda hoped this wouldn''te up here..." She got a little awkward. "D-Did Sophia change your mind about your hair... I really love it, too, but you never wanted to listen to me when ites to that..." "I''m sorry about that... She made me think about it. Sophia has unique hair, too, but she loves it. I''ll try to be more confident¡­" "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Anna was really happy about this, and her mood improved considerably. "M-Maya...?" While the duo was making up, the other tiger faced her cat with aplicated expression. "Yes?" She only smiled at her, or it at least looked like she was smiling. The look in her eyes didn''t match at all, though. "Nothing whatsoever happened, okay?" "Is that so?" "A-Ari!" "Yes?" She was currently busy keeping the princess away from her hair when she looked over to the couple. "How did I rank your hair earlier?!" "It''s the second most s-stunning you ever saw, but it can''t beat the snow-white of Maya." "I heavily disagree!" "Shut up, princess!" Sophia couldn''t deal with that right now. "See?! I have my priorities straight!" "Have you?" Maya raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I ha- Ahh..." She stopped for a moment. "Not exactly straight, but you know what I mean! Ari''s great, and I''m super happy to have cleared up the misunderstanding and befriended her, but... But! That''s all! I''m more than at full capacity when ites to having more than friends. You''re more than I need, want, and deserve!" "Alright, fine..." The cat-girl didn''t hate her reply. "For someone who has no previous experience, you sure know how to be flirty. Not a fan." "It wasn''t on purpose! D-Does it help when I say Ari started it?" "It doesn''t!" The jaguar was the one who retorted. "W-Well, it''s true that I''m the one who started ying with your hair, but..." "Ari?" Anna''s expression changed again. "A-Ah¡­" In the end, it took the duo another 30 minutes to get on the good side of their girls again. Ari was especially confused about why she had to defend herself so much in this situation, as the princess seemed to be almost as angry as Maya. Still, she was in no position to ask questions right now. Chapter 140 – Getting along with others Chapter 140 ¨C Getting along with others Ari and Sophia became friends after having cleared up their misunderstanding and got along great. Maybe a little too great if seen from an outsider''s perspective. Especially when said outsiders are called Maya and Anna. They caught the duo in what looked like them being pretty flirty with each other. It took the blonde tiger and the jaguar quite a while to get on their good sides again afterward. Luckily, they managed to exin that nothing happened and how neither of them wanted to be more than friends with the other. "Err... Am I still in trouble?" As it had gotten a little awkward, the couple decided to head home for the time being. There, the two sat down on the sofas in the living room, and Sophia wasn''t sure what to do or say. "What do you think?" Maya was on the sofa on the opposite side of the tiger and only looked at her. "I''ll go with... no." She tried her luck. "I admit that Ari and I might were a bit too yful towards the end maybe? Still, it was just pure admiration towards her hair, not the girl attached to it. She''s great, too, but there''s nothing regarding the jaguar that makes me feel guilty. " "Good answer." The cat-girl''s expression softened up. "Exactly what I wanted to hear." "Phew..." Sophia looked relieved. "Y-You''re scary when you''re jealous..." "I am not!" "What? Scary or jealous?" "Yes." "Urgh, I hate it when you copy my stupid quirks." "Hehe. Well, okay, I was jealous..." Maya finally admitted it. "I don''t think you can me me here, though." "Maybe... I did get along quite well with her." "As long as you understand." "Then again, when Ari and I watched you train with the princess, both of you were also in a great mood while smiling andughing a lot." "Ahhh..." It was Maya''s time to awkwardly scratch her cheek. "Do you want to tell me something now?" "No, I just somehow ended up befriending her, too... Even though the two of us had a pretty rough start, it''s quite fun with the princess." "Soo..." Sophia stared right at her. "Exactly the same as Ari and I?" "M-More or less..." "That means I can keep my new friend, right? You can also continue to y with the princess~." "Of course." The cat-girl agreed. "If somehow possible, a little less flirty and ying with each other''s hair would be great, though..." "Y-Yes, I''ll try to be more mindful. There''s a high chance that I''ll mess up a lot, though... I don''t have, let''s say, many experiences with friends, and the two of us are... in the words of Fenny, flirty idiots. I have to find the right middle ground first." Sophia hoped she would be a little lenient. "You sure know how to get your way. How am I supposed to say anything here now?" "T-That wasn''t my intention! It''s a well-known fact that I have no idea what I''m doing most of the time." "Most of the time?" "Shut up." "Tehe~." "No. If I do anything while interacting with others that makes you ufortable, please tell me so I can learn." Sophia had no intention to make Maya suffer from her idiocy. At least when ites to their rtionship, that is. "Ah, but only if it actually troubles or hurts you. Simple jealousy doesn''t count. That''s the thing you need to work on." "Y-Yes..." The cat-girl hung her head, and even her ears lost a bit of their usual perkiness. "I started to ept the princess being around you. That''s probably why I warmed up to her, too... The jaguar is still new and unknown, so I first need to get used to her. I''m pretty territorial, after all... Especially when ites to you." "Well, you are a cat." Sophia had a simple exnation for her behavior. "Idiot." "Ha, gotcha~." The tiger enjoyed her win. "I''m already starting to really enjoy Ari''spany. She even already scolded me a couple of times. It would be great if you, uhh, could approve of her." "Err..." Maya had an extremelyplicated expression. "I''m... I''m not sure how I should feel or react to this." "Huh? What do you- Ohhh!" She stopped mid-sentence. "N-No, I didn''t mean it like that! Ari has that rare level-headed side to her. As usual, I talked about my magic like it was nothing and even did a little presentation. Instead of being overwhelmed, she gently started reprimanding me. She told me how I should think more before talking, be vaguer about things, or how I don''t have to show off to get my point across. It would be a lot less tiring for me if I hold back a little, and she gave me many tips on how to stick out less." "Okay, I might be able to like her." Everyone who''s able to keep Sophia at bay has to be someone special in Maya''s eyes. "I knew this would work! Oh, how about you spent some time with her, as well, to see that she''s safe for me. Maybe you could also teach her some magic?" "Hrmn... My teaching method''s based on bullying the princess." The cat-girl had no intention to hide it. "I feel like Anna''s into that, but it doesn''t seem like that would be a valid method for the ck-haired one." "That''s true. Too bad, I kinda wanted Ari to learn real magic, too." "Maybe once I''m done with Anna and think of a better teaching style." "Fair enough. Eh? Wait a moment..." Sophia suddenly changed the topic. "Anna enjoys being bullied?!" "It sure seems like it, at least. Didn''t it also look like she always got extra motivated whenever you shot her down? Sounds like a pattern to me." "Haa... That''s-," The tiger scratched her head while having a nk expression. "Well, sure, why not? Who am I to judge? I might even kind of get it. Though, nah, the other side seems like more fun." "Uhh... I now dere that you''re to keep some distance from the princess for the time being. I don''t want anything new to awaken here, and the other thing should be kept low, too." Maya didn''t like the implications. "Ehh? Why are only you allowed to bully her?" "''Cause, it''s fun." "Ehhh?" Sophia felt unfairly treated. "Okay, I''ll definitely y along with whatever kink Ari may have. ''Cause, it''s fun, of course." "Ah." There was absolutely nothing Maya could say in return. ---------------- The wolves also came back home eventually and joined the couple in the living room. "Is everything alright?" Aura noticed that the girls were sitting on the sofas across the table instead of being all over each other as usual. "Hmm..." Maya tilted her head. "Yep, all good. Sophia caused some minor misunderstandings, but all are sorted out." "Minor, huh?" Fen looked at Sophia. "I''m d you''re improving." "Ahaha..." "Where did the two of you go?" The cat-girl changed the topic. "We were scouting the capital to see where we can expand the maze." "I like the sound of that." Sophia was happy that the maze was still being worked on. "We also had dinner together." Aura added some more details. "Oh, I like the sound of that~." The tiger enjoyed that bit even more. "It was delicious." It was impossible to tell whether Fen was trying to end the topic, or it really was all he wanted to say. "Hmm... Oh!" The blonde put away her suspicions for the time being. "Fenny, Aura, do you know of a way to let people with rtively normal magic and physical power travel faster?" "How powerful and fast are we talking?" "For Princess Anna and her friend to apany us on our travels." "Eh?!" The cat reacted first. "Where did thate from?" "I just thought how Ari''s good at taking care of my idiocy. If she''s with us, you can take it easy and y around with us." "I see... and why the princess, too?" "For your entertainment? You two have quite the thing going on, after all." Sophia couldn''t let such a chance be unused. "..." "Sooo... Everything''s alright?" Aura repeated her earlier question. "Haha, it''s fine. I just got back on her for something. No, it could be fun to have her around, too, and Ari wouldn''t want to leave her behind, either." "Okay, fair point." Maya didn''t specify which part, though. "Anyway," Fen came back to the topic. "Our cat''s a fast one even without actively using magic. Well, magic power passively increases the abilities of one''s body, so, naturally, she''s so quick. Normal members of the beastfolk, even with slightly above average stats like that princess, are unlikely to match her, even with a lot of training. Both physical and magical origin. I wouldn''t know any tricks to let them travel with our speed. Except maybe riding on my back, but I guess that''s beside the point. Aura, do you have an idea?" "None that wouldn''t deplete their magic in 30 minutes top, sorry." "Aww... Well, I guessed as much already." The tiger wasn''t surprised. "Do these girls even need travel with us to travel with us, though?" "Ehh...?" Sophia couldn''t even pretend to understand what the female wolf wanted to say. "Don''t you... or we only need a babysitter when we explore things or visit ces? When we''re merely traveling from one ce to another, disaster rarely happens, does it?" "You''re not wrong. I mess up the most with people around." "Unless you blow up dungeons or start genocides." Fen couldn''t stay silent. "M-Minor details. I''m more concerned aboutsting misunderstandings..." "Yes, you''re good at those." All three replied to the tiger. "Urgh... A-Anyway, Aura, what are you trying to say? If they can''t travel with us, Ari won''t be there when I need babysitting." "Oh, right... I didn''t think about that... Wow, if only we had a way to almost instantly go from one ce to another. Wouldn''t that be something? We could travel on our own, and if those girls are needed, we could simply go and collect them here. I have some crazy ideas, don''t I?" "..." Sophia needed a moment. "Ah." "What an idiot." All three, again, replied to the tiger. "W-Well, I didn''t n to show off the gates or my extra space..." She tried to excuse herself. "I need to think about that idea first." As Sophia wanted to give it some thought to find out whether this n maybe be a viable choice, in the end, she was pretty busy with herself for the rest of the day, and not much else happened.
Chapter 141 – Changing the use of magic Chapter 141 ¨C Changing the use of magic Sophia and Maya got somewhat close to their friends Ari and Anna. Because of that, the couple felt the need to talk about some rules or guidelines. Neither of them wanted to do anything stupid, after all. As clearly neither of them had any feelings for the princess or the jaguar-girl, the two ultimately weren''t that bothered with the other having a bit of fun. As long as it stays in moderation, of course. "I wonder what they want." Two days had passed since the couplest visited the castle, and a messenger had arrived at their mansion a while ago to inform the group that the king wanted to see the entire group. "Anna and the queen mentioned Eluna arriving, right?" They were currently walking toward the castle, and Maya tried to answer the tiger''s question. "Maybe it''s about that?" "Ohh, the bakery granny sh previous magic instructor, huh? Ah, that''s why they asked for the wolves, too? To get the full brunt of our magic. Sorry for getting you involved in those tedious things." Sophia nced at the wolves. "I don''t mind." "Yeah, thewn in that garden''s veryfortable." The two were pretty okay with apanying the couple for their very own reasons. ---------------- Arriving there, the maids directly guided them to the training grounds in the backyard. There, King Menzor and a few of his military personnel were having a conversation with an older, gray-haired woman with horse-like ears. It was Eluna, the owner of a bakery in the beastfolk city, that Sophia saved from getting attacked by some humans. There, it then turned out that she was actually a magic instructor in the castle when she was younger. "Ah, this group''s more to my liking." Sophia spotted Kira chatting with her daughter, Princess Anna, while Ari stood next to her and decided that she would much rather join them. "Hello~." "There they are." The queen answered her first. "We''ve been waiting." "You can''t expect me to respond to a messenger in the middle of the night." "We send him around nine in the morning, though?" "Exactly what I just said." It was basically the same for the blonde. "No wonder you get along so well with Ellie..." Kira could only sigh. "Speaking of which..." Sophia nced around and noticed that her favorite tiger was nowhere to be seen. "She''s having a nap." "Aww..." She seemed ever so slightly envious. "Would anyone mind if I go and join her?" "Yes," Menzor had overheard her and immediately joined their conversation to not let her run away. "We need you to show some of your magic to Eluna and exin a couple of things." "But Fenny''s way better at exining things, and he actually knows what he''s doing." She wanted to push it to the wolf. "I just think of something fun... I have some new magic to y with." "I''m not familiar with the creation of new magics, but..." Ari nced at Sophia. "Isn''t there some sort of middle part missing... ?" "Yep, that''s the part where I mess up, cause a catastrophe or two, and then be the one who''s the most surprised that my idea worked out in the end." "Is that the normal procedure?" The jaguar tilted her head. "Actually," Aura took over. "When inventingpletely new magic, it''s not that rare to fail, mess up, or cause a cataclysmic event from time to time." "I-I see..." Ari needed to let that sink in. "Okay, you two... Can I suggest something? The next time you talk about inventing new magic, how about you simply say it involves a lot of trial and error? No need to phrase it your way. It only makes people nervous." While saying so, she gestured at Eluna, the king, and his military personnel, who all had a ratherplicated expression. "O-Okay." Sophia and Aura could only weakly nod. "Is that ck-haired jaguar the friend of the princess our idiot wanted to keep?" Fen whispered to Maya as he was watching the spectacle. "Yeah..." "I can see why now. She''s good." "Yep." "I, uhh..." Menzor faced the blonde. "You''re the leader of your group, and I saw you using magic the most. I''m also well aware of how powerful the wolves are and hoped all of you could demonstrate a thing or two. When ites to actually exin the process, I was more thinking about Maya. How do I say it without..." "She''s the only reasonable one here whose words make any sort of sense?" Sophia finished his sentence. "I''m sorry..." "Fair point." The tiger and the wolves didn''t feel offended in the slightest. "Me?" The cat-girl pointed at herself. "I don''t think I''m good at teaching, either." "You seem to be quite sessful with my daughter, though." "That''s just because I figured out how Anna, uhh, works." "What''s that supposed to mean?" The princess in question wasn''t sure how to interpret her statement. "Because we''re friends, and I got to know you." "Oh, I see. Ehehe." "Wow." Sophia was impressed by how Maya was able to instantly talk her way out of it. "I really don''t care how ridiculous it''s going to be." Eluna addressed the group. "I just want to see this supposedly real magic with my own eyes." "Someone''s motivated, huh?" Sophia looked at the older horse-woman. "Oh, what''s up with your magic power? It''s much higher than thest time I saw you." "I told you that I''m hiding my power so that all those muscle heads don''t get the wrong idea around me. As I most likely want to use magic soon again, I reignited my full power. Although..." She nced at the blonde''s group. "Compared to you lot, I might as well still be the same as before. It makes literally no difference." "Ahaha, I know that feeling." Maya sympathized with her. "You were included in that, cat." While Eluna''s magic power was on the higher sidepared to most of the beastfolk, it could in no conceivable way even remotely bepared to that of Maya. "A-Ah." "Hmm... I don''t even know what to show off." Sophia tilted her head. "Sure, my magic''s extreme, but in the end, the only interesting thing is the fact that I can use every type." "Oh, you''re learning already, huh?" Ari smiled at her. "I would''ve guessed you''re going to blow up the training field as a demonstration." "I-I''m not that trigger-happy, okay?!" "Really?" Way more than a single person retorted to her at the same time. "Urgh..." "In the first ce," Eluna didn''t care about Sophia''s idiocy. "I still can''t really believe that anyone''s capable of using more than two or three elements." "Anna, can''t you use four of them by now already? Maya was teaching you the other day, wasn''t she?" "Yeah, but she only made me wet so far." "..." Sophia, Maya, and even Ari only stared at the princess with a slightlyplicated expression. "What...?" She didn''t understand their reaction. "A-Ah!" A momentter, her face suddenly turned bright red. "I-I meant because she drenched me with water magic! T-That''s the only way Maya makes me w-wet! You''re all p-perverts!" "Okay... Maya, no more making the princess wet in the future, okay?" She couldn''t not use this chance. "Uuh..." Anna''s blush only intensified. "I can only promise not to drench her with water anymore. Everything else is outside my range of influence." Maya was immediately onboard with the teasing. "Well, fair point. Anna has to sort that out herself." "Come on, you two, she didn''t do it on purpose. It just happens, after all." The jaguar-girl had to add something, as well. "Ari... Thank you very mu- Wait a moment!" She was touched for a moment but then stopped mid-sentence. "Y-You mean me being identally ambiguous, r-right? You didn''t just y along with the two, right?!" "..." The ck-haired girl paused for a moment. "Sure." "A-Ari?!" "Ehehe." Everyone seemed to enjoy yfully teasing the princess. "S-So unfair!" She squirmed around for a moment, with her face being flushed even deeper. "Hormones, huh?" King Menzor had a rough understanding of what the group was talking about and whispered those words to his wife. "Hey!" Every single girl around him instantly unionized and collectively red at the king. "I-I''m very sorry!" He instinctively knew that immediately apologizing was the only way for him to get out of this alive. "Alright," The blonde red at Menzor for another second before trying to concentrate again. "Putting if, and or how wet Anna currently is, where were we again?" She hadpletely lost track of the topic. "Hey!" The voice of the princess changed a bit. It seemed even she had a limit to being bullied where she stopped enjoying it. "Okay." Noticing that, the blonde stopped. "Anyway, ah, right... You have problems believing anyone not being bound down by elements, right?" She looked at Eluna while saying so. "Yes. I would really like to see someone using magic without any sort of restrictions. Magic capacity aside, I just can''t imagine someone having such great powers." "So, you simply want someone showcasing every category of magic? Well, that''s pretty easy." "Sophia, that''s not something you should call easy." Ari tried to give her another tip. "It really is, though?" She only tilted her head in response. "Even if it''s like that for you, it''s pretty unbelievable to us. Also, you gain little to nothing calling it easy, and you might not have to deal with people being overwhelmed." "I-I see... I''ll try to keep that in mind for the feature. Thank you, Ari..." "You''re wee~." "See?" Anna recovered from earlier and addressed Maya. "Ari''s mom-mode is something else. She isn''t angry in the slightest, but you still want to rethink your entire way of living." "Yeah..." The cat-girl nodded in agreement. "She could be really useful to help our Sophia to get along better with the normal folk." Fen had addressed Aura at the same time. "I bet that would make her happy." "She sure would, daddy~." She had to take a jab at him for being so invested in the blonde''s ability to make friends. "S-Shut up." "Heh. Also, isn''t it mostly your fault that she is, well... how she is." It was no secret that the male wolf''s view of the world wasn''tpatible with almost anyone else. "Well, it most likely would''ve ended up being the same if I found her first, though." She was one of the few beingspatible with Fen''s way of doing things. Afterward, once everyone finished up their conversations, Sophia briefly showed off every category of magic. The four basic elements were pretty self-exnatory. For nature magic, she simply let a few roots appear from underground, and for light, the tiger created a small ball of light that resembled a lightbulb from her old world. As dark magic was a bit troublesome and dangerous, Sophia only created a tiny orb of ck nothingness on top of her palm and immediately let it vanish again. To finish it off, the blonde pinpointed Ellie''s location in the castle with her detection skills as a demonstration of uncategorized magic. Seeing all this, Eluna needed to take a break to let it sink in while muttering about something along the lines of having wasted her entire life. As one of the most famous magic instructors, it had affected her greatly. Menzor also was d about the break because he needed to do something about the throbbing pain in his forehead area. Chapter 142 – Gentle reprimanding Chapter 142 ¨C Gentle reprimanding Eluna, a formerly retired magic instructor working in the royal castle, returned to the capital after meeting Sophia a while back because she wanted to see true magic that wasn''t restricted in any way. After everyone got together, the blonde tiger then proceeded to show off every category of magic, including the original type. "Wow..." Eluna needed a break to let it all sink in. Once she processed it, she eventually addressed Sophia again. "This is... impressive." "It''s actually no- A-Ah..." She tried to y it down without thinking because it really wasn''t anything special for her, but the girl then nced at Ari for a second, who gently returned her stare. "I mean, thank you." "Good." The jaguar showed her a small smile. "W-Woah..." Maya, Fen, and Aura saw something actually impressive. Sophia being sensible, that is. "It seems like I really wasted my whole life when ites to magic..." "..." The blonde had no encouraging words and said nothing instead. "How long did it take you to learn all this advanced magic?" "Err..." Sophia paused for a moment after Eluna''s question. Keeping Ari''s tips in mind, she decided to give a vague answer because saying it was like a week or two wouldn''t even be slightly helpful in this situation. "Quite honestly, not a huge amount of time. I never learned magic the, uhh, wrong way, and I have a very powerful and passionate teacher. That helped me out a lot." She nced at Fen while saying so. "It''s been a pleasure." Fen had about as much fun introducing Sophia to magic as the girl herself. "How am I able to learn it, too?" Her old instructor''s blood was far from dried up. "Uhh..." The tiger wasn''t sure what to reply. "No idea." "Not exactly what I hoped to hear." "Well, it''s just because I can''t use chants or activation words. I''m somehow able to teach Maya a thing or two because she can use chantless magic. Chants aside, I still don''t actually understand activation words at all... Sure, it helps you guide your imagination, but why not just put some more effort into it and go all out with chantless? Honestly, I don''t get why it exists... I mean, when I y around and learn new magic, I often mumble all kinds of stuff, but once I get it to work, it only happens in my mind as I imagine it. Chants make some sort of sense as the user most likely has no n at all and needs all the help or guidance or whatever they can get, but... I don''t know, activation words just give off the vibe of beingzy..." Sophia nced around and noticed that almost everyone besides her group was staring at her with a nk face, though Ari was facepalming, too. "Err, so, yeah... I''m not a good teacher." "It''s a matter of power, Sophia." Fen addressed her. "Activation words not only help with your imagination, but they also let you use magic if you don''t have enough power for the chantless variant." "But why?" The blonde tilted her head. "What has power to do with the way you use magic? Sure, you need it to do some grand magic, especially when it''s uncategorized, as that''s usually quite ridiculous. Still, if it''s everyday magic like starting a fire or creating a bucket full of water, what keeps you from doing that silent?" "Uhh..." The wolf had no answer. "It''s not like magic is sentient or anything like that, right? Like it only does something for you if you speak to it when you don''t have enough power to impress it or whatever?" "..." Now everyone, including her own group, was staring at Sophia with a nk expression, though Ari also started using her second hand to facepalm. ---------------- Once Sophia finished questioning everything anyone knew about magic and managed to confuse everyone, including herself, it was time for another break. "By the way," After everyone calmed down, Aura suddenly spoke up. "While I don''t use it, I have some experience with activation words. When I was on the demon continent, I trained a squad of them. Those who can''t use chantless magic resorted to activation words. I might be able to teach a thing or two." "Uhh..." Hearing the female wolf casually mentioning having trained a group of demons, they almost needed to take yet another break. "I-I also might be able to help." Anna tried to defuse the situation. "Maya showed me a lot, and I could try to ry it to Eluna¡­?" "Me, too, I guess?" The cat-girl followed after the princess. "I could teach Anna some more, and Eluna can watch us? As a former instructor, I''m sure she''s able to pick up a thing or two just from observing." "Oh, it''s slowly starting to sound like a n." King Menzor chose to ignore Sophia and Aura''s initialments and focused on the other ideas. "What do you think, Eluna?" "Yeah, I''m not against the idea. If our bratty princess is able to learn it, I''m confident that I can do it, too. " "Hey! What''s that supposed to mean?!" "Alright!" Menzor ignored his daughter and looked at the militarymanders that had apanied them. "I had originally nned for them to observe, too, but I guess I was too optimistic with that." All of them had nk expressions and were in dire need of an extended break. "Kira and I also have some other appointments. It would be great if you could give Eluna an introduction to your training methods, and wee back and see how it''s going in a couple of hours?" ---------------- After the king, his wife, and themanders left, the remaining girls took over. Fen had left for the garden a little while ago to take a nap. Figuring he would be about as useless as Sophia in teaching anything other than chantless magic, he decided to leave them on their own after the blonde tiger had finished her speech about questioning everything about magic. Sophia also decided to watch them from the sidelines. She, too, was far from being a help in this situation, after all. She located a bench at the corner of the training fields and gotfortable there while watching the girls. Most of the girls, at least, as Ari decided to join the tiger there. Sitting down next to her, the ck-haired girl then stared at her with a somewhat disapproving expression. "D-Don''t you want to train together with them?" Sophia tried to pay the look on her face no mind. "I am interested, but I figured teaching the former star magic instructor of the capital first would be the more efficient n. Another newbie would only get in the way." She didn''t look away for a second while saying so. "I-I see..." She had trouble looking Ari in the eyes. "..." Unfortunately, that only led the ck-haired girl to stare even harder at the blonde. "F-Fine..." The pressure made her cave in quickly. "I-I know I said too much, okay?" "Good." Her expression softened, and she stopped staring at the tiger. "Still, you really are something else, Sophia. It''s like you want as much attention as you can get. I''m kinda envious of anyone who enjoys and seeks to be the center of attention. Thanks to theplex I had... have about my hair, I''m usually pretty reserved and only open up to Anna. I mean, she also has no filter, but you''re something else entirely." "Urgh..." The blonde groaned in pain from the damage she received. "Want to know a secret of mine?" "Hmm?" "I hate getting so much attention most of the time. Part of me''s actually super shy, and having all those eyes on me makes me super self-conscious. I''ve gotten a lot better, but you have no idea how often I simply want to run away and just scream out my embarrassment." "Ehh...? Then... why are you like... you?" Ari gestured at all of her while saying so. "I said it before, didn''t I? I''m extremely stupid." "You have to do something about that, Sophia." "Yeah, no kidding... But as you said, I have no filter because I rarely ever think before opening my mouth." "What a heinous condition." "I-I wouldn''t go that far... Still, I really appreciated you reprimanding me a couple of times before. I actually managed to hold back once or twice." "I wasn''t reprimanding you. I just tried to give you some tips that could help you fix your behavior." "Mh-hmm." "A-Ah." The ck-haired girl noticed that it was basically the same. "I, too, will try to watch my words better in the future..." "Please don''t! I meant it when I said that I really appreciate it. Your way of giving tips somehow really gets to me. I just need much more of it to actually stick and have an effect." "So... you would like me to, uhh, scold you a lot...?" With one eyebrow raised, Ari stared at the blonde with aplicated expression. "It sounds pretty bad if you put it that way." Sophia noticed how it may could be misunderstood. "I just want to have some help so I can learn how to hold back and watch what I say..." "I see." "I''m not like the princess, okay?" "That''s good. Wait, what...?" The jaguar-girl needed a moment before the words registered. "Yeah, while I get the appeal to be on the receiving side, I would say that I enjoy being on the other side a lot more, if you know what I mean." "Nonono, back to Anna for a moment here!" Ari''s expression had be even moreplex. "W-What do you mean you''re not like her? "Well, I''m not much of an M." "B-But Anna isn''t, either...?" "Are you sure about that?" Sophia tilted her head. "When she told me about you, she was speaking very fondly about being scolded by you. Maya mentioned how the princess seemed to get excited when my cat''s bullying her during their training sessions. Also, when she was still going after me, she somehow got super hyper and extra motivated whenever I shot her down." "Ehhh...? But why... How?" "I don''t think there has to be a reason for what you''re into." "T-That''s true..." Ari gave an understanding nod. "Though maybe she got scolded a lot when she was a child?" The tiger still took a guess. "Not that I know, at least. Just like Ellie, she''s been spoiled like, well... a princess." "Well, maybe someone reprimanded her in a nice way all the time while growing up instead? That could''ve left a mark. Or, I don''t know, she got a lot of loving tips to help her fix her behavior or something along the lines?" Sophia''s guesses had gotten oddly specific for some reason. "I''m no expert, but things like that could potentially form a personality when you''re still young." "Ah." Hearing those words, the jaguar''s face paled. Realizing that she might be responsible for Princess Anna''s awakening, Ari needed a bit of a break afterward to process this revtion. There were lots of those today, thanks to a certain blonde tiger being on a roll. Chapter 143 – Magic is confusing Chapter 143 ¨C Magic is confusing Sophia was having a very productive day. She caused many headaches and broke some minds by telling outrageous stories and questioning the entirety of magic without giving it a second thought. To top it off, she also made Ari believe that the jaguar might be responsible for turning Princess Anna into a slight M. "Uhh..." The ck panther needed a while to recover from the revtion. "I-I have to apologize to her, don''t I?" "Oh, can I watch this conversation? I bet that''s going to be reeeaally interesting~." "Yep, you''re definitely not an M." "A-Ah." Sophia paused for a moment. "No... I''m not sure about telling her. What do you want to say, anyway? A, it''s toote to change anything now, and secondly, she seems happy with it." "T-That''s true... I guess I panicked too much if you''re the one with the sensible arguments." Just like Maya, Ari wasn''t sure how to feel when the blonde tiger''s the voice of reason. "How about you go S instead? You wouldpliment each other well." "That''s better..." She was relieved once her reasonable side jumped out of the window again. "How about no?" "Ehehe." "Also, yeah, you''re right... could we keep this conversation a secret, then? It really is better if Anna doesn''t know." "I had no ns to tell the princess... but if any of the two find out that we are sharing a secret... After thest time, I don''t want to imagine the sermon we''ll get." "TRUE." Ari gave a big nod after remembering how Anna and Maya chewed them out after identally being a little flirty. "Did the princess do anything once we left after the hair thing?" "She was, uhh... pretty clingy for the rest of the day and didn''t want to let go of my hair for some reason..." "Oh, that doesn''t sound bad." "N-No, it wasn''t... Rather embarrassing, though. I''m not used to something like that." Ari''s cheeks developed a slight blush. "That''s a feeling I know all too well." "Even so, I still don''t understand why Anna acted like this... She was almost as extreme as Maya and she''s actually dating you." "I have the feeling she was even louder than my cat." "That''s just Anna being Anna. Loud is her default setting." That part wasn''t out of the ordinary for the jaguar. "I can''t argue with that." Sophia nodded in understanding. "Well, the two of you grew up together, right? Maybe she got a little jealous after seeing you getting along with someone else? I feel like something like that could happen between childhood friends." "Really...?" Ari wasn''t sure how to feel about that. "I''m usually not that jealous... which is surprising..." She mumbled this part while thinking about her boosts. "But, I don''t think I would like seeing the person I grew up, and probably be the closest with, suddenly getting really along with someone else. Wait, didn''t the same happen with you when you saw Anna with me?" "A-Ah, err... r-right! That might be, uhh... true!" She sounded pretty evasive all of a sudden. "A-Anyway, what about you and Maya?" "What about us?" "She wasn''t the biggest fan of what happened, either, was she? Any aftermath? I would feel bad if you had a fight because of me." "Nah, it was alright. We had a little conversation about boundaries because we don''t want to hurt each other. Still, we came to the conclusion that being a little flirty from time to time is nothing bad as long as we know who we belong to." "W-Wow... How mature." Ari couldn''t hide her surprise. "Ahaha." She didn''t fail to notice her reaction. "We have our moments. Also, it helped that I was able to pull a reversal on Maya~." "What do you mean?" "Well, Maya can be a bit of an S from time to time..." "Mh-hmm. I don''t really know her yet, but I noticed that much already." It was pretty hard to overlook, after all. "And?" "Let''s just put it that way, my cat enjoyed Anna being so, uhh... receptive to her teasing a bit more than one normally does. She really leaned into the kink of the princess with her own." "Really?" The jaguar''s voice and expression changed again. While not quite as much, she gave off a simr vibepared to when she and Sophia first met. "But, in the end, neither Maya nor I are interested in anything other than being friends with either of you two." "I-I see..." Her voice and expression softened up again. "That''s why, if we identally be, err... a bit flirty again, at least Maya won''t raise such a fuss again. Probably... Maybe." There was no way she could be sure about that. "Of course, I''m not implying anything, and we naturally don''t have to. Forcing that is thest thing I would want." "I... don''t have much experience because I don''t think I was ever flirty before, let alone been in a rtionship. I hadn''t even noticed that what we were doing was considered flirting before it was toote..." "Yeah..." Sophia sympathized with that a lot. "That''s surprising, though. Anna also mentioned you''re quite popr in the academy, so I would''ve guessed you have some sort of experience." "Eh?" Ari looked surprised while she tilted her head with a questioning look. "She said that? I''m not popr at all, though. I rarely speak to anyone at school because of my odd hair. I hate the attention, after all. Anna''s the one who gets swarmed all the time because she''s so popr. But even then, she always watches out for me by making sure I don''t get caught up in the crossfire when I''m near her and shields me from them." "Aww, that''s so sweet." Sophia was touched by Anna''s kindness but then noticed that something didn''t match up. "Wait a moment, the princess was the one who told me... Maybe she isn''t watching out for you, but rather keeping anyone interested in you away?" "W-Why would she do that?" "Maybe she wants to keep you all to herself?" "Eh?!" Ari''s face turned red again. "She got jealous when I got close, too, after all. It''s basically the same, I would say. The princess doesn''t want to share her oldest friend." "I see¡­" "Anna''s kinda cute." "..." She wasn''t able to say anything in return. "Anyway," Sophia thought it was enough talking about their girls for now. "I understand that I went a little far earlier, but I''m still super confused about how the different ways of using magic work..." She was still hung up on it. "Your slight outrage over activation words versus chantless?" "Yeah. You see, I never learned the theoretical parts of magic. Fen''s my teacher, and when ites to magic, he''s a man of action. He showed me the magic, and I had to recreate it. I''ve also only learned chantless magic. Thanks to that, I really don''t get it, and it also totally makes no sense to me." "You really are something else, girl." The jaguar rolled her eyes once more. "I''m sorry." "Well, it doesn''t seem to be your fault." "Thanks..." "This time." "Urgh." It was yet another critical hit for the tiger. "That being said, it really still makes no sense to me. If you can condense your magic down to an activation word, what keeps you from going chantless?" "You can breathe air. What keeps you from breathing underwater like fish?" "Gills?" Sophia was confused and tilted her head in response. "W-Well, yeah..." It seemed like the jaguar had hoped for a different answer and noticed that her example wasn''t the best. "Then, why don''t we have gills on top of lungs?" "Because we don''t? Our body doesn''t work like that, after all." "And there we are. It took a moment, but we reached the answer. Is it so impossible that magic just simply works like that? Activation words and chantless magic are simr to one another but still fundamentally different." Ari tried her best to find an exnation that worked. "Can''t say I''m any less confused." Unfortunately, it didn''t help in the slightest. "Okay, magic is all about having a good visual image of what you want to do, right?" "Yes. That''s how we learned it, at least." "Alright. So, chants are mostly used by people who have trouble imagining the magic they want to use." "Or if you''rezy and don''t want to think." Ari only sounded only half-serious. "Chants are alsomonly used for precise magic." "Eh? I thought it''s the most unrefined way to use magic?" "You''re not wrong, but that also has its advantages. Let''s say you need exactly 500mL of water when you''re trying to cook something. You can imagine the amount and hope it worked out while making sure your mind doesn''t wander off and identally mess up, or you incorporate the amount you want into the chant and get exactly what you want." "Oh, that''s actually quite clever." Sophia was a certified expert in messing up, and she understood the appeal here. "So, the chant, in this case, is more like reading a line from a recipe?" "Well, you fancy it up a little, but that''s the gist of it." The jaguar-girl gave her a slight nod. "Wow, with such a chant, I might wouldn''t cringe myself to death when using it." Her aversion against them eased up ever so slightly. "Are there any special applications for activation words, too?" "Err..." Ari paused for a moment. "Your magic''s usually more potent that way, and it''s quicker than a chant but other than that..." "Seriously, why are activation words a thing?!" The tiger went full circle. "Uuh... I''m starting to question it, too..." The ck-haired girl was getting more and more corrupted thanks to Sophia''s influence. "It''s, uhh, also a power thing. you need a certain amount of it to use activation words over chants, and the power needed for chantless magic''s supposed to be even bigger." "Yeah, exactly the same as Fenny said earlier, but again, why?" The tiger couldn''t let go of it. "Larger scale magic aside... Let''s say you want to create around 10 liters of water with chantless magic. Why would you need more power for thatpared to chants or activation words?" "That''s... true?" Tilting her head to the side. Ari had officially be confused over magic itself, too. "My magic power goes down by the same amount as well when doing the same thing with either chants or activation words..." "See?!" "Maybe it''s really just a limitation by magic itself? Like, you''re only to, err... allowed to use magic in a certain way depending on your power?" "Allowed? By whom?" "How would I know? A god, maybe?" She simply guessed the first thing that came to mind. "Eh?!" An image of a grinning Canir suddenly flew through her head. "Or magic itself decided it doesn''t want to be bossed around by individuals with low power and wants them to beg for it?!" "Wow, that''s a theory even I find ridiculous." "Urgh." Ari needed a moment after getting too hung up on it. "Y-You really know how to trap someone in your pace, Sophia..." "One of my strongest talents~." "M-Mymon sense''s starting to hurt... Do you mind if we change the topic for the time being?" "Ah, ording to others, that''s amon side effect when being around me for too long. I''m sorry about that." "It''s alright... We can fix that eventually." "I kinda doubt it, but if someone''s able to do that, it''s you, Ari." Sophia had little faith in it. "Anyway, sure. I only keep getting more and more confused about magic, and we get nowhere. Is there something else you want to talk about?" "Hmm... How long do you think their training will go on?" The jaguar gestured at the training fields where the group currently seemed to be ying around with all kinds of magic. "I don''t think they''ll stop anytime soon. Like, at all." "I see. Well, I nned to bake some cookies because I got my hands on a new recipe before all of this happened." She was still pointing at the group. "Maybe now''s a good time." "Cookies?!" Sophia''s face immediately lit up. "Do you mind if I tag along?" "Oh, you can bake?" "Not at all, but I''m an expert at taste-testing and eating." She almost looked smug for some reason. "Is that so? Well, sure, I don''t mind." "Yay!" Having decided on a new n, the duo got up from the bench they were sitting on, left the training fields behind, and went to one of the kitchens inside the castle together. Chapter 144 – Naturally flirty Chapter 144 ¨C Naturally flirty The blonde tiger continued to be confused over the different ways of using magic. She just couldn''t understand why activation words exist. She hoped that Ari could exin it to her, but it only ended up with the jaguar being confused, too,bined with a slight loss of hermon sense. The ck-haired girl suggested baking some cookies to change the topic and recover some of her sanity points. Sophia knew she would be no help, but the prospect of getting freshly baked cookies made her very motivated. "You said you can''t bake, but what about cooking in general, Sophia?" The duo had arrived in the kitchen, and Ari nced at the tiger while collecting the ingredients she needed. "I''m rtively confident that I might not die after eating whatever I managed to cook in one way or another." "Wow." She had no other words. "No, it''s not quite that bad. I can boil some simple things like pasta or pot-, podadoes. I might even be able to stir-fry some veggies or grill meat in a way it''s not, uhh... dangerous for consumption, but that''s not really cooking... More like, surviving." "Well, I guess that''s at least something." "Yeah... Maya''s an amazing cook, so I get away with it." "Oh? I would like to cook with her eventually, then. That could be fun to cook with someone who likes it just as much. We might could even learn something from each other, too" "That''ll most likely happen rtively soon. The princess and Maya got really heated over that, and we decided to have a contest between the two of you to see who''s better." "Ehh...? Do I have any saying in this matter?" "Nope." "Those two are pretty simr, aren''t they?" "Yep, both are super stubborn and kinda stupid." Sophia couldn''t help but smile while saying so. "And I''m allowed to say this because I''m the queen of stupidity." "Despite everything, you''re fairly self-aware, aren''t you?" "H-Hey!" "Ehehe~." The ck-haired girl let out a soft and gentle giggle before continuing. "Well, I''ll prevent it from turning into apetition, but the idea itself sounds lovely." She wanted to cook with Maya, too, after all. "You don''t know any easy recipes to teach an idiot, do you?" Sophia faced Ari while asking. "I love Maya''s food, and she enjoys cooking for us, but I feel bad about her always doing it on her own... I at least want to be able to help her out without being a hindrance instead." "Aww, aren''t you sweet?" "T-Thanks..." The tiger got a little bashful after hearing it. "It would be amazing if I could surprise her with a simple dish or so." "I can''t say no to that now, can I? Not with such a reason as your motivation." She seemed to like such romantic gestures. "G-Great!" The blonde got even more embarrassed. "I have some ideas that an absolute beginner should somehow manage. How about we start tomorrow or the day after? I''d like to make the cookies today first. You can try and help me a bit there, too, if you want." "Really?! Yay! Thank you very much!" Sophia''s face lit up after hearing that the ck-haired girl actually wanted to teach her. "W-Wow, for a moment, I thought I was talking with Anna..." "Eh?" Sophia tilted her head. "Stripes, ears, and tail aside, the princess and I really don''t look alike. Among many things, she''s much bigger than I am, after all." "In various aspects." As Ari''s height and overall figure were close to Sophia, she could freely say such things. Comparing them to the incredibly tall and well-endowed princess was impossible. "No, I meant because of your personality. Anna also gets extremely excited over such small things, and you reminded me of her cute antics." "You''re quite smooth, aren''t you?" "Huh? Am I?" Ari hadn''t noticed it herself. "Absolutely. You say some pretty charming things from time to time. Especially when you''re talking about the princess." "I-Is that so?" The jaguar''s cheeks turned slightly red. "I''ll, uhh... have to watch out for that in the future." "Ehh~? Where''s the problem? It just means you''re fond of Anna, right?" "Of course..." "Oh, is it because you''re a maid and have to keep your distance...?" Sophia focused her gaze on the girl''s maid outfit. "Something like no being flirty inside the royal castle?" "No, that is fine. I mean, I''m the daughter of two of the head maids. It doesn''t get much flirtier than that, I would say." "Oh, yeah... Wait, what?" Sophia paused when she heard those words. "Two of the head maids...?" "Yeah?" "Anna mentioned you being the daughter of them, but I somehow seemed to have missed the plural form there. I didn''t expect you to have two moms." "Is there something up with that?" Ari wasn''t sure where the tiger''s confusion wasing from. "Not at all! I''m just surprised." "Really? It''s prettymon to have two moms, though? Don''t you n to have kids on your own somewhere in the future? Seeing how attached you are to your cat and your general, uhh... let''s say vibe, I have some huge doubts that there would be a father involved in your family ns." "Err..." Sophia wasn''t sure what to react to first because there were severalments she wanted to make. "There''s 100% no chance that there''ll ever be a father in my future." She decided to address the most important thing first. "Say, how much do you know about my past?" "Absolutely nothing." The jaguar shook her head. "After we made up, I asked Anna, but she refused to tell me. It even seems like his Majesty put something like a gag order around you..." "He didn''t need to go that far... Well, whatever." She felt it was a bit excessive, but Sophia wasn''t against Menzor trying to keep her circumstances as unaddressed as possible. "You see, long story short, I basically only ever had Fen sinceing to the world. I received some basic education from him, but the focus alwaysid on surviving in a harsh environment and magic in general. Mymon sense seems weird to most because I never had the chance to learn any of that." "Uuh... I-I''m sorry to hear that... I had no idea..." Ari''s voice turned somber, and her expression became apologetic. "I-I hope I didn''t hurt you when I made anyments on your behavior or tried to fix it." "No, as I said, don''t worry about that. If anything, I''m grateful for it because it''s helping me out." "I see..." "Anyway, because of that, I only knew about the biological way to have children. That one''s kinda self-exnatory, after all. Even after finally meeting other people and getting together with Maya, I still had no idea about this blessing magic. I mean, where would that topice up besides when you actively address it." "That''s fair." "I only learned about that whening to the capital. To be more precise, when the king urged Maya and me to have a kid because my specific tiger traits are something special, and they have to be preserved in his eyes or whatever..." "W-Wow..." Ari needed a moment. "In more ways than one." "Well, he initially wanted Anna and I to..." "E-Eh?!" "But that topic was faster off the table than he could even react. That''s never going to happen, after all." "G-Good..." "Yeah... So, that''s why I still get surprised when someone tells me they have two moms. I never thought I would be able to have my own child, after all." "I see now why it''s surprising for you. In that situation, I would be pretty shocked, too. But as I said, it''s actually fairlymon. I''m sure you''ll get used to it soon. Still, I watched you ying with princess Ellie a lot from the sidelines and saw that you were having a great time. Well, I noticed when I wasn''t being busy with silently being angry at you, at least..." The jaguar awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Judging from that, I guess it was a happy and fortunate revtion for you, huh?" "Absolutely!" Sophia gave her a big nod. "I love kids, and having my own eventually sounds lovely. Not anytime soon, though. Like, at all. That''ll be a topic for the very far future." "Understandable. It''s not something we should think about in our age." "Yeah," The tiger didn''t bother correcting her. "Anyway, where were we again?" She felt the need to change the topic. "Right! If even rtionships that led to children are allowed in the castle, what''s the problem with being a little flirty with the princess? Oh, is it because she is the princess, and you''re a maid?" She didn''t know whether their social standing could be an issue. "No, that''s not really a problem, either. In the first ce... me being a maid, is, uhh..." Ari didn''t finish her sentence and awkwardly looked away. "Hmm...?" She looked at the girl for a while before it eventually clicked. "You''re just ying a maid, aren''t you? Wow, today''s really just one shock after another!" It was a very eventful day for everyone. "I-I''m not ying. I''m just not officially one. The other maids are also really happy because I''m the only one who can handle Anna as she''s pretty high maintenance. E-Except in name, I''m basically the personal maid of Princess Anna." "Sounds like excuses from someone who wants to y maid to me." "I-I don''t!" "Ehehe~." Noticing that she had won, Sophia looked pretty smug before she continued. "So, again, why is being flirty with the princess no good?" "W-Well, now that you made me aware that some of my behavior might be naturally flirty, it''s gotten super embarrassing!" "Ah." There was absolutely nothing that the tiger could say in this situation. Afterward, the duo finally dropped the topic and continued the preparations to bake cookies together.
Chapter 145 – Baking cookies Chapter 145 ¨C Baking cookies The shocking news on this already eventful day didn''t seem to stop. While Sophia was spending time with Ari, she not only found out that the jaguar had two moms but also that she was simply ying to be a maid. The jaguar was, at best, an honorary one that exclusively takes care of Princess Anna. Afterward, to finally have a calm moment, the duo started to bake the cookies together that Ari nned to try out while the tiger wanted to help her out. That was the n, at least. "Ah, we don''t have enough sugar here..." After the duo finished talking about who Ari''s allowed to be flirty with or not, they finally focused on the cookies they wanted to bake, but the jaguar noticed a new problem. "That''s a disaster!" Sophia didn''t like the sound of that because she''s very fond of sweet things. "How can the royal castle run out of sugar?" "Calm down. We just don''t have any here in this kitchen. There should still be plenty in the storage rooms." "I see... Don''t scare me like that!" "My suggestion here would be that you should think about not jumping to conclusions instead." Ari wasn''t going to take any responsibility here. "A-Ah." The tiger had lost the match in an instant. "E-Easier said than done." "I''m sure it''s pretty easy. Step one; think. Step two; speak." She gave Sophia no chance to talk back. "Depending on the situation, step two even is optional." "Y-You''re way too good at being reasonable!" "You''re just too unreasonable. The same goes for Anna." "No." Sophia shook her head. "It''s definitely not that." "Are you sure about that?" The ck-haired girl only stared at her. "Our princess said the exact same sentence on many asions before." "Uuh... 50:50." "Well, whatever works for you." "O-Once again, I''ll try to think some more. " "If that''s what you want to do, you have my full support." "Thanks, mom." Sophia just had to do it. "..." The jaguar stared at her for a while. "It stings a lot lesspared to when Anna does it, but I still don''t like it." "A-Ah, I''m sorry." It wasn''t the reaction she had hoped for. "No... I mean, I guess I can see where you''reing from." Ari was aware of how her ways of doing things could be interpreted. "It just feels weird being addressed like this. Especially when Anna does it..." "Well, if you don''t like it, I won''t do it again." After all, teasing someone, and doing something one genuinely doesn''t like, were very different things for Sophia. "Thank you very much." "Alrighty," Sophia felt like ending the topic and wanted to be helpful. "We need sugar, right? Where''s this storage room? I''ll go fetch it really quick." "It''s... basically on the other side of the castle." "Well, then I''ll see you in around a week again." The tiger was still unable to navigate through the castle. "I''ll get lost a few times." "How about we go together, instead?" Ari had a better n. "Hmm... Yeah, let''s go with that." "We''ll probably still need around half an hour to be back here, though." "Seriously?! This ce is way too big!" Sophia didn''t like the sound of it. "B-But the cookies..." "It''s not like we have another choice. It''ll only take longer if you don''t stopining, too." "Fine... I, Ah!" The blonde suddenly stopped mid-sentence. "Will I get scolded if I do something kinda ridiculous that''ll give us sugar in an instant?" "Is it something dangerous?" "Not at all. It''s just a bit mind-blowing if anything," "I''m a little curious now." "So, no scolding?" "I promise nothing." "So unfair!" She pouted for a second before continuing. "Whatever, Maya and I went grocery shopping the other day, and l, uhh... might''ve forgotten to unload it into our kitchen. Ah, please don''t tell her, okay?" "Sorry, I can''t follow." The jaguar-girl was obviously confused. "I''ll show you." After saying this, Sophia pushed her arm into the purple portal she created and pulled a pack of sugar out of her extra space. "There we go. That''s enough sugar, right?" "Eh?" Naturally, Ari was beyond surprised and had no idea what to say. "Pretty cool, isn''t it?" "What... What just happened?" The jaguar blinked a couple of times, but it didn''t help her confusion. "What was that purple thing... and where did the sugare from...?" "It''s some magic I came up with. It gives me basically unlimited storage that I can ess wherever and whenever I want." "I want that, too!" Her reaction was different from expected. "I''ve never heard of anything even remotely as useful as that!" "Yep, it''s amazing, but sorry... It''s prettyplicated and uncategorized chantless magic. It''s an original creation of mine, after all." "ording to you, elements or categories don''t matter. You also imed that activation words make no sense, and those who can use that also should be able to use chantless magic. That''s why, gimme~!" "Ahaha, so you can be unreasonable, huh?" Sophia let out a chuckle. "Not going to lie, spoilt Ari''s kinda adorable." "A-Ah." Her face turned red. "Stupid Anna... it''s definitely from her influence." "Hehe~. But remember, you were the one who told me that there most likely are more requirements for chantless magic other than being able to use activation words with ease. Something like a power requirement." "R-Right..." Ari got even more flustered. "So embarrassing¡­" "I know that feeling~." The tiger was happy to be on the other side for once. "Still, I''m sooo envious about that magic! I wish I had more power..." "Sorry." "Well, though regrettable, there''s nothing I can do." The ck-haired decided to return to the original topic. "Now that we have all the ingredients, how about we get started on the cookies?" "Cookies!" Sophia was very motivated. ---------------- Taking the lead, Ari exined the contents of the recipe she found to the tiger. For a moment, Sophia wondered about how they were going to weigh the ingredients because modern scales couldn''t possibly be a thing in this world. She hoped for something magical, but, as it turned out, they had simple bnce-type scales where the ingredients go on one side while cing a variety of sample masses on the other side to bnce it out. "They''re not going to be the super-sweet kind, huh?" The blonde was reading through the recipe and wasn''t the biggest supporter of the amount of sugar noted on it. "You think so? I don''t bake that often because I usually enjoy making savory food more, but I thought it''s fine?" "Well, it''s my first time baking cookies, so I might be wrong. Justpared to the amount of the other ingredients, it sounds a bit too little?" "Hmm..." Ari eyed their recipe with a raised eyebrow. "As I said, I don''t know how to cook. There''s a high chance I''m wrong." "You shouldn''t have said anything then... Now I''m conflicted..." Thanks to the tiger, she now was second-guessing it, too. "Sorry." Sophia hung her head. "Oh, they might be the perfect base for choc... chocde-chip cookies!" She needed a second to remember the correct pronunciation. "That would add some nice sweetness. Not to mention that they''re amazing~." "Chocde... chip...?" The jaguar-girl tilted her head. "What''s that?" "Eh?" She stared at her with a nk expression. "Y-You don''t know what chocde-chip cookies are...?" "I don''t think I''ve ever heard of it." "W-Wow... forget the whole magic thing, I''ve found something way worse that''s wrong with the poption." It was a way more significant issue for herpared to the underdeveloped magic of everyone. "How... How did no one ever think of adding chocde to cookies?!" She looked crestfallen. "No, chocde cookies are a thing. Either by adding cocoa powder to the recipe or by melting chocde and mixing it in. I don''t understand the chip part." "A-Ah, that''s a relief..." Sophia let out a long sigh. "The chip partes from adding chunks of chocde to the cookies before baking. Those bits only partly melt and stay intact. When you bite into the cookies, you always get a mouthful of slightly gooey but still somewhat crunchy chocde. It''s amazing." "Forget about my recipe. We''re doing that!" Ari needed to have these kinds of cookies now. "Ah, but now we need to the storage room regardless to get some chocde..." "Coming right up~." Saying so, she opened the portal to her storage again and pulled out a whole assortment with all kinds of chocde. "Maya literally ordered me to always have a stock of it. It''s also really helpful when she needs it. She can get moody otherwise." "Understandable. I have a big craving for chocde, too, every now and then." The jaguar gave a slight nod. "Like, I don''t know, for a couple of days once a month?" "It''s a mystery, isn''t it~?" "Sure is. Well, I never not crave chocde, but it''s asionally even stronger during that time, too, so I do understand." "Anyway, I so badly want this storage magic!" Ari got envious of it again. ---------------- Ignoring the ck-haired girl, Sophia exined how they were supposed to look, and the girls started preparing the cookies. As the stakes had now be chocde-chip cookies, the tiger didn''t want to risk anything and let Ari do the base recipe. Instead, she only chopped the chocde to the correct size before adding it to the finished dough and mixing it through with a spat. "Err... Before I actually start cutting and mixing... Do you have an apron for me?" Sophia nced down at herself. "I am 106% certain that it''s going to be messy~." The blonde was aware of her clumsiness, after all. "Maybe some slippers, too. I''m sure I''m able to manage to even get something on my shoes." "That''s no, uhh... not much of a problem..." Ari looked around, and her eyes stopped at a clothes hanger next to the door. "H-How do you feel about a slightly frilly apron in a cute pink?" She tried her best not to smile while imagining the tiger wearing it. "I might not look like it, but I like cute clothes, okay?!" The blonde started pouting. "Perfect!" The jaguar grabbed the apron and handed it over to her. "S-Stop grinning already!" Sophia red at the other girl, who kept looking at her after she started wearing the pink dress-like apron together with the simrly colored slippers. "I-I''m sorry... You look adorable." Ari didn''t even try to stop. "Uuh..." She squirmed around a bit. The tiger seemed kind of happy to hear it, but the situation also was rather embarrassing for her. "A-Alright!" The ck-haired girl needed another minute to be serious again. "Let''s continue." Saying so, the two continued their work. While Ari finished the dough, Sophia cut the chocde into chunks and added it before mixing everything together. Afterward, the duo formed it into actual cookies. "So, what now?" They went a little overboard, and the tiger was currently staring at five packed cookie sheets. "Thankfully, the ovens here are pretty big. We''re going to use the one on the right." She pointed at one of the two in the kitchen they were in. "Normally, I use the one powered by wood because it tastes better, but that''s no good for sweet stuff, so we''ll have to take the one that operates with magic. Smokey cookies are kinda..." "That makes sense. Wait, how does an oven powered by magic work? Maya also always uses the wood ones because of the taste." "You use your magic power for it to heat up." "Like with a chant or an activation thingy like ''Heat up''?" Sophia tried to guess how it worked. "No, you simply pour your magic into it by touching the respective controls for the oven while thinking about the temperature you want, and it does just that." "What...?" She needed a moment after hearing this. "Ari...?" "Yes?" "That''s literally what chantless magic is." "It''s not?" "No, it absolutely is. In a way, it''s quite simr to some type of magic I use. For that, I also use my own power to generate heat. Okay, mes in my case." "Really...? Well, I can''t do that without the oven." "So... Ovens are able to use chantless magic, but people can''t...? Who even invented those kitchen appliances...?" "They''ve been around forever. I don''t think it''s actually known who invented them, only that you need a special type of material to build them." "Something''s seriously wrong with magic... There''s definitely something missing in the exnation everyone has for it." Sophia looked extremely confused. "l, uhh... I have no idea what to say." Ari couldn''t help her. "If you find out what''s going on, please use it to teach me the storage thing, okay?" She really fell in love with the magic. "Oi, magic!" The tiger suddenly started yelling. "I don''t know what''s going on, but do me a favor, okay?! Let Ari use chantless magic, alright? I''ll even help out if you need anything from me! I know that we''re missing some crucial elements, but be cool, okay? Thank you very much! Love you~." "What... What was that...?" The jaguar looked even more confused than the blonde now. "Don''t mind me. I''m just frustrated and needed to get it out of my system." "I-I see." "Alright, let''s get to baking the cookies!" With a refreshed look on her face, Sophia got motivated again and pushed the topic aside. "Sure¡­" Afterward, once the oven was heated up, the duo watched the cookies bake and chatted about everything except magic while waiting.
Chapter 146 – Eating cookies Chapter 146 ¨C Eating cookies While most of the group was busy showing Eluna the real way to use magic, Sophia and Ari snuck away together because they had something better to do. Baking cookies, that is. Once the tiger finished corrupting the poor ck-haired girl even further with herck ofmon sense, she told the jaguar about chocde-chip cookies. Ari very much liked the sound of these, and the duo decided to bake them. "It smells delicious~!" The first batch of cookies was about to be done, and Sophia impatiently ran back and forth in front of the oven. "Yes, the chocdey smell is great." Ari agreed. "But we''ll have to wait some more. Even after cookies are finished baking, they first need to cool down, after all. They tend to be rather chewy if you don''t do it properly. While that''s quite popr, too, I prefer crispy ones." "B-But still warm ones with gooey chocde that spreads all around in your mouth together with the slight crisp of the cookie is amazing~." "T-That does sound delicious..." "Alright, let''s eat the first batch immediately! We can let the second and so on cool down fully." "B-But all those calories!" The jaguar almost looked scared. "Don''t worry, I basically can''t gain weight. Even if I would, I do a bare minimum of sport, and I''m back to my original weight." "Sophia." Ari''s voice suddenly changed. "Yes?" "You shouldn''t say something like this in the presence of others, especially with girls around. They might end up hating you." "Yeah, I know... Maya already did end up hating me once because of that." "Understandable. I do, too, right now." "Ahaha..." The tiger let out a dryugh. "Sorry." "As long as you understand." "Y-Yes... Let''s eat in moderation." "Good." ---------------- Afterward, the two took out the first batch of cookies and let them cool down for a minimal amount while getting the second batch ready to bake and cing it in the oven. "Delicious!" Sophia couldn''t wait any longer and bit down on a still fairly warm chocde-chip cookie, and her face lit up. "W-Wow..." Ari did the same and needed a moment. "You were right. The still gooey chocde is an amazing experience together with the light crispiness of a regr cookie. The base recipe might need a little more tweaking, but overall, it''s one of the best cookies I tried!" "Yeah, it might''ve gotten a little too sweet because we used a ton of chocde. Only a whiff, though. I still love them!" "Absolutely. I still can''t believe that no one, including me, ever thought of adding chocde chunks to cookies..." "Yep, I would say that''s almost a crime!" The tiger was still beyond shocked. "I agree." The duo continued to bake the remaining batches while snacking on the already done cookies for a while. Sophia had just taken thest tray out of the oven and wanted to ce it on the kitchen table when she noticed a slight issue. "Uhh... Could you make some space for me, Ari?" While wearing some thick, heat-resistant gloves, the tiger looked at the packed table as she was holding the cookie sheet. "Oh, of course! Let me see..." She looked around in the kitchen, but every corner was packed with things. "Err..." "Look at the first sheet. There are only two cookies left. Just eat them, and I can ce them on top." "Right. One each?" Ari wanted to share. "Ahhh~." As Sophia had no free hands, she simply opened her mouth. "I guess it can''t be helped." The jaguar got closer to her and gently fed Sophia the cookie before eating the remaining one herself. ---------------- "Wow." "Well, if that isn''t something." In the exact moment when the ck-haired girl began to feed the blonde, two new voices had joined the conversation. "Ah." Sophia didn''t even need to look at the door to know that Maya and the princess had arrived. While her detection magic was constantly running, she tended to forget about it as long as there were no enemies around. "A-Anna?!" Ari panicked much more and immediately took a step away from Sophia. "F-First that super intimate ying with the other''s hair and now feeding each other?!" The girl in question didn''t seem amused about the sight, and there was more than just a hint of jealousy in her voice. "I-It''s not like that!" "That''s some impressive timing." Sophia looked at her cat. "Sure is. Still, feeding each other is kinda borderline on the flirty scale, you know?" "What? She just stuffed a cookie into my mouth because I had no free hand at the moment." "Okay, that''s a solid argument." Maya was surprisingly calm. "Thank you." The blonde was happy about it. "It''s not like we were feeding each other mouth to mouth like a certain someone tried the other day, you know?" "A-Ah." The certain someone with white hair and cat-ears turned her head away in response. "Well, it was fun~." Sophia wasn''tining. "Hehe." "Messy, too." "Y-Yeah..." "So, what''s this all about?" Anna was still staring daggers at the jaguar. "W-Well... While all of you were trying to teach Eluna magic, Sophia and I got a bit bored and tried to busy ourselves a little..." "And since when does that end up in feeding each other?!" The jealous undertone in the princess'' voice was growing. "You''ve never fed me before!" "Eh?" Ari needed a moment. "T-That''s the problem?" "Yes! It''s unfair!" "R-Really...?" Slightly hesitant, the ck-haired girl then picked up a cookie and brought it closer to Anna''s face. "S-Say Ahh..." She wasn''t sure how to deal with the expectant-looking princess, and her face turned a bit red. "Ehehe, ahh~." Anna''s expression brightened up, and she slightly opened her mouth. "S-So embarrassing..." Ari''s blush intensified as she gently fed the cookie to the princess. "A-Are we also like this..." Sophia nced at Maya after having watched the duo. "I think we''re worse, actually." "Seriously?!" The blonde, too, became embarrassed. "Yeah..." "What''s this?! It''s delicious!" Anna was munching on the cookie she got from Ari, and she suddenly got loud. Or louder. "R-Right?!" The Jaguar agreed while it seemed like her face was cooling down. "They''re called chocde-chip cookies." "Really? Never heard of that." "Neither did I. Sophia came up with them." "Seriously?! You''re amazing, Sophia! They''re delicious! I love the chocdey bits!" The princess was already on her next cookie while saying so. "Eh?!" Maya also became loud. "What?! You made them?!" She looked at her tiger while trying a cookie. "T-They really are amazing. A tiny bit too sweet, though I like that. The texture''s perfect, and the half-molten chunks of chocde are... wow! Were you lying when you said you can''t cook!? That would be pretty low..." "N-No, I really am no good at it. I just knew these cookies from, uuh... somewhere and was able to recreate them with Ari." She obviously couldn''t say where she actually knew them from. "My only contribution to the finished product was me having chopped the chocde." "Oh, I see. Ahh... that''s why the sizes of the chocde bits are all over the ce." "S-Shut up, that was on purpose!" "Sure~." The cat naturally didn''t believe her. "Ari, I said that it has to be like that, right?" "You did?" She only tilted her head. "Ari?!" "Hehe." The ck-haired girl showed her a slight grin. "H-Hey! Oh, are you giving what we talked about earlier a try?" Sophia remembered suggesting Ari to be a little more yful as the princess seemed receptive to being teased. "What''s this about?" The other two tilted their heads. "Nothing!" The duo immediately answered at the same time. "Hmm?" Anna''s and Maya''s voices, too, ovepped, and both didn''t seem too enthusiastic about their behavior. "Even having secrets on top now?!" The loud tiger sounded jealous again. "Mh-hmm." It seemed to be a tad much for Maya, too. "Ah..." The worst-case the duo imagined became true. "Here, have another cookie, princess." This time, Sophia grabbed one and stuffed it into Anna''s mouth, not showing any sort of gentlenesspared to when Ari fed her before leaning over to Maya and started whispering. "It''s nothing, okay? I''ll tell youter. It''s just something the princess shouldn''t know." "Oh, I see~." The cat''s expression immediately rxed. "So unfair!" Anna''s didn''t, though. "T-There''s no need to worry, Anna..." Ari tried to calm her down. "Sophia just tried to give me a tip or two to get better along with y-you... " "I thought we get along great, though...?" She wasn''t sure how to feel about this. "We do!" The jaguar''s reply was instantaneous. "B-But wouldn''t it be nice if we were to get along even better?" "Oh!" Anna started smiling. "That sounds awesome! Thank you very much, Sophia!" "Sure..." The blonde was d the princess didn''t want to know how. Exining that would be slightlyplicated. "Anything else of interest happened with the two of you while you were all alone?" Though Maya was mostly okay with the new friendship of the duo, her emotional side still has some slight issues with it. "Not really. We chatted about all kinds of stuff before I got confused about the whole activation word thing again and destroyed every bit of knowledge Ari ever had about magic." "Yeah..." The jaguar nodded. "To the point where I got a headache and feel slightly dizzy ever since she finished destroying mymon sense..." "Me, too, actually... I don''t think I ever made myself get a headache from being confused, let alone being dizzy." Sophia apparently had the same symptoms. "I sure went all out with that." "Soo... practically business as usual." Maya didn''t see anything out of the ordinary here. "More or less." The blonde nodded. "What about the training with Eluna?" "Not bad. She seems to be slowly getting a grasp of the idea. It''s just that she thinks much morepared to the princess, so we might need a little longer than we thought." "Hey!" Annained about the wording. "What''s that supposed to mean?" "You don''t question everything and just do as I tell you. It''s much easier for you to get a feel of the magic that way. Though, once it clicks for Eluna, her progress might be faster afterward. Personally, I prefer the act first, thinkter approach, so teaching you is a lot more fun for me, princess." "Ehehe~." She was happy about that answer. "Very fun~." The cat-girl repeated herself again in a different type of voice and only so Sophia could hear her. "You..." She only rolled her eyes. Afterward, the girls kept chatting about more meaningless topics while snacking on the cookies Ari and Sophia baked together. For some reason, Anna kept demanding to be fed by the jaguar, and she happily, though with a blush on her cheeks,plied to it. Chapter 147 – Troublemaker duo Chapter 147 ¨C Troublemaker duo Sophia introduced chocde-chip cookies to the world, and they were a big hit. The other girls all loved them. There was a tiny bit of drama because, once again, the blonde tiger and Ari were caught by their girls in a slightly flirty situation while feeding each other. Luckily, aside from Anna being jealous about the jaguar doing things she''d never done with the princess, nothing much happened. "By the way," The girls were still snacking on the cookies the duo made when Sophia looked at the princess and her cat. "Have you and Eluna already reported the progress to the king? I kinda don''t want to deal with that today anymore." "Don''t worry, he came back to the training fields before we ended our session, and we gave him a quick update." Maya had good news for her. "Great!" "Father asked us to continue tomorrow, though." "Oh, well, that makes sense." Sophia nodded before looking at the jaguar. "Ari, are you free tomorrow, then?" "I have no ns yet. Ah, do you want to do the thing we talked about? She remembered that the blonde wanted to get a cooking lesson. "Yeah, let''s do it together!" Sophia liked the idea. "..." Maya and the princess stared at each other with a veryplicated expression. "First, they n a new date without asking us..." "... and then they obviously have yet another secret, and the two want to do it together." The new friendship of the duo caused Anna and Maya to be emotionally all over the ce a lot of times already. "Ah." Said duo noticed their mistake. Afterward, the two needed roughly 15 minutes to exin everything while somehow being able to hide Sophia''s n to surprise the cat-girl with a meal she prepared all on her own. ---------------- Once everything was back to normal between the girls, the couple decided to head back to their mansion. Maya and the princess had powered themselves out quite a bit while trying to teach Eluna, and the troublemaker duo, too, seemed to be exhausted after questioning the very foundation of magic, and baking a ton of cookies. Before leaving the castle, though, the two made a quick stop in Ellie''s room to give her some cookies, as well. The little princess wanted to y with them for a while, but they decided to do that some other time because the two were too tired for it at that moment. "Haa~." Back in their home, the couple gotfortable on one of the sofas in the living room. Sophia took the opportunity to im Maya''sp and tried to sprawl out all over it. "Settle down, will you?" "Fine..." As struggling to find the best position seemed like a pain to her, the tiger eventually simply plopped down her head on Maya''s thighs. "Good." With a gentle smile, the cat-girl started petting her head. "Mhmm~." Sophia seemingly enjoyed that very much as she let out a deep, almost purr-like hum. "Is something wrong?'' "What do you mean?" The blonde didn''t understand her question. "I don''t know. You seem kinda low on energy, I guess?" She wasn''t sure what it was, but something felt different about the tiger to her. "Well, I do feel a little more tired than usual. I''m currently recovering, though~." While she said so, Sophia wiggled her head around, causing her hair and ears to rub against the cat''s legs. "Hehe." Maya enjoyed the skinship and the underlying activity of being marked by her girlfriend. "Tired, huh? yed around too much with the jaguar?" "N-No, it was a reasonable amount of ying!" She had to retort. "I know. Okay, there are a few things between the two of you that I find, uhh... questionable, but that''s mostly because both of you seem to be good at creating misunderstandings." "It''s my biggest talent." "True." She gave her a big nod. "Still, tired, huh? Maybe you just haven''t slept well?" "Unlikely. After all, I''ve shared the bed with you. I haven''t slept badly ever since we started sleeping together during our travels." "W-Wow..." The cat-girl needed a moment to cool down her face. "It''s almost scary how naturally smooth you can be. " "Like you''re one to talk when ites to that." "Thanks." Maya took it as apliment. "Any other symptoms besides being a bit tired?" "Hmm, I have a bit of a headache, now that you mention it. Not too bad, though." "Didn''t Ari mention the same?" She remembered having heard it before and then looked down at Sophia on herp. "You also do look like you''re missing a bit of color, I think." "Really?" "Yes." Maya then ced a hand on the tiger''s forehead. "Oh, you do have a bit of a temperature, too. The kitchen you two were in did feel a little chillypared to the outside... Maybe you and Ari managed to catch a cold, and the symptoms are starting to show? Your jaguar also mentioned being tired, as well. It would exin a lot." "Seriously?!" Sophia didn''t like the sound of that. "Wait, that can''t be! Only idiots are supposed to catch a summer cold!" "And?" Maya only tilted her head. "Ari isn''t an idiot." Sick or not, she was still self-aware. "Okay, fair point. You probably infected her, then. Definitely your fault she''s feeling sick." "Ah." Sophia had no retort to that. "Still, my body heals on its own in a matter of minutes after tanking attacks from a griphon. Shouldn''t it be impossible for me to catch a cold?" " You''re right... Maybe your self-regeneration only works on physical injuries but is useless when you''re sick?" "That would suck¡­ Well, your guess is as good as mine." Sophia herself didn''t know much more about her body works, either. "I''ll try to apply some healing magic on myselfter and go to bed a little early." "That sounds like a good n." Maya then caressed the head of her tiger some more to let her rx. "Mhmm~." The blonde was a big fan of being spoiled. "Still, if Ari really got a cold from you, I hope she''s going to be okay. Imagine your cold is as overpowered and unreasonable as you are." "A-Ah!" She instantly became worried. "Don''t do that to me! I''m sick! I need pampering, not having to feel bad and responsible!" "Immediately using the cold to your advantage, huh?" Even so, Maya also started using her second hand to y with Sophia''s hair while she continued to lovingly pet her head. ---------------- "Mmmh~. Ehehe." The tiger wiggled around in the cat''sp with the biggest smile possible. "With you, even being sick is amazing!" "Happy to hear. I expect the same treatment if I ever catch a cold, okay?" "Of course! It''ll be my pleasure~." "I look forward to it." "Well, I would prefer if you don''t get sick, though." Sophia suddenly let out a reasonable argument. Her cold seemed to be quite severe. "..." She had no reply in store. "Anyway, Ari should be fine regardless. She lives in the royal castle, is the daughter of the head maids, and the best friend of the princess. If she needs any sort of healing magic or any other type of medical attention, she''ll get it in a matter of minutes." "That''s true." "Besides, it''s just a cold. The only type of suffering Ari will go through is Anna enjoying nursing her back to health too much." "Ahaha, I can see that happening. What''s going on between those two, anyway? The princess seems way more attached to her than she ever was to you, and Anna nned to marry you..." "That''s an excellent question." Sophia wondered about the same. "Oh, while we''re at it, what''s that one secret between you and Ari about the princess?" "It''s about Anna being a slight M. We''re pretty sure that Ari''s responsible for that." "Eh, the jaguar''s also an S?" Maya didn''t see that oneing. "Also is the right word,ing from you. " "Well, we both are~." The cat-girl didn''t deny it. "Okay, you''re maybe a bit of a switch with a preference." "Err..." Sophia wasn''t sure what to say, especially because she kind of had to agree to it. "Well, me being all over the ce fits my personality." "Ha. So, about Ari?" "No, but she has the talent to awaken your inner M. Her way of scolding does things to you." "Uhh... Should I rethink my opinion about your friendship with her?" "Please don''t! Anyway, the two grew up together, and Ari''s been scolding or giving the princess tips to behave probably since the beginning. I''ve heard that Anna''s always been rather loud and hard to deal with, after all." "Oh, so the jaguar''s unconsciously been, let''s say, training her?" "That''s the conclusion I came to, too." "Good job, Ari~." Maya liked the result. "You dork. I''m still amazed at how attached you got to the princess after the rough start you had with her. Preferences aside, you are actually kinda simr." "Yeah... The restart we had after you turned her down was good. Still, as if you and Ari are one to talk." "True. She and I are surprisingly simr, too." "Eh? I meant the restart¡­ You seem likeplete opposites, though? Like, she''s reasonable and levelheaded." "No, we both are kinda unconsciously flirty from time to time and get super embarrassed once we notice. That''s another part of the secret we were keeping from the princess. Ari became aware that she was pretty flirty with Anna from time to time without noticing and wanted to stop that. I thought it would be a waste and convinced her to continue." "Nicely done." Maya agreed with her. "Especially because the princess is at least as flirty with her, too. Not to mention how jealous both got because of us." "I thought the same. They are childhood friends, after all. They shouldn''t hold back with each other. I would get jealous, too, when seeing my oldest friend getting along so well with someone without knowing what''s going on. Not that I have any experience with that. "Is that really it?" Maya tilted her head. "Well, it could be, whatever." She didn''t feel like questioning it and dropped the topic. "How are you feeling by now, Sophia?" "The chatting was a bit distracting, but I''m tired... and I feel sluggish. Head''s also hurting, and I''m a bit dizzy..." "Is it getting worse?" "Much." The tiger gave a weak nod. "Actually... While we were, chatting, I constantly applied healing magic to myself, and it did nothing. If anything, it actually feels like that made it worse..." "That doesn''t sound too good." The cat-girl retook Sophia''s temperature by cing her hand on the blonde''s forehead once more. "Wow, you got quite a bit hotter." "Thanks~." She was still feeling good enough to be yful. "Idiot." Maya couldn''t help but smile. "How about I make us a quick dinner, and we get you to bed afterward?" "To be honest, I''m not hungry at all..." "What?!" The cat''s smile vanished in an instant, and her expression was filled with worry. "That''s it, you go to bed right now!" She knew that if it was enough to kill the tiger''s appetite, it had to be something serious. "I look forward to it~. Nnngh... Ah." While she said so, the tiger tried to get up from Maya''sp, but it didn''t seem to work. "Err... I think we can add severe muscle fatigue and pain to my symptoms now..." "Seriously?!" "Yeah... I don''t think I can move. How are the chances for you to carry me upstairs?" "Of course!" The cat-girl gave her a hearty nod. "Yay! Being sick is the best!" "Is it?" "Not at all! It super sucks! Anyway, I want a princess carry, please~." "Well, you are a spoilt princess, so I can''t say no to that." "Ehehe~." Despite the circumstances, Sophia''s mood was excellent. Afterward, Maya got up from the sofa and gently lifted up her tiger. Then, while she was holding her in her arms, the two made their way upstairs. Arriving in their bedroom, the cat ced Sophia on the bed with the utmost care before putting the nket over her. It turned out that the blonde was so exhausted that she fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Maya gave her a soft good night kiss on her forehead and once more noticed the rather high temperature of the girl before leaving the room. The cat wanted to let Sophia rest for a while without any sort of disturbance.
Chapter 148 – Having a cold Chapter 148 ¨C Having a cold The couple had spent most of their day in the royal castle. Maya helped to teach Eluna the new magic with Aura and the princess while Sophia was busy baking cookies with Ari. After everyone had powered themselves out, the two went home again, but things took a weird turn. As it turned out, Sophia wasn''t just exhausted but actually seemed to have somehow gotten sick. She was feeling weak, sluggish, and had a headache on top of being dizzy. Maya then also noticed that the tiger had a bit of a temperature that seemed to be rising, too. All in all, it looked like a cold, and the tiger was sent to bed under the order of Maya. "Hmm..." It was the following day, and the cat-girl looked even more worried while being in their bedroom as she watched over Sophia. The blonde was still fast asleep and hadn''t woken up once since yesterday. She seemed to be quite sweaty, though, and her temperature hadn''t gone down at all while the girl had a somewhat pained expression. "Ah, I think I heard something!" Her ears perked up, and after taking another nce at Sophia, she left the room. "Oh, good morning." Downstairs, she was greeted by Fen. "Hmm? Is something wrong?" Aura stood next to the male wolf and noticed that Maya seemed to be a bit distressed. "You look worried." "Y-Yes, something''s wrong with Sophia..." "We need a few more details here." Fen thought that this was the default description of their tiger. "She''s sick... Somehow like a cold, but it seems much worse..." "Eh?" Aura tilted her head. "I thought she has a high self-healing ability?" "It doesn''t seem to be working on her cold." "Weird..." "That idiot should just use some healing magic directly on herself, and she''ll be as good as new." Fen didn''t see the problem. "Err, she actually did that already..." "Then, where''s the problem? She should jump around in a few minutes again then." "Well... that was yesterday... and it didn''t help at all." "What?!" The male wolf froze up. "Huh, wait a moment... I, uhh... just used my detection magic... W-Why is Sophia missing something like 10 to 15% of her magic power?! Also, it doesn''t seem to be recovering, either?!" "Eh?!" The two girls looked as shocked as Fen. "What kind of magic did she use this time?!" "I don''t think she did anything." Maya looked at Fen. "She''s spent most of the day with Ari, that jaguar who''s able to handle her. The two baked cookies together." "Oh, I see. Yeah, that exins it. A life-threatening case of food poisoning. That can sap away your magic power." He thought he solved the mystery. "N-No, I''ve eaten them, too. Ari made them, and our girl only helped out by chopping some chocde." "I''m out of options, then." "Could you take a look at her, Fen? I''m getting worried about her condition." "Of course." "Thank you." Afterward, Maya guided the wolves upstairs to their bedroom, where Sophia was still sleeping. "Hmm..." Aura stared at the tiger for a moment and noticed how she was a bit sweaty while breathing slightly haggard. "I''m no expert on the matter, but it more or less looks like amon cold type of thing to me." "From the looks of it, yes." Fen gave a slight nod. "But why has she lost so much of her magic power? Combined with how neither her self-healing nor healing magic are working, something''s up here..." "How much has she actually lost?" The cat-girl tilted her head. "I can only sense it, and she still feels iparably more powerful than I am." "It''s a little fluctuating, but it''s really around 10 to 15% less than yesterday. To put in perspective for you, it''s around a third of your total magic, Maya." "Seriously?! That really is a lot!" She was shocked. "Could you tell me exactly how she was behaving yesterday?" Fen wanted to find out what was going on. "Hrmn... She was in a pretty good mood. Sophia did mention feeling a bit tired and having a slight headache in the castle already, though. After we got home, we rxed for a while, and she was steadily bing worse. I noticed that her temperature was rising, too. In the end, she felt so weak that I had to carry her to bed..." "Still sounds like a cold to me..." "Yeah..." Fen once more agreed with Aura. "Something''s weird..." "Ah, I forgot, she also didn''t want any dinner because she lost her appetite." "What?!" The wolves were shocked. "I''m kinda d I wasn''t the only one with that reaction..." Maya had mixed feelings about the situation. "Could it be that something, err... sapped away her magic power and her body didn''t take it well?" Aura tried to y out an idea. "It could exin why actively using magic like trying to heal herself didn''t work. Maybe there''s even a chance that it got worse because of that." "Oh," The cat-girl remembered something. "Sophia actually mentioned feeling worse after trying healing magic on herself." "There we have it." The female wolf was d to have figured it out. "Have what?" Fen stared at her. "It exins nothing, and we still have no idea what is going on. What''s supposed to sapping her magic?" "Ah." She had no reply to any of it. "Could it be that she''s unconsciously using her magic?" Maya also tried her luck. "What do you mean?" The wolves seemed interested. "Well, she''s undoubtedly sick, so maybe her body''s using magic on its own to boost her healing ability? It''s not working out, though." "It does sound logical." Fen didn''t disagree with her. "Sophia''s a bit of an oddball. She''s from a different world and turned herself from a human to a beastperson. Her old body probably wasn''t ustomed to this world, and while bing a tiger likely helped with that, it might also confused her natural healing abilities?" "I see..." Maya gave him a slight nod, visibly being worried. "Is... Is there something we can do?" "We first need to know how..." "I have... an idea." "Really?" "Stop having a loud and prolonged conversation between three people in the room where a sick girl''s trying to sleep and recover." "A-Ah..." The three in question looked incredibly awkward after noticing that the voice wasing from Sophia. "W-We''re sorry..." Maya apologized on behalf of everyone. "We''re all just worried and want to find out what''s wrong with you..." "T-Thanks..." There was little left for her toin about now. "How are you feeling?" The cat-girl got closer and felt her temperature again. "Not much of a change, but it didn''t get worse, either, at least." "Yeah, no, I''ve really been better..." "Do you have an idea what happened to you?" Fen still wanted to find out what exactly was going on. "Hmm...?" The sick tiger looked confused. "I''m an idiot who caught a summer cold?" "While still warm, it''s basically fall already, though." "Yay, not an idiot~." "..." No one answered her. "Anyway, that wouldn''t exin the issue with your magic." Fen simply continued with the topic instead. "What''s up with my magic?" She looked even more puzzled. "You haven''t noticed it yourself?" "Sorry, I''m feeling kinda dazed and dizzy, so..." "Well, you''ve lost around 10 to 15% of your total power." "Really...? That''s, uhh... pretty bad, isn''t it?" "It''s not good, that''s for sure." "Is... Is it going down further? I don''t want to lose my magic..." "No, it''s fluctuating a bit, but it seems to be stable around that number." "G-Good..." Sophia looked relieved. "It isn''t recovering to your original power, either, though." "That''s weird..." Thanks to feeling under the weather, the tiger''s reactions were a lot less loud, too. "What is going on? Is this normal for a cold in this world?" "I''ve never seen anything like this before." All three answered her at the same time. "Sooo... What''s going on with me?" "That''s what I want to know, too." Fen had no answers for her. "I already asked Maya, but do you remember doing anything that could''ve led to this. " "Not at all... I''ve barely used any magic yesterday besides the usual detection one. I''ve spent most of the time chatting with Ari..." She hadn''t done anything outrageous for a full day for a rare chance. "Well, I was confused about magic for a long time... and I still don''t get the whole activation words thing... Oh, maybe magic''s angry at me for making fun of it by calling activation words stupid and useless?" "Oh, great, she''s recovering already." Aura was d that she was still the good old goofy tiger. "Hehe. I still feel like garbage, though... Also, I''m kinda hungry..." "Well, it seems like you''re on a good way." Everyone was relieved after hearing those words. "Sleep another day or two, and you''ll be better." Fen was confident that she''d recover soon now. "Good. I''ll go and cook something light for you. Just wait a bit, ok- Hmm?" Maya stopped talking when everyone suddenly heard a loud knocking on the front door of their mansion. "Has someonee to visit...? Not a good time." "I''ll shoo them away, don''t worry." Saying so, Aura left the room. "Thanks!" ---------------- Aura came back a few minutester, but she wasn''t able to send back their visitor as it was a very tenacious one. "Haa... S-Sophia... haa..." Completely out of breath and slightly sweaty, Anna was standing next to her. "What''s wrong, princess." Maya tried to find out what was going on. "Why do you look so exhausted?" "I... haa... ran all the way from the castle to here... " "It''s not even... you can see it from here!" She pointed at a window in the bedroom. "I know!" Anna''s endurance seemed to be nonexistent. "I''m fast, but not for long!" "Wait, wasn''t our gate closed?" "I jumped over it!" "Seriously!? It''s over two-meter tall, though?" "Don''t care! It''s urgent! Sophia, I need your help! Wait..." The princess only now noticed the blonde in the bed and how she looked. "D-Don''t tell me you''re sick, too?!" "I am... Actually, I can''t remember ever feeling this bad before... Hmm, too?" "Y-Yes, it''s Ari! She''s gotten so weak that she can barely move, together with a strong headache and feeling super dizzy. Kinda like a hyper cold, but she also lost her entire magic power, and it doesn''t seem to be recovering at all. We, including all the doctors and healers in the royal castle, have no idea what she has and trust me, I''ve gathered ALL of them!" "Ehh?!" Though it seemed to be even worse, it was strangely familiar to whatever Sophia was dealing with right now, and her group became pretty confused. Chapter 149 – Suffering together Chapter 149 ¨C Suffering together Sophia was still sick and not feeling well at all. Fen also took a look at her and noticed that she was missing at least 10% of her magic power. It didn''t seem to be recovering to her original level, either. Unfortunately, he had no idea what was going on as he had never seen such symptoms before. To make matters even worse, Anna came over and told them that Ari was suffering from something very simr with an anxious expression. The jaguar seemed to be even worse as she apparently had lost her entire magic power. "Wait, so Ari has the same as I have?" Everyone was still in the couple''s bedroom, and Sophia stared at the princess with wide eyes while lying down in the bed. "You also lost your magic?!" "Only a part of it, but my other symptoms appear to be the same. I also can barely move because of muscle pain. I feel sluggish and dizzy, and my head''s killing me. I have a bit of a fever, too..." "That is the same!" Anna was confused about the situation. "Except the magic power..." "Well," Fen looked at the princess. "Our tiger still lost around four times the amount your jaguar ever had." "Seriously?! Wait, just how overpowered are you, Sophia?!" "Uhh..." She wasn''t sure what to reply. "No! That''s not important!" Anna almost got sidetracked. "I wanted you to help Ari because no one''s able to figure out what she has, but if you''re suffering from the same... W-What can I do now...?" Despair was written all over her face. "I''m sorry... What were you hoping me to do, anyway?" "You can use healing magic, right? With your amount of power, I figured you can brute force whatever Ari has out of her..." "Ahh... I actually tried that on myself already. It doesn''t work at all..." "N-No way..." Anna looked even more devastated. "B-But what''s going to happen to Ari now... The same goes for you, Sophia..." "I don''t know... I do feel a tiny bit better than a while ago. Maybe we really just need a couple of days to get back on our feet?" "Y-You think so?" "I hope..." "Uuh..." The princess didn''t like the ambiguity at all. "I guess Ari can''t move at all, right?" "No, she''s as bedridden as you, Sophia, maybe even a little worse..." "I see. Hmm..." The blonde looked at the two wolves for a moment before shifting her gaze to the cat-girl. "Maya, do you think you can carry me to the castle on your back? I don''t think I can walk..." She opted against asking Fen or Aura because riding on them while they''re shrunk might look more than a little weird. "I want to see her." "Why?" "Yeah, you should really rest!" Maya and the princess weren''t a fan of the idea. "I know... I actually really don''t want to leave the bed, either... Just, if the two of us are together, we might remember something? Maybe something did happen yesterday that led to us being, well... like this." She pointed at herself. "You''re right..." "It might be worth a try." The two reconsidered. "Yeah, I can carry you, no problem. Thanks to you usually burning like a million calories a day, you''re super light, after all." "Thank you. Also, sorry." "It''s fine." Maya didn''t mind going along with the blonde''s suggestion. "Alright, get outta here, everyone. I''ll help Sophia into a change of clothes." She pointed at the door while looking at the group as she said so. ---------------- Roughly 15 minutes passed before Maya, with the tiger, in her usual clothes, on her back, came downstairs and reunited with everyone waiting in the hallway near the entrance. "Getting carried around''s kinda nice~." "Don''t get too used to it." "No need to worry, I like running around on my own way too much. I can''t wait for the muscle pain to be gone!" "Thanks for caring about Ari so much..." Anna was really grateful that she was forcing herself to visit the jaguar even though she really wasn''t in any condition to do so. "It''s fine. Now that I know about her, I''d worry too much else." Once everyone was ready, the group made their way towards the royal castle. Fen and Aura also apanied them because they, too, wanted to find out what exactly was going on. Arriving at the castle after a while, Anna then guided the group to her room, which confused the couple a bit. "Why are we here?" Sophia, still on Maya''s back, tilted her head. "Well, we were here when her condition worsened. Because she was having troubles with walking and escorting her through the castle didn''t seem like a great idea, either, I offered her to sleep in my bed. That turned out to be a good thing because Ari started shivering like crazy during the night..." "Aww, you warmed her up while sleeping?" The blonde was touched. "You''re adorable, Anna." "T-Thanks..." She got a little bashful. "Wait, was I shivering, too, Maya?" "For about three seconds. Then, I hugged you for the rest of the night." "Ehehe, you''re also adorable!" Sophia rubbed the side of her head against the cat-girl''s while saying so. "Thanks~." "You''re wee." Maya gently returned the nuzzling. "Anyway," The princess couldn''t deal with the couple right now and slowly opened the door to her room before ncing inside. "Ari? Are you awake?" "Wee back..." The slightly weak-sounding voice of the jaguar-girl came out of the room. "Yes, I woke up a little while ago." "That''s good. Are you feeling better?" "Hmm, I''m afraid not... Maybe a tiny bit, at best... Sorry..." "Why are you apologizing?" Anna didn''t understand her. "I''ve brought Sophia with me, but that''s making things only moreplicated..." Saying so, Anna finally entered her room and also gestured the couple inside. Fen and Aura decided to wait elsewhere for the time being because they didn''t want to crowd a sick girl. Not that they didn''t do that earlier already. "H-Hello..." Slightly awkward, the blonde waved towards Ari in the bed as she was carried in by Maya. "Sophia...?" "Being sick really is no fun, isn''t it...?" "Y-You, too?!" Her eyes grew wide. "D-Don''t tell me I infected you with whatever I have yesterday..." "Nah, don''t worry. If anything, you got my summer cold because I''m an idiot. Doesn''t matter that it''s almost fall already or whatever." "l, uhh, really don''t think it''s a cold that I have..." "Me neither. I just wanted to lighten the mood." While admitting so, Sophia got off Maya''s back and tried to stay on her own. Unfortunately, she still seemed weak and unsteady. "Say..." She nced at the huge bed Ari was in, or rather, the free spot beside her. "You want to lie down, don''t you?" The ck-haired girl knew what was going on. "Yes! I''m already super dizzy, but standing makes everything turn in circles..." "I know that feeling... Sure, I don''t mind." "Thank you!" "Ehh?!" Anna didn''t like this development. "Shut up, princess." Maya nudged her side with her elbow. "They''re sick and just want to get some rest. No need to get jealous." "Urgh... You might''ve changed a bit, but you''re still thest person I want to hear that from!" "W-Well, they''re also suffering from extreme muscle pain. You can''t do anything exciting in bed with that." "You can trust her on that, Anna." Sophia had made her way to the bed and gotfortable next to Ari while making sure to keep enough distance from the other girl. She wasn''t sharing the bed with Maya, so she had no cuddling in mind. "She''s an expert on that topic. Last time she had sore muscles, she wanted to go for it way too early again, and-" "S-Sophia?!" Maya interrupted her. "There''s no need to tell that story!" "Understandable. You embarrassed yourself quite a lot that night~." "S-Stop already! Is your filter working even less when you''re sick?!" "Oh, that wouldn''t be good." Ari was the one who answered before ncing at the blonde next to her in the bed, who was currently busy trying to steal some of her nket. "I can barely keep up with her normal state of mind..." "Your bed''s prettyfy, princess." The girl in question paid their conversation no mind. "Thanks?" "So, with that taken care of, how about a nap? Coming here was pretty exhausting, even though I was carried." "Oh, I like that idea." As the jaguar was also pretty sick, she instantly took a liking to the n. "We haven''t taken care of anything yet!" "You, too, Ari! Don''t go along with her so easily!" Their girls had to keep them in check. "We''re sorry." There wasn''t even a hint of remorse in their voices, though. "In all seriousness, though..." Ari''s still weak-sounding voice got a bit less yful. "Is your magic also dried up, Sophia? I can still sense it, though." "I''ve only lost a portion of it. It''s quite a lot, but it shouldn''t bother me too much even if it doesn''te back. I''m feeling too hazy to use any at the moment, though." "I-I see..." "Don''t worry!" Anna noticed that Ari was uneasy because she lost all of her magic to the sickness. "I''m sure it''lle back once you recover!" "Do you remember anything that led us to get... sick?" She looked at the blonde tiger lying next to her. "l, uhh... I was hoping you had an idea about what happened." Sophia replied with the one thing Ari didn''t want to hear. "I''m as clueless as you are... We only baked some cookies together and chatted a lot, didn''t we?" "Don''t forget the flirting..." "Shut up, Anna!" More than one girl retorted to the princess. "Well, Iined a lot about magic yesterday, so I had the idea it might be angry and wants to punish me." "Okay, we at least know what isn''t going on now." Ari was still fit enough toment on the blonde''s stupidity. "Yeah, why would it punish you, too?" "That''s exactly what I meant..." The jaguar only rolled her eyes. The two tried to find out what was going for a while longer, but they couldn''t find any reason and only tired themselves out over it. Their condition also slightly worsened, and both decided to take a nap for real. After Anna forbade them to warm each other if they felt chilly, she and Maya left the room to let the duo rest in silence. The cat-girl agreed with the princess this time and told the two to call them if they felt ufortable. Embracing each other in a bed, no matter the circumstances, was obviously too much for her, too. Chapter 150 – Missing filter Chapter 150 ¨C Missing filter After Sophia found out that Ari was suffering from the same mysterious illness, the blonde wanted to see her and had Maya carry her over to the castle as she was too weak to walk herself. The sick duo then talked for a while, but they just couldn''t figure out what was going on with her. Afterward, the two took a nap together in Anna''s bed because they felt sick and tired. "Hmm..." "I agree." The duo slept together for around three hours and felt a little better, but they woke up to an interesting sight. "Even though they forbade us to hug... W-While understandable, it''s still unfair!" Ari pointed at the sofa right in front of the bed in Anna''s room they were in. On it, Maya and the princess were taking a nap while leaning against each other. "Well, it is indeed a bit of a hypocrisy, but... let them be. I bet the two were just worried and came back to look over us. I''m sure they didn''t sleep muchst night, either, because they were taking care of us and identally ended up like this as a result." "Y-You''re probably, right... Still..." The jaguar didn''t sound happy. "Come on, there''s no need to be jealous." "You aren''t? Not even a little?" "Maybe a bit." Sophia admitted to it. "I would love to change ces with the princess. Still, my excuse for any kind of jealousy is that Maya''s my girlfriend. I think that''s justified there. You, on the other ha- " "So what? And I love Anna!" "Oh, well, never mind then... Wait..." The blonde needed a moment. "What did you say just now?" "E-Eh...? Wait¡­" Ari''s entire face turned red. "D-Did I just say what I think I s-said...?" "You sure did... I guess Maya was right, huh? This illness affects our filter to keep things to ourselves." "Uuh..." Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I-I managed to keep it a s-secret for years, and now, I just... blurted it out because my brain''s not working properly... T-That can''t be!" "Not so loud, Ari. You don''t want to wake them, well, her up now, don''t you?" Sophia pointed at Anna napping on the sofa. "A-Ah." She turned down the volume. "Well, now your reactions when it came to the princess before really make sense now." "Uuh..." Ari was getting more and more embarrassed with each passing second. "C-Could we not talk about this right now? With A-Anna right in front of us..." "Of course. I''lle back to it, though~." As Sophia enjoys these kinds of stories, she wouldn''t let go of it so quickly. "Y-Yes..." "Alrighty!" Seemingly in an excellent mood, the blonde sat upright on the bed before continuing. "How about we try to wreck our heads a bit more about our situation to make Anna stop worrying? My Maya, too, of course." "I-I would love to..." Ari happily dropped the topic, also got up, and both leaned with their backs against the top end of the bed to support themselves. "I really still have no idea what''s going on, though..." "Me neither." Their motivation took a quick dampener. "That never stopped me, though." She was an expert in not knowing what was going on. "Well, it has to have happened yesterday when we were alone because no one else we met is suffering from the same." Sophia got the first hint. "Hmmn..." Ari also tried to concentrate. "You know, now that I think about it... Muscle pain and feeling tired aside, the things I''m suffering from the most are the throbbing headache and the extreme dizziness." "Yeah, it''s the same for me." The blonde nodded. "If I remember right, that actually already started around the time when you wereining about activation words so much." "Oh, you''re right... Didn''t I just confuse ourselves so much that it made us dizzy? I mean, I''m good at confusing people." "You sure are." The jaguar had no ns to disagree. "Still, a headache on top of feeling dizzy¡­ Isn''t that a bit suspicious?" "I''m REALLY good at it." Sophia thought otherwise. "You should see how often I gave the king a headache already." "W-Well..." "Wait, do you think I actually made magic angry, after all?" "No... Maybe?" She paused for a moment. "That''s stupid. I mean, that''s not at all how magic works." "How... Uhh, how does magic work in the first ce?" The confusion was rapidly increasing once again. "Well, it''s... err... eh?" Ari was unable to finish her sentence. "Magic is magic. It exists, and it just works. That''s all..." "H-Hey, don''t make me do the sensible retorts! That''s not how our friendship''s supposed to work!" The blonde got a little angry. "It''s not really an answer, is it?" She knew what the tiger meant. "Not at all!" "You don''t usually question things you take for granted, do you?" "Fair point..." As Sophia didn''t always had magic, she couldn''t fully agree but still understand her side. "So, now what?" "I don''t know..." The ck-haired girl tilted her head. "L-Let''s assume everything anyone knows about magic is wrong..." "Okay." It was no problem for her. "If we actually made magic a-angry..." Ari had a hard time staying serious while saying it out loud. "I agreed with most of what you said, after all. It did make sense what you questioned... Do we, uhh, have to apologize to it now?" "I am really sorry, magic!" Sophia just went for it. "I just got confused while thinking about you... I didn''t want to hurt your feelings! I really love you, after all!" It sounded more like she was talking to her lover. "M-Me, too... I''m also deeply sorry. We weren''t making fun of you, just trying to understand you!" "..." The two waited for a few minutes to see if anything had happened. "And?" The blonde nced at Ari. "Headache and dizziness still there?" "Ever the same..." "Yep." She nodded. "Okay, now that we got that out of our system, how about a more serious approach?" "E-Eh?!" The jaguar''s face turned red. "Y-You were just ying around?!" "Of course?" Sophia only tilted her head. "Come on, do you really believe magic would be a conscious being? That''s way too absurd~." "What else do you think is going on, then...?" She got even more flustered. "Well..." The blonde closed her eyes while she concentrated. "I often use magic unconsciously when I want something really badly or identally pour magic power into my words. Maybe there was something I said yesterday that had an effect on both of... Ah!" Her voice suddenly changed. "Stop that!" Ari hadn''t experienced Sophia''s ominous ''Ah'' to a degree the others of her group were, but she instinctively knew she hated them. "N-No, it''s a good Ah this time!" She identally used the same retort she usually gives Maya. "I mean, I think I have an idea now..." "Seriously?! What is it?" "Do you remember my storage magic? "Of course! I still want it sooo badly!" There was no way Ari would''ve forgotten about it. "That''s exactly it." "Hmm?" "Afterward, I loudlyined about wanting to help you out with it and addressed magic about it directly..." "Yes, I remember thinking about how much of a dork you are..." "Sure am." Sophia didn''t seem angry. "I think I poured some actual power into it when I asked magic for help..." "Meaning...?" She couldn''t follow her. "l, err... think I might identally have messed up our powers..." The tiger had a pretty awkward expression while admitting so. "That might also be why we''re feeling so sick... Because our bodies are confused..." "I don''t think I like the sound of that... Can we fix this?" "Hrmmn... Oh, can I try something?" It seemed like Sophia had an idea. "Of course!" "Okay, let''s hold hands." "Ehh...?" She naturally got confused. "It''s not the time to y around." "I am not! I just want to test a theory." "Alright..." "Good." After getting her permission, the two faced each other on the bed, and Sophia gently reached for Ari''s hands. "W-Wow, they''re so smooth and soft! Your hands feel amazing!" She instantly got sidetracked after she started holding the other''s hands "So, you just wanted to fool around, after all... If those two wake up now," She nced at Maya and Anna napping on the sofa. "They''ll positively freak out. Also, this time, I''ll put the entire me on you! Sure, your hands also feel nice, and I enjoy holding them right now, but this is entirely on you." "Err, you admitting that you also enjoy it¡­ That outs you, too, though." "Ah." Ari noticed her mistake. "Okay, before we continue, what type of hand cream are you using? It really feels so nice~." She was kneading the hands of the jaguar a bit while asking. "I want my hands to feel like that, too!" "Uhh, the same as Anna. It''s originally a specially made product for the royal family, but she always gets something extra for me because I like it, too. If I remember right, it''s from the samepany that also makes the race-specific shampoos that are so popr with everyone." "Really? I guess I''ll have to visit them again. Thanks for the info!" "Sure..." "Also, wow, Anna''s so sweet. No wonder you-" "Pshhh!" Ari didn''t want her to finish her sentence. "Ehehe~." Sophia let out a chuckle when she saw the jaguar''s bright red face. It was something she could rte to a lot. "S-So, again, why are we holding hands...?" "Right!" The blonde had almost forgotten about it. "Okay, I''m going to try out something now. It might be a bit of a tingly sensation but try to bear with it." "Okay¡­?" Ari could only tilt her head in confusion. "What is your n?" "I want to try to pour some of my magic power into you to regenerate yours." "Uhh, the magic healers of the castle Anna gathered for mest night already tried that. It didn''t work, and they said that it seems like something''s been blocking their attempts..." "Yeah, as I''m probably the one responsible for it, I believe that only my magic''s able to fix it." "I-l see..." "Alright!" Closing her eyes, Sophia started to concentrate and focused on pouring her magic power into Ari. "I-It''s working!" It didn''t take long for the jaguar to notice a result. "It''s extremely slow, but my magic power''s returning!" "Err..." The tiger suddenly had an extremelyplicated expression, but she kept sharing her power for the next 15 minutes. ---------------- "Thank you very much!" Ari had a bright smile. "I can feel my magic again, and the power''s filled to the brim! I''m also feeling less dizzy, and my headache''s much better, too!" "Y-Yeah, I''m also feeling better... Still feels weird, but it''s getting better." Even so, Sophia looked even more awkward than before. "Is something wrong?" The jaguar noticed the blonde''s expression. "Well... Do you feel anything odd about your magic...?" "Not at all. If anything, it seems like I have more power than ever!" "Maybe like four or even five times as much...?" "I don''t know." Ari tilted her head. "That sounds too excessive, though. Wait, why is it such a specific number?" "Err..." She needed a moment. "I''ve lost around ten to 15 percent of my magic power during the illness." "Okay?" "I also had to pour around the same amount into you just now to fill yours up... It didn''t take so long because it was going slow, but because I had to transfer so much. Not to mention that the magic I''m detecting from you now is around four times as big as Anna''s, and the two of you were roughly the same before..." "E-Eh...?" "I think I identally gave you a significant portion of my magic power yesterday, and I had to activate or charge it first, which I just did..." "..." It was too much for Ari to take in. Afterward, the two needed a bit of a break to wrap their heads around what was going on and had just happened. Chapter 151 – Understanding the issue Chapter 151 ¨C Understanding the issue Sophia and Ari finally found out what was going on with them and why they felt so sick. As it turned out, the blonde tiger identally used some sort of magic on the two, which apparently ended up in sharing a portion of her power with the jaguar. This caused both to be ill because their bodies couldn''t deal with it, and their magic first had to be adjusted and restarted for them to feel better. "Ehhh?!" Once Ari was able to wrap her head around the events, she let out another cry. "Absolutely!" Sophia wasn''t much different. "Why... Why are you two so loud..." Maya suddenly joined the duo''s conversation. She was asleep until now, but she naturally would wake up with such amotion going on. "M-More importantly, why are you holding hands?!" Princess Anna, who was sleeping next to the cat-girl on the sofa, naturally couldn''t sleep through it, either, and quickly noticed something that bothered her greatly. "Ah." The two in question looked down and noticed their hands were still interlocked from when Sophia transferred her magic power to Ari. "Ah, now that we finished what we were doing, there''s no need to hold hands anymore." Saying so, Sophia finally let go of the jaguar. "Huh?!" Naturally, thanks to the blonde''s wording, Anna got even more concerned. "Sophia~?" It also was too much for Maya. "Calm down, you two. I only held her hands to transfer some of my magic power to her." "Ohh!" The princess sounded relieved. "So, you only did it to help her, not because you wanted to." "It was still great, though. Ari''s hands feel amazing~. So soft, and smooth, and squishy!" "Absolutely! I-I mean, hey!" Anna''s real thoughts leaked out for a second. "I don''t get the fuzzy feeling like when I hold Maya''s, but from a neutral point of view, they''re top tier." "T-Thanks." The girl with the amazing hands wasn''t sure how to react. "Ah, we''re safe." Maya heard what she wanted to hear but then nced at Ari instead. "Unless..." "N-No!" The jaguar vehemently shook her head. "Nothing remotely fuzzy here, either. Sophia''s hands do feel great, but that''s about it. Though, I bet it''s amazing to hold her hands during winter because they''re so warm." "Yep, I''m already looking forward to it~." The cat-girl apparently knew what she was talking about. "I have warm hands?" Sophia didn''t, though. "Very." She had two girls answering her. "Ari!" Anna couldn''t take it anymore and jumped towards the bed. There, she sat down next to the jaguar and demonstrably grabbed both her hands. "No more touching her, Sophia!" "Adorable..." The blonde had used the time when she was being yelled at to leave the bed and sat down on the sofa next to Maya. There, the couple had the exact same reaction. "Funny you''re saying that, though, princess." Sophia wasn''t done yet. "I only hold hands with Ari. You, on the other hand, tightly nuzzled against the side of my girlfriend while you two took a nap on the sofa together. "Ah," Anna froze up. "T-That was an ident! I only noticed it when I woke up!" "Did it feel good, though?" "Y-Yes..." She averted her face. "Maya also smells very nice..." "Why, thank you." The nice-smelling cat-girl liked thepliment. "You do, too, by the way. Though I don''t know about your hands specifically, you, as a whole, are also very soft and squishy in ces. I''m a big fan of that." "Hmm...?" Anna needed a moment and then let go of Ari''s hands to cover her chest. "Y-You can''t sexually harass a princess! That''s a crime! I think¡­ It definitely should be!" "She has a point, though." Sophia and even Ari sided with the cat-girl. "Y-You too?!" She stared at the jaguar with an exasperated expression while her face had turned entirely crimson. ---------------- Afterward, everyone needed five minutes to cool down and reset. Only then, Maya and the princess finally noticed that the two ill girls seemed to be doing much better. "Finished being sick?" Maya ced a hand on Sophia''s forehead to check her temperature. "Almost back to normal, too." "You, too, Ari! You look much better now. Wait, was Sophia actually able to share her magic? Our healers couldn''t do it, after all." "Err..." The duo had no idea what to say. "It''s a bit... ." "What happened...?" The other two suddenly got a bad feeling. "Well, you two..." The blonde looked at Maya and the princess before gesturing at the jaguar. "Tell me if you notice anything different about her." "Hmm... Huh?!" Actually concentrating on the girl for a moment, they quickly noticed it. "A-Ari... What is going on with your magic power?!" Anna directly freaked out. "Sophia... What did you do? Why has she many times her original power now?" Maya took a wild guess at who was responsible for it. "I did something without thinking... Yesterday, I showed Ari my storage magic, and she really wanted to learn it, too. But that''s impossible because she can''t use chantless magic. Jokingly, Iined to magic itself to give her more power. I would even help out if needed. Unconsciously, I also poured actual power into my words, and it actually happened. With her current power, Ari should be able to easily learn chantless magic." "Ehh?!" The jaguar herself had the biggest reaction. She apparently hadn''t thought that far yet. "I-I can use chantless magic now...?" "Training starts soon~." "Just hold on a moment!" The princess stopped the blonde. "I know you''re ridiculous and all, but there''s just no way you can simply wish for someone to have more power, and it actually happens!" "I''m with Anna here. That''s just way too easy and convenient." "No, it''s neither of those." Sophia shook her head. "Maya, remember the ten to 15 percent I lost of my magic? They''re Ari''s now. When I poured my magic into her, I needed exactly the same amount to fully fill her up. Somehow, the magic I used for her also immediately regenerated. The same goes for her old amount that got added on top, but those initial ten-plus percents are still gone and don''t regenerate at all. The amount I lost lines up exactly with the total power Ari now has." "Wow..." "I also think that''s why we felt sick..." The blonde continued. "Ari got her powers increased by me. She probably had to get rid of her own first to bepatible with mine, I guess...? My magic, too, had no idea what was going on, causing it to rebel inside my own body while trying to recover what I had given up on... Maybe whatever I identally did wasn''t even finished yet, and everything would''ve been fine if I had stayed a bit longer with Ari yesterday. I''m not exactly sure about that, and I doubt we''ll ever find out, but that''s my guess." "Seriously?!" Maya was shocked. "You permanently gave up a portion of your magic power to give it to Ari?! That''s kinda romantic in a way... Now I''m actually jealous about what''s going on between you two... A part of you is now a part of her!" "I-I''m really sorry!" The jaguar started apologizing. "I''m naturally happy, but I never asked for it, Maya! There is nothing romantic going on! Also, I feel awful about having taken so much magic from you, Sophia!" "First of, it was an ident with no ulterior motive, Maya. If you want, we can mix all of our magic power with each otherter. Second, it''s alright, Ari. It might''ve been a lot, but I still have more than I could reasonably use, especially because it regenerates so fast. More than one person could''ve been problematic, though. All things considered, I''m just happy for you. I''ll make sure you learn the storage magic you loved so much now, too." "T-Thank you..." The ck-haired girl felt touched. "I like the mixing idea." Maya, too, was happy. "Uuh..." Anna, on the other hand, seemed sadder, if anything, while she kept ncing at Ari. "Y-You''re not going to leave me now, a-are you...?" "H-Huh?!" She looked confused. "Why would I leave you...?" "I-If your magic stays like this, ignoring Sophia and her group, you''ll be the most powerful person in the capital. You can do whatever you want now." "Wow¡­ Even if that might be so... I''m already doing what I want, though, because I''m here in the castle with y-you." "A-Ari..." Anna couldn''t help herself and tightly hugged the jaguar. "You''re the best!" "Aww." The couple had the same reaction again. "Still..." Maya watched the two being flirty and intimate with each other for a few minutes and then whispered to Sophia. "Is that really how childhood friends work?" "It''s great, isn''t it?" The blonde feigned ignorance because she wanted to keep Ari''s slip-up a secret. Not to mention that she has no idea how Anna actually feels. "Makes me sad I never had one..." "And me super happy you didn''t!" Maya had her own opinion as she continued to watch the duo. "Hehe." Sophia ignored her and had a great time looking at Ari''spletely red face while Anna clung to her. ---------------- The princess needed another five minutes to let go of the jaguar again, and the group was finally able to continue their conversation while the two joined the couple on the other sofa in the room. "Say," Once she calmed down, Ari faced Sophia. "Am I really able to use chantless magic now...?" "Aside from the point where I still don''t understand why not anyone with some proficiency in magic can use it, I''m certain about it. I remember Fen mentioning that you need around ten percent of Maya''s power to use it. Thanks to our weird ident, you now have around one-third of her power, Ari. Beating an entire army might be difficult, but everything else should work with ease for you soon." "Sophia..." She stared at her with a disapproving expression. "Why would I want to beat an entire army by myself?" "Who knows?" The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I never nned to do it, either, but I still ended up destroying an army. You never know what the future has in store. Stuff like that just happens from time to time, after all." "No, no, no! It doesn''t! That''s just you!" All three other girls retorted at the same time. "Aww..." Sophia pouted for a second. "Well, I actually really can''t rmend it. It''s no fun at all, so it might be for the best." "Yes!" Everyone gave her a big nod. "Well, how about we go call Fen and Aura? I bet they want to know what''s going on, too, and they can also exin the extent of your new power better, Ari." Afterward, Sophia searched the wolves with her detection magic and told Maya where to look. The blonde felt a lot better after the magic issue had been resolved. Most of the cold-like symptoms she and the jaguar suffered from were gone, too. However, the muscle pain and fatigue were still lingering in her body, bad enough to not go herself. The cat-girl then swiftly left to collect the two. Chapter 152 – Foundation of magic Chapter 152 ¨C Foundation of magic Sophia and Ari told the other two what was going on and why they were feeling so sick. Naturally, Maya and Anna were shocked that the blonde tiger identally shared some of her magic power with the jaguar. Still, the real mess was just about to happen. "You did what?!" The wolves joined the group, and Fen immediately freaked out when he heard the story. "Are you serious...?" Aura, too, couldn''t believe it. "Check it with your detection magic. Ari now has exactly the amount that went missing from my magic power on top of her old power, and her whole magic only started working again after I activated it." "Wow..." "That''s it... She finally did it..." Fen shook his head. "Sophia finally broke magic for good..." "Ehh...? Sure, it was super surprising, but I just shared some of my magic?" "..." Everyone just stared at her. "No." The male wolf looked like he wanted to jump at Sophia and attack her. "This is by far the most ridiculous thing you ever did. Nothing else is even remotelyparable to this." "Why? I feel like I did much more outrageous things before." "No." Fen repeated himself. "Your magic power''s yours. You can share it with others temporarily to refill their power, but that''s it. Your own power will always recover, and the one you shared it with never gets their capacity increased. You can''t give it to others." "I did, though." Sophia only shrugged her shoulders. "It was quite easy, too." "And that''s why you broke the very foundation of magic." "That was pretty brittle, anyway. Half of it makes no sense, and the other half seems to be unknown or misunderstood." The blonde loves magic, but she has had the feeling that something''s wrong with it for a long time. She found it weird from the very beginning, actually. "That''s just because you-." He wanted to mention how she''s how a different world, but that would be highly inappropriate. "You know..." "No, that''s just the reason why I keep asking questions." Sophia didn''t ept this answer. "Activation words make no sense. Most people can''t use chantless magic, but frigging kitchen appliances can. Sometimes, you can literally do whatever you want, but other times, there are supposed to be limits for whatever reason. Magic can basically read your mind because it works on an imagination basis. It also helps you out and autopletes ideas if you have no idea what you''re doing. Not to mention that magic can actually mess up. If you think I destroyed the foundation of magic, please exin all those things to me in a matter I can understand. Once I get it, I''ll stop destroying it." "..." The wolf needed a moment. "I''m waiting~." The blonde looked at him with expectant eyes. "By the way, that''s just how magic is and or works, is not an answer." "I don''t have any answers for you. I do understand some of your questions, but magic''s indeed exactly what it is for me. I never had any reason to question it before meeting you." "So, what makes you think I broke magic when, while you know how to use it, you actually aren''t sure about how it really works, either?" "Because it doesn''t make any sense what you''re doing. It goes against everything that is known about magic." "Yes." Aura agreed with him. "Is that so?" Sophia tilted her head. "Maya, what was your reaction when you first met us, and I showed you my way of using magic?" "Err..." She only scratched her cheek. "What about you, Anna?" "Uhh... I thought more or less the same, I would say..." "T-That-!" Fen was speechless. "Am I onto something, or am I not?" "I..." Fen needed another moment. "I really want to say you''re insane, but you have a convincing argument... I shouldn''t deny it from the get-go. What do you think, Aura?" "Well, I do believe she is insane, but I thought that long before she came up with this. Our girl has a point here, though. Actually, Sophia''s not the first one to question activation words. They didn''t scrutinize as much about magic as her, but a lot of the more powerful demon folk, too, had simr gripes with activation words. They are easier to use, but no one really can exin why exactly some can''t use chantless magic." "I keep liking the demons more and more." Sophia was a fan of them. "Though it''ll take a while, I can''t wait to visit their continent!" "We''ll have a lot of fun there~." Aura was looking forward to it, as well. "Are... you actually going to visit the continent where the demon folk lives...?" Ari hadn''t heard about the n yet and naturally was surprised. "Yep~." The blonde gave her a nod. "Not anytime soon, but I wanted to go there for a long time already, and Aura, who was there before, keeps telling me stories that make me want to go even more badly." "But how?" The jaguar tilted her head. "Distance aside, there''s a gigantic ocean in between. Even with ships, it''s supposed to be unreachable because it''s so vast. Leaving sea monster out of the picture, too." "That''s a good question." Sophia looked at the female wolf. "How do we get there?" "It''s not that hard to fly using magic. There are also lots of beautiful inds along the way where you can take a break." "There you have it, Ari" She didn''t question Aura''s answer. "Wow..." The jaguar didn''t even know where to start. "You really shouldn''t have such a conversation in public. People will think you''re crazy. Dampening your fall is one thing. I think I even heard about levitating for a few seconds, but actual flying? Across an entire ocean?" "I have some free time next week, wanna learn it, my dear jaguar?" The female wolf smiled at her. "With the power Sophia gave you, it won''t be a problem for you, either." "Seriously?!" Her eyes grew wide in shock. "Wee to our side~." "Oh no..." Ari''smon sense started to hurt. "It''s not so bad once you get used to it." Maya also weed her. "R-Really...? How long did it take you..." "That''s a good question. I''ll tell you once it happens." "Uuh..." She didn''t like the sound of that. "Ari''s so lucky..." Anna mumbled something inaudible for everyone to herself. "Err..." The ck-haired girl looked at the members of the overpowered group. "All those things aside, no matter how hard it is for me, is there anything I have to watch out for with the powers I received from Sophia?" "Hmm..." The previous owner of the magic tilted her head. "Avoid pouring your power into it when you say or think about something stupid." "I''ll keep that in mind. Your words are credible, after all, because you''re speaking from experience." "Sure do." The group chatted for a while longer and gave the jaguar more tips about her greatly improved magic. Eventually, though, Sophia and her group decided to leave. Most of the stuff was taken care of, and even though the duo was feeling a lot better, Ari and the blonde still felt tired, and a bit of their muscle pain was still left, as well. The two wanted topletely recover before ying around with magic together. ---------------- Back in their home, Sophia was feeling extremely hungry. Maya happily cooked her a big meal while the wolves needed some alone time to deal with and understand what their resident oddball did and left them on their own. While the couple was eating, they talked about the events. "What a day~." Sophia sounded a bit exhausted. "You can say that again." Maya nodded in agreement. "You sure do some outrageous things. You now even broke Fen''s knowledge of magic. Poor guy." "I''m impartial when I break someone~." Sophia spares no one. "Still, I''m really happy for Ari. Oh, maybe she actually has enough magic to keep up with us on our travels now? I highly doubt we''ll find anyone who can keep me better in check." "Bold thing to say when the two of you, ording to Fen, broke the very foundation of magic together." "Not our biggest selling point, is it?" She saw the problem. "Yeah. You might be right, though. She is good at handling you most of the time. But, regardless of power, didn''t she already turn you down?" "Kind of? School aside, she wants to stay with Anna, so..." "You''re not thinking about sharing your power with the princess, too, are you¡­?" "Not really, no. I''ve already lost like 1/8 to Ari. I don''t regret it, but Anna, as well... That would be like 1/4 in the end. I love magic too much to sacrifice that amount." "That''s good. While you do a lot of stupid stuff, I also kinda don''t want you having to pace your magic because you gave away too much." "Absolutely~. I want to y without thinking about my power!" "Speaking of ying around, can you take it easy tomorrow?" Maya looked at her tiger. "We now know you got sick because your magic power got messed up, but take another day off to get everything out of your system, okay?" "Yeah, that sounds like a n. While my headache and all that is gone, I still feel a bit weak and wobbly on my legs. I''ll sleep inte tomorrow and mess around with Fenny''s knowledge of magic some more in the afternoon. I''m sure he''ll be delighted about it." "Absolutely..." She felt a little sorry for the wolf. "Well, I like the n. Though, I''ll spend some time in the castle tomorrow. We nned to continue teaching Eluna, after all." "Check in on Ari for me, okay? To make sure she''s good again." "I doubt I have to. The princess will tell me all about it." "Fair point." The two chatted for a while longer after dinner before eventually heading for her usual bath together. Afterward, as it had gotten rtivelyte, the couple went to their bedroom and slowly got ready to sleep. Chapter 153 – Trust Chapter 153 ¨C Trust Sophia got over her mysterious sickness that was a side effect of identally sharing a part of her magic power with Ari, but she decided to take it easy for another day to make sure she fully recovered from it. While the blonde waszing around in the bed, Maya was back in the royal castle to help teach Eluna advanced magic together with the princess and Aura. Once the training was over, the cat-girl decided to stay some longer to spend time with Anna. The two gotfortable on the usual terrace in the garden behind the castle. Sitting across each other at a small table there, the two were having a lively chat. "Yeah, Ari also decided to stay in bed today." After listening to Maya''s update on the blonde, the princess gave her a nod. "How''s she feeling besides that? Sophia asked me to check up on her." "Still a bit tired and sluggish, but her temperature''s normal again. The headache and dizziness are gone, too." "Yep, the same goes for my idiot." "They sure are..." The two shared a sigh. "And Ari always keeps calling me one." "She''s not wrong, though." Maya just had to do it. "T-That doesn''t matter here!" She couldn''t deny it, either. "Hehe~." "Still, Ari''s so lucky... Once she''s fully recovered, she''ll be able to use any kind of magic thates to her mind..." Anna sounded envious. "Don''t worry, I''ll keep teaching you all sorts of different types of magic, too." "Thank you very much..." While the princess was grateful, it didn''t really cheer her up that much. "Chantless magic aside, the storage or whatever magic Ari and Sophia talked about... It''s also the one she used on our way to Tga, right? It looked super interesting, but I won''t ever be able to learn it, will I?" "Yes... Original magic might be impossible. Sorry," "She''s sooo lucky." "While I get what you mean... Say, can you do me a big favor, Anna?" Maya''s expression suddenly turned serious. "Hmm?" "You might think about it because it seemed so easy with Ari, but please don''t ask Sophia to share her power with you, too. Knowing her, she actually would do it if you really want it and ask her nicely." "That hadn''te to my mind yet. Why not, though?" "Sophia loves magic more than anyone and enjoys the grand and shy types the most. If she''d share her power with you, too, she''d end up having lost 25% of her power. She still would have more than a lot of usbined, but still... I don''t want her having to hold back because she gave away her power. I feel you, I really do, Anna, but..." "Yes, I understand." The princess nodded. "A lot happened between all of us, and despite everything, Sophia''s still... i-important to me. Having her suffer because of me would be thest thing I want. Yes..." She noticed Maya''s expression. "I didn''t care that much about that part before she, uhh, t-turned me down, but you know what I mean. Ari was a lucky ident, and we can keep it at that..." "Thank you very much." The cat-girl was grateful for it. "Well, I can always just talk Ari into doing stupid stuff for me~." "That sounds like a lot of fun on its own." "Yeah, but she''s first going to spend a lot of time with Sophia to learn all kinds of cool things from her... So envious!" "Of what?" Maya tilted her head. "The tiger you wanted to marry having a great time with your childhood friend, or Ari being close to someone else. Moreover, she got closer than you to the girl that broke your heart without even trying for a second. Not to mention that it was almost instantaneously." "I don''t like that sort of teasing." Anna reacted differently from expected. "Yeah, I''m sorry..." The cat noticed that she was just in mean. "Still, I''m curious. Who are you envious of?" "Both...?" The princess answered with a slight frown. "I think it''s a little unfair that Ari''s getting along sooo much better with Sophia than I did, even though I tried so very hard..." "Well, that was your biggest mistake. If you would''ve been more rxed and easygoing about your way of approaching Sophia, I wouldn''t have been as much on guard as I was. Our idiot, too, would''ve let you get closer that way." "N-Now, you''re giving me tips?!" "You aren''t a threat anymore, after all." "Urgh... I-It still stings, you know...?" Anna didn''t look happy. "No, but somehow... Sophia getting along with Ari this well... it hurts." "That much?" "Yeah..." The princess took a small break. "Ari and I were together since... well, even before I can remember. We grew up together and also never left the other''s side... Even in school, I have her all to myself because she''s self-conscious about her hair and is afraid to talk to people because of that even though she''s actually super popr." "Hmm..." Maya thought about her words for a moment. "Okay, I get the feeling of wanting someone all to yourself and monopolize them." "Yeah... You''re the queen of that." "Ehehe." It was apliment for her. "Still, Sophia isn''t going to steal her away, you know?" "How can you be so sure about that?" Anna didn''t believe her. "How often did we catch them flirting or while doing other suspicious things already? Who knows what kind of stuff they did when we weren''t there?!" "It''s called trust." "You can''t tell me you''re not worried at all. Not you, of all people. Not after how hard you went against me even though I didn''t get nearly as close." The princess still vividly remembers how aggressive Maya was when keeping her away from the blonde. "Well... I can''t say I''m happy about everything that''s going on between the two of them, but they''re just friends." "How do you know that?!" "Again, trust. Also... hmm, Anna, hold out your hand. I want to try out something." "Why...?" The princess wasn''t sure how to feel about that. "Do you want to hold hands now, or what?" "Yep." "Ehh?!" She hadn''t expected that. "Just do it." "O-Okay..." Slightly reluctant, Anna presented her right hand to the cat-girl above the table between them. "Good." Without hesitating, she gently reached for her hand and held it for a while. "Wow, you have nice hands, princess. Super soft and silky-smooth~." Just like when Sophia did it with Ari, Maya started to lightly knead Anna''s hand to get a better feel of the supreme sensation. "What sort of creme are you using?" The couple had very simr tastes, after all. "Uhh... it''s a specially made product for the tiger family... I can show you the packageter. You should be able to easily get it with Sophia''s help." "Great! Thank you very much!" Maya was happy about it. "Sure..." A little awkward looking, she focused her gaze on their joined hands. "Sooo..." "Ah, right..." The cat-girl had almost forgotten about it already. A momentter, she changed her position and actually went as far as to interlock her fingers with the princess''. "S-Sophia won''t get a-angry if she sees us, right? RIGHT?!" She started to panic because Anna knew what the blonde was capable of. "Nah, it''s fine." "Good..." "Probably." "Hey!" "Hehe." Maya couldn''t waste a chance to tease her. "Anyway, what are you feeling right now?" She wiggled around her hand a bit while saying so. "Feeling...?" Anna tilted her head. "Well, holding hands always feels nice." "That''s fair." She didn''t disagree. "You also have beautiful hands, Maya. While I''m not the biggest fan of so shortly trimmed nails, it''s amazing how long your fingers are." "Thanks~. Yeah, Sophia really likes them, too. Also, yes, slightly longer nails do look better, but they''re very inconvenient." "Hmm...? She really... inconvenient... Ah!" Anna looked confused for a moment, but then her face suddenly turned bright red, and she could not finish her sentence. "Oh~?" Maya naturally noticed her reaction. "What might this perverted princess be thinking about right now?" "I-I''m not a pervert!" "Really~? Then, why are you blushing so hard just because I wanted to say that Sophia likes to grab my fingers when we''re holding hands, or how it''s a pain to clean the dirt under long nails?" "T-That''s not what you wanted to imply!" Anna didn''t believe her for a second. "Not at all!" "Is that so? What did try I imply, then?" "Uuh..." Her face lit up even more. "S-Shut up!" "Gosh, you''re adorable." The cat-girl was having a great time. "I-I hate you..." "Yep, I love you, too~." "Y-You do?!" The princess was emotionally all over the ce. "In the friendship kind of way. Don''t get any weird ideas now." "T-That''s great!" She suddenly started to smile. "I mean... I noticed we were getting along fairly well recently, but I wasn''t sure if we could be real friends after the extremely rocky start we had..." "Nah, don''t worry about that, Anna. I''ve actually gotten quite fond of you, and we can leave behind that part in the past." "Really?! Ehehe~." The tiger''s smile got even bigger. "So happy about that!" "Wow, the gap in that side of your personality and your looks is way too big!" Maya actually had a hard time looking at her bright smile. "Eh? What do you mean?" "You''re a super big, in more ways than one, cat with a bit of a tomboyish feeling, but you''re way too sweet on the inside..." "Got a problem with that?!" Anna started to pout. "Not even in the slightest. I''m not interested in you, but I am a fan of your outsides, and a sweet personality is never a bad thing." "A-Ah, thank you..." The princess needed a moment to process being so honestlyplemented by the cat-girl. "Anyway, I think we''ve drifted away from the topic a bit." Maya enjoyed the blush on Anna''s face for another moment before gesturing at their still joined hands with the interlocked fingers. "Tell me what exactly you feel when we, the two of us, are holding hands." "Hmm..." The princess looked at their hands for a while and tried to find out what the cat wanted from her. As she wasn''t the fastest, she needed a while to think about it, though. Chapter 154 – Between crushes and love Chapter 154 ¨C Between crushes and love Maya was spending her time with Anna in the garden of the royal castle, and the two had something pretty interesting going on. The princess wasining about Ari and Sophia having gotten that close, obviously sounding jealous, while the cat-girl tried to exin why she didn''t have to. For some reason or another, Maya decided to show it to the tiger by holding her hand, though. "So, what are you feeling, princess?" She addressed her while looking at their joined hands. "Hmm..." Anna looked in the same direction and focused her gaze on their interlocked fingers. "Your hand''s a bit cold? It feels fresh. I kinda like that, though I probably still prefer Ari''s warmer ones..." "Yep, Sophia''s toasty ones are the best~." The two had a simr preference. "Other than that?" "Hrmn... No idea." The princess gave up with a shrug. "I like it, but what am I supposed to feel here?" "See? That''s why you don''t have to be worried about Sophia and Ari." "Ehh...?" She was more than just a little lost after Maya''s exnation. "I have no idea what you''re talking about." "Perfect." While saying so, the cat let go of Anna''s hand, and the two sat down normally again. "So, no fuzzy feeling or a tingling in your stomach? Maybe a slightly elevated heartbeat?" "Not really, no?" She tilted her head. "Okay, my heart raced for a moment when I thought about Sophia spotting us, but nothing besides that." "Yeah, that doesn''t count." "Hmm... Ah! It feels like my whole body just started shaking..." Anna looked a bit bewildered. "I, uhh... feel that, too..." Maya looked around them and noticed that the nts in the garden also moved around much more than they were supposed to be. "Is that an earthquake...?" "It seemed like it..." She nodded. "Weird, we hadn''t one of those in forever. It''s really strong, too, but also feels pretty far away... I wonder what happened..." "Well, it happens from time to time. It doesn''t seem to be stopping, either, though..." The cat-girl didn''t put much thought into it. "Perfect timing aside, no, that obviously doesn''t count, either..." They decided to ignore the ongoing earthquake as it had no rtion to them. "Okay... and? What does that mean, then?" The tiger wasn''t any less confused. "It means you aren''t in love with me. By the way, that''s mutual." Maya obviously had none of these feelings for her, either. "Huh...?" "When you hold the hands of someone you love, you know it. Ari and Sophia, just like us, enjoyed holding hands, but none of us has any actual feelings that go above some sort of affection for the other." "I see..." Anna gave her a slight nod. "Wait!" Then, her entire face suddenly turned red. "I-If you hold someone''s hand and you feel all tingly and fuzzy, i-it means you love her?!" "Does it feel nice? The fuzzy tingling, I mean." "Y-Yes... It makes one kind of... h-happy?" "Yep, that could be a strong indicator of having such feelings for that person." "R-Really...?" Anna''s face lit up even more. "Do you want to tell me something~?" Maya''s expression changed into a grin. "N-No! I, uhh... yes, I was just hypothetically speaking!" "Is that so?" "A-Absolutely!" The princess was iling around with her arms while trying her best to deny it. "I-I wasn''t thinking about anyone specific whatsoever!" "Aww..." She yed along. "Alright, let''s talk about someone unrted, then." The cat''s grin got bigger. "Why are you getting this jealous when something involves Ari, anyway?" "W-What do you mean...?" Herposure was nonexistent by now. "It did seem like you fell in love at first sight with my Sophia. After all, you were quite aggressive and even were okay with marrying her." "Well... She is super cute, and m-marrying her seemed like a jackpot." "True." Maya gave her an approving nod. "Even so, while I noticed that you were envious of me, you''ve never gone to such lengthspared to when you protected Ari from Sophia or tried to cling to my tiger as much as you do to your jaguar." "L-Like I said before, we grew up together, and I might''ve gotten a little... possessive because of that." "More than someone you nned to marry...?" "A-Ah." Anna had nothing to reply to that. "You never really were that interested in Sophia, were you?" "T-That!" "You were interested in her. She''s cute, after all. You also weren''t against a marriage for the same reason, but that''s about it, right?" "..." "It was more of a crush, huh? One that burned hard... and fast." "Mhh..." "That''s also the reason why, while you undoubtedly were sad by her rejection, you got over it rtively quick and still enjoy spending time with both of us." "Uhh..." The princess didn''t know what to say. "Am I wrong?" "I... don''t know?" Anna needed a moment. "It still asionally... stings when I look at her... or the two of you being flirty, but... I honestly expected being rejected by my first love to hurt more, much more, and longer, too..." "Is she your first love, though?" Maya was slowly getting to her main agenda. "What do you mean?" "To me, a certain ck-haired girl sounds way more special to you." "A-Ari?!" Her blush intensified even more. "I don''t think I ever saw you blush when talking about Sophia, either. Which is a good thing because that sight makes even me a little weak. That gap of yours really is something else." "Ari and I are j-just childhood friends." She had utterly missed the cat''s other remark. "You know, while not to the extent of living together in the same ce, I actually have some childhood friends myself. The city I grew up in wasn''t that big, so I basically knew everyone my age since I could walk. I loved spending time with them, but I never really cared when they were with other people." "Y-You didn''t...?" Anna seemed honestly shocked. "To be honest, I only found out that I''m this possessive after I met Sophia. I never even imagined to be like that." "Uuh..." "I do think that your strong feeling to monopolize Ari means something." Maya was pushing her a lot. "I feel that whatever''s going on between the jaguar and you is much more genuine." "..." Anna couldn''t look at her for a while. "I still think Sophia was my first love, though." She decided to ignore the cat. "How so?" "I''ve, uhh... always thrown a bit of a tantrum whenever someone tried to get close to Ari. I''m really d that she sticks to me all the time in school because I can act as a buffer when someone tries to get close to her that way. But..." "But?" "Wanting to monopolize her that much and getting j-jealous to such an extent when someone does get close to her... That didn''t happen before, only after Sophia t-turned me down..." "Ohh~." Maya once more showed her a big smile. "W-What...?" The princess didn''t like her expression. "In other words, your crush on my tiger, and it not being reciprocated, made you aware of your actual feelings for Ari." "T-That''s not what I said..." "It sounds like that, though." "D-Does it...?" "Yep." "You think I''m in... I-love with... Ari?" "Mhhm." Maya only nodded. "I mean, the way you flirted with her yesterday, after getting jealous, even Sophia and I got embarrassed from watching you." "Seriously?!" "If that doesn''t mean something, I don''t know anymore." "..." The princess needed a few seconds to process these words. "How... How do I... stop that? Stop being in I-love with Ari...?" "Ehhh...?" It wasn''t the reaction the cat-girl was expecting. "Why? In my eyes, Ari''s super cute. She''s no Sophia, but still... wow." "She''s the cutest!" Anna blurted it out without thinking, not helping her argument in the slightest. "Mh-hmm." "I... don''t w-want to be in I-love with her..." "Why not?" Maya couldn''t understand her. "Ari''s my best friend... Everything about our dynamic is perfect. I don''t want to mess it up and risk what we have..." "Mature. Very mature." "Y-You think so?" "Nope. It''s just wishful thinking." The cat-girl immediately shot her down. "H-How do you know that...?" "Well, it''s not like I nned to fall in love with Sophia, either. I started traveling with her because I wanted to learn magic from that interesting new friend I made." "Ugh..." "It actually took me a while to notice that I was in love, rather than wanting to get closer to a friend." "T-There''s no need to emphasize friend all the time..." "Once I became aware of my feelings, was made aware of them, I actually had a simr reaction. I wanted to wait or even ignore them because I didn''t want to bother Sophia as she was going through a lot at that time." "And..." "I almost exploded and basically confessed to her immediately afterward." "I-I see... So, you mean I probably can''t stop being in I-love with her in an instant...?" "Why would you even want to?" Maya still didn''t understand her motivation. "W-Well..." "Being in love is great, you know?" "It also hurts. It breaks your heart and makes you cry..." Anna''s voice became somber. "A-Ah." The cat-girl needed a moment after that. "You are afraid that she''s going to reject you...?" "Y-Yes... I almost ruined our friendship because of it, and we barely even knew each other. I''ve been with Ari my entire life. That''s over 17 years! I don''t even want to imagine what would happen if she turns me down, too..." Anna looked miserable just thinking about it. "Okay, that''s understandable. Is Ari straight? That would indeed be a problem." "No, we''re both into girls. The two of us often looked together at, err... uhh..." Her words turned into mumbling towards the end, and Anna didn''t finish the sentence. "Ohh~, what a perverted princess~." "S-Shut up!" "Well, I can''t me anyone for being curious~." "Uuh..." "So, what''s the problem?" While Maya was having a splendid time teasing her, she really wanted to help the princess, too. "I have no problems with admitting that you''re extremely attractive, Anna. My type has kinda changed since meeting Sophia because I now lean more towards shorter girls, but a tall feline girl with such a style and figure... I doubt many wouldn''t turn around for you." The cat-girl''s love for massive assets wasn''t anything new, after all. "T-Thank you..." The tiger was trying to beat Sophia''s record on constant blushing today. "Y-Yes, shorter and medium-sized girls are the best." "Hehe. While Ari is a little taller, she''s very simr to Sophia when ites to her figure. You definitely have a type, Anna." "Y-Yeah, I have..." She had no reason to deny it. "So, once again, what''s the problem with you and your jaguar? Everything seems to line up for me." "..." The princess didn''t answer and closed her eyes to concentrate. It seemed hard for her to put it into words, and she needed some time to prepare.
Chapter 155 – Love advice for a princess Chapter 155 ¨C Love advice for a princess Maya and Anna were still together, and their chat had turned into full-blown girls-talk. They found out that the princess'' fondness of Sophia was more of a hard crush. It also became evident that being turned down by the blonde awakened Anna''s real feelings for her childhood friend, the ck-haired jaguar-girl Ari. Somehow, the tiger didn''t seem to like this revtion, though. "Again, why is being in love with Ari something you don''t want to be? She''s great!" Maya asked her again because Anna still wasn''t able to give her a reply. "I don''t have much experience, either, because Sophia''s my first love, and that worked out way better than I could''ve hoped, but I''ll try my best to help." "T-Thanks... I just don''t think she''d ever return those feelings... It doesn''t seem like her..." "It doesn''t?" The cat-girl tilted her head. "Okay, I don''t know her that well yet because she and Sophia instantly became best friends before I had the chance to, but the jaguar seems quite flirty to me." "I''ve never seen her like that before!" Anna''s retort was instantaneous. "That''s definitely the fault of your girl! She never flirted with me like that before..." "Are you sure about that?" Maya didn''t believe her. "The two of you seem to be pretty much all over each other whenever I saw you together." "N-No, it only looks that way..." The princess nced down. "If anything, Ari treats me like her daughter because she acts like a mom all the time." "If my mother would act like that around and or with me, I would be very concerned." She didn''t enjoy the picture she had in her head right now. "That''s why I doubt she would be interested in me... Well, if not mother, she would still better be described as my big sister. She constantly makes sure that I don''t do anything too stupid and always scolds me whenever she wants to fix something about me. Don''t get me wrong, I love it when she does that, but..." "Uhh..." Maya wasn''t sure what to say. For various reasons. "And, again, the two of us grew up together... Heck, learning how to walk, use our tails, even how to speak... We did all of that together! I, too, see... saw her as a sister! Isn''t it super weird that I suddenly have developed such feelings for her now?! I don''t even want to imagine how Ari would react if her little sister tells her she I-loves her..." "Well... First, it''s hard to imagine the jaguar as the big sister between the two of you." Maya tried to stall for time while thinking of a way to help. "Maybe not in the visual department, but Ari''s undoubtedly the more mature one." "Good point." She couldn''t argue with that exnation. "It''s not like you actually are sisters, though. Even if your rtionship was simr to those of siblings up until now, there''s nothing that speaks against changing it." "T-That might be true..." "Also, isn''t that just how Ari is? She has the same big sister vibe when she''s with Sophia and even scolded the wolves already. I doubt she''d specifically single you out as a real sister." "Y-You think so...?" "Again, I don''t know her enough to make any promises, but that''s how I would interpret it, at least. I think it''s worth a try." "Worth enough to risk a literal life-long friendship?" Anna stared at her with a questioning expression. "T-That''s..." She naturally had no answer. "Maybe a different approach would be better." "What do you mean?" "Even before I was aware of my feelings, I was rather aggressive when I went after Sophia. You could try to get physically closer to Ari and see how she reacts to that. If you notice that she''s enjoying it, I would say you definitely have a chance." Maya had gotten quite intimate with her blonde girl ever since first meeting her, and she had great sess with that approach. "P-Physical?!" Anna''s face turned even redder while repeating the word. "Oh? What''s the perverted princess imagining now again~?" "S-Stop calling me a pervert! T-That''s l¨¨se majest¨¦!" She tried to use her royal roots as a threat. "Why would that be~?" The cat-girl didn''t sound intimidated. She''s gotten close enough to the princess to ignore her. "I''m only stating the truth." "Uuh..." "I wasn''t implying that you should do it with her immediately." "I-I never was thinking about that! Not even close!" She got loud. Louder. "So, you don''t want to?" Maya only tilted her head again. "D-Do you want to help me... or just use me for your amusement...?" The line where Anna enjoys it had been crossed once more. "Preferably, both." The cat-girl paused for a moment. "Okay, I''m sorry. I went too far." "Thank you..." "Also, no, that''s not what I meant. Okay, it would be quite effective to find out about Ari''s feelings for you. Still, I would go with a traditional confession there instead... At first, at least." "C-Could we stop talking about d-doing it already...?" Anna was taking a lot of damage from this conversation. "T-That''s at least... a n-number of steps away..." She only mumbled that part. "Of course. There''s no need to go that far. After all, it also took some time before Sop-..." The cat-girl stopped mid-sentence. "Anyway, you''ve slept with Ari in the same bed when she was sick, right? Have you done that before? Of course, actual sleeping, forget any other implications." "N-No... We''re constantly having sleepovers, but we haven''t shared a bed since we were little..." "Perfect. Try to make that a habit again. Sleeping together is amazing~. I barely can fall asleep on my own anymore. Sophia and I started doing that long before we got together, too, so it shouldn''t be too suspicious." "I-I see... It does sound fun, too. I''ll try to talk Ari into it..." "Perfect. Other than that... Maybe take some of your baths together?" "Oh, we actually do that from time to time already. I didn''t think that was anything special?" "Yeah, especially because the baths in the castle are gigantic. Yes, as long as you don''t stick to each other or steal nces of the other''s body, being naked together in a bath is surprisingly little intimate..." "Intentionally looking at n-naked Ari...?" "Ah, the perverted princess'' back already." Maya chuckled at her beet-red face. "That was fast." "S-Shut up!" "While I can''t me you, I wouldn''t rmend it. It''s extremely enticing but also really easy for the other person to notice. Trust me, I''m speaking from experience. From both sides, that is. Sophia also likes to watch, after all." "I-I see... I''ll keep that in mind." There was a hint of regret in Anna''s expression. "Ah, but watch out if she''s trying to look at you. That would be a good sign." "O-Okay." "Then, there''s also my favorite activity! Skinship~." "Skinship?" "A hug, clinging to her arm, holding hands, all that stuff. Oh,p-pillows are the absolute best. I can''t rmend them enough." "Oh, t-that sounds really nice..." The tiger seemed to like the idea. "It''s amazing~." Maya was a big fan, after all. "I-I really want to try that now..." "Good! Also, always watch Ari''s reaction when you do any of that. If she gets embarrassed or blushy, that''s a good sign. If she starts smiling or looks happy in general, that would be even better." "I-Is that how it works...?" "I think." Maya wasn''t 100% sure about it. "Everything I''m telling you at the moment is based on my observations with Sophia. Well, we got together in the end, so it can''t be that stupid of advice." "Alright!" Hearing that, the princess suddenly seemed pretty motivated. "Good luck~." The cat-girl was cheering for her. "I''ll try to help you out whenever you need it." "T-Thank you." Anna showed her a great smile. "I''m really d that we were able to be friends in the end. Not just for that." "Yep, I''m d about that, too." "Ehehe~." The two chatted for a while longer, but the whole topic had turned the princess into an embarrassed and blushy mess. Because of that, she felt the need to take a break. Maya nned to do the same because she wanted to go home and check up on Sophia, who took the day off to make sure she fully recovered after the slight trouble that the blonde and the jaguar went through. After promising to meet up again soon to talk more, the two parted for the time being. ---------------- "I''m home~." It didn''t take the cat-girl long to be back in their mansion, and she energetically greeted everyone who could hear her when she opened the front door. "Wee back~." Aura''s equally cheery voice returned from the living room. It was the only reply the cat-girl got, though. "Hi, there!" Following her voice, she entered the living room and saw the wolf rxing on their sheebskin rug. "You really like that thing, huh?" "Very~." "Well, it isfy." Maya, too, had lost to its allure before, after all. "Hehe." She let out a chuckle. "By the way, where have you been all day? It''s already prettyte." "I''ve stayed behind in the castle after the training with Eluna. I had good fun with the princess." "Oh, I hope Sophia won''t get jealous there." "No, I''ve yed with Anna, not the little one." "Oh, okay." Aura knew that that was much less of a problem. "Speaking of Sophia, how is she feeling? Have you checked on her?" "A-Ah." The wolf suddenly turned her head away. "What is wrong...?" She didn''t like her reaction. "Well... There''s a note on the table you might want to read..." "Hmm...?" Maya got closer to the sofas and quickly spotted a piece of paper on the coffee table there. "Let''s see,
Dear Maya, I hope you had fun in the castle. I''ve slept all the way to noon and felt better than new after getting up. Unfortunately, I soon got pretty bored, too. After chatting with Fen, we decided to go on a walk together. It might could take a while, so there''s no need to wait for us. Love, Sophia
Aww, she sure is sweet. Well, I would''ve liked if she stayed still for the entire day, but I guess that was asking for too much." "Wow, you really took that well." Aura was impressed by her calm reaction. "What do you mean?" Maya didn''t understand her. "Sure, I wanted to spend some time with her, too, but she hasn''t done anything with just Fen in a long while. I don''t mind if they have some quality time together." "That''s nice. Still, why don''t you read the part with the walk again? Just imagine Sophia using her usual yful voice this time." "Hmm...?" She looked at the note again. "Fenny and I were bored and went on a walk together. It could take a while, so don''t look for us~." Imagine how the blonde would actually say it, the meaning suddenly sounded much less innocent. "Oh." Her face turned pale. "A-Aura, could you use your detection magic to see where they are...?" "I already did a couple of hours ago." "A-And? Where are they?" "No idea." She only shook her head. "They''re outside of my range." "Uh-oh." The cat-girl had a terrible feeling about it. "I can''t wait for the bang~." The wolf was having fun instead. As there was nothing the two could do, for the time being, they decided to getfy in the living room while chatting with each other. Somehow, Maya seemed to be unable to rx for some reason, though. Chapter 156 – Going on a walk with Fen Chapter 156 ¨C Going on a walk with Fen While Maya was chatting the day away with Princess Anna in the castle''s garden, Sophia had stayed behind in their home. She still felt a bit weak after being sick and decided to take it easy. She had slept in till noon and felt like being born anew after finally getting up, but a new issue had surfaced. "I''m boooored~!" Scratching her stomach while yawning as she walked down the stairs of their mansion, the tigerined to anyone that could hear her. "Ah, look who''s up." Fen greeted her once the girl had entered the living room, where she spotted the wolf rxing in front of the firece. "''Morning." "It''s already past noon..." "Same difference." Yawning again, Sophia thenzily plopped down onto one of the sofas. "Haa... I''ve slept so much that I''m tired..." "Sounds like you''re doing fine again. I''d love to have your problems..." "Yep, better than new~. Wait, is something the matter, big guy?" She wondered why he had worded it like that. "No, everything''s fine. After all, it''s not like someone shattered myplete view on magic without batting an eye and leaving mepletely confused or anything." "Oh, okay then~." "You..." Fen looked more than a little upset. "Okay, I almost feel a little slightly sorry about it." "Wow, I can almost taste your apology." The wolf''s voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Haha... Oh, how about we do some research to get some answers?" "Hmm?" His ears perked up after hearing this. "Let''s go on a walk, Fenny~!" "I like the sound of that!" It wasn''t hard to change his mood. Afterward, the two got ready and left their mansion after Sophia left a note for Maya to tell her what was going on. ---------------- Once they left the capital behind and got to a ce no one saw them, Fen turned back to his original size, and Sophia climbed on his back. The tiger was almost back to her original form before changing races. However, the wolf currently still was a tiny bit faster. As the two wanted to get far away quickly, to not get spotted by Aura''s detection magic, they went with this approach. "Ah." The two were already halfway towards Tga, the city the humans tried to attack a while ago when Sophia had her trademark reaction while still being on Fen''s back. "What is it...?" He stopped running and turned his head to look at her. "If I simply had stopped time, we could''ve taken our... well, time." "Haaa..." He let out a prolonged sigh. "How can you be so scatterbrained...?" "H-Hey! While true, it''s not like you had that idea, either." "..." Fen had nothing to defend himself. "Anyway, it''s only taken us an hour to get far out of Aura''s detection range. It''s not really that much of an issue." "Fair enough. We''re almost 100km away from the capital. They''ll never find us~. Also," Sophia jumped down his back and looked around. The two ended up at a gigantic in that stretched behind even the horizon and had absolutely nothing on it. "Doesn''t this seem like the perfect yground?" "It does indeed. We don''t have to worry about destroying anything here." Fen gave her a satisfied nod. "By the way, what are we going to do, anyway?" "No idea." "Really now?" "When did I ever n out the things I do?" "..." He had no reply. "Something magicy, I guess? Tell me some limitations magic''s supposed to have, and I''ll try to break them~." "Hmm, I don''t know that many limitations..." He paused for a moment. "That you haven''t broken yet." "Ehehe." "I wasn''tplimenting you." He rolled his eyes. "Well, the biggest limitation''s supposed to be your magic power being personal and unique." "Yep, I obliterated that theory into nothingness." "Yes, increasing your magic power besides the natural growth was supposed to be impossible." "Didn''t Aura break this rule, too?" Sophia tilted her head. "Her magic power basically exploded during her teleportation ident." "That is true. But, as you said, it was an ident. It was an incredibly happy miracle that happened in a life-or-death situation." "Aww, my Fenny''s became quite the romantic~. You''re really d that she survived, huh?" "Of course!" He didn''t hesitate for a second. "She used to be my most important...panion, after all." "Used to be?" The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Companion?" She didn''t believe him. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know?" He was not amused. "Me tiger, though." "I''m not seeing that much of a differencepared to our resident cat, though." "Well, you''re basically also just a big and floofy dog." "Okay..." Fen needed a moment to nurse his broken ego. "Let''s not talk about my rtionships, okay? I would be d about that, my dear mighty and ferocious tiger." "Sure thing, my overpowered alpha uber wolf friend." The ferocious striped beast yed along. "I''ll ask the other uber wolfter." "You..." "Anyway," Sophia decided to drop the topic. "Back to the limitations of your magic power. Just as Aura, me increasing Ari''s magic was an ident, too, though?" "Not really," He disagreed. "You had no idea what you were doing, but you wanted it to happen." "Story of my life in this world... " "True enough." "You believed that permanently giving away a portion of your power to boost someone else''s was impossible. Any other limitations in that regard?" "A couple, actually. The only thing that''s supposed to be possible is to regenerate the power of others if they''ve run out of magic. Even that''s not lossless, either. It usually takes you around twice as much as the recipient''s recovers." "Weird... What about temporarily boosting the power of others?" "What do you mean?" "Like, I pour my power into you, making you able to use much more than your own. Once you''ve, uhh... b-blown your load... only your original magic recovers." Sophia''s expression was all over the ce while exining her idea for some reason. "Interesting wording. Are we a little frustrated?" "Not at all~. I have especially no need for any kind of load to be blown. Like, at all." "Understandable. Also, while the walls in the mansion are quite thick, my ears are really good, so... No idea why I even asked about being frustrated..." He turned his head away towards the end. "W-What?!" Sophia''s face instantly lit up. "Y-You... You heard... us...?" "Way too often¡­ Okay," Fen decided to not further pursue this topic. "No, you can''t stack magic like that." "S-Seriously...?" Her reaction had nothing to do with histest reply. "H-He... heard... Uuh, I want to die..." The tiger''s face got even redder, and she needed a few minutes to recover. "I-l need to stop time for us more often... I keep forgetting about it when we... ANYWAY!" She noticed that she was drifting away again. "Wait, did you say something earlier?" "Magic no stacky." Fen felt the need to use simple words for his idiot. "Really? How weird." "Aura and I tried it out a couple of times in the past. It didn''t work. I think that rule actually makes a lot of sense." "How so?" Sophia tilted her head again. "Where would you draw the line? You could just run around and get a boost from everyone to pile up a gigantic stock of magic power. Even with just a single partner, you could pour everything you have into them, recover your own magic after a while and repeat it." "Ah, you''re right... It would be like an unlimited battery for magic... Oh? That sounds nice~." "Battery...?" Fen apparently hadn''t heard that word before. "Ah, it''s a device from my old world. It stores... power, or magic in our case, and lets you use it at ater time when you need it." "That sounds amazing." "Absolutely. Okay, if that doesn''t work... What about pouring my magic into you while you''re using it? That way, I''ll keep charging you while you can prepare some hyperrge-scale magic." "You can''t use magic while someone''s recharging you." "Really? That sounds stupid." "Well..." The wolf didn''t know what to reply. "Alrighty, I found my rule to break! Let''s y around a bit, my dear Fenny~!" "I''m not sure if I like the look in your eyes. It''s like looking at a predator who found its prey. Even so, I''m intrigued..." "Well, I am a tiger, after all~." The blonde showed him an extra cheeky grin while saying so. "You win that round, stripey one." He didn''t even seem mad about her reply. "Hehe." "So, what''s the n? How are we going to y?" "Hmm..." Sophia tilted her head. "I want to try and ovee this stupid-sounding limitation of not being able to use magic while someone''s charging you up." "How?" "With force~." "Yep, turns out I don''t like the sound of that." An instinct inside the wolf told him to step away from the tiger. "How about I forcefully pump my magic into you so that you have to get it out somehow to avoid exploding?" "How about no?" Fen put even more distance between them. "Aww..." "Besides, why would I explode?" "You don''t?" "As I said before, you can''t really go over capacity, so there''s no reason to explode." "Not even if I''m going to try really hard?" "Why... Why do you want me to explode in the first ce...?" "A-Ah." She hadn''t even noticed that her motivation had taken a slightly weird turn along the way. Afterward, the two took a short break, and once the wolf trusted Sophia enough to go near her again, they tried to think of some safe ways tobine their magic power. The duo wanted to make sure to give it enough thought so that absolutely nothing could possibly and/or horribly go wrong. Neither of them were the type for that, after all. Chapter 157 – Transferring magic Chapter 157 ¨C Transferring magic Sophia had finally fully recovered from being sick and got tired of being in bed all day. Bored beyond belief, she then ran away with Fen to y around with magic. Far away enough that no one could find them, the two ended up in a gigantic in about 100 km away from the capital. "Alrighty, let''s give this idea a try~." Sophia energetically raised her fist. "Remember, I don''t want to explode." Fen wasn''t nearly as cheerful. "I''ll try my best." "No, no, no, don''t try, just don''t." "Alright, I''ll make sure I don''t pour significantly more magic power into you than you normally have." "Good." The wolf settled for that. "What was the n again?" "Well, as you actually couldn''t activate your magic while I was topping you off with my power earlier, let''s try it when you''re already using it." As a short test wasn''t sessful, the blonde wanted to try a different approach. "I bet I can force myself inside of you." "..." He only stared at her. "Wow, magic power without context is top-tier innuendo material." "Even with context, you''re pretty borderline, idiot." "Ahaha..." The tiger had no ns to deny it. "Okay, let''s give it a try. Use some magic that depletes your power quick so we can see if it works." "Hmm, I guess I could just turn my detection magic all the way to the maximum. It uses a good amount of magic, and we don''t risk a potential chain-reaction of catastrophes." "Aww..." Sophia looked disappointed. "I thought you wanted to learn how to hold back?" "I''ve stayed in bed for thest two or three days because I was sick! I wanna y~!" "Alright, fine... If we actually get it working, we can try to blow something up big time." The wolf, too, likes to y, after all. "And if it doesn''t work out...?" "We blow up something even harder to get rid of the frustration." "I love you a bit right now." Sophia really liked his n. "Just a bit?" "We don''t want to make Maya jealous, do we?" "F-Fair point..." His expression changed when he thought about the cat-girl. "Or Aura~." "Shut up." "Hehe." ---------------- Once the two were able to concentrate again, they started getting ready to experiment. "Okay, where were we?" Fen had lost track for a moment. "Ah, right, l guess it should work for a start if I use my detection magic on full st for the time being." "Yeah, boring but effective." "Alright," The wolf concentrated on his detection, and five minutes quickly passed. "I''m starting to feel a tiny dent in my power. You can start with whatever you want to try now." "Sounds good." Sophia got closer to him and buried both her hands into the fluffy fur on the side of his body. "Hmm, it really feels like there''s some sort of barrier when I try to pour my magic into you." "As I said, it doesn''t work if the recipients using magic, too." "Time to use force~!" "E-Eh...?" He didn''t like the sound of that. "Fenny, keep using your detection magic. At the same time, I''ll try to overload this barrier thingy." "O-Okay..." The wolf still had mixed feelings. "Alrighty, full power!" The blonde closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating really hard for a while. "Oh? I kinda... Hmm, is it actually working? It feels like something''s flowing over to you..." "Y-Yes... I''m starting to feel something, too... It''s unbelievable how you- STOP!" His voice suddenly was filled with panic, and he jumped away from the tiger. "What...?" She had no idea what was going on. "Haa... T-That was scary!" Fen needed a moment to catch his breath. "I think you broke something again..." "Huh?" "I started to notice your power flowing into me, and something suddenly seemed to have snapped... Afterward, all of your power came at me at once like a tsunami, and it felt like I would explode for a moment..." "So, it is possible!" Sophia almost looked happy about the revtion. "That''s not the point!" "Sorry..." "Seriously... Just how much power did you- Why is half of your magic missing?!" He used his detection on the tiger and noticed something rming. "Well... the barrier turned out to be a tough enemy, but I really wanted it, and so I gave it my all~. I kept increasing my power, and suddenly... whoosh." She made a little wave gesture with her hand towards the end. "That sure was no whoosh!" Fen yelled at her. "Sorry..." She apologized once more. "You know by now how much 50% of your power is... Even with what you lost the other day, that amount''s still enough to destroy a city or four. Don''t force that into a friend without prior warning." "Yes... I just really wanted it to work and forgot to think about any possible consequences..." She looked slightly devastated after having heard him saying it out loud. "Urgh..." Fen needed a moment. "Now I can''t be angry... I, too, tend to forget everything else when I''m engrossed in something. Aura probably can sing you a song about that... We did a lot of messy stuff when experimenting with magic back in the day. She''s the same, though. I was set on fire more than once by her... Among many other things¡­" "Hehe." Sophia felt better. "Sounds like it was fun with her." "That''s up for debate..." He paused for a moment. "No, well, yes... Yes, it was." ---------------- Afterward, the duo decided to take a break. Fen wanted to leave the feeling of almost exploding behind while Sophia waited for her magic to recover. Once they were good to go again, both decided to resume the experiment. "Alright, time to go all out!" The tiger was very motivated. "If possible, without me exploding, though!" He was still a bit wary. "I''ll try my best!" "..." Fen red at her for a few seconds. "Fine, what''s the n?" "Let''s do something shy~. I kinda want to do a gigantic fireball!" "With both of our powerbined...?" "Yep!" She gave him a hearty nod. "Oh, do you think you could see it even from the capital?" "Err... remember the town we picked up your cat? I''m pretty sure they''d see it, too." "Seriously?!" "If we aim right, we could destroy the capital from here with that fire." "Hmm... Sounds like fun. Let''s do it." "E-Eh?!" "Oh, no..." Sophia noticed her mistake. "Obviously not destroying the capital, but let''s make a fireball that reaches the sky." "That new jaguar friend of yours will surely chew you out afterward." "She''ll never find out~." "..." He only stared at her, knowing how good the tiger was at keeping a secret. "I-I''ll deal with it if it happens..." She averted her face. "For now, I just want to y~. After being sick, I have a serious urge to be as active as possible. What would be better than the biggest and most shiest magic anyone ever saw." "Well, what do I care?" He gave up. "Still, don''t even think about pushing any sort of responsibility on me afterward! I''ll bite you." "Haha, don''t worry, it''ll be fine. We''re just ying a bit with fire. What could possibly go wrong?" "..." The wolf, once more, only stared at her. ---------------- "Okay, you start preparing your fire magic, Fenny. While your power keeps lowering, I''ll supply it with my own as I pour it into you. Once, let''s say, I only have 1/4 left, you activate it, and we''ll enjoy the show~." "But slowly, okay? I didn''t like the feel of exploding right now..." "Sure." Sophia buried her hands into Fen''s fur again while the wolf began to prepare his fire magic. A couple of momentster, she also began to supplement him with her power. "Oi, stop!" He immediately started yelling again. "What...?" "You''re too fast! Last time, it took you way longer to break the barrier!" "Yeah, about that..." Sophia looked somewhat awkward. "About that barrier inside of you... That''s, well... It''s gone. I think I broke it for good because my magic started to flow without any sort of resistance." "Are you for real...?" "Yep. Sorry about that." "W-Well... it sounds like a good thing...? Let''s talk about thatter, okay?" Fen wasn''t sure how to feel about it. "Still, slow down a bit, okay? I had only used 10% of my power, but you filled that up in an instant again." "Eh...?" The blonde looked confused. "I only poured like 5% of my power into you, though?" "Huh?" He seemed shocked. "No, your power is below mine again, so there''s no way you only used 5%! Ignoring the loss from transferring the magic, even!" "I did, though?" Sophia could only tilt her head. "There''s no way... Wait a moment..." Fen suddenly stopped. "M-My magic''s also going down slower now... Your power feels... different, too. More condensed... pure. D-Don''t tell me magic power can have varying power?!" "No idea." She was still tilting her head. "I-It would exin why your power goes down so slowly when you use magic and or why it recovers so fast. Furthermore, it going so catastrophically wrong all the time, even when you imed having used only a little power... It all makes sense now..." "Okay?" Sophia had no idea what was going on. "What sort of monster are you?" "H-Hey!" She didn''t like the sound of that. ---------------- Afterward, once the wolf calmed down, the two continued their experiment after having promised to talk about the tiger''s magicter. "Alright, I think it''s slowly time to stop, Sophia..." There was a hint of worry in his voice. "I''ve never used so much magic at once... or even witnessed being used. It also feels like I''m slowly losing control of it, and we really don''t want that." "Yeah, I think so, too- Ah." The tiger agreed, but her expression suddenly changed. "W-What...?" He had a bad feeling about this. "l, uhh, can''t stop it for some reason..." While she said so, the girl stepped a few meters away from Fen. "I''m also concentrating really hard on it, but my power keeps leaving me..." "Oh no..." His expression darkened. "Okay, we''re bailing. The fireball''s canceled. I''m about to lose control with any more power. If that happens... the in here, together with us... gone. I''ll start dissipating the power into the vicinity to get to a more stable level so we- Ah." He stopped talking. "W-What...?" Sophia got a taste of how it feels to get Ah''d. "It... It''s not working... For some reason, I can''t get rid of the magic that I was preparing." "Oh." Sophia turned pale upon hearing this, and both were at aplete loss about what to do now. Chapter 158 – Out of control Chapter 158 ¨C Out of control Sophia and Fen were ying around with magic. The two nned tobine their magic to create a gigantic fireball. To do this, the tiger was pouring her power into the wolf, who then wanted to activate his fire magic with all of their power. Something went wrong, though. He felt like the magic was going out of control and asked Sophia to stop supplying him with power. Unfortunately, she somehow wasn''t able to stop transferring her magic. To make matters worse, something also seemed to prevent the wolf from dissipating the excess magic, and the two had no means to stop it from going out of control. "W-What do we do now?!" Sophia was properly panicking after they noticed that they had no means of stopping their magic that seemed to be getting over their heads. "I... don''t know..." Fen was still desperately trying his best to keep the magic stable. "Can you get rid of your remaining magic before it also flows into me...?" "That''s a brilliant id- it doesn''t work..." The tiger''s expression was all over the ce. "My detection''s still running because I forgot to turn it off, but I can''t seem to activate anything else." "That''s bad... That''s really bad. Okay... detection magic... Is there a safe direction?" "Safe?" "As in no type of life you don''t want to eradicate." "O-Oh... There''s no type of life above the powers of a kow in a 20km radius around us. We should be-" "Not enough." Fen cut her off. "E-Eh?! Well... behind us seems to be a vige, but the massive in in front looks empty. It goes further than my detection magic, and there only seem to be kows and below around, too." "That has to be enough..." "Do you have an idea?" "I''m going to activate the fire magic, after all. That, at least, should still work. Or, more like, it should start on its own once it reaches its critical mass. If I manage to control it until then, that is... Just... "J-Just...?" She didn''t like the sound of that. "I won''t be able to control the output once it goes off. Everything in front of us, the entire in, will be gone afterward. " "Oh..." "If we''re lucky, that is." "A-And if we''re not...?" Sophia had a bad feeling. "We''ll be gone, too." "A-Ah..." ---------------- 20 more minutes passed, in which Fen desperately tried to hold in the umted magic and did his best to not let it go out of control. He had a very pained expression, but a slight ray of hope seemed to be finally shining down on the two. "Y-Your magic... Sophia, I can''t feel it anymore... Have you found a way to stop it... flowing into me...?" "N-Not quite... I''m empty." "I... see. Actually, I''m... about to run out, too..." "Is-, Is that good or bad...?" "Nothing about... this is good..." Because the wolf was concentrating so hard, the mental strain hindered his ability to speak in coherent sentences. "T-True..." "I-It does feel like... whatever restriction was on me... is starting to subside, too. I might be able to let it go the... less dangerous way..." "P-Please try it!" Sophia sounded slightly desperate. "Okay..." Fen closed his eyes and concentrated like he never did before. Some minutes passed, and their surroundings slowly turned noisy. "W-What is happening...?" Sophia wasn''t sure how to describe the sound. It was slightly simr to thunder, but also not, and it made her feel ufortable with every fiber of her being. Even the fur on her tail, which was darting all over the ce, was all puffed up as a response. "The magic''s leaving... We''ve made it- Ah." He jinxed it. The noise got even louder, and the air around them started to show some sort of ck distortions that almost looked like something was breaking. "F-Fen, I don''t like this..." "Y-Yes..." He, too, worriedly nced around. A momentter, all those distortions fused together into a pitch-ck ball right in front of them. The sphere was approximately 1 meter in diameter. It was shrouded in something that looked like lightning or electricity flowing around it. Immediately after, everything turned silent. "F-Fen..." "I have... Oh no." The silencested only three seconds. The eerie noise came back, and it was more ear-deafening than ever. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning. A momentter, their surroundings began to violently rumble and shake. "I-I''m scared..." Sophia had experienced earthquakes before, but this felt different. The shaking got stronger with each passing second, and debris suddenly started flying towards the sphere in front of them. It didn''t take long before a deep crater formed right below it that continued to grow at an rming rate. Leaves, sticks, rocks, and much more also headed straight towards it, only to fully disappear upon contacting with the floating ball. "This is bad... I can feel..." Even Fen''s fur seemed to be pointing in the direction, and the wolf could feel being pulled towards the sphere with great force. "Oh no..." His expression looked equally terrified as he repeated himself. He instantly used hisst bits of power to shoot the sphere away with air magic. It quickly floated through the open in in front of them while carving an expanding fissure into the ground below and also sucking in everything in its path. "RUN!" Using his snout, he bit into the cor of Sophia''s shirt and threw her onto his back while turning around. Faster than ever before, he then tried to get away from the sphere. "Huh..." Sophia needed a moment to react and readjusted her position on top of the wolf. "Do... Do you think running away will work...?" She didn''t dare to turn around and look at the in that was shrouded in the ear-shuttering noise by now, which only kept getting louder, too. The earthquake-like vibrations also increased more and more, and Fen had real difficulties keeping his bnce while running. "Definitely not! Sophia, I need you to stop time immediately so we can find out what is going on and form a n!" "I-, I can''t... Stopping time takes a ton of magic, and I''m still basically empty... It''ll probably take 5 or 10 minutes before I can do that again..." "We don''t have that much time! If we don''t- WOAH!" He didn''t get the chance to finish his sentence. The two were suddenly hit by a powerful shockwave that swept the wolf off his feet. The duo crashed into the ground and continued to slide for a few seconds before they heard the sound of an explosion, unlike everything they heard before. The time where Sophia had blown up Canir''s dungeon couldn''t even be described as a light cough inparison. "W-What... just, eh?!" Confused and disoriented, Sophia looked around to understand what was going on, but looking at the in they were fleeing from made everything much worse. "F-Fen..." "Y-Yeah..." He needed a moment to get back on his legs, and his eyes then, too, fell on the in. "Oh..." The ck sphere had grown considerably in size. It was easily a couple hundred meters in diameter now, and the electricity-like lightning shrouded around it also became much more violent. The in, on the other hand, it was gone. It got reced by a crater so deep and wide the duo couldn''t even guess how big it was because they actually couldn''t see the other side. Still, the hole easily spanned some tens of kilometers. Dead center in the middle of it, the sphere was floating, still sucking up debris, apanied by a terrifying sound. ---------------- Momentster, the noise became louder once again, and the sphere started to pulsate. It looked like it was growing in size. Suddenly, it began to get unstable, and it seemed like the ball would explode at any moment. It kept getting bigger and bigger, creeping closer to the duo at an rming rate while increasing the crater around it even more. Everything around Sophia and Fen was so violently shaking that even thinking about running was impossible. Bracing herself for the inevitable, Sophia inched closer to the wolf and tightly hugged him. "Fen... I''m sorry... " "Me... too..." "..." They paused for a moment. "Maya..." "Aura..." Mumbling those names, the two nced at the creepy ck sphere that continued to grow while getting closer to the duo. They could already feel being pulled towards it, and there seemed to be nothing they could do against it. The noise it was emitting while destroying everything around it had already long be unbearable, but it still kept getting louder. Eventually, the two couldn''t fight against the pulling effect of the sphere anymore. They lost contact with the ground and started flying towards it. Immediately after, everything was bathed in pure white, and nothing made a sound anymore. Chapter 159 – Their accident Chapter 159 ¨C Their ident Sophia and Fen yed around with magic, and something went terribly wrong. Whilebining their powers, the wolf lost control of it, and the magic developed a mind on its own. It formed into a ck sphere that destroyed everything around it while continuously growing in size. Eventually, it had swallowed the gigantic in whole. It didn''t stop here, though, as it went for the duo, as well. A few hours since those events had passed. Sophia and Fen were still there but had yet to regain consciousness. They were barely saved after being bathed in a white light, and the ck sphere was gone once the light dissipated afterward. It seemed to have copsed right before it was toote. Everything in front of them ceased existing, though. The gigantic in was entirely gone. All that remained was the unconscious duo, a lot of destruction, and a crater that even the capital could fit into. Many times, that is. "Urgh..." Some hours had passed, and the two were slowly regaining consciousness. "Fen...?" Sophia looked at her wolf friend next to her in the dirt. Nothing around them was intact anymore. In front of the duo was a crater so big and deep that it was too much to put into words. The vegetation around them, too, had turned into a barren wastnd. "Mmmn..." His reply was slightly muffled as his head was shielded by his paws. Readjusting his posture, he nced back at the tiger. "Still alive...?" "I... I think so...? What about you?" "Probably?" The two weren''t sure after everything that had happened. "..." Still feeling somewhat confused and disoriented, Sophia looked around. It didn''t take her long to notice the gigantic crater. "Did... Did we do... that?" "The creepy ck sphere did that... it basically ate the surroundings... We created it, though..." "I-Is that thing gone...? "I think so..." Fen nodded. "I can''t see it anymore, and the loud noise it was making is gone, too..." "G-Good..." She looked incredibly relieved. "Where did it go... W-Why are we... still here...?" "Luck." He gave her a short answer. "Honestly, I don''t know... Maybe it grew too much and copsed? I don''t even know what that was!" "Yeah... Have we found an actual limitation of magic...? We went above its capabilities, and everything... copsed...?" "Maybe... I doubt anyone ever used this much magic at once. No, nobody''s able to use this much. Maybe magic doesn''t support this much power and went berserk..." "It definitely went berserk..." Sophia shuddered while remembering the events. "Y-Yes... I''ll take a break from experimenting for a long while..." It had left a deep scar on the wolf. "Hum!" The blonde responded with a big nod. "Fen...? "Yeah...?" "My magic fully recovered... I''ll make a portal, and let''s go home, okay? I want to see Maya... and hug her... and never let go..." She was still as white as a sheet and slightly unsteady on her feet. The near-death experience was too much for her. It wasn''t the first one she went through, but Canir saving her the other time wasn''t nearly as scary because she hadn''t noticed that she was about to die. "Yes." He had nothing to add. Afterward, she created said portal, and once the wolf shrunk in size to fit through it, the two were soon back in their mansion. ---------------- "Wee back, you runaway children." Maya was still with Aura in the living room and spotted the two first. "You sure took your- What happened!?" She only then noticed how beaten up the two looked. Sophia was still as white as a sheet, and Fen also seemed really disturbed. The duo also was still covered in debris, their hair and fur full of dirt, twigs, leaves, and various other stuff. "Maya..." Sophia immediately walked up to the cat-girl, threw her arms around her neck, and almost crushed the girl in a hug. "Seriously, what happened!?" Maya started to panic. "..." Without saying a word, Fen got closer to Aura and buried his head into her side,pletely sinking into the fur there. "Okay, I''m getting scared..." The female wolf wasn''t sure how to interpret this situation, either. "Tell me about it..." Noticing that something wasn''t right, Maya first picked out the stuff in the tiger''s hair before she returned Sophia''s hug for the time being because she could feel that the blonde seemed to be needing it. "I''m sorry..." It took around ten minutes before Fen distanced himself from Aura again. "It''s alright..." She didn''t seem upset whatsoever. "What happened, though? I can''t remember you looking this distressed before." "..." Sophia flinched for a second, but she had no ns of letting go of Maya anytime soon. "The two of us... We messed up..." "I don''t like the sound of that." Maya and Aura were on the same page. "We experimented withbining our magic powers... We seeded in it, and one of us could use both powers, but... It went wrong... extremely wrong... Everything went wrong..." "How much did you try to use...?" The female wolf tilted her head. "I can''t even use all of mine at the same time because it''s impossible to control." "Well..." He paused for a moment. "Before that... We also found out that Sophia''s magic power is different... It''s about twice as potent as mine inparison..." "Seriously?!" She was shocked. "Though, it would exin why her power decreases so little and how it''s generally beyond belief when she uses little of it and still almost causes doomsday. Wait, how did you find out about that?" "Sophia poured all of her power into me while I was using my own to prepare magic..." "With hers twice as potent... on top of yours... d-doesn''t that mean you tried to activate magic with twice as much power as I have at my disposal?!" "Y-Yes..." "Are you insane?!" She started yelling. "It would''ve killed both of you for sure if it had activated!" "..." He turned his head away. "D-Don''t tell me..." She noticed that something was up with his reaction. "It did activate... It did go out of control... We almost... died." "No way..." "Sophia!?" Maya panicked even more and peeled the tiger off her to look her in the eyes while her face turned into the same color as her hair. "I''m sorry..." It was all she could say. "So... incredibly sorry..." Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. "Eh?!" The cat-girl was overwhelmed by this revtion and her reaction. She didn''t know what to do at first. A momentter, she teared up, as well, and tightly hugged her girlfriend again. "Y-You idiot..." "Yes..." Sophia agreed with every fiber of her being. "I''m never going to y with magic without you ever again..." She''d be terrified of it. "Why... Why are you not dead...?" Aura looked at her wolf again. "We don''t know..." Fen hung his head. "Stuff happened... Everything got destroyed... We woke up a couple of hourster... Somehow, still alive..." "Wow..." She didn''t know what to say. "Wait, everything got destroyed... What do you mean with that...?" "..." The duo in question stayed silent. The two needed a while to calm down. Fen got closer to Aura once more, and Sophia never let go of Maya for the next two hours. The couple, especially, had gotten quite emotional, and the two spent a lot of the time wiping any tears that kept forming while thinking about how they had almost lost the other girl. ---------------- Once Fen and, even more so, Sophia were somewhat emotionally stable again, Aura wanted to see the ce where it happened. Sophia was against it. Not only because she wanted to cuddle more with Maya on the sofa to recover, but also because she didn''t want the cat-girl to see it. Unfortunately, Maya sided with the female wolf, and the tiger eventually caved in. Reluctantly creating a portal in the basement once more, the group soon arrived at the scene. "..." Maya and Aura were speechless. They weren''t sure what to expect, but a barren wastnd and a crater so enormous one couldn''t see the other side simply was too much. "..." Fen and Sophia stayed a couple of steps behind the duo while sharing an awkward expression, not knowing what to say. "Are... Are you sure you''re not dead...?" Aura turned around to look at the two after a while. "Aren''t you just ghosts?" The scale of the destruction was too much for even her, who used to fight dragons in her free time. "No... I mean, you felt it when I touched you, right...?" Fen looked back at her. "That''s true..." Aura remembered. "Ah, so that was behind the massive earthquake I felt in the capital, huh?" "Yeah... I would''ve been surprised if it hadn''t traveled that far..." "Sophia..." Maya faced her. "I-I know, okay... More than anyone, I know that I messed up, okay? That''s why I didn''t want you toe here and see just how bad it was..." She had a rough idea why the cat-girl addressed her "Thank god you came back!" She wasn''t angry, just d and ovee with emotion after seeing the destruction. She jumped at the tiger and tightly hugged her, showing no sign of letting go anytime soon. The roles had reversed from the previous time. "Me, too..." Sophia returned the embrace. "Again, I''m sorry..." "I''m d, too, by the way." Aura faced her wolf. "I only just reunited with you, and losing you again is thest thing I want. Especially because it would''ve been... forever this time." "Yes. So am I. To the point where thest thought that went through my head before losing consciousness was... you, Aura." "Hehe." Despite the circumstances, this made her very happy. ---------------- Both couples were wrapped in a very pink aura for a while, and they needed some time toe back from their own little world again. "Say..." Sophia recovered quite a bit and looked at the gigantic crater she and Fen caused with her magic going out of control. "Do you think we can fix that?" "Fix...?" Everyone stared at her with big eyes. "We''re not that far from the capital, and it looks horrible here... Also, I don''t want to deal with the king and everyone once they find out. I''m sure they''ll link it to me in no time." Her real motivation leaked out. "Ahh..." The group understood the problem. "Hmm..." Aura looked at the crater. "Nope, impossible. It would take weeks to fill that up with earth magic again." "Ugh..." It wasn''t what she wanted to hear. "W-What about water...? If we can''t restore it, turning it into a pretty, albeit gigantic,ke wouldn''t be so bad, either..." "Well, if we all pull together, we could fill it with water in maybe two days. Water magic costs way less, after all." "Great!" "How is an enormouske appearing out of nowhere any less suspicious or bothersome to exin...?" Maya didn''t understand her logic. "I don''t care!" Sophia had a solid exnation ready. "Fine..." The cat-girl also thought ake would be prettier to look at than the current situation. She agreed with the n, and the group immediately got to work. Chapter 160 – Creating a lake Chapter 160 ¨C Creating ake Fen and Sophia barely survived after theirbined magic power went out of control while turning the area around them into a barren wastnd, not to mention it having created an unimaginable gigantic crater. After their partners, Aura and Maya, found out about their near-death experience, things got pretty emotional as they naturally were d that they hadn''t lost them. Once everyone calmed down to some degree, the group decided to fix up the area. As returning it to its previous looks would be way too much work, they decided to turn the crater into ake instead because that would take much less magic and effort. "Say, do you think we can turn the area around the crater, or soon-to-beke, into a beach?" As Sophia wanted to leave the incident behind as soon as possible, she was very motivated about the project. "Hmm..." Fen looked around. "Well, the soil around it already became pretty sandy... I guess making it real sand shouldn''t be too much extra work. Well, at least this part here. All around would be a bit much." "That''s more than enough. Great!" "Alright, I''ll take care of that." "Thanks, Fenny." While the male wolf started turning the soil in the area into sand by grinding down the debris and stones with magic, the girls also got to work. "Will it really take only one or two days to fill that...?" Maya pointed at the gigantic crater. "Probably." Aura didn''t sound overly convincing. "Well, take a closer look," She gestured at the bottom of the hole. "It''s already filling with groundwater. That''ll help a good bit. Also, you can create a lot of water with magic, and it doesn''t take much power at all." While saying so, she activated her magic, and an enormous flood of water started gushing down the crater. "That much barely takes any power. Especially whenpared to earth-rted stuff, water''s extremely cost-efficient." "I see." "Alright, I''ll create a few more streams like this, and you two do the same." The female wolf urged them to also activate their magic. "Okay." Doing as told, the couple joined her in filling the hole with water. ---------------- Because of its size, though, it took many hours before they saw a bit of a result. Once Fen was done with the beach, he joined the girls and supported them with his own water magic. As they didn''t have to watch, thanks to the magic keeping running until they ran out of power, the group got together on the newly created beach to rx. "Are we camping tonight?" Maya noticed that the sun had already long set and wondered what the n was. Sophia started using light magic at some point, so she hadn''t noticed at first, but it was already quitete. "I like that idea!" The tiger, who had gottenfortable on the cat-girl''sp before, sprang up again. "The four of us haven''t done that in so long! Let''s do it!" "Sure, I don''t mind." Fen had nothing against it. "Sounds fun." Aura also agreed. "That way, we can also keep filling up the hole." "Yay!" The tiger was happy. "After what happened today... I kinda want to stay the night together with everyone... " "Aww..." Maya and Aura were touched by her sweetness. "I feel the same." Fen also was still somewhat affected by it. "A~..." They were even more touched. "A-Anyway," He didn''t like their reactions. "If we''re camping, let''s grill ourselves a nice kow over the usual campfire." "There are still some of them left around...?" Maya nced at the destroyed environment around them with a dubious expression. "Sure, we can easily get a ton of wood from the destroyed trees for the fire, but animals...?" "Well, not that way," He gestured at the crater. "But I can sense some survivors in the other direction." "Oh, okay then. Get a tender one, big guy." "Will do~." After his exchange with the cat-girl, Fen left to find her meat. In the meanwhile, Sophia and Aura collected some wood and started the fire while Maya got ready to prepare the soon-to-be-dead kow for being grilled. The wolf didn''t take long to hunt their food, and once the cat-girl had gotten it ready, the group soon enjoyed a delicious me-grilled dinner. ---------------- "Haa~..." Sophia rubbed her stomach with a satisfied expression. "That was delicious. Thanks, Maya." Good food always cheers her up. "Yep, it was great." The wolves agreed. "Ehehe~." She was happy about the praise "Still, my dear tiger, to how much do you n to increase your meat consumption?" She looked at her girlfriend, who had eaten almost as much as the wolves. "A-Ah..." She only turned her head away as a reaction. "I''m a big fan of the carnivore Sophia." Fen liked the charge. "Bing a tiger really was a great decision." "S-Shut up..." The blonde got embarrassed. She hadn''t nned to gain all those traits, but she got in tune with her feline side to a very deep level. There was absolutely no awkwardness from her transformation left. Aside from maybe her tail not working at full 100%, but even that''ll only be a matter of time. Once the group finished teasing the tiger, everyone got morefortable around the campfire. Fen got suspiciously close to Aura again as he cuddled himself right next to her, and the couple was more or less the same. Though, Sophia clung even tighter to Maya as she imed herp again. It was evident that the two were still affected by the events, and the other two decided not to mention anything and let them have their ways. "It''s been a while since we camped, but you can already feel that fall''s right around the corner, huh?" Maya addressed no one in particr as she said so while lovingly petting the tiger''s head in herp. "Ah, so it wasn''t my imagination!" Sophia seemed to agree. "It definitely feels a little chilly. The campfire makes up for it, though. Together with the warmth of this supremep~." She wiggled her head around on the cat-girl''s thighs while saying the second part. "Idiot..." She was smiling broadly, though, and even increased her petting after having gottenplimented. "Ehehe~." Sophia looked like she was in heaven. "I was actually wondering about that already. I''ve been in this world for over half a year already, but it has always been pretty warm... Very weird." "Ahh," Fen understood the reason for her confusion. "That''s mainly because of the route we traveled. Also, you''re more or less right, we met around seven months ago." "Hmm?" She looked even more confused. "Also, seriously? Wow, I guess my sense of time isn''tpletely gone yet, huh...?" "We started out in the middle of the monster country, and the climate there''s pretty hot all year round. Even though we met before the start of spring, you wouldn''t have noticed if you don''t know." "Oh, I see." "Raumont, my home," Maya continued. "It doesn''t get overly cold there, either. Once we left, we basically traveled with the seasons. The regions we crossed were getting colder, but spring was also progressing, and we ultimately ended up in the capital in the middle of summer." "Ahhh!" She seemed to get it. "Makes sense. Guess we got the most out of the weather this year, huh? I wonder what fall and winter are around here." "No idea." The cat-girl hadn''t left her home before, so she wasn''t sure how the climate around the capital was, either. "Cold." Fen and Aura, on the other hand, apparently knew. "R-Really...?" The tiger didn''t like the sound of that. "Yes." They nodded. "Ugh..." She shivered just thinking about it. "Oh, is that why the two of you were so happy about the firece in the mansion? Comfy warmth and safe from the elements indoors?" "..." The wolves didn''t answer. "I see~." It wasn''t hard to interpret their reaction. "Maya, hibernating through the cold season''s back on the table!" She was much more open about her feelings in that regard. "Ahaha..." She only answered with a dryugh. She didn''t seem to be against it in the slightest, though. Both are of feline origin, and cat''s rarely like the cold. Except the ones made for it, maybe, but neither of them were. "I''m looking forward tofy cuddling with my cat in front of a crackling fire in our living room. Be it on the sofas or the amazing sheebskin rug. Clinging to Maya in a warm bed once we go sleeping afterward is going to be the icing on my cake!" "I like this future of mine~." Maya was a big fan of the ns of her girlfriend that heavily involved her, too. "Hehe." "..." The wolves, on the other hand, became rather silent on the topic. "Say," Sophia didn''t miss that and addressed the two. "I n to have the firece going all day and night long in the mansion when it''s cold. Can I count on the two of you to watch it while Maya and I are sleeping?" She wanted to make it easier for them, especially Fen, to admit it. "We also really enjoy yourpany," Maya picked up on it and continued. "We would be happy if both of you could join us during the day in the living room." "Fine... You can count on us." "Of course, if you want ourpany, we''ll obviously join you." Fen and Aura didn''t hesitate in the slightest with their answer. "P-Perfect!" The couple tried their best to stifle theirughter. "Well, until then, let''s enjoy our camping trips as long as the weather''s still nice enough!" Sophia was a big fan of that, too, after all. "Yes!" Everyone agreed. "Oh, speaking of fall starting..." Maya seemed to have remembered something all of a sudden. "My birthday''s in two weeks. Time sure flies, huh." "You can say that again." Sophia nodded. "Wait, what?" the words only now registered. "Your birthday...? Two weeks...?" "Yep, I''ll turn 23." "I-I see... " "Don''t worry, you don''t have to do anything." She noticed Sophia''splicated, or rather, overwhelmed expression. "The first birthday of my first girlfriend since meeting her...? There''s no way I can do nothing there!" While Sophia has neithermon sense nor experience in romance, even she knew this wasn''t a valid option. "As I said, you really don''t have to. Though..." Maya stopped for a moment. "It''s not like I wouldin if you do something." "I''ll do my best!" The tiger sounded strangely motivated. The group chatted and rxed for a while longer. However, everyone except Sophia was slowly running out of magic because they were still passively filling up the crater with water in the background. It had also been a really long day for Sophia and Fen, and they were mentally done. So, even though the tiger decided to let her water magic run while sleeping, the group decided to turn in for the night. Everyone cuddled closer to their partner and fell asleep in no time at all.
Chapter 161 – Good ears Chapter 161 ¨C Good ears The group had decided to turn therge crater that formed after Sophia and Fen''s magic went out of control into a giganticke. As this would naturally take a while, they decided to camp there. As the previous day was highly exhausting for those two, they slept in the following day. "..." Maya and Aura were awake already and looked at their partners with aplicated expression. At the same time, they were also filling up the hole with water magic again as a good part of their power had recovered overnight. "Say..." The cat-girl eventually nced at the female wolf. "Was it... really such a miracle that the two s-survived...? I mean, I see the gigantic crater, but our idiots are extremely durable, aren''t they?" "There''s a limit to being durable, you know...?" "Y-Yes..." She hung her head as it definitely wasn''t what she wanted to hear. "Stop being sad thinking about what could''ve happened and be happy that it didn''t. Those two love to y around, and dangerous things can happen. I''m sure they learned their lesson this time, though." "Y-You''re right..." Maya needed a little time afterward to get over the topic because it was pretty heavy, after all. Once she managed to put it past her, the cat-girl changed the subject to something that seemed much more fun. "Say~." She alternatingly nced at the two wolves with a big smile, especially at the still asleep Fen, who had nuzzled himself against Aura''s side. It was a great distraction from the other thing, too. "Ugh..." Aura knew precisely where the cat was going with this. "So?" She seemed to be in a better mood again. "Well..." The wolf paused for a moment. "There is, uhh... some progress, I would say...?" "You don''t sound too positive?" "No, it''s definitely something good. Fen and I spent a ton of time together in the past. Before my ident, that is. We also often spent some dozens of years apart from each other because we had a slight variance in opinion from time to time. ying around with magic, among other things, we often couldn''t decide how to try out something new, especially because Fen''s a real blockhead." "D-Dozens of years just because of a small fight...?" Maya couldn''t believe her. "Fen and I are pretty much ageless. That much isn''t overly noteworthy. You and Sophia are still young, but you''ll probably eventually notice that time is just a number." "I-I''m not sure if I want to find out, though..." Maya was still somewhat creeped out about not aging herself. "Haha, fair point. It takes a while to get used to." "That aside, I don''t want to be apart from Sophia for so long!" "You sure are cute." Aura let out a chuckle. "Well, Fen and I weren''t romantically involved with one another during those times. Maybe I would think differently about it now, too." "G-Good to know." The cat-girl sounded relieved. "Oh, does that mean you''re romantically involved with him now~?" "More than back then." She was somewhat vague. "We were always busy with something, and romance wasn''t a topic. Now, though, we have a lot of free time, and Fen has also be much softer. Sappy, at times, even. I like him, even more, that way, as well." "And?" "We did a lot of stuff together here in the capital. We often had things that you could call a date, and the time we spent together while building the underground maze was the most fun I had since... I don''t even have an answer to that. Add in yesterday to that. Our idiots thought they would... die, and yet, theirst thoughts were about us. They didn''t, though, and the first thing they did after surviving was toe back home to us while they turned into clingy crybabies. How could I not love him?" "Everything b-bad from yesterday aside... The two really were super cute." "Yep~." "So..." Maya still wasn''t done. "Are the two of you together now, or...?" "Curiosity killed the cat, you know?" "Nah, I''m also pretty durable." She wasn''t faced in the slightest by Aura''s little threat. "You and Sophia really are a good match..." The wolf let out a sigh. "Ehehe~." Maya liked that. "Well... We''re more than friends, but less than you and your tiger, I guess." "With that, you mean flirty idiots?" She knew their standing in the group. "Flirty idiots that get pretty loud in the mansion during the nights every so often. No, Fen and I are not at this point." "Okay, that''s a sta-, Wait, w-what?" The cat-girl suddenly froze up. "While the walls in our home are quite thick, the hearing of Fen and I is something else." "Y-You don''t mean..." Her face turnedpletely red. "Good for you, girl~." Aura sounded incredibly cheeky. "Uuh..." Maya covered her face with her hands to hide her deep embarrassment. "T-That can''t be..." "I''m actually more surprised that, with such a young and passionate love the two of you share, you''re not going at it every night~." "Just why do Sophia and I forget to stop time so often?! Sure, we don''t think about it when the mood''s good, but... uuh..." "What...?" Aura''s eyes grow wide. "Wait... did I say that out loud?!" She got even more embarrassed. "You two actually stop time to have some... quality alone time...? "P-Pretty... often..." Maya gave up on hiding it. "Wow..." The wolf wasn''t sure what to say. "That magic... So envious..." She only mumbled those words, though maybe not strictly for the same application. "Sophia, you idiot!" Even though she was just as at fault as the tiger, she needed to get it out of her system. "Fuah..." As if on cue, the blonde suddenly stirred in Maya''sp while letting out a small yawn. "What did... I do this time..." She still sounded half asleep. "Also, ''morning." "G-Good morning..." "Such a noisy cat..." Fen joined soon after. "What''s themotion about¡­?" "W-When did you wake up?!" Aura sounded flustered. "Just now? Haa..." Also letting out a yawn, he continued. "When Maya was ming our idiot for something." "G-Good." "Again, what did I do?!" Sophia was still confused. "Nothing!" Aura and the cat-girl decided to keep their conversation a secret. "Ehh...? Okay, I''ll stop prying if I get breakfast~." "Sounds like a good idea." Fen liked her n. "That shouldn''t be a problem." "Great!" Sophia was a lot more livelypared to yesterday. Once Maya got the tiger off herp, which proved to be quite the ordeal, even though she was the one who asked for it, she started preparing a meal for everyone. ---------------- After everyone was well-fed and had forgotten about the previous topic, the group continued to passively use their water magic while spending their time around on the beach or around the crater. "Sophia...?" "Hmm?" The couple was currently taking a walk alongside the newly formingke when Maya had addressed the tiger. "Please... be more careful in the future, okay?" There was no need to specify what she meant. "Yes..." She hung her head. "I promise I will." "Thank you. I don''t want to lose you..." "I don''t want that, either! I''m so incredibly sorry and regretful that I can''t even put it into words... I can''t guarantee that I won''t ever do anything stupid and or dangerous again, but something like this will NEVER again happen." "That sounds great." Maya liked her promise. "Yes, please don''t stop doing stupid things. Even though Iin a lot about it, I also love that part of you. Doing stupid things is your nature, after all." "Is that apliment...?" The blonde wasn''t sure how to feel about it. "It surely doesn''t feel like one, though." "No, I mean it. Catastrophes aside, you are adorable when you y around." She showed her a great smile. "I-I see..." Sophia got a little bashful. "Okay, I''ll be stupid a lot in the future." "A-Ah, in moderation, okay...?" "Nope!" "I did that to myself, did I not?" "Yep!" The mood between them was great. "Okay, fine." The cat-girl gave up. "There''s another very serious topic we need to talk about, though." "Eh...?" The tiger froze up. "I really don''t like the sound of that..." "Our nightly fun time..." "Ah." Sophia interrupted her. "Is this about the good ears of our wolves?" "Y-You knew that they could hear us?!" She was shocked. "Fen mentioned it yesterday... Before the ident, I almost already died from pure embarrassment already... It was awful..." "Y-Yeah..." Maya nodded. "Aura told me about it earlier, too... Uuh... It''s really hard to look them in the eyes now..." "Mh-hmm..." The tiger felt the same. "We need to do something about that..." "E-Eh?!" The size of Sophia''s eyes doubled in shock. "You don''t want to stop now, do you?!" "Absolutely not!" Maya stared right at her while vigorously shaking her head. "G-Good..." She seemed relieved. "It''s way too much fun. Not to mention extremely addicting." "Ehehe." The cat-girl looked very smug. "All that training paid off, huh?" "Sure did." Sophie agreed with a big smile. "So, what''s the n?" "Well, we often stop time before we... All we have to do is to make sure that we''re either alone or always stop time." "Uhh... First, it''s amazing how you''re so willing to exploit the magic." "It''s super useful, after all!" Maya had no shame. "Second, that was my n, anyway! It''s just that a certain someone always gets so incredibly, let''s call it frisky, that we forget about it because we''re already in the middle of it before noticing. No, scratch that¡­ Absolutely horny is way more fitting." "Why are you talking about yourself in the third person?" "Hey!" The tiger got loud. "I won''t take the me for more than 30% of the time. 40% at the very best. You''re definitely the hornier one between us!" "I highly doubt that. You always get really into it." "You''re definitely the hornier one when ites to initiating things!" Sophia slightly corrected her im. "Fair enough." The cat-girl seemed to agree. "Let''s just make sure that we''re either alone or that you stop time for us." "Yeah, that sounds like a n. We really have to be more careful." "Absolutely." "..." "..." The was an awkward silence between the duo. "We''re going to forget about it a lot, huh?" "All the time." Neither of them had high hopes about their n because their minds were busy with something else in that situation, after all. Once the couple put the topic on hold and finished their walk, the two went back to the wolves. The group rxed together until it was time for lunch while passively continuing to fill up the crater with water. Chapter 162 – Meat Chapter 162 ¨C Meat The group was still busy turning the crater from the failed magic experiment into ake. Because they had a lot of time to spare, some interesting conversations came up. Fen and Aura seemed to have gotten a lot closer, but the actual couple was of the greatest interest. As it turned out, thanks to the great hearing of the wolves, they knew about some very intimate details of Sophia''s and Maya''s love life. Their nightly activities, to be exact. Naturally, the two were beyond embarrassed and sworn to themselves to be more careful. Something that most likely wasn''t going to happen. "Hungry!" It was around noon, and Sophia startedining about the usual. "ording to my detection magic, animals are migrating closer to theke again. Perfect time for lunch." Fen, too, was hungry. "Great! A-Ah..." The tiger looked happy before freezing up. "M-Maya, do you think you can make me a vegetarian alternative...?" "Ehhh?" The wolf didn''t like the sound of that. "We still have some vegetables at home that I could turn into a stir-fry for you. I could go fetch them with your portals." Maya then tilted her head. "Why, though? You love your meat, after all." "That''s exactly it!" The blonde got loud. "I never had anything against meat, but I never wanted to eat it daily, let alone in such gross amounts like Itely do... I''ve started to love it waaay too much!" "Don''t fight your carnivore blood; embrace it! The tiger inside you will shrivel and die otherwise!" "Shut up, Fenny!" "Aww... Well, I''ll still go fetch myself a kow, though." The wolf had no motivation to go along with her abstinence. "Maya, Aura, you still want some, right?" "Of course." "I''ll eat a little, too." Even Maya betrayed the tiger. "Great. Most members of our group are cool, after all." "Hey!" The uncool girl felt bullied. Fen ignored the blonde and went hunting. In the meanwhile, the couple used the portals to get back to their mansion. While they were catching the ingredients for Sophia''s vegetarian alternative, Aura decided to take it easy and simply watched the ce. ---------------- "That''s a weird kow..." The two were back at the crater and were looking at the animal Fen had caught. The kow in front of the wolves was much bigger, had a lot of fur, paws, and a very menacing face. "I''ve detected myself a baer. I kinda wanted that instead, then. As the boring tiger doesn''t want any meat, I saw no harm in it." "Hey!" Sophiained again. "Wait... weren''t baers the one with the super stinky and strong-tasting meat?" "Yep!" Fen''s tail was already wagging in anticipation. "I''m even happier now that I decided on vegetables!" The blonde still remembered the odor from thest time Fen and Maya ate it on their way to the capital. "It''s been a while since I ate baer. I''m looking forward to it." Aura seemed happy about it. "I''ll really eat just a little. While it tasted interesting, it wasn''t my favorite." "I really am on my own with this, huh?" "Your fault alone." Fen had no nice words for her. Afterward, Fen helped Maya prepare the baer while Sophia and Aura got another campfire going. Once the meat was roasting over the fire, the cat-girl got the tiger''s stir-fry ready in a sh, and the group started eating. "Mhmm..." While Sophia was munching on her veggies, aplicated expression slowly formed on her face. "What''s wrong?" Maya looked at her. "You don''t like it?" "No, it''s great! Just... it''s a bit boring...? Almost as if something''s missing..." She wasn''t sure what exactly the problem was. "Delicious!" Right after herint, the wolf spoke up after biting into a massive chunk of meat. "So juicy, and the chew''s just perfect!" "..." Sophia nced at him with an even more awkward expression. "Want some?" He gestured at the meat. "Ah, no, I forgot. You wanted to only eat vegetables, right? Sorry for asking~." The wolf knew precisely what he was doing. "I-I don''t like baer, anyway!" "The old Sophia didn''t, yes, but what about the tiger one?" "T-They''re the... same!" She was wavering. "Is that so~?" Fen wasn''t done yet. "So, how does it smell, then?" "Very strong!" "In a good or bad way?" "..." She paused. "I-I choose not to answer this..." "You want some, don''t you?" He gestured at the meat again. "I absolutely do!" The tiger inside her had won rtively quick. "Why are you two so... like this?" Maya wasn''t sure what to do with them. "I think it''s cute~." Aura liked their bantering. Afterward, the cat-girl roasted a regr-sized piece of baer meat for the blonde, who then hesitatingly tried it. "..." She stayed silent after chewing on it for a while. "It''s great, isn''t it?" Fen was sure the tiger would love it. "It... It tastes way better than I want it to be..." Sophia hated that she liked it. "It really is a bit too chewy, but the taste... uuh... I really like it..." She didn''t want to admit it, but she had no other choice. "It''s good..." "Hehehe." He sounded incredibly smug. "Ugh, I hate this..." While saying so, she was already munching on another piece of meat. "I really do..." "Sure~." "I-I still love veggies, though!" She wanted to defend herself. "I... I just need some meat to go along with it..." "Don''t worry, we''ll fix that, too, soon enough." "We won''t!" Sophia got loud again. "We absolutely will~." It seemed like the ident brought the duo even closer together in terms of messing with each other. ---------------- Once they finished their rather hectic lunch, in which the tiger managed to go a whole five minutes without meat, the group got back to filling up the crater. They had mostly run out of magic soon enough, except for Sophia, that is. It was almost impossible for her to deplete her power with water-based magic alone, after all. Because of that, she, very carefully, filled up everyone''s magic again. She stopped at 3/4 of their capacity, though, to make extra sure that nothing happens. Everyone, especially Fen, agreed with her precautions, and Maya was incredibly proud of her precautions. "We''re slowly getting there, huh?" A few hours had passed, and Sophia was looking at the gigantic crater that was filled rtively high with water already. "Forget ; it''s starting to look like an ocean. Magic''s amazing!" "Sure is." The wolves agreed with her. "Considering that the crater, too, was the result of magic... It going catastrophically wrong, that is. It absolutely is. In more ways than one." "..." The other three became silent after hearing Maya''s view on it. "A-Anyway," The tiger didn''t want to talk about it and looked at the crater again. "Even though it''s awe-inspiring already, it doesn''t seem like we''re going to fill it up today, huh? The upper part of such a hole will take the longest, after all, because of the diameter." "Yeah," Aura nodded. "I misjudged the size of your mishap a little. I guess we should camp another night, and we''ll be done by noon tomorrow." "Sounds fun." Sophia didn''t mind camping for another night. "Should we look for some leaves for our vegetarian tiger, then? I mean, we''ll have dinner here, too, right?" Fen loved this topic. "Y-You..." She didn''t know what to say. "When... When did I be the bullying target of this group...?" "Hmm...?" He tilted his head. "When did we meet again?" "No, no, no, I definitely remember bullying you a lot, too, Fen!" The blonde didn''t ept his sass. "What do you think, Maya... Ah, no, scratch that, you tease everyone unconditionally, after all. Be it a wolf or the princess of a nation. Not a good example." "Hey!" She didn''t like this usation. "Just because it''s true, it doesn''t mean you have to say it out loud!" The cat knew her personality. While Aura was having a great time watching their bickering, the group needed some time to cool off afterward. They spent the next few hours in silence while concentrating on theke. ---------------- "Err..." The sun was already setting, and it was slowly getting time for dinner. The group was together again, and Maya awkwardly looked at Sophia. "What do you want to eat now...?" "W-Well..." The tiger paused for a moment. "Is there any, uhh... light meat...?" "What''s that supposed to be...?" She had no idea what the girl meant. "Basically, the opposite of the baer from earlier...?" Sophia wasn''t entirely sure what she wanted, either. "Something like chicken, err... chiken, maybe? That''s what you called it before, right? That''s pretty mild, I guess?" "Ahh... I see what you mean now." The cat-girl nodded. "Fen, what does nature has to offer for our light tiger?" "H-Hey!" "Good one, cat." He was proud of her. "Let''s see... I''m not sensing any chiken-like food running around. When I was hunting, a yackalope tried to attack me, though. Those critters sure are something else. I ignored it, so it should still be alive. I could go and fetch that instead. They''re also pretty light in taste." "A-Ah!" Sophia''s ears and tail perked up after hearing that. "You said that they''re a delicacy, right, Maya? Back when I got that aggressive guy to test the portals with? You killed it, but we never ate it because we got a little busy afterward." "Yep, they''re super delicious." "Okay, I want to eat one!" The blonde got motivated. "Alright, I''ll catch one of them, too, for dinner." "W-Wait!" The tiger stopped him. "I want to hunt the yackalope myself. Thest time was a ton of fun! I''m itching to do it again~!" Her instincts were really itchy today. "Sure~." Everyone just smiled at her. "Urgh..." It took her a moment to notice what was going on. Even so, the tiger still needed to hunt it down now. An hourter, a skinned yackalope was being grilled next to many pieces of a kow over their usual campfire. The sun had set entirely by now, and the group was about to enjoy their dinner. "Looks delicious~." A new voice had suddenly joined their conversation. A male, human-looking individual, who seemed to be in his twenties with a pretty sloppy and unreliable feel to him, had appeared behind Sophia without anyone noticing. Chapter 163 – A special visitor Chapter 163 ¨C A special visitor The group was still busy turning the crater into ake and teasing Sophia with her growing love to eat meat ever since bing a tiger. Once the sun had set, and it was time for dinner, something unexpected happened, though. They were about to start eating when an unexpected visitor suddenly showed up. "Looks delicious~." Someone had appeared behind Sophia and lightly nced at their food. "Ohhh~." The wolves looked at the male human with the slightly unkempt look to him with a surprised expression. "Hmm...?" Sophia finally turned around, and their eyes met. "E-Eh...?" "Long time no see, huh?" He smiled at her. "Feels like an eternity, yeah. It was just a couple of weeks ago, though, wasn''t it?" "Uhh..." Maya looked extremely confused. "Do you know this sloppy-looking human? Sophia... Who is this weird guy? He looks extremely unreliable and sketchy, dangerous, even! I doubt he''s anyone that should be around you!" "Pfft!" Fen, Aura, and especially Sophia were trying their best to hold theirughter in. The three were failing hard, though. "What...? She nced at the group. "Wow, what a rude cat. Is she really the one, Sophia?" "Sure is." "You know me...?" Maya stared at the visitor. "Everything there is to know~." "Creepy!" She looked grossed out. "S-Sophia, this guy is bad news! I think he''s a stalker!" "Ha... I-I know he is one." The tiger couldn''t stop smiling. "S-Seriously?! People always say you shouldn''t judge a book by its cover, but there always are exceptions, huh? He''s as bad, if not worse, as he looks, huh?! What a creep!" "Ahaha!" The wolves couldn''t hold it in anymore. "You''re the best, Maya." "P-Perfect... I love you even more now..." Sophia felt the same. "Huh?" She didn''t get their reaction. "I don''t approve of you meeting him, Sophia! Who is he, anyway?!" "This is going to be great~." Fen had a great time. "I really don''t think you want to know now, Maya..." She could already see what was about to happen. "I absolutely do!" "Fine. Well, I''m with Fenny, this is going to be a lot of fun! Well, Maya, though he really is a creep, he''s also very important to me. He did a lot of great things to, and for me." "Aww." The creep was touched. "He also did a lot of messed-up stuff, too, though." "A-Ah." He turned silent again. "Anyway," The tiger ignored him. "Maya, this is Canir, or the overseer. Canir, Maya, but you know her already." "Sure do. Nice to meet you in person, though." The overseer lightly greeted the already petrified cat. "E-Eh?" It was all she could get out. "Fen, Aura, nice to see you again, too." "Absolutely." Fen looked at him. "It''s been way too long. I missed having a drink with you every now and then." "Sorry, I was pretty, let''s say... busy." "It''s okay." He wasn''t angry. "What brings you here?" The female wolf was also surprised. "Sophia asked me to visit everyone thest time we met, and I thought, why not? It could be fun, after all." "Really?" The blonde was surprised it happened so soon. "Partially." Canir''s voice suddenly turned much more serious. "There are some things we need to talk aboutter." "I don''t like the sound of that." Sophia had a bad feeling. The wolves also looked concerned after hearing this. Maya was still the same, though. Completely petrified, that is. ---------------- As the group was about to eat, though, Canir decided to join them for the time being and was almost punched into a different dimension by Sophia when he wanted to steal her grilled yackalope. He also loudly made a note not to get between a tiger and her meat again, which caused him to almost be punched again. Him trying to do a few wordys and innuendos with the word meat and how much Sophia''s into it, didn''t help his case, either. "E-Err..." Maya had finished restarting after a while and was currently hiding behind the big body of Fen. "l-l... I''m so very deeply sh-sorry about what I said!" She bit her tongue in the middle of her sentence. "Your cat sure is adorable." The overseer faced Sophia instead. "The cutest!" She sounded very proud. "Maya, there''s no need to hide yourself, you know?" The tiger was trying not tough again. "O-Of course there is! I deeply offended the highest g-god of this world!" "I''m the overseer, not a god. People of this world chose to worship me on their own for some weird reason." "Which effectively makes you, their god. Just give it up already." Fen retorted to his im. "Urgh..." Canir hung his head. "I just wanted to have some entertainment..." "Don''t worry," Sophia put a hand on his shoulder and showed him a great smile. "I don''t worship you~." "Me, neither." The wolves felt the same. "I gave this stupid tiger way too much sass when bringing her here..." "I would actually like to get some more of it!" She disagreed. "I got bullied a lot today!" "Good." His expression brightened up again. "Hey!" Sophia didn''t like that reaction. "Hehe." The wolves and Canir had a good chuckle. "Idiots..." The blonde hadn''t. "H-How... How can you all talk with him so c-casually?!" Maya was still hiding behind the wolf with her tail all puffed-up because she couldn''t deal with the situation. "I-I don''t worship anyone, either... b-but he''s still the Canir, you know?!" "So...?" Sophia, Fen, and Aura only tilled their heads. For extra effect, it was even in the same direction and angle. "Y-You!" "You don''t have to worry about this, my dear cat." He looked straight at her. "I enjoy this kind of unhinged conversation much more. Being all stiff is super tiring. I actually went as far as taking this into consideration when boosting Sophia to make sure she''s casual with me. I, uhh... might''ve overdone it a bit, though..." "One of the things I don''t mind you having overdone~." "I can see that." "Ehehe." Sophia let out a chuckle before facing Maya. "See? You''re currently the only one bothering the g-great Canir because you''re treating him as something special." She was unable to say that with a serious face. "A-Ah!" She froze up again. "Why do you want to have your sass boosted again...?" The overseer really couldn''t see the need. "You can never have enough of that~." "B-But even so... I-I still heavily insulted you earlier..." Maya couldn''t get over it so quickly. "You only said the truth, though?" Sophia didn''t see the problem. "Yep, I''m definitely taking some sass away from you, blondie." "A-Ah..." "You and the idiot are quite simr." He looked at the cat-girl again. "She had almost the same reactions when we first met. I don''t really mind. I mean, I do look a bit like a slob. It''s much morefortable, after all." While saying so, he suddenly transformed into his older, more dignified persona, who was also wearing a fancy suit. You can''t really rx like this, can you?" Afterward, Canir immediately transformed back. "Uhh..." Maya had seen Sophia transforming into a different person before, but it took her a lot of effort. It seemingly being as easy as breathing for Canir was something else. "I-I see... S-Still, I''m sorry. I shouldn''t insult someone without knowing them..." "He is a creepy stalker, though?" The tiger still didn''t see a problem. "Everyone needs a hobby." He didn''t correct her. "Then stop making my Maya apologize!" "I never did, though?!" He found her to be unreasonable. "She''s the one who can''t calm down." "True enough." The blonde couldn''t say anything here. "Maya, stop that." "E-Easier said than done!" The cat-girl got loud. She needed a few minutes to calm herself and finally left her hiding ce behind Fen. "Err... C-Canir, thank you very much for saving Sophia''s life in her old world and bringing her here... I''m really grateful and happy that I was able to meet her." "The pleasure''s all mine. Watching her adventures here is incredibly entertaining." "And that''s why you''re a creepy cker." The tiger couldn''t stay still. "H-How much of Sophia''s... a-adventures are you watching...?" Maya''s face suddenly turned red. "Don''t worry, my dear cat, any intimate scenes, especially those including you, are of no interest for me." "G-Good..." Her face still got redder. "I do catch a lot of your flirting, though. You two are constantly at it, after all." "I''m sorry about that..." She hung her head. "It''s alright. I''m quite happy to see someone getting along with Sophia this well." "Wait, why am I apologizing!?" Maya noticed that she wasn''t at fault here. "That idiot made me apologize for the same reason. It''s one of his creepy talents." The tiger remembered herst time visiting him, where exactly the same happened. "Hey, that''s just mean." Canir started pouting. "Both of you did that on your own. I just chose to graciously ept them~." "Do you think that''s any better?" Sophia stared at him with a disapproving expression. "Absolutely." "Why am I not surprised...?" The blonde gave up with a sigh. "You haven''t changed at all, huh?" Fen addressed him. "Why would I?" "Fair point." "You''ve softened up quite a bit, though, my dear Fenny~." "A-Ah..." He turned his head away. "Stupid Sophia..." "What did I do this time?!" "A-Anyway," The softie wanted to change the topic. "You mentioned that there are some things you need to talk about earlier, Canir. What is this about?" "Why would you remind him about that?!" The tiger''s bad feeling was back. "Oh, right, I actually almost forgot about that... I came to scold the two of you a bit." He looked at Fen and Sophia. "Eh? What did I do?!" The blonde looked confused. She was asking the same question a lottely. "Err..." Maya grabbed her head and turned it towards the gigantic crater they were currently turning into ake. "A-Ah, right..." "Yes, it''s about how that little hole came to existence, or rather... how the two of you almost erased, at least, this whole continent." "H-Huh?!" The disaster duo in question was beyond shocked by his im, and everyone went silent for a while. Chapter 164 – Types of magic Chapter 164 ¨C Types of magic The group nned to stay another night at the crater they were turning into ake with magic, but something unexpected happened during dinner time. Canir himself had actually decided to pay them a visit. They chatted for a while, but the overseer eventually addressed something very serious sounding. "W-What do you mean...? Fen and I almost destroyed this continent?" Sophia couldn''t make any sense out of his words. "Not destroyed, erased." Canir corrected her. "Just like the crater here. Everything would''ve been simply gone. Also, I''m heavily, like super heavily downying by limiting it to the word continent." "H-Huh...? B-But this creepy sphere that was eating everything stopped right before it got to us...?" "Y-Yes..." Fen, looking equally shocked, agreed with the tiger. "It seemed to be growing for a while, but everything was eventually wrapped into a pure white light, and it was gone afterward." "And just who do you two think was responsible for that white light that stopped the sphere from swallowing you and everything else?" There was nothing yful in Canir''s voice for a rare change. "O-Oh..." Sophia just now connected the all-consuming white she saw so many times before with the overseer. Fen, too, was aware of Canir''s powers. "Anything you two want to say?" He stared at the duo. "We''re deeply sorry!" Fen and Sophia hung their heads. "Also, thank you very much for saving us, and, more importantly, everyone else! Something on this scale definitely won''t ever happen again!" "Perfect~." His voice turned cheery again. "Even more than I wanted to hear. Both of you are forgiven and allowed to y again." "T-Thank you very much." "Err..." Maya and Aura looked extremely confused. "Creepy sphere that ate everything...?" The female wolf hadn''t heard about that detail from the duo. "E-Erased continent...?" The cat-girl, too, was shocked. "Well, it''s a bit hard to exin." Canir tilted his head. "Long story short, your idiots overloaded and almost destroyed the magic system, which, as a reaction, ran amok after having reached critical mass." "Seriously?!" All of their voices ovepped. "Yep, they went all out." "..." The group needed a break after this revtion. ---------------- The four watched their campfire burn for about 30 minutes. As it had a very calming effect on them, they eventually were able to work again. "But, wow, this group sure is something else." Canir looked at all of them. "The strongest member of the beastfolk, well, who was born as one, someone who reached the natural limit of magic, and then the duo who almost destroyed all of it. Fen, who''s basically a leader of this world, too, in terms of power, and we don''t even need to talk about Sophia." "..." The destroyer duo stayed silent. "Eh...?" Maya didn''t. "I''m... the strongest member of the beastfolk...?" "By far. Normally, exceptions are around the level of the little tiger princess who will awaken rtively soon. There''s no one else like you in your folk, cat." "W-Wow..." She had no idea what to reply to that. "You''ve found the perfect group to join." "Ahaha..." "Wait," Aura joined the conversation. "What do you mean by me having reached the limitation of magic?" "Your teleportation ident." "You know about that?" "Partially. I saw it happening and then heard about it once you joined this group." Canir apparently had also lost track of her. "So, you don''t know what happened, either?" She had hoped to finally get some answers. "No, I do. We''ll get to the detailster, but long story short, you wanted too much." "I absolutely did..." "Magic itself basically saved you. You didn''t have enough magic to teleport yourself and somehow managed to be allowed to use way more than you were supposed to. As a result, you became authorized to use as much magic as a living being from this world can. After the teleportation, this increased capacity became a part of you and changed your entire being in that regard." "l-l see..." It was a lot to take in. "That''s also the reason why I couldn''t help Fen with finding you." He looked at the male wolf for a moment. "I identify and search for individuals by using their magic power because they''re all one of a kind. Because yours hadpletely changed, I had no idea that you still existed. While I often peek at the demon continent, our paths, unfortunately, never crossed. Sorry about that, Fen." "It''s alright..." He also needed a moment. "You tried, and that''s all that counts if you ask me." "Thanks." "Soo..." Aura tried to get back on topic. "Does that mean I''m the most powerful being in this world?" "Native to it, yes. It''s impossible to have more magic of this world. It''s also a safety mechanism because if you condense any more magic in the vicinity, stuff happens." He stared at Fen and Sophia towards the end. "Wow..." "Wait, why didn''t this safety mechanism work on us?" The male wolf was confused. "Because of Sophia-" "What did I do this time?!" The tiger got loud. It was bing her new signature quote. "-and myself." Canir wasn''t done yet. "Eh...?" She turned silent again. "Our Sophia''s a little different-" "She sure is." Everyone agreed with the overseer before he could finish his sentence. "H-Hey!" "You have some lovingpanions, girl." He let out a small chuckle before continuing. "Say, did you notice that your magic power increased a bit after you turned yourself into a tiger?" "Now that you mention it... It did increase slightly, but I already had so much that I didn''t pay much attention to it. I think it was around Princess Anna''s normal power that I gained." "Yes, when you became an actual, full-fledged tiger-girl of this world, you also received the magic power of a tiger." "Oh, I see." "It was also the first time you received magic of this world." "E-Eh?" It naturally made no sense to her. "You see, you''re not the first one I brought over to this world, girl. You are the first one I didn''t reincarnate, though. Everyone else started new in a body native to this world." "Okay...?" "While I made a ton of changes, like the boosts or adjusting your age, the body itself was still from a different world. Before you became a tiger, that is." "So...?" Sophia couldn''t follow him. "Earth had no magic. You had no magic. There was nothing I could boost. 0 times x is still 0." "Ahh..." "As I took quite a liking to you, I''ve let you keep your old body, but I had to supplement your magic from somewhere." "And I''m very thankful for that. Ignoring the part where I changed my entire body myself soon after..." "I don''t mind. I have so much magic to spare that it wasn''t that big of a deal to give away some of mine for you to use." "E-Eh...?" The entire group froze up. "D-Does that mean I use the same magic as a god...?" Sophia wasn''t sure how to feel about that. "Overseer." He corrected her. "Same difference!" "Is that why Sophia''s magic feels different, is more powerful, or how it regenerates so fast and all that...?" Fen was slowly piecing it together. "Yep." Canir didn''t try to hide it. "Wow..." The wolf had no other words. "It also means that most limitations are more like guidelines for you, girl." He focused his attention on the tiger again. "My, no, our magic stands above the one of this world. We can feel the limitations of the world, but we can overrule them if we want to. A lot of the time, it''s a terrible idea, though." He nced at the newke. "It doesn''t care if we''re higher beings above this world; magic still goes out of control if it gets pushed past its boundaries. Once that happens, oh boy. Why do you think it took me way over a day to visit you? Yep, I ran basically out of magic myself while I was fixing your catastrophe. I had to recover first. It was that bad." "¡­" The blonde had nothing to say at the moment. "Back when you blew up my joke dungeon, it almost happened there already. But your usage of magic was still way too crude back then, together with the ce having some safety mechanisms. You also didn''t rely on your power to use magic. Rather, you literally burned it, making it way less effective." "..." Sophia needed a couple of minutes more to wrap her head around that information. "Is that why I was able to pour my power into Fen? Because those limitations don''t apply to me?" "Yep." "Also, how I was able to increase the power of- AH, Ari?!" She got loud again. "I gave Ari a portion of my power! Does that mean she also uses the power of a god now?!" "Overseer." He started pouting again. "Not for long. Except inside of you, my power doesn''t regenerate on this world." "Oh, I see..." She sounded relieved, but only for a second. "Wait! Does that mean she''s going to lose her power again? That would be way too sad and cruel!" "Don''t worry, while she''ll lose my specific power, the authority of her body still has been permanently increased. Once my magic''s gone, she''ll start regenerating her own." "T-That''s good..." "Still, you shouldn''t do that too often, girl." "I know..." "It dampens the amusement when you lower your ability to use magic for a while." He had no intention to hide his true motive. "As long as you don''t cause magic to destroy itself, that is." He nced at theke once more. "You... Wait a moment!" Sophia wanted to get angry but then remembered something else. "Earlier, you said that we are higher beings... T-That almost sounds like I was one, too... I-I''m sure you just misspoke, right?" "I did not." After hearing this, the alleged higher being called Sophia, stopped working, and her group, who wasn''t any less shocked, needed to take yet another break. Needless to say, Canir was having a great time watching the chaos he had created. Chapter 165 – Sharing magic Chapter 165 ¨C Sharing magic Once Canir finished scolding Fen and Sophia about identally having almost erased a continent, he exined a few things regarding how it actually happened. As it turned out, Sophia''s using the same type of magic Canir does. Because of that, she isn''t subjected to the same rules and limitations everyone else is. The tiger wasn''t able to be concerned about that, though, because something else had blown her mind. "What do you mean...?" The blonde still couldn''t believe it. "I''m no h-higher being, am I...?" "Sure are." Canir answered her in a yful tone. "N-No way..." "D-Does that mean Sophia is a... g-god, too?" "Overseer." He corrected the cat-girl again. "ept it already, Canir. It''s the same." Fen didn''t let him have it. "No!" Sophia loudly interjected. "It''s a huge and important difference!" "Thank you very much." The overseer was happy to hear it. "You just don''t want to be called like that, too, don''t you?" Fen had seen through the tiger. "Absolutely! That''s 100% it!" She had no intention to hide it. "And that''s why our dear Canir is definitely no god! Neither am I, for that matter!" The blonde was shouting and panicking at the same time. She was utterly unable to deal with this situation. "Don''t worry, you aren''t at the moment." "I don''t want it ever!" "Hahaha... You don''t nearly have enough power, anyway. You''d need to amass a ton of it for a very long time." "G-Good... Now I know what I won''t do!" "You using the same type of magic as I do just means that you have the potential to join my ranks. This, and being from a different world, ne of existence, makes you a higher being." "I-I see..." It still sounded plenty bad to her, but it, at least, didn''t seem like she''d be forced into something extremely bothersome. "Just don''t tell anyone about it, or else they might start worshipping you regardless." Aura had a small warning for her. "Of course! That sounds like the biggest pain possible!" Sophia shuddered while just thinking about it. "Tell me about it." Canir responded with a nod. "A-Anyway, I won''t be doing any overseer stuff! I''ll be staying here with Maya and everyone else! No matter how much power I might eventually amass! Before that happens, I much rather share my magic with everyone I meet to keep it at an overpowered but reasonable level!" "Oh, that sounds fun to watch!" He started smiling. "I like that idea of yours very much." "Urgh." It wasn''t the reaction the tiger wanted, but it still worked. "People might start worshipping you for that, too, though." Fen ruined her ns. "A-Ah..." "But even then, it''s still a conscious decision. It''s not like you''ll automatically get seated next to me once you reach a certain level of power." "Good..." She sounded relieved. Eventually, she looked at the gigantic craterke and faced Canir again. "Do I need to watch out for anything for real when I use your... our magic ?" "Hmm... Well, you''re a bit of a special case when ites to that. While you primarily use my magic, after your transformation to a tiger, you also have the magic of the beastfolk inside of you, which is native to this world. That makes you a hybrid." "Is that good or bad...?" Sophia wasn''t sure what this meant. "Extremely good. In various ways. That part of your magic will act up if you''re about to do something that shouldn''t be possible. My magic doesn''t care about that." "Oh, like the barrier thingy I destroyed inside of Fen? It felt like I shouldn''t go further, but it still worked once I used force." "That''s exactly it." "I see. That''s good to know." She nodded in understanding. "Wait, you said for various reasons. I don''t like the sound of that, either!" "No, you love the sound of that." Canir corrected her. "Ehh...? What''s that supposed to mean?" It made her even more dubious. "My magic''spatible with this world, as it''s positioned above it. The effects are mostly the same because, uhh... let''s say it''s rather simr. Still, it can''t be used with magic native and exclusive to this specific world. Once your body became a native of this world as a beastfolk tiger, you now also can use their specific magic without restriction." "For example...?" The blonde was only getting more confused. "You''ve heard of Blessing magic before, right?" "H-Huh... ?" "You only became able to use that after you transformed to a tiger-girl." "Seriously?!" "Yep," Canir confirmed it again. "I would''ve told you about that limitation eventually and offered you a free race-change ticket because you hadn''t used it whening to this world, but you had already taken care of it before I could even mention it." "W-Wow..." Sophia needed a moment. "As much as I messed up with that, bing a tiger really was one of the best decisions I ever made, huh...?" "Very entertaining, too." He let out another chuckle. "That''s why, it''s all set in that regard. Go get her, Maya~." "E-Eh?!" The cat-girl, who was only listening with a wide variety of facial expressions until now, suddenly jumped up. The queen was one thing but being told something like that by Canir himself was too much for her to stay calm. "Stop that." Sophia''s voice changed a bit as she looked at Canir while cracking the knuckles of her already formed fist. "Y-Yes." He shrunk down. "It was just a joke. Do whatever you want whenever you want, cat." "..." Maya had already stopped working. "I haven''t hit you in quite a while, have I?" "I would also like to keep it at that!" Saying so, Canir got up, left the position next to Sophia, walked around the campfire, and sat down again between the wolves. "Coward." Fen had no nice words for him. "H-Have you ever been hit by her?! It doesn''t quite hurt my body yet, but it''s the most pain I''ve felt in an eternity!" "Coward." Aura joined in with the other wolf. "H-Hey!" Afterward, the group needed a little time. The wolves kept teasing Canir. Maya was confronted with the topics of kids again, a big weakness of hers, and it took her a while to recover. Sophia, too, had a lot, if not the most, to take in after everything he had told her. ---------------- "By the way, Sophia, while the ck sphere was the first time I had to actively intervene, I was getting ready for it before already. You really took it to heart when I said to go nuts with magic, huh?" Canir had addressed the tiger again. "Eh? Was there anything else of this scale I did?" She nced at theke. "Not quite as world ending, but it probably would''ve bothered you even more personally." "More than the ending of the world...?" "Depends. How do you feel about identally having kids?" "Huh?!" The scream of Sophia and Maya echoed through the area. "W-What does that mean...?" The blonde had no idea what was going on. "You know, being unable to share magic with others is one of this world''s rules, but there''s an exception. Blessing magic. The magic authority you''re born with is quite simr to your DNA, and it contains every information of the user. It''s the foundation of this world, and so of every living being, as well. Your own, let''s just call it magic-DNA formed with your transformation and contains a copy of everything there is to know about you. Whatever was left of your previous DNA fused with your new tiger form and formed the basis of the beast-girl Sophia. That''s also part of the reason why you ran into so many issues when transforming back. It''s near impossible to split it again. Adding stuff is easy; taking away is not." "I-I see¡­" "With blessing magic, two individuals share andbine their magic to create new life. The recipient of the magic then carries out the child with the shared traits of both parents. While the conception is different, everything else afterward is just like a normal pregnancy. It also makes the members of the same biological family morepatible with each other. It''s not that relevant with the mild-hybrid type of beastfolk because they have enough shared traits most of the time to be very free with their partners." He looked at Maya and the blonde while saying so. "Still, normally a tiger and a cat aren''t able to have an offspring. The same goes for something like a fox and a dog, for example. Blessing magic then mixes the race of one parent with the traits of the other." "Err..." Sophia needed a moment to wrap her head around this exnation and understand how it was relevant right now. "WAIT!" She suddenly got loud again. Very loud. "Sharing magic¡­ D-Does that mean I almost i-impregnated Fenny?!" "Huh?!" The male wolf also sprang up in shock. "Ahaha!" Canir startedughing. "That would''ve been quite something, huh?" "It would not!" Everyone in the group retorted. "Hehe. No, I didn''t mean the two of you. You simply used Fen as a puffer. You didn''t give him your magic." "I see. That''s go- g-give...?" Sophia''s face suddenly lost all of its colors. "A-Ari..." "W-What?!" Maya also started panicking. "l... l... l, uhh... l, no... There''s no way l... no." The tiger stopped working entirely. "Calm down, idiot." Canir tried his best to hold in a chuckle while seeing her reaction. "I said I was getting ready to intervene, wasn''t I? The two of you weren''t even close to having an offspring. Blessing magic is a conscious decision that needs the consent and work of both sides to function, including speaking out loud wanting to have an offspring. It''s a really failproof magic, but I still got a little cautious and started preparing to stop you because you often are a bit ambiguous and cut corners." "..." She didn''t like any of this. "That Jaguar friend of yours also got really excited right before that because of your storage magic. After that, I remembered that you''d have to use my powers to make her use chantless magic because your tiger power''s not enough for that. It''s impossible to activate Blessing magic with my powers, so there never was a risk. The magic I gave you is just pure authority with no information of the actual owner. Only your tiger magic-DNA or whatever you want to call it would be used in your Blessing magic. In the end, what you did had some simrities with it at first, but it was something else entirely." "T-Thank goodness..." Sophia looked like she went through three heart attacks while listening to Canir. "D-D-Don''t ever scare me like that again!" "Sorry about that. Looking at it again, it was a textbook example of a higher being or a deity blessing a mortal with the gift of magic. Both are a blessing, but it has no rtion to each other. Sharing or mixing in my magic is only good for increasing authority. It can''t create a new life that way. There was no need to worry." "I-I''m super worried about something else now, though!" The tiger really didn''t like theparison he made. "Hehe. Actually, it was more or less the same I did for you." "Ughh..." She didn''t want to hear it. "Sophia, you idiot..." Maya was silent until now, but she finally found some words. "W-Why?! I mean, sure, I am one, but why?! You heard him, right?! It had some simrities, but it was something else entirely! You''re the only one I''d want to use the actual blessing magic with!" "E-Eh...?" Hearing those words, Maya froze up again. This was happening a lot today. "A-Ah!" Sophia only now noticed just what she''d just said. "M-Maybe in¡­ in the future, okay?! I wasn''t implying anything! W-We both aren''t ready, and it''s way too early and- urgh!" She stopped herself before making it even worse. "Canir, you stupid idiot!" "Why me?!" "You brought the topic up!" "So unreasonable..." ---------------- Afterward, the couple needed some time to collect themselves again. Both had taken a ton of mental damage for various reasons. Because of that, Canir spent the next hour catching up with the wolves because it had been quite a while since the threest saw each other. Eventually, though, Sophia became able to converse in spoken words, rather than shades of blushing again, and she desperately wanted to leave the topic behind them by asking about something else. "Say... Canir." "Hmm?" He faced the blonde. "Could you exin to me how magic actually works? Everyone seems to think they know what''s going on, but no one actually has a n, right? There''s too much weird stuff going on..." "Ahh..." He scratched his chin. "So, you''ve noticed, huh? Yeah, basically no one in this world understands the whole picture yet. Our wolves here included." "Huh?" Fen and Aura looked more than just a bit surprised after hearing this.
Chapter 166 – Magic system Chapter 166 ¨C Magic system Sophia found out that she''s using the same magic as Canir and how that effectively makes her a higher being, too. The tiger had already way too much going on for her and naturally didn''t like this revtion. She apparently also had already used her powers on Ari when she blessed the jaguar with her magic. To make matters worse, it had some very slight simrities to Blessing magic that one normally uses to have kids with their partner. Naturally, Maya wasn''t a fan of any of that, either. To finally drop the topic, Sophia jumped from one shocker to another. "What''s that supposed to mean?!" Fen got loud. "Nobody actually really knows how magic works?!" "Yep." Canir only reacted with a nod. "T-That can''t be..." He looked devastated. "Isn''t it just because Sophia''s a god that magic works differently for her, which then confuses her all the time?!" "I am no god!" The blonde also got loud. "Sorry, Fenny," Canir shook his head. "You got rtively close, but you''re also missing some details." "N-No way... But you said Sophia''s able to break the limits of magic because she''s using the same power..." "That''s true, but everyone misunderstood magic in general." "What?!" "Can you tell us how it really works?" Sophia looked at him with big and pleading eyes. "Girl, you are a tiger. Puppy eyes don''t work with you." "A-Ah." She quickly thought about another way. "If I know how magic actually works, I''m sure I''m able to do even more ridiculous stuff. That, in return, means more entertainment for you." "Alright, where should I start?" Canir was unsurprisingly easy to please. "Activation words!" Sophia wasted no time. "Those things make absolutely no sense with the exnations I got so far!" "Ahh... For them to make sense, I need to exin the whole magic system of this world." "I have nothing else nned." Saying so, the blonde got up while urging Maya to do the same. Afterward, the couple walked over to Aura and sat down there while leaning against the soft and fluffy fur of her side. "Alright, the two of us arefy; feel free to start exining~." "Ahaha..." The cat-girl let out a smallugh as she nuzzled against Sophia. "Yep,fy and listening." "Wow, and here I thought it''s already too much sugar watching the two of you from above... It''s something else entirely in person..." "You''ll get used to it." Fen and Aura let out a short sigh. "Well, d you found each other." He needed a moment before he was able to ignore the pink Aura around the couple. "Ehehe~." The two were happy about that, too. "Anyway, the magic system, huh?" Canir tilted his head for a moment before continuing. "Yeah, that''s a weird one in this world." "I figured that much already." This part wasn''t new for Sophia. "Even with an exnation, not everything makes sense to even me... It''smonly known that magic''s grouped in three stages. Chants, activation words, and finally, chantless. For each, you need a better imagination and power for it to work. That much, the inhabitants of the world managed to find out." "But it makes no sense that activation words are basically chantless magic with a little extra!" "That''s because no one found out why power matters. It''s not because you aren''t able to use it; you aren''t allowed to. It''s actually not really power, either, but rather authorization." "Eh?" Everyone looked surprised. "Allowed...? By whom?" Sophia tilted her head. "Magic." "H-Huh?!" Her expression changed. "There''s just no way that my stupid joke about magic''s being conscious, or Ari''s equally idiotic guess about magic not wanting to be bossed around is true, is there?!" "Eh." He only answered with a shrug. "Seriously?!" Everyone got loud. "That jaguar of yours pretty much hit the nail. You''re not quite right, Sophia." "N-No way..." The tiger couldn''t believe his words. "Magic is not exactly an, uhh... fully conscious being, but it''s an integral part of this world. It is, in a way, intelligent and able to make its own decisions. You canpare it a little with artificial intelligence in your old world, Sophia." "Are you for real...?" "Artificial...?" The other members of the group were naturally confused. "Hmm..." Canir tried to think of an analogy for them. "Maybe like the golems around here? Technically not alive, but they''re capable of thinking and making decisions to some degree. They''re actually controlled by magic, too, but by such a low amount that all they can do is wander around and attack stuff." "Are you for real...?" Once they had a rough understanding of what was going on, the three had the same reaction. "Sure am." He gave everyone a nonchnt answer. "Sophia was exempt from it in the beginning because she''s using my power, but magic decides what type of application you can use. The more power you''re born with, the more advanced magic it''ll allow you to use. While your powers may increase a bit over time, it''s rarely enough to change your authorization. Exceptions like the jaguar aside." "W-Wow..." "It''s basically the more power you have, the more you are epted by magic and can use it to your heart''s content. The magic inside of you can be used on its own, but it''s actually more of a baseline multiplier that determines how much environmental magic you''re allowed to use." Canir gave them some time to let it sink in. "The three tiers of magic work on apletely different basis. With chants, you basically ask magic to help you out. It does only the bare minimum for you, though. Activation words, more or less, order magic to do stuff for you. Still, it doesn''t fully cooperate with you at this point yet. The chantless or silent usage directly maniptes magic itself to make your imagination happen." "T-That''s quite something..." Sophia spoke for everyone. "Technically, you also don''t run out of power when you use a ton of magic. Rather than that, you lose your privilege to use it. It''s not your power that recovers over time, but you be allowed to use magic bit by bit again. That''s the reason why Sophia''s magicsts longer and recovers faster, too. Our magic, or authorization, is more important, for theck of a better word, than the native one." "Yay, me?" The tiger was too confused to fully understand everything. "Absolutely." Canir nodded. "If I had to summarize magic¡­ Magic is magic. It''s everywhere. Inside the air, trees, grass, dirt¡­ Even living beings sponge it up inside their bodies. Magic is an element like everything else. Actually, it''s the primary element of this world. People don''t actually use magic, though. They use their power, or authorization, to let the elemental magic work for them. With varying sess." "W-Well, now activation words make a little sense, I guess? It''s not because you can''t use chantless magic. Instead, you''re not allowed to use it?" "That''s the gist of it. Think of magic as something that wants to get impressed by you, and it makes a bit more sense." "I see..." Sophia could ept it to some degree. "Then, what did you mean when you said that magic is intelligent and can make decisions?" "Ever used some magic when you had no idea how it works?" "I asionally don''t do that." She was pretty familiar with the concept. "I am well aware of that." Canir let out a chuckle. "Anyway, when you imagine something, you''re unconsciously talking or negotiating with magic. As magic is part of everything, it knows how the world works, too. If you think about what you want to do, magic knows how it has to do it. You basically help out magic to decide what to do. If you do things half-heartedly, leave out details, don''t actually know what you''re doing, or rather don''t know what you want, magic, too, gets confused. It doesn''t know what your goal is, after all. That then leads to magic misinterpreting your intent." "T-That actually makes some sort of sense. It probably gets even more confused when it tries to recreate stuff from my old world, huh?" "Yep, you overwhelmed it a couple of times already. Great fun to watch, too." Canir had a good time. "Another example of why details are important is theke you turned to ice. You wanted to increase the surface tension, but you never thought about that, did you? The only thing that went through your head was a hard enough surface to walk on, right? Ice makes a lot more sense there, doesn''t it?" "Yeah... I really didn''t put much work into that one." "By the way, it''s still frozen solid and is causing quite themotion in the area because no one knows what''s going on." "S-Seriously?" "Yep. You never told magic to make the surface soft again, did you?" "A-Ah..." She paused for a moment. "M-Maya, when we revisit your home, we''ll be taking a detour and stay away from thatke, okay?" "dly!" "The word of it has reached there already, though." Canir didn''t give her an easy way out. "I never heard of such a weirdke!" "Whatke?" Maya joined in on it. "Exactly!" "You two really are made for each other." "Thanks~!" "Anyway," Canir got back to the topic. "While most of the time a rough idea is enough to use basic magic, you have to be careful when using detailed orplex magic." "I see." "I mean, wanting to be a tiger-girl and wanting to look like one are two very different things, are they not?" "Y-Yes..." Said tiger hung her head. "W-Well, I''m d that it happened. So, in the end, I learned absolutely nothing~." "d to hear. Your mistakes are a delight to watch, too. I would be sad if you were to stop with them now. As long as you listen to the magic of your tiger side when reaching limitations, a little, I look forward to a lot of semi-catastrophes." "O-Okay..." Afterward, everyone needed a break. It was a lot to take in, and it took the group a while to wrap their heads around. Chapter 167 – How to treat magic Chapter 167 ¨C How to treat magic Canir finished exining how magic actually works, and everyone needed a moment. While the usage of magic stayed the same, the concept behind it changed. Rather than needing to have the power to be able to use magic, power is required to be allowed to use it. The more an individual has, the more and better magic they''re authorized to activate. "Err..." Fen was the first to recover from the info bomb. "Sooo... While magic probably isn''t an actual living being, it isn''t wrong to treat it as one anyway...?" "Yeah, that works rtively well as an exnation. It''s maybe also the world itself?" Canir nodded. "I believe it''s even possible to get on the good side of magic. I doubt magic could actually like you, but it can get interested in you. That would result in an easier usage of magic, bigger powers orrger authorization, and stuff like that." "Is that so?" Sophia tilted her head. "What a fickle thing. Is it really not alive? Well, in any case, thanks for all your effort, magic~. I''m super grateful for that. Also, I''m sorry for making you go out of control... It was all Fenny''s idea!" She immediately tried to kiss up to it. "H-Hey!" The wolf didn''t like that. "I didn''t mean sweet-talking, idiot." Canir rolled his eyes. "I like your motivation to entertain me, though. No, if anything, magic would get impressed by, well... magic. Experimenting with it, inventing new types of magic, doing shy stuff, and all that. Well, if you look at it that way, magic will favor you regardless, stripy one." "Yay~." "While the wolves here have always been powerful, it would also exin their growth and their ease in using magic. Because of that, magic might actually wanted to save Aura during her ident because it didn''t want to lose such an avid user." "Really...?" She naturally got interested in that. "Say, do you know what actually went wrong? Why my teleportation magic failed this much?" "Teleportation is basically impossible by normal means." "E-Eh?" She looked shocked. "Why...?" "Way too many variables." "How so?" Aura looked confused. "I simply wanted to teleport myself a couple of meters, not across the globe..." "A few meters in rtion to what? The position you were in before you teleported, while it happened, or when it finished?" "What''s the difference?" "When is also a crucial variable." "Well, instantly, of course." "Did you specify that when you formed your image?" "A-Ah..." "Everything is in constant movement. The rotates around itself, causing the day and night cycle. It also rotates around the sun, which is the cause of the seasons, very, very roughly speaking. The sun doesn''t stay still either, though. This chain goes on forever. In the few moments between your disappearance anding back, your original position may already be thousands of kilometers away. You''re lucky you still ended up on the same. I guess it even that was a close call as you ended up high in the air." "S-Seriously...?" "Though, it probably wasn''t just luck. Even if magic tried to help you out, you almost instantly reached the limit of its usage. You ran out of power, or the ability to use it before you left the." "Wow..." "For teleportation to work, time is as, if not more important than distance. You need to exactly know how fast everything moves. Simply impossible. You could try to teleport yourself 0.5 seconds away from your current position, but you would still have no idea where you''d end up. Or inside of what." "I-I see..." Aura was overwhelmed by his exnation. "If it''s impossible, why did the magic activate in the first ce, though?" "Good question..." He paused for a moment. "Magic can be quite finicky at times and too much for even me to understand. My guess would be that magic itself only noticed what was really going on when it had already started. Once it was happening, it couldn''t be stopped anymore and ran a bit amok, just like what happened with our two idiots." "I tried something I really shouldn''t have, huh...?" "Absolutely." Canir agreed. "The only way teleportation could possibly work out would be when you''re also able to stop time, and even then, I wouldn''t rmend it. Not to mention that you need to be an overse-." "Hmm?" Sophia''s ears perked up after hearing this. "Does that mean I could use it? I can stop time, after all." "As I said, I still wouldn''t rmend it. There can still be obstacles at your destination you didn''t ount for... Wait, what?" Canir suddenly stopped mid-sentence. "You can do what now?" "Stop time?" The tiger tilted her head. "You didn''t know...? Wait, don''t tell me time''s stopped for you, too?! Ehehe, that''s very good to know~." Her expression turned nasty for a second. "W-Why...?" He had a very bad feeling about this. "So that''s why your movement was so jumpy every now and then? Quite a lottely, to be exact." "Ahh... Maya and I are, uhh... using it a lot... for, err... reasons..." "If you don''t forget it, that is." The wolves also had something to add here. "Urgh..." The couple took a lot of damage from that remark. "You can even bring others over already, huh? I didn''t expect that at this point. You are way morepatible with the powers I gave you than I thought you''d be. Like, waaay more. Maybe you''ll get a seat next to me as a new overseer sooner rather than-." "That seat will stay empty!" Sophia got loud again. "Is it really that much of a big deal?" "Yep, stopping time, too, is out of bounds with normal magic. That, as a whole, is actually supposed to be of exclusive use for overseers. You sure are something else, girl. People might actually start worshipping you as a divine being soon if you continue like that. Rightfully so." "H-How about no?!" The blonde really didn''t want that." Also, d-divine?! It was higher being not too long ago!" "I didn''t know you could stop time there yet. Let alone that using my type of magic affects me, too... Well, while we''re at it, was your portal idea to fast travel a sess? Using it to store stuff had already surprised me, after all. Well, I saw you creating one before reappearing somewhere else, so I guess that''s a yes?" "While we''re at it...?" Sophia tilted her head. "Yeah, I''ve connected it to the extra space I created a while ago to use as a sort of hub. That ce looks quite simr to yours, too, Canir. An unending white nothingness. I portioned off a bit to make it look nice, though." "Err... You already have your own full domain...? Of that size¡­?" His expression turned quiteplicated. "D-Domain...?" The tiger didn''t like the sound of that. "You shouldn''t be able to... Uhh, I mean, good for you." "Nonono! What did you want to say?!" "No, it''s just that you shouldn''t be able to create your own domain yet... A small storage area, okay, but¡­ Maybe not only the magic of this world favors you, but the greater main one ruling over all types, too...?" "Uhhh...." "Good job, you higher divine being." "Uuh... W-Why does it keep increasing?! I don''t want that!" She started panicking. "M-Maya, from now on, whenever I do something that could bring me attention in that regard, please punch me as hard as you can." "Ahaha..." The cat-girl couldugh. "Ah, but we''re still going to stop time whenever we, uhh... want to be alone, right?" "Of course." She didn''t hesitate for even a second. "She''s going to have her own cult soon, isn''t she?" Aura spoke out what the other two were thinking. As the topic hadpletely derailed by now, not to mention that Sophia had absolutely no ns to continue talking about her possible divine or whatever position, Fen got back to the discussion of magic itself. ---------------- "Say," The wolf looked at Canir. "We now know that magic is more than just there. It, in a way, is intelligent, and magic power is actually the amount of authorization you have to use it, together with how you''re allowed to. But... does it actually change anything in the way you use it...?" "What do you mean?" Sophia seemed confused. "Well, the backstory of magic is different, and a lot of things make more sense now, but it''s still the same, isn''t it...? You can use magic in three different ways. Chants, activation words, and chantless. While it''s not actually power, your ability to use magic is still tied to the amount of whatever you have." "Oh..." The tiger nodded. "It really is just a fancy wrapping in the end, huh?" "Kind of...?" Canir thought about it for a moment. "For most people, it changes next to nothing, yes. For this group, though, there''s a bit of a significance, I guess? If you treat magic as a person and think about that when using it with your imagination, you might see a much better result." "Hmm... Oh!" Sophia needed a moment. "If I imagine magic as if exining it to a person, I''d add much more details, which then would lead to a better result." "Or you''d actually even use the type of magic you nned to for a rare change." Maya had to take a jab at her. "Or that. Unlikely, but yes." The tiger hung her head. "Magic''s also able to learn. That can be especially interesting for Sophia." "Me?" She didn''t see the connection. "Earth has a ton of handy inventions, has it not? Wouldn''t it be fun to introduce some of them to this world with the help of magic? The living standards in this world are quite high, but there are many quality-of-life inventions left to be desired, aren''t there?" "That''s definitely true." The blonde agreed. "Still, is it even okay for me to introduce things from another world to this one...? Sounds like a lot of things could go wrong with that." "Sure, why not?" Canir didn''t see a problem. "Sounds like fun to me." "Ahh..." She understood his motivation. "But, even so, while I know how to use those inventions likeputers or cars, I have no idea how they work in detail, though. That''s just asking for a catastrophe, isn''t it?" She was confident in messing up. "Like I said, fun~." He still didn''t see an issue. "Magic''s extremely versatile. I bet you could work out a way to use it, like electricity, too. Maybe to power artificial light in the form of lightbulbs? There are many materials that conduct magic or store a lot of it inside. The demons experiment with that, too. They came up with the ovens that are still used over here, too. They''re built with a material that magic, well... likes, I would say? When you pour your power into it or use your authorization on it, it heats up in response because the stored magic reacts to your input." "Ohhh!" Sophia''s face lit up. "So, that''s how those ovens work, huh?" It had really bothered her ever since Ari exined how she had no idea about how they function. "Demons again, huh? They really seem like an interesting bunch." "Yep." Canir agreed. "I can''t wait for you to meet them." "Me, neither." The tiger looked forward to it, too. "We''ll go there once I finish exploring this continent." "Sounds good to me." "Still, re-inventing more stuff with magic, huh? It''s not like I haven''t tried it before already. Electricity, well, an alternative too that could be fun." "I look forward to it." The duo kept chatting about it for a while and came up with some ideas the blonde wanted to try. The others were listening to their conversation, but all the unknown terms and words made them look very confused, to say the least. Eventually, though, their chatting became less technical again, and the group could join in once more. The evening and night seemed to be far from over.
Chapter 168 – Fixing a bug Chapter 168 ¨C Fixing a bug The group was a little confused over how the new knowledge about magic would actually be relevant as little changed about its usage. Canir confirmed that, for most, it simply serves as an exnation for why magic works the way it does. For those that can use chantless magic, it has a little more impact, though. If one treats magic more like a person and imagines the usage the way you''d exin it to someone, the result would most likely end up being more correct. Magic''s also able to learn, which opens up a whole lot of possibilities for Sophia, a girl that came from a world with endless and curious inventions. Eventually, magic being the main topic, slowly came to an end, though, and the group chatted with Canir about all kinds of other stuff. "Say... What''s up with the weird naming scheme in this world?" Sophia remembered a topic that had been bugging her since the very beginning but always forgot to address it. "Hmm? What do you mean?" Canir only tilted his head. "Well, thenguage is basically the same... Now that I think about it, that in itself already is plenty weird... Even so, some words are only almost the same. They asionally sound or are spelled ever so slightly different. It¡¯s super weird!" "That''s indeed odd..." Canir also seemed confused for some reason. "Could you give me a few examples?" "Sure...?" Sophia had no idea why he would need that. "Cow is kow, bear became baer, deer to teer, horses are called harses now, and the ever so delicious pizza suddenly is a piizza. There are many more examples, but that''s the gist of it. I''d so like to know how that happened..." She was really curious about it. "Err..." He needed a moment. "It seems like there was a small bug." "A bug?" The tiger stared at him. "In thenguage of this world?" "Come here for a moment." Canir got up from the ground and gestured her closer with his right hand. "Really...?" As she was still leaning against Aura while being clung to by Maya, her motivation to stand up wasn''t the highest. "Fine..." Eventually, she got up and walked towards the overseer. "What a noble sacrifice." He rolled his eyes. "Alright, what do you- OUCH!" She suddenly yelped in pain while she was holding her head. Out of nowhere, Canir had flicked her forehead with so much force that it almost looked like a shockwave that even moved the dust in the area came out from the back of her head. At the same time, a flicking sound echoed through the area. "Okay, that should fi-" Unable to finish his sentence, the overseer was suddenly gone. "What do you think you''re doing!?" Sophia yelled in the direction he had disappeared to. At the same time, she also started nursing her fist that had turned bright red after having connected with Canir''s face a few seconds ago. "That hurt!" "Wow." "Nice punch, girl." The wolves, especially Aura, had enjoyed the show. "W-What just h-happened...?" Maya was a little more shocked. "That''s what I''d like to know!" The tiger sounded angry. "Why would he flick my forehead like that out of nowhere?!" "Err... n-no..." That wasn''t the issue the cat-girl had. "Y-You just punched the Canir, you know?!" "And?" She only tilted her head. "It''s far from the first time, too, after all." "I-I, uhh... was kinda hoping it was just a figure of speech the other time..." "Nope, it always was the fist-meets-face kind of thing~." She sounded strangely happy while saying so. "H-He isn''t dead, i-is he?" "Nah, he''s a sturdy one. I don''t think I can kill a go-, overseer." The tiger corrected herself as she didn¡¯t want to call him a god anymore after finding out she could be the same if she wanted to. A god was way too much for her to deal with there. "And trust me, I tried~." "R-Really?" Maya sounded dubious. "It looked like you punched him into another dimension or whatever, though..." "Yeah, I''m quite proud of that one." There was not even the slightest bit of regret in Sophia''s voice. "Y-You really are something else..." Maya gave up. "Ehehe~." It was apliment for her. "Still, why did he even do that...?" She nced at the ce Canir was a little while ago again. "Did hee up with those names, and I hurt his feelings? Maybe he invented thenguage, and he had a speech defect during that time? Ah, that must''ve been hard... I never said I disliked those names, you know? It just confuses me all the time... I don''t really care if it''s kow instead of cow now. It actually sounds kinda cute. Harsies~ has a nice ring to it, too. I might like that even more than horsies.¡± "Mmnh?" Fen stared at her with a confused expression. "What are you even talking about?" "Eh?" "What''s with the sudden rpse? How many times did we go over that already? They''re called cows and not kows like you use every so often, girl. It''s the same with horses." The wolf looked tired. "H-Huh...?" Sophia had no idea what was going on anymore. "I know that they''re called cows and horses, but you all always told me that they''re actually slightly different. Baer, teer, piizza, rozes, podadoes, chocde, and all that..." "No..." Maya joined Fen''s side. "Those are the funny pronunciations you came up with, Sophia. They''re called bears, deer, pizza, roses, potatoes, and chocte here." "W-What...?" The tiger couldn''t find any better words. "Eh...?" ---------------- As Sophia was beyond confused at this point, the entire group was at a loss about what to do here. "That''s what you get for punching me, idiot." It took him around 15 minutes, but Canir suddenly reappeared in front of the group while not even having a scratch on his face. "Want another one?" The blonde already readied her fist. "I do not!" While saying so, he increased the distance to the tiger and half hid behind the wolves again. "Coward." Aura shook her head while looking at him. "H-Have you seen her punch?!" He got loud. "She actually, literally, punched me back to my own domain!" "Nice job, stripey one." Fen seemed genuinely impressed while ncing at Sophia. "That''s what you get for flicking my forehead, Canir! What was that even for?!" "I just fixed the error in yournguage settings. I need to get a little more physical when using my blessings outside of my realm..." "I see... I''m sorry about that, then... Still, you should''ve warned me beforehand-, Wait, what?" It took a while before the words had registered in her brain. "Mynguage... settings...?" "Girl, you are in a different world. What made you think they actually use the samenguage as you do?" He stared right into her eyes. "Err... I hadn¡¯t actually put any thoughts into that... It did confuse me a little earlier, though... Wait, what...?" She repeated herself because the tiger couldn''t follow him even the slightest bit. "This world uses its very ownnguage that didn''t exist on Earth." "E-Ehh...? B-But I can talk with everyone rtively fine, though...?" "Yeah," Fen nodded. "She says some funny things every now and then, and sounds a bit stupid from time to time, but I understood most of what she told me." "Exact- HEY!" "That''s because the changes to your body and the boosts weren¡¯t all I did for you." Canir interjected. "I also made you understand thenguage of this world. To a point where your brain wouldn''t even notice that it was different from what you were used to." "S-Seriously?!" The blonde was shocked. "Uhh... t-thank you very much for that!" "You''re wee~. While it could''ve been fun to see you struggle with a differentnguage, even I found that idea a little too cruel." "A-Again, thank you very much! I''m also really sorry for punching you earlier!" "You aren''t." Canir didn''t buy it. "You are correct! It was awesome! I''m sorry for lying!" She sounded excited and itching to go again. "Stop that." He couldn''t deal with this type of Sophia. "dly." "Good... Well, I gave you thenguage of this world as another gift, but it seems that it hadn''t imnted itself to 100% in your brain. Hence, some slight pronunciation issues surfaced." "Wow..." The blonde needed to let that sink in. "So, it wasn''t like someone was just incrediblyzy whening up with those names? It really seemed like that to me. You know, as if someone just exchanged a few letters and sybles and thought that works well enough." "That¡¯s just stupid, girl." "I know!" Sophia gave him a big nod. "That''s why I got so confused about them every now and then.¡± "No, that was my fault. Or maybe yours because your skull''s so thick that my gift didn''t get fully through it." "Hey! Well, I can''t deny that possibility..." She''s pretty self-aware, after all. "It should all be fixed now, though. I made sure it gets to every corner of your brain this time." "You sure did..." Sophia rubbed her forehead while saying so. "It super hurt!" "Yeah..." He rubbed his jaw in response. "Very." "Hehe.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°Still... I don''t even know how long I''ll still be using the wrong names, though... cows have totally be kows for me..." "Good luck with that." He had no better words for her. Afterward, Sophia needed some alone time to fully understand what she just had found out and how she was the one in the wrong with the weird-sounding names the entire time. Chapter 169 – Fine-tuning Chapter 169 ¨C Fine-tuning Sophia had found out that the new world she had been living in for so long already was using an entirely differentnguage. She also learned that Canir made her able to understand and converse in it as a gift. There happened to be a slight error, though. The strangely familiar but different sounding words like kow or harse were actually a mistrantion in her brain. Thankfully, Canir fixed that bug for the tiger, and the strange names were gone. "What a twist..." The tiger still couldn''t believe it. "There will be a lot less of me rolling my eyes when being confronted with something new." "And a lot less of you sounding stupid to us." "Urgh..." Sophia took some damage from Fen''s jab. "A-And I thought you all were the stupid ones..." "Nope, it was you all along." Maya joined in on the teasing. "You did sound kind of cute whening up with all those names, though." "Uuh..." Strangely enough, the cat''s second remark didn''t make her feel any better. "Ehehe~." "Still... kinda weird to think that everyone around me was¡­ is using anguage I didn''t actually learn. Even the stuff I read and wrote looked perfectly normal... You''re way too powerful, Canir." "It''s great, isn''t it?" "Scary, too." Sophia had mixed feelings about it. "Just don''t think about taking thenguage skill away from me as a prank! I wouldn''t just punch you back to your ce, but all the way to my old world! Still, thank you very much for the gift." She was all over the ce. "D-Don''t worry, I wouldn''t do that. In the first ce, I can''t. I''m able to bless you with stuff, like fixing yournguage error, but I can''t take things away from you anymore." "That''s good... Wait, anymore?" She got a little confused over his wording. "Some loopholes aside, I can''t negatively affect the residents native to this world. It''s part of being an overseer, and this world here is actually my main ce to oversee." "I''m not a native, though?" Sophia didn''t see the connection. "Are you sure about that, my dear tiger?" "A-Ah, I see..." "Yeah, you''re no different from your cat in that regard anymore." "Not bad, me." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Well, no, it''s a good thing. Does that mean you can''t change my boosts anymore, either?" "I still can improve things, like adjusting the boosts of your negative emotions, but that''s about it." "Good to know. Well, I want them to stay as is, anyway. Some boosts are still bothersome, but I''ve be more than attached to most of them. Maya loves my boosts, as well. Especially at night when ites to my increased-." "H-Hey!" The cat-girl stopped her with a red face. "There''s no need to mention that! C-Canir, could you please boost her ability to keep things to herself?!" "Aww, where would the fun in that be?" He didn''t want to grant her wish. "Ugh..." "There are some other things I can do to you now, though, Sophia." He focused his attention on the tiger again. "I really don''t like the sound of that." "I''m able to bring you back to your old world again. Normally, I can only return people to Earth during the duration while time is initially stopped. Afterward, it bes impossible. Now, though, as you''ve be a resident of this world, you can hop again. It''s a one-way trip, though... My authority on earth is limited. Also, sending someone there is considered to be more along the lines of a punishment... Getting them back out there again afterward isn''t supposed to be possible. I basically lose any control over them once they arrive there." "Seriously?!" "Eh?!" Maya was now the one who didn''t like the sound of that. "You could apany her, too, cat." "H-Huh...? Me, to a different world...?" "Sounds fun, doesn''t it? It would be a one-way ride, though, because I can''t bring you back here again, then." "Don''t tell her anything stupid, Canir!" Sophia stopped him. "This world is sooo much more fun. I''m going to stay here!" "G-Good..." Maya sounded relieved. "Boring." "Sooo..." The tiger stared at Canir. "If you can''t negatively affect me or whatever anymore, you probably can''t adjust that one boost that makes me unable to get drunk either, right? In a way, that''s something positive, isn''t it?" "It''s not quite a boost. Actually, it''s part of your poison resistance." "I have poison resistance?!" Sophia didn''t know about that. "Yep. I thought that would be handy." "Absolutely! Thank you very much!" She sounded genuinely thankful. "You''re the best!" "You really can be cute if you want to, huh?" "Shut up!" The blonde didn''t like his reaction. "Hehe. Still, is there a reason you want to get drunk?" "Y-Yeah..." Her voice turned a little somber. "Maya keeps asking me to tell her more about my old world and... family. I understand that, and I''m d she wants to know... but... I can''t do that sober..." "Ahh, I see." Canir nodded. "Alcohol would definitely make that easier. Let me think... Well, I can''t take away your poison resistance, and I doubt you want to, either." "Yes, though I just found out about it, I never want to let go of it!" "Hmm... I could try one of my loopholes." "Okay?" The tiger tilted her head. "I could by boosting the enjoyable side of alcohol for you. An improved enjoyment could reactivate the fun side-effects of it." "Sounds like a good way to get an addiction to me." Sophia came up with a surprisingly reasonable argument. "Fair point, actually..." He hadn''t thought that far. "Oh, I could trick your brain into thinking to get drunk by boosting your imagination. You''ll feel like you''re drunk, but you aren''t actually." "And by telling me that, you made it impossible for me not to think about that while drinking. Also, my imagination''s boosted way more than enough already." "Why are you such a pain?" Canir stared at her. "Because you made me like that." "I''m pretty sure you always were one." "That point goes to you." Sophia couldn''t fight back. "Well, maybe we should try boosting your enjoyment for alcohol, after all." Canir had no better idea. "I can simply boost your resistance of getting addicted to it by the same amount. That way, it''ll cancel each other out." "You can boost such specific things?" "I could boost you in such a way that your mood increases by 5% during the evening of every second Thursday of the month." "Are you serious...?" The tiger couldn''t believe him. "Yep, not a problem for me." "Then why... Why did you boost EVERYTHING of me with a stupid FLAT multiplier?!" She got angry. "A-Ah..." He retreated a couple of steps from her. "I-It''s a lot of work to finely adjust every single detail... L-Less entertaining, too." ---------------- Around 30 minutes had passed since Canir made this statement, and no one had seen him since then. Sophia was still applying healing magic to her own hand, which, even now, hadn''t stopped hurting yet. Judging by the remains of blood on her knuckles and how her hand looked almost deformed for a while, it seemed like she identally had broken a few bones when her fist connected with a hard surface of sorts. "Urgh..." The tiger finished up healing her hand and blew on it. "I-It still feels all tingly and numb... Why is his face so damn hard?!" "Because the face you punched belongs to a god...?" Maya wasn''t sure what to say. "Overseer." Sophia corrected her. She really didn''t want to bepared to a god after discovering that she''s using the same powers. "Or that." It didn''t make that much of a difference to the cat-girl. "I wonder if he could boost the bones in my fist, too. I took way too much damage this time..." "Y-Yeah... I''m fairly sure you broke one or two bones..." Maya slightly grimaced while remembering the sight of the blonde''s red, bruised, bloody, and swelling hand before Sophia started applying healing magic to it. "How about no?!" A male voice eventually joined their conversation. "Wee back~." The wolves lightly greeted Canir. "Haa..." The overseer rubbed his still red and bruised nose. "Wait," Sophia noticed that, too. "Did I actually do somesting damage? Sorry about that, but your remark made me actually angry." "Yes..." He paused for a moment. "I needed some time to recover. Yeah, I''ve earned that one." "I maybe wouldn''t go that far..." The blonde sounded slightly apologetic after she calmed down. "After all, you saved me, and that excuses a lot... but ying with my life, me, was a bit much." "Yeah... My offer still stands regarding that. If you want to, I''ll readjust the negative parts of your boosts to make up for it." "Nah, it''s alright. I was actually d that I was able to get that angry earlier. Though my hand still hurts, it feels incredibly refreshing. It''s not bad to have such an outlet, actually." "I beg to differ!" Canir, who was used as an outlet this time, naturally had a different opinion. "Well, that''s your responsibility to take now. You''re the one who made me able to reach this level of anger, after all~." "I don''t want this kind of responsibility!" "Toote for that~." Sophia was having fun. "Alright, let''s get me drunk!" "Fine..." He gave up. "So, you''d like me to bless your enjoyment of alcohol and boost your resistance to its addictive side?" "Pretty please! Ah, are there any downsides?" "Your poison resistance will still be working. As a result of that, you won''t be able to throw up or get a hangover." "Sounds like an absolute victory to me." She liked the sound of that. "I want that, too!" Fen suddenly got loud. "Sure, why not? Anyone else?" "Thank you very much!" The wolf''s tail started wagging. "I''m good." "Me, too¡­" Maya and Aura didn''t feel like messing with their bodies right now. "Ah, could I get a trial period of those new boosts? Maybe something along the lines of them automatically running out after a week or two?" The tiger started to second-guess it. "I want to make sure they work the way they''re supposed to be before being stuck with it." "Oh, me, too!" Fen joined in on the idea. "Where''s the faith in me?!" "..." The duo only stared at him. "Fine... I''ll make it that they''re automatically run out after two weeks. If you like them, I can reactivate the boosts the next time we meet." "Perfect! Ah, do I need to get another forehead flick? I have to prepare myself for that first. I don''t want to punch you on instinct again." "Thank you very much for your consideration." Canir sounded relieved. "Yeah, it has to have some impact or strong contact. Oh, something like a kiss would also work, but..." "Yeah, if you kiss me, I might get angry again." Sophia didn''t like the idea at all. Maya, too, flinched when she heard it but soon rxed again after seeing her blonde''s reaction. "Yeah, don''t worry, I have no motivation for that, either. That''s not how we work." "Good. Feel free to kiss our wolf, though. I bet it would be fun, and I''m very interested to see how that would work~." Her voice sounded really yful. "Ohh?" Maya''s ears perked up. "How about no?!" The boys didn''t seem to like the idea. "Aww..." The couple looked disappointed. Afterward, Canir got ready and gave the duo a hearty flick on their foreheads to activate the boosts. Sophia''s fist twitched once in response, but she was able to hold back her instinct. An exciting night seemed to be starting.
Chapter 170 – Getting drunk Chapter 170 ¨C Getting drunk The blonde tiger found out that her transformation had even deeper consequences than she initially thought. Not only was she able to use race and world-specific things like the Blessing magic now, Canir apparently had lost some influence on her, too. The overseer confessed that he couldn''t permanently negatively impact the native residents of this world, of which Sophia was a part of how. He was able to send her back to her old world now, but the blonde had no interest in that. Canir was still able to give out positive boosts, though, and Sophia decided to regain the ability to get drunk. "A-Alright..." Sophia nursed the sore spot on her forehead while looking at Canir. "Am I really able to get drunk now?" "Only one way to find out." He answered her question with a smirk. "Oh, I like the sound of- Wait!" The tiger suddenly stopped. "By how much did you boost my enjoyment for alcohol? I''m not going to be smashed from the first sip, aren''t I?!" "Only one way to find out~." His smirk increased. "Hey!" The blonde didn''t like the sound of that. "Hehe." Everyone had a goodugh. Except for Sophia, that is. "I wonder if I can hold back my strength when I punch someone while being dead-drunk~." "A-Ah." Canir''s face turned pale. "I-I did it in moderation, okay?" "Well, only one way to find out~." The blonde managed to pull aplete reversal on him. "Okay, let''s give it a try! Nothing to lose if I get smashed, after all!" "I''m not responsible if you overdo it on your own, okay?!" The overseer had a bad feeling about this. "Let''s see..." Sophia tilted her head while she let her arm disappear into the portal to the group''s storage. "Fenny had me buy a ton of alcohol the other day because it''s easier for me to carry stuff. As usual, though, I threw it in here and forgot about it. Ah, there it is!" She pulled out a basket will many different shaped and colored bottles out of the portal. "Sorry, Fenny, we''re going to empty that today~." "Fine by me." The wolf didn''t mind. "Did you like alcohol that much before you became immune to it?" Maya was wondering why the tiger was so motivated. "Not really, no." She shook her head. "My sister mixed some cocktails for us every now and then, and they were quite tasty, too, but other than that..." "Why are you this hyper, then ?" Sophia''s answer only confused her more. "You wanted to know more about me, my past and my... family, right? As I said earlier, I''m not emotionally ready to do that yet. Sober, at least. I might be able to cry my heart out if I''m drunk." "I-I see..." Maya was touched by her motivation. "Thank you." "I promise nothing, though." "I''m more than happy that you''re willing to try!" "Alright..." Sophia grabbed a pretty small bottle from the basket filled with alcohol. She opened the lid, brought it close to her lips, and downed it in one go. "Disgusting!" The blonde''s expression changed to a grimace in an instant. "A-And it burns! It''s way too strong... Why would anyone drink this...? Hey, Canir!" She faced the overseer. "I thought you boosted my enjoyment for alcohol or whatever?!" "I did!" He got defensive. "Err..." Fen nced at the small bottle the tiger was holding. "That''s an extremely highly concentrated mixture that''s used to spice-up cocktails. You''re not supposed to drink it right from the bottle. Even I wouldn''t be able to deal with it. It''s almost pure alcohol, after all." "A-Ah..." Sophia looked a little awkward. "Well, I guess you actually did boost it, Canir. Sorry about that. Without it, I probably would''ve spat it out, huh?" "How are you feeling...?" Maya seemed a little concerned. "My throat and stomach feel all tingly and warm." She gently rubbed thetter one while saying it. "Other than that, I''m fine~." "Good. Is it working, then?" "No idea yet. It''ll take a while to get drunk, right?" Sophia eyed the basket again. "What''s your rmendation, Fenny?" "Let''s see," He took a better look at the assortment. Once he decided on something, the tiger also got some sses for everyone and tes for the wolves out of her storage. Afterward, they gotfortable around the campfire to have a drink or two. Or 17. ---------------- "Say," The blonde was on her third ss of whatever Fen was rmending her when she looked at Maya. "Is there anything specific you want to know about my past?" "Everything!" Her answer was instantaneous. "Shtarting off easy, huh?" Some first effects of the alcohol started to show. "Canir, to get me in the mood... Have you, uhh... found my family...?" "I''m sorry," He shook his head. "I haven''t yet. I''m looking around, but it''s kind of hard to get a hold of specific people." "I shee..." Her mood immediately went down. "Don''t worry. I can''t give you a timeframe, but I''ll definitely find them." He didn''t want to disappoint her. "Thanksh... It''s alright. I''m happy that you''re tr-trying already." "Drunk Sophia bes friendly and honest, huh?" Canir wasn''t sure how he felt about this. "I''m druunk?" She tilted her head. "You sure sound like it." "Nothing''sh spinning yet, though. Might need shome more~." Saying so, the blonde emptied out yet another ss, and one more, followed by the leftovers inside of the bottle she was holding. "Don''t overdo it, Sophia..." The cat-girl got concerned again. "It''sh fine~." Her speech was quite attached by the alcohol now. "I''m feelingsh like I''m getting talka... talkatatata... talkative! I think I can teell you a thing or two about my old woorld now~." "Really...?" Maya wondered if she really could. Or if she can understand anything, at least. "Yesh!" The tiger gave her a clumsy nod. "I guess I shoould start wit puberty? My childhood before wash really uneventfully." "Please." Maya took another sip from her drink while leaning forward in anticipation. Naturally, she was looking forward to learning more about her girlfriend. "I thiink I already gave a short exnation, right?" Sophia remembered the time where she first confessed her past to Maya. "I guess shome details would be nice?" "As much as you''re willing to share with me." "Wow, puttiing it that way shure makes me sound like an-" "N-No!" She interrupted her. "That''s not what I wanted to imply! I get that you had a hard past, so I''m really happy that you want to share it with me. No, all of us." "Thanksh~." Sophia was d that she was so understanding. "Alright, let''sh get over with it!" She took a deep breath, and another drink, before continuing. "I told you already that not, or not exclusively, liking the opposite sex wash quite rare in my old world, yesh?" "You did," Maya answered her. The wolves decided to let the couple be and only listened in the background while Canir already knew everything about her, anyway. "You also told us about how it''s looked down upon by some idi- individuals." "Nah, idiot''s the right description." The overseer didn''t think she had to watch her tone here. "Yeah." Sophia nodded. "Well, bu¡­ puberty hit me like a truck..." "Bus." Canir corrected her, remembering how the two met. "S-Shut up." "Truck...? Bus...?" Naturally, the cat-girl didn''t know either of those words because these didn''t exist in this world. "Err... It''sh a way of saying that shomething hit you really hard." She didn''t want to bother exining the actual meaning. "Oh, I see." "Anyway, puberty on its own is far from eashy already, but when you realilize that you''re different from bashically everyyone you know, that''sh not good for you. At the very leasht if you don''t know how to deal with it." "I can only imagine. Here, liking the same sex is perfectly normal, after all. Still, yes, puberty''s hard on its own already. Any, uhh... extra hurdles seem like hell." "Ec-Exactily!" Sophia gave her another clumsy nod. The effects of the alcohol were more than noticeable by now. "I didn''t want to bee different, but it''s not like you can influluence it. Inshtead, I distanced myself from everyone beaushe I didn''t want them to find out that I''m not like them." "I see..." There wasn''t much she could say here. "In the beginning, my friendsh tried to approach me and find out what wash going on, but there was no way I could tell them. Even worshe, while I actually didn''t feel anything for mosht, my besht friend back then suddenly started to be slightily attractitive. She also was the one who approached me the most after I changed... It was a badbinination..." "The thing you wanted to get away from, tried to get closer than ever before...?" "Yesh..." The tiger nodded again. "I was happy that she cared about me, but it made the shituation much worse... The closer she got, the more I dishtanced myseelf... I wasn''t actually interested interested in her, either, but... She was attractive to me... I couldn''t deal with that back then..." She let out a sigh. "¡­" "I''ve became shcared... terrirified... My idiot self from back then couldn''t deal with it, and I had no one for help, eitsher... My best friend made things only worshe... I was a teen... so telling my mom wash out of the question, and my sister was too young to get what wash going on... I''m sure it''s hard to understand heere, because it''s nothing out of the ordinariry in thish ce, but it was impo- impossis- imposhible hard for me!" "Indeed, I don''t fully understand it, but... You told me how some people in your old world thought about it. Again, puberty on its own isn''t easy. So, if you''re feeling different from everyone else during that time, with no help, it has to be a huge burden." "Shuper big burdeden!" The blonde, sort of, repeated her assessment while taking another big sip from the drink she was currently having. "Naturally, it kept getting worshe rather than better. My friendsh keptsh trying for a while but gave up in the endsh. My besht friend, too, losht patience with me eventuallily... Every onshe in a while, girls approached me, but I was already tooo afraid of being near them. In the endsh, I had no friendsh or anyone else to talk to anymore... That, too, made things worshe, too, because Ipletely lost the abilility to interact with others. Ec- Excepts my family, that ish..." "I''m sorry..." Maya wasn''t sure what else to say. "Still, your family, huh? You managed to open up to them eventually, didn''t you?" She remembered that Sophia said she was really close with her sister. "That''sh..." The blonde''s expression changed as she stared down at her empty ss. Filling it up once more, the tiger immediately emptied it again. It seemed that the first had to gain some more confidence to talk about that topic. Chapter 171 – Emotional drunk Chapter 171 ¨C Emotional drunk Canir boosted Sophia''s ability to enjoy alcohol, which also included her being able to get drunk again. The tiger wasted no time getting smashed while opening up to Maya and the others. She told them about how her sexuality made her insecure because she felt different from anyone else and how it changed the blonde for the worse in her old world. "My family, huh...?" After she finished talking about how the shy and introverted Sophia came to be, the girl repeated Maya''s question while taking yet another sip of her drink. "Yes." The cat-girl gave her a confirming nod. "You said that you were close with them, didn''t you? Or at least with your sister, if I remember right." "Things were fairly normamal with my mom, I guessh? But... Steph, yeah... we became quite close... In... Insheperable, even..." Even though Sophia''s speech was affected by the alcohol, her emotions might became even more pronounced by that because her voice turned more somber than ever. "Steph...?" Maya tilted her head. "Stephanie..." The tiger needed a moment. "My little sister..." "Ahh..." "I''ve be more and mooore withidrawn after all that happenened. Steph''s three yearsh younger than I am, sho she had no way of knowing what was going on with me for a while. Not that I spoke much with her in the first ce back then, anynyway. During the day, I''ve shpend most of my time outshide, either doing some kind of sports or shimply wanderering around. I just didn''t want to be at hoome... Or rather, even though I wash lonelely, I also wanted to be alone... Sport was a great distrigi- distraction." "So, you''ve really been working out for that long, huh?" She wanted to lighten the mood ever so slightly. "Yepsh, the one posititive thing..." Sophia was only slightly smiling. "Well, even once I came back home, I mostly hid myself behind booksh and the likes... Some years passhed, and my sister had gone through puberty, as well. Steph had a much eashier time, though. She was open with it from the beginnining, kept mosht of her friends, and was able to deal with it really well..." "Is she into girls, too?" "Yesh... Maybe it happens more often with sibi¡­ siblilings...? No idea? Probably not? Don''t care, either¡­ She also washn''t the only one in her friendship circle... Beaushe she wasn''t alone, Steph had someone to talk to and help her get to terms with it... Well, they helped out each other, I guessh." "That''s good." "Absholutely... Another year or two passed, and she tried to get closher to me again. Then, after having gathered shome first-hand experience by being int the same boat, she quickly notished what wash going on with me¡­" "It''s not really hard to notice, is it?" "She pesterered me for quite a while, and I eventually confesshed everything. Steph immediately wanted to be there for me and trieded to help. It had already burned itself into my brain already, though, and I wash too faar gone... She even brought along her leshbian friend one day, and the two together tried to get through me... I didn''t speak to anyone at all for the follolowing weeeks afterward... I was around 18 at that point, I think... I alreeady knew how shtupid I was by then, but... but..." "It had already turned into a phobia, or rather... deeply rooted fear of being close to other girls." "Yesh..." Sophia hung her head. "Steph also notished it and changed her approach. Instead of trying to push me, she wash simply there for me. We''re shpend a lot of time together ever shince..." "Sounds nice." "It waas... We became closher than ever and eventually did most thingsh together. I shtill did a lot of sports during the day while my sister was busy with after-school stuff and her friends, but our eveningsh were for each other. We chatteted a ton, went out together, and all that. On top of being shisters, we alsho became besties. My condition didn''t improve at all, though... It might became even worshe, actually... I now had someone to lean onto, so I didn''t even have a reason to change myshelf..." "That''s quite a dilemma..." Maya wasn''t sure what to say. "You have no idea... Eventuallily, I was done with school, and you normally try to get a job afterward... I didn''t even try at first becaushe there was shimply no chance for me to pass an interview... One day, I was taking a walk with Steph through a park, and we shomehow ended up ying with a bunch of kindergarten kidsh. She noticed how good I was with kiids. I had no problem with them, after all. Afterward, Steph shuggested that I should ask mom, who''sh running her own kindergarten for a training there..." "And you stuck with that, huh?" "Yesh." Sophia sounded rtively happy. "Mom was really shurprised about it, though. She knew that I wash going through something, but I never found the courage to tell her what exactily... She had her doubts becaushe I was so withdrawn and shy, but mom luckily still gave me a chance." "Great!" "Well, she probably alsho wanted to help me..." She paused for a moment. "Parents of the kids, especially younger mothers, were almost imposshible for me to even get near, though¡­ Still, I wash really populr with the kids~. It was a lot of fun! Mom was happy, too, and she eventuallily let me work for reall while she continued to train me for the posisi- poshi- position!" "That was a nice turn." "Absholutely!" The tiger gave yet another clumsy but earnest nod while, once more, taking a deep sip from her drink. "Shoon after, I actually moved out from home becaushe I got the urge to get my own ce. I shaw so many people and mom at work all the time that I eventuallily wanted a ce to retreat to... It didn''t quite work out as expectected, though..." "Understandable¡­ Hmm, what happened?" "Steph took a reaal liking to my new ce and wash there almost, if not more often than I waas..." "Aww, that''s cute. She didn''t want to leave you alone, didn''t she?" "I think sho, too. It was the beshtest! Not what I had nned to, but it was amashing! Bashically living with her made me almost forget about my problelems... Just like you, Maya, she''s also the cuddly type. She''s my sister, soo there was never anything even remootely impure, but this closenenessh kept me going..." "It''s great to hear that you found someone to rely on with your sister." "I miss Steph..." Her already somber voice turned even more quiet while a big tear rolled down her cheek. "A-Ah!" The cat-girl panicked and immediately hugged the tiger in response. Trying to calm the sniffling girl, she looked at the others for help, but no one seemed to be able to. "Shtuupid alocohol..." Sophia managed to recover a little after a while. "Makes me all emotitionally..." "Yeah, the alcohol does..." Everyone had the same retort. "S-Shut up..." She looked at no one in particr. "Let me have my execuse to cry my heart out... I''ll be known as an emotional drunk from noow on!" Their reaction had cheered her up a bit for a moment, and Maya let go of her. "Canir...?" "Yeah?" He turned to look at her. "If you find them, my sister especiallily... do you think it''s possible for them to get a messasage from me...?" "A message?" "A shoort letter, maybe..." The tiger made a small break to collect herself. "A good-bye message from me, bashically... I want to let them know that I love them, appreciciate everything Steph did for me, or that they don''t have to worry anymore. I''m living a life that I couldn''t even have dreameded of... They should be happy, too." "Are you sure?" Canir looked straight into her eyes. "It could make things much worse. For everyone." "What do you meean...?" "Well, you''ve been here for quite a while already. They might still be affected by your disappearance, but it should be healing by now. Receiving a message from you might open these wounds again. It won''t do you any good, either." "Y-You''re riight..." Sophia hung her head. "Shtill... I don''t think I ever can get any closure withoout it..." "I see." He gave her an understanding nod. "Prepare a letter once you''re sober again, and I see what I can do." "Really?!" The tiger sprang up in surprise. "Yes. It''ll be an exception, but it is possible." "T-Thank yoou!" Ovee with even more emotion, Sophia tottered over to the overseer and clumsily hugged him. "Ah..." He immediately raised up his arms while ncing at Maya. He knew how she could be, after all. "Stay put and let her hug you." The cat''s reaction was different from expected. "She''s missing her family, and you''re willing to help her out. You''ve earned that hug." "I see..." He wasn''t sure how to feel about it. "Also, there''s no way that the two of you will ever be a thing. Like, none at all. Not even in the slightest. I don''t care that much when it''s like this." "Where has your reverence from before gone...?" "I me the alcohol~." She demonstratively took another sip from her ss while saying so. "You sound pretty sober, though." "That''s just your imagination." It took Maya a few hours, but even the overseer wasn''t safe from her sass. "You two are way too simr..." He nced at Sophia, who was still hugging him. A short whileter, the tiger let go of him again and made her way back to Maya. There, she sat down next to her and let her head fall into the cat''sp. All tension had left her body, andbined with the effects of the alcohol, Sophia fell asleep the moment her head came in contact with Maya''s thighs. The others watched her for a few moments before they continued to chat while enjoying some more drinks for a while. Chapter 172 – Letters Chapter 172 ¨C Letters The more Sophia was drinking, and the more she was getting drunk from it, the more details the girl revealed of her old life in the previous world. She told them a lot about her sister and how much she missed her. After Canir agreed to deliver a letter from the blonde to her family to get the closure she was looking for, Sophia rxed so much that she immediately fell asleep on Maya''sp. However, the alcohol might have helped a bit with that, as well. The others chatted and drank for a good while longer, especially Fen was making the best out of the boost that let him enjoy alcohol even more while also reducing its negative side-effects. The following morning started surprisingly early. Maya and Aura hadn''t drunk that much in the first ce. Canir is Canir, Fen got his possible hangover reduced, and Sophia was still immune to it in the first ce. The wolves went to do the finishing touches to theke while the couple was still with Canir. "Hrmm..." The tiger had created a table and some stools with earth magic and was currently ruffling her hair while she was staring at a nk piece of paper. At the same time, she was also ying with a pen from her storage. "I have no idea what exactly I should write to my family... Wait, aren''t I using a differentnguage right now...?" "Nah, you still know your oldnguage," Canir answered her. "You just haven''t used it sinceing here, even though you hadn''t realized. If the letters are for your family, you''ll unconsciously use your old writtennguage for real." "Magic sure is weird." She had no better exnation. "So, if I start writing now, it''ll be my old handwriting andnguage my family knows?" "Yep." He only nodded. "To you, it''ll look no differentpared to what you''ve been doing the entire time sinceing here, though." "Like I said, weird... Well, whatever, let''s get over with it..." ---------------- Way over two hours had passed since the tiger started working on the letters. Her face went through many emotions, if not all of them, during that time, and she overall seemed to be having a hard time. "How... How is it going...?" Maya tried to approach her. "Not... overly well... I think?" Sophia hung her head. "It''s... It''s gotten waaay too sappy..." "Sounds fitting for you, though." She tried to make a little joke. "Ahaha, fair enough..." The blonde let out a forcedugh in response. "Can I take a look?" "S-Sure, why not¡­?" "Thank you..." Maya leaned over and took a look at the letters. "Ah... I can''t read a single thing... What a jumbled mess of symbols... Are those real words? Looks more like art to me... Not the good kind, I want to add." "Really...? It''s the same I always write like, though?" "Not at all! It''s not even simr." "Hello? Differentnguage and stuff." Canir raised his arms. "Did no one listen to me?!" "Hearing it and seeing it are twopletely different things." The couple was in perfect sync. "Okay, that''s fair." He understood where the two wereing from. "Want to be able to read it, cat? I could bless you with the ability." "Seriously?!" She got excited but also dubious. "Where''s the catch?" "A sharp and throbbing pain on your forehead for a while. I need to get physical for a blessing, after all. " "He''s really good at those flicks..." Sophia''s forehead started hurting just by remembering it. "I-I see... Wait, could Sophia and I speak in anguage no one else knows here together, then? That would be pretty handy." "No, spoken words would get automatically changed to this world''snguage without you even noticing." "Aww..." The cat-girl looked disappointed. "Written words could work with a bit of concentration, though. Well, it could also work when you''re alone with her, as there would be no need for a trantion in that case because both of you know the samenguage and no one else needs it, either. Safe for maybe some missing vocabry here and there, maybe, that would fix itself when getting an exnation, though. Anyway, still, in that scenario, there''s no need for a secretnguage in the first ce, is there?" "That''s true... Well, alright, still good enough. Please hit me~." Maya brushed away her bangs and presented her forehead to Canir. "Wow, I never thought I would ever say those words." "I didn''t think your inner S would let you say that." Sophia had her own interpretation. "Okay, onenguage blessinging right up~." "Thank you very mu- OUCH!" She wasn''t able to finish her sentence as Canir moved closer and gave her a hearty flick before the cat-girl could even react. She also almost toppled over from the force. "That hurt!" "Do you understand now why I punched him into another dimension after he did it to me without warning?" Sophia looked at her with a smug expression. "Absolutely." "I don''t like where this is going..." He retreated a few steps from the couple. "Anyway," As Maya had no intention to punch the overseer, for the time being, she simply ignored him. While nursing the sore spot on her forehead, she then focused on Sophia''s letters again. "W-Wow, I can actually read it now! So weird..."
Hello mom, I''m sorry. I''m sorry for everything. I''m sorry for being such a handful when I grew up. I''m sorry for still being a handful after I grew up. I''m sorry that I never told you what was going on with me. I''m sorry that I left the job in the kindergarten. I''m sorry that I disappeared. I''m sorry that I have to apologize so much. I''m sorry. I didn''t n to disappear like this. I didn''t want to, either. A few unfortunate events happened that led to this, and there''s nothing I can do about it anymore. I''m gone. I miss you very much, but I doubt we''ll be able to see each other again. I''m not dead, but I''ve ended up in a ce that I''m most likely unable able to ever leave again. I don''t even know if these words will ever reach you. I know how it sounds, and you''re my mom, so you can''t not, but please try not to worry too much. Despite my words, I''m happy. Genuinely happy. I''m having a good time for the first time in forever, and I just enjoy my life. Guess what, among many other amazing things, I even have friends now. I deeply regret that I couldn''t say all of this to you in person or how I was just simply gone one day, but this is all I can do now. I''m sorry. I wasn''t the best daughter, far from it, but believe me that I''m happy that you''re my mother. I''m d and incredibly grateful that you raised me. Unfortunately, no matter how much I want to, I won''t be able to pay you back. Thank you. I miss you. I love you. Goodbye, Sophia
"W-Wow..." Maya wasn''t sure what to say while taking a short break before picking up the second letter.
Hey Steph, I miss you. I really miss you. I''m not sure if I want you to miss me, too, but I do. I''m sorry for being so selfish. Though, me being selfish really isn''t something new, is it? How could you even put up with me for so long? I was the worst, after all. I''m sure you had better things to do. Still, thank you. Thank you for being there for me the entire time. You have no idea how much it meant to me. You saved me. You were the one who kept me going all these years. I don''t know if I was able to properly show it, probably not, I was useless at those kinds of things, after all. Still, I loved spending time with you. I loved every second of it. I was a bit grumbly when you basically moved in with me, but that was just me being me. It was great. I looked forward toing home whenever I knew you were there. I have no idea if you''ve noticed, but on those days, I always tried to wrap up things faster at work and even cut my running short to be with you earlier. I miss that. I miss you. I wish I could be with you. No, I wish you could be with me. You''d love it here. Speaking of that, do you still remember how I wished for so many things? Of course, you do. I talked about those hopes every day, after all. I wished to be less shy and more confident. I wished to be less of an idiot. I wished to get over my fear of people/girls. I wished forpany. I wished for friends. I wished for so very many more things. You made a lot of my dreamse true, Steph. Thank you. Naturally, as my sister, you couldn''t grant me every wish. Not that I wanted to, either, of course. Guess what, Steph, I made it. I''ve finally made it. I''m not shy anymore, and I''m almost too confident for my own good at times. Okay, I''m still an idiot, maybe more than ever, but that''s terminal, anyways. I''m able to speak with girls again! I have friends! Friends! More than you''d ever believe! Yes, it''s more than 0! Even more, I''ve found someone, Steph. I''ve found her, Steph! I''ve found a girlfriend! I, yes me! No, I''m not messing with you. Maya''s her name. She''s funny, intelligent, beautiful, cute, caring, and much more. She wanted me! Me! Impossible, right? I thought so, too, but she''s actually sitting right next to me as I write these words. I''m happy. I''m so unbelievably happy. I love her. I genuinely love her. I was able to find romance. Love. I wish you could meet her. I bet the two of you would get along so incredibly well. I wouldn''t even care if the two of you would end up teasing me day in day out. I would enjoy every moment of it. Unfortunately, the two of you won''t meet. Neither will I be able to see you again. I''m sorry. I didn''t die when I disappeared all those months ago, but I ended up in a ce that makes it impossible for me to see you or mom ever again. I want to. You have no idea how much I want to, but I don''t know how that would be possible. You''d love it here, too. I know how much you love animals, after all, and this ce is full of them. I haven''t seen any of your favorite foxes yet, but an uncountable amount of various breeds of dogs. You love them just as much, right? A ton of different types of cats, too! I''m surrounded by so many of them that it feels like I became a cat, myself. I''m sorry that I can''t show you any of them, either. There''s so much more I want to tell you. So very much. So incredibly much. I experienced so many unbelievable and fantastic things you would never believe, but I can''t. It took me all of my willpower to write those lines without breaking downpletely. If I had to share everything about my current life while thinking about you, I''d cry for weeks. I only wanted, no, I needed to let you know that I''m doing fine. It''s not the same without you anymore, but I love my new life. It''s everything I wished for and so much more. I hope you''ll be happy, too. Find someone great and make her happy. Let her make you happy, too. It''s the best feeling in the world. Trust me, I finally know. Thank you. I''m sorry. I miss you. I love you. Goodbye, Sophia
"..." Maya needed a moment. After she put down the letter, she wiped away a few tears that had run down her cheeks. "I miss my family..." It had quite an effect on her. "Me, too..." Sophia had been silently crying ever since the cat-girl was reading her letters. "I''m sorry!" Hearing those words, Maya pulled herself together and immediately stood up before hugging the tiger from behind. "Y-You did well with those letters... Especially the one for your sister is packed with emotions and love. It''s easy to see how much she means to you. I''m sure she''ll appreciate those words, too..." "T-Thank you..." She was d that her feelings seemed to be properly conveyed by the letter. Sophia then returned the cat-girl''s hug by holding her arms, and the two stayed like that for a while, trying to keep their tears in. Canir felt that he should give the couple some alone time to calm down and decided to go over to the wolves for the time being. He was sure it would take a while before the two would be back to normal again.
Chapter 173 – Delivery boy Chapter 173 ¨C Delivery boy Sophia had spent the morning writing letters to her family she had to leave behind in her old world. Naturally, things had gotten quite emotional. Especially the letter to her sister was packed with emotions. Maya had read them, too, and it made her sad enough to shed tears while missing her own family. Her feelings were nothingpared to Sophia''s, though. Their situations weren''t evenparable, after all. Afterward, the couple needed a while alone with each other to sort their emotions. It had affected them, especially the tiger, quite a bit, and the two needed to calm down first. "Say..." The couple had mostly recovered, and the two still sat at the makeshift table when Sophia looked at her cat-girl. "Do you think I should actually let my family get those letters...?" "What do you mean?" "I think I can get some... some closure with that, but... as Canir also said, aren''t I going to make it much worse for them...?" "Ohh..." Maya started to see the issue. Afterward, she grabbed Sophia''s hand and gently held it to support the slightly quivering girl. "I... I think the letter for my mom is... fine. I''ve caused her a lot of trouble, and I hope she can forgive me. I''ve... apologized now, told her that I love her and... and said goodbye." She had her troubles staying on top of her emotions. "Y-Yes... I think she could get some sort of closure with that letter, too." "My sister, though... Steph... Don''t you think I went too far...?" "Well..." The cat-girl wasn''t sure what to say. "You poured a lot of, and I mean a lot of feelings into her letter. It made me tear up, and I don''t even know her..." "S-So... too much...?" "I don''t know." Maya couldn''t decide that for her. "I''m sure you''ll make her suffer, though. A lot." "N-Not helping..." "It''ll also eventually heal. How goes the saying again? It''ll get worse before it bes better¡­? You''ve let her know that you love and miss her. You told her how happy she made you, how much Steph helped you out, and much more. If I had a sister that suddenly disappeared, and I got such a letter after many months. I would cry. I would cry for a solid week. No questions there. It would make me happy, too, though. I now know that my sister that I loved so much, is still alive. Even better, she seems to be doing well. My stupid sister is finally doing well. She managed to have friends again and even scored a super cute girlfriend~." The cat-girl was a big fan of her description in the letter. "Idiot..." Sophia had to let out a small chuckle. "Ehehe~." Maya couldn''t help it and gave the tiger''s hand that she was still holding a gentle squeeze. "You''ll hurt Steph with this letter. You''ll make her cry a lot." "Uuh..." "How much was she hurting before, though? How much did she cry already?" "I-I don''t need even more guilt, Maya..." Sophia didn''t like this conversation even a bit. "I''m sorry. Still, this letter means closure. She''ll be sad for a while, but knowing that you''re alright, Steph will... well, maybe not get over it, but she''ll be able to deal with it eventually." "I-I see..." "Let Canir deliver those letters. It''ll hurt, but it''s for the best." "Thank you..." The blonde forced a smile while she ced her second hand on top of Maya''s. "I don''t know what I''d do without you..." "I''m more than happy to help~." ---------------- The two needed a while longer, and once Sophia was feeling well enough again, the two called over Canir. "Have you decided on the letters?" He first looked at the table and then at the blonde. "Y-Yes..." She, too, nced at the letters with aplicated expression. "It hurts, but I want mom and Steph to get them." "I see. Alright, I get it." "Thank you..." Sophia went silent for another minute. "Wait, how will you even be able to give them to my family?" "No idea." "Ehh...?" Any type of somber mood that the tiger had was gone. All the tension had left her, as well. "I can''t directly interact with Earth... " "Even though you teleported me away...?" She found that to be rather interactive, all things considered. "Ahh... Well, whisking people away is limited to those that are nearing death and I deem worthy of reincarnating." "Oh... T-Thanks for deeming me worthy." "No problem~." He shed her a smile. "I already got a lot of value in terms of entertainment out of it, and you just got here. " "Soo... About my letters..." "Right, I can''t interact with people without meeting them in my dimension, but I can ce items on Earth." "Ah, so that''s how it is." "Yes. Once I find them, I''ll be able to simply ce the letters into their homes." "I wonder what they''ll think if they see a letter that appears without it actually being delivered... Oh!" Sophia''s face suddenly lit up while her tail seemed excited, as well. "Say, Canir, could you put things into postboxes? Not the ones in your ce for receiving letters, but those to send them?" "The ones on the streets where people throw in their letters?" "Yeah!" "I can ce stuff wherever I want, yes." "Perfect!" Sophia seemed happy about something. "What''s wrong?" He tilted his head. "I still know the addresses of mom and Steph. Granted they haven''t moved since I left, that is. You put the letters in a postbox, and they''ll get mailed right to them! You could also track the letters and find the two that way!" "Doesn''t the postage system in your old world works with stamps? You need some of those to send letters, right?" "A-Ah." Her n suffered from a slight setback. "Wait! I remember reading that the post either returns unstamped letters to the sender or forwards it to the recipient and collects the fee from them! As there is no sender here, they have to deliver it. If I put my name on the envelope somewhere, there''s no way that mom or Steph will refuse to pay the fee!" "I always get confused when you have a logical n..." Canir wasn''t sure how to react. "It gives you a weird feeling, doesn''t it?" Maya hadn''t understood a whole lot of their conversation because there were many words she hadn''t heard before, but she still roughly got what was going on. "H-Hey..." The tiger didn''t like the sound of that. As there was little to say in her defense, she couldn''tin overly much, though. "Alright, sure, we can try that." Canir agreed with Sophia''s n. "Well, I''ll make a copy of your letters in case it doesn''t work out. We''ll have a backup to deliver, then." "Thank you very much!" Afterward, Sophia spent the next half hour creating some envelopes with her name added to the side. For most of the time, she simply made sure to have remembered the correct address of her mom and sister. She wanted to make absolutely sure to be 100% right on them, after all. --------------- "Okay, is everything in order?" Canir nced at the two letters he received from Sophia. "Yes!" She gave him a big nod. "I''ve made absolutely sure that I used the right addresses. The letters should reach them." "Good to hear. Alright..." He looked at the couple and then at the wolves who were also with them again. "I''d say it''s time. I''ve stayed for way longer than I had nned already." "There was a lot to talk about..." "True." He agreed with the blonde. "Well, it was fun." "Feel free to swing by again if you''re free." Fen had also enjoyed it. "In theory, sure..." Canir looked a bit conflicted. "This area gets way too cold for my liking during fall and winter, though... I''m not a fan of drinking outside in such weather. Even I get cold, you know?" "Seriously?! It gets this cold here?!" Sophia really didn''t like the sound of that. "Yep." He gave her a light answer. "Well, magic can get you around that, but it also kind of kills the mood." "Urgh... Oh, speaking of a good mood. We have this nice mansion in the capital. Comfy sofas, and a firece I can''t wait to give a try. Sounds like a good ce to drink, doesn''t it?" "Enticing." The overseer wasn''t against the idea. "Great!" Sophia seemed happy. "Alright. Yeah, we''ll definitely see each other sooner rather thanter. Fen, Aura, it was great to see you again, not to mention the two of you being together once more." "Likewise." The wolves agreed. "We look forward to the next time." "Hehe. Maya, it was nice to finally meet you in person." "Y-Yes... It was a little overwhelming at first, but I''m d I was able to thank the person who gave me Sophia, too." "Take care of the tiger when I can''t watch her, okay?" "Always." The cat-girl didn''t hesitate for a second. "Good answer." Canir showed her a smile. "Sophia, I''ll y delivery boy for you, but it''ll take me a little while to ce those letters. I''ll get back to you once there is some news." "Thank you... Thank you so much for helping me. I can''t put into words how grateful I am for that..." "Stop that." The overseer got goosebumps from her reply. "I don''t like it when you''re this earnest and serious." "Should I punch you instead?" She didn''t want to be like this, either. "How about something in between?" "I can give that a try, sure." "Good." Canir looked relieved. Afterward, he nced at theke that was almost done. "Only a couple of meters left for the waterline to be perfect, huh?" "Yeah," Aura nodded. "We should be done in a few hours." "I see. Well, goodbye for now." He nodded, and the area was suddenly bathed in white light. Once the group could see something again, Canir was gone, but that wasn''t the only thing that had changed. The crater, orke, was now filled to the brim with crystal-clear water. Even fishes could be seen swimming around that seemingly came out of nowhere. That still wasn''t everything, though. At least as far as they could see, the entire shoreline had turned into a beach with almost pure white sand. Adding to it, the destroyed nature further away from the crater all had returned to normal, as well. Actually, the area looked way greener than it ever did. "Wow..." Maya had no other words. "Couldn''t he have done that earlier...?" Aura wasn''t sure how to feel about it. "Yeah..." Sophia and Fen looked, and sounded, extremely tired all of a sudden. A little whileter, the group finally decided to head back to the capital using the blonde''s portal. No matter how nice the area was looking now, everyone had seen more than enough of it. Chapter 174 – Back to the usual Chapter 174 ¨C Back to the usual Canir had finally left the group after a long night and day they spent together where they learned a lot. He didn¡¯t go without a bang, though. After he received the letters Sophia wrote for her family, he finished filling up the crater with water, created a beach all around it, and restored the nature in the area to better than ever before. To make it even more impressive, the overseer did it basically in an instant. ¡°Tired...¡± The group was back in their mansion, and Sophia plopped down on one of the sofas in the living room with a long sigh. ¡°Yeah...¡± Maya felt simr as she sat down next to her while also leaning against the tiger¡¯s body. ¡°You can say that again.¡± The wolves, too, agreed while they gotfortable on the white sheepskin rug. Everyone needed some rest. ¡°A visit of Canir is always an event...¡± Fen spoke out what everyone was thinking. ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly...¡± "Seems like Canir also left a gift for you personally, my dear tiger." Aura looked at her. "Hmm?" Sophia tilted her head. "Your magic power, or authority, or whatever, feels the same as before the ident with your jaguar again. It might even be slightly higher." "Seriously?!" She got loud. "He really wants me to y around with my full power for maximum entertainment, huh...?" After this revtion, everyone decided that they were too exhausted to deal with anything rted to Canir right now. ---------------- ¡°Tigers don¡¯t hibernate, do they?¡± Sophia sounded exhausted, even after havingzed around on the sofa for quite a while. ¡°I really would like to¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say no to that, either.¡± Maya couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°Let¡¯s head to bed early today. It was a long and tiring day. Well, days.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s a n.¡± The blonde sounded happy about the idea. ¡°We¡¯ll have to visit the castle soon, though.¡± ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± ¡°Aura and I actually nned to teach Eluna some more, but other, more pressing matters stopped us from doing so.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no intention to make you confess to the king about theke or anything.¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± ¡°I mean, why should I? Despite that, you¡¯ll identally spill the beans about it soon, anyway.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sometimes, the blonde didn¡¯t like how well Maya knew her. ¡°Hehe.¡± She let out a chuckle. ¡°Why don¡¯t you y with Ari while we¡¯re there?¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds like fun! Wait, why are you suggesting that yourself?¡± She got a little dubious. ¡°Well, you like her in friend type of way, so there¡¯s little I can or want to say. I want you to have friends, after all. A little bit less flirting would be nice, though.¡± The contents of the letters had a slight effect on the cat-girl. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡± ¡°Great! Also, it¡¯s a good distraction from everything that has happened thest few days. I want to leave that behind us as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yeah, me, too.¡± The tiger heartily agreed. ¡°Well, I wanted to try and teach Ari some chantless magic, anyway. Might as well do that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t break hermon sense too much, okay?¡± ¡°Sooo, I shouldn¡¯t teach her¡­?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°The one doesn¡¯t work without the other, does it?¡± ¡°Nope. Well, not with me, at least.¡± Sophia had no intention to even try denying it. ¡°Fair enough. Kind of, at least¡­¡± The cat-girl had mixed feelings about it. ¡°Poor Ari, she was such a nice and grounded girl.¡± ¡°H-Hey! I¡¯m not that much of a cmity.¡± ¡°Uhh...¡± ¡°Also, Ari¡¯s strong. I bet she can handle me for a longer period of time before she breaks.¡± ¡°That sounds even worsepared to what I said¡­¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°No, I think her defense against my stupidity¡¯s quite high.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± For the rest of the day, the group did nothing butze around. The ident, theke, Canir, and all the topics they talked about, had exhausted everyone quite a bit. Even dinner was taken care of by some takeout food that Fen had to get after he was chosen for it by majority vote. Afterward, once the couple had gotten their usual bath, the four chatted some more while rxing in the living room before Sophia and Maya decided to head to bed. Fen and Aura then gotfy on their sheepskin rug, and the day came to an early end. ---------------- They took it easy on the following days, as well, but the group eventually made its way towards the castle to see everyone again. Except for Fen, that is. He decided to stay behind to work a little on the underground maze. Aura liked the idea and decided to join him once she was done with Eluna. ¡°Hey~.¡± Sophia had parted with the two and went to look for Ari. Thankfully, especially because of her boosted magic power now, the tiger had an easy time finding the jaguar with her detection magic. ¡°Oh, Sophia, wee.¡± She lightly greeted her once she noticed the blonde¡¯s arrival. ¡°Feeling fine again?¡± As it was the first time seeing each other after their little ident, Sophia was interested in how she was doing. ¡°Great! Better than new, even. It feels like the new magic really settled in now.¡± ¡°Happy to hear that.¡± ¡°What about you? I got a little worried because you didn¡¯t visit the castle for a couple of days.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I was busy with some other, uhh¡­ things. Nah, I¡¯m also doing mighty fine." She naturally had no ns to tell her what exactly she had been busy with. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± The jaguar looked relieved. ¡°Yep." She nodded. "Are you free right now, Ari? Maya¡¯s with Anna and the others to teach Eluna, and I want to y, too!¡± ¡°Well, you just said that Anna¡¯s with them, too.¡± With the princess being busy, she had few other ns at the moment. ¡°That should be answer enough, no?¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Do you have anything nned for us?¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± That¡¯s a foreign concept for the tiger, after all. ¡°There are many options, though. We can chat for a bit, I¡¯m still looking forward to getting taught the basics of cooking, or I could give you an introduction in chantless magic to test out your new powers.¡± ¡°I¡­ I like all those options.¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t decide. ¡°I really want to learn some chantless magic, but I want to chat a little first. There¡¯s s-something up with Anna I¡¯d like to get a second opinion on.¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°She¡¯s behaving a bit w-weird ever since our ident¡­¡± Her cheeks turned a bit red for some reason as she said that. ¡°Okay, we can absolutely do that. Should we head over to the garden? I really like the terrace there, after all.¡± ¡°Yes, that sounds lovely.¡± Ari gave her a slight nod. ¡°Fall¡¯s right around the corner, and it¡¯s still unusually warm¡­ We should enjoy the terrace as much as we still can.¡± ¡°Fall, huh¡­?¡± Sophia had learned some very interesting facts about that season she felt like addressingter, too, but the two went to the terrace first. There, the duo gotfortable and started chatting. ---------------- ¡°Is there something up with it bing fall?¡± Ari had noticed her reaction when the two changed location. ¡°A few things¡­ First, I¡¯m new to the region here, but I¡¯ve heard a few times already that it gets quite cold around here¡­ Is that really true?¡± ¡°No, quite is a very wrong description. Freezing fits waaay better..." She paused a moment while it seemed like she was shuddering. "Anna wanted to hibernate through fall and winter multiple times already, and I didn¡¯t me her for it once. The firece is my best friend during the cold seasons.¡± ¡°I hate the cold¡­¡± Sophia almost looked depressed. This exnation sounding rather familiar to her conversation with Maya not long ago didn¡¯t make it any better, either. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± Both were cats, after all. ¡°True. I already look forward to getting our firece in the mansion ready. I never had one of those before, and I can¡¯t wait for it~.¡± They weren¡¯t the mostmon things in her old world anymore. ¡°You¡¯ll love it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure about that. Anna was quite excited about it, too. Feel free toe over to our ce whenever you feel like it. Unless you want to cuddle alone with the princess, that is~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment, waited for her blush to ease, and then proceeded to ignore the blonde. ¡°Thank you. We have a lot of them in the castle, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more fun to rx in front of it with you and Maya.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia agreed. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°Anything else wrong with fall?¡± Ari came back to the topic. ¡°Not really wrong, no. Far from it, actually. Maya¡¯s birthday is in two weeks.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice!¡± ¡°It¡¯s her first birthday after we met and became a couple¡­ I¡¯m a little nervous about it¡­¡± ¡°Oh, do you have anything nned?¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently nning a n.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The jaguar shared her awkward expression. ¡°That sure sounds like you.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She let out a dryugh. ¡°A gift shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I have a couple of ideas for that already. Still¡­ I want to do something special for her!¡± ¡°You sure are good with romance, huh? You¡¯re adorable.¡± Ari was touched by her motivation. ¡°Y-You think so¡­? Thanks¡­¡± Sophia got bashful. ¡°It¡¯s all still rtively new for me, but I try my best, and I asionally don¡¯t mess up¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s working. I¡¯d like to be around half as smooth as you when ites to Anna¡­ Oh, how about you cook Maya a fancy dinner on her birthday?¡± ¡°I can cook pasta, at best, and you suggest that I should do something fancy¡­?¡± The tiger thought the difficulty was way too high for her. ¡°I love the idea, though.¡± ¡°We still have two weeks, right?¡± Ari suddenly sounded motivated. ¡°If you really want it, we could make it until then. It might be hard, but I¡¯m sure I could teach you enough for a great meal.¡± ¡°Really?! Would you do that for me?!¡± Sophia got excited. ¡°If you help me with Anna, too, I¡¯m more than happy to give you a hand.¡± ¡°Thank you very much! I¡¯ll do my best to make something special for Maya!¡± She sounded really happy. ¡°Alright, so, what¡¯s up with the princess?¡± As she got even more than she wanted, the blonde wanted to take care of Ari now. ¡°She¡¯s gotten super clingytely!¡± ¡°Lately¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Well¡­ Even more. Way more!¡± ¡°That sounds like a win to me, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, though¡­ And it¡¯s hard to stay unaffected by her, well¡­ affection¡­¡± ¡°Just embrace and enjoy it~.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m trying¡­ It¡¯s n-nice, after all, but¡­ I¡¯d like to know what happened to her¡­¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair.¡± Afterward, their little chat turned into full-blown girls-talk where the two tried to find out what was going on with the princess, which might take a while. Chapter 175 – Clingy princess Chapter 175 ¨C Clingy princess The group was back in the capital, and the girls went to the castle to teach Eluna more of the new ways of using magic. Sophia wasn¡¯t interested in that, though, so she decided to meet up with Ari instead. The two chatted about all kinds of things and even made a n for the uing birthday of Maya, where they nned to have Sophia cook a fancy dinner for her cat. Eventually, though, the topic shifted towards Princess Anna, who, ording to the jaguar, was behaving a little weird during thest couple of days. ¡°So, what is going on with Anna that concerns you?¡± Sophia wanted to know more about it. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say concerning¡­ Just, uhh¡­ hard to get used to. Her boosted clinginess takes me a lot to stay calm.¡± ¡°B-Boosted, huh¡­¡± The tiger naturally reacted to this all too familiar word. ¡°Well, increased might be the better fit. Adding to that, her clinginess actually keeps getting more with each day¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m listening. I have a little experience with my own clingy cat, so I might be able to help.¡± ¡°Maya¡¯s clingy?¡± ¡°You have no idea. I like it, though, so it¡¯s perfectly fine~.¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not like I dislike Anna being like that, either¡­¡± The blush on Ari¡¯s cheeks increased. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia liked what she heard and saw. ¡°Okay, what exactly is the princess doing?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t let go of me anymore ever since we got sick after you gave me a part of your magic power. She was even super reluctant to help teach Eluna today because she rather wanted to stay with me, but I didn¡¯t let her have that. Teaching her is really important, after all.¡± ¡°Aww, sounds pretty adorable to me.¡± ¡°Well, it is. S-She is, but¡­¡± ¡°Confused about why?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Still, what changed to before? Anna always seemed clingy to me¡­¡± The blonde had yet to understand the actual change. ¡°She started sleeping with me every day since the magic boost, for example.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia needed a moment. ¡°Err¡­¡± A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, as well. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Ari tilted her head before her entire face turned red. ¡°N-No! I meant s-sleeping in the literal kind of way! I didn¡¯t try to i-imply anything!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Sorry, I jump to conclusions from time to time.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°That would¡¯ve been quite the change after thest time I saw you, where you only mentioned liking the princess.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The jaguar was taking a lot of damage from this misunderstanding. ¡°Everything she¡¯s doing ispletely i-innocent.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± There was the tiniest hint of disappointment in her voice. ¡°Anna and I had sleepovers every so often, but we never shared the same bed. At least not since we were little kids. It was actually the first time in forever that she did it when I was sick and shivering during the night. Afterward, she wanted to do it again, and we¡¯ve slept in the same bed for thest few days.¡± ¡°That sounds like a great time, though.¡± The blonde started smiling. ¡°I love cuddling and sleeping with Maya.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a d-different topic¡­¡± Ari didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the two of you that well yet, especially Maya, but your cat came up with the idea of sleeping together, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Of course. There¡¯s no way I could¡¯vee up with the idea! Impossible!¡± ¡°So, how did you react when she came up with it?¡± ¡°Well, actually, it happened without me noticing¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The first time was after I fainted and then woke up on herp¡­¡± ¡°W-What happened¡­?¡± The jaguar sounded concerned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just not good with hot water¡­ It happens every now and then when I take a bath¡­¡± Sophia let out quite a lot of details, but that still was the gist of it. ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± ¡°Well, after that, Maya decided that we should sleep together every night.¡± ¡°Okay, how did you react after that, then¡­?¡± ¡°I almost fainted again while my face literally lit on fire.¡± ¡°Aaand there we have it.¡± Ari almost looked smug when she got her point across. ¡°A-Ah.¡± The tiger finally understood the issue. ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, huh? That¡¯s definitely something I can rte to.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ari ever so slightly hung her head. ¡°I l-love her, and it only got worse since I identally blurted it out to you¡­ It became real to me¡­ Now that she also got extra clingy for some reason, my brain¡¯s turning to mush¡­¡± ¡°Something else I can rte to¡­ Maya¡¯s a big fan of skinship, as well, and after she went after me for real, that cat went all out on her attacks. I loved it, but it was also pretty tiring and overwhelming. No one did that before, and I had no idea what to do in that situation. I can hardly say that I know what I¡¯m doing right now, after all¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The ck-haired girl wholeheartedly agreed. ¡°Sleeping with her is also a little weird... I have a bit of a hard time falling asleep because I¡¯m nervous about her being so close. Still, I¡¯ve never actually slept better than thosest couple of days. It¡¯s a bit restrictive because Anna uses me as a h-hug pillow in her sleep, but that feels super n-nice, too.¡± ¡°Aww, how adorable.¡± Sophia liked the story. ¡°I really like how sweet Anna actually is despite her loud and slightly tomboyish exterior. It¡¯s so cute!¡± ¡°I feel the same. The difference between those two extremes is amazing. It¡¯s like getting two for the price of one~.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The blonde had some experience with that, as well. Maya got like five girls in one with her, after all. ¡°Have you tried hugging her back during those times? It sounds like you could act a little bold in that situation.¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± Ari¡¯s blush intensified. ¡°W-Well, I tried to, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°While her hugs feel good¡­ Before anything else, I have to take care not to suffocate¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She tilted her head again. ¡°Literally, I mean¡­ Once Anna falls asleep, she unconsciously hugs me in a way where she often presses my head against her¡­ c-chest, and my face gets buried into them so deep that I have trouble breathing every so often¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger had no idea how to react to something like that. ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m kinda, no...veryjealous¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s not as nice as it sounds.¡± ¡°I bet it¡¯s soft, though.¡± ¡°Incredibly soft.¡± Ari didn¡¯t hesitate for a second with her answer. ¡°Warm, too.¡± A bashful smile appeared on her lips. "Also, being able to actually feel Anna''s heartbeat while falling asleep... Wow. That rhythmic beating and hearing her soft breathing right above my head while she''s sleeping is by far the most rxing and addicting experience I had in my life.¡± ¡°Not as nice as it sounds, huh?¡± Sophia only stared at the ck-haired girl. "Also, yeah, best feeling there is." ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Her face, once more, turned even redder. ¡°W-Well¡­ The thing is, all that aside, I still like being able to breathe while sleeping¡­ A slight adjustment would be nice... Her tail, too, is all over the ce... W-Wrapping around me and all that. Last night, it had even tangled itself around my own behind my back... I-I was so embarrassed that my face almost set on fire..." ¡°C-Cute..." Sophia looked at her with a warm expression while imagining the scene in her head. "Well, okay, fair enough.¡± She could agree with that reason. ¡°Though, I might have to try something with Maya tonight~. While she¡¯s not quite as soft, warm, squishy, andfortablein ces, my cat still has a lot going on for her. She¡¯s more of the spoon type, though, so she often clings to my back instead when we¡¯re sleeping.¡± ¡°T-That sounds nice, too.¡± ¡°It absolutely is. Not quite as exciting as death by boobs, but it¡¯s really rxing to sleep like that. I can only rmend it.¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The blonde liked her reaction. ¡°Well, you have two options now. You either tell the princess to stop, or-,¡± ¡°No.¡± Ari interrupted her. ¡°Someone¡¯s getting more honest, huh?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She only now noticed that she¡¯d reacted on instinct alone. ¡°It¡¯s only natural. The girl you love is hugging you and trying to suffocate you with her boobs. Why would you tell her to stop, right?¡± ¡°C-Could we stop focusing on Anna¡¯s chest already?¡± ¡°Easier said than done. They¡¯re hard to ignore.¡± ¡°True.¡± The jaguar answered without thinking again. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°W-Why do I keep getting trapped into your pace?!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°I have a talent for that. I¡¯m good at throwing off people.¡± ¡°You can say that again.¡± ¡°Well, anyway, chest aside, the other option would be to get used to her hugging you while sleeping together.¡± Sophia, sort of, got back to the topic. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± ¡°Time, I guess? I needed a lot of that to get used to Maya¡¯s pushiness. Still, look at where the two of us are now.¡± ¡°B-But¡­ Maya did that because she loves you, right¡­? I have no idea why Anna¡¯s suddenly acting like that¡­¡± ¡°What speaks against it being the exact same reason? Maybe she fell for you when she nursed you back to health when we were sick?¡± ¡°Do you have any alternative ideas that actually make sense?¡± Ari was unable to believe that theory. ¡°Makes a ton of sense to me, though.¡± ¡°We¡¯re childhood friends, and we were like sisters for most of the time. Why would she suddenly f-fall for me¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. There¡¯s no way that would ever work out.¡± The tiger rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not like you fell for her while being in the exact same situation or anything.¡± Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Ari had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°Still¡­ it would be way too convenient for Anna to l-love me, too¡­ That¡¯s too unbelievable.¡± ¡°Exactly my thoughts when it came to Maya for me. I, too, refused to believe it for a long time.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ You have an answer for everything, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Normally, not really. Like, at all, but this topic is super rtable for me as I went through something really simr. Also, I like you, Ari, so I want to help out as best as I can.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± She got even more bashful. ¡°You sure are smooth.¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Ari¡¯s mood rxed a little. ¡°Alright, how about you tell me a little more about Anna¡¯s changed behavior. Maybe I¡¯m able to see some more simrities with my cat.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The jaguar closed her eyes and tried to recall everything that was going on with the princesstely. It seemed like their girls-talk was far from over. In fact, it looked like it had just started.
Chapter 176 – All cats are similar Chapter 176 ¨C All cats are simr Sophia and Ari were currently having a rather lively girls-talk type of chat where the two were trying to find out why Princess Anna had gotten so clingyter. Clingier than usual, that is. The blonde had the feeling that Anna had fallen for the jaguar because there were some simrities to her cat, but Ari naturally couldn''t believe that. "So, other than her wanting to sleep with you, not to mention trying to suffocate you with her massive chest, what else has changed with Anna?" Sophia had a lot of fun with the topic. "Stop focusing on her breasts already! They''re mine!" "Oh?" "A-Ah." The jaguar froze up after realizing what she had just said. "I-I didn''t n to say that out loud¡­" "But you were thinking it, huh?" "Uuh¡­" "Well, I can''t me you. If they actually be yours, you''ll make a lot of people jealous. I prefer Maya''s looks, but I''d lie if I say I don''t enjoy the view of the princess." "Yeah¡­ Anna''s amazing¡­" Ari had no problems admitting it, though the color of her cheeks had been dyed in red the entire time already. "You''ve got it bad for her, don''t you?" "Y-Yes¡­" "Okay, give me some more pointers on what''s going on with our clingy princess." "She''s also been behaving pretty suspicious during thest few baths we took together¡­" "How so?" Sophia sounded very interested in it. "The bath we usually go to in the castle is closer rted to a pool in terms of size, but she insisted on sitting right next to me. She even tried to cling to me once or twice when doing that¡­ but that was too much for me in that environment¡­ W-Way too stimting¡­" "Aaand that''s how I fainted most of the time when taking a bath with Maya. Being not good with hot water was only part of the reason¡­" Sophia remembered all the times she lost consciousness whenever her cat got a little overzealous during their bathing activities. In the past, at least, before the two started dating. "T-That was also one of my concerns¡­" "Our situation''s way too rtable¡­ Did she do anything else? Like stealing nces at you, for example. Maya did that. A lot. I did, too,ter on, but let''s ignore that¡­" "I don''t know¡­ To be honest, it was more me doing my best not to look at her, so I had no idea where she was looking. Well, I noticed that she was intently looking at my face from time to time, so I had to make extra sure that my eyes don''t w-wander¡­" "My, do we have a pervert in our midst?" Sophia had to take a jab at her. "S-Shut up¡­" Ari couldn''t keep the eye-contact with her anymore. "H-Hey, you just openly admitted doing the same! Don''t tease me!" "Well, I guess it''s a good thing you managed to hold back." The tigerpletely ignored her. "It''s really easy to notice if someone''s stealing nces at you, after all. It even sounds like Anna was trying to find out whether you were trying to do exactly that." "W-Why would she do that¡­?" "To see if you''re interested in her body? That''s, more or less, what stealing nces during a bath means, after all. Well, you could also beparing your, let''s call it¡­ growth, but let''s not go there..." "Again, w-why would she want to do that¡­?" The jaguar had to repeat herself. "To find out whether she has a chance or not?" "A chance? For what?" Her brain wasn''t the fastest right now. "You." "Me?" Ari tilted her head in confusion. "If I''m right with Anna being interested in you, I''m sure she wants to see if there''s a chance for it to work out with you." "I-I see¡­ Wait!" She needed a moment. "A-As in, she wants to know if I''m physically interested in her¡­?" Her face, once more, lit up in an even brighter red. "Sure. It''s not everything, but for me, that''s a vital part of romance. It''s not only the emotional part that''s of importance. There are many feelings and things that need to be or get stimted." "T-That''s way too early!" Ari got defensive. "Of course, but you want to make sure about those things before it''s toote, don''t you? If there are no feelings in that area, things might be dull really quick." "T-That might be true¡­ Huh? Does that mean I should look at her¡­? I-I don''t think I can do that without having a meltdown!" "Nah, probably not. As you said, that''s way too embarrassing. Though, if you catch her doing it, try not to be too self-conscious. Also, if it actually happens, then it might not be such a bad idea to let your eyes wander, too, to get a nice view. The princess can''t say anything in that situation, after all." "I-Is that really how it works¡­?" The jaguar wasn''t sure how to feel about the n. "Maybe?" "Hey!" She got loud after seeing how the blonde lightly shrugged her shoulders. "It''s not like I have much experience, okay? I''m just telling you about my observations with Maya. It worked out with us, so it can''t be stupid¡­" "I see¡­ That does sound promising, then." Ari knew how hopelessly the two were in love with each other, so Sophia''s words were quite credible in the end. "Okay, putting the bathing thing aside, for the time being, did the princess do anything else out of the ordinary?" "Anna has always been on the clingy side, but she''s sticking close to me even more now. We went shopping together yesterday, and she didn''t let go of me for a second. At first, she was hugging my arm while pressing it against her ch-¡­ Anyway, walking is really hard like that!" She didn''t want to finish her first sentence for some reason. "Hee¡­" Sophia grinned at her for a moment before continuing. "Yeah, Maya did that a lot in the beginning, too. I liked the feeling, but you''re too close to walk that way. Because of that, we, with that I mean, Maya, decided to hold hands wherever we go instead. Not that I wouldin about it now." "It''s the same Anna did! After she almost tripped over either my or her own feet a couple of times, she also settled for h-holding hands¡­ It feels n-nice holding her hand, and I like doing it, but it''s very e-embarrassing to do in public¡­ Everyone knows Anna, and with that, me, as well, to some extent. After all, she''s the first princess of this nation, and I''m her maid, while also being the only jaguar with ck hair. That alone makes me self-conscious enough already. Add holding hands on top of that, and EVERYONE looks at us¡­" "Yeah¡­ getting used to the attention is really hard." The blonde sympathized with her. "How did you do it¡­?" "Who says I did?" Sophia shrugged her shoulders again. "Urgh¡­" It wasn''t what Ari wanted to hear. "No, I''ve gotten a lot better at dealing with it. I think it just needs time. Also, only focus on Anna alone and ignore your surroundings. Okay, onlookers still affect me, but it gets a lot easier if I pay attention to Maya and Maya only. Nicer to look at, too." "I-I see¡­ Well, you are right¡­ I should focus on Anna. That''s more fun, after all!" "That''s the spirit!" Sophia liked the sound of that. "Still, the princess sounds like she''s really going for it if you ask me. Did she do anything else on top of that?" "Hmm¡­ We went to school together again after I felt better, and she was super defensive whenever anyone tried toe near me. Well, she always did that, and I''m really grateful for it because I don''t enjoy the attention, but it felt like she was doing it even more now. More aggressively, too. Someone looking at me causes her to re at them in an instant¡­" "Basically, something along the lines of you being her''s and no one''s allowed to get near her¡­?" "I-I don''t know if I could put it that way¡­ but it does feel a little like she doesn''t want to share me." "Wow, she really acts exactly as Maya does. Are all outgoing cats like that¡­?" "Anna''s a tiger, though?" "So?" Sophia tilted her head. "Anna''s the tiger princess. I''m supposed to be the purest tiger alive. You''re a rare jaguar, all while Maya''s supposed to be a normal cat. But, even so, I''d still say Maya is the biggest predator amongst us. When ites to her personality, at least. Aren''t we all just cats in the end? Just with slight deviations in our fur patterns and maybe slimmer or thicker types of ears and tails. We all like to hunt,ze around in afy spot, and could do without the cold weather, among many other things." "W-Well¡­" There was little Ari could say. "You''re not wrong, but¡­" "Alrighty~," The blonde simply continued. "Again, it definitely sounds exactly what Maya was doing when she tried, and seeded, to get me. It''s almost weird¡­ Wait a moment!" She suddenly raised her voice. "W-What is it now¡­?" Ari flinched and looked at her in surprise because she hadn''t expected her to get loud. "As I said, we''re all just cats deep down¡­" She liked the jaguar''s reaction, knowing how absolutely no feline being likes to get startled. "No, aren''t those two spending a lot of time togethertely, as well? "Yes¡­ Anna''s also talking a lot about hertely¡­ Saying how happy she is that she managed to befriend her after everything that happened, and stuff like that. It almost makes me a little jealous." "Aww, how sweet." Sophia started smiling. "Don''t worry, Maya also enjoys the view, but she has no romantic interest in the princess." "I know¡­ It''s easy to see how much the two of you are into each other. Still, I''m not the biggest fan of Anna speaking fondly of other girls¡­" "Fair point. Okay, back to the topic," The two got a little sidetracked. "I feel like Maya''s influencing the princess with something. Anna''s behavior reminds me too much of my cat." "B-But why¡­?" "There are two reasons¡­ Either Maya was bored, or the princess asked for help. If I had to take a guess, it''s probably¡­ a mix of both." "Help¡­?" Ari tilted her head. "With what?" "To get you." After Sophia''s interpretation of the events, and how Anna was acting, the duo had to take a little break because Ari needed some time to wrap her head around it. Chapter 177 – Going on the offensive Chapter 177 ¨C Going on the offensive Sophia was still chatting with Ari, and Anna had basically be the sole topic. Not only had the blonde the feeling that the princess had fallen for the jaguar, as well, but it also seemed like Maya was also helping Anna out with her approaches. From the sound of it, she was behaving exactly like the cat when she was going after Sophia, after all. ¡°Yep, I really think Anna might be actually interested in you~.¡± Sophia made a short recap on her evaluation of the situation around the princess. ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way that could be the case¡­ N-No way¡­¡± Ari couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s the first princess of this nation! Do you have any idea how many choices other than me she has!? Why would she ignore all of them to choose me instead?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t know where to start. ¡°You¡¯re her childhood friend. In other words, you¡¯re her oldest and best friend. The person she¡¯s the closest with. She¡¯s absolutelyfortable around you, and it¡¯s obvious that she enjoys yourpany. She likes to cling to you, touch you, and is generally all over you. She mentioned multiple times how much she loves your personality and I, myself, have to heartily agree with that because I love spending time with you, too.¡± She showed no signs of stopping. ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar could only try to keep her blush in check. ¡°Also, even if we dumb it down to looks only, what other options would she have that couldpete with you? Maya¡¯s taken by me, and you¡¯re the most stunning girl I met after her.¡± Sophia was a big fan of the girl, but her priorities were still crystal clear. ¡°You didn¡¯t like your hair for the most time, but everyone else, first and foremost, the princess, is really into them. The deep ck with the shiny yellow ents and the pattern is beyond amazing, especially whenbined with your yellow eyes that perfectly entuate it. You hit the jackpot with thatbination. Your fluffy tail that¡¯s on the thicker side makes me super jealous, too! Your figure is great, too! Unless Anna¡¯s into the big type, you should have no problems there, either! Seeing how she went after me, who¡¯s very simr to you in that area, for a while, your chances should be excellent!¡± ¡°Uuhh¡­¡± Steam seemed to be rising from Ari¡¯s beet-red head. Sophia praising her so openly made the jaguar very bashful. ¡°Any objections?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed a moment. ¡°D-Do¡­ Do you really think¡­ think that she l-likes me¡­?¡± ¡°I think so, yes. Though¡­ there¡¯s no way I can be sure there¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to make any promises. ¡°She¡¯s doing the exact same Maya did around me, but my sample size isn¡¯t big enough to make any absolute statements¡­ Sorry.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Ari hung her head. ¡°W-What should I do now¡­? It would be amazing if she really l-likes me the same way I like her, but¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Can I risk ruining our literal life-long friendship to find out how she f-feels about me¡­?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to something like that. ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way I could decide that for you¡­¡± ¡°I know¡­ Still¡­ what is your suggestion? What¡­ What would you do in my situation?¡± Ari wanted to get as many tips as possible. ¡°I¡¯m no help with that. I¡¯d turn into a blushing and embarrassed mess that has no idea what to do. I¡¯d freak out to no end and mess up wherever I could possibly mess up¡­ Again, sorry.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°You know, when Maya started going after me, I regrly turned into a mess, too. No, long before that already. Since the day we met, actually. I¡¯ve had no friends for the longest time, and my experience with romance was basically negative¡­¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­?¡± While Ari looked like she was sorry for her, she wasn¡¯t exactly sure where the tiger was going with her story in this situation. ¡°Even someone like me was able to get used to her advances. To some degree, at least. I know that you¡¯re shy, too, Ari, but I¡¯m sure you can get used to her clinginess.¡± ¡°P-Probably, yes, but¡­ How is that going to help?¡± The jaguar was confused. ¡°Try to getfortable with her way of doing things and return the favor. That¡¯s what I did¡­ Every once in a while, I managed to get bold enough and got closer to Maya, as well. It took me a ton of courage, but I eventually had a lot of fun going back and forth with her while yfully flirting a ton. Sure, I was still an embarrassed mess most of the time, but I enjoyed it.¡± ¡°I-Is that how it works¡­? So, long story short, I should get bold myself¡­?¡± ¡°More or less, yep.¡± Sophia nodded at her question. ¡°It worked out for me.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­ That¡¯s going to be embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She gave her an even bigger nod. ¡°It¡¯ll take a lot of effort, but I think it¡¯s worth it. You can get closer to her without risking your current rtionship. You aren¡¯t doing anything she isn¡¯t already doing, after all. If you¡¯re lucky, she eventually explodes over all the affection she receives and confesses to you out of nowhere.¡± ¡°T-That sounds oddly specific¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Maya did.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Alrighty~! Good luck with going on the attack!¡± ¡°E-Eh?! It¡¯s already decided?!¡± Ari¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock. ¡°I-I¡¯m not ready for that yet!¡± ¡°Why not? You love her, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°You want her, right?¡± ¡°T-To be mine, yes¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, let¡¯s a go!¡± ¡°S-So pushy¡­¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that side of Sophia. ¡°I would¡¯ve loved a friend to push me along because I was behaving like an idiot around Maya for the longest time. Well, I still behave like that, but that¡¯s a different story¡­¡± ¡°N-No, I am grateful! I really am!¡± Ari started panicking. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s a lot for me to do¡­¡± ¡°Understandable. I would¡¯veined a lot in that situation, as well.¡± She couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to do it, either, but that¡¯s my suggestion.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The ck-haired girl paused for a moment. ¡°What¡­ What would you suggest me to do¡­? H-How should I show my a-affection for her¡­?¡± ¡°Do the same thing she does.¡± Sophia made it sound easy. ¡°She wants to sleep in the same bed as you? Suggest it yourself before she has the chance to. Even better, simply go to her room in the evening. Invite her over to yours. She wants to cling to you or hold your hands? Grab her hand the moment she looks at you while you¡¯re walking around. Stick close to her and get more into her personal space to get a reaction. Get cuddly while you''re studying... Just be annoyingly flirty. Though, my personal rmendation is something else.¡± ¡°A-Annoyingly flirty¡­?¡± Ari didn¡¯t like the sound of that too much. ¡°Wait, what is your rmendation?¡± ¡°Lap pillows! Give one, receive one, it doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯re the best thing in the world. Get Anna on yourp, and she¡¯ll be yours~.¡± Sophia really liked them a lot. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s maybe not that easy, but still¡­ do it! Bonus points for doing it in the evening after just havinge out of the bath, still all warm and in your pajamas, while rxing on the sofa.¡± ¡°O-Okay.¡± The jaguar was a bit overwhelmed. ¡°Well, it does sound lovely, so it might be worth a try. Although¡­¡± Her face suddenly turned even redder for some reason. ¡°Although?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer to lie on Anna¡¯s lp¡­ Her legs are really¡­ Thighs especially¡­¡± Her voice trailed off towards the end. ¡°Oh my god, yes!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°I love your taste. You are right, the princess is on a league on her own when ites to those. That tall tiger of yours really has that going for her. Maya¡¯s thighs are already super soft andfy, and I bet you¡¯ll be in heaven, too, if you can take a nap on herp~.¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s into legs?¡± Ari only looked at her. ¡°You have no idea.¡± The blonde had no intention to hide it. ¡°I can¡¯t me you.¡± Ari nodded in understanding. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I prefer them over a nice chest, but I definitely appreciate them a lot.¡± ¡°Good thing you don¡¯t have to choose with Anna, huh? She¡¯s been blessed with both, after all.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°You sure can be frank.¡± ¡°C-Can you me me?¡± ¡°No.¡± Sophia thought about the princess for a moment. ¡°Not at all. Well, I am fortunate with my Maya, too, after all.¡± ¡°Absolutely. She¡¯s a great catch.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She sounded strangely proud. ¡°It¡¯s great to be lucky, huh?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I first have to get l-lucky, though¡­¡± As Anna wasn¡¯t hers, at the moment, the jaguar still had some work to do in that regard. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°W-We¡¯ll get there! Also, the first thing we¡¯re going to do then is to have a double date, so get ready for that! After that, the four of us will hibernate through the winter in front of the firece in our mansion. All huddled up andfortably cuddling with our girlfriends!¡± ¡°I-I like the sound of that¡­¡± Ari showed her a small smile. ¡°Alrighty!¡± Sophia sounded motivated. ¡°Let¡¯s get the operation going!¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± The jaguar clumsily raised her fist to imitate the blonde. ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°Soo¡­ The bottom line for everything¡­ I should try to go on the o-offensive myself? Imitate what Anna does, but also not overdoing it to make her suspicious of my intentions? Going as far as she goes should be safe, after all, but doing more could ruin what we already have¡­¡± ¡°I honestly think you could go further, but yes, that¡¯s the best approach for now.¡± Sophia agreed with the n. ¡°O-Okay, I¡¯ll try my best! T-Thank you very much, Sophia.¡± ¡°No problem! I¡¯m d to help.¡± The tiger seemed to be in an excellent mood. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to have this type of girls-talk with a friend! I¡¯m so happy that I finally have the chance! Y-You and maybe Anna are my first actual friends¡­ I mean, one I¡¯m not dating, and also look the same as I do, as you¡¯re not a wolf, so I want to make sure everything works out!¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that bit of information. ¡°Yes¡­ I also enjoy chatting with you a whole lot! Girls-talk with Anna is kindaplicated, but with you, it¡¯s a bunch of fun!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia¡¯s mood improved even more. Afterward, the duo kept chatting for a while longer, and a lot of time had passed since the two met up. In the afternoon, they decided to go looking for their girls because Sophia and Ari felt like their training with Eluna should be over soon. Chapter 178 – Playful secrets Chapter 178 ¨C yful secrets The duo consisting of Ari and Sophia were still happily chatting the day away. The blonde gave the jaguar many tips to get closer to her princess by recalling how she and Maya started out and how it progressed over time. Once the two had formed a n to go further, they decided to look for their girls, who were busy training the new magic to Eluna for most of the day. ¡°My, would you look at that?¡± ¡°The runaway couple¡¯s back, huh?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t run away!¡± Walking through the castle¡¯s garden for a while, Ari and Sophia eventually ran into their girls, who immediately had to make ament once they saw the duo. ¡°Who¡¯s the one who preferred to train Eluna over ying with me?¡± The blonde tried a reversal. ¡°I had to busy myself with something else, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The jaguar joined in. ¡°I was free because a certain someone wanted to mess around with magic. Meeting Sophia was a lucky coincidence, and I decided to spend some time with her instead.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°Wait! You were the one who forced me to train with Eluna! I wanted to stay with you instead!¡± She got loud. ¡°You got me there.¡± ¡°Anything interesting happened?¡± Maya faced her tiger. ¡°I was the one who suggested ying with her in the first ce, so I just wanted to tease a bit~.¡± ¡°A ton of things~.¡± She sounded really cheerful. ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± Ari started panicking. She naturally didn¡¯t want Anna to find out about their conversation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything that happened will be our little secret~.¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The princess and cat-girl didn¡¯t like this development whatsoever. ¡°Why do you have secrets again?!¡± Anna got even louder and used the chance to jump at the jaguar. She shook her a few times to make Ari spill the beans, but once she understood that her lips were sealed, Anna opted to cling to her arm instead while she was at it already. ¡°So unfair!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression softened up when she saw the duo. ¡°So?¡± Maya got closer to the blonde and started whispering. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Sorry, not telling~. It¡¯s something Ari told me in secret. It involves neither of us, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about, though.¡± She kept out the birthday ns she formed with the jaguar, but that wasn¡¯t the main topic, anyway. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± She stared at her for a while but eventually noticed that Sophia didn¡¯t flinch, which made her believe it in the end. ¡°Well, the princess and I have one or two secrets, as well, so I guess that¡¯s only fair.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Now it was Sophia¡¯s time to get suspicious. ¡°Same as yours. It doesn¡¯t involve either of us.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± She needed a moment. ¡°Well then...¡± ¡°Sharing secrets with friends is great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The blonde gave her a big nod. ¡°It¡¯s so much fun!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Maya liked her expression. ¡°You sure are adorable.¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­ I just enjoy finally having friends.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to tease you there.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Sophia!¡± Anna got loud again. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± She reluctantly changed her attention to the princess. ¡°You didn¡¯t flirt with Ari again, did you?!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde wanted to y a bit. ¡°Did I? Did I not?¡± ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± Ari also raised her voice once more. ¡°It really is sooo much fun.¡± She faced Maya again while showing her a big grin. ¡°I love you.¡± The cat-girl enjoyed that reaction a whole lot. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, princess, there was no flirting.¡± ¡°G-Good.¡± ¡°At least none that I¡¯m aware of.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Hehe. No, I think everything was fine in that regard. Though, I need a lot of Ari¡¯s time in the near future because we have some things nned.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that!¡± Anna wasn¡¯t a fan. ¡°C-Calm down, okay¡­?¡± With a slight blush on her cheeks, Ari tried to push herself away, and the princess reluctantly let go of the jaguar¡¯s arm after a while. ¡°Sophia wants to teach me chantless magic, and that¡¯s going to take a while¡­¡± She managed toe up with an excuse on the spot. It wasn¡¯t really an excuse because the two nned to do that, too. Still, the duo mostly wanted to take care of the Anna issue and have Sophia learn how to cook as a surprise for Maya on her birthday, but the other two couldn¡¯t find out about that. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± There was little the princess could say here. ¡°Still no flirting!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± The blonde¡¯s and jaguar¡¯s voices perfectly ovepped. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The duo kept teasing Anna for a bit longer, but Sophia and Maya eventually decided to head back to their mansion because it was gettingte after they had spent almost the entire day on the castle grounds. ---------------- ¡°Alright, spill the beans.¡± The couple was back in their home and currently sitting on one of the sofas in their living room when Maya suddenly started questioning the tiger. ¡°A-About what¡­?¡± ¡°Those little secrets you and the jaguar have. I can smell something juicy~.¡± ¡°Nothing juicy!¡± Sophia was loudly protesting. ¡°We just had some fun girls-talk, nothing more! Ari wants to keep it a secret, and so I will.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­? Now I want to know it even more~.¡± Maya enjoyed that type of conversation, too. ¡°Nope. How about you tell me about Anna¡¯s secrets instead? I also like the sound of that! Give it to me!¡± ¡°Later, we¡¯re currently chatting.¡± The cat-girl smirked at her. ¡°Hmm¡­ A-Ah.¡± She paused for a moment and developed a slight blush after she realized what other possible interpretations her words had. ¡°Y-Yeah, sounds good.¡± ¡°Hehe, great!¡± Maya seemed to be looking forward to it. "Yeah... Wait! Oi! Don''t make me get sidetracked here!" Sophia noticed her n. ¡°Whatever do you mean~? Anyway, no can do. Anna also made me pledge secrecy on the topic.¡± ¡°See?! Why should I tell you, then?!¡± ¡°Because I wanna know~.¡± The cat-girl sounded a little whiny. ¡°Nuh-uh.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t let her have it. Telling her Ari¡¯s secret, that is. ¡°Fine¡­¡± She eventually gave up. ¡°Good.¡± Wanting to keep Ari¡¯s secret and not identally spill the beans about her ns of surprising Maya with a self-cooked and fancy dinner, the tiger happily changed the topic. ¡°How is it going on the Eluna front?¡± ¡°Pretty well, actually. Anna had been teaching her while we were, uhh¡­ busy with your and Fen¡¯s little ident. She really understands the idea now and even learned another category. The king has also suggested that we should visit the princess¡¯ school soon.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia stopped for a moment. ¡°I already forgot about that part again¡­ Are we actually going to y teachers there¡­?¡± ¡°That was the n, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m going to be sooo useless~.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°Hehe. Well, you¡¯re more the poster girl, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about that, either¡­¡± She had mixed feelings about being nothing more than a demonstration of real magic. ¡°You¡¯re also good at destroyingmon sense, but I¡¯m not sure how that would be helpful.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t destroymon sense! I create an alternative view on it!¡± She got loud. ¡°No, wait! My nonsense actually makes sense! When ites to magic, everyone¡¯smon sense is wrong, and I found out what¡¯s actually going on! No one can me me for that!¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Maya was at a loss for words. ¡°I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to answer this.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Sophia looked incredibly smug. ¡°You¡¯re still breaking the sense of everyone¡­¡± She tried a weak counter. ¡°Just because it¡¯s wrong doesn¡¯t mean that, uhh¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing if I keep breaking it, then?¡± ¡°N-Noment¡­¡± ¡°Ha! wless victory! Alright, I¡¯ll break everyone''s mind in Anna¡¯s school!¡± ¡°That sounds so incredibly bad¡­¡± ¡°F-Fair point¡­¡± The blonde noticed the ambiguity in her wording. ¡°Could you take it a bit easy¡­? You don¡¯t want the king¡¯s head to explode, do you?¡± Maya was sure Menzor would die if she were to do that. ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t thought about the coteral damage. ¡°Fine, I might do a little demonstration or two before I let you, Anna, and Eluna do the actual work¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°On behalf of the king¡¯s migraine, I thank you.¡± ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t y, maybe I¡¯ll go and look for some new friends while you are busy teaching instead. That sounds like fun, too.¡± ¡°Y-You looking for friends in a school full of teens while I¡¯m doing something else¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia gave her a nod. ¡°I bet there are lots of cute girls in her school.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± The cat-girl froze up. ¡°Y-You know what, I bet the king has his personal armada of healers at his disposal. A little migraine won¡¯t hurt him¡­¡± She¡¯d changed her mind. ¡°Ahaha.¡± The tiger startedughing. ¡°Jealous Maya can be fun every once in a while~.¡± ¡°S-Shut up.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m on a roll today.¡± Her expression turned even smugger. ¡°You know that I won¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°And what about the girls there?! Imagine a whole group of girls who are as, if not thirstier as the princess when she went after you.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She stopped to think about it for a second. ¡°Y-Yeah, I need you as a guard there¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°I still would like to get another friend or two out of it¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s voice turned a little more serious. ¡°I want more of them!¡± ¡°Sure, if you find someone who actually just wants to be your friend, I see absolutely no problem in it. Go for it, tiger.¡± Maya cheered her on. ¡°Wow, I wasn¡¯t going for it, but that wordy was perfect, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What a dork.¡± She rolled her eyes in return. ¡°It almost hurts if you¡¯re the one saying it...¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The couple kept chatting like that for a while and kept themself busy with other things until it was time for dinner. It was also when the wolves showed up again, too. The two were working on the underground maze and apparently made some great progress, as well. Chapter 179 – Ways to get warm Chapter 179 ¨C Ways to get warm The couple was back in their mansion and happily teasing each other about the meaningless secrets they share with the princess and Ari while also talking about visiting their school soon. Maya was a bit concerned about Sophia wanting to find some friends in a pool of teenage girls, but as long as it really stays with friends, there was nothing she had against it. She wanted her to have more friends, too, after all. Once it was time for dinner, the duo reunited with the wolves, who were busy expanding their underground maze until then. After having eaten together, the group rxed in their living room which had be an evening ritual for them already. "How''s the mazeing along, big guy?" Sophia was currently busy ying with Maya''s hair after the cat-girl had gottenfortable on herp while the two were on one of the sofas. After a while, she faced Fen to get an update on their little project. "Pretty good. We''ve created a couple of new paths and also started working on a new room to y in." "Oh~." The tiger liked the sound of that. "What kind of room is it?" Maya also got interested in it. She, too, had a lot of fun in the maze. She wasn''t interested enough to get up from Sophia''sp and listen to the wolf in an upright position, though. Something possibly world-ending has to happen for that, after all. "Where would the fun in that be?" Fen had no intention to answer them. "Aura and I''ll polish everything some more, and the two of you can have another go in exploring the maze." "I like that n!" The blonde was already looking forward to it. "Yep, finding it on our own seems like the better idea, yeah." So did the cat-girl. "I can''t wait! Please hurry with the building!" Sophia got excited. "Do you want it fast, or do you want it to be amazing?" Fen didn''t want to be rushed. "Yes!" The group chatted for a while longer before they split up. The wolves stayed in the living room while the other two got ready for their bath. Once that was taken care of, the couple went to their room and got slowly prepared to sleep. ---------------- "Haa~." The two had just gottenfortable under the nket on their bed when Sophia let out a satisfied sigh. "This is heaven~." While saying so, she cuddled closer towards Maya next to her and nuzzled against her side. "Sure is." The cat-girl returned the movement, and the two got even closer. She wasn''t necessarily speaking about the bed, though. "It''s starting to feel pretty chilly, though. I think it''s a little colder herepared to the area where we created theke." "I was just thinking about that, too!" The blonde seemed to have observed the same thing. "The living room was still toasty, but up here¡­ Maybe the bedroom''s position isn''t the best for catching sun during the day to heat up? Good during the summer¡­" "Less good for every other season¡­" Maya finished her sentence. "Exactly! Why did the tiger family settle down in such a cold climate¡­? Did they forget that we''re actually just fancy cats¡­?" She disappeared deeper under the nket while making her im. "Fancier cats, huh¡­?" She wasn''t sure how to feel about that. "Well, you''re the fanciest cat of us all, but you know what I mean¡­" Feeling cold apparently made the blonde smoother, as well. "Wow, that was good." Maya was more than happy with the answer. "Hehe. Still, how does the winter inside houses work in this world¡­?" The tiger sounded slightly cryptic. "I mean, the living room and maybe some other floor downstairs will be heated by the firece, but what about upstairs? The warmth of it won''t reach all the way to here, will it?" "Not sure¡­ Our house back in Raumont was much smaller, and the winters never were all that cold. We had a central firece, too, and it was, more or less, okay for most rooms." "I don''t want it to be okay in here. I want it to be toasty!" Sophia''s living standard included central heating in her old world, so that wasn''t an option for her. "Well, I''m not sure if the warmth will reach all the way up to here in the first ce¡­ I kinda doubt it, too, actually¡­" "I don''t like the sound of that!" To further prove her point, Sophia fully disappeared beneath the nket while wrapping her arms around Maya to tightly hug and clung to her. She also remembered her chat with Ari and buried her face into the cat-girl''s chest. No one could see it, but her expression was one of pure bliss. "Come on, it''s not nearly that cold yet, idiot." She didn''t sound upset in the slightest, though. "Shhould I stophh¡­?" Her voice was slightly muffled as her face was still covered by the nket, and two other things. "Nah, I don''t want you to catch a cold, after all." "Ish that sho~?" There was a hint of sarcasm in the tiger''s voice. However, she still happily stayed under the nket while also tightening the hug around Maya''s body. A little whileter, though, she stuck out her head again because it was getting too stuffy for her liking. "Haa¡­" She took a deep breath while also looking slightly pouty. "Stupid need for oxygen¡­" "Having trouble breathing down there?" "Yeah¡­" "Weird, you normally have a lot more endurance when ites to that." "To what¡­?" Sophia sounded a little confused. "Going down." "Hmm¡­ Ah!" She needed a moment to understand the cat-girl''s implication. "W-Well this, and that are twopletely different things!" "Hehe." She let out a chuckle. "I wonder how long you''dst, then." "With what?" Maya tried to sound as innocent as possible. "Under the nket. I''m aware of your performance for the other thing already." "True enough." "Pervert." Sophia could onlye to one conclusion after this conversation. "Why?!" "¡­" "Okay, I get it. You perfectly yed along, though, pervert." "¡­" The blonde still didn''t answer. "Anyway, let''s get to thatter~. There was still something else to talk about, right?" "Sure¡­" Sophia didn''t disagree with her suggestion. "Wait, where were we again?" She needed a moment to sort her thoughts. "Ah, right, the heating issue. Are there any alternatives to a firece? We can''t really install another one in the bedroom, can we? Wait, can we¡­?" "Well, it''s our ce, so I guess we could¡­?" Maya wasn''t sure about it, either. "Still, I''m not sure if I would want an open fire near our bed. It could get a bit stuffy and smelly in here. Not to mention that I feel like the mes would be super distracting when you try to sleep." "Oh, you might be right about that. There''s also the dirt from the wood and a bit of ash¡­ Yeah, we probably shouldn''t do that." She reconsidered her idea. "So, what else is there besides a firece?" "Let''s see¡­ I haven''t seen them in person because we never needed them, but I heard that there are devices that work like the magic ovens. You pour your power or authority or whatever into it, and it heats up. Although, instead of using it for cooking, it radiates heat and warms up to the room." "Ohh, I like the sound of that!" It slightly reminded her of the heaters of her old world. "I''ve heard that they''re quite expensive and use a lot of your magic, though." "So?" The tiger didn''t see the issue. "Right¡­ We have more than enough of both, huh¡­?" Maya still forgot about their situation every now and then. "Let''s get 17!" "Ahaha¡­" There was not even a hint of her being against the idea in her voice. "They work with the same material as these ovens, right? Some kind of ore or whatever that magic likes, ording to our dear Canir." "Probably, yeah. Maybe some that doesn''t heat quite as much, though. It would get way too hot, after all. Or it uses less magic?" "I wonder if I can get my hands on the raw material." Sophia''s eyes started to sparkle for some reason. "Why?" "I want to y with it and do some experiments." "Aren''t these heaters not enough¡­?" "That''s not it. You see, my old world had something we called floor heating. As the name implies, we had warm floors that heated up the rooms. I repeat, warm floors. You could run around barefoot all day long while always having toasty feet." "I want that!" Maya sounded extremely excited. "Now I know what the pet cat at my mom''s ce would''ve said if she was able to talk. I had her over for a week at my ce with heated floors, and that cat had bepletely useless because she spent the entire weekzing around on the floor." "S-Shut up¡­" Maya''s face turned slightly red. "I look forward to bing useless!" Sophia, on the other hand, wasn''t ashamed of her inner cat anymore. "I always loved my heated floors, but something about it, me, makes me look forward to it even more~." "Dork." Her voice sounded really warm and gentle during her reply. "You should be used to that by now." "Did it seem to you like I wasining?" "Hehe." The blonde was a fan of her answer. "I really wonder if I could infuse our floor with the heating material stuff or whatever it is." "Me, too!" Maya had taken a real liking to the idea. "Where could we get our hands on the material, though? It seems like it could be hard to get the raw ore." "Yeah¡­ Thankfully, we have some rather good connections in the capital, don''t we?" "Fair point. Sooo¡­ back to the castle tomorrow?" "Back to the castle!" Sophia sounded highly motivated. "I''m in!" So was the cat-girl. "Seems like I''ll be trying to recreate some stuff of my old world sooner than I thought. I bet Canir will be happy. Though, he might''ve been hoping for something with a bigger¡­ bang." "Don''t care, I want heated floors!" Maya''s priorities were clear to everyone. "Dork." Sophia reacted the same way she did earlier. "Yep~." The two chatted, flirted, cuddled for a while longer before focusing on something else before the day eventually came to an end. On the following one, once the couple was awake and ready to go, the two directly headed to the castle to find out how and where they could get their hands on the material that''s used to build magic heaters and ovens.
Chapter 180 – Industrial area Chapter 180 ¨C Industrial area The couple noticed that the colder weather also affected their bedroom as it was getting slightly chilly there. Neither of the cats liked this development overly much. Sophia then thought about the magic ovens and heaters Maya told her about and remembered the heated floors from her old world and wanted to recreate them. The cat-girl liked this idea very much, and the two got really motivated about the idea. The two then decided to visit the castle to find out where to get the material the ovens and heaters are made with. ¡°Haaa~¡­¡± The tiger let out a long yawn while the two were walking towards the castle. ¡°Still sooo tired¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s gotten quitetest night.¡± ¡°You were the one who wanted to go for an extra round!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear youining yesterday.¡± The cat-girl sounded rather smug. ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± Sophia had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°Wait, it actually didn¡¯t gette at all because we remembered to stop time¡­ Why am I still so tired?!¡± ¡°Rece with exhausting, and the result¡¯s still the same.¡± ¡°Fair¡­ Hmm¡­¡± She suddenly tilted her head while seemingly haven had a genius thought. ¡°No, that¡¯s a stupid idea.¡± Maya stopped her before the tiger could say anything. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what I was thinking about!¡± ¡°You were wondering if you could sleep while time¡¯s stopped to get some extra hours on top.¡± ¡°Get out of my head!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like how well the cat-girl knew her. ¡°Ehehe¡­¡± She had to chuckle at her reaction. The couple bickered for a while longer until the two reached the castle. There, they were greeted by the usual head maids, which seemed to be in charge of Sophia¡¯s group, as well by now. The jaguar-maids then escorted them to Menzor. The heated floor was of such significant importance that the duo wanted to go straight to the nation¡¯s king for intel. ---------------- ¡°Oh, what brings the two of you here?¡± Naturally, Menzor wasn¡¯t expecting the couple. ¡°Did something happen? Or is it to n the visit of Anna¡¯s school together with Eluna?¡± ¡°Nah, we don¡¯t care about that at the moment.¡± Sophia had bigger ns, after all. ¡°I see¡­ So, how can I help you, then?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure where to start. ¡°I actually don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the right person to ask. You might be a little, uhh¡­ overqualified for it.¡± She had no better word to use instead. ¡°Get it out already.¡± He wasn¡¯t a fan of beating around the bush. ¡°We¡¯re looking to get our hand on the raw material that¡¯s used to build magic ovens and heaters.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ I might actually be a bit overqualified for that.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia let out a dryugh. ¡°Does that mean we can just buy it somewhere?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not quite that easy.¡± The king shook his head. ¡°The raw material is a bit unstable, and only manufacturers authorized by the government are allowed to handle it. If you pour too much magic into the unrefined material, a huge explosion is the most likely oue.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m good with those.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± The blonde put her hands on her mouth. ¡°So, how can I get it?¡± ¡°What do you need it for?¡± ¡°Experiments.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡± Menzor got wary of her. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t me him. ¡°I had an idea I want to test out. I¡¯m trying to invent a new kind of heater.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference to the already existing ones?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret~. It will heat up the rooms in your house, as well, but it¡¯s going to work fundamentally different.¡± ¡°I see¡­ How dangerous is it going to be?¡± He knew how the blonde works by now. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring¡­¡± ¡°Well, I promise nothing, though.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°You were the one who said the raw material¡¯s prone to exploding. I didn¡¯t know about that.¡± This was news to her, after all. ¡°I still want it, though.¡± ¡°Fine¡­ It¡¯ll only end badly for me if I refuse you¡­¡± He gave up before his head started to hurt. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll write you a permit for it. With that, you can go to the manufacturers of the ovens and heaters to buy some of the material from them. They naturally can¡¯t give it to you for free.¡± ¡°Thank you very much! Sure, I have enough money.¡± ¡°Good. There¡¯s a condition for the permit, though.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I want to see the result of your experiment if it¡¯s sessful.¡± ¡°Sure, if I manage to invent what I, uhh, want to invent, it¡¯ll be super popr, and there¡¯s no reason to hide it. Sharing will be subjected to royalties, though~.¡± The tiger had no problems with making her invention public. Giving it away for free was a different story, though. ¡°Of course. How else do you think inventions work?¡± Menzor wasn¡¯t the slightest bit offended by her own condition. ¡°Still, you sound confident that your idea will be a hit, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s even better than she makes it out to be!¡± Maya answered for her. She really liked the idea, after all. ¡°It¡¯s the best thing ever!¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? Well, I look forward to whatever it is.¡± Saying so, the king then prepared a letter for the blonde with his seal on it to permit her to buy whatever she needed from the manufacturers. Once he gave them the address of the biggest ce to get the material from, the duo immediately left. ---------------- The couple walked through the capital for a while and eventually arrived in a corner they hadn¡¯t been to before. The two mostly visited the resident and shopping areas in the outeryers, but the industrial area was new to them. There were fewer normal-sized houses, and instead, manyrge-scale buildings and small to medium-sized warehouses dominated the ce. ¡°Ah, there it is.¡± Looking around for a bit, Maya eventually found the ce Menzor had noted down for them. ¡°Good. I waspletely lost already¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s sense of direction was as useful as it had always been. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She energetically marched forward and entered the building. ¡°Wee to¡­ Oh?¡± A middle-aged guy with slightly gray hair and tall, wolf-like ears on top of his head, together with a somewhat sharp expression, greeted the duo before noticing Sophia¡¯s tigerness. ¡°You¡¯re the new one, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°W-Well, not sure if I¡¯m still new¡­ I¡¯m in the capital for a while already, after all, but I¡¯m the newest one, yeah¡­¡± The blonde was slowly getting used to it. ¡°To be blessed by the mysterious one. How do wee to the honor?¡± ¡°Mysterious one¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Just a nickname because so little¡¯s known about the blonde tiger.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Oh, are you taking over for inspecting our production around the heating ore?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯ll be left to the people who know what they¡¯re doing.¡± Having Sophia inspect things to make sure everything¡¯s handled correctly was a bad idea, to put it lightly. ¡°We actually came to buy some of the raw material.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He stared at her for a moment. ¡°Tiger and all, we still aren¡¯t allowed to sell it without an authorization of the Minister of Industry and or the Security and Regtory one.¡± ¡°What about the king?¡± ¡°His Majesty? Of course. He can authorize whatever he wants.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± With a cheerful voice, the blonde handed over the letter Menzor wrote for them. ¡°So, that¡¯s how it is, huh?¡± The wolf-man read through it. ¡°Blondie here is a special one, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Sure is.¡± Maya gave him a nod. ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m being ridiculed right now¡­?¡± ¡°Just your imagination.¡± The cat-girl waved her hand. ¡°Hrmn¡­¡± She didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°How much of the heating ore do you need?¡± He got the conversation back on track. ¡°No idea.¡± Sophia only shrugged her shoulders. ¡°How much is usually used in a heater big enough for arger room?¡± ¡°That depends on how warm you want it to get. Usually, it¡¯s around one to two kilograms for the bigger heating units.¡± ¡°I see¡­ How about five kilograms for starters?¡± The tiger wanted her bedroom to be toasty. ¡°Alright.¡± As the girl had a written authorization by the king himself, he had no intention of questioning her. ¡°Anything else you need?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh, do you have any material that instes and or reflects warmth?¡± ¡°To guide the heat into a certain direction?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Yes. We use that in our ovens to keep the heat inside of it.¡± ¡°Perfect! I need a lot of that. A lot.¡± ¡°How much is a lot?¡± The wolf-man tilted his head. ¡°How much of it do you need for an oven?¡± ¡°Around two square meters, give or take some.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ a hundred ovens worth of instion, then.¡± Their bedroom wasn¡¯t that big, but she wanted to inste the floor really well. ¡°That is a lot. Quite the expensive order you¡¯re cooking up here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, money¡¯s not a problem.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± He sounded much more motivated all of a sudden. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Hrmm¡­¡± Sophia thought about it for a second. ¡°Are there any other materials with magical properties?¡± ¡°There¡¯s the conductivity ore. As the name implies, it conducts magic. You can infuse a string with it to remotely operate the heater. That way, you can pour your magic into it without having to touch it directly.¡± ¡°I want that!¡± The blonde got highly excited. It sounded very simr to how cables are used in her old world, and that would be perfect for a lot of things she eventually wants to try recreating here.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ How much?¡± ¡°Maybe 30 meters worth of that material for starters. I¡¯ll be getting more in the future, though. Lots of it.¡± ¡°Of course. You¡¯re in luck, too. We¡¯ve just restocked our warehouse and have lots of everything at our immediate disposal. We could even arrange delivery as soon as the afternoon of today.¡± ¡°Sure, sounds perfect.¡± The tiger thought about stuffing everything into her storage dimension, but she opted against it as it would be way too shy. Also, a same-day delivery works just as well. ¡°Great!¡± Afterward, the three went over the contract, which included the materials, delivery time and ce, and some other minor details, including the arrangement to pay on the delivery. Once everything was taken care of, the couple decided to explore the industrial area a little more while their delivery was getting ready. They went back home a few hourster, just in time to greet the delivery guys with many horse-drawn carts packed with the magic ores and a ton of the instion Sophia wanted. The blonde instructed them to unload everything in the barn behind the mansion, and everything was good to go once she paid for the delivery.
Chapter 181 – Heating ore Chapter 181 ¨C Heating ore The couple was having a very productive day for a change. Sophia remembered the heated floors in buildings of her old world and wanted to recreate them with magic. Needless to say, Maya, the cat-girl, really liked the idea. Afterward, the two went to the king to find out how to get their hands on the materials. As it turned out, they needed a written authorization to deal with it because it has the tendency to explode in its raw form. Thankfully, the king gave them one, and the duo went shopping. In the end, they got way more than they needed, but the blonde wanted to experiment, after all. Once everything got delivered to their mansion, Sophia got very motivated about it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Maya, too, couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°Hmm¡­? Wait, I know it¡¯s kindate after we went after the firece, heater, and whatever discussionsst night¡­ Not to mention having bought all that stuff already, but why don¡¯t we simply heat up the room itself with our magic? That wouldn¡¯t be hard at all with our power, right? As much as I love the heated floor idea, we, too, could do that with magic alone, don¡¯t we?¡± She had noticed a slight oversight in their ns. ¡°Where¡¯s the romance in that?¡± Sophia had a yful tone in her voice. ¡°I love magic and all, but using it on its own to make my life easier is kinda boring¡­ I probably could affect the weather with my magic to a degree that would give the capital and the area around it an eternal summer, but¡­ I don¡¯t like that. Way too nd! The same goes for heating up myself, for example¡­ I mean, I¡¯ll absolutely do that if I¡¯m feeling too cold, but winter clothes are adorable! I don¡¯t want to miss out on them!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair... Probably.¡± ¡°Also, all this would only help us because we have way too much magic at our disposal.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Maya couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°Remember how Canir mentioned that, while the living standards in this world are quite high, quality of life improvements are left to be desired?¡± ¡°Yes. Though, I have no idea what he meant¡­ I don¡¯t know that much about your old world, after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather tough to exin without showing it.¡± ¡°So, what has that to do with anything¡­?¡± ¡°If we heat our house with magic directly, we¡¯ll be fine and toasty, but most people don¡¯t have the authority to use that much magic. My idea of heated floors should be usable by everyone who can use standard heaters.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ That¡¯s a nice way of thinking. I¡¯m proud of you~.¡± Maya liked how the tiger tried to also help the general public with her ideas. ¡°Well, our version will be totally over the top and be able to cook our feet if we try to. Not that we do, but that¡¯s a different topic~.¡± She had no intention to hold back. ¡°Great! Okay, not the cooked feet part, definitely not, but let¡¯s get as toasty as possible!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The two energetically raised their fists in the air. Highly motivated, the duo entered the stable behind their mansion to inspect the delivery of the magic ores and the instion material to get started on it. ---------------- ¡°So, what¡¯s the n?¡± Maya was alternatingly ncing at all the boxes and her tiger. ¡°No idea.¡± Sophia only shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± ¡°I have no idea how this heating ore thingy works, after all.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s understandable.¡± The cat-girl couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°Guess we have to do some experiments first, huh?¡± ¡°I like the way you think!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± She let out a happy giggle. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s y!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The two entered the stable and unpacked one of the little boxes that contained the heating ore. There were ten in total, each containing 500 grams of the raw material. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia was touching one of the packs with a curious expression. It had a grayish-brown color and was rtively soft and easily formable. ¡°Just like y¡­ We didn¡¯t get ripped-off, did we¡­?¡± ¡°I highly doubt a ce the king rmended would do that to us¡­¡± ¡°Right¡­ Should I just pour some magic into it, and we see what happens?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t his Majesty say that the raw material tends to explode when you do that?¡± ¡°So?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Tehe~.¡± She stuck out her tongue. ¡°What¡¯s your idea?¡± ¡°My? Let¡¯s see¡­ We should¡¯ve asked how it works, huh¡­? That would¡¯ve been a reasonable idea¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t do that here.¡± The tiger was still sticking out her tongue in a yful way. ¡°I know.¡± It was far from news to the cat-girl. ¡°From what I remember, these heaters using the material are usually a big box. The magic ovens are quite big, too¡­ I guess that ore is encapsted somewhere in the inside of it?¡± ¡°So that your magic passively pours into it¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say so, yeah.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s give it a try!¡± Sophia took the heating ore she was holding already, and the two left the stable to have more space to experiment in their garden. There, she created a hollow box with earth magic and put half of the 500-gram block inside it before closing off the top side of the box. ¡°Good, give it a try, Maya. Pour some of your magic into it.¡± ¡°W-Why me?!¡± ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll happily do it. I¡¯ll dly pour my magic power, of which I have way too much to finely control, into this highly unstable material that¡¯s prone to exploding.¡± ¡°Step away from the box!¡± Maya slightly panicked and pushed the tiger away. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°I love how much you trust me.¡± ¡°Come on, this oue, me doing it, was exactly what you wanted.¡± ¡°I love how much you know me~.¡± Sophia slightly corrected herself. ¡°Whatever~, should I just pour a little of my magic into the box¡­?¡± Maya eyed the construct the blonde had created. ¡°I guess so?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Be careful, though.¡± ¡°Wow, if you say that¡­¡± The cat-girl got a little wary. ¡°Alrighty, here goes nothing!¡± Saying, so she got a little closer and ced a hand on top of the box. ¡°Err¡­¡± A momentter, the box started rumbling and quickly turned red hot. ¡°I doubt that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be¡­¡± Sophia sounded perfectly calm, though. ¡°N-No kidding!¡± Maya didn¡¯t. Immediately after, she jumped backward to get some distance from it. ¡°A-Ah!¡± A secondter, the earthen box exploded, and a gigantic crater formed in their garden. All of that was apanied by an ear-deafening sound of an explosion echoing through their residential area with some debris flying around, as well. ¡°I bet we¡¯ll be really popr with our neighbors¡­¡± Sophia scratched her ears that hadin down t on top of her head after the explosion. ¡°It still riiiings in there~.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The other girl was a little more confused. ¡°W-What just happened¡­?¡± ¡°My cat messed up~.¡± It had put her in an excellent mood. ¡°I-I barely used any of my power, though¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I hate it when that happens.¡± The tiger had used this excuse many times before. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± There was nothing Maya could add to that. ¡°S-Seriously, what happened¡­?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± She tilted her head while getting closer to the crater and looked at it for a while. ¡°Oh, I can see our portal room.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The cat-girl was shocked. ¡°No, of course not. The portal room is like 20 meters below the ground. This hole is two meters deep at best.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t scare me like that¡­¡± ¡°How did we manage to get our roles reversed?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t like it, either!¡± Maya got loud. ¡°I love it, though.¡± Sophia let out yet another giggle. ¡°Well, I guess simply putting the ore into an enclosure isn¡¯t how it works, huh?¡± ¡°You really think so?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Any other ideas?¡± ¡°How about you try something now?¡± The cat-girl turned her head away. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching this time¡­¡± ¡°Sure~. Okay, I¡¯d say that using the material in the pure form isn¡¯t the best idea.¡± ¡°It seems like it, yeah.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She started thinking about an alternative way of using the ore. ¡°Should we mix it with something else?¡± ¡°For example?¡± ¡°Normal earth, maybe¡­ Ah, I think sand would be perfect!¡± ¡°Sand?¡± ¡°Easy to mix and dose.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, makes sense.¡± Maya understood her reasoning. ¡°Where do we get that, though?¡± ¡°I have some in my storage dimension.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She had no real exnation for it. ¡°Seriously, what don¡¯t you have in there¡­?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The tiger had no reply for her. ¡°Forget that I asked.¡± Maya decided that she didn¡¯t want to know. ¡°dly.¡± Afterward, Sophia got some sand from her storage and mixed it with the heating ore once she had reduced it to small pieces. ¡°And that¡¯s supposed to work now¡­?¡± The cat-girl was looking at the pile of sand with little specs of the grayish-brown substance mixed into it. ¡°Well¡­ it needs some sort of binding agentter¡­? To turn it into a somewhat solid material, I guess.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a little hard to use this way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough to experiment on, for now, I¡¯d say.¡± Saying so, the blonde kneeled down and put a hand on top of the pile. ¡°B-Be careful, okay?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, how could I mess up more than you did earlier?¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Maya¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Once she finished chuckling at her reaction, Sophia then focused on the experiment. She poured her magic into the sand, and it actually didn¡¯t explode. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s actually working¡­¡± ¡°Really? Why the long face, then?¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t understand her reaction and got closer to the sand-ore mixture. ¡°Ah¡­ kinda lukewarm at best, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°I guess we need to find the right mixture now¡­ It has to be way hotter, after all.¡± ¡°Without it exploding, or melting feet, though!¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± The blonde just had to do it. For the rest of the afternoon, the couple kept experimenting with the heating ore and the sand to find the best mixture for it to get toasty without any side effects. They couldn¡¯t use it for heating up their floor otherwise, after all. It involved a lot of trial and error, including a couple more craters in their garden, though. Funnily enough, most of the time an explosion happened, it was while Maya was trying out a mixture.
Chapter 182 – Successful experimenting Chapter 182 ¨C Sessful experimenting Sophia and Maya were still experimenting with the heating ore to find the right mixture to use it for heating up the floors in their mansion. All they created up until now was a lukewarm pile of sand and a few craters in their garden after the mixture had exploded because the couple used too much of the raw ore at once. ¡°Our gardener that came overst week will kill us when hees back¡­¡± Maya was looking at their slightly destroyed garden that was riddled with craters from various explosions. ¡°Funny you¡¯re saying that. Most of the craters, including the giant first one, are the result of your doing because it happened after you tried a too highly concentrated mixture, after all.¡± The tiger put all the me on her. ¡°I-I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me today¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Sophia let out a chuckle. ¡°I think it¡¯s a lot of fun that way.¡± ¡°Well, sure¡­ Still, I like it more when you¡¯re the one who¡¯s causing the catastrophes.¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s fun, too~.¡± There was no reason, or chance, for her to deny it, after all. ¡°We¡¯re getting close, though.¡± The cat-girl held her hand over thetest pile of the sand and heating ore mixture. ¡°It¡¯s super warm but still stable.¡± ¡°It has to be hotter, though.¡± We have wooden floors in most of the rooms, including our bedroom. If we put the stuff below it, the wood¡¯s going to reduce the warmth thates through it because it¡¯ll act as an instor.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± She nodded in understanding. ¡°Wait, how are we putting the stuff in there, anyway?¡± ¡°Lots of construction work¡¯s going to happen.¡± ¡°Not sure if I like that.¡± Maya had mixed feelings about the idea. ¡°The alternative would be no heated floors.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s tear down the entire mansion!¡± She quickly reconsidered. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The tiger responded with a chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that hard. I can teleport the furniture into our storage as is. I might even be able to do the same with the wooden floor. After that, we need to modify the actual stone below it¡­¡± ¡°Modify?¡± ¡°We need to carve it out a bit to add some instion and the heating ore mixture itself before adding the wooden floor again.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­It would get too high otherwise, huh?¡± Maya saw the issue. ¡°What¡¯s the instion for, though?¡± ¡°We want to heat up the room above, not below, right? Without it, we would also have heated ceilings downstairs.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Instion can also act as soundproofing if I remember right.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons why I got so much of it.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The cat-girl liked the sound of that. The two had a slight noise issue, after all. Them being too loud at certain times, that is. ¡°We first need to find the right mixture, though.¡± ¡°True¡­ Maybe the mixture being, uhh¡­ dry could also be a problem.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°If the heating ore gets actuallybined with the sand into something more solid, it might work better?¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea. Let¡¯s give it a try!¡± ¡°How, though?¡± ¡°We could just add some water for the time being. It won¡¯t hold, but it¡¯s enough to test, I guess?¡± Saying so, the tiger created a bit of water with magic and sshed it over a pile of sand. Afterward, she added the heating ore and started mixing everything together. Interestingly enough, the ore began to dissolvepletely, and the whole mixture slowly turned into a homogenous mass. ¡°W-We really should¡¯ve asked how the raw ore works¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Maya, too, was awkwardly scratching her cheek after seeing how easy it was all of a sudden. ¡°Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s any better now.¡± Sophia ced her hand on the mixture and poured some of her magic into it. Immediately after, it started to heat up. It also got way warmer, not to mention that it evenly heated up now. ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°How is it?¡± The cat-girl got closer and touched it as well. ¡°Feels nice and hot. I like it! Looks like the mixture got solid, too, huh?¡± ¡°Yep, it¡¯s near perfect. I think we can add a little bit more of the ore. It would be five-kilogram sand mixed with 500 grams of the ore and enough water to make it a homogenous mass.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Though¡­ What happens if you pour in too much magic¡­?¡± Maya¡¯s expression changed a bit. ¡°I kinda see someone using way too much while being half asleep and blowing us up already¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She turned her head away. This scene felt way too real for her. ¡°L-Let¡¯s test it out first¡­¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± While Maya agreed, she increased her distance from the blonde. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sophia ced her hand on the already hardened mixture and started pouring more of her magic into it. It heated up in an instant, but nothing else happened. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work¡­ While I can use quite a bit of my magic¡­ It eventually stops¡­ It seems like I could overpower it, but it feels like I really shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± She sounded relieved. ¡°Yeah¡­ That¡¯s probably one of those limitations Canir mentioned. His magic doesn¡¯t care about it, but my tiger magic is warning me to stop.¡± ¡°I love your tiger side more and more with each passing day.¡± ¡°Me, too~.¡± ¡°What now? Should we get our bedroom ready?¡± Maya wanted to know about their n going forward. ¡°Do you mind if I make a sensible suggestion?¡± ¡°I would be confused, but I certainly wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I kinda don¡¯t want to ruin our bedroom first thing¡­ How about we try it out in our underground portal room first?¡± ¡°I am very confused.¡± Maya stared right at her. ¡°I¡¯m a big fan of the reasonable Sophia, but it''s a really weird feeling¡­¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± The tiger started pouting. ¡°Let¡¯s go and blow up our bedroom!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not do that.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Still pouting, Sophia went back to the stable and put all the materials into her storage. Afterward, the couple went inside the mansion to continue their experiments down in the portal room in their basement. ---------------- ¡°We don¡¯t really have to carve out the floor here, do we?¡± Maya looked around to guess how they should tackle it. ¡°Not really, no.¡± She agreed. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem if we raise the ground a little. We can just add the instion, the mixture, and then top it off with some wooden nks for the time being to roughly recreate what we have upstairs.¡± ¡°Do you also have some nks in your storage?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Again, why?¡± ¡°Why not? I saw them a while ago and thought it could be useful someday.¡± Sophia gave her a casual reply. ¡°Useful for what...?¡± ¡°For testing out the new heated floors in the basement of our mansion we received from the king of this nation.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Yeah, you always have to be ready for this absolutelymon situation, right.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± The tiger sounded a bit smug for some reason. ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya didn¡¯t want to deal with this, or her, any longer. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the testing.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°What should we do first?¡± ¡°The instion, I would say.¡± Saying so, Sophia pulled out the square sheets of it and put them down. ¡°Just covering the whole ground, I suppose?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ---------------- Doing that for the next 20 minutes, the duo eventually ced thest wooden pane on the floor and got together near the stairs again. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m imagining things, but it already feels warmer¡­ I guess the instion is working, huh?¡± The cat-girl tried to feel the temperature while waving her hand around. ¡°Yeah, thanks to the instion, the cold creeping up from below is gone now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a promising start.¡± ¡°The question is how to apply the heating ore mixture¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Just evenly spread it out all over the ground?¡± ¡°I thought about the same, but we wasted a lot of the raw material while blowing up our garden. There are only around three kilograms left¡­ If we use the 10 to 1 mixture with the sand and add the water on top¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not nearly enough to cover the whole ground, huh?¡± Maya finished her sentence. ¡°Exactly.¡± She nodded. ¡°ording to the wolf guy seller, three kilograms should be way more than enough to heat up a room of this size.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°How about we apply the mixture in lines all over the ground instead? This way, we won¡¯t need nearly as much material, but it should still give off enough heat.¡± ¡°I see. Yeah, that sounds like a n.¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll just get five times as much for our bedroom.¡± ¡°I like that idea!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± After that, Sophia let a big container appear from her storage space and dumped all the remaining heating ore together with ten times as much sand in it. Once she poured water all over it, she used her magic to move the materials to let it all mix together, and it soon formed into a homogenous mass again. Once the consistency was right, the girls spread it out on top of the instion all over the room in a snake pattern. To finish it, the tiger then pulled out a whole lot of veneer-like nks of wood which they ced on top of the instion and the heating ore mixture. ¡°That was a lot easier than I had imagined.¡± Maya looked at the finished basement that now featured a wooden floor. ¡°Maybe we should be carpenters in the future~?¡± ¡°How about no?¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like the idea. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll pass on that, too. We¡¯ll leave that to the experts.¡± The blonde had only made a joke, after all. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s test it out!¡± Saying so, she put her hand on the newly built floor and started pouring her magic into it. ¡°It¡¯s working, but we might need to use some of the conductivity ore stuff to transport the magic faster below the wood. I might make some sort of switch thingy on the wall that connects to it¡­ We can simply touch that then to get it going.¡± ¡°You sure are dedicated to the n. I kinda like it when you are like this.¡± ¡°Ehehe- Ohh, the floor¡¯s getting warm~.¡± She finished pouring her magic into the floor, and the wood began to heat up after a minute or two. ¡°Really?!¡± There was a hint of excitement, and the cat-girl immediately kneeled down to feel it for herself. ¡°Ohhh~!¡± ¡°Great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Very!¡± Her tail was sticking straight up while Maya was happily patting down the floor. ¡°d you like it.¡± While saying so, Sophia took off her shoes and socks before stepping on the wooden floor. ¡°Haaa~¡­ I¡¯m in heaven~¡­¡± She let out one of the mostfortable sighs the cat-girl had ever heard from her. ¡°This the beeeest~. Try it out, Maya~.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Wasting no time, she immediately took off her boots and got rid of her overknees, as well. Afterward, she joined the tiger on the heated floor. ¡°Oh no, this is bad¡­¡± Her expression changed. ¡°T-This floor is dangerous¡­ The warmth below your feet and how it slowly soaks up while spreading through your legs¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± While letting out a chuckle, Sophia sat down on the floor before letting herself fall on her back. ¡°Haa~.¡± She had sprawled out her limps all over the wood. Maya immediately did the same, and the two rolled around on the floor for a good while before eventually settling down next to each other. Afterward, the two started cuddling while being warmed up by the heated floor beneath them. Eventually, though, the wolves appeared in the basement aftering back from working on the maze and spotted the two there. Fen and Aura naturally were a little confused over the sight, and the couple had a lot of exining to do.
Chapter 183 – Fen loves heated floors Chapter 183 ¨C Fen loves heated floors After a lot of experimenting and some coteral damage in their garden, the couple eventually found the right mixture to turn the heating ore into a mass that can be safely used to heat up their floor. Afterward, Sophia and Maya went to their basement to test it out. It worked out even better than expected, and the duozed around on the heated floor until the wolves eventually showed up. ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± Fen and Aura had juste back from working on the maze and ran into the couplezing around on the floor of the portal room while cuddling with each other. ¡°More importantly, why is the floor made out of wood now¡­?¡± The female wolf was just as confused. More about the changes to the basement, though. Running into the two cuddling somewhere wasn¡¯t anything unusual, after all. ¡°Err¡­¡± The couple got up from the floor, and Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Why don¡¯t you step on the wood and tell me what you think?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Fen had no idea what was going on but still did as the tiger suggested. ¡°It¡¯s warm¡­?¡± His confusion only grew. ¡°Ohhh, it feels nice!¡± Aura¡¯s reaction was much more direct. ¡°What did you two do?¡± ¡°Winterproofing the mansion.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± He walked around on the floor some more. ¡°Did you get your hands on some heating ore?¡± ¡°A lot of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t blow up the basement. Good job, Sophia.¡± Aura sounded strangely proud. ¡°You should see the craters in the garden. It looks like a battlefield there¡­¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek again. ¡°Ahh¡­ I praised you too early, huh?¡± ¡°Maya blew it up!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The cat-girl turned her head away. ¡°It¡¯s not my day, okay?!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Still, how did youe up with putting it below the floor? Assuming that¡¯s what you did under the wood.¡± ¡°My old world had heated floors, and I tried to recreate it with resources from here. It worked out way better than I had ever hoped for.¡± ¡°Is that so? Good job.¡± Fen lightly praised her before walking around on the heated wooden floor some more. ¡°You like it, too, don¡¯t you?¡± Sophia quickly saw through him. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t necessarily care either way¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± The tiger naturally didn¡¯t buy it for even a second. ¡°Well, I guess I don¡¯t have to put the heated floor in the living room then, huh? With an extra generous amount of the ore right below where the sheebskin rug is, huh?¡± ¡°Sheep.¡± Maya corrected her. ¡°Same difference!¡± The new, old naming scheme hasn¡¯t fully settled in with her yet after having learned the wrong names before. ¡°T-That¡¯s-!¡± The was a slight hint of panic in his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t bully our dear Fen so much.¡± Aura stepped in for him. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s clear as day that he desperately wants it.¡± She wasn¡¯t on his side, though. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°And how much do you want to have it?¡± The tiger had seen through her, as well. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have it.¡± Aura paused for a moment. ¡°I need it.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s honest.¡± Sophia liked her reply. ¡°Fenny, you should learn from her.¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± He sounded slightly pouty as he turned his head away. ¡°Alright, because Fenny wants it so much, we¡¯ll change the floor in the living room, as well.¡± ¡°On behalf of our dear Fen, I thank you very much.¡± ¡°Which side are you on, Aura?!¡± He got loud. ¡°Sophia¡¯s.¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate for even a second. ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°But don¡¯t look forward to it too much, Fen!¡± Maya also couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. ¡°Our bedroom will be the first to get renovated!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± He needed a moment before giving up. ¡°All¡­ All that aside, I know that the two of you are the textbook examples of cats, but it¡¯s probably going to stay somewhat warm for a bit longer, you know?¡± ¡°Our bedrooms not on the direct sun-side, though! It¡¯s not heating up that much during the daypared to the toasty living room!¡± The tiger startedining. ¡°Sounds like an excuse to me.¡± ¡°Of course, it is! It¡¯s also true, though!¡± Sophia had no reason to hide it. ¡°I see. Well, whatever¡­¡± Fen didn¡¯t want to deal with it, her anymore. ¡°Hehe.¡± She felt like having won the argument. ¡°Maya, we¡¯re going to revisit the store tomorrow.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The group kept bickering for a little longer before eventually going back to the living room, where everyone felt like freezing for some reason. ---------------- The rest of the day went by without anything happening, and even Sophia managed to get up rtively early the following morning. The couple was on an important mission, after all. The two went shopping for some, or a lot, more of the heating ore. While they were at it, the tiger also got a little more of the instion. Most of it was scheduled to be delivered somewhere in the afternoon, but Sophia decided to carry some of the ore on hand because the girls wanted to get started with their bedroom right away. ¡°Alright!¡± The couple was back in the mansion, and Sophia energetically raised her fist once the two had entered their bedroom. ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of all the stuff!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Maya was as motivated as the tiger. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really any work, so¡­ Oh, let me try something~.¡± ¡°Do I like the sound of that¡­?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure how to feel right now. ¡°Err¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Debatable¡­ Please leave the room.¡± ¡°Okay, no, I don¡¯t like the sound of it. What are you nning?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try teleporting the entire inside of our room into my storage dimension.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Hearing that, Maya dly left the room and even went down the hallway to ensure she wouldn¡¯t end up as coteral. ¡°Please don¡¯t destroy the bed. I¡¯vee to like it quite a bit.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that.¡± Sophia sounded really confident. ¡°I would protect this bed with my life. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever destroy it.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°Carefully¡­¡± Sophia started to concentrate, and a few momentster, their entire bedroom was shrouded in the same pinkish distortions as her usual portals. Afterward, once those disappeared again, the room waspletely empty. Even the wooden floor was gone, revealing a marble-like stoneyer. The attached bathroom, too, had been emptied out. ¡°Maybe you should rethink your opinion about joining the carpentry business.¡± The cat-girl came closer again and was visibly impressed. ¡°You could revolutionize the industry.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­ Maybe, I¡¯ll put it on the list of retirement ideas.¡± ¡°Sure, go for it.¡± It was pretty easy to tell from the tone of their voices that the couple was just messing around. ¡°Why did you even clean out the bathroom?¡± ¡°Hello?¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°Heated floors when going in and out the tub when naked?¡± ¡°Why are you so perfect¡­?¡± Maya fell even more for her. ¡°I try my best~.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She let out a chuckle. ¡°So, what now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll destroy the nice-looking marble floor of our bedroom.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ This mansion is ours, right¡­? Not just like the king is letting us rent it for free¡­?¡± ¡°The contract the Minister of Housing gave me mentioned that it¡¯s my property now, so we should be fine?¡± ¡°Right¡­ Good to know.¡± She sounded relieved about it. ¡°Even if, no matter how nice the marble looks, heated floors are a definite upgrade.¡± ¡°True.¡± Maya saw no error in her im. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and she let a portal appear in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I want to take a look at something¡­¡± Saying so, she grabbed the cat-girl¡¯s hand, and both stepped through the portal. ¡°Well¡­¡± Maya looked slightly awkward while she was scratching her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s something¡­¡± The duo was looking at an exact replication of their bedroom inside the storage dimension. Safe for any walls, that is. ¡°I knew it¡­ We could totally live in here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever doubted that we could, but I don¡¯t think we should.¡± There was a subtle difference in those ims. ¡°There¡¯s no need for it anymore, either, because we have the mansion to return to now, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair¡­¡± The tiger sounded a little disappointed. ¡°I still think it would be fun to ce a house inside here.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± With a roll of her eyes, Maya grabbed her hand again and dragged the overambitious tiger out of the storage dimension. Half an hour and the usage of earth-rted magicter, the floor in the couple¡¯s bedroom, including the bath, was now carved out by 15 to 20cm. Afterward, the duo ced an extra thickyer of instion on the floor by doubling the sheets. They apparently act as soundproofing, too, after all. Something of great interest for the two. ¡°Alright, time to mix the heating ore. How much of it do you want in our bedroom?¡± ¡°That depends on how much we have.¡± ¡°I like the way you think.¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°We used around 3 kilograms of it in the basement, which is roughly the same size if we include the bathroom, I guess? Hard to tell with the differentyouts. If we factor in how the basement is much colder in the first ce and how¡­ Long story short, I have five kilograms in my storage right now¡­ How does five kilograms sound to you?¡± She cut her exnation short. ¡°wless logic.¡± Maya also began to smile. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like that!¡± ---------------- Another hourter, the couple¡¯s bedroom was back to its original look only with the floor being heated now. ¡°I still need to think about a way to use the conductivity ore for us to remotely heat it up, but for now¡­ Let¡¯s test it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The tiger ced a hand on the floor and started pouring her magic into it. She continued doing so for around a minute until it felt like the heating ore was saturated. ¡°Ohh~.¡± Another minute or two passed, and the cat-girl started to feel something. ¡°It¡¯s getting warmer! It¡¯s working~!¡± Her voice was full of joy. ¡°I think this is my favorite side of yours, Maya.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t care about the heated floor right now and started right at her. ¡°Mmh? What do you mean?¡± She innocently looked at her while happily patting down the warm floor. ¡°This is sooo great~.¡± ¡°You just being you.¡± The blonde had an incredibly soft expression. ¡°It¡¯s like when we first met or when we y around. I love every part of you, but when you don¡¯t have to look after me, being all yful and giddy¡­ It¡¯s the best." ¡°Hehe.¡± She only let out another chuckle while showing her a cheeky smile. ¡°I love you.¡± Some switch had flipped inside of Sophia, and she got closer to Maya while still kneeling down on the floor in front of her. Then, she lifted up her chin and gave her cat-girl a kiss on the lips. ¡°Oh?¡± Her ears perked up while she parted from the tiger. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Maya forgot about the floor, as well, and returned the kiss with one of her own. ¡°I think bold Sophia¡¯s one of my favorites~.¡± Her voice turned yful, and she pointed at her lips. ¡°I want another one~.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It seemed like the blonde had a different n. She got up before grabbing the cat-girl¡¯s hand to help her up. Afterward, Sophia guided her towards the bed and pushed her down there. No time at all had passed since the tiger got bold, and the couple, after having had a quick shower to freshen up after having done a lot of work, went back downstairs. Even though they had gotten sidetracked, the two still had some more construction left to do.
There is also a version without the background being slightly blurry. I think the blur helps direct the focus to the girls, but a sharp background also has its uses. Makes for a better wallpaper, too~. Spoiler [copse] A big thanks to @San_plus_ on Twitter for this one that is justwow. Chapter 184 – Renovating their mansion Chapter 184 ¨C Renovating their mansion Sophia and Maya were still retrofitting their mansion with heated floors and had just finished equipping their bedroom with it. The couple had also already given it a test run afterward. After their break, they decided to keep on going with the other rooms. There was still a lot of work left, after all. Before starting with the living room, the delivery of the remaining heating ore and the instion arrived just in time for the group to renovate the rest of their mansion. ¡°Alright, that should do it.¡± Sophia had just finished putting everything from the living room, including its wooden floor, inside her storage dimension. ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± The wolves wanted to help, as well. ¡°Sure, we need to carve out the ground by around 10 centimeters in each room. Feel free to do that for me while I¡¯m putting everything that¡¯s in the way into my storage.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The wolves sounded highly motivated. ¡°I¡¯ll help the two of you with the instion.¡± As Maya couldn¡¯t help the tiger, she decided to join Fen and Aura instead. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll continue emptying out the rooms.¡± Sophia liked the n. ¡°Which rooms are we going to install the heated floors in?¡± Aura wanted to know how much they had to do. ¡°Eh?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°All of them, of course. Storage rooms, hallways, and every unused room upstairs are included. Every inch of this ce shall have heated floors!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± No one seemed to have anyints about it. The group kept modifying their mansion for the rest of the day. Thanks to all of them being slightly on the overpowered side, retrofitting every single of the many rooms took them only a couple of hours. Once they had dinner and the couple finished their regr bath in the evening, everyone got together in the extremely toasty-feeling living room. ---------------- ¡°Haa~¡­¡± The couple was currently cuddling on one of the sofas when Maya let out a most satisfying sigh. ¡°The heated floor in the bath was divine~.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not half bad in here, either.¡± Aura also seemed rather satisfied as she stretched her body next to Fen on the sheepskin rug. ¡°I might actually start worshipping you for this, my goddess.¡± ¡°Stop that!¡± Sophia immediately got loud. ¡°I am no goddess!¡± ¡°You could be one if you want to, though.¡± The female wolf had fun with the topic. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to!¡± ¡°Why not? You could be the goddess of heating. Sounds fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It does not! If anything, if I actually be a goddess, my first official act would be taking back my blessing of heated floors!¡± ¡°I am deeply sorry, my dear divine tiger!¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it! This divine tiger will be removing her blessing to the living room first thing tomorrow!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Fen and Maya didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Can¡¯t you just banish her to the stables in the garden for her outrageous sphemy towards the higher striped one?¡± The cat-girl absolutely didn¡¯t want to let go of it. Although, her wording made it rtively clear that she directly jumped in on the teasing. ¡°Oh?¡± The blonde next to her moved away from Maya she had been cuddling with until now, and stared at her. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯d like to join her, huh?¡± ¡°Can we get blessed with heated floors in the stables?¡± ¡°How about a blessing with permafrost floors instead?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like that at all.¡± Aura and the cat-girl¡¯s voices ovepped. ¡°Well, contrary to Canir, I wouldn¡¯t be a benevolent goddess, after all.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Fen was happy that he hadn¡¯t annoyed her this time. He knew how benevolent Canir was, after all. ¡°Anything you want to share, big guy?¡± Sophia looked at him. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just rxing here in peace.¡± ¡°Is that so? How do you enjoy my blessing, then?¡± ¡°Your invention isn¡¯t half bad.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She liked his answer. ¡°Fen can stay. The two of you are sleeping in the stables per the goddess decree!¡± ¡°Good thing there is no goddess here, right, Aura?¡± Maya nced at the female wolf. ¡°Yep, only the good old stripey one. Our dear tiger, that is.¡± ¡°You two sure are something else.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t really angry. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Seriously, I don¡¯t wanna, okay? Also, don¡¯t joke about that when it¡¯s not just the four of us here¡­¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Maya and Aura gave her an understanding nod. ¡°Good.¡± The tiger decided to drop the topic. ¡°I still need to find out what to do with the conductivity ore¡­ Having to touch the ground to charge it up is kinda suboptimal if you ask me. Not to mention that you have to actually concentrate on it for your magic to go through the wooden floor. It works a lot better in the kitchen or bathroom where the floor¡¯s made of stone.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fen also gave it some thought. ¡°How about you make tiny connections with the conductivity ore through the wooden floor all over the ce? If the two of you walk around barefoot, which I assume would feel great with the heated floor, or Aura and I, who do that all the time, we have paws, after all, we¡¯d charge up the heating ore just by walking around.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia got excited. ¡°Yeah, I n to run around barefoot or socks only all the time because it¡¯s the best feeling ever!¡± ¡°It indeed feels great, but¡­¡± Maya was a little less enthusiastic. ¡°I do like the idea, but what would happen if we didn¡¯t need the heat? Like when it¡¯s already warm? Wouldn¡¯t we still charge it up then?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Fen and the blonde hadn¡¯t thought about that. ¡°You came up with it because it existed in your old world, right?¡± Aura looked at her. ¡°How was it controlled there?¡± ¡°It was mostly controlled by the temperature, automatically turning on when it went below a certain temperature. No idea how I¡¯d be able to recreate that, though.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t think she could easily recreate a thermostat, let alone that one still had to charge it up with magic, anyway. ¡°You could also manually operate with a switch on the wall. That was my n here, too. I¡¯ll ce a little box on the wall in easy-to-reach ces like next to the doors, the bed, or the bathtub, and connect those with the floor using the conductivity ore. You touch them, pour your magic into it, and the floor should heat up, I guess.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± The male wolf liked the idea. ¡°I¡¯d like some charging pads in paw height. We can force out magic through the floors with our paws, but the pad sounds like the more efficient way.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll ce them all over the walls~.¡± She was having a lot of fun. "Oh. maybe I could even put lines of the conductivity ore all over the mansion and let them all run together in the entrance hall. That way, you can heat up the rooms without actually having to go there first. That would be the ultimate level ofziness~." ¡°Are you going to tell the king tomorrow?¡± Maya remembered the conversation with him. ¡°He wanted to know what you wanted to do with the heating ore after all.¡± ¡°Why not, I guess? I wanted to visit Ari, anyway. I can do it quickly once I¡¯m in the castle.¡±¡¯ ¡°What do you n to do with the jaguar?¡± ¡°We wanted to do some training.¡± Sophia chose not to specify what kind of training the two had nned. Cooking, too, is training, after all. ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°Well, I might as well do the same then and y a bit with the princess.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll watch the house.¡± Fen and Aura chose thezy option. ¡°Watch the house or test if the heated floors can be used continuously?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The wolves had learned a lot from the tiger. ¡°I see¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°We¡¯ll also work some more on the maze.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°If I can make Fenny get up from the floor, that is.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± He red at Aura in response. The group chatted a little longer while rxing in the living room before they eventually turned in for the night. ---------------- The following day, the couple headed to the castle once again to meet with the king before ying with their friends there. ¡°Already back again?¡± Menzor looked at the duo in his office with a questioning expression. ¡°Was there something wrong with my permission?¡± ¡°No, everything was fine with that.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°You wanted to know what I needed it for, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You already seeded with your idea?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She sounded pretty proud of herself. ¡°It was a rousing sess~.¡± ¡°Was it?¡± He tilted his head. ¡°By the way, some reports reached me, mentioning the sounds of multiple explosions having happened in the noble area where you live.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Maya awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Those were just some minor setbacks during the experimental phase. No one got hurt besides thewn in our garden.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± He sounded relieved. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve invented a new way of heating houses.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Menzor¡¯s expression changed to one of curiosity. ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°I added the heating ore mixture directly on the ground, or rather, below the floor. We also added some instion and spread the ore on top before returning the actual floor to normal. The whole room now gets evenly heated up from below without having to have a heater or firece in the room.¡± ¡°The warmth radiating from it feels amazing, too!¡± The cat-girl got excited again. ¡°Because the heates from below, you get warm feet before it slowly spreads up your legs and heats up your entire body. It¡¯s the best!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The king wasn¡¯t sure what to think about it. ¡°It does sound fascinating. I¡¯m always feeling way too hot, though, so I might not be the best to judge it. Do you mind if I send over Kira to take a look at it?¡± ¡°Of course! She cane over whenever she wants!¡± Sophia liked the queen, after all. ¡°Ah, but waiting till next week would be the best to evaluate it. I¡¯m still doing some fine-tuning with it.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll tell herter today, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get back to you.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Sophia nodded at his suggestion. She also knew that Kira would love it. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all we have at the moment.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you very much for the update on your experiments.¡± ¡°No problem~.¡± Afterward, the couple left the king¡¯s office and went to look for Ari and the princess. Thanks to Sophia¡¯s detection magic, it didn¡¯t take them long to find the duo, who seemed to be in Anna¡¯s room at the moment.
Chapter 185 – Anna’s progress Chapter 185 ¨C Anna¡¯s progress The group finished installing the heated floors in every room in the mansion and had spent a very rxing evening in their toasty living room. It was actually still warm enough without it, but no one cared about that. On the following day, the couple went back to the royal castle to inform the king about the invention, who then decided to send over Kira soon to test it out. After that, Sophia and Maya decided to visit Anna and Ari. ¡°Hey there~.¡± The couple had just entered the room and greeted the duo sitting at the table there. Sophia also decided not toment on how suspiciously close Anna was sitting to the jaguar while Ari tried her best to hold back her blush. Although, she also looked a tiny bit disappointed that sticking close to each other was all the two were doing while being alone. ¡°Wee~.¡± The princess energetically greeted them back. ¡°H-Hello.¡± ¡°What are the two of you up to?¡± Maya took a better look at the table and noticed the textbooks. ¡°Looks like homework?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Both let out a sigh. ¡°Now that Ari got corrupted as well, even she has issues with the magic-rted lessons¡­¡± ¡°Somehow, sorry¡­¡± Sophia decided to apologize. ¡°No¡­¡± Anna didn¡¯t want to me her. ¡°I just can¡¯t wait till the two of you visit the school with Eluna. Once the new form of using magic bes public, we can stop dealing with this farce.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Sophia then had a better idea. ¡°Want to do something else instead?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess didn¡¯t even wait for her suggestion. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± The blonde liked her enthusiasm. ¡°Though we have to split up for that. Maya wanted to y with you, and I have some stuff to do with Ari.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so¡­?¡± She suddenly sounded a lot less energetic. ¡°You don¡¯t want to y with me?¡± The cat-girl knew why the princess reacted like that, but it didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t use this chance. ¡°I¡¯m hurt!¡± ¡°O-Of course I do!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head out, Ari. There¡¯s a lot we have to do!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Saying so, the duo left the room, leaving Maya and Anna behind before going wherever they nned to go. The cat-girl walked over to the princess and sat down where Ari was before, though they increased the distance from each other quite a bit. ---------------- ¡°Seems like you took my advice to heart, huh?¡± Maya smirked at her. ¡°You sure were sticking close to her~.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She averted her face. ¡°I-I¡¯m trying my best¡­¡± ¡°How is it going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of fun, though.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s already something, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess gave her a big nod. ¡°It¡¯s also really embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, those things often go hand in hand.¡± Maya had some experience with that, too, after all. ¡°You are able to get embarrassed¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, I am¡­ More often than I¡¯d like to, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like getting embarrassed. ¡°So, what did you do to, err¡­ with Ari?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Anna got loud for a moment. ¡°Well, I¡¯m trying everything you suggested to me¡­ We even started sleeping in the same bed again most of the nights.¡± ¡°Really? Good job.¡± She sounded proud of her. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really, really nice. Having someone sleep next to you is amazing!¡± ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes! Though, I have developed some very embarrassing habits already¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face turned a little redder. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ I always end up hugging Ari in my sleep¡­¡± ¡°Aww, isn¡¯t that nice?¡± Maya liked what she was hearing. ¡°I-It is¡­ but the way I do it is especially embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°How so?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I¡­ I, well¡­ I pull her close to me and always end up pushing her face deep into my chest¡­¡± ¡°What a lucky girl.¡± The cat-girl stared at a particr area of the princess¡¯ body while replying. ¡°H-Hey!" Anna covered her chest with her arms in response. ¡°They¡¯re not for you!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°That¡¯s why I only enjoy the view. While Sophia¡¯s are small, a lot of the time, it¡¯s still fun ying with them because they¡¯re really sens-, Anyway¡­¡± She noticed that she was going a bit too far. Maya had also only mumbled the middle part about the size to herself. ¡°G-Good¡­¡± The princess rxed again. ¡°Looks like you, or your body, has unconsciously decided that they¡¯re for your jaguar, though, huh?¡± ¡°A-Ah!¡± Her face turned into a deeper shade of red. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ M-Maybe¡­?¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t want to push her too far. Yet. ¡°How did Ari react to the hugging? And the chest diving¡­¡± ¡°Y-Yesterday, it almost looked a little like she was about to, uhh¡­ suffocate when I woke up¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Maya had no idea how to react to that. ¡°I-I mean, I¡¯m not small, either, but that¡¯s¡­ wow¡­¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna turned her head away. ¡°T-That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s embarrassing!¡± ¡°You know¡­ Suffocating most likely is not nice, but death by boobs might be not the worst way to, err¡­ leave this world.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The princess got loud again. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree but shut up!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She chuckled for a second before continuing. ¡°So¡­ when her life, well¡­ wasn¡¯t in danger, how was her reaction, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say because I was busy being embarrassed, b-but¡­ I don¡¯t think she disliked it¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a start, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Actually, it was also Ari who suggested sleeping together yesterday¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± She sounded bashful. ¡°We were doing homework and studied together and when she suggested it, I almost messed up because I was so surprised and got excited. Still, I think I managed to hide how happy I was.¡± ¡°Why would you want to hide it?¡± ¡°I-I thought that showing her a stupid and goofy grin after she suggested to sleep together wouldn¡¯t be the best idea¡­ We already were kinda close, and it even got a little c-cuddly when we were studying, so it would''ve been really awkward if I behaved weirdly in that situation...¡± ¡°Good thinking. Also, good job on the cuddly part~.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°And as a reward, you almost killed her with your boobs?¡± ¡°Stop focusing on my chest already!¡± Anna got a little angry. ¡°I¡¯m trying, but they¡¯re hard to ignore.¡± The cat-girl was a little drawn to them. Anna¡¯s breasts were a popr topic amongst every girl in their little group. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The princess blushed even more. ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya decided to finally move on. ¡°How about you try a different position when the two of you are sleeping in the same bed? Hug her from behind instead, for example.¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ I¡¯m not consciously h-hugging her in the first ce¡­ It happens when I¡¯m asleep¡­¡± ¡°Fair enough¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°How about you do that? Try hugging her in a way it¡¯sfortable for both of you before falling asleep.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s way too embarrassing!¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t want to try?¡± ¡°I absolutely DO want to try it!¡± Anna wasn¡¯t good at hiding her real feelings. ¡°Ehehe.¡± Maya let out another chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ll have to power through your embarrassment, then.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°You could also bait her into hugging you?¡± ¡°How?!¡± She got loud. The princess seemed to be slightly interested in this topic. ¡°You really are an honest one, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She stopped talking. ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°Decide, girl!¡± ¡°P-Please tell me how I can get Ari to hug me!" ¡°Sure~.¡± Maya actually did want to help her, after all. ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually up to Ari if she wants to initiate it herself, now that it has happened so often already. Just turn around when the two of you get to sleep. Show her your back and pretend to ignore her.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ignore Ari!¡± She didn¡¯t like the n. ¡°Even if the result could be the two of you getting closer?¡± ¡°G-Go on¡­¡± ¡°People get used to things incredibly quick. If the jaguar really didn¡¯t mind getting hugged by you, or even liked it, she doesn¡¯t want it to suddenly stop. If you don¡¯t do it anymore, there¡¯s a chance that she¡¯ll give it a try instead.¡± ¡°How¡­ How do you know that?¡± ¡°As usual, the answer here is Sophia.¡± The cat-girl looked slightly smug. ¡°My blonde behaved exactly like that. Whenever I was pushing her, she eventually tried it herself. It worked even better than I had thought, hence me getting embarrassed over it from time to time¡­¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°B-But treating Ari coldly¡­ I¡¯m not sure I can do that¡­¡± Anna had her doubts. ¡°You don¡¯t have to treat her coldly, idiot. You just have to refrain from shoving your breasts into her face when you¡¯re sleeping, pervert!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°You¡¯re not a what?¡± ¡°L-Leave me alone¡­¡± Her face was basically on fire by now. ¡°Okay.¡± Saying so, Maya stood up from the chair she was sitting on. ¡°Don¡¯t leave!¡± The princess immediately grabbed her arm. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re almost as jumpy as Sophia.¡± She sat down again. "Is that amon trait for tigers?¡± The cat-girl knew that the blonde was already jumpy long before bing a tiger, but she wanted to include the princess in her im. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna turned her head away again while starting to pout. ¡°You really enjoy this, don¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°You have no idea~.¡± Maya was smiling broadly. ¡°Still, I¡¯m trying my best to help you, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She reluctantly faced her again. ¡°T-Thank you for that¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee~.¡± The cat-girl liked her reply. ¡°Seriously, I think it¡¯s worth a try for you to hold back a bit when the two of you are sleeping. If she actually tries to hug you, I can promise you that you¡¯ll thank me a lot more. There¡¯s only one thing better than hugging your loved one while sleeping, and that is getting hugged by her.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Her voice was brimming with confidence. ¡°O-Okay, you convinced me¡­ I¡¯ll try it out tonight¡­¡± ¡°Great! Oh, already having decided that you sleep together again today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll, uhh¡­ I¡¯ll just go over to her room in the evening¡­¡± ¡°Oho, how bold. Yeah, there¡¯s no way she could send you away again that way.¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Maya did just that. The dynamic of the duo really had changed a lot since their first meeting. ¡°Hey!¡± Once Anna got the cat-girl to talk again, the two nned some more things while Maya continued to give the lovestruck princess some more tips to get her jaguar to love her back. They didn¡¯t know that this would be a rtively easy task, after all.
Chapter 186 – Ari’s progress Chapter 186 ¨C Ari¡¯s progress While the princess and Maya were having a rather lively chat in Anna¡¯s room, the other duo went to a kitchen the furthest away from them in the castle. The cat-girl¡¯s birthday was soon, and Sophia wanted to surprise her with a fancy home-cooked meal for her on that day. Unfortunately, cooking really wasn¡¯t her forte, and so she had Ari teach her in secret. ¡°Alright, master, what could you teach an idiot like me?¡± Sophia was very motivated about this. ¡°Master¡­?¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this. ¡°I¡¯m no professional, either, you know?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small details~. Also, that¡¯s what youment on? Not the idiot part?¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± Ari turned her head away. ¡°Just kidding.¡± She naturally wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°I am one, after all.¡± ¡°W-Well, I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­ How about we call you an amateur.¡± ¡°Gosh, you are sooo sweet.¡± Sophia felt touched. ¡°T-Thanks.¡± ¡°Speaking of sweet, how is it going with the princess?¡± ¡°I-I almost suffocated yesterday when she was hugging me in her sleep.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Death by boobs?! Again?¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ While suffocating wouldn''t be great, still if I had to leave the world, I may wouldn¡¯t mind it being like this.¡± She left a world before, and she¡¯d vastly prefer this over getting hit by a bus. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Ari got louder. ¡°I agree, okay, but still, hey!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger let out a chuckle. ¡°If I ever die by getting suffocated by boobs, it¡¯s going to be Maya¡¯s fault. Anna¡¯s chest is yours, after all.¡± ¡°Anna¡¯s chest is Anna¡¯s!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want it to be yours?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a different topic!¡± ¡°I see~.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± The jaguar noticed her mistake. ¡°I really like how honest you are.¡± Sophia had a great smile on her lips. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Ari averted her face again. Despite everything, both duos were shockingly simr at times. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop.¡± She didn¡¯t want to tease her too much. ¡°Except for the most preferable way of dying, that luckily got prevented, how is it going?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± The ck-haired girl faced her again. ¡°It¡¯s still embarrassing, but sharing a bed with Anna is a lot of fun.¡± ¡°Yep, sharing a bed with your loved one is the best thing ever.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I even managed to invite her yesterday¡­¡± Ari sounded a little bashful. ¡°Really? Good job.¡± ¡°T-Thank you.¡± ¡°Keep it up. Next, you should try to hug her instead.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know how¡­¡± She looked down at her feet. ¡°She falls asleep in three seconds and always wraps her arms around me before I even have the chance to do anything¡­ Returning the hug when she¡¯s already doing it is way too embarrassing, too!¡± Her face turned red. ¡°I can¡¯t do that when she¡¯s awake and looking at me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Eye contact makes being bold really hard.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ari gave her a big nod. ¡°Well, that means you have to wait till she turns around in the bed.¡± ¡°That hasn¡¯t happened once since we started sleeping together¡­¡± ¡°Wow, the princess sure is determined¡­ That¡¯s a tough one, then¡­¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Do you have fixed sides in the bed when you sleep together?¡± ¡°W-We do¡­ Anna tends to sleep on the right side of her bed, so I ended up using the left side¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°What about your bed?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve always slept in Anna¡¯s room until now.¡± ¡°Alright, change that!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your rules in your bed, so you can decide which side to sleep on.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± She got confused. ¡°If you change sides, she might get confused and shows you her back.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°If that happens, directly go for it!¡± ¡°E-Eh?! That¡¯s way too embarrassing!¡± Ari¡¯s face turned red just thinking about it. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°Trust me, everything about being in love is embarrassing!¡± She was speaking from experience, after all. ¡°You have to power through that! It¡¯s beyond hard, impossible even, you might think, but it isn¡¯t it! Also, the reward, if you manage to pull through it, is amazing! Remember, Anna is the reward in your case!¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°Even I managed to do that, okay? I couldn¡¯t even talk to girls without having a mental meltdown before meeting Maya, and look where we are today!¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± ¡°Also, when you hug Anna from behind, she won¡¯t see that you¡¯re embarrassed and blushing.¡± She saved the best argument forst. ¡°Right!¡± The jaguar sounded a lot more confident all of a sudden. ¡°Just how could I get her to my room, though¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Inviting her to your room out of nowhere could be a bit suspicious if you¡¯ve already formed a routine by sleeping in her bed¡­ Have you already arranged something for tonight?¡± ¡°No, not yet¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°I see¡­ Oh, how about you just stay in your room without saying a word during the evening?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°That way, she has toe and get you if she wants to sleep with you again. Once in your room, say that you¡¯re too tired to walk over today and¡­ Tada, problem solved.¡± ¡°W-What if she doesn¡¯te over to get me¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve slept together every day for over a week already now, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°People are creatures of habit. I bet she¡¯s gotten so used to it already that it¡¯s hard for her to sleep alone.¡± ¡°Why do you think so¡­?¡± The jaguar wondered about her knowledge. ¡°That¡¯s what happened with me when Maya insisted on sleeping with me. I got super lonely whenever we didn¡¯t do that, even in the times where I waspletely unaware of my feelings for her.¡± ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± The tiger was sure of her theory. ¡°Also, if I¡¯m wrong, and you¡¯re unable to wait any longer, you can still go over to her room at ater time. If she asks what happened, you can always say that you simply got held up by cosying as¡­ err, I mean doing maid stuff.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± The jaguar growled at the tiger for a second before rxing again. ¡°W-Well, it sounds like it could work out, I guess¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no harm in trying~!¡± ¡°True¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment to motivate herself. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try your suggestion tonight!¡± ¡°Great!¡± Sophia apuded her determination. ¡°Alright,¡± The jaguar took a deep breath to regain her calmness. ¡°Thank you for helping me with Anna. I really appreciate it.¡± ¡°No problem~. As my reward, I chose some very in-depth cooking lessons!¡± ¡°I think we can arrange that~.¡± Both had a yful tone in their voices. ---------------- After the two finished their usual girls-talk, the duo returned to today¡¯s main quest, teaching Sophia one or two cooking-rted tricks. ¡°So, again¡­ Master, what¡¯s the n?¡± ¡°First, stop calling me master. I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Alright! What¡¯s step two, captain?¡± ¡°Why captain?!¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°Master made some sort of sense, at least.¡± ¡°No idea! It was the first thing that came to mind.¡± ¡°Just call me Ari!¡± ¡°Boring¡­Okay, fine.¡± Sophia gave up with a slight pout. ¡°Good¡­¡± She already sounded slightly tired. ¡°First, what and how much do you want to learn? Should I teach you the basics first, and we continue from there?¡± ¡°That would be the ideal approach, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°Do we have enough time for that, though? Maya¡¯s birthday is on the weekend of next week, after all.¡± ¡°That could be a little problematic¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°Are there any dishes that don¡¯t need much prep but still are something for the eye, as well? Once Maya¡¯s birthday is over, I¡¯ll happily learn all the basics!¡± ¡°Yes, there are lots of those kinds of dishes.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯d like to go with that option first!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ari had no problems with that approach. ¡°Is there anything your cat especially likes? Or dislikes, for that matter.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything she dislikes¡­¡± Sophia closed her eyes to think about it. Still, as Maya¡¯s the one who usually cooks for them, she had no idea if there¡¯s anything she doesn¡¯t like. After all, why would Maya cook it if she doesn¡¯t like it? ¡°She really cares about the nutritional side, though. I¡¯ve never eaten more bnced meals than after meeting her.¡± ¡°Oh, good for you.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Nutritional and bnced, huh?¡± ¡°And fancy!¡± The blonde wanted to impress her, after all. ¡°Take it easy, tiger.¡± She stopped her enthusiasm. ¡°One step after another.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She was too proud of Ari¡¯s idental tiger pun to talk back. ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked the docile Sophia. ¡°However,¡­ Hmm, how does seafood sound to you?¡± ¡°Yummy!¡± Her stomach answered for the blonde. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°Well, I like the idea, but¡­ Isn¡¯t seafood superplicated to prepare?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ari shook her head. ¡°Shrimp, for example, are really easy. They tend to get chewy if you overcook them, but they only need a few minutes, and it¡¯s super easy to tell when they¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, they change color once they¡¯re done. They go from a transparent gray to an opaque pink.¡± ¡°Oh, I might be able to do that¡­¡± ¡°Great. Let¡¯s see¡­ Oh!¡± The jaguar seemed to havee up with a dish. ¡°Since we have decided on shrimps now¡­ How about some quick and easy shrimp Pasta?¡± ¡°Cooking pasta is one of the few things I¡¯m confident in.¡± ¡°G-Good. You add some oil, garlic, and butter to a pan and saut¨¦ it together. After that, you add the shrimps and cook them for two or three minutes. You also add some white wine with a couple of spices, reduce it to a sauce, and you¡¯re done already.¡± ¡°Again, yummy.¡± She repeated herself. ¡°Also, I¡¯m starting to feel like Canir had reincarnated someone from Italy in the past. First, the pizza, and now this¡­¡± She mumbled this to herself only. ¡°It¡¯s quick and easy, too.¡± ¡°That all sounds really good!¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°Ari¡­?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± All this talking about food had an obvious effect on the tiger. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had tough at her. ¡°Sure¡­ How about I show you the way it¡¯s meant to be cooked before we get to the training? To show you how it¡¯s supposed to taste, of course.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She answered with a big nod. ¡°I like that idea, and I¡¯ll be forever grateful to you!¡± ¡°Because I cook something for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not aplicated girl in that regard.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Afterward, the two collected the ingredients they needed, and Ari got to the demonstration for Sophia. Chapter 187 – Cooking plans Chapter 187 ¨C Cooking ns Sophia and Ari went to one of the kitchens in the castle, and once they finished their own little love talk, the duo got to the main reason they got together today. Ari teaching the tiger some sort of dish she could surprise Maya on her birthday with, that is. Once the two had decided on a course. The blonde talked the jaguar into cooking up a sample dish because she¡¯d gotten hungry over talking about food so much. ¡°Haa~, that was good!¡± Sophia had just finished taste-testing the sample dish Ari had created for her and was rubbing her stomach with a satisfied expression. ¡°The princess was right. You really are a good cook, Ari.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The jaguar started to smile after gettingplimented. ¡°I put in a little extra effort for the asion, too. We want you to be able to cook Maya the best version possible, after all, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°Do you think you could recreate it already?¡± Ari looked at the tiger. ¡°You were watching over my shoulders really intently, after all. It¡¯s good that Anna and Maya were busy because it felt like you tried to hug me from behind from time to time¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ While you do look huggable, no¡­ I just wanted to make sure not to miss anything.¡± ¡°I know~. Thanks for the ttery, though.¡± ¡°That was no ttery. I bet Anna feels the same. That¡¯s one of the things we shorter girls have going for us, you know? Being huggable, that is. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why we end up as hug pillows every so often, too. Maya likes to do that, too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me too much hope...¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s pretty wilding from me, but you should have more confidence. Then again, you actually are super confident¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°You are a bit timid and get embarrassed as easily as I do, but you¡¯re actually flirty, as well, and don¡¯t hold back when ites to Anna¡­¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°The flirty thing isn¡¯t happening consciously, you know¡­? For the Anna part¡­ We grew up together. There are limits I decided not to cross for a long time, but¡­ We¡¯re so close that, while I get embarrassed, my reservations get easily overthrown when ites to her¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good in this case, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after it worked out or not¡­¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure what to reply here. ¡°Anyway¡­ While I said that us being small increased our huggability, clinging to bigger, err¡­ I mean, taller girls is great, too.¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re bigger?¡± Ari naturally didn¡¯t miss her slip of the tongue. ¡°In certain areas, yes.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes at Sophia¡¯s shamelessness. ¡°Well, make sure to find out the differences between getting hugged and hugging yourself tonight, okay?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari¡¯s face kept getting redder. ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting a positive report tomorrow.¡± The blonde stared right at her. ¡°Uuh¡­ Are youing over again tomorrow?¡± ¡°No running away now! Not after I gave you homework!¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± ¡°It looks like I really have toe and check on you, huh?¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s no need for that!¡± Ari wanted Sophia to have more faith in her. ¡°Then again, Anna and the others have another training session with Eluna tomorrow, so I¡¯m free¡­ Well, feel free toe over.¡± She¡¯d changed her mind. ¡°Oh, that means Maya will be here, too¡­ I actually had some ns already, but¡­ Oh, how about youe and visit my ce for a change? You haven¡¯t been there yet, have you?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°We could also take a look at our kitchen, and you can tell me what kind of stuff I need to buy to prepare the dish for Maya. Not to mention that the two won¡¯t identally walk in on us which, would spoil the surprise, then¡­¡± ¡°Well, why not. It sounds like it could be fun.¡± The jaguar had nothing against the n. ¡°Great!¡± She sounded happy. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s also something else at my ce that I want to show you!¡± ¡°Should I be concerned¡­?¡± Ari raised an eyebrow as she stared at the tiger. ¡°Not at all! I invented a little something, and I want to get another opinion on it. Maya really loves it, so I¡¯d love to see how others feel about it.¡± ¡°I see. Well, if it¡¯s nothing dangerous, I¡¯ll dly take a look at it.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± The duo chatted for a little bit longer, but once they had cleaned up the kitchen together, both decided to head back to Anna¡¯s room to meet up with their girls again. There, everyone had a great time together for another hour or two before Sophia and Maya eventually decided to head back to their own home for the time being. ---------------- ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s another training session with Eluna tomorrow?¡± The couple was back in their living room and rxing on one of their sofas as usual. ¡°Yeah.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Probably?¡± ¡°Sorry if I didn¡¯t, I guess?¡± ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± ¡°Good. Are youing as well, then? Ari should be free, too, after all.¡± ¡°She¡¯s actuallying to visit me here.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how to reply here. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Sophia returned the question. ¡°Well¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t against it, but rather just confused because that hadn¡¯t happened before. ¡°I wanted to get her opinion on the heated floors, too.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. Maybe she has another idea what we could change before the queenes over to evaluate it.¡± ¡°Yep. Though, I have no idea what you could improve there.¡± Sophia was really proud of her invention. ¡°True.¡± ¡°If anything, I¡¯m slightly concerned about Ari turning just as useless as us when being subjected to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ the most likely thing to happen, yeah.¡± Maya had nothing to add. ¡°Well, have fun with her tomorrow.¡± ¡°I will~.¡± ¡°Not too much, though.¡± ¡°Of course, idiot.¡± The tiger started to smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll watch over her.¡± The wolves suddenly entered the living room and gotfy on their ce. The sheepskin rug, that is. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for any watching!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°We¡¯re just making a joke.¡± Maya let out a giggle. ¡°I know that I can trust you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Well, the only concern is that both of you are naturally flirty¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a different topic.¡± The tiger averted her face. ¡°I-It¡¯s not that much of an issue if we get flirty when there are no feelings, right¡­? Wow, wait, that sounds really bad without context¡­¡± ¡°It sure does.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly wrong, but it¡¯s still not nice to look at from my perspective.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡± Sophia saw the issue. ¡°I¡¯ll continue to try my best that it doesn¡¯t happen unconsciously.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± The blonde then looked at the wolves. ¡°Did you make any progress on the maze?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The wolves turned their heads away for some reason. ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°The two of youzed around in the mansion all day, didn¡¯t you?¡± Maya had seen through their reaction. ¡°You couldn¡¯t get away from the heated floors, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± They still didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia started smiling again. ¡°Were there any issues with the floors?¡± ¡°None.¡± Aura finally replied after a little while. ¡°Great!¡± She was d that everything was working as intended. ¡°Still, Maya and I want to explore the maze again! Please don¡¯t abandon it, okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Fen also turned his head around again. ¡°It¡¯s fun working on it, too, after all. We won¡¯t abandon it over some heated floors¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear!¡± ¡°We might get back to it tomorrow.¡± Aura continued. ¡°We¡¯re about to finish another room, and I want to see it done~. I might be skipping on the Eluna thing then, though.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that.¡± The cat-girl was looking forward to it, too. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s no problem. Anna and I can teach her alone. She¡¯s picked up enough already, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s more of a matter of her getting used to it by repeating everything she¡¯s learned at this point.¡± The group chatted for a little longer until Maya eventually started preparing dinner for everyone. Luckily, Sophia could always eat, so she could hide the fact that she had already eaten something back in the castle with ease. Afterward, the group went back to rxing while also enjoying the heated floors some more. They still didn¡¯t actually need it yet because the weather was still okay, but, just like the day before, none of them cared about this fact. It eventually started to gette, though, and the couple decided to turn in for the night. The following day seemed to be a busy one once again, after all. Maya even decided to head over to the castle in the morning already. Which, in return, made Sophia even happier that she talked Ari into visiting her instead. That meant she could sleep in, after all. Though, the cat-girl made a joke about sending the jaguar over the moment she arrives to get her tiger out of bed, but not even Maya would be that cruel, after all. Chapter 188 – A visit from Ari Chapter 188 ¨C A visit from Ari The couple had spent most of their day in the castle with Ari and Anna respectively and decided to meet up with them again the day after. Maya first had agreed to train Eluna again before spending time with the princess, though. The jaguar, on the other hand, decided to visit Sophia in her home for a change. ¡°This mad cat really did it¡­¡± Sophia was still lying in her bed andined about Maya for some reason. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± Ari had arrived at their mansion and was standing inside the doorframe to the bedroom. ¡°That was easier than expected¡­¡± There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. ¡°Maya said that I have to use force to get you out of the bed~.¡± ¡°Why does it sound like you were looking forward to that¡­?¡± ¡°Because I was?¡± She innocently tilted her head. ¡°You¡­¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°Sorry to disappoint, but I¡¯m using a magic that lets me detect magic around me, and it also warns me if someone who isn¡¯t supposed to be therees near me.¡± ¡°My, how handy.¡± ¡°Sure is. Haa¡­¡± She let out a yawn. ¡°Well then, good night.¡± The blonde turned around on the bed and closed her eyes. ¡°Oh? I might be able to use force, after all.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m also pretty good at tickling, you know?¡± Ari sounded strangely proud of it. ¡°Err¡­ You getting into my bed to tickle me all over¡­ Sure, sounds like that couldn¡¯t cause any misunderstanding whatsoever¡­¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The jaguar looked shocked. ¡°W-Why are you so reasonable¡­?¡± ¡°Still sleepy¡­ Not working properly yet¡­¡± ¡°You should sleep less starting today!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She let out a dryugh. ¡°Wait¡­ how did you even get in here¡­?¡± ¡°Maya gave me the key.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± ¡°She warned me not to do anything stupid, but she also said it would be a lot of fun.¡± ¡°For whom¡­?¡± ¡°Maya and I?¡± The jaguar softly giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want the two of you to bond¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Alright, fine¡­¡± Sophia gave up. ¡°I¡¯ll get up¡­ Give me ten, no 15 minutes to get ready and dressed, okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°You can wait in the living room downstairs while I change and wash up and all that¡­ If you go back downstairs, it¡¯s on the right.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ari lightly waved before leaving the room but then suddenly turned around again. ¡°I¡¯lle back and use force if you fall asleep again~.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ---------------- Precisely 22 minutester, Sophia finally arrived in the living room and sat down on the sofa opposite to the jaguar. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ari greeted her again. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ good morning.¡± It was the first time today the tiger was having a conversation while actually being mostly conscious. ¡°Why the school uniform¡­?¡± She only now noticed her clothes, as well. ¡°Maya urged me to hurry so that I can wake you up the earliest, and I only had my uniform within reach at that time.¡± ¡°I see¡­ She gets way too motivated about the strangest things.¡± ¡°The two of you make a good couple, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was absolutely nothing the blonde could say here. ¡°By the way,¡± Ari decided to change the topic. ¡°Why is it so warm everywhere here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?!¡± The tiger¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It might be a bit much because it¡¯s not that cold outside yet, but it is indeed very nice. Why is it so warm, though? The firece isn¡¯t on, and I see no heater, either. The warmth also feels different¡­ It¡¯sing from everywhere somehow.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Sophia looked smug. ¡°Take off your shoes, Ari.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± She naturally got a little wary. ¡°Just do it.¡± She urged her again. ¡°You also can keep wearing your tights. They won¡¯t really make a difference.¡± ¡°Okay, fine¡­¡± Ari reluctantly agreed and took off her shoes. Afterward, being urged by the tiger, she put her feet on the ground. ¡°Eh?!¡± Her eyes grew wide. ¡°The floor¡¯s¡­ warm?¡± ¡°Yes! How do you like it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s amazing!¡± The jaguar seemed to enjoy the feeling. ¡°It¡¯s sofortable! The warmth really spreads through your legs, and it¡¯s great! My legs are always freezing, and I¡¯m about to swap to thicker and lined tights, so this is basically¡­ heaven!¡± She really liked it. ¡°Yeah¡­ I need to change my wardrobe soon, too¡­ My legs are getting chilly, as well.¡± ¡°No wonder¡­¡± Ari nced at Sophia¡¯s bare legs. ¡°Kind of a waste, though.¡± ¡°Shut up¡­ Maya already talked me into the shorts, so let me wear something different when it¡¯s getting cold. I don¡¯t want to use magic to keep me warm outside¡­ At least not when I can go shopping for cute clothes instead!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Tights, leggings, especially colorful ones, jeans, and all that look great, too, after all! I¡¯m getting a great example of the first thing right now~.¡± ¡°T-Thanks.¡± The jaguar got a little bashful. ¡°So, anyway, I take that you like the heated floors?¡± ¡°Again, yes!¡± She reacted with a big nod. ¡°I love it! I¡¯ll being over a lot more in the future!¡± Ari, too, was a warmth-loving cat, after all. ¡°Although¡­¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°What are heated floors?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I mean, besides the obvious exnation thates with the name itself.¡± ¡°My newest invention~.¡± Sophia looked smug again. ¡°It¡¯s based on the magic heaters, but I changed it to make it fit under the floor¡­ Roughly speaking.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ari seemed impressed. ¡°From now on, whenever you call yourself an idiot, I¡¯ll properly refute it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much~. Well, I still am an idiot, so only retort if you really feel like I¡¯m selling myself short.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She replied instantaneously. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Sophia started pouting because her reply came so fast. ¡°You¡¯re really susceptible to getting teased, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ You¡¯re just good at it because you had Anna to train on since you were little! You know how to push the buttons of tigers¡­¡± ¡°Am I really the first one who mentioned that to you, though?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore¡­¡± The tiger started pouting while turning her head away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I went too far.¡± ¡°Earnestly apologizing only makes it worse!¡± ¡°That, too, is a tiger trait, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Being all over the ce. Anna¡¯s the same.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Okay, back to the topic.¡± Ari had enough of teasing the poor blonde for now. ¡°Are there any ns to introduce the heated floors to the castle? I would also humbly offer my own room for a first test.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing humble about that!¡± Sophia loudly retorted to her selfishness. ¡°It was worth a try. It¡¯s amazing, after all. I want it! I might actually survive the winter with it this year¡­¡± ¡°How about you use something else to warm up during the night. Or someone.¡± The tiger finally had a topic where it wasn¡¯t her who was going to get teased. ¡°I assume it was rather warm during thest night, I suppose~?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Ariii~?¡± Sophia started right at her. ¡°¡­¡± She tried to power through the pressure but caved in rtively soon. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll talk¡­¡± ¡°Great!¡± The blonde leaned back on the sofa while looking forward to the story. ¡°W-Well¡­ Long story short, you really are a genius.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that! Especially after earlier. Could you please tell Maya the sameter~?¡± ¡°While I¡¯d like to help you out¡­ I¡¯d rather not tell her or anyone why you¡¯re a genius.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia understood that much. ¡°By the way, why am I a genius?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Ari rolled her eyes at the blonde¡¯s dorkiness. ¡°Your tips with Anna!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Oh, have the two of you finally started dating? Congrattions!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not that much of a genius, idiot!¡± She rolled her eyes even more. ¡°Well, my geniussted for almost a whole minute. I think that¡¯s a personal best~.¡± Sophia looked at the bright side of it. ¡°So?¡± ¡°N-No, we¡­ unfortunately haven¡¯t started d-dating y¡­¡± ¡°Yet?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a different topic¡­¡± ¡°I see~.¡± Sophia tried to suppress the grin that was forming on her face. "I followed some more of your tips... I messed up b-badly, but I think it helped..." "Oh?" "I tried to enter Anna''s personal space head-on and see what happens..." Ari paused for a moment while her cheeks turned red. "I walked right up to her and... I''m not sure anymore what exactly happened because I nked out for a moment... but... but I either tripped or misjudged the distance, and..." "And?" "I nted my face right into her... c-chest and, uhh... ended up resting my chin on them afterward..." "Just how attracted is your face to her boobs or vice versa?!" Sophia got loud. "S-Shut up!" "No, I want an answer! I''m fascinated by this phenomenon!" "Aren''t you just fascinated by the sublime softness of Anna''s breasts?!" "Yes!" The blonde got even louder. "Wait! I never said anything in that regard!" "A-Ah..." Ari turned her head away. "Ehehe." Sophia liked her reaction. "Well, I guess that''s answer enough." "Uuuh..." A small tear formed in the corners of the jaguar''s eyes. "It also wasn''t all that happened yesterday... I really was way too bold..." "I like the sound of that!" Sophia''s eyes were sparkling. "Details! I want details!" "Urgh..." She thought the tiger was a little too excited, but there was no turning back now anymore. "After we took our bath... We rxed a little on a sofa and... and... I got a lp-pillow from her... I don''t know how it led to that, and honestly... I don''t really care, either..." "Ohh!" The blonde got even more excited. "How was it? How do the legs of the princess feel?!" There was aslight hint of impureness in her voice. "C-Can you promise me not to tease me if I''m honest?" "I''ll try to!" "I guess that''s all I could hope for..." Ari paused for a moment. "Her thighs are incredibly... INCREDIBLY soft! We also just got out of the bath, so... Her skin was still a little steamy, together with the scent of her shampoo and soap... I fell asleep after lying on herp for three seconds, and I have no idea what happened afterward..." "JEALOUS!" A single word was all the blonde needed for her reply. "Ahaha..." "Well, I do that with Maya every other day, so I''m actually perfectly fine~. It''s great, isn''t it?" "Y-Yes!" She reacted with a big nod. "Wait.,, every other day?" "Maya and I switch ces after every bath we take." "Ahh..." Ari didn''t look surprised in the slightest. "The day still wasn''t over, though..." "Hmm?" "Once I woke up again, I got super embarrassed and ran back to my room...I''ve spent most of the evening there, then..." She''d covered her face with her hands by now. "Then, after a couple of hours, Anna came over to my roomst night, and we had another sleepover¡­¡± ¡°Oh! Ignoring her worked, huh?¡± Sophia smiled at her. "Well, in one way or another, I guess... You can''t really say that you ignored the princess yesterday... Like, at all." "Uuuh..." "Anyway, d my n was a sess!" ¡°I-I¡¯m actually not so sure about that¡­¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°She already arrived at my room by the time I usually go over to hers¡­¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Of course! It means that she couldn¡¯t wait to see you! Especially after everything that happened before.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The jaguar thought about it for a moment. ¡°Anna came over to my room all the time in the past, too, though¡­¡± ¡°Did she also stay the night during those times? Or after the two of you were annoyingly flirty all day?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°See?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to reply. ¡°Did you also go through with the rest of our n? Hugging her, that is.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Her entire face was on fire by now. ¡°And~?¡± Sophia had a great time. ¡°I almost embarrassed myself to death because I messed up¡­ Again.¡± ¡°Eh? How so?¡± ¡°It went exactly as you predicted¡­ We got into the bed, and Anna, who was using the different than usual side, showed me her back, but¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°I-I gathered all of my courage and went for the hug, but¡­ but¡­ In the exact moment I tried to wrap my arms around her back, Anna¡­ She turned around¡­¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± The tiger started to slightly blush, just imagining the scene. ¡°Does that mean you aborted the mission? I can¡¯t me you there. I would¡¯ve had a spectacr meltdown in that situation¡­¡± ¡°N-No¡­ I¡¯ve pulled through¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Sophia was shocked. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Good job!¡± ¡°It¡­ It was more of an ident¡­¡± Ari turned her face away for a moment. ¡°I was already starting to wrap my arms around Anna when she turned around¡­ Before I noticed, I was tightly clinging to her side with our faces right in front of each other while I had sandwiched her arms between my breasts. I admit, there isn¡¯t thaaat much to sandwich, but it¡¯s still more than enough for her to get a good feeling of them!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The tiger couldn¡¯t do much more other than letting out an awkward chuckle. ¡°It was sooo embarrassing!¡± ¡°I can imagine¡­¡± Sophia was blushing heavily at this point just from listening to her. ¡°B-But even so, it¡¯s not like I could¡¯ve let go of her in that situation either, right?!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Hugging her like that out of nowhere and then letting go the moment you make eye contact¡­ I have no idea how you could exin that¡­¡± ¡°Exactly! I was trapped! Trapped!¡± She repeated herself because it was important. ¡°To make matters worse, we were literally face to face while looking at each other¡­¡± ¡°Would¡¯ve been perfect for a surprise kiss, though.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°Hehe. You could¡¯ve disguised it as an ident while the princess was turning around~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She turned silent. ¡°I-I hadn¡¯t thought about that¡­¡± ¡°You actually would¡¯ve tried it?!¡± Sophia got loud, too. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re amazing, Ari.¡± ¡°W-Well, if I can y it off as an ident, there¡¯s no harm, right?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The blonde repeated herself. ¡°Do you even need my help¡­?¡± ¡°O-Of course! I-I might be able to get bold when it calls for it, but there¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve started anything without you giving me a push!¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°The tips you¡¯re giving me are also extremely helpful!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°Please continue to help me in the future!¡± ¡°dly.¡± Sophia had no reason to stop. ¡°Though, if you¡¯re willing to kiss her on ident, I might have to think of something more extreme.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± Ari froze up. ¡°P-Please forget I ever mentioned that!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°Leave it to me~.¡± ¡°I-I want to retreat my earlier statement! I don¡¯t want any more tips, after all!¡± ¡°Toote!¡± The tiger got motivated. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something really nice~.¡± ¡°N-Nothing too extreme, please¡­ Remember that I don¡¯t want to ruin anything with Anna¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t task you to do anything more than a kiss.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± She could only squirm in response. ¡°Speaking of which, did you sleep hugging her like that?¡± ¡°W-We stayed like that for a while, but we eventually shifted around a bit¡­¡± ¡°Too bad¡­¡± ¡°I still h-hugged her through the entire night, though.¡± ¡°Good going!¡± Sophia looked incredibly proud of her. ¡°Okay, you earned a change of topic!¡± She was very well aware of how embarrassing it had gotten. ¡°Shall we head over to the kitchen? I want to try my hands on some cooking.¡± ¡°dly!¡± Ari seemed relieved and immediately jumped up, but then looked down at her feet with aplicated expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have heated floors in every room here, kitchen included.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± The jaguar started smiling again, and the two finally went to the kitchen together.
Chapter 189 – Cooking preparations Chapter 189 ¨C Cooking preparations Ari was visiting Sophia in her mansion, and she immediately fell in love with the new heated floors there. Afterward, the jaguar shared hertest progress with the princess and how she had terribly embarrassed herself by hugging Anna during their sleepover in a way that had ended up being way bolder than she had nned to. Once the two were done with that, the duo went to the kitchen because Sophia wanted to train her cooking skills. ¡°Okay, seriously, I need this heated floor in my room in the castle¡­¡± Ari was looking down at her feet with a longing expression. She was wearing her boots again because running around in tights only would ruin them pretty fast, not to mention that it¡¯s rather slippery. However, she was still able to feel the warmth rising up her legs. ¡°I love it sooo much!¡± ¡°Hehe. The queen¡¯sing over in a few days to take a look at it. I do have a feeling that she¡¯s going to like it, too, so it might end up in the castle eventually.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She was still looking at her feet. ¡°Even so, no one¡¯s going to notice if you secretly install it in my room, you know?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite greedy for someone who¡¯s supposed to be timid.¡± ¡°T-Those are two entirely different things!¡± The jaguar tried to justify herself. ¡°I-I warmed up to you, s-so there¡¯s no need to be reserved, is there?¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Still, as a tip, how about you add a please to your question?¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The ck-haired girl looked bewildered over the sudden reversal of their personalities. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­?¡± ¡°Nope, you just got excited about it~.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t want to be rude! Okay, let me rephrase it¡­ I love those heated floors, could you please think about the possibility of installing those in my room in the castle? I would deeply appreciate it.¡± There wasn¡¯t even a hint of sarcasm in her earnest plea. ¡°Wow, you sure know how to switch your attitude fast. ¡°Ahaha¡­ I-I me Anna for that¡­¡± She came up with a weird excuse. ¡°I¡¯m normally a lot more formal ¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Maya also always mes me when she gets out of character, but why do I feel like it¡¯s your actual character showing instead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well, you might have a¡­ slight point¡­ Being timid with strangers makes me formal, but I get more casual with people I¡¯mfortable with¡­ Like Anna¡­ or you. Stupid tigers, knowing how to push my buttons¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call us stupid if we¡¯re able to get out your yful side~. I also hope that I¡¯m never going to push as many buttons of you as Anna does.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°By the way, I bet Anna woulde over to my room more often, too, if my floor would be heated there.¡± ¡°Sneaky, I like it.¡± Sophia apuded her craftiness. ¡°But, on the other hand, you have fewer reasons to cuddle close to her for warmth.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ari hadn¡¯t thought that far. ¡°A dilemma, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She only nodded. ¡°Alrighty!¡± The tiger dropped the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the cooking!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Ari was also happy that she wanted to focus her attention on something else. ¡°Do you have the ingredients already, or do we have to go shopping? Ah, just in case, I brought some shrimps with me. I got them on the way to here. They¡¯re in a box with ice in the hallway.¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯re the best! Thanks! Other than that, we should have anything here. Maya likes to keep everything stocked.¡± ¡°Butter, too? That one likes to get rancid fast, after all.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Saying so, Sophia pushed one of her hands into a purple portal before pulling out a pack of butter. ¡°Nice and cool~.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± The jaguar looked confused. ¡°You know my storage magic, don¡¯t you? You really wanted it, too, right?¡± ¡°I still want it! That¡¯s the whole reason I wanted to learn chantless magic, and we had that little ident, after all!¡± She got loud. ¡°R-Right, that happened¡­¡± ¡°No, why is it cold?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ I have an extra room inside my storage thingy that I filled to the brim with ice. There, I stuff all our perishable foods into. Every now and then, I rece the ice for fresh one.¡± ¡°Sophia.¡± Ari stared right at her with a serious expression. ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± The tiger retreated a step away from her. ¡°D-Did I overdo it again? Is it something I shouldn¡¯t mention so freely¡­?¡± ¡°No. Well, kind of¡­¡± She rephrased it slightly. ¡°But I don¡¯t care about that! I want it!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression rxed again. ¡°Sure¡­ Oh, how about I show you how to use the storage magic as a reward for teaching me how to cook. I¡¯ll throw in creating ice for free, too.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Surprisingly, Ari didn¡¯t seem too thrilled about the suggestion. ¡°No? I thought you¡¯d like it¡­¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ was still hoping for heated floors as a reward¡­ The dilemma of cuddling aside, I still need it in my life!¡± ¡°More than the storage magic that already caused to change your life forever?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Also, the materials needed for the heated floor are pretty expensive.¡± ¡°I-Is that so? It¡¯s okay, I saved up a little, anyway!¡± She seemed very determined about it. ¡°Again, wow.¡± The blonde had nothing else to say. ¡°Wait with the heated floors for Kira, okay? If the queenes, there¡¯s a 100% chance she¡¯ll bring Ellie along. If my adorable little princess notices what¡¯s going on, the whole castle will be fitted with heated floors a dayter.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Neither Kira nor I are able to say no to whatever Ellie wants. The little one also likes to take naps as much as I do. The moment she notices thefiness of our floors here, she¡¯ll be a goner.¡± ¡°That is true¡­ I¡¯ve found the little princess napping all over the castle already. Okay, I¡¯ll take the storage magic as a reward. I look forward to it, and thank you very much in advance for sharing the magic you invented with me.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re very much wee. Ah, but it might be a joined training session. I¡¯m the only one who can use it at the moment. Not even Maya or the wolves are able to use it. I might try to teach all of you together.¡± ¡°Fen¡¯s a bit scary, and I don¡¯t know Aura that well, but I don¡¯t mind at all! Maya seems like a nice girl with a great sense of humor, so I look forward to it.¡± ¡°Great sense of humor, huh?¡± The tiger grinned at her. ¡°Don¡¯t let her fully awaken your inner S. Or do, Anna¡¯s into it, after all. Also, Fenny only looks scary. He is¡­ or became super docile~.¡± ¡°Alright, where do you have the kitchenware? We need a pot to boil the pasta and a big pan for everything else.¡± Ari had no intention to address the S issue. ¡°Well, the pans are hanging on the wall over there, so¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha, smooth.¡± Sophia¡¯s smirk only increased, but she yed along. ¡°Pots, huh?¡± She tilted her head while looking around. ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°You have such a nice kitchen, and yet you don¡¯t even know that¡­?¡± ¡°A-As I said before, Maya does all the cooking¡­ I want to help, but she regrly even bans me out of the kitchen when she¡¯s in here¡­ I help her with washing the dishes afterward, but other than that¡­¡± ¡°Okay, that scores some points with me. You¡¯re willing and even help clean up once your cat¡¯s finished with the cooking. Good job.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this kind of praise. ¡°Okay, how about that one!¡± The tiger pointed at the cupboard right next to where Ari was standing. ¡°This one?¡± The jaguar looked to her left and opened the cupboard Sophia was pointing at. ¡°You¡¯re good.¡± It was indeed the right one, and she pulled a big pot out of it. ¡°I do get lucky from time to time.¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Okay, where do we get started?¡± ¡°Preparations, my dear tiger.¡± Ari entered teaching mode. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know why Fenny doesn¡¯t like to be addressed like this¡­ It feels pretty nice.¡± Sophia seemed to be into it. ¡°Preparations? As in getting the ingredients ready?¡± ¡°Among other things, yes. You also can start firing up the stove if you use the wood-powered one.¡± ¡°Which one¡¯s easier to use? Wood or magic?¡± ¡°The magic stove is ready in an instant, but it¡¯s also easy to mess up by pouring too much power into it, which then burns whatever you¡¯re cooking on it. With the wooden one, you have to supply enough wood to keep the temperature high enough. Savory food also tastes a bit better because it gets a whiff of a smokey aroma while cooking.¡± She gave her a quick rundown. ¡°I rmend the wooden stove.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Saying so, the tiger opened a portal to her storage again and pulled a couple of logs out of it. ¡°Is there anything you don¡¯t have in that storage of yours¡­?¡± ¡°Only things I haven¡¯t found and bought yet.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± She looked envious again. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to learn it myself!¡± ¡°Do I just put it in there and light it?¡± Sophia pointed at the slightly sooted opening below the stove. ¡°Pretty much.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°Start with three logs and add another one every now and then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± While the tiger was busy getting the stove going, Ari looked through the other cupboards to get a cutting board, some tes, and a few knives to prepare the ingredients. After that, she went to the entrance hall again to get the box with the shrimps she had brought along. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Sophia nced at the white box with aplicated expression. ¡°Are those shrimps already shelled, or¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°The ones who used in the castle were already prepared and ready to go, but those are whole, and we have to shell and prepare them first. Actually, if you cook them with the shell on, the sauce gets even more aroma, but that¡¯s tooplicated for a beginner.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Her expression worsened even more. ¡°S-Still in the shell, huh¡­? That means all those little legs and stuff is still attached, too, r-right¡­? Eyes, as well¡­? Y-You have to rip off the head, r-right¡­?¡± She turned slightly pale. ¡°Twist and rip, yes.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The tiger started squirming. ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± Ari noticed her reaction and couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Urgh¡­ They look kinda insect-like, and I hate insects! Shrimps are delicious, but I hate how the whole thing looks! Having to shell them is another topic entirely¡­¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re scared of insects¡­?¡± ¡°I-I just hate them!¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared of them, aren¡¯t you?¡± The ck-haired girl could read her like a book. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± She turned her head away in shame. ¡°You sure are adorable.¡± ¡°L-Leave me alone¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s cheeks turned red in embarrassment. ¡°Do it for Maya~. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll love it when you cook for her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfair!¡± There was little she could say here. Afterward, the tiger needed a few minutes to tackle the shrimps with the help of Ari, and the actual cooking preparations could finally start.
Chapter 190 – Sophia’s biggest challenge yet Chapter 190 ¨C Sophia¡¯s biggest challenge yet Sophia and Ari kept getting sidetracked in the kitchen of the blonde¡¯s mansion because they found one topic to chat over after another. When they finally started preparing for the cooking lesson, the jaguar found out that the blonde¡¯s scared of insects and how whole shrimps aren¡¯t that well-liked by her, either. Thankfully, Sophia then decided to pull through it because she was doing all that for Maya, and there existed little better motivation for her in the world. Any world in her case, actually. ¡°C-Can we start with shelling the shrimps¡­?¡± Sophia¡¯s face was almost as white as the box Ari had brought along with them inside. She really wasn¡¯t looking forward to that part. ¡°Getting over with the worst first?¡± The jaguar had a rough idea of her motivation. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ What do I have to do¡­?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Ari urged Sophia to wash her hands while doing the same before she opened the box with shrimps. Afterward, she took one out and yfully waved it around in front of the tiger¡¯s face. ¡°S-Stop that!¡± She retreated a few steps while her tail puffed up in response. ¡°Keep that sort of teasing to your princess!¡± ¡°You really are scared of them¡­¡± The jaguar put back the shrimp for the time being. ¡°A girl that went to war¡­ A scaredy-cat...¡± "I-I''m a tiger!" "You were the one who said that there''s no difference." ¡°Urgh..." She just wanted toin a little and not being hit with her own feline observations. "L-Let me be¡­¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be more serious.¡± She needed a moment to stop smiling, though. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Sophia got closer to the ck-haired girl again. ¡°C-Could you show me how to shell them¡­?¡± ¡°Of course. Come here next to me.¡± The jaguar pointed at the empty spot to the right of her in front of the counter. ¡°Yes¡­¡± While she looked very reluctant, the blonde still did as told. ¡°Good girl.¡± Ari jokingly praised her. Afterward, she grabbed the shrimp again and held it with both hands. A momentter, she cleanly snapped off its head by twisting her hands. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia noticed that some sort of orange or yellow goo had been squeezed out of the shrimp and spilled a bit over the jaguar¡¯s hand. This sight had caused her to shudder and even gag a bit while she instinctively hid herself behind the other girl while also clinging to her back. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Her heart ached a bit. ¡°You¡¯re a bit too adorable right now. If you continue like that, I might want to keep you as a little sister.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Some tears had formed in the corners of the blonde. ¡°Stupid insect-like seafood. Stupid disgusting goo¡­ Also, a little sister? T-That¡¯s a new one¡­¡± ¡°Better than awakening some other types of feelings when seeing how cute you can be, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ But also¡­ S-Shut up!¡± The color of her face turned from white to red. ¡°I totally hadn¡¯t expected you to be this frank¡­ You really warmed up to me, huh?¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy about that, but¡­ it¡¯s also a mixed kind of feeling¡­¡± Sophia still wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about Ari secretly being so proficient in the fine art of teasing. ¡°Once again, I me Anna for making me like this.¡± ¡°Poor princess, once again being framed for something she most definitely has no rtion to.¡± The tiger was recovering quickly and eventually let go of the jaguar¡¯s back again. ¡°Err¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to reply. ¡°Anyway, back to the shrimps.¡± Ignoring her, she put it on the cutting board before cleaning her hand with a paper towel. ¡°It¡¯s just some innards, nothing to have such a reaction over.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not helping!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°It¡¯s disgusting! Also, on an unrted note, I apud your ability to get the attention away from you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. I worked hard on that skill ever since I was little. I fail from time to time, but I¡¯m generally fairly proud of it.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± The blonde had tough at that. ¡°Okay, back to the shrimp.¡± The topic was fully over. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Good. So, we don¡¯t need the head anymore because we only use the tail part.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s a good thing.¡± The worst things for her were the eyes and tiny legs, but those weren¡¯t of importance anymore. ¡°Hehe. Going on, you peel off the shell segments until you reach the tip of the tail. You pinch that and pull out the meaty part with your other hand.¡± While exining the procedure, Ari finished shelling the shrimp. ¡°It¡¯s starting to look like food¡­¡± ¡°Because it is¡­ We¡¯re still not done, though.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the only thing that¡¯s left is removing a little vein going through the meat.¡± ¡°That sounds plenty bad, though!¡± The fur on the blonde¡¯s tail stuck up again. ¡°Calm down¡­ All you have to do is to make a little cut with a knife along the back of the shrimp and pull it out¡­¡± While saying so, Ari did just that. ¡°With that, once you give them a quick wash, the shrimps are ready.¡± ¡°A-Aren¡¯t there any ready-to-cook type of shrimps one can buy¡­?¡± It was one of the times where Sophia missed the convenience of her old world. ¡°No, they stay fresh for longer with the shell intact, and that¡¯s pretty important, after all. Some even sell them still alive.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Her hope was crushed once again. ¡°Come on, while I admit that it¡¯s not my favorite ingredient to prepare either, it¡¯s not that bad. You¡¯re just exaggerating.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not doing that on purpose, okay?!¡± The tiger was screaming a lot today. ¡°Yes, well, everyone has some things they aren¡¯t good with.¡± While Ari didn¡¯t share the tiger¡¯s fear of insects, or somewhat insect-like beings, she could understand where she wasing from. ¡°I get scared from getting attention by people I¡¯m not acquainted with, after all.¡± ¡°Not helping!¡± Once again, Sophia startedining. ¡°I have that issue, too!¡± ¡°Tough luck, girl.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Anyway, here.¡± Ari grabbed another shrimp and handed it over to the blonde. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± She didn¡¯t like this development, either. ¡°We¡¯re doing all this for you to learn how to cook, after all.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± The blonde turned a bit paler again. ¡°Just do as I showed you, and it¡¯ll be over in a sh.¡± ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± She resigned to her fate. ¡°Alright, eyes closed and get over with it¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t look at what you¡¯re doing, you might twist off the head at the wrong position, and the gooey innards will end up all over you.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°He.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way I would!¡± Ari crossed her arms in defense. ¡°That much.¡± ¡°I heard that!¡± ¡°Okay, grab the tail part with your right hand while you use your left to clutch its head. Afterward, you twist your hands counter to each other until you hear a satisfying crunch.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing satisfying about such a sound!¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t even noticed how the jaguar had changed the topic once again. ¡°Y-You know, now that I think about it¡­ I totally forgot¡­ Maya¡¯s actually a vegetarian¡­ A-All of this is totally pointless¡­¡± ¡°Grab the shrimp and twist its head off.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The tiger hung her head. She hadn¡¯t really thought it would work out, either, but she had to try it. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Doing her best to remember how Ari did it before, the blonde, very reluctantly, grabbed the shrimp and clumsily ripped its head off. ¡°U-Urk! Disgusting!¡± Unfortunately, she had used a little too much power and created a bit of a mess. Sophia managed to crush the head of all things, and a generous amount of goo had coated most of her hand. ¡°I-I think I might throw up¡­¡± ¡°Get a grip¡­¡± While Ari also grimaced a bit over the sight, she didn¡¯t want the situation to go from bad to worse. Trying to help her, she grabbed another paper towel and gently cleaned the hand of the slightly trembling tiger. ¡°There, better than new.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the big sister again, huh¡­? S-Still¡­ W-What about the nightmares I¡¯ll see whenever I look at my hand from now on¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for you to figure out yourself, miss drama queen.¡± She could only roll her eyes. ¡°I had thought as much¡­¡± ¡°Okay, while the head has seen better days, the tail¡¯s still good, and that¡¯s all we need, anyway. Just continue as I showed you.¡± ¡°What about my heart? It¡¯s broken and needs healing!¡± Sophia had to prove her position as a drama queen, after all. ¡°Think about Maya¡¯s smile when you surprise her with a home-cooked meal.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± She sounded very motivated all of a sudden. Her heart, thankfully, heals very quickly. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Ari smiled at her. ¡°Now, peel that shrimp!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The blonde needed a few tries because her fingers kept slipping off the slick shell, but she eventually managed to free the meat inside the tail from the rest of it. ¡°I-I made it¡­¡± Instead of being proud, the girl seemed somewhat exhausted, though. ¡°Good job!¡± The jaguar earnestly praised her. ¡°See, it wasn¡¯t as bad as you thought it would be, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°It was much worse.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± She rolled her eyes again. ¡°Okay, here.¡± She handed the tiger a knife. ¡°Time to get rid of the vein inside.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She¡¯d almost forgotten about that part. Reluctantly, she took over the knife and tried to get the vein out of the shrimp. In the end, she ended up cutting the shrimp in half, though. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Well, it happens. Don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°So far, fear of insects aside, your biggest problem when ites to cooking is to misjudge your own strength¡­ You¡¯re doing much better than I thought. At least when ites down to the skills themselves¡­ That fear and aversion to gutting and the likes need some serious work, though¡­¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± Sophia hung her head once more. ¡°Not that I want to get better at gutting¡­¡± She only mumbled those words to herself. ¡°Well, for now, just focus on watching your strength, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to cook a wonderful dinner for your cat.¡± ¡°Really? You think so!?¡± Her face lit up again. ¡°Yep, with some more training, training we¡¯re going to do, it¡¯ll definitely be a sess!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She sounded genuinely happy. ¡°Okay, to keep the momentum going, there are still 23 shrimps left to prepare in the box. Get on it, tiger!¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Hearing that, and seeing all those shrimps, Sophia needed a little break to mend her broken heart. Chapter 191 – Cooking lesson Chapter 191 ¨C Cooking lesson Ari was still doing her best teaching the blonde tiger some cooking-rted skills. She was making both, good, but also very little progress with it. Sophia actually wasn¡¯t nearly as bad at it as she had anticipated. Still, the blonde¡¯s fear of insects or anything that remotely looks like one, together with her aversion to gutting things, made their choice of shrimps a ratherplicated one. Them somewhat resembling insects in a way that needed to have its head snapped off, together with being shelled and de-veined, wasn¡¯t the bestbination for the blonde scaredy-cat. They were easy to cook but not the best to prepare for someone like the tiger. It took her a lot to get over it, but Sophia somehow managed to partially ovee her fear and prepared her first shrimp in the end. She messed up a couple of times, but she had a ton of shrimps avable to train on, after all. Though, that was a problem in itself for her, too. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± With tears in her eyes, her ears deted, and her tail lifelessly plopped down on the ground, Sophia was leaning against the kitchen counter while looking terribly exhausted. In front of her was a bowl with shelled and cleaned shrimps in varying shapes. Some were cut in half, while others ended up in bits even, but quite a lot of them also looked like they were supposed to be. ¡°Good job, I guess¡­¡± Ari gently tapped the tiger¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You did well.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± The tiger let out a sigh. ¡°Forget Maya being a vegetarian, I might be one myself now¡­¡± Taking those shrimps apart had left a deep scar. She got pretty vocal when Fen was teasing her about this very topic before, but it might be an option, after all. ¡°Really¡­?¡± She yed along for a bit. ¡°I¡¯m not going to judge anyone who decides to do that, but personally, I enjoy meat way too much for that. Well, I¡¯m a jaguar, so that¡¯s pretty much a given. Right, my dear tiger?¡± ¡°Ohhh, so that¡¯s why Fenny doesn¡¯t like being addressed like this¡­¡± The blonde liked it when Ari used it before, but she changed her mind. ¡°M-Meat isn¡¯t everything¡­¡± ¡°I never said that. Still, I know my tigers, Anna especially. Are all of you even able to survive without any meat whatsoever? Judging by how everyone of the royal family loves it, I doubt you¡¯d be able to do that. Or do you actually not like it that much in the first ce¡­?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia flinched after the jaguar identally hit a very touchy subject for her. ¡°N-No¡­ If anything, I love it way too much¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like the tigers I know.¡± ¡°Stupid meat-loving cats¡­¡± The blondeined about their traits again. ¡°Anyway, now that this nightmare¡¯s over, let¡¯s continue¡­¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Ari only smiled at her. ¡°You should start with getting a pot of water to boil for the pasta. That takes a little while, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, right, I forgot about that.¡± ¡°Well, you went through a lot already, so that¡¯s only natural.¡± ¡°I absolutely did!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Why does it feel like you¡¯re making fun of me?!¡± ¡°Because you have a very active imagination.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Hey!¡± ¡°Okay, you should fill the pot around two-thirds with water and then add some salt once it¡¯s boiling. The pasta itself probably needs around eight to twelve minutes until it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°I actually know how to cook pasta.¡± Sophia sounded strangely proud while she didn¡¯t notice how the jaguar had once more changed the topic. ¡°One of the few things I¡¯m confident in when ites to cooking.¡± ¡°Great! Let¡¯s get going, then.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Saying so, the tiger filled the pot with water using magic and ced it on the stove. Afterward, she put two logs of wood in the opening below because the fire had died down a bit because resolving the shrimp situation had taken longer than expected. ¡°Next would be chopping the garlic cloves and, if you have, a medium-sized shallot.¡± ¡°Shallot? Uhh¡­ ah, those small reddish-pink onions, right?¡± Once she remembered, Sophia once more activated her portal and pulled out one just as asked. ¡°Sure, we have some.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari looked envious again. ¡°Alright, peel the cloves and the shallot before mincing the garlic and thinly dice the pink onion.¡± ¡°Sounds like something even I can do. No innards or ripping off heads, either! Great!¡± ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t do that very often with vegetables¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Wait, not very often?!¡± ¡°I was making a joke¡­¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s cheeks turned a little red from being embarrassed. She also was a bit relieved that this world didn¡¯t seem to have any vegetables with actual heads, though. ¡°A-Anyway, mincing the garlic and dicing the shallot, r-right¡­?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The tiger energetically picked up a knife but then suddenly stopped. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the difference between mincing and dicing¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s how finely it¡¯s cut. Dicing is cutting the ingredients into smaller cubes while mincing is, well¡­ mincing it really finely by going over it multiple times with the knife.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± The tiger nodded in understanding. ¡°I thought you just don¡¯t like garlic and took out your aggression on it yesterday¡­¡± ¡°Really now?¡± Ari stared at her with a disapproving expression. ¡°I was kidding.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°No, I know that you chop stuff in different sizes, but¡­ Well, for me, it¡¯s¡­ chopping it roughly or more finely. I have no idea how the exact increments or whatever are grouped together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair enough.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s mince the shallot and dice the garlic!¡± ¡°You might want to give that another try.¡± ¡°I-I was just testing if you were properly looking over me!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The jaguar just stared at her again. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The pressure from Ari made her cave in. Afterward, Sophia finally started peeling the shallot and the garlic to get the job done. ---------------- ¡°Well¡­ It could¡¯ve been worse.¡± Ari was looking at the result of the blonde¡¯s chopping action. In the end, she actually had minced the shallot while the garlic looked closer to a puree. ¡°How?!¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve chopped your fingers, as well, when you got overzealous¡­¡± ¡°THAT would¡¯ve been worse, indeed!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°My stupid overpowered strength¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your strength that¡¯s the problem. It¡¯s the utterck of experience. You not paying enough attention might also be a slight issue.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it when I get hit with undeniable facts.¡± ¡°So does Anna, but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t hold back with either of you.¡± ¡°And I appreciate that very much, but let mein, anyway!¡± ¡°I sometimes really wonder why the two of us ended up bing friends while Maya is more with the princess even though you tigers are so simr¡­ Anna said the exact same line many times already.¡± ¡°It really is interesting.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°You have some things inmon with my cat, as well. Maybe, when you have a type of personality you¡¯re into, it isn¡¯t limited to lovers, but also friends?¡± She tried to find an exnation. ¡°I mean, for me at least, it¡¯s quite obvious that Anna¡¯s-¡­¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t jinx it!¡± Ari ced her hands on Sophia¡¯s mouth to stop her from talking. ¡°I-I think I actually made some p-progress with hertely, and I¡¯m not willing to risk anything now!¡± ¡°How adorable~.¡± The tiger backed down a step to free her mouth and to reveal her big smile. ¡°Just get back to cooking! Redo the garlic! It¡¯s too fine and will affect the taste of this dish!¡± ¡°Fine~.¡± She let the jaguar have her way. A couple of minutes and many cloves of garlicter, the blonde eventually managed to cut in a way Ari was content with. The ck-haired girl might¡¯ve been extra picky and let her redo it way more often than necessary for some reason, though. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s good enough.¡± ¡°T-Thank goodness¡­¡± Sophia nced at the mountain of the failed chopped garlic next to her. ¡°You might also add some more water to the pot¡­ It¡¯s been boiling for so long that almost all of it has evaporated already.¡± ¡°And whose fault do you think that is?!¡± She pointed at the garlic mountain before filling up the water. ¡°Yours?¡± The jaguar innocently tilted her head. ¡°I won¡¯t take all the me!¡± Sophia got loud again. ¡°Okay, next, you take a big pan and put it on the stove, as well.¡± Ari had no intention to take any responsibility here. ¡°Once it¡¯s hot, add some oil, the butter, and saut¨¦ the garlic and the shallot.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°You can also add the pasta to the boiling water once you add the salt. Everything¡¯s going to go really quick now.¡± The jaguar simply continued her exnations. ¡°Okay.¡± Saying so, she did exactly that. The tiger first put arge pan on the stove before throwing a generous amount of pasta in the pot together with a healthy pinch of salt. ¡°Do you have any wine at hand? For cooking, that is? The best would be a dry one. Something sweet wouldn¡¯t go that well with such a savory dish.¡± ¡°Dry white wine¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head while grabbing into her storage dimension again and pulled out three bottles. ¡°I¡¯m not really into wine, so¡­ is any of them dry¡­?¡± ¡°The bottle with the blue text on it.¡± She pointed at the middle one the tiger was holding. ¡°Wow, you really know your wine, huh?¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± Ari shook her head. ¡°It helps a lot that it¡¯s written on it.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Sophia turned the bottle around to look at thebel. ¡°Extra dry, huh¡­? Yeah, that is indeed helpful¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ let me try to remember¡­¡± The tiger closed her eyes. ¡°I add the oil and butter to the pan to saut¨¦ the shallot and garlic for a couple of minutes. Then, I add some of the wine and the rest of the spices. Salt, pepper kes, and a nice helping of ck pepper, right?¡± While she was repeating the steps, Sophia pulled all those things out of her storage. ¡°Saut¨¦ing those for one or two minutes until they¡¯re fragrant is plenty already.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Also, why do you have all those condiments in your storage? Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to have them here in the kitchen?¡± ¡°Err¡­ I¡¯m sure there are stored somewhere here, as well¡­¡± The blonde looked at all the cupboards and whatnot. ¡°No idea where to look for them, though. It¡¯s easier to take out the seasonings we use during our travels. Maya made me always have a bunch of them ready.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite handy, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ari looked at her in admiration. ¡°Sure am.¡± She puffed out her chest. ¡°Anyway, it started smelling¡­ Rather nice, I want to add.¡± She pointed at the pan. ¡°I can add the wine and the spices now, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Sophia did precisely that and then let everything simmer together for a few minutes. ¡°Okay, it looks like the sauce reduced enough by now.¡± The jaguar looked at the pan. ¡°Feel free to add the shrimps now. In the meanwhile, I¡¯ll get the pasta out for you. I found theder already. You just watch the shrimps and make sure not to overcook them.¡± ¡°Alright! Thank you very much! They¡¯re done once they¡¯re light pink all around, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ---------------- A couple of minutester, Sophia had finished arranging the cooked dish on a te. It wasn¡¯t the cleanest presentation, but it didn¡¯t look too bad, either. She then got a fork ready and gingerly tried her creation. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She chewed for a while and didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Let me try, too.¡± Ari snagged her fork and taste-tested it, as well. Also chewing for a while, she eventually showed her a small smile. ¡°Honest evaluation?¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± ¡°Not bad for the first try.¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± Sophia¡¯s expression brightened up. ¡°Yeah. The spices might need some work. It¡¯s gotten a little too spicy for my tastes, and maybe an extra pinch of the ck pepper instead, but it¡¯s fine. The only realint would be the shrimp being a tad too chewy. They¡¯re still okay, but I guess they were in for one, maybe only half a minute too long.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Okay, I like spicy food, so that might¡¯ve happened unconsciously, but yes¡­ the shrimps, they were in for too long¡­¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re on a good way. If you repeat the dish one or two, maybe three times, you¡¯ll be able to make something really delicious for Maya.¡± ¡°I hope that isn¡¯t just to make me feel better¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± The jaguar took another bite from Sophia¡¯s creation. ¡°It¡¯s already perfectly edible right now. All you have to do is to get the timing right and adjust your spices a bit.¡± ¡°Thank you very mu- Ah!¡± Sophia was very grateful for her kind words but suddenly stopped. ¡°W-What?!¡± Ari, just like everyone else, already seriously disliked her sudden Ahs. ¡°I just sensed that Maya¡¯s on the way home! Anna¡¯sing with her, too!¡± ¡°Wow, you really are handy. Ever thought of bing a guard? Or a walking warehouse¡­?¡± ¡°S-Shut up, this is serious!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t feel like joking. ¡°I don¡¯t want her to find out what we did when we were alone here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever use these exact words when the two are with us!¡± Ari shivered, just thinking about the misunderstandings that would form from this. ¡°Y-Yes, good point!¡± She noticed the extreme ambiguity, too. ¡°S-Still, what do we do?!¡± ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time for a speedy cleanup.¡± ¡°G-Good idea!¡± And just like that, the two¡¯s cooking lesson was over for the day, and the duo focused on cleaning so that their girls wouldn¡¯t find out what was going on. Chapter 192 – Pushing Anna Chapter 192 ¨C Pushing Anna While Sophia and Ari were busy in the couple¡¯s mansion, the other two had finished their magic training with Eluna and went back to the princess¡¯ room, where the duo decided to have a little chat for the time being. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Maya let out a little sigh as she gotfortable on the sofa there. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Anna had the same reaction. ¡°Teaching is kinda tiring, but it seems like it¡¯ll be over soon.¡± ¡°I think so, too. There¡¯s little we can teach her anymore. Polishing her skill is something Eluna has to do on her own.¡± ¡°Father also mentioned that it would be great if you could visit my school somewhere starting the end of the next week to introduce what we¡¯re working on.¡± ¡°Sorry, not going to happen next week.¡± The cat-girl quickly shot her down. ¡°Eh, have you changed your mind abouting to the academy?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just that the end of the next weeks is kinda bad timing-wise.¡± ¡°Is something happening there?¡± ¡°Kind of, I guess?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Well, I mostly just don¡¯t want to start going to school on my birthday, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Huh? Your birthday?¡± Anna looked confused. ¡°Yep. It¡¯s on Friday next week. I¡¯ll be turning-, a year older.¡± She changed her wording a little. ¡°I know what a birthday is¡­ Why didn¡¯t you say anything?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really something you bring up yourself if there¡¯s no reason, is there?¡± ¡°True¡­ Still!¡± She got loud. ¡°I don¡¯t like how you¡¯re starting to sound so excited. Don¡¯t get any weird ideas for a party or anything like that now.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Anna actually sounded disappointed. ¡°Well, I bet you already have nned something with Sophia, anyway, right?¡± ¡°Well, she also got all excited about my birthday being soon and said she wants to do something, but I have no idea what.¡± ¡°I bet she wants to surprise you with something!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that¡­¡± Maya sounded dubious. ¡°Sophia¡¯s physically incapable of keeping a secret like that. I doubt she¡¯d even try to surprise me.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I also was never able to surprise Ari on her birthday¡­ Tigers are very honest, after all.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the two of you who can¡¯t keep anything to yourself?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna decided to keep the answer to that to herself. She looked pretty awkward, though. ¡°L-Let me at least get a gift for you! It will be as thanks for helping me out with Ari, too!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, either, but it¡¯s also not something I¡¯m going to stop you with¡­¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Speaking of Ari~.¡± Maya found a more exciting topic to chat about. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The princess turned her head away as her face turned red. ¡°I like that reaction! How did it go? Did you manage to sleep in her room?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Her blush intensified even more. ¡°Before that, I got embarrassed a ton of times already because Ari got really t-touchy-feely with me¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Maya¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°I¡¯m listening~.¡± ¡°I think it was an ident, but she was standing right in front of me and got even closer to me for some reason¡­ T-Then, she tripped and dived with her face right into my c-chest¡­ We also stayed like that for a while afterward because neither of us knew what to do¡­¡± ¡°Are there mas in your chest and her face, or why are they drawn to each other so much?¡± The cat-girl had also noticed the pattern here. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, sounds like fun, though~. Anything else that happened?¡± ¡°I-I gave her ap-pillow¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face waspletely red by now. ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°I have no idea how it happened, though¡­ We just came out of the bath and rxed a little on the sofa¡­ The next thing I knew was that Ari was lying on myp while taking a nap. I-I think I nked out for a moment¡­¡± ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°AMAZING!¡± The princess was an honest girl, after all. ¡°I told you so~.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She gave her a nod. ¡°It felt really nice!¡± Anna was smiling broadly. ¡°It also was pretty e-embarrassing, though¡­ While Ari was asleep, she had ced her tail on my shoulder, and it kept b-brushing against my cheek¡­ Even more, she had also grabbed my tail and was hugging it the entire time during her nap¡­¡± ¡°Sounds like you had a great time~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna decided to not address that. ¡°W-Well, thanks to her sleeping, I was able to y with her hair a bit¡­ M-Maybe, I also petted her a little bit¡­¡± ¡°My, what a pervert.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± She raised her voice, but she added nothing to rebut the cat¡¯s im. ¡°A-Ari¡¯s really soft¡­¡± ¡°Just where did you touch her?!¡± ¡°Only safe ces!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Well, I guess I just have to believe you on that~.¡± With a teasing smile, Maya eventually let go of the topic, though. ¡°So, back to you sleeping in her room~.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She looked awkward again. ¡°Yes, I went to her room yesterday, and we s-slept together in her bed¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I had about three heart attacks¡­¡± Anna still couldn¡¯t look at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Weid down, and I showed her my back as you told me, b-but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°There was a¡­ slight i-incident¡­¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Maya raised an eyebrow in interest. ¡°Weid on different sides in Ari¡¯s bed, and¡­ and my stupid body acted on its own because it didn¡¯t want to lie on the wrong side¡­¡± ¡°Idiot¡­¡± The cat-girl let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m just getting to the heart-attack part!¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, I called you an idiot too early. Please go on.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t doubt a princess so much!¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me, or¡­?¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± She gave up onining. ¡°A-Ari actually hugged me¡­¡± ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡± Maya didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°She w-went for it while I started turning around¡­¡± Her face actually was able to get redder. ¡°She probably t-tried it before I started but couldn¡¯t stop anymore¡­ I-In the end, she tightly clung to my side while my arm was smooched between her b-breasts¡­¡± ¡°How did it feel?¡± ¡°Amaz- Ah.¡± Anna put her hands on her mouth. ¡°He.¡± The cat-girl was unable to hold back the grin that had formed on her face. ¡°What exactly did feel amazing~?¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s great, right? To be hugged by the girl you like. Especially when you¡¯re sleeping together.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The princess eventually nodded. ¡°I was super n-nervous, but I was never more cfortable in a bed before, either¡­ I-I think I like it even better than h-hugging her myself¡­¡± ¡°Good for you~.¡± ¡°S-So embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°So, what exactly was the cause for those heart attacks?¡± ¡°I-It was the first time I touched Ari¡¯s chest in such a way since I can remember, and¡­ and t-the feeling was¡­ It was¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°Even though you regrly shove your boobs into her face and literally almost suffocated her with them a couple of times already¡­?¡± Maya couldn¡¯t help but stare at the two culprits while saying so. ¡°T-That¡¯s something else!¡± Anna covered her chest in response. ¡°I-I always cling to Ari a lot, but¡­ but it¡¯s mostly me touching her¡­ Also, I mostly cling to her a-arms, for example¡­ It¡¯s just notparable!¡± ¡°Okay, fair enough¡­¡± ¡°A-Also, when I turned around, our faces came super closer, and¡­ and¡­¡± ¡°Wait, that sounds like¡­ You actually kissed her? Wow, I¡¯m impressed! Good job!¡± ¡°Eh?! No way!¡± The princess frantically waved her arms around while her face looked like it was set on fire. ¡°T-There¡¯s no way I could do t-that!¡± ¡°My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.¡± Maya cited a line she randomly picked up from Sophia, and she couldn¡¯t even look at Anna. ¡°H-Hey! I told you that I don¡¯t want to risk my f-friendship with Ari! A k-kiss is impossible!¡± ¡°Why?¡± The cat-girl only tilted her head. ¡°She was inching closer to you, and you were turning around. There¡¯s no better temte for an ident kiss other than that.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± Anna froze up after hearing this. ¡°I-I could¡¯ve done that¡­ S-Still, my heart was beating so crazy, and my brain turned to mush¡­ It would¡¯ve been i-impossible, anyway¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so you aren¡¯t against the idea itself?¡± ¡°W-Well, if I can g-get away with it¡­ I-I mean, ki¡­ kissing Ari sounds lovely, a-and if there¡¯s a way without ruining my f-friendship with her, then¡­¡± Her voice started to trail off. ¡°My, what a pervert we have here.¡± ¡°W-Why?!¡± She got loud. ¡°Sorry, just messing around a bit while I¡¯m trying to find a way to use this to our advantage.¡± ¡°H-How¡­?¡± ¡°What did your jaguar do when all that happened?¡± ¡°Ari¡­ Ari was petrified¡­ I mean, I bet it¡¯s surprising that you suddenly have a f-face right in front of you, so close that even your noses t-touched while you were trying to getfortable¡­¡± ¡°Your noses touched¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I lightly brushed a-against hers with m-mine¡­¡± ¡°You really should¡¯ve kissed her¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, okay?! The feeling of her n-nose was thest thing I noticed before my brain shut down afterward¡­ I only noticed what was going on five minutester again!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re almost half as useless as the past Sophia when ites to that¡­¡± Maya¡¯s current girlfriend¡¯s quite capable most of the time, but the early Sophia caused her a lot of trouble. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Did Ari let go of you afterward? Did you do anything once your brain was working again?¡± ¡°I-I eventually turned my face away from her because it felt so hot that I thought it would melt any second, b-but we stayed in that p-position for quite a while¡­¡± ¡°Good for you~.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Ari probably didn¡¯t know what to d-do, either¡­¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°I bet she was c-confused and didn¡¯t know what to do¡­ That¡¯s why we s-stayed like that for a bit¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-girl tilted her head once more. ¡°She also the one who initiated the hug, though. Sure, it turned out to be different that she¡¯d nned, but she still started it.¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ I always hug her, too¡­ Maybe she thinks it¡¯s normal when you have a sleepover¡­¡± ¡°You mean you unconsciously shove your boobs into her face, don¡¯t you? You always hug her when you¡¯re already sleeping, right?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t word it like that!¡± ¡°Am I wrong¡­?¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Anna got louder again. ¡°S-Still, yes¡­ I unconsciously c-cling to her after I fall asleep.¡± ¡°And yet, she did it while both of you were fully awake. That means it was a conscious decision by her. Also, she didn¡¯t even stop after the situation became far more intimate than both of you could¡¯ve imagined. That¡¯s a big difference in my mind, and I think that has to mean something.¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s still the possibility that she got used to my clinging and¡­ Ari also gets cold suuuper easily¡­ I bet she thought it¡¯s normal to hug each other while sleeping because of me and tried to get closer to be warmer! I¡¯m sure of that¡­¡± She looked like she took some damage from her own words. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Maya needed a moment. ¡°The next time the two of you share a bed again, forget about letting her take the lead¡­ Hug her the moment the two of you lie down. Do the same as the jaguar did and study her reaction. After that, we can talk again. You¡¯re too dense for me to deal with right now¡­¡± Maya needed a break. ¡°E-Ehh¡­?¡± ¡°Just do it. That¡¯s my homework for you. The submission of it is due tomorrow.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°No buts!¡± ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± The princess knew that she had no chance of winning against the cat-girl. ¡°I¡¯ll try my b-best!¡± ¡°Good. Okay, how about we go to my ce now?¡± Maya changed the topic. ¡°I want to see what our girls are doing.¡± ¡°dly!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°I wanna see Ari!¡± ¡°Just confess already¡­¡± While mumbling those words, she got up from the sofa, and the two left Anna¡¯s room to go over to the couple¡¯s mansion.
Chapter 193 – Comfy cats Chapter 193 ¨C Comfy cats Sophia had cooked her firstplex dish under the instruction of Ari, and it worked out rather well. She actually managed to cook up something edible. Not only that, but the jaguar also even liked it. It was a little too spicy for her, and the shrimps were ever so slightly overcooked, but it was nothing that couldn¡¯t be fixed with a little more training. While the two were finishing up, the tiger then suddenly noticed that Maya wasing home while bringing the princess along with her. This caused Sophia to panic, and the two quickly started cleaning up the kitchen to hide any evidence of what was going on. The cooking training was supposed to be a surprise, after all. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sophia let out an exhausted sigh as she looked over the kitchen that seemed like new. Not a single hint of them having cooked was left. ¡°We¡¯ve made it~¡­¡± ¡°Technically speaking, sure¡­¡± Ari awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Though, I wouldn¡¯t necessarily call throwing all the trash and everything in your storage cleaning up. Also, you need to teach me that magic you used to get rid of the smell in the air!¡± ¡°Hehe~. Also, the kitchen¡¯s clean, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah.¡± She couldn¡¯t argue with the result. ¡°That¡¯s all that counts for now. I¡¯ll deal with the stuff in my storageter.¡± ¡°Will you?¡± The jaguar only looked at her. ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice how honest you are. I love how Anna¡¯s the same, but that¡¯s not the right answer, you know?¡± ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll properly clean up in there once I have the time¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± She looked satisfied. ¡°Although, I hope you¡¯re not like Anna in that regard, too. She often says she¡¯ll do what she promised but still, let¡¯s say¡­ forgets about it. With your storage, I can¡¯t even check.¡± ¡°You can, though.¡± Sophia corrected her. ¡°You can go inside the storage.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yep. When we installed the heated floors, I ced everything inside the mansion into the storage. It was a perfect copy, and I suggested to Maya to live in there. She didn¡¯t seem to like the idea for some reason, though¡­¡± ¡°Imagine both of you would be so unhinged¡­¡± The jaguar shuddered while thinking about it. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The tiger couldn¡¯t add anything to that. ¡°A-Anyway, we still need to think about what to say when they ask us what we did all day¡­¡± ¡°How about you showed and exined to me how the heated floors work, and then we rxed because the warmth¡¯s so amazing? It¡¯s true, we did do that. No need to mention that it only was for half an hour or so.¡± Ari came up with a handy excuse in an instant. ¡°To the living room we go!¡± Sophia liked the idea. ¡°Rid of the shoes we get, too!¡± The jaguar was looking forward to feeling the warmth directly again. ¡°It feels way better that way!¡± ¡°Why do you think I¡¯ve been running around barefoot all the time~?¡± She looked down at her feet. ¡°So envious¡­ Still doing that in a different home is kinda¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to mind such things. Go wild~.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­ Enticing, but I feel a little naked without my tights. Not to mention that the normal ones tear way too easily, so I should limit the times I put them on and off. The thicker ones are way more durable, and I mighte back to the offer when I wear those.¡± ¡°Sure, makes sense. Wait, what about the feeling naked without them part?¡± ¡°If I have to strip for the greater good in your home, then so be it.¡± Ari liked the heated floors very much. ¡°I actually really have to totally strip¡­ My tights are quite high and even cover most of my stomach, so I have to take off my skirt and pull up my shirt¡­¡± ¡°I agree with your passion, but don¡¯t ever say that again before Maya and Anna know the context behind it.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She noticed the issue her words could bring. The duo kept chatting for a little longer until the front door of the mansion finally opened, announcing the arrival of the other two girls. ---------------- ¡°I¡¯m home~.¡± Maya¡¯s voice energetically echoed through the entrance hall. ¡°Hello!¡± It was directly followed by the equally loud voice of Princess Anna. ¡°Wee back~!¡± Sophia greeted them. ¡°We¡¯re in the living room!¡± Joining the duo in the living room, Maya sat down next to the blonde on the sofa while Anna got close to Ari instead. ¡°Did the two of you behave yourself?¡± The cat-girl nced at the duo. ¡°Always!¡± ¡°We did.¡± ¡°Nothing flirty happened?!¡± The princess focused her attention on the jaguar. ¡°Wait, why aren¡¯t you wearing your shoes, Ari?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Take off yours, as well, Anna.¡± Sophia urged her to follow suit. ¡°You¡¯ll like it~.¡± ¡°Hmm? Well, sure, I guess.¡± She had no reason not to do it and slipped out of them. ¡°Eh?!¡± The moment her feet touched the ground after she got rid of her shoes, her expression changed. ¡°Great, isn¡¯t it?¡± Maya had done the same and looked at the princess with afy expression instead. ¡°W-Why is it warm¡­?¡± Anna also ced a hand on the ground to verify it. ¡°It¡¯s super toasty! Why?!¡± ¡°Amazing, right?¡± Ari also smiled at her. ¡°The floors in this mansion are heated.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°W-Why is this mansion better equipped than the royal castle?! Well, it¡¯s a royal mansion, but still! Alright, forget about the castle! Maya, Sophia, do you have an empty room for me? I¡¯m going to live here until at least spring!¡± ¡°Ahaha, someone likes it, huh?¡± The blonde liked her reaction. ¡°It¡¯s the best thing in existence! Heated floors? Perfect warmth everywhere? Warm and cozy feet?! Heck, I would take a nap on a floor thisfy!¡± ¡°I totally understand how you feel¡­¡± Maya and Ari had the same reply. ¡°d you like it. No, the mansion didn¡¯te with those heated floors.¡± Sophia corrected her. ¡°I invented and installed those here.¡± ¡°Huh?! Seriously?!¡± The princess got even louder. ¡°Are you a genius?!¡± ¡°I have my moments, but overall, also ording to others, I¡¯m more of an idiot~.¡± ¡°Nonono! If you invented those floors, you¡¯re the smartest genius in history!¡± ¡°Hear that, Maya?¡± She looked at her cat while trying to suppress a grin. ¡°Shut up¡­ Also, when ites to this invention, I 100% agree with the princess.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± The jaguar also chimed in. ¡°Hehe, but wow, my heated floors sure are popr with cats, huh? Well, and wolves.¡± ¡°Can you me us?!¡± All three girls retorted. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m often referred to as the most cat-, or feline-like, after all, so¡­ Why do you think I came up with this~? There¡¯s nothing that beats a cozy warm home.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone agreed. ¡°Sophia!¡± Anna suddenly stared straight at her. ¡°Yes?¡± She already had a feeling about what wasing next. ¡°I want that in my room, as well!¡± ¡°Your new room here or the one in the castle?¡± The blonde wanted to y a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll dly take the room, but I meant in the castle! Ari¡¯s room should get it, too. No! The whole castle has to be equipped with it!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She startedughing again. ¡°You take a room here, huh? Sure, we have enough. Ari actually started negotiating with me about the heated floors, as well. She needs to have it, too.¡± ¡°Good going!¡± Anna liked the jaguar¡¯s priorities. ¡°I talked about it with the king already, and Kira¡¯sing to visit us to evaluate my invention. If she likes it, there should be a high possibility of the heated floors finding their way into the castle.¡± ¡°Mother¡¯s the one who¡¯s going to decide on it?! Perfect! Sheins about the cold even more than I do! We¡¯ll be sofy during the winter! Thank you so much, Sophia!¡± ¡°Yes, even I am looking forward to the cold months now.¡± Ari had the same smile as the princess. ¡°Are there even cold spots in the castle?¡± While Maya could understand, and even shared their passion for it, she still found it odd that they wanted it so much in the royal castle. ¡°The high ceiling in every room makes it a pain to heat anything because the warmth just vanishes as it goes up!¡± ¡°The floors are also made of stone and marble everywhere! Even if you manage to heat up the rooms, your feet are still freezing wherever you go!¡± The duo from the castle apparently had a lot toin about their home. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± The cat-girl had nothing to reply to here. ¡°How does it even work?¡± Anna had left the sofa by now and was using both her hands to feel the ground. She also spotted the big and fluffy-looking sheepskin rug and audibly gulped before looking away again. ¡°T-The warmth is amazing.¡± ¡°I saw you ncing at the rug. I can confidently say that it is evenfier than you could possibly imagine.¡± Sophia had to use this chance. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tempt me like that!¡± Her face turned slightly red. ¡°I-I¡¯m not a little kid that would like to take a nap on something like t-that!¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, though. It is extremelyfy.¡± Maya sided with her tiger. ¡°Even you?!¡± ¡°Anna¡­¡± Ari suddenly sighed. ¡°How often did I catch you taking a nap on the rugs in front of various fireces in the castle during the winter months already?¡± ¡°A-Ah!¡± Her face turned even redder. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell them that! A-Also, that was ages ago!¡± ¡°Yep, it¡¯s almost been half a year since thest time in spring.¡± ¡°A-Ari!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Don¡¯tugh! Also, how often did you join in when you found me?!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The jaguar hadn¡¯t thought about the possibility of a reversal. ¡°You wanted to know how the heated floors work, right? Sophia, could you exin it again?¡± She decided to change the topic. ¡°Sure~.¡± Quietly hoping that Ari would eventually teach her the art of changing a topic so smoothly, Sophia then roughly exined how her invention works to the princess without going into detail. Afterward, the girls chatted for a while longer while rxing in the living room while every single cat had a blissful expression on their face. Chapter 194 – Academy plans Chapter 194 ¨C Academy ns Maya was back in her home after training Eluna in the castle. She had also brought Anna along because Ari was still there with Sophia, as well. Rxing in their living room, the princess fell in love with the heated floors the blonde had invented and desperately wanted them in the castle, too. Just as the other three girls, Anna¡¯s also just a cat at heart, after all. ¡°Haa~.¡± The princess let out a satisfied sigh as she sat on the sofa while gliding her feet over the warm ground. ¡°This level of beingfy is dangerous, Sophia. Your invention is scary.¡± ¡°I know~.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Maya nced at her tiger and the jaguar. ¡°What did the two of you do all day. You wanted to train or something like that, right?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia turned her head away. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Ari also looked a bit flustered. ¡°W-What happened?!¡± Anna didn¡¯t like this reaction. ¡°N-No!¡± The ck-haired girl flung her arms around. ¡°Sophia exined the heated floors to me and showed the effects by urging me to take off my shoes to feel it better¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Afterward, we, uhh¡­ Nothing much happened after that anymore.¡± The jaguar managed to get the excuse out the two had agreed on earlier. ¡°I see.¡± Anna¡¯s expression rxed again. ¡°As I said before, this invention is dangerous. To make even Ari go useless this fast~.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± She tried to protest. ¡°Well, y-yeah¡­ You know that I don¡¯t do well with the cold, either¡­¡± ¡°Sure do~.¡± The princess was happy that she managed to get back on her for once. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia, wanting to get the attention away from them, changed the topic while staring at the fellow tiger. ¡°What¡¯s up with your hair, Anna? It''s so fluffy! It looks like your ponytail is about to explode because it has to hold twice as much hair now.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right!¡± Maya also looked at her. ¡°I hadn¡¯t paid any attention to it earlier, but it really is suuuper puffed up.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The fluffy girl in question awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s the bane of tiger hair during the winter¡­ The apocalypse has started¡­¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°It gains volume like nothing else¡­ It feels super warm, but it¡¯s a huge pain to deal with. The temperatures this week have just reached a point where it starts¡­ The longer your hair is, the worse and earlier it¡¯ll affect you. That¡¯s probably why it hasn¡¯t started for you yet, Sophia¡­ You have another week or two. Well, it''s getting a lot longer since we met, so maybe a little less? Father likes it because it makes his hair look fuller. Ellie¡¯s hair, absolutely speaking, notpared to her size, is roughly the same as yours, so¡­ Still, for mother and me, it¡¯s hell already." ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Why don¡¯t you know¡­?¡± Anna seemed confused. ¡°Didn¡¯t you experience it during thest winters?¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± Sophia needed a moment. ¡°Y-You see, before meeting Maya anding here, I was in the far away monster country with Fen all the time. There is no winter there.¡± ¡°Wow, you really are one outrageous girl¡­¡± Anna had no better words. ¡°Well, look forward to months of fluffy and unruly hair~. Seeing how your hair¡¯s already a little wild without winter season, it¡¯s going to be a ton of fun for you.¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­?¡± She clearly wasn¡¯t looking forward to any of that. ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°The only upside is that our hair also gets a little lighter. That, visually speaking, takes a bit of volume out of it again.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Sophia grabbed a few strands of her hair. ¡°I did notice that my ends seemed to be fading out a bit the other day, but¡­ It¡¯s because of that¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it begins.¡± Anna reached towards her back and grabbed the end of her ponytail to show it to the other tiger. ¡°See, still not as blonde as your normal hair, but it¡¯s a bit less orange already.¡± Her hair had developed a gradient color of a deep orange slowly fading into something lighter towards the end. ¡°It¡¯ll be like that for my entire hair soon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kinda cool.¡± Sophia looked at it in admiration for a moment. ¡°Also like a super pain, though.¡± ¡°You have no idea!¡± She got loud whileining about it. ¡°Even fluffier Sophia? I look forward to that!¡± Maya had her own opinion on the topic. ¡°Urgh¡­ I guess it¡¯s you who¡¯s going to take care of my hair, then.¡± It sounded way too bothersome for the owner of said hair. ¡°dly~.¡± The cat-girl had no problem with that. ¡°Yep, you need a second person for that¡­¡± Ari suddenly let out a sigh. ¡°Anna isn¡¯t even able to brush her hair alone because it gets so puffy. It¡¯s a two-person job.¡± ¡°Thanks for always helping me~.¡± Anna smiled at her jaguar. ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± Sophia still wasn¡¯t liking anything about this new development. ¡°W-Well, a lighter blonde could be cute, I guess¡­¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± Maya enjoyed the situation much more. ¡°Is it only a tiger thing¡­?¡± She looked at her cat and Ari while asking. ¡°My hair only gets marginally thicker.¡± Maya shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Same for me.¡± The jaguar agreed. ¡°Well, my tail also puffs up a bit more, but that¡¯s not too hard to deal with.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Stupid tigers¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The tiger princess agreed while both hung their heads. ---------------- Once Sophia had recovered from the shock about her hair and what was going to happen to it in the near future, the girls rxed for a while longer before the blonde eventually started another conversation. ¡°By the way,¡± She looked at Maya and Anna. ¡°How is it going with Eluna? She was one of the most powerful instructors before, right? I¡¯m pretty sure she should get it by now, no?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going quite well.¡± The cat-girl answered her. ¡°One more session, and she¡¯s good. She has to polish her new skills on her own, then.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Father also suggested that she, together with the two of you, should visit our school somewhere along the end of next week.¡± Anna added some details. ¡°So early¡­? Wait, end of the next week?! Maya¡¯s birthday¡¯s there¡­ Not a very good timing.¡± ¡°I already turned down that idea.¡± ¡°Yeah, beforeing here, we told father about that and decided to do it the week after.¡± ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s good.¡± Sophia looked relieved. Not only would it be no fun to spend a part of her birthday in school, but Sophia also wanted to do somest-minute training. ¡°Oh?¡± Anna started grinning after seeing Sophia¡¯s reaction before looking at Maya. The two had a conversation around the topic of the blonde wanting to do something for her birthday before, after all. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Ari then nced at the couple. ¡°How are the two of you going to join our academy? I mean, are you going to be real teachers? Or is it something closer to an exchange student program with special students? In any case, you¡¯re going to stick out a lot because you¡¯ll be looking like anyone else age-wise, but you aren¡¯t going to wear the academy uniform. Wait, or do you?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a brilliant idea!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes started to sparkle. ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going¡­¡± Sophia suddenly got a bad feeling about the situation. ¡°I think our uniform¡¯s pretty cute. You two should totally wear it!¡± ¡°I-I think I¡¯ll pass on that¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t a fan of the idea. ¡°Aww,e on~.¡± The other tiger really wanted them to wear it. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it, Sophia.¡± Maya sided with the princess. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun!¡± ¡°You just want to see me in a skirt!¡± Sophia saw through her cat in an instant. ¡°Exactly.¡± She didn¡¯t even try to hide it. ¡°What¡¯s worse? Sticking out like a sore thumb or wearing a skirt?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± It was a hard decision. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Your usual shorts aren¡¯t any longer, either. Actually¡­¡± She stared at her for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re, by far, showing the most leg whenpared to any of us.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia took some damage from that retort. ¡°T-The shorts are super easy to move around, after all¡­ Also, exactly because I run and jump around, shorts cover a lot more. Especially the important areas¡­ Panties, for example.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Everyone nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s why skirts are a bit much for me¡­ Longer ones are okay because idents are unlikely with those, but the ones the three of you are wearing right now¡­ no.¡± While Maya wasn¡¯t wearing their uniform, her skirt still had roughly the same length. ¡°What about the best out of both worlds?¡± Ari wanted to help and pointed at her own legs. ¡°With tights, you can run around freely in a skirt without having to fear showing your panties.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Sophia seemed dubious and bent forward to change her line of sight. She then tried to get a glimpse below her skirt. ¡°Hey!¡± Maya and especially Anna got loud. ¡°Err¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Ari¡­¡± She looked away with a slight blush. ¡°Hey!¡± Everyone got loud now. ¡°O-Okay, let me rephrase that¡­ With fully opaque tights, you have nothing to fear¡­ I¡¯ll switch to them either next week or the one after because they¡¯re much warmer. You can check again, then.¡± ¡°How about no?!¡± The princess and cat duo were still being busy retorting. ¡°I was just kidding.¡± Ari tried to defuse the situation. ¡°Stop that!¡± Anna didn¡¯t like such a joke. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re good.¡± Maya did enjoy it a little. ¡°Urgh¡­ Fine¡­¡± Sophia caved in. ¡°I¡¯ll buy the most opaque 100+ denier tights with a thick lining or maybe some leggings, and at least try it out¡­¡± She had many conditions for it, though. ¡°I can live with that!¡± The cat-girl sounded strangely excited about it. ¡°I know a nice shop for tights. I can show it to you next week or whenever you¡¯re free.¡± Ari had some experience in wearing them, after all. ¡°Sounds great! Let¡¯s go shopping together!¡± ¡°We¡¯reing, as well!¡± Maya and Anna were in perfect sync. The blonde jaguar duo got them along a little too well just now again. ¡°Sure~.¡± They had no problem with that. ¡°Where do we get the uniform, though?¡± Sophia dropped the topic for the time being. ¡°All things considered, we aren¡¯t real students, after all.¡± ¡°Maya can wear my old one.¡± The princess answered her. ¡°We¡¯re switching to our winter uniforms right when the two of you are supposed to visit, and I need a new one. My old one got a little tight.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The three other girls reacted the same as they nced at the exact same spot of Anna¡¯s body. ¡°Hey!¡± She, once again, got loud while she covered her chest with her arms. ¡°I-I grew a lot in height, you know?! Any other parts don¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°They do.¡± More than one reply came. ¡°They don¡¯t!¡± Her chest somehow had be an all-time favorite topic in their group. ¡°A-Anyway, Maya could wear my uniform fromst year. It should fit pretty well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Thank you for the offer. I¡¯ll try it on the next time Ie over to make sure it fits.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Sophia and I are fairly simr.¡± Ari continued. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯d be able to wear one of my spares without any trouble.¡± ¡°Yeah, that should work.¡± Even if Sophia ends up being smaller, she can very easily adjust herself to fill out the jaguar¡¯s uniform, after all. ¡°Great!¡± Anna had recovered from the teasing. ¡°I look forward to seeing the two of you in our uniform. ¡°Me, too.¡± Maya was staring at her tiger while agreeing to it. ¡°I have very mixed feelings about it!¡± The blonde still wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°For various reasons!¡± Once this topic was taken care of, the girls went back to rxing and continued to enjoy the warm living room. Eventually, though, the princess and jaguar had to head back home. Anna wanted to stay in her new room in the couple¡¯s mansion, but Ari didn¡¯t let that happen. Her looking like she wanted to do the same didn¡¯t matter, either. After a lot of back and forth, the duo eventually, and very reluctantly, managed to go home after saying they¡¯ll be back soon. Neither of them wanted to leave thefy warmth of the heated floors behind, after all.
Chapter 195 – Claiming more victims Chapter 195 ¨C iming more victims A few days had passed since Ari, and the princess had visited the couple¡¯s mansion and fell in love with their new heated floors there. Sophia had also finished installing the charging pads on the wall of every room using the conductivity ore in the meanwhile. She connected those charging pads with the floor using said ore so that one doesn¡¯t have to get down and touch the ground to pour magic into the heating ore below the wooden floor. She even installed a couple of them in paw height for the wolves. Today, though, some very important visitors had arrived at their ce. The queen of the country, Kira, together with her youngest daughter, Princess Ellie. Thetter made Sophia especially happy. ¡°Wee~.¡± The blonde greeted them at their gate outside. ¡°So¡­ phia!¡± Ellie¡¯s eyes lit up the moment she spotted her. She let go of her mother¡¯s hand and immediately ran towards the girl. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± Sophia squatted down and waited for the little princess to jump at her for a hug. ¡°Ellie missed So¡­ phia, too!¡± Doing as predicted, she jumped at the blonde, who then happily caught her. ¡°Hehe.¡± Cuddling for a bit, Sophia eventually picked Ellie up and ced her in her arms. ¡°Yay~.¡± Ellie then happily nuzzled against the blonde¡¯s head while she buried her face into the bigger girl¡¯s shoulder and nape. ¡°Wow, if someone unrted would see the two of you like this, they would definitely get the wrong idea, mom.¡± The queen¡¯s expression broke into a smile. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°While I wouldn¡¯t mind anyone thinking she¡¯s mine, I look a little too young for a 3-year-old child, do I not?¡± ¡°Looks can be misleading, miss who-is-in-her-twenties.¡± Kira only stared at her. ¡°W-Well, true¡­¡± There was nothing she could say here. ¡°Speaking of looks,¡± Sophia nced back at the queen while focusing on her long hair that had gained a lot of volume. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite fluffy if I dare say so.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°I hate the winter¡­ You at least have another week or two before your hair explodes with your length¡­ I see that you¡¯re already turning lighter, too. Even though you already were super light, the lower half of your hair is full-on light blonde now¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Looking forward to it~? We all love puffy, uncontroble hair, right?¡± ¡°Actually¡­ as I came from the monster country with Fenny¡­ It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m actually going to experience a winter in this world¡­ Anna only told me about our condition a few days ago¡­¡± ¡°Poor you¡­¡± Kira looked extremely sympathetic all of a sudden. ¡°I-Is it really that bad for us?!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like this reaction. ¡°Look at me!¡± The queen gestured at her hair. ¡°It¡¯s only just the beginning, too!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going back to the monster country for the winter! I¡¯ll be back in spring.¡± ¡°Take me with you!¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± She didn¡¯t want to continue this conversation. Sophia had no intention of taking the queen of this nation with her. ¡°Shall we head inside?¡± The blonde readjusted her grip on Ellie in her arms and turned around while saying so. ¡°dly.¡± The queen followed after her, and they soon found themselves in the mansion¡¯s living room. ---------------- ¡°Wee.¡± Maya was already sitting on one of the sofas when the others joined her. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quite the hair.¡± She immediately noticed the change in Kira¡¯s looks. ¡°Please don¡¯t mention it¡­¡± ¡°I look forward to Sophia gaining volume~.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± The blonde had a different opinion. ¡°I¡¯ve been growing my hair out a lottely, but I have no problems with cutting it short again!¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± The cat-girl pouted for a moment before she focused her attention on the little tiger who was lovingly being carried by her girlfriend. ¡°W-What¡¯s up with this picture¡­?¡± She gestured at both of them. ¡°It¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t it?¡± The queen smiled at her. ¡°S-Sure¡­ Though, her sleeping in Sophia¡¯s arms like that looks a little¡­¡± Maya somehow couldn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°E-Especially because they look quite alike¡­ Actually... Is Ellie turning blonde? Anna turned lighter as well, but it was still orange... Ellie''s hair starting to look like Sophia''s blonde that is currently fading...¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Kira enjoyed her reaction. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Sophia moved Ellie around a bit to see her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice that she¡¯s fallen asleep¡­¡± ¡°Well, she feels safe enough in your arms that she¡¯s able to sleep. She also woke up really early today after I told her that we¡¯re going to visit you yesterday.¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± Sophia liked everything about this exnation. ¡°Yeah¡­ We were quite busytely, and I couldn¡¯t meet Ellie nearly as often as I wanted to. All the time, that is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± She didn¡¯t n to me her. ¡°While she wants to see you every day, as well, she knows that it¡¯s not possible.¡± "But yeah... she''s actually getting close to my hair... Weird, is the color maybe really rted to magic or something like that? The more power a tiger has, the lighter the hair gets? Ellie has quite a lot, after all." "Your guess is as good as mine." Kira shrugged her shoulders. "Though, it wasn''t like thatst year." "Maybe it''s a sign that her magic is about to awaken?" Maya had her own theory. "That could be." The other two nodded. "By the way," Sophia nced at Ellie again before facing the queen. "Us blondes have to stay together, you know? It would probably be for the best if I keep her." "No." She didn''t share her opinion. ¡°Aww...¡± The group finally sat down on the sofas, as well. Sophia gotfortable next to Maya while the queen had the opposite sofa all for herself. The blonde had no intention to let go of Ellie, after all. Instead, she ced the sleeping girl on herp while she started petting her head. ¡°Oh, she also feels fluffier already¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right¡­¡± Maya couldn¡¯t help herself and also started ying with the princess¡¯ hair. She was too cute to ignore, after all. ¡°Yes, I also noticed that earlier today.¡± Kira nodded. ¡°You might not even have the one or two weeks left I mentioned earlier if Ellie¡¯s started to change, not to mention that your color¡¯s also turning lighter already. Don¡¯t be surprised if your head looks like a ball of fluff tomorrow or the day after when you wake up.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but show her a slight grin. ¡°Judging by that, it looks like this winter¡¯s going to be especially cold.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like anything about her exnation. ¡°Speaking of cold, this room¡¯s everything but that¡­ How? Why? And also, it feels amazing.¡± The topic finally started to get back on track. ¡°Is this why Anna and even her Ari were so excited when they came back home from here the other day¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia only nodded. ¡°Hey, Ellie~, I need your help with something.¡± She gently shook the sleeping princess on herp. ¡°Hmm¡­? So¡­ phia¡­?¡± Sounding very sleepy, the little tiger rubbed her eyes before turning her head upwards to look at the blonde. ¡°Ellie¡¯s¡­ help?¡± ¡°She woke up?!¡± Kira seemed highly shocked. ¡°You really are something else¡­¡± ¡°What can Ellie do?¡± ¡°I want to show you something really nice, but we have to take off your shoes and socks for that.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s cold without them¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like the n so far. ¡°I promise that you¡¯ll feel warmer than ever without them.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± The little princess looked a little dubious. ¡°But Ellie trusts So¡­ phia! Help!¡± She lifted up her legs in the air and dangled them around for a bit. ¡°Sure~.¡± The blonde reached for her feet and slowly helped her out of her shoes before Ellie removed her socks all on her own. Afterward, the blonde gently ced her on the floor. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Her expression immediately changed. ¡°It¡¯s warm! The floor is warm! Mama, the floor is warm here!¡± The heated floor seemed to have charged up Ellie¡¯s batteries in an instant because she immediately darted off and ran around the room. ¡°Mama, Ellie wants this, too!¡± ¡°What is she talking about¡­?¡± Kira naturally looked confused. ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t ask you to take off your shoes¡­¡± Sophia felt a little awkward urging the queen to take off any of her clothing. ¡°How about you touch the floor, though?¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± She readjusted her position on the sofa with a raised eyebrow before reaching forward to ce her hand on the floor. ¡°Huh?! Ellie¡¯s right! It¡¯s warm! What is going on here¡­?¡± ¡°Mama, Ellie wants to live here, after all!¡± She still was running around in the living room. ¡°So does mama.¡± The heated floors had trapped two more cats. ¡°Ellie is one thing, I¡¯ll dly let her live here, but I doubt we have any rooms to amodate the queen of this nation¡­¡± The blonde took it half-seriously. ¡°Okay, get it out already, Sophia. Why is your house the personification of paradise?¡± The expression of Kira changed, and she stared right at the other tiger. ¡°That much, huh?¡± She didn¡¯t feel intimidated at all and started smiling instead. ¡°It¡¯s an invention I came up with~.¡± Afterward, Sophia exined what and how she did in a way Kira understood. ---------------- ¡°Wow¡­¡± Once she¡¯d heard the whole exnation, the queen looked fascinated. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. How did you evene up with this¡­?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± The blonde shook her head. It wasn¡¯t her who came up with it, after all. ¡°Cold floors are the worst, and here we are.¡± ¡°What a reasoning¡­ So easygoing. Well, I don¡¯t care how you came up with it. The only important this is that you came up with this lovely idea to better the world.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Sophia thought the scale was a little toorge. ¡°How much money do you want to allow us to install your invention in the castle, as well?! The price doesn¡¯t matter! Just tell me a number.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The blonde was a little taken aback. ¡°I want this invention of mine to be publicly avable. I want everyone who¡¯s able to afford it to be able to install it in their homes just like normal magic heaters.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Well, it obviously won¡¯t be for free, though. I¡¯m not a charity, after all. I want some sort of reward for inventing it with the usage of the heating ore, and a percentage of each sale as royalties, for example.¡± ¡°That sounds more than fair.¡± ¡°I leave the amount for the reward, and the royalties up to the royal family and whoever else has to get involved in it. I have absolutely no intention to deal with anything so bothersome, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not going to rip me off, after all.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Kira raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s why, have fun dealing with all of this. Once his Majesty, together with you, and whatever minister is needed, agree on my payment, I¡¯ll happily teach whoever¡¯s needed to install the heated floors in the castle.¡± ¡°Alright! Ellie, we¡¯re going home! We have to go and talk with daddy!¡± Kira was very motivated about the whole thing. ¡°Ellie¡­?¡± ¡°Over there¡­¡± Maya pointed at the sheepskin rug in front of their firece. The energy boost that the little princess had gotten from the heated floor hadn¡¯tsted that long. Once she came near the fluffy rug that was also warmed up thanks to being heated up from below, she had no chance to resist its allure. It was way too big of a challenge for Ellie to ovee. The moment she had stepped on it, she immediatelyid down, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep in 0.5 seconds afterward. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The queen awkwardly scratched her cheek, ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised¡­¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, I haven¡¯t taken a nap on the sheepskin since installing the heated floors yet! How could I have forgotten about that?!¡± Sophia got loud and stood up from the sofa. ¡°Can I leave Ellie here for a while? She¡¯s already a little grumpy from time to timetely, and she¡¯ll probably start hating me for a week if I pick her up now. I want to talk with Menzor about your payment as soon as possible to get it installed in the castle.¡± ¡°Wow, you really love my invention, huh? Not that I can me you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, of course. Leave Ellie here for now. I¡¯ll bring her over to the castle in the afternoon once we wake up.¡± ¡°Once she wakes up, you mean?¡± Kira tilted her head. ¡°No.¡± Sophia was already inching closer to the rug while talking to the queen. ¡°I see¡­ Maya, please keep an eye on them¡­¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Afterward, once Kira left her daughter in the couple¡¯s care, she immediately made her way back to the castle to have a very important discussion with her husband. Sophia opted for a rxing day spent napping with Ellie instead.
Chapter 196 – Comfy cuddling Chapter 196 ¨C Comfy cuddling Together with her youngest daughter Ellie, Queen Kira visited the couple¡¯s mansion, and Sophia exined her heated floors invention to them. Both loved the idea very much. They, just like Ari and Anna before already, are warmth-loving cats, after all. Kira liked it so much that she immediately wanted to speak with her husband, King Menzor, to have it installed everywhere in the castle. Ellie loved it even more so that she immediately fell asleep on the warmed-up sheepskin rug on the floor, and it was impossible to wake her up again. Because of that, Kira decided to leave her in the couple¡¯s care while she went to talk with the king. Sophia was terribly envious of Ellie peacefully napping on the fluffy, warm, andfortable rug that she immediately joined the little princess once the queen had left. Once sheid down, the blonde slightly angled her legs while wrapping her arms around the little girl. Ellie was facing the blonde and hadfortably nuzzled her head against the taller tiger¡¯s chest once she noticed the taller girl¡¯s presence during her sleep. Her body was almost wholly curled up into a ball, and so she fitted perfectly in the spot above Sophia¡¯s angled legs while sticking close to her stomach and chest. Maya watched the duo sleeping peacefully while also cuddling with each other for a while. Still, she was also getting slightly shifty as she looked over them. The urge to join them was slowly rising within the cat-girl because the two looked extremelyfortable, not to mention adorable. ¡°¡­¡± She continued to steal nces at them for a while longer but gave up soon enough. ¡°W-Whatever, if Sophia¡¯s allowed to do it, why shouldn¡¯t I be able to do the same!?¡± She had lost to her instincts. Maya got up from the sofa and walked over to the sheepskin rug. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She was trying to find out how to join them. ¡°I kinda want to spoon Sophia, but¡­¡± She nced at the fluffy, curled-up ball called Ellie right next to her girlfriend. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but¡­¡± In the end, Maya decided toy down on the opposite side of Sophia. Ellie was in the middle while the heads of the couple were near each other, touching even, same with their legs that ended up being slightly entangled with each other, effectively wrapping all around Ellie as if trying to protect the little girl from every side. Maya also wrapped her arms around the little tiger while it seemed like she¡¯d refuse to let go of her no matter what could possibly happen. The trio slept together for some hours while tightly cuddling with each other. Eventually though, out of all cats, Sophia was the one to wake up. ---------------- ¡°Haa~¡­¡± She let out a sleepy yawn before uprighting her upper body as she let go of Ellie while taking the utmost care not to wake her up. ¡°Oh¡­?¡± She only then noticed Maya napping on the sheepskin rug next to the two while also clinging to the little princess. ¡°¡­¡± Her eyes were glued to the two while a gentle smile appeared on her lips. ¡°Adorable¡­ Something about this is¡­ perfect. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy for some reason~.¡± Something about this picture made her emotional. ¡°Why does this world have no cameras¡­? Somehow, I¡¯d like to look at this scene every single day...¡± The blonde stared at them for a while longer before she finally decided to fully stand up. ¡°Stupid dder, I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡± She needed to use the toilet. Once she was done with her business, Sophia immediately wanted to head back to the living room. Unfortunately, ran into the wolves on the way. ¡°Good morning.¡± Fen greeted her while sounding slightly sarcastic. ¡°You saw me, well¡­ us taking a nap?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Aura answered her. ¡°We came back from the maze earlier and found the three of you on our¡­ err, the sheepskin rug.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry for taking your spot.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± The female wolf wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°Still¡­¡± She stared at the tiger. ¡°Is that scene something we can look forward to in our little, let¡¯s call it, household in the future?¡± ¡°I doubt Ellie¡¯s going to be here that often.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She only intensified her stare. ¡°You know that I mean you and your girlfriend cuddling with a cub while looking and acting like it¡¯s yours. The expression both of you had while sleeping with the little one seemed to be more than just pure adoration for her cuteness.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s face instantly turned red. ¡°W-We just like cuddling with her¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Aura didn¡¯t believe a single word she said. ¡°Was there really nothing different you felt when you looked at Maya cuddling with the little one? Both of you looked very motherly if you ask me.¡± ¡°T-This and t-that are totally different topics!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t exactly deny it. ¡°E-Even if that would be the case, it¡¯s too early for that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s never too early for that.¡± She had fun with the topic. ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait with that.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The blonde¡¯s expression suddenly changed. ¡°No, I disagree with it, but if you think so, Maya and I will dly cuddle with your cub as soon as you get it. We¡¯ll also help you raise it. You and Fen shouldn¡¯t do all the work alone. We¡¯re something like a family, after all. Your cubs are our cubs.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aura was at aplete loss for words. ¡°He.¡± Sophia looked incredibly smug. ¡°Well, if you¡¯d excuse me, there¡¯s still a lot of cuddling left to do.¡± Saying so, she left the wolves on their own and entered the living room. There, she immediatelyid down on the rug again. Afterward, she wrapped her arms around Ellie once more while pressing her forehead against Maya, who was still fast asleep and clinging to the little princess with an incredibly gentle expression. ---------------- Some, a lot, more hours had passed since then, and it was already bing dark when the trio finally woke up for good. Thanks to Aura¡¯s implications from before, the blonde got a little shy after looking at Maya for a while, but it wore off soon enough. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Maya let out a yawn and stretched herself once she stood up. ¡°I¡¯m starting to understand why you like to sleep so much.¡± She looked at her tiger while saying so. ¡°Yeah¡­ H-Hugging Ellie makes it even better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Cuddling with the little one feels really good. She¡¯s so fluffy and huggable.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The princess in question liked what she was hearing. ¡°Ellie likes to cuddle and sleep with So¡­ phia and Maya, too!¡± She showed the couple a great smile. ¡°It feels really nice when you two hug Ellie. It feels really warm and protected!¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Both took a lot of damage from this unexpected attack. ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± Sophia needed a moment and looked out of the window to calm down. ¡°It¡¯s gotten reallyte. How about we bring you home. I¡¯m sure your mother¡¯s already waiting for you.¡± ¡°No! The castle is cold! Ellie wants to stay here forever!¡± ¡°You know that you can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°B-But!¡± The princess started panicking. ¡°We still haven¡¯t sleep¡­ over yet! Ellie wants to do that now!¡± ¡°Right, I almost forgot about that¡­¡± The blonde had nothing she could say at first. ¡°We have to ask your mother for permission first, though. We can¡¯t do that else.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± The little tiger hung her head. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± The cat-girl had to give it to her. ¡°M-Maya, let¡¯s go and ask Kira!¡± Both tigers were excited about the idea now. ¡°Sure¡­ I doubt it¡¯s going to happen today, though, you two. Everyone needs to be prepared for that, after all. I think it would be better to ask about a sleepover for tomorrow, for example.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Sophia agreed and looked at the princess. ¡°Do you think you can wait until tomorrow?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It will be hard, but Ellie will try!¡± She wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of the idea, but she still agreed. ¡°Good girl.¡± Both gently petted her head in response. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The little tiger was a big fan of that, though. Afterward, once the three were ready, they left the mansion to make their way back to the castle. Along the way, Ellie decided that she wanted to walk in between the couple while holding the hands of one each. The two more than happilyplied with her demand. ---------------- Even though they took their time, the trio eventually arrived at the castle and had the maids guide them to where Kira currently was. ¡°My, look at that.¡± The queen lightly greeted them. ¡°You sure took your time. Did you have fun?¡± She ruffled the hair of the little tiger while saying so. ¡°Yes! Ellie slept a lot!¡± That activity definitely is fun for her. ¡°Good for you.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She gave Kira a big nod in response. ¡°Ellie wanted to stay and nap for longer with Maya and So¡­ phia!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The queen looked at the couple. ¡°¡­¡± Maya looked away. ¡°It was veryfy!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s way too huggable.¡± ¡°I know~.¡± Kira looked proud about it. ¡°Mama!¡± The princess suddenly got loud. ¡°Ellie wants to sleep over at Maya¡¯s and Sophia¡¯s home! It¡¯s very warm there. Here is¡­ cold! Ellie doesn¡¯t like it!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The queen awkwardly scratched her chin. ¡°Dear, you can¡¯t have a sleepover on such short notice.¡± ¡°Ellie knows! That¡¯s why Ellie wants to have it tomorrow!¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t seen that oneing. ¡°W-Well, I did promise that you can do it eventually¡­ It already took longer than I had anticipated, too¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°Maya, Sophia, can I trust you with this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll protect her with my life if anything woulde up!¡± The blonde was very determined. ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure Ellie feels safe and secure and also doesn¡¯t learn anything too stupid from my girl.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She faced the cat-girl while thanking the couple. ¡°Does that mean Ellie can do the sleep over?!¡± She couldn¡¯t fully follow their conversation. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kira caved in. ¡°Yay!¡± She sounded incredibly happy. ¡°You have to promise me that you¡¯ll behave, though!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The princess gave her a big nod. ¡°Ellie will be a good girl. The bestest!¡± ¡°You already are.¡± All three had their thoughts identally leak out. ¡°Ellie wants to start preparing immediately! What do we need to do?!¡± Thanks to having napped the day away, the little tiger had a lot of energy to spare. ¡°I¡¯ll exin itter to you, dear.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Sorry about that.¡± Sophia let out a dryugh. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m d she likes the two of you so much and is having a great time.¡± ¡°Happy to hear.¡± The blonde liked the sound of that. ¡°How did the conversation with the king go?¡± ¡°Swimmingly!¡± Kira smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ll be getting those heated floors in the castle soon!¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Ellie got even more excited. ¡°Yes!¡± The queen patted her head again. ¡°Menzor wants to see you soon to tell you the details. How about you meet him tomorrow when you¡¯re getting the little one for the sleepover?¡± ¡°Sounds like a n to me.¡± Sophia agreed to the suggestion. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll tell him about itter.¡± The group chatted for a while longer, but as it was about to be time for dinner, the couple decided to head back home for the day. Giving Ellie a quick hug and waving the queen goodbye, Sophia and Maya left the castle. They made their way back home while looking forward to the next day they would spend with the little princess.
Chapter 197 – Prelude to the sleepover Chapter 197 ¨C Prelude to the sleepover The couple had spent the day napping and cuddling with Ellie on the sheepskin rug in their living room. The two enjoyed this cozy pastime very much because they loved to stick to the little princess for some reason that, ording to Aura, might be more than simply being enamored by her cuteness. Ellie loved thefy atmosphere just as much, though, and finally got her sleepover at the couple¡¯s mansion after talking her mother into agreeing to it. On the following day, once the blonde was awake and the couple ate breakfast, or had brunch, depending on how you interpret the time, the two went to the royal castle again. King Menzor wanted to talk with Sophia about the heated floors she invented again, and, most importantly, they wanted to pick up Princess Ellie for their sleepover. An event all three of them were looking forward to very much. ¡°Hmm~.¡± On the way to the castle, Maya kept staring at Sophia¡¯s head for some reason. ¡°C-Could you stop¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t like it. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed it myself, okay?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The cat-girl let out a chuckle. ¡°The queen was right, huh? You¡¯re getting fluffy already.¡± She continued to look at the tiger¡¯s hair, which had gained a lot more volume than the day before. ¡°Urgh¡­ Stupid tigers¡­ Do I really have to go with short hair again? I kinda liked having them a little longer¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem with fluffy hair? I think it looks great.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pain to deal with, though. It¡¯s not like I had straight hair before, but¡­¡± ¡°Nothing about you is straight, after all.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The blonde liked herment. ¡°My sister had naturally wavy and super fluffy hair all year round, and she did nothing butin about it. Even using a hair iron on it had next to no effect. It was always all over the ce, and styling it was next to impossible.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Wait, what¡¯s a hair iron?¡± She heard a new term. ¡°It doesn¡¯t exist here? It is a device that applies heat to your hair to straighten it out. You basically iron your hair by pressing it between two hot tes while gliding over it.¡± ¡°You can iron your hair?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°I know the ones for clothes, but using those bulky irons on your hair doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea¡­¡± ¡°No, the principle¡¯s the same, but the device for your hair¡¯s much more delicate and smaller.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Still, it sounds like it could hurt your hair?¡± ¡°Well, you have to take care to not apply too much heat on the same spot, but other than that, it¡¯s quite easy to use once you get the hang out of it.¡± ¡°Is that so? It definitely sounds handy, though. Straightening out bed hair can be quite a pain, after all.¡± ¡°Or fighting against your tiger genes.¡± ¡°Or that.¡± Maya tried to hold in another chuckle. ¡°Do we still have some of the heating ore left?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Yeah¡­ I bought way too much for the heated floors.¡± ¡°Are you trying to make this hair ttening iron thingy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth a try. From what I heard from Kira and Anna, this level of fluffiness is only the beginning. I am also 100% sure that the fluffiness of my hair will be boosted, too.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Well, good luck with that.¡± ¡°With what? Boosted hair volume or inventing the ttening iron?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The cat-girl had taken a liking to this kind of answer. ¡°I thought as much.¡± ¡°Fluff aside, judging by the tips of your hair, you¡¯re also saying goodbye to any hint of orange in your hair, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, I noticed that, too!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Forget bing lighter. It looks like I¡¯m bing a super light blonde. Whenparing to the royal family, it looks actually closer to you¡­¡± ¡°I like it.¡± The cat-girl stared at the ends of her hair for a bit. ¡°Compared to all the blonde types you had, this might already be my favorite type. I look forward to the finished version.¡± ¡°I agree. I¡¯ve never had such a soft color before, but I already like it, too. I wonder how it¡¯s going to mix with my stripes.¡± While chatting about Sophia¡¯s hair, the duo eventually arrived at the castle, and the maids directly guided them to Menzor¡¯s office. ---------------- ¡°Wee.¡± The king greeted the two. ¡°My, look who¡¯s getting fluffy~.¡± Kira was also present. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia hung her head. ¡°I bet it only happened because you mentioned it yesterday!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable. It¡¯s the destiny of every tiger~.¡± ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Shared pain is half the pain.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Sophia disagreed. ¡°We¡¯re two here, so it¡¯s double the pain right now.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°Should we get started?¡± Menzor¡¯s hair seemed like it had gained a bit of volume, as well, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind it even the slightest bit. ¡°Kira told me about the heated floors in your mansion in great detail. In fact, my wife, Ellie, Anna, and even her Arianne wouldn¡¯t stop talking about it ever since visiting your ce.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s very popr with ca-, the feline type. Not that it¡¯s any less popr with do-, err, wolves. ¡°It appears to be so.¡± He decided not to retort on anything she almost said. ¡°Kira said that it¡¯s a lovely invention that¡¯ll improve the living standards of everyone. The folk, and the royal castle, as well.¡± He nced at his wife during thest part. ¡°I think so, too.¡± Sophia agreed with the king¡¯s evaluation of her invention. ¡°I¡¯ll dly share it with everyone if I get some sort ofpensation. Though it would probably be better to have this conversation with the manufacturers of the other heaters, I guess?¡± ¡°Yes, but as the handling of the raw material, the heating ore, has to be approved from the respective ministers or us, it¡¯s not wrong to have this talk with me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I had the manufacturerse over in the morning, too. Kira exined what was going on, and long story short, they were very interested, to say the least.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that.¡± ¡°They want to buy the use rights of your idea for 2.000 gold with a 20% share of every sale involving it. This will be for the first year. Once there are some actual numbers for the sales, the yearly payment, and the shares will be renegotiated.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds good.¡± Sophia instantly agreed to it. ¡°You don¡¯t want to negotiate the terms¡­?¡± Menzor was a little surprised. ¡°Do I have to?¡± ¡°N-No. We, Kira especially, made sure to get a fair deal for everyone.¡± ¡°Perfect. Do I have to sign anything, or¡­?¡± ¡°The manufacturers are currently writing up a contract. The best would be for you to meet them soon. Once you sign the contract and receive the initial payment, you¡¯re going to show them how it works.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Not today, though. I have something muuuch more important nned, after all.¡± ¡°Tomorrow or the day after is perfectly fine.¡± The king had no reason to rush her. ¡°Kira told me about your important ns today. You do know what responsibilitiese with having our Ellie not staying the night in the castle?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy the world before anything could bring her harm.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He looked straight back at her with a satisfied expression. ¡°Make sure my daughter enjoys this experience.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all that counts.¡± ¡°Anyway¡­¡± Kira wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Now that the discussion about the heated floors is over, how about I guide the two of you to Ellie? She¡¯s waiting already because she¡¯s looking forward to it so much.¡± ¡°dly!¡± Sophia immediately sprang up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The little princess wasn¡¯t the only one waiting for it. ---------------- Leaving the king behind in his office, Kira led the couple towards Ellie¡¯s room, where she was already waiting for them. ¡°So¡­ phia! Maya!¡± Her face lit up the moment the door opened. ¡°Ellie~.¡± The duo lightly waved at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Sleep over!¡± She energetically jumped off the bed she was sitting on. ¡°Why is she so adorable¡­?¡± Sophia nced at the queen. ¡°It almost hurts, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah, my heart aches.¡± It didn¡¯t look like she wasining, though. ¡°I know that feeling.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Maya ignored the duo and went over to Ellie. ¡°Do you have everything you need?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°Mama and Ellie packed a few clothes for sleep and tomorrow! Ellie also has her toothbrush and favorite toothpaste!¡± ¡°Great.¡± ¡°Does she need a special kind of shampoo?¡± Sophia finished gushing over her cuteness with Kira and got a little more serious. ¡°Kids often don¡¯t like the normal one because it can burn in the eyes.¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s surprisingly okay with the normal kind. She uses the same as Anna and I do.¡± ¡°Great, I have that, too. Ellie, do you need anything else? Maybe a favorite plushy or a pillow you can¡¯t sleep without?¡± ¡°No! Ellie can sleep everywhere!¡± She sounded strangely proud about it. ¡°Fair point.¡± The blonde should¡¯ve known better. ¡°Is there anything we need to know?¡± She faced the queen again. ¡°Food she shouldn¡¯t eat or anything we should watch out for?¡± ¡°Not really. For the most part, she¡¯s the most low-maintenance little girl in existence.¡± ¡°Good to know, thanks.¡± She was d that she didn¡¯t have to watch out for any allergies or the likes. ¡°Alrighty, Ellie, are you ready?¡± ¡°YES!¡± She was very ready. Once the little princess was good to go and managed to peel herself away from her mother, who didn¡¯t seem to want to stop hugging her, the trio left the castle and went back to their mansion. While walking, Ellie once again grabbed the hands of both while being sandwiched by the couple. On the way, they also did a little grocery shopping for dinner and gathered a lot of warm gazes. Sophia already secretly was quite the attraction in the capital, and Ellie was naturally well-known as the royal princess. All in all, they caught a lot of attention. Still, no one dared to approach them because they didn¡¯t dare to ruin the scene of the couple, together with the little one, peacefully buying groceries.
Chapter 198 – Sleepover I Chapter 198 ¨C Sleepover I The couple went back to the royal castle, and once Sophia dealt with the bureaucratic side of her heated floor invention, namely sharing how it works and anything payment-rted, they finally met up with Ellie. They nned to have a sleepover at the couple¡¯s ce, and everyone was looking forward to it. Once they collected the little princess and did a bit of grocery shopping on the way back, the trio eventually arrived at their destination. ¡°So warm!¡± Sitting down on the sofas in the living room, Ellie had a broad smile. ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Very!¡± ¡°I still think we¡¯re overdoing it with the heat¡­¡± Maya had aplicated expression. ¡°Fall¡¯s just starting, after all.¡± ¡°How about I turn it off, then?¡± ¡°No!¡± The cat-girl got loud. ¡°Forget I ever said anything!¡± She quickly changed her mind on the topic. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have done it, anyway.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°So¡­ phia, shoes!¡± The little tiger presented her legs to the taller one. ¡°Should we take them off? It feels better without them, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s getfy.¡± Saying so, the blonde helped Ellie to get out of her shoes before taking off her own. ¡°Much better.¡± ¡°Better!¡± She repeated after her. ¡°You two are so in sync¡­¡± With a warm expression and a slight roll of her eyes, Maya also got rid of her own shoes and socks before cing her feet on the ground again. ¡°It is better, though.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia let out a slight chuckle. ¡°Alright, what should we do first?¡± ¡°Ellie wants to y!¡± ¡°Why did I even ask? Okay, what do you want to y?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Ellie just wants to run around!¡± ¡°You want to run around on the warm floor, right?¡± ¡°Yes! It feels good!¡± She wiggled around her legs while saying so. ¡°How about we start with tag?¡± The blonde suggested the first she could think of. ¡°Oh!¡± Maya reacted first. ¡°I want my title as the queen of tag back!¡± ¡°No!¡± The princess disagreed. ¡°Ellie¡¯s the queen!¡± ¡°How about we find out?¡± The cat-girl had sessfully baited her. Naturally, she had no actual ns to get back her title. ¡°Let¡¯s!¡± Going with the n of ying tag, Ellie waited in the living room while the couple ran away. The current queen has to start with a little handicap, after all. Once she had enough of waiting, the princess quickly started chasing after them. In the beginning, Sophia and Maya took it slightly seriously and barely outran the little tiger or dodged her attempts to tag the girls. Still, once the duo felt like Ellie had gotten enough of a workout by running all over the ce in their mansion, the two made a careless mistake that got themselves caught. ---------------- They changed who was it every so often and kept ying for an hour or two, but the result was just as expected. While the princess identally lost a few rounds, she somehow still won most of them. ¡°Yay!¡± The little tiger shed them a victory sign before looking at Maya while having a slightly smug expression. ¡°Ellie keeps being the queen of tag!¡± ¡°You sure do.¡± The cat-girl yed along. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°What do you want to y next?¡± Maya apparently still had some energy to spare. ¡°Hungry!¡± The tigers, on the other hand, had other ns. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had to chuckle at their reply. ¡°Well, you powered yourself out quite a bit during our game of tag. Both of you.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They were still in sync. ¡°Should I start preparing dinner, then?¡± ¡°Please!¡± ¡°Do you want to eat anything special?¡± ¡°Meat!¡± The reply was instantaneous. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you, Sophia.¡± ¡°Hey! It wasn¡¯t me! Also, hey!¡± The blonde felt offended and had to say it twice because it was important to her. ¡°Hehe. Still, you two are way too simr.¡± Maya looked at the tigers. ¡°Ellie and Sop¡­ phia are simr¡­?¡± ¡°Very.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°You¡¯re both tigers with beautiful striped hair. Hair that is getting super fluffy. You¡¯re super huggable and cozy to cuddle with. Both of you are full of energy and like to run around. At the same, you also like to sleep as much and long as possible. While different, I also like both of you veeery much.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The princess started giggling. ¡°Ellie also likes Maya veeeeery much. So¡­ phia, too!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°And I love both of you.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The duo didn¡¯t like to get one-upped by the blonde. ¡°My win~.¡± She looked pretty smug. ¡°We/Ellie love/s you more!¡± The voices of the duo ovepped. ¡°Thanks!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t seem to be unhappy whatsoever with them beingpetitive about it. ¡°You tricked us/Ellie!¡± They said the same thing again. ¡°Does anyone have a problem with what I made them say?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The duo stopped for a moment. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Great~.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Maya brought the topic back on track. ¡°We bought chicken earlier. How do you like that?¡± ¡°Ellie loves chicken!¡± ¡°Perfect. Any side dishes you¡¯d like?¡± Maya wanted to cook whatever she wanted. ¡°More chicken!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how sides work, Ellie.¡± ¡°Veggies are side, right¡­? Ellie doesn¡¯t like sides¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we go over that already?¡± Sophia patted her head. ¡°Vegetables are good for you. You need them to grow.¡± ¡°Ellie knows! Ellie¡¯s also eating them more because So¡­ phia said I should, but that doesn¡¯t mean Ellie likes them!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± She had nothing left to say. ¡°She wins that round.¡± Even Maya was impressed by the little tiger¡¯s retort. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head while thinking about something. ¡°Ellie, do you like cheese?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay. Maya, how about a casserole? Lots of chicken, a bit of cauliflower, and or broli together with a few pieces of carrot, maybe? A creamy sauce on top before drowning it in cheese.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t drown it in cheese, but a casserole is a nice idea.¡± ¡°Is it tasty¡­?¡± The princess wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this development. ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorites!¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Her expression became even moreplicated. ¡°Okay, Ellie will try it!¡± ¡°Good girl!¡± Both petted her head in response. ¡°Ehehe.¡± She liked the treatment she was receiving. ¡°Alright, you two rx in the living room while I prepare dinner.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ---------------- Roughly 45 minutester, Maya was already done, and dinner was served. Ellie suspiciously eyed the food on her te for a while. Still, once she saw how happily Sophia was eating it, she eventually tried it, as well. Thanks to the cheese and the creamy sauce, she didn¡¯t overly mind the vegetables that much and finished everything and barelyined. ¡°How did you like it?¡± The trio finished eating, and the cat-girl wanted to hear the princess¡¯ opinion. ¡°Ellie likes Maya¡¯s cooking very much!¡± She showed her a great smile. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Ellie would¡¯ve liked it even more without the veggies!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ How about we go and take a bath?¡± The blonde stifled a chuckle and suggested their next activity. ¡°Yay!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°Ellie loves baths!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Sophia liked her enthusiasm. ¡°Maya, how about all three of us go together?¡± ¡°Of course. Why would I let the two of you have all the fun without me?¡± She had no idea why her tiger even asked. ¡°Ahaha¡­ Ellie, how does that sound to you? Should we all go together?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Good answer!¡± Sophia then looked at Maya. ¡°With her, we¡¯re going to use the big bath downstairs, though.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She nodded. ¡°We¡¯re obviously not going to do the usual with her around.¡± ¡°Alrighty!¡± The blonde raised her fist. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get the bath water ready. Maya, can you grab a change of clothes for everyone, including whatever our lovely guest brought along?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded. ¡°Ellie, will youe with me?¡± The cat-girl held out her hand. ¡°Show me what you brought with you, okay?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She grabbed her hand. ¡°Ellie brought her favorite pajama!¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Saying so, the two left the living room and went upstairs because they had put Ellie¡¯s bag in the couple¡¯s bedroom already. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sophia needed a moment while she watched them leaving while holding hands. ¡°Can something be too adorable¡­? My heart¡¯s aching again¡­ Thanks, Canir. Thank you for making my life perfect.¡± With a big smile, she looked up for a second before going to the big bathroom. There, she filled the huge tub with hot water and poured a generous amount of her magic into the heated floor to make it super cozy. ¡°Wow!¡± Ellie and Maya had joined the blonde in the bathroom, and the princess got excited. ¡°The floor here is warm, too! Ellie loves taking a bath¡­ but standing with no clothes on the cold floor before getting in the water and after getting out¡­ is the worst!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The couple heartily agreed while they were undressing. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s help you out of your clothes.¡± Sophia faced the little tiger after she had finished stripping. ¡°Okay!¡± She raised her arms to get rid of her dress in response. ---------------- Once everyone was ready and had a short rinse under the shower, the girls finally entered the water while letting out a rxed sigh. ¡°Are you having fun, Ellie?¡± Sophia looked at the little tiger happily ying with the water while she herself was resting against Maya¡¯s side. ¡°Lots!¡± She smiled at them. ¡°Ellie loves to spend time with So¡­ phia and Maya!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± The blonde was touched. ¡°So do we.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Do you want to see a trick?¡± Maya also wanted to bond with the little one some more. ¡°A trick?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Here.¡± Immediately after she finished speaking, a ring of water rose from the surface and swirled around the princess in the air. ¡°Wow!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°Magic¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Very! Ellie wants to learn magic, too!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach you lots once you can use it!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Yay! Ellie can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°You can do even more fun with it.¡± Saying so, the circle of water around the princess shot towards Sophia and sshed her face. ¡°Hey!¡± The victim startedining. ¡°Ahaha!¡± The smaller tiger startedughing instead. ¡°Two can y this game!¡± Seeking revenge, Sophia also started using magic. Afterward, the couple had a little war to entertain the princess during their bath and to have a bit of fun themselves. They didn¡¯t stay in the tub for that much longer, though, because little kids usually aren¡¯t that good with hot water. Albeit, in this specific case, tigers aren¡¯t that good with hot water. Sophia had quite some experience with that, too, after all. The couple then had gently and carefully dried Ellie with two towels before doing that to each other, as well. Afterward, they put the princess into fresh underwear before helping her into the dark pink and fluffy-looking pajamas she had brought with her. Once she was good to go, the two did the same, though Maya¡¯s pale red and Sophia¡¯s matching light green pajama didn¡¯t look quite as fluffy. Finally leaving the bath, the trio went back to the living room to spend more time together. Their sleepover was far from over, after all.
Chapter 199 – Sleepover II Chapter 199 ¨C Sleepover II Ellie was finally having her long-awaited sleepover at the couple¡¯s mansion, and she was having a lot of fun. Sophia and Maya enjoyed it just as much, though. They lovingly took care of her, almost as if being their own, and they yed a lot. The girls also ate dinner already, and all three had taken a rxing bath together, as well. Once everyone was all squeaky clean, the girls dressed into their pajamas and rxed some more in the living room. ¡°Are you sleepy yet, Ellie?¡± The three were sitting on the sofa while the little tiger was in between the couple while doing her best in cuddling with both at the same time. ¡°Not at all! Ellie can still y lots!¡± She also sounded very energetic still. ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia liked her strong reply. ¡°Do you like card games?¡± ¡°Card games?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Yes.¡± She pointed at the table. She had ced a box there before everyone went to take a bath because she didn¡¯t want to surprise Ellie with her storage magic. ¡°It¡¯s called Memory, and I bought it a few days ago.¡± ¡°How do we y it?¡± Ellie seemed interested. ¡°There is a pair of each card you have to find. The cards are ced upside down, though. You¡¯re allowed to turn around two cards each time, and if you get a matching pair, you can try again. If not, the next yer can try their luck.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s y!¡± She apparently liked it. ¡°The name¡¯s quite literal, huh?¡± Maya looked at the cards. ¡°It¡¯s training your memory, but in the form of a game. That¡¯s perfect for kids, huh?¡± ¡°Yes. We had the kids y it in the kindergarten a ton, too. It¡¯s very good.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Less chatting, more ying!¡± The little tiger was getting impatient. ¡°Sure~!¡± Afterward, Sophia grabbed a handful of cards and ced them upside-down on the coffee table in front of the sofas. She started with only a few pairs to let Ellie get used to the game. After all, it can get a little overwhelming and hard to find a match with a full deck of cards. ¡°Hmm¡­ This one!¡± Ellie had already turned around a card that showed a sun on it and just decided on the second one. ¡°Aww¡­ sunflower¡­¡± It was the wrong one, though. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± The blonde patted the head of the dejected girl. ¡°It¡¯s very unlikely to get a match on your first try. ¡°See?¡± While saying so, Sophia went next and also uncovered two cards that didn¡¯t match. ¡°Make sure to memorize which cards I got so that you know which you have to pick the next time.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Her mood improved again. ¡°Alright, my turn~.¡± Maya decided to pick two new cards and ended up with a cow and a sunflower. ¡°Too bad¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The princess¡¯ face suddenly lit up. ¡°Sunflower!¡± ¡°You had that before, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Do you still remember where it was?¡± ¡°Probably!¡± The confident tone in her voice didn¡¯t particrly match the word she used. Circling with her hand above the cards for a moment, she then turned one of her previous cards around again. ¡°Sunflower! Next is Maya¡¯s card¡­ here! Yay!¡± She got her first matching pair and seemed pretty happy with it. ¡°Ellie did it!¡± ¡°Good job!¡± The couple pped their hands a few times. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Okay, you can try again, Ellie.¡± ¡°Really? Let¡¯s see¡­ This one!¡± She uncovered a card with a red rose this time. ¡°Ellie has no need for that!¡± Saying so, she turned another card around, and it was another cow. ¡°A-Ah!¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± It was Sophia¡¯s turn, and she quickly turned around the cows from Ellie and Maya before. ¡°No fair!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like this move. ¡°Why not?¡± She smiled at her. ¡°You did the same with Maya¡¯s card, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡± Ellie still didn¡¯t like it, though. ¡°Both of you stole my cards, and I didn¡¯t pay attention to the others, so¡­ I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s allowed to say that it isn¡¯t fair!¡± The cat-girl splendidly yed along. ¡°Well, let¡¯s try those two next.¡± She turned around yet another new pair and ended up with a house and an apple. ¡°That went way poorer than I had hoped.¡± She had no intention to win, though. Instead, her motivation was to uncover as many different cards as possible and make the little tiger remember them. ¡°Maya¡¯s super bad at this!¡± Ellie let out a giggle before trying her luck again. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Unfortunately, she got no pair, either. ¡°Ellie¡¯s sorry for saying this¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, though luck. Okay, let¡¯s see¡­ Oh, another apple~. Maya had that before, didn¡¯t she? It was that one, right? Oh¡­¡± She, unfortunately, picked the wrong one. ¡°Nope, it¡¯s this one.¡± Maya quickly grabbed the right pair and got her first set of cards. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The tigers started pouting. One was only ying along, though. ¡°Ellie¡¯s turn!¡± Highly motivated, she uncovered yet another card. ¡°A sun¡­? Didn¡¯t Ellie have that before¡­?¡± ¡°Who knows~? You¡¯ll have to remember where it was to make sure.¡± ¡°Hard¡­¡± She scratched her head while looking over the cards. ¡°It¡¯s that one! Ellie¡¯s first card was that one!¡± The princess picked the card right in the very middle of the table. ¡°Yay!¡± She was right and got another pair to keep. ¡°Wow!¡± The couple seemed impressed. ¡°Ellie can go again, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Wasting no time, she instantly reached for her next card. ¡°A house¡­¡± The little tiger tilted her head. ¡°Maya had a house before, too¡­ Where was it¡­ There! Yay, Elli¡¯s the best!¡± She managed to remember the cat-girl¡¯s earlier card, too. ¡°Amazing!¡± Sophia praised her while petting the princess¡¯ head again. ¡°That means you can have yet another try!¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Her face lit up even more. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t manage to score a third time. The girls kept ying for a long time. Each time all cards got uncovered, Sophia added a few extra pairs to the table to increase the difficulty. Needless to say, Ellie won almost every round. The couple made her struggle a little every now and then, but the end result ended in favor of the princess. Sometimes only barely, though. ---------------- ¡°How did you like the game?¡± Once they were done ying, the trio went back to cuddling on the sofa, and Sophia looked at the princess. ¡°Ellie loves it!¡± She showed them yet another great smile. ¡°Very fun!¡± ¡°Great to hear. You¡¯re very good at it, too!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked gettingplimented. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, though¡­¡± Maya noticed that the little one¡¯s lids seemed to be getting heavy. ¡°E-Ellie isn¡¯t tired at all!¡± She apparently didn¡¯t want to go to bed yet. ¡°Ellie wants to stay with Maya and So¡­ phia for longer¡­¡± ¡°How about we go all to bed together, then?¡± ¡°In the same bed?!¡± ¡°Do you want to?¡± Sophia never had any other ns, to begin with, but she wanted the princess to decide on it. ¡°Yes!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°Ellie wants to sleep together with Maya and So¡­ phia!¡± ¡°Me, too~.¡± The cat-girl also was a fan of the idea. ¡°Should we get ready, then?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie nodded once more at the blonde¡¯s suggestion. Afterward, the trio hit up the bathroom again to take care of some necessities before finally heading to the couple¡¯s bedroom. ---------------- ¡°Alright, where do you want to sleep?¡± Maya looked at the princess. ¡°In the middle! Ellie wants to lie in the middle!¡± ¡°Was there even a need to ask?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Was there a need to ask whether she wants to sleep with us?¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± While the couple was chatting, the princess had already jumped on the bed and was gettingfortable on it. ¡°Yes!¡± Not wanting to make her wait, the two immediately followed suit. Theyid down at each side of Ellie, Sophia on the left and Maya on the right, before pulling the nket over them. ¡°Ehehe.¡± She liked being surrounded by the two. ¡°Aren¡¯t you missing the castle?¡± Sophia turned to look at her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The little tiger needed a moment. ¡°Ellie misses mama a bit, but it¡¯s sooo much fun here that it¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± The couple was touched. ¡°What about your father?¡± Maya also looked at her. ¡°Do you miss him?¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The two awkwardly nced at each other over the princess¡¯ head. ¡°Poor king.¡± They had the same thought. Sophia also tried to hold back augh, though. ¡°Ellie wants to have many more sleep over!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The couple felt the same. ¡°Yay!¡± She loved the answer. The three kept chatting for a little longer, but Ellie, once she finally was in bed, ran out of steam pretty quick. Compared to their nap from the other day, the position changed a bit, though. Instead of Sophia hugging the little princess after she fell asleep on the sheepskin rug, Ellie had turned towards Maya and hugged her instead. She nuzzled her head between her cat-girl¡¯s neck and chest and fell asleep in a few seconds after the princess had also wrapped her arms around the girl. Ellie had also curled up into a ball again underneath the nket while lightly pressing her legs against Maya¡¯s stomach. ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl needed a moment. Caressing Ellie¡¯s head for a while, she eventually nced over it to face Sophia. ¡°T-This is almost a bit too much for me¡­¡± ¡°S-She¡¯s too adorable, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ But this whole situation¡­¡± Maya paused for a second. ¡°You and I in the same bed while a little kid is tightly clinging to me while being fast asleep. To add to that, this little girl looks a bit like you, and your characters are quite simr, too. It¡¯s almost as if she¡¯s¡­¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°It¡¯s making you feel things you don¡¯t want to feel yet, huh¡­?¡± ¡°You know what I mean¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Sophia gave her a slight nod. ¡°When I saw you napping with her yesterday, it did quite a lot to me¡­ The two of you together are bad for my heart. Right now, it is the same¡­ The view I have at the moment¡­ It¡¯s the most precious thing I¡¯ve ever seen, and being a part of it messes with me way too much¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for me¡­¡± Maya closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Do we need to have another conversation¡­?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± The blonde took a second before answering. ¡°I love Ellie, and spending time with her is one of the most fulfilling things I ever experienced, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t get me wrong, I want to, and I¡¯m looking forward to having a future with children, but it¡¯s that. The future. Nothing would make me happier having this future with you, but we¡¯re dating for only like half a year¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s too early¡­¡± Maya finished her sentence. ¡°I-I feel the same¡­ About everything you said¡­¡± ¡°Great.¡± She had nothing more to say. ¡°Let¡¯s just enjoy our time with Ellie for what she is. Hopelessly adorable. It might also be a good¡­ training, but let¡¯s not interpret anything else into it.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, I like that.¡± Maya agreed with the tiger. ¡°W-Why are you so good at dealing with this topic¡­? I-It makes aplete mess out of me¡­¡± ¡°No idea¡­¡± Sophia, too, was surprised about it. ¡°I¡¯m still a little overwhelmed that I even have the possibility to have my own children in this world¡­ I also really love kids, so¡­ I do slowly get more emotional by it, though. Yesterday and today especially¡­ It just doesn¡¯t entirely feel real yet. Once it bes actually relevant, and I understand what¡¯s going to happen, I can guarantee you that I¡¯ll turn into the embarrassed mess you know and love again. More than ever before, I¡¯d like to add.¡± ¡°I look forward to that.¡± It really gave the cat-girl peace of mind. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The two eventually put the topic on hold and decided to follow after the already sleeping Ellie. Maya returned the hug of the little girl before closing her eyes. Sophia got closer to the two and wrapped her arms around the princess, as well. Afterward, she also closed her eyes while brushing with her forehead against the cat-girl¡¯s because she also wanted to be connected to her. It was more or less the same sleeping position as the girls had on the sheepskin rug the day before, only with Ellie facing Maya now. Feeling beyondfortable and happy, the couple also fell asleep in an instant.
No nket for extra cute:
Chapter 200 – End of the sleepover Chapter 200 ¨C End of the sleepover Ellie was spending the night at the couple¡¯s mansion because the three were having a sleepover. They yed all day, and even after having had dinner and a bath together, the girls continued to y with cards in the evening. Once the duo felt like the princess had powered herself out, they headed to bed. Naturally, the three also all slept together in the same bed. Ellie clung to Maya during that time, and the two were overwhelmed by her cuteness and being showered in affection by the little tiger. Being subjected by the bundle of joy for a whole day and night made them waver about their thoughts about having their own children for a moment. However, Sophia and Maya were still sensible enough to decide that it was too early for them. The following day started veryte for the trio. The tigers, Sophia and Ellie, never were a fan of getting up to begin with, but Maya, too, felt very little motivation to leave the bed. Being hugged and clung to by the little princess on top of being close to the blonde made her way toofortable. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Having eventually gotten up, though, the two tigers were currently in the living room once more. Leaning against each other while still looking sleepy, they let out a long yawn. ¡°Did we really have to get up¡­?¡± The princess looked at the blonde. ¡°Ellie wants to sleep some more¡­¡± ¡°Me, too¡­¡± She responded with a nod. ¡°I¡¯m also hungry, though.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ellie bobbed her head up and down. ¡°Breakfast?¡± ¡°More like brunch, but yeah¡­¡± It got a little toote to call it that. ¡°Maya¡¯s currently preparing it for us. Isn¡¯t she the best?¡± ¡°The bestest!¡± ¡°Aww, thank you!¡± The cat-girl¡¯s voice came back from the kitchen. ¡°She also has really good ears, so you have to be careful whenever you say something bad.¡± ¡°Got it! Ellie will watch out for Maya being nearby before she says something!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t say anything bad in the first ce!¡± Maya¡¯s voice got louder. ¡°O-Okay!¡± The princess put her hands on her mouth. ¡°Scary, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She only nodded her head to indicate her agreement on the topic. ¡°Hehe.¡± Roughly 15 minutester, Maya had finished preparing the food, and the three had a veryte breakfast together. Afterward, the trio yed another short round of tag before spending another hour in the living room together, which was primarily used for a generous amount of cuddles. ¡°Do you have everything you need, Ellie?¡± Maya was currently packing together the princess¡¯ belongings because it was time to bring her back to the castle. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Really? What is missing?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head and looked inside the bag Ellie had brought along the day before. ¡°It seemsplete to me, though?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t answer and turned her head away. ¡°Someone doesn¡¯t want to leave, huh?¡± Sophia joined them and immediately knew what was going on. ¡°Yes! Ellie wants to stay here!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-girl tried to find a way out of this dilemma. ¡°We¡¯re happy that you liked it so much here, and we feel the same, but you have to go home eventually, Ellie. Your father and mother are going to miss you, too. You don¡¯t want to make them sad, do you?¡± ¡°No¡­ Ellie doesn¡¯t want to make mama sad¡­¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± The blonde tried to hold a chuckle in after the princess had explicitly mentioned her mother only. ¡°Ellie understands¡­ Ellie will go home¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The couple took a lot of damage. ¡°Can Ellie visit again, though¡­?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The two almost jumped at her. ¡°Yay!¡± Her mood instantly improved. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡± Maya continued after recovering. ¡°You can visit whenever you want. Sophia and I will be at the castle all the time, too. It¡¯s just that you can¡¯t live here. We still will be beyond happy whenever we meet.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The issue of having to go home was forgotten by now. Afterward, once the couple made sure they packed everything that belonged to Ellie, the two each grabbed one of her hands, and the trio left the mansion. Going hand in hand while taking their time, the trio eventually made it back to the castle. ---------------- ¡°Ellie!¡± Having just entered the castle, the girls conveniently ran right into Kira in the entrance hall. ¡°Mama!¡± Letting go of the couple¡¯s hands, the little princess ran over to her mother, and the two hugged each other. ¡°For someone not wanting to leave, this sure got emotional.¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°Ahaha¡­ I wonder who missed who more, though.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°I get the distinct feeling that we didn¡¯t run into to queen right at the entrance by chance alone.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s just your imagination!¡± Kira had overheard them and got flustered. ¡°Really?¡± The cat-girl couldn¡¯t help herself. It was in her nature, after all. ¡°Your youngest daughter spent the night somewhere else for the first time, and you didn¡¯t miss her?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I said!¡± ¡°Mama didn¡¯t miss Ellie¡­? Ellie missed mama, though¡­¡± The little tiger sounded incredibly sad as she looked down while her tail flopped lifelessly down on the ground. ¡°O-Of course, I missed you! I barely slept because I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about you!¡± Kira immediately caved in after seeing the reaction of her youngest daughter. ¡°Yay!¡± She instantly became cheerful again. ¡°Does she have too much power¡­?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be a dangerous one when she grows up¡­¡± The couple was awed by the little tiger¡¯s skill in making people say whatever she wanted to hear. ¡°Did she behave?¡± Kira had put her daughter in her arms before facing the couple. ¡°Ellie was a good girl!¡± ¡°She sure was.¡± The two nodded in response. ¡°See?!¡± She looked up at her mother. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a bit spoiled, but she behaved really well, regardless.¡± Maya added a little detail. ¡°Ellie even ate her vegetables!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Not withoutining, though.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell mama about that, So¡­ phia!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Well, she did eat them in the end without making a fuss, so the point does indeed go to her. I thinkining about something is perfectly valid when it¡¯s not your favorite.¡± ¡°She would know that.¡± Maya nudged the blonde¡¯s side. ¡°Sophia¡¯s second to none when ites to needlesslyining, after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not needless!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Ellie supported her fellow tiger. ¡°I take that you three got along great?¡± It was the only conclusion the queen could reach. ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone nodded. ---------------- As the group was still standing in the entrance hall during their chat, Kira suggested going somewhere morefortable. They ended up in a living room-like ce with a couple of sofas lined around a gigantic firece that made everything feel cozy even without it running yet. ¡°Did she really not cause any trouble?¡± Kira wanted to make sure her daughter behaved. ¡°She caused our hearts to ache a lot, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Ellie did?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Because you¡¯re too cute.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She started to smile. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°That.¡± The couple pointed at the little tiger while looking at the queen. ¡°Yeah¡­ She¡¯s good at that.¡± Kira nodded in understanding. ¡°What did the three of you do all day?¡± ¡°So¡­ phia, Maya, and Ellie yed a lot!¡± ¡°Pretty much this.¡± The couple hadn¡¯t much more to add. ¡°We didn¡¯t do that much, really.¡± Sophia continued. ¡°We ran around the house a ton, had dinner together, Maya and I bathed her. After that, we yed a card game for a while before going to bed together.¡± ¡°Ellie cuddled a ton!¡± ¡°She sure did.¡± The couple, once again, could only nod. ¡°¡­¡± The queen paused for a moment. ¡°Ellie, do you want to sleep with mama and papa tonight? We haven¡¯t done that in quite a while, have we?¡± She sounded ever so slightly envious. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The princess seemed ever so slightly reluctant. ¡°Ah, wait¡­ Menzor will be busy tonight, so it would just be you and me.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then. Ellie will sleep with mama!¡± She suddenly sounded much more enthusiastic. ¡°Pfft!¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t hold back herughter. ¡°Does she not like the king¡­?¡± Maya managed to keep it to a grin only. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Kira awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°She¡¯s going through a little rebellious phasetely. Especially with him.¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s not a rebel!¡± ¡°Is that so? ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± They left it at that. ¡°Good!¡± She was still pouting, though ¡°What kind of card game did you y with her?¡± The queen got the conversation back on track. ¡°I don¡¯t think she ever yed one before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Memory, and it¡¯s, well¡­ a memory game.¡± Sophia exined the game. ¡°The goal is to find pairs of the same card by turning them upside down. You have to memorize each card and need to remember where the right ones are once it¡¯s your turn. Putting it in simple terms, that is.¡± ¡°Ohh.¡± Kira liked the sound of that. ¡°How did she do with it?¡± ¡°She has an incredible memory for her age.¡± The blonde sounded honestly impressed. ¡°She made a few careless mistakes because we, well¡­ we were ying and having fun. Still, she effortlessly managed to even remember cards that were yed many rounds ago.¡± ¡°Is that so? Our private teachers said something simr¡­ Her being very attentive for her age.¡± ¡°Yes. You should try developing this skill of hers further. It can only be beneficial for her.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you for telling me. I¡¯ll ry this message to the private teachers, too. Memory, you said? Ellie, do you want to y this game with mama, too? We can go and buy it togetherter.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She had really liked it. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The group kept chatting for another hour, but the couple eventually felt like it was time to leave. Ellie had a different opinion on it, and the two didn¡¯t actually want to, either, but they had to do it regardless. The trio had more than enough fun together already, after all. Hugging the princess for not more than five minutes total to say goodbye, the couple finally managed to leave. Once they left the castle grounds, Sophia decided to meet the heating ore manufacturers to finish the contract regarding the invention of the heated floors that she had sold to them with the royal family as the proxy the other day. Maya, having nothing better to do, tagged along with her. Chapter 201 – More inventions Chapter 201 ¨C More inventions The sleepover with Ellie at the couple¡¯s mansion had unfortunately ended, and the two safely delivered the princess back to the castle. Everyone was really sad that it was over, but there was nothing they could do about that. Sophia and Maya chatted with Kira about the events for a while, but the duo eventually decided to leave the royal family on their own for the time being. Before they headed home, though, the blonde decided to go back to the heating ore manufacturers again. After she, through the king, had sold her heated floor invention to them, she still had to sign the contract and teach them how to build it. ¡°We- Oh, the blondie from the other day.¡± The couple was back in the ce where they had bought the heating ore, and the owner with therge wolf-like ears greeted them before noticing Sophia. ¡°Fluffy season has started, huh?¡± He was staring at her hair. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She turned her head away. ¡°That¡¯s always quite the event for everyone because they get to see the tigers in a new look.¡± ¡°I could do without it, though¡­¡± ¡°Not fun for girls if their hair suddenly bes unruly, huh?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The blonde nodded to his evaluation. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing you can do about that.¡± ¡°Shearing it all off!¡± ¡°Quite the drastic decision.¡± He stifled augh. ¡°Isn¡¯t that even worse than a bit of extra volume?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t approach me with reasonable arguments. I just want to vent a bit!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Understanding that the girl in front of her simply likes toin, the wolf-man changed the topic. ¡°What brings you here today? Don¡¯t tell me you need even more of the heating ore?¡± ¡°Nope, I still have some left of that.¡± ¡°Okay? Wait, with everything that you boughttely¡­ You¡¯re the one that invented the heated floors, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She responded with a slight nod. ¡°Ohhh!¡± He started smiling. ¡°You¡¯re here for the contract and the sample, then?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ---------------- Afterward, he went through the contract with the couple and more or less confirmed the terms and conditions the king had already told them before. Once this was taken care of, the wolf-man handed over the upfront payment and then guided them into the back of the building, where some workers were currently producing something that looked like big radiator-like space heaters from Sophia¡¯s old world. ¡°Oi,e over here, idiots!¡± The wolf-man raised his voice, and the workers swiftly gathered around the group, seven in total. Most of them also had wolf-, or dog-like ears. It most likely was some sort of family business they were running. ¡°Ohh, the blonde tiger. My first time seeing her up close. What is she doing here?¡± One of the workers said what everyone seemed to be thinking. ¡°She¡¯s the inventor of the heated floors I told you about after meeting the royal family the other day.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± Not entirely sure how to react, Sophia just awkwardly waved her hand. ¡°Should we hop right into the instructions, or do you have any questions?¡± The wolf-man looked at the blonde. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She nced at the radiator-like heaters. ¡°Do they work with water?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the only way the heating ore works, after all. Even the ovens have a couple of chambers filled with a liquid-based solution of it, just much more concentrated for higher heat. It¡¯s more of a gel there, actually.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°The heated floors use a solid material, though.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± He got loud. ¡°The heating ore usually works spotty at best when coated on a solid material, or it bes way too unstable to use.¡± ¡°The secret lies in the mixture~.¡± The blonde sounded quite smug. ¡°A mixture I found after my cat exploded half of our garden.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Even though it was true, Maya didn¡¯t like this usation. ¡°Is this true?!¡± The wolf-man¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Yep. Should we renegotiate the contract? I feel like using a solid material for the ovens would make them much easier to build and maintain.¡± Sophia noticed that her idea was suddenly worth much more. ¡°You are right.¡± He nodded. ¡°If there really is a way to use the heating ore in a solid way, it would make things iparably easier for us. I think we can keep the contract, though. The royalties you receive aren¡¯t based on the heated floors themselves, but whatever we make with your invention. If it finds applications in different products, you¡¯ll get a share of those sales, as well. Next year, the licensing costs of your method would increase, too, because of the much higher revenue with multiple products.¡± ¡°I see. Well, okay then.¡± The tiger didn¡¯t see an issue with his words. He didn¡¯t seem to be lying either. ¡°Alright, thank you very much for letting us use it.¡± He seemed grateful. ¡°Okay, how do you turn the heating ore into a solid mass forter use?¡± ¡°Sand.¡± ¡°S-Sand?¡± He tilted his head while looking rather shocked for some reason. ¡°It¡¯s a ten to one ratio of finely ground sand and the ore. You mix those together and add water. Stirring it for a while, it eventually turns into a smooth, almost mud-like homogenous mass. You can form that into whatever structure you want. Afterward, once you pour your magic into it for the first time, it bes solid.¡± ¡°A-And that is safe¡­?¡± ¡°Totally.¡± ¡°Oi, Greg, organize some sand! Steve, bring me a kilogram of the heating! John, a bucket of water!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Three of the workers immediately dashed away. ---------------- Roughly 20 minutester, the workers had gathered the materials, and Sophia, who didn¡¯t feel like mentioning that she also would¡¯ve had everything on hand inside her storage, finished mixing the heating mixture she used for the floors in their mansion. ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡± Once she finished washing her hands with water magic, the blonde gestured at the bucket filled with a brownish-golden mixture that had the same consistency as fresh mud. ¡°It actually turned into something that can be used for literally everything¡­¡± The wolf-man held his head. ¡°So easy, but so genius, as well. You¡¯re amazing, blondie.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Looking smug again, she nudged Maya¡¯s side. ¡°Heard that?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°Though¡­¡± Sophia looked at the wolf-man again. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be rude, but as you said, it¡¯s quite a simple mixture¡­ Why did no one before mee up with that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He scratched his cheek. ¡°We did try mixing it with sand¡­ We lost a warehouse thanks to that. It reacted way too violently, and it became an unwritten rule to never use the ore inbination with sand or other finely ground materials. The coarser or bigger the material gets, though, the spottier the heating qualities be. In the end, water or other liquids were the only viable way. The orebined with water alone is also really good in terms of the heating output, so there was little reason to experiment more with such a highly dangerous and unstablebination. Making sure the water chambers and maintenance is quite the pain, though¡­ If it really bes solid and stable if you add water, it¡¯ll be amazing!¡± ¡°I see¡­ We¡¯re lucky that Maya didn¡¯t blow up our entire house, huh?¡± The tiger smirked at her. ¡°Hey!¡± She got loud. ¡°Also, y-yes¡­¡± ¡°So, it hardens after you activate it with magic for the first time?¡± The wolf-man wanted to stay on the topic. ¡°Pretty much, yes.¡± ¡°Let me give it a try¡­¡± Saying so, he dumped the bucket onto a table and spread it into a three-centimeter-thick te. Afterward, he activated it by pouring some of his magic into it. ¡°Wow, it instantly bes perfectly solid¡­¡± ¡°Quite handy, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Handy!?¡± He got loud. ¡°We¡¯ll have to change our entire production! This will make the ovens so much easier to build, and even the heaters can be designed entirely different now!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Sorry about that¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Sorry!?¡± He got even louder. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing! This will improve the use of those items by a lot!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Anyway, the rest of the heated floors is pretty self-exnatory after this. It¡¯s not necessary, but you should add some instion as the bottomyer because you want to heat the floor, not the ground below it. After that, you add the heating mixture in a snake-like pattern on top of it before flooring the room again. A tiled wooden floor would probably be the easiest way.¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°Ah, I just thought about a cheap alternative. It won¡¯t be nearly as cozy or warm, but a thin te of it below a carpet or rug could work, too. I doubt you could heat an entire room like that, but it could be a nice addition right in front of a sofa in the living room or under your bed.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The wolf-man nodded. ¡°A whole floor solution would be the best way and will probably be the most sought-after, too. Still, the principle of it could be used for a whole variety of products like those you mentioned and many more.¡± ¡°Sounds fun.¡± ¡°Sure does.¡± He agreed with the tiger¡¯sment. They kept discussing some other products for a while longer, but as Sophia didn¡¯t want to disturb their work for even longer, not to mention that she started to get bored, the couple eventually left again. ---------------- ¡°What now?¡± The couple was walking through the capital, and Maya nced at her tiger. ¡°Shopping?¡± Sophia voiced the first thing that came to her mind. ¡°We¡¯ve got some money earlier~.¡± ¡°Some, she says¡­¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like the money has some sort of practical use right now¡­ Is there anything you want?¡± "Let''s see... You know, ever since I installed the underfloor heating, it''s gotten kinda warm when we sleep. Last night, with Ellie on top, it was almost too warm..." "Yeah, that''s true." Maya nodded. "We''re overdoing it with the warmth a little, huh?" "Yep." "I guess we should turn down the heated floor a bit?" "Eh?" Sophia stared at her with big eyes. "I was more thinking about buying some lighter pajamas with less or thinner fabric." She had no ns to make their bedroom colder. "Ah, I like that n better. Way better!" The cat-girl, too, loved the warmth too much. "Any preferences? Maybe something silken? That''s pretty light." "I don''t really like silk... It looks nice, but I don''t like the sleek feeling it has... It''s too slippery, too." "Aww..." She looked disappointed. "I actually kinda like it." "You just wanted me to get some lingerie type of nightwear, huh?" "Yep." Maya had no intention to hide it. "You..." The tiger looked at her for a while before rolling her eyes. "Maybe something for before we go to sleep." "Yay!" She liked the sound of that. "You could also always just sleep in your underwear." "..." Sophia stared at her again. "Are you going to do the same, or do you just want something to look at?" "Yes." She just nodded. "Well, if you''re offering it already, naked would be an option, too." Maya showed her a slight smirk. "It would be quicker for other things, too." "I''m trying to find something to makesleepingmorefortable!" She got loud. "Those are all valid options for bed activities, and I like them a lot, but the bed''s also for sleeping! SLEEPING!" The blonde started pouting. "Why''s everyone around me such a pervert?!" "Are you really saying that after you just admitted that my ideas are all valid and how you like them?" "A-Ah..." She hadn''t thought herint through. "That''s just because you''re having a bad influence on me!" "Is that so?" "YES!" "You''re wee." Maya was happy that she had such an influence on the blonde. "I don''t believe a word you''re saying, though." "Anyway, pajamas!" Sophia decided that the topic was over. "Okay, what kind of pajamas does the pervert want?" "..." She started pouting again but eventually managed to ignore her teasing. "Maybe just something like a camisole or a crop topbined with shorts? Or some type of sleeveless one-piece nightwear, maybe a negligee, even. Actually, that''s what I did back at home most of the time. Shorts and camisoles that. Before you, I only wore actual pajamas when I was cold or Steph wanted to cuddle... I used to sleep in way skimpier outfits because it''s so muchfier." "And why did we start with pajamas, then?!" Maya got loud. "You used to run around in skimpier clothes at home?! I''m so jealous! Also, yes, a camisole and shorts or a one-piece are sooo muchfier! Also, way nicer to look at, too! Much more bare skin, after all!" "Aaaand there''s your reason." The tiger lightly red at her. "We started sleeping in pajamas together before we started dating, and there was no way I could''ve slept together with you lightly dressed. That, and how we used pajamas to sleep outside, as well, it just became a habit, I guess." "Time to go shopping!" Maya got extremely motivated and energetically raised her hand. "Oh, camisoles are even better when you have a bigger chest! Would it be possible to get someservice in that department?" She looked at the tiger''s chest. "You want me to increase mysize with magic so that you can have some fun...?" "Yes." "Seriously, again, why are you such a pervert?" "Because you let me be one." "It''s my fault!?" "Yes." The cat-girl nodded again. "Wow... So, I enable you, huh? Well, isn''t that something?" She tilted her head in return. "Okay, I don''t really mind. If you havefun, I do get somefun soon after, too, so..." "It''s great that we enable each other, huh?" "Haha..." She showed her a little smile. "Well, beingbiggerat home shouldn''t be an issue, I guess. I mean, there''s no need to move around too much and I do like to be big every now and then, after all~. Smaller breasts arefier to sleep on, but there''s no need to wear a bra while sleeping that makes everything restrictive because there''s no risk of future sag thanks to my best friend healing magic that keeps everything nice and firm while resisting gravity..." The tiger got a little lost in her own world. "Does that mean that I''ll get some service in the new nightwear?" "That''s a solidmaybe." She tried to y hard to get. Not that her monologue before was anything but obvious. "Good enough for now!" Maya seemed fairly convinced that the maybe would be a definitely soon enough and decided to put the topic on halt until the time was ready. "So, anything else to shop for while we''re at it?" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She thought about it for a moment and then touched her hair. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the usual beauty store, too. There are some shampoos and conditioners I need to buy.¡± ¡°I thought you liked the current tiger ones you got?¡± ¡°Yeah, those are great! No, I want some stuff to experiment.¡± ¡°Experiment¡­?¡± ¡°I think I want to try making the heating iron for my hair. I need some moisturizing conditioner or straightening shampoo to prepare my hair for it. Ideally, you also use some stuff to protect your hair from the heat, but I doubt something like this exists yet. There¡¯s no use for it, after all.¡± ¡°True, I never heard of such a product.¡± ¡°I think I can try it without it if I¡¯m careful enough.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°Can¡¯t just think of some sort of ridiculous magic that changes the properties of your hair? You¡¯ve done much crazier things already.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Cheesing everything was too boring for the tiger. ¡°Inventing stuff is fun!¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong.¡± She agreed that it sounded more interesting that way. ¡°I also don¡¯t want the others to find out that I can change my appearance at will. I¡¯m a tiger, and that¡¯s all that counts now. I don¡¯t want them to get suspicious about me.¡± ¡°True, that could get really bothersome.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Even so, magical hair adjustment might still be n B now, though.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ What about cutting it all down?¡± ¡°Err¡­ let¡¯s make that n¡­ Z for the time being.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t actually want to do that, after all. After having decided on that n, the couple visited the store where they supplied all of their care products sinceing to the capital. The clerks there looked at Sophia with sympathetic eyes after asking for moisturizing and straightening products while telling her that tiger hair, unfortunately, doesn¡¯t care about those shampoos and conditioners, but the blonde bought them regardless. The clerks looking even sadder afterward made her feel pretty awkward, though, and the couple headed straight home after they made a quick stop at the lingerie boutique on their way back to find some alternative sleepwear. That had to happen right away, after all.
Chapter 202 – Playing with hair Chapter 202 ¨C ying with hair Sophia had shared her production method regarding the heating ore with the manufacturers usually handling the product. They were very shocked about the new way of using it, but also loved the opportunities it brings. Many new products could be made now, and existing ones will be improved. Afterward, the couple went to their usual ce for care products. Sophia needed a couple of different shampoos and conditioners to experiment with because she nned to invent a version of a hair straightening iron from her old world in this ce. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Back in the living room of their mansion, Sophia was sitting cross-legged on a sofa there while grumbling of a few pieces of paper. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Maya sat down next to her and picked up one of these papers. ¡°It looks a bit like tongs for cooking¡­ With ab attached to the ends¡­?¡± She couldn¡¯t make any sense of the sketch the tiger had scribbled on it. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I used one of those straightening irons, and I¡¯m trying to remember how it looked.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± She eyed the sketch once more. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I think that one¡¯s the closest.¡± ¡°Really¡­? How does it work again?¡± ¡°See the top part of the tongs? The part that looks like it has a wide-toothb attached to it?¡± Sophia adjusted her exnation based on the cat¡¯s observations. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the actual ironing part. The rest is just for better handling because it¡¯s easier to grip it that way. Theb, too, is more of a guide for your hair. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Maya was starting to understand the design. ¡°The two t areas behind theb are where the heating happens. You put a strand of your hair between it and close the tongs. Afterward, you slowly glide over your hair, starting from the roots all the way to the ends. Depending on how unruly your hair is, you have to repeat it a couple of times. It¡¯s pretty important that you don¡¯t stop on the same spot for too long because the heat can damage your hair.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°It can take multiple runs for unruly hair, huh?¡± She nced at the tiger¡¯s mane. ¡°Do you think that thing can handle you? Your fluffiness already is amazing, after all. It¡¯s only starting, too, right?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ I-It can¡¯t make it worse either, though!¡± ¡°Except for the part where there¡¯s a chance to burn and destroy your hair¡­?¡± ¡°Shut up, Maya.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± She startedughing after seeing the tiger¡¯s cute pout as she turned her face away. ¡°W-While I said that I don¡¯t want to change the properties of my hair with magic directly because I want to stay a full tiger, if I burn it with my invention, there¡¯s no reason for me not to fix it with appearance magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point. No one can get suspicious if you only fix it after experimenting.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia looked smug again. ¡°That means you also won¡¯t be fixing the new super light blonde your hair¡¯s bing, right?¡± Maya looked at the tips of the girl¡¯s hair that had already faded out quite a bit. ¡°Not at all! If anything, I want it to happen faster because I can¡¯t wait to see how it will look. This kind of blonde is new and exciting!¡± She grabbed a few strands of her hair and stared at it. ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Great! I¡¯m looking forward to it, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting a lot of value out of a single girlfriend, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°There really is a lot of Sophia.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Too much from time to time, even.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She knew how much of a handful she could be, after all. ¡°Are you going to try making it now?¡± The cat-girl focused on the tiger¡¯s sketches again. ¡°Do you have any better suggestions for the afternoon? I¡¯m up for pretty much anything.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment before showing her a slight smirk. ¡°Not really, no. Nothing that can¡¯t wait until nighttime~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stared at her for a few seconds. ¡°Sure.¡± Once the two had nned out the rest of the day, Sophia concentrated on the hair straightening iron again. ---------------- An hour or two had passed, and some sort of prototype actually came to life after some trial and error. ¡°You¡¯re going to buy me new tongs, right?¡± The cat-girl stared at the makeshift hair iron. ¡°You totally stole that thing from my kitchen, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The tiger scratched her cheek. ¡°I go with a definite maybe here.¡± ¡°Really now?¡± ¡°It was easier to use those as a base, okay?!¡± She caved in. Her prototype was basically a pair of tongs she¡¯d attached ab to. Afterward, she filled the top of the tongs with the heating ore mixture and made its surface super smooth by polishing it with magic. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t really mind.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t actually angry. ¡°I need to buy some other materials for it, anyway. I¡¯ll get you some fancy premium tongs while I¡¯m at it, then.¡± Sophia yed along. ¡°Thanks~.¡± She started smiling. ¡°Time to try it?¡± She nced at the blonde¡¯s invention again. ¡°I have to prepare my hair first¡­ I need to wash it, and also want to try using the straightening and moisturizing shampoo and conditioner on it.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The cat-girl thought about it for a moment. ¡°Should we go and take an early bath today?¡± ¡°Oh, I like that idea!¡± ¡°Great!¡± Saying so, Maya stood up from the sofa, grabbed the tiger¡¯s hand, and the two disappeared upstairs for their usual bath in the cozier tub there. ---------------- An hour and a halfter, the couple was back in the living room, and Sophia was still busy drying their hair. ¡°The non-tiger shampoo and the conditioner is kinda, no¡­ very disgusting!¡± She was patting down her hair with a towel while having aplicated expression. ¡°If this works, I¡¯ll have the store mix a moisturizing and straightening product that doesn¡¯t feel so bad for tigers...¡± ¡°Stop whining so much.¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°Touch my hair!¡± She got loud. ¡°Sure¡­¡± The cat-girl did just that. ¡°Urgh, slimy¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like it. ¡°I know, right?! It doesn¡¯t soak into the hair at all! It might help with the straightening iron, though. It¡¯s really easy to glide through my hair that way. I have to dry it some more, though.¡± Saying so, Sophia put the towel away and started using air magic to dry her hair with a warm wind. Five minutes passed, and she finally seemed to be done. ¡°I still don¡¯t like the feel, but it¡¯s dry and super easy to glide through now¡­¡± ¡°Which is quite impressive because it feels like you¡¯ve gained even more volume after the bath and the warm air now.¡± Maya stared in awe at the other¡¯s fluffy hair. ¡°Time to test!¡± She suddenly sounded even more motivated. ¡°Err¡­ how hot has it to be again¡­?¡± The blonde had hit a roadblock fairly quick. ¡°Are you asking me¡­?¡± ¡°Just thinking out loud¡­ I did burn my fingers more than once on it, that¡¯s for sure¡­ It wasn¡¯t ¡®burn your hands on a stove hot¡¯, though¡­ Maybe something between 150 and 200¡ãC? Let¡¯s go with 175, then~.¡± ¡°You can adjust the temperature that well with the heating ore stered on a tong?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She quickly shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Dork.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Chuckling for a second, Sophia then poured a bit of her magic into the ore before touching it. ¡°Hot!¡± Afterward, she started blowing on her slightly red fingers. ¡°¡­¡± Maya reacted only by facepalming. ¡°It felt simr to touching a cookie sheet you try to take out of the oven without gloves on. That should be a good temperature.¡± ¡°How often did you burn yourself in the past?¡± The cat-girl was wondering about her experience. ¡°I am pretty clumsy and carefree.¡± ¡°And dumb.¡± ¡°True.¡± She nodded without thinking. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Then stop burning yourself on everything!¡± ¡°Okay, that point goes to you.¡± There was little ground to defend herself on. ¡°Whatever, time to try it out!¡± Sounding motivated, the tiger sectioned off her hair to make it easier to put strands into the iron. Once she put a section onto the heated te on one side of the tong and pressed it together, a slight sizzling sound could be heard. ¡°Did you just burn your hair in an instant¡­?¡± Maya didn¡¯t like the sound. ¡°T-That probably was just the remains of the conditioner.¡± While saying so, Sophia finished going over the strand of hair with her makeshift straightening iron. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not burned, at least¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see any difference, either¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Well, it would be too easy having it work on the first try, right¡­?¡± ¡°Would also be great, though.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Sophia hung her head before concentrating again. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s cooled down quite a bit¡­ I might have to find a way to keep the temperature consistently high. Let¡¯s just reheat it for now and try again!¡± Saying so, the blonde did just this. Three times in total, to be exact. Every time she used the hot iron to glide through the same strand of her hair. ¡°Ohh?¡± Maya was intently watching her and eventually noticed a change. ¡°I think it¡¯s actually working¡­ It looks a bit smoother now. ¡°Really?!¡± She put away the straightening iron and touched the strand of hair she was working on. ¡°You¡¯re right! It feels a lot better now! Yay, it¡¯s working!¡± ¡°Good for you!¡± The cat-girl was happy for her. ¡°Still¡­ It took like 20 minutes for a single strand¡­ If you do all your hair that way, it¡¯ll take forever.¡± ¡°True¡­ I need to experiment a bit more with the right temperature. Still, before that, I have to find a way to keep it consistent and high, though. Without that, it¡¯ll always take forever.¡± ¡°How about a different hairstyle, too? It might save you some time.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The tiger sounded interested. ¡°You could braid a part of your hair. You wouldn¡¯t need to iron that area, then.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve never braided my hair before¡­ I like the idea!¡± ¡°Should I braid it for you?¡± ¡°Please!¡± And so, the straightening iron was put on a temporary hold until Sophia coulde up with a way to improve it. In the meanwhile, Maya started ying with the blonde¡¯s hair to find out what kind of braid would fit the tiger best.
Chapter 203 – Hair changes Chapter 203 ¨C Hair changes Sophia finished making the first prototype of a hair straightening iron based on what existed in her old world. She was moderately sessful with it and even managed to straighten out a strand of her hair that was bing more and more unrulytely. The blonde still needed to make many improvements because it was hard to find the right temperature, and it was impossible to keep it consistent. As a result of that, it was way too much work because even a single strand took over 20 minutes to finish that way. Meanwhile, Maya had suggested changing the styling of the tiger¡¯s hair and braiding a part of it instead for the time being. ¡°Yep, I really like it~.¡± The following day, the couple was once more on their way towards the royal castle, and Maya kept looking at Sophia¡¯s new hair. Most of it had gained even more volumepared to before, but Sophia still had managed to straighten it out a little, together with a braid on the side of her face all the way down to her corbone. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s growing on me, too.¡± The tiger nodded in response. ¡°Although, the thicker braid that went all the way down my bang on the left you tried yesterday was kinda nice, too.¡± ¡°Ehehe. That¡¯s the great thing about braids. You can adjust the position, and the style changespletely.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fun~. I might also want to try something with it starting somewhere on my forehead and then down my ear all the way to the back of my head.¡± ¡°Sure! I might try something with my bangs in that regard, too.¡± ¡°Looking forward to it~!¡± ¡°While we¡¯re at it, I was thinking about changing my hairstyle, anyway. I kinda have enough of going straight the entire time.¡± She shook her head around to move the hair on her back while saying so. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stopped walking and just stared at her for a solid minute. ¡°Gosh, I love you.¡± ¡°d that my stupid joke worked.¡± ¡°It was great.¡± ¡°Seriously, though, changing it up could be interesting.¡± Maya grabbed some of her hair and stared at it. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about some low twintailstely.¡± ¡°Go for it!¡± The blonde sounded slightly excited about it. ¡°It sounds super cute!¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it a try soon.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her partner, being happy that Sophia was so invested in something simple as changing up her hair. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s y around with it once we get back home. I also have one or two more ideas about how I could braid your hair.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The blonde was looking forward to it already. ¡°First, we¡¯re going shopping with Anna and Ari today. That sounds like fun, too! I have to get some leggings or opaque tights before trying on their school uniform, too. The skirt, first and foremost. I won¡¯t do it otherwise.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°No more peaking below skirts to make sure whether the tights are working or not!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to find out that Ari was wearing striped panties that day!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°N-Nothing!¡± Sophia only now noticed what she had just said. ¡°You actually saw¡­ And still remember¡­?¡± ¡°I AM VERY SORRY!¡± She immediately broke into a sprint towards the castle. ¡°Stop right there!¡± ¡°No! I want to continue living!¡± The tiger only increased her pace. She went through this situation already, after all. Two times, actually, so she knew what this feeling she was having right now meant. Imminent death, that is. ¡°HEY!¡± ---------------- The couple reached the castle around ten minutester, and the mood between the two was a bit better again. Sophia had no actual interest in the jaguar that way, after all. She especially didn¡¯t want to get inside those mentioned panties. Once she could get her point of just being surprised about the proper-looking Ari wearing such underwear being the reason she still remembered them across, the cat-girl calmed down fairly fast. Maya even agreed with it in the end. ¡°Ahh, great! You¡¯re getting fluffy, too!¡± The couple met with Anna and Ari in the princess¡¯ room, and the tall tiger was happy to see that Sophia was also suffering from the same curse now. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The blonde only responded with a sigh. ¡°But wow¡­¡± She took a better look at her. ¡°How light is your hair turning?! Your normal blonde was already more than any other tiger ever, but this is something else¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it? Something good ising out of this fluffy catastrophe, after all.¡± ¡°But this much¡­? Your ends arepletely pale, almost white. Though ends might not even be right anymore. Actually, it¡¯s more like the lower half of your hair by now. The same goes for your tail.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do things half-heartedly, after all. Not even my body is safe from that.¡± ¡°True.¡± Maya had to deeply nod at this statement and the actual meaning behind those words. ¡°You sure are something else¡­¡± Anna looked amazed. ¡°Before, you still had a good amount of orange in your blonde base, but with this¡­ You¡¯ll be even more unique now.¡± ¡°I look forward to it~.¡± Sophia was smiling. ¡°I have no idea what the final color¡¯s going to be like yet, looking like a pure blonde or pale yellow, but I already love the direction it¡¯s going!¡± ¡°That, Ari! See that?!¡± The princess suddenly addressed the jaguar. ¡°That¡¯s how you deal with odd hair that looks amazing!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The blonde liked the casualpliment that she had heard in her exnation. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Ari nodded. ¡°I-I¡¯ve gotten better, have I not? After meeting Sophia, I¡¯ve gotten more confident about it¡­¡± ¡°Still upset that you needed her to understand¡­ Even though I kept telling you, too, that it looks sooo good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s just that Sophia¡¯s in the same position, so I know that she¡¯s not trying to tter me¡­¡± ¡°I know! But I wasn¡¯t, either!¡± While Anna understood it, it still bothered her. ¡°WAIT!¡± Something caught her interest with Sophia¡¯s hair as her eyes identally fell on it again, and she got loud. ¡°First, the braid looks great! Good job!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Maya was the one thanking her for thepliment. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± The blonde was just confused. Anna¡¯s words and her reaction didn¡¯t seem to match up. ¡°But!¡± The princess got closer to her and stared at the blonde for a moment. ¡°Why is this one part of your bangs looking so straight and smooth even though the rest of your hair has exploded, as well?!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°What did you do?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m experimenting with something¡­ It doesn¡¯t really work yet, though¡­¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me that, after those godly heated floors, you also invented something that can tame even tiger hair?!¡± ¡°N-Not yet¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the way Anna was staring at her. ¡°But you¡¯re trying, right?!¡± ¡°I am¡­ The smooth strand on my bangs is the result of it¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°Also, the moment you seed with it, I NEED it.¡± She still looked scary, though. ¡°Sure¡­¡± The blonde felt slightly intimidated. ¡°Although, even if I manage to do it¡­ You¡¯ll most likely only be able to fix your bangs with it¡­ Your ponytail already is pretty straight because it¡¯s so long and the weight of that hair. I doubt it will do much with the volume of your hair¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d kill for that alone already!¡± She looked serious. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Good thing our hair stays mostly smooth, huh?¡± Maya nced at the jaguar. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She gave her a hearty nod. Once the tigers, mostly the princess, were able to let go of it, the group finally got to the main topic of today. ---------------- ¡°Let¡¯s n the shopping trip!¡± Sophia raised her arm to show her motivation. ¡°I need some fully opaque tights or leggings before I even think about wearing the school uniform the two of you have!¡± ¡°Yes, I need some new tights, too.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°I know a good store for them.¡± ¡°And we¡¯reing with you!¡± Anna and Maya hadn¡¯t changed their opinion since thest time. The tights and underwear incident had made them wary, after all. ¡°Sure.¡± The duo didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°I might want to get some, too.¡± The cat-girl joined in on the fun. ¡°I¡¯d like some white tights, though.¡± ¡°No more bare thighs¡­?¡± The blonde sounded disappointed for a moment. ¡°Did Iin about you going frompletely bare legs to something fully opaque?¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, white tights sound extremely cute. I approve.¡± Sophia changed her opinion on the topic. ¡°I like your ck tights.¡± The princess looked at her jaguar while she said that out of nowhere. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t seen that oneing, and her cheeks turned slightly pink in response. ¡°A-Are you going to change your legwear, too¡­? It might be a bit cold this way.¡± She nced at Anna¡¯s mostly bare legs. ¡°I¡¯m still not a fan of tights because they tear so easily, so I probably go with the usual thigh-high overknees. I might try some white ones this year, though.¡± She looked at the cat-girl while saying so. ¡°Without the red and a bit longer, but I really like the look of it.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± The couple heartily agreed. ¡°I-It does sound cute.¡± Ari also liked it. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s get them!¡± Hearing that, Anna got even more motivated about it. ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone agreed. ---------------- After agreeing on a n, or at least their first stop, the girls left the castle and went to the shopping district together. ¡°There we are.¡± The four walked around for a while, and the jaguar eventually stopped in front of a lingerie boutique. ¡°Kinky~.¡± Sophia looked at some of the mannequins wearing some rather sensual type of underwear that could be seen from the outside through the big window next to the entrance. ¡°Is there something you want to tell us, Ari?¡± ¡°T-There is not!¡± Her face turned red. ¡°I-It¡¯s just that they also have a great and wide selection of tights, socks, and even leggings!¡± ¡°Boring.¡± The blonde had hoped for a different answer. ¡°I like what the mannequins are wearing, though~.¡± ¡°Wanna do some alone shoppingter?¡± Maya was looking at the same assortment Sophia was. ¡°Ohhh!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°¡­¡± The other two weren¡¯t sure what to say in this situation. The duo also wasn¡¯t able to look at each other. Still, they had a slightly envious expression as they watched the couple making such bold ns so openly. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside!¡± Sophia energetically opened the boutique¡¯s door, and the girl¡¯s shopping spree finally started for real. Chapter 204 – Tights supremacy Chapter 204 ¨C Tights supremacy The couple met up with Ari and Anna because they all wanted to go shopping together. For the uing fall and winter season, together with Sophia and Maya going to wear a school uniform just like the duo when visiting the academy soon, everyone decided to get new legwear, among other things. ¡°Ohh, they really have gigantic variety.¡± The girls had entered a lingerie boutique Ari liked for their assortment of tights, and Sophia seemed to agree. Before focusing on them, though, the four ended up in a section with leggings. ¡°So many colors!¡± ¡°Are you going with leggings now?¡± Maya nced at the disy before looking at her tiger. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Probably not for the uniform. I think that might look a bit weird. I still need some other clothes for when the weather gets too cold, though.¡± ¡°Leggings beneath your shorts?¡± The cat-girl took a wild guess. ¡°Combined with a sweater, that could be really cute and plenty warm.¡± ¡°Yeah, I like the sound of that.¡± The blonde could see herself wearing that but then looked at the leggings on disy again. ¡°I kinda would like something colorful, though¡­ The red or purple leggings look really cute, but it would be hard to pull off a goodbination with them¡­¡± ¡°True.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°The purple might work with your shorts, but the red¡¯s clearly out there.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s time for apletely new wardrobe¡­¡± She liked her shorts because they were easy to move in, but she had no real attachments beyond that to them. That part wasn¡¯t important anyway right now because it¡¯s getting colder, meaning they¡¯d be traveling even less. Getting some clothes that aren¡¯t as easy to move in might be an option now. ¡°Opaque ck tights work with my shorts, and if Ibine my shirt with a jacket, I can get by for a while. I¡¯ll think about what else to get~.¡± ¡°Yep. Though, I also feel like getting new clothes. Let¡¯s go on a full shopping spree after my birthday, and the academy stuff has settled down a bit!¡± Maya added some tidbits to the blonde¡¯s n. ¡°Let¡¯s do that!¡± She liked the idea. ¡°What about the two of you?¡± Sophia then looked at Ari and Anna. ¡°Is your fall and winter wardrobe already sorted out?¡± ¡°Not really, no¡­¡± The jaguar shook her head. ¡°No joke, I grew by about ten centimeters since thest winter¡­ Nothing I had is going to fit me anymore¡­¡± The princess looked slightly dejected. ¡°On the plus side, you grew by ten centimeters, and it looks awesome.¡± Maya was a fan of her tall figure, after all. ¡°True.¡± Ari and Sophia heartily agreed. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± Anna felt slightly shy after hearing this from everyone, especially including her jaguar. ¡°Another shopping trip soon~?¡± The blonde was already looking forward to it. ¡°How about we finish this one first before nning the next one?¡± Ari tried to keep her in check. ¡°G-Good argument¡­ Okay, to the tights, we go!¡± It hadn¡¯t dampened her motivation much, if at all. ---------------- ¡°I can really rmend this brand.¡± The jaguar showed her a couple of tights by the samepany. ¡°They hold noticeably longer than any other before they get a run or tearpletely.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Sophia touched the tights that a mannequin above the disy was wearing. ¡°Oh, it feels really nice. High-quality, too.¡± ¡°You can even get the higher denier ones with a fleece lining that¡¯s invisible from the outside. They mixed in a hint of skin color that slightly shows if you stretch the tights when kneeling down, for example. That makes them look like perfectly normal tights, but they¡¯re sooo toasty! It¡¯s amazing.¡± Ari apparently really liked them. ¡°It makes them even more durable, as well.¡± ¡°A toasty fleece lining¡­?¡± Sophia thought about it. ¡°Gimme!¡± She liked it, too. ¡°They¡¯re those ones over here.¡± She pointed at the right side of the disy. ¡°They¡¯re avable from a 60 denier up to a 100.¡± ¡°Give me the 100er denier, please.¡± ¡°Err¡­ I wouldn¡¯t rmend them just yet.¡± Ari tried to stop her. ¡°They¡¯re super warm. The higher the denier, the more they¡¯re lined, as well. I can guarantee that you¡¯ll overheat with them. For early fall, I¡¯d go with the 60er denier first.¡± ¡°Hrmn¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t convinced by that. ¡°I want the 100er because they¡¯re absolutely opaque, though¡­¡± ¡°60 is also opaque. I¡¯m wearing 40er right now and, okay¡­ I admit they are still a bit sheer¡­¡± She paused a moment, remembering what happened the other day. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia let out an awkwardugh. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Maya and especially Anna thought otherwise. ¡°Still, the jump from 40 to 60 is immense.¡± The jaguar simply ignored them. ¡°Well, you could also go with unlined 80er to 100er denier tights instead. The 100er are about as warm as the 60er lined ones. It feels a bit less toasty, though, because the fleece is missing.¡± ¡°Not an option, then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a pain¡­¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes. ¡°I know.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Sophia that replied. ¡°Hey!¡± She was the only one who got loud afterward, though. ¡°That being said, any leg¡­ or other ces the 60er lined might show won¡¯t be yours, anyway, because it¡¯lle from the colored fleece.¡± ¡°Tights that lie to someone¡­ Not sure if I approve¡­¡± Maya had her own opinion on the colored lining. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Anna had to agree. ¡°Shut up!¡± The duo didn¡¯t want to hear any of that. ¡°It sounds like it¡¯s worth a try.¡± Sophia grabbed a few sets of the lined 60er deniers in deep ck in her size. ¡°I might get some ck panties for underneath to make sure, though.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no real need for that because the lining makes them absolutely opaque without any transparency to your actual skin or other things whatsoever. Still, it has no demerits, either. That¡¯s why, if it makes you feel safer, go for it.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m new to tights, and I look forward to them, but the whole skirt business makes me a bit uneasy, so I¡¯ll do it my way for the time being.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absolutely fair.¡± ¡°Dear tights master, may I humbly request your help, as well?¡± While Maya was used to overknees already, actual tights were also new to her, so she felt like asking an expert while she had one at hand. ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± Being addressed like that made her feel a little awkward, but Ari was still happy to be of help. ¡°Do you have a rmendation for white tights?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Personally, I¡¯ve always worn ck ones, so¡­ Anna tried them out every now and then, but she¡¯s super clumsy with them and tore most while putting them on for the first time¡­ The only times they held up for a day was when I helped her into them¡­¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The princess startedining. ¡°I¡¯m not clumsy!¡± ¡°Though she had the same issues with the ck ones she tried.¡± Ari didn¡¯t even feel like acknowledging her. ¡°That¡¯d mean they aren¡¯t any more or less delicate.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to know.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Do you want lined ones or start with the regr kind?¡± ¡°Can you really say no to toasty legs?¡± She didn¡¯t need to think about it. ¡°A good choice.¡± The jaguar nodded in agreement. ¡°As the ck ones are the best from thepany I, and Sophia now, too, are using, I see no issue in rmending their snow-white series. The 60er denier lined ones in maybe a sizerger than us because you¡¯re taller.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± Saying so, the cat-girl grabbed a few sets of just that. ¡°Thanks to the lining, they¡¯ll probably be fully opaque, too, huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why they wouldn¡¯t be. Then again, white is always a bit special when ites to showing through. Does the packaging say anything about it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± She looked at it and studied the text for a bit. ¡°Truly opaque thanks to our warming fleece lining. You might see a bit of skin showing through when wearing our great heat-tech tights, but thates from the flesh tone added to the inside to make the fleece lining invisible. Enjoy staying warm without sacrificing the great look normal tights give your legs.¡± Maya looked impressed. ¡°Oho, sounds great.¡± ¡°Yeah, it also seems to be exactly the same as our ck ones.¡± ¡°I look forward to toasty legs~.¡± The cat-girl already was a fan of it. ¡°Yes!¡± So were the other two. ¡°¡­¡± Anna felt a little left out. ¡°There¡¯s still time to join the side of tights supremacy~.¡± ¡°How do you know they¡¯re supreme?!¡± The princess stared at Sophia while she was teasing her. ¡°You¡¯ve never worn them before, haven¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening? Fleece lining for extra warmth!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Overknees are quite warm, too¡­ They¡¯re essentially long socks, after all.¡± ¡°Quite breezy around the thighs, though.¡± Maya knew what she was talking about. ¡°¡­¡± There was nothing she could say. ¡°Thest tights you destroyed¡­ tried, I mean¡­ They were unlined, right?¡± Ari looked at her tiger. ¡°The lined ones are quite new, after all.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been like three years since Ist tried any¡­¡± ¡°As I said earlier, the lined ones are a lot more tear-resistant thanks to the fleece. How about you give them another try?¡± ¡°You think so¡­?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± The jaguar smiled at her. ¡°There¡¯s not much too lose, is there? Even if it doesn¡¯t work out, you can still go back to overknees.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get matching ones~.¡± Maya also encouraged her. ¡°Those two are matching, so we have to do the same, right?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Anna sounded motivated again. ¡°Is it¡­?¡± Ari and Sophia only tilted their heads. ¡°It is!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± As usual, the duos were in great sync. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s get some pairs to test!¡± Saying so, the princess grabbed the same tights as Maya did before. They were only a numberrger because Anna¡¯s quite the tall cat, after all. Sophia and Maya quickly checked out some of the mannequins in the lingerie area of the lingerie store on the way to the cashiers and made a mental note for their own private shopping trip some other time before the girls paid for their new tights. Once they exited the store, the group thought about what else they could do together.
Chapter 205 – Unruly mane Chapter 205 ¨C Unruly mane The girls went shopping together, and everyone got a few pairs of lined tights for toasty legs to make them survive fall and winter. Anna initially wanted to go with overknees because she has no talent in putting on tights, or keeping them in one piece. Still, she felt left out because the other three, safe for the color, got the same thing. In the end, Maya and the princess went with lined white tights while the blonde and Ari went with the traditional ck ones. The fours ended up matching in their usual odd duos for some reason. ¡°Are the two of you still free after this?¡± Sophia looked at the jaguar and her princess. ¡°I don¡¯t have much nned today.¡± Ari shook her head. ¡°Yep, nothing at all.¡± So did Anna. ¡°Is there anything else you want to get? Besides clothes, that is? That¡¯s nned for another day, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Somewhere after the whole academy thing gets going.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°No, I want to visit the beauty and care products store.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The princess then looked at her jaguar. ¡°Do we need anything?¡± ¡°It¡¯s never wrong to stock up on shampoo or hand creme if we¡¯re there already.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. What do you need, Sophia?¡± ¡°Stuff to experiment with for my invention.¡± ¡°Oh?!¡± Anna¡¯s ears and tail perked up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that earlier! Let¡¯s get going already!¡± She sounded very motivated, got behind the blonde, and started pushing her back. ¡°Hurry!¡± ¡°The princess really doesn¡¯t like her fluffy hair, huh?¡± Maya was walking behind the duo as she addressed Ari next to her. ¡°You have no idea¡­ Her current hair isn¡¯t even her final form, either¡­¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± The cat-girl nced at Anna. ¡°Her ponytail alone already has so much volume that it looks like a second head already¡­¡± ¡°In a week or two, she¡¯ll be changing to twintails and they''ll have that much hair on each side.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Maya had no better words. ¡°It looks adorable, though.¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t mind the fluffiness. ¡°It feels great to touch, too.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± She stared at her in response. ¡°A-Ah¡­ I-I mean, I have to help her tie up her hair because it¡¯s impossible to handle alone, and so I have to mess around with it a lot¡­¡± Ari sounded slightly flustered all of a sudden. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-girl looked slightly suspicious for a moment before agreeing. ¡°Yeah, I was ying around with Sophia¡¯s hair for a while for her new braid, and it feels incredibly good. So soft and springy! Though, I can see why it¡¯s a pain for them. Even that braid took me a while because I had no idea what to do with all that hair.¡± ¡°And Sophia¡¯s just starting to get fluffy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± While walking behind their tigers for a bit while the two continued to chat about their hair, the group eventually arrived at the beauty store. ---------------- ¡°Welco-, Oh.¡± The girls entered the store, and a female clerk with dark-brown hair and dog-like ears wearing a ck shirt with a red skirt that looked a little like a store uniform greeted the group. While the body of the dog-girl, safe for the tail and ears, looked and had the same proportion as a human,pared to the other girls, she had a thinyer of fur seemingly covering her entire body. It was a two-tone color with a light brown as the base and together with white-colored fur on the inside of her arms and legs. She stopped her greeting in the middle and her eyes became sympathetic once she spotted the two tigers, with one looking fluffier than the other. It also was a different clerk that felt sorry for Sophia thest time she was here. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia, and even more so Anna, awkwardly looked at the clerk. ¡°We know¡­¡± ¡°We are deeply apologetic that we are still unable to help you with the yearly unruliness of the tiger hair.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I know that you¡¯re trying to invent some products to help us, after all.¡± Anna still hung her head while replying to her. ¡°Are there any shampoos, or conditioners, or anything else that you tried to, err¡­ mix together for us tigers?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The clerk with the dog-ears answered her. ¡°We managed to adapt our smoothening and moisturizing shampoos and conditioners for you and your fellow tigers, but it unfortunately still had no effect¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯spatible with our hair¡­? I bought some normal products with these qualities, but it made my hair all slimy and disgusting¡­¡± Sophia shuddered, just thinking about it again. ¡°Yes, just as all the other products from the royal package, those shampoos and conditioners are custom-made for the specific properties of your hair. It¡¯s just that the smoothing additives won¡¯t work once you start getting your winter fur¡­ err, hair.¡± ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s a start.¡± The blonde mumbled to herself. ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t work, could you produce some of these conditioners and shampoos for me?¡± ¡°We still have some left of those. Queen Kira herself visited us a couple of days ago to try our newest samples, but it had no effect on her. You can have them, but I can, unfortunately, assure you that they won¡¯t work any differently than our normal royal products.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I need them for some experiments.¡± ¡°Experiments¡­?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°Please take care not to ruin your hair by using too many products at once, okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Also, in the off-chance you figure something out, we¡¯ll dly buy the recipe from you if it¡¯s usable for everyday use.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that.¡± Sophia was already expanding her business. ¡°Do you have any products that protect hair from rough conditions by chance? Let¡¯s say¡­ I don¡¯t know, heat, for example?¡± ¡°Heat, you say¡­?¡± The clerk tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯d depend on which kind of heat, but you might find something in our explorer line. We¡¯ve created some helpful gadgets for explorers. The one you could find interesting is the one for desert areas. It¡¯s a spray-on that keeps the hair from drying out or getting damaged under the strong sun and heat in deserts. It also gives the hair a somewhat slick coating that makes it harder for dust and sand to cling to it.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± The blonde got excited. ¡°I need a bottle of that, too!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ---------------- Once Sophia got everything she needed, the other girls also stocked up on some stuff while they were at it already, and the group eventually left the store again. ¡°What are you up to¡­?¡± The group was walking on the streets of the capital, and Anna looked at the bag her fellow tiger was carrying. ¡°A spray that protects your hair from desert heat¡­?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ It¡¯s a bitplicated to exin.¡± She scratched her cheek while trying toe up with an exnation. ¡°Oh, do the two of you want toe over to our ce?¡± The blonde looked at the princess and her jaguar. ¡°Yes!¡± The two answered immediately. ¡°The heated floors, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They responded with a big nod ¡°Haha. Sure, let¡¯s go. You might also have an idea or two for my invention.¡± Saying so, Sophia led the group towards the couple¡¯s mansion. On the way, she also made a quick stop to buy some new pairs of tongs. One extra fancy pair for Maya after the blonde destroyed some in her experiment, and another one for herself. It was a model that was slightly more shaped like the hair iron from her old world, as it waspletely t instead of being slightly curved. ---------------- ¡°Haa~¡­ It¡¯s sooofy here.¡± The girls sat down on the sofas in the living room, the couple on one, and Anna together with Ari on the other one opposite of them. ¡°Yes.¡± The jaguar agreed with the princess. ¡°You two¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes while lightly massaging her calves after having taken off her shoes and socks to warm her feet on the floor. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Sophia only started at her. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The cat-girl let out a dryugh before urging the three to do the same. Naturally, everyone happilyplied. ¡°I sooo want to have those heated floors in my room!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°I¡¯ve shared my invention with the manufacturers, so the queen should soon give them the order to retrofit the castle.¡± ¡°Mother already did. Ari and I also long petitioned to have our rooms be renovated as soon as possible. Ellie was faster, though¡­¡± ¡°Why am I not surprised about that.¡± The blonde stifled augh while smiling at the image of the little one, instantly demanding to have her room changed once she knew what was going on. ¡°Though, thepany said that they first need to do some more testing. Also, renovating our rooms will take a while. They said something about one to two months. MONTHS!¡± Because it was important to her, Anna had to say thest part twice. ¡°That¡¯s rough¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Judging by what I¡¯ve heard from everyone so far, won¡¯t it be already really cold by then?¡± ¡°Freezing!¡± The duo got loud. ¡°I hope that offer about the room here still stands, my dear friend.¡± Anna looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°I will move in if it gets too unbearable, after all.¡± ¡°Sure, sure~.¡± ¡°Can I, too¡­?¡± The jaguar also wanted to profit from the mansion¡¯s heated floors. ¡°Of course~.¡± For Sophia, it was the more, the merrier. ¡°Ah, but we might run out of rooms at this rate. Do the two of you mind sharing one?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s okay¡­¡± The cheeks of the duo turned slightly pink. ¡°There¡¯s only one bed, though. It might be a bit cozy for two. Is that okay?¡± They had a plethora of rooms avable, but the blonde had no reason to let them live there for free, so she wanted to get some enjoyment out of the situation as payment. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Averting their faces from each other with an even deeper blush, the duo nodded. ¡°¡­¡± The actual couple wasn¡¯t sure how to react other than shaking their heads while thinking that they should confess already. Unfortunately, the two only watched their respective bestie while ignoring the other girl and also their partner, which would¡¯ve ended this slightly stupid situation in an instant. ¡°Still¡­¡± Sophia eventually changed the topic. ¡°Two months to renovate your rooms, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the worst¡­¡± The duo was happy that the bed topic wasn¡¯t continued. ¡°Those guys sure arezy¡­ It took us like two or three hours to retrofit this whole mansion¡­ And we did every single room, even the storage ones.¡± ¡°Sophia¡­¡± Ari looked right at her with a disapproving expression. ¡°I have no idea what you did, but do you think they can do what you did?¡± ¡°That¡­ I told you what I did, right? I teleported everything in the rooms, including the floor itself, into my storage thingy. Once we were done, I brought it back, and everything looked like nothing happened.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Anna couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Have you thought about bing a carpenter? You¡¯d be the most sessful one in this country.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help butugh at this all too familiar suggestion. ¡°Really?¡± The jaguar¡¯s stare got only more piercing. ¡°How would any normal person ever be able to do that?¡± ¡°True¡­¡± ¡°On an unrted note,¡± Ari quickly let her go for some reason. ¡°I don¡¯t have that many things in my room. ¡°I bet it wouldn¡¯t take long at all with your technique. Are you free for roughly 15 minutes and want to see my room tomorrow, Sophia?¡± ¡°Ari?!¡± Anna couldn¡¯t believe that her proper childhood friend said something so cheeky. ¡°What? It¡¯s a good idea, isn¡¯t it? Do you want to wait for two months?¡± ¡°My room is a bit bigger¡­ Are you free for 45 minutes in total tomorrow, Sophia?!¡± She quickly was on board. ¡°You two¡­¡± ¡°I can easily arrange that you get paid at least the same amount as the heatingpany would¡¯ve been. Probably a lot more because of the swift execution!¡± ¡°Sure, why not¡­¡± The blonde gave up. There was actually nothing speaking against it, after all. She liked both of them, and she also enjoys helping out others. ¡°Maybe not this week, though¡­ I¡¯m a little busy with my newest invention, and I have some other ns. How about sometime after Maya¡¯s birthday or once we visited your school?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The duo paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s still much faster than those two months, you know?¡± ¡°Thank you very much for helping us out!¡± They were quick to get over their disappointment. Once the topic was over, Anna remembered what they actually came over for and wanted to see the invention Sophia was working on that might be able to tame their unruly hair.
Chapter 206 – Changing up the groupings Chapter 206 ¨C Changing up the groupings Once the group sessfully finished their shopping trip and got some tights and hair care products, the girls went over to the couple¡¯s mansion to rx while enjoying the heated floors'' warmth there. While they were at it, Anna also wanted to see Sophia¡¯s most recent invention that might be able to save her from the bane of having ridiculously fluffy hair during the cold seasons. Winter fur/hair was no joke for the royal tigers, after all. ¡°Tongs¡­?¡± The princess was looking at the blonde¡¯s prototype of a hair straightening iron from her old world. ¡°It¡¯s an early design. Very early.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± She stared at it some more. ¡°How does it work?¡± ¡°I found out that you can form hair with heat. Don¡¯t ask how, kindaplicated.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Judging by her somewhat concerned expression, Anna was imagining some sort of fire incident. ¡°What do you mean by forming, though¡­?¡± ¡°For example, if you curl your hair with something round and apply heat for long enough, it stays curled up for a good while after that.¡± ¡°My hair¡¯s curly enough right now! I don¡¯t need more of that!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like the idea. ¡°If you can curl straight hair by using a round shape, what do you think happens with already curly hair when you press it between t surfaces?¡± The blonde yed around with the modified tongs while saying so. ¡°Really¡­?¡± She looked more than a little dubious. ¡°Does that really work¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I made this.¡± Sophia held up the straight strand of hair from her bangs. ¡°In theory, it absolutely works.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess sounded excited again. ¡°It needs a lot of tweaking, though¡­ This stupid strand took like 20 minutes alone¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Anna nced at her own, much, much longer hair. ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for a week¡­¡± ¡°It also onlysts, at best, until you take a shower or bath, soo¡­¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I bought all that stuff earlier. To dramatically decrease the time needed. If it only takes 15-30 minutes each day, I think that¡¯s some time we can spare to deal with this mess¡­¡± She looked at the princess¡¯ hair while holding up her own. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Why the shampoo and conditioner stuff, though? It doesn¡¯t work on us, after all.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, either, does it? It helps to prepare your hair as best as possible for the heat treatment. Also, who knows, maybe once it gets a bit straightened out, the products work better, too?¡± ¡°I see. That does make sense. And the desert hairspray or whatever that was?¡± ¡°The more heat, the faster you can straighten out your hair. Roughly speaking¡­ It took me 20 minutes for that strand of hair because I couldn¡¯t keep the temperature high enough. The higher, the faster your hair takes damage, too, though¡­ We don¡¯t want that, do we?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°If that spray on stuff protects our hair from getting damaged, I might be able to increase the temperature a bit more.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Kind of...¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°You suree up with some weird stuff.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Naturally, Sophia couldn¡¯t exin why and onlyughed it off. ¡°Want to experiment together with me?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She wanted to see if it really could straighten her hair. ¡°Once again, hurray for naturally smooth hair, huh?¡± Maya nced at the jaguar while the two tigers were getting excited. ¡°Very much so.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Ari, do you like to y around with hair, too?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°As much as anyone, I guess?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s quite enjoyable to test out some different styles, I would say. Though, with the pattern in my hair, it tends to look weird if I tie mine together¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. That seems to be quite the challenge.¡± The cat-girl focused on the jaguar¡¯s hair. ¡°Could be fun, though. Want to try out a few styles with me? I wanted to change mine, too, and I could use some help. Our idiots might be busy for a while, anyway.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The idiots in questionined about their treatment. ¡°I wanted to get to know you better, too.¡± Maya ignored the two. ¡°Most of the time, you¡¯re with Sophia while I¡¯m with Anna. Let¡¯s swap for today!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°We really haven¡¯t done all that much, if anything, together, even though we¡¯re so close to them, huh?¡± She nced at the tigers. ¡°Okay, yes, let¡¯s do it. Do you already have a new style for you in mind?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea, yeah.¡± While saying so, Maya changed ces with the princess so both groups could focus on their ns with each other. ¡°Only tonic ying with each other¡¯s hair, okay?!¡± Anna wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about this arrangement yet. "No funny business!" ¡°You and Sophia are going to do the same, though?¡± Maya looked at her. ¡°And you two even have a history.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess turned silent after that. ---------------- Once the girls had changed up their usual grouping, and Anna finished being silently jealous, they started doing what they nned to. ¡°First, let¡¯s rece those tongs¡­ their shape wasn¡¯t the best for the n.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t happy with her prototype. ¡°Why tongs in the first ce¡­?¡± ¡°They¡¯re easy to grip, and the handle is far enough away that you don¡¯t burn your hands on the heating pads to straighten your hair.¡± ¡°Oho, I see.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°It does make kind of sense when putting it that way.¡± ¡°The problem is, precisely because you can¡¯t touch the hot area directly all the time, it cools down too quick¡­ There¡¯s isn¡¯t much of the heating ore in the small area to absorb your magic, after all¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Wasn¡¯t there a different magic ore thing, too¡­? The one that transports magic? Like the stuff that¡¯s used to remotely power heaters?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Sophia¡¯s face lit up, and she put a hand into her storage. ¡°I have some of that! If we use that to connect the handle part with the upper area where the heating ore is, we could charge it while using.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± ---------------- While the tigers were trying to improve Sophia¡¯s straightening iron while being quite loud, the other two had a much more rxing conversation. ¡°Something like this, maybe?¡± They had gotten a mirror from the entrance hall and put it against a wall in the living room because it was cozier there. While also having put a stool in front of it, Maya sat down there while Ari held the cat-girl¡¯s hair behind her back and formed two twintails by using her fists as temporary ties. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-girl moved her head around a bit in front of the mirror. ¡°Could you hold it together a little differently? Right below my shoulders, maybe?¡± ¡°Right here?¡± The jaguar adjusted her grip. ¡°Oh, this does look cuter.¡± ¡°Yeah, I like it. Though¡­¡± Maya stared at herself in the mirror for a moment longer. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that different when looking from the front, does it?¡± ¡°Do you want a bigger change?¡± Ari let go of the cat-girl¡¯s hair and circled around her. ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°I do like the idea of twintails, though¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ What a difficult customer.¡± The jaguar was enjoying the situation. ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°What about this?¡± Saying so, Ari got behind her and grabbed all of Maya¡¯s hair. Afterward, she parted it in the middle, revealing her nape, and threw it over her shoulders so that it covered her chest and stomach. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± She looked a bit confused. ¡°I¡¯m not done.¡± Continuing, the jaguar grabbed her parted hair again and held it together near the cat-girl¡¯s cor bones with her hands. ¡°Wearing the twintails in the front, huh?¡± Maya looked at it in the mirror for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s so cute! I love it!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± She was happy that her idea was received so well. ¡°Still¡­ I¡¯m not exactly sure about a bare nape when the weather¡¯s getting windy and cold¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I hadn¡¯t thought about that¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°Well, the cold is easy to deal with if you wear a scarf, but if it¡¯s too warm for that, but the weather¡¯s still somewhat nasty¡­ Oh, do you have some scrunchies or tie-able ribbons?¡± ¡°We have tons of those in our bedrooms. Do you have an idea? Let¡¯s go get them!¡± Saying so, the two left the living room together to get some hair essories. ---------------- ¡°Ari has surprisingly little hesitation to enter the personal space of others, huh?¡± The other duo had been watching them every now and then, and Sophia had to share an observation she had made. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The princess weakly nodded. ¡°And you should know better than anyone after she yed with your hair and even fed you. Then there¡¯s the time when you were sick, and she let you sleep with-¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde interrupted her. ¡°Jealous?¡± "A-Ah.¡± She instantly stopped talking. ¡°I-It¡¯s just because Ari wasn¡¯t like that before you came along. She always had her moments, but she¡¯s changed a lot ever since you got close to her and helped her understand that her odd hair is actually amazing¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°The prim and proper jaguar¡¯s great, and her scolding works really well on me, but the yful side of her is amazing, too. If I took part in that, and helped her jump over her shadow, that would be amazing.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Even so¡­¡± Anna almost red at her. ¡°I know I asked you to help, and I¡¯m happy, but I also wanted to be the one to help her get over it¡­¡± ¡°Again, jealous?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess simply blurted it out. ¡°She¡¯s mine, after all! M-My childhood f-friend, I mean!¡± Noticing what she just said, she somehow tried to cover it up. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia only stared at her for a while without saying anything. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Anna couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and had to avert her face to hide the blush that was growing on her cheeks. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± She¡¯d seen everything she wanted to already. ¡°Should we continue with our experiment?¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Anna was happy that the blonde didn¡¯t push the topic any further. Afterward, the two concentrated together, and tried their best to improve the straightening iron in the hope that it would be able to tame their unruly hair. Chapter 207 – More styling work Chapter 207 ¨C More styling work The girls were still in the couple¡¯s mansion, and they were slightly busy. The tigers tried to improve Sophia¡¯s hair straightening iron to deal with their extraordinarily fluffy and unruly hair. At the same time, the other two were trying out new hairstyles for each other to pass the time. ¡°Okay, show me what you¡¯re nning with the scrunchies.¡± Maya and Ari were back in the living room after having gotten some hair essories, and the cat-girl once more stood in front of the mirror there. ¡°Just tie your hair into the twintails from earlier. The one with the hair on your chest, but with the scrunchies a little deeper than before, somewhere further below your cor bones.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She did as instructed, but she wasn¡¯t necessarily happy with the result. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan of having the scrunchies resting on my breasts¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡± Saying so, Ari grabbed one of the tails. With one hand, she held the inner hairs that had been tied together while the jaguar used her other one to push up the scrunchie with the remaining hair. As a result of that, the cat-girl¡¯s hair above the scrunchie around her neck got pushed to the side and gained some volume. Afterward, she did the same with the other tail. ¡°Ahh!¡± Maya looked at the result in the mirror with a satisfied expression. ¡°I see! With my hair spilling to the sides from being pushed by the scrunchie, it covers all of my neck, including the nape now. It¡¯s cute. I like how fluffy it looks. Well, not as fluffy as those two, but you know what I mean¡­¡± She nced at their girls. ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s true.¡± The jaguar let out a small giggle. ¡°I¡¯m d that we found something cute for you.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you! I might exchange the scrunchies for some ribbons the next time, or once I found a few nice ones to buy, but I really like the style!¡± The cat-girl turned around in front of the mirror a few times to make sure of it. ¡°I think a little braid next to one of my eyes going below my bangs could go really well with it, too.¡± ¡°Oh! That would be adorable!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try itter, but for now¡­¡± Maya stared at the jaguar. ¡°How about we y with your hair for a bit?¡± ¡°Really? Do you have an idea?¡± Judging by Ari¡¯s expression, she actually seemed to be looking forward to it. ¡°My hair tends to look really weird if I tie it up, after all¡­¡± ¡°Leave it to me~!¡± ---------------- While the two were making progress with their new hairstyles, the tigers, too, had gotten further with Sophia¡¯s invention. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The blonde looked at her improved prototype. She had reced the tongs with the new ones she bought and made the top parts where she added the heating ore mixture even smoother so that it glides better over their hair. ¡°It feels a bit less janky now.¡± Anna was also staring at it. ¡°Not saying that that¡¯s an achievement¡­¡± ¡°Haha, it couldn¡¯t get any jankier, after all.¡± Sophia had to agree with it. ¡°Okay, now we add your idea with the conductivity ore to power the heating element while holding it.¡± ¡°Do you know how to use that stuff?¡± The princess picked up the shimmery and blue material the blonde had put on the table. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s called ore, but it¡¯s actually quite soft, huh? You can easily form it with your hands. It¡¯s more like fresh y.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s super easy. You simply form it into a thin line between the things you want to connect. Adding it to a string makes it easier to use and prevents it from losing connection. Still, we only have like 20 centimeters to cover.¡± ¡°Oh, that really sounds easy.¡± ¡°Yep, I have tons of fun ideas for it already, but let¡¯s focus on the really important things first. Getting our hair to behave, that is!¡± She sounded way too serious for what she said. ¡°Give me some of the ore, please.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Okay, that should do it.¡± Sophia had put some of the connectivity ore on the back of each arm of the tong and connected the handle part with the tips. ¡°Looks jankier again.¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t asked for criticism. ¡°For the finished product, it¡¯ll be directly integrated into the arms! It¡¯s a prototype! It¡¯s supposed to be janky!¡± ¡°Does it work, though?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± Saying so, the blonde gripped the makeshift tongs and poured some of her magic into the handles. Using her free hand, she then brought it closer to the top part to feel if the temperature was incre- ¡°Ouch!¡± She touched it. ¡°It¡¯s hot!¡± ¡°Stop touching hot things already!¡± Even though Maya was busy with Ari¡¯s hair right now, she still had to retort after hearing her yelp. ¡°It was an ident!¡± Sophia lightly red in her direction. "Also, that would mean I can''t touch you any longer, either!" "..." The cat-girl went silent. "Y-You win this round..." "Ehehe!" ¡°So¡­ it works?¡± Anna tried to keep the topic on track. ¡°What makes you think so? My cry or my red fingers?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as you¡¯ve just heard from my cat, I burn myself pretty often.¡± ¡°Does that make it better, though?¡± The princess tilted her head in response. ¡°That¡¯s not important! Results are!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Probably!¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t stay serious with her ims. ¡°That sounds more like the Sophia we know.¡± Anna liked the goofy girl more. ¡°Is it time to test?¡± ¡°Oh? That sounds like someone¡¯s volunteering as a test subject?¡± Her expression formed into a grin. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily what I¡­ Why not? I want smooth hair!¡± The princess changed her mind mid-sentence. ¡°Ah, you need to wash your hair first, though. It has to be as clean as possible.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯ll take a while¡­¡± Anna grabbed her massive ponytail to bring the point across. ¡°It¡¯s just a test, though¡­ Washing the forehead area or your bangs in general should be enough, I guess.¡± ¡°True. That won¡¯t take that long, then.¡± ¡°Great! Could you use the shampoos and conditioners I bought earlier? They don¡¯t work on their own, but it might helpter.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go-¡° Sophia energetically stood up from the sofa, but the voices of the other duo immediately stopped her. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± Maya stared at her. ¡°Exactly!¡± Ari got especially loud. ¡°Showing the princess where the bath is¡­?¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°S-So you aren¡¯t going to help her¡­?¡± The jaguar sounded relieved. ¡°Why would I? She¡¯s a grown girl, isn¡¯t she? Very grown.¡± The blonde had to say this part twice because it was important to her. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Ari¡¯s face turned red. ¡°I might help with drying her hair a bit once she¡¯s back here to make sure it¡¯s properly prepared, but that¡¯s about it. Alright, let¡¯s go, Anna.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Saying so, the two tigers left the living room, and Sophia guided her upstairs to the smaller guest bathroom. ---------------- ¡°This looks so great!¡± After a few minutes, the blonde was back and started inspecting Maya¡¯s new hairstyle as she was taking a break from her own project right now. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The cat-girl liked what she was hearing. ¡°Good job, Ari. You¡¯ve managed to make her even cuter. I had no idea that¡¯s actually possible.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee¡­?¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t sure how to reply. ¡°Yep, thanks!¡± Sophia really liked it. ¡°Are you going for a new look, too?¡± She looked at Ari. ¡°You¡¯re not going to hide this glorious pattern, are you?¡± ¡°No, it looks really weird if I partially hide it¡­ I do want something different, though¡­¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the n?¡± The blonde changed her attention to Maya. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of inspiration when ying with your hair, and I really have a thing for braids right now~.¡± The cat-girl¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°I already have an idea or two that I wanted to try before you sent the princess to wash her hair.¡± ¡°Oho, braids are great!¡± She only changed her hairstyle a little while ago, having braided hair herself now, but Sophia was already fond of it. ¡°A small one or two also wouldn¡¯t destroy the pattern. I¡¯m looking forward to it~.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Anna came back at the right time to voice her agreement on the topic. ¡°R-Really?¡± Ari reacted quite strongly to this statement. ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded. ¡°I-I see.¡± The jaguar looked really happy about it. ¡°Alright, princess, let¡¯s properly prepare your hair before we get started.¡± The blonde wanted to continue her test. ¡°Yes!¡± Agreeing to it, Anna got closer to her fellow tiger, and the girls went back to their unusual duo groupings. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia lightly touched the other¡¯s bangs to make sure they were properly dried. ¡°Still a little wet¡­ Do you mind if I use some air magic to get any remaining moisture out of it? I might have to increase my power a bit to get itpletely dry, though~.¡± ¡°Blow me!¡± She sounded a little too motivated about it. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Something about her reply urged Sophia to be as gentle as possible while trying her best not to make ament here, though. A minute or twoter, Anna¡¯s bangs were as dry as possible. ¡°Alright, that should be enough.¡± Sophia eventually stopped her air magic again. ¡°Thanks~. You¡¯re pretty handy, aren¡¯t you? I can do that myself, but not with such precision¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Well, drying your hair with a towel¡¯s better, though¡­ Your bangs look even fluffier now because of the wind having disheveled everything. We¡¯ll deal with that, though~.¡± ¡°I hope! So, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°We need to section your bangs into separate strands.¡± Saying so, the blonde gave her a couple of hair clips, and the two started doing just that. ¡°It sure is a lot of work. I guess you¡¯ll get used to it once you¡¯ve done it a few times, huh?¡± ¡°Probably, yeah.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Okay, sit down, please. You¡¯re too tall for me to work with your hair if you¡¯re standing¡­¡± The almost 20cm height gap between the tigers caused her to stretch her arms a lot. ¡°Of course.¡± The princess sat down on the sofa again while the blonde stood in front of her. ¡°That¡¯s better. Time for the desert spray thingy.¡± She grabbed the bottle from the store and carefully sprayed it on a sectioned-off strand of Anna¡¯s hair. ¡°Why does heat protection stuff for desert smell like roses¡­?¡± The tall tiger tilted her head after the smell of the spray reached her nose. ¡°What were you expecting?¡± ¡°No idea¡­ Cactus?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair¡­ Wait, do cactuses smell¡­?¡± ¡°Good question¡­¡± Anna had no answer for that, either. ¡°Maybe they smell like roses?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± This mystery most likely will remain unsolved. ¡°Should we give it a try?¡± ¡°Please be careful, okay? I hate my fluffy hair, but I somehow doubt that I¡¯d prefer burned one over it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Saying so, Sophia grabbed the makeshift straightening iron and used it on a strand of hair they had sectioned off from the princess¡¯ bangs. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After the initial sizzling sound that burned some of the heat-protection spray, it glided smoothly through Anna¡¯s hair. ¡°I-Is it working¡­?¡± ¡°Kind of?¡± While she gave a vague answer, the blonde made some more passes on the strand of hair. ¡°It is straightening, but¡­ Your hair¡¯s sturdy. I can keep the temperature up now, but the maximum heat has to be higher, maybe? I might need to adjust the heating ore mixture for it to generate more heat in a smaller area.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Anna sounded disappointed. ¡°Wait?! Did you just say that it is straightening?!¡± ¡°Yep. It looks quite good after four passes now. I¡¯d like to get it down to one or two, though.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The princess sprang up from the sofa to look at herself in the mirror Maya and Ari had been using the entire time. ¡°Ohh!¡± Her face instantly lit up. It¡¯s straight!¡± She looked thrilled. ¡°Thank you so much for this invention! Could you please do the rest of my bangs, too?!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t say no to this big and excited-looking puppy tiger. Once Anna sat back down, the blonde continued her styling work with the princess while the other two girls focused on the jaguar¡¯s new hairstyle for a while.
Chapter 208 – Mix and match Chapter 208 ¨C Mix and match The group continued their hair-styling afternoon in the couple¡¯s mansion. Maya had found new a style and was currently ying around with Ari¡¯s hair. At the same time, the tigers experimented with Sophia¡¯s invention to straighten their unruly hair. Once they made some progress with it, the two tested it out on Anna¡¯s hair, and it looked quite promising. It still took longer and more tries than the blonde had hoped to, but her straightening iron was able to handle the princess¡¯ hair. ¡°Aaand we¡¯re done~.¡± Roughly half an hour had passed since Sophia started straightening out Anna¡¯s bang with her newest prototype, and she had just finished. ¡°Let¡¯s try your ponytail once I improve the iron some more, okay? I feel like it needs a lot more power before we should even think about giving that a try.¡± She pointed at the massive sea of fluff on her back. ¡°That¡¯s more than fine!¡± The princess sounded extremely grateful and happy while looking at herself in the mirror. ¡°I actually like the twintails I wear during fall and winter, but it¡¯s such a pain because my bangs were always all over the ce. Okay, the twintails itself were also way too fluffy, but it might help a little with that, too.¡± ¡°I promise nothing, but we¡¯re definitely going to try!¡± The blonde raised her fist. ¡°I do like unruly and fluffy hair, but what we have to go through is way too much! I¡¯ll swear to perfect this hair straightening iron!¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°You two are way too overdramatic.¡± Maya rolled her eyes listening to theirints while she continued to y with Ari''s hair. ¡°I think so, too.¡± The jaguar had a simr reaction. ¡°Shut up!¡± The tigers red at the two with perfectly smooth and straight hair. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The duo only let out a dryugh. ¡°Well, I am happy that it seems to be working for you.¡± The jaguar looked at her princess with a curious expression. ¡°I was a fan of the fluffy twintails, too, so this is a good development.¡± ¡°Thank you- Ohh!¡± Anna looked at the ck-haired girl and instantly noticed that something was different from before. Maya had finished ying with the jaguar¡¯s hair, and, just as Sophia, she had ended up braiding a part of it. She was still wearing most of her hair open to not obscure or destroy the rosette pattern. However, on both sides of her head, at eye level below her ears, she had two thinner braids going to the back of her head. There, the cat-girl had braided both ends together and secured everything with an orange ribbon. ¡°It¡¯s adorable!¡± "Let me finish first before you start praising her! She''ll be even cuter once I''m done!" Maya raised her voice before she increased her pace. "Okay, that should do!" ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± With a bashful smile, Ari got next to the princess in front of the mirror to get a better look at her own hair. ¡°Oh, it really does look good. Thank you so much for that, Maya. I really like it! It¡¯s new, it keeps everything together somehow, but my pattern hasn¡¯t turned into a spotty mess.¡± ¡°Maya¡¯s the queen of braids~.¡± Sophia was happy with her own that the cat-girl had braided for her, after all. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The queen in question enjoyed the praise. ¡°Braids are great!¡± ¡°Sure are!¡± The blonde agreed before looking at everyone. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°Maya now has twintails, while Anna wants to change to them soon because they fit her fluffier hair better. Both of them also bought white tights for a matching style in the uing academy uniforms¡­ At the same time, while kinda different right now, Ari and I are now killing it with our new braids. On top of that, we¡¯re also going to wear the same type of ck tights soon¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Did we swap partners, and someone forgot to tell me¡­?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The other three had the same reaction once they noticed it. ¡°Well¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment while looking at the blonde. ¡°While ying with your hair, I really got into braids, and so I just did what I love about your new hair to Ari, too, which ended up looking amazing. You¡¯re the one who consciously decided to get the same tights as her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like there are that many choices with tights¡­ and ck¡¯s a safe bet for newbies like me. It looks great, too!¡± Sophia saw no faults in her choice, either. ¡°Wait, Anna¡¯s the one who wanted to get white tights after looking at my cat, now that I think about it.¡± ¡°Because it looks great!¡± The princess got loud. ¡°Also, Maya decided on twintails even though I use them every year.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I knew about that, though.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because our tastes are simr? That¡¯s also why I bonded more with Sophia, and Anna and Maya hit it off¡­?¡± As usual, Ari was the most levelheaded one. ¡°Also, just for the records, I¡¯m wearing ck tights for many years already, and Maya¡¯s the one who braided my hair. I have absolutely no rtion to any of those weird match-ups.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Everyoneined after hearing how she tried to me everyone except herself. ¡°Hehe.¡± The jaguar let out a small chuckle before continuing. ¡°It is pretty interesting how we ended up matching like this, but it¡¯s not an issue, is it? It¡¯s not like we actually swapped p-partners like Sophia said earlier¡­¡± ¡°True.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°It was just a joke, anyway. Also, I would definitely notice a partner swap. I wouldin a lot about it, too. I might even destroy their country if someone would try to do that.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Maya liked the sound of that. ¡°That¡¯s some serious dedication. I like it.¡± Anna was impressed by it. ¡°Yes.¡± Ari agreed, and while saying so, the duo nced at each other before immediately looking at the actual couple again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ignoring thosepletely obvious nces, Sophia changed the topic. ¡°Anna, do you think you can hide your hair from the queen when you get back home? I don¡¯t want her to visit us here in the evening today, demanding to experiment on her, as well.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The princess awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I, too, would rather not run into mother with my bangs being like this right now¡­¡± She lifted a strand of her smooth hair while saying so. ¡°How about you wash your hair again? It¡¯ll get fluffy again once it gets wet.¡± ¡°How about no?¡± Anna didn¡¯t seem to like the idea. ¡°I want to enjoy it as much as possible! What if it was a one-time thing, and it doesn¡¯t work anymore the next time we try it?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how hair works¡­¡± ¡°The girls at the care products store said the same about tigers many times before!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel like arguing. ¡°Just try to avoid Kira.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The group kept chatting for a while longer, but Anna and Ari eventually went back to the castle because it was gettingte. Once the couple was alone again, they, as usual, cuddled a little on the sofa. ---------------- ¡°Anything you want to do in the next hour before the queen arrives here?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia let out a dryugh after hearing Maya¡¯s statement. ¡°There¡¯s no way she¡¯s able to keep it a secret, huh?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Should I talk with the people in the beauty and care store? I know how to take care of my hair and all that, but I¡¯m no expert because my hair never needed that much work before.¡± ¡°True¡­ You always looked like you have a bit of bed hair but in a nice way. It didn¡¯t look unkempt, just a little wild and cute.¡± ¡°Yep, super easy to take care of. Until I became a tiger with winter fur¡­ err, hair, that is¡­¡± Sophia let out a sigh towards the end. ¡°I only used those straightening irons when I yed around with my hair or when my sister got desperate. If I show my concept to the experts from the store, I¡¯m sure they know what to do with it and find out about the perfect temperature and all that.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. They have way more experience in handling hair, after all.¡± Maya agreed with her. ¡°You can also send the queen right to them if she shows up.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°That¡¯s your main motivation, isn¡¯t it?¡± She instantly saw through her. ¡°Can you me me? Safe for Ellie, every tiger we met can be quite hard to deal with when they get excited.¡± ¡°True.¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t hesitate with her answer for even a fraction of a second. ¡°See? It would be much easier¡­ Wait a moment¡­¡± Sophia stopped in the middle of her sentence. ¡°Why did you agree so heartily just now? Are you trying to imply something?¡± ¡°Did I ever?¡± Maya innocently tilted her head. ¡°I would never imply that absolutely every tiger I know is in a league of their own when ites to being a pain to deal with.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Am I wrong, though?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Ah, right, as you¡¯ve mentioned, the little bundle of joy called Ellie is an exception. I am deeply sorry that I implied that she, too, is a pain to deal with.¡± ¡°Thank you very much! I would be very upset with you if you include the small princess in that im. She¡¯s the only cat who¡¯s 100% adorable with every single thing she does, after all.¡± ¡°I earned that one, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± The couple bickered for a bit longer before eventually returning to their usual cuddling again. Thankfully, Kira never appeared that evening. The two had a very rxing evening with the wolves that had eventually returned from their maze. Once Sophia was awake on the following day, the tiger immediately went back to the beauty and care store to show off her idea before the queen had the chance to catch her in their mansion.
Chapter 209 – More potential income Chapter 209 ¨C More potential ie The girls finished the re-styling of their hair, Maya changed to low twintails. Anna managed to straighten out her bangs with the help of Sophia¡¯s invention. The princess also is about the change to twintails, while Ari now had simr braids as the blonde after the cat-girl had developed a slight preference for braided hair. Sophia still wasn¡¯t entirely pleased with her new straightening iron, though, and so she decided to visit the beauty and care store again to present her idea. After all, they¡¯re all hair experts there, and they¡¯ll most likely know what to do to perfect the invention. Once she had used it to straighten out her hair as a presentation, the couple went to the store together. ¡°Welco- Eh?¡± The brown-haired dog-girl clerk from the day before greeted the two, but her eyes immediately grew wide once she saw Sophia, or rather, the tiger''s hair. ¡°What¡­? How¡­? Why¡­? What?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Ta-dah~, I guess¡­?¡± She lifted a few strands of her hair while saying so. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me the experimental shampoos and the conditioner worked on you?!¡± She seemed highly shocked. ¡°Not really, no. I¡¯m sorry. Well, the conditioner¡¯s able to make it feel ever so slightly smoother, but other than that¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­ Were you able to adjust the recipe? So fast?! That can¡¯t be!¡± ¡°No, again, sorry.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°I have no idea how to mix a shampoo.¡± ¡°B-But your hair? It¡¯s smooth and fairly straight!¡± The clerk circled around the tiger while saying so. ¡°Would it be alright if I touch it?¡± ¡°Sure. Feel free to satisfy your curiosity.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what the clerk¡¯s intention was, judging by the sparkle in her eyes. ¡°Also, we need another word for straight hair¡­ That¡¯s notpatible with me~.¡± ¡°Thank you very mu- Oh!¡± The dog-girl ignored her and didn¡¯t waste even a second. ¡°It¡¯s remarkable¡­ It¡¯s still no reference when ites to smooth or straight hair. There¡¯s still some volume and waviness to it, butpared to how you¡­ every tiger should look like right now¡­ Well, actually, I saw you yesterday, and you looked very different. No, I don¡¯t mean you having turned to a super light blonde. That, too, is remarkable, especially because the hue is that light, but no¡­ What¡¯s up with you?!¡± ¡°Story of my lifetely.¡± Maya felt herself agreeing with the odd way the clerk had worded her sentence. ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde red at her cat for a moment before ignoring her. ¡°I like to y around and experiment with stuff. I¡¯ve found a way to straighten hair in a physical way.¡± ¡°Something like that¡¯s possible¡­?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Sophia pointed with both hands at her head. ¡°It might be.¡± ¡°Sarah!¡± The dog-girl suddenly yelled through the entire store. ¡°Something important came up! We need you here!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± A cat-girl with medium-long, wavy, and pitch-ck hair in herte twenties, roughly around the same age as the dog, cheerfully replied while she made her way over to the group. She was also wearing simr clothes, a shirt and a red skirt, though she had a light-gray shirt instead of a ck one. Just as the dog-girl, she only seemed to have ears and a tail as her main animal feature, but she also had her whole body covered in a thinyer of fur. Almost all of it was white together with a few stripes of ck for contrast. ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of the store owner and is basically running the store by now.¡± The brown-haired clerk exined to the group what was going on. ¡°Oh my,¡± The ck-haired cat nced at Sophia once she joined the girls. ¡°The tiger-family¡¯s annual winter fur¡­ err, hair is always an event~. Of course, the irregr blondie tops it all again. I love the light color you¡¯re turning to~. It looks amaz- Wait!¡± She only now noticed it. ¡°Where¡¯s the super fluff?! Your hair is almost normal!¡± ¡°Looks good, huh?¡± Sophia yed a bit with her hair. ¡°I quite like what I did with it. I¡¯m a fan of the slight volume and waviness I managed to pull off.¡± ¡°Yes, it looks great.¡± The girl called Sarah agreed with a hearty nod. ¡°The question is why, though? Why do you look like this?¡± ---------------- With a slight smile on her lips, the blonde asked for a more private room to talk. Once everyone went to the back area of the store, Sophia briefly exined her concept without going into detail. ¡°You can straighten hair with heat¡­?¡± The ck-haired cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°I know that you can add volume, make it wavier, and even form curls with hot air¡­ But straighten it? That¡¯s theplete opposite of how hot air works.¡± ¡°Did I mention air at some point?¡± Sophia looked at the two. ¡°My technique works in a different way.¡± ¡°How?!¡± Both girls from the store got excited. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger paused for a moment. ¡°You want to sell the idea, don¡¯t you?¡± The owner cat-girl made a wild guess. ¡°Is there an interest in buying it?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve found a way to straighten even the hair of tigers such as yours.¡± ¡°And Princess Anna.¡± ¡°It works on her, too?!¡± The dog-girl got loud. ¡°The princess who looks like a fellow Pomeranian type of dog-girl during the winter months?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t hold back augh. ¡°M-Maya¡­ am I a bad person if I want to write off my invention as a failure and destroy it¡­?¡± ¡°N-No¡­ Not really¡­¡± She, too, was trying her best to stay serious while failing horribly at it. ¡°I-I really want to see that, too¡­ She already looks fluffy, but that¡­¡± ¡°I-I do agree that it¡¯s a sight to behold, but¡­¡± The ck-haired cat wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± The blonde waved her hand. ¡°Okay, mostly kidding¡­¡± She slightly corrected herself. ¡°She was so happy that I reduced her fluff that I couldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡± The two from the store sounded relieved. ¡°Okay¡­ can I take advantage of my position as a tiger a bit here? I don¡¯t want to deal with all the stuff around selling an invention, idea, whatever¡­ It also still needs some tweaking. How about I show you what I did, and you¡¯ll decide how much it¡¯s worth to the store you¡¯re running. I put my trust into you giving me an adequate reward if you¡¯re interested in it.¡± ¡°We¡¯d do that even without you being a tiger!¡± The ck-haired cat raised her voice. ¡°We regrly buy inspirations from others to perfect it before sharing the resulting product with everyone. We even hired Debby here because she¡¯s a genius when ites to styling hair. Also, her forming sprays are the best you¡¯ll ever see.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The dog-girl¡¯s tail started wagging while she was being praised. ¡°Dogs are kinda cute.¡± Sophia leaned over to Maya and started whispering. ¡°It¡¯s adorable how expressive their tails are.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this. ¡°Are you by any chance part dog?¡± The blonde stifled augh. ¡°You¡¯re the queen when ites to having an expressive tail, after all.¡± ¡°First, shut up. Second, seriously, shut up. Third, have you really not noticed how expressive your tail is?¡± She looked at the tiger¡¯s backside, where her blonde and ck tail heavily twitched in response before plopping down on the ground. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She obviously was aware of that. She just didn¡¯t want to be, though. ¡°Okay¡­¡± The ck-haired cat-girl smiled at the couple before continuing. ¡°Would you mind showing us your invention now? I¡¯m really interested in it.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia smiled back at her. ---------------- Afterward, Sophia took her hair iron out of the bag she was carrying to present it to them. Once she managed to exin why it looked like tongs out of all things, the tiger did a short exnation of how exactly it works. ¡°I see¡­¡± The dog-girl was ying around with Sophia¡¯s invention in her hands. ¡°While the hair is pressed between the two tes, the heat re-forms it and preserves the form while you glide through it from the roots to the tips?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Is that why you bought the desert spray yesterday? To lower the chance to damage your hair from the heat.¡± The clerk tilted her head. ¡°Now that I know what it¡¯s for, I¡¯m pretty sure we could improve the desert version to withstand even more heat. From what you¡¯ve told me, that¡¯s still an issue, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia agreed. ¡°It works with the current heat, but you need multiple passes with each strand of hair to straighten it. It takes too much time to do it daily or every other day, at least.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t survive a shower or a bath, does it?¡± The ck-haired cat-girl continued. ¡°Once it gets wet, the fluff or volume returns, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, it may not gopletely back to normal, but most of the effect is gone. If I can increase the heat a bit more with a protective spray andbine it with the forming sprays I heard about earlier, it should effortlessly hold for an entire day, though. Even for us tigers.¡± ¡°I see!¡± The eyes of the dog-girl were sparkling. ¡°Sarah, I want to y around with this thing!¡± She waved around with Sophia¡¯s straightening iron she was still holding. ¡°The concept is suuuper interesting, and I already have some ideas to improve it!¡± ¡°Of course~.¡± The ck-haired cat smiled at the excited girl before looking at Sophia. ¡°As you can see by the wagging tail of my cheery dog here, we are quite interested in your idea. We¡¯d like to test it on some regrs of ours and make some tweaks to it. If it holds up to your promise of it even being able to tame the hair of tigers, we very much would like to either buy the idea or license to use of it.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds good to me.¡± Sophia nodded to the suggestion. ¡°Thates with a condition, though.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± Sarah, the cat-girl, tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve styled the hair of Princess Anna yesterday, and I¡¯m fairly sure Queen Kira knows about that by now. If she shows up at my ce once we get home, I¡¯ll immediately send her this way, and the two of you have to deal with her.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s quite the condition you have there¡­¡± The cat-girl needed a moment. ¡°Our dear queen gets quite¡­plicated during the colder season when ites to her hair¡­ Well, alright, I¡¯ll do it! That¡¯ll have a slight effect on the licensing costster on, though!¡± ¡°Ahaha, sure.¡± The girls chatted for a bit longer while the blonde gave the store duo some more tips about the usage of her invention. Still, the couple eventually left the store again. On the way back to the mansion, the two went shopping for a few groceries, and once they were back home, two very familiar girls with striped hair were waiting for them at the gate. ¡°So¡­ phia! Maya!¡± Ellie, holding the hand of Queen Kira, used her free one to wave at the couple once she saw them. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The couple could only react with a dryugh while waving back to the little princess.
Chapter 210 – Tiny rebellious phase Chapter 210 ¨C Tiny rebellious phase Sophia had shown off her invention of the hair straightening iron to the beauty and care store the group frequented. The girls there were very interested in the idea and decided that they wanted to experiment with it. If it¡¯s usable, they even n to license it. On the way back to their home, Ellie, together with Queen Kira, were already waiting at the gate to their mansion. ¡°So¡­ phia! Maya!¡± Ellie let go of Kira¡¯s hand and ran over to the approaching couple. ¡°Ellie~.¡± The two squatted down and waited for her to catch up to them. ¡°Yay!¡± The little princess jumped into their arms and hugged both of them at the same time. ¡°Ehehe.¡± Maya and Sophia happily returned the hug with a smile. Once the three were done with their hearty greeting that included a lot of cuddles, the duo, with Ellie walking in the middle of them while holding their hands, walked over to the queen, who was still standing at the gate. ¡°My, isn¡¯t that a lovely picture?¡± Kira looked at the trio. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Sophia tried to feign ignorance. ¡°I wonder.¡± The queen concentrated on the blonde¡¯s head. ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer me, my dear tiger, with the perfectly smooth and straight hair?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it perfectly smooth, and nothing about me is straight, strictly speaking, but¡­ I¡¯m d you like it~.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, you look great, especially the light color you¡¯re getting, but that¡¯s NOT the issue here!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°It was worth a try... How about we head inside first? It¡¯s quite cold and ufortable outside.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Ellie was already looking forward to the heated floors. ---------------- Once inside, the group went to the living room and gotfy on the sofas as they always do. Ellie also, once more, cuddled herself between the couple while the queen had a sofa all on her own. ¡°Mom gets lonely if you prefer those two so openly, you know?¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s okay with that.¡± The little princess rubbed her head against Maya¡¯s arm while saying so. ¡°¡­¡± The couple didn¡¯t know how to react, and the cat-girl¡¯s eyes grew wide while Sophia had ced her hands over her mouth to keep herself from saying anything. "A-Anyway¡­¡± Kira tried her best to ignore her daughter¡¯s growing rebellious phase. ¡°Why is your hair so much smoother, and why had my daughter also straight hair when she came home with her jaguar yesterday?¡± ¡°I knew there was no chance that Anna would be able to hide it¡­¡± The blonde hung her head. ¡°It was more of a coincidence. I ran into the two as they were loudly chatting while ying with each other¡¯s hair. Their obvious fli-, I mean, those two are hard to overhear, after all.¡± ¡°I see¡­ What did our princess tell you?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Ellie tilted her head. ¡°Not you, the big one.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Only that a crazy girl with the all-new and super blonde hair managed to best the wintery tiger curse of fluffy hair with yet another weird invention.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound overly nice, does it?¡± Sophia looked at her cat. ¡°Not really, no.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Ellie thinks so, too.¡± The little tiger nodded in the same rhythm. ¡°Anna¡¯s a bad girl.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± The blonde was starting to be a fan of the rebellious princess. ¡°She sure is~.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny it, but can you really say that my oldest daughter¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a different topic entirely.¡± She decided not to answer. ¡°Alright, my dear crazy tiger, make my hair straight!¡± The yfulness in Kira¡¯s voice was gone. It seemed to be a very serious topic for her. ¡°Just because I am crazy, it doesn¡¯t mean that I have to hear it all the time!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°And?¡± Kira ignored herints. ¡°It¡¯s notplete yet. I¡¯m okay with experimenting on Anna, but the queen is a different story.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am absolutely okay with that!¡± ¡°Well then¡­¡± Luckily, the blonde already had a n B for this possibility. ¡°I¡¯ve left my invention with the beauty and care store that also makes our shampoo for tigers. They¡¯re very interested in the product and want to experiment with it while making some improvements. You¡¯ll have to go to them to see how it¡¯s going.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s great!¡± Kira started smiling. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a tough nut to crack. The girls from the store, though, they¡¯re much easier to deal with.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Please don¡¯t be too harsh on them. I don¡¯t really know them yet, but Sarah and¡­ and¡­ uhh¡­¡± ¡°Debby.¡± Maya helped her out. ¡°Sarah and Debby, yeah.¡± As usual, the blonde was useless when it came to any sort of names. ¡°The two seem really nice¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who pushed the queen onto them, though.¡± The cat-girl was only helpful for a limited amount of time each day. ¡°Shush!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She grinned at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I like them, too.¡± Kira reassured her. ¡°I owe them a lot for all the shampoos and conditioners and all the other care products they¡¯re making for us. I¡¯ll gently talk them into helping me.¡± ¡°Maya, can we bring some sweets with us the next time we visit the two? I feel a little bad now for pushing it all to them.¡± Sophia had her doubts about the queen being gentle with them. ¡°Let¡¯s bake some of these chocte-chip cookies you made with Ari the other day.¡± ¡°Oh, I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°Ellie wants some, too!¡± The little tiger managed to stay out of their conversation until now, but she couldn¡¯t remain silent on this topic. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll make some extra just for you.¡± The cat-girl patted her head while saying so. ¡°Yay!¡± The princess liked the sound of that. ¡°Ellie wants to help!¡± ¡°Sure, but there¡¯s a condition for that.¡± Sophia looked at her. ¡°Eh?¡± She didn¡¯t like that, though. ¡°Once you get home again, you have to y with your mom for the rest of the day.¡± The blonde enjoyed her being rebellious earlier, but she wanted to help out Kira, too. ¡°Really¡­?¡± The little tiger wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this idea. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because she loves you and wants to y with you.¡± ¡°But Ellie wants to y with So¡­ phia and Maya!¡± ¡°And we¡¯re happy about that.¡± The blonde petted her head. ¡°But my cat and I would be sad if you don¡¯t spend time with your mom because of us. Your mother has to be your number one, you know? It¡¯s fun to y with her, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°ying cards was very fun!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Does Ellie have to y with daddy, too¡­?¡± ¡°Nah, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t nning to stop being a source of trouble and headaches for the king anytime soon. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Kira wasn¡¯t sure what she should say here. The queen was pretty happy that she was on her side, though. ¡°Does So¡­ phia y with her mama, too¡­?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The blonde froze up. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯d like to¡­ I really would, but¡­ Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have a mom to y with anymore¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya and the queen didn¡¯t know what to say and just looked concerned. ¡°Oh.¡± The princess looked down. ¡°Ellie will take the ce of your mama, then! Ellie will y lots with you instead!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone turned silent, and the two taller girls looked at Sophia with a worried expression. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± The blonde needed a moment and eventually tightly hugged the little tiger. ¡°That¡¯s really sweet of you¡­ and I¡¯ll definitely y a ton with you, but that¡¯s unfortunately not how it works, you know? I could, at best, your mom¡­ You still have many years ahead of you before that might be relevant for you. Also, while I¡¯m happy, would you like for someone else to take the ce of your mom¡­?¡± ¡°No!¡± The little tiger rapidly shook her head. "A-Ah! Ellie¡¯s very sorry!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re the cutest, and I¡¯m sooo happy you like me this much!¡± She hugged her even tighter while saying so. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kira and Maya only looked at each other before the cat-girl also gave the duo a little squeeze. The royal tigers stayed with the couple for a little longer but eventually decided to head out again. Kira had no ns to go back to the castle, though. Grabbing her daughter''s hand, the two went straight to the beauty and care store. ---------------- ¡°Poor Debby and¡­ and¡­ uhh¡­¡± Sophia waved after them at the gate while watching them walk towards the shopping district. ¡°Sarah.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°You knew her name earlier¡­¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°Should we get you checked?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just not good with names! Never have been, never will be.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t your memory for names get boosted, as well?¡± ¡°I actually think it got worse sinceing here~.¡± ¡°Did he boost you in the wrong direction?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just using Canir as an excuse right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Maybe~.¡± Sophia was feeling yful. ¡°I always had a bad memory for names, though.¡± ¡°Such a dork~.¡± Maya looked at her with a warm expression. ¡°Hehe.¡± The two went back inside afterward and promptly ran into the wolves on the way. Deciding to rx in the warm living room together for a while, the four felt like catching up a bit because they hadn¡¯t seen each other that muchtely. Sophia and Maya were busy with the inhabitants of the castle and inventing thingstely, while the wolves were doing wolf things. Building a maze, for example, among other things. Chapter 211 – Fluffy tails Chapter 211 ¨C Fluffy tails Once the queen and Ellie had left the couple to visit the beauty and care store, Maya and Sophia gotfortable in their living room again. The two wolves also eventually joined them after havinge back from their underground maze. ¡°What¡¯s up, you two?¡± Sophia looked at the wolves rxing on their sheepskin rug in front of the firece. ¡°Anything interesting to tell?¡± She wanted to know what they were doingtely. ¡°Aura and I were quite productive.¡± Fen answered her. ¡°We invented a new type of illusion magic. The new part of the maze will mess with your head to a degree you didn¡¯t know was possible. It¡¯s that confusing.¡± ¡°Oho.¡± The blonde liked the sound of that. ¡°How much are we talking exactly?¡± ¡°The headaches you give the king are nothing inparison.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Maya¡¯s voice was full of admiration. ¡°That¡¯s possible!?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Also, seriously?!¡± Despite herining, she couldn¡¯t believe it, either. ¡°It¡¯s suuuper fun~.¡± Aura sounded quite proud of herself. ¡°Fenny and I also explored thends around the capital a bit.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°How far did the two of you go?¡± ¡°A couple hundreds of kilometers around it.¡± ¡°Nice. Did you find anything of interest?¡± ¡°We ran into an elven vige by chance.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Both girls got loud. ¡°No elves, though.¡± Aura shook her head. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The blonde looked down. ¡°Was it abandoned, then?¡± ¡°No. A group of the fox beastfolk started living there. They¡¯re a ton of fun.¡± ¡°Foxes, huh?¡± Maya sounded interested. ¡°They¡¯re also on the rarer side because they like to live on their own.¡± ¡°They were quite sociable in my eyes, though.¡± Fen didn¡¯t share her opinion. ¡°You got drunk with them, didn¡¯t you?¡± The cat-girl saw through him in an instant. ¡°They have amazing alcohol!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She could onlyugh. ¡°Okay, back to those foxes.¡± The blonde suddenly sounded serious. ¡°This is extremely important¡­ The girls there, how fluffy are their tails?¡± ¡°Sophia.¡± Maya looked at her with a disapproving expression. ¡°What?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What lesbian would I be if I am not interested in the fluffy tails of fox beastgirls? Heck, scratch that, even if I¡¯d be straight, this is a very important topic to all fluff lovers.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The cat-girl increased her stare. ¡°What about the fluffy tails of the mal-?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t care less.¡± She didn¡¯t even let her finish her sentence. ¡°Is that so?¡± Maya¡¯s voice got a little colder as she repeated herself. ¡°Again, what?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel guilty. ¡°How interested are you in the tails of the male beastfolk?¡± ¡°Zero.¡± ¡°And the females?¡± She smirked at her. ¡°Bushy tails of fluffy foxes attached to cute girls.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl chose not to answer. It was definitely more than zero. ¡°Case closed.¡± The blonde looked quite smug. ¡°So, Aura, on a scale from 1 to 10, how fluffy are their tails? Yours is a very respectable 8 to 9. It¡¯s not pure fluff, but also silky-smooth, and the fur itself is a bit straight, after all.¡± ¡°You sure know your tails.¡± Aura seemed almost impressed. ¡°If mine¡¯s a 9¡­¡± She ignored the mentioning of an 8. ¡°The fox-girls would be a 13 out of 10.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Sophia needed a moment. ¡°Maya, how about a little trip?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She made a short pause. ¡°Only looking, no touching, okay?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded. ¡°That was the n from the get-go! I was only interested in their aesthetics!¡± ¡°Ah, I-I see¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­?¡± It was Sophia¡¯s time to stare at her cat now. "A-Aura, have these foxes met the elves that lived in the vige before?¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The blonde¡¯s smugness increased even more. ¡°Unfortunately, they were already gone when the foxes found the ce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad¡­¡± Sophia had hoped for a different answer. ¡°Would¡¯ve been too easy otherwise, though, huh?¡± ¡°Are we still looking for an elf to join our group?¡± Aura wanted to know if that was still the n. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m still pondering if we should somehow try to get Ari to apany us. Together with Anna, too, by portaling them in when needed, or something like that¡­ Still, I kinda want to meet some elves. Coming from a world with only humans, all those other races are super interesting to me.¡± ¡°Interesting enough to even change races, eh?¡± The female wolf looked at her. ¡°Absolutely~.¡± ¡°How many of the fox beastfolk live in that vige?¡± Maya also was a little curious. ¡°Quite a few, actually.¡± Fen answered her. ¡°Most of them were a little older, though. Maybe around the king and the queen in age, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­ What about the cute and fluffy fox-girls, then¡­?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Kira would kill you if she¡¯d heard that just now.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. "A-Ah¡­ Well, Kira still looks awesome, so¡­ Alright, I¡¯m fine with a mature fox-girl!¡± The blonde started to like the idea. ¡°You sure are something else¡­ Though, the queen does look great¡­¡± Maya agreed with the tiger. ¡°Anna¡¯s future looks bright.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Fenny said most of them, right?¡± Aura interrupted them. ¡°There still were some kids and a few of your age or slightly older, too. One of the girls your age, maybe a little older visually speaking, was even a 15 on the fluffy scale.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± Even though Sophia was a little into the mature fox-girls now, extra fluffy girls her age were still a bit more interesting. ¡°I want to meet some foxes and also see how an elven vige looks like~.¡± ¡°That does sound interesting, yes.¡± The cat-girl, too, looked forward to it. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a vige of them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool.¡± Fen apparently liked it. ¡°The vige¡¯s in the middle of a vast and dense forest. Most buildings are made from wood, and some are even built in, or on the trees. It¡¯s very cozy there in a way.¡± ¡°That sounds fun! Maya, let¡¯s get a treehouse in an elven vige!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°Err¡­¡± The cat-girl first looked around before gesturing in every direction. ¡°We already have a house? Not to mention that it is a noble mansion in the capital¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t summer homes a thing in this world?¡± ¡°Sure, but¡­ it¡¯s fall? It¡¯s getting quite cold, too.¡± ¡°Maya?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± She had to chuckle at the tiger¡¯s reaction. ¡°Are you serious, though?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t see an issue with her n. ¡°This ce here¡¯s more like a winter home in the first ce, anyway.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that because we¡¯re going to travel and be away from here when it¡¯s warm?¡± Aura also needed to make ament. ¡°Why is everyone in this group so sassy?!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°Just let me have my fun!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± The trio had a goodugh. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get a really cool treehouse just for me alone! No one else allowed there!¡± ¡°Not even the fox beastfolk that lives there?¡± Fen, too, wanted to tease a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it if they¡¯re cute and female!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°What? If you don¡¯t want to live with me there, I have to find someone else forpany, right?¡± ¡°Why do you even want to live there¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t! I just want to be able to say that I own an elven treehouse in the middle of nowhere!¡± As usual, Sophia¡¯s priorities were very peculiar. ¡°Understandable.¡± Fen nodded in agreement. ¡°Is it?¡± Maya and Aura were only confused. ¡°Yes.¡± The duo was convinced of it. ¡°Well, whatever¡­¡± Maya gave up. ¡°It does sound a little cool if you put it that way.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a look once we visit that vige. No living together with cute fox-girls, though!¡± ¡°Okay~.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice turned cheery. ¡°Good¡­¡± She looked relieved. ¡°Wait a moment! Did youe up with all that just so that I agree to it after making somepromises?!¡± ¡°I would never~.¡± Her voice turned even more cheery. ¡°I already have a cute cat-girl, after all. What would I need a fox-girl for~?¡± ¡°Good answer.¡± Maya liked her reply. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re still just smooth-talking me, aren¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to do that~.¡± She still looked cheeky. ¡°Ah, but I wouldn¡¯t mind an actual, or full fox as a pet or something like that¡­ Something fluffy you can pet while it¡¯s sleeping on yourp.¡± ¡°Am I not good enough for that anymore?¡± The cat-girl started pouting now. "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t thought about that being Maya¡¯s job already. ¡°Y-You know what I mean¡­¡± ¡°I do, but I still won¡¯t leave that ce to someone else without a fight!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Oh, how about I keep the fluffy one on myp while I¡¯m on yours?¡± Maya already had a new n ready. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad- Hey, I wanted a pet, not you!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t seem to like the idea. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The cat-girl showed her a smug expression. ¡°You can have it when we change positions.¡± ¡°Hrmnn¡­¡± She looked conflicted. ¡°Girls,¡± Aura looked at them. ¡°Foxes aren¡¯t the biggest fans of being pets in the first ce.¡± ¡°So?¡± The couple only tilted their heads. ¡°Whatever¡­¡± The wolf quickly decided that she didn¡¯t want to get involved in it, after all. The group kept chatting for a little longer and made some more concrete ns for the elven vige with the foxes. The wolves seemed to have liked it there, and the couple, especially the tiger, was really interested in seeing the ce. As Maya¡¯s birthday was right around the corner, and how the couple nned to visit Anna¡¯s and Ari¡¯s school soon, they didn¡¯t decide on a time yet, though. For just having fun and ying around, they were pretty busy. Chapter 212 – Maya’s birthday Chapter 212 ¨C Maya¡¯s birthday Roughly a week had passed since the couple found out about an abandoned elven vige, where a group of fox beastpeople was living. This was of little interest on this specific day, though, because it finally was Maya¡¯s birthday. ¡°Thanks foring by! I¡¯m sorry that Maya¡¯s not here.¡± Sophia, Anna, and Ari were standing in the entrance hall of the couple¡¯s mansion. ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Anna didn¡¯t seem to mind it. ¡°Yes.¡± Ari agreed. ¡°We just wanted to bring over a little present and the cake the two of us made together. I¡¯m sure the two of you want to be alone today, anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, thank you very much. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll love it. We¡¯lle over tomorrow or so to celebrate a little more.¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± The princess liked the idea. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± So did the jaguar. ¡°Also, good luckter. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll pull it off perfectly.¡± ¡°Ehehe, thanks! I trained a lot over thest week when I was alone, and I¡¯m quite confident now.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ari showed her a full smile. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Anna seemed a little confused. ¡°Ah, I guess it¡¯s fine to tell you now, I guess.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t see any harm in letting her in on the secret n. ¡°Our Ari here has been teaching me a little cookingtely because I¡¯m awful at it. Maya¡¯s always the one who cooks for our group, and I was even too stupid to help her out. As a surprise, and to thank her for that, I want to cook a dish for her today.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± The princess liked this a lot. ¡°She¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t she?¡± The jaguar had been a fan of the idea since the beginning. ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­¡± The blonde let out a bashful giggle. ¡°Good luck!¡± The duo was rooting for her. ¡°By the way,¡± Anna looked at her fellow tiger again. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you were blonde enough already¡­?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia grabbed a few strands of her hair to look at it. There wasn¡¯t a hint of orange left as it had fully turned into a really light blonde. She still had the tiger ears, the characteristic tail, and the ck signature-like striped pattern, but her hair color was something else entirely by now. She was still blonde, but whenparing the hair and fur of Anna, who also had considerably lightened up, and Maya, she¡¯d actually be way closer to the cat-girl now. ¡°It looks great!¡± Ari also had an opinion on it. ¡°Definitely!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°Yeah!¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°I love it, too! I actually hope that it stays that way once it gets warmer again!¡± ¡°That would be awesome!¡± Anna nodded again. ¡°Mine always turns back in spring, though.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve always been a bit of an exception when ites to being out of the norm.¡± She somehow sounded fairly confident that her hair was going to stay like this. ¡°True.¡± The duo didn¡¯t hesitate for even a second with their reply. ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Just because it¡¯s true, it doesn¡¯t mean that you have to agree to it so readily!¡± ---------------- After a little more chatting, the duo left Sophia alone again. They didn¡¯t want to hold her up today, after all. Anna also mentioned that the two wanted to visit the beauty store because she volunteered as a test subject to get her hair straightened, and she was more motivated than ever after she saw Sophia¡¯s smooth hair today. Roughly half an hour after the two left the mansion, Maya finally came back home. ¡°I¡¯m back~.¡± Her cheerful voice echoed through the entrance hall. ¡°Wee home!¡± Sophia stuck her head out of the kitchen to greet her. ¡°What¡¯s in that bag?¡± She noticed that the cat-girl was holding a white shopping bag without any text whatsoever on it. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter~.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± That only made her more interested in it. ¡°More importantly, why are you in the kitchen?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter~.¡± The tiger used the same tactic on her. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± Maya looked a little suspicious but decided to ignore it for now. ¡°You missed Ari and Anna earlier. They brought over a present for you and even baked a cake.¡± ¡°Really? They sure are sweet.¡± The cat-girl looked touched. ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank them.¡± ¡°Yes, I already told them that we¡¯lle over soon.¡± ¡°Great! Thanks.¡± ¡°Not today, though. We¡¯ll be busy, after all.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that. By the way, what¡¯s the n?¡± Maya still had no idea what was going on, after all. ¡°Hmm~.¡± Sophia¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Do you want your present first? Or the other thing I¡¯ve been preparing for thest two weeks~?¡± ¡°Oho?¡± She raised her eyebrows in interest. ¡°That second thing sounds really interesting.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger liked her reaction. ¡°Okay, how about the present first, and we¡¯ll save the best forst~?¡± ¡°Sure, I leave it to you. It¡¯s your surprise, after all.¡± ¡°Ehehe. Okay, go to the living room first. I¡¯ll go and get your present!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Maya gave her a nod. ¡°Alright!¡± With a big smile, the blonde joined her cat in the living room after a few minutes while holding a neatly wrapped and decorated bag in her arms. ¡°Once again, happy birthday~.¡± While saying so, Sophia gave her a quick kiss before handing over her present. ¡°It¡¯s not the most creative one, but I hope you still like it.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to give me something in the first ce, so I¡¯ll be happy about whatever you got me~.¡± Afterward, Maya opened her present and was greeted by an assortment of bottles, sk, and many other containers. ¡°Oh~, someone went on a shopping spree in the beauty store, huh? Thank you!¡± It contained various bottles of shampoos, conditioners, cremes, and other care products. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a ton of these products before.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia looked quite smug all of a sudden. ¡°Most of them are specially made for you!¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yep! When I was back in the store to discuss more about my hair iron, I borrowed Sarah, the ck-haired cat-girl, for the rest of the day to create some products just for you. Well, the shampoos and conditioners, at least. The hand cremes and skincare products are the royal ones because you love them just as much as I do. They¡¯re scented a little differently, though. You¡¯re into vanitely, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re great! I especially like the hand creme! Yep, vani¡¯s great! How are the hair products specially made for me, though?¡± ¡°Sarah¡¯s been working on perfecting their form for the hair of the cat-tribe or something like that. It¡¯s based on that, but it also has some coloring pigments in it, together with some stuff to increase the shininess. She already had a version for her own ck hair ready, but we made a version for your white one. We also added some sort of nutrients for hair as long as yours. If you use these products, your hair will be whiter, shinier, and healthier than ever~.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Maya liked the sound of that. ¡°That sounds amazing! Thank you so much! I love it!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia seemed happy. ¡°I haven¡¯t given a present to anyone outside my family in forever, so I had no idea if it¡¯s any good. Especially when taking into consideration that it¡¯s a gift for my girlfriend.¡± ¡°If you think this is a bad or boring present, I have no idea how I¡¯d be able to ever get a present for you when you¡¯re getting good at it. This gift here is amazing!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± She was d that Maya liked it this much. ---------------- The couple chatted a little longer about the present and the care products until the two eventually changed the topic a little because the cat-girl was curious about Sophia¡¯s birthday. ¡°By the way, when¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°My birthday?¡± The tiger pointed at herself. ¡°Right before the start of spring. March 15, to be exact.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s still a while away, huh? That means I have enough time to find a good present for you~.¡± ¡°Ehehe, I look forward to it.¡± ¡°Wait, right before spring started?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that around the time when you came to this world? Did you actually arrive here around your birthday...?¡± ¡°Actually, no.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°It was the end of summer when I left my old world.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yep. Pretty confusing, huh?¡± ¡°Very!¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a different world, after all.¡± ¡°Sure is.¡± The blonde agreed. ¡°While we¡¯re at it¡­ Ever since I came here, I lostpletely track of the date¡­ Is it still October? It feels like it, at least. The very end of it. I at least want to remember the date of my girlfriend¡¯s birthday.¡± ¡°Yep, it¡¯s actually the veryst day of October, the 32nd.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I guess my sense of time isn¡¯tpletely dest- Wait, what?¡± Sophia stopped mid-sentence once the actual date registered in her brain. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Did you say 32 just now?¡± ¡°Yep, October 32, today¡¯s date.¡± ¡°October only has 31 days, though?¡± ¡°No?¡± The cat-girl disagreed with her. ¡°I have to know. It¡¯s my birthday, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed a moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°In my old world, it only has 31 days¡­ Wait, what about the other months¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much alternating between 31 and 32 days, with February being a few days longer.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± Sophia looked extremely confused. ¡°It was 30 and 31 days, and February being shorter¡­ Wait, it felt normal, but a day still has 24 hours with 60 minutes each, right¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The cat-girl only nodded. ¡°How¡­ How many days does a year here have?¡± ¡°380.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± She got loud. ¡°That¡¯s 15 whole more days than in my old world with 365 days. WAIT!¡± The blonde got even louder all of a sudden. ¡°15 times 23¡­ That¡¯s 300¡­ 345 days! I¡¯m 345 days younger in this world¡­ I¡¯m 22 again~. Oh, that also means you¡¯re actually older than me, Maya.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The cat-girl needed a moment. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the older one between us~.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice sounded extra cheery for some reason. ¡°Is that really how it works¡­?¡± ¡°If the days are the same length, but a year has more of them here¡­ 345 days after 23 years is almost a whole extra year, after all. By this world¡¯s standard, I¡¯m halfway through 22. Or, by my standards, you¡¯re about to turn-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to finish that sentence.¡± Maya red at her. ¡°Ehehe.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. We live in this world, after all~. Whether I¡¯m half a year younger or older than you, does it really matter?¡± ¡°I suppose¡­ not¡­¡± The cat-girl still looked a bit miffed about it, though. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia suddenly looked confused again. ¡°When is my birthday now¡­? Is it still March 15, or do I have to use some advanced math now¡­? That won¡¯t end well for any of us.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Maya, too, tilted her head. ¡°Can you stop being so damnplicated already?!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I wish¡­¡± She could onlyugh. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think it¡¯s still okay. After all, that¡¯s still the day, or date, you were born. It also kinda matches the time when you arrived in this world. It should be fine.¡± ¡°I see. Yeah, that makes sense.¡± The couple chatted about the topic for a little longer until it slightly made sense for both, which made it quickly be thete afternoon. ¡°I¡¯m getting a little hungry¡­ Your surprise, or whatever you nned, doesn¡¯t include a nice dinner or something like that, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°That is my surprise.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Maya liked the sound of that. ¡°I¡¯m going to cook for us.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± The cat-girl quickly changed her mind. She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. While the cat-girl was petrified, Sophia got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen after she forbade Maya to follow after her. Chapter 213 – Birthday surprise Chapter 213 ¨C Birthday surprise It was finally the day of Maya¡¯s birthday, and it being on October 32 confused Sophia more than a little. As it turned out, the months in her new world are actually a little longer, and a whole year has 380 days instead of the 365 she was used to. It also meant, that in actual days being alive, the tiger still was 22 instead of 23 years old. As a result of that, she¡¯s also younger than the cat-girl when calcting her age with the measures of the new world. None of that was of any real importance right now, though. After all, it was still her girlfriend¡¯s birthday, so the blonde was busy with other things. First and foremost, the surprise dinner she had been training for the past two weeks. ¡°Err¡­¡± Maya was still shocked after Sophia¡¯s announcement of her going to cook for them. ¡°T-The care products are already more enough, y-you know?¡± Still in the living room, she yelled towards the kitchen next door. ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice echoed back from there. ¡°Is it¡­?¡± She had a very different opinion on the topic. ¡°Yep~.¡± The tiger sounded really cheerful. ¡°Give me half an ho-¡­ 40 minutes!¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t sound convinced in the slightest, though. ¡°Also, no peeking!¡± ---------------- Precisely 55 minutester, Sophia was done preparing the dinner and had also decorated their dining table a little bit. She put a white tablecloth and a few candles on it to make it seem a bit more romantic, and she also had prepared a fancy-looking bottle of wine. ¡°Someone¡¯s going for the extra mile, huh?¡± Maya looked impressed. ¡°Ehehe, I¡¯m trying my best.¡± The tiger looked a bit bashful. ¡°No promises about the wine, though¡­ I never was that much into it, and so I let the store guy decide on a bottle that fits my dish.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment and sniffed the air. ¡°What is your dish? I smell garlic and some type of seafood. It smells delicious, and that confuses me greatly. It¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about, after all.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Well, you are 100% correct.¡± She couldn¡¯t me her, either. ¡°Alright, sit down! I¡¯ll serve now!¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Maya was still confused over the events but sat down regardless and waited for whatever dish her girlfriend had cooked. ¡°Here you go~.¡± A few momentster, Sophia ced a te with the seafood dish she had prepared in front of the cat-girl. It was the same shrimps cooked in a garlic butter sauce served over pasta dish that Ari had taught her the other day before getting her own. It also was more or less the same shrimp scampi recipe the blonde vaguely remembered from her old world. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Maya needed a moment and only stared at the two tes. ¡°You made this¡­?¡± ¡°I did!¡± She looked pretty proud of herself. ¡°How¡­?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°You tried to help me out before¡­ before I banned you¡­ Everything other than pasta was a total catastrophe¡­¡± ¡°Lots of training over the past two weeks. I had Ari teach me the recipe, and I tried to get better at it whenever I could. I even stopped time one or two times to make it perfect! It could¡¯ve been 17 times as well, though.¡± She mumbled thest part only. ¡°Wow.¡± She seemed impressed. ¡°Can I try?¡± Maya picked up her fork and gestured at the te. ¡°Of course!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Be as harsh as you want with your critique.¡± ¡°I always am~.¡± She shed her a cheeky smile before she tried a single shrimp with a small amount of pasta and sauce. Chewing on it for a moment, her smile eventually turned much gentler. ¡°It¡¯s good!¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Absolutely! It¡¯s a little spicier than I remember this dish, but that¡¯s a plus!¡± ¡°Ahaha, I kinda like spicy food, so I never could it get out of my system to use a bit less of the chili kes¡­ I¡¯m d you like that part, too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impressive! The pasta¡¯s been cooked perfectly, too, and the shrimps aren¡¯t the slightest bit chewy. The sauce¡¯s delicious, as well. I couldn¡¯t have done it any better, myself!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger got a little bashful. ¡°The training was totally worth it!¡± ¡°It absolutely was. It seems like you aren¡¯t so hopeless, after all, huh?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Ari also meant that my biggest problem is the missing experience.¡± ¡°The evidence speaks for itself.¡± Maya gestured at the tes. ¡°I¡¯ll take over the teaching now, though. Your surprise was amazingly sweet, and I love it, but I want to cook together with you, too!¡± There was a tiny hint of jealousy in her voice. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve wanted to do that since forever already, after all!¡± Sophia liked the idea. ¡°Now that I know that I won¡¯t purely be nothing but a nuisance to you, I want to help out more!¡± ¡°I look forward to it!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± The two smiled at each other. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue to eat! I don¡¯t want it to get cold.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°You put way much effort into it for that to happen!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The couple continued to eat and had a ss or two of wine while they enjoyed each other¡¯spany for a while. ---------------- ¡°Ha~, that was soo good!¡± Maya looked very satisfied after she finished her te. ¡°Thank you so much, Sophia, this was an amazing surprise! That you tried so hard to learn to cook just for me is incredibly sweet!¡± ¡°That alone was worth it already!¡± She was d that her surprise was a total sess. ¡°You sure made it hard for me to top that on your birthday, though.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to turn that into apetition, is there?¡± ¡°And here I thought you know me¡­¡± For Maya, everything can be turned into apetition. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had tough at her reaction. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s like that, I better start preparing for next year already, huh?¡± The tiger, too, enjoyed beingpetitive, after all. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The cat-girl liked her answer. ¡°Hehe.¡± Letting out another chuckle, Sophia eventually changed the topic. ¡°Should we have some of the cake Ari and Anna brought over for dessert? It looked very choctey and delicious.¡± ¡°How can I say no to that~?¡± The cat-girl had quite the sweet tooth. ¡°Alrighty, stay put! I¡¯ll prepare it for us.¡± Saying so, Sophia stood up and left for the kitchen again. ¡°I could get used to being cared for like this~.¡± Maya liked today¡¯s treatment. ¡°I don¡¯t mind spoiling you every now and then, either~.¡± The tiger¡¯s voice echoed from the kitchen again. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°I think those two emptied the chocte from the whole castle for this thing.¡± After a few minutes, Sophia was back holding two tes with a generous slice of cake on each while also carrying a little pink bag. ¡°Here¡¯s also the gift the duo got for you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The cat-girl focused on the cake first, though. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re right!¡± It essentially was a triple chocte cake. The actual cake part was chocte, together with a portion of chocte fudge, and the outside was covered in a thickyer of chocte ganache. ¡°Looks delicious!¡± ¡°Sure does!¡± She agreed. ¡°I wonder how much the princess helped here, though. I¡¯m not sure why, but I have the feeling she¡¯s even worse at cooking than I am¡­¡± ¡°Taste-testing is also helping, right?¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat!¡± Unable to wait any longer, Maya grabbed her fork and dug into the cake. ¡°Delicious! I need to get the recipe from Ari.¡± ¡°Hehe- Oh!¡± Sophia stopped talking for a moment after she also tried it. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that!¡± She liked it, as well. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s this about¡­¡± Once they finished eating the cake, the cat-girl finally focused on the pink bag that contained the present from Ari and Anna for her. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look¡­ Oh, how cute.¡± ¡°Lemme see!¡± Curious about it, the blonde got up from her seat and walked behind Maya to look over her shoulders. ¡°You are right. They look adorable!¡± Inside the bag was a little box filled with a few hair clips and many colorful ribbons. Some even were patterned with flowers and other forms. ¡°That¡¯s perfect for when you start changing to twintails, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°I could wear a different set of ribbons each day of the week now.¡± ¡°I like that idea~.¡± ¡°Yep. The two really found something very nice without making me feel guilty. Who knows what else the first princess of a nation could¡¯vee up with as a gift¡­?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ That¡¯s true. Ari might¡¯ve stopped Anna from getting something ridiculous.¡± ¡°Bless that jaguar.¡± Maya was relieved that she was able to keep her princess in check. ---------------- Chatting about the present for a little longer, the couple eventually headed out to have their almost ritual-like bath in the evening. Once they were done with that, the two went to their bedroom to rx and cuddle in their bed together. That, more or less, was Sophia¡¯s n, at least. Stopping at cuddling was optional, but that was a different topic. ¡°Oh, the bag from earlier makes another appearance.¡± Rxing on their bed, Sophia noticed that Maya was holding the white bag she had back when she came home while standing in the doorframe of their bedroom. ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s call it a birthday present from me for me, or something like that?¡± ¡°Mhh?¡± This had piqued her interest, and the tiger rose from the bed and sat down upright. ¡°Want to have a look? It kinda involves you, too.¡± Saying so, Maya walked over to their bed and handed over the bag. ¡°Sure~. Let¡¯s see-¡± Sophia opened the bag, looked inside, and promptly froze up. ¡°Is¡­ Is that what I think it is¡­?¡± ¡°It looks like it, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It does¡­¡± She needed another moment. ¡°W-Where did you get it¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a shop.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Maya only nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again¡­ This world is waaay too advanced in the weirdest areas!¡± While saying so, Sophia stared into the bag again. ¡°You don¡¯t want to¡­?¡± Maya nced at her. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not going to force anything here.¡± ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not it¡­ I¡¯m just surprised that it already exists in this world¡­¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ T-This actually crossed my mind, too, during my invention spreetely. Turns out that someone was faster. What a horny world we live in here.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m definitely i-intrigued.¡± She took yet another nce inside the bag. ¡°Who¡¯s going to use it, though?¡± ¡°Take another look at it. It should answer this question. Also, there are more, slightly different things below it, too.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Seemingly confused, the tiger decided to put her hand into the bag to get a feel of what was inside. ¡°Ohhh¡­ I-I see, it¡¯s double-¡­ Really, this world is way too advanced in the weirdest areas!¡± She had to repeat herself. ¡°And the other stuff is¡­ W-Wow! You sure are something else, Maya!¡± ¡°In a good or bad way.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The answer was of little help, but the cat-girl liked the slightly bashful but bright smile on the blonde¡¯s face. Afterward, Maya grabbed the bag and ced the contents on the bed so that the couple could get a better look at them. Though somewhat embarrassed, Sophia looked rather interested, and it seemed like the birthday of her girlfriend would end up being even more of an event than she had previously anticipated.
Chapter 214 – New outfit Chapter 214 ¨C New outfit The day after Maya¡¯s birthday started rtivelyte. It was a very special day and an even more exciting night for the couple. That had tired them out a bit. Once they took another bath and ate something, the two were finally fully awake just before noon. ¡°You sure bought some interesting stuff, Maya¡­¡± The two were in their living room, and the tiger started a chat while she was working on her fluffy hair with a new prototype of her straightening iron. It was thetest prototype that had some improvements from the beauty store applied to it. ¡°It also was really embarrassing to visit that store alone¡­ You¡¯reing with me next time!¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°T-There¡¯s no way!¡± ¡°They have even more interesting stuff, though. Don¡¯t you want to know what I mean with that~?¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Really? You had me fooled yesterday, then. Especially during the night~.¡± The cat-girl naturally didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°I love you, too~.¡± She responded with a chuckle. ¡°Not curious at all about what else that shop has to offer?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia squirmed around for a moment. ¡°Of course, I am!¡± Even before bing a cat, she already was the curious type, after all. ¡°Last night was fun! I want more of that!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°I know that you liked it. I heard it, too. Good thing that Fenny and Aura left the house for us.¡± ¡°Uuhh¡­¡± The tiger squirmed even more. ¡°N-No need to say that out loud¡­¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Maya looked quite smug. ¡°Especially because even stopping time wouldn¡¯t have masked the noises you were making.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The smugness immediately disappeared from her face again. ¡°F-Forget I said anything.¡± ¡°dly~.¡± Once this topic was taken care of, Sophia focused on taming her hair again while Maya styled hers into the new low twintails she was trying out. She also used a set of the new ribbons she got as a gift from Ari and Anna to tie them together. ---------------- Once they were done with that and also got fully dressed, the couple left their mansion to visit the castle. As it was November by now, which came with a drastic change of the weather, the two also adjusted their wardrobe a bit. They haven¡¯t had the time to go on a full shopping spree yet, but the couple started wearing the tights they had gotten the other day beneath their clothes for now. This took care of their legs. Sophia had also gotten a dark-green jacket to warm the upper part of her body. Maya, on the other hand, had settled on a light-gray sweater jacket for the time being. Arriving at the castle and going to Anna¡¯s room, as usual, the couple was then greeted by Ari and the princess inside. ¡°Happyte birthday!¡± The duo smiled at the cat-girl. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t at home when you came over to visit. The cake was delicious, though, and the ribbons are super cute! I even started wearing them already.¡± While saying so, she pointed at her twintails resting on her chest, which were tied together with two red ribbons just above her corbones. ¡°I¡¯m happy you like them.¡± Ari answered her. ¡°I¡¯m also d I could exin to Anna that those ribbons are more than enough as a present for friends. You don¡¯t even want to know what she initially wanted to get you¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The couple could onlyugh as this very topic came up during their chat yesterday. ¡°Hey!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°I liked my idea¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to feel down!¡± Maya really didn¡¯t want to know her idea. ¡°I love those ribbons! It was the perfect gift. Again, thank you!¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­¡± The princess was quite easy to cheer up. ¡°You have to thank Ari for the cake, though¡­ I mostly helped with some preparations and a bit of taste-testing¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The couple looked at each other again. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you liked it~. Anyway,¡± The jaguar changed the topic. ¡°It sure is getting cold fast, huh?¡± She looked at the couple, who were way more dressed than usual. ¡°Yes!¡± Maya and the blonde reacted with a big nod. ¡°Stupid weather¡­¡± Sophia sounded grumbly for a moment. ¡°Did I somehow miss fall, or did we skip it?¡± ¡°Fall¡¯s kinda weird around here¡­ Ites fast and goes even faster. There¡¯ll be some nice days left this month every now and then, it¡¯ll probably be an up and down like every year, but then starting next month¡­ brr¡­¡± Anna actually shivered towards the end of her exnation. ¡°I hate this ce...¡± ¡°How do you like the tights, Sophia?¡± Ari looked at her legs, or rather the ck tights the tiger was wearing beneath her usual shorts. ¡°They¡¯re amazing!¡± Her face lit up again. ¡°They¡¯re so warm and fluffy! They feel sooo great on my legs. I love them already.¡± She apparently was a big fan. ¡°Great!¡± The jaguar looked slightly proud for some reason. ¡°Thank you so much for rmending them!¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± Maya joined in. She, too, was wearing her new white tights below her usual white and red skirt. ¡°I agree with everything Sophia said. They are extremelyfortable to wear.¡± ¡°Happy to hear that.¡± Ari gave her own legs a small pat while saying so. ¡°They really are great.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Even Anna joined in on the praise while she nced at her own legs as she was wearing the same white tights as Maya right now. ¡°Speaking of¡­¡± Sophia looked at the duo. ¡°Why are the two of you in your school uniform again, and why does it look kinda different¡­?¡± She noticed that the colors of their skirts had slightly changed. The white parts of the tartan-style checker pattern were a little less now, and the ck stripes were thicker instead. The most significant change was the ck zer with a white outline and a few ents the two were wearing over their dress shirt now. ¡°Also, I love your twintails, princess!¡± The blonde focused on Anna¡¯s hair, which had changed a lot since she saw her yesterday. Instead of her usual ponytail, she had it tied into two big, highly fluffy-looking twintails behind her ears. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Anna awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°The fluff was too much to handle for my poor ponytail¡­ The attempt to straighten them yesterday was aplete failure, too¡­ They need to up the power a ton for me¡­¡± ¡°Your bangs look fine, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, as you had guessed it already, it only works on them right now¡­¡± The princess looked down. ¡°You should think about getting your hair thinned out a bit, maybe¡­¡± ¡°That actually makes it worse for some reason¡­¡± ¡°How?! And or why?!¡± ¡°Nobody knows¡­¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t expected their hair to be this stoic. ¡°It might be worth giving it another try, though. Maybe it behaves differently when you apply heat afterward.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± She didn¡¯t sound overly hopeful, though. ¡°Anyway,¡± The jaguar tried to get back to the topic. ¡°That¡¯s the winter uniform of the academy. Anna got her new one earlier today, and I wanted to make sure that mine fromst year still fits.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°It looks really good. I like the zer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very good to hear.¡± Ari suddenly started smiling and walked over to Anna¡¯s bed. ¡°Here¡¯s one of my spares. I washed and ironed it earlier, and it¡¯s ready for you to try on.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°I splendidly walked right into that one, huh¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Well, I promised...¡± ¡°Wow, that was easy.¡± The ck-haired girl had expected a bit more struggling. ¡°I¡¯m still in a good mood after yesterday~.¡± ¡°I see. Did you and Maya have fun on her birthday?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde paused for another moment. ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± She could only tilt her head because she had no idea why her face suddenly seemed slightly flushed. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia got the topic back on the uniform. ¡°I only try it on if Maya does the same, though!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Anna also walked over to her bed. ¡°This one here is my old one fromst year. It should fit her quite well.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t mind the uniform at all. Her usual clothes weren¡¯t that different from it, after all. ¡°You can use my dressing room there.¡± The princess pointed at a door left from her. ---------------- The couple grabbed the uniforms the other two had prepared for them and disappeared into Anna¡¯s changing room. Roughly 20 minutes passed before they came back while wearing said uniforms. Both still had their tights on, but everything else had changed. The two were now wearing the same tartan-style skirt as the princess and Ari,bined with a white dress shirt, a ck and white zer, and a ribbon in the same pattern as the skirt. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia seemed a little fidgety as she was ying with the hem of her skirt. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about this¡­ It¡¯s way too short¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite easy to move in, though, is it not?¡± Maya naturally had no problem with it and did a little twirl on the spot to get her point across. ¡°T-That¡¯s true¡­¡± The blonde also moved around a bit. ¡°It really isfy, and the fabric feels nice, but still¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The cat-girl got closer to her tiger and lifted her skirt in a way the other two weren¡¯t able to see under it. ¡°H-Hey!¡± She got loud. ¡°Stop that!¡± With a blush on her cheeks, Sophia instantly pushed down her skirt again while bonking the cat-girl with her tail. ¡°It¡¯s all ck down there. Nothing to worry~.¡± She shed her a cheeky smile. ¡°And I know that your underwear isn¡¯t even ck today. It¡¯s perfectly safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to thank you¡­¡± Sophia started pouting instead. ¡°G-Good to know, though¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­¡± The cat-girl had to chuckle. ¡°And if you are bothered about someone else¡¯s imagination going wild, you just have to behave a little more when wearing a skirt. Not sure why that would even bother you, though. You¡¯d need to be bothered by absolutely everything, no matter what clothes you wear, then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Also, if someone tries to get a peek, I can just punch them to another dimension.¡± ¡°Resident cat-girls aside, right?¡± Maya pointed at herself. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± Pouting some more but not denying it, Sophia continued to walk around in the room. ¡°If it really is safe, though¡­ It actually does feel nice¡­¡± It seemed like she was already warming up to her new wardrobe. ¡°It¡¯s also nice to look at~.¡± Maya, too, was warming up to seeing her tiger in a skirt. Rather, she was a little hot and bothered about it, judging by her gaze. ¡°It looks great, you two.¡± Ari decided to ignore their bantering, which could only be described as flirting by everyone present. ¡°Yep.¡± Anna agreed. ¡°Well, my uniform on Maya might be a tiny bit too big, but it¡¯s still fine.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°I think I can improve the fit a little more if I put some more time into it, and we¡¯re golden.¡± ¡°Sophia, though¡­¡± While the princess said so, everyone focused their attention on the blonde tiger. ¡°You have to stop wearing your baggy shirts! Ari¡¯s uniform fits you perfectly! Your curves are even more defined than I thought they were. More importantly¡­¡± Anna stopped for a moment while she nced at a very particr part of her. ¡°Your chest is a good bit bigger than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± Ari looked at her princess for a moment with aplicated expression before agreeing with her. ¡°It seemed like our figure was more or less the same, but I was under the impression that my breasts were a little bigger. Turns out I was wrong, huh? Good for you, it looks great. We have to go shopping together! With our figures so closely together, getting something to fit right will be super easy because we¡¯ll have exactly the same sizes in them!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I, uhh¡­ like baggy shirts because they¡¯re sofy, but I might have to think about some alternatives¡­¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± The duo reacted with a big nod. ¡°I like the shopping idea¡­ I¡¯ll rely on you there¡­¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ari showed her a big smile. She, too, was looking forward to it. ¡°Let¡¯s everyone go shopping together soon again!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The other three girls agreed. ¡°Say¡­¡± Maya leaned over to her tiger and started whispering in a way only Sophia could understand. ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± She seemed a bit evasive for some reason. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up so much since this morning when we got dressed~. Did we perhaps use some kind of magic when you tried on Ari¡¯s uniform?¡± She started grinning. ¡°I also saw you grabbing a different bra from your storage when we were changing earlier~.¡± ¡°T-The uniform was a bit loose, okay?!¡± Sophia¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Ahaha¡­ Great! I love it!¡± Maya liked the blonde¡¯s improvements on her body. ¡°It fits you really well. I mean, I also loved what you didst night, but this here is basically perfect. You should think about keeping it like that.¡± ¡°I will¡­¡± She pondered about it for a moment while ncing at the mirror in Anna¡¯s room. ¡°I do look a bit more mature¡­ It¡¯s winter, too, so the focus on mobility isn¡¯t as important anymore¡­ I might try to stay like this.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The cat-girl looked really happy. ¡°I¡¯m spoiling you a lottely, aren¡¯t I?¡± Sophia reacted with a smile. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Once the two finished their secret discussion, they focused on the other two again. The group then kept chatting about their looks, uniforms, and the idea of going shopping together soon.
Chapter 215 – Unfamiliar clothes Chapter 215 ¨C Unfamiliar clothes Maya¡¯s birthday was over, and on the following day, once the couple had recovered from an eventful day and a long, not to mention exhausting night, the two went over to the royal castle again to meet Anna and Ari. There, Sophia and the cat-girl also tried on the winter uniform of the academy the duo attends to make sure it fits for when the couple¡¯s going to visit the school. Sophia wasn¡¯t a fan of the short skirt at first. Still, after understanding that her new ck tights hide any important spots with ease, together with howfortable skirts actually are, she was warming up to her new wardrobe sooner than anticipated. Ari and Anna were also quite surprised about the blonde¡¯s figure, especially her chest, after seeing Sophia not in her usually rather baggy shirts for the first time. Maya saw through that in an instant, though, and noticed that her tiger had adjusted parts of her body a little with magic to perfectly fill out the uniform she had received from the jaguar. Much to her delight, Sophia also was open to the idea of keeping her figure like that. Maya naturally liked every version of Sophia, and she proved that many times already, but she had not a singleint about this decision, either. Once the couple got used to their new clothes, and bodies, the two kept chatting with the princess and Ari. After all, both really enjoyed that, and they also had nothing else nned, either. ¡°What¡¯s your school or academy like¡­?¡± Once Sophia finished running around in Anna¡¯s room to get used to her new skirt, she sat down on a free spot next to her cat on the sofas and looked at the duo. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The two tilted their heads in response. ¡°It¡¯s fun.¡± The princess was the first to answer. ¡°Thank you very much for this beneficial insight. It answered all of my questions.¡± The blonde¡¯s voice carried a slight hint of sarcasm with it. ¡°It¡¯s a very Anna-like reply, though.¡± Ari also rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure if I agree with that¡­¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that~.¡± The princess nudged her side. ¡°Ever since people noticed that you¡¯re finally less self-conscious about your hair, they try to approach you more, too, after all¡­¡± She suddenly paused. ¡°Wait, thanks to that¡­ is the academy fun¡­?¡± Anna¡¯s voice changed, and she sounded a bit jealous. ¡°No¡­ It is fun to chat with everyone, at least¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Maya sighed for some reason while she was looking at the tall tiger being grumbly about Ari getting more attentiontely. ¡°Even so¡­ It¡¯s true that I get slightly less ufortable when people look at me, but I still haven¡¯t done much of this chatting thing¡­¡± The jaguar thought about the academy some more. ¡°There¡¯s various stuff you get taught there¡­ Though, everything rted to magic is actuallypletely wrong¡­¡± She nced at the couple during thest part. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia only let out a dryugh. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like school¡¯s any fun¡­¡± Curiously enough, the blonde didn¡¯t sound surprised in the slightest about this revtion. ¡°I-It¡¯s not that bad of a ce!¡± Even though Anna had started to doubt it herself, she still tried to defend it. ¡°I-It¡¯s nice to chat with friends and stuff¡­ We learned a few useful things, as well¡­¡± She didn¡¯t sound overly convincing. ¡°It¡¯s alright, princess.¡± Maya stopped her. ¡°We already agreed to go with the two of you.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Look at me in this stupidly short skirt! I¡¯vemitted to it now.¡± ¡°dly.¡± The cat-girl changed her attention to the blonde¡¯s legs. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± ¡°Well, it suits you.¡± Anna also stole a nce. ¡°T-Thanks¡­ I also think it looks great, it¡¯s superfy, and I hate it¡­¡± ¡°That sounds slightly contradictory¡­¡± Ari tilted her head while sounding a bit confused. ¡°I hate that I love it!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Everyone had the same expression as they smiled at the squirming tiger, who had started ying with the hem of her skirt again. ¡°I know it¡¯s unfamiliar for you, but¡­¡± The jaguar nced at the blonde¡¯s skirt. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything important, but you¡¯re still showing off more leg than you probably want to if you move the hem of it around so much.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Anna, sitting next to Ari on the sofa opposite of Sophia and Maya, gave her a hearty nod. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Hearing that, the blonde instinctively crossed her legs while pushing down her skirt. ¡°Stop being so adorable¡­¡± Maya had her difficulties keeping her cool while she looked at her overly girlish girlfriend. ¡°Yes.¡± The duo agreed with the cat-girl as they marveled over the extremely unfamiliar side of the blonde. ¡°It¡¯s sooo not like you. It¡¯s cute, though.¡± ¡°I hate all of you¡­¡± With a huff, she turned her head away. ¡°We love you, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± She liked what she heard but had to double down regardless. ¡°Still hate you, though.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The trio looked at her with a warm expression while stifling a chuckle. ¡°Trying on this skirt was a mistake¡­ No matter howfy it is¡­¡± As usual, Sophia liked toin about something she already had taken a liking to. ¡°Maybe I should rethink it again¡­¡± She didn¡¯t look like she actually wanted to, though. ¡°No!¡± Maya didn¡¯t want that to happen, either. ¡°Girly Sophia is amazing!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The duo strongly agreed. ¡°Decide on a standpoint already!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°No!¡± All three shook their heads. ¡°Well, you look cute, so we¡¯re okay with it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s seriously creepy¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like how their voices ovepped so perfectly. ¡°T-Thank you, though¡­¡± While she usually prefers baggy andfortable clothes that are easy to move in, it didn¡¯t mean that she doesn¡¯t like being called cute. ¡°Be prepared for when we¡¯re going shopping together!¡± Ari locked eyes with her. ¡°Your wardrobe is going to make a drastic change.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this. ¡°Go easy on me, please¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Everyone disagreed. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Sophia gave up. ¡°Well, I kinda want to change things up, too¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The trio sounded happy. ¡°And I trust you that if I really don¡¯t want something, you¡¯re not going to force me¡­ That might backfire a bit.¡± Her voice changed a little during the end. ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Feel free to try something, though. I want to get some inspiration, too.¡± The blonde turned cheerful again. ¡°¡­¡± The duo and Maya nced at each other, vowing in their mind not to totally overdo it with Sophia in their minds. The girls chatted about their shopping trip for a little longer before eventually changing the topic. ---------------- ¡°By the way,¡± The blonde looked at the fluffy twintails of her fellow tiger again. ¡°How is our queen faring with her hair? Thest time I saw her, she already had even more volume than you have now¡­¡± ¡°If you value your life, don¡¯t ever approach mother with that topic¡­¡± Anna¡¯s voice turned deadly serious. ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t expected such a reply. ¡°It¡¯s that bad? Didn¡¯t she visit the beauty store to test out my invention, too¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever ask her about that, either!¡± ¡°W-What happened?¡± ¡°I mentioned that the current version of your invention doesn¡¯t have enough power for my long hair, right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Well, the girls weren¡¯t even able to press the iron down when they put a strand of mother¡¯s hair inside¡­¡± ¡°Okay, now you¡¯re just messing with me.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Well then, go and ask her.¡± Anna smirked at her. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°M-Maya¡­¡± The blonde looked at her cat. ¡°Not a chance.¡± She already knew what the question was going to be. ¡°It was worth a try¡­¡± ¡°If you think so.¡± Maya only rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll manage to eventually tame Kira¡¯s hair¡­¡± Sophia decided not to go and ask her herself. ¡°What about Ellie?¡± ¡°She loves her fluffy hair.¡± Anna let out a small sigh. ¡°She¡¯s still too young to understand how much of a pain it is.¡± ¡°Yeah, just about what I expected.¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that the little princess was more than fine with the change. ¡°How nice it has to be not having to care about anything except having fun¡­¡± The tall tiger yed with one of her fluffy twintails while saying so. ---------------- The girls kept the topic going for a little longer, but Sophia eventually focused on the school uniform she and everyone else was wearing right now again. ¡°By the way,¡± She looked at Maya. ¡°What are we actually going to do in their academy? I mean, sure, the whole magic thingy, but¡­ Is there an actual n for that?¡± ¡°True.¡± Ari faced her princess. ¡°Sophia and I were a little left out on the whole project, so I have no idea what exactly is going on, either.¡± ¡°Not that Iin.¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t upset in the slightest that the two weren¡¯t overly included in training Eluna. ¡°Yep.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°Our free times during those trainings were very well spent.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°Yeah, with flirting.¡± Anna lightly red at them in response. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t answer. ¡°So, what¡¯s the n.¡± Aripletely ignored her tiger¡¯s expression which was slowly changing to a pout instead. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Do we even have a n¡­?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia and the jaguar seemed surprised. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The princess finished pouting and tilted her head. ¡°We trained Eluna, and she¡¯s able to use a number of elements or groups now¡­ That¡¯s why we nned to visit the academy together to present the new way of using magic. Yeah, that¡¯s the n.¡± ¡°Sure, I understood that much already.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°How, though?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Maya and Anna first looked at each other before eventually facing the blonde. ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°Why is everyone around me so easygoing?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The serious jaguar raised her voice. ¡°I know you well enough by now that I know that you have more than one side, my dear.¡± Sophia only stared at her. "A-Ah¡­¡± The mostly, or asionally serious Ari turned her head away. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I love that side of yours. Please keep going like that.¡± The blonde really enjoyed her ck-haired friend being so diverse when it came to her personality. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to feel about this. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia liked her reaction. ¡°No, wait¡­ Do we seriously have no n? I mean, I rarely n anything, so I¡¯m not to me here, but no one made any preparations¡­? I¡¯m not sure if I should be proud or disappointed.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Nope, definitely proud. I¡¯m in goodpany~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re having fun, but¡­¡± Ari had recovered from the earlier jab already. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we actually¡­ I don¡¯t know, n something?¡± ¡°Any ideas?¡± nning things wasn¡¯t the blonde¡¯s forte, so she immediately gave up without even trying. ¡°None.¡± Anna swiftly joined her. ¡°Well, to our defense, tigers aren¡¯t known for being nners. We¡¯re doers.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia liked this exnation she had never heard before. ¡°My dear princes,¡± The jaguar nced at her. ¡°Your father¡¯s the king and ruler of this nation. His job is literally to n and make decisions for the entire country day in and out.¡± ¡°Father¡¯s also more of a doer. He has hismanders, ministers, and the entire rest of his political staff to help him, after all.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ari was still staring at her. ¡°Probably.¡± She had no chance of winning against her jaguar when it came to stuff like this. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the n, Ari?¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Why me?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the serious, levelheaded one here, after all.¡± ¡°I knew that would eventually bite me the moment I raised my voice earlier¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°Okay, girls, homework for everyone! We¡¯ll all give it some thought and meet again tomorrow to talk about our ideas!¡± ¡°You have no n either, do you?¡± Maya saw through her in an instant. ¡°I choose not to answer that.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The couple stayed for a little longer but eventually decided to head home to get working on their assignment. The two also decided to keep wearing the uniform on the way back to get used to it. Maya had no problems with that, but Sophia kept being fidgety the entire way back. The short skirt made her feel a bit insecure because it was new to her, but she also very much enjoyed how easy it was to move in it. All in all, she actually really liked it.
Chapter 216 – Academy preparations Chapter 216 ¨C Academy preparations The couple went over to the castle to meet up with Anna and Ari, and the two also tried on the school uniforms of the duo. Maya was rather indifferent about it, but Sophia needed some time to get used to it because skirts make her feel a bit insecure. The blonde started to enjoy it rtively quick, though, because she liked howfortable and easy it was to move around in it. While chatting about the academy, the girls noticed that they actually hadn¡¯t nned anything for the couple¡¯s visit where they¡¯re supposed to introduce the new way of using magic to everyone. Deciding to think about overnight, the girls wanted to get together on the following day again to share their ideas. ¡°You sure like those clothes, huh?¡± The couple was on the way back to the castle, and Maya looked at her tiger. Both were wearing the school uniform again. Sophia wanted to get a better feel for them, and the cat-girl simply tagged along with it. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I want to get used to them before visiting the school¡­ It¡¯s one thing to mess up with this stupid skirt around you, or Ari and the princess, but in front of a bunch of strangers¡­ I might have to burn down the ce afterward¡­¡± Her tail started to swish all over the ce in agitation while she imagined such an incident happening¡­ ¡°I see¡­¡± The cat-girl opted to not make ament here. ¡°It really isfy, though¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, the clothes are super high quality, and you can feel that.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I honestly like the skirt and tightsbo way more than I want to, too¡­¡± She looked down at herself. ¡°My legs are toasty warm, but thanks to the skirt, my movement isn¡¯t hindered in the slightest! It¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Looks great, too~.¡± Maya stared at her tiger. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Ari and Anna will definitely put you in a skirt when we go shopping for new clothes. Be prepared for that.¡± ¡°Well, then I just have to make sure not to tell them how much I like their uniform...¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°What will you do about me putting you in a skirt, though?¡± "A-Ah.¡± She awkwardly scratched her chin. ¡°Let me get used to this here first, okay¡­?¡± The tiger gestured at her current clothes. ¡°Alright!¡± As Maya didn¡¯t hear a no in her reply, she left it at that for the time being. Walking around for a few more minutes afterward, the couple quickly arrived at the castle and met up with their two friends. ---------------- ¡°Long time no see~.¡± Anna cheerfully greeted them once they arrived at her room. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been hours!¡± Sophia smiled back at her. ¡°Almost like 20 or so!¡± ¡°Wee back.¡± Ari¡¯s greeting was a bit more on the neutral side, and she simply waved at them. ¡°Hey~.¡± Maya waved back. ¡°Already liking the uniform, huh?¡± The jaguar looked at the couple. ¡°Ahh, that was Sophia¡¯s idea.¡± ¡°I want to get used to it! It helps that it¡¯s reallyfy.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Ari focused her attention on the blonde. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I actually said it yesterday, or only thought it, but skirts work really well on you¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess immediately agreed. ¡°I was thinking the exact same thing!¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°Absolutely!¡± The duo nodded. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Especially when taking the conversation with Maya on the way to the castle earlier into consideration, Sophia could already see the style of her future wardrobe forming before her eyes. While visibly embarrassed, judging by her slightly expectant expression, the blonde seemed to be honestly looking forward to it to some degree. ¡°By the way,¡± Ari sounded a little more serious again. ¡°I hope the two of you did the homework I gave you.¡± "A-Ah.¡± The couple turned their heads away. ¡°Gosh, you two are so useless.¡± Anna sounded incredibly smug all of a sudden. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you came up with something?!¡± Maya was unable to believe such a scenario. ¡°Of course!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯m not just a princess for show! I-¡± ¡°In other words,¡± The jaguar interrupted her. ¡°The moment you left yesterday, she ran to her father, the king, who actually isn¡¯t just for show and asked him what to do.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The couple almost seemed relieved about this revtion. ¡°H-Hey!¡± With a slight blush, Anna red at Ari. ¡°Y-You didn¡¯t have to tell them!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Whenever you get smug, I get the urge to tease you~.¡± She didn¡¯t sound overly apologetic. ¡°Ahh.¡± The couple, once more, reacted the same. Maya especially seemed to sympathize a lot with this. ¡°Do I like this¡­?¡± The princess looked honestly confused. ¡°Yes.¡± All three answered her question. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°W-Well, if Ari does it¡­¡± ¡°Hey, what about me?¡± Maya pointed at herself. ¡°You don¡¯t enjoy it when I tease you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent for a moment. ¡°S-Shut up.¡± ¡°Good enough for me~.¡± ¡°Soooo¡­¡± Ignoring the two, Sophia looked at the jaguar. ¡°What did our totally not-for-show princesse up with together with her father?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The tall tiger raised her voice. ¡°What?¡± The shorter, equally striped girl locked eyes with her. ¡°I said not for show, did I not?¡± ¡°Those were the words you used, yes. It somehow didn¡¯t feel very sincere, though.¡± ¡°That must¡¯ve been your imagination.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Anna had a hard time believing her. ¡°Yes, I think so, too.¡± The jaguar sided with the blonde. ¡°It sounded 100% genuine to me.¡± ¡°See?¡± Sophia pat Ari¡¯s shoulder to show her appreciation. ¡°Why do I feel less convinced now¡­?¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t trust our dear Ari?¡± Sophia had no intention to back down on this. ¡°There¡¯s no one I trust more!¡± She got loud again. ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde started smiling. ¡°So, what¡¯s the n you and your father came up with?¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The jaguar also liked Anna¡¯s reaction a whole lot. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The princess looked at the two for a moment before giving up. ¡°Apparently, the two of you can do whatever you want when you visit our school.¡± ¡°Ari.¡± Sophia looked at the jaguar. ¡°Yep.¡± She nodded in response. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Anna didn¡¯t understand their reaction. ¡°That¡¯s a failing grade for the homework.¡± The duo grinned at her. ¡°H-Hey! Wait! I¡¯m the only one who did anything at all! Why am I getting a failing grade?!¡± ¡°Being allowed to do whatever we want is no different than having found out nothing.¡± Maya sided with the duo. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± There was little the princess could defend herself with. ¡°Father, together with the ministers of schooling and education, decided that it would be best if Eluna takes the leading role. She¡¯s a famous teacher and instructor, after all. Well, Sophia¡¯s also famous, but for being the new and exciting blonde tiger, not as a genius rted to magic.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The girl in question had some difficult feelings about this. ¡°The students will jump at a public ss of the Eluna.¡± Anna continued her exnation. ¡°The four of us will join her sses and help her out. We¡¯ll basically be the living proof that those new methods work.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Okay, Maya and I will be¡­¡± The princess corrected herself. ¡°Ari still needs some teaching herself and you¡­ you¡­¡± She was unable to finish her sentence. ¡°I see.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t mind the slight insult. ¡°I¡¯m not a good example for someone who¡¯s still learning the roots of magic¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Everyone agreed. ¡°Hey! Just because I¡¯m the one who said it doesn¡¯t mean you all can just agree with it!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Anna looked at her fellow tiger again. ¡°Just because Eluna¡¯s in charge of the teaching, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s getting all the recognition for it. Once the new methods of using magic take roots, you and Maya can show off what magic really is.¡± ¡°Oh, is that where Maya, Ari, and I will break theirmon sense? That¡¯s my forte~.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± The three nodded. ¡°Wait, Ari?¡± The jaguar pointed at herself. ¡°I don¡¯t destroymon sense. I preserve it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Maya looked at her with an apologetic expression. ¡°That was over the moment you became besties with my idiot.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re not the strongest in the capital after my group and Ellie just for show, after all~.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I am, though¡­ I just got so powerful because I was envious of some magic¡­ I can¡¯t even use my new powers yet.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something small!¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve seen some of Sophia¡¯s other stunts, you¡¯d think otherwise.¡± While it was definitely out of the norm what happened to the jaguar, the blonde did a few and slightly more outrageous things already. ¡°More than gifting me some of her power¡­?¡± Ari looked doubtful. ¡°Well, she faced off against an entire army all on herself.¡± Anna could agree with the cat¡¯s im. ¡°That was, at least visually speaking, pretty impressive.¡± ¡°Nah, Ari¡¯s case way above that.¡± The blonde herself shook her head. ¡°Maya¡¯s still right, though~.¡± As someone from a different world that changed races and almost destroyed a continent not too long ago, she couldn¡¯t disagree with the cat-girl. ¡°Urgh¡­ I-I¡¯ll try my best to stay as normal as possible, though¡­¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t want to join Sophia¡¯s rank of ridiculousness just yet for some reason. ¡°Good luck~.¡± Maya had little hope for her. ---------------- Once the ck-haired girl finished being down about her inevitable future, the group made more ns to visit the academy together. However, as they were about to wrap things up for the day, Sophia had heard something that greatly distressed her. ¡°W-What was that just now¡­?¡± She looked at Anna with a shocked expression. ¡°I said that sses start at 09:00, but it would be best to be at the academy a good bit earlier, like around an hour.¡± The princess repeated herself. ¡°The girls there often asked me about the blonde tiger, and if you¡¯re going to actually show up there now, it¡¯ll be quite themotion. That¡¯ll take a while.¡± ¡°So¡­ 08:00 ¡­ Like, in the morning¡­?¡± ¡°What else?¡± ¡°With getting ready, including my hair¡­ Not to mention breakfast¡­ Even getting up at 7 in the morning could be toote¡­ Impossible.¡± Something like that was outside the realms of Sophia¡¯s powers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll wake you up~.¡± Maya grinned at her. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me feel any better!¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get some extra hours of sleep while I stop-¡± ¡°No.¡± The cat-girl shook her head. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Sophia wanted to stop time to get enough sleep, but the cat-girl was against the idea because she was sure that once the tiger takes a liking to that, she¡¯ll start sleeping for 30 hours a day. The blonde eventually gave up on her idea while announcing to sleep through the sses that weren¡¯t interesting. Ari had a fewints about that, but Anna was surprisingly silent on the topic.
Chapter 217 – Going to school Chapter 217 ¨C Going to school The couple met with Anna and Ari again to n their visit to the magic academy. As it turned out, the two didn¡¯t have to do much at all because Eluna was going to take care of most things as she used to be a famous instructor and teacher. Sophia and Maya could just take it easy and rx while helping her out when it¡¯s needed. Once the new way of training takes root, the blonde could go wild and break everyone¡¯smon sense. Something else about this n bothered the tiger greatly, though. She had to get up way too early to attend the school, which really wasn¡¯t to her liking. ¡°Haa¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t even close to 08:00 in the morning when the couple went back to the royal castle. There, in front of the entrance gates, Ari and Anna were already waiting. ¡°Good morning.¡± Seeing the couple wearing the same uniform as herself and the princess, the jaguar lightly greeted the two. ¡°¡®Morning.¡± Maya waved her hand. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Sophia, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t even able to say a single word without it turning into a yawn. Her eyes, too, were almost fully closed while she was leaning against the cat-girl to support her sluggish body. ¡°Wow, someone really isn¡¯t good with mornings.¡± The jaguar almost looked impressed. ¡°¡­¡± The tiger in question didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Ari.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°She isn¡¯t even awake yet.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Anna got closer to her and waved her around in front of Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°¡­¡± There was next to no reaction. ¡°Wow, and here I thought I was bad with mornings. She¡¯s worse than Ellie and Ibined!¡± ¡°Tigers, huh?¡± The jaguar nced at the cat-girl. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure what to say. It¡¯s not like Sophia was any better before bing a tiger, after all. ¡°W-Well¡­ It got worse¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°Err¡­ I mean, now that it¡¯s getting colder, it¡¯s gotten even harder to get her out of the bed. ¡°Ahh¡­ T-True¡­¡± The ck-haired girl nodded while a slight blush appeared on her face. ¡°The cold is the worst, after all!¡± Anna raised her voice. It seemed like the two were going through something simr. ¡°Not so loud¡­ Haa~¡­¡± Sophia rubbed the side of her head against Maya¡¯s shoulder while she was clinging to her arm. ¡°People are trying to sleep here¡­¡± ¡°How¡¯s that even possible while standing up?!¡± The taller tiger just had to retort. ¡°Dedication...¡± She let out yet another yawn while answering her. ¡°Okay.¡± Anna quickly decided that she didn¡¯t want to continue this conversation. As it didn¡¯t seem like Sophia¡¯s condition would improve anytime soon, the group decided to leave for the academy while the blonde tiger was still holding onto Maya for support. The cold weather, especially in the morning, was the only reason she hadn¡¯t curled up somewhere to sleep yet. ---------------- The four walked through the capital for around 20 minutes and eventually reached the academy. ording to Ari, it usually was more of a 5 to 10-minute walk at best, but the sluggish and more than half-asleep blonde had held them up quite a bit. ¡°Ohh!¡± Once the girls arrived at the academy, Sophia finally started to wake up. To some degree, at least. ¡°Impressive!¡± She looked at the vast area with an enormous mansion-like building at the opposite end of the campus. The whole ce looked like a picture of a medieval fantasy-like magic academy illustrated in many novels the blonde had seen in her old world. ¡°If I wouldn¡¯t be so sleepy, I¡¯d love to explore it!¡± ¡°I can give you a tour during lunch break.¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll try to get some sleep until then!¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t!¡± Ari just had to make a retort. ¡°The academy isn¡¯t a ce for you to sleep!¡± She looked at both tigers for some reason. ¡°Even for those just being here for fun, and or being talked into it for some reason she doesn¡¯t even fully understand¡­?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The jaguar had no reply to Sophia¡¯seback. ¡°Alright, good night.¡± The blonde heard all she needed to hear and nuzzled her head against Maya¡¯s arm again. ¡°S-So unfair¡­¡± Anna looked at her with an envious expression. ¡°What exactly?¡± The cat-girl rubbed her head against Sophia¡¯s before grinning at the princess. ¡°N-Napping during sses!¡± Her face turned red. ¡°I want to do that, too!¡± ¡°Yep, as long as I notice, I won¡¯t ever let that happen!¡± ¡°You always notice!¡± The tigerined to her jaguar. ¡°It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re constantly watching me when we¡¯re in ss! Pay more attention to the teacher, will you?!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not something you can defend yourself with when your goal is to sleep in school!¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°Also, we sit next to each other.¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes. ¡°It would be weirder for me not to catch you trying to take a nap.¡± ¡°S-Sophia!¡± ¡°Hmnn¡­?¡± The blonde only reacted with a slight grumbling to her fellow tiger. ¡°Any interest in sitting together today?¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± ¡°Maya, trantion please.¡± Anna looked at the cat-girl for help. ¡°As long as my beloved Maya can sit on the other side, I don¡¯t particrly mind.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The princess looked happy. ¡°There are a lot of words behind a short mhmm, huh?¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°Also, beloved? Really?¡± ¡°Try to prove that my trantion¡¯s wrong~.¡± The cat-girl shed her a grin. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The jaguarcked the motivation for such an endeavor. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really mind. Your other side is still free, after all, Anna. Nothing will change~.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The princess hadn¡¯t thought about that. ---------------- ¡°Oh, a good morning to you, princess- Mhm?¡± Noticing Anna, two dog-girls, one with red and one with light-gray hair, wearing the same uniform as the group, started walking towards the tiger but quickly stopped once they saw who else was with her. ¡°Mai, Amy, good morning!¡± Anna turned around after hearing her voice and greeted them back. ¡°Sure is getting cold, huh?¡± ¡°I-Indeed¡­¡± The red-haired girl weakly nodded. ¡°Is¡­ Is that¡­?¡± The gray dog ignored her small-talk entirely and looked in Sophia¡¯s direction with big eyes. ¡°She¡¯s the rumored blonde tiger, isn¡¯t she? Your long-lost family member, right?!¡± ¡°Err¡­ something along those lines, sure¡­¡± The princess sounded slightly tired for some reason. ¡°Seriously?!¡± The two dogs got loud. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her this close!¡± ¡°Me, neither! I saw her from afar in the shopping district one or two times, but she was always gone before I could get close!¡± The two seemed pretty excited about her. ¡°Why is she here with you, though, princess?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ long story very short, she¡¯s going to join the academy for a project.¡± ¡°Is that so?!¡± They got even more excited. ¡°By the way, her name¡¯s Sophia.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Sophia! I¡¯m Mai.¡± ¡°Amy!¡± The two introduced themselves. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you in person!¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± The blonde reacted to her name on instinct. Still, her consciousness was already gone as she was mostly asleep again while was leaning against Maya¡¯s arm. ¡°Huh?¡± The two dogs tilted their heads. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her.¡± Maya waved her free hand. ¡°She¡¯s just a little¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine!¡± The red-haired girl. ¡°A timid and well-spoken tiger princess is fresh!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± The other dog agreed. ¡°I always thought tigers are easily excited and the to go overboard by nature. Seeing that there are also tigers like this is interesting! Something like a mysterious and silent beauty is super cool! I bet she¡¯s also super dignified, too!¡± ¡°Our academy has been blessed by an ice-queen!¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was one of the rare times where Maya had be utterly speechless. As she had never heard a description of her girlfriend that was this far away from the truth, she was at a loss and decided topletely ignore it instead. ¡°Y-You have lovely friends, Anna~.¡± She did enjoy how the two dogs had casually trash-talked the orange princess, though. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Her face turned red. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an insult!¡± The gray dog tried to defend herself. ¡°We love how friendly and sociable Anna is! Everyone gets along with her really easily, after all!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The other girl joined in. ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons why she¡¯s so popr, too! Her good mood is infectious, and no one can feel down around her!¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± Anna got even more embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s just that this stark contrast between those two makes the mysterious blonde tiger even more interesting! It¡¯s something entirely different, and that¡¯s exciting!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The princess and the cat-girl shared the same exhausted expression. Both of them knew how the blonde really was, after all. ¡°By the way,¡± The dogs finally paid some more attention to Maya. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Smooth.¡± The cat in question rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Maya. Girlfriend of your mysterious blonde tiger i-ice queen¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t stay serious while saying it. ¡°Is that so?¡± The red-haired girl seemed a bit disappointed. ¡°Of course,this tiger isn¡¯t single, either¡­¡± The other dog had a simr expression while mumbling something to herself. ¡°Anyway, good for you!¡± They still looked happy for her. ¡°Quite the catch you made there.¡± ¡°Thanks~.¡± Maya liked the response. ¡°Trust me, it wasn¡¯t easy.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± They reacted with a nod. The three weren¡¯t necessarily on the same page, though. The two dogs kept chatting with the group a little longer, mainly Maya and Anna, that is, because Sophia was basically fully asleep, and Ari decided to be one with the background. Eventually, though, they decided to head inside the academy. The four tried to do the same, but they kept getting stopped by other students on the way. Everyone was curious about the group, after all. A few boys were interested as well, but the overwhelming majority were girls. Their aura alone made it more than clear that the boys had no chance, and so they just wanted to get a better look and see what was happening before moving on. Even without being actually conscious, or precisely because of that, Sophia managed to create even more misunderstandings around her person. By the time her group finally made it into the academy building, her position as a mysterious ice-queen, thanks to her taciturnity,bined with a general calm and collected aura, had already been established. For some reason, probably because it was too unbelievable to even think about, no one had noticed that they were trying to talk to a, more or less, fast asleep girl the entire time. Chapter 218 – New character trait Chapter 218 ¨C New character trait The day when the couple visited the academy Ari and Anna attended had finallye. It started just as rocky as one would expect, as well. Sophia had to get up way too early and was more or less unconscious the entire morning time because she was unable to function in those early hours. This then resulted in many misunderstandings around her person. Many, mostly girls, had approached the group because they were curious about the blonde. Unfortunately, because she was fast asleep, Sophia gave off a rather taciturn feeling while radiating the aura of a calm and collected girl. Rumors of her being something akin to an ice-queen had already started circting through the academy before she managed to finally wake up during their lunch break. ¡°Haaa~.¡± Yawning while stretching herself, Sophia looked around and noticed that she was sitting at a table together with Maya, Anna, and Ari in a ce that looked like a cafeteria. ¡°What did I miss?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone just stared at her. ¡°I sure was extra tired today¡­¡± She let out another yawn while saying so. ¡°Thanks for the shoulder to sleep on, Maya~.¡± ¡°It was an honor, my dear ice-queen.¡± There was no way the cat-girl wouldn¡¯t use this chance. ¡°Ehehe- Wait, wait?¡± The blonde needed a second. ¡°Who¡¯s an ice-queen?¡± ¡°You.¡± Ari and Anna pointed at her. ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Me? An ice-queen? I¡¯m the absolute exact opposite of that¡­¡± ¡°We know.¡± All three girls heartily agreed. ¡°So, uhh¡­ What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve created yet another misunderstanding.¡± The jaguar shook her head while looking straight at Sophia. ¡°You sure have a talent for that.¡± ¡°I do, but¡­ What? I just woke up! How could I possibly have created a misunderstanding without even being conscious?!¡± She didn¡¯t like this absolutely unreasonable usation. ¡°Except for the part where everyone was so excited to see you, the mysterious blonde tiger up close for the first time, but failed to notice that you were sleepy.¡± Ari didn¡¯t let her out of it. ¡°Everyone misunderstood your behavior and now thinks that you¡¯re a quiet, taciturn, calm, collected, and well-mannereddy that lets nothing get to her.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She needed to let that sink in for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m a loud idiot, though?!¡± ¡°We know!¡± The girls also raised their voices. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m a taciturndy now~.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it two minutes before your image crumbles, now that you¡¯re actually awake.¡± Ari didn¡¯t believe the blonde could keep up such an act. ¡°Wow, you really don¡¯t know her that well yet, huh?¡± Maya nced at the jaguar. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°There¡¯s just no way that she¡¯d be able to act like that for two minutes.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The calmdy got loud. ¡°Two seconds, huh?¡± Anna sounded impressed. ¡°Well, Ari was right with the two part of her im.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stopped talking for a moment. ¡°A-Anyway, again, did I miss something?¡± She then decided to drop the topic for the time being. ¡°Aside from me having gained yet another personality trait?¡± ¡°Alleged personality trait.¡± Ari corrected her. ¡°Same difference. Wait!¡± The blonde focused her attention on the jaguar. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do anything to prevent this misunderstanding?!¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± She only tilted her head. ¡°I doubt anything could¡¯ve woken you up, not to mention that it was quite nice for you getting all the attention. More and more people are noticing my increased magic powertely and trying to find out what¡¯s going on with me¡­ Not fun at all¡­ That¡¯s why it¡¯s great that everyone¡¯s curious about you right now.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Fair enough.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t me her for that. ¡°Aside from that, you haven¡¯t missed that much.¡± The ck-haired girl continued. ¡°Maya introduced you to the ss, and you slept for a couple of hours¡­ Now, it¡¯s lunch break.¡± ¡°Thanks for taking over my introduction~.¡± She was d that her cat took care of that. ¡°Sure!¡± Maya had a really smug expression for some reason. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you should thank her¡­¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°She had a lot of fun with everyone misunderstanding your personality¡­¡± ¡°What did you do?!¡± Sophia stared at her girlfriend. ¡°Nothing~.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The taciturndy got even louder. Hehe.¡± The cat-girl let out a chuckle. ¡°I just gave them more fuel to think that you¡¯re an ice queen.¡± ¡°Why? How? And also, why?!¡± ¡°Because it¡¯ll be fun~.¡± ¡°Why did I even ask¡­?¡± Sophia hung her head with a sigh. ¡°Well, I probably would¡¯ve done the same, though¡­¡± It was hard for her to me Maya. ¡°So, what did you do?¡± ¡°I just confirmed every theory they had~.¡± She tried her best to keep herself fromughing out loud. ¡°In their eyes, you¡¯re now a confirmed taciturn but well-mannered youngdy that rarely speaks, let alone ever raises her voice. You also get excited about nothing and are generally calm and collected.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°None of these words can be used to describe you, though.¡± Anna, too, tried her best to hold in herughter. ¡°Yep.¡± Maya nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s going to be sooo much fun once everyone gets to see the real Sophia.¡± ¡°True.¡± Ari had to agree with her. ¡°Hey!¡± The calm girl that had never raised her voice before got louder than ever. ¡°I still don¡¯t know how to feel about the two of you starting to bond¡­¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The princess agreed with a few big nods. ¡°I know that feeling.¡± The cat and the jaguar replied with the same sentence to the other duo. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± There was nothing the tigers could counter with here. ¡°Anyway~,¡± Maya decided to drop the topic for the time being. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite surprised that no one has approached us yet during lunch break.¡± ¡°True.¡± The blonde nodded while looking around in the cafeteria. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed a ton of gazes our way, but no one actually started a conversation yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because of me.¡± Anna answered the two. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Quite a while ago, people kept bothering us during lunch, so I eventually announced that no one shall approach Ari and me during that time because it¡¯s for us alone!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± The couple was touched. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Lunch has be a lot more peaceful ever since.¡± The jaguar sounded quite happy. ¡°It¡¯s great.¡± ¡°I can imagine~.¡± Sophia tried to hold back the grin that was forming on her lips. ¡°S-Shush!¡± Ari¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Good going, princess.¡± Maya had the same expression as her girlfriend. ¡°S-Shush!¡± So was Anna¡¯s whenpared to her jaguar. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± The couple then looked at each other with a raised eyebrow. ¡°A-Anyway, I¡¯m hungry!¡± The orange tiger tried to get the attention away from her. ¡°Oh?¡± The blonde¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± It was very effective. ¡°Judging by how you just woke up, that¡¯s breakfast for you, huh?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Maya shook her head while looking at Ari. ¡°She had some this morning.¡± ¡°Eh? I did?¡± The girl in question was the most surprised one. ¡°Yep. Just some slices of toast, though. You have problems eating something more borate when still being asleep, after all.¡± ¡°I have?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Wait¡­ How often do I sleep eat for you to know what I can and can¡¯t eat?¡± ¡°Do you actually want to know?¡± Maya stared right at her. ¡°Err¡­ Princess¡­ What does the academy offer in terms of food?¡± She didn¡¯t want to know. ¡°Today¡¯s pasta day, so there will be many variations of that.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°Would your answer be any different with other dishes?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The blonde ignored Ari¡¯s remark and how she was getting to know her quirks more and more. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Everyone showed the serious, well-spoken, and taciturn girl a warm smile. ---------------- A few momentster, the girls left their table in the cafeteria and went to get something to eat together. Once everyone got something that fitted their tastes, the group returned to their table and ate lunch together while enjoying the rest of the break. ¡°By the way,¡± While the four were eating, Sophia addressed Anna and Ari at the opposite side of their table. ¡°What¡¯s the agenda for after lunch?¡± ¡°Two hours of math.¡± The jaguar answered her. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Both tigers had the same reaction. ¡°Don¡¯tin here, Anna. You¡¯re good at it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean I like it, though!¡± The princess apparently wasn¡¯t a fan. ¡°Seriously? Math right after waking up?! This academy is cruel!¡± ¡°Sophia¡­¡± The ck-haired girl stared at her while letting out a sigh. ¡°Lessons started four hours ago, so everyone here is awake for at least five hours already.¡± ¡°Not everyone~.¡± She almost sounded proud saying it. ¡°Not helping your case.¡± Ari was not amused. ¡°Don¡¯t argue with this reason thingy now. Well, one thing¡¯s for sure, I won¡¯t be doing any math. It would end up in a catastrophe for everyone. I guess it¡¯s another 2-hour nap for me. School¡¯s more fun than I had thought.¡± ¡°Unfair!¡± The princess raised her voice. ¡°Shut up, Anna.¡± ¡°Unfair!¡± Sheined even louder to her jaguar. ¡°What¡¯s the n for after nap-time? Err, math, I mean.¡± The blonde slightly corrected herself. ¡°An introduction to advanced magic with the famous court instructor Eluna.¡± ¡°Sounds fancy~. The best¡¯s saved forst, huh?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Maya suddenly tilted her head while scratching her cheek. ¡°Thinking about it¡­ Why are Sophia and I here again?¡± ¡°To help out Eluna when teaching the new ways of using magic?¡± Anna also tilted her head. ¡°Yeah.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Okay, let me rephrase my question¡­ Why are Sophia and I here right now? Or like, the entire day already?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Everyone had the same reaction. The rest of the lunch break was a little awkward afterward. The couple still attended the math sses with the duo, though. Mainly because the two didn¡¯t want to go home now, or rather, Sophia felt like having another nap. Chapter 219 – Lazy wolves Chapter 219 ¨C Lazy wolves Maya and Sophia finally went to the academy that Anna and Ari attend to check it out and help Eluna introduce the new way of using magic to the public. While all this was going on, Fen and Aura stayed at their home because they obviously had no intention to join them. ¡°I still don¡¯t get why our cats are attending school now¡­¡± During the morning hours, while the couple was gone, the wolves were rxing on the sheepskin rug in the warm living room of the group¡¯s mansion when Fen wondered about this. ¡°They n to assist in teaching the updated ways of using magic where elements are of no actual importance, right?¡± Aura tried to answer his question. ¡°Yes¡­¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Is there a need for them to actually attend the academy, though? Can¡¯t they just go and visit the ce together with¡­ Eluna, was it? They¡¯re not teaching magic all day, every day there, do they?¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Good point.¡± The female wolf didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Well, our cats rarely go for the easy solution, do they?¡± ¡°True.¡± This was an answer Fen could easily ept. ¡°Well, they¡¯re also all basically the same age, so I guess our girls wanted to have some rxing fun, too.¡± ¡°Yes. From what I heard, Sophia¡¯s experiences with school in her previous life weren¡¯t the best ones, either. This time, she should end up with some better memories. She grew a lot sinceing to this world.¡± ¡°Daddy Fenny~.¡± Aura liked how much he cared about her. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯ll be good memories for Maya, too. Our blondie¡¯s quite popr, after all.¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± He didn¡¯t like being treated like that, though. ¡°Also, if anything, I fear for the school memories of everyone else attending the academy in that regard.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The female wolf paused for a moment while thinking about Maya¡¯s personality. ¡°Good point. Alright, enough of our ferocious girl, and her tiger. Anything you want to do today?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fen gave it some thought. ¡°I kinda want to visit the foxes again, but do I want to run all the way there? It¡¯s two hours away, after all¡­¡± He sounded a little tired. ¡°Sophia really needs to teach us how her portals work already!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He nodded. ¡°That would require for her to know what she¡¯s doing, though.¡± ¡°Why is she so like¡­ her?¡± ¡°Questions that will forever remain unanswered.¡± ¡°What else could we do?¡± Aura also tried toe up with something. ¡°The maze?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He didn¡¯t sound overly convinced. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t feel like doing that today, either¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re having azy day, huh?¡± Fen ced his head on his paws to rx while shifting his body around on the sheepskin rug a bit. ¡°Seems like it.¡± Aura did the same while also cuddling closer to him. ¡°The heated floors are dangerous, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The male wolf didn¡¯t even feel like ying indifferent about it anymore. ---------------- A few hours had passed since the wolves had their little conversation. Afterward, the two fell asleep on the sheepskin rug together, and it had be noon before they even noticed. ¡°Haa¡­¡± While letting out a sigh, Aura got up from the floor while stretching her body in the process. ¡°Yes...¡± Fen copied her movement by raising his hind legs first while also stretching his back before doing the same with his front legs. ¡°Were we always this homely¡­?¡± She still sounded a bit sleepy as she looked around. ¡°I me Sophia.¡± The male wolf had a handy excuse ready. ¡°Poor girl. Always being med for everything.¡± ¡°What?¡± He eyed her. ¡°You¡¯ve met her muchter than I did, and yet you also became much more rxed already.¡± ¡°Damn you, Sophia!¡± She yed along. ¡°Hehe.¡± Fen chuckled before continuing. ¡°I know that I said that we¡¯re having azy day, but I feel like moving after our nap earlier, after all¡­¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The female wolf felt the same. ¡°Any suggestions?¡± ¡°It seems like the sun¡¯s having a good day. It¡¯s much warmerpared to this morning, where it was almost freezing.¡± ¡°Yeah, I still can¡¯t believe our cats actually left the house in this cold.¡± ¡°Anyway, I could do with lunch right about now.¡± ¡°I like that idea.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Fen sounded happy about getting some food. ¡°After that, how about we use the good weather and travel to the foxes, after all? We should reach them somewhere in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Right on time to get ready for a drink, huh?¡± Aura saw right through his motivation. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you want to do, I¡¯ll dly apany you~.¡± ¡°What a dork.¡± ¡°You can me Sophia for that.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± It didn¡¯t sound like she believed him. ¡°There are a ton of bars in the capital, though. It would be much easier to get a drink here.¡± ¡°I like the atmosphere in the elven vige, though. The foxes are a greatpany, too.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± She agreed. ¡°It was a lot of fun thest time. Alright, let¡¯s get something to eat, and then we get moving.¡± ¡°I like that idea.¡± After the duo agreed on a n for the rest of their day, they got ready and left the mansion. Once they had lunch together, the two left the capital and made their way towards the elven vige that a group of fox beastpeople took over. The same ce that the wolves found a little while ago when they were exploring thends around the capital. ---------------- Two hours had passed since the duo left the capital and had just arrived at the outskirts of a vast and overgrown forest. ¡°They really need a better entrance to the vige¡­¡± Aura looked at the sea of trees while trying to remember which path they took thest time. ¡°I think we entered the ce more south from here.¡± ¡°Right, we didn¡¯te straight from the capital back then, didn¡¯t we?¡± She remembered that the two were just walking around when they found the vige, rather than going in the exact direction of it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head south.¡± ¡°We could also make out own path.¡± The female wolf nced at the trees again. ¡°Five minutes, and we¡¯re there. If we take our time, that is.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°No, it¡¯s not our home, so we shouldn¡¯t mess with it. Also, it¡¯s not like the detour would take us longer than those five minutes, either. If we take our time, that is.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Aura liked his answer. Walking around and navigating through the forest for a few minutes, the wolves reduced their sizes again and eventually arrived at the former elven vige. It was carved right into the dense forest and absolutely impossible to spot at a nce without actually searching for it. Every building was made entirely of wood, and some houses were even built into or on top of the trees in the area, making thempletely blend in with the vicinity. ¡°Fen, Aura!¡± A middle-aged man with dark-brown hair, longer and pointy, fox-like ears on his head, and a rtively bushy tailing out his rear, noticed the wolves and greeted them. ¡°Alex!¡± Fen looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Aura also greeted the fox-man. ¡°What brings the two of you here again? You said you¡¯re from the capital, right? Isn¡¯t our ce a bit far for a date?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± The male wolf wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°The atmosphere here¡¯s much better for it, though.¡± Aura, on the other hand, had a reply ready. ¡°Hehe.¡± Alex liked her answer. ¡°Your alcohol¡¯s great, too.¡± Fen tried to change the topic. ¡°Ahh~.¡± The fox started smiling. ¡°Yep, we¡¯re quite proud of our homebrew.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the best!¡± ¡°Happy to hear. Still, it¡¯s a bit early for getting drunk, is it not? The bar isn¡¯t even open yet.¡± ¡°Not what I wanted to hear.¡± The male wolf hung his head in response. ¡°How about we explore a bit for the time being? I¡¯ve always been a fan of the elven design. The one-with-the-nature aspect is so homely, after all. Something I like even moretely.¡± ¡°Ah, we went full circle today, huh?¡± Fen noticed that this topic came up the second time already. ¡°Stupid Sophia!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Anyway, once you¡¯re done with your flirting, feel free to explore the vige. I don¡¯t find it that exciting anymore because I have lived here for a long time already. Still, it is indeed interesting to look at.¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t-¡° ¡°By the way,¡± Aura interrupted her wolf. ¡°The nice fox-girl from the other time we visited¡­ uhh¡­ Chloe, was it? Is she around?¡± ¡°Chloe, huh?¡± Alex tilted his head. ¡°I think she left the vige around noon. She should be back in the evening, though.¡± ¡°Aww, that¡¯s too bad.¡± The female wolf sounded disappointed. ¡°She had such a soothing personality and feeling around her. I bet it would¡¯ve been great to have her as a guide.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox-man tilted his head. ¡°Chloe¡¯s usually traveling a lot with herpanion and isn¡¯t here all that often. I doubt she would be that good of a guide.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded. ¡°Herpanion¡¯s currently on a mission or something like that. I don¡¯t really know what is going on¡­ Anyway, she¡¯s only recently started staying here for longer than a week at a time.¡± ¡°A partner on a mission, huh?¡± Fen¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink with her in the evening and see what¡¯s going on~.¡± Aura, too, looked forward to hearing a story. ¡°Anyway, thanks, Alex.¡± She looked at the fox-man. ¡°We¡¯ll have a look around.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see you in the bar tonight, yes?¡± Fen also faced him. ¡°Of course! Well, have fun on your date for the time being, you two.¡± He waved at the duo before leaving. ¡°Thanks!¡± Aura gave him a cheerful reply. ¡°¡­¡± Fen didn¡¯t. A little whileter, the wolves started wandering around in the former elven vige together to look for anything interesting to kill time until the bar opened.
Chapter 220 – Boring magic lessons Chapter 220 ¨C Boring magic lessons While Fen and Aura had traveled to the former elven vige that was inhabited by a group of the fox beastfolk, the cats were still busy in the magic academy. Some were just busy catching up on sleep, though. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sophia let out a yawn while her group was walking around in the backyard of the school building. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­¡± ¡°How?!¡± Ari just had to retort. ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping the entire time!¡± ¡°Have you ever slept so much that it made you tired?¡± ¡°I have not!¡± ¡°I hate when that happens.¡± Anna sided with her fellow tiger. ¡°Thank you very much for the backup, princess.¡± ¡°dly.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The jaguar could only rub her temples in return. ¡°We sure have it rough with our girls, don¡¯t we?¡± Maya sympathized with her. ¡°Seriously, why are tigers so easygoing¡­?¡± ¡°A good question¡­¡± Naturally, Maya had no answer for that. For various reasons. ¡°By the way, where are we headed to?¡± The most easygoing tiger of all, the blonde one, suddenly turned around while looking at the other three girls of her group while they were following some students in the schoolyard outside. ¡°We¡¯re going to the training grounds adjacent to the academy. It¡¯s time for the magic lessons.¡± Ari answered her. ¡°Something you would¡¯ve known if you had been awake earlier.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Sophia simply ignored the scolding tone in the jaguar¡¯s voice. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± ¡°Does it?¡± Maya eyed her. ¡°Although without the constraints of elements, it¡¯s still going to be regr magic.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The blonde stopped walking for a second. ¡°I already forgot about that¡­¡± ¡°More napping?¡± The cat-girl was still looking at her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She needed to give it some thought. ¡°No, I think I actually slept enough today.¡± ¡°Wow, I never heard that one before.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia had to chuckle at her reaction. ¡°Ari, do you want to listen to Eluna¡¯s lessons, or should we do some chantless magic training on our own?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The jaguar hadn¡¯t seen that oneing. ¡°Well, she¡¯ll mostly exin how elements won¡¯t matter for chants and activation words, maybe. No student except you can use chantless, so there¡¯s no real need for you to learn what Eluna¡¯s going to teach.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ It¡¯s an interesting suggestion, but I¡¯d first like to see how her lesson goes before taking you up on that offer.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t mind her reply. ---------------- Once the ss had arrived at the training grounds, it immediately became noisy once the first students spotted Eluna standing there. As everyone in the academy knew her, the excitement for her lessons was apparent because the horse-woman was a bit of a celebrity in the capital when it came to magic. Sophia didn¡¯t have any interest in any of that, but it had a positive side-effect for her, as well. Everyone had stopped stealing nces at her, and she could take it easy now because her hard-earned ice-queen wasn¡¯t at risk right now. The blonde walked away from the training grounds a couple of steps and quickly found a row of benches where she sat down. Watching the ss for around an hour, she was slowly getting bored. Luckily, that seemed about to change, though. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re getting used to wearing a skirt, huh?¡± Ari had appeared in front of the properly upright-sitting tiger, who had also neatly crossed her legs in a way that made any possible way of stealing a nce between her legs inside the skirt impossible. ¡°Your skirt also isn¡¯t askew or rolled up in the slightest, either. As expected of the ice-queen of the academy, nothing gets past your defenses.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I have an image to uphold, you know?¡± ¡°Good job.¡± The jaguar only smiled at her. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯ve worn the uniform the entire time since you lent it to me, even at home, and I¡¯ve gotten used to it now. Quite honestly, I really like it. I¡¯ve always been wary of skirts because I like to move around. Still, if youbine them with opaque tights and adjust your way of walking a tiny bit, it¡¯s actually the best. It feels so free and unrestricted~.¡± ¡°Good~.¡± Ari¡¯s smile increased even more. ¡°What¡¯s up with that grin?¡± She didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just don¡¯t feel bad anymore that Maya, Anna, and I unanimously decided to put you in a skirt when we go shopping for winter clothes together. It fits you way too well for us not to use this chance. If you like it as well, I won¡¯t feel bad that I had no n for caring about your input on the matter.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek again. ¡°Yeah, Maya already implied something simr the other day. ¡°As long as you girls don¡¯t overdo it, and I¡¯m allowed to wear tights or leggings underneath, I¡¯ll most likely y along with it.¡± ¡°Great~!¡± Ari was happy about it. ¡°By the way, how much do you like wearing tops with spaghetti straps? While we¡¯re at it, what about midriff?¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The ck-haired jaguar turned white. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia liked her reaction. ¡°I was just joking.¡± ¡°T-Thank goodness¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s bing winter, after all.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± That wasn¡¯t Ari¡¯s main gripe with this sort of clothing. ¡°I-I have nothing against looking at those, maybe even wearing at home to some degree¡­ b-but it¡¯s really not my style, okay¡­?¡± ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry~.¡± The tiger showed her an innocent smile and patted the ce next to her on the bench she was sitting on. ¡°Here, have a seat.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± She sounded relieved but still ever so slightly wary of her. ¡°Got bored of Eluna¡¯s speech?¡± She waited for the jaguar to sit down before facing her. ¡°A little¡­ You keep mentioning that I¡¯m able to use chantless magic wasn¡¯t thatpatible with her dissolute speech regarding the revolutionary new way of using chants and activation words¡­¡± ¡°I can imagine¡­¡± Sophia got bored just listening to Eluna from a distance, after all. ¡°Wanna chat a bit instead?¡± ¡°That sounds lovely. Any suggestions?¡± ¡°Anna~.¡± ¡°N-Not here!¡± Ari¡¯s face turned crimson in an instant. ¡°Oh?¡± The tiger¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°That reaction means something good~.¡± ¡°M-My reaction doesn¡¯t matter!¡± The jaguar raised her voice before she immediately ced her hands on her mouth after noticing how loud she¡¯d gotten. ¡°I-I mean, even though they are a bit away from us, there are way too many people here. I really don¡¯t want anyone in the school to find out what is going on¡­¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°Fine¡­ You¡¯ll being over to my house and tell me all about it soon, though!¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She just resigned to her unavoidable fate. ¡°Well, I could use some help, so¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The tiger sounded the happiest yet today. ¡°Alright, change of topic, please!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Knowing she¡¯ll get her sought-after girls-talk soon, the blonde happilyplied. ¡°Oh, how about we have some magic lessons on our own?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, we are in the prestigious, or whatever, magic academy, so how about I teach you some chantless magic in the perfect environment for it?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it yet. ¡°Sure, why not?" "In theory, dly, but... won¡¯t that be way too shy here?¡± ¡°When did I ever do anything shy?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari didn¡¯t feel like answering this question. ¡°Fair point.¡± Sophia also didn¡¯t need to hear what she wanted to imply. ¡°So, that¡¯s a no?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°What do you n to teach me.¡± The curiosity got the better of the cat. ¡°You already know how to use, uhh¡­ water magic, was it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How about I show you how to do it chantless?¡± ¡°Okay¡­ I want to see already whether I really can use chantless magic after you gave me some of your power. You also can¡¯t really cause any catastrophes with water because it¡¯s a gentle element.¡± ¡°It¡¯s refreshing how little you know me.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Ari stared right into the eyes of the tiger. ¡°W-What do you mean? I didn¡¯t say a word just now?¡± She turned her head away in response. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± ¡°Well, even I know that flooding a school would be bad¡­¡± Sophia sounded oddly serious while saying so. ¡°Do you think I could get Maya to teach me instead? I¡¯m getting slight doubts here.¡± ¡°Sure, I can ask her. She also finished restoring our garden to its former beauty after she blew it up the other day. She used too much power on the magic ore, and it was glorious, so she is also free.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how that would be relevant in this conversation, but she wanted to be the one to teach Ari. ¡°You two are such a weird but also sooo fitting couple!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± The jaguar gave up. ¡°One chantless water magic lesson, please.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She sounded happy about it. ¡°Have you tried anything yourself in that regard ever since the ident happened already?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ari shook her head. ¡°I have no idea what I¡¯m doing, after all. That¡¯s way too risky for me¡­ Who knows what could happen if I were to simply start experimenting while everything is an unknown variable to me?¡± ¡°How did we be friends again?¡± The whole exnation was an insult to Sophia''s entire way of living, after all. ¡°I¡¯ve asked myself the same question, too, bestie.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia really liked the veryst part of her statement. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to it!¡± She energetically raised her arm while saying so. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± While Ari still had some slight doubts, she was also looking forward to it a little. Afterward, the two started preparing for their own demonstration and training session.
Chapter 221 – Fun magic lesson Chapter 221 ¨C Fun magic lesson The girls were still in the magic academy and were currently in the middle of a lesson held by the famous magic instructor called Eluna. After getting to know Sophia and her ridiculous use of magic, she returned from her retirement. After she learned the basics of this new way of using it herself, she came to the academy to teach it to the pupils there. Naturally, everyone in the academy was more than excited about this. For most it was, at least. Sophia herself obviously didn¡¯t care about that, but the jaguar girl, whose magic power she¡¯d identally boosted, didn¡¯t find Eluna¡¯s speech about the revolution of chants and activation words overly interesting, either. Said boost made her able to use chantless magic, after all. ¡°How does chantless magic work in the first ce?¡± The jaguar sitting next to the blonde tiger on a bench faced her again to get some answers to the most basic questions. ¡°You imagine what you want and¡­ bam!¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°Does it?!¡± Sophia was the surprised one. ¡°Yes.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°It makes sense that you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The tiger scratched her cheek in response. ¡°Fair enough. Still, simply speaking, that¡¯s more or less it, though.¡± ¡°If that would really be the case, way more people would be using chantless magic!¡± ¡°Well, only people who are authorized for it can use magic on an imagination basis alone, so that¡¯s not the case.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Wait, authorized?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Sophia had forgotten that this info wasn¡¯t known by anyone yet. ¡°I wanted to say that you need a specific amount of power for magic to work with your imagination alone.¡± ¡°What a weird wording.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good at that.¡± ¡°True.¡± The ck-haired girl gave her a hearty nod. ¡°I can¡¯t say that makes sense. I mean, why would that matter? Still, we went through that a couple of times already, didn¡¯t we? I¡¯m fine with magic making no sense being the most logical exnation now.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ your life will be easier that way¡­¡± Sophia got a slight headache just remembering the mess Canir had exined about magic the other day after the tiger almost destroyed the continent because she upset magic. ¡°Muuuuch easier¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± She decided to drop the topic. ¡°Close your eyes for me.¡± ¡°No funny business now, Sophia.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Anna. I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t do any funny business, either¡­¡± Ari¡¯s voice was full of disappointment all of a sudden. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The blonde needed a moment to find a reply for that. ¡°Alright, as we¡¯re in a school and I¡¯m currently your teacher, you doing some funny business with Anna is going to be your homework!¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t talk back to a teacher! It¡¯s due on theing weekend.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­¡± ¡°Okay, with that being agreed on, let¡¯s get back to magic.¡± ¡°Sure, we agreed¡­¡± The jaguar could only roll her eyes, though with a blush on her face, as well. ¡°Well, again, close your eyes for me.¡± Sophia got back on track. ¡°Fine.¡± Doing as told, Ari then waited for further instructions. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Imagine a mass of water.¡± ¡°Like a river¡­?¡± With her eyes still closed, the ck-haired girl tilted her head. ¡°If we¡¯re going to put flooding the academy back on the table, sure.¡± ¡°So, something smaller would be better?¡± She reconsidered her idea. ¡°While less fun, that would be for the better, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°Would a bucket full of it be better?¡± ¡°I like your ambition, but let¡¯s start with a fist-sized ball of water.¡± The blonde was surprisingly reasonable. ¡°It¡¯s weird, but I really like the sensible Sophia every now and then.¡± The jaguar let out a small chuckle. ¡°What else do you expect a taciturn and well-mannered ice-queen to be?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, it does make a lot of sense.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get actually serious now.¡± Sophia yed along, let out a chuckle as well, and then urged the jaguar to go on. ¡°Yep~!¡± Ari started to concentrate again. ¡°Just imagine a small ball of water? That¡¯s all I have to do?¡± ¡°For starters, yes.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds easy enough.¡± Afterward, around a minute passed before she opened her mouth again. ¡°In my mind, I¡¯m currently seeing the prettiest ball of water anyone ever imagined. What now?¡± ¡°Open the palm of your hand and imagine the water floating on top of it.¡± ¡°Mh-hmm.¡± She did exactly as instructed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready for whatever¡¯s next.¡± ¡°Pour a little of your magic into the picture you¡¯re imagining.¡± ¡°That sounds easy enough.¡± Saying so, Ari squinted the corners of her already closed eyes even more while concentrating. A momentter, a perfect sphere of water, around 10cm in diameter, formed on top of the jaguar¡¯s open palm. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s pretty easy~.¡± The tiger nodded in agreement. ¡°Feel free to open your eyes now.¡± ¡°Oka- Eh?¡± The moment Ari did that, and her eyes adjusted to the light again, she froze up. ¡°Chantless magic really isn¡¯t that big of a deal, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± The ck-haired girl was looking at the water with a nk expression. ¡°You did that, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia¡¯s face lit up. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea for a prank! Making someone believe that they used magic even though I was the one who did it~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a horrible idea!¡± Ari didn¡¯t share her enthusiasm. ¡°Aww¡­¡± She started pouting. ¡°Wait a moment¡­ Does that mean I created this water¡­?¡± The jaguar looked at her palm and the floating sphere on top of it. ¡°Yep~.¡± ¡°N-No way¡­¡± ¡°Well, stop concentrating on it whenever you feel like it and see what happens.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do tha- Ah.¡± Immediately after, the sphere copsed, and the water drenched Ari¡¯s hand as a result. ¡°Good thing we didn¡¯t go with the bucket of water, huh? You should be d that at least one of us here is sensible enough to try magic with something small first.¡± ¡°Sophia?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± She stared right at her with a very disapproving expression. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophia gave her a couple of nods. ¡°It actually felt wrong even saying it.¡± After all, her way of doing things was the exact opposite of that. ¡°Good.¡± The jaguar¡¯s expression softened up again while she was patting her had dry with a handkerchief she had pulled out of a pocket in her uniform. ¡°Are you really trying to tell me that I used chantless magic just now?¡± ¡°That you just did.¡± ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s that easy¡­?¡± Ari naturally couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°That¡¯s what having a lot of power does for you~.¡± ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°See now why I don¡¯t get everyone calling me unreasonable when I use a bit of magic like it¡¯s nothing?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t agree with you if you call the stunts you pulled so far a bit of magic¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia found no words to defend herself. ¡°Still¡­ You are right. In a way, it was easy. Too easy, actually.¡± ¡°d to hear~.¡± The tiger liked being acknowledged. ¡°Then again, you really learned it extremely fast just now. It even took Maya a loooot longer to switch to imagination only based magic. You might be exceptionally talented when ites to chantless stuff.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°I look forward to showing you some more impressive magic~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about those implications.¡± ¡°The two of us are going to have a lot of fun together~.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Ari suddenly turned her head around. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Sophia looked in the same direction as the jaguar but didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I was seriously expecting Anna and Maya standing right next to us after you having said this extremely ambiguous line.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Judging by past events¡­ Yeah, I can¡¯t me you for having developed such a reflex.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She looked around for a little longer before focusing on Sophia again. ¡°C-Can I train my water magic a bit longer before you start turning me into a monster¡­?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯m in no rush~.¡± ¡°Replying to such a thing with a cheery voice is kinda¡­ super scary.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just happy to have another friend to y with because magic is fun!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Ari had a hard time saying anything against that. ¡°J-Just don¡¯t teach me something that could identally destroy a continent or something like that¡­¡± ¡°No worry! I had enough of that!¡± The blonde shuddered while just remembering those events. ¡°Eh?!¡± The jaguar¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia just noticed what she said. ¡°A-Anyway, anything specific you want to learn about water magic for starters¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably better for my sanity if I don¡¯t pry, right¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She hung her head in response. ¡°For mine, too.¡± ¡°Back to training?¡± ¡°dly!¡± Sophia more than happily dropped the topic. ¡°Try to create your bucket worth of water for starters.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Make sure to concentrate, though.¡± She grinned at the jaguar. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to make me wet. You should save that for the princess.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a while since that joke came up, huh? Also, s-shut up¡­¡± It took a moment, but Ari¡¯s face eventually turned red. Once they calmed down again, Sophia kept teaching her for a bit longer. At the same time, the rest of the ss listened to Eluna¡¯s speech on how to revolutionize the way of using magic. While the tiger was the cause for those events, she didn¡¯t feel like partaking in it. After all, chatting and ying with her friend was much more important for the blonde. Chapter 222 – Fluffy Chapter 222 ¨C Fluffy While Sophia was busy ying with Ari and teaching her chantless magic in the Academy, Fen and Aura had fun in the former elven vige inhabited by a group of the fox beast-folk. The two explored the town for a while, but once they had killed enough time, the duo finally headed over to the bar that was run by the foxes there once it opened in the evening. ¡°Alex!¡± Entering the bar, the wolves directly ran into the older, brown-haired fox-man they met a couple of hours before. ¡°Hello, my friends!¡± He energetically greeted them back. ¡°Right on time for the opening, I¡¯m impressed!¡± ¡°Well, I was looking forward to it all day.¡± Fen really liked the ce. ¡°Oi, don¡¯t say that after you were on a date with your girl the entire day, idiot!¡± The fox raised his voice. ¡°S-Stop bringing that up all the time already¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Aura seemed to be in a good mood for some reason. ¡°L-Let¡¯s get some drinks already!¡± The male wolf wanted to change the topic as soon as possible. ¡°He sure is adorable, that wolf of yours.¡± Alex faced Aura with a big grin. ¡°Sure is~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Fen hung his head and simply went past them. He walked through the dimly lit bar with an all-wooded interior all the way to a slightly lower table without chairs to amodate members of the full beastfolk. ¡°Good catch.¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± The other two slowly followed after him while having a light chat. At the table, Alex grabbed a low stool while Aura sat down next to Fen on the floor. ¡°Drinks!¡± Fen tried his best to get the two to stop talking about what they were talking about. ¡°Alright, my little softie, I¡¯ll get us a big pitcher of our specialty brew!¡± Saying so, Alex got up and walked towards the bar counter. ¡°I like that fox.¡± Aura sounded cheerful while she watched him leave. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can agree with you on that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun with Sophia if you can¡¯t even deal with his teasing~.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t remind me¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Alex came back a few minutester, holding a te with a big pitcher, a ss, and two low tes for the wolves to have a drink with him. ---------------- The three were having a good time for half an hour while enjoying the alcohol they shared when someone eventually joined their table. ¡°Hello, Alex. Aura, Fenfen, you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Gosh, I love that name~.¡± Aura faced the girl that had addressed them with a cheery voice. ¡°Fenfen~. Sit down with us and have a drink!¡± ¡°Chloe¡­ Hello¡­¡± Fenfen seemed to have mixed feelings about the nickname. With a slightly tired expression, he also looked at the fox-girl standing in front of their table. Just like Sophia and Maya, she had animal ears and a tail but was human-looking besides that. She seemed to be roughly their age, too, visually speaking, at least. The girl was slightly smaller than the tiger, though, and had long, very fluffy light-pink hair that slowly turned white towards the end. Her fox-like ears were somewhat shaped like those of Maya, but they were a good bit taller while also having a bit of fringe. They had the same pink color as her hair, but the tips were pure white, just like the fluff inside them. In her hair, there also was a little flower pin. The most striking feature of the girl called Chloe was her rather long and extremely fluffy tail that was almost as tall as the girl herself, though. Thanks to its sheer volume, it was also much wider than her. The fox-girl wore a light-purple and fluffy-looking sweater with wide sleeves and a little ck ribbon above her chest. She hadbined it with a shorter red skirt in ck with a ruffled white hem. Her legs were mostly covered by light-pink thigh-highs that ended almost right below her skirt, revealing only a few centimeters of her thighs. To finish it off, Chloe was standing in ck, slightly heeled, and open ankle-strap shoes. Paying a bit more attention to her face and looking past the big and friendly smile, the small fangs showing from her slightly 3-shaped mouth, Chloe¡¯s eyes immediately caught all the attention. It was hard to notice with a passing nce, but her eyes actually had slightly different colors. One was a light purple, while the other was more light violet. It was easy to miss but impossible to ignore once noticed. All in all, in the words of Sophia, who had yet to meet her, the fox-girl called Chloe could be described rtively easily. Fluffy. ¡°Chloe, my dear, wee back!¡± Alex also greeted her. ¡°Here, have my seat.¡± He stood up while saying so. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get up for me. I¡¯ll just get my own stool. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about that, girly! I have to head out for a bit, anyway.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Chloe tilted her head while looking at him. ¡°Absolutely! Those two are also way too good at holding their drinks. I¡¯m no match for them.¡± ¡°How do I fit in there, though¡­?¡± She tilted her head even more. ¡°Haha, that was a good one.¡± Alex startedughing. ¡°We all know that you beat everyone when ites to that! While you might look like a frail and fluffy girl, it¡¯s a fact that you¡¯re able to drink everyone under the table. It¡¯s almost like alcohol has no effect on you no matter how much drink!¡± ¡°Oho!¡± There was a hint of admiration in Fen¡¯s voice. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Chloe looked down at her feet with an embarrassed expression. ¡°Sit down already~.¡± Alex put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her on his stool. ¡°I mighte backter again, so please keep this ce reserved!¡± ¡°O-Okay.¡± She gave up resisting. ¡°Alright, girls, have fun in my stead~! Fenfen, grow a backbone already!¡± Saying so, Alex gave them a short wave before turning around. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The male wolf didn¡¯t like his treatment. ¡°What is this about?¡± Chloe sounded interested in the remark. ¡°N-Nothing!¡± He had no intention to talk about it. ¡°Fenfen¡¯s a bit of a wuss at times.¡± Aura had already taken a liking to the new nickname. ¡°I am not!¡± He seemed to disagree. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Chloe nodded a few times while looking at the female wolf. ¡°He looks grumpy and a little bit scary at times, but he¡¯s actually a super softie inside who isn¡¯t nearly as though as he thinks he is. Indecisive, too.¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± The fox-girl looked at Fen with warm eyes. ¡°S-Shut up, So- ah¡­ forget it.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She naturally didn¡¯t understand his reaction. ¡°Is there anything I can help with? I¡¯m not really good with romance because I have no experience with that, but people often say I¡¯m good at cheering someone up. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Aura liked the sound of that. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s exactly what Fenfen isn¡¯t good at. Romance, that is.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Chloe continued to ignore the male wolf¡¯s protests. ¡°That¡¯s not good! The two of you seem to be such a nice and well-fitting couple. Fenfen, you have to work on that!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Aura sided with the fox-girl. ¡°Get a grip, Fenfen!¡± ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t like this duo¡­¡± ¡°I do.¡± The female wolf disagreed with him. ¡°What is the issue?¡± Chloe tried to keep the conversation on track. ¡°Even with myck of experience, I want to help. The two of you seem like such a perfect couple that it would be a total waste for anything to be in between you!¡± ¡°Well, us being identified as a couple is one of Fenfen¡¯s main issues he can¡¯t deal with.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± He emptied his drink before turning his head away. ¡°Why?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°He should be used to it if even I noticed it at first nce, right? I¡¯m pretty slow, after all, but it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re a great match¡­ Wait¡­¡± Chloe suddenly stopped while tilting her head again. ¡°C-Could it be that you aren¡¯t actually a couple, and everyone just misunderstands¡­ No way¡­ Is that why he gets embarrassed?! I¡¯m so sorry, Fenfen!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Aura let out a dryugh while downing a drink herself. ¡°Fen, how about you tell her what we are?¡± ¡°W-Why me?!¡± He got loud. ¡°Why not~?¡± The other wolf smiled at him. ¡°I have no problems with admitting it. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s still struggling with the change.¡± ¡°So sly¡­¡± Emptying another drink, or rather three, he eventually faced Chloe again. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Aura and I are together¡­¡± ¡°Great!¡± The pink fox¡¯s smile got even bigger. ¡°Be more confident then, Fenfen! It seems like you¡¯ve gotten extremely lucky with Aura.¡± ¡°He sure is~.¡± Aura¡¯s voice was very cheerful. ¡°I am, yes¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± Chloe looked right at him. ¡°Wow, your stare is powerful¡­¡± Fen averted his face. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that before. I think it¡¯s because of my eyes.¡± ¡°They look great, though.¡± Aura liked her slightly odd eyes. ¡°T-Thank you.¡± She got a little bashful before focusing on Fen again. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Aura and I¡­ We have a history. A very long history. We had our ups and downs and got separated for a long time, too. We only managed to reunite a little while ago. We went through a lot together, but¡­ Well, we only jumped past our shadow and started datingst month¡­¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Chloe let out a slight squeal because she really liked how the wolf was acting right now. ¡°It¡¯s still fresh, and he¡¯s all bashful because of it! Fenfen, you¡¯re adorable!¡± ¡°Very!¡± Aura happily agreed with her. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± He didn¡¯t. ¡°I want to know the whole story!¡± The fox-girl¡¯s eyes were sparkling while she looked at the two wolves. While Fen didn¡¯t feel like it, he didn¡¯t seem overly good at handling Chloe, Aura happily told her their story. She left out a few details like the actual timeframe or the exact reason why she disappeared. However, it was still enough to tell a mostly urate tale of their story. The pink-haired girl enjoyed every second of it. The male wolf didn¡¯t, though, so he was busy downing one drink after another to keep his embarrassment at bay while cursing Sophia every now and then. He decided to me her for having rubbed off on him, which caused him to also be shy and embarrassed at times. Chapter 222.5 – Illustrations Chapter 222.5 ¨C Illustrations More illustrations of Chloe~ The first (including the cropped one) is how I designed her together with the artist, and it''s the reference of her. The other ones are made by different artists using that illustration for fun. Version without shoes because... Why not? This one here ended up being a lot sexier/suggestive than I had anticipated, but I can''t I''m against it~.
Chapter 223 – Chloe’s companion Chapter 223 ¨C Chloe¡¯spanion Fen and Aura were still in the former elven vige inhabited by a group of the fox beastfolk, and the two were currently having some drinks in a bar there. A pink-haired and incredibly fluffy-looking fox-girl called Chloe had joined them at some point. Afterward, the three had a very lively chat where Fen had admitted that the wolves had started dating a little while ago. The two girls enjoyed seeing him being bashful about this situation and Chloe had a great time listening to their story. ¡°C-Can we stop with the topic already¡­¡± While Aura and Chloe were having a lively chat about the rtionship of the wolves, Fen tried his best to get as drunk as possible to live through it. He didn¡¯t get nearly as drunk as he wanted to, though. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The girls weren¡¯t a fan of the idea. ¡°Please¡­¡± He got desperate. ¡°I already know that Maya and even more so Sophia won¡¯t ever let go of the topic until they¡¯re satisfied, so please spare me here, at least¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Aura paused for a moment. ¡°Sophia¡¯s going to be a lot of fun~.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be!¡± ¡°Maya? Sophia?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Companions of us.¡± The female wolf answered her. ¡°The two are in the capital right now.¡± ¡°Oh! Are they wolves, too?¡± ¡°Nope, cats. Hybrids like you, to be more exact. They¡¯re the same age as you, too.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Chloe sounded interested. ¡°Well, one of them, Sophia, actually is a tiger, but I don¡¯t really get the difference yet. Well, she has stripes, and her tail¡¯s a bit thicker but other than that¡­ Cats be cats, I guess?¡± ¡°Maya¡¯s the bigger everyday predator between them, too.¡± Fen also had to add his own assessment. ¡°The two of you know a tiger?!¡± The fox raised her voice a little. ¡°As in the royal tigers that rule the beastfolk from the capital?¡± ¡°Kinda.¡± Aura wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Our Sophia¡¯s a bitplicated in that regard.¡± As he wasn¡¯t the main topic anymore, Fen was getting chatty again. ¡°She didn¡¯t grow up in the capital with her fellow tigers. Stuff happened, and she was traveling the world with me for a while until we arrived here.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to interpret this story. ¡°Wait¡­ Does that mean your Sophia is the mysterious blonde tiger that showed up in the capital a while ago? Everyone¡¯s talking about that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s our Sophia. The rumors of her are even a topic here?¡± ¡°No, but I visit the capital a lot, and you can¡¯t not hear about her theretely.¡± ¡°Yeah, our idiot always gathers a lot of attention.¡± Fen let out a small sigh. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head again. ¡°Still, she traveled with you, Fenfen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve been together for quite a while and traveled a ton. I showed her around and taught her a lot, including how to use magic.¡± ¡°And that turned out very well¡­¡± Aura had to take a jab here. ¡°My dear disaster duo.¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°How curious.¡± Chloe¡¯s reaction was a little different from expected. ¡°What is?¡± The wolves faced her. ¡°I¡¯m not as fancy as a tiger, but that story sounds a little simr to mine.¡± ¡°Does it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°I also travel with someone who¡¯s teaching me the ropes of magic,mon sense, showed me around on this continent, and all that. I grew up with her and owe her a lot. Everything, actually.¡± ¡°Ahh, the situation isn¡¯t simr at all, then.¡± Aura shook her head while looking at the fox. ¡°If anything, Fen¡¯s the main cause that our tiger has nomon sense left.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± He got loud. ¡°Don¡¯t me me for Sophia¡¯sck ofmon sense! I admit that I didn¡¯t help to have her build one, but she went way above what could possibly be in the range of my responsibility!¡± ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± She knew that the blonde was even more unhinged than her wolf, after all. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true, but I think Feyfey taught me decentmon sense¡­ Whether I liked it or not¡­¡± She mumbled those words mostly to herself. ¡°It was important to her for me to have a somewhat normal life.¡± ¡°Yeah, normal is not a word you can describe Sophia with¡­ Wait, Feyfey¡­?¡± Aura looked at the male wolf while repeating the name. ¡°Ah, no, the name¡¯s just close.¡± Chloe understood her confusion. ¡°That¡¯s why I unconsciously started using Fenfen in the first ce. Mypanion¡¯s called Feyanis, and because I had trouble pronouncing her name when I was little, I started calling her Feyfey, and that stuck.¡± ¡°Ohhh¡­ Wait, Feyanis?!¡± Aura reacted with a nod before freezing up. ¡°Seriously?!¡± So did Fen. ¡°Like you, a fox? Just a, uhh¡­ full one? Snow white with a ssh of red? Maybees in¡­ various sizes?¡± ¡°Eh? You know Feyfey?¡± The fox-girl hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°Wow, I haven¡¯t heard that name in ages¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The wolves weren¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Well, she¡¯s been with me ever since I was born 19 years ago, so¡­¡± ¡°Ah, uh, yes¡­ That makes sense¡­¡± Fen very obviously meant a different number when he said the word ages. ¡°Is she doing well?¡± Aura continued. ¡°Alex mentioned that yourpanion¡¯s currently on a mission¡­ He was talking about her, right?¡± ¡°Alex¡­¡± Chloe let out a sigh. ¡°I told you to keep that a secret¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Alex doesn¡¯t strike me as someone who¡¯s able to do that.¡± ¡°That is true¡­ Something happened a little while ago that made Feyfey angry and¡­¡± ¡°An angry Feyanis?!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± The wolves had a strong reaction to this revtion. ¡°Yes¡­ Feyfey¡¯s scary when she gets angry¡­¡± Chloe actually shuddered when she said so. ¡°Yes.¡± The two nodded in agreement. ¡°What happened?¡± Aura got curious. ¡°Err¡­¡± Chloe thought about it for a while. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t see why it¡¯s a bad idea to tell¡­ Feyfey and I went to, err¡­ Tamaro a little while ago because they have this food called pizza there. We tried that quite a while ago and decided that we have to eat that together every now and then because it¡¯s so delicious.¡± ¡°Tamaro?¡± The female wolf looked at Fen. ¡°Never heard of it, either.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The fox-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m terrible with names¡­ It probably has a different name if you don¡¯t know it¡­¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter anyway, does it?¡± ¡°Tga! It¡¯s called Tga!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°That would¡¯ve bothered me all week if I couldn¡¯t have remembered it¡­¡± ¡°Tga¡­?¡± Fen paused for a moment. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the ce the humans tried to attack the other day?¡± He looked at Aura while saying so. ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°What happened.¡± ¡°We ran into a small group of humans that were scouting ahead of their army, and¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°They, uhh¡­ approached me, said some mean stuff and¡­ tried some other things¡­¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The male wolf couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°I don¡¯t know Feyanis preferences in that regard, but are you her daughter? While the colors are different and you''re obviously a hybrid, you do look alike in one way or another.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Chloe hung her head. ¡°I asked her a couple of times about my parents, but she always gets evasive when the topices up. At the same time, she¡¯s been with me since the very start, though. I don¡¯t call her mom or anything like that, but she feels like that to me, yes.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Aura had a simr expression as Fen. ¡°If Feyfey really is your mother and feels the same, yes? She raised you, after all. She loves and cares for you like a daughter, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The fox-girl showed them a bright smile. ¡°And the humans tried to do something to that daughter of Feyanis¡­¡± Fen had aplicated expression. ¡°What did she do afterward?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure¡­¡± Chloe scratched her cheek again. ¡°Those humans kind of¡­ vanished afterward¡­ I have no idea what happened¡­¡± ¡°Where is she now, then?¡± ¡°We came back here, and she then told me that she¡¯s going to visit the human capital¡­ She didn¡¯t let mee with her because, ording to Feyfey, she didn¡¯t want me to see her really angry.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Sophia¡¯s going to love this.¡± Fen had a different reaction. ¡°A seriously angry Feyanis in the human capital? Yep, Sophia¡¯s problem with the humans is dealt with. Even if there are some of them, no human won¡¯t ever approach the beastfolk again.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Aura nodded a couple of times. ¡°Pretty anticlimactic end to that.¡± ¡°I prefer it that way, though. I don¡¯t like how Sophia gets when humans are involved¡­¡± ¡°Sophia¡­ the tiger-girl? She isn¡¯t good with humans?¡± Chloe naturally was missing a lot of context and got confused over their conversation. ¡°They have a bit of a history. Sophia really isn¡¯t a fan of them. She also tends to get angry when they¡¯re involved. She tried to like the humans when they first met, but that reeaaallly didn¡¯t work out.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The fox-girl seemed interested in that. ¡°I also tried to be friendly when I saw them for the first time¡­ I decided not to go near them after that anymore¡­¡± ¡°Understandable. Sophia almost destroyed a city of theirs, though.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°The war around Tga, Sophia¡¯s also the one who ended it. She got a bit angry and defeated their army all on her own.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Chloe was shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, though¡­ Sophia¡¯s usually incredibly sweet, caring, and friendly. It¡¯s just that when she gets angry, she gets angry.¡± Fen didn¡¯t want her to be intimidated by the tiger. ¡°Oh, just like Feyfey! I can deal with that. Sophia seems interesting!¡± ¡°She sure is.¡± Both wolves answered her at the same time. ¡°Still human or not, it was still a whole army, right? Is that girl really so strong?¡± ¡°You can feel how strong Fenfen and I are, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°Fenfen alone already feels a little stronger than Feyfey, but you are¡­ I thought something was wrong with my sense of power¡­¡± ¡°Nope, he has no chance against me~.¡± Aura looked at her fellow wolf with a smug expression. ¡°Even so, both of us together probably wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat Sophia.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be. No one should be able to have this much¡­ power¡­¡± ¡°Sophia¡¯s selling point is her abnormal regeneration. She recovers faster than she can reasonably spend her magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite something¡­¡± Chloe was impressed by the tiger. ¡°She really seems interesting. I''m also quite proud of my regeneration, but now how I wonder how fast she resets.¡± ¡°Want to meet her?¡± Aura looked at her. ¡°Sophia¡¯s been wanting to visit this elven vige ever since we told her about it. I bet she would be happy to meet a girl her age on top of that.¡± ¡°Great!¡± She seemed to like the idea. ¡°Not sure how Maya feels about her meeting a beautiful fox-girl with a tail fluffier than everything I¡¯ve ever seen before on a hybrid¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head while she was looking at Aura as she hadn¡¯t quite understood her mumbling. ¡°It¡¯s not important. Forget it.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s drink some more!¡± Fen finally had enough of all the chatting and wanted to concentrate on the more important things. ¡°Sure~.¡± Aura had nothing against it. ¡°Ehh, okay, why not?¡± Chloe shrugged her shoulders, and the trio ordered a couple of more drinks while enjoying the evening together.
Chapter 224 – The secret’s out Chapter 224 ¨C The secret¡¯s out While the wolves were having a great time in a bar together with the pink-haired fox-girl called Chloe, Sophia and Maya had finished their first day in the magic academy and were back home in their mansion. ¡°Tired¡­¡± Sophia was lying face down on one of the sofas in the living room while sighing into a pillow. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°How?!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°You slept until lunch break!¡± ¡°Come on¡­ After what happened during the speech and training with Eluna, I have all the right to be tired!¡± ¡°Fair point¡­¡± The cat-girl nodded while she sat down on the same sofa as her tiger after moving her legs away. Afterward, she yfully started messing around with the blonde¡¯s tail, only to get hit in the face with it soon after. ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia bonked her once more with her tail before letting her y with it after she turned around and gotfortable with her legs on the cat¡¯sp. ¡°Thanks~.¡± Maya reached for the tail again and started ruffling the fur on it. ¡°Still, poor Ari¡­ She is always trying to stay low in the school because she doesn¡¯t like the attention, and then that happened.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°W-Well, there are only a few months left before she and Anna graduate in spring. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll manage¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s your defense?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophia bonked the cat with her tail again. ¡°Stop that! There¡¯s way too much power in your tail!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± Once more, the blonde went for Maya¡¯s face but didn¡¯t make it this time. ¡°Ha! Got it!¡± Maya managed to grab her tail and ced it in herp again to caress it some more. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Even though she pouted for a second, Sophia didn¡¯t seem sad about it. ¡°Anyway, yes, that is my defense.¡± ¡°Not an overly solid one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Still, it¡¯s not my fault, you know?¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Maya raised an eyebrow while she stared at her with a disapproving expression. ¡°Yes!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°I even warned Ari to be cautious and to hold back!¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Told Ari?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°To be cautious?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°To hold back, as well?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve told better lies before.¡± ¡°I never lie!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia kept getting louder. ¡°I¡¯m creative when ites to telling the truth and leave out details to hide things, but I never lie!¡± ¡°Once again, not a solid defense, my dear.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The blonde wanted to bonk her cat again, but Maya made sure to increase her grip beforehand. Sophia was sure she could easily free her tail, but that was beside the point, and she let her have this round. ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked this decision. ¡°It is true, though! I warned Ari to not create too much water at once, but she was having so much fun with her new chantless magic that she forgot at some point¡­¡± ¡°Big enough to flood half of the training grounds¡­? There¡¯s no way she did that on her own half an hour after she used chantless magic for the first time¡­¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it, either, but Ari¡¯s really talented when ites to that. She chantlessly created water after concentrating for a moment once I told her what she has to do.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°It took me so much longer!¡± Maya sounded slightly pouty. ¡°Even I didn¡¯t learn it that fast! Well, I never used magic before, so¡­ But still!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Even so, you should¡¯ve stopped her before the ident, though.¡± ¡°Sure, because I excel at crisis prevention, right?¡± ¡°First solid defense you had today.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°For your standards, that is.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Her tail twitched again, but Maya was still firmly gripping it with one hand while caressing the fur with her other. Being teased and feeling good from having her tail yed with by her cat caused her to have a ratherplicated expression. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± She focused on ying around some more before eventually getting back to the topic. ¡°Ari really did all that on her own?¡± ¡°Yep¡­ We started small with a fist-sized ball of water, and she wanted to increase it every now and then. One thing led to another, and the next thing I noticed was the gigantic ball of water in front of us¡­ I could barely use some wind magic as a barrier to keep us dry once Ari lost control of it. Good thing it didn¡¯t hit anyone else, too. It was quite shy, though¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so you do have some crisis prevention skills, huh?¡± Maya smiled at her before breaking into a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that Ari didn¡¯t make you wet.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ It sure is~. There¡¯s only one cat who¡¯s allowed to do that to me.¡± Sophia looked back at her as she yed along with her joke. ¡°Good answer.¡± Maya liked how Sophia had locked eyes with her. ¡°I doubt Ari would want to make anyone except the princess wet, either.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°I knew that it was mutual! Stupid sheepish Anna!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Ari asked me to keep it a sec- Wait, what?!¡± It took Sophia a moment to understand what she had just heard. ¡°Anna also likes Ari? I mean, it¡¯s obvious that she does, but she actually confirmed it to you?¡± ¡°I helped out with that~.¡± Maya sounded slightly smug. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°I had a chat with the princess about her jealousy when it came to you and her jaguar. Long story short, her being turned down by you made her aware of her real feelings for Ari, which fueled her desire to monopolize her even more.¡± ¡°Aww~. I¡¯m the reason that Anna noticed that she¡¯s in love with Ari?¡± Sophia really liked the sound of that. ¡°More or less. After I managed to beat it into that thick head of hers.¡± Maya let out a sigh. ¡°Why are you tigers so dense?!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just what we are¡­ Dense idiots.¡± ¡°Self-aware dense idiots.¡± The cat-girl corrected her. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe how perfect the choice of you bing a tiger was.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked it just as much. ¡°Though, I hope that Ellie won¡¯t suffer from the same fate once she hits puberty.¡± ¡°As long as she takes after her mother, she should be fine.¡± ¡°True¡­ Kira is a rare exception there.¡± Sophia sounded relieved for a moment. ¡°Not that it helped Anna, though¡­¡± ¡°Sooo¡­.¡± Maya tried to get back to the topic. ¡°Ari told you that she likes the princess, as well?¡± ¡°Yes, for many years already, actually.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Remember when the two of us were sick after I gave her some of my magic?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Her filter stopped working there for a bit, and she identally told me that she¡¯s in love with Anna there¡­ Ever since, I¡¯m trying to help her get closer with the princess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing the same!¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Sophia also got loud. ¡°Whenever Ari told me about Anna¡¯s behaviortely, I was always remembered of what you did with me!¡± ¡°Well, it was effective, so I suggested the princess to copy me.¡± ¡°It sure was~.¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°Wait a moment¡­ Ari confirmed loves Anna, and the princess definitely has the same feelings for our jaguar¡­ What do we do now?!¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure how to use this information. ¡°That¡¯s a good question¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t have an immediate answer, either. ¡°I want to help them! They¡¯re perfect for each other, and I want them to be happy!¡± Even though she didn¡¯t know how, the tiger knew what she wanted to do. ¡°How about we mess a bit with them?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia got loud, freed her tail from Maya¡¯s grip, and bonked her as hard as possible without actually hurting her. ¡°Were you listening to me?!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± She yelped in pain while was rubbing her forehead after being hit by Sophia¡¯s tail there. ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t a good thing that you became a tiger, after all¡­ Their tails are way too powerful!¡± ¡°There¡¯s more where that came from!¡± The blonde started wiggling her tail around in front of Maya¡¯s face again. ¡°S-Stop!¡± The cat-girl grabbed it before pushing it down towards herp again. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean my usual way of messing with people!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Is it really within our rights to tell them that they love each other? Isn¡¯t that something they have to find out themselves?¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Sophia started to understand her point. ¡°We¡¯re already helping them, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How about we step up our game with that?¡± Maya developed a slight grin. ¡°I¡¯ve been holding back with Anna¡¯s advice because she was concerned about ruining her rtionship with Ari. Now that I know that the jaguar feels the same, we can make them go all out. Within being reasonable, of course. They naturally don¡¯t have to jump at each other immediately.¡± ¡°True, that¡¯s not for us to decide, either.¡± ¡°They could use it, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s a different story¡­¡± Sophia decided to neither agree nor disagree with her im. ¡°Seriously, I got frustrated just having to listen to Anna and how Ari¡¯s affecting her¡­ Pent up, too¡­ It must be much worse for them. Ari loving that dense idiot for years now¡­? Wow.¡± ¡°Judging by how I talked Ari into kissing Anna without any effort whatsoever¡­ Probably.¡± ¡°You did? I never heard that it happened from the princess, though.¡± ¡°Actually, she suggested it on her own before I could even get to it... We decided to make it look like an ident after it almost happened when they slept in the same bed together. I doubt she had the chance for it yet.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I had the same n for the princess¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°Alright, we have to get them to kiss each other!¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± Sophia energetically raised her arm to show her agreement before bonking Maya with her tail again. ¡°W-Why?!¡± ¡°No idea.¡± She grinned at her. ¡°I kinda just took a liking to bonking you.¡± ¡°So unreasonable¡­ Though, I can think of some things I¡¯d like to do with you that also end with -ing as well, you know?¡± ¡°Well, I took a liking to that, as well, so¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± As their conversation had derailed entirely by now, and their evening activities had changed as well, the couple decided to put the Anna and Ari issue on hold for now. There were more important things to take care of now.
Chapter 225 – Wanting to skip Chapter 225 ¨C Wanting to skip Maya and Sophia were back in their home after having spent the entire day in the magic academy. While the couple chatted about the minor incident the troublemaker duo had caused with chantless water magic there, the two identally confirmed that Ari and Anna are mutually in love with each other. They immediately decided to push the duo even further now to ensure that the two finally get something done. Afterward, the couple got slightly busy with each other. ¡°Phew~.¡± It had gotten slightlyte by now, and Sophia plopped down on one of the sofas in the living room again. ¡°Thanks for the food~.¡± Once they had finished their chat aftering home from the academy together with some other things, the couple first had a bath together before eating dinner. ¡°Thanks for the help, too.¡± Maya also sat down next to her again. ¡°I only helped with peeling and preparing some potatoes, though¡­¡± ¡°Baby steps, girl!¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°A little while ago, I had still banned you from entering my kitchen altogether.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be long before we can cook our entire meals together!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± It was rtively easy to make Sophia happy. ¡°By the way, I was expecting Fen and Aura to join us for dinner¡­ Do you know where they are?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°They went back to the elven vige with the foxes again.¡± ¡°So unfair! I want to go there, too!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°Wait, how do you know?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the note they left on the table in the entrance hall?¡± ¡°Nope, I missed that¡­¡± ¡°Well, now you know.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± She got even louder. ¡°They wrote a note¡­? Fen and Aura did?¡± ¡°Yep?¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± Sophia looked quite confused. ¡°They have paws and all¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°Probably magic.¡± ¡°Magic isn¡¯t the answer to everything!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to ignore that now.¡± Maya stared at her. ¡°I can¡¯t take those words seriously when theye from you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°W-Well, I guess creating a note with magic wouldn¡¯t be too hard, yes¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Still¡­ So unfair!¡± Sophia repeated herself. ¡°I really wanted to see that ce!¡± ¡°And the cute fox-girls?¡± ¡°Sure, if you want to take a look at them, I¡¯ll apany you.¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°What? You brought it up~.¡± She let out a small chuckle before continuing. ¡°Let¡¯s go meet up with them right now! Fenny said it¡¯s north from here, right? If we walk in that direction for a while, I should soon spot the two with my detection magic!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already dark outside, though.¡± ¡°And?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°We¡¯re able to see really well in the dark, after all.¡± She pointed at her cat-like eyes while saying so. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about not being able to see.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°No sun¡­ Cold.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Any enthusiasm in the tiger¡¯s voice was gone in an instant. ¡°Let¡¯s go tomorrow, then!¡± ¡°We¡¯re back in the academy again tomorrow, though.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°How about we skip? I used to be really good at skipping school, you know?¡± ¡°Is that something you boast with?¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Also, on our second day? Rally?¡± ¡°B-But the elven vige¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go on the weekend, okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s still so long, though!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already Wednesday¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I just said!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Maya stared at her. ¡°You also just don¡¯t want to go to the academy because you gathered so much attention today, right?¡± ¡°I bet Ari¡¯s going to skip tomorrow, too!¡± ¡°Ari? You think that Ari is going to skip the academy?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want her to be all on her own tomorrow when everyone wants to get an exnation, right?¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the current guilt trip. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go¡­ But! Not as early as today! There¡¯s no need for us to attend normal sses, and I waspletely useless until lunch break, anyway!¡± ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s reserved for all magic all day, though.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± She wasn¡¯t a fan of this revtion. ¡°Yep.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Anna told me about it while Eluna was holding her speech. Right before the troublemaker duo flooded the ce.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sophia let out a long sigh. ¡°Just whose stupid idea was it to go along with visiting the stupid academy?¡± ¡°Yours.¡± The cat-girl simply pointed at her tiger. ¡°R-Right¡­ I said something like that, didn¡¯t I? Stupid past me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, past Sophia¡¯s always been a bit of an idiot.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± She didn¡¯t even try to defend herself. ¡°But current Sophia¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± The blonde got bashful. ¡°Every Maya¡¯s amazing, though.¡± ¡°Unfair!¡± The cat-girl started pouting. ¡°Stop trying to one-up me all the time!¡± ¡°Tehe~.¡± She stuck out her tongue. ¡°For that alone, I¡¯m going to wake you up at least half an hour earlier than needed tomorrow!¡± ¡°Because Iplimented you?!¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± Maya also stuck out her tongue in return. ¡°Why are you so unreasonable?!¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m dating you, and I had to adjust myself.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Good argument, though¡­¡± ¡°Wanna head to bed?¡± Feeling happy about having won the argument, Maya decided to end the topic. ¡°We have to get up early, after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that! Also, I slept till noon¡­ Even I am not sleepy yet¡­¡± ¡°Who said anything about sleeping? I asked if we should go to bed.¡± ¡°Again?¡± ¡°We have to power you out somehow, right?¡± Maya smirked at her again. ¡°That¡¯s a good reason!¡± ¡°Just that?¡± ¡°Any reason would be good!¡± Sophia changed her mind. ¡°Not having a reason at all would be good enough, too, though~.¡± ¡°That was a good answer.¡± After having decided on a n for the rest of the night, the two got up from the sofa in the living room and made their way upstairs to spend their time there. ---------------- ¡°Tireeeeeed¡­¡± The couple had just left their mansion and made their way towards the castle the following morning when Sophia let out a prolonged yawn. ¡°Even though we headed to bed so early yesterday¡­¡± ¡°Well, it took a long time before we actually got to sleep, after all.¡± ¡°Fair point¡­ I might have to think about a ban for such activities if we have to get up early on the next day.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Nah, not happening.¡± The tiger shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s way too much fun. We need to talk about the whole sleeping while time¡¯s stopped again, though.¡± ¡°I thought we agreed on not doing that already?¡± ¡°We surely didn¡¯t.¡± Sophia red at her. ¡°It¡¯s either that or today¡¯s thest day I¡¯m visiting the academy before lunch.¡± ¡°Or less nightly activities¡­?¡± ¡°No, I just said that that¡¯s out of the question.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Maya stopped walking. ¡°We stopped doing thattely because the wolves are doing their own thing most of the days, but if we have our fun when time¡¯s stopped, we have enough time to sleep in the real world!¡± ¡°True!¡± Sophia had forgotten about that part, as well. ¡°Gosh, why are we such idiots?¡± ¡°Horny idiots, I want to add.¡± ¡°That might be the cause¡­¡± Maya thought about it for a second. ¡°Our brains aren¡¯t doing their best during those times. We¡¯re busy with other things, after all.¡± ¡°Fair¡­¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°Though, whether we have fun while time¡¯s stopped or sleep, where¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The cat-girl had no answer for that. ¡°Let me think about it for a while, okay?¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia took it as a win. ¡°Anyway, back to the wolves for a moment. They didn¡¯te home, did they?¡± ¡°Looks like they stayed with the foxes.¡± ¡°They¡¯re on tour quite often, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re giving us some privacy?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°I love those two~.¡± The tiger liked this interpretation. ¡°Still, is that really all there is with them?¡± ¡°Well, they probably trying to profit from the same thing. Having some privacy themselves by giving us some. Going to a faraway elven vige to have a few drinks in a bar run by foxes sounds like a great date, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°True.¡± Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°Judging by how often they¡¯re out at night and what the two, mostly Aura, told us, they¡¯re having quite a lot of datestely.¡± ¡°Are the two actually¡­ together now? I mean, for real?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t they for quite a while already?¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°Not officially, though, right? The two, first and foremost, Fen, were super wishy-washy about it.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ After the ident you and Fen had, the two had gotten so close that I forgot that they never said anything about the actual type of their rtionship¡­¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s time for a questioning once they¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± Maya felt the same. ¡°That¡¯s going to be fun~.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The couple kept chatting about the wolves for a little longer and eventually reached the royal castle, where they swiftly ran into Anna and Ari. ---------------- ¡°Good morning!¡± The princess noticed them first and greeted the two. ¡°¡¯Morning.¡± They returned her greeting. ¡°See!¡± Anna suddenly faced her jaguar. ¡°Sophia isn¡¯t going to skip!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ari sounded fairly disappointed over this fact. ¡°I thought you¡¯re going to sleep in today¡­¡± ¡°I wish!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Maya didn¡¯t let me!¡± ¡°You seem a lot more awakepared to yesterday, though.¡± The princess looked at the fellow tiger. ¡°We¡¯ve been chatting a lot on the way here. That kinda woke me up a bit for the time being. I¡¯m actually even more exhausted than yesterday, though¡­ Maya kept me up all night.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like this usation. ¡°You were just as much at fault as I was.¡± ¡°Okay, we kept each other awake¡­¡± ¡°Better.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The duo didn¡¯t know what to say and only reacted with a slight blush that had appeared on their cheeks. ¡°Anyway,¡± Noticing that, Sophia decided to change the topic. The couple had some ns for the duo, but not to such a degree. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± She looked at Ari. ¡°Why does it sound like you were hoping for me to skip?¡± ¡°Because Ari wanted to skip, too!¡± Anna took over. ¡°She was hoping for you to stay home so she could use that excuse to do the same.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The jaguar turned her head away. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going home, then.¡± The blonde simply turned around and started walking. ¡°Stop right there.¡± Maya didn¡¯t let her have that and grabbed her by the cor of the academy zer she was wearing. ¡°What?! You told me that there¡¯s no way Ari will skip, and I shouldn¡¯t let her go to school alone today after what happened. I agreed to that and decided to go. Turns out, Ari doesn¡¯t want to go, either! That¡¯s why, I¡¯m going home!¡± ¡°I like that n!¡± The jaguar also turned around, but Anna did the same as the cat-girl and stopped her, as well. ¡°You stupid troublemaker duo! You got yourself into that mess, and you¡¯re going to face it!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°Exactly!¡± The princess was on her side. ¡°B-But¡­¡± Said duo tried to protest. ¡°No buts!¡± The other two didn¡¯t let them have any of that. ¡°That¡¯s so unfair!¡± Ari and Sophia got loud. ¡°The ice-queen and the shy wallflower of the academy sure are worthy of their titles, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°¡­¡± They had nothing to retort to Anna¡¯s im. Afterward, while still visibly pouting, the duo followed after their girls without saying another word all the way to the school.
Chapter 226 – Ice Queen Chapter 226 ¨C Ice Queen The couple had a nice and fun, albeit exhausting evening and night alone in their mansion because the wolves were out on a date. The following morning didn¡¯t start quite as lovely, however. Sophia and Ari had caused a bit of a mess in the magic academy the previous day, and neither of them wanted to go there on the following day. Unfortunately, their girls had no intention to let them skip. ¡°Can¡¯t you use your status as the first princess of this nation to put a gag order on the events from yesterday so that no one¡¯s allowed to talk about it?¡± While walking towards the academy, Sophia addressed Anna with a request. ¡°That¡¯s a brilliant idea!¡± Ari was directly on board with the idea. ¡°I can not!¡± The princess raised her voice. ¡°Also, Ari, don¡¯t make me do the reasonable decisions here! I¡¯m not good at that. I need you to do that for me!¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± The blonde had hoped for a different answer. ¡°I am reasonable!¡± The jaguar only got more unreasonable. ¡°You know how much I hate attention!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not being reasonable. That¡¯s being selfish!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same in this case!¡± ¡°It is not!¡± Anna didn¡¯t share her opinion. ¡°Sophia!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Stop corrupting Ari!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± She didn¡¯t like this usation. ¡°Ari¡¯s the one who flooded the training grounds! I even warned her to be cautious and not to use too much magic at once.¡± ¡°Do you really think that I would believeyouof all people having told someone to hold back?¡± The princess only stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Sophia got louder. ¡°S-She¡¯s right¡­¡± The jaguar sheepishly admitted to it. ¡°She really warned me to be careful¡­ I got too excited and identally messed up, though¡­¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The princess faced her. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Her cheeks turned red. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°M-My point of you corrupting her still stands, though, Sophia! Ari never would¡¯ve agreed with me using my position to issue a gag order! The same goes for skipping the academy or going wild with magic! In the first ce, she usually drags me to school when I feel like skipping!¡± ¡°I regret nothing!¡± Sophia only smiled at her. ¡°Current Ari¡¯s amazing, after all!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The princess agreed without thinking. ¡°Then stopining to me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°T-Thank you, h-happy to hear that¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t entirely clear whom the jaguar thanked here. Still, her intense blush was probably caused by Anna admitting that she¡¯s great and not the other tiger defending her. ¡°We¡¯re definitely going to make them kiss soon.¡± Sophia leaned over to Maya while whispering those words. ¡°Yep.¡± Once that topic was taken care of, not that the girls hade to any conclusion whatsoever, the four continued to walk to the academy together and arrived there before long. ---------------- Thankfully, because the entire day was scheduled to be magic lessons, the group could head right to the training fields without having to go inside the academy and running into even more students than necessary. Unfortunately, many of their ssmates were there already, and all eyes fell on the group once the four arrived there. ¡°¡­¡± Ari didn¡¯t say a word or was able to look at anyone and simply hid behind her princess to stay out of their line of sight. ¡°Hehe.¡± Anna seemed to enjoy how the jaguar was tightly clinging to her back. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia, too, wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Alright, everyone, gather in front of me!¡± Luckily, just at the right moment, Eluna had arrived and ordered the ss toe near her. ¡°Safe¡­¡± The blonde tiger let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Sophia,e and join me here!¡± Unfortunately, the horsedy had other ns. ¡°Not safe.¡± Maya failed to suppress the smirk that had formed on her face. ¡°¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like this development. ¡°I thought you don¡¯t need me for this¡­?¡± ¡°I did say that, yes, but please do me a favor ande anyways.¡± ¡°I can hardly say no to that, can I?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Wow, she¡¯s even unfazed by being addressed by a famous magic teacher¡­¡± ¡°Not only that, the great Eluna is treating her with so much respect!¡± ¡°As expected of the ice-queen!¡± Some of their ssmates got lively after their interaction. ¡°¡­¡± Though she was facepalming, Sophia then went over to Eluna in front of the ss. ¡°You? An ice-queen?¡± With a perplexed expression, Eluna leaned over to the tiger once she had arrived and whispered those words. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me¡­ I was asleep when I earned that title.¡± ¡°Ah, that sounds more like the girl I got to know. You really have a talent for misunderstandings.¡± ¡°Second to none, yes.¡± Sophia gave her a slight nod. ¡°Anyway, good job on reconstructing the training fields.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­¡± The blonde¡¯s expression was a littleplicated. ¡°There¡¯s no flood damage that a little earth magic can¡¯t fix.¡± ¡°Little flood¡­ That was half a tsunami you created yesterday¡­¡± ¡°That was Ari, okay? I was just teaching her!¡± ¡°The princess¡¯ jaguar did that?¡± As Eluna was at the royal castle quite often in the past, it wasn¡¯t overly surprising that she knew Ari. ¡°Yeah. I was teaching her chantless water-based magic, and she got a little over-motivated. ¡°Wait, she can use chantless magic?¡± Eluna suddenly closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating on something. ¡°Wow, I don¡¯t remember her having that much power. I guess she would be able with that much.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel like addressing any of her questions or concerns. For various reasons. ¡°Interesting.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Maybe I should call her over, too? I was convinced you were the one who made the tsunami, after all.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± The tiger stopped her. ¡°Ari isn¡¯t a fan of attention, and after yesterday, she really got enough of that for a while.¡± As the jaguar was her friend and she liked her a lot, Sophia didn¡¯t want her to unnecessarily suffer even more. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Eluna epted that reasoning. ¡°Well, I know that you¡¯re ridiculous enough for all of us together, so that should be enough, anyway.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the n? Again, from what I heard, I thought I could rx and sit back with all the teaching?¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­ but after the two of you flooded the ce, all the students of the ss keep approaching me to showcase some ridiculous over-the-top chantless magic. Something like that ispletely unknown to basically everyone, after all. Even I only had little sess with it. Being ridiculous and or over the top is your field of expertise, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°I do agree, yes¡­¡± There was no way she could deny it. ¡°I can¡¯t say I feel overly motivated about it, though. Maya can be quite over the top, too, you know?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The cat-girl, quite the distance away from them, got loud. ¡°Leave me out of this!¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± Eluna tilted her head. ¡°How did she hear us? She¡¯s rather far away, and we¡¯re whispering¡­¡± ¡°Her ears are something else¡­¡± Sophia let out a small sigh. ¡°I got in a lot of trouble already because I thought she couldn¡¯t hear me¡­¡± ¡°Poor you.¡± ¡°Absolutely¡­¡± ¡°Well, whatever,¡± In reality, Eluna had little sympathy for her. ¡°What¡¯s in your repertoire that¡¯s nice and shy?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± As thatwasthe blonde¡¯s repertoire, she looked a little troubled. ¡°You have to be a bit more precise there.¡± ¡°You really are just a walking catastrophe, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the first time I heard that, yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ shy but not too dangerous?¡± ¡°Definetoodangerous?¡± It still didn¡¯t help the tiger overly much. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Eluna facepalmed and paused for a moment. ¡°What?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°My magic ranges from blowing your hair dry after a bath all the way up to destroying a continent. How am I supposed to know where you draw the line?¡± ¡°You really are¡­ Wait, what was thatst thing you said!?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? Did I say something?¡± She decided to feign ignorance. ¡°Yeah, I probably just misheard, anyway.¡± Eluna thought that this approach would be for the better. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have any shy magic that doesn¡¯t do any actual damage to anything, right?¡± ¡°Damage at all, or damage thatcan¡¯tbe fixed?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pushing it a bit, idiot.¡± ¡°Well, I just really don¡¯t want to do it. Everyone warned me about going easy on breaking themon sense of the students here¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a littlete for that, girly.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Letting out a small sigh, Sophia eventually gave up. ¡°Fine¡­ Do you mind if I lean a little into my new andpletelynot unfounded image of an ice queen? Just a bit moreliterallyspeaking.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Just wait and watch~.¡± Afterward, the tiger decided to do a little show to get over with it. Closing her eyes and concentrating on her task for a bit, the blonde eventually turned the training fields into a winter wondend. She created a few walls of ice around the ce and even used some shavings of thosebined with wind magic to make it look like it was snowing. She held word to Eluna and caused no actual damage. Damage to the environment, that is. Looking at the expression everyone had, Sophia had caused some mental damage because, as usual, she had overdone it a bit. Once the show was over, the blonde let everything disappear again and copied what Ari was doing earlier. She walked over to her cat-girl and hid behind her for the rest of the day.
Chapter 227 – Long weekend Chapter 227 ¨C Long weekend It was the second day Sophia and Maya visited the magic academy Anna and Ari attended. Just like before, it ended in a slight catastrophe for the second time, as well. On the first day, the troublemaker duo consisting of a blonde tiger and a jaguar had flooded the school training grounds, and on the second day, Sophia had turned the same area into a winter wondend. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The lessons had ended a bit early today because everyone in the academy needed to nurse their brokenmon sense, and the girls decided to head over to the royal castle. There, in Anna¡¯s room, Sophia sat down on a sofa while letting out a long sigh. ¡°You can say that again¡­¡± Ari had the same reaction as she sat down next to her. ¡°You two be silent!¡± Maya and Anna got a little loud. ¡°¡­¡± The duo immediately stopped talking. ¡°Good.¡± The two started smiling and also sat down next to their girls. Four of them on the same sofa was a little snug, but no one of them cared about that at the moment. ¡°Why is your girlfriend so like this, Maya?¡± The princess leaned forward the look at the cat-girl at the other end on the sofa. ¡°No idea, she was like this when we met already¡­¡± She had no answer. ¡°What about your¡­ maid? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s any better.¡± It sounded like she wanted to use a different word while looking back at the princess. ¡°Yeah, it seems like she¡¯s pretty easily influenced.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The two in the middle didn¡¯t like this conversation. ¡°We don¡¯t want anyments from either of you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± They turned silent again. ¡°It¡¯s good that there are no lessons for the rest of the week. Maybe everything¡­ everyone calms down a bit thanks to that¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t stay silent for long as she looked at Anna. ¡°There¡¯s no more school?¡± ¡°Yeah, Eluna used our ss as an, uhh¡­ test. Starting tomorrow, she will give a presentation to the rest of the school. We¡¯re free to attend, but it¡¯s not going to be anything newpared to thest two days, and she doesn¡¯t need any of us to do any sort of demonstration. That one didn¡¯t work out quite as anticipated, after all¡­¡± The princess gave her fellow tiger a short exnation. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Sophia¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Absolutely!¡± So did Ari¡¯s. ¡°Any sort of bonding between the two of you is forbidden today!¡± Anna and Maya got loud again. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The two still didn¡¯t like their treatment. ¡°Wait¡­ If there¡¯s no more school¡­ Long weekend!¡± The blonde got even more cheerful. ¡°Maya, let¡¯s go and visit the elven vige!¡± ¡°Sure, why not?¡± The cat-girl had nothing against the idea. ¡°Yay! I also sensed that Fenny and Aura were back in my detection range a little while ago, so we can go together with themter!¡± ¡°Sounds like a n to me.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ what?¡± Anna scratched one of her ears to make sure it was working while looking at the couple. ¡°You¡¯re going to visit a what now?¡± ¡°Fenny and Aura sniffed out a nearby elven vige a little while ago, and the two of us want to take a look at it.¡± ¡°There are elves near the capital?!¡± The princess got loud. ¡°Rtively far, but no, it¡¯s just an abandoned vige they left behind.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s still plenty outrageous! Not even father ever mentioned anything about remains of the elven race!¡± ¡°Well, what can I say?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°The wolves found it when taking a walk or on a date or whatever¡­ ording to them, a group of the fox beastfolk lives there now.¡± ¡°Foxes?!¡± The fellow tiger didn¡¯t seem like calming down yet. ¡°Okay, they¡¯re not nearly as rare, but they¡¯re even better!¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Have you never seen one of them?¡± Ari looked at the blonde. ¡°They have the by far fluffiest tails of any member of the beastfolk. They¡¯re adorable.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Sophia suddenly jumped up from the sofa. ¡°Maya, we¡¯re going!¡± She sounded very motivated. ¡°Is it really alright for you to get this excited about the tails of other girls right in front of your own girlfriend¡­?¡± The jaguar was still looking at her, but her expression turned to a rather disapproving one. ¡°I like how you automatically assumed I¡¯m only interested in the tails of the fox-girls~. Also, Maya¡¯s the one who wanted to touch them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ari and her princess focused their attention on the cat-girl. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°You two¡­¡± There were many things she wanted to say right now, but she decided to keep it to herself for the time being. ¡°It was just a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t want to touch the fluffy?¡± Sophia now also looked at her. ¡°Shut up already.¡± She decided not to answer the question. ¡°I kinda want to go there, too¡­¡± Anna seemed a little envious. ¡°Eh?¡± Ari didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Visiting an elven vige sounds really interesting, doesn¡¯t it?! Even without elves themselves, that is!¡± ¡°Ohh¡­¡± The jaguar¡¯s expression immediately rxed again. ¡°Y-Yeah, that does sound interesting¡­¡± ¡°How far from here is it?¡± ¡°Not really sure.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°From what the wolves told us, I¡¯d guess that it¡¯s around 100km away, give or take something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nearby at all!¡± Anna got loud again. ¡°That really depends on how fast you can run~.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to that. ¡°Are you nning to go there immediately¡­ Now that you¡¯re here already¡­¡± Ari seemed to have some different ns for the blonde. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Well¡­ There was this topic about those lovely heated floors in your mansion, and¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Anna also jumped up from the sofa. ¡°Sophia, please install them here in my room now that you¡¯re here already!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The jaguar red at her tiger. ¡°No cutting in line!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek in response. ¡°I don¡¯t have any materials left, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no problem! After I told mother that you might be willing to install it for us before thepany gets around it, she immediately let everything be delivered. It¡¯s in one of the storage rooms in the castle.¡± ¡°Cats really do anything to get warm, huh¡­?¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°Very rtable. Alright, fine, why not?¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The duo sounded happy. ¡°I¡¯ll start with Ellie¡¯s room first, though.¡± ¡°Why?!¡± They liked this decision much less. ¡°Because she¡¯s Ellie, and I love her.¡± The tiger had a very easy exnation for it. ¡°Unfair!¡± The duo didn¡¯t support this favoritism. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing you can do about that~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Ellie¡¯s not even in the castle right now¡­ Mother told me yesterday that the two are doing something together.¡± ¡°I know that Ellie isn¡¯t here. Actually, thanks to my detection magic, I even know where in the capital she is right now, but I still want to do her room first as a surprise!¡± ¡°You¡¯d make for a fine stalker.¡± Ari rolled her eyes while looking at her. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia had veryplicated feelings about this usation. The image of Canir shing through her head didn¡¯t help in the slightest, either. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Anna caved in. ¡°My room¡¯s next, though.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The blonde shook her head again. ¡°Ari asked first when she found out about it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°For a princess to be thest¡­ No respect¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely serious, but Anna still started pouting. ¡°Why?¡± Sophia looked smug instead. ¡°I¡¯m starting with a princess, though?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°You might also want to clean up your room a bit beforehand.¡± The blonde had no ns to spare her fellow tiger as she looked around in her room. ¡°The more you have lying around, the longer it takes me to get rid of your furniture.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Anna had lost every argument she possibly had. ¡°I told you that would bite you eventually.¡± Ari smiled at her princess. ¡°Well, my room¡¯s squeaky clean, so we can start as soon as you¡¯re done with Ellie¡¯s.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, with that taken care of, where is this storage room?¡± ¡°No idea¡­¡± Anna shook her head. ¡°I only heard that it¡¯s stored in one of them.¡± ¡°I know, though.¡± The jaguar raised her hand. ¡°I saw them delivering it and all.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°Should I guide you?¡± ¡°Great idea!¡± Sophia knew that she needed more than a bit of help to navigate through the gigantic castle. ¡°Wait!¡± Maya and the princess stopped the duo. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Both of you caused enough catastrophes thest few days.¡± Maya didn¡¯t like the n. ¡°We don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to let the troublemaker duo roam around alone together.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Said duo didn¡¯t like their treatment and decided to leave anyway. While lightly sticking out their tongues, Sophia and Ari then left the room to get on with their n while leaving Maya and Anna behind in her room. ¡°Well, that went about as expected, huh?¡± The cat-girl watched them leaving with a smug expression while looking at the princess. ¡°Sophia really is a bad influence¡­¡± ¡°Come on, is it really bad influence?¡± Maya focused her attention on Anna. ¡°I, too, think Ari changedpared to the first few times I spent time with her. Sophia likes to overdo it, but I have a thing for yful girls, so¡­ Current Ari¡¯s definitely an amazing girl.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. She is great. Okay, bad influence might¡¯ve been the wrong word. Still, I don¡¯t want Sophia to get all the glory! I want to be the one to have such an influence on my Ari!¡± ¡°Then get together with her already!¡± Maya also got loud. ¡°If you¡¯re her girlfriend, she¡¯ll naturally take pick up on all kinds of quirks you have. Well, I bet she already a lot from you. Sophia, another easygoing tiger, just enhanced those quirks even more. Start dating her, and you¡¯ll be the main reason she¡¯ll be doing stupid things in the future.¡± ¡°S-Stop making it sounds so easy!¡± ¡°It is, though!¡± As the topic around the jaguar had somehow started off somewhat heated, primarily thanks to the tiger being beyond dense and the cat being frustrated about this very issue, the two first took a short break before picking up the topic again. Chapter 228 – Getting past the dense (a little) Chapter 228 ¨C Getting past the dense (a little) The couple went with Ari and Anna to the royal castle after school was over. There, the girls had a lively chat together. After a while, Sophia had agreed to equip the rooms of the duo and that of Ellie with the same heated floors as the mansion. While Ari guided the blonde to the materials needed, Maya and the princess stayed behind in her room and continued to chat. ¡°Alright, have we calmed down a bit?¡± The two were currently sitting on sofas facing each other when the cat-girl had eventually addressed Anna again. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Great!¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°Seriously though, get together with her already.¡± ¡°Again¡­ Stop making it sound so easy when it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°At this point, it really is, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What are the two of you doing together by now?¡± The cat-girl stared at her for a while. ¡°You sleep in the same bed while clinging to each other. She¡¯s basically your hug-pillow at this point, and Ari doesn¡¯t seem to mind it even a bit. I¡¯m not even talking about the whole shoving your breasts into her face thing.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°How often have you stole nces at her during bathing time even though I said watch out about that? How often have you had the feeling she does the same?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You cling to her whenever I see the two of you together, and I¡¯ve never seen her not smiling while you did so. Then there are the times where you told me she initiated things herself.¡± ¡°T-Those were just¡­¡± ¡°No, those were no mistakes.¡± The cat-girl shook her head. ¡°It is so clear that Ari¡¯s seeking for your contact.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I was watching the two of you the entire time when we went to and back from the academy, you know?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face gradually turned more and more red. ¡°I saw how you reached for her hand, and I also saw how bright Ari¡¯s smile became immediately afterward while she nced at your joined hands.¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that yourself?¡± ¡°I-I was busy dealing with my own face not lighting on fire¡­¡± ¡°Like it does right now?¡± Maya shed her a cheeky grin. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°I also noticed what Ari then tried while you were walking hand in hand.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± ¡°Have you noticed how her tail brushed against yours every now and then?¡± ¡°O-Of course, I have! How could I not?!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°I-It feels great, but that was just an ident! Something like that can happen when you walk next to each other¡­ My tail¡¯s super long and all over the ce, after all. Ari¡¯s quite thick and bushy, as well.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The cat-girl shook her head. ¡°W-What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°It definitely happened on purpose.¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Her tail wasn¡¯t just swaying around while she was walking. You could really see how hard she was trying to match the movement of your tail with hers to get in contact with it at the right time. Every now and then, it even looked like she was trying to curl hers around yours for a brief moment.¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s just no-¡± ¡°No, it definitely did happen.¡± Maya didn¡¯t let Anna finish her sentence. ¡°N-No way¡­¡± The princess then paused for a moment. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I did feeling in contact with her t-tail quite often, though¡­ Now that you mentioned it¡­ While we sleep, they often end up in a t-tangled mess... Well, that might be just as much my fault because I¡¯m all over the ce when I¡¯m sleeping. Even so, when we rxed, it happened more than once, w-way more, that her tail kinda curled around me¡­ I was busy being embarrassed and happy that I couldn¡¯t give it much thought, but¡­¡± ¡°See?!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°I hope you did the same, at least!¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ I-I did¡­¡± The princess was turning more and more into a mess. ¡°Y-You said that I should copy the behavior she does because it wouldn¡¯t make me s-suspicious¡­ I almost died from it, but I asionally wrap my tail around her, too. Mostly her legs, that is.¡± ¡°Squishy thighs?¡± ¡°N-Noment.¡± She turned her head away. ¡°Hehe.¡± Maya tried her best to not look too smug right now. ¡°Well, good job, girl.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°So, how did it feel?¡± ¡°Her t-thighs?¡± ¡°Ari touching you with her tail.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Anna immediately covered her face with her hand to hide her embarrassment. ¡°¡­¡± Maya needed a moment to wipe the incredibly smug grin from her face before being able to continue. ¡°I-It was great¡­ Incredibly soft, squishy, and fluffy! It made me feel t-tingly all over, too...¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± She tilted her head while also scratching her temple. ¡°Are we talking about her thighs now?¡± ¡°W-We aren¡¯t!¡± Anna got loud again. ¡°They could be described with the same words, but that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The smug grin was back already. ¡°A-Ah!¡± ¡°Anyway¡­¡± Once Maya had enough of looking at the adorable princess, which took a while, she eventually got back on track. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not something friends do. It¡¯s not like having our ears touched by others, far from it, but when being kids aside, we don¡¯t easily let others touch our tails so readily, after all.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The princess nodded a couple of times. ¡°I think I could excuse maybe you or Sophia identally touching my tail, but that¡¯s about it. Someone going for it on purpose, I would hate it¡­ and probably tell my father to send the army on them, which he would happily do. I would also never use my tail to touch someone with it or touch those of others.¡± ¡°Unless it¡¯s Ari.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°And it¡¯s the same for her. It¡¯s the same for all cats, after all.¡± ¡°I-It is, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°W-What now¡­?¡± Anna tried to find some words. ¡°I still can¡¯t fully believe it, but if¡­ if it¡¯s r-really mutual¡­ T-That Ari also l-loves me¡­ What should I do now¡­?¡± ¡°Kiss her.¡± Maya didn¡¯t hesitate for a second with her answer. ¡°W-Why do you always jump from one e-extreme to another?!¡± The princess raised her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t k-kiss her!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She tilted her head again. ¡°You¡¯re all over each other to a point where even your tails are involved already. What else is left there? The sexual side aside, your options to go further right now are a kiss, touching her ears, or outright confessing your love.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Are there no other options¡­?¡± Anna was convinced of any of them. ¡°For example?¡± The cat-girl stared right into her eyes. ¡°What is more intimate than ying with each other¡¯s tails but less than a kiss?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had no answer. ¡°That¡¯s why, go get her, tiger~.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The princess seemed about to light on fire any moment now. ¡°W-What kind of k-kiss¡­?¡± ¡°You know what kind.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re such a bully¡­¡± ¡°Well, it has to be on the lips, you know? No better way to get your feelings across.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s way too much¡­ D-Did you do that, too¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I did kiss Sophia¡¯s back while we took a bath if I remember right¡­ But our actual first kiss happened after I confessed to her. So, that would be your other option.¡± ¡°A-Are there really no options that are more¡­ beginner-friendly¡­?¡± ¡°A beginner in this topic is teaching you right now. Sophia¡¯s my first experience, too, after all. I¡¯m trying for her to be myst, too, so¡­¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The princess was running out of alternatives. ¡°H-How am I supposed to k-kiss her, anyway? I-I can just go ¡®Hey Ari, l let me k-kiss you,¡¯ can I¡­?¡± ¡°Well, you can¡­ A little more finesse might be appropriate, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good at that!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Maya was well aware that the princess was more on the clumsy side. ¡°No tiger is, after all.¡± ¡°S-So¡­?¡± Anna didn¡¯t even try toin. ¡°She seems to be pretty light, so just pick her up and go for it~. Picking her up in a princess carry as a princess sounds pretty great. Once she¡¯s in your arms, for the lips you go~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blush wasn¡¯t limited to just her face anymore at this point. ¡°Too much?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Anna needed a moment. ¡°W-Way too much!¡± ¡°I see¡­ Understandable.¡± ¡°If it is, then don¡¯t suggest it!¡± ¡°I gave you a nice picture for your imagination, though, did I not?¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± She got loud again. ¡°A-Also, yes¡­ thank you very much!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°D-Do you also have any actual tips for me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to try something by yourself?¡± ¡°If I¡¯d be able to do that, I wouldn¡¯t have given you that many headaches already!¡± ¡°Despite being as dense as a rock, tigers really are pretty self-aware, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to force a kiss, especially if you aren¡¯t together yet¡­ I also doubt you want your first kiss to happen like this.¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all a question of getting a good mood going.¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m able to do something like that? I¡¯m good at destroying good moods, but creating them¡­? No.¡± ¡°Shut up, Sophia.¡± Maya felt reminded of someone else right now. ¡°She has no talent for it, either?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Actually, she¡¯s quite good at it. When she wants to, at least¡± The cat-girl reconsidered her im after thinking about it. ¡°Especially when she¡¯s horny.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t need this kind of information¡­¡± ¡°It could be helpful for , though~.¡± I-I don¡¯t need this kind of information¡­ y-yet.¡± ¡°Fair enough. One thing after another.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna was sustaining a lot of damage in this conversation. ¡°It¡¯s tough to give tips for that, okay?¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°When you sleep together, I take that also some cuddling is happening beforehand, yes?¡± ¡°It depends a little on how tired we are, but¡­ Less often than I w-want to, but it happens, yes.¡± ¡°Let me guess, the amount you want it to happen is every day, right?¡± ¡°If you know the answer, why do you even ask?!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Maya liked the honest princess a lot. ¡°It¡¯s a great way to see your motivation.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Anna only reacted with a groan. ¡°Doing our homework, or studying¡­ or justzing around also ends up with c-cuddling a lottely¡­¡± ¡°Again, why aren¡¯t the two of you not dating yet?!¡± ¡°L-Leave me be¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Girl, decide!¡± ¡°Help me!¡± The princess was slightly all over the ce. ¡°You really are lucky that I have experience with jumpy girls¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Sophia!¡± She was d that her fellow tiger was so simr to herself in that regard. ¡°Haa¡­ Okay, back to creating a good mood.¡± Maya had enough of getting sidetracked. ¡°If you¡¯re cuddling with her, try to go for a position where your faces are close to each other. Once she¡¯s all rxed and cozy, try your luck. Bring your face close and give her a little kiss.¡± ¡°T-That sounds way too easy¡­¡± ¡°Well, if you think so, I expect good news the next time we meet~.¡± ¡°T-That wasn¡¯t my intention!¡± ¡°Toote now.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The two kept chatting a little longer while Maya gave her some more suggestions on how to kiss the jaguar. Still, the princess didn¡¯t hold out much longer before her brain was entirely fried from this overly embarrassing conversation. Once she managed to calm down again, the duo decided to clean up Anna¡¯s room to get it ready for the heated floors once Sophia came back.
Chapter 229 – Unexpected words Chapter 229 ¨C Unexpected words While Maya was busy making the princess as embarrassed as possible by giving her tips on how to get her jaguar, mainly by ordering Anna to kiss the ck-haired girl, Sophia and the subject of the other¡¯s conversation, Ari, had gotten the materials needed for the heated floor out of the storage room. While the two were getting ready to install it in Ellie¡¯s room, Ari had offered to watch and help with that, the two started a very simr chat on their own. ¡°How is it going with Anna, my dear?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The jaguar immediately flinched. "Oh?" Sophia was very interested in the origin of such a reaction. "What happened?" ¡°I-I¡¯m starting to think that you might actually be right¡­¡± ¡°I always am!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°Wait, with what?¡± ¡°Anna may possibly be having the same f-feelings I have¡­¡± "Well, duh!¡± It was the best reaction she could give her. ¡°Has something happened that you dense idiot finally agree?¡± ¡°H-Hey, that¡¯s a bit harsh¡­¡± "No, it''s not." She shook her head a few times. "I''m the densest of idiots. I''m allowed to say that." ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re self-aware¡­ I can¡¯t really defend myself here¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really that anything specific happened¡­ Just how she is¡­ we are actingtely, there¡¯s little room for doubts anymore¡­¡± ¡°Details! I want details!¡± The blonde was really excited about it. ¡°Well, we are still sleeping together every night¡­ and it got a lot more intimate¡­¡± ¡°More than death by boobs?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Stop focusing on that topic already!¡± ¡°How could I? I tried it with Maya, and it was amazing! It must be even better with the princess!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari decided not to answer and only turned her bright-red head away. ¡°Good enough for me~.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should¡­¡± The jaguar felt her looking forward to it a bit too much. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that!¡± ¡°Fine¡­ It¡¯s not all the time, unfortunately, but before we actually sleep, we cuddle a lot¡­ It''s great.¡± ¡°Sure sounds like it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also not only when we get ready to sleep. Doing homework or other kinds of studying, or simply rxing on the sofa¡­ it will end up in cuddling most of the time¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Sophia was happy for her. ¡°I-It is¡­ The way we cuddle also got way more intimate than at the start. She really sticks to me tightly¡­ S-So do I¡­ Our t-tails also got involved in it more and more¡­ She really likes to wrap hers around my legs¡­¡± ¡°Squishy thighs?¡± ¡°T-They aren''t squishy!¡± ¡°They sure look soft to me, though.¡± The tiger focused her eyes on Ari¡¯s legs. ¡°Stop looking!¡± ¡°No.¡± She showed no sign of averting her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Maya about this!¡± ¡°I am 100% sure she said the same thing at least once to Anna when the two are alone.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Probably¡­¡± The jaguar knew her a bit by now, after all. ¡°Anyway, my thighs aren¡¯t the point here! It¡¯s Anna using her tail to wrap it around me!¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m also¡­ kinda doing the same whenever I get the chance¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°And if you ask about the squishiness of Anna¡¯s thighs now, I¡¯ll get angry!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde stayed silent and only looked at her with pleading eyes. ¡°Very squishy, very soft, and absolutely amazing¡­¡± Looking at her, the jaguar knew that the conversation wouldn''t progress without this information. She also seemed slightly proud about it, though. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Sophia showed her a big smile before finally being able to concentrate. ¡°Well, I know that already, though.¡± ¡°How do you know that Anna¡¯s thighs are perfect?!¡± She got loud. ¡°Did something actually happen when she tried to go after you?!¡± ¡°No¡­ I meant the tail story. I know that you¡¯re trying to touch the princess with yours all the time.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Ari froze up. ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°It was pretty obvious on our walks to and from school. Everyone would¡¯ve noticed that you were trying to entangle your tail with hers or touching her legs and back with it.¡± "R-Really¡­?" Her face turned redder. "I-I was trying to make it look natural, though¡­" ¡°It was about as natural as me trying toe up with an excuse that makes sense.¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± The jaguar looked devastated. ¡°Yep, it was really obvious. Also, good job on holding hands with her the entire time. The two of you look very sweet together.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­ uuh¡­¡± Her expressions were all over the ce. ¡°D-Do you think Anna also noticed. ¡°Well, she seems to be at least as dense as I am, so¡­ Then again, you know how much our tails mean to us felines, right?¡± Sophia nced at her own swishing around behind her while saying so. ¡°I-I do¡­¡± Ari agreed while her own tail visibly twitched a few times in response. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not nearly as sensitive as our ears, but tails are important! If anyone would touch my tail without consent, I would get really angry.¡± The tiger¡¯s aura changed for a moment before turning back again. ¡°If you¡¯re allowed to touch hers, and she¡¯s using it to touch you, there a few other interpretations here.¡± ¡°I-I know¡­¡± ¡°You didn''t touch her ears, though, did you?¡± "O-Of course not!" Ari raised her voice even more. "There''s no way I could do that at this stage in our rtionship!" ¡°At this stage, huh?¡± Her smile turned into a smirk. ¡°Well, I d-do want to, eventually¡­ but it''s too early!¡± ¡°I love how honest you can be.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the n?¡± Sophia looked right at her. ¡°I want to kiss Anna! I want to kiss her so badly!¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t expecting such a direct and powerful reply. ¡°But no ears¡­?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s something else entirely!¡± ¡°Okay, fair enough¡­¡± She still vividly remembers the first time she touched Maya¡¯s ears before the two started dating and how wrong it almost felt. Not to mention the extreme feeling when the cat-girl touched hers for the first time after she became a tiger. ¡°A kiss is alright, though?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Ari slightly nodded in response. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d have a chance with this tall princess I grew up with, but ever since you started helping me, it seems like there¡¯s actually a chance¡­ I wanted to hide those feelings to get over them eventually, but you showed me a better way.¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Sophia was happy that she was responsible for this. ¡°I always thought she¡¯s so clingy because we¡¯re childhood friends and how she¡¯s so very spoilt, buttely¡­ It¡¯s different. I want to further get closer and improve our rtionship. The only thing I can imagine after we already started touching each other with our t-tails is to kiss her." ¡°How about you simply confess already?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ari¡¯s answer was surprisingly strong. ¡°Why not?¡± "A c-confession is way too intimate!¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­?¡± Sophia got more than a little confused. ¡°Cuddling, sleeping together, touching each other, getting some tail action, and kissing is okay, but a confession is too much¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari needed a moment. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°How?!¡± "A confession is¡­ final. Once I confess, Anna knows my feelings for sure¡­¡± ¡°Because kissing a friend on the lips is a normal thing to do¡­?¡± The tiger had a hard time following her. ¡°I never said anything about her l-lips!¡± "That''s what you wanted to do, though, didn''t you?" ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar chose not to answer again. ¡°Good girl.¡± She was proud of her. ¡°So, what am I missing here?¡± "I can''t brush off a confession¡­ If I kiss her and her reaction¡­ isn''t a good one, I might still be able to find an excuse for my actions. In the worst case, I could still me you.¡± ¡°W-Why me?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°She already thinks you¡¯re influencing me too much, so I bet she¡¯d believe me if I say that you¡¯ve tricked me into doing it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about this.¡± "By the way, thank you for influencing me so much. I really appreciate it." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Luckily, the blonde was easily swayed. "You really have changed¡­ You really chewed me out thest time I suggested kissing the princess." ¡°Things have changed! Anna and I got so much closer, and I reeeeally want to kiss her so very, very, very much! It¡¯s all your fault for encouraging me so much!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± "That''s why it''s all your fault if everything goes wrong!" "Fair enough. I think. Probably¡­ I got confused a little in the middle, and I''m not exactly sure about anything anymore¡­" Sophia tilted her head while trying to make sense of the situation and her involvement. "Yeah, I''m definitely not innocent." ¡°Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll take full responsibility if anything goes wrong.¡± As she already knew that their love was mutual, the tiger had no issue with taking the me. ¡°T-Thank you very much¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a conditi-, there are two conditions for me to take the me, though.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that¡­¡± Ari had a bad feeling about this. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have a choice, do you~?¡± Sophia, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± She squirmed around for a little while. ¡°Okay¡­ what is it?¡± ¡°If the kiss should be sessful and returned in kind, you¡¯ll immediately confess to her.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± The jaguar¡¯s face turned redder again. ¡°I-If the mood is right afterward, I-I¡¯ll try¡­¡± "You just kissed her. Of course, the mood will be right!" ¡°O-Okay, I¡¯ll try¡­¡± ¡°No, you will do it.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re such a tyrant!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± Sophia showed her a cheeky grin. "A tyrant that wants your best!¡± ¡°Uuh¡­ W-What is the other condition¡­?¡± "You''ll immediately head over to my ce the next day and tell me about everything that happened! In great detail, that is.¡± She loved this kind of talk, after all. ¡°T-That should be manageable¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°Though, again, about that other condi-¡° ¡°No!¡± She stopped her. ¡°That will happen!¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yeah, I love you¡­¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t be mad at her. ¡°See? Confessing isn¡¯t all that hard~.¡± Sophia tried her best to hold in herughter. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± She almost started screaming. ¡°This and that are totally different things! Those types of love have no rtion to each other!¡± ¡°I know.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the same different kind of love I have for you and my Maya, after all.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, with that taken care of, and agreed on, let¡¯s-¡± ¡°Nothing has been taken care of, and even less has been agreed on!¡± ¡°I beg to differ.¡± She wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°So, what¡¯s your n to kiss her? I¡¯m really interested in what you have nned! I bet it¡¯s adorable and super romantic~.¡± "A-Ah.¡± Ari suddenly froze up. ¡°You useless lesbian!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t believe her. "Wow, for me to say that to someone... Steph would be so proud of me." She could even less believe that she''d ever use those words on someone else. Afterward, once they calmed down a little, the two did some more brainstorming while getting Ellie''s room ready for the heated floors.
Chapter 230 – Ari’s room Chapter 230 ¨C Ari¡¯s room While Sophia was alone with Ari as the two got Ellie¡¯s room ready for heated floors, she asked the jaguar about hertest progress with Anna. As it turned out, there was quite a lot of progress. The duo had gotten so close and intimate with each other that Ari¡¯s current desire was to kiss the princess. Unfortunately, while her urge to kiss her girl was strong, Ari¡¯s ability to n it out, wasn¡¯t. ¡°Alrighty, we¡¯re done here~.¡± While pping her hands once, Sophia looked at Ellie¡¯s room with a satisfied expression. ¡°S-She actually just let everything disappear, including the floor, added some of the heating stuff, and made everything look like before again¡­" Ari, on the other hand, looked rather tired instead. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± She decided to take it as apliment. ¡°Should we head over to your room now?¡± ¡°S-Sure.¡± Agreeing to it, the jaguar then guided Sophia to her room which wasn¡¯t too far away from Anna¡¯s. ¡°Ohh, it¡¯s cute!¡± There, the blonde looked around for a while, taking in how neatly it was decorated and that everything was perfectly cleaned up. Immediately after, her eyes stopped at Ari''s bed. "Isn''t it a bit small when you two sleep together? Especially because Anna''s so tall." ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± Sophia loved her reply. ¡°All snug and intimate, huh?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Though slightly embarrassed about it, Ari¡¯s expression made clear that she was enjoying this arrangement a lot. ¡°That¡¯s another point on my list that made me suspicious about Anna¡­¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Her bed¡¯s so much bigger, but we spend almost every night in mine since the day she came over to sleep here for the first time. That made me think that she wants to be closer, too¡­¡± ¡°That made you think so¡­?¡± The tiger stared at the ck-haired girl while tilting her head. ¡°That the princess uses you as her hug pillow every night didn''t give it away already? I¡¯m not even talking about the motorboa-, err, suffocating incidents here, either.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for also being a little dense, okay¡­?¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s keep it at a little.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s get started!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°Great!¡± ---------------- Getting her okay, Sophia then let everything, including the floor of Ari''s bedroom, disappear into her storage, leaving only apletely bare room behind. ¡°Your storage magic sure is something else. All those purple distortions were quite pretty, though. Also, my stuff¡¯s safe, right? R-Right?¡± ¡°Want to go inside and take a look at it?¡± ¡°R-Right you mentioned before that you can actually enter it, right¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty interesting in there~.¡± ¡°Is it safe, too¡­?¡± ¡°As safe as everything else I do.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari didn¡¯t like this answer. ¡°Good point.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t me the jaguar and her overly disapproving expression. ¡°The wolves and even Maya regrly enter the ce, too. It''s safe enough for that.¡± ¡°T-That sounds a lot more promising.¡± ¡°So~?¡± The blonde smirked at her. ¡°I''m not sure if you''ll ever be able to enter your own storage, but it might help you learn it." ¡°You really know how to win over a girl.¡± ¡°No, I absolutely don¡¯t.¡± Sophia shook her head. "Also, don''t tell the other two that you said this sentence to me when we were alone.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± She noticed her mistake. ¡°Especially not when you¡¯re about to enter one of my holes. That leads to my storage area, to be more exact.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That was stretching it a bit, huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari only increased her stare. ¡°Hmm¡­ A-Ah!¡± She only now noticed her idental wordy. "That wasn''t even on purpose! My, what a pervert we have here to interpret my words like that~.¡± ¡°Sophia?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll shut up now.¡± The blonde knew what she wanted to say. ¡°Good.¡± Ari¡¯s expression softened again. ¡°Also, absolutely. We really shouldn''t tell them. Any of those things, that is.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia decided to end the topic she started. A momentter, one of her usual door-sized purple portals opened in front of her. ¡°Let¡¯s hop in!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The jaguar stared at the portal for a while. ¡°I-Is it okay if I change my mind¡­?¡± She was heavily second-guessing her decision to take a look at Sophia¡¯s storage. ¡°Just go already!¡± Not giving her any choice in the matter, the blonde simply got behind Ari and pushed her inside. ¡°N-No, waaaa--" She tried to protest but clearly had no chance against the strength of the overpowered tiger. "W-Wow!" On the other side of the portal, Ari''s eyes immediately grew wide. "A-Ah¡­¡± So did Sophia¡¯s, but for a different reason. ¡°Wrong room¡­¡± She noticed that the two ended up in her portal room, connecting to their mansion and the maze, among other things. It wasn''t the all-white space it used to be anymore, Sophia had created an actual room with light steel-blue walls and a ceiling. The portals were attached to the walls, as well. ¡°Wrong room?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°Also, don¡¯t push me into holes I don¡¯t want to enter!¡± ¡°Good one.¡± The tiger was proud of her. ¡°Hehe¡­ Wait, where¡¯s all my stuff?!¡± She looked around some more in the room that seemed to bepletely empty, aside from a couple of portals. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s the wrong ce. Your furniture and all that is somewhere else.¡± ¡°I see?¡± It didn¡¯t seem like the jaguar did, though. ¡°What are all the portals for?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure if she should tell her. ¡°Well, whatever¡­ Each of those portals links to a different ce." ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The jaguar got loud. ¡°Are you seriously just a normal tiger?!¡± ¡°What else am I supposed to be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! All of this seems way too extraordinarily! If you actually were some higher being in disguise, I would totally believe it!¡± ¡°Do I look like a higher being to you?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like where this was going. ¡°The great Canir¡¯s a god, too, and while his statues make him look dignified, the expression he has on every single one gives off a smug yet somewhat unreliable look¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had so many things she wanted to say right now, but none of those would make the situation even slightly better. ¡°So, I¡¯m unreliable¡­?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I wanted to say!¡± Apologizing once, the jaguar then took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re obviously no higher being¡­ That would be way too over the top even for you, after all... It¡¯s just that surprising. All of this.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± She was still taking damage from her remarks. ¡°Well, I can see where you¡¯reing from¡­¡± She didn¡¯t want to agree with Ari, but it¡¯s not like she could me her, either. ¡°So¡­ where do these, uhh¡­ portals lead to?¡± Looking a little interested, the ck-haired girl walked over to one of them and curiously eyed it. ¡°That specific one there leads to an underground dungeon.¡± ¡°N-No way¡­¡± ¡°If you think I¡¯m joking, feel free to hop in and see for yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She looked at the portal for another moment. ¡°I-I think I¡¯m good¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pretty fun ce, though.¡± ¡°M-Maybe another time¡­¡± Ari had very mixed feelings about it. ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°Just some random ces like a totally uninteresting and unsuspiciouske in the middle of nowhere not too far from here.¡± ¡°Sounds suspicious.¡± "I just said that it isn''t!" ¡°That¡¯s the reason why it is.¡± The jaguar obviously saw right through her. ¡°Also, there are nokes near the capital.¡± ¡°With nearby, I still meant around 150km away.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Wait, the nearestke that is worth its name I know is even farther if I remember right¡­¡± ¡°I-I guess you forgot one, then¡­¡± ¡°Suspicious¡­¡± ¡°It is not!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Ari knew her well enough by now that she didn¡¯t believe a single word the tiger was saying. ¡°What about the big portal in the middle of the room?¡± ¡°That leads to our mansion.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s a great idea!¡± The jaguar seemed to have immediately understood the purpose. ¡°Wherever your travel, no matter how far it is, you can always go back home for a nice bath andfy bed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly the n. Well, we mainly nned to use that way of traveling during the cold season because camping is fun when it¡¯s warm. Still, after I found out that it''s getting icy around here, I don''t feel like traveling at all right now¡­" ¡°Understandable.¡± Ari reacted with a nod. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out at all during wintertime¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The two cats had the same opinion on the matter. ¡°I kind of want to see this nearby and totally not suspiciouske I¡¯ve never heard of right now, though.¡± The jaguar looked at the corresponding portal again. ¡°H-How about some other time?¡± Sophia was already regretting having ever mentioned the disasterke. She then turned around and created yet another portal. ¡°Let¡¯s go through that for the time being¡­¡± ¡°Where does this one lead?¡± Ari let go of the idea. ¡°To where we actually wanted to go, your stored bedroom.¡± ¡°Ah, I almost forgot about that¡­¡± Too much had happened at once for the jaguar to stay on top of things. Much less reluctant this time, Ari then stepped through the new portal without having to be encouraged to do so. ---------------- ¡°Ah, we¡¯re right this time.¡± Sophia had followed after her and let out a relieved sigh. ¡°It¡¯s actually just like my room¡­¡± Ari was looking around in the area with a ratherplicated expression. ¡°Without walls in the middle of nowhere inside an all-white space, that is.¡± ¡°Minor details.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Walking around a bit, she eventually sat down on her bed. "The bright white all around you is a bit much, but other than that, you really could live in here, huh? If you make it like the portal room, no one would even notice anything out of the ordinary." ¡°That¡¯s what I have been saying!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Maya doesn¡¯t let me, though. Also, I remember you agreeing with her opinion!¡± ¡°Sounds like something I did, yeah.¡± The jaguar nodded a few times. ¡°Adding to that, the white space is just the default setting. The portal room had actual walls and all that, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°I might even be able to recreate some nature if I put some effort.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The ck-haired girl had aplicated expression again while looking at the tiger standing in front of her. ¡°Creating a whole world with nature and all that inside a space that you rule over¡­ I wonder if the great Canir can do something like that, as well." "A-Ah¡­¡± The blonde remembered thest time the great Canir visited them, where he called her a divine being. "A-Anyway, back to the living in here idea¡­¡± Sophia had no intention to continue this topic. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I bet it would be cool to have something like a house in here. You can¡¯t be much more on your own without any interruption than here.¡± She could stop time, which makes one even more alone, but that¡¯s a different topic. "It does sound interesting and a little fun. Wow¡­" Ari suddenly stopped. "Anna was right. You are a bad influence. I never would¡¯ve agreed to something as ridiculous as this before meeting you.¡± ¡°Ehehe, you¡¯re wee.¡± She didn¡¯t mind being a bad influence if that led to her friend being more yful than before. ¡°Yeah, thanks¡­¡± Once the two made sure that Ari¡¯s stuff was safe in the storage dimension, the two headed back to the jaguar¡¯s actual room to get the underfloor heating installed. Chapter 231 – Planning a plan Chapter 231 ¨C nning a n Ari and Sophia were still installing the heated floor in the jaguar¡¯s room in the castle. They were still nning to do so, to be more precise, as the two, as usual, kept getting side-tracked by absolutely everything. The duo just came back from the tiger''s storage dimension, where she had put all of Ari¡¯s stuff from her bedroom. She also had identally revealed her portal room to the ck-haired girl. Exining how the blonde can ce portals wherever she wants and travel from one to another was met with great interest by her friend, too. ¡°Alright,¡± The two just came back from Sophia¡¯s storage when the blonde looked around in the jaguar¡¯s empty room. ¡°Any requests?¡± ¡°Make it as hot as possible, please!¡± ¡°Sure. It tends to explode if you use too much, though.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Please keep it 1% below the maximum then, please.¡± ¡°I really love the greedy Ari.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Make sure to put enough below and right around the bed. It has to be the toastiest around there, after all!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as toasty as possiblees as standard with the Sophia all-inclusive package.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the customer¡¯s favorite bestseller, too.¡± ¡°I can see why!¡± She yed along. ---------------- Around half an hourter, Ari¡¯s room looked like normal again, as if nothing ether happened, only that it felt a lot warmer now. Sophia also installed two switches to pour magic into to activate the underfloor heating. One was at the door, and the other one was right next to the jaguar''s bed where the two were sitting on right now. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°I might actually fall for you thanks to this..." Ari seemed to really like it. ¡°If Anna wouldn¡¯t exist, that is.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± The blonde had a few somewhatplicated feelings about this. Especially because the jaguar had made a slight pause before adding the Anna part. ¡°B-Bless the princess for existing¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± She couldn''t agree more with that. ¡°Seriously, though¡­¡± Sophia stared right at the jaguar. ¡°Again, what¡¯s up with the flirty ambiguity? I don¡¯t mind, it¡¯s kinda nice, but it¡¯s so different from the you I first got to know.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Ari awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I was able to mostly ignore Anna¡¯s influence when ites to being yful. Okay, more like I suppressed it on the outside. It''s not like I was never yful when being alone with her¡­ Still, with you being quite simr in that area while being even more unhinged in others¡­ Well, we became good friends, and I didn¡¯t see a reason to hold back anymore inside our little group.¡± ¡°Why hold back when no one else around you does, huh?¡± ¡°More or less, yes.¡± "You should tell that to Anna, too." ¡°Huh?¡± "Well, she''s getting jealous about the two of us getting along a lot. Just as you said, she thinks I have a bad influence on you. You should rify that her influence on you is just as bad." ¡°In those exact words?¡± ¡°Shut up. Keep your sass to Anna. I already have my own cat filled to the brim with that." ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I¡¯d also feel bad if it feels like someone else is solely responsible for influencing my girlfriend, or hopefully soon-to-be girlfriend in this case. To a degree where her character seemed to have changed, even. For the better, sure, but it would still bother me.¡± ¡°Yes, putting it that way, it would really bother me, as well.¡± Ari nodded in understanding. ¡°I guess I should make it clearer that Anna¡¯s the main reason for me having developed such a personality, and you''re just enabling me." "I don''t like your wording, but that''s the gist of it, yeah." ¡°That sounds like a good idea. Teasing her is fine, but I don¡¯t want to make Anna feel insecure or make her worry¡­" Ari showed her a small smile. "I am so d that I''m the one who became good friends with you instead of Maya being it." "Sure, because you don''t enjoy teasing people in the slightest." The jaguar just stared at her while rolling her eyes. ¡°T-That¡¯s a fair argument.¡± The tiger had little to defend herself with here. ¡°Still, Maya¡¯s on a whole other level when ites to the art of teasing people.¡± ¡°Should I be worried that Anna picks up something from her¡­?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°The only thing you should be worried about there is your princess liking it a bit too much.¡± ¡°Should that make me feel better¡­?¡± ¡°Probably not, but it shows how it can worry someone if their partner gets influenced by someone else.¡± ¡°Yes, I get it. I¡¯ll me Anna more often in the future for all the bad influence I¡¯m surrounded by and how she''s the worst in that regard.¡± ¡°Again, not a fan of the wording, but it¡¯s good enough, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Well, while we¡¯re on the topic of the princess already, how about we pick up your n about kissing her again?¡± While saying so, Sophia sprang up from the bed and grinned at Ari. "A-Ah...¡± ¡°You had hoped that I forgot about that, huh?¡± "A little, yes.¡± ¡°Too bad~.¡± ¡°You really have more than enough sass in yourself.¡± ¡°Not denying that.¡± The blonde took it as apliment. ¡°Well, when ites to kissing, I do have some experience by now~. I''ll dly show you a thing or two." ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar stared at her for a moment. ¡°Did you really say that just now¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? A-Ah!¡± Sophia needed a second to understand the alternative meaning of her words. ¡°W-Well, I¡¯m d that our old roles are still a thing.¡± ¡°Sure are.¡± The piercing gaze of Ari turned softer again. ¡°No, I meant that I might be able to give you a tip or two for setting the right mood.¡± ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s, uhh¡­ It¡¯s going to be my first kiss, though¡­ You and Maya are much further in your rtionship¡­ I¡¯m not sure if your mood is the right one for my situation.¡± "A mood that involves less horny and more awkward¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I can also be innocent, you know?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll save the other type of mood for ater date~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She stayed silent again. ¡°I want an answer here~.¡± The blonde had other ns, though. ¡°L-Later, yes¡­¡± Ari gave her a weak nod while her face turned red. ¡°Good~.¡± Sophia liked her reply. "Alrighty, innocent, huh?" She tilted her head and thought about it for a moment. "Well, it''s your first kiss, so I''m sure you already gave it a lot of thought, didn''t you? I bet you already know how you¡¯d like it to happen, right? It might be easier to create a mood around that. So, what¡¯s your dream kiss?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± The jaguar¡¯s face became even redder in response. ¡°Oh?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°I thought you wanted something innocent?¡± ¡°I-I do!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°It¡¯s not like that! I-Imagining my first k-kiss with Anna is reason enough to get embarrassed, is it not?!¡± ¡°You win that round.¡± Sophia had more than a bit of experience with being embarrassed as well, after all. ¡°So, what¡¯s your fantasy with the princess?¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m the one who doesn''t like your wording!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°W-Well, it will be rather hard with both of us standing¡­" ¡°True.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I already have to put in some work with that, and the gap between Maya¡¯s and my height¡¯s much smaller than yours.¡± ¡°Stupidly tall Anna¡­¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­ I think it¡¯s great how tall she is! It looks awesome.¡± "You''re right. You are very right!" Ari agreed. "Comes with a lot of problems, though¡­" ¡°Maybe tiptoeing would work?¡± She tried to remember how tall the princess was in rtion to the jaguar. ¡°Could be close, though.¡± ¡°I tried to match her line of sight while standing on tiptoes before¡­ Thest time, I ended up losing my bnce and dived my face into her chest¡­¡± ¡°I think I remember you telling me that¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it was after you urged me to get into herfort zone to see her reaction!¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°W-Well, it worked out¡­ You got a reaction out of her, right? Among other things. Two things, to be exact." ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Still, you sure are drawn to Anna¡¯s chest¡­ Okay, I can¡¯t me you for that.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± She got louder again. ¡°A-Also, her breasts are drawn to me just as often when we sleep¡­¡± ¡°Great defense you have there.¡± Sophia only smiled at her. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Alright, while the result, your head on her chest, soundsfy, standing on tiptoes is not?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Once I know what I¡¯m doing, it shouldn''t be an issue, but starting with it might beplicated¡­¡± "What a tough customer we have here¡­" The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°I love how much more confident you got about all that, though. Already nning what to do once you¡¯re morefortable with it~.¡± ¡°D-Don''t jinx it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one nning ahead here.¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia was having a lot of fun. ¡°Alright, what else could you do¡­ With both of you lying down when getting ready to sleep¡­ Hmm, that could end up being awkward, as well¡­¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°How about you kiss her while she¡¯s sitting down? Maybe on a chair or a sofa? Your line of sight might even be slightly above hers, and you can n it really well that way." ¡°Oh!¡± Ari had the same reaction. ¡°I like that!¡± ¡°Great!¡± She was happy that they got an idea. ¡°It also shouldn¡¯t be too hard to get her into that position. She¡¯s just sitting down, after all.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± "All that''s left now is to create a good mood that involves her sitting down¡­" ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The jaguar sounded a bit less enthusiastic now because she had no idea how to create a good mood on purpose. The two chatted for a while longer while trying to develop a n. Once they thought of something that could work, and after Ari managed to get rid of her blush again, the two finally went back to Anna''s room to reunite with their girls. Chapter 232 – Influencing each other Chapter 232 ¨C Influencing each other Sophia finally finished equipping Ari''s room with the underfloor heating she invented, and the two chatted a little longer afterward. The jaguar was finally ready to try and get her rtionship with the princess to the next level. She wanted to try and kiss her, and the blonde happily tried her best to help Ari with that by giving her tips on how to create a good mood and all that. ¡°We¡¯re back~.¡± Once the two had finished their chat, they went back to Anna''s room and reunited with their girls. ¡°That took way too long!¡± The princess immediately startedining. ¡°Suspicious! What did you two do?!¡± ¡°Well, we installed heated floors in two rooms, you know? That can easily take an hour¡­¡± ¡°Which in itself is quite a feat.¡± The jaguar sided with the blonde. ¡°Hrmn¡­" Anna still seemed grumbly. "So, nothing flirty happened? One never can be sure with the two of you after all!" ¡°I was a good girl!¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± ¡°Ari tried and said a few things, though~.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like that at all. ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± The girl in question wasn¡¯t any different. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± The blonde only smiled at Ari. "Y-You¡­" There was little to defend herself with. ¡°I-It definitely had no deeper meaning, though! I-I was just being yful!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± Sophia then focused her attention on the room itself and noticed that it was much tidier now. ¡°Oh, you cleaned up, huh? Good job!¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± The princess wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°Ari! Stop getting so influenced by her!¡± "I''m not¡­ Ah!" The ck-haired girl remembered some of her conversations with the shorter tiger. ¡°It¡¯s not Sophia¡¯s fault! It¡¯s yours!¡± ¡°W-Why is it my fault?!¡± Anna didn¡¯t like this usation. ¡°You¡¯re also always a little flirty with others and don¡¯t care what you say and do.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I picked up all of that from you. It¡¯s just because Sophia is so simr when ites to that, and how she¡¯s so easy to talk to, my yful side that I learned from youes out more often!¡± ¡°I-is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Ehehe~¡­¡± The princess started smiling after hearing that. ¡°Wait! Why don¡¯t you ever get so flirty and yful with me?!¡± Her good mood didn¡¯tst too long. "Really¡­?" Sophia and Maya just stared at the dense girl with an exasperated expression. "Let''s leave it at that, idiot¡­" ¡°B-But!¡± Anna didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Should I tell them what you told me earlier and how stupid your im sounds?¡± The cat-girl had no intention to deal with the overly dense princess any longer. "A-Anyway, S-Sophia¡­ can, uhh¡­ can you install the underfloor heating in my room now, too¡­?¡± She was scared enough of Maya to immediately let go of the topic. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s this about?¡± Ari got interested in it now, though. ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia also had no intention to continue and faced Anna. ¡°I can do that.¡± ¡°T-Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ---------------- A couple of minutester, Anna¡¯s room waspletely empty after Sophia had stored everything into her storage. Naturally, the princess was really interested in what had just happened. ¡°Wow!¡± Her eyes were sparkling. ¡°Your magic¡¯s amazing! That purple stuff that swallowed all of my stuff was super pretty, too!¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± ¡°Speaking of, my stuff¡¯s still safe, right¡­?¡± "It is," Ari reassured her. "I asked the same question, and Sophia actually showed me the inside of her storage because you can go inside." ¡°Eh?!¡± Anna¡¯s ears perked up after hearing that. ¡°You seriously can go inside?! If you showed Ari, I want to see it, too!¡± ¡°Sure~." Sophia wasn''t the least bit surprised by her reaction and quickly opened another portal connecting to her storage. ¡°Hop in.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The princess stared at the purple distortions. ¡°Ari didn¡¯tin, you know?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Feeling a lot more confident after hearing this, the tall tiger actually just went and jumped into the portal. ¡°Wow, what a fearless girl.¡± The blonde hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°You really didn¡¯tin¡­?¡± Maya raised an eyebrow as she nced at the jaguar. "Iined a whole lot!" She frantically shook her head. "Iined so much that Sophia simply shoved me inside it without me ever consenting!" "Ah, that''s more what I was imagining¡­ Also, that''s a pretty interesting wording, my dear.¡± "You should''ve heard what she said to me¡­ Specifically, sheined that she¡¯s against entering holes she didn¡¯t want to use.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The cat-girl intensified her stare on Ari. ¡°T-That¡¯s only after your idiot tiger said that she wants to enter one of her secret holes. The portal, that is." The jaguar looked back at Maya. ¡°Wow¡­¡± She repeated herself. ¡°That really sounds stupid. Stupid enough for Sophia to actually say it. Alright, you¡¯re good." She started smiling again. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s all follow after the princess and also enter Sophia¡¯s hole! I hope it fits all of us~.¡± The cat-girl never skipped on a chance to tease her when she saw one and walked towards the portal. ¡°Sure~.¡± Ari followed after her with a slight smirk. ¡°It might be a bit tight, but it should work. ¡°Hehe.¡± Maya liked her follow-up, and the two entered the tight portal together. ¡°I am very sorry¡­¡± With a blush on her face, she followed after the two while looking down at the floor to hide her embarrassment. ¡°I won¡¯t ever make stupid wordys again! Today, I mean¡­ Okay, for the next hour, at least¡­" Debating with herself for a moment, she also finally went into the portal. ¡°Wow!¡± Anna immediately greeted the blonde with a voice of admiration on the other side. ¡°Looking at my room without walls in an all-white space sure is something else! You are something else!¡± ¡°She sure is.¡± The jaguar and cat-girl had the same reaction. ¡°I sure am.¡± Sophia went along with it. ¡°Looks like I used the right portal this time, too. Good job, me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Maya looked at her while tilting her head. ¡°When I tried to show the ce to Ari, we identally ended up in the portal room¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so she knows about that now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that big of a deal, right? After all, I''m still the only one who can use the portals to such an extent." ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯m still interested in the idea of having them travel with us using the portals, so¡­¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°Portal room¡­?¡± Anna had a hard time following them. ¡°I have a lot of those portals connecting to different ces, including our home.¡± ¡°That sounds amazing!¡± The eyes of the princess started to sparkle. ¡°If you think this is amazing, she told me that one of her portals leads to an actual underground dungeon- A-Ah!¡± Ari, too, sounded excited, but suddenly ced her hands on her mouth. ¡°D-Did you really just tell the princess that I have a portal to a dungeon¡­?¡± Sophia only stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I, uhh¡­ I wasn¡¯t thinking¡­¡± ¡°I want to see that! I want to see that right now!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a dungeon, let alone entered one! That sounds super fun! Let¡¯s go and explore it!¡± ¡°Good job, Ari¡­¡± Maya, too, stared at her with a slightly tired expression. ¡°You deal with that¡­¡± She only pointed at the overly excited tiger. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She had no idea what to do. "Sure, we can do that, princess." Sophia smiled at her. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be getting any heated floors in your room today, then.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She froze up. ¡°L-Let¡¯s do the exploring another time¡­¡± Her inner cat decided to prioritize thefy warmth over an adventure for the time being. ¡°Good.¡± Everyone sounded relieved. ¡°I still want to see it, though!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you once I¡¯m a bit freer." As Sophia had a lot of things nned already, mainly visiting the elven vige with the foxes, so she was a bit overbooked at the moment. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s head back to your room for now.¡± The blonde had enough of her storage. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°I wonder if we all fit through Sophia¡¯s portal together instead of one after another.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a rather tight hole, after all.¡± Ari and Maya still had fun with the previous topic. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± The blonde got loud again in response. ---------------- Once they were back in Anna''s room, after listening to her demands of where she wanted it to be warmest, surprisingly enough, it was around the area where her bed was, the blonde got to work. Another half an hourte, the princess''s room, too, looked like before again, only feeling much warmer now. ¡°Thank you sooo much!¡± The tall tiger seemed to be quite happy with the result. ¡°It feels so warm and toasty now! I guess I won¡¯t be needing the three extra heaters this year!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ari heartily agreed. It seems like the two cats went through a lot of suffering each year before. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Sophia!¡± Anna was really excited about it. ¡°Yes!¡± The jaguar, again, had the same reaction. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked being praised. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you enjoy it.¡± ¡°I wonder if I¡¯m ever able to leave my room again, now¡­¡± The princess sat down on her bed that was being warmed from beneath while saying so. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s zero chance for me getting up in the morning ever again. Sorry, Ari, I won¡¯t be going to the academy anymore~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The ck-haired girl had aplicated expression. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind skipping on school either, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Maya had seen through her in an instant. "W-Well¡­" She scratched her cheek and sat down next to Anna on the bed. "I-It is very cozy, after all¡­¡± ¡°Is that really the reason?¡± The cat-girl raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well, the only reason?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. "Staying away from school for a week¡­ so that the catastrophes Sophia and I caused settle down a bit¡­ might also be a reason here¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The other half of the troublemaker duo also awkwardly scratched her cheek in response. "Sorry about that¡­" ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s my own fault, so¡­¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°The flooding, at least.¡± ¡°Yeah, I also overdid it¡­¡± ¡°Too bad Eluna needs us when we¡¯re finally getting to the actual teaching, huh?¡± Maya looked at the princess. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Anna weakly nodded. ¡°And if we have to go, those two are definitelying with us, right?¡± ¡°Oh, absolutely!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that!¡± Ari and Sophia replied at the same time. ¡°Too bad!¡± So did the other two. ¡°Anyway,¡± The princess decided to get back to the previous topic. ¡°It¡¯s only been a little since the heating started, but my room feels so cozy already! It''s the best! Though, I already think that I might need new pajamas now¡­ My normal ones are way too warm! Obviously, turning down the heat is no option, either, after all!" ¡°Obviously.¡± The other three cats wholeheartedly agreed. ¡°But, yeah, lighter pajamas are definitely rmended.¡± Sophia agreed with Anna. "Funny hearing that from you," Maya smirked at her. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping naked ever since we upped the heat, after all.¡± "R-Really¡­?" Ari and the princess nced at the blonde with aplicated yet interested expression. ¡°I-I don¡¯t like the way you two are looking at me!¡± She got loud. ¡°Also, Maya, shut up! That¡¯s not true!¡± ¡°Well, okay, mostly naked.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia got even louder. ¡°What?¡± She only tilted her head. ¡°Your shorts cover only the very basic areas, and your camisoles and crop-tops are so short that they even fail at that. The way those slide up all the time while lying down¡­ They basically turn into a scarf at some point during the night¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The tiger only turned her head away with a slight blush. ¡°The same goes for the white shorts you have. They somehow managed to end up beside the bed more often than not because they¡¯re so loose¡­¡± ¡°It''s not like you have any fewer wardrobe malfunctions with the negligees you got or your own crop-tops! Also, I¡¯m still not fully convinced that you didn¡¯t help with my shorts going missing while I was asleep!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m notining~.¡± Her expression changed. ¡°With how panties are optional with you during sleeping and bras are banned, I have the time of my life when I wake up in the morning~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia was blushing even more. ¡°W-Well, you¡¯re the same, though¡­ Bras being banned really was a great decision!¡± ¡°Sure was~.¡± The cat-girl was way less embarrassed about it. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The other two girls didn¡¯t know what to say. Their faces were bright red just listening to the couple. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Ari was the first to speak up again after a while. "A lot of things I decided not to address here aside¡­ Is it really a good idea to sleep without a bra¡­? Of course, it¡¯s sooo muchfier, but aren¡¯t you concerned that your breasts will be affected by theck of support¡­¡± ¡°Not at all~.¡± Sophia looked incredibly smug for some reason. ¡°My genius here perfected healing magic.¡± Maya exined her smug expression. ¡°She managed to apply it directly to breast tissues and the ligaments inside the chest, ensuring it never gets loose or sags. My breasts feel perkier than ever~.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The jaguar was impressed. ¡°I need to learn that!¡± Anna got loud in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m still fine in that regard, but I¡¯m concerned about my future here!¡± She looked down at her rather massive chest. ¡°I don¡¯t want a future where I¡¯m going to curse at gravity all day!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sophia looked in the same direction as her fellow tiger. ¡°Understandable.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± She covered her chest with her hands. ¡°Also, it sounds heavenly to be able to sleep without a bra¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, Ari¡¯s expression turned even moreplicated, but she decided to stay silent on the topic. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re able to learn it without being able to use chantless magic, though¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Her voice was filled with despair. ¡°I could teach Ari how to use it on others, though~.¡± "T-That¡­!" After hearing her suggestion, the duo didn''t even manage to get one word out without turning into an embarrassed mess. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia liked their reaction a lot. Afterward, the mood got a little awkward. Also, as Sophia was still keen to go and visit the elven vige with the fox beastfolk as quickly as possible, she decided to head back home with Maya once she noticed that the wolves had arrived back at the mansion. She had absolutely no problem with leaving the duo to deal with the mess she created on their own. It might lead to something interesting, too.
Chapter 233 – Everyone’s dense Chapter 233 ¨C Everyone¡¯s dense Sophia had finished installing her heated floors in the rooms of Ellie, Ari, and Anna. Afterward, the couple kept chatting with the tall princess and the jaguar for a while but eventually decided to head back home. The blonde still nned to visit the elven vige, after all. ¡°So¡­ phia! Maya!¡± The two ran into another duo on the way out of the castle. While holding her daughter¡¯s hand, Queen Kira came back and ran into them in the entrance hall. ¡°Ellie~!¡± Sophia happily waved back. ¡°Hey~.¡± So did the cat-girl before facing her tiger. ¡°You totally nned this, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°W-What? There¡¯s just no way that I was monitoring them with my detection magic and said goodbye to Anna and Ari at the exact right moment to run into the little one here!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Hug!¡± Ellie didn¡¯t care about their conversation and walked towards them while demanding cuddles. ¡°Of course!¡± The couple happily squatted down and weed the little princess with open arms. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°So¡­ What are the two of you doing here?¡± Once Kira noticed that the trio was done with their greeting, she looked at the couple. ¡°School ended early today, and we decided to spend some time with Ari and Anna.¡± ¡°It ended early? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Maya pointed at her tiger. ¡°This one happened.¡± ¡°I thought you were supposed to not break the students¡¯mon sense just yet?¡± The queen immediately knew what was going on. ¡°E-Eluna asked me to do a demonstration!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t need to get any more of an exnation.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The blonde flinched at how predictable she got. ¡°I also installed some of the underfloor heating I invented in a few rooms.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± The queen got a little excited. ¡°Only in Ellie¡¯s, Anna¡¯s, and Ari¡¯s rooms, though.¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s room is warm now?!¡± The small princess liked what she heard. ¡°Yep, all toasty andfy now!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°W-What about the room of the king and I¡­?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to step into the royal bedroom without authorization¡­¡± Sophia had a handy excuse ready. ¡°Also, I ran out of materials¡­¡± ¡°T-That can¡¯t be¡­¡± Kira looked devastated. ¡°There was no need to equip both rooms of the idiot couple, either!¡± ¡°Idiot couple?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Anna and Ari, of course.¡± ¡°They are no couple, though?¡± ¡°I have eyes, you know?¡± The queen stared back at her. ¡°Neither am I as dense and oblivious as those two.¡± ¡°F-Fair point¡­¡± Sophia had nothing she could add here. ¡°So, anyway, they have been sleeping in the same room for quite a while already! There was no need to give both of them the gift of underfloor heating!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to react to any of that. ¡°You better be!¡± It seemed to be fairly important for the queen. ¡°You¡¯reing over again the moment we get new materials!¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t feel like she had any other option here. ¡°Anyway, does that mean you¡¯re okay with Anna and Ari being, err¡­ bing a couple?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Kira immediately answered her. ¡°If I wouldn¡¯t, I would¡¯ve done something years ago. After all, the jaguar¡¯s always been incredibly bad at hiding it.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The couple could onlyugh in response. ¡°Everyone knows that Ari¡¯s been in love with her for years already. Well, everyone except Menzor and Anna herself, even though it¡¯s so obvious. That idiot really takes after her father when ites to being dense beyond belief¡­ You should¡¯ve seen through how much I needed to go before Menzor realized what was going on¡­¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Sophia felt a bit sorry for them. ¡°Tigers, am I right?¡± Kira looked at Maya while saying so. ¡°Absolutely.¡± She nodded in response. ¡°Though, there seem to be some exceptions, huh?¡± She looked back at the queen. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s tigers who are into girls that are too stupid to understand those things?¡± ¡°Ahaha, that might be it!¡± Kira liked her answer. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The tiger in their group that is confirmed into girls, the blonde one, raised her voice. ¡°Comints are only allowed if they¡¯re justified!¡± The queen and Maya were on the same page. ¡°I-It got better, right¡­?¡± She had no justification for herint. ¡°So did Menzor. We¡¯re talking about noticing advancements being made on you by someone interested in you.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°Y-Yep, that¡¯s not my specialty¡­¡± ¡°Definitely not.¡± The cat-girl gave her a nod. ¡°I even tried to give Ari some tips because I love her.¡± Kira continued. ¡°But that idiot was way too dense to get any of that. Or too much in denial, I don¡¯t know¡­ I also didn¡¯t want to interfere too much because it¡¯s their thing, not mine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re supporting the two~.¡± The blonde was happy that Kira wanted it to happen, too. ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded. ¡°I always loved Ari! She¡¯s also the only one that can keep my idiot somewhat on course¡­ I like you, too, Sophia, but I was actually quite happy that you turned Anna down. The two of you together¡­ it honestly would¡¯ve been too much chaos for the capital to handle.¡± ¡°True.¡± Maya had to agree with Kira. For various reasons, that is. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia could only awkwardly scratch her cheek. ¡°You turning her down also seemed to have awakened Anna¡¯s feelings of love, and Ari finally got her chance. Anna finally looking at her in a different way really had a huge effect.¡± ¡°Well, we helped out a lot here¡­¡± The cat-girl let out a sigh. ¡°Both of them needed more than just a gentle push. Both of them are a huge pain to deal with¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens if both are dense on top of one not being interested in love before and the other being too timid to try anything.¡± ¡°A badbination¡­¡± Maya let out yet another sigh. ¡°Very¡­¡± So did Kira. ¡°So, I¡¯m happy that you gave my daughter a kick in the butt and made Ari more confident with herself. Seriously, how could she ever think that her hair is not amazing¡­? That timid idiot refusing to listen to anyone¡­¡± ¡°Mama! Stop talking already! Ellie wants to see her room and take a nap!¡± The little princess finally startedining and got loud. She didn¡¯t care about the adults talking about things she didn¡¯t understand and wanted to do something that really was important. Testing out the heated floor in her room, that is. ¡°Ahh, sure¡­¡± If anything, Kira seemed impressed that she held out so long. ¡°Only if I can join you, though.¡± ¡°Yes! Mama can take a nap with Ellie!¡± ¡°Great! I might even sleep with you tonight because my room is still cold.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie seemed to be okay with it. ¡°Is the rebellious phase over already?¡± Sophia remembered how the little one was a little colder when it came to spending time with her mother the other day. ¡°With me, at least. I yed and cuddled with her a lottely, and we got over it.¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s no rebel, after all!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Kira smiled at her daughter. ¡°What about daddy, though?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The little one turned her head away. ¡°Daddy¡¯s too busy to y with Ellie, so¡­ Ellie¡¯s maybe a little rebel¡­¡± ¡°One of the downsides being a king, huh?¡± Maya looked at the queen. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Though, he¡¯s especially busytely because he and his personnel are trying to figure out some territorial changes that make no sense¡­¡± ¡°Territorial changes¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°There was a huge in around 150km south of here that we wanted to turn into an outpost city next year. A little while ago, we sent some ministers and cartographers to measure the ce and make ns for that¡­ Only for them toe back saying that the in¡¯s gone and got reced by a giganticke¡­ Can you believe that?!¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± The couple instantly froze up. ¡°Unbelievable, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°A few days ago, Menzor and I actually went there ourselves, and it¡¯s true! The in doesn¡¯t exist anymore. Instead, a beautifulke appeared with a beach and all¡­ Nobody has a clue about what happened.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression had turned veryplicated. ¡°Some believe that it has something to do with the earthquake that happened some time ago, but that wouldn¡¯t answer all of the questions either. Because of that, the king and most of his men are wrecking their heads every day to find out what¡¯s going on. It mostly only ends with a headache for everyone at the end of the day¡­¡± ¡°T-That really sounds w-weird¡­¡± The blonde had started sweating bullets by now. ¡°Hmm.¡± Kira suddenly started staring at her. ¡°Mama! Nap!¡± Luckily, Ellie saved the poor girl. ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± As she didn¡¯t want to make Ellie wait any longer, fearing that she would turn rebellious again, the queen ended the topic and decided to grant her daughter¡¯s wish. ¡°So¡­ phia! Maya! Ellie wants to y soon again, but now¡­ nap!¡± She was very eager about it. ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± The couple could only wave after her while she dragged Kira further inside the castle. ---------------- ¡°That sure was something¡­¡± While the two were walking back home, Maya started another conversation. ¡°W-What part¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There were too many to narrow down. ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡°Poor king.¡± The cat-girl smirked at her. ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°Hehe.¡± She continued to look smug for another moment before changing the topic. ¡°I¡¯m so happy that Kira supports the rtionship of the two idiots.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The blonde agreed. ¡°I also managed to talk Anna into kissing Ari. It took a while to convince her, but I managed to beat it into her thick skull.¡± ¡°Good job!¡± ¡°We also nned the event a little, so all should go well. Okay, rtively well¡­ Probably.¡± ¡°That sounds very confident.¡± ¡°Anna¡¯s a piece of work, after all. She looks confident with everything, but when ites to Ari, she¡¯s way too timid when deciding things¡­¡± ¡°That sounds hard. Again, good job on trying your best~.¡± ¡°What do you sound so smug for?¡± Maya didn¡¯t like the blonde¡¯s joyful tone. ¡°The jaguar¡¯s even more work, isn¡¯t she? I mean, she basically was about to give up on her, after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think so, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± ¡°Not anymore~.¡± She got even smugger. ¡°The moment we were alone earlier, the first thing she said to me was how badly she wanted to kiss the princess and wanted to know how to do it.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°She finally noticed that, with how Anna¡¯s actingtely, they don¡¯t feel like just friends anymore, and she wants to go to the next step.¡± ¡°Way to go!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The two were happy for them. ¡°I also can¡¯t wait for Ari to tell me everything afterward~.¡± ¡°You really enjoy that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She answered with a big nod. The couple continued to chat while they were walking back home, where the two finally reunited with the wolves they hadn¡¯t seen for a few days.
Chapter 234 – The wolves’ confession Chapter 234 ¨C The wolves¡¯ confession After the couple finished their chat with Anna and Ari, they decided to head home. On the way, they also ran into Queen Kira, and the two found out that she actually knew about what goes on between the princess and the jaguar already. Luckily, she fully supports it because she loves Ari. Kira then also told them that the king¡¯s currently suffering from another enormous headache thanks to a nearby in having turned into ake that no one could exin. ¡°We¡¯re home~.¡± Finally back in the mansion, the couple immediately went to their living room and greeted the wolves there. ¡°We¡¯re, too¡­ I guess?¡± Fen wasn¡¯t sure how to return their greeting. ¡°Wee~.¡± Aura didn¡¯t care about semantics. ¡°Fenny, I want to go to the elven vige!¡± Sophia decided to waste no time. ¡°Ehh¡­? We just came back from there¡­¡± He didn¡¯t seem very enthusiastic about the idea and only ced his head on the fluffy sheepskin rug again. ¡°Do I look like I care about that?!¡± The blonde had other ns, though. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Fen wasn¡¯t a fan of her enthusiasm. ¡°Aura and her new best friend there tired me out enough already. I need a break¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Sophia changed her attention to the other wolf. ¡°New friend?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She sounded happy. ¡°Chloe¡¯s her name. She¡¯s a fox-girl about your age. A lovely girl.¡± ¡°Sounds fun!¡± ¡°She¡¯s also the girl with the 17 on the fluffiness scale I mentioned after the first time we visited the ce.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a 12 or 13 thest time we talked about that? That was some pretty important information for me, so I made sure to remember.¡± Fluffiness is no joke for her, after all. ¡°She was back then, but I guess her tail got even more fluffy because it¡¯s getting colder.¡± ¡°I love the cold!¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Everyone retorted to the blonde¡¯s im. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°That was too overenthusiastic for even me¡­¡± She had noticed it herself. ¡°So, this, uhh¡­ Chloe? How fluffy of a tail are we talking about?¡± ¡°Everything about her is fluffy. Ears, hair, personality, all fluffy.¡± ¡°She sounds great!¡± Sophia liked what she was hearing. ¡°So, again, tail?¡± It was very important to the tiger. ¡°It¡¯s bigger than her body.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Is she¡­ that Chloe girl, is she dangerous?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how she should feel about Sophia¡¯s excitement and looked at Aura. ¡°Nah.¡± The wolf lightly shook her head. ¡°Chloe¡¯s just, I don¡¯t know¡­ adorable?¡± She pondered about the wording for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to categorize because humanoid girls are sooo outside of my interest, but she¡¯s really just cute. Hmm¡­ Oh, imagine the little princess¡­ Ellie, was it? Imagine her being grown up. It¡¯s not a perfect fit, but that¡¯s the closest I can think of right now.¡± ¡°Oh, so a bigger little sister type¡­?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°She¡¯s actually a bit smaller than you.¡± Aura corrected her. ¡°Okay, she¡¯s shorter than you.¡± She also corrected herself. ¡°What¡¯s a little sister type¡­?¡± The cat-girl wondered about Sophia¡¯s wording. ¡°That REALLY depends on who you ask¡­¡± The blonde had a ratherplicated expression for a moment. ¡°For me, it¡¯s someone you just can¡¯t help wanting to spoil and love her in an innocent way.¡± ¡°Soo¡­ actually like Ellie, just¡­ older?¡± ¡°More or less, yeah.¡± Sophia nodded after Maya¡¯s interpretation. ¡°Mhmmrngh¡­¡± The cat-girl seemingly went through multiple emotions all at once. ¡°Alright, I have to see her for myself first, but it could work out¡­¡± She somehow managed to keep her jealousy in check. To some degree, at least. ¡°My, how generous~.¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°Hehe. Well, I¡¯m trying my best here¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°I want you to have friends, but I also want to make sure it stays at that!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± Sophia smiled at her before focusing on Fen. ¡°So, if this fox is so sweet and cute, why or how did she exhaust you?¡± ¡°Because she kept asking about my rtionship with Aura, and my idiot started having a lively discussion with her about it-¡­ Ah.¡± His eyes suddenly shot open after he noticed his mistake. ¡°Ohhh?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes, on the other hand, started to sparkle instead. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± He already was deeply regretting everything. ¡°A-Alright, you wanted to head over to the elven vige, right¡­? Okay, let¡¯s head out immediately!¡± He got up from the sheepskin rug and started walking towards the door. ¡°Stop right there, Fenny!¡± The blonde had a change of ns. ¡°Sit down again please, my dear. I have the feeling that there¡¯s something you really want to tell me~.¡± ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°Aura?¡± The tiger changed her target. ¡°Sure~.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ll happily tell you everything. In great detail, too~.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Fen didn¡¯t. He walked back again and sat down next to his wolf. ¡°I¡¯ll talk¡­¡± ¡°Perfect~!¡± Sophia got precisely what she wanted. ¡°I hate you¡­¡± ¡°We all know you don¡¯t.¡± Aura wasn¡¯t on his side, either. ¡°I hate you, too¡­¡± ¡°I love you, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Yes¡­ I love you, too¡­¡± ¡°Aww!¡± The blonde was having a great time right now. ¡°Soo¡­¡± Maya naturally got curious, as well. ¡°Are the two of you¡­?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Aura gave her a cheerful reply. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Fen was a little more reserved. ¡°The two of us¡­ we are together.¡± ¡°Congrats.¡± The cat-girl looked at the female wolf. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Thanks. It wasn¡¯t easy.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can imagine. I know how frustrating dense idiots can be, after all.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The dense idiots got loud. ¡°You two have no right toin here!¡± The other two got even louder. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The two were powerless against their partners. ¡°T-That aside, about freaking time!¡± Sophia recovered fast and looked at Fen with sparkling eyes again. ¡°You¡¯ve left her waiting for way too long!¡± ¡°D-Do you have any idea how much Mayained to me about you while we were traveling¡­?¡± He stared back at her. ¡°¡­¡± The tiger needed a moment. ¡°T-That¡¯s nothingpared to how long the two of you know each other already!¡± ¡°It started differently with us, though!¡± Fen wasn¡¯t backing down. ¡°It was sooo obvious that Maya was going after you since the very moment you met!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not true!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like how she ended up in the crossfire. ¡°You were. You just weren¡¯t aware of it yet!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Maya hung her head. ¡°How could you see that so clearly, yet it took you so long with me?¡± Aura still wasn¡¯t on his side here. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The male wolf followed after the cat. ¡°Our idiocy aside¡­¡± Sophia decided to leave the topic of being dense behind them. ¡°Details! I want details here! How did it happen? When did it happen? Why didn¡¯t you tell us?!¡± ¡°For why I didn¡¯t tell you yet¡­¡± Fen red at the overly excited tiger. ¡°That is the very reason for that.¡± ¡°Too bad for you, but that made it even worse!¡± Her expression changed to a grin. ¡°I will pester you even more with it now, demanding all the details!¡± ¡°As if you ever would¡¯ve settled for less if I had told you immediately¡­¡± ¡°You win that round, Fenny.¡± She had no intention to fight his im because the wolf was right. ¡°So, details!¡± ¡°Haa¡­ fine.¡± He gave up. ¡°Well¡­ the turning point was the ident the two of us had.¡± ¡°The magic one that went out of control¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fen nodded. ¡°I got into dicey situations before, but nothing was quite as close as this. After this, I noticed that life is too short to waste time¡­¡± He paused for a moment while looking at Sophia¡¯s dubious expression. ¡°Yes¡­ I am aware of the irony of saying those words as an ageless being who knows someone who can stop time at will to abuse those powers to have fun with her girlfriend.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°G-Go on, please¡­¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t that much more to go on with.¡± Fen looked at Sophia and quickly noticed that this wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Ever since, I felt like I shouldn¡¯t take things for granted anymore. Or Aura, for that matter. I¡¯ve lost her once before, and I didn¡¯t like that at all. Seeing how easily one can end up in such a situation, I decided to stop being dense.¡± ¡°Debatable.¡± Aura still hadn¡¯t decided to be on his side. ¡°H-Hey.¡± ¡°Also,¡± Maya also couldn¡¯t stay silent. ¡°One usually doesn¡¯t end up in life-or-death situations easily.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He simply looked away from her. So did Sophia. ¡°Idiots.¡± The cat-girl could only shake her head in response. ¡°Our idiots.¡± Aura corrected her. ¡°Though, maybe we shouldn¡¯t boast with that in such a situation." ¡°A fair point.¡± ¡°Should we look for some nicer girls, Fenny?¡± ¡°That sounds like a worthwhile thought.¡± ¡°Shut up, you two.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± They knew it was mostly their own fault for Maya and Aura to act like this. ¡°Okay, more details, my dear!¡± The blonde focused his attention on the male wolf once again. ¡°Just why are you so giddy about this¡­?¡± ¡°Because romance was an impossible topic for me in my old world! Here, though, I¡¯m surrounded by it, and I want to enjoy every second of it!¡± ¡°I hate it when I can¡¯t talk back to you¡­¡± Fen decided to continue. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I felt like this ever since we reunited, but it changed even more after the ident. Being with her is extremely enjoyable, and I wanted to be as close as possible with her¡­¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Sophia was a fan of the softie wolf. ¡°Stop looking like that, please...¡± ¡°No!¡± She enjoyed it a lot. ¡°Alright, I still want to go to the elven vige today, so let¡¯s take a break from the topic for the time being!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle back to it, though!¡± ¡°Not good.¡± ¡°There¡¯s onest thing I need to know right now, though.¡± ¡°Even worse.¡± ¡°When will we get some small wolf cubs to y with?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling again. ¡°¡­¡± Fen stopped talking entirely, walked out of the living room, and exited the mansion. ¡°Sophia¡­¡± Maya red at her. ¡°It¡¯s too early to ask that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She red back. ¡°Aura asked me the same question before! That¡¯s why, my dear Aura, I¡¯d like to get an answer here.¡± ¡°I am deeply sorry that I teased you with that.¡± She hung her head. ¡°That was insensitive of me.¡± Further evading the question, she then followed after her wolf. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°Seems like we have to wait a while for that.¡± ¡°There are so many things I want to say right now¡­¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s head out!¡± Not wanting to deal with that, the tiger ran after the wolves. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Giving up with a sigh, the cat-girl did the same, and the group, with a bit of distance between the couples, made their way towards the elven vige. Chapter 235 – Fluffiness scale Chapter 235 ¨C Fluffiness scale After a slip of his tongue, Fen identally revealed that he and Aura became a couple to Maya and Sophia. Naturally, the tiger was hugely interested and started questioning the wolves. Somewhat satisfied with the topic, though promising to get back to it again, the blonde eventually decided to head over to the elven vige inhabited by a group of the fox beastfolk the wolves had told them about before. ¡°By the way, how far is the vige?¡± The group had just left the capital behind when Sophia addressed the wolves. ¡°A good 150 kilometers.¡± Aura answered. ¡°Seeing how it¡¯s only early afternoon, we¡¯ll arrive right on time for the bar to open there.¡± Fen sounded slightly tired. ¡°And I can need a drink or two after earlier¡­ No, scratch that, a lot of drinks.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°Good thing school ended so early today.¡± ¡°Oh, how is it going there?¡± The female wolf got a little interested. ¡°P-Perfectly well!¡± Sophia looked slightly shifty. ¡°Quite, uhh¡­ boring¡­ yeah, boring, actually¡­¡± ¡°So, what did she do?¡± Aura looked at Maya instead. ¡°On the first day, Ari flooded the entire training fields, and on the second day, Sophia changed the seasons.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Both wolves stopped walking. ¡°I didn¡¯t change any seasons!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°I only made it snow a little!¡± ¡°Okay, the force of nature aside¡­¡± Fen decided not to get a headache over Sophia. ¡°I am no force of nature! Hmm¡­¡± She suddenly stopped. ¡°Though, I kinda like the sound of that.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± He didn¡¯t. ¡°Anyway, Ari, your jaguar, flooded the training fields? Wasn¡¯t she the timid one withmon sense?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°That was before she became besties with Sophia, had her magic boosted by her and took after her personality quirks.¡± ¡°Aww, that¡¯s sad¡­¡± His voice got sorrowful. ¡°I really liked that girl.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°It¡¯s such a waste.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°I might have taken part in slightly destroying hermon sense and helped make her more yful, but everyone likes the new Ari! I did nothing wrong!¡± ¡°If that helps you sleep at night, sure.¡± Fen smirked at her. ¡°I does!¡± ¡°Good for you. Still, flooding such arge area. Sure, the jaguar¡¯s authority is more than enough for such a thing, but I thought she doesn¡¯t know to use chantless magic yet?¡± ¡°I started teaching her¡­¡± The blonde answered him. ¡°She learned chantless magic basically in an instant, and half an hourter, she got overexcited and flooded the ce with a couple thousands of liters of water¡­¡± ¡°Oho, sounds like she¡¯s a promising girl!¡± The wolf was done teasing the tiger and sounded genuinely interested. ¡°Though, it¡¯s almost too impressive that she learned to be so powerful this fast. Reminds me a bit of you when we met.¡± ¡°Yeah, I also was shocked!¡± ¡°Could it have something to do with Sophia having boosted her magic?¡± Aura, too, got interested in the topic. ¡°It would make sense that the jaguar could use it as easily as our girl, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m using Canir¡¯s power or authority. Didn¡¯t he say that I only used his to increase Ari¡¯s power, but she can¡¯t actually use it? I basically only increased her capacity or allowance or whatever. That shouldn¡¯t be why she has as easy of a time with magic as I do. Right?¡± ¡°Ah, true¡­¡± The female wolf remembered their conversation. ¡°Well, that is unless Canir also overlooked something, and our tiger is even more of a special case in some way or another. Well, then again, I doubt Canir would miss such an important detail or decide to keep it to himself. Wouldn¡¯t it be something if something else entirely is going on with Sophia¡¯s magic?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone turned silent. ¡°I mean, what if¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, Aura!¡± The other three stopped her from talking. ¡°Ari¡¯s just super talented, and that¡¯s all there is!¡± The tiger sounded slightly panicky. ¡°If you make any more stupid guesses that are 100% wrong, I might get upset!¡± Even the mere possibility of Aura being onto something made her shudder. ¡°Okay~.¡± ¡°L-Let¡¯s keep going!¡± She wanted to change the topic. ¡°Sure!¡± Everyone agreed, and the group continued their travels. ---------------- ¡°Oh, I almost forgot¡­¡± While they were getting closer to the vige, Fen eventually addressed Sophia again. ¡°Your human issues are dealt with.¡± ¡°My what now?¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t follow him. ¡°The thing you went to war for?¡± He looked at her. ¡°The humans being what they are and how they¡¯re bothering the other races. Your n to end all that.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°I was having too much of a good time to waste any thought on that¡­ themtely¡­ Wait, what? It¡¯s dealt with?¡± She naturally got only more confused. ¡°How?¡± ¡°That Chloe girl, she¡¯s the daughter¡­ or foster daughter, I¡¯m not sure about that yet, of an old friend of ours.¡± ¡°Wow, what a small world.¡± ¡°Sure is.¡± Aura agreed with her. ¡°So?¡± Sophia returned her attention to Fen. ¡°What has that to do with the human issue?¡± ¡°It seems like the humans tried to do something to Chloe.¡± ¡°Oh~?¡± The blonde stopped walking. ¡°That was right before your battle with them.¡± Fen didn¡¯t like the sound of her voice and quickly added some more information to his im. ¡°Oh.¡± She returned to walking beside him. ¡°So, anyway¡­ Feyanis, the one who¡¯s her mother, or at least raised her, she¡¯s usually a friendly and reasonable individual. She changes a little when she¡¯s upset, though¡­¡± ¡°Sounds familiar.¡± Maya nced at her tiger while saying so. ¡°A little.¡± The wolves nodded before Aura took over. ¡°Only that Feyanis being upset is on the same level as Sophia being fully angry. Chloe told us that Feyanis got angry this time.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Maya had a bad feeling about this. ¡°I mean, the humans tried to do something to her daughter.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Sophia stopped walking yet again, and her expression changedpletely. ¡°Compared with such a scenario, I also was only mildly upset when I faced the humans that time. With my daughter being threatened¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°The ident that happened to Fen and me, which almost destroyed the continent¡­ It might would happen again¡­ Only with it starting in the middle of the human capital this time.¡± Her voice got ice cold during her speech. Sophia hadn¡¯t been upset in a while, but the humans consistently had the talent to bring out her bad side. ¡°Yep.¡± The wolves nodded. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± The cat-girl¡¯s bad feeling got stronger. ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Fen took over again. ¡°Your human problem is solved. Chloe told us that the angry Feyanis went to visit the human capital, so¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably gone already.¡± Aura finished his sentence. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression became warmer again, but it also turned moreplicated. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not entirely sure how I feel about that¡­¡± Tilting her head, she thought about it for a little while. ¡°I¡¯m happy that someone took over for me, but¡­ While I¡¯m no human anymore, looking at it from an outsider¡¯s angle now¡­ I would¡¯ve preferred my way¡­¡± ¡°Darkness magic, brainwashing, and or torture?¡± Fen looked at her. ¡°Yep~.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t like anything about Sophia¡¯s cheerful reply. ¡°Is it certain that this¡­ Feyanis? That she destroyed the human capital¡­?¡± ¡°Thest time she got upset with me, she¡­ she¡­¡± Fen suddenly stopped talking while his entire body started shaking. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to talk about it¡­¡± ¡°She has some very creative magic, that fox.¡± Aura added some details. ¡°She¡¯s a fox? Like this Chloe girl?¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s a hybrid like the two of you. Feyanis is the same as Fen, and I are, only, well¡­ a fox instead of wolves.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± Sophia liked the sound of that. ¡°How fluffy is she on the scale?¡± ¡°If she hasn¡¯t changed, and Chloe¡¯s being a 17, I¡¯d say around 21 out of 10.¡± ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡± She got excited. ¡°Does that Fox alsoe in adjustable sizes?¡± ¡°Her original size is a little smaller than I am, but changing sizes is an easy feat for us, so she absolutely can.¡± Aura answered her. ¡°Yes!¡± The blonde got even louder. ¡°Lap size, for ideal petting, included?¡± ¡°Should be.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Maya interrupted the duo. ¡°We just found out that she can get angry enough to make Fen shudder, and you want to know whether you can use her as a pet?!¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The tiger didn¡¯t see an issue. ¡°Well¡­¡± The cat-girl thought about it again while tilting her head. ¡°It might not be such a bad idea for someone to get angry at you once.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The wolves agreed. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°I bet it¡¯ll be fine if I ask really nice!¡± She had no intention to let go of her idea. ¡°You made it sound like this Chloe is really nice, too! I bet she¡¯ll help me out.¡± ¡°So selfish¡­¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Ignoring their remark, Sophia continued. ¡°How strong are they?¡± ¡°Feyanis was a little below me thest time I saw her,¡± Fen answered her. ¡°Chloe seems to be rather normal. Maybe around your jaguar before you messed her up.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°Wording!¡± ¡°You¡¯re thest one who¡¯s allowed toin about any of that!¡± ¡°You win this round.¡± Knowing about her own ambiguity from time to time, she retracted herint. ¡°Hmm¡­ Even if she hasn¡¯t enough on her own, she could ride on the fox when we travel to keep up with us, right?¡± ¡°You want them to apany us in the future?¡± Aura tried to guess her intentions. ¡°Well, I¡¯m always looking for new friends andpanions~.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice turned a little more cheerful while saying so. ¡°They seem fun, so it might be worth considering.¡± ¡°Fun or fluffy?¡± The wolf stared at her. ¡°Yes.¡± Once the topic was over, mainly because no one felt like talking with her about it anymore, the group continued their travels and arrived at the dense forest surrounding the former elven vige before long. Chapter 236 – Nickname Chapter 236 ¨C Nickname While the group was traveling towards the former elven vige, the wolves told the couple a little about Chloe and Feyanis. Thetter was an old friend of the two, who seemed to be slightly scary when angered. As the humans did just that, it looked like the little ongoing squabble Sophia had with them was about to be over as Feyanis headed over to the human capital to live out her anger. ¡°And here we are~.¡± Once the group had arrived at the dense forest surrounding the vige, Aura guided them through it and announced their arrival once they made it through it. ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling once she saw the elven vige. Looking at the wooding buildings for a while, she eventually focused on a group of houses that were built somewhat elevated and inside the trees. ¡°Maya, we¡¯re so going to get ourselves a treehouse!¡± ¡°Are the houses here even for sale¡­?¡± ¡°I just have to ask really nicely!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t help with everything, you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡± She really wanted an elven treehouse. ¡°Sure¡­¡± The cat-girl gave up on it. While she didn¡¯t share the blonde¡¯s enthusiasm, it was not like she was against it, after all. ¡°Fenfen?¡± While the group was walking through the vige, a certain pink-haired fox-girl had spotted them and addressed the male wolf. ¡°I thought you two left this morning?¡± "Ah." Fen turned around to look back at her. "We did, but our idiot here really wanted to visit, so we returned." He gestured at Sophia with his head while saying so. "Hmm?" Chloe looked past the wolves, where she quickly noticed the couple. ¡°Are those the two you mentioned the other day? Wow, you really know a tiger? It''s nice to meet you! My name is Chloe.¡± "Fluffy!" Sophia and Maya had the exact same reaction while staring at the girl, first and foremost at her tail. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The fox scratched her cheek. ¡°That, I am.¡± "A-Ah!" Maya noticed what she had just done. "I am so sorry about this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± Chloe waved her hand. ¡°Most people who see me for the first time have the same reaction. Those two here included.¡± She looked at the wolves. ¡°My tail is quite eye-catching, after all.¡± She moved it around a bit while saying so. ¡°¡­¡± The wolves awkwardly looked away. ¡°While the tail¡¯s amazing, everything about you is fluffy, though.¡± Sophia took a better look at her. ¡°Fluffy tail, fluffy hair, fluffy sweater, the pink and purple color scheme¡­ It¡¯s awes- wait, are your eyes different?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°One¡¯s a light purple, while the other has some violet in it.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The blonde sounded impressed. "You sure went all out with your character creation, huh?" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The fox let out another smallugh. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I chose to look like this.¡± ¡°Right, you take what you''re born with, after all..." The tiger-girl looked a little awkward while saying so. ¡°You definitely won there, though.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I like fluffy things, so I¡¯m happy with how I look. That being said, I¡¯m not the only one who got lucky. Being a tiger is amazing, too! I love the stripes! The blonde is adorable, as well!" ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± Sophia had very mixed feelings about the praise. It''s not like she had been lucky with it, after all. ¡°An all-white cat is super cute, as well!" The fox-girl made sure not to leave her out of thepliments. "I love snow, so that makes it all the better!" "Thank you~." She liked what she was hearing. "I''m Maya, by the way." "Ah, right!" The blonde noticed that she had also skipped her introduction. "It''s nice to meet you, too. My name is Sophia. I might be a tiger, but please don''t interpret too much into that. I didn¡¯t grow up as a royal, so I have little attachment to what me being me includes.¡± "Don''t worry," Chloe was still smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the rumors of the mysterious blonde tiger that grew up outside the capital already. Fenfen also told me not to care about it." ¡°Great!¡± She was happy to hear that. ¡°Wait¡­ there was it again¡­ Fenfen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t it? Mypanion, the one who also raised me, has a simr name. Her full name is Feyanis. Still, because that name was tooplicated for me when I was little, I started calling her Feyfey. Well, and that stuck.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Fey and Fen, huh? So, that became Fenfen, then?¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± ¡°I love it!¡± Sophia¡¯s voice sounded really cheerful. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Fenfen¡¯s didn¡¯t, though. ¡°Then again, I really like my Fenny nickname¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s cute, too!¡± Chloe agreed with her. ¡°Fenny¡­ Fenfen¡­ Fennyfen¡­ Fenfenny? Hmm¡­¡± The tiger started to concentrate. ¡°Fenfenfenny? Fennyfenfen¡­ So many options!¡± "I need a drink..." The male wolf couldn''t deal with it any longer. Luckily, the group had started their chat right in front of the vige''s bar, which he entered directly. "Alex! Give me the strongest one you have!" These were thest word the others could hear from him. ¡°Well," Aura looked after her wolf leaving. "Have fun, girls. I''ll go with him." ¡°Sure, you have fun, too!¡± Sophia waved after her. ¡°Alright, where was I again? Right, a new nickname for Fenfennyfen! Well, that can wait for another time!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± Chloe liked her idea. ¡°Great~.¡± ¡°On an unrted topic,¡± Maya looked at the fox. ¡°Fen told us that yourpanion, mom¡­ not sure, went to visit the human capital. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°Feyfey got a little, uuh¡­ angry when I was approached by a small group of humans a while ago. I feel sorry for them¡­¡± ¡°For the humans?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Yes. Feyfey¡¯s scary when she¡¯s angry, after all. I¡¯m no fan of the humans, but I can¡¯t bring myself to hate them¡­ I just feel sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it¡­¡± The tiger¡¯s expression turnedplicated again. ¡°Whenever I met them, it turned out horrible¡­ I also found out that they¡¯re trying to harm our people, so¡­ I also feel sorry, but I also seriously dislike them¡­ or rather, what they are. I did meet one that showed a little ray of hope, though... That it might be fixable, but...¡± ¡°You are probably right¡­¡± Chloe paused for a moment. ¡°I actually only met very few of them because Feyfey¡¯s doing her best to keep me away from them, but I also have yet to have an enjoyable experience with them¡­" ¡°Well, your slightxer mindset is probably a lot healthier¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°After all, they made me so angry that I ended up fighting an army of them¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the duty of a tiger, anyway? You said that you don¡¯t see yourself as a direct royal, but you also said our people just now. Isn¡¯t it just in your blood for you to react this strongly to anyone who¡¯s trying to harm the beastfolk? That¡¯s what I heard about tigers, at least.¡± ¡°Hrmnn¡­¡± There were many things the tiger couldment on here, but she decided to only answer with grumbling noises. ¡°Still to go to war against a whole army¡­¡± The fox-girl stared at Sophia for a moment. ¡°Fenfen¡¯s auth¡­ power is around Feyfey¡¯s magic, so that was just a little surprising, but I couldn¡¯t believe how much more Aura has¡­ Even so, your magic is even way above hers! I was confident about my magic sensing, but I think something broke with my sense¡­ It feels like you have more magic than both of them together¡­¡± ¡°S-Seems like it''s not working properly... My magic''s around Fennyfenfenny¡¯s, after all.¡± She was still trying to find a new nickname for the wolf while she wondered why Chloe felt her magic being so much bigger than it was supposed to be. ¡°Weird¡­ Well, that¡¯s still super incredible! Maya, your magic¡¯s super high, too! You two sure are something else!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°ying with magic¡¯s super fun, so it¡¯s great that I¡¯m allowed to use it that much!¡± ¡°I agree! It really is a lot of fun!¡± The fox had the same opinion. "How do you feel about slightly crazy and totally over-the-top magic?" Maya had a bad feeling about their exchange and wanted to make sure about something. ¡°I love that!¡± Chloe gave her a cheerful reply. ¡°Feyfey scolds me a lot when I overdo it, though¡­ That¡¯s why, I normally only do rtively reasonable things when I y around.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-girl thought about it for a moment. ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re only allowed to y with magic with her once those two are together again.¡± She didn¡¯t want to witness the creation of yet another troublemaker duo. ¡°Ahaha.¡± The tiger knew what she was trying to say. ¡°I promise nothing, though.¡± ¡°Try, at least¡­¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± She gave her a nod. ¡°Alright!¡± The blonde focused on Chloe again. ¡°There are still many things I want to know, I feel like I skipped over half, but I want to see the elven vige before it gets too dark! Could you give us a brief tour?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know that much about the vige either, though. I¡¯m not here that often and only staying for a longer time right now because I¡¯m waiting for Feyfey to return. The two of us usually travel a lot, after all.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia liked the sound of that. "That''s fine. I just want to take a look at everything. I bet you still know an interesting detail or two.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Before that, do you know if it¡¯s possible for me to get a house here? I reeeeeally want to be able to say that I own an elven treehouse!¡± ¡°I get you! I so get you! That was the first thing I wanted when I arrived here, as well!¡± Chloe''s eyes started sparkling. "No one ever agreed with me, though¡­ I''m delighted that I''m not alone, after all!" ¡°Why?! What could be better than owning a house inside a tree built by elves?!" ¡°Exactly!¡± The duo was bonding already. ¡°Great¡­¡± The cat-girl sounded slightly tired. ¡°Yet another weirdo¡­¡± "Does that mean there''s a chance for me to get a treehouse, then?!" Sophia was getting more excited by the second. "I know that many of them are uninhabited because everyone living here preferred the houses and buildings on the ground, but if you can actually have one¡­ You¡¯ll have to ask Alex for that. He manages the vige. He¡¯s good friends with Fenfen, though, so you might be in luck.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Once this very important topic was put on hold for the time being, the three started walking through the vige while Chloe showed them her favorite spots.
Chapter 237 – Cats and foxes Chapter 237 ¨C Cats and foxes Sophia and the other went to visit the former elven vige because the tiger really wanted to see the ce already. Arriving there, they quickly ran into Chloe, a pink-haired fox-girl, and it seemed like the couple was bing friends with her already. After the wolves left them alone, the duo had her guide them through the vige. ¡°It¡¯s so cozy here!¡± Sophia was looking at all the wooden buildings that blended in perfectly with the nature around them with sparkling eyes. ¡°Yes, I like it a lot, too.¡± The fox-girl felt the same. ¡°Still not sure about a treehouse, but it is true. It¡¯s a great ce.¡± Maya also enjoyed it. ¡°Speaking offy¡­ or theck of it¡­¡± The blonde looked at Chloe. ¡°Your sweater is fine¡­ all fluffy and warm looking¡­ though maybe a bit breezy around the neck and corbone¡­¡± She noticed the neckline of her shirt was a little deeper than usual. ¡°But¡­ no jacket whatsoever, a short skirt with bare thighs, and your overknees look rather thin, too. I get cold just looking at you! Aren¡¯t you freezing?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cold at all, though?¡± She only tilted her head in response. ¡°It super is!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°It¡¯s already at a point where I want to hide under my nket in my bed till spring!¡± ¡°You are such a cat¡­¡± "Of course I am! Look at me!" The tiger pointed at her striped hair, tail, and then her ears. ¡°Do tigers also get cold easily?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all the same, anyway!¡± Save for some more pronounced instincts, she always behaved like any other cat, after all. The same also goes for the other tigers and jaguars she knew. "Wait, aren''t foxes also just basically cats with some dog extras?" ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy¡­¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°I have eyes like the two of you, odd color aside, and cat-like fangs, too, but does my tail look simr?¡± ¡°It looks glorious, that¡¯s for sure!¡± Sophia got a little side-tracked. ¡°Not very cat-like, though, yes.¡± "Thank you¡­" She started smiling. "Okay, some of my instincts are cat-like as well, so¡­ Anyway, no, I''m not cold at all. If anything, I feel way too warm at the moment. I love the winter, so I can''t wait for it to get even colder! I¡¯m always close to dying during summer, after all¡­¡± ¡°This friendship may have some obstacles¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t so sure about her loving winter to such a degree. ¡°Are you an arctic fox or what? That would also exin your huge tail and how fluffy it¡­ you are!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Chloe let out a small chuckle. "I don''t have any proof, but I am pretty sure that I am one, yes." ¡°Interesting. Well, it makes sense for you to prefer winter, then.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I support it, though. I don''t mean being an arctic fox. That part is awesome! Still, loving the winter, that¡¯s a big no-no!¡± ¡°No, loving the summer is much worse~.¡± The two decided to disagree on the topic. ¡°Err¡­¡± Maya looked at the duo with a confused expression. "A what fox now?¡± "Arctic fox," Sophia repeated herself. ¡°Never heard that word before¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Sounds really weird¡­¡± ¡°It mostly refers to the area around the northern pole. Much snow and very cold.¡± Chloe exined the name to her. "That''s why being fluffy is advantageous if you go or live there.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°An arctic fox, I see! Yeah, it would make a lot of sense if you were one. Why didn¡¯t you say that the first time, Sophia?¡± She looked at her tiger. ¡°Is your pronunciation thing acting up again?¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± She looked back at her. ¡°That¡¯s literally what I said, though? Arctic fox, that is.¡± ¡°Nonono.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°Now you are, but earlier, that was something else! I¡¯m sure of it! It was so weird that I don¡¯t even know how to repeat it.¡± ¡°Nope, it was exactly the same as yours.¡± The blonde sounded very confident about her im. ¡°Should I clean your ears when we take a bath?¡± ¡°My ears are clean!¡± She got loud. ¡°You said something else!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Chloe eventually spoke up. ¡°Sophia really did say arctic fox. I mean, I understood what she meant on the first try, after all.¡± ¡°See?!¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Maya sounded slightly confused. ¡°It was definitely something else when I heard it, though.¡± ¡°Soo¡­¡± The tiger was still looking at her cat. ¡°Some ear-cleaningter?¡± "They are clean!" As ear hygiene was important to Maya, she was sure of it. "Well, I also won''t say no. It''s a great idea, after all!" ¡°Are the two of you always so flirty?¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± The couple quickly apologized. ¡°Oh, no! I wasn¡¯tining. It¡¯s really adorable!" ¡°Ehehe.¡± Sophia liked her reply. ¡°Because I travel a lot and rarely stay in one ce for too long, I haven''t had any chance for romance myself yet, so it''s a lot of fun to see others being flirty with each other.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll probably get sick of it soon enough.¡± Maya awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°We have a talent to overdo it¡­¡± "I think that''s great! There''s no such thing as overdoing it when ites to flirting!" She thought otherwise. "I think, at least¡­ Not that I have any proof. Or experience¡­" ¡°Okay, I can excuse the winter thingy now!" Sophia smiled at her. "I like you!" Everyone who epts them being flirty idiots is a friend in her eyes. ¡°I am happy to hear that!¡± Chloe was d the tiger liked her. ¡°I¡¯m still sure you¡¯ll get tired of it.¡± Maya knew how annoying the two can get, after all. ¡°Just ask Fen about how much he had to deal with us in that regard." ¡°You two can¡¯t be any sappier than Fenfen is! He was so adorable when he told me about his rtionship with Aura the other day in the bar.¡± ¡°And I missed that?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°I need to question him some more when he¡¯s drunkter!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know about the two?¡± ¡°Well¡­ We saw them getting together, but they only confirmed it and told us today¡­ Isn¡¯t that unfair? You basically knew about it before us even though we''re traveling together with them for a long time already!" The tiger started pouting. ¡°Super unfair!¡± Chloe agreed with her. "I''ll dly help you get more information out of Fenfenter!" ¡°Yay!¡± The blonde was a big fan of the idea. ¡°Poor Fen.¡± Maya felt sorry for him. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know the details, too?¡± ¡°That, and feeling sorry for him are two very different things.¡± In the end, she wasn¡¯t on his side, either. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia let out a chuckle before concentrating on the fox-girl again. ¡°For now, let¡¯s keep exploring the vige, though!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chloe gave her a nod. ¡°Is there anything specific you want to see?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s still okay, but I¡¯m slowly getting a little cold. Would it be possible to look inside one of the elven treehouses?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cold at all!¡± ¡°Easy to say as an arctic fox! Me tiger, me likes warm!¡± She startedining. ¡°Aren¡¯t there a lot of tigers who live in cold climates, as well?¡± ¡°Me cat, me likes warm!¡± The blonde had very little dignity when it came to some topics. ¡°The types of cats who like the cold are very few, so don¡¯t be smart on me for that now!¡± ¡°She reeeally isn¡¯t a fan of the cold, huh?¡± Chloe nced at Maya. ¡°We aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Right¡­ You¡¯re both cats¡­ Well. Your tights look pretty warm, and the jacket on top of the uniform should help, too, right?" It was hard for her to sympathize with them. "Speaking of, is that the uniform of the magic academy? I often saw it on some girls when I visited the capital. Are you students there?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Sophia looked down at herself. "A-Ah¡­ We forgot to change, huh? I forgot that I''m still wearing it after we returned from the castle after chatting with the princess and Ari¡­¡± ¡°Well, it is reallyfy, so there¡¯s no harm in wearing it~. Answering your question, no, we aren¡¯t students there. We¡¯re actually more like teachers, I would say? We¡¯re just wearing the uniform to stand out less. While we are older than the students, we look about the same age, so it would be weird to wear different clothes." ¡°Castle¡­ princess¡­ Well, you are a tiger, after all¡­¡± Chloe needed a moment to get over that part. ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯re older than the students there? It certainly doesn¡¯t look like it.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I¡¯m 22, and Maya''s 23." She sounded rather smug when she mentioned her own age. ¡°You really like that part, huh?¡± Maya red at her younger girlfriend. ¡°Also, I just turned 23st week.¡± She somehow had to add this bit of information. ¡°Really? Must be because of their mag¡­¡± The fox-girl looked at the two for another moment while mumbling something to herself. ¡°Also, happyte birthday!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Did I mention my age already? I¡¯m 19.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Sophia also had a curious reaction. ¡°You also look younger!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Chloe took it as apliment. ¡°Alrighty, back to the topic! Do you think it¡¯s possible to look at a treehouse?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She thought about the tiger¡¯s request for a moment. ¡°I think you¡¯d have to ask Alex to look at them¡­ We could go to my ce, though. I had him give me my own treehouse, after all. There was no way I¡¯d live anywhere else here!¡± ¡°Really?! That''s the spirit!" Sophia liked the sound of that. "I''d love to visit your ce if that''s okay!" ¡°I don¡¯t mind. After all, you seem like nice girls. I don''t see a reason to distrust you.¡± "Yay!" The blonde was looking forward to it already. Afterward, the fox-girl guided them to her home in the vige to have Sophia take a look at the inside of an elven treehouse.
Chapter 238 – Versatile tails Chapter 238 ¨C Versatile tails Chloe guided the couple through the vige while the three were chatting with each other. There, Sophia mentioned that she''d like the see the insides of an elven treehouse. As the fox-girl lived in one of those, she decided to simply show the duo her home and guided them to it. ¡°Ohhh!¡± The moment the group entered the ce, Sophia''s eyes immediately started to sparkle as she excitedly looked around. Just like the outside of the treehouse, everything inside was made out of wood, as well. Even a part of the tree itself was going through the main room. All the wood made the ce look a little dark, but it also made it feel incredibly cozy. ¡°It¡¯s sooofy! A little too cold for my liking, though¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best part!¡± Chloe didn''t share her opinion. ¡°I beg to differ!¡± The two will probably never be on the same page with this topic. ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger liked how the two were so in sync with not being in sync at all. ¡°The instion of a boarded wooden treehouse might not be the best, huh? Well, nothing a generous amount of heating can¡¯t fix!¡± ¡°There are heaters for your home here?" The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Of course!¡± Sophia got excited again. ¡°Even floor heating seems to be bing a thingtely.¡± She decided to leave the part out where she was the one making them a thing. ¡°Wow. Now that you mention it, I saw them in stores before, but I thought homes were heated with fireces only? Then again, I haven''t stayed in houses in areas where it gets really cold like here before.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t have a firece in every room, after all. I¡¯d die without a heater in our bedroom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never met a cat as cat as you¡­¡± ¡°Thanks~.¡± It definitely had be apliment for the tiger at this point. ¡°Do you really never feel cold?¡± ¡°Have you taken a better look at my tail yet?¡± ¡°I haven''t stopped looking at it ever since we met.¡± She''s been a very honest girl for quite a while already. ¡°Err¡­¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that for a moment. ¡°Thanks to that fluffy thing, it¡¯s impossible for my backside to get cold. Whenever I feel a bit chilly when sleeping, I simply grab my tail and use it as a hug pillow. You won¡¯t get any morefortable and warmer than that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stared even harder at the fox-girl''s tail. "I am SOOOOO jealous!" She got loud. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Maya also looked slightly envious while ncing at it. "C-Cat tails are also adorable! I bet it¡¯s easier to control them, too. Because my tail is so big and unwieldy, it''s often all over the ce and in the way, even. It messes with my bnce, too¡­¡± ¡°Tell me about it¡­¡± The blonde only mumbled those words while remembering how her new tail had messed with her bnce in the beginning. ¡°Still!¡± She got loud again. ¡°The list of positives with such a thing is way longer!¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Yes!¡± She sounded confident about her im. ¡°It¡¯s adorable, warm, and fluffy! Each of those things are worth at least ten points!¡± "Sorry about my idiot here. She''s slightly biased when ites to fluffy things." Maya felt like apologizing for her tiger. ¡°Not that I disagree, though¡­¡± She also was a fan. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The fox-girl got a little bashful. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to see how it is to have a slightly more manageable tail, like those of the two of you¡­ Especially the long one of Sophia seems like a lot of fun, and it''s so expressive, too~. The best I can do is to have it wag a bit like a dog.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia took some damage from Chloe having already noticed that her tail was so expressive. ¡°Very expressive~.¡± Maya used the chance to tease her. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± The blonde¡¯s tail twitched once while her face turned slightly red. A momentter, she used that very tail to bonk the cat-girl''s forehead with it. ¡°O-Ouch!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°I told you to stop that! There¡¯s way too much power behind your tail!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°See!¡± Chloe pointed at Sophia. ¡°I love my tail, but being able to manage and use it like that seems like a lot of fun! I wish I would be able to control mine better¡­¡± Coincidentally, her fluffy tail went limp and dropped to the floor while saying so. ¡°Seems like it¡¯s working pretty well to me, though.¡± ¡°Well, you can see my emotions on it, like right now¡­ Consciously controlling it, that¡¯s a different story.¡± ¡°Okay, that does sound like a pain.¡± The blonde gave her a few nods. ¡°Yes¡­ You really have to take care when you sit next to me because, sooner orter, my tail will most likely end up in your face. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The tiger sounded quite excited all of a sudden. ¡°I call dibs on the seat right next to from now till forever!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya red at her girl for a moment before looking at Chloe. ¡°I guess tails aren''t that sensitive of a topic for foxes, huh? After all, Sophia''s the only one who''s allowed to touch mine. idents aside, I would get really upset if anyone would touch it.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°Maya¡¯s also the only one who gets bonked with mine, too." ¡°Well¡­¡± The fox-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°I would definitely dislike someone touching my tail on their own, yes. The thing is¡­ My actual tail isn¡¯t any thicker than Sophia¡¯s. It''s basically just all fluff all day around it. So, if I graze someone with it, chances are that I don''t even feel or notice it because it was just the tip of my fur that touched you.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger had aplicated expression while her gaze wandered between Chloe¡¯s and her own tail a couple of times. ¡°So, when it rains a lot, or you take a bath¡­" ¡°Don¡¯t finish that sentence.¡± Her aura suddenly changed. "Touchy subject, huh?" Sophia held up her arms in defense while she took a step back. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°That¡¯s also why I perfected my air-rted magic to immediately blow-dry it with the wind so that no one would ever see me in that sorry state!¡± ¡°I like your priorities!¡± The tiger was a fan of Chloe being so overly inventive about seemingly useless things. She could rte to that a lot. ¡°So, your tail is about as sensitive as ours? It¡¯s just that the base is covered in fluff, which basically acts as a barrier?" ¡°I guess so.¡± She nodded. ¡°Every now and then, it still tingles when I brush against someone, so it really only happens with people I¡¯mfortable with. I¡¯ve never hit a stranger with my tail before.¡± ¡°Are we still strangers?¡± Sophia really wanted to get a feel of the fluff. ¡°Stop pestering her already!¡± Maya got a little loud. "If it happens, it happens. Just wait for it!" ¡°Hmm~?¡± The blonde found her wording a little interesting. ¡°Seems like I¡¯m not alone, huh?¡± ¡°W-Why would you? Look at her tail!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Chloe let out a small chuckle while watching the two. ¡°You sure are an interesting couple.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They answered together. ¡°Strangers might already be a bit of a stretch at this point, but I think my tail needs a little longer to rx around you. After all, it has a bit of a mind on its own." ¡°Okay¡­¡± Both girls sounded a little disappointed. ¡°If the actual base of your tail is simr to cats when ites to sensitivity, what about your ears?¡± Sophia looked on top of Chloe''s head. ¡°Just out of curiosity, of course, I have absolutely no intention to ever touch them.¡± As her own ears are a huge deal for the tiger, she wouldn''t dare to touch those of others. ¡°That¡¯s good. I would have Feyfey attack everyone who even thinks about touching my ears!" The fox-girl''s tail got even bushier while she gave out the warning. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Soo¡­ about my earlier theory¡­ your taller ears and fluffy tail aside, foxes basically are cats.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± Chloe paused for a moment and tried to think about it. ¡°Well¡­ I love the cold, and my tail behaves closer to a dog''s, too." ¡°Soo¡­ a cat with quirks?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Sorry about that.¡± Sophia suddenly looked a little awkward. "My sister had always loved foxes a whole bunch, and I liked to tease her with that. The actual, full animal foxes, that is. I know that foxes are foxes and cats are cats. Still, I always found it interesting that foxes aren''t rted to cats yet have so many simrities. They¡¯re from the same general family as dogs, right? Like this cute little one here." Sophia had spotted a plush dog with violet fur and white highlights next to Chloe''s bed and gave it a little pat. ¡°I have one of these plushies at home, too. The color is great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes! I got it when I was in the capital thest time. It¡¯s very adorable!¡± The fox-girl shared her opinion. ¡°Oh, you have a sister?¡± She then focused her attention on the tiger. ¡°I have¡­¡± Her expression turned a little somber. ¡°She isn''t with me anymore, though¡­¡± ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Chloe looked down while her tail plopped on the ground again, too. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright¡­¡± She didn¡¯t sound alright at all, though. ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­ and it¡¯s not your fault either, so you really don¡¯t have to feel bad for- mffmfnn!¡± Her voice turned even more somber, but the blonde could not finish her sentence. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry to have brought up something unpleasant for you¡­¡± With a slightly panicked expression, Chloe was apologizing while the bushy tip of her tail had pressed itself against Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about any of this but decided to remain silent. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia, too, stayed silent for a few moments before she eventually swished away Chloe¡¯s tail with a gentle motion of her hand. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ I really don¡¯t like it when people are sad¡­ Even more so if I¡¯m responsible for it. Partly, at least, because I made you think about it¡­¡± She was still waving the tip of her tail around in front of Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°I-I thought this would be the best to divert your attention¡­¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± She smiled at the fox-girl. "Still, you don''t have to do anything that makes you ufortable¡­ just to cheer me up¡­" ¡°I-It¡¯s alright!¡± Chloe started panicking again. ¡°As I said before, if it¡¯s just the fur part, I¡¯m okay with it when I¡¯m the one initiating it. If you want to squeeze my tail, I would be against it, but this much, if it cheers you up again, that¡¯s fine!¡± ¡°You really are sweet¡­¡± The tiger took quite a lot of damage from her consideration. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The fox-girl liked thepliment. ¡°Did it help, then?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°The soft fluffiness of your tail is divine!¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that. I try to take good care of it, after all.¡± ¡°I ate some hair, though. That wasn¡¯t so nice.¡± While saying so, the blonde stuck out her tongue and used her hand to pick up some pinkish hair that stuck to it. "Probably wasn''t the best idea to literally shut me up¡­" "A-Ah¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s face turned red. ¡°S-So embarrassing¡­¡± She needed a moment to recover. ¡°W-Well, you are a cat, so you should be used to that, right¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that much of a cat!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°I don¡¯t groom myself in that way! I''ve never coughed up a furball, if that''s what you''re trying to imply!" ¡°Well, there was that one time when you were trying to¡­¡± Maya suddenly spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to finish that sentence!¡± The blonde instantly red at her. ¡°Hehe.¡± The cat-girl yfully stuck out her tongue in response. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s good to see you in a good mood again!¡± Chloe looked at the duo with a warm expression. ¡°Eh, mixed feeling about that one, right after getting teased by my sassy cat. Not to mention that she, too, has some experience with the topic, like when she tried to¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Maya suddenly became flustered, as well. ¡°Heh.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°It was supposed to be a joke, but is there actually a¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The couple now red at her together. Afterward, the group decided to take a little break to calm down and get back to what they had initially nned, to look at Chloe¡¯s house.
Chapter 239 – Feeling guilty Chapter 239 ¨C Feeling guilty While the couple was visiting Chloe¡¯s ce in the vige because she lives in an elven treehouse there and Sophia really wanted to see one from the inside, things had taken a slightly weird turn. The tiger remembered how much her little sister liked foxes, which made her a little emotional. Feeling somewhat responsible for it, Chloe decided to cheer her up by giving the blonde a quick taste of her tail. Literally, though, as Sophia ended up eating some fur while it was shoved into her face. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After the group had taken a short break and Sophia recovered from being reminded of her sister, the three were back together again, and Maya was staring at the two for some reason. Her gaze primarily concentrated on Sophia¡¯s face and Chloe¡¯s tail. ¡°Is something the matter¡­? A-Ah!¡± The fox-girl suddenly locked panicky again. ¡°S-Shouldn¡¯t I have done that with my tail¡­? The two of you are a couple, after all, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t answer and turned her head away. "Heh." Sophia''s expression changed into a grin after seeing her reaction. "She''s just jealous." ¡°I am not!¡± Maya immediately got loud. ¡°Is that so?¡± The fox-girl looked at the blonde,pletely ignoring the protesting girl. ¡°Yep.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°She¡¯s a little better at holding back than I am, but she likes fluffy things just as much as I do.¡± While saying so, Sophia used her own tail to bonk the cat-girl¡¯s head yet again. ¡°Silly girl.¡± ¡°S-Shut up! While the tip of your tail is quite fluffy, too, you use way too much force!¡± ¡°See?¡± She looked at Chloe again. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Do you, uhhh¡­ Do you want to touch it?¡± The fox-girl moved her tail closer to Maya. ¡°R-Really¡­? I feel a little awkward now¡­¡± Her expression was ratherplicated. "For us felines, touching one''s tail is rather intimate, after all. Yes, you are no feline, but¡­¡± ¡°As I said before, it is okay as long as you don''t squeeze it. Foxes don''t like having their tails touched either, but mine is covered in so much fur that you¡¯re basically just touching that. I didn''t even notice that Sophia ate some of it and only lightly felt it when she pushed it away from her face. Though, she did try to burry her hand in my fur for a second, and that tingled a tiny little bit.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Now it was Sophia¡¯s turn to look away. ¡°Y-You noticed that, huh¡­?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ If my fluffiness helped you calm down, I¡¯m d to be of help.¡± ¡°You are way too nice!¡± The tiger only took more damage from her kindness. ¡°Thank you?¡± ¡°W-Well, if you really are okay with it and touching the fur of a fox doesn''t mean as much as touching the actual tail¡­ With our short fur, it''s basically the same for us cats, after all¡­" "Yes." Chloe nodded. "As long as you don''t reach in too far or surprise me, it doesn¡¯t have too deep of a meaning. It¡¯s probably closer to good friends getting along well? Okay, we¡¯re just bing friends as we only met a little while ago, but it¡¯s never good to get too hung up on details.¡± ¡°Sweet and easygoing.¡± Maya was impressed. ¡°It¡¯s really not just your outside that¡¯s fluffy beyond belief!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The fox-girl let out a small but happy giggle after hearing that. ¡°So?¡± She waved around her tail in front of Maya some more. ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Slightly reluctant and awkward-looking, the cat-girl eventually reached for her tail. Still, her expression instantly changed the moment she touched Chloe''s fur. "So soft! It''s all springy and fluffy! It feels great!¡± Gently patting the fur of her tail a little longer, Maya soon let go of it again. "Thank you a lot for that!" ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia''s expression had turned a littleplicated while watching the scene. Afterward, she used her own tail to bonk the cat-girl¡¯s forehead yet again. It also seemed like she used slightly more force than the previous times. ¡°O-Ouch!¡± She got loud while rubbing her forehead. ¡°That hurt! Don¡¯t use so much force when you¡­ Ah.¡± Maya stopped talking after taking a better look at Sophia¡¯s face and noticing her miffed expression. ¡°Even if the person herself doesn''t mind, it¡¯s still a bit weird to touch someone else¡¯s tail, isn¡¯t it?¡± "Y-Yes¡­" The tiger replied with a slight nod. ¡°Sorry that I got so excited about it¡­ Well, I¡¯ll still be happy if it ends up touching me, but I won¡¯t actively go for it again¡­¡± ¡°Same.¡± ¡°D-Did I make it worse again?!¡± Seeing their interaction, Chloe started panicking again. ¡°Stop being so considerate!¡± The couple didn¡¯t know how to deal with something that nice. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡­ Like, at all.¡± Sophia started to feel even more guilty after looking at the dejected fox-girl. ¡°Maya, and even way more so I, we are just a bit weird. She gets jealous rather easily, and I¡¯m missing experience all sorts of things. I never had many, or rather, any friends before meeting her, and the two of us directly went into a rtionship. So, whenever I meet someone new, I tend to overdo it because I still don¡¯t 100% know how far is normal between friends¡­¡± ¡°It also doesn''t help that you¡¯re naturally flirty even without having had friends before me¡­¡± The cat-girl started to pout.¡± ¡°That, too¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°My love for everything even remotely fluffy, just added to my excitement here, too, because you¡¯re way too fluffy!¡± ¡°True.¡± Maya had to agree while the two looked at Chloe. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She started smiling again. "Wait, you didn''t have any friends before meeting Maya¡­? When did you two meet, then?" ¡°Start of spring?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Seven or eight months ago? Something along those lines.¡± ¡°Really¡­? I could¡¯ve sworn the two of you were dating for years already.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The couple took it as apliment. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± The fox-girl stopped for a moment. ¡°Huh? If that¡¯s the case, how is it possible that you didn''t have any friends a year ago, Sophia?¡± She looked confused. ¡°You¡¯re so friendly and feel extremely sociable!¡± ¡°It feels sooo great to hear that!¡± The tiger looked incredibly happy. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to change a lot and better myself a ton over the past months! If you think so, it¡¯s amazing~! I¡¯ve used to be extremely shy and pretty depressive, actually¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe stared at her for a few seconds. ¡°That doesn''t sound like you at all! Well, I¡¯m d you got over it with such great sess!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Quite a while ago, Sophia was worried that she had stopped being herself, but she had long epted her being the improved version of her old self. ¡°Humans aside, which didn¡¯t end well, Maya¡¯s also one of the first people I met after, uhh¡­ stuff happened and started traveling with Fenny.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Remembering the topic of her sister, Chloe decided to not ask any questions rted to the stuff that had happened. ¡°Fenfen also said that you''re traveling a lot. Is there anything interesting you saw?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The blonde tilted her head. "Well, as I am a cat, I''m currently getting ready to hibernate, so¡­" ¡°Cats don¡¯t hibernate!¡± Chloe got a little loud. ¡°They would if they could, though!¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re good to go if they get a warm ce, food, and afy pillow!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sophia raised her hand in protest but couldn''t say anything in her defense in the end. ¡°That sounds great¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I met a few from the cat beastfolk, but I¡¯ve never met such a cat before. Not to mention that you¡¯re supposed to be a tiger.¡± ¡°Tigers are just a big domestic cat! They share like 95 or more percent of their DNA, too!¡± ¡°While that might be true¡­ I always thought tigers have more pride¡­¡± The fox-girl wasn''t sure how to feel about this overlyx feline. ¡°I take pride in beingfy!¡± The blonde had an answer for almost everything. Not necessarily the right one, but she had an answer. ¡°Fine¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to disagree. Comfy is great. Okay, before it started getting colder, did you travel to any interesting ce?" "I love to run around, so we actually visited many ces¡­" ¡°You love to run around¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head while looking at the tiger with a questioning expression. ¡°That doesn¡¯t match with anything else I heard from you until now.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± "Really¡­? I mean, you look super fit, especially for someone sounding thatzy, but..." "It''s true," Maya confirmed her im. ¡°Sleeping and running around are two of the cornerstones of¡­ well, of Sophia.¡± She simply gestured at the tiger. ¡°If she can¡¯t run around and power herself out, she gets all grumpy and loudlyins about it all day long¡­¡± ¡°I sure do!¡± "So¡­ You''re the textbook example of a cat, but also are a part dog?¡± ¡°I kinda am, now that you mention it¡­¡± The blonde thought about it for a moment. ¡°Wait, am I a fox¡­?¡± A slight existential crisis surfaced. ¡°¡­¡± Chloe only stared at her but eventually started smiling. ¡°You aren¡¯t nearly fluffy enough to call yourself a fox.¡± ¡°That is deeply offensive!¡± The striped fox started pouting again. ¡°Is it?¡± The actual, pink-haired fox didn''t believe her. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Her idiocy aside,¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°You should see her in the morning before she fixes her hair¡­ You might think otherwise, then.¡± ¡°I don''t want that kind of fluffy!¡± Sophia kept getting louder. ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Fluffy hair¡­?¡± Chloe looked at the blonde. ¡°Okay, it has a good bit of volume, but actually fluffy¡­?¡± She gestured at her own, extremely puffy hair while saying so. ¡°Compared to normal me, at least! It¡¯s a tiger curse¡­" Sophia hung her head. "Once it starts getting cold, our hair turns lighter in color. I''m originally a darker blonde, though I love the current color. Then, our hair also puffs up a lot." "Tigers get a winter coat¡­?" ¡°More or less¡­ My hair got fluffy and unruly and it is a pain to deal with¡­ I only managed to tame it by applying heat to tten it¡­" ¡°Wow, that¡¯s clever!¡± The fox-girl seemed impressed. ¡°Do you think it would work on me, too?¡± ¡°No.¡± Her answer was instantaneous. ¡°Ahh¡­ I guess it¡¯s too much volume to iron, huh?" "No, I just don''t want you to get any less fluffy." As usual, Sophia was highly selfish. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t want to do anything with my tail, but my actual hair can be a bit of a pain every now and then¡­ A little bit of taming there by using a straightening ironing would be appreciated. Maybe even just the tips to get a bit of the curl out of there.¡± She held up some of her hair to get her point across. ¡°Hrmmn¡­¡± The blonde looked seriously conflicted. "Well, okay, fine¡­ I like you already, so I should try to help you out, too¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Chloe looked genuinely happy. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± She couldn''t say no to her. ¡°We¡¯ll have to try it the next time, though, because I don''t have anything on me right now for that¡­¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ So that is why you called her the little sister type when Aura described her to us¡­¡± Maya looked at the fox-girl before focusing on the tiger. ¡°Nice and adorable with a personality you can''t say no to and just have to spoil her.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a little sister type!¡± Chloe didn''t seem to like the idea. ¡°Also, I look older than both of you!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You might be bigger than both of us¡­¡± The cat-girl focused on a specific spot on the sweater of the pink-haired girl before looking up again. ¡°Even Sophia¡¯s taller than you, though.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± The short tiger really liked the fact that she was taller than the fox. ¡°F-First, just where were you looking just now?!¡± Chloe covered her chest with her arms while her face turned red. She might be shorter, but her sweater seemed to be hiding a lot. ¡°Exactly on the area you''re covering right now." Maya never has, and never will be embarrassed about her love for a sizeable chest. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± It didn¡¯t seem like the fox-girl was able to deal overly well with that topic. ¡°Y-You¡¯re really mean!¡± ¡°Definitely a little sister.¡± The couple felt confirmed about their theory. Afterward, Chloe started pouting even more and decided to stop talking to the other two for a while. As a result of that, they decided to take yet another break.
Chapter 240 – Two of them Chapter 240 ¨C Two of them Maya and Sophia were still in Chloe''s home, and things had gotten even more awkward. After the fox-girl had cheered up the tiger by having her touch her fluffy tail, the cat-girl got a little jealous. Deciding to make things even, Chloe had allowed her to touch her tail, as well. The couple had enjoyed being able to touch such a fluffy tail, but they also felt a little guilty about it. It''s supposed to be an intimate gesture, so the cats hadn''t enjoyed seeing their partners doing it even though Chloe herself was okay with it. ¡°Alright!¡± After everyone had reset, Sophia tried to get the conversation going again. ¡°Wait, where were we again?¡± Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t the best for those things. "Well, first, I want to rify again that I¡¯m not a little sister type!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t want to let go of the topic just yet. ¡°Why not? I think it¡¯s cute, and it¡¯s definitely apliment in my eyes because your personality is lovely.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy that you feel that way¡­ but I just don¡¯t like being treated as younger than I actually am¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Well, gentle and caring older sister¡­? Wait, in the first ce, Maya and I are older than you¡­¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± The fox-girl had noeback for that at first. ¡°Why any type of sister in the first ce¡­?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± The tiger only shrugged her shoulder. ¡°It definitely has nothing to do with my actual sister not being with me anymore, if you¡¯re concerned about that¡­ I¡¯m not looking for anyone to fill that gap.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± ¡°In other words, she¡¯s just an idiot.¡± Maya tried to exin it to her in an easy way. ¡°Yep.¡± The blonde simply nodded. ¡°Okay¡­ As I don¡¯t have any ns to be your sister or be anything rted to her either, how do you think about a gentle and caring friend-type instead?" She smiled at Sophia. "W-Wow¡­ Saying that about myself feels really weird and embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°I like that!¡± Sophia gave her a cheerful reply. ¡°I really like that!¡± She always gets happy when she gains a new friend. ¡°Ehehe.¡± Chloe enjoyed her reaction. ¡°You, too, Maya. I¡¯d like to be your friend, as well.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She naturally had nothing against it. ¡°Well, after both of us yed with your tail, that¡¯s probably the least we can be.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The fox-girl let out an awkwardugh while scratching her cheek. ¡°How about we all forget that ever happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± The cat-girl agreed with the suggestion. ¡°I still call dibs on sitting right next to you and your tail with a mind on its own~. Purely for the fluff alone, without any of me actually going for it.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t let go fully of it yet. ¡°You really are an honest one, huh?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± "Anyway," Maya decided that it was finally time to end this topic. "You wanted to know about our travels, didn''t you?" ¡°Right!¡± Chloe pped her hands once before looking at Sophia again. ¡°I traveled a lot with Feyfey and saw many interesting ces, so I¡¯m really interested in what you saw so far!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The tiger tilted her head and thought about her journey so far. ¡°I¡¯ve stayed in the monster country with Fennyfen for a while, but¡­ it was quite boring.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°The food there is the worst, too!¡± ¡°Absolutely! All meat all day gets tiring too fast!¡± ¡°That¡¯s sooo true! I love meat, I guess we all do here, but just meat all day every day¡­? No, thank you!" She seemed quite passionate about it. ¡°Finally! Someone that understands me!¡± Sophia liked her reaction a lot. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s two of them now¡­¡± Maya, on the other hand, had a bad feeling about their interaction. ¡°Hmm?¡± The tiger suddenly stopped and looked at Chloe with a questioning expression. ¡°Did you actually go to the monster country?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been a couple of years, though.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Sophia stared at her a little longer. ¡°Are you actually strong enough for that ce¡­? Okay, the magic I feel from you is a little higher than the other foxes, but it¡¯s nothing out of the norm.¡± "I am much stronger than I look!" Chloe tried to look smug while making this im, but she somehow only felt even more adorable. ¡°Also, Feyfey was with me.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ The fox who¡¯s about as strong as Fennyfenfen, I see.¡± That part sounded a lot more believable to her. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t find anything interesting there, either?¡± ¡°Let me think¡­¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Well, the nt life there was pretty cool and rather funny-looking¡­ Other than that, hmm... Honestly, it was waaaay too warm there, so I didn¡¯t want to stay there for too long¡­¡± ¡°I liked the temperature there. It was especially great for camping during the night.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a point.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Camping there under the night sky with afy campfire was really nice.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia looked slightly nostalgic. ¡°I did that with Fenfenny every night there, and it was the best! Also, yes, the nature there¡¯s very interesting. I¡¯ll never forget those trees that grew sideways. They were so weird.¡± "A-Ah.¡± The fluffy girl¡¯s expression suddenly turned awkward. ¡°I remember those trees¡­ and the spiky fruits that grow on them¡­ I have never seen Feyfey panic that much¡­" ¡°You tried to eat one, didn¡¯t you?¡± For some reason, it wasn¡¯t a hard guess for the tiger because she felt a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu right now. "It''s good that she stopped you because those fruits are extremely poisonous." ¡°I found out about that afterward, too. They looked so delicious, though!¡± ¡°Just because they look delicious, it doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re edible.¡± Sophia tried to y the reasonable one for a rare change. ¡°I know¡­¡± Chloe hung her head. ¡°Come on, shut up.¡± Maya had other ns, though. ¡°I remember you telling me about your encounter with them and how you really wanted to try those fruits, as well.¡± "A-Ah.¡± She only turned her head away in response. "Okay¡­ That aside," The fox-girl wanted to change the topic. For both of their sake, that is. "I like the gryphons there, though.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The couple had the same reaction. ¡°Yes! I wanted to ride or maybe fly on the back of one, but that didn¡¯t work out¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The two looked even more shocked. "This girl might have even lessmon sense than you have¡­" The cat-girl faced Sophia. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that was possible.¡± ¡°Sounds like a great idea, though. Why hadn''t I thought about that?¡± The blonde wasn''t ready to let go of her position just yet. "Visually speaking, those gryphons were amazing. That lion and bird mix really was something else.¡± ¡°Right?!¡± Chloe was happy she wasn¡¯t alone with her opinion. ¡°Unfortunately, they¡¯re quite aggressive¡­¡± ¡°Tell me about it¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I killed two of them¡­ Okay, while the first one was my own fault because it surprised me, the second one attacked us, and it was purely self-defense.¡± ¡°Feyfey also killed the one I tried to ride because it wouldn¡¯t stop following and pestering us¡­¡± "They sure are a resentful bunch that understands no fun." ¡°Yepyep!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Maya hated everything about their exchange. ¡°There really are two of them now¡­¡± ¡°So, I guess we both didn''t like the ce that much, huh?¡± Sophia ignored the cat-girl. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°It was rather pretty there, but also very boring¡­ and suuuuper warm.¡± The fox-girl just had toin about it again. ¡°Yep, that was the best part~.¡± The tiger didn''t share her sentiment. "We also visited a couple of beautifulkes, but¡­" As Sophia''s experiences withkes were a little peculiar, she wasn''t sure how to finish her sentence. ¡°Oh,kes are my favorite ce to camp, as well!¡± ¡°There sure are a lot of them, huh? Lakes, that is.¡± ¡°I had the same feeling!¡± Chloe made a simr observation as the blonde. ¡°What else did we explore¡­?¡± Sophia tried to remember her journey so far. "Oh, there were those stupid ruins and the even worse dungeon we explored. ¡°You explored a dungeon?!¡± The fox-girl suddenly got excited. ¡°Feyfey never allowed me to enter one¡­¡± ¡°No need for those sparkly eyes¡­ It was pretty boring. There were no rewards, and¡­ it was full of huge, insect-like monsters!" Cold sweat ran down her spine, just remembering the spiders half her size. ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± Chloe¡¯s expression changed in an instant. ¡°H-Huge¡­ insects¡­?¡± ¡°It was horrible!¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± The duo shuddered together. ¡°Seriously¡­ What¡¯s so wrong with insects?¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°EVERYTHING!¡± The two had many issues with them. ¡°Also, didn¡¯t we go over that a few times already, my dear?¡± Sophia looked at her cat-girl. ¡°Do I need to remember you about the ghosts we encountered in that dungeon?¡± ¡°F-Forget I said anything!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Ghosts are a thing¡­?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°As in, they actually exist¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I saw a couple of semi-translucent things wafting through the air and many wisp-like balls of blue fire floating around.¡± ¡°Brrr¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t want to remember it. ¡°S-So cool!¡± Chloe only sounded more excited. ¡°I know, right?!¡± ¡°I want to see them!¡± She got a little bouncy. "Is that dungeon far? Maybe we can go visit it really quick before Feyfey''s back!" ¡°Err¡­¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°That dungeon¡¯s¡­ gone. I got a little, uhh¡­ upset and blew it up. All of it, that is¡­¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what to say. "There was another dungeon we explored. It doesn''t have any monsters, though." ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more like an undergroundbyrinth you have to navigate through. There¡¯s even an actual maze inside of it. That was a ton of fun, right?¡± She looked at her cat-girl. ¡°Absolutely!¡± She nodded. ¡°That one¡¯s great!¡± ¡°That really sounds like fun!¡± Chloe sounded excited again. ¡°Is this dungeon still¡­ essible¡­?¡± ¡°Err¡­ It¡¯s a littleplicated to enter, but¡­ Yes, it¡¯s still in one piece.¡± For theck of a better story, she went with this exnation. ¡°Howplicated?¡± The fox stared at her with big eyes. ¡°I reeeeally want to see it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure about the idea. ¡°Please!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want you to find out about how we get to that ce¡­" ¡°You can blindfold me if that helps!¡± She really wanted to explore a dungeon. ¡°You sure trust other people easily.¡± Maya stared at her. ¡°She could bring you wherever while you can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°Why would she need to blindfold me, though?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Both of you are so much stronger than I am that you could do whatever you want to me. If that¡¯s your n, you already would¡¯ve done something.¡± ¡°Well, the only one who did, or at least started something, is you¡­" The cat-girl was still looking at her. "A-Ah¡­¡± The pink-haired girl awkwardly looked away. ¡°Well, you two just really don¡¯t feel like you¡¯d ever do anything shady to anyone. Also¡­" She paused for a second. "While Sophia feels much stronger, I¡¯m fairly sure that even for her, it would be a big mistake to make Feyfey furious.¡± ¡°She¡¯s quite the overprotective parent, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe sounded really happy about it. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet her~.¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°That future is still far, but my destiny is to be the most overprotective mother in history! I bet I can learn a thing or two from her!¡± ¡°I¡¯m still not sure if I love or hate this future¡­¡± The cat-girl looked a little tired. ¡°Are you the other half of that future?¡± ¡°Hard to say yet, but I do hope so.¡± Her tired voice became much warmer in an instant. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chloe looked at the two for a moment. ¡°Wow, your kid is going to be adorable!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger liked her reaction a lot. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Maya got a little bashful instead. ¡°Alright!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°For that, I¡¯ll find a way to get you into that dungeon!¡± ¡°Really?! Yay!¡± ¡°Ah, how do you feel about looking at the ce together with the first princess of the beastfolk kingdom, Anna? I kinda promised to show her the dungeon, as well.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The fox-girl needed a moment. ¡°That¡¯s a tiger for you, huh? You have some serious connections. Anna, the first princess¡­ That¡¯s the super tall orange tiger with the long hair, right? I saw her walking around in the capital a few times.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°She looks a little loud and difficult to get along with, but she¡¯s actually super sweet once you get to know her. I bet you get along just great.¡± "A tomboy with a sweet core? That sounds great!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t have said it better myself!¡± Sophia supported her assessment. ¡°Well, I am a little interested now. Also, one rarely gets the chance to befriend a princess, right? Ah, is her girlfriending, as well?¡± ¡°Girlfriend?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t remember the name, but it¡¯s the ck-haired jaguar-maid who¡¯s always next to her while looking super in love, right? Those two were always together whenever I saw the princess. There''s just no way there''s not going on more between them from how they''re behaving and treating each other. I am 100% sure that they are dating. It''s just too obvious!" ¡°¡­¡± The couple needed a moment beforeing up with a reply. ¡°Wow, how are those two the only ones that haven¡¯t noticed¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The fox tilted her head again. "Nah, it''s nothing," Sophia answered her. "The rtionship of those two is a littleplicated¡­ Well, they are girlfriends but are still on the finishing line of noticing it¡­" ¡°Oh, a little dense, I take it?¡± ¡°You have no idea¡­¡± The two let out a sigh. ¡°I see.¡± Chloe decided to not ask any further questions. ¡°Well, I always wanted to see the jaguar up close because I¡¯m a real fan of her hair!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± The tiger remembered how Ari was worried about her unique hair and then sighed again. "I''ll bring her along, too." ¡°Yay!¡± Afterward, the couple looked rather tired because everything that got addressed in thest couple of minutes had taken a toll on them.
Chapter 241 – Cat-friendly exploration Chapter 241 ¨C Cat-friendly exploration While the trio was chatting about Sophia''s adventures so far, Chloe got really interested in the dungeons she visited. As the tiger had erased the first one from existence, she could only talk about the one the wolves were building below the capital. As she naturally didn''t want to reveal that part to the fox-girl, the blonde first needed to think of a way to get her there without her noticing what was going on. While she was at it already, Sophia also tried to connect this event with Anna because she wanted to see the dungeon, as well. ¡°Alight!¡± Sophia raised her voice again. ¡°Enough of what I¡¯ve seen so far!" She wanted to change her attention to Chloe. "You mentioned that you''re traveling a lot, too. So, what interesting ces have you seen? I want to explore all of this continent, so having someone with experience would be amazing!" She got excited. "Once it gets warmer again, of course." Her inner cat was stronger than her inner adventurer right now. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± The fox-girl thought about the question for a while. ¡°Wow, I visited so many ces that it¡¯s hard to find a start¡­¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She liked the answer. ¡°What are your preferences? I could start with them, then. What¡¯s your favorite thing to explore?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Everything, huh?¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°Not that helpful.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯d like to see some different nature. Everything around here is just ins with some forests here and there. The monster country was pretty barren, as well.¡± ¡°Oh, I can work with that.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°There was this really cool icy tundra we-¡° ¡°Anything else?¡± Sophia stopped her mid-sentence. ¡°Grow a thicker fur, cat.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde paused and tilted her head. "Nah." Whatever had just gone through her head, she decided to not do that. ¡°Maybe in the summer when I want to cool down in a cold ce, but for now, I¡¯d like to hear about some more cat-friendly alternatives, please. Also, a tundra is just as barren. It''s simply cold on top because it¡¯s near the arctic area, among other ces, where it¡¯s permafrozen!¡± ¡°Ah, tundra, I see¡­¡± Maya suddenly joined their conversation. ¡°Kinda heard something else earlier¡­ Maybe there really is something wrong with my ears? Yeah, not a fan of that, either.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely not my fault because Chloe said it first this time!" ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give them a good cleaningter, don¡¯t worry~.¡± Sophia sounded really cheerful while replying. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± She also started smiling. ¡°The two of you really like to flirt, huh?¡± ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± The couple immediately hung their heads. ¡°No, as I said before, it¡¯s fine!¡± Chloe shook her head. "It''s adorable, and I enjoy listening to it because my life was really boring when it came to that topic.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± They only nodded. ¡°Anyway, a ce that a cold-hating cat wants to visit, huh?¡± ¡°Please!¡± "Hmm¡­ There were a few savanna-like areas, mostly near the monster country, but those ces weren''t that exciting¡­ Way too hot, too!" ¡°Well, that ce in itself was close to a savanna already.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Chloe thought about some other ce. ¡°There was an actual desert I crossed with Feyfey. Needless to say, I hated every second of it. No, let me correct myself. I absolutely loathed it!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure what to reply. "A desert sounds like fun, though¡­ And no, it isn''t because I''m a cat, and deserts are huge areas filled with sand!" ¡°I would never imply such a rude thing!¡± Chloe rapidly shook her head. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°What has sand to do with cats¡­?¡± Maya somehow couldn¡¯t follow their conversation. "Anyway!" Sophia was just happy she didn''t know, and she had no ns to exin it, either. "I kinda want to see it!" ¡°Well, I can tell you where it is, but I won¡¯t being with you¡­¡± The fox-girl¡¯s expression turned sour. ¡°I only survived that ce because Feyfey carried me on her back while I was using magic to create blocks of ice to cool myself down¡­" ¡°That sounds rough.¡± ¡°Very!¡± She got loud. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make that n B for now¡­ Any other interesting areas or ces you explored?¡± ¡°I visited a lot of actual forests, not like the small one this vige here is in.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty big, though? This forest, I mean?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Chloe shook her head. ¡°Some of those I visited were truly massive. Imagine everything between here and the capital, if not more, to be a forest." ¡°Wow¡­ That is big.¡± ¡°Yep. I especially loved the needle wood forests. Gigantic pine trees as far as you could look, and the smell was the best! And not just the puny pines like around here... Massive ones.¡± ¡°Is there your inner fox leaking out?¡± Sophia tilted her head while smiling at her. ¡°Arctic or not aside, they love those areas, don¡¯t they?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°That might¡¯ve added a little to my enjoyment.¡± ¡°Hehe. Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind exploring a good forest. I bet there are some secrets to be found deep inside!" "I know there have to be some treasures or the likes in the middle of such a forest!" Her eyes started sparkling. "I haven''t found any so far, though¡­" ¡°What secrets¡­?¡± Maya looked at the two. ¡°No idea.¡± They just shook their heads. "Really...?" "Oh!" Chloe suddenly pped her hands together while ignoring the cat-girl. "I might have something that could tickle your inner tiger!¡± "Hmm?" Said tiger tilted her head in response. "Feyfey and I had spent some time in a real jungle. It was really warm and humid, but everything was so interesting there that I somehow managed to tough it out. Magic to cool myself down helped a lot, too.¡± "A jungle?!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°I want to go there! I want to go there right now!¡± ¡°Yep, you definitely tickled her inner tiger¡­¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes again. "A jungle does sound interesting, though. I¡¯ve never seen one before, either.¡± ¡°Alright, Maya¡¯s in, as well!¡± She raised her voice even more. ¡°Let¡¯s head out!¡± The blonde energetically raised her fist in anticipation. ¡°Now?!¡± The other two weren¡¯t nearly as enthusiastic. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s a jungle! A jungle!¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ I might''ve tickled her tiger bits a little too much¡­" Chloe looked at Maya with an apologetic expression. ¡°You might have¡­¡± She nodded in agreement. ¡°Also, interesting wording.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Not knowing what to reply to that, the fox faced Sophia instead. ¡°The jungle is really, really far away from here, though.¡± "That''s okay. I''m super fast~." ¡°Err, unless you can teleport yourself, I don¡¯t think you could ever be fast enough to reach it in a reasonable time. It¡¯s more than twice as far as the monster country from here.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Yes.¡± She just nodded. ¡°Also, we have to cross the icy tundra I mentioned earlier to reach it.¡± ¡°Uhhhhh¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like any of that and faced her cat. ¡°Maya, please note that down as our spring activity, okay?¡± The jungle wasn¡¯t that important to her inner tiger, after all. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Any other cat-friendly ces?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chloe gave it some more thought. ¡°Most of them are pretty far¡­ Feyfey and I also came from a direction that is much colder than here, so we would always have to cross that area, anyway. No matter which ce I visited that you want to see... I''m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s fine!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t want her to apologize when she did nothing wrong. ¡°I look forward to spring already now~!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The fox-girl cheered up in an instant again. ¡°I¡¯ll try to remember some fun ces closer to here worth exploring!" ¡°Yay!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°Okay¡­ We¡¯ve taken a look at an elven treehouse now¡­ and I want one! You said that I have to ask someone called Steve if I want to have my own, right?" After getting sidetracked for about an hour, Sophia got back to their initial topic. ¡°Alex.¡± Maya corrected her. ¡°Why am I so catastrophically bad with names?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I usually can''t remember names overly well, either." Chloe tried to make her feel better. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°How does that makes it any better?!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t agree with them. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I need a raise if I have to deal with twoplete dorks from now on, you know?" ¡°Ahaha.¡± Sophia only reacted with augh. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go and visit that Alex!¡± ¡°I bet he¡¯s currently in the bar, drinking with Fenfen.¡± ¡°Sounds fun! Let¡¯s go!¡± Having remembered her initial n, the elven treehouse, the blonde got motivated again. ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe liked the idea. ¡°Ah, would it be alright if I visit the bathroom first? It won¡¯t take long.¡± "Sure." Sophia nodded. "Maya, let''s wait outside. I want to get a better impression of the vige while we''re at it!" ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± Saying so, the couple left the fox-girl¡¯s ce and went back to the vige''s streets while waiting for her. ---------------- "Wow, Chloe sure is a lot more than her fluffy outside, huh?" Sophia started a conversation while the two were looking around. "I didn''t expect her to have such an adventurous side." "The two of you are also really simr. Be it the explorer blood or how you''re both dorky and easygoing idiots." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She decided that it was apliment. "It would be sooo much fun if she stayed with us!" ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The tiger gave her a few big nods. ¡°I look forward to seeing all kinds of ces with her! She''s super cute and adorable, too! That''s always a plus!" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Maya¡¯s expression turned even moreplicated. ¡°She¡¯s not really my type because I like myself some cooler girls with a bit of sass behind the cute exterior, but she¡¯s a great girl!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± ¡°She reminds me a bit too much of my little sister, though¡­ That¡¯s also why it got a little awkward earlier. Okay, Steph was a little more yful and was more into teasing others if it fit the asion. Still, both are caring and gentle to a fault and just make you feel all warm and fuzzy by them simply being near you¡­ I¡¯m not sure how I feel about that yet¡­" "Is that so?" "Not to mention that she would also get along really well with Steph, too¡­ It almost feels weird how much of a match she is with my sister when ites to their general personality..." Her voice got a little somber for a moment. "The all-fluffy and gently caring type of girl is no rtionship material for me personally, but everyone should have a friend like her to cheer one up! I''m really happy that we met her!" ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The cat-girl suddenly started to smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just love you!¡± Realizing how Sophia confirmed that Chloe¡¯s no danger without Maya even mentioning anything made her incredibly happy. ¡°What a dork.¡± The tiger let out a small chuckle. ¡°I love you, too~.¡± ¡°Back to flirting already?¡± ¡°We never stopped~!¡± Noticing that Chloe had addressed them while she was walking towards them, Maya showed her a cheeky grin. ¡°You really know how to make someone jealous.¡± The fox-girl hadn¡¯t expected such a direct reply. ¡°Yep!¡± She was in a good mood. ¡°Alrighty, that idiot aside,¡± Sophia nced at her cat before focusing on Chloe again. ¡°Where¡¯s this bar where Fenfenfennyfen and this Alex are drinking right now?¡± ¡°We met right in front of the bar earlier.¡± ¡°And you expect me to find that again?¡± ¡°This vige only has a couple dozens of houses and a few streets, though?¡± The pink-haired girl looked at her with a questioning expression. "I''m really not overly good when ites to directions, one could even say that I''m bad, but..." ¡°I¡¯m happy if I can sessfully distinguish right from up! There hasn¡¯t been a single day that I haven¡¯t gotten lost in the capital yet!¡± ¡°Is that really a reason to sound proud about¡­?¡± Maya rolled her eyes again. ¡°Shut up!¡± It apparently was. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Not wanting to be insulted anymore, Sophia simply started walking. "Wrong direction¡­" The other two quickly stopped herwhile pointing the exact opposite way. "¡­" Sophia decided to stop talking altogether for the next couple of minutes while she followed after the duo, who guided her to the bar.
Chapter 242 – As usual, magic is confusing Chapter 242 ¨C As usual, magic is confusing While the couple was at Chloe''s ce, the fox-girl told them about her adventures and what areas she had visited in the past. Sophia, or her inner tiger, was especially interested in the jungle she saw. Unfortunately, they would have to cross an icy tundra to reach it, and the tiger¡¯s inner cat wasn¡¯t a fan of that at all. Thanks to that, they decided to postpone the trip to when it gets warmer again. They eventually get back to the topic of the blonde wanting to get her own elven treehouse. The trio decided to head over to the bar where Fen was drinking with Alex, the fox-man in charge of the buildings in the vige. ¡°It¡¯s kinda dark in this ce, huh?¡± While the three were walking to the bar together, Sophia, after having recovered from being teased, addressed Chloe as she was looking around in the dimly lit vige. ¡°Well, I have no problems with seeing in the dark thanks to my eyes, but the capital¡¯s much brighter.¡± Her cat-like eyes were actually slightly shining from reflecting the little light left around them. ¡°You can¡¯t reallypare the capital to this, can you?¡± Maya just moved her hand around, gesturing at the general area. ¡°Fair point.¡± She had nothing to add. "Most of the houses are also empty," Chloe added her own part. "So, there''s even less light fromnterns and the likes around.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°Also, yeah, as my eyes are the same, I don''t have an issue with it either." Just like the couple, the fox-girl had eyes that worked the same as those of cats. They were just as adjustable and able to reflect light to see in the dark. They were currently glowing, as well. ¡°And if there¡¯s not enough light, we can just turn it on ourselves, after all.¡± While saying so, the area around Chloe suddenly turned much brighter. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The tiger gave her another nod before she stopped walking while staring at the pink-haired girl with a confused expression. "Did¡­ Did you just use chantless light-based magic¡­?¡± ¡°I did, yes¡­?¡± She only tilted her head after noticing Sophia¡¯s expression. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Even more confused, the blonde then stared at Maya with a questioning expression. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I thought I understood how magic works now¡­?" ¡°Don¡¯t look at me!¡± The cat-girl crossed her arms. ¡°I gave up on that shortly after I met you! I decided to just have fun using it.¡± ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t follow their conversation. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia scratched her head. ¡°Well¡­ From what I¡¯ve learned, you need to have a certain level of aut-, power to be able to use chantless magic. From what I can feel, you should be way below that threshold¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head even more. ¡°Feyfey taught me magic, and she never told me that power is a factor that determines in what way you¡¯re allowed to use it.¡± ¡°Apparently so¡­¡± It didn¡¯t help the blonde to understand it even a bit. ¡°Anna has around the same power, but she can¡¯t use chantless magic¡­ Eh?¡± ¡°Well, what can I say...?¡± The fox-girl couldn''t help her. ---------------- As she was getting nowhere, Sophia increased her pace to bug her wolf in the bar about it. ¡°Fennyfenny!¡± Entering the ce, the tiger immediately located him at a table in the corner together with Aura and an older-looking, brown-haired fox-man. ¡°Oh, like the ring of that! Fennyfenny~!¡± She immediately got sidetracked. ¡°Well, I don''t!¡± Fennyfenny didn¡¯t seem to agree with it. ¡°I also don''t like how excited you¡¯re sounding¡­¡± ¡°Oho, it really is a tiger!¡± Alex had turned his head around because he wasn''t facing the girls and promptly mustered Sophia. ¡°If that isn¡¯t something. Alex''s the name. Nice to meet ya~.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde¡¯s eyes lit up after hearing his introduction. ¡°I¡¯m Sophia. I need you for a little somethingter on, as well!¡± ¡°Somehow, hearing that from a tiger, I¡¯m suddenly a little concerned.¡± ¡°Ah, no, it''s nothing like that!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I want a house in this vige! One of those amazing elven treehouses, to be exact!¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± He looked at her for a little longer before eventually ncing at Chloe next to her. ¡°Seems like you aren¡¯t the only weirdo, huh?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The two weirdos immediatelyined. ¡°A treehouse is amazing!¡± "Sure, sure¡­" Alex didn''t seem to want to deal with both simultaneously. ¡°Were you always so mean?¡± Chloe stared at him. ¡°H-Hey!¡± He jumped from his stool. ¡°I¡¯m not mean at all!¡± "No, I''m with my new pink-haired friend here. Sounds pretty mean." Sophia immediately joined in on the idea. Although, Chloe¡¯s reaction sounded like an earnest question while the tiger''s voice was full of sass. ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Heined about his treatment. "Alright, let me get some stools for you girls as well to make up for it!" Saying so, he immediately left. ¡°He seems like a nice person.¡± The blonde started smiling. ¡°I think I like him. He¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°Yes, I like him a lot, as well!¡± So was the fox-girl. ¡°I don¡¯t think I like this duo.¡± Fen didn¡¯t, though. ¡°You have no idea¡­¡± Maya sounded a little tired. ¡°Anyway, Fennyfenny!¡± Sophia faced the wolf again. ¡°We have a problem!¡± ¡°Do we?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°I don¡¯t understand magic!¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Wee to the club? Thanks to you, I stopped understanding magic a long time ago and decided to just enjoy using it.¡± ¡°Same!¡± The wolves had the exact same reaction as the cat-girl earlier. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She had little room toin here. ¡°What I just found out is the weirdest thing of all, though!¡± ¡°I heavily, HEAVILY doubt that.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± The wolves only looked at her with a dubious expression and tone in their voices. Both knew what Sophia had done so far, after all. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The tiger turned her head away. ¡°N-No, well, yeah¡­ b-but NO! Our dear Chloe here, you can feel her power, right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Fen nodded. ¡°Around the same as the big tiger princess. A pretty decent amount.¡± ¡°Yeah, but she can use chantless magic!¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± He slightly tilted his head. ¡°Chloe!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? Ah, sure¡­¡± She needed a moment to understand the blonde¡¯s intention. A secondter, she lifted her hand and created a small ball of light on top of it. ¡°Is that enough?¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Sophia seemed satisfied. ¡°How¡­?¡± He was still staring at the fox-girl¡¯s hand. ¡°Even if you ask me that¡­ Feyfey showed me how to do it¡­ and I just did it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fen then nced at the tiger. ¡°What?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like his motion. ¡°I did nothing for a change! Absolutely nothing! I didn¡¯t even touch her!¡± She crossed her arms in defense. ¡°Okay, I yed a bit with her tail, but that has no rtion to anything!¡± "You did what¡­?" Aura looked at her before turning towards the cat-girl. ¡°It was innocent!¡± The tiger understood her implication. ¡°Also, Maya touched it, too!¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± The blonde wanted to stay on topic for a rare change. ¡°Fennyfenny, I want an exnation of why Chloe can use chantless magic!" ¡°How am I supposed to know?!¡± He red at her for a moment before emptying the drink in front of him. "Before we started traveling together, I thought I knew magic, but you steadily destroyed every bit of knowledge I had about it while teaching you already! Even more so afterward!¡± ¡°You learned magic from Fenfen?¡± The fox-girl got a little interested. ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°For as long as I can remember.¡± "Oh, that''s the same for Feyfey and me! She''s been teaching me ever since I was little.¡± "Those overpoweredpanions sure are helpful, huh?" ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Well, until the pupil became the teacher¡­¡± Fen let out a small sigh. ¡°I think you have to ask the other guy for that issue¡­¡± ncing at Chloe while saying so, he decided not to mention Canir¡¯s name in a public space. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia hung her head. ¡°I thought as much¡­ You¡¯ve been a lot more useful in the past, my friend.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± He got loud. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was just a joke.¡± The tiger smiled at him. ¡°I know that it¡¯s my fault that everything got so messy¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°What is this about¡­?¡± The pink fox-girl faced Maya while listening to the duo¡¯s conversation. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know. Trust me, you really don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°O-Okay?¡± She looked a little concerned. ¡°It seems like something happened? Well, as long as everything¡¯s okay now.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s best to leave it at that.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Even though she said that, Chloe still looked somewhat confused. "Still!" Sophia suddenly got loud. "Whenever I understand things a little more, something else happens, and I''m two steps back again!" ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Fen, too, raised his voice. "See, the two get along perfectly." The cat-girl looked at the fox next to her. ---------------- ¡°Alright, let¡¯s give this another try!¡± Alex, who always seemed to be in an excellent mood, was back with the group. Not only had he organized some stools for the girls, but he also had brought a new round of drinks for everyone. "I hope that makes up for earlier!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Chloe smiled at him. ¡°I still love you!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± He was happy to hear that. ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°In the first ce, I was just teasing you a little. I don¡¯t know you yet, but I already like you, too!¡± ¡°How mean! Also, thank you!¡± His mood got even better. ¡°Man, getting so much attention from two such beautiful and cute girls sure is something~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya¡¯s expression had gotten a lot moreplicated. ¡°And the beautiful cat¡¯s ring at me. My, what a day!¡± He naturally noticed her, too. ¡°Today, the drinks will taste even better with suchpany!¡± ¡°That flirting will get you nowhere, though. Well, at least with us~.¡± Saying so, Sophia got closer to her pouting girl and hugged her side. ¡°The two of us are for each other only.¡± ¡°What a power couple!¡± He mustered the two for a moment. ¡°I like it! You fit well!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Maya¡¯s mood rxed in an instant. ¡°Also, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just really sociable! More so," Alex waved around his left hand, revealing a silvery ring on his ring finger. ¡°I¡¯m also taken. Happily married to the guy running this bar.¡± He pointed at the counter where a fox-man with ck hair, roughly the same age as him waved towards the group with a gentle smile. ¡°Mark¡¯s also the one who said I should bring all of you a round for free. You better thank himter!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment while alternatingly looking at the two guys. ¡°I love this ce.¡± It sounded a little like she was talking about more than just the vige right now. Afterward, everyone finally sat down around the table again, with the two wolves in the corner, Alex right next to Fen and then followed by Chloe, Sophia, and then Maya at the other end next to Aura. The tiger was also sitting suspiciously close to the pink-haired girl¡¯s tail for some reason. It definitely didn¡¯t have to do anything with her having remembered that Chloe said that she often forgets to control it and then hits the people sitting next to her in the face from time to time.
Chapter 243 – Treehouse negotiations Chapter 243 ¨C Treehouse negotiations Sophia, Maya, and Chloe went to the bar in the vige where the wolves were drinking with a fox-man called Alex. Sophia had business with all of them, but as Fen had no answers as to why Chloe could use chantless magic even though she shouldn''t be able to, either, they had to postpone the issue to the next visit of Canir to get an exnation. Afterward, she changed her attention to Alex, who supposedly is in charge of the houses in the vige. ¡°Alex!¡± With a slightly raised voice, the blonde faced him. ¡°Yes!¡± Equally loud, he looked back at her. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°First, those drinks are delicious!¡± She emptied the ss in front of her before continuing. ¡°Please make sure that I get a lot of them throughout the night!¡± ¡°My, I like you even more now.¡± He enjoyed her attitude. ¡°Sure thing!¡± ¡°Great!¡± The tiger looked happy. ¡°Secondly, Chloe told me that you manage this vige?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go that far, but I, together with a few others, take care of the infrastructure here and make sure that everything in this vige stays in top condition." ¡°Houses included, right?¡± That was of biggest interest for Sophia, after all. ¡°Sure do.¡± He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why you have to go through me if you want a house here~.¡± Alex tried to sound a little intimidating. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a stupid treehouse.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Chloe and the tiger got loud. ¡°They¡¯re awesome!¡± ¡°Sure, sure~.¡± He rolled his eyes. "Well, they are quite spacious, and the view''s nice, too. Even so, it''s hard to get in them, especially if you''re carrying something. They''re cold, too. Unless you''re a cute ball of fluff that loves the cold for some weird reason, normal foxes like to be warm andfy.¡± He nced at Chloe a couple of times while saying so. ¡°¡­¡± There was little she could say here. Being slightly happy for being called cute didn''t make it any easier for her, either. ¡°I¡¯m not too familiar with tigers, but¡­¡± Alex changed his attention to Sophia again. ¡°If they¡¯re even a little like cats, wouldn¡¯t you hate the cold, too?¡± ¡°I LOATHE it.¡± She gave him a strong reply. ¡°I love the idea of owning an elven treehouse, though.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± He only tilted his head. "Because I can then say that I own an elven treehouse, of course!" ¡°Exactly!¡± Chloe sided with her. ¡°Again¡­ why?¡± This reasoning wasn¡¯t helping him understand it. "Exining that would be extremelyplicated, and it would take a couple of days." ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m good.¡± Alex shook his head. ¡°You said the same thing when I offered to exin it!¡± The pink-haired girl suddenly started pouting. ¡°Well, and I told you that I don¡¯t need to know that time! Especially not if it¡¯s going to take days! If I just call the two of you weird, it will save all of us a lot of time." ¡°Exactly.¡± Fen, Aura, and Maya agreed with him. ¡°Hey!¡± Chloe and Sophia didn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to be weird.¡± He smiled at the two. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more fun, after all. Anyway, if a tiger is like a cat, why do you want to have a cold home? Ignoring the elven treehouse is romance story or whatever you¡¯re going to call it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the whole reason, though.¡± Sophia only tilted her head. ¡°Also, while I can¡¯t seem to ever understand it, I¡¯m quite good and creative at using magic. I have my ways of using it to make a ce all warm andfy.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a handy one?¡± Alex sounded impressed. ¡°Also, that sounds lovely. How about you give up on the treehouse and stay with us instead?¡± He nced towards the bar counter. ¡°I¡¯d like for our ce to get warmer.¡± "Hehe." The tiger let out a small chuckle. "No can do. I want a treehouse. Also, I need a ce where I can cuddle with Maya on my own~.¡± ¡°I support this n.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Fair enough.¡± He couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°Well, I could take a look at your house and see if I can improve the heating there.¡± The blonde stared at the fox-man. "A little hint, I am 100% sure I can.¡± ¡°Why do I hear a but in your voice?¡± ¡°Because there is one~.¡± She looked a little sassy. ¡°I¡¯d need to have a ce to stay here so that I can store some things I need for that.¡± It wasn''t the case at all, but Alex didn''t need to know that. ¡°My, aren¡¯t you a shrewd one?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Honest, too. You really are a good girl.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Sophia was bing a real fan of Alex. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Origin aside, this vige has turned into a ce for the fox beastfolk, so letting a tiger, a cat, and two wolves join¡­ Well, I like all of you, so¡­ Okay, how about a little challenge?¡± He suddenly showed her a slight grin. ¡°Oh?¡± "How about we drink till morning, and if I cave in before you, I¡¯ll let you stay.¡± He just wanted to have a fun night in the end. ¡°Are you really challenging me to drink you under the table?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Yep.¡± His grin increased. "Fun fact, only one bested me so far." Alex quickly nced at the pink-haired girl. "Oh, how about that? We don¡¯t own the houses as the elves built them, but we maintain and repair them to keep them pristine. That''s why we don''t sell them, but rather collect money every month from the vigers to keep it like that. Basically, like rent. If you manage to beat Chloe in our little contest as well, I''ll let you live rent-free in a treehouse of your choice." ¡°Come on, that¡¯s unfair, Alex!¡± The fox-girl started protesting. ¡°Pshh.¡± He put a finger on his lip before looking at Sophia again. ¡°Heck, if you¡¯re thest one standing, I will even pay for everything we drank tonight. If not, you¡¯re paying, girly.¡± "Hmm¡­" The tiger thought about it for a while before her own grin turned even wider than his. "Sounds like fun!" She held out her hand. "We have a deal!" ¡°Perfect!¡± He quickly shook Sophia¡¯s hand before Chloe could protest any further. ¡°Deal!¡± ¡°This is going to be a long night¡­¡± Maya and the wolves let out a long sigh. ¡°Mark!¡± Alex suddenly yelled through the entire bar. ¡°We have a contest over here! We need a ton of alcohol!¡± ¡°Sure thing~!¡± He yelled back with a big smile on his face. ¡°Business sure is boomingtely!¡± ¡°Mark!¡± Sophia yelled in the same direction. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± "Only the tastiest, strongest, and most expensive alcohol, please!" "My, I don''t know you yet, but I already love you, my dear tiger~!" The smile of the ck-haired fox increased even more while he started preparing a tablet filled with various bottles and sses. ¡°S-Sophia¡­¡± Chloe looked slightly panicky. ¡°That was a mistake, I think¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Alex can really hold his liquor.¡± "So can I. Don''t worry about me~." The blonde gave her a cheerful reply. ¡°Also,¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m immune to alcohol¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but it doesn¡¯t work on me¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Alex looked incredibly smug. ¡°I got ya~.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s why, even if you¡¯re able to beat Alex, please give up after that¡­¡± Chloe looked at her. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to spend so much money on something you can¡¯t win.¡± ¡°How can one be so sweet¡­?¡± The blonde was touched. ¡°Also, I really love how simr we are.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± "You see~," Sophia looked incredibly smug while facing Alex. ¡°While you forgot to tell me that your challenge is a little rigged, I did, too. I kinda forgot to tell you that I am, too, immune to alcohol. I can drink as much as I want without any sorts of side effects~.¡± Canir¡¯s temporary boost from before aside, the tiger¡¯s poison resistance takes care of everything. ¡°Fun fact; I will drink as much as I want. We have to celebrate my new elven treehouse home, after all. Also, free alcohol tastes twice as good as the one you have to pay for yourself, so I have no reason to hold back.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± Alex''s face had turnedpletely white. ¡°Yup.¡± The tiger showed him her biggest smile. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Is that really the case?¡± Chloe sounded a lot livelier than her fellow fox. ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone that is immune to it, as well!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The blonde nodded. "It can be a little boring at times, but never getting hungover or doing stupid things is a definite plus in my books." ¡°That is true¡­¡± The fox-girl agreed. ¡°I¡¯d still like to experience it at least once, though. "Most drinks are really delicious, and I''m having a great time just enjoying the mood, but I always feel like something''s missing¡­ I have never experienced being drunk, and it could actually be awful for all I know, but I still would like to try it somehow¡­" ¡°Fair point.¡± Sophia, knowing what it is like, had a somewhatplicated expression. "Well, seeing how Fennyfenny acts the day after, I''m not sure if I can rmend it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°I still remember how Alex challenged Feyfey, and both seemed to be in so much pain the day after before I had to apply healing magic on both." ¡°Urgh¡­ Don¡¯t remind me of that¡­¡± The fox in question held his head just remembering it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear Alex.¡± The tiger''s voice was dripping with sass again. "You''ll be feeling much worse than that tomorrow." ¡°Cat, please do something about that!¡± He pointed at the blonde while looking at Maya with a desperate expression. "No can do." Maya was also smiling broadly. "I think I fell in love with her even more right now." He had asked the wrong S-cat for help. "My, what a lively table we have here." Suddenly, the ck-haired fox-man called Mark appeared next to the group while holding a huge table filled with various kinds of alcohol. "Have fun, everyone. I''ll be back once it''s empty." ¡°Thank you!¡± Sophia showed him an entirely genuine smile. "Also," He then looked at his partner, who was holding his head in desperation. "Alex, go easy on our lovely tiger. She''s new here, and we want to warmly wee her, right? Let her win thispetition, okay?¡± It was pretty clear that he hadn¡¯t heard what was going on just moments ago. ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± He only hung his head even more. Afterward, everyone, though one of them rather reluctantly, grabbed a drink and gave a toast to what seemed to be the start of a very long and expensive night.
Chapter 244 – Embarassing bar talk Chapter 244 ¨C Embarassing bar talk Sophia had asked Alex about getting an elven treehouse to live in because she really wants to own one. He wasn¡¯t really against it and yfully suggested a challenge to earn the right to live in one. If Sophia can drink the fox-man under the table, he will allow her to own a treehouse. If she also manages to out-drink Chloe, she could even live there for free and doesn¡¯t have to pay for her drinks, either. Little did Sophia know that thest condition was just a little prank to get Sophia to pay for everyone¡¯s drink because the pink-haired girl is immune to getting drunk. Although, he didn''t know that Sophia was just as immune to it. Full of regret, Alex was slowly resigning to his fate while everyone else was starting to have a fun night. ¡°Alcohol really has no effect on her¡­¡± Around an hour after their challenge had started, Alex was already in despair while watching Sophia and Chloe happily downing one drink after another without either of them getting drunk. ¡°I really have to admit, the alcohol in this bar is amazing!¡± The tiger was in a good mood. "Especially this one! I love that!" She grabbed a rtively thin and high bottle with a clear liquid that had a hint of blue in it and filled the ss of Chloe and herself with it. "Yes!" The fox-girl took her newly filled ss, nked it with the one the blonde was holding, and the two downed it in one go before they repeated the same scene another one or two times. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite, too!¡± ¡°It¡¯s also the most expensive one¡­¡± Alex looked defeated. ¡°By far, I want to add¡­¡± ¡°I bet that¡¯s why it¡¯s so delicious!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The duo got even more cheerful. ¡°You¡¯re definitely holding a grudge that I tried to trick you into paying for our drinks by using Chloe, right? Right?!" ¡°I would never have a grudge over such a petty reason~.¡± The tiger¡¯s voice sounded really yful for some reason. ¡° ¡°I always loved this drink, though?¡± Chloe only innocently tilted her head. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t nice to use me for your gain, though.¡± She started pouting afterward. ¡°See? We¡¯re nice girls.¡± Sophia was smiling broadly. ¡°That being said, on a totally unrted note, we¡¯re still going to teach you that you shouldn¡¯t mess with girls. Especially not with the nice ones~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Alex had to down a drink on his own after that before looking at the cat-girl. ¡°Chloe aside, yours isn¡¯t actually that much of a nice girl, isn¡¯t she?!¡± ¡°Whatever do you mean~?¡± While saying so, she snitched the bottle of Sophia''s expensive alcohol and filled her own ss to the brim with it. ¡°She¡¯s one of the nicest girls around.¡± She quickly downed her ss before filling it again. ¡°I suddenly remember why I¡¯m into men¡­¡± The male fox hung his head in defeat. ¡°And on that note, Fen¡­ Could I get some assistance with that?¡± He pointed at Sophia while saying so. ¡°Sorry, there¡¯s no assist possible when ites to that.¡± He also looked in the direction of the tiger. ¡°You can only submit and hope for the best. Trust me on that.¡± Saying so, the wolf let out a sigh before focusing on his own drink. To show his sympathy, he had settled for something cheaper. ¡°Gimme the good stuff!" Aura had no sympathy and sided with her fellow girls while she looked at Maya, who was still holding the expensive bottle of alcohol. ¡°Sure~.¡± The cat-girl happily filled the te-like ss of the wolf before looking at Alex once again. "We need a new bottle, this one''s empty now.¡± ¡°Seriously?! You only opened it a few minutes ago?!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m a thirsty girl~.¡± Sophia shed him a cheeky smile. ¡°She sure is.¡± Maya reacted with a nod. ¡°¡­¡± Alex paused for a moment. ¡°You two aren¡¯t talking about the same thing, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The couple answered at the same time. ¡°Anyway,¡± The tiger decided not to further borate on that and turned her head. ¡°Mark, we need another bottle of- Oh.¡± ¡°Way ahead of ya~.¡± The ck-haired fox-man had already appeared next to their table. ¡°Here you go, my dear.¡± ¡°Thank you~.¡± ¡°dly!¡± ¡°Also,¡± The blonde suddenly locked eyes with him. ¡°Just because the two of you are married, I¡¯ll get angry if you let him off his bill once we''re done here!" ¡°H-Hey!¡± Alex didn¡¯t like any of this. ¡°I would never~.¡± He only smiled back at her before cing a hand on Alex¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Looks like someone picked a fight he can¡¯t win, huh?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°You should really stop underestimating cute girls because you think they can¡¯t hold their drinks.¡± Mark looked at Chloe while saying so. ¡°You¡¯re also living rent-free because my idiot thought he could get some free drinks out of you, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The fox-girl just nodded. ¡°Thank you very much for that, Alex!¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± ¡°Oho, so it wasn¡¯t the first time? You also tried to exploit our adorable Chloe here?¡± Sophia¡¯s grin increased even more. ¡°Mark, please watch our table closely, okay? The moment a bottle''s empty, I want two new ones at that very moment!" ¡°Sure thing~.¡± ¡°W-Which side are you on here?!¡± Alex looked at his partner with a desperate expression. ¡°The one that¡¯s good for the business, of course.¡± Saying so, he left their table again while showing everyone a great smile. ¡°I like Mark a lot!¡± Sophia¡¯s mood got even better. ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone else agreed. ¡°This rtionship has its ups and downs¡­¡± Alex wasn¡¯t quite so sure about it at the moment. ¡°Okay, how about we cut him some ck already?¡± Fen nced at the fox-man before looking at Sophia. As a fellow man, he wanted to help him out. ¡°Alrighty~!¡± With a cheerful tone, the tiger stared right back at him. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± He immediately got a bad feeling about this. ¡°I want to hear more about you and Aura!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± As his bad feeling was spot on, he only downed his drink before having Chloe fill his te with something stronger. "Sorry about that, Alex. The expensive stuff has a higher chance to knock me out sooner.¡± "Don''t worry. I apud your noble sacrifice." Both men looked defeated. "I like that idea!" Chloe''s eyes started sparkling. "I also want to hear more!" ¡°We already told you everything, though¡­¡± Hearing the other nosy girl join in, Fen got even more tired. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it, Fennyfenny!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Even though you only just met Chloe, you told her more about that than you told me! Even though we went through so much together¡­" ¡°That¡¯s not nice, Fenfen!¡± The fox-girl¡¯s voice sounded as exaggerated as the tiger¡¯s. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The two caused him to sigh even before facing Maya after he downed another drink first. "Can we do something about this duo? They might be too much for me.¡± ¡°Good luck with that.¡± The cat-girl only smiled at him. ¡°Because we had so much sess with talking Sophia out of something in the past, right? Also, while the two get a little overexcited, I like our new fox friend, so she¡¯s probably going to stay as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The duo in question liked her reply. ¡°¡­¡± The wolf¡¯s feelings on the matter were a little moreplicated. ¡°Alrighty, with that having agreed on, let us hear more~!¡± Sophia started right at him. ¡°There was nothing anyone agreed on here!¡± Fen got loud. ¡°Chloe and I did, though?¡± ¡°Neither of you matter when ites to that topic, though!¡± ¡°We beg to differ!¡± The two had a different opinion about his im. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that!¡± ¡°But we do!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Knowing he already had no chance against the tiger alone, he eventually gave up because facing two of them was just in impossible. Hoping it would loosen up his tongue a little more, how downed a drink or five before facing the duo again. ¡°Even so, I¡¯m not sure what else to tell here¡­ Most of what we told Chloe were things you already know or experienced yourself as you were with us when we got closer¡­¡± ¡°Boring!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like this exnation. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry?!¡± Fen didn¡¯t like her reply, either. ¡°There are also things that I sure as heck aren¡¯t going to tell you!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Are you telling us everything you¡¯re doing with your cat? No, I''m not talking about the stuff Aura, and I hear every so often in the mansion. That''s an entirely different topic, but everyone does and should have some secrets." ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The couple in question turned their heads away before the tiger eventually continued with a slightly red face. ¡°Y-You win that round¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Chloe looked at Maya. ¡°Err¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°We, uhh forgot about how good the ears of the wolves are when we, well¡­ Anyway, don¡¯t ask!¡± She decided against going into detail here. ¡°I see?¡± The fox-girl didn¡¯t look like she was 100% sure about what she was talking about, but the rough idea was enough that she decided not to pry any further. ¡°Fine¡­¡± A small pout appeared on the blonde¡¯s face. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop prying if I get some cute little wolf pups in a couple of months. I won¡¯t settle for less than three, though!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, that would be adorable!¡± Chloe was instantly on board with the idea. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Now I get it¡­¡± Alex suddenly spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s not like those two can¡¯t get drunk, they¡¯re alwayspletely unhinged, and they don¡¯te with a filter¡­ There¡¯s nothing the two could gain from getting drunk. The world would only end if they were to get any wilder¡­" ¡°Well¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure what to reply. ¡°I can definitely see your point, though.¡± ¡°W-We told you already that that¡¯s not going to happen!¡± Fen got a little flustered. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Sophia started pouting even harder. ¡°How about this¡­¡± Aura faced her. She, too, was involved in the topic in one way after another. ¡°How about we make the pup topic a group project? We¡¯ll give it a serious thought once you and Maya are ready. I bet it¡¯s a way better idea to raise them together. They would always have a ymate, too. Also, going by all the babysitting, and especially when the little princess stayed over not too long ago, the two of you are way readier for it than Fen and I are. It would help a lot to have some parents with experience to make sure our pups get raised properly. So, you and Maya either go first, or we time it to happen together.¡± ¡°A-Aura?!¡± Judging by his cry, Fen hadn¡¯t heard about this before. ¡°Maya!¡± The tiger immediately faced her with sparkling eyes. ¡°No.¡± The cat-girl simply shook her head. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The blonde went back to pouting once again. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Chloe had slight problems following their conversation and wanted to make sure she understood everything. "Sophia, did you actually n to have children with Maya just so you can y with the pups of Fenfen and Aura¡­?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Of course, I would love to pet and cuddle them, too, but¡­ I would also love the child of the two of you the moment Iy my eyes on her, but¡­ Isn''t that a bit of an overreaction¡­?" ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°I was just kidding right now.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± She stared at her for a moment longer. ¡°You sounded rather serious, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°Mostly kidding.¡± She reconsidered her statement. ¡°I would, uhh¡­ love to, and I''m looking forward to that day, but it¡¯s still too early for us.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s impressive how open you are about the whole topic!¡± Chloe seemed pretty amazed by it. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± Maya¡¯s expression was a little moreplex while she gulped down an extrarge drink. Compared to their usual roles, she was the one who wasn¡¯t nearly as confident when it came to children. ¡°Well, in any case, if we¡¯re still hanging out together whenever it¡¯s happening, I¡¯ll make sure to shower your kid in all the love I can offer~.¡± The fox-girl started smiling again. ¡°If we take the parents into consideration, she¡¯s going to be the most adorable kid in history, after all!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia let out a happy giggle. ¡°Also, wow, you sure a smooth.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°I hate you, Aura.¡± Fen and Maya got a little embarrassed and/or upset that they had to deal with all that thanks to her. Afterward, the mood cooled a little down once the topic was finally over, and the duo consisting of Sophia and Chloe focused on their primary task again. Completing the challenge that Alex had set up for them, but then turned into apetition where the two try to find out how much they can lighten the wallet of the fox-man. Chapter 245 – Drinking casualties Chapter 245 ¨C Drinking casualties The group was still busy drinking together and doing their best to lighten Alex¡¯s wallet because he¡¯s the one paying for everything after having tricked Sophia into a contest where she has to pay for everything if she gets drunk before Chloe does. Little did he know that the tiger was just as unable to get drunk as the fox-girl. Although, even though they cannot get physically drunk, their cheery and talkative mood was just as hard to handle. A couple of hours had passed since Sophia was pestering the wolves about having little pups because she wanted to cuddle with them. Unfortunately, the result was that they won''t have any kids before she didn''t have any with Maya, either. Thanks to that, the topic was put on hold for the time being. As it was already far into the night, and how it wasn¡¯t the first night the wolves had spent in the bar, they were a little exhausted. It definitely had nothing to do with Fen being tired from dealing with the tiger. Thanks to that, they turned in soon after. Luckily, Chloe had offered them to sleep at her ce, and the two did just that. ¡°Am I¡­ allowed to give up now¡­?¡± Alex was still drinking with the girls when he eventually looked at Sophia with a defeated expression. ¡°The two of you will ruin me¡­¡± He also nced at Chloe this time. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger stared at him for a few moments. ¡°Have you learned your lesson about tricking girls into giving you free drinks?¡± "YES!" He vigorously nodded a couple of times. "I won''t ever do it again!" "Sounds good." She started smiling. "Mark! Onest bottle of the good stuff, and we''re done for the night!" "Already? Aww¡­" Apparently, the ck-haired fox-man wasn''t a fan of the decision as he got closer to their table. ¡°Would you cut me some ck already?!¡± Alex didn¡¯t like his reaction. ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re cute when you¡¯re upset.¡± It had a different effect on him. ¡°He sure is.¡± Sophia and Chloe agreed with Mark. ¡°Give me the bottle!¡± Saying so, he grabbed the bottle and downed it in one go. ¡°Good night!¡± The brown-haired fox didn¡¯t want to deal with them anymore, and he simply put his head face-down on the table. ¡°Should I bring you another bottle?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that if Alex doesn¡¯t see it? Also, while the alcohol itself doesn¡¯t work on me, all the liquid does¡­ I''m tired of hitting the restroom so often¡­" ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe, having had the same issue, wholeheartedly agreed with her. ¡°I¡¯m good, too. Other than those two, I¡¯m feeling the alcohol, and I¡¯m good with feeling a little tipsy only.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Mark nodded. "Well, you already racked up quite the bill, so Alex will be happy about that, too, once he wakes up again." ¡°Will he really?¡± Sophia had some slight doubts about his ims. ¡°Very unlikely.¡± He reconsidered while shaking his head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s his own fault, so all¡¯s fine~.¡± While saying so, he put his hands on Alex''s shoulders, making sure he was okay. "I''m a real fan of your rtionship~!" Sophia was having a good time. "A bit of bickering and some teasing are always fun. After all, I know what I''m talking about because I''m dating the sassiest cat in existence." ¡°Hehe.¡± Maya liked this a lot. ¡°Happy to hear!¡± Mark did, too. ¡°Well then, feel free to stay longer. Though, we¡¯ll be closing in around an hour, so be prepared for that.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Afterward, once the three girls were on their own, they decided to spend the remaining time chatting normally with each other. ---------------- ¡°Yay~.¡± While the girls were on their own, Sophia got really cheerful. In theory, Alex was still with them, but he had passed out after drinking thest bottle of alcohol in one go. ¡°I now can say that I have an elven treehouse surrounded by nature~!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the best, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Chloe sounded just as happy. ¡°I also got super excited when I was able to cross that off my list! I mean, it never actually was on my list because I didn¡¯t think this would ever happen, but still!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The tiger gave her a big nod. ¡°Is it really¡­?¡± Maya was a little more dubious. ¡°I mean, sure, it is pretty cool, but¡­ For me, a mansion in the capital sounds way cooler. Our mansion, you know?¡± She stared at the blonde. ¡°Wayfier, too. Also, super toasty warm~.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s also very nice. It sounds a lot less exciting when you talk about it, though¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. "A mansion sounds extremely cool if you ask me!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Maya was happy to have an ally. ¡°More than an elven treehouse?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t so sure about it anymore. ¡°Both. Both are good.¡± ¡°Fair enough¡­¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t say much here. ¡°I would love to see it, too!¡± The fox-girl was as excited as ever. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen an actual mansion from the inside!¡± ¡°Feel free to visit any time you want~.¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°Though, it¡¯s one of the smaller mansions in the area, so don¡¯t get too hyped.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t even smaller mansions still massive? How many rooms does it have?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The blonde looked at Maya. ¡°How many rooms do we have again?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t even remember how many rooms there are, there¡¯s no way you could call it small!¡± Chloe got a little loud. "I never said it was small¡­ After all, I was the most shocked one when I first saw it! I just meant that it¡¯s smaller than some others in the area.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes more sense.¡± ¡°We definitely have more than enough rooms, that¡¯s for sure. Feel free to take one to stay in when you¡¯re in the capital~.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Her eyes started to sparkle after hearing Sophia¡¯s suggestion. ¡°That sounds like a ton of fun!¡± ¡°I look forward to it~.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Chloe agreed with the tiger. ¡°Still, the capital is so far from here that I haven¡¯t been there a while. Riding on Feyfey got us there in no time at all, but going there by carriage with some of the other foxes here, it takes a whole day for a one-way trip only¡­¡± ¡°That sounds like a gigantic hassle¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°Also, carriages are so very ufy!¡± The fox-girl got loud. ¡°My butt gets all tingly and numb just thinking about it!¡± ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Hearing that, the blonde remembered the ride towards Tga, the city the humans tried to attack quite a while ago, and how she had to bear with riding in a rocky and ufortable carriage for a long time. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Chloe hung her head. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s been a while since I visited the capital. Actually, thest time was when I saw the two of you walking around with princess Ellie.¡± ¡°Oh, that already has been a couple of weeks, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia looked at Maya. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. "That wasst month, way before my birthday." While saying so, the cat-girl remembered the day and the sleepover that happened afterward. Soon after, a gentle smile appeared on her lips. ¡°How did it, uhh¡­ actually seem to outsiders when we walked around with Ellie¡­?" ¡°Incredibly adorable!¡± The pink-haired girl didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment with her answer. ¡°I would¡¯ve loved to... have someone preserve the scene for everyone to see! I wouldn¡¯t necessarily go as far as calling what I saw a lovely mother-and-daughter scene, as the two of you look too young to have a daughter at that age. Still, it didn''t feel like sisters, either. Definitely the lovely type of a happy family, though. It doesn''t make much sense, but that''s how I saw it. It will be hard to top that scene with your own actual daughter whenever that happens." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked everything about her exnation. ¡°Also, if I have one talent, it¡¯s surpassing expectations with even more ridiculous stuff. I am 1000% sure that I¡¯ll be able to top it!¡± ¡°Great! I¡¯ll be expecting big things, then!¡± The fox-girl smiled at her. ¡°Looking at something adorable is the best, after all!¡± ¡°I-I really shouldn¡¯t have asked¡­¡± While the duo was having fun, a slight blush had appeared on Maya¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I know that I¡¯m the one I asked, and I¡¯m happy to hear it, but¡­ but¡­ It¡¯s kinda really embarrassing¡­¡± As usual, when it came to kids, the cool surface of the cat-girl took quite a beating. ¡°Your girlfriend is adorable.¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure what else to say while she looked at Sophia. ¡°The cutest!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t like anything about their exchange. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­ Ah, speaking of which, where are we going to sleep¡­? Okay, morning isn¡¯t that far away anymore, but I¡¯d still get some hours¡­ In the first ce, why are you still so hyper, Sophia?¡± ¡°I¡¯m having fun!¡± The blonde got even more cheery. ¡°I forgot to get tired!¡± ¡°Are you five?!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°asionally, yes.¡± She just rolled with it. "In my heart, at least!" ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s okay with the two of you, you can also sleep at my ce.¡± Chloe looked at them. ¡°I actually have an unused guestroom. The bed''s a little small in there, but I somehow doubt the lovey-dovey couple here would care about that overly much.¡± ¡°I do care!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°I care a lot!¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± She wasn¡¯t expecting that. ¡°Yes!¡± The tiger nodded a couple of times. ¡°You should¡¯ve said so earlier! I suddenly feel very tired, and a bed sounds lovely right about now!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ That way of caring about it, I see.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Having decided on a n for the rest of the night, the girls eventually left the bar and went back to Chloe¡¯s ce once again. The wolves were already all huddled up in the living room there. The couple then upied the guest room of the fox-girl, and everyone eventually headed to bed.
Chapter 246 – Things that end with -ing Chapter 246 ¨C Things that end with -ing Sophia had won the bet with Alex, who had challenged her to beat him and Chloe in a drinking contest. As the tiger was just as immune to it as the fox-girl, Alex had no other chance to give up after having had to spend a fortune on alcohol for everyone. Thanks to that, Sophia was also allowed to live in an elven treehouse in the vige. Rent-free, on top of that. As it had gotten extremelyte, though, the girls decided to head over to Chloe¡¯s ce again to sleep for the rest of the night as she had an avable guestroom for the couple. ¡°Haa~, that was a good run!¡± It was still early morning, but Sophia was already up and walking through the vige. She was currently in the shorts and green shirt she used to wear, and it seemed like she had juste back from doing some sports. ¡°Ohh, good morning!¡± Chloe was also up already and promptly ran into the tiger. ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°We went to bed sooote that I couldn¡¯t sleep¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°Am I getting sick¡­?¡± It was way too unusual for her. ¡°Yes, it was the same for me¡­ I couldn¡¯t sleep, either, and decided to go for a walk.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The blonde looked at her. ¡°You should¡¯ve said something. We could¡¯ve gone for a run together!¡± ¡°You were already gone when I left, though.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯m not really fast, and my stamina isn''t the best, either. I''m pretty sure I would''ve held you back, anyway." ¡°I just ran a couple of rounds around the forest. You would''ve been fine!" ¡°¡­¡± Chloe paused for a moment before tilting her head. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± She made the same motion with her own head. "Around the forest¡­? A couple for rounds¡­?" ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s, uhh¡­ It¡¯s a smaller forest, but it¡¯s still a couple of kilometers in diameter, no?¡± ¡°I would say so, yes.¡± ¡°Eh¡­ A couple ofps? Just how fast are you?! Also, don¡¯t you get tired from running so much?!¡± ¡°It was just a warm-up, though?¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia gave her a nod. ¡°For how fast I am, I can slightly outrun Fennyfenny if I want to.¡± "That''s... wow. If I assume that Fenfen is somewhere around as fast as Feyfey, that¡¯s almost unbelievable!¡± "It''s the best!" The tiger started smiling. "I love to move around, and being able to run so fast is sooo much fun!¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± She seemed happy for her. ¡°Lazing around is a great hobby of mine, so I love that I have a big and fluffy pillow attached to myself.¡± While saying so, the fox-girl moved her tail around behind her back. ¡°I AM SO JEALOUS!¡± The blonde got loud. Very loud. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Chloe only awkwardly scratched her chin. ¡°I still think that having a tail as dexterous as yours is just as amazing!¡± ¡°It''s just that as a lover of fluff, your tail can''t not make me envious¡­ But, well, sure¡­¡± Sophia swished her tail around to prove her point. ¡°It¡¯s amazing for keeping my bnce, which helps me run around and increases my overall maneuverability. It¡¯s great for bonking Maya or clinging to her, too. Other things that end with -ing that include my tail and Maya, as well. Wrapping my tail around her legs is also the best~.¡± ¡°See?!¡± The fox-girl stared at her. ¡°All that makes me super jealous!¡± ¡°Which part?¡± The tiger tilted her head again. ¡°It helping my bnce, or how I¡¯m using it on and with Maya?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She also got loud. ¡°Ahh¡­ Sorry about unconsciously boasting again¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ All those things aside, I do like to hear such stories." ¡°Maybe we should get you a partner, too?¡± Sophia sounded even more cheery all of a sudden. ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± Chloe hadn¡¯t expected that turn of events. ¡°Girl? Boy? Both? Doesn¡¯t matter?¡± She got excited about the idea. ¡°Though, if it¡¯s anything other than girls, I¡¯m not sure how helpful I can be. I have neither experience nor interest with or in boys, after all. I also have little motivation to change that. Even so, I¡¯ll still be rooting and cheering for you!¡± "W-Well¡­" The fox-girl paused for a moment. "I-I guess you would be able to help me when I need it then¡­" ¡°Ohhh!¡± The tiger liked her response a lot. ¡°So, what¡¯s your type?¡± Her eyes were already sparkling because she liked this topic a lot. ¡°I¡¯m, uhh¡­ I¡¯m not really sure¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t really stayed at the same ce for long because I love exploring. Most of the time, I was alone with Feyfey, and when we met others, there were very few girls my age¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± "Judging by my gut feeling, I''d dly try to date you if you were free, though. Among some other problems with that idea..." ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t seen that oneing. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± She got a little bashful. ¡°You are way too smooth¡­ Well, that should be helpful, though.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± Chloe let out a happy chuckle thanks to her reaction. ¡°Does that mean that outgoing, cute, and quirky girls that know how to have fun are my type¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger had to take a short break, but she had a slight smile on her face. After all, there was no way she wouldn''t love being described like that. She was incredibly happy that nothing of her old personality in that regard was left. ¡°O-Okay, seriously¡­ You are TOO smooth. Thanks to Maya, I found out that I need some, or a lot, sass and teasing in my life, not to mention that she''s a gigantic pervert, and that is ama-; Wait, where was I going with this again¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head after having noticed that she¡¯s gotten slightly off-topic. ¡°Right! Because of that, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re exactly my type, but you almost made my heart ache a bit just now¡­¡± ¡°Yes, being a pervert aside, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m overly sassy or enjoy teasing others that much." ¡°That¡¯s why I mentioned it¡­ Huh?¡± There was something about Chloe¡¯s reply that caused the tiger to tilt her head yet again. ¡°Hmm?¡± Chloe did the same after seeing her confused expression. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She continued to stare at her for a while longer. ¡°Well, whatever¡­ Everyone I met so far is the same, after all¡­ Myself often included." The blonde mumbled a couple of words before going back to the topic. ¡°So¡­ Someone who is simr to the current me, but who isn¡¯t actually me?¡± ¡°Probably?¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t entirely sure about it, either. ¡°Okay, should we clone either of us?¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Well, your general personality is quite close to mine, so¡­¡± ¡°I doubt I¡¯d enjoy dating myself¡­¡± Chloe had a veryplicated expression while answering her. ¡°Also, while I don¡¯t enjoy being sassy or teasing others¡­ Receiving a little of it might be not so bad¡­?" ¡°Okay, fair enough. Sounds slightly narcissistic, too.¡± ¡°Very, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°True.¡± Sophia nodded a couple of times. ¡°While my clone would work for you in that regard, I do like teasing or being sassy, I don¡¯t know why, but I have the feeling such a scenario would end up in a threesome with me, myself, and Maya if she notices that there are two of me¡­ I have to admit that it''s ever so slightly intriguing, but it also gives me VERY mixed feelings¡­" Many emotions were showing on the blonde''s face right now. "Okay¡­" Chloe stared at the tiger for a while before averting her face. "I, uhh¡­ I identally imagined such a scenario just now, and I¡¯m not sure if I can ever unsee it again¡­ Sorry." ¡°S-Same¡­¡± Her face turned redder. "Wait, would that be considered cheating...? Not in my case because I wouldn''t y with myself... Wait, would that be masturbation...? Anyway, for Maya to be with two girls... if they''re both me...?" "Is it a clone as in fully duplicating yourself, feelings, thoughts, and memories included? Or is it just the same person, closer to a twin?" "Hmm...." She tilted her head to think about it, but the tiger''s expression soon turned even moreplicated. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Maya about anything we just talked about¡­¡± "Sure." She gave her a big nod. "Why were we talking about that in the first ce?! Cloning either of us¡­? How did we even end up there?!¡± ¡°No idea¡­ I am delighted that you actually worked with the idea instead of calling it stupid the moment it left my lips. Might be kinda unhealthy, though, because I need some supervision when ites to having stupid ideas.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Feyfey keeps telling me the same¡­¡± Chloe hung her head. ¡°It was a stupid idea, though. Although, pretty fun!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t serious about her idea, after all. "Okay¡­ Still, I wasn''t actively looking for anyone before, but now that you opened that box¡­ You don''t know anyone with a simr personality as yours¡­?" The fox-girl stared right at her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She gave it some thought. "Anna''s more of an M, but she''s also pretty easygoing... Oh, Maya is actually quite simr. Though, maybe a little less adventurous and more S than I am, but¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I want too much of that¡­ Also, Maya wouldn¡¯t solve anything here. If she were single, that would mean you''d be single, too! Ignoring a couple of things, I¡¯d just try long and hard enough for you to change your type to me in that scenario!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had to take another pause. ¡°Let¡¯s just forget about all of that! Neither of us will be an option here!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Chloe was just carrying on her ideas, after all. ¡°Good!¡± "Okay¡­ Don''t you know any other girls other than the two of you that would¡­?" ¡°Well¡­ There''s one that loves to tease one every now and then and can be a bit sassy at times, too. At the same time, she¡¯s incredibly caring and sweet that you just have to love and pamper her. And get pampered by her in return just as well¡­ She¡¯s also really quirky and even more outgoing than the current me. Last but not least, she loved to go on trips and explore ces she¡¯s never been before¡­ Really, she''s basically an exact copy of you when ites to a lot of that, especially your likes, only with being a little more teasing and sassy like I am.¡± ¡°Oh? She sounds lovely!¡± There was more than a hint of excitement in the fox-girl¡¯s voice. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sophia''s had be theplete opposite of that all of a sudden, though. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She naturally noticed the sudden change. ¡°Is there something wrong with that girl?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure how to continue her sentence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for getting any sort of hopes up with that¡­ I don''t know why, but I was talking about my sister just now, and that¡¯s¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± Chloe looked just as sad as the blonde. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry that I made you remember something unpleasant¡­ That wasn¡¯t my intention¡­¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing¡­?¡± Sophia just looked at her. ¡°Also, there isn¡¯t a single unpleasant memory when ites to her.¡± "I see¡­" She looked a little happier again. "She was a great sister, huh?" "The bestest!" Sophia''s reply came instantaneously. "I totally would''ve shipped the two of you. I also would''ve been extremely annoying while doing so!" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Not knowing what to say, the fox-girl only reacted with a giggle. ¡°It¡¯s too bad that I couldn¡¯t meet her¡­ The way you speak of her makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. She really must''ve been amazing to be around.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°It would¡¯ve been the best for her to be here...¡± "Well... WAIT!" As Chloe was as skilled as the blonde when it came to reading the mood and changing the topic without any prior warning, she suddenly got loud. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Earlier, you said that your tail¡¯s great for bonking Maya¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Y-You also said that it''s great for other t-things that end with -ing¡­?¡± Her cheeks turned red for some reason. ¡°I did?¡± ¡°H-How¡­?¡± The fox-girl nced at the tiger¡¯s tail. ¡°Sure¡­ some of it is fur¡­ but¡­ isn''t it a bit too t-thick for that¡­?¡± Chloe¡¯s entire face was glowing by now. ¡°D-Does it actually fit¡­?¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°I was talking about honking, as in booping Maya¡¯s chest with it. Maybe her stomach, too. Depending on her mood, it¡¯s super cute when she gets angry about that, or her mood turns to something else~.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°Oh, did you mean like trying to stick it into her cleavage¡­? My, what a pervert~.¡± The blonde smirked at her. ¡°I, uhh, I actually did try that when she was wearing a camisole with a deep cutout and¡­ Yeah, my tail actually got stuck because it was too tight in there. It was a ton of fun, though~.¡± ¡°E-Eh, err¡­ Y-Yes, I meant her cleavage!¡± Chloe somehow managed to blush even harder. ¡°Why am I not buying your response¡­?¡± Sophia just stared at her. ¡°Just what were you imagining?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Hesitating for a moment, she eventually slowly looked further south at the blonde with an extremely embarrassed expression when she eventually stopped at her shorts. "I-I might was thinking about a little more v-vulgar word ending with -ing where you use your tail in a different type of i-insertion..." ¡°E-EH?!¡± The tiger looked shocked. ¡°In down there?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why am I surrounded by so many high-level perverts?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She couldn''t answer. ¡°You also look so innocent, so that hits twice as hard!¡± Sophia obviously hadn''t expected to hear something like that. ¡°Do you have any idea just how sensitive our tails really are?! Something like that would feel¡­ feel¡­¡± She suddenly turned silent while her cheeks also turned red. ¡°W-Would it fit¡­? Maya¡¯s, probably¡­ but mine¡­? Also, all the fur! It would be such a pain to get it out of there again¡­ Maybe if we put something thin and flexible over it¡­ Uhh¡­¡± The tiger got a little lost while she also brought around her tail to touch it a little, almost feeling it up. ¡°I-I AM SORRY!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t know what else to say. Afterward, as the mood had gotten a little weird, the duo decided to head back to Chloe¡¯s home to reunite with Maya and the wolves. Chapter 247 – Having a type Chapter 247 ¨C Having a type After Sophia had won the right to own an elven treehouse in a drinkingpetition, the group crashed at Chloe¡¯s ce and spent the rest of the night there. As the tiger, for a very rare change, was unable to sleep well, she decided to go for an early morning run. Afterward, she ran into the fox-girl, and the two had a lively chat. One thing led to another, and the blonde wanted to help find a partner for the pink-haired girl so everyone could be annoyingly flirty without making others feel jealous. This turned out to be slightlyplicated, though, as Sophia seemed to match Chloe¡¯s type way too well. Because that wasn¡¯t going to happen, the tiger tried to remember a different girl with a simr personality as the current her. Still, she could only think of her sister, which didn''t make things any easier, either. Far from it, actually. ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Having returned to Chloe¡¯s home, the duo greeted Maya and the wolves there. "''Morning." Fen and Aura gave them azy response. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t quite aszy as she looked at Sophia. "I would''ve bet a lot of money that you wouldn''t get up before dinner in the evening." ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s a¡­ fair assumption.¡± She couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Your old clothes, huh?¡± She took a better look. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep and went for a run?¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Chloe sounded impressed. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how well the two of you know each other!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked her reaction a lot. ¡°Yep! Chloe ran into me on the way back, and we had a short date afterward.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The cat-girl focused her attention on the fox-girl while her expression became impossible to read. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Chloe instantly started to panic. ¡°W-We just chatted a bit!¡± ¡°You did hit on me, though.¡± The tiger apparently was in a teasing mood. "A-Ah¡­¡± The pink-haired girl awkwardly turned her head away. ¡°Ohh?¡± Maya¡¯s expression became much easier to read all of a sudden. Not that it made things any better. ¡°As it turned out, I seem to be her type~.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°My, isn¡¯t that nice?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s stare at Chloe intensified. ¡°She even said that she¡¯d totally try to date me~.¡± ¡°Well, I can understand that!¡± While she didn''t stop staring at the fox-girl, she still snuck in a smile. ¡°C-Can I change my statement about being interested in a little bit of sass and teasing¡­?¡± Chloe nced at Sophia instead. ¡°I-I think I changed my mind¡­¡± ¡°Heh.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ring at the tiger for a moment, though it looked more like an upset pout, the pink-haired girl eventually faced Maya. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I did say all that, but¡­ It was after Sophia asked me what my type is¡­ She wanted to help me find something to be flirty with on my own so that I don''t have to get jealous watching the two of you¡­" ¡°Okay.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°I haven¡¯t spent that much time with girls in my age range yet, so I¡¯m not sure what my type is¡­ Still, I really like how Sophia¡¯s so cheer-, and yful¡­ She seems extremely fun to be with, and we have a lot of simr interests, as well¡­ It¡¯s just that she¡¯s an amazing girl! I would never do anything to sour or even end the rtionship between the two of you, though!¡± "Ehehe~." Maya''s expression suddenly softened after having heard how her girlfriend got praised to such an extent. ¡°I really can¡¯t me you for having a good eye, can you?¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Seeing that reaction, Chloe also rxed again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it looked like I waspetition for a moment¡­ I don¡¯t want anything more than being friends with both of you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I''m used to it~." The cat-girl couldn¡¯t be mad at her for finding Sophia interesting, and Chloe really didn''t seem like someone who would try to steal her either, so she was okay with the events. "Still, finding someone simr to Sophia, huh? That''s going to be a tough one." Maya was immediately on board with finding a partner for her. ¡°Yes¡­¡± The pink-haired girl only reacted with a weak nod. ¡°Sophia also had a hard time with that¡­¡± ¡°If anything, I made it worse with running my mouth¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°What did you do?¡± Maya faced her tiger. ¡°Well, because I couldn¡¯t remember anyone being quite like me except¡­ me¡­ or Chloe herself, I, uhh¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°Long story short, I was a little stupid and then kinda ended up talking about my sister for a while because she¡¯d perfect for our dear fox here because they''re so simr¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The cat-girl also looked slightly awkward after hearing that. ¡°That, err¡­ Yeah, that could be a little difficult¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly. Very lightly.¡± ¡°Did we meet anyone in the academy that fits the description?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know¡­¡± Sophia shook hers. ¡°I was either asleep, messing around with Ari, or causing some headaches. Completely ignoring the part where almost no one tries to approach me because of my ice-queen reputation.¡± "You''re really living your school life to your fullest, huh?" The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Hehe.¡± She only smiled at her. ¡°Wait, what¡­?¡± Listening to them, Chloe looked rather confused. ¡°Most of those things make enough sense for me not to question them, but did you say ice-queen just now¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the questioning look?¡± Sophia stared right at her. ¡°I totally look like one, don¡¯t I? I feel like my character is a perfect fit for that, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox paused for a moment before ncing at Maya. ¡°What is this¡­ girl talking about¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re free to call her an idiot.¡± Maya doubted the wording of Chloe a little. ¡°She is one, after all.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The idiot only nodded. ¡°I-I would never call someone an idiot!¡± She got a little flustered. ¡°Still¡­ I¡¯m very sorry to say it, but there¡¯s just no way that you would ever qualify as an ice-queen, Sophia¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde started smiling instead. ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± ¡°Maya¡­?¡± Chloe, looking even more confused, faced the cat-girl again. ¡°Context?¡± ¡°She had to get up way too early on the first day of school and was extremely tired and half asleep. The studentspletely misinterpreted her behaviors and thought she¡¯s a taciturn ldy that rarely speaks while nothing could possibly faze her¡­" ¡°¡­¡± She looked at Sophia again. ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°How rude!¡± The tiger pouted for a few seconds before her expression rxed again. ¡°I¡¯m the most surprised here, you know? I¡¯m quite loud and obnoxious, after all.¡± "She gets full marks when ites to being self-aware, though," Maya smirked at her. "Not that it matters, as she has no ns to change anything!" ¡°NONE!¡± The ice-queen got even louder. ¡°Someone¡¯s having fun in life, huh?¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± Sophia nodded to Chloe¡¯s remark. ¡°Some unfun¡­ things happened in the past, so I want to be in a good mood at every moment in the present and future!¡± ¡°Aww, I like that a lot!¡± The fox-girl looked really happy. ¡°That¡¯s a great mindset!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Some of my past also wasn¡¯t the best, so I can rte to it a lot!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head while looking at her for a moment before quickly shrugging her shoulders again. ¡°Long live the present and future!" She, more than anyone, knew that one''s past shouldn''t matter. ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe energetically raised her fist high in the air. ¡°The two of you have way too much energy¡­¡± Fen, having had to listen to the two from a little away, let out a small yawn while looking at the duo. "Thank you very much!" It was apliment to them. ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°Anyway¡­ Chloe!¡± The tiger suddenly looked at the fox with a serious expression. ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry! Is there a ce in this vige where we can get breakfast?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She rxed again after hearing what the blonde¡¯s problem was. ¡°The bar where we went before also serves breakfast and lunch. Mark''s an excellent cook!" ¡°Ohh!¡± Her voice got even more cheerful. ¡°That means I can also ask Alex about the treehouse! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Afterward, Sophia quickly changed her clothes back to the school uniform, and the group went to the usual bar together once again. To eat breakfast this time, though. ---------------- ¡°Okay, what¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± On the way to the bar, Maya suddenly stopped walking while looking at her tiger. ¡°Why do you keep ncing at my tail while having such a weird expression?!" ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m just thinking about s-something¡­¡± She stared even harder at her tail. "Why are you blushing?!" The cat-girl only got more confused. ¡°C-Chloe had a rather¡­ p-peculiar idea, and I¡¯m wondering whether it would work or not¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Or rather, whether I want it to w-work or not¡­¡± ¡°Do I want to know what she¡¯s talking about¡­?¡± Maya changed her attention to the fox in question. ¡°Y-You absolutely do NOT want to know¡­¡± The cheeks of the pink-haired girl also turned red. ¡°Should I be concerned¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t like Chloe¡¯s reaction. ¡°It, err¡­ I-It could maybe hurt a little if you decide to y along¡­ Depending on how t-tight you are dow- A-Anyway, I¡¯M VERY SORRY!¡± The fox-girl decided against finishing her sentence and simply apologized once more. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but stop thinking about whatever you¡¯re thinking right now, idiot!¡± Maya faced the blonde again with a very worried expression. ¡°T-That could be for the best, actually¡­¡± Even so, there was a hint of regret in Sophia¡¯s voice. ¡°T-Though, maybe¡­ Some issues, like the f-fitment, aside¡­ You might be interested in Chloe¡¯s idea¡­¡± ¡°Judging by the reaction of both of you, I HEAVILY doubt that!¡± Maya got loud. Afterward, the pervert duo decided to stop talking altogether, and everyone continued their walk towards the bar while Maya looked extremely confused and also not being sure how she should feel about any of what just happened.
Chapter 248 – A nostalgic insult Chapter 248 ¨C A nostalgic insult Sophia and Chloe had reunited with the rest of the group after their little chat, and Maya was immediately on board with finding a partner for the fox after she got over Sophia seemingly being her preferred type. That preference would also make finding someone for her rather tricky as the tiger was somewhat of an odd exception among the regr oddballs, to put it lightly. After chatting some more and making the cat-girl somewhat confused about some implications that involved her tail in some way or another she didn''t understand, they headed back to the bar to get breakfast this time. ¡°Good morning!¡± Doing their best to leave the tail topic behind them as fast as possible, Sophia and Chloe energetically greeted everyone that could hear them while entering the bar. ¡°Morning!¡± Mark happily greeted them back once he spotted the group. ¡°Up already, huh?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The duo answered them. ¡°It has its merits to be immune to booze, I guess? Look at my idiot here!¡± The ck-haired fox-man gestured towards the bar counter where his partner, Alex, was sitting hunched over with his head on the table. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± He only reacted with a groan. ¡°Do you have to be this loud¡­ Does everyone have to be sooo loud this early in the morning?!¡± Alex wasn¡¯t in his best mood. "My, is there someone a little hungover~?" Sounding as smug as she could be, Sophia walked over to him with a big grin. ¡°Lovely to hear~.¡± ¡°You monster¡­¡± "Oho, I haven''t been called like that in a while. How nostalgic!" She started smiling after being addressed like that and touched his shoulder. ¡°Still, it isn¡¯t nice to call a girl a monster, you know? Especially not someone as sweet as I am!" A momentter, Sophia''s hand and Alex''s shoulder were wrapped in a pale blue light. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s the right description for you- Hmm¡­?¡± After everything that happened, the fox-man had difficulties calling the tiger sweet. Still, he suddenly stopped talking and looked right at the blonde. "W-What did you do just now¡­? I suddenly feel great again?!" ¡°Healing magic sure is amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± He got loud. ¡°Oh my gosh, I love you! Please stay by my side forever!¡± ¡°I have very mixed feelings about this!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t enjoy this confession of a middle-aged man overly much. ¡°Actually, scratch that! They aren¡¯t mixed at all! Just bad!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone around them agreed with her statement. "Ahaha, don''t worry, my dear tiger, I have zero interest in you." ¡°Good to know because that¡¯s MORE than mutual.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± He let out a small chuckle. ¡°No, I just thought that having someone around that can cure a hangover in an instant would be nice to have on hand.¡± ¡°Oh, so you tried to confess to me just to use me as a tool~?¡± Her expression and voice suddenly changed. ¡°I never said that!¡± ¡°Sure sounded like that, though.¡± Everyone disagreed with him. ¡°Seriously, what did I do to everyone? I¡¯m just a poor guy who doesn¡¯t want to watch every word he¡¯s saying!¡± ¡°I know~.¡° Sophia sounded much more rxed again. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine a better base to tease someone as that~.¡± ¡°So, you are a monster!¡± He got loud again. ¡°I just said that it isn¡¯t nice to call a girl one. I never said you''re wrong~. Though, I also am pretty sweet if I dare say so myself!" She still started pouting a little. ¡°Well, you did cure the hangover of this idiot, so¡­ Thank you very much!¡± Alex showed her a big smile. ¡°You might be an angel, after all.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far.¡± Fen, Aura, Maya, and even Sophia herself all disagreed with that. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± He only reacted with a smallugh. ¡°Still, healing magic is amazing! I¡¯ve never experienced it before! I feel better than ever! That¡¯s a tiger for you, huh?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m actually the only tiger that can use it¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head while thinking about it. ¡°Although, everyone here in my group is able to. Chloe, you can use it, too, right? I mean, I don¡¯t get why, but you¡¯re able to use chantless magic and all that.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not that good at it, but I can use it." ¡°That¡¯s impressive! Wait!¡± Alex suddenly got even louder while he stared at the pink-haired girl. ¡°You¡¯re also able to heal people?!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve loved to get some healing after a long night of drinking! Especially when you apanied us! Everyone except you always ends up with a throbbing headache the next morning because we try to beat you!" ¡°¡­¡± Chloe only turned her head away without saying anything. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Let me interpret that for you.¡± Sophia stared at him. ¡°That¡¯s your punishment for always challenging her to do stupid things.¡± ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t go that far!¡± Chloe got a little flustered. ¡°Admitting it or doing it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She turned her head away again. ¡°And there you have it.¡± The blonde looked rather smug while she focused her attention on Alex again. ¡°Never mess with a girl. Especially not with the cute and unassuming ones because they¡¯re often the wildest ones.¡± She remembered the tail incident from before. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The fox-girl started blushing. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± He looked at the fox-girl for a few moments before dropping the topic. ¡°So, what brings all of you here at this time?" ¡°Breakfast!¡± Sophia sounded really excited all of a sudden. "Chloe said that Mark''s an excellent cook, and I want to know more about that!" ¡°Oh my, thanks for the rmendation~.¡± The ck-haired fox-man sounded happy. ¡°So, what can I cook for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever you¡¯re best at! After that, I¡¯ll have the dish you¡¯re second-most confident about!¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way around?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°To end with the best one?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have it that way, Mark!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have the same!¡± The fox-girl liked the n. ¡°Sure thing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m good with something light.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t nearly as motivated as the duo. ¡°I rarely eat much in the morning.¡± ¡°No problem~.¡± Mark nodded at her request. ¡°Fen, Aura, something with a lot of meat, I presume?¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± Fen was a fan of the n. ¡°Fine by me, too.¡± ¡°Perfect! Alex, get them a table while I prepare the food.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Afterward, Mark disappeared somewhere in the back of the bar while the brown-haired fox-man guided the group to an empty table. ---------------- "By the way," Sophia immediately addressed him once the fox-man had guided the group to a free table. ¡°When do you think can I get my treehouse~?¡± ¡°So, you haven¡¯t forgotten about that, huh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that would ever happen!¡± ¡°I thought as much¡­¡± He hung his head. ¡°Well, sure¡­ That was the promise.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The tiger¡¯s voice was filled with excitement. ¡°Almost all of them are uninhabited, so you can basically choose whatever ce you want. Feel free to take a lookter, and I''ll give you the keys once you find something that tickles your fancy.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t going to back down on his promise after he had lost the bet. ¡°Chloe!¡± ¡°Yes?!¡± She got a little startled from suddenly being addressed like that. ¡°Do you want to be neighbors?¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds like fun!¡± ¡°And there you have it~.¡± The blonde faced Alex again. "I''d like to get the closest one to Chloe!" ¡°Don¡¯t want to look inside first¡­?¡± The fox-man tilted his head. ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± He then nced at Maya. ¡°Is that really okay¡­?¡± ¡°We moved into our mansion in the capital unseen, as well¡­ It¡¯s just how Sophia works.¡± ¡°Keys, please!¡± After all, she didn''t care about any of that. ¡°So easygoing¡­¡± Alex let out a small sigh before continuing. ¡°Well, what do I care¡­ Sure, you can have the ce nearest to her. After you¡¯re done with breakfast, I¡¯ll have the keys ready for you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The blonde showed him a happy smile. ¡°What a great day~.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Judging by his expression, Alex didn¡¯t necessarily share her opinion on the matter. A couple of momentster, Marc arrived with their food, and the group finally ate breakfast together while the brown-haired fox-man went to fetch the keys for the elven treehouse next to Chloe¡¯s ce. ---------------- ¡°Haa, that was delicious~." With a satisfied expression and a big smile on her face, Sophia was walking in front of the two other girls while twirling around a set of keys that were wrapped around her index finger. Fen and Aura had decided to stay in the bar as their interest in the treehouse was near zero. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to take a look at our new house~.¡± ¡°Are you actually going to live here?¡± The pink-haired girl looked at her. ¡°Pretty unlikely.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Probably a night every now and then. Maybe for more during the summer months. Our mansion in the capital is much more convenient.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird if she says something reasonable, right?¡± The cat-girl nced at Chloe. ¡°Still, it¡¯s an elven treehouse!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯m sooo happy that it¡¯s mine now! This definitely is the best timeline!¡± ¡°Did you say something just now?¡± Ignoring her, the fox-girl looked back at Maya. ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Chloe didn¡¯t question it any further. ¡°Though, once it gets warm again, I want to travel more! I really doubt the treehouse is going to get used much¡­¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t even gotten cold yet¡­¡± The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Shut up, you arctic fox!¡± She got loud again. With a slight pout, she continued to guide the girls towards where Chloe lives to take a look at their new house right next to it. Although, after a few moments, the fox-girl took the lead because the blonde was going in the exact wrong direction. Chapter 249 – Treehouse chat Chapter 249 ¨C Treehouse chat The group had breakfast together, and Sophia had a small chat with Alex. After they finished eating, the blonde got the keys to the elven treehouse right next to Chloe''s home she had won in the drinkingpetition with the fox-man. Being in an excellent mood, Sophia, together with Maya and Chloe, decided to check it out right away. ¡°And here we are!¡± Chloe gestured at the treehouse next to hers while smiling at the tiger. ¡°Just along the main road and then a left at the end to reach it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia was still pouting after she had gotten lost on a straight road. ¡°S-Shut up.¡± She wasn¡¯tpatible with anything that was straight, after all. ¡°Is she alright?¡± The fox-girl then nced at Maya. ¡°I admit that my sense of direction is basically non-existent, as well¡­ but repeatedly getting lost in such a small vige is a little¡­ concerning.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Maya looked at her blonde. Her expression was anything but concerned, though. ¡°I think my treehouse is going to be a single home¡­" Her pouting got even stronger. ¡°Chloe, your guest room is still free, right?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t the slightest bit fazed by her threat. ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. "Actually, I''ll just return to the capital and enjoy the warm mansion while sleeping in ourfy bed.¡± Maya had a better idea. "A-Ah.¡± Sophia¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the bed over to here!¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± She growled at her cat-girl for a moment. ¡°Anyway, I AM alright!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°YES!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°Being directionally challenged is nothing serious!¡± ¡°Dire¡­?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Chloe immediately put her hands on her mouth to stifle herugh. ¡°Hey!¡± She got loud. ¡°I have other qualities that make up for getting lost one or two¡­ or fifteen times a day!¡± ¡°No, fifteen times is definitely too much.¡± The fox-girl shook her head. ¡°Yes.¡± Maya agreed with her. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s take a look at the treehouse!¡± The topic was over for her. ¡°Sure.¡± The two just smiled at her. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Pouting once again, the tiger then climbed up the spiral staircase that led up to the new ce they had gotten while the other two girls followed after her. ---------------- ¡°My, it¡¯s quite nice.¡± After the girls had entered the treehouse and looked around for a bit, Chloe was the first to react. The ce had a rtively open floorn with arge living and dining room that included a kitchen. In the back, there were two bedrooms with a bathroom in between. Nothing of the furniture was overly fancy, but everything was well-maintained and looked very cozy. ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Kinda reminds me of the ap- err, ce I stayed in for a while a long time ago.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure if the word apartment would¡¯ve raised any questions, so she had decided to go for a more general description. ¡°Okay?¡± She seemed a little confused but didn''t seem to have the motivation to ask any other questions. "It¡¯s a bit bigger than my ce, and theyout¡¯s a bit different, but it¡¯s just as cozy! Those elven treehouses are amazing!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia shared her opinion. ¡°It¡¯s no mansion, but I do like it a lot.¡± Maya, too, was warming up to the ce. ¡°It¡¯s REALLY cold in here, though.¡± Not literally warming up, though. ¡°YES!¡± The tiger had a strong reaction to it ¡°It¡¯s the best, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°NO!¡± The cats got a little loud after hearing Chloe¡¯sment. ¡°It¡¯s awful!¡± ¡°You two are way too sensitive to the cold.¡± "Says the one who couldn''t stopining about the heat just yesterday during her stories!" The couple was in perfect sync. ¡°¡­¡± A slight blush appeared on the pink-haired girl¡¯s cheeks while she turned her head away in embarrassment. ¡°Y-You two win this round¡­¡± ¡°Heh.¡± They looked a little smug. ¡°I-I¡¯m good with the hot springs here in the vige, though¡­ So, I¡¯m not apletely lost cause¡­¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?" Sophia looked confused. "Why are we so simr, yet theplete opposite in some cases¡­? I¡¯m horrible with hot water¡­ Then again, most of the time, it was Maya¡¯s fault that I faint so often¡­¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong¡­¡± She reconsidered herint. ¡°Wait, this vige has a hot spring?¡± The tiger only now registered Chloe¡¯s words. ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded while walking over to one of the windows of the treehouse. ¡°Do you see that big wooden building that kinda reaches past the tree line into the forest? The hot springs are right behind it.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The blonde¡¯s ears perked up while she looked at the building in interest. ¡°Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been to an actual hot spring before. Only the ones I dug out and filled with water on my own for make-shift baths.¡± ¡°Those were quite nice, too, though.¡± Maya liked their bathing sessions during their travels, after all. ¡°You two sure are something else¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± They took it as apliment. ¡°I¡¯m totally borrowing that idea when I travel with Feyfey again, though. I only used water magic to shower myself¡­ Why hadn''t I thought about digging out a bath before¡­?" She sounded a little disappointed in herself. ¡°If you¡¯re interested in traveling with us in spring, you can use the baths I make. I¡¯ve gotten really proficient with them~.¡± As Sophia had already taken a liking to her, she¡¯d enjoy the fox-girl being around with them during their travels. "From what I''ve understood, you can ride on your Feyfey, so your speed isn''t an issue!" ¡°That definitely sounds enticing!¡± She started smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t even know when she¡¯ll be back, so I¡¯m in no hurry, either! Also, while I like the cold, traveling through the enormous amounts of snow is not overly fun¡­" ¡°Brr¡­¡± Just thinking about it made the tiger shiver. ¡°And now I feel cold and want to hit the hot springs! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°They¡¯re currently closed.¡± Chloe hung her head. ¡°They¡¯re getting renovated and all that. It¡¯ll take a month or two before they reopen again.¡± ¡°What a tease!¡± She started pouting. "I have no idea how to renovate a hot spring either, so I can''t see how I could speed things up¡­" ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for them to open again, too.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± Sophia then stared at Chloe with a very serious expression. ¡°Hot springs are a group activity, aren¡¯t they¡­? You go in with a group of people, right?¡± Her gaze intensified even more. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The pink-haired girl looked a little awkward. ¡°Hey!¡± Maya got loud instead. ¡°Try to hide your motives a little, pervert!¡± She red at her. ¡°Okay, I admit that I¡¯m really curious about just how big she is under her sweater because it seems like she could rival Anna, but don¡¯t make it too obvious!¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Chloe only covered her chest with her arms while a blush appeared on her cheeks. ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia looked confused instead. ¡°I was just wondering if I could see her sad tail. I¡¯m super curious about how it will look when it gets wet!" "A-Ah¡­¡± The cat-girl¡¯s cheeks also turned red now. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Chloe¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to see that!¡± She ignored her, though, and started pouting while looking at Sophia. ¡°I¡¯m going to invent a magic that keeps my tail dry before the hot springs open again!¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± The blonde sounded genuinely sad. "Well, if that''s the case, I''ll also go with Maya''s n. Now that she mentioned it, I¡¯m warming up to the alternative.¡± She focused her gaze on Chloe¡¯s chest this time. ¡°W-Why are you two such perverts¡­?¡± ¡°I me Maya for that." ¡°H-Hey!¡± The cat-girl in question raised her voice again. She didn¡¯t say anything to defend herself, though. ¡°Also,¡± Sophia looked Chloe right into her eyes. ¡°After the tail thingy earlier, there¡¯s absolutely zero room for you to me others in that regard.¡± She smirked at her. ¡°Pervert.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She decided to stay silent. ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya was the one who decided to get back on track. "Everything aside, visiting a hot spring does sound really nice. If it¡¯s currently closed, that¡¯s unfortunate, but maybe we could bring along Anna and Ari once it opens. It sounds like it¡¯s a fun group activity.¡± "The more, the merrier!" The blonde loved the idea. "Though, is there a reason you mentioned Anna first?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± This time, the cat-girl nodded. ¡°There are two reasons.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Why are you the one who keeps getting jealous, again?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, okay¡­?¡± Maya hung her head. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten better, though¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to me you for the Anna topic, either. Who wouldn''t want to steal a nce there, right?" She then looked at Chloe. "You saw the princess before, right? What''s your opinion on the matter?" ¡°¡­¡± "That answer is enough for me~." Seeing her cheeks turn even redder was all the blonde needed as a reaction toe to her conclusion. ¡°W-While definitely curious about the princess in that regard¡­¡± She eventually started speaking, after all. ¡°I think the jaguar or maybe Sophia are of more interest to me¡­ I-I mean, I''m pretty big myself, so¡­ I think I¡¯m more into the medium-sized type instead for contrast¡­¡± ¡°Hrmm¡­" Maya focused on the fox-girl for a while. ¡°Not too much staring, okay?¡± As she admitted wanting to look at her already, it wasn¡¯t like she could forbid her to steal a nce at Sophia now. ¡°Focus on Ari, okay?¡± ¡°Err¡­ sure¡­?¡± She had no idea what to reply to that. ¡°Yes, because Anna¡¯s the personification of never being jealous of anyone¡­¡± Sophia rolled her eyes at the cat-girl¡¯s n. ¡°The difference here is that I don¡¯t care about that.¡± She almost sounded smug. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± The tiger had to give it to her. ¡°Jealous Anna is also kinda cute, soo¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why exactly, but I¡¯m super envious of the type of rtionship the two of you have¡­¡± Chloe looked a bit lonely. ¡°The way you bicker is amazing.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The couple liked her observation. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best in helping to find someone for yourself to bicker with!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling again. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Afterward, the group chatted a little more while getting back to the topic of the nearby hot springs while also trying to make some more definite ns before eventually taking a better look at Sophia¡¯s new treehouse again. Chapter 250 – Needing an instruction manual Chapter 250 ¨C Needing an instruction manual Sophia''s dream of owning an elven treehouse finally became a reality. She never knew she had such a dream, but she definitely was happy about it. While the group was taking a look at the ce, Chloe also mentioned that there was a hot spring nearby. Unfortunately, it was currently closed, but they decided to visit it with everyone, Anna and Ari included, once it opened again. This way, they¡¯d have more to look at, as well. As they were all perverts to varying degrees, this detail was not not important to them. "Alright, what do we need to make this treehouse livable?" Sophia focused on her new ce again once she put the whole hot springs topic behind her. "We haven''t tested the bed here yet, but I doubt it''sparable to the one we have in the capital¡­ I¡¯d say we have to get one from the same manufacturer for here!¡± ¡°Agreed!¡± Maya liked the n. And their bed. ¡°Also, we absolutely have to do something against the cold!¡± ¡°Naturally!¡± She only stared at her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to even mention that!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Cats be cats¡­¡± Chloe could only roll her eyes. "Yeah, it''s bizarre that you like the cold so much." ¡°H-Hey!¡± The fox-girl raised her voice. ¡°Just because I have some cat-rted traits, it doesn¡¯t mean that everything applies to me!¡± It was still a touchy subject for her. ¡°Ahaha, sorry about that.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. "I was just joking, but the one who teases gets teased back, though." ¡°I understand¡­¡± ¡°How are we going to heat the treehouse, though?¡± Sophia got down on her knees and patted down the wooden floor. ¡°Heated floors aren¡¯t going to work here because under the wooden nks here, there¡¯s nothing as we¡¯re in the air¡­¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°B-But thefy warmth¡­¡± "I really spoilt you too much, didn''t I?" She rolled her eyes after seeing how disappointed her cat looked. ¡°Yep~.¡± Maya only nodded. ¡°Heated floors¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head instead. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde wondered how to exin it. ¡°I mentioned before that space heaters are a thing, right?¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± She nodded. ¡°I never had a use for them, but I did experience them in stores, though. Wait, so underfloor heating is an actual thing here¡­?¡± ¡°Just recently, yeah.¡± Sophia patted the floor of the ce another time before getting up again. ¡°I¡¯m actually the one who came up with it.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± She stared at the tiger. "Never doubt the ingenuity of a cat feeling cold and seeking warmth." Sophia actually sounded proud of it. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to say that because I am a cat! Foxes aren¡¯t!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I thought you¡¯re a tiger, though?¡± "A-Ah.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s just a striped cat, anyway. And I¡¯m allowed to say that because I¡¯m a tiger.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl paused for a moment before eventually ncing at Maya. ¡°Do you have an instruction manual for this girl? I share many things with her when ites to the things we love, but I seriously don''t get her¡­." ¡°If you evere across one, please give it to me immediately!¡± The cat-girl was just as at a loss as the fox. "From what I''ve seen from you so far, I need one for you as well, though, because you''re extremely simr to my idiot." "A-Ahaha¡­¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to react and only replied with an awkwardugh. ¡°Still, heated floors, huh¡­?¡± She decided to change the topic. ¡°My thighs and upper body are warm all the time because of my fluffy tail, and I''m generally okay with colder temperatures thanks to me being an arctic fox, but I do get cold feet every now and then¡­" ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°True enough.¡± Maya also nodded in agreement. "The heated floors are most amazing in that regard~. Ever since we got those, I started running around barefoot in our house because it feels so nice~.¡± ¡°That sounds great!¡± The fox-girl¡¯s eyes were sparkling. "I want that! It kinda works here in the treehouse because the floor¡¯s wood, but most buildings have stone floors, and as soon as it gets cold, even I don''t like that anymore¡­" ¡°I don¡¯t even like running around barefoot on a stone floor in summer!¡± The tiger found even something toin about there. ¡°Well, okay¡­ Unless it¡¯s really hot and I need to cool down¡­¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°Only that the temperature where I want to cool down is much lower than yours!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± She nodded. ¡°Those heated floors¡­ How finely can you regte them? Can you make it that the floor only gets a little lukewarm so that you can run around barefoot, but it doesn¡¯t really heat the whole room?¡± ¡°My, you have quite the specific demands here.¡± The blonde looked at her. ¡°I like how you know what you want, though~.¡± ¡°As I said before, the two of you are extremely simr.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The duo could only react with augh. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia focused her attention on the pink-haired girl again. ¡°The floors are directly powered by your au-, magic power through the heating ore that¡¯s used in it. If you¡¯re good at controlling your magic, it should be possible to use only a bare minimum on the floor, so it barely heats up.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Chloe¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite proud of my magical abilities!¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°You can use chantless magic, after all. I still don¡¯t get why you can, but that has to speak for magical abilities!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked the praise. ¡°Feyfey really excels at that, and she¡¯s been teaching me since before I could even walk¡­ Or that¡¯s at least what she¡¯s been telling me¡­ No one remembers what you did when you were like one year old or younger¡­¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°At which age were you able to use magic?! I was like three when I fully awakened to it, and that¡¯s supposed to be really early!¡± ¡°Ah, nonono¡­¡± Chloe shook her head. ¡°I think I also was around three if I remember right¡­ Feyfey just started teaching me the moment I was somewhat able to interact with my surroundings to a degree.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s some dedication!¡± Sophia sounded amazed. ¡°I bet it was amazing to have such a motivated teacher!¡± ¡°It definitely helped me learn to use it fast and effectively, but Feyfey tends to be quite serious¡­ She always stops me if I want to try something dangerous or want to experiment with anything, in her words, weird¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The tiger paused for a moment. ¡°I prefer having learned from Fennyfenny, then¡­ While he was severelycking in the exnation department, he¡¯s more of the show, don¡¯t tell type, but he actually enabled me when it came to experimenting!¡± ¡°That sounds like fun!¡± ¡°Fun¡­ Disaster¡­ Same difference.¡± Maya had mixed feelings about that. ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia red at her. ¡°What?¡± The cat-girl only looked back at the blonde. ¡°Feel free to correct and prove me wrong.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± She looked at Chloe again. ¡°Want to do some fun magic experiments with me as long as Feyfey¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°That sounds like a ton of fun!¡± The fox-girl liked the sound of that. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t. ¡°Do you have anything you want to experiment on? I¡¯ve been into quality-of-life thingstely, so I don¡¯t have anythingrge scale going on right now.¡± "And I''m incredibly thankful for your current calm phase!¡± The cat-girl looked at her with pleading eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t go exploding anything now again¡­¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t explode things tha-, okay, fine¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t finish her sentence after she saw Maya¡¯s expression. ¡°Even though you are the one who blew up our garden¡­ Repeatedly, I want to add¡­¡± She still started pouting. ¡°E-Everyone has a bad day, okay?!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°We got a ton of the heating ore that is used in the magic ovens and space heaters. That material is kinda unstable when not handled carefully. My cat here, the clumsy idiot she is, ignored all those warnings and poured all of her magic into the ore, causing one catastrophic explosion after another because she just wouldn¡¯t learn~.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± The fox-girl nced at Maya. ¡°I can feel the teasing and sass in you, but I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re actually like that.¡± ¡°I AM NOT!¡± She got loud. "I do like to y and mess around with magic, but those explosions were an ident!¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Chloe actually sounded a little disappointed. ¡°Don¡¯t be disappointed here!¡± Maya got even louder. "Sophia''s more of a walking catastrophe the world can handle on its own already. I''m okay with having a reasonable amount of fun time with magic, and that already is an unreasonable amount of fun because I have quite a lot of magic at my disposal." "Hey!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like being addressed like that. ¡°It¡¯s true, but hey!¡± "A walking catastrophe sounds like fun, though.¡± The fox-girl¡¯s eyes were sparkling again. ¡°I want to be one, too!¡± ¡°Ohh~!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± While sounding simr, Sophia''s and Maya''s reactions were entirely different in their intention. ¡°You know, after all this talking about it, I¡¯ve never done a good explosion in my life¡­ I¡¯d like to change that.¡± Chloe looked at the blonde again. ¡°You¡¯ve found the right girl, then!¡± She showed her a big smile. ¡°Whatever explosion you desire, be it exploding a pebble, the whole continent, or everything in between, I can offer you everything.¡± ¡°The continent¡­?¡± ¡°Okay, that one¡¯s currently sold out¡­ Sorry.¡± Sophia had no ns to do that again, after all. "No, I mean¡­ Whatever¡­" The fox-girl decided that she didn''t want to know. "A small crater, maybe the size of a house, is all I want for now!" "That''s a good and reasonable start. I like it!" The tiger gave her a thumbs up. "Let''s do it!" ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°You two wait right here!¡± Maya raised her voice once again. ¡°I¡¯m going to get Fen and Aura! I can¡¯t deal with you two on my own!¡± Saying so, she immediately left to get backup. ¡°Have fun~.¡± Sophia just waved after her. ¡°She sure has it hard with you from time to time, huh?¡± ¡°Us, you mean?¡± The blonde smiled at her again. "A-Ah.¡± While the two were waiting for Maya to return with the wolves, the chaos duo tried toe up with some more magic experiments for the time being.
Chapter 251 – Fluffy complaining Chapter 251 ¨C Fluffyining While the trio was chatting in Sophia¡¯s new treehouse, the topic eventually drifted towards magic in general and how Chloe would like to y around with it some more. While she was highly proficient in its usage, her magic teacher was rather strict, so she never really got to go overly wild with it. As the tiger''s an expert in that, the two bonded even more and wanted to y with magic. Having a bad feeling, Maya immediately went to get the wolves for backup as she didn''t have enough power to deal with both of them simultaneously. ¡°Is there anything else besides blowing something up you want to do with magic?¡± Sophia was still in her new treehouse with Chloe when she addressed her again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°There¡¯s the magic I want to invent to keep my tail dry and fluffy when ites to contact with water¡­¡± ¡°I wonder how that could work¡­ Thanks to me being a tiger, my hair and furry bits actually are naturally water-repellent, so I have no idea how to research it myself¡­¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The fox-girl got loud again. ¡°Your hair and fur are waterproof?! So unfair!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not unfair at all¡­ It¡¯s a MAJOR pain!¡± Sophia also got loud. "Normal shampoo doesn''t work and only feels disgusting, so I have to get specially made stuff¡­ Other treatments like certain conditioners and moisturizers don''t really work, either¡­ Also, as soon as it gets cold, it changes color, explodes in volume, and is almost impossible to tame¡­" She had a lot toin about. "I love the stripes, but it''s really not user-friendly at all¡­" ¡°Yep! The stripes are super cute!¡± Chloe stared at her hair for a moment. ¡°The rest really doesn¡¯t sound like fun¡­ Okay, changing color sounds a little interesting.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was the only fun part. Originally, I had a rather dark blonde, but it became like this once fall started." The tiger lifted a few strands of her hair while saying so. ¡°It also had a gradient coloring like your hair has during the change. That was great, too~.¡± She smiled for a moment before changing her expression back again. ¡°I could do without the rest, though¡­ The improvements for the heat treatment to tame my hair ising along nicely, so it''s bearable, at least¡­" ¡°How did you even know that you can change the appearance of hair with heat?¡± The fox-girl looked at her. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone using heat to straighten out wavy hair around here.¡± ¡°Well, I know about the effects of heat on hair for some reason that I''d rather not talk about¡­¡± ¡°Fire magic?¡± She took a wild guess. ¡°Anyway,¡± The tiger just ignored her question because there¡¯s no way she could tell her the truth right now. ¡°When I was experimenting with the heating ore for our mansion while my hair started to be unruly, I got the idea~.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°So, you basically made some tes with this heating ore thingy and pressed some strands of your hair in between to iron it¡­?¡± ¡°More or less, yeah.¡± ¡°Does it actually work, though? I¡¯d think that you need a really specific temperature to work on your hair¡­ Too little heat and nothing happens and too much, well¡­¡± ¡°Burnt hair smells surprisingly disgusting.¡± Sophia finished her sentence. ¡°Maybe not the exact words I was going to use, but that¡¯s pretty much it.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ It is rather finicky, so the beauty and care store girls and I are still ying around with the right temperature¡­ I left it mostly to them, though, because they have more experience with hair than I do." ¡°I see.¡± ¡°It works rtively okay by now.¡± Sophia lifted a strand of her hair next to her face. ¡°I¡¯m able to straighten my bangs fairly easy by now, but as you can see on my back, the longer the hair is, the harder to tame it gets.¡± While saying so, she turned around to show her wavy hair below her shoulders to the fox girl. ¡°I really like the look, though.¡± She looked at the tiger¡¯s hair for a little longer. ¡°The wavy curl with a bit of extra volume suits you a lot. It feels a bit wild and unrestricted.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde liked her description. ¡°My hair¡¯s always been on the wilder side, but the wavy style is actually growing on me, too.¡± ¡°You really should keep it like that! It looks great, after all!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Thanks.¡± The tiger got a little bashful. ¡°You¡¯re cute when you get embarrassed.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, though?¡± There was no hint of teasing in her voice. ¡°Anyway, now that we decided to keep your hair like that, how about we experiment with the heat therapy on my hair instead?" "When did we decide on that?!" ¡°Two minutes ago.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She only smiled at Sophia. ¡°Fine¡­¡± The tiger felt like she couldn''t win against that smile. "Aside from not wanting you to get any less fluffy either, the hair iron is still a prototype that needs to be improved¡­¡± She paused a moment to look at Chloe. ¡°Your hair isn¡¯t any good to experiment on. Your hair is the final boss for my invention. I¡¯ve never seen anyone as fluffy as you are.¡± "Ah, that makes sense¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°Being as fluffy as you are is amazing, though!¡± Sophia wanted to cheer her up. ¡°Why do you want to straighten your hair, then?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a pain to deal with- Ah.¡± The blonde stopped for a moment. ¡°Point taken.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°The look¡¯s great, after all. It just needs a lot of work, or else it will look like a bird''s nest after a very short time¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ During the warmer months, I just have somewhat wild hair that always slightly looks like bed hair but without being messy¡­ That needs no care at all.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Right now, it feels like I need half an hour every day to get ready¡­¡± ¡°How long do you think I need¡­?¡± The fox-girl grabbed some of her locks. ¡°I¡¯d kill to be ready in half an hour¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Cutting it also isn¡¯t an option because short hair doesn¡¯t really suit me¡­ I tried it¡­ Didn¡¯t like it at all¡­¡± ¡°Is it bad that I¡¯m happy about that¡­?¡± The tiger was happy that she stayed this fluffy. ¡°I wonder if you can change the properties of your hair with magic¡­¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°I mean, Feyfey can change her size with magic! There¡¯s no way you couldn¡¯t change your body in other ways, right?! Fluffy hair without having to deal with the mess should be possible!¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Sophia looked very awkward all of a sudden. "Feyfey said that changing her size is only a visual thing that doesn''t actually change anything about her body, but still!¡± ¡°Yeah, Fennyfenny and Aura do the same¡­¡± ¡°Oh, they can change sizes, as well?¡± ¡°Yup¡­ Not sure if I should admit that, but after you said that yourpanion can do it, too¡­¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­!¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Oops¡­ W-Well, your wolves seem to know her anyway, so I guess it¡¯s fine¡­¡± ¡°Sure should be.¡± ¡°Still!¡± The fox-girl raised her voice again. ¡°There¡¯s just no way that you can¡¯t permanently adjust your body with magic, right? Right!? Feyfey said that you can¡¯t do it, but I bet she just didn¡¯t want me to try! I mean, besides my hair being a pain at times, I''m happy with my body, but I bet it would be fun to mess around with that!¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± The tiger managed to look even more awkward than before. ¡°E-Even if it is possible¡­ I kinda prefer the idea of my inventions¡­ I could easily heat our entire mansion in the capital with magic. All of us that live there could¡­ Still, I liked the idea of heated floors more. Others, that don¡¯t have enough magic, can still enjoy the warmth that way, as well¡­ Everyone who can operate the space heaters also can use the underfloor heating¡­¡± She tried to talk her way out of it. ¡°S-Same for the hair iron¡­ Even if I could cheat my way out of having hair that is a pain to deal with, other people that don¡¯t have as ridiculous of magic as I have would still have to suffer¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Chloe looked impressed. ¡°Is that the tiger thinking about her folk speaking there? Feeling like it or not, you are supposed to be royalty, right?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± It didn¡¯t seem like Sophia would stop feeling awkward anytime soon. ¡°I-I guess so¡­¡± She is a tiger, after all. Including everything thates with it. ¡°I do like that way of thinking, though¡­¡± ¡°It is lovely!¡± The fox-girl¡¯s eyes were sparkling again. ¡°Very lovely! Never stop thinking like that!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll try my best¡­¡± ¡°Still!¡± She got loud yet again. ¡°I bet it would be soo much fun to change your body at will! See some cute clothes that aren¡¯t avable in your size? Change your size! Backpain? Make your breasts smaller! Your Maya wants to y with a massive chest? Make them bigger! Gained some weight? Get rid of it!" Chloe stared right at her with sparkling eyes. "That would be amazing, wouldn''t it?!" ¡°Uhhhhh¡­" Sophia was unable to maintain eye contact with her. "Y-Yeah, that does sound like fun¡­" ¡°Right?!¡± She was too excited to see the sweat dripping down the blonde¡¯s forehead. ¡°How about we experiment with that a bit?! I bet we could find a way using magic!¡± ¡°Uhhhhhhhhh¡­-¡° "I''m back, and I brought the wolves!" At the perfect moment, Maya returned to the treehouse and announced her arrival. ¡°MAYA!¡± The tiger was very happy about that. Afterward, Sophia jumped at her cat, and the topic of using magic to adjust their bodies was put on hold for the time being. Chapter 252 – Enabling wolves Chapter 252 ¨C Enabling wolves While Maya was busy getting the wolves for backup because she couldn''t deal with the chaotic duo consisting of Sophia and Chloe, said girls were busy chatting. They mutuallyined about fluffy hair being a pain to take care of. The fox-girl especially had lots of troubles because she¡¯s the incarnation of fluff. She even came up with the idea of changing her hair with magic. That also made her interested in adjusting her body as a whole which is supposed to be impossible as far as she knows. The tiger-girl looked really awkward while the other was gushing over how much fun it would be being able to change your body however and whenever you like. "Idiot¡­" While they were leaving the treehouse and Sophia told Maya what the duo had chatted about, she only reacted with a single word. ¡°Why?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like this usation. ¡°It¡¯s not me who brought it up! I did my best to stay serious, as well!¡± ¡°Well, I guess you have a point there.¡± The cat-girl reacted with a nod. ¡°I DO!¡± ¡°Still, Chloe sure is something else. I didn¡¯t think there would be another one toe up with something as stupid as changing your body at will¡­¡± ¡°There are many people who would have such ideas!¡± ¡°Tell me one besides the two of you!¡± Maya didn¡¯t let her have any of that. ¡°Uhhh¡­ Ah! The demon guy Fennyfenny mentioned when I screwed up and became a tiger! You know, the guy that wanted to have wings and identally became a demon-beastfolk hybrid!" ¡°¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t expected her to actuallye up with someone. ¡°T-Tell me two!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Maya let it be. ¡°Still, it sure is interesting how alike the two of you think. Kinda weird, too, actually...¡± ¡°Whose idea was it to y with the size of my chest?¡± Sophia just stared at her. ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger looked smug over her victory. ¡°You are right, though. It''s super interesting how we get excited over simr stuff! We will have so much fun together when ites to exploring or magic!¡± ¡°The future looks grim¡­¡± "I beg to differ!" Sophia was a lot cheerier about it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Maya had a feeling that she wasn¡¯t able to stop her. The happy smile the blonde showed her also killed all motivation to do so. ¡°Are you going to tell her about your ability to adjust your body however you want? Chloe doesn¡¯t seem like the type to give up on an idea once she had it. I have some experience with that type of girls, after all.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde let out a shortugh. ¡°Not for now¡­ I don¡¯t want anyone to find out that I wasn¡¯t always a tiger, and that magic could cause some suspicions about that¡­" ¡°You actually thought that through, huh?¡± ¡°I have my moments~.¡± Once they finished their little chat, the couple regrouped with the wolves and Chloe, who were waiting for them outside the treehouse already. ¡°So, why are we here again?¡± Fen looked at the couple once he spotted them. ¡°The bar was much warmer, and I¡¯d like to go back there.¡± He looked a little grumpy. ¡°I need help with this chaos duo here!¡± Maya nced at her tiger and the fox-girl before staring at him. ¡°Chaos duo?¡± Aura changed her attention to the two in question. ¡°Listen to this!¡± Sophia raised her voice. "Because this Feyfey wanted Chloe to learn decentmon sense, she wasn''t allowed to y around with magic like every other fun-loving idiot! This girl never blew anything up with magic in her life!¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Aura¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°That¡¯s horrible!¡± Fen also got loud. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Maya noticed her mistake. ¡°W-Why did I think that those two would be on my side¡­? It was me who''s the biggest idiot here all along, huh?¡± "We have to change that immediately, don''t we?!" The blonde faced the wolf with sparkling eyes that were filled with determination. ¡°Absolutely!¡± The wolves were just as motivated. ¡°Can I go home¡­?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s feelings were slightly less enthusiastic. She does love blowing up things on asion as well, but keeping four of them in check was way above her pay grade. ¡°Can we really?¡± Chloe started smiling after having heard the opinion of the wolves on the matter. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She sounded really happy about it. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Seeing her smile, Maya also gave up on protesting. ¡°Let¡¯s try and find a clearing somewhere in the forest, though¡­¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± Sophia looked at her. ¡°We don¡¯t want to bother our new neighbors, right?!¡± ¡°Sure¡­ That was my goal here¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ignoring the sarcasm in the cat-girl¡¯s voice, the blonde energetically raised her hand. ¡°Yes!¡± So did Chloe. Afterward, as everyone was highly motivated to teach the fox-girl some fun magic, the group left the vige to search for a ce to y. Maya followed after them, as well. ---------------- "Alright, do you know how to use fire-rted magic?" It didn''t take them long to find a suitable ce inside the forest, and Fen faced the fox-girl. ¡°It¡¯s the easiest way to blow something up, after all.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Chloe showed him a happy smile before lifting her hand. A momentter, a whitish-yellow me appeared on top of the palm of her opened hand. "Easily!¡± ¡°I really don''t get why you can use chantless magic¡­" The blonde looked at the fox. ¡°I want to know why!¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t know, either¡­¡± Chloe shook her head. ¡°We can ask Feyfey for an exnation once she¡¯s back. I¡¯m sure she has some answers¡­" ¡°We will!" After all, it really was bugging Sophia. ¡°Anyway,¡± Fen tried to stay on the topic. ¡°While I¡¯m also curious about that, let¡¯s focus on blowing something up for the time being.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two nodded in agreement. "By the way, how big of an explosion are we talking about?" Aura also focused her attention on the fox. ¡°How much of the forest should be left afterward?¡± ¡°All of it!¡± Maya decided to answer for the pink-haired girl. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Chloe nodded a couple of times in response. "A small crater and a nice ball of fire is all I want!¡± ¡°For now~.¡± Sophia got closer and whispered those words to him. "She''s done for once she gets a taste of it." He whispered back. ¡°Don¡¯t try to corrupt her even more!¡± The cat-girl red at them. ¡°Seriously, why are your ears so good?!¡± The two were shocked that she had heard them. ¡°I have an extra sense to pick up on these kinds of conversations~.¡± ¡°Get rid of that sense!¡± Fen and the tiger didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Nope.¡± She just grinned at them. ¡°Even if I could, there¡¯s no way I would~.¡± ¡°Too bad¡­¡± The duo looked visibly disappointed. ¡°Alright,¡± While Aura didn''t necessarily disagree with the two, she instead addressed the fox-girl again. ¡°What¡¯s more important? A shy fireball or something that you can feel in your guts?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe just showed her a big smile. ¡°Are you two rted?¡± Fen nced at the group¡¯s tiger. ¡°Highly unlikely.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I do see your point, though.¡± Sophia couldn''t deny that the two were somewhat simr in some areas. ¡°It¡¯s fun~.¡± ¡°shy and powerful, huh?¡± Aura then faced the blonde, as well. ¡°That''s your specialty, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You and Fen are also pretty good at that, though?¡± She didn''t want to take all theurels when it came to this topic. ¡°There¡¯s just no way that we canpare to your creativity!¡± The wolves replied the same. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia nced at the two for a moment. ¡°You just want me toe up with something so that Maya gets upset with me only because it was my idea, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two just kept nodding. ¡°Cowards.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You do know that I¡¯ll take you down with me, right?¡± ¡°We prefer you over Maya!¡± ¡°You seem to have quite the reputation.¡± Chloe leaned over to Maya while she was listening to their bicker. "Reminds me a bit of Feyfey.¡± ¡°Someone has to keep them from destroying the world, you know?¡± The cat-girl sounded absolutely serious while making her im. That''s exactly what almost happened when Sophia and Fen were left unsupervised thest time, after all. ¡°Also, just like me, everyone in our group likes to tease each other whenever they get the chance. I could be a little more easygoing at times, but they also just love to make thosements.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Fen, Aura, and Sophia all agreed. ¡°We love to mess with each other.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Chloe looked at all of them. "I love the dynamic you have going on in your group!" ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger loved all of them a lot, so she was happy to hear that it seemed like they had something special. ¡°Our group¡¯s always open to neers~.¡± She more and wanted Chloe to stay with them. ¡°Be prepared to be teased, though.¡± ¡°And you have to bear with some flirty idiots that don¡¯t know the definition of holding back.¡± Fen also needed to warn her. ¡°That is true!¡± Maya agreed with him. ¡°Sophia and I also can get quite annoying when ites to that. It¡¯s not just the wolves.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The tiger nodded a couple of times. ¡°We¡¯re not nearly as obnoxious as them, but we are not easy to deal with, either.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The male wolf wasn¡¯t sure what to say here. ¡°There¡¯s lots of teasing to be had here.¡± Aura summarized the conversion. ¡°Flirting, too, for that matter, yes.¡± She nced at Fen towards the end. ¡°¡­¡± He tried not to react to it. ¡°It does sound lovely and like a lot of fun, and I¡¯m happy that you like me so much that you¡¯re considering letting me join the group, but¡­ I think that it would be better to decide once you meet Feyfey. It''s either both or neither of us, after all. I''m not going to leave her." Chloe was really happy about the indirect invite, but she had no ns to join them on her own. ¡°Fen and I actually traveled with Fey for many years in the past already. I really enjoyed that time.¡± The female wolf already liked the n. "Save for the times when she got upset with me when I got toox about how I experimented with magic and caused a catastrophe or cataclysmic event, or 17¡­ Yes, she¡¯s nice to have around.¡± Both had seemingly enjoyed herpany. "The more, the merrier!" There was no way Sophia would have anything against it, after all. ¡°Someone who can scold Fen and keep him in check? Count me in!¡± Maya, too, was looking forward to her already. ¡°Really?¡± The fox-girl¡¯s smile got bigger. "I''ll tell her about it once she''s back, and then we''ll talk about it again!" ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± The blonde smiled back at her. ¡°Alrighty! Let¡¯s go back to exploding things! Or rather, let¡¯s finally get started with it!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Afterward, once the topic had gotten back on track, Sophia tried to think of a way to show Chloe how to explode something in a shy and powerful way. Chapter 253 – Magic genius Chapter 253 ¨C Magic genius Chloe was very proficient in the usage of magic, and she even was able to use chantless magic with an amount of magic power or authorization that shouldn''t normally let her do so. Her magic teacher was rather strict, though, and she never was allowed to y around too much. Not once in her life had she caused a big and shy explosion. Sophia, Fen, and Aura, deeply saddened by this, wanted to change that by showing the poor fox-girl how to create a nice explosion. As usual, the group got a little sidetracked, but once they got back on track, Sophia finally tried to teach Chloe how to create an explosion. She¡¯s an expert in that field of expertise, after all. ¡°You said that an explosion with a crater the size of a house is good enough for you, right?" Sophia tried to remember her conversation with the fox-girl not too long ago while looking at her. ¡°More than enough, yes!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Hmmn¡­¡± She stared at her for a while longer before eventually facing Fen. ¡°How much of her magic would she need for this? Around 10%, I guess?¡± "To activate environmental magic or use it as fuel?" He looked back at her. ¡°I¡¯m best with using it as fuel. I wanted her to make a small hole and fill it with her magic before igniting it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± He paused for a moment while thinking about it. ¡°I think 5% of her power should be plenty for that already. 10% would probably make the crater at least as big as our mansion in the capital.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you proud of us, Maya?" The tiger then looked at her cat. "I asked Fennyfenny for help to find the right amount of magic, and he actually suggested using less.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after we''re done with this." She wasn''t entirely convinced that they were actually being careful here. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The blonde hadn¡¯t hoped for much more than that. ¡°Anyway¡­ Chloe, can you control your magic in a way that lets you use 5%?¡± ¡°t 5% or around it? Like 4.9 or 5.1%?" The fox-girl tilted her head while replying to her. ¡°Uhh¡­ I take that as a yes?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Finely controlling my powers was one of the first things Feyfey taught me!¡± "Is it just me, or were you a pretty bad teacher¡­?" Sophia nced at Fen. ¡°You never taught me any of that.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± He red at her. ¡°I taught you how to have fun and explode things, though.¡± ¡°I love you!¡± She quickly reevaluated his teaching abilities. ¡°Better.¡± The wolf looked happy again. "A bit of essentialmon sense and some basics in holding back maybe wouldn''t have been so bad, though." Maya needed toin a little. ¡°You say that, but all of this is why you met Sophia in the first ce, though.¡± Fen looked at her. ¡°It was me who suggested visiting your vige after we left the monster country and had a few troubles with some humans." ¡°I love you!¡± Maya had also reevaluated her opinion on his way of doing things. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia focused on Chloe again. ¡°Where were we again?¡± She had lost track of everything. "You asked me whether I can finely control my au- magic to only use 5% of it." ¡°Right!¡± She apparently remembered. ¡°I can, by the way.¡± The fox-girl repeated herself to make Sophia stay focused. ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t understand a whole lot earlier, but it seems like you have a n?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head again while looking at the blonde. ¡°Tell me!¡± She sounded excited. ¡°Instead of using my own internal magic tomand external magic, I like to use it directly. Using it as actual fuel makes it easier to control, and it''s more predictable, as well." ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± Her expression lit up. ¡°I¡¯ve used my own internal magic as fuel for nature-rted things before, but never in a way to trigger an explosion with it. Sounds fun!¡± ¡°Nature-rted things?¡± Sophia immediately took an interest in that. ¡°When you bathe nts in your magic, it works like fertilizer, and they grow like crazy. Feyfey got really mad with me when I identally made a tree grow over 100m tall almost in an instant¡­¡± "Ohh!" Sophia''s eyes started sparkling. ¡°After we¡¯re done with the explosion thingy, can we try that, as well?! That sounds amazing!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± "I didn''t know you could do that..." ¡°Never heard of it, either¡­¡± The wolves apparently didn¡¯t know about this technique yet. ¡°Sounds fun, though! I like that idea." Surprisingly, Maya was on the side of the duo. "Even I don''t know how Sophia could possibly create a catastrophe by simply growing nts.¡± ¡°Famousst words.¡± Aura decided to mumble these words only to herself. She wanted the cat-girl to have a good time as well, after all. ¡°With that being decided on, let''s blow something up!¡± The tiger sounded even more motivated now. ¡°Yay!¡± So was the fox-girl. ¡°So, what should I do?¡± "You''ll have to create a hole in the ground and fill it with your magic power.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°How big and deep should the hole be?¡± ¡°Not overly big¡­ Maybe a cylindrical hole about 30cm wide and 2 meters deep, I guess?¡± ¡°Sounds easy enough!¡± Saying so, the pink-haired girl concentrated for a moment, and immediately after, a hole with the exact dimensions Sophia mentioned appeared before them. ¡°Are the 5% of my magic you mentioned earlier okay, or does it have to be a more specific amount?" ¡°Nah, that¡¯s just fine.¡± The tiger only waved her hand. ¡°This is no open-heart surgery, after all. It¡¯s alright if you simply eyeball it.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Afterward, she looked at the hole again for a moment before facing Sophia once more. ¡°I felt a little fancy and used 5.5%!¡± ¡°Whatever makes you happy~.¡± Sophia was d that the fox-girl seemed to be having a good time. ¡°Can I light it now?!¡± She was having a very good time. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you feel about it, but I¡¯d like to put some distance between the hole and myself before you blow it up.¡± The blonde pointed at the hole in the ground that was only a meter away from them. "Personally, I don''t want to be blown up. I had enough of that already." "A-Ah¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s cheeks turned a little red. ¡°I got a bit too excited¡­¡± ¡°I know that feeling~.¡± Sophia showed her a happy smile. ¡°We do, too¡­¡± Everyone else just nodded. Afterward, the group retreated to a safe distance before Sophia ced a hand on Chloe¡¯s shoulder while also giving the fox-girl a thumbs-up with her other hand. ¡°st away!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± With a broad smile on her lips, Chloe then ignited the magic that she had poured into the hole earlier. Immediately after, a me shot out of the hole before the ground around it exploded. Debris and earth flew all around it before a full-on pir of fire rose towards the sky. Once everything calmed down again, only a bit of smoke and a giant crater around 50m in diameter were left behind. "Well, I''m quite happy that I thought about retreating from the hole¡­" Sophia was awkwardly scratching her cheek while looking at the destruction and Chloe. ¡°You might¡¯ve overdone it a little, my dear. Oh! Is that how you feel with me all the time?¡± She then nced at Maya. ¡°Shut up.¡± She apparently wasn¡¯t in the mood for that right now. ¡°Was that really just 5% of your power, girl?¡± Fen stared at her. ¡°That explosion felt more like double than that. Also, why is your magic fully recovered already?¡± "Wow!" For Chloe, it wasn''t time to respond to the wolf''s questions yet. "That was sooo cool! You¡¯re the best, Sophia! Thank you so much for teaching me how to do it!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger liked her reaction. ¡°Just call me for more~.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She looked delighted about it before looking at the crater again. ¡°Still¡­ wasn¡¯t the explosion a bit too big? I would''ve been more than happy with something half the size!" ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I just said!¡± Fen raised his voice. ¡°Did you really only use around 5% of your power? It felt closer to what 10% should''ve done. Also, why has your magic fully recovered already?" ¡°Really?¡± Chloe only tilted her head. "I did use only a little over 5%, though¡­ Also, precisely because it was only that little, its recovery didn''t even take a second, after all." ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He stared at the fox for a while before eventually looking over to Sophia. ¡°What?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like his stare. "I see no problem with that. My power also gets misjudged all the time, and it wouldn''t take me any longer than a few moments to recover that much magic, either!" ¡°That exactly is my problem! You are you, after all.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The boosted, half-overseer tiger finally understood what he was implying. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Naturally, Chloe couldn¡¯t follow their conversation. ¡°Feyfey¡¯s magic has the same au¡­ power, though¡­ It recovers about as fast as mine, too. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything out of the ordinary?¡± She tilted her head again. ¡°Hmmn¡­¡± Fen then looked at Aura. ¡°Did Feyanis have such remarkable powers? I remember her being simr to us? Also, it sounded like she wanted to say something else just now...¡± ¡°We parted ways with her looong before I had my ident, so the memories are a little hazy, but I definitely would¡¯ve remembered something like that.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Then again, my own power doubled with that ident, so who knows what happened with her since then. We came across so many exceptions that I have little issues with believing it.¡± She stole a nce at Sophia while saying so. ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde had noticed that. ¡°If anything, Fennyfenny, step up your game! Aura got a huge boost, and this Feyfey seemed to have improved, as well. What did you do all those years besideszing around?" "¡­" He was unable to reply anything here and just hung his head. Sophia apparently had hit a nerve here. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry about him!¡± The tiger faced Chloe again. ¡°He also got jealous of me because my magic recovers faster than his and has somewhat more power behind it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The fox-girl looked at the wolf. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be jealous about something like that, Fenfen!¡± "Urgh¡­" He hung his head even more. "Maya, can you do something about those two¡­?" He didn''t want to deal with them anymore right now. "If you can tell me how and what, sure¡­" She had given up on it, as well. ¡°¡­¡± Fen had nothing in store. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophia sounded excited again. ¡°Do you want to explore some more, or can we try out the nature magic thingy you mentioned earlier?!¡± ¡°Oh! For now, I¡¯m quite happy with the destruction I was able to cause.¡± She looked at the crater again. ¡°We can y a bit with that if you want to.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Even though Fen was still a bit confused about why the fox-girl¡¯s magic seemed so different, as it didn¡¯t seem like he was getting any answers, the wolf gave up on it for the time being and just looked forward to whatever catastrophe would result from the girls ying around with nature-rted magic. Chapter 254 – Magic got even more confusing Chapter 254 ¨C Magic got even more confusing Chloe had finally fulfilled one of her dreams and blew something up with magic because she wasn''t allowed to do so because of her overly serious teacher. The explosion ended up being much bigger than anticipated, though. For some reason, the fox-girl''s magic, just as that of Sophia, seemed to be more potent than Fen had predicted when he suggested the amount of power she should use. Not only that, but her recovery speed seemed to be at least on par with the tiger, as well. As no one had any answers to those observations, Sophia decided not to pay any attention to that topic anymore, especially because she wanted to y some more with magic. ¡°Alright!¡± The blonde sounded highly motivated. ¡°What do I have to do to make a 500-meter-tall tree?!¡± After she had heard that Chloe had let a tree grow over 100 meters tall with her magic power, she naturally wanted to go all out. ¡°Are those 500 meters set already¡­?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°What?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°You want it even taller? A whole kilometer would be a bit too excessive, wouldn¡¯t it? What do you think?¡± She looked over to Chloe next to her. ¡°Yes, that would definitely be too much!¡± She only nodded. "Any more would definitely be overdoing it." ¡°I hate you two.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± The tiger liked her reaction. ¡°Okay, how about you go first and make a tree grow without holding back, and I''ll settle for double of that! No fewer than that, though!¡± ¡°Doubling sounds surprisingly reasonable for you¡­ Where¡¯s the catch?¡± The cat-girl got a little wary. ¡°What exactly does not holding back mean?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head while thinking about it. ¡°Chloe, how much of your magic did you use to let that tree grow over 100 meters tall?¡± ¡°Around 50%. Feyfey wasn¡¯t paying attention, so I used the chance to have some fun!¡± ¡°Alrighty! 25% of your power it is, Maya!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Even though we just found out that her magic is more powerful, I still have so much more raw magic than Chloe! 25% of mine would probably end up with a 500-meter-tall tree already!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The blonde just shed her a cheeky smile. ¡°Come on, Sophia¡­¡± Chloe stared at her. ¡°If you double that¡­ We just agreed that Maya''s idea of a tree being a whole kilometer tall would be too excessive.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°I seriously hate both of you... Also, that¡¯s not the issue here, you two idiots!¡± The cat-girl got loud again. ¡°The fir trees around here are quite tall already, so I¡¯m okay with growing one a little over 100 meters, maybe even 150. Knock yourself out and double whatever I did for your experiment.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± The tiger immediately jumped at the opportunity. ¡°That¡¯s definitely a start!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± Chloe seemed to be looking forward to it, as well. ¡°Did I just make a mistake¡­?¡± Maya''s bad feelings about the situation just got worse. ¡°Nope!¡± The other two girls just shook their heads. ¡°We really need to find a girlfriend for you soon¡­¡± The cat-girl let out a sigh while looking at Chloe. ¡°You need someone else to influence because Sophia might actually explode if she gets enabled even more.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Chloe seemed to like the n. ¡°If possible, sooner rather thanter! I was somewhat indifferent about, though always curious about certain things, but watching the two of you for just a day made me really want to get one!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia was cheering her on again. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s not exactly what I was trying to say here¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°But, sure¡­ We¡¯ll definitely keep an eye open.¡± She just wanted toin, but as she liked the fox-girl, she had no issues helping her out with that. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get to the magic part! How does it work?¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The chaos duo was happy that the cat-girl gave up. ¡°It¡¯s quite easy, actually.¡± Saying so, Chloe walked to the edge of the clearing the group was in, where she spotted a sapling. Afterward, she held out her hand, and a momentter, the sapling began to slightly glow in a green light. A few momentster, it grew by over two meters instantly and looked more like a tree already. "That''s pretty much it~." ¡°That¡¯s it, she says¡­" Maya let out a sigh. "I understood about just as much as when Sophia showed me some new magic. Just so you know, that means nothing.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s soo easy!¡± The tiger¡¯s eyes started sparkling instead. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve never tried that before! It¡¯s so obvious!¡± ¡°Case in point.¡± The cat-girl just gestured at the blonde. ¡°Would it be possible to get some more details for those who aren¡¯t gifted with whatever the two of you have going on?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Fen and Aura also raised their voices while nodding a few times. "A-Ah.¡± Chloe pped her hands. ¡°Feyfey¡¯s already used to my antics, so I tend to forget that my way of doing things can be a little weird to others¡­¡± ¡°Looked perfectly fine to me, though.¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Ipletely understood it.¡± ¡°Again, case in point.¡± This time, the wolves joined in on Maya¡¯s reply. ¡°Ah.¡± The tiger averted her face. ¡°Anyway, as Chloe just showed us, you have to evenly bathe the sapling in your raw magic without activating it while infusing it with your power. Once everything is coated and there¡¯s an even cloud around it, you finally activate it by imagining it growing up to a tree and letting it soak up your magic.¡± ¡°Exactly what she just said.¡± The fox-girl nodded a couple of times. "You only have to make sure that everything on the sapling is covered in your magic or else it won''t grow evenly." "Is that so¡­? Do you mind exining how I know whether I have evenly coated and infused the sapling with my magic?" Maya still hadn¡¯t fully understood it. ¡°You just look at it?¡± The duo tilted their heads before Chloe continued. ¡°Once you see that your magic is evenly around the sapling, you¡¯re good to go.¡± "You can see your own raw magic¡­?" The cat-girl couldn''t follow them. "I mean, sure, I can feel it and am aware of the amount present in the vicinity, but I can''t see it¡­ How are you supposed to know whether something is evenly coated in your magic...?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The wolves joined in with her. "Eh¡­?" Sophia and the fox-girl got even more confused. "You can''t...?" ¡°No!¡± The three got loud. ¡°Wait, you two can?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The duo just nodded. ¡°Eh?!¡± "That''s what I''ve always been doing with my magic when I used it to cover my surroundings like the air thingy or incinerating a tree with my raw magic." The tiger didn¡¯t understand their surprise. ¡°I thought this is normal¡­?¡± ¡°It is not!¡± They managed to get even louder. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Chloe also had a questioning expression. ¡°That¡¯s also how Feyfey taught it to me, though¡­¡± ¡°Something happened with Feyanis, didn¡¯t it?¡± Aura turned to look at Fen. ¡°It has to¡­¡± He nodded. ¡°We used to be on the same page when it came to magic¡­¡± ¡°How does the raw magic of someone look like?" The female wolf got interested in the topic. ¡°Hard to exin¡­¡± Sophia thought about it. ¡°It kinda looks like, uhh¡­ fancy dust in the air when you release it¡­?¡± ¡°Fancy dust¡­?¡± The wolves just stared at her. ¡°Wow, that is so fitting!¡± Chloe smiled at the tiger. ¡°Concentrated magic looks like small sparkly particles swirling around the owner when they release it. Though,pared to dust, sparklines aside, it has a bit of a purple color.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, fancy dust!¡± The blonde repeated herself. ¡°Fair.¡± The fox-girl gave her an understanding nod. ¡°Purple, swirly and sparkly particles¡­?¡± Maya repeated after her. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Kinda reminds me of¡­ you know what¡­¡± She looked at Sophia. With Chloe around, she didn¡¯t want to mention the portals and cut her sentence short. ¡°Very simr to that.¡± The tiger still understood her. ¡°Raw magic¡¯s not quite as purple, it¡¯s a bit lighter, and the particles are much smaller.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Chloe just tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°So¡­ The two of you can actually see raw magic before it gets used by the owner¡­?¡± Fen still had a hard time believing them. "Yup." They simply nodded again. ¡°Why did you never mention that?!¡± The wolf stared at Sophia. ¡°I, uhh¡­ didn''t know I had to? I thought that was normal¡­ I had no idea that I was the only one in our group that could see it. Do you three really can¡¯t?!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Chloe, exnation please!¡± The tiger turned to look at the fox-girl. "Even if you ask me¡­ I only just now found out that there are people who can''t see it, either¡­ I mostly chatted with Feyfey about magic, and she can see it just fine, too¡­ She never mentioned anything being abnormal about it when she was teaching me how to use magic while I was growing up.¡± ¡°Very interesting¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°I have so many questions for this Feyfey!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Fen and Aura nodded a couple of times. "Anyway," As not understanding what was going on was not a new feeling for the blonde, she lost interest in it soon enough. She got back to the main topic as she spotted another sapling not too far away from the one that grew up thanks to the magic of Chloe. "Let''s continue with our experiments!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The fox-girl was all for it. ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± Maya was still a bit confused about the whole being able to see raw magic thing, but she knew Sophia well enough to know when it was time to pause a topic. ¡°I need a bit more help to try it, though. As I can¡¯t see magic, I have to go with feeling it. Chloe used 50% of her magic to let a tree grow over 100 meters tall. At the same time, her magic seems to be twice as powerful as it¡¯s supposed to be, just as our Sophia¡­ In the end, I have to use the same amount of magic as 100% of our dear fox because my magic doesn¡¯t have any extra power behind it. Am I right with that?¡± ¡°Too much math¡­¡± The blonde decided to stay out of this conversation. ¡°Fenfen¡­?¡± Chloe also only looked at the wolf for help with a questioning expression. ¡°Hard to say¡­¡± He gave it some thought. ¡°She has a little under 1/10 of your power, but it''s twice as effective¡­ OH!" He suddenly raised his voice. "Maybe that''s the reason why our fox here can use chantless magic! Her effective power is above the threshold of being able to use it!" ¡°Focus, Fennyfenny!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to hear about that right now. "For you, out of all people, to say that¡­" The wolf rolled his eyes before continuing. ¡°Well, as I just said, her power¡¯s supposed to be a little under 10% of yours. So, if you use that much, it should the same result as Chloe using 50% of her actual magic.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think 10% is enough¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t a fan of the n. ¡°How does 5% sound?¡± ¡°10, it is!¡± The tiger quickly changed her opinion. ¡°Good.¡± With a slight smile on her lips, Maya got closer to one of the nearby saplings and tried to recreate what Chloe did earlier while hoping that nothing ridiculous would happen. Chapter 255 – Effective magic Chapter 255 ¨C Effective magic Chloe had shown off how to make trees grow by using one¡¯s magic power, but things got a little moreplicated afterward. As it turned out, Sophia and the fox-girl could actually see raw magic, and they had no idea that this was anything special as Maya and the wolves aren''t able to do so. The blonde had never noticed this being the case, though. As neither of the duo had an exnation for this, the group had to put this topic on halt for the time being and concentrated on the nature-rted magic again. ¡°Impressive!¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Maya!¡± ¡°Fen, I hate you!¡± Just like Sophia and Chloe, Maya was straining her neck while looking up towards the sky as they tried to see the top of the tree she had grown by using her own raw magic as a sort of fertilizer. ¡°Why?!¡± The wolf in question got loud. ¡°Why am I at fault for this 250-meter-tall tree you have created?!¡± He was also looking at it. ¡°I told you to use only 10% of your power, not 20%!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s exactly what I did!¡± The cat-girl yelled back at him. ¡°Check my remaining power with your detection magic thingy!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± He concentrated on her for a moment. "A little over 90% of your total power is remaining¡­ WHY?!¡± Fen raised his voice even more. ¡°Because you told me to use 10%!¡± "No! Why was the effect of your magic closer to 20% even though you''re only missing 10%..." The wolf paused for a moment. "Sophia! What did you do to her?!" ¡°Why me?!¡± The tiger also got loud. ¡°Who else could be responsible for this?!¡± He wasn¡¯t going to calm down anytime soon. ¡°The idiot we all love and who likes to mess with people for his own entertainment?!" As she didn¡¯t want to actually mention Canir with Chloe around, Sophia went with a description her group should easily understand. ¡°Ah.¡± Fen paused. ¡°You win that round.¡± ¡°Well then~,¡± Sophia¡¯s expression suddenly changed while she cracked her knuckles. ¡°I think I have to pay someone a visit~. Messing with Maya¡¯s off-limits, after all.¡± ¡°Wait a moment!¡± The cat-girl grabbed her hand and stopped the blonde with a slightly scary look in her eyes from leaving. "Do you remember when you shared some of your magic with Ari, and I got a little jealous about it?" ¡°Sure?¡± The aura around the tiger calmed down again while she tilted her head. ¡°After that, while I didn¡¯t boost your magic, we still exchanged some of it and mixed ours together. It was great fun~.¡± ¡°Sure was~.¡± Maya smiled at her for a moment before continuing. ¡°Could that have had an effect on my magic? Power aside, Ari seemed to have gotten better at using it after she got a portion of your power, as well." ¡°Oh.¡± Hearing that, Sophia¡¯s expression fully turned to normal again. ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°It does make a lot of sense, doesn¡¯t it? I wasn''t certain about it yet because I haven''t used a lot ofrger-scale magictely, but I felt that it has gotten somewhat easier for me ever since." ¡°I see¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure what to do with that information yet. ¡°I sure am handy, huh?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t anything change for me when we did our little experiment the other day?¡± Fen got loud again. "Well, I just channeled my magic through you. I didn''t actually do anything with yours." ¡°Sophia~?¡± The wolf¡¯s voice suddenly got unusually sweet. ¡°Shut up, Fennyfenny.¡± She didn¡¯t want to deal with that right now. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what the wolf wanted, after all. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°You can permanently share your magic with others¡­?¡± Chloe looked a little confused but interested at the same time. ¡°I tried. It worked.¡± In theory, she didn¡¯t even try it with Ari, but that was a different topic. ¡°Sounds fun!" Her eyes started sparkling. "I don''t have enough that I n to share any of mine, but that sure is something!" ¡°Yeah, even with me being the overpowered girl I am, I don¡¯t want to use it too often.¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± The fox-girl only nodded a couple of times. "Although, if you ever feel like you have too much magic and need to get rid of a bit, I won¡¯t say no~.¡± She got a little shameless. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Sophia let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Though, I first want to boost Anna so that she¡¯s on the same level as Ari after I messed with her. Once I recovered from that, feel free to bug me a little.¡± ¡°Y-You don¡¯t have to!¡± Chloe waved her hands. ¡°I was mostly just kidding!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°I bet the two of us can have a TON of fun together if you have more magic to y with! It¡¯s a win-win for everyone!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Chloe liked the sound of that. ¡°Can I veto this?" Maya, on the other hand, didn''t like the sound of that. After all, the chaos duo with the fox-girl''s current power was too much for her already. ¡°Nope.¡± The blonde just shook her head. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t really surprised, though. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re going to give some of your magic to Anna?¡± ¡°I n to, yes.¡± Sophia looked at the cat-girl. ¡°I heard that her birthday¡¯s really soon and I thought that would be a nice gift. I have fully recovered my own power after the Ari thing, and I want the two to have the same amount of magic. There are some things that would be really cruel in the future with their powers being so extremely different, after all.¡± As magic power affects your age, Anna would age rtively normally. At the same time, Ari will stay young for a very long time, which wouldn''t be pleasant for either of them. Especially because they''re about to be a couple. ¡°I see. That¡¯s very sweet of you.¡± Maya had warned Anna in the past not to ask the blonde to boost her magic because she didn¡¯t want Sophia to lose even more of her power. Still, after Canir had restored her powers to the pre-Ari incident, and how Sophia wanted to do it of her own ord, she fully supported the decision. ¡°I am sweet after all~.¡± She looked pretty smug. ¡°You do have your moments, yes.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The tiger didn''t like how Maya looked even smugger during her reply. "Anyway, unless something out of the ordinary happens, I can y with the capacity of your magic a little once I¡¯m back to normal~.¡± She smiled at Chloe again. ¡°T-Thank you very much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so happy that I have white hair¡­¡± Maya suddenly let out a sigh. ¡°Gray hair from stress isn¡¯t a thing with that¡­¡± ¡°Why?!¡± Sophia looked at her again. ¡°What did we do?! You¡¯re the one that just created a 250-meter-tall tree! You¡¯re the unreasonable one who¡¯spletely overdone it!¡± She pointed at the gigantic tree in front of the group. ¡°If we go back to the mansion tonight, you¡¯re sleeping on the sofa.¡± The cat-girl was not amused. ¡°Can I take the sheepskin rug instead? It¡¯s superfy and fluffy, after all.¡± ¡°How does the horse stable behind the mansion sound?¡± ¡°I am deeply sorry!¡± She didn¡¯t like the idea. ¡°That¡¯s not the good kind of teasing, huh?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Chloe joined their conversation. "You have a stable?!" She got interested in a particr part. "That''s amazing!" ¡°No horses, though¡­ We have Fennyfenny and Aura for that. Riding on them every now and then, not them living in the stables.¡± "It''s the same for Feyfey and me. Horses are cute, though!" ¡°That is very true!¡± Sophia agreed with the fox-girl. ¡°I kinda wanted to get some, but it really makes absolutely no sense¡­¡± ¡°Aww¡­ but understandable.¡± Chloe looked a little disappointed still. ¡°Yeah, they would be too much work.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°Anyway, enough of that for the time being.¡± She then looked at the gigantic tree the cat-girl had grown with her magic. ¡°It¡¯s my turn!¡± "Okay!" The fox-girl also looked at it. "Ah! Wait, does that mean we will see the 500-meter-tall tree now? Maya¡¯s is way over 200 meters tall already, and she said that you can double it!¡± ¡°I sure hope so~.¡± Sophia then looked at her cat with pleading eyes. ¡°Sure, knock yourself out.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Both, the blonde and Chloe, sounded surprised. ¡°Yeah.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Iined enough for today. Also, a gigantic tree isn¡¯t going to harm anyone. Not to mention that I promised.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The duo looked incredibly happy. ¡°Only double the size, though. As you said before, a tree being a full kilometer tall would be way too much." ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia nodded a couple of times before eventually facing Fen. ¡°As I roughly have twice the power as Maya, and both of us seem to have more effective magic, I should be good to go with 10% of mine, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer that.¡± The wolf just red at her. "I was wrong about magic twice already today. I''m not going to chance it a third time. There are way too many exceptions that I can¡¯t categorize¡­¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± The tiger didn¡¯t press the issue. ¡°Maya, can I use 10%?¡± ¡°Have fun~.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Sophia had a broad smile on her lips while she looked for a sapling with enough space around it to grow tall and healthy. She had big ns for it, after all. Chapter 256 – Now that’s a tree Chapter 256 ¨C Now that¡¯s a tree Recreating the magic Chloe hade up with, Maya had sessfully used her raw magic to grow a tree sapling to an unbelievable size. She had nned for the fir sapling to roughly reach 100 meters in height. It would''ve been a very tall tree but not entirely impossible for a fir. Something went wrong, though. As it turned out, because Sophia had mixed her magic with that of Maya after she got jealous of Ari, the cat-girl''s effective powers had increased, and her magic became much more potent. Thanks to that, the tree she grew ended up being way over 200 meters tall. "Wow!" Chloe''s eyes were sparkling while she was straining her neck more than ever to see the top of the tree Sophia had grown with her raw magic. Not only was its trunk multiple tens of meters wide, the tiger actually managed to make it way over 500 meters tall. It was a tree unlike anything any of them had ever seen. ¡°Fir doesn¡¯t really work for it, but it actually has some world-tree vibes!¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the sound of that. She should¡¯ve seen iting, but she still didn¡¯t want to be responsible for creating something that could be linked to that. ¡°I-It¡¯s just a little overgrown!¡± ¡°What¡¯s a¡­ I wonder if you can see that thing from the capital.¡± Maya seemed to have changed what she wanted to ask mid-sentence and looked at the three again. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± The tiger could already see herself being questioned by the king in the future. ¡°Pretty unlikely.¡± Fen shook his head. ¡°Even though it is this tall, the capital¡¯s quite a bit away from here, so it should still be below the horizon.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± She looked visibly relieved. ¡°Then again, the castle is elevated quite a bit. The chance to see it from there would be quite high, actually.¡± ¡°Alright, does anyone have an axe at hand?¡± Sophia really didn¡¯t want to deal with that. ¡°Ehhh?!¡± Chloe had something against this n. ¡°It looks so cool, though!¡± ¡°That is true¡­¡± The blonde had to agree with her. ¡°Still, it will be such a pain once the king finds out¡­ There''s also still theke thing¡­¡± She started mumbling towards the end. ¡°Who cares!¡± The fox-girl stared right at her. ¡°Just have fun! Life should be as interesting as possible!¡± ¡°Is that what having a bad influence means?¡± Sophia nced over to Maya. ¡°Do you now know why othersined about you?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± The tiger started smiling. ¡°Someone having a bad influence on you is amazing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bad influence¡­?¡± Judging by herplicated expression, the fox-girl had some mixed feelings about this revtion. ¡°Well, that depends a little on the definition of bad.¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Sophia¡¯s breaking themon sense of everyone around her on a daily base and caused the king a ton of headaches already. You are not helping with making the lives of those people, myself included, any easier.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°We really will get along great~!¡± Sophia naturally enjoyed her infectious happy-go-lucky nature. She wasn¡¯t any different, after all. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She cheered up in an instant again. ¡°I think so, too!¡± ¡°So fear I¡­¡± The cat-girl¡¯s wording was slightly different for some reason. ¡°Okay, the tree can stay!¡± The tiger had changed her mind. ¡°It¡¯s way too cool to get rid of!¡± She looked at it with sparkling eyes again. ¡°Just for the record, though¡­ It¡¯s been here for ages already, okay? For hundreds of years, to be more specific. Thousands! I have no rtion with it whatsoever.¡± ¡°With what?¡± As usual, when it came to feigning innocence, Maya was immediately onboard. ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think anyone in the castle would notice the change on the horizon?¡± Fen didn¡¯t want to let her off the look so soon. ¡°Not to mention with all the closer viges, not even included the foxes right at the other side of the forest?" ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make Sophia feel bad, Fenfen!¡± ¡°Why am I the bad guy now?!¡± He didn¡¯t like the pouting expression Chloe had while she was looking at him. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing her a little. I¡¯m all in for giving the beastfolk king a headache. It means that something interesting has happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± The fox-girl started smiling again. ¡°Is it¡­?¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°So you¡¯re fine with giving the king of this nation a headache?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I mean¡­ not really, but¡­ While he might be the ruler of this country, Sophia¡¯s my friend, and her having fun is more important than the mental health of someone I don''t personally know¡­" ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, you¡¯re the best!¡± Sophia almost wanted to hug her in response. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Soo¡­¡± Aura also finally spoke up while looking at the two trees the couple had grown. ¡°I can give it a try, too, right?¡± She had no intention of keeping the current topic going. "It looks like a lot of fun!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡± Maya just threw up her hands in resignation. ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Fen liked the idea. ¡°Make it bigger than mine so I can me you if anyone mentions something!¡± The tiger had her very own n with this. "Sure~." After all, Aura had no problems with being in the center of attention. ---------------- ¡°Well, if that wasn¡¯t something~.¡± After having finished ying with the trees, the group was walking back to the elven vige, and Sophia seemed to be in a good mood while smiling at the wolves. "Compared to what the two of you did, my tree¡¯s still just a sapling.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, but you two sure know how to not hold back.¡± Maya was also looking at them. ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Chloe¡¯s mood was just as good as that of the blonde. "It''s hard to guess, but the two trees you two made definitely look like they exceeded a whole kilometer in height. Too bad they¡¯re fir trees¡­ The size''s totally worthy of a world tree, but the feeling''s off¡­" ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°For that, something a little more jungle-like would¡¯ve been better, huh?¡± Now that her tree wasn¡¯t the tallest anymore, she was much more into the idea. ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Do you have any idea what they¡¯re talking about?¡± Fen nced over at Maya walking next to him. ¡°Not even in the slightest¡­¡± She only shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m also not sure if I want to know.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°By the way, I¡¯m hungry!¡± The tiger raised her voice. "Can we hurry?" She didn''t care about their conversation because there were some more pressing matters for her. ¡°Me, too!¡± Chloe shared her feelings. ¡°I think that¡¯s the first time I wholeheartedly support anything you two said today." It seems like the cat-girl could eat something, as well. ¡°Good idea!¡± So were the wolves. ---------------- "Oh, wee back~." Arriving in the vige, the group promptly ran into Alex. ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly waved at him. As they went on quite the rampage, she was getting ready for a questioning. ¡°What¡¯s wrong. My dear tiger?¡± He only looked at her. ¡°What, are you feeling guilty now that you destroyed my wallet? A bitte for that.¡± The fox frowned for a moment before starting to smile again. ¡°Just kidding, it¡¯s fine~. I did that to myself, after all.¡± "Hmm¡­?" The blonde was confused as it seemed like he hadn''t noticed the new and gigantic trees in very close proximity. "A-Ah¡­" Only then did she see the issue. Looking up, Sophia noticed that the entire vige was encircled by giant trees, so one could barely see anything besides the very sky right above the ce. ¡°Uhh¡­ No, it¡¯s nothing. Just getting a little hungry is all.¡± ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s all, you should head over to the bar again! Mark opened it half an hour ago, and I bet he''ll happily cook something for everyone.¡± ¡°That sounds perfect!¡± Sophia liked the sound of that. ¡°Are you joining us? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay for myself this time~.¡± ¡°That is very reassuring to hear. I¡¯ll probably do thatter, but I might be busy for the next hour or two. I¡¯ve nned to check on some things a little away from here in the forest. There¡¯s a small clearing not too far from here where we nned to cut down some trees to get materials for a couple of renovations in the vige.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The blonde¡¯s expression suddenly got awkward again. ¡°There are a lot of materials now¡­¡± Maya, too, awkwardly scratched her cheek while she mumbled those words. "Well, get some food, everyone." Alex smiled at the group. "I''lleter and join you for some drinks. After all, it shouldn''t take long because it''s just a quick survey." ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Everyone, including Chloe and the wolves, couldn''t look him in the eyes anymore. While feeling slightly sorry for the poor fox-man, the group made their way towards the bar to get some food while getting ready for another entertaining evening as it already waste afternoon when they hade back to the vige. Chapter 257 – They were definitely bigger Chapter 257 ¨C They were definitely bigger After Maya had sessfully grown a tree way over 200 meters tall using her raw magic, Sophia also tried her luck. As one would expect, she didn¡¯t settle for anything under 500 meters, but the wolves effortlessly topped her. Those two decided to go with gigantic trees that reached over a whole kilometer in height, sticking out like sore thumbs from the forest. They could be seen with bare eyes from multiple tens of kilometers away, but the vige right next to it where the fox-beastfolk lives hadn''t noticed it yet because the ce was encircled by other tall trees that prevented looking anywhere else other than straight up. ¡°Hey!¡± Around an hour had passed since the group had entered the bar to get something to eat when the entrance door suddenly flung wide open. Alex, seemingly out of breath, then located Sophia and her friends and directly walked up to them. ¡°Wee back~.¡± Chloe happily greeted him with a smile on her lips. ¡°You seem exhausted. Sit down and drink some water!¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s no time for that!¡± The fox-man only got louder. ¡°You all were outside the vige all day as well, right?! Did any of you see anything out of the ordinary?!¡± "Just some trees." Fen shook his head. "It''s a forest, after all." Technically, he was telling the truth. ¡°Why are you asking?¡± ¡°W-Well, that¡¯s the case, but¡­ BUT!¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure how to continue. ¡°I mentioned earlier that I went to survey the nearby clearing for building materials, right?!¡± ¡°You did mention something along those lines, yes.¡± The wolf nodded a few times. ¡°Was there anything out of the ordinary there?¡± ¡°Trees! Gigantic trees!¡± ¡°Well, we are in a forest¡­¡± Aura joined the conversation. ¡°Those are usually filled with trees.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get smart on me now!¡± He got even louder. ¡°I know what a forest is!¡± ¡°Then, what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°The size of those trees!¡± Alex stared right at the wolves. ¡°Two of them were higher than I could even look up! It seemed like they were just under a kilometer high!¡± "Just under a kilometer¡­?¡± Fen looked back at him. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Aura did the same. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re still drunk fromst night to me.¡± ¡°I AM NOT!¡± ¡°I think so too, though.¡± Fen sided with her. ¡°There¡¯s no way that could be the case. ¡°I know what I saw!¡± ¡°Are you sure you didn''t just think you saw it¡­?¡± Aura¡¯s expression turned slightly sympathetic. "S-Stop messing with me!" Alex started to slightly doubt himself. "Let''s go there, and I¡¯ll show you!¡± ¡°Can that wait until tomorrow¡­?¡± Fen let out a small sigh. ¡°We were out all day, without seeing anything other than trees, and just want to rx and have some drinks soon.¡± ¡°Why are you guys sozy?!¡± Saying so, Alex gave up, turned around with a huff, and went to the counter to tell Mark what he saw while yelling through the entire bar. ¡°You two are really good at lying!¡± Chloe faced the wolves after he was gone. ¡°It sounded so natural! I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay serious like that¡­¡± ¡°Where did we lie?¡± Aura tilted her head. ¡°The trees Fen and I created were clearly over a kilometer tall!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Fen nodded. ¡°There were no trees slightly below a kilometer in height!" ¡°Clever!¡± Sophia sounded proud of them. ¡°I like that a lot!¡± ¡°Of course, you do¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°Talking yourself around or out of things without actually lying is your specialty, after all.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°While true, it still doesn¡¯t sound nice!¡± It was far from the first time the blonde had used such excuses. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chloe seemed like she wanted to ask some questions, but she decided to let it be for the time being and focused on something else. ¡°While Fenfen and Aura were technically right, Alex wasn¡¯t wrong, either¡­ What will you do if he drags us out to the in tomorrow?" ¡°Are we heading back to the capitalter once we had a few drinks?¡± Fen looked at the tiger. ¡°Sounds like a n to me!¡± Sophia liked the idea. ¡°Hey!¡± The fox-girl apparently didn¡¯t. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me to deal with this alone!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the one who said that we should just have fun and don¡¯t care about consequences?¡± Aura sounded a little smug. ¡°Whose idea was it to leave the trees standing?¡± "A-Ah.¡± Chloe froze up for a moment. ¡°Unfair!¡± ¡°Do you want toe with us?¡± The tiger didn''t want her to deal with everything on her own. Taking her with them for everyone to ditch their responsibilities seemed to be the much better option. "Can I? That would be great!¡± She started smiling again. ¡°Not exactly because I want to ditch Alex, but I wanted to visit the capital soon, anyway!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Maya just smirked at her. ¡°I-It¡¯s true!¡± Chloe¡¯s cheeks turned slightly red. ¡°I wanted to do some shopping! I need some shampoos for my hair and a few other care products that are about to run out! There¡¯s a really nice shop in the capital I want to visit again.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Aura¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°Thanks for reminding me! I¡¯m about to run out of the fluff protection treatment spray! I can¡¯t live without that anymore.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°The fluff needs to be protected! Wait¡­ What¡¯s this spray about¡­?¡± She had no idea what the wolf was talking about. ¡°It¡¯s a spray that keeps your fur full of volume even in rough conditions. No more looking sad when it rains!¡± Aura¡¯s eyes were burning while she said so. ¡°The spray even survives one bath without issues! You can have a nice long soak without suddenly looking like a third of your usual size! Your fur stays the way it''s supposed to be under every condition!" "S-Seriously?!" With her eyes wide open, Chloe sprung off her stool. "Such a lovely thing already exists?!" ¡°Yeah, I had the same reaction when I found it!¡± The wolf nodded a few times. ¡°Why has no one ever told me?!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia looked at the fox-girl. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you¡¯ve been looking for your tail, right? For it to stay fluffy when it rains or you take a bath." ¡°Yes!¡± "Does that mean we can try out the hot springs now once the renovations are done there?" ¡°YES!¡± Chloe was way too excited to give her a calm reply. ¡°I can¡¯t wait~.¡± The tiger looked happy. ¡°I¡¯ve never been to an actual hot spring before! Let alone with friends!¡± ¡°You might be in luck with that." While the girls were getting excited, Alex appeared in front of the group again. "The renovations are progressing much faster than we had anticipated. We might be able to open it again next week or the week after already." ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia liked the sound of that. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve calmed down, huh?¡± Aura noticed that the fox-man wasn¡¯t as loud as before anymore. ¡°Mark and some other guys called me crazy, as well¡­ As no one wants to believe me, we decided to go to the clearing together tomorrow! For now, let¡¯s get some drinks! I¡¯m not going to pay for any of you, but I¡¯m willing to go and get the first round!¡± ¡°Sounds great!" Everyone liked the n, and Alex went to the counter again. ¡°Why do I want to go back and get rid of our trees for real now?¡± Sophia tilted her head while watching him leave. ¡°Because you want to mess with him.¡± Maya was an expert on those feelings, so she had an easy time interpreting those words. ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right.¡± The tiger had no intention of denying the im. ¡°Don¡¯t bully Alex too much, okay?¡± Chloe stared at the two. ¡°He earned some of it, but he¡¯s still a really nice guy!¡± "My, aren''t you the sweetest?" Just at the right moment to hear her, the fox-man showed up again while holding a tray of drinks. "I earned some of it, though, huh?" "A-Ah!¡± The pink-haired girl turned her head away. ¡°You absolutely did.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t going to cut him any ck in that regard. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t going to defend himself. ¡°Anyway, enough of that! I still wonder where those trees came from¡­¡± While saying so, he sat down at their table and gave everyone a drink he had carried over. ¡°The ones you made up?¡± Fen smirked at him. ¡°Shut up!¡± While mainly the wolves kept teasing the fox-man for a while longer, the group still had a good time in the bar for a couple of hours. Sophia and her friends decided to not stay too long today, though. Leaving Alex and the bar behind, the group made their way back towards Sophia¡¯s new treehouse while chatting a little more. ¡°Are you really nning to go back to the capital now?¡± Chloe was looking around in the darkness as it was thete evening already before focusing her shining eyes on the tiger. ¡°I mean, my eyes work well in this condition, but it¡¯s still not an ideal time for traveling, is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also way too cold to run around! The blonde got loud. ¡°No sun is awful this time of the year!¡± ¡°So¡­ Does that mean you''re staying for the night¡­?" ¡°Not really, no.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Naturally, the fox-girl was unable to follow her. It absolutely made no sense, after all. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head while seemingly thinking about something. ¡°I really like what you said earlier¡­ About prioritizing fun over mulling over the reactions of others.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Chloe got only more confused. ¡°I have a little fun trick up my sleeve to get there fast, but it would be really great if you could keep it a secret." Saying so, the tiger walked up the stairs of her treehouse and bid everyone inside.
Chapter 258 – Excited Fox Chapter 258 ¨C Excited Fox While the group went to the bar in the fox vige, they ran into Alex, who was about to survey the clearing they had used to grow the gigantic trees. He apparently wanted to get some building materials there. Naturally, this didn''t end well. The fox-man came back and started to question everyone about the unnaturally big trees. Still, no one believed him because they couldn''t be seen from the vige. Alex decided to show them to everyone, but Sophia and her group had other ns. Once they finished a couple of drinks in the evening, they wanted to head back to the capital. ¡°You have a way to get to the capital fast?" The group was still in Sophia''s new treehouse in the vige while Chloe was looking at the tiger with a questioning expression. ¡°What does that mean¡­? Also, why did I have to go back to my ce earlier to get some clothes and other stuff like bathroom products?¡± She was holding up a bag while asking her. ¡°Well¡­ Can you promise to keep it a secret? It doesn''t harm me if it gets out, but it would still be kinda bothersome¡­¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The fox-girl gave her a big nod. ¡°Still, we don¡¯t know each other that well yet¡­ Is it okay to tell me whatever you want to tell me?¡± ¡°Probably~.¡± Sophia only showed her a smile. ¡°I already like you a whole lot, so I trust my gut on that. Also, Anna, the princess, and her maid sh almost girlfriend, Ari, already know about it, too. As you¡¯ll probably meet each other soon, it might actually be beneficial for you to know.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Her confusion was only growing. "Anyway, take a look at this." Saying so, the tiger raised her arm, and a momentter, one of her purple portals connecting to her extra space appeared in the middle of the room. ¡°That¡¯s a-.¡± "Is that a portal?!" Chloe suddenly got loud before she immediately started circling around it while her eyes were sparkling. "Seriously?!" ¡°Err, yeah¡­ It is.¡± Sophia hadn''t expected her to recognize it. "I''m surprised that you know." "Isn''t it obvious?!" She pointed at the portal. "What else could it be?!" The fox-girl sounded highly excited. "Does it lead to the capital?! That''s so amazing!" ¡°Uhh, not quite." The tiger shook her head. "It leads to a hub with portals connecting to various ces.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even better! This is sooo cool!¡± The fox-girl was still looking at the portal from every angle. ¡°Can I go inside?! I want to see the other side!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophia was impressed by her excitement. ¡°Don¡¯t jump into any other portals in there for the time being, though.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After saying so, she immediately stepped through the portal without any hint of hesitation whatsoever. ¡°It¡¯s kinda refreshing not to be called insane by someone after I show them something, well¡­ insane. I really like Chloe''s fearless, excited, and yful personality a lot!" ¡°Nah, you¡¯re just both insane.¡± Fen bumped her shoulder with his head before also entering the portal. ¡°I think so, too.¡± Aura did the same while following after him. ¡°They do have a point.¡± Maya nodded, as well. "You two definitely are one of a kind." ¡°Is that an insult or apliment?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The cat-girl just smirked at her. ¡°Still, how did she know that this purple thing is a portal¡­?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s obvious!¡± ¡°Is it¡­?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°No one else besides you came up with it yet, though.¡± ¡°All of you aren¡¯t just creative enough!¡± Turning her head away in a huff, Sophia then also entered the portal. ¡°That can''t be it... Hmm¡­¡± Not wanting to be left behind, Maya quickly let go of the thought she had and followed after her. ---------------- ¡°Wow!¡± Arriving at the other side, they were immediately greeted by an excited fox-girl. ¡°This is the coolest thing I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± "Do those portals stay up forever, or do you have to keep them going with your own magic?" "It costs a little to activate them, but once they''re up, they stay." "Amazing!" Chloe''s eyes got even more sparkly. ¡°The purple color and the sparkle look a little like raw magic. Do those portals work withpressed raw magic?! I didn''t know it could do that!" ¡°I honestly never thought about it to that extent because I was just happy that it worked at all. When I overthink things, I tend to screw up, so that was the best for everyone.¡± ¡°I see¡­ From the looks and properties of it, it sure seems like it, though.¡± She got closer to one of the portals again while studying it. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think so, too, yeah.¡± ¡°Do those portals work on a smaller scale, as well?¡± She was still almost pressing her nose against it. ¡°I bet it would also work as a pocket version. You can just put your hand inside and ess a storage room from wherever you are! That would be sooo useful!¡± ¡°Like this?¡± Saying so, Sophia did just that and pulled a hat out of her storage before putting it on. ¡°Oh my gosh, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Chloe raised her voice even more. ¡°That¡¯s actually how I came up with the portals in the first ce.¡± The tiger sounded a little proud while exining it. ¡°I wanted to have a portable storage where we could dump all of our stuff into while we¡¯re traveling. One thing led to another, and here we are, in the middle of my portal hub connecting various ces with each other." ¡°I see!¡± The fox-girl smiled at her. ¡°Makes sense! It¡¯s only natural that this would lead to that!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Listening to those two, Maya got closer to the wolves. ¡°Are we the weird ones here?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Fen looked back at her. ¡°I mean, we were super shocked when she came up with the storage thing and even more when she developed the portals as a means for transportation.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± He nodded in response. "Yet, Chloe instantly understood what was going on. It also sounds like it''s a matter of course for her, as if those things are meant to be the way Sophia made them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see what you mean.¡± Aura nodded a few times. ¡°Well, they both seem to be quite unhinged, so¡­ Feyanis probably kept her in check, but Chloe seems to be even crazier than Sophia when let loose. I guess it¡¯s to be expected for them to have the same kind of insane ideas if they''re like this..." ¡°Yep.¡± Fen agreed with her. ¡°Still¡­¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this reply. "There has to be more about her, though... Or maybe not her? Chloe learned everything from Feyanis, right? Does she maybe know more than she''s supposed to do from somewhere and showed that to our fox...?" ¡°I think it''s rather that oddballs like those two idiots over there are always hard to read, so who knows what¡¯s really going on in their heads.¡± Fen looked at the duo. ¡°The creative ones can be quite entric. If I have a good idea, I can get a little annoying, too, and I also met some very entric demons, as well. Those two just operate on the same wavelength when ites to the way they think.¡± ¡°Something still feels odd to me¡­¡± Maya looked at the two again. ¡°I have that very feeling ever since I met Sophia, so¡­¡± Aura didn¡¯t see an issue. "Ah.¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°You win this round.¡± There was nothing she could add here. ¡°By the way, where do all the portals lead to?" Chloe was still looking around before facing Sophia again after a while. ¡°Most of them just end up in random ces like a in that looked nice or a stupidly hugeke where absolutely nothing suspicious ever happened.¡± ¡°Sounds suspicious.¡± ¡°I just said that it¡¯s NOT suspicious!¡± ¡°Fair point, go on.¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t nning to ask any questions. ¡°Remember the dungeon I mentioned before? The one that¡¯s hard to reach¡­? It¡¯s actually quite easy to reach now that you know that ce¡­¡± While saying so, the tiger pointed at a few portals. ¡°Those actually lead to different sections of that very dungeon.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± She got louder again. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chloe immediately started walking towards one of the portals. ¡°I¡¯m not against showing you, and I already half-promised already, but can we do it another time? I can¡¯t say I¡¯m in the biggest dungeon mood right now. Sofa, snack, bath, bed, sounds much better to me right now¡­¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± The pink-haired girl pouted for a moment. ¡°Though, the alternative sounds quite nice, too. I am a bit exhausted, as well.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia suddenly pped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s head home?¡± She pointed at the portal that leads to their mansion. ¡°We can test out some of the other portals soon~.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Afterward, with the tiger in the lead, everyone stepped through the portal. Once Chloe was done marveling over the all-ck basement with the oversized portal and the hidden entrance to it, everyone went to the mansion¡¯s living room and gotfortable. The wolves imed the sheepskin rug, and the couple rxed on one of the sofas while the pink-haired girl had one for her own. ¡°It sure is warm in here¡­¡± It didn¡¯t take long before the arctic fox noticed the preferred heating arrangement of the wolves and the two cats. ¡°It¡¯s the best, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Sophia sounded very happy about it. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Chloe seemed to have some mixed feelings about that. ¡°The warm floor actually does feel nice in one way or another, but the room temperature as a whole¡­ I can¡¯t say I enjoy it that much. Does anyone mind if I strip?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Sophia¡¯s answer was instant. ¡°Hey!¡± So was Maya¡¯s reaction. ¡°What? I don¡¯t want her to suffer from the heat.¡± The tiger just looked at her. ¡°Even if we stop the heating now, it¡¯ll take a while before it cools down.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t believe a word she was saying. "I mean, I''m also a little curious, as I mentioned before, but don''t do that! No need to admit to it so directly!" ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Chloe looked at them. ¡°B-By stripping, I just meant that I would like to get rid of my thigh-highs and exchange my sweater for something lighter¡­¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Hearing that, the couple got a little embarrassed. Afterward, Chloe decided to change clothes after taking a bath, and the group dropped the topic to chat about other things. Chapter 259 – Pent up Chapter 259 ¨C Pent up Sophia had decided to show Chloe the portals she uses to travel fast between ces, and the fox-girl was very interested in them. Once she finished being excited over them, the group, with her included, used them to go back to the capital. Having returned to the mansion, they gotfortable in the living room while leisurely chatting some more. ¡°You two sure are something else.¡± Chloe was looking at the couple who had just told her what happened when they arrived at the capital and how it led to them having a mansion here. Naturally, they left out Sophia''s origin, but they still told her a lot about the meeting with the royal family and how the king wanted Sophia to marry his daughter. The blonde then had a great time recalling just how much Maya liked the idea and how she made Anna suffer a lot in the beginning before they became besties. The tiger also briefly mentioned the war that had happened, and while the fox-girl was very impressed by it, the blonde and she only ended up bonding even more after the topic changed to the nearby city, Tga, which serves one of the favorite dishes of both, pizza. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The two decided to take it as apliment. ¡°Yeah, thest weeks and months were kinda wild, for many reasons.¡± Sophia decided not to go into details here. ¡°The war thingy aside, it was a ton of fun! I look forward to more interesting things in the future!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Chloe liked her reply a lot. ¡°More importantly, though¡­ Now that pizza got mentioned again¡­ Maya, how¡¯s the snack situation in the kitchen?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I honestly doubt I could make you a pizza now, but I¡¯ll have a look at some alternatives. I actually could eat a little, too. I''ll get something ready for everyone." Saying so, the cat-girl got up from the sofa and walked towards the kitchen. ¡°Thank you!¡± The tiger waved after her before looking at Chloe again. ¡°Should I show you where the bath is in the meantime?¡± ¡°That would be lovely!¡± She immediately sprang up from the sofa. ¡°I want to freshen up and change into something lighter to survive this sauna here!¡± ¡°Ahaha, sure~.¡± Sophia gestured towards the door out of the living room, and the two went upstairs to one of the guest baths on the hallway away from their bedroom. ¡°Oh, the tub is nice and big! That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°You should see the main bath downstairs, that''s half a public bath but way too overkill most of the time. Right, with your tail, you basically need the ce for two people, huh?¡± The blonde nced at the mountain of fluff behind the fox-girl. ¡°When getting in at least, yes¡­ Once it gets soaked, it turns sad and small quite fast.¡± ¡°Can I stay and wa-.¡± ¡°No.¡± Chloe didn¡¯t even let her finish the sentence. ¡°You can wear a swimsuit if you want to. My main interest lies in your wet tail, after all.¡± Sophia tried to negotiate. "I would rather show you my naked body instead of my wet tail!" It really was a sensitive topic for the girl. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment and scanned her from head to toe. ¡°Thanks, but Maya would probably kill me. Rightfully so. I¡¯ll wait with that for when we visit the hot springs~.¡± ¡°Does that really make a difference¡­?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± The tiger just shrugged her shoulders. ¡°The weird rules of society that say it''s okay to be naked together in a public bath or something like that¡­¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Chloe didn¡¯t sound convinced. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s how it is, don¡¯tin if I steal a nce or seven myself once we do that.¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± Sophia got a little bit bashful. ¡°Though, I would probably rmend Maya or Anna and Ari if they¡¯re with us over me for that.¡± ¡°No need to sell yourself short!¡± The fox-girl raised her voice. ¡°I think you have a great figure!¡± ¡°T-Thanks!¡± ¡°Also, who said that I want to look at justyou?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite the pervert, aren¡¯t you?¡± She only looked at Chloe again. "A-A little backed-up, maybe¡­¡± Her cheeks turned pink. ¡°I mean, I do have an interest in those kinds of things, but I¡¯ve preferred traveling over it¡­ I¡¯ve also been with Feyfey the entire time untiltely, so no¡­ alone time. Combine that with being single my entire life¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°You''re pretty open, too, huh? Can''t say I dislike it!" "As a fellow pervert, I thought I don''t have to hold back even though we only met just a little while ago." "..." She had mixed feelings about that im but decided to ignore it. "Other than trying to find a girl, I don''t think I can help you with those things, though¡­" ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking!¡± Chloe¡¯s face got even redder. ¡°Also, I¡¯m older than you and only met Maya this year, so I had to wait for longer! Then again, I did have a lot of alone time¡­¡± ¡°Again, I wasn¡¯t asking!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who started it, didn¡¯t you?¡± The tiger just looked at her. "A-Ah.¡± She had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a really interesting shop here that makes alone time even more fun. If you¡¯re that backed-up, it might be worth checking it out~.¡± "And once again, I wasn''t as-, r-really?¡± It took Chloe a second to understand the implication. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know such things existed here¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, as it turns out, the people in the capital are quite cultured. The shop¡¯s amazing~.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± The fox-girl looked pretty embarrassed, but she seemed to be just as interested at the same time. ¡°Should I write down the address for you~?¡± Sophia naturally didn¡¯t fail to notice her reaction. ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I see~.¡± The blonde showed her a big smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just put it on a note and put it on the table next to the door in the entrance hall. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re nning to go shopping tomorrow, right? You might be able to catch a nce of the address when leaving.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± She finally changed the topic again. ¡°Should I get the bath ready for you, or do you want to do it yourself?" ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl needed a moment to recover. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself¡­ Judging by the overall temperature in the entire house, I don¡¯t trust you when ites to heating up the water¡­ I actually like lukewarm baths.¡± ¡°You really are a pervert¡­¡± Sophia couldn''t believe her. This time, it was a different kind of perverted, though. The type that she didn''t like. ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Well, have fun!¡± As she didn¡¯t n to have a discussion over how hot bathwater should be, she simply turned around and let Chloe have her bath in peace. ---------------- ¡°Did everything go well?¡± Back in the living room, Maya immediately greeted the tiger once she arrived there. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Chloe¡¯s quite the pervert.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± She didn¡¯t like this sort of reply. ¡°She likes to bathe in lukewarm water, can you believe that?!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The cat-girl looked relieved again. ¡°I also found out that she is a bit pent-up and sexually frustrated." ¡°Eh?!¡± The calm expression didn¡¯tst long. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°Nothing much, don¡¯t worry. Being single for her entire life and not being able to have any alone time because she was with Fey the entire time apparently led to some neglect in certain areas.¡± "Just about what were you two chatting in the bathroom?!" ¡°I don¡¯t know how it led to that, either¡­¡± Sophia was just as confused. "I just wanted to see her wet tail, but she''d rather show me her naked body instead. Then, we kinda got to the hot spring topic again because stealing nces is allowed there and, uhh¡­ one thing led to another, I guess¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I like the two of you being alone together anymore.¡± ¡°Come on¡­ I just really want to see what water does to her tail! Okay, I admit that I am not not interested in seeing all of her, but I don¡¯t actively need to see it! I also know that it''s the same for you, so stopining.¡± She just looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to help her with being pent-up, don¡¯t worry. Well, I told her about the shop that makes alone time more exciting, so I kinda did help her in the end, but that much should be okay!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°You are right. You told her about the store, huh¡­?¡± Afterward, she paused for a moment while closing her eyes. ¡°You were just imagining something, weren¡¯t you?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Why are you allowed to do that, but I can not?!¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She only looked down at her feet. ¡°Want a sandwich I made?¡± Maya then pointed at a te on the table in front of the sofas. ¡°You¡¯ve been better at changing the topic in the past.¡± The tiger rolled her eyes. "A sandwich does sound delicious, though." ¡°I said it before, but I¡¯ll try to be less jealous¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She had to let out a chuckle. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve gotten a lot better in that regard, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Maya got a bit embarrassed. ¡°Okay, yes¡­ looking at others or imagining things is more or less fine, let¡¯s agree on that. Still, having such a conversation as you had with her while the two of you were alone with each other, I have a hard time with that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than fair.¡± The blonde responded with a nod. ---------------- The couple kept chatting a little longer while eating a sandwich or two, and the fox-girl had eventually finished her bath and came back to the living room. ¡°Thanks for the bath! It felt really nice and was super refreshing!¡± She smiled at the two while sitting down on the free sofa again. Much to Sophia''sment, her tail waspletely dry and fluffy as ever. She apparently had made extra sure that not a drop of water remained in it. Some other things had changed, though. Her wardrobe waspletely different from before. The color choices were still somewhat simr, but Chloe had decided that she wanted to go barefoot on the heated floors and also got rid of her thigh-highs. Furthermore, she had changed into short ck shorts and a light-pink camisole that was rather revealing. It showed a lot of cleavage and a good part of her stomach as it cut off way above her navel. ¡°Wow.¡± The duo had the same reaction. One area of the fox-girl was of particr interest for the two. ¡°So, you are aroundas big as Anna¡­¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± In response, Chloe immediately covered her chest with her arms. Afterward, the couple felt the need to calm down a little and decided to have a bath on their own while leaving Chloe behind in the living room.
Chapter 260 – Shopping advice Chapter 260 ¨C Shopping advice Chloe had apanied the group to their mansion and had just finished her bath there. Her nature of being an arctic fox wasn''t the mostpatible with the heating there, so she decided to skimp a bit on her clothes to make it more bearable for her. As the couple was quite taken by her looks before already, this sight, together with now being sure that her chest actually is at least as big as Anna¡¯s now that it wasn¡¯t hiding beneath the sweater anymore, the two had a hard time looking at her and decided to take their own bath to cool down. ¡°Haa~." After around half an hour, the couple reunited with everyone in the living room again while Maya let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°I needed that~.¡± ¡°Yep, a bath is always nice~.¡± Sophia had the same expression as the cat-girl. ¡°Wee back.¡± Chloe smiled at the two before taking a better look. "For the reaction you two earlier had, the way either of you is dressed isn''t any better now, is it?" She noticed that Sophia was wearing almost the same clothes as the fox-girl, ck shorts with a pink top, only for her camisole to be a slightly darker pink while showing even more of her stomach. Maya wore a blue off-shoulder crop top, showing just as much belly,bined with white shorts. "In fact, both of you are dressed skimpier than I am! Also, I¡¯m notining, just wanting to point it out!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The two could only react with a dryugh. ¡°They¡¯re always dressing like thattely.¡± Aura looked at them before replying to Chloe. ¡°There¡¯s no deeper meaning here.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± That apparently worked for her. "If they are dressed..." Aura added her own bit. "H-Hey!" "Oh?" Chloe tilted her head "Anyway¡­" Sophia scratched her cheek. "Yeah... even we are aware that we''re overdoing it a little with the heating, but rather than turning it down a notch, wearing fewer and lighter clothes is way morefortable! Cats be cats, I guess¡­" ¡°Thanks for saying it yourself. I didn''t want to mention it.¡± Chloe reacted with a weak smile. ¡°Though, after the two of you had such a reaction with me earlier¡­¡± ¡°Well, there is a lot to see after the sweater is gone.¡± Maya tried not to directly look at her for a change. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re small by any stretch of the meaning. Far from it!¡± On the other hand, Chloe looked straight at her. Not at her eyes, though. "A-Ah¡­¡± The cat-girl just let it happen. ¡°You absolutely don¡¯t have to hide, either!¡± She then focused her attention on Sophia. ¡°In fact, I like that sight even more.¡± She looked at her a good bit longer than at Maya. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Chloe.¡± The cat-girl then stared right at her. ¡°The store Sophia told you about earlier. Please go and visit that tomorrow.¡± The fox-girl looked a bit too thirsty for her liking. ¡°There are also other ways to get rid of the excess energy without visiting that shop immediately, as well.¡± "¡­" Her face instantly turned bright red after hearing that. ¡°Y-You told her about that?!¡± She faced the tiger with an embarrassed expression. ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The shade of red on her cheeks got even more intense. "Don''t worry. The walls are quite thick here, so no one will disturb you." Maya really wanted that she gets it out of her system. ¡°¡­¡± Fen wanted to say something, but after thinking about it for a split second, he decided that he didn''t want to get involved. After nudging Aura and indicating that she should also stay silent, he turned around on the sheepskin rug and ignored their conversation. ¡°C-Can we please stop this conversation¡­?¡± Small tears had formed in the corners of the fox-girl¡¯s eyes. ¡°I get it, so I¡¯ll try to hold back a bit more¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The teary-eyed expression made Maya a little weak. ¡°It¡¯s still my suggestion, but I might¡¯ve gone a little overboard. I¡¯m sorry about that¡­¡± ¡°No, from your point of view, it totally makes sense.¡± Chloe wasn''t going to me her. "You do also have a point with everything you said¡­¡± Her cheeks turned redder again. ¡°Anyway!¡± Sophia finally had enough of all of this. ¡°Let¡¯s put the nned solo fun time aside for the time being and get back on track!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Instead of changing the topic, the tiger only dealt the final blow to the fox, and she needed a moment to recover from this. ¡°O-Okay, dly¡­¡± "Is there anything specific you want to do now that you''re in the capital again?" Noticing that she actually made it worse, the tiger finally found something easy to chat about. ¡°That¡¯s a good question¡­¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to end here like that, so I had no time to prepare. I definitely want to do some shopping. Normal shopping.¡± She somehow felt she had to add that part. ¡°I need some things for my hair and fur, together with some general care products like hand-cr¨¨me and the likes. While I''m at it, I''m definitely going to get some of the fluff protection spray Aura mentioned before! I need that!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Hearing that, the ears of the female wolf perked up. ¡°Let¡¯s do that tomorrow! I¡¯ll apany you!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The fox-girl dly epted the invitation. ¡°I look forward to it!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Maya and I just stocked up on stuff, and we nned to go over there in a few days again for a meeting, so¡­ Have fun with Aura there!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel like joining in on that. ¡°Any other ns?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± She gave it some more thought. ¡°Maybe some clothes?¡± ¡°Oh, I like the sound of that!¡± The tiger¡¯s motivation grew in an instant. ¡°We need to get some more clothes for the fall and winter season, anyway! Anna and Ari wanted to join in on the shopping for that, as well. I think it would be a ton of fun to do that as a group!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind that at all.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Meeting the first princess and her maid sounds really interesting! Also, after the two of you mentioned them so often, I actually look forward to getting to know them!¡± "Perfect!" From the excited tone in her voice, it seemed like she could hardly wait for it. "What else?" ¡°Food!¡± The fox-girl suddenly raised her voice. ¡°I never stayed in the capital for too long, so I didn¡¯t have the chance to fully explore it yet. I want to find all the ces that serve some interesting or unusual food!" ¡°Maya!¡± Hearing that, Sophia also got loud. ¡°Cancel all my appointments! We¡¯re going on a mission!¡± She was a big fan of the idea. ¡°What appointments¡­?¡± She was a little less enthusiastic. "I don''t care! Just make sure to cancel them!" ¡°Sure¡­¡± With a roll of her eyes, the cat-girl soon started to smile, as well. ¡°It¡¯s okay if I join, right? I already know a nice ce or two, but I definitely want to find more of them, too!¡± After all, while not entirely on the level of Sophia, Maya also really enjoyed good food. Be it eating or cooking it. ¡°Of course!¡± The duo gave her a hearty nod. ¡°Alrighty, that sounds like a solid n for the next couple of days!¡± The tiger was in an excellent mood. ¡°Yes!¡± So was Chloe. ¡°I guess we should ask Anna and Ari when they want to do the shopping?¡± Maya started nning already. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Sophia suddenly raised her voice again. ¡°Speaking of those two, didn¡¯t we give them some homework? My deadline for Ari was due today!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! I gave Anna an ultimatum, as well!¡± The cat-girl looked back at her. "And yet, I still got no report! I¡¯m going to tease her all day tomorrow! I''ll make her spill the beans!" "Then again¡­" The blonde suddenly tilted her head. "We weren''t home at all, so¡­ maybe there was some progress, but they were unable to meet us?" ¡°Did you really just make a sound argument¡­?¡± ¡°I know. I feel dirty now¡­¡± ¡°What is this all about¡­?¡± Chloe naturally just got confused by their conversation. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Maya, please exin it to her.¡± ¡°Long story very short, those two areplete idiots.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± This exnation didn¡¯t seem to help the fox-girl that much. ¡°We got fed up with them being so dense even though it¡¯s so obvious to absolutely everyone that they¡¯re in love with each other. Because of that, we individually forced them to take the next step and finally get over it. If they aren¡¯t going to at least kiss each other before we see them again, we¡¯re going to spill the beans for them.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Chloe paused for a moment. ¡°So, if I ever find a girl I¡¯m really interested in, I shouldn¡¯t be dense because else you two will be active?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± They just nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to know¡­¡± ¡°Well, you have to be really dense for that, though. I mean, you barely know Anna and Ari, and you still thought they already were a couple¡­" Maya continued her exnation. "They y with each other¡¯s tails all the time, sleep and cuddle together, are inseparable, at least as flirty as Sophia, and I are¡­ Anna¡¯s mother, the queen, also got fed up with both of them because she couldn''t watch it anymore. Everyone in their school is rooting for them, and¡­ Yeah, you have to be really dense.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The pink-haired girl gave it some thought. ¡°I think I can be better than that if it ever bes relevant for me.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Maya liked her answer. ¡°Now I wonder what they¡¯re up to, though¡­¡± Sophia closed her eyes while saying so. ¡°My detection magic says they¡¯re together right now, but it doesn''t show me many details. Okay, that is a good thing, but it''s also kinda disappointing¡­" As there was nothing they could add to that topic anymore, the group decided to let it be for the time being but continued to chat about various other things for a long while.
Chapter 261 – Change of pace Chapter 261 ¨C Change of pace Chloe had apanied the couple to the capital, and while things had gotten a little suggestive and weird for a bit, everyone was having a lot of fun while rxing in the mansion¡¯s living room. They weren¡¯t the only ones having a good time, though. A certain duo had at least as much, if not more going on at the same time. ¡°Hah~, what a nice bath~.¡± While patting down her hair with a towel, Anna sat down on the bed in Ari¡¯s room while letting out a relieved sigh. ¡°Yeah~.¡± While doing the same with her hair, Ari sat down next to her. ¡°Also, I love my new pajama! It¡¯s sofy!¡± The tiger was wearing a dark-blue pajama with pink ents and short sleevesbined with some short shorts. ¡°Turning down the heated floors from Sophia is not an option, so going for something lighter to wear really was the best decision!¡± ¡°Yes, you are right!¡± The jaguar nodded a couple of times. She was wearing basically the same design as Anna, only that the colors were reversed. The base color of her pajama was pink,bined with some dark blue ents. ¡°The best thing is that they are matching, though!¡± With a big smile, the tall girl threw away her towel and clung to Ari¡¯s side while rubbing her head against the other¡¯s shoulder. ¡°S-Stop that!¡± Her cheeks immediately turned red while she tried to push the tiger away from her. ¡°How often did I tell you that I¡¯m ticklish!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Anna¡¯s mood seemed to improve even more. ¡°I know!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like her reply. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stop.¡± While saying so, the tiger let go of her and let herself fall backward on the bed. ¡°For now.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ Someone¡¯s being yful today, huh?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m together with you! I¡¯m obviously yful then!¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Hearing that, Ari¡¯s blush got a little deeper before she alsoid down right next to her. ¡°You¡¯re always yful, though.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m always with you!¡± She was on a roll today. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Getting even more embarrassed, the jaguar had to turn her head away. ¡°Stupid Sophia¡­ I¡¯m way too aware of everything now¡­¡± ¡°What did Sophia do?¡± She had only heard the blonde¡¯s name. ¡°A-Ah¡­ No, it¡¯s nothing. I just know too many yful tigers. Though, she more likes to mess with people while you like to get touchy-feely.¡± ¡°What kind of yful do you prefer?¡± Anna stared right at her. ¡°Well, I do like messing with people, but if I¡¯m on the receiving end, touchy-feely might be the winner¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Hearing that, Anna immediately started clinging to Ari¡¯s side again while the two were lying on the bed together. ¡°¡­¡± Ari¡¯s first instinct was toin again. Still, as she actually was enjoying the cuddles and wanted to continue like this, she managed to ignore the urge. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re really visiting an elven vige right now¡­¡± She still tried to distract herself, though. ¡°It¡¯s not the most surprising thing we¡¯ve heard from them, so it''s not that hard to believe it." ¡°That is very true!¡± ¡°I really want to see that ce, too!¡± Anna suddenly raised her voice. ¡°No, I want to travel with them! I bet we would see many interesting ces all over the world with them! The capital is getting boring!¡± ¡°Well, it seems like Sophia wanted to take us with them, too. She mentioned that more than once already, after all. It seems like we are too slow, though¡­ All of them are so stupidly overpowered, so even their running speed is unmatched.¡± ¡°Unfair!¡± The tiger started pouting. ¡°Isn¡¯t there any other way?! They should just slow down!¡± ¡°Is it really alright to make them match us so that we can selfishly travel with them, though¡­?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That is true¡­ There has to be a solution, though!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ari gave it some thought. ¡°Maybe Sophia¡¯s portals could help? Traveling with them would still be hard, but maybe we could see the ces they visit?¡± ¡°That sounds like a great idea! Let¡¯s ask them about that the next time!¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s ask them.¡± ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t work out, the two of us will go travel alone once we¡¯re done with the academy!¡± Anna got even more excited. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Sounds fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°I think traveling with a group would be more fun, but just the two of us would be really exciting, as well!¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Absolutely! Don¡¯t you think so, too?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d definitely like to do that if we can¡¯t join Sophia and the others!¡± Ari gave her a big nod in return. ¡°I¡¯d love that, in fact!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Anna let out another happy giggle before cuddling closer to the jaguar¡¯s side again. ¡°¡­¡± She needed a moment. This situation was almost too nice for her. ¡°And I could do that all day when we¡¯re on our own!¡± While saying so, the tiger yfully poked the side of Ari¡¯s stomach while she continued to cling to her. ¡°S-Stop that already!¡± She raised her voice in protest again. ¡°I don¡¯t like being tickled!¡± ¡°All the more reason to continue~.¡± The princess really was feeling extra yful, so she showed no sign of stopping this time. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Instead, she simply kept poking Ari¡¯s side with a happy smile on her lips. ¡°S-Stop it¡­¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t exactly look angry about it, but the tickling seemed to have quite an effect on her as her face had turnedpletely red. ¡°No!¡± Anna only increased it instead. ¡°¡­¡± Doing nothing for a while and letting the tiger have her fun as she was enjoying it to some degree, as well, Ari still eventually had enough, though. ¡°E-Enough¡­¡± With her face even redder, together with a slight pout, the jaguar then freed herself from Anna¡¯s hug. Afterward, she immediately rolled over on top of the princess while pinning her down by grabbing the tiger¡¯s hands below her. ¡°E-Enough!¡± ¡°A-Ah!¡± Anna hadn¡¯t expected this move and looked petrified for a moment. A few momentster, her entire face turned crimson before she turned her head to the side as she was unable to face Ari anymore. She looked highly embarrassed while being pinned down by the jaguar on the bed. ¡°¡­¡± Ari wasn¡¯t looking any better and taking a good nce at the princess only made it worse. When she had freed herself from Anna¡¯s hug and rolled on top of her, it seemed like the tiger¡¯s pajamas had partly be undone. Thanks to that, the tiger was showing quite a bit of cleavage, and one of her shoulders was entirely bare as the top had slid down her arm. Concentrating on the uncovered area for a moment, she then quickly noticed that the princess had decided not to wear a bra after having gotten out of the bath for some reason. It¡¯s not like she hadn¡¯t had this suspicion during the hug before already, but the jaguar now had even more proof. Visual proof. ¡°Anna.¡± Saying her name once, she then let go of the tiger¡¯s hands and grabbed her chin with her thumb and index finger. Then, she gently turned Anna¡¯s head to face the jaguar because she was still looking away with a deep blush. ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± The princess got even more embarrassed while she tried to look Ari in the eyes, but the whole situation had turned her into a blushy mess in an instant, and she was barely able to do so. ¡°¡­¡± She could not say anything else while only stealing nces at her. ¡°¡­¡± Ari stared right back at her, but while she seemed embarrassed to no end, as well, something in her expression eventually changed. Inching closer to Anna¡¯s face, she then closed her eyes for thest few centimeters before her lips came in contact with those of the princess. It started with just a light brush against them, but the jaguar gradually used a little more force to give Anna a gentle yet good taste of her lips while making sure to savor hers, as well. The kisssted only a few moments, but it seemed like time had frozen in the room for a while. Eventually, though, Ari¡¯s lips parted from Anna¡¯s again, and the jaguar lifted her head to look at the tiger below her. ¡°I love you, Anna.¡± With a wholly flushed face that seemed to light on fire at any moment, she finally got the words out she had been hiding for so long. ¡°¡­¡± Anna, with her face being in the same state and seemingly in a trance after what happened, needed a moment to react. ¡°A-Again.¡± It took her a while, and it was more of a whisper, but she eventually got a word out, one that Ari liked a lot. ¡°G-dly.¡± This time, the jaguar wrapped her arms around the neck of the princess below her before she brought her face closer again. Closing her eyes once more, Ari then gave her another kiss on the lips. This time, itsted for a little longer, as well. Once their lips parted this time, the ck-haired girl showed no sign of stopping, though, and quickly followed up with two more small pecks after she got some fresh air to work with. Even after that, Ari still refused to part from the tiger. Instead, once she took a deep breath, she waited for Anna to do the same before using the chance of the tiger¡¯s mouth being slightly open. Sticking out her tongue a little, the jaguar first gently licked the lips of the tiger before slowly sliding her tongue into Anna¡¯s mouth. It was more than apparent by her clumsy movements that Ari had no idea what she was doing, but she looked determined to get some experience on the topic. With her tongue inside the tiger¡¯s mouth, Ari brought her face as close as possible again to lock her lips with the other girl below her. While she was using her tongue to explore the insides of the princess'' mouth, she also started ying with Anna''s at the same time. Anna''s eyes shot open when she felt Ari''s tongue on her lips because it was a shock to her, but it didn¡¯t take her too long before she started to enjoy the feeling. By the time she felt the jaguar¡¯s tongue entering her own mouth, the princess had her arms fully wrapped around the ck-haired girl¡¯s waist above her. At the same time, she also closed her eyes once more to better concentrate on what was going on. After all, she didn¡¯t want to miss anything of it. She did try to return the kiss a little as well, by pushing her lips more against those of the jaguar, but she quickly decided to let Ari take the lead. Not only was she entirely overwhelmed by everything right now, but she also wanted to enjoy the jaguar being on the attack as much as possible. Ari kept going like that for a good while longer after she noticed that Anna tried to return the kiss and was also hugging her waist. Still, she eventually ran out of steam because she wascking in training. Reluctantly parting from her after a couple of minutes, she still refused to climb down from the princess, though. Once she was breathing normally again, she locked eyes with the tiger below her again while expectantly staring at her. ¡°¡­¡± Anna needed a bit longer to calm down. Heavily breathing to the point where her chest was visible going up and down, it took her quite a while before she stopped being dazed and could focus again. "W-Wow¡­¡± The tiger needed even longer to recover. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ haa¡­ that¡¯s not¡­ that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ when I said again¡­¡± She was still far from normal. ¡°S-Say what you said again¡­¡± She paused for another moment. ¡°S-Say that you l-love me again!¡± As her face had reached maximum levels of embarrassment a long time already, the level of crimson on her cheeks had barely changed while she said those words. ¡°I love you. I love you! I soo love you!¡± Ari didn¡¯t waste a second and gave her a strong reply while her voice was filled with excitement. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Hearing that, Anna let out a bashful giggle before eventually locking her eyes with the jaguar above her. ¡°I-I love you, too.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± The realization was finally hitting her. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± She needed to ask a second time. ¡°Yes!¡± Anna happily repeated herself. ¡°Now, d-do it again¡­¡± ¡°I love you!¡± Ari, too, repeated herself once more. ¡°N-No, not that¡­¡± The princess then mustered up all of her courage and gave the jaguar above her a quick peck on her lips before looking at her with upturned eyes and a yearning expression. ¡°Oh.¡± After that, something seemed to have fully snapped inside of Ari. She immediately wrapped her arms around Anna¡¯s neck again before she kissed her a couple of times again. Using the little experience she had gained from before, she quickly slid her tongue into Anna¡¯s mouth once more to continue the exploration of the inside. This time, Anna also tried her best to return the favor by ying with the jaguar¡¯s tongue by using her own. It was a clumsy attempt, and it felt just as, if not even more awkward, as Ari¡¯s first attempt earlier, but her eagerness more than made up for herck of experience. Seeing how the princess was doing her best to be an active part of the exchange, Ari¡¯s motivation soared once more. Any signs of restraint had left her conscience. While she continued to kiss her, the jaguar eventually stopped hugging Anna¡¯s neck. Afterward, much to the visible displeasure of Anna, she stopped kissing her, though. Then, the jaguar used her now free arms to help her sit down upright on the princess¡¯p. Noticing that, Anna immediately started pouting and looked at the ck-haired girl on herp with a displeased expression. She obviously wanted more. Luckily, Ari had no intention to stop, though. The jaguar moved her hands toward the tiger¡¯s chest and started unbuttoning the rest of her pajama top to reveal all of her breasts. After that, there was no stopping from either anymore, and things kept escting more and more during the evening and their first night together. ---------------- ¡­ .. . A couple of hourster, once the two had calmed down again, there was still some catching up to do because they had gotten slightly sidetracked in the middle. ¡°Uuh¡­ H-How did that even happen¡­?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Ari wasn''t sure what to say while looking at herself and the princess. Both werepletely naked, and even after having cleaned up, themselves and the bed, it was still more than clear what had happened.. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize!¡± Anna immediately raised her voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t hate it! Not even a bit!¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± The jaguar was bing a little embarrassed again, as well. "I saw you lying b-below me earlier, and I just had to k-kiss you. I couldn''t bear it any longer¡­ Once I c-confessed, and you took it so well, all those years where I had to hold back made me snap and lose my reasoning. That you didn¡¯t stop me gave me the final push¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ I didn¡¯t n for any of that, either¡­ Okay, I wanted to k-kiss you¡­ and maybe confess, but¡­ after I saw you and your expression, I wanted more.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± After everything that happened, together with their brains turning back to normal, things were quickly bing awkward. ¡°Wait!¡± Anna suddenly raised her voice once more. Luckily, tigers are unable to keep the mood serious for more than 30 seconds. "D-Did you say all those years just now?¡± ¡°I-I did¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I fell in love with you when we were 12.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± She managed to get even louder. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± "Yes¡­" She only reacted with a weak nod. ¡°I decided to keep it to myself because you never seemed to have any interest in romance, and I didn¡¯t want to ruin our friendship¡­¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The tiger took a lot of damage. ¡°I identally spilled the beans about my feelings to Sophia one day, and she''s been pushing me to get you ever since¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Sophia!¡± ¡°She absolutely is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m so dense¡­¡± Anna hung her head in response. ¡°I do want to be angry at you for that¡­ but Sophia made it more than clear that I¡¯m a dense idiot myself, so¡­ let¡¯s be idiots together?¡± ¡°dly!¡± The princess liked that a lot. ¡°D-Does that mean that we¡¯re a couple now¡­?¡± ¡°I-If you¡¯ll have me¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± With the biggest smile she ever had, Anna then jumped at the jaguar and gave her the biggest hug she had ever given someone. ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°I love you, too!¡± Returning the confession and the hug, the two theny down on the bed again. As any kind of tension had entirely left their bodies, even though they were still a mess and naked, and a shower would do them well, together with the bedsheets maybe needing a wash, nothing besides them mattered right now, the couple fell asleep in an instant afterward while never having let go of each other.
Chapter 262 – The morning after Chapter 262 ¨C The morning after It finally happened. While Anna and Ari were rxing together, the princess got a little yful and had a great time tickling the ck-haired girl. Having had enough of that at some point, the jaguar had eventually pushed down the princes on the bed to stop her. The sight of the girl below her then had caused something to snap inside of Ari. She first kissed the tiger before immediately confessing. Anna happily returned the kiss and the confession, and the two finally became a couple. Afterward, as both were riding on a high, things had escted quite a bit, though, and the newly formed couple hadn¡¯t just left it at a kiss for their first activity. The next morning, after both not having gotten much sleep, things between them got a little awkward again. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two were still lying in Ari¡¯s bed, and once the two noticed the state they and the bed were in, the couple was unable to look at each other. Not only were there still some sort of stains on the bedsheet, but they themselves weren¡¯t off much better. Remains of their nightly activities were still visible in some ces. After all, they had fallen asleep in each other¡¯s arms because they were too tired to have another shower afterward. All of this, even more so now that they were fully conscious and not in a trance anymore, during the afterglow of the next morning after, the couple got incredibly embarrassed by their actions, and neither of them said a word for quite a while. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± This went on for another couple of minutes. ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± Pulling up the nket to cover both of them because she kept getting distracted by various things, Ari eventually managed to face the tiger with a bright red face after having stolen a lot of nces beforehand. ¡°G-Good morning¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna was still unable to look at her and simply gave her reply while staring at the ceiling. ¡°M-Morning¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The jaguar tried to keep the conversation going, or rather, she was still trying to get it started, but she wasn¡¯t doing much better than the princess. ¡°S-So it really happened, huh¡­? A-All of it¡­ I can still vaguely recall the feeling of it¡­ you a little¡­¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Letting out yet another embarrassed groan, she eventually managed to face the jaguar right next to her. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She reacted with the faintest nod. ¡°T-There¡¯s also still a little left on your c-cheek¡­ From when you, uhh...¡± Her face turned even redder while she continued to steal nces at the jaguar¡¯s face. ¡°O-Oh.¡± Hearing that, she used her hand to wipe her cheek before looking at her fingers afterward. ¡°I see¡­ Should we go and¡­ take a bath¡­? Not just my face, but also other ces, and my legs¡­ I feel quite s-sticky¡­¡± ¡°Uuhh¡­¡± The princess let out one more groan while pulling the nket over her face. The whole situation was too much for her. ¡°P-Please¡­¡± It took her a full minute to get the word out. ¡°Great¡­¡± After getting the confirmation, Ari got rid of the nket covering her and tried to get up. Once she had uprighted herself and sat down on the edge of the bed while showing Anna her bare back, the jaguar eventually turned her head around again. ¡°I-I can feel your stare, y-you know¡­?¡± ¡°A-Ah!¡± Hearing that, the princess immediately turned her head away. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ It, uhh¡­ It happened u-unconsciously¡­ You have a very nice back¡­¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The conversation basically wasn¡¯t progressing at all. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m happy to hear that¡­¡± ¡°C-Could you also turn around again¡­?¡± Anna eventually faced her again. ¡°I want to get up, too¡­ and¡­ and you staring at me is too¡­ way too embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little unfair now¡­?¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± There was nothing the tiger could say in her defense. Squirming around for a few seconds longer, the princess then slowly revealed herself from the nket while also sitting down right next to her jaguar. ¡°W-Wow.¡± Ari could not peel her eyes away and shamelessly stared at Anna¡¯s naked body the entire time. ¡°S-Stop that, p-pervert!¡± Feeling uneasy, she quickly turned her upper body away from the ck-haired girl. ¡°A-Ah¡­ Wait, you¡¯re the one who started staring at m-me earlier! If anyone¡¯s a pervert here, i-it¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Can you really say that after everything you d-did yesterday¡­?¡± Anna¡¯s face turned redder while remembering the events from the previous evening and night. ¡°¡­¡± Ari¡¯s face turned just as red again. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The princess turned around to show the jaguar her smug smile, but she had already forgotten that the two were still naked and then just ended up staring at Ari once again. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Y-You were saying¡­?¡± She just tilted her head. ¡°Also, while I take r-responsibility for initiating things y-yesterday, you were just as involved in it as I was¡­ You even made me¡­ first, after all¡­¡± Herst sentence turned into a bit of a mumble in the middle. "Okay, I guided you, b-but..." ¡°¡­¡± Very clearly with great reluctance, the princess stopped looking at her. Still, she never gave a reply to the jaguar¡¯s usation. ¡°C-Can we take a shower now¡­? Actually, how about we, uhh¡­ c-clean ourselves and then have a bath afterward instead¡­?¡± ¡°Sounds good¡­¡± Ari seemed a little d that they ditched the topic for now. ¡°I would like to rx in the water a little.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Saying so, Anna got up from the bed, turned around in front of Ari, and held out her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed another moment of focussing on the right things before she could ept her offer by grabbing her hand while getting up, as well. ¡°Hehe~.¡± ---------------- Spoiler Luckily, Ari¡¯s room also had her own bath, so they could directly enter it without ever needing to step outside. In the bath, they first rinsed themselves with warm water a couple of times to wash away some of the dried-up remains before eventually switching over to the soap. ¡°S-Should I wash your back¡­?¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Anna was currently using a sponge tother some soap on her legs to wash them when she suddenly heard the voice of the jaguar behind her. ¡°Y-You haven¡¯t done that since we were kids!¡± ¡°W-Why do you think I stopped doing that¡­?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The princess then remembered that Ari had confessed to being in love with her for several years already. ¡°Now, though¡­¡± The jaguar paused for a second. ¡°Now, t-things have changed again¡­¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Anna closed her eyes while tilting her head. ¡°O-Okay, please wash my b-back¡­¡± ¡°dly!¡± With a considerable amount of joy in her voice, Ari grabbed another sponge and generously soaked it with soap. Afterward, she brushed her hair to the side and gently pressed it against Anna¡¯s upper back, right below her nape, and slowly moved it up and down to clean her backside. ¡°Ahn~.¡± Apparently, the princess was enjoying the situation a lot. ¡°A-Ah, did I use too much force¡­?¡± ¡°N-No¡­ Not at all¡­¡± She slightly shook her head. ¡°In fact, it was just p-perfect¡­¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°G-Good.¡± Afterward, Ari continued to gently clean Anna¡¯s back while enjoying the faint moans she could asionally hear. This continued for a few moments before she eventually ced the sponge away again. ¡°All done~.¡± ¡°T-Thank you very much¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± After the jaguar was finished, an awkward silence suddenly filled the bathroom. ¡°S-Should¡­ Should I do the front, as well¡­?¡± Ari decided to try her luck. ¡°I-I can do that on my own¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face immediately lit up even more. ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I asked¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger closed her eyes again. A few secondster, she turned around and gingerly presented herself to the jaguar. ¡°P-Please¡­¡± Her eyes were still closed, though. ¡°¡­¡± Getting a close-up view of everything about the princess, the glistening-wet princes, one has to add, Ari cked out for a second before she eventually pped her cheeks to regain focus. Afterward, she grabbed the sponge from before and rinsed it with fresh warm water before applying a generous amount of soap to it. Hesitating for a few seconds, she gently pressed the sponge against Anna¡¯s chest. ¡°Ahn~.¡± The moment Ari¡¯s sponge, together with a few of her fingers, came in contact with her, a sweet moan escaped Anna¡¯s mouth before she quickly bit down on her lower lip to prevent further noise from escaping. ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, Ari¡¯s sanity continued to visibly decrease while her expression turned slightly feverish. Trying her best to retain herst bit of calmness, she continued to clean Anna¡¯s chest with her sponge in a circr motion until everything was covered in a thickyer of bubbles from the soap. Once her chest area was dealt with, the jaguar moved towards Anna¡¯s stomach and did the same time there. Still, after hearing yet another sweet moan from the tiger, which seemed to be sounding much more yearning this time, she retreated her hands while putting the sponge away. ¡°I-I think I¡¯m done¡­ Y-You should be good to go to do the rest yourself.¡± She stole a quick nce at the area between Anna¡¯s legs. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­ No, I am certain that I¡¯m not able to clean you down there without¡­ without anything else happening. I-I won¡¯t be able to hold back¡­¡± With her entire face glowing in a crimson hue, Ari turned her head away as she had reached her limit. ¡°¡­¡± The princess needed a moment to answer. ¡°T-That¡¯s okay¡­ You don¡¯t¡­ have to.¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± Even though she sounded ever so slightly relieved, the sound of disappointment was just as, if not even more apparent in her voice. ¡°N-No¡­¡± Anna then suddenly shook her head. ¡°That''s not what I meant... You¡­ You don¡¯t have to hold back¡­¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± This time, she nodded her head instead. ¡°In¡­ In fact, p-please don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Immediately after, Ari¡¯s eyes shot open, and she jumped at the tiger in an instant. Any remains of her restraints had left the room. Wrapping her hands around Anna¡¯s neck, she pressed her body against the taller girl while immediately giving her a deep kiss on the lips. The princess was shocked for a moment over just how eager the jaguar was. Still, she got over it in less than a second and first returned the hug before pressing her lips even stronger against those of the ck-haired girl. [copse] ---------------- ... .. . Way over an hour, almost two even, had passed since the couple had entered the bathroom, and they had just left it again. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Somehow, their mood had gotten a little awkward again. ¡°W-We did it again¡­¡± While dressed in a towel only, Anna was sitting on Ari¡¯s bed while pressing her hands against her face to hide her deep blush from being embarrassed. ¡°T-Twice, actually¡­¡± Her expression was quite simr. The jaguar was standing in front of the tiger and was currently in the middle of putting on her usual maid uniform. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry about that¡­¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°T-This time¡­ Err, t-those times, it really was just as much, if not more, my fault¡­¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± Ari¡¯s lips formed into a smile. ¡°A-After all, I¡¯m not¡­ not actually sorry about it.¡± ¡°I-Idiot¡­¡± ¡°E-Ehehe~.¡± It seemed that this time, the awkwardness didn¡¯t seem to be quite as strong as thest time. ¡°S-Should I get some clothes for you¡­?¡± She nced on the floor next to her bed where their pajamas from the previous night were lying. ¡°T-Those might need a wash first¡­ A thorough one¡­¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna¡¯s embarrassment increased once more. ¡°P-Please do that¡­¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Putting on thest bits of her uniform, Ari then walked over to the door of her room. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best and hurry!¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± Still wearing only the towel wrapped around her body, she then let herself fall down on the bed beneath her. ¡°A-Ah!¡± Only to immediately spring up again. ¡°Urgh¡­ M-Maybe also grab some fresh bedsheets¡­¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± Awkwardly scratching her cheek, the jaguar finally opened the door but quickly stopped again once she saw something on the floor right in front of it. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ There¡¯s a bag in front of the door¡­¡± ¡°A bag¡­?¡± Anna just tilted her head. ¡°Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Reaching for it, a letter suddenly fell out of it. "Oh?"
Dear daughter of ours, we¡¯re happy to hear that things are finally working out with your beloved princess. We were rooting for you the entire time, after all. Congrattions. We are not so sure that there was a need to announce it so openly to everyone, though. You and the princess might not be aware of it, but the wooden doors of most rooms in the building aren¡¯t overly thick. Also, thanks to the echo of the long corridors connecting the wings of the castle, sound travels incredibly far. For the next time, we advise the two of you to keep that in mind. Anyway, there is an assortment of spare clothes for our dear princess in the bag here. We¡¯re sure she will appreciate a set of them. --- P.S.: Once you¡¯re awake and have freshened up, we¡¯d like to see you. Both of you. Love, Mom&Mom
¡°W-What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Seeing that Ari had suddenly sunken down on her knees while her face had lost all of its colors, Anna started to panic. ¡°K-Kill me¡­¡± The jaguar only replied in a soft mutter.
Chapter 263 – Running away Chapter 263 ¨C Running away Anna and Ari''s first night as a couple had gotten a bit further than either of them had expected. Thanks to that, the morning after was a little awkward. The awkwardness didn''tst for too long, though, and they eventually went to take a bath together because they wanted and needed to freshen up a little. While things once more had gotten a little out of hand during that time, the two were eventually done and clean again. Afterward, the jaguar wanted to go to Anna¡¯s room to get some fresh clothes for the tiger as the ones she had on the night before weren¡¯t exactly wearable at the moment. Things had taken a turn for the worse then, though. Ari had found a letter from her parents in front of her room. In it, they had congratted them for finally bing a couple but also mentioned that half of the castle had heard them during the night as the echoes of sound were apparently able to travel really far through the long corridors. ---------------- ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± A little while had passed since Ari had found the letter from her parents in front of her room where she had spent the night with Anna. Immediately afterward, she ran away and was currently standing at the entrance of Sophia''s and Maya''s mansion without saying a single word to them while holding two bags. ¡°Err¡­¡± Not sure what to do about this situation, the blonde eventually tried to address the silent girl standing before them while looking down at her feet. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Hearing her voice, Ari finally lifted her head and stared at the tiger with tears in the corners of her eyes. ¡°C-Can¡­ Can I move in and live here¡­ I-I don''t want to go back to the castle¡­¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar needed a moment. ¡°S-Stuff¡­ happened, and now it''s¡­ I can''t face anyone there ever again¡­ It will be too awkward for me to handle¡­¡± ¡°Maya!¡± The tiger looked at her cat. ¡°Go and get Anna right now! If she isn''t here in the next 15 minutes, I¡¯ll go and get her myself! I might also kill her, though!¡± She sounded a little upset. ¡°You will not kill her.¡± She only stared back at her. ¡°Oh, I wouldn''t be so sure about that.¡± ¡°No, I mean that she''s already long dead by the time you show up.¡± Maya started cracking her knuckles while giving her reply. ¡°Oh, okay then.¡± The blonde was happy with that answer. ¡°S-Stop!¡± Hearing the couple¡¯s conversation, Ari started panicking and tried to stop them. ¡°I-It¡¯s not because of A-Anna that I can''t live there anymore¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The two seemingly calmed down a little and tilted their heads in return. ¡°A-Actually, Anna wants to live here, too¡­ S-She¡¯s just not here yet because she''s buying a big cake for the two of you as a bribe¡­ It¡¯s, uhh¡­ It¡¯s too embarrassing for b-both of us to live there anymore¡­¡± "I take everything back! I like the sound of that!" Sophia started smiling broadly. "Just what happened...?" Maya was still confused, though. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Ari looked down again while fidgeting for a while. Eventually, she looked at the tiger and stared at her with upturned eyes. ¡°¡­¡± It seemed like she only wanted to tell her for the time being. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Understanding that, the cat-girl gave up. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for the princess, then. Sophia, take her somewhere and find out what¡¯s going on¡­¡± "dly!" She sounded highly motivated. After all, she loved everything about it. ¡°Has Chloe mentioned when she¡¯s nning toe back?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Still, as she took both wolves with her for the shopping trip, I''m sure they won''t be returning anytime soon. We have plenty of time." ¡°Chloe¡­?¡± Ari was unable to follow them. ¡°Perfect!¡± pping once in delight, the blonde then grabbed Ari¡¯s hand and quickly dragged her upstairs while ignoring the question she had. ---------------- The duo went to the couple¡¯s bedroom and gotfortable on the little sofa they had there. The moment they had sat down, Sophia had immediately turned to face the jaguar and was staring at her with sparkling and expectant-looking eyes. ¡°I-I don¡¯t like how excited you are¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Ari hung her head again. ¡°I want to know everything! Why do you two want to move in here?! What happened?!¡± "A-Anna and I, uhh¡­ we¡­ we¡­ S-Something embarrassing happened¡­¡± ¡°My favorite!¡± Sophia got even giddier. ¡°Did you kiss her?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar turned her head away from her and paused for a moment. A little whileter, she finally reacted with a weak nod. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Finally!¡± The blonde liked the reaction a lot. ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blush on her cheeks continued to increase with each passing moment. ¡°W-We just came back from having a bath and rxed a little on my bed while l-lying next to each other¡­ S-Somehow, Anna was feeling really p-yful¡­ even more so than usual. She kept p-poking and tickling me¡­ At one point, I finally had enough and c-climbed on top of her while p-pushing her down and restraining her arms to make her stop¡­¡± ¡°And then you just went for it?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She gave her a weak nod. "W-When Anna was lying below me¡­ she was blushing just as much as I did¡­ Her pajamas¡­ they had be quite undone, as well and¡­ and I saw a lot¡­ She was beautiful in that embarrassed and disheveled state¡­" The jaguar made another slight pause while audible gulping. "I stopped being a dense idiot¡­ gently lifted her chin and¡­ and I just kissed her¡­" ¡°Way to go!¡± The blonde looked incredibly happy for her. "Did you also confess?" ¡°Yes¡­¡± She nodded again. ¡°R-Right after we parted again¡­¡± ¡°Amazing! Did she return it, as well?¡± ¡°S-She did¡­ Right after I k-kissed her the second time¡­¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Sophia looked impressed. ¡°You really stopped being dense there, huh?¡± ¡°I did, yes¡­¡± ¡°How was it? How did it feel.¡± ¡°Amazing.¡± Her reply came in an instant. ¡°Anna¡¯s lips are incredibly soft¡­ So is her t-tongue¡­ warm and s-slippery, too.¡± ¡°Oho?¡± Sophia grinned at her. ¡°You went for the extra mile, huh? Directly going for a deep kiss so soon sure is something. Good job!¡± She gave her a thumb up. ¡°Uhhh¡­ y-yes¡­¡± The jaguar looked incredibly awkward all of a sudden. After all,pared to what happened afterward, a deep kiss was a rtively innocent activity. ¡°Hmm?¡± She got a little confused by her reaction but then simply continued to question the jaguar. "What a great start to your rtionship! How often did you two do it afterward?" ¡°E-Eh?¡± Any fleeting remains of Ari¡¯s calmness had finally left her as her entire face had burst into mes. ¡°Come on, tell me~.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± She fidgeted for a while longer before eventually admitting it. ¡°Between that anding here¡­ A-About four t-times¡­¡± ¡°You are impressive!¡± The tiger sounded even prouder than before. ¡°You also sure took a liking to kissing her fast, huh?¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± The jaguar managed to look even more embarrassed now. ¡°N-No, we kissed way more than that¡­¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Sophia needed a moment. ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Ari immediately covered her face with her hands to hide her blush. ¡°Wait, what¡­?¡± She stared at the ck-haired girl with widely open eyes. ¡°You¡­ You had sex with her¡­? Four times even?!¡± "¡­" Ari didn''t answer at first. "D-Depending on how you define¡­ s-sex¡­ we might''ve actually have d-done it five times¡­" ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± The blonde sounded excited for a moment. "Wait, what?!" There were more pressing matters going on, so she had to suppress her curiosity for the time being. ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had to take another pause. ¡°I-I first made Anna d-do me¡­ Then, I had my turn¡­ On the next morning¡­ each of us¡­ had another turn in the bath¡­. The third t-time in the bath, that one was a little, uhh¡­ d-don¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Huh...?¡± Sophia was still trying to wrap her head around it. ¡°Are you messing with me right now¡­?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°You drove me insane for weeks because you were too dense to see the obvious with your princess, and I had to keep pushing you to even cling to her, and then¡­ once you finally kissed her, you immediately jumped to have sex with her?! Like rabbits in heat, I want to add?!" ¡°¡­¡± Ari reacted with yet another slight nod. ¡°I-It just h-happened¡­¡± ¡°It just happened?!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Four or five times in one day?!¡± "T-Technically, it was two days..." "It took Maya and me weeks, if not months, to finally do it!" She suddenly sounded envious. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± She raised her voice once more. ¡°We also only did it once that night because everyone¡¯s first time is a clumsy mess, and it gets so awkward that you need a while to recover from it!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari just looked at her. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°WHAT¡¯S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!¡± She managed to get even louder. ¡°I-It¡¯s true that I needed to recover for a little bit¡­ but¡­ but that was only because Anna¡­ S-She managed to, uhh... l-let''s just say she knows what she''s d-doing after I made her... err... start on me...¡± Ari was covering her face again while exining the situation. ¡°Afterward, I had lost all of my strength, so I needed like ten minutes¡­ before I, uhh¡­ w-went for Anna¡­ Once she was¡­ both of us were so e-exhausted that we immediately fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms minutester¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde was speechless. ¡°T-The same happened the morning after¡­ A-After each of us had their t-turn in the bath, w-we got so into it that we w-went at it a third t-time where we e-experimented on an idea we had¡­¡± "Why is that so different from my first time with Maya?!" The tiger was holding her face while looking slightly depressed. ¡°W-Why was ours so awkward and kinda weird when yours was basically overflowing with lust and whatnot?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­?¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure what to say in this situation. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore¡­¡± Sophia suddenly looked extremely embarrassed and turned her head away from the jaguar with a pouting and slightly upset expression. Afterward, the two had to take a break because the tiger needed to nurse her shattered ego.
Chapter 264 – Surpassed expectations Chapter 264 ¨C Surpassed expectations Ari had arrived at the couple''s mansion, and Sophia had directly started questioning her about the Anna situation. The tiger was incredibly proud that she managed to kiss the princess and also confessed to her. Afterward, once the blonde found out that the two actually had sex immediately afterward, not to mention that it happened multiple times and somehow had no simrity to the somewhat awkward and clumsy first experience Sophia and Maya had together, things got a little weird between them. While all of this was going upstairs in the mansion, the floor below had gotten lively as well once Anna had finally shown up. ¡°Wee~.¡± With a big smile on her lips, Maya happily gestured the princess inside once she had greeted her at the entrance door where she was already waiting for her. ¡°H-Hello¡­¡± Anna looked incredibly awkward. ¡°I-I brought cake¡­¡± She held up a big white box while saying so. ¡°You have no idea how little I care about that right now.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like how excited the cat-girl seemed. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the living room~.¡± "O-Okay¡­" Weakly nodding her head, she followed after Maya, and the duo gotfortable on two of the sofas while facing each other. ¡°So~?¡± Once they were sitting down, the cat focused all of her attention on the princess. ¡°Is there something you want to tell me~?¡± She had thought about sitting right next to her, but this way, she could stare at her more easily to get a reaction out of the princess. ¡°Uhh¡­ I-Is Sophia around¡­? I think I¡¯d rather talk to her¡­¡± Anna really didn¡¯t like how excited the other girl seemed to be. ¡°She¡¯s currently questioning Ari upstairs.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t a big fan of that, either. ¡°First¡­ would you like some cake¡­?¡± Anna pointed at the big white box ced in front of them on the coffee table. "A-Actually, you can have all of it if you let Ari and me live here from now on¡­" ¡°Oh, am I getting bribed right now?¡± The cat-girl smirked at her. ¡°Yes!¡± The princess didn¡¯t try to beat around the bush. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a whole cake every day if that makes you say yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯d get fat from that, idiot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever else you want me to do!¡± She looked desperate. ¡°Just say yes!¡± ¡°I ept payments in interesting stories.¡± Maya''s smirk increased even more. "The juicier they are, the higher the chance I let you stay here~." "A-Any alternatives¡­?¡± ¡°None.¡± She just shook her head. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The already apparent blush on Anna¡¯s cheeks increased even more. ¡°I¡¯m waiting~.¡± There was just no way the cat-girl would ever let her go. ¡°Why do you two want to live here, anyway? I mean, I love our mansion, but for the first princess of this nation, this is a clear downgrade.¡± ¡°O-Overall, it¡¯s warmer here, though¡­¡± ¡°You win that round.¡± She had to give it to her. ¡°So?¡± ¡°S-Something embarrassing happened¡­¡± The princess covered her face with her hands. ¡°Something so¡­ so¡­ very embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°I love the sound of that!¡± She even leaned forward in anticipation while urging her to continue. ¡°Details!¡± ¡°I-I hate you¡­¡± ¡°Quite the thing to say by someone who wants to live here.¡± ¡°I love you!¡± Anna quickly changed her mind. ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± The cat-girl leaned forward even more. ¡°If you love me so much, get to talking already!¡± ¡°No, I actually do hate you after all¡­" "Ehehe~." ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± At longst, the tiger finally gave up. ¡°W-Where should I start¡­?¡± ¡°From the very beginning!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°Are you and Ari finally¡­? Have you listened to me and kissed her?! You better have because else, I''m going to drag your jaguar down from upstairs right now and make you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°D-Does it still counts if she k-kissed me first¡­?¡± ¡°It absolutely does!¡± She showed her a genuine smile for a change. ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± ¡°It really was about time! How did it happen?¡± "W-We were in Ari''s room and rxed on her bed as usual after our bath¡­ I felt a little yful and started p-poking and tickling her at some point¡­ Her reactions are a-adorable because she doesn¡¯t like being tickled~.¡± She let out a small chuckle while admitting so. "A-Also, while Ari is kind of smallpared to me and also super thin, she''s still very squishy~. She feels amazing to touch! You should try it when you have the chance! NO! WAIT! You ABSOLUTELY should not!¡± The princess noticed that she had said that without thinking. ¡°NO touching my Ari!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry.¡± The cat-girl waved her hand. ¡°I have my own surprisingly squishy girl to y with whenever I want.¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± ¡°So, what happened then?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ Ari got a little upset and tried to stop me¡­ She¡­ She p-pushed me down on the bed while c-climbing on top of me¡­ I got super embarrassed because my pajama top had be rather undone thanks to that¡­ I was, uhh¡­ showing off a lot in that situation¡­ especially because I might¡­ might¡¯ve not been wearing a bra at that moment¡­¡± ¡°My, what a pervert.¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°I-I also couldn¡¯t do anything in that situation¡­ Ari was on t-top of me¡­ p-pinning me down while restraining my wrists and¡­ noticing how hard she was s-staring at me¡­ I could only look away while trying my best not to cbust into mes¡­¡± "What a lovely scene to imagine~.¡± ¡°Also, incredible e-embarrassing¡­¡± Her face turned even redder. ¡°So, where¡¯s the good part?¡± "A-After a little while, Ari suddenly said my name in an incredibly s-sweet voice while gently turning my face with her hand so that I would look at her again¡­¡± She had to take yet another break before continuing. ¡°Then, without any warning whatsoever¡­ she suddenly just k-kissed me¡­¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± Maya liked what she was hearing. ¡°Ari¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough?!¡± Anna felt like she had suffered enough already from the questioning. ¡°I haven¡¯t even properly warmed up yet.¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± She hung her head again. ¡°Once we¡­ we p-parted again, she immediately c-confessed to me¡­¡± ¡°Way to go! Good job, Sophia. Ari, you, too!¡± ¡°W-Why are you praising Sophia here¡­?¡± ¡°Who do you think managed to beat the dense out of your jaguar?¡± "A-Ah¡­ I see¡­ I better thank herter, too¡­¡± ¡°You better! So, I bet that wasn¡¯t all yet, right? What happened after her confession? You better have probably returned it!¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ She first kissed me again¡­ D-Does that count for something¡­?¡± ¡°It absolutely does!¡± Maya repeated her assessment from before. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± Her reply came in an instant. ¡°Ari¡¯s lips are incredibly soft! Her tongue is, too! Warm and slippery, as well!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She noticed that she was just boasting at this point. ¡°I-It was a good k-kiss.¡± ¡°Definitely sounds like it.¡± The cat-girl looked impressed. ¡°Ari wasted no time on that one, huh? Directly going for a deep kiss. Not bad at all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna wasn¡¯t sure what to reply here. ¡°S-She definitely wasted no time¡­¡± Her face was lit on fire again. ¡°Hmm?¡± Maya tilted her head for a second before continuing. ¡°But after that, you finally returned the confession, right?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ She told me that she l-loves me a couple of more times, but¡­ but then I was finally able to s-say it, as well¡­ It was super embarrassing!¡± ¡°But it also made you happy, right?¡± ¡°YES!¡± She showed the cat-girl her brightest smile yet. ¡°What a nice reaction.¡± Maya liked her reply a lot. "I''m delighted that it worked out in the end. Both of you were such a pain, after all¡­" ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The princess hung her head in response. ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t ever be dense when ites to Ari anymore!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that¡­¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t believe her and only rolled her eyes. "I am 100% sure that you''ll be an even bigger idiot once you get horny enough to want to have sex with her.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Hearing that, Anna immediately turned her head away while her entire face turned even more crimson than ever before. ¡°Yeah, yeah, now you get embarrassed about it, but I guarantee you that it''ll happen eventually." She had utterly misinterpreted her reaction. ¡°¡­¡± The tiger was unable to say anything. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± She finally noticed that something was odd here. ¡°Wait a moment¡­ Why are you blushing this hard now? No way. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is there anything else you want to tell me?¡± "A-Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess got loud again. ¡°N-Nothing at all happened after I returned the c-confession, and we kissed again. Let alone t-twice! During our bath the next morning, i-it definitely didn¡¯t happen again, either¡­ Especially not another two and a half t-times¡­¡± "¡­" Maya just stared at her with wide-open eyes for a couple of moments. "I''m sorry, what¡­?" ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna looked like she wanted to die. ¡°I want to know EVERYTHING!¡± The cat-girl leaned forward so much on the sofa that she almost fell off it. ¡°Also, two and a half times¡­? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± ¡°W-Where¡¯s my right of p-privacy¡­?¡± ¡°You have none of that!¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± The princess was saying that a lot today. ¡°Sure~.¡± She only smiled at her again. ¡°By the way, one of our guest rooms is currently in use already, so I might need to reserve the others for emergency guests, you know?¡± ¡°The first princess has run away from the castle and needs a ce to stay. What more emergency guest could there be?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Imagine my parents would decide to visit, and I couldn''t offer them a ce to stay?!" ¡°Your parents areing to the capital?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Maya just shook her head. ¡°Then, shut up!¡± Anna got loud again. ¡°Wait, someone¡¯s currently staying here?!¡± "Don''t worry, she''s out shopping with the wolves right now. You, Ari, Sophia, and I are the only ones here." ¡°G-Good¡­¡± She looked relieved again. "That''s why no one''s going to overhear us when you''re going to tell me everything in great detail~." ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seeing the piercing gaze of the cat-girl, the princess felt like she had no way of getting out of it. ¡°After I returned the confession, we uhhh¡­ we started m-making out again¡­ At some point, Ari suddenly started u-undressing me and¡­ and¡­ I let it h-happen. She k-kissed me all over and eventually t-took my hand to¡­ between her¡­ legs¡­¡± Her voice was barely audible anymore towards the end. ¡°S-So embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I really underestimated that jaguar. ¡°Well, it¡¯s only natural that the first time is super awkward. No need to be embarrassed.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to talk about i-it, but awkward¡­? I¡¯ve never seen Ari so s-sexy¡­ I-I¡¯ll never forget that feverish and yearning e-expression¡­ I-I also never felt as good or¡­ uhh¡­ when Ari¡¯s tongue¡­ down¡­ uuh¡­¡± There seemed to be a lot missing from her sentence because she trailed off a couple of times. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± ¡°I-It was even better during our bath on the following day¡­ this morning¡­ W-Well, the third time in the bath when we tried s-something, that was a little, but it still was a-amazing¡­!¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Maya looked confused all of a sudden and also a little embarrassed. ¡°That sounds like your first time was basically perfectly and easily surpassed all expectations¡­¡± ¡°It absolutely did!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± ¡°N-Nothing¡­¡± ¡°Was it different with you and Sophia?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore.¡± As the roles had reversed a little towards the end, and Maya had suffered from the same blow Sophia did during her conversation with Ari, the cat-girl also needed some time to contemte life.
Chapter 265 – Terribly obvious Chapter 265 ¨C Terribly obvious Just as Sophia had a great time questioning Ari, Maya was having a ton of fun while chatting with Anna and finding out how the duo finally became an official couple. The cat-girl wanted to hear all the details, but she got more than she bargained for. While their first time wasn¡¯t exactly bad,pared to what the new couple experienced, it might as well have been, after all. ¡°Hey, I brought the pervert with me. Can we switch to a group chat?" Sophia, while dragging Ari behind her by holding her hand because the jaguar seemed to be trying her best not to follow her, had arrived in the living room. "Maya, I can''t deal with her on my own anymore. I need some-¡­ Oh." She only then noticed that her cat seemed equally overwhelmed after having had her chat with the princess. ¡°Hey!¡± The ck-haired pervert, who was currently trying to free herself from Sophia''s hand, got loud. ¡°Give me one reason not to call you one.¡± The blonde lightly red at her. ¡°¡­¡± Ari only hung her head. ¡°Good.¡± It was exactly the reaction she wanted. ¡°Alright, go and sit down with your equally perverted girlfriend. Maya, I need you for a second.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The other pervert, the royal one, also got loud. ¡°Shut up.¡± Now it was the cat-girl¡¯s time to re at the princess before looking at Sophia. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Also hanging her head in response, Anna then patted down the spot next to her on the sofa, indicating that Ari shoulde to her. ¡°¡­¡± Without saying a word, the jaguar was finally allowed to leave, as Sophia had let go of her hand, and joined the other tiger on the sofa. ¡°Have you also had an, uhh¡­ interesting conversation with the jaguar¡­?¡± Maya had walked over to her tiger and looked at her with a slightly tired expression. ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly. Very lightly¡­¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Say¡­ Why did it take so long for our first time, not to mention how awkward it was when those two went at it like rabbits the moment they confessed¡­?" ¡°I have no idea¡­ Not even the slightest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous!¡± Sophia¡¯s real issue with the situation leaked out. "Weren''t you saying that we shouldn''t rush things? While I''m not such a pervert who would''ve done it immediately after having confessed to you¡­¡± For some reason, Maya raised her voice quite a bit during that part again before lowering it again. ¡°I was giving you hints way before we finally did it.¡± "¡­" Anna and Ari, having heard that specific part, hung their heads even further. "A-Ah¡­¡± So did the blonde. ¡°E-Even so, why were we so awkward when theirs was just intense? I thought you were the biggest pervert around?" ¡°Hey!¡± Now it was Maya¡¯s time toin. ¡°Well, it seems like those two are clearly the bigger perverts!¡± ¡°For sure!¡± Sophia also raised her voice. ¡°¡­¡± The couple still was unable to say anything. ¡°Well¡­¡± The cat-girl then scratched her cheek. ¡°To be fair, they grew up together and have known each other for their entire lives. Compared to that, we were actually quite fast. We first had to learn to trust each other, after all. Not to mention that while you had already gotten much better back then, you were still quite the mess when it came to getting embarrassed.¡± ¡°F-Fair point¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s cheeks turned slightly red to prove the point. "You are right. With all of it¡­ Also, while the two perverts'' first time sounds like it was amazing, our awkward experience will always be a fond memory of mine~.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The cat-girl felt the same. ¡°Alright!¡± Having dealt with that issue, the tiger then looked at the couple on the sofa with a big smile. ¡°Sorry about that. Because you two are such gigantic perverts, Maya and I needed to have a little chat first.~¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Whenever she heard the word, the blush on Anna¡¯s face increased. ¡°I-Is there really a need for all this t-teasing¡­?¡± Ari was also blushing. ¡°J-Just because we couldn¡¯t hold back¡­? Or is it because we had a more i-intense f-first time¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, we can put a hold on that topic for now.¡± While not answering the question, Maya, together with Sophia, sat down on the sofa opposite the couple. "Though, I''ll eventually get back to the experiment you two had in the bath Anna mentioned. I''m really interested in that.¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about that. I made Ari tell me earlier after I recovered from the shock.¡± Sophia looked at her. ¡°Those two really are something else! Even we haven¡¯t done that yet!¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The cat-girl looked surprised. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everythingter.¡± She gave her a thumbs up. "Ireallywant to try it, too!" ¡°Perfect!¡± "A-Ari!¡± The princess raised her voice again. ¡°W-Why did you tell her?!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! It, uhh¡­ it just happened¡­¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t face her while admitting it. "You said that a lot while telling me everything that happened during thest day.¡± Sophia just looked at her. "A-Ah¡­¡± Ari had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°I look forward to it~.¡± Maya smiled at the blonde before eventually facing the new couple again. ¡°I get that it was a lot because you two absolutely gave it your best, but I still don¡¯t get why the two of you don¡¯t want to live in the castle anymore¡­¡± ¡°Right!" The tiger then also focused on the two. "Ari also never told me about that it in the end¡­" ¡°¡­¡± The two turned silent again. ¡°Can it really be even more intimate and or embarrassing than what you told us already¡­?¡± Sophia just tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s at least five times worse!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°How is that even possible?¡± Maya also didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°W-When Anna and I were¡­ were, uhh¡­ c-celebrating finally having be a couple¡­ the only thing we paid attention to was each other and¡­¡± The jaguar needed a short break and rummaged in one of her pockets for a moment. ¡°H-Here, my parents left this letter in front of my room¡¯s door the morning after¡­¡± "Let''s see¡­" Sophia grabbed the piece of paper before reading it together with Maya, who was looking over it next to her, as well. ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Her face turned red just reading it. ¡°That is¡­ wow¡­¡± Even Maya was affected by it. ¡°E-Earlier, when we left the castle¡­¡± Anna was holding her face again while she tried to add something to the story. ¡°Everyone¡­ A-Absolutely everyone was staring at us¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get fresh bedding ready for one of the guest rooms.¡± Sophia felt extremely sorry for them. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind it, either¡­¡± The cat-girl gave them a nod. ¡°It might be a good idea to let it cool down a couple of days, but¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure you have to face it eventually. I mean, your parents even wrote that they want to see you, and parents can be quite the persistent bunch." ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Ari reacted with a weak nod. ¡°I-I just can¡¯t meet them right now¡­ I¡¯d die¡­ If they left the letter at my room¡­ that means¡­ that means that they were right on the other side of the door when Anna and I¡­ when we¡­ loud enough for half of the castle to hear¡­¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought about that yet!¡± The princess¡¯ face managed to turn even redder. ¡°I want to die!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Now now¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure what to say. "T-Those two are also best friends with mother, so she most likely already knows about it, too." ¡°If she hasn¡¯t heard it herself.¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Not helping, Maya!¡± Sophia instantly red at her. ¡°Also, Kira already knew that you two are in love with each other. In fact, she told us that she¡¯s aware of Ari liking our dense princess for years already.¡± "Seriously?!" The jaguar''s face lit on fire as well again. ¡°How was that any more helpful now?¡± Maya looked back at her tiger. "A-Ah.¡± She noticed her mistake. ¡°Stay as long as you want, you two.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The cat-girl only nodded. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The couple was grateful for it. ¡°I guess that means you¡¯re going to meet Chloe when shees backter today, huh?¡± Sophia changed the topic. ¡°She¡¯s also staying here right now, after all.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Chloe¡­?¡± Ari tilted her head. "A fox-girl we met in the vige we mentioned the other day. She wanted to go to the capital again, so we just took her with us. Don''t worry, she''s a great girl!¡± ¡°She¡¯s also a bit of a pervert, so you should be fast friends.¡± Maya just couldn¡¯t let a chance pass. "I-I see¡­" The jaguar seemed to have mixed feelings about it. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I was actually hoping to rx and not have to hold back when staying here¡­" ¡°You really don¡¯t have to hold back.¡± The blonde just waved her hand. ¡°She''s incredibly sweet and friendly. Also, she already knows that the two of you are in love with each other.¡± ¡°She knows?!¡± Ari got loud again. ¡°You told a stranger about it?!¡± "Not really." Sophia shook her head. "I told her about Anna because she''s a fellow tiger, and Chloe asked about her jaguar girlfriend because she loves your hair, Ari¡­¡± "She only saw the two of you walking around in the capital a few times when she was visiting, and that was all she needed to see that you two love each other." Anna stared at the two. "That''s how bad both of you were at hiding your feelings." ¡°¡­¡± The couple was speechless. ¡°That really says a lot about how frustrated you made Maya and me, huh?¡± The blonde had to rub salt in the wound. ¡°W-We¡¯re terribly sorry¡­¡± ¡°As long as you understand.¡± As it turned out well in the end, the duo wasn¡¯t really all that mad about it. ¡°You two really are soo very bad at hiding it.¡± ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± Ari got a little pouty. ¡°I managed to hide it for years, you know¡­? It only got too bad once I identally told Sophia about it¡­¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Maya just looked at her. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°I bet this Chloe is just super sharp!¡± "Hmm¡­" The cat-girl tilted her head. "Kira aside, I guess all the girls in the academy are quite sharp as well, then." ¡°W-What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like the sound of that. "Well, on our first day there, when I went to the bathroom, I got swarmed by a group of girls trying to ask me about Sophia. All of them got extremely disappointed that she was taken by me whileining that all the tigers are already spoken for. Mumbling how they had given up on the princess because her maid was so obviously in love with her and how their one hope of a striped girlfriend got crushed again." ¡°Why haven¡¯t I noticed anything about that in the school¡­?¡± Sophia looked confused. "Because you''ve slept through most, if not all of it." "Ahh¡­" As it sounded like her, the blonde stoppedining. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Ari looked terrified. "A-Anna, can we take some days off from the academy, as well¡­?" ¡°Normally, I¡¯d say dly, now more than ever¡­¡± The princess didn¡¯t seem like she was looking forward to it, either. ¡°Unfortunately, Eluna needs me again starting Monday for the advanced magic teachings. As that needs to spread among the folk as soon as possible, I can¡¯t be skipping on that. Sorry.¡± ¡°W-Why are you taking your princess duties seriously now?!¡± ¡°I always do when it¡¯s important!¡± Anna didn¡¯t like that retort. ¡°Making the kingdom a better ce by teaching the folk something useful that benefits them is the most important there is!¡± ¡°Right, that is true¡­¡± Ari hung her head. ¡°Stupid easygoing but dutiful tigers¡­¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Both tigers raised their voices. Afterward, as the group, first and foremost Ari, had gotten a little tired, they decided to take another small break for the time being.
Chapter 266 – Making it worse Chapter 266 ¨C Making it worse Ari had shown Sophia and Maya the letter from her parents in which they mentioned that half the castle had heard them during their first night as a couple together. After having heard that, the two felt so sorry for them that they agreed to let them stay in their mansion for a while until everything cooled down a bit. ¡°I¡¯m back~!¡± Roughly an hour had passed since the group had decided to take a break from the whole rtionship chat when they heard the front door open before the voice of a cheerful girl echoed through the entrance hall. "And that''s Chloe." Sophia smiled at the couple before looking towards the door of the living room they were in. "We''re in here!" ¡°Okay!¡± The fox replied to her. ¡°I¡¯ll bring my shopping upstairs and be there in a minute!¡± Immediately after, the group heard her storming up the stairs. ¡°I wonder if she¡¯s trying to hide a bag from that store.¡± Maya found it a little suspicious that she decided to do that first before going to the living room first. ¡°It sounded like she really was in a hurry to go up there~.¡± ¡°Do you think she actually went there?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°What would you have done?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I guess we better not give Anna and Ari the guestroom right next to hers, huh?¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± The cat-girl liked her reply. ¡°What is this about¡­?¡± Anna naturally couldn¡¯t follow their conversation. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Let''s save that for another time." She didn''t feel like talking about that right now. ¡°Okay?¡± She got even more confused. ---------------- ¡°Hello~. Oh?¡± A few minutester, Chloe hade downstairs again and entered the living room. There, her eyes immediately fell on the new couple. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m pleased to meet you! My name¡¯s Chloe. I¡¯m currently staying for a little while with Maya and Sophia as they let me stay in their mansion during my visit of the capital. I¡¯m honored to meet the first princess of this nation and her¡­ maid up close." She had to pause while looking at Ari because the couple was sticking so close together. ¡°She sure has her act together.¡± Sophia sounded impressed while she leaned over to Maya. ¡°Absolutely.¡± She nodded. ¡°Makes one wonder how we befriended her, huh?¡± ¡°Yep, we¡¯replete opposites, after all.¡± ¡°True.¡± The cat-girl had no reason to disagree. ¡°Fluffy!¡± Seeing her for the first time, Anna and even Ari opened their mouths without thinking. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Chloe scratched her cheek while chuckling a little before looking at Maya and her tiger. ¡°See? Everyone has the same reaction.¡± She remembered how the cat-girl felt bad about having done the same. "A-Ah!¡± The jaguar was the first to notice what she had just done. ¡°I-I am really sorry about that! That was terribly rude of me¡­ ¡°It¡¯s totally alright~.¡± The fox-girl waved her hand and moved around her tail a bit. ¡°I am fluffy, after all." While saying so, she sat down on the free sofa and almost fully upied it with her tail alone. "It can be a little inconvenient at times, but I like it and take great pride in it. If anything, it¡¯s apliment for me.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s reassuring to hear¡­¡± She looked a little relieved. ¡°As you seem to know who we are, an introduction might be unnecessary, but not doing it would be rude. It''s nice to meet you, too. My name is Ari, and I''m indeed the private maid of the princess." "More like cosying as that¡­" Sophia leaned over to Maya while saying these words. ¡°Pfft!¡± "Shush!" The jaguar just red at them. ¡°Anna~.¡± The princess¡¯ introduction, funnily enough, was the least formal one. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind the whole princess thing. It¡¯s incredibly tiring¡­¡± "Especially if said princess ran away from home." This time, Maya leaned over to Sophia. ¡°Pfft!¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± It was the exact same exchange as before. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Chloe looked at the gossiping duo as she had naturally heard every single word. ¡°Did something happen¡­?¡± She decided to ignore the cosying part. ¡°S-Something happened at the castle and, uhhh¡­¡± Ari tried to answer her, but her face turned ever so slightly red while she had to squeeze Anna¡¯s hand before continuing. ¡°W-We would rather not go back there for the time being¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­?¡± The fox-girl paused for a moment while looking at the couple, both sticking close together while holding hands and blushing more and more with each passing moment. ¡°Someone got caught during something, huh¡­?¡± She was a sharp one. "¡­" The two in question just turned their heads away while steam rose from their heads. ¡°Congrattions!¡± Chloe started smiling instead. ¡°I was really confused when Sophia told me that you two aren¡¯t a couple. It looked very different to me the few times I saw the two of you when I was in the capital before. I guess her information was a little outdated?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t outdated when I corrected you!¡± Sophia felt the need to defend herself. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just one or two days ago when you said it?" She tilted her head while looking at the blonde. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Anna reluctantly faced the fox. ¡°It¡­ it h-happened yesterday¡­¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Chloe¡¯s smile got even brighter. ¡°That¡¯s lovely! Again, congrattions!¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The new couple had a hard time dealing with the overly cheerful and bubbly girl right now. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± While continuing to stare at the new couple, the fox-girl eventually turned her head, seemingly wanting to ask something. ¡°Is¡­ Is there something you want to know¡­?¡± Ari also had recovered a little and nced back at her. ¡°Well¡­¡± Chloe seemed reluctant about it. ¡°I feel like I will make things worse if I ask, so I better keep it to myself for now¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that¡­¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia also looked like she wanted to know something while facing her fellow tiger friend. ¡°I tend to forget about it, not to mention that the two of you were a thing in my eyes for quite a while already, but¡­ Isn¡¯t it actually a REALLY huge deal for the first princess of the nation to enter a rtionship¡­? I kinda assume ites with all sorts of responsibilities and whatnot?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted to ask, too!¡± Chloe raised her voice. ¡°It totally is like that, isn¡¯t it? Royalty, especially when it¡¯s the first princess, entering a rtionship, that has to be something special, right?! Like themitment one has to have, for example? Being even ready for marriage or something like that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, the princess hung her head before covering her face with her hands. ¡°Mnnnghh¡­¡± A muffled groan was all that could be heard from her afterward. ¡°And that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to ask¡­¡± With an awkward expression, the fox then nced at Sophia. "A-Ah.¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°I-I¡¯m pretty sure your additions to themitment only made it worse, though¡­¡± "A-Ah.¡± Chloe had the same reaction. ¡°Idiots¡­¡± Maya addressed both of them. ¡°¡­¡± They had nothing to defend themselves with. "Ari¡­" After a little while, Anna whispered her name without even looking at her. ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± ¡°About that traveling idea we had earlier with just the two of us¡­ How about we actually do that¡­? Like, right now?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°How¡¯s eloping going to help with anything here?!¡± This time, Maya got loud. ¡°Especially when the queen and Ari¡¯s parents already gave their consent?!¡± ¡°Now now,¡± Chloe focused on the cat-girl. "Eloping isn''t just for when your parents are against your rtionship or marriage. Most do that because they don¡¯t feel like dealing with a huge ceremony where you have to invite distant family members you haven¡¯t seen in years or friends you stopped caring about a long time ago just to keep up an image instead of just doing what you and your partner want. It¡¯s about you, not them, after all.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Sounds like a fun alternative, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The fox-girl apparently was a fan of it. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Maya kept nodding. ¡°Not sure if I would prefer it because I love my family, but it definitely sounds enticing!¡± ¡°Do I like this conversation¡­?¡± Sophia had some mixed feelings about it. ¡°How would you do it, then?¡± Chloe then looked at the blonde instead. ¡°That wasn¡¯t really my issue here¡­¡± She was more wondering what it meant hearing all that from her girlfriend. ¡°Well, whatever¡­ It¡¯s hard to say for me, actually¡­¡± The tiger paused for a moment. ¡°Even if I¡¯d love to, I don¡¯t have any family left to invite, so¡­ Also, with the friends and acquaintances I currently have, a room like our living room here would be more than enough¡­ That¡¯s why, it would be up to my partner to decide how big or small the ceremony would be as I can¡¯t contribute much to the numbers right now¡­" ¡°¡­¡± Chloe and Maya looked at each other for a couple of moments. "A big ceremony does sound like fun, too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The duo had changed their minds. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that, either. ¡°T-That¡¯s!¡± Once the trio was done with their chat, Anna eventually raised her voice with a bright red face. ¡°That¡¯s not at all what I was talking about!¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The three immediately started to awkwardly scratch their cheeks in perfect sync. ¡°I just want to get away from here and have some fun with Ari without having to care about anything because it has be such a hassle in the castle!¡± ¡°Sounds an awful lot like Chloe¡¯s interpretation of eloping, though.¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± She got loud. Really loud. Afterward, as things had taken quite an unexpected turn, it was time for another break so everyone could calm down a bit.
Chapter 267 – Deadline Chapter 267 ¨C Deadline Chloe hade back from her shopping trip and met Anna and Ari, who were currently staying in the mansion, as well. As she was a rather likable character, the two got along with her pretty well from the get-go. Unfortunately, because she has a curious nature, just like Sophia, her filter when ites to asking embarrassing questions is just as non-existent. Thanks to that, the princess and her jaguar suffered from many idental blows. It even went so far that the topic of eloping hade up at some point. ¡°By the way,¡± After a little while, Chloe was the first to speak up again after everyone had taken a slight break from the previous conversation. ¡°Is that cake in there?¡± She pointed at the big white box on the coffee table in front of the girls that Anna had ced there before. "I smell chocte. Lots of it. There¡¯s also a hint of hazelnut¡­ and some, let¡¯s see¡­¡± She closed her eye while sniffing the air again. ¡°Raspberries?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The princess looked impressed and happy to change the subject. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡± While saying so, she opened the box. "A chocte cake with a hazelnut cream ganache and decorated with a generous amount of raspberries.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fox for you, huh?¡± Ari also looked at her in admiration. ¡°Your nose is something else.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°I smelled that, too, though?" Sophia tilted her head. "Okay, I wasn''t sure whether it was raspberry or ckberry, but other than that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because you love chocte and fruits¡­ or food in general.¡± Maya just looked at her. ¡°Ah, I see, makes sense.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I do love food, after all.¡± "Is that really how it works¡­?" Chloe wasn¡¯t sure if she could follow that logic. ¡°Should we eat a bit?¡± Anna pointed at the cake again. ¡°Yes!¡± The voices of the fox and Sophia ovepped. ¡°I¡¯ll get some tes.¡± Maya also wanted some. ¡°Thanks!¡± They ovepped once again. "Is it just me, or are the two of you quite simr¡­?" The jaguar nced at the duo with aplicated expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can handle two of that sort.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± They just looked away. ¡°You have no idea¡­¡± The cat-girl let out a sight while rolling her eyes before disappearing towards the kitchen. ¡°It appears that we do share some personality traits, yes.¡± Chloe tried to sound a little academic. ¡°I do believe this to be the case, indeed.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­¡± Ari already had enough. ¡°By the way,¡± The blonde then faced the pink-haired girl. ¡°Where¡¯s Fennyfenny and Aura? You took them with you, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ahh, yeah¡­¡± She nodded once before continuing. ¡°Aura showed me the fluff protect spray for my tail, but they then decided to head out on their own.¡± ¡°Date?¡± ¡°Sounded like it, yeah.¡± Chloe had the same guess. ¡°Must be nice to do that so openly¡­¡± Anna suddenly sounded envious. ¡°You and Ari look like you were doing just that the entire time you¡¯re out, though.¡± Sophia just stared at the couple. "W-Well, that is that, and this is this or however the saying goes¡­" Her face turned slightly red. "N-Now that we are actually t-together¡­ I get self-conscious¡­¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± The fox-girl liked the bashful princess. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s a definite aww~.¡± The blonde joined in. ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Though Fenfen¡¯s also quite adorable.¡± Chloe smiled even more. ¡°It¡¯s still fresh with him and Aura, too, so he also gets all bashful~. He was adorable when Aura decided on their date earlier.¡± ¡°I missed that again?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Eh?!¡± Anna suddenly got confused. "That sounds a little like... Wait, Fen and Aura aren''t dating for multiple years or more already¡­?" ¡°I thought so, too!¡± Ari looked equally confused. ¡°The two look so close and in tune with each other?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde stared at them while slowly shaking her head. ¡°Are you two for real¡­?¡± At the same time, Maya came back from the kitchen, holding some tes, forks, and a knife. "You have no right to notice that with others.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± They only now noticed the issue and immediately hung their heads. ¡°W-We¡¯re sorry¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± Sophia and her cat started smiling again. "A-Anyway, let''s get to the cake!" Anna wanted to change the topic once and for all. ¡°Yay!¡± The blonde and Chloe took the bait immediately. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll cut it.¡± Maya also didn¡¯t want to continue on it. Afterward, she prepared the cake and gave each of the girls a te with a slice of it. ¡°Yummy!¡± Two of them couldn¡¯t wait and immediately went for it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ari, on the other hand, was watching the fox-girl and Sophia while they were happily munching on the cake with aplicated expression. ¡°That¡¯s almost weird¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The cat-girl just nodded. ¡°Almost is putting it lightly.¡± ¡°The cake is super yummy, though!¡± Anna, while having the same blissful expression as the duo while eating her slice of cake, didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°Because you¡¯re the exact opposite of a quirky and easily excitable character, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess decided not to answer that and simply continued to eat her cake. ¡°By the way,¡± Chloe suddenly tilted her head while tilting her head. ¡°Was there a reason for this high-end cake? Or is something like that normal around, uhh¡­ royalty?¡± She nced at the two tigers especially. ¡°Err¡­¡± Anna and Ari only scratched their cheeks. "It''s a bribe," Maya answered her. ¡°The two want to stay here for a while until their¡­ togetherness won''t be causing such a fuss anymore, and they decided to pay Sophia and me with thisvish cake.¡± "A good try, I want to add~." Sophia liked the bribe. Literally, as she was still happily munching on it. ¡°Yep, I would totally ept such a bribe, too~.¡± The fox-girl also took another bite. ¡°The story we got told was just as sweet, though~.¡± The cat-girl had preferred something else. ¡°S-Shush!¡± Anna didn¡¯t want to talk about that. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I think the story was too spicy for a cake~.¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± Ari had the same reaction as her princess. "A fair point.¡± Maya nodded a couple of times while looking at her tiger. ¡°S-Shush!¡± Now the two were in perfect sync. ¡°What actually happened¡­?¡± Chloe got more interested. ¡°It¡¯s fairly easy to see that you got caught during something, but I thought it was during your confession or maybe a kiss¡­? I get the feeling there was a lot more that happened?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The couple naturally didn¡¯t give her an answer. Besides the extreme blush that had appeared on their cheeks in an instant, that is. ¡°Did you get so into it after the confession that you went all the way afterward, and someone walked in on it¡­?" She took a wild guess. ¡°Or did you forget to tone down your voice? I imagine that a castle has some grand hallways where even the slightest bit of sound can easily travel through half of the ce.¡± ¡°¡­¡± With an even brighter blush, the two turned their faces away because they couldn¡¯t look at her anymore. ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s cheeks also turned a little pink because she took it as a clear confirmation. "I-I found a letter from my parents the next day¡­" As there was little reason to hide it anymore, Ari eventually nced at her with a bright red face. "A-Apparently, they and half of the castle had heard us¡­ T-They also wanted to see us, so we decided to, uhh¡­ run away¡­¡± ¡°You better let them stay as long as they want here!¡± The fox-girl immediately addressed Sophia and Maya after hearing that. ¡°Else, I¡¯ll take them to my ce with me!¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The couple was a little happy that she felt so much for them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± The cat-girl answered her. ¡°We already agreed to it. You picked the first guestroom when entering the hallway, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°It was the closest to one of the baths, after all~." ¡°Okay. Anna and Ari can have thest room, then. They''re far enough apart, and now that you know that holding back a little is a good idea, noises shouldn''t be that much of an issue~." ¡°W-We wouldn¡¯t do that in someone else¡¯s ce!¡± While their faces were turning redder once again, the couple got loud. ¡°We don¡¯t mind at all~.¡± Sophia and Maya just smiled at them. ¡°Power yourselves out~.¡± ¡°S-Shut up.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± The cat-girl then nced at the fox-girl with a mischievous expression. ¡°Did you visit the store?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed a moment to think of an answer. ¡°I-I got everything I was rmended¡­ I really can¡¯t wait to test¡­ the fluff protection spray!¡± Her expression was all over the ce during her reply. ¡°I see~.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia also liked the response, but she didn¡¯t feel like teasing her about it. ¡°Back to the staying here topic¡­¡± She then got back to the couple. ¡°I don¡¯t mind that you two stay here for however long you want, just like Chloe,pany¡¯s great, after all!¡± She was happy that the house was so lively. ¡°Still, weren¡¯t your birthdays the week after next¡­? That''s what I heard, at least. You have to show your faces in the castle for that, don¡¯t you¡­?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The couple in question only reacted with yet another groan. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ari weakly nodded. ¡°My birthday¡¯s on the Monday after the next and Anna¡¯s two dayster on Wednesday¡­¡± ¡°Did your parents n that¡­?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s a little too close to be a coincidence, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, they actually did¡­¡± Anna answered her. ¡°Our parents are pretty close, and Ari''s parents wanted to have her for a while already, and after mine decided to have me, they tried to time it¡­¡± ¡°They wanted to have a ymate the same age for their kids¡­¡± The jaguar added a bit to the exnation. ¡°Aww!¡± Sophia and Chloe had the same reaction. ¡°I wonder if it was this type of ymate they had in mind~." Maya''s reaction was a little different. ¡°¡­¡± The two decided not to give her a reply. Judging by their expressions, they also didn¡¯t seem to want to know, either. The whole thing was way too embarrassing enough already. ¡°Even worse¡­¡± The princess eventually looked at Sophia again and returned to the actual topic. "Mother''s birthday is next week already¡­¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s just one birthday after anothertely!¡± The blonde sounded excited. ¡°Maya¡¯s just was, and now there are three moreing up! Chloe, when''s yours?" ¡°It¡¯s still ways off. It''s on March 12th.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± She got even more excited. ¡°Mine¡¯s on the 15th there!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The fox-girl also raised her voice a little after hearing that it¡¯s so close together. "Freaky¡­" Not sure how to feel about them being so simr even there, Maya got back to the initial topic. "You can''t skip the queen''s birthday now, can you?" "Yes¡­" The two only nodded. "We can''t..." ¡°We have a deadline of under a week¡­¡± Saying that, Anna hung her head again, and they decided to have another small break. This time, it was apanied by cake, though.
Chapter 268 – Alternative travel methods Chapter 268 ¨C Alternative travel methods The group continued to have a lively chat about this and that, but the topic somehow always returned to the new couple every now and then, much to their embarrassment. Even Chloe now more or less knew what happened as she seems to be quite good at sniffing out such topics. Anna and Ari nned to stay at the mansion for a while, but it didn''t seem like they could hide there as long as they wanted. Not only were their birthdaysing up soon, but that of the queen also was in less than a week, and they just couldn¡¯t simply skip on either of those. ¡°Haa¡­¡± After she had finished her cake, Anna just let out a sigh. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ari followed right after her. ¡°Hey!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t seem to like that. ¡°Being depressed after having eating cake is not allowed!¡± ¡°Well said!¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°Come on, you two. Yes, the way everyone found out was far from ideal, but everyone was rooting for it to finally happen. You two getting together, that is¡­ Sure, it¡¯ll be embarrassing, but you¡¯ll get over it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar just stared at her for a couple of moments. ¡°What would you have done in our position¡­?¡± ¡°I would be on the demon continent by now.¡± She didn¡¯t even hesitate for a fraction of a second with her answer. ¡°Thanks for the encouragement¡­¡± She just rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, that sounds fun!¡± The fox-girl jumped on her reply. ¡°I wanted to go there for an eternity already!¡± "We actually n to go there once we''re done exploring the continent here." ¡°Ohh!¡± She got a little excited after hearing the blonde¡¯s n. ¡°I¡¯m jealous!¡± ¡°My offer to apany us during our travel still stands~. After all, the more, the merrier!" Sophia just smiled at her. "Now, I really hope you like Feyfey, and she''s okay with the idea!" Chloe showed her an even bigger smile. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Anna raised her voice after hearing that. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like Chloe has more magic than I do¡­? I thought you need more power than that to keep up with your overpowered group¡­?" "I''m stronger than I look!" The fox-girl tried to look smug again, but she only ended up looking even cuter once more. ¡°I also have a super strongpanion that helps me out!¡± ¡°Mh-hmm?¡± The princess didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°It¡¯s actually true.¡± Sophia gave her some backup. ¡°I still have no idea why, but this girl can actually use chantless magic for some reason¡­¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°How?!¡± The princess got even louder. ¡°I want to be able to do that, too! I want it sooo badly!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve always had an easy time with magic since I was little, but I¡¯m not really sure why I can use it the way I can¡­¡± The group had the feeling that it had something to do with her magic seemingly being more potent than it should, just like Sophia''s, but she decided against mentioning that. They didn''t know why it was like this either, after all. ¡°N-No way¡­¡± Anna looked devastated. ¡°Do you want to y with magic, or do you want to travel with us, too¡­?¡± The blonde wanted to find out why it was so important to her. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sophia decided not to say anything about her non-answer reply spreading. ¡°Magic aside, are you okay with leaving the capital? It¡¯s the home of the tigers, after all.¡± ¡°Funny you¡¯re saying this.¡± The tiger princess just stared at her fellow blonde tiger. "A-Ah.¡± There was little she could say here. ¡°Y-You¡¯re still the princess, though¡­¡± ¡°So what?" Anna had no intention of backing down. ¡°Nathan also left two years ago to explore the kingdom. I¡¯ll definitely do the same!¡± ¡°Well then¡­¡± The blonde liked her motivation. ¡°By the way, who¡¯s this Nathan¡­?¡± ¡°My big brother, the first prince.¡± "I see¡­" Sophia nodded a couple of times before looking at Maya with a confused expression while tilting her head. ¡°She has a brother? There¡¯s a prince?¡± ¡°She does. You also knew that.¡± ¡°I did not!¡± ¡°You do. The king told you.¡± ¡°I definitely would¡¯ve remembered that!¡± The tiger didn''t like this utterly unfounded usation. "You were cuddling with Ellie, and you''re terrible at remembering people. Even more so when they¡¯re male.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. "I-It doesn''t count when I''m cuddling with Ellie. She has my undivided attention during those times!" ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Will Menzor allow you to leave, though?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bug him until he does!¡± Anna looked even more determined. ¡°Also, Mother will have thest word on that.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Sophia had the feeling that Kira¡¯s authority was quite a bit above that of the ruler of the kingdom. ¡°Well, not that it matters when I don¡¯t have enough magic or power for your group¡­¡± The princess hung her head again. "Though, the alternative of going on a trip with just Ari and me doesn''t sound half-bad, either." She managed to cheer herself up a little. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde just stared at her for a while. She had already nned to boost her magic to the same level as Ari¡¯s for her birthday. With that, she should be able to use chantless magic and increase her speed and stamina with magic enough to keep up with the group. Sophia didn¡¯t want to spoil the surprise just yet, though. ¡°Do they know about the, uhh¡­ thing?¡± Chloe nced at the blonde. ¡°What thing¡­?¡± There were so many things that she had no idea what exactly the fox-girl meant. ¡°How we got here.¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± She finally understood her. ¡°I showed them before, yeah. Well, it kinda was on ident, but they know, yes.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be an alternative?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be able to travel with you or maybe us the entire time, but they could join whenever you decide on a leisure pace or when it¡¯s time to explore something.¡± ¡°I did think about that before, but I''m not sure if they''d be interested in that¡­¡± ¡°How about you two stop keeping half of it to yourself and include us in the idea?!" Ari stared at them while slowly shaking her head. ¡°R-Right¡­¡± Chloe and Sophia awkwardly looked back at her. ¡°So?¡± ¡°You remember my portals, right?¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°It won¡¯t be exactly the same, but just as Chloe said, you could use them to join us whenever we¡¯re not traveling too fast for both of you to keep up. Then again, honestly, except when it was super boring, like traveling through empty ins for days, we didn''t run that fast anyway, did we?" She looked at Maya during thest part. "Well, it did take us some months to end up here even though Fen said it would be a few weeks, so¡­" ¡°There you have it~.¡± Sophia changed her attention to the couple again. ¡°Ah, Ari and I actually did talk about this before!¡± Anna answered her. ¡°It definitely sounds like the next best thing!¡± ¡°How would that work, though?¡± The jaguar¡¯s expression looked somewhat questioning. ¡°Are youing to get us whenever you find something interesting¡­? What if we aren''t nearby or something like that, and you have to find us first?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question¡­¡± She hadn''t thought about that yet. ¡°Even if I can teach you how to use those portals, you could only go to my hub with the other portals and use them there¡­ You wouldn¡¯t be able to reach me without me creating a new portal first¡­ hmm¡­¡± She got lost in thought afterward. ¡°Can you enchant things with magic¡­?¡± Chloe was also trying to find a solution. ¡°That could help, I think.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Sophia''s interest was instantly piqued. "What''s this about?" ¡°Your portals are seemingly made by pure condensed magic with the properties of connecting two ces together¡­¡± ¡°Mh-hmm¡­¡± She nodded a few times. Chloe hade up with that theory when she first saw the portals, but it made a lot of sense after the tiger had given it some thought herself. "Well, it connects one ce with my storage, but still, yeah." ¡°So, instead of creating two portals that connect with each other or the storage, you pour the same magic into items instead¡­¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The blonde got excited. ¡°If we enchant those items, they could be used as a gateway, couldn''t they?!" ¡°Exactly!¡± The fox-girl pped her hands once. "It probably could be used from both sides when you pour some magic into it. Once it''s on, you should be able to just switch sides by touching it instead of walking through a portal!" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She titled her head after hearing that. ¡°I think that would be a little scary because you don¡¯t know what¡¯s on the other side¡­ Imagine the other item is in a ce where isn''t enough space for you to arrive..." ¡°T-That¡¯s true!¡± Chloe¡¯s expression changed after thinking about it. "Can you even go through the portals if the other side is blocked?" "A good question... feel free to try it next time." "I think I''m good." The fox-girl wasn''tthat eager about it. "Even if it is safe, there are still privacy concerns, I guess. Imagine the enchanted item lies in your bedroom when you and your partner... or with yourself..." Her voice trailed off towards the end. "Denied!" Ari and Anna weren''t a fan of the idea. "Ahaha..." The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°Maybe use it in a way that both sides need to be fueled with magic?¡± Chloe changed her approach. ¡°I see¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°If one item gets activated, the other receives something like a signal and¡­" ¡°Once the other item also gets fed some magic, a portal on each side opens for one to safely cross over!¡± The fox-girl finished her sentence. ¡°That¡¯s brilliant!¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± While the duo was getting excited, Ari faced the cat-girl. ¡°What¡­ Who are those two¡­?¡± She looked extremely confused. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I were to say that I understood even a third of what they¡¯re talking about¡­¡± ¡°Not even close to a third!¡± Anna looked just as, if not even more confused about their exchange. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me¡­¡± Maya just shook her head. ¡°Sophia¡¯s already super creative when ites to those things, but our fox here isn¡¯t any less entric¡­ Those two together¡­ Nope.¡± She kept shaking her head. ¡°No idea what they¡¯re on about.¡± ¡°It makes perfect sense, though!¡± Chloe raised her voice after having heard their exchange. ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°It does not!¡± The other three didn¡¯t, though. As they agreed to disagree on the topic, the duo kept being excited about their idea for quite a while, and the others tried to understand even a sliver of what they were trying to cook up. It didn¡¯t work out in the slightest, though.
Chapter 269 – Dinner ideas Chapter 269 ¨C Dinner ideas The group was still chatting about all kinds of things, and the topic was slowly shifting towards the travels of Sophia and her group. After hearing that the blonde had invited Chloe to join them, Anna and Ari also announced their interest in doing something simr. As they, mainly the princess, didn''t have enough magic to keep up with them, Sophia tried toe up with an alternative n. With the help of the fox-girl, the duo got quite excited about experimenting with their portals and using the same magic to enchant things to use them as a makeshift gate. The two got so engrossed with it that they ended up in their own little creative world where none of the other girls could understand, let alone follow a word they were saying. ¡°We definitely have to test this out as soon as possible!¡± ¡°We absolutely do!¡± Sophia and Chloe were still excited about their idea of enchanting items to add a portal functionality to them and had just finished their brainstorming about it. ¡°Just under supervision, though.¡± Ari had a bad feeling about this. ¡°It sounds like a catastrophe waiting to happen for some reason. Probably because I have no idea what you were talking about. Judging by my previous experiences with Sophia, that¡¯s never a good thing.¡± ¡°Thank you so much¡­¡± Maya looked incredibly happy that the jaguar was on her side. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Chloe nodded a couple of times. ¡°Yup, no problem whatsoever.¡± So did the blonde. ¡°Wow, that was surprisingly easy¡­¡± Ari hadn¡¯t expected this. ¡°Thanks for volunteering, by the way.¡± Sophia then started smiling at her. ¡°Yep!¡± So was the fox-girl. ¡°We need a third person to test it, after all.¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to enchant the items, so I need someone else to actually test it.¡± The blonde tried to exin it to her. ¡°Chloe¡¯s on one side, so we need someone for the second item. Also, we¡¯re doing that just because I want you to travel with us.¡± "You''re just doing that because you and your fox got excited over something that makes no sense, and no one besides you two even remotely understands it!¡± Ari didn¡¯t buy it. "A-Ah.¡± They paused for a moment while awkwardly scratching their cheeks. ¡°You got us there¡­¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s still true, though!¡± Sophia pouted for a second. ¡°We got the idea because we want you and Anna to join us whenever we or you want!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± There was little she could say here. "A-Anna¡­?¡± Looking at her with big eyes, she was secretly hoping she¡¯d volunteer. ¡°Sure!¡± The princess was immediately onboard. ¡°I don¡¯t get it even in the slightest, but it sounds like it could be fun!¡± She was of the easygoing sort, as well. ¡°Yay!¡± The duo got happy again. ¡°Also, from the small tidbits I did hear, and how they''re talking about portals connecting two ces with each other, there''s the chance that I end up somewhere far away from here. I¡¯d actually have an excuse for not being in the castle!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to help too, after all!¡± Ari had changed her mind in an instant. "Not entirely sure how I feel about the motivation, but the more, the merrier!" ¡°Yes!¡± The duo was d to get the help. ¡°I¡¯ll stick to watching the chaos unfold.¡± Maya had no intention of participating. "From a safe distance, that is." ¡°So, how far away can you identally send me with those portals?¡± Anna took a liking to the idea. ¡°identally or on purpose¡­?¡± Sophia just looked at her with one of her eyebrows slightly raised. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re going to tell father and mother is fine for me.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t have any really far ces on sale right now. At the moment, the furthest would be Chloe''s vige or the not suspiciouske. Both are a little over 100 kilometers away from here.¡± ¡°Suspiciouske, you mean?¡± Ari corrected her. ¡°I do NOT!¡± ¡°Suspicious.¡± Anna squinted her eyes while looking back at the blonde. ¡°I¡¯m not bringing you there, then!¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s vige is the elven one you mentioned a little while ago, didn¡¯t you?¡± The princess didn¡¯t seem to care much about theke. ¡°I want to go there much more, anyway!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Chloe eventually interrupted the princess. ¡°We¡¯re trying to open portals with the help of enchanting items while we¡¯re maybe in two different rooms at first¡­ There¡¯s next to no chance for you to end up in my vige.¡± "A-Ah.¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. "If I learned one thing about Sophia, it''s that when there''s a next to no chance, it''s almost guaranteed to happen." The jaguar nced at her disaster-prone friend. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Said girl didn¡¯t like this usation. ¡°Just because that is true, it doesn¡¯t mean that you have to say it out loud.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Where are those portals at those ces, anyway?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°You can¡¯t just put them wherever, can you? If someone finds it, they could wander in, couldn¡¯t they? Worse, imagine some kind of vicious animal or monster!¡± ¡°Ehe, I actually thought of that!¡± The blonde looked quite smug. ¡°The portals in the dungeon are safe because there are no monsters and no one else knows the ce. The one in Chloe¡¯s vige is in my new elven treehouse~, and the ones outside are actually underground in a small room I made with earth magic. I hardened the soil around it to such a degree that no one that isn¡¯t at least as strong as Maya could break through it.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m impressed.¡± The jaguar seemed honestly proud of her. ¡°Wait, your elven treehouse¡­? How did that happen?¡± ¡°I won it in a drinkingpetition against the mayor there. I destroyed him, emptied his wallet because the loser had to pay for the alcohol, and got the treehouse on top of that~." ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°Don¡¯t challenge a mayor!¡± ¡°He challenged me, though¡­? I wanted to buy or rent it, but he said he had a better idea. It¡¯s not my fault that he lost now, is it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about her justification. ¡°Also, Chloe helped me!¡± ¡°The alcohol in the bar there is delicious~.¡± The fox-girl only smiled at them. ¡°That sounds like so much fun!¡± Anna got excited again. ¡°So free and easygoing! Let¡¯s go and try those portal item things right now! I don¡¯t want to miss the next event!¡± ¡°In theory, sure¡­¡± Sophia sounded ever so slightly hesitant about it. ¡°I first would like to sleep a night over it, though. It¡¯s actually quiteplex and might even be dangerous.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Giving it some more thought first might be for the best.¡± ¡°Who are and what have you done to Sophia?!¡± Ari was more than just a little shocked by her reply. ¡°C-Come on¡­¡± The blonde sounded ever so slightly hurt. ¡°Doing something stupid on my own is one thing, but potentially harming others is a different topic.¡± "I don''t like either of those, though! You getting hurt just as bad if worse!" Maya also had her own part to add. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± After all, she had made her cat go through a lot already. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair. It might¡¯ve been a little too harsh.¡± The jaguar decided to apologize. ¡°You do tend to act first think ne-, , though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had little to say here. ¡°Fine¡­¡± From its looks, Anna wasn''t the biggest fan of the decision, but she could understand it regardless. ¡°But no longer than tomorrow!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Sophia and Chloe also were quite eager about it, after all. ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya seemed like she had enough of that topic. ¡°From the sound of it, the two of you want to stay here until the next weekend?¡± She looked at the couple. ¡°Want might not be the right word here¡­¡± Ari let out a small sigh. ¡°It¡¯s more like the longest time before we have to show our faces in the capital again¡­¡± The princess hung her head. ¡°I have to be there on mother¡¯s birthday¡­¡± ¡°Okay, circumstances aside, still roughly a week.¡± She decided to ignore the details for the time being. ¡°What about you, Chloe?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox-girl tilted her head in response. ¡°You know, now that you mention it¡­ I haven''t actually thought about that yet. I mean, I just came with you on a whim, after all¡­ Do you need that guest room soon?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Maya shook her head. "You can move in there for good if you want to.¡± ¡°Oh, I like the sound of that!¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°More people means it gets livelier here~!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure about moving in, but staying here for a while does sound like a lot of fun! I¡¯d need to go home and get some stuff and leave a note for Feyfey, though. Then again, with those portals, it¡¯s basically the same as going next doors, so¡­¡± It was pretty much a non-issue. ¡°Stay as long as you want.¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t mind her being here. ¡°We need to do some groceries, though. I doubt our wolves will being back home today as I feel like Fen doesn''t want to deal with six girls at once, but we¡¯re still five here. We''ll need some fresh veggies, meat, and whatever else.¡± ¡°Nothing a quick shopping trip can''t solve!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Maya nodded at her overly ambitious-sounding tiger. ¡°Anyone any suggestions for dinner while we¡¯re at it?¡± ¡°Pizza!¡± Sophia and Chloe immediately raised their voices. ¡°After we talked about it yesterday, I really want some now!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± The duo got very excited in an instant. ¡°Well, that certainly is delicious, and I¡¯ve been meaning to try and bake it myself, so¡­ If we can get the ingredients, why not?¡± ¡°Yay!¡± They got even happier. ¡°I roughly know the ingredients, but¡­¡± Sophia suddenly nced at Ari. ¡°I might need the help of someone who knows all the food-rted stores in the capital to get one or two special ingredients. A maid from the royal castle might be the perfect guide here~." ¡°I mean, sure, I know all the important ces¡­¡± The jaguar paused for a second. ¡°I have no clue what this pizza dish is, though¡­¡± She wasn''t sure if she would be of any help. ¡°That''s alright. If I tell you what we need, you simply have to guide me to the ce that carries it.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°A dish I don¡¯t know sounds interesting, too! Alright, let¡¯s go shopping!¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Just shopping together, no flirting!¡± Anna just hadin. ¡°We¡¯ll try.¡± The two simply smiled back at her. ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Wait, those two have a past¡­?¡± Chloe nced at Sophia and Ari before looking at Maya. ¡°No, but both are naturally flirty and have absolutely no awareness of what they do and say¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She could see how that might lead to problems. ¡°¡­¡± The duo in question had nothing to say in their defense. ¡°Sophia and Anna are the ones with a past.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± The fox-girl wasn''t any less shocked after hearing that from the cat-girl. And so, for the next hour, the two in question had to exin themselves to Chloe and tell her everything that happened between them. Or rather, what didn''t happen because it was just the princess having had somewhat of a crush on her, and the king being slightly overambitious for a while, after all. Chapter 270 – Shopping for ingredients Chapter 270 ¨C Shopping for ingredients The group chatted a little longer about the portal idea Sophia and Chloe had that would help Anna and Ari to join them whenever they wanted or when there was something interesting to look at. The chaos duo decided to first sleep a night over it to make sure they weren''t too hasty as it might be dangerous, though. Afterward, the topic drifted over how long everyone wanted to stay at their mansion. Unfortunately, Ari and much more so Anna had a deadline as they had to attend the queen''s birthday the following week. Chloe was much freer, so she did not need to decide on a date to leave again. As they were five girls right now, food supplies weren¡¯t up to the need, though. Hearing that they had to go shopping for more, Sophia and the fox-girl got excited because they had been chatting about pizza just the day before, and they really wanted some now. ¡°So, what do we need for this pizza dish?¡± A little while had passed since then, and Ari was currently walking through the capital with Sophia as the two had decided to go shopping together. The blonde knew what was needed for the pizza, and the jaguar knew where to get said ingredients. ¡°Hmm¡­ As there aren¡¯t any Italians around to kill me¡­¡± She mumbled a few words before facing the ck-haired girl. ¡°Basically, it''s a t bread covered in a tomato-based sauce together with some cheese and other savory toppings. Very roughly speaking, that is.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°It does sound delicious, but I might need to see the final dish first to evaluate. What kind of dough is used for the bread part?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a simple yeast dough¡­ As far as I remember, it¡¯s¡­ bread flour, water, some oil and a bit of salt and then the yeast and a little sugar to get it going¡­¡± Sophia never was any good at cooking, but remembering simple recipes was a different topic. ¡°No idea about the ratios and all that, though¡­¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be too hard to figure out.¡± Ari nodded a few times. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t have to be too watery and enough yeast and sugar to make it rise. Salt is salt, you always need a pinch of that, and the oil probably is used to make it a little smoother.¡± "Wow, you are good." The blonde sounded impressed. "I''m not sure if we have bread flour, and we definitely need yeast. We have plenty of the other stuff at home, though.¡± "Alright, that''s easy to get. Let''s go over the other ingredients before deciding on a route to get everything. What do we need for the sauce?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Sophia tried to remember the taste. ¡°Hmm¡­ Is, do you know tomato puree¡­? Maybe even something more concentrated?" She had no idea how much processed foods are a thing in this world. ¡°Sure, cooked and strained tomatoes. Do we need it? I know a ce that sells jars of it.¡± ¡°Perfect! Other than that, we need onions, a ton of garlic, and various spices and herbs like oregano for the sauce.¡± ¡°I think we might be able to get all of those things at the same ce.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± The tiger was a fan of not having to go to many different stores. ¡°What are the toppings? Cheese is pretty self-exnatory.¡± ¡°Whatever you want, really.¡± Sophia shrugged her shoulders while thinking about it. ¡°Meat, seafood, veggies, nothing¡­ Whatever tickles your fantasy.¡± ¡°Oho, sounds like fun!¡± Ari liked the idea of it being so variable. "Well, we''lle along plenty of stores selling meat and the like. It might be best to stock up on that for the next few days, anyway.¡± ¡°Great idea!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head over to the first store.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Having decided what to get, the two finally started grocery shopping for real. ---------------- ¡°By the way, what''s going on between you and Chloe¡­?¡± While the two were walking around, Ari suddenly got curious about something. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Sophia looked more than confused while she looked back at her. ¡°You two are sooo simr!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Did you grow up together or something like that?¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you¡¯re sisters, you know? Well, half-sisters, at least because of the fox-tiger thing.¡± ¡°No, we are not. I seriously highly doubt that. For various reasons...¡± ¡°¡­¡± Something felt off about the tiger¡¯s reply, so she decided not to further pursue her idea for the time being. "It is fascinating, though. I honestly thought you were one of a kind. Yet, that fox was directly on board with your portal thingy idea and knew exactly what was going on. Even now, I¡¯mpletely confused about most of your ideas.¡± ¡°Great minds think alike~.¡± Sophia started smiling again. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say now¡­ That was too good.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± "You must admit it''s a little weird, though, don''t you?" "Not really, no." She shook her head. "After all, for me, it''s weird that no one else has the ideas I have¡­ In that regard, Chloe''s the most normal girl I have met so far." ¡°¡­¡± Ari just stared at her for a couple of moments. ¡°You¡¯re actually serious right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I always am!¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ Well, I am starting to like her, she seems nice, but I¡¯m a little worried that there might be two of you now¡­¡± ¡°Maya said the same thing.¡± "For a good reason!" ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun!¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried!¡± "Chloe really is a nice girl, though, isn''t she? She also loves your hair~.¡± ¡°I-I heard that¡­¡± Ari got a little bashful. ¡°I¡¯m getting more used to being proud of it thanks to all of you, too¡­ I¡¯ve never seen someone with such pink hair such as hers, so beingplimented by another unique, just like you, does feel nice¡­¡± ¡°d to hear!¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s friendliness and how approachable she is, it also reminds me of you, though." She looked at the blonde for a second. "I just met the fox, and even though I normally have a hard time making friends, it feels like I¡¯ve known her for years already. Her aura somehow makes one drop your guard. The same goes for you.¡± ¡°Even though you genuinely hated me when we first met?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She had already forgotten about that part. ¡°Even though I was your best ally when it came to the princess¡­ *sniff*.¡± Sophia went for the extra mile and shed a fake tear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay¡­?¡± Fake or not, Ari still felt bad about it. ¡°I-I meant after we cleared that misunderstanding and started spending time together¡­" ¡°I see~.¡± ¡°After that, it felt like we became friends in an instant.¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± She liked hearing that. ¡°Chloe seems simr to that. It feels like she''s been part of the group forever already, even though we just met.¡± ¡°The power of the little sister character.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°Someone that soothes your soul, and you can''t help but want to spoil." ¡°Oh, yeah, that seems like a fitting description for her so far.¡± ¡°She also secretly quite a bit of a pervert, so she perfectly fits in with all the other perverts in our group.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Noebacks on that?¡± The tiger looked just a little smug right now. ¡°I would really like to, but I¡¯m unfortunately in no position toin right now¡­¡± Ari¡¯s cheeks only turned red in response. ¡°What a great reply~.¡± ¡°S-Shut up.¡± She got even more embarrassed. ¡°S-She doesn¡¯t look like it, though...¡± ¡°Neither do you.¡± Sophia¡¯s smile got brighter. ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar just started walking. ¡°L-Let¡¯s get the shopping done¡­¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ---------------- Afterward, the two went to the first store Ari had rmended for the pizza dough. Once they got everything they needed there and some more general supplies as they were there already, the duo headed over to the next ce. There, Sophia got a couple of jars of the needed tomato puree and a variety of herbs and spices for the pizza and as a general addition to their kitchen. Unfortunately, they didn''t have everything needed, so the two had to run around in the capital a little longer. It took them around an hour to get all the ingredients needed for the pizza base. ¡°Alright, you mentioned toppings, right?¡± Ari looked at the tiger. ¡°Anything more specific?¡± ¡°Well, the only thing that is a necessity is cheese. The get-go is mozzare but honestly, take whatever cheese you like best or even use multiple at once.¡± ¡°Sounds delicious!¡± ¡°It is!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Cheese is amazing, after all!¡± ¡°Sure is.¡± ¡°For the other toppings, everything works in one way or another. Seafood works quite well. I¡¯m a big fan of tuna with a healthy helping of red onions~.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The jaguar liked the sound of that. ¡°Tuna¡¯s quite hard to get your hands on this time of the year, though.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± She looked disappointed. ¡°Mushroom pizza can be nice if you¡¯re in the mood for it. Same for spinachbined with a ton of garlic, but that¡¯s more of a niche.¡± ¡°Sounds like it. Might be interesting, though.¡± ¡°And then there¡¯s meat~.¡± The blonde¡¯s voice got even more cheerful. ¡°Bacon, ham, sausage, smi. You can name, you can put it on~.¡± ¡°Wow, this pizza thing sure is versatile.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°If anything goes, what about a sweet variant?¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°Or maybe some acidic fruits? Some of them can go well with certain meats or seafood in certain cases.¡± "¡­" Sophia''s face turned extremelyplicated in an instant. Coincidentally, the two were just walking past a fruit stand with a wide variety of basically everything one could imagine. Including a couple of pineapples, which were prominently put on disy. ¡°Uhh¡­ W-Well¡­" She felt the need to be incredibly careful here. Personal preference aside, one wrong word here could potentially start a war in the near future if pizza ever bes popr in the capital. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure about it, myself¡­¡± The jaguar decided to reconsider her idea. ¡°It¡¯s probably better to start with something easy, huh?¡± "Y-Yes¡­ Absolutely!" Happy that Ari had dropped the topic herself so that she didn''t have to pick a side here, the tiger let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s just get some cheese and meat for the time being¡­¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Having barely averted a global-scale crisis, Sophia put her hands on Ari¡¯s back and pushed her away from the fruit stand as fast as possible. Afterward, they tried to finish up their shopping trip for the pizza ingredients.
Chapter 271 – Helping others Chapter 271 ¨C Helping others After Sophia had sessfully prevented the outbreak of a war when Ari had innocently asked about the possibility of putting fruit on a pizza, the two finally got every ingredient they needed after having bought some cheese and more traditional toppings. Whether or not anything else is a viable choice, as everyone in their group is particrly fond of meat, they went for the safe option. ¡°Alrighty, that should be it!¡± The duo had just exited a butcher store while Sophia looked at all the bags she and Ari were carrying with a big smile. ¡°I also doubt we have to go grocery shopping anytime soon again, either¡­¡± The jaguar, too, was looking at the many bags. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s a good thing, though.¡± ¡°I bet it¡¯ll help Maya, too~.¡± She got even more cheerful while mentioning that. ¡°Oh?¡± The tiger suddenly looked to the other side of the street, where she spotted an early middle-aged couple. A man and a woman seemingly from the cat-beastfolk, to be exact. Both seemed to be in their early fifties at best, and the woman had a normal to thin figure and medium-long, ck and white streaked hair. The man had a bit of a belly without actually being fat, and his light-brown hair had started to recede ever so slightly. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ari looked in the same direction but couldn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. ¡°Not really, no.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I just have a soft spot for couples that already seem to be together for ages while still being all lovey-dovey~." She started smiling after noticing the couple holding hands while walking through the capital. ¡°You¡¯re right, that really is nice¡­¡± ¡°Although¡­¡± Sophia then paid a little more attention to the faces of the couple and noticed that they seemed a little nervous while looking around in every direction with a confused expression. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look like they¡¯re lost or something like that?¡± ¡°It does appear so, yes.¡± The jaguar nodded a few times. ¡°Should we try and help them¡­?¡± ¡°Hard to say no now, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°Any alleged shyness of your personality is long gone, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?!¡± The tiger seemed incredibly happy about this observation. Saying so, she grabbed the jaguar¡¯s hand and dragged her over to the couple while letting go of it again once she noticed that she had started following her on her own ord. ---------------- "A-Ah!¡± Noticing the sudden arrival of the duo, the cat couple opened their eyes wide in shock, especially after paying closer attention to the blonde. "A-A tiger!¡± ¡°W-Wow!¡± ¡°Oho, I haven¡¯t had that reaction inside the capital yet.¡± She nced at Ari while making thement. ¡°About me being blonde, constantly, but as a tiger in general, that¡¯s a new one~.¡± ¡°Well, running into a tiger itself is nothing that out of the ordinary here, after all.¡± The jaguar looked back at her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia then focused her attention on the couple again. ¡°Oh, are you new to the capital?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The two nodded. "I see. That would exin it." The tiger then started smiling. ¡°There¡¯s no need to pay much attention to who I am. Most of us tigers actually prefer that when we¡¯re out and about. Even more so for me, I really don¡¯t care about my royal side aside from being there for and helping other fellow members of the beastfolk. Please simply treat me like any other person. I would greatly appreciate that.¡± "You''re a better princess than Anna is¡­" Ari sounded impressed. "And, technically, you not fully even are one¡­" ¡°Shush¡­¡± Sophia didn''t feel like that was helping anyone right now. "I''m going to tease her a lot about what you just saidter, though~." "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°Is that really alright¡­?¡± The cat-woman nced at the blonde with a somewhatplicated expression. ¡°The two of us are just from a random faraway town, after all¡­ For us to converse with a member of the tiger family¡­¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± She just showed them an even brighter smile. ¡°So, what brings you to the capital?¡± ¡°Such a friendly and polite girl.¡± The cat-woman smiled back at her. ¡°It really is true what they say about the tiger family, huh?¡± ¡°Ehehe~." Tiger aside, Sophia was happy that she gotplimented. "I''m trying my best!" ¡°Such a stark difference to our daughter¡­¡± The male cat let out a small sigh. ¡°Hmm?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Ahaha,¡± The female cat just chuckled at her reaction. ¡°Our daughter¡¯s a bit of a muscle brain that loves magic a little too much and keeps challenging people to fights because she wants to be stronger.¡± ¡°She¡¯s notdy-like at all!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheeks in response. ¡°I¡¯m slightly doubtful at my owndylikeness, so¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ari immediately reacted with a nod. "H-Hey!" She red at her before looking back at the couple. "I only know a little basic courtesy and how to behave myself when the situation calls for it.¡± ¡°Our daughter knows nothing about any of that!¡± The brown-haired catined some more. ¡°She¡¯s just rowdy!¡± ¡°It sounds like she¡¯s a lot of fun, though.¡± Sophia liked this type of girl, after all. ¡°She¡¯s still single, so feel free to take her~.¡± The woman smiled at the tiger. ¡°She never was interested in romance because magic was more important to her, but it''s more than time for her to change that! Mom wants to see some grandchildren already!" "Well, she did say that she''s going to travel with a girl she found interesting¡­" The male cat tried the cheer his partner up. "We might get lucky, and the whole wanting to learn from her was just a pretense¡­ Nah, there''s just no way¡­ Forget I said anything¡­" He doubted his own words too much to believe it. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that. ¡°While she does sound interesting, I uhh, I¡¯m already in a rtionship that I have no ns of canceling, so¡­" ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± The female cat then nced at the jaguar. ¡°Well, the two of you are a really nice couple. You fit each other really well!" "Yes. It''s a perfect match if you ask me!" Theo agreed. "It''s rare for a couple toplement each other that well!" "A-Ah¡­¡± The couple got even more awkward. ¡°Err, no¡­¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°While both of us are in a rtionship, we are not dating each other. Actually, I am dating a cat-girl who¡¯s a little on the rowdy side herself.¡± "Even though you two look so great together?" The cat-man tilted his head. "Well..." Sophia wasn''t sure what to say. "Ari''s an amazing girl, but she just isn''t the one I love?" "Same." The jaguar reacted with a big nod. "I''m dedicated to the cat I already have~." ¡°Really¡­?¡± She looked ever so slightly disappointed. "Well, it should be quite the cat for her to get a tiger as a partner. I doubt our daughter would be able to pull that off, so I guess there''s no reason to be envious of her.¡± ¡°As I said before, tigers aren¡¯t that out of reach~.¡± The blonde was in a good mood. ¡°I mean, our Ari here is dating the first princess.¡± ¡°S-Sophia!¡± She got flustered in an instant. ¡°D-Don¡¯t just blurt that out!¡± ¡°It helps you get used to it~. The whole capital will find out about it soon enough.¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t make it any better!¡± ¡°Tehe~.¡± The blonde stuck out her tongue in response. ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± The couple looked at the duo in admiration. "Are you two really not dating instead? Definitely seems like it''s the case." "NO!" ¡°Uhmm¡­ Is there a reason why we got approached by such¡­ important girls¡­?¡± The ck-and-white-haired cat nced at the two with a confused look on her face. ¡°Ah, right!¡± Sophia seemingly had almost forgotten about that already. ¡°It somehow seemed like the two of you were lost, and I wanted to ask if you need any help¡­" ¡°Oh, my.¡± ¡°Really, such a nice girl. Our daughter could learn so much from you¡­¡± The couple was touched by her kindness. ¡°Actually, yes¡­¡± The cat-woman looked back at the tiger. ¡°We just arrived at the capital two days ago and decided to explore it today¡­ Unfortunately, we got a little too into it andpletely forgot where our inn is because we didn¡¯t pay enough attention while walking around.¡± ¡°There are a lot of distracting sights in the capital¡­¡± Her partner also hung his head. ¡°I knew it.¡± The blonde was d she decided to go over to them. ¡°Ari, we have enough time to help them, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She nodded in response. ¡°Even though dinner will be a little experimental tonight, we have more than enough time to spare before we need to start preparing for that.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Sophia then happily looked at the couple again. ¡°By the way, I think we already mentioned our names, but I¡¯m Sophia, and the jaguar with the amazing hair here is Ari.¡± ¡°It is indeed amazing.¡± The cat-woman looked at her for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m Eve, and my husband here is Theo.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± He nodded a couple of times after his wife had introduced them. ¡°We don¡¯t want to bother you, though. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find the way back eventually.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Eve agreed with him. ¡°No.¡± The tiger didn¡¯t, though. ¡°The capital is massive, and some streets are extremely confusing. I get myself lost all the time! I doubt I''d find my way home without my dear friend and guide over here.¡± She smiled at Ari during thest part. ¡°You should look at least 50% less smug while admitting that.¡± The jaguar wasn''t smiling as much. "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°Is it really alright for the two of you to help us¡­?¡± Theo didn¡¯t want to bother them too much. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophia had already taken a liking to them, so there was no way she¡¯d leave them on their own now. ¡°Do you remember the name of the inn or some prominent ces near it?¡± "It''s called the Sunflower Inn. I only truly remember that we followed the main street behind the central gate for a good while before eventually turning left.¡± "Wow, the central gate is quite far away from here¡­¡± Even the tiger could tell that much. ¡°We¡¯re basically on the other side of the capital¡­ Ari, have you heard of that ce before?" ¡°I can¡¯t say I have¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°I do know the tourist area near the central gate a little, though. There are several inns lined up right next to each other there. Chances are high that it¡¯s one of them. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde was highly motivated. ¡°You might remember another thing or two while we walk!¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± While the couple was still a little reluctant because they didn¡¯t want to be a bother, the two eventually understood that there was no stopping the overly motivated tiger, and they decided to let her help them.
Chapter 272 – Dealing with jealousy Chapter 272 ¨C Dealing with jealousy While Ari and Sophia had decided to take on a side job as tourist guides by helping a married couple find their way back to their inn, Anna, Maya, and Chloe had stayed behind at the mansion and spent the time chatting instead. ¡°They¡¯re taking too long!¡± Anna¡¯sint echoed through the living room while the other two just stared at her in response. ¡°Grocery shopping takes some time, you know?¡± Maya shook her head. "Pizza also has a lot of ingredients, and some of them might be hard to get.¡± Chloe also tried to calm her down. ¡°But still!¡± There was more than just a hint of jealousy in her voice. ¡°Those two together always make me nervous!¡± ¡°Shut up, princess.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Especially now that Ari¡¯s actually yours, you need to learn to trust her more. Yes, the ambiguity of those two can be a little much, but putting them under general suspicion isn''t the way to go.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ It stings twice as much when you say that¡­¡± The tiger didn''t like being told off by the cat, who was just as jealous when it came to Sophia when they first met. ¡°You are right¡­ How did you do that? How did you get over¡­ get better with your jealousy?" She slightly corrected herself towards the end. While Maya had undoubtedly gotten much better, having gotten over it was still a bit of a stretch. ¡°Well¡­¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°I do still get jealous whenever someone new shows up¡­¡± She stole a quick nce at the fox-girl. ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that Sophia gets so excited over absolutely everything, either¡­ Still, whenever I get uneasy, Sophia lets out ament or makes a gesture that makes it clear that she is not interested in them. That usually calms me down. Ambiguous events aside¡­ Also, it¡¯s more than clear that Ari only has eyes for a certain princess we all know and love. She won''t be doing anything that would make any or all of us sad." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Anna liked her exnation a lot. For various reasons. ¡°Also¡­ I had my first time with Sophia after I met you¡­ Once that happened, I knew that Sophia was mine and that I was hers for real. That instantly took a ton of my jealousy, and I went easier on you, too. That, and how Sophia had turned you down shortly before that.¡± ¡°Wait, is that why you changed so much after you two returned from the war in Tga?!" The princess finally got an exnation on why the cat-girl had gotten so much more rxed after that. ¡°Ahh, yes¡­¡± She reacted with a slight nod. ¡°It happened during the time when we stayed behind there for a couple of days¡­¡± Maya got ever so slightly embarrassed while thinking about it. ¡°I see! That exins a lot! Wait, does it¡­?¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°If anything, I almost feel more jealous today after what happened with Ari and me during thest night¡­" ¡°Because you two perverts didn¡¯t take your time and rushed past every milestone instantly! Give it some time to settle.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The princess had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to be a little jealous, though?¡± Chloe decided to join the conversation. ¡°I don¡¯t have any experience, but I think I would be happy if someone gets jealous because they want to keep me for themselves.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but I know that I caused Sophia to feel uneasy because of the extreme jealousy I had in the past. She wants to make friends as often as possible because she didn''t have any when growing up, but she''s a bit clumsy at it, and her actions are a little ambiguous as a result. She has no ill will, but I tended tosh out at the other party and such¡­ A bit of jealousy means that you care, but just like everything else, it has to happen in moderation.¡± "Ari and I grew up together, and I always had her all to my own because she used to be super shy and self-conscious. Thanks to that, I got extremely possessive about her to the point where I get miffed when I see her talking to others. That¡¯s not what I want¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The fox-girl grumbled over it a couple of moments. ¡°I guess that makes sense. If it negatively impacts the rtionship, it should be toned down a notch, huh?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The duo gave her a big nod. "I''ll keep that in mind for a future where I might be lucky enough to find my own-, Wait, you and Ari are childhood friends?!" Chloe suddenly got sidetracked. ¡°Yup.¡± Anna gave her a cheerful reply. ¡°Didn''t you already know¡­? Anyway, Ari and I were born only a few days behind each other, and we¡¯ve been together ever since~.¡± ¡°That is sooo cool!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it¡¯s possible for childhood friends to actually win¡­ err, get together!¡± ¡°It absolutely is possible!¡± Anna sounded incredibly happy and proud. ¡°What are you smiling for here¡­?¡± Maya just stared at her. ¡°Neither you nor Ari are the reason that it became possible." ¡°E-Even without you and Sophia, it would''ve worked out eventually¡­" ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl just continued to stare at her. ¡°I-I am very sorry¡­¡± The princess immediately apologized. ¡°Thank you so much that you kept kicking my butt¡­¡± ¡°You are very wee.¡± Maya started smiling again. ¡°I guess it isn¡¯t that easy to be lovers if you grew up together¡­?¡± "It doesn''t help if you''re dense beyond belief." The cat-girl just had to make ament. ¡°Urgh¡­ It also always seemed like Ari was treating me like a younger sister¡­ I needed my, uhhh¡­ crush on Sophia to realize that Ari and I weren¡¯t like that. Apparently, she¡¯d been in l-love with me for a long time already¡­ and I hadn''t even noticed that my feelings were stronger before Maya bashed it into my thick skull¡­¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± Chloe liked what she was hearing. ¡°That¡¯s sooo adorable!¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Anna got a little bashful. ¡°Still¡­ Fenfen and Aura, Sophia and Maya, and now you and Ari¡­ Everyone around me is in a rtionship, huh¡­? I¡¯m envious¡­¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± The princess looked at her with big eyes. ¡°You¡¯re single¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Why do you sound so surprised¡­?¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t sure how she should feel about the tiger¡¯s reaction. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that you''re so cute! You¡¯re also super friendly and approachable, not to mention cheerful and happy-go-lucky! If you don''t want to be single, I am sure you''d have an easy time changing that!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Chloe liked her exnation before she then looked at Maya. ¡°Tigers are smooth, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°They have their moments, yes.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± The fox-girl then shook her head while she answered the princess. ¡°I actually never gave it a try¡­ Thanks to how I grew up and all that, I never had the time or opportunity for any sort of romance so far¡­¡± "I see¡­" Anna sounded a little awkward for a moment. "Wait?! Do you also have some sort of tragic and orplicated past?! You already are way too simr to Sophia, so please don¡¯t be the same in that regard, as well!¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry." Chloe shook her head. "I''ve had the best life I could¡¯ve wished for the past 19 years.¡± ¡°T-Thank goodness¡­¡± She looked honestly relieved. ¡°It¡¯s already bad enough that Sophia had to suffer¡­ Wait, how old are you?!¡± ¡°The past 19 years were great because that''s how old I am now...?" ¡°Ahh, makes sense. Wait, really?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn that you''re maybe a year or two younger than Ari and I are.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Not bad. So, why was there no romance for you so far?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been raised and grew up together with some who¡¯s quite simr to Sophia¡¯s Fenfen. Most of the time, it was just the two of us. I also love traveling and exploring very much, so we were always going from one ce to another, and I never had the time to get to know someone I might would¡¯ve gotten interested in. Exploring is amazing, so I never cared either, but having spent some time with Sophia and Maya now¡­ I got a little envious¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ Yeah, those two can be quite flirty.¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°You and Ari made that feeling even worse, though.¡± Chloe didn¡¯t let her off the hook, either. "A-Ah¡­¡± The princess only averted her face in response. ¡°S-So, what¡¯s your type¡­ Thanks to me being the princess of this nation, I know quite a few people. Both girls and boys. I¡¯m sure I could help~.¡± "It''s pretty much Sophia..." Maya let out a sigh while answering for the fox-girl. ¡°Really?¡± The tiger nced at Chloe again. ¡°Someone like her¡­" She replied with a slight nod. "The original one is taken after all, and I have no intention to be a homewrecker.¡± ¡°Our blondie sure is popr, huh?¡± Anna almost sounded impressed before she stole a nce at the cat-girl. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to make ament here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you noticed it yourself, miss who had a crush on her.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment before concentrating on Chloe again. ¡°Someone like Sophia might be quite the challenge¡­ I don¡¯t think I know anyone quite as easygoing, adventurous, and generally unhinged as her¡­" ¡°Ahaha¡­ Sophia also said the only solution to that problem would be for her to clone¡­ hmm?¡± She suddenly paused for a moment. ¡°I mean, for her to double herself in some way or another so that there are two Sophias.¡± ¡°How would that solve anything?¡± Maya looked confused. ¡°I would definitely take both of them.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Chloe scratched her chin. ¡°Out tiger also said that it was no solution because it would end up in a, well¡­ a threesome with a certain white-haired cat¡­¡± "I''m not entirely sure if I would do it, but it does sound very intriguing~. Wait, would it count as cheating if they''re the same person¡­?" Her expression suddenly turnedplicated. ¡°If so, that would be hard no, after all.¡± ¡°And you seriously called me a pervert?!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°My dear princess, could you try and imagine something for me?¡± Maya looked back at her. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± ¡°What you did yesterday and this morning, but with two Aris working on you at the same time." "¡­" The tiger turned silent in an instant, and her entire face turned crimson a momentter. ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry that I mentioned anything!¡± Chloe had no idea what she should do now. Afterward, the princess needed a little time to live out and let go of the fantasy inside her head ande back to reality, not that Maya was much different. Thanks to that, the group had to take a small break before they could focus again.
Chapter 273 – Finished side-quest Chapter 273 ¨C Finished side-quest The three in the mansion were taking a short break from their girls-talk because it had taken a slightly weird turn, and everyone had to cool down first. While that was happening, Sophia and Ari were still ying tourist guides for Eve and Theo, a married couple from the cat beastfolk that had gotten lost in the capital and didn¡¯t know their way back to the inn they were staying in. "By the way," Sophia eventually addressed the couple again while the group was walking around together. "I think I had already asked, but what brings the two of you to the capital? Is it just sightseeing?¡± ¡°Well, our son had left the nest a few years ago to explore, and our bratty daughter did the same in spring. She also wanted to train and better her magic or something like that.¡± Theo answered her. ¡°As we were alone at home at that point, we also felt like taking an extended vacation.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t been in the capital for over 30 years, a couple of years before we got our son, and we thought that now''s the time for it." ¡°We forgot how big it is, though¡­¡± ¡°And cold during this time of the year¡­¡± Eve suddenly sounded much less enthusiastic about their vacation. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia felt more than just sympathetic. ¡°And it¡¯s just starting to get cold, too¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously¡­?¡± The couple didn¡¯t like the sound of that. "Yes." Ari nodded. "Compared to what is yet toe, the current weather is closer to the hottest summer days¡­" ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± This time, the blonde also joined in with the two cats. ¡°We might¡¯ve picked the wrong time for going on a trip, huh?¡± Theo looked at his wife with aplicated expression. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the weather will stay okay-ish for a little longer. Also, on the bright side, while it¡¯s on the colder side right now, it basically never rains, either.¡± The jaguar tried to cheer them up a little. ¡°That sounds a lot better.¡± ¡°To add to that, the capital has many public gardens, and they look absolutely beautiful with the current fall foliage.¡± ¡°My, that sounds lovely!¡± Eve got a lot more cheerful. ¡°Dear, let¡¯s go and visit them soon!¡± "dly." He nodded a few times. "Although, I think we should first find our way back to the inn." "A-Ah.¡± "Do you remember anything else that could help us find it?" Ari hoped to get more pointers. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Theo thought about it again. ¡°We had dinner in a restaurant roughly a five-minute walk away¡­ It was quite big, so maybe it¡¯s well-known? It was called Night¡­ Night¡­ uhh¡­¡± ¡°Night Flower.¡± The female cat finished his sentence. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never been there, but it feels like I¡¯ve heard that name before¡­ I think it''s in the eastern district, not too far from the main gate. Many establishments and ces have something rted to flowers in their name around there. It would perfectly match your Sunflower Inn, as well.¡± "Well, if that doesn''t sound like a solid hint!" Sophia raised her voice a little. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Energetically raising her hand, she then started walking again. ¡°That street leads further into the western district.¡± The jaguar quickly stopped her again. ¡°¡­¡± Slightly flustered, she then decided to hand over the lead to Ari again. ---------------- Roughly half an hour had passed since then, and the group had eventually arrived in the eastern district where the jaguar thought the restaurant and their inn should be. ¡°Does anything look familiar so far?¡± She nced at the couple who was looking around in the vicinity. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Eve concentrated a little more. ¡°I think we¡¯ve been here before, yes. It definitely feels familiar.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Her husband nodded in agreement. ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde was happy that they were getting closer. "We, with that, I mean Ari, we should be able to find it now!" ¡°Thank you so much for helping us.¡± The couple felt like thanking them again. ¡°It¡¯s fine~!¡± "Yes, we''re d to be able to help." The duo didn''t mind it at all. ¡°Really, such good girls!¡± Theo was a big fan of their friendly attitude. ¡°It¡¯s so unfortunate that both of you are taken. I would¡¯ve to introduce our daughter to either of you. She really could learn a thing or two from you. Or 13.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The two only reacted with a smallugh. Both seemed slightly happy about being praised like that, though. ¡°Wait, I think I remember this shop!¡± While they were chatting, Eve suddenly pointed at a store that seemed to be selling items rted to pottery.¡± ¡°Oh, you are right!¡± He also took a better look at it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to get a vase here when we were on our way to the inn?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The ck-and-white-haired cat got a little more cheerful. ¡°If I remember right, we followed the street for a little longer before turning left right before the inn!" ¡°Alright, let¡¯s give that a try!¡± ---------------- ¡°Thank you sooo much!¡± Roughly five minutester, the group was standing in front of a ratherrge building. Above the entrance, a fancily decorated te advertised the ce as the ''Sunflower Inn''. ¡°Yay!¡± Sophia sounded happy. ¡°So d we managed to find it!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ari was also smiling. ¡°How can we ever repay you?¡± Eve looked especially grateful. "Oh, how about we invite the two of you for dinner today? The restaurant we mentioned earlier, that''s the least we can do!" ¡°That sounds like a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the time we spent together, but¡­¡± Sophia had taken a liking to them, but the two already had ns for the evening. ¡°Ari and I actually ran into you after we finished grocery shopping for dinner today. We nned to cook together with a friend and our girlster on¡­¡± ¡°My, that sounds like a lovely n. We can¡¯tpete with that.¡± The cat-woman didn¡¯t sound disappointed. ¡°Well, our invitation definitely stands.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t have to be so concerned about needing to thank us.¡± The tiger gently shook her head. ¡°All that counts is that we were able to help you. Just enjoy your vacation to the fullest! Oh, and maybe get a map~.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Eve had to chuckle at her remark. ¡°Really, you are such a wonderful girl. I¡¯d love to get an extra daughter like you. I hope that mine can find someone half as good as you once she gives romance a try¡­" ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Sophia got a little bashful again. ¡°You¡¯re putting me on a way too big pedestal, though¡­ As I said, I know how to behave when it¡¯s important, but I can also be quite bratty myself. I¡¯m also pretty sloppy most of the time¡­¡± ¡°Humble, too! Impressive.¡± It had the exact opposite effect on the couple. "A-Ari, a little help¡­?¡± ¡°Just enjoy being praised.¡± She just shrugged in response and leaned closer to her to whisper the following words. ¡°Right now, you are a good girl. Also, it¡¯s not like a random couple you have no rtion to needs to know how unhinged you can be.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair¡­ Also, hey!¡± The blonde just had toin a little here. "A-Anyway, just make sure that the two of you have a great time in the capital and enjoy your vacation to the fullest! If we manage to run into each other again, I''ll dly take you up on the dinner invitation." ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me for the time being!¡± Eve could live with her reply. ¡°Well then, enjoy your stay~.¡± "Oh, and definitely visit the public gardens for the fall foliage!" Ari repeated her own suggestion from earlier. ¡°We definitely will!¡± The cat-woman seemed to really like the idea. ¡°Okay, we don¡¯t want to hold the two of you up even longer!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Theo nodded a couple of times. ¡°Again, thank you sooo much for helping us!¡± ¡°We were happy to help!¡± Afterward, after waving to each other several times, Ari and Sophia finally left them and walked away from the inn and back to the mansion. ¡°Wow, they were such nice girls!¡± After they were alone, Theo addressed her wife. ¡°Yes!¡± She smiled back at him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve spent the afternoon with a real tiger! The capital is amazing!¡± "Yes, I had no idea the royal family just runs around here like everyone else! That¡¯s so cool.¡± ¡°I was also really surprised!¡± Eve kept nodding. ¡°I also had no idea that tigers are so blonde. I thought they had a darker orange hue?¡± ¡°Maybe she was someone particrly important?¡± Theo tilted his head. ¡°I mean, even for a tiger, she felt special, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I thought so, too! She also was so friendly and helpful! I bet she was some sort of representative or the like.¡± ¡°What a day!¡± ¡°Really!¡± The cat-woman still had sparkly eyes. ¡°Too bad she¡¯s not single¡­ I doubt our daughter would have a chance with her, but I wouldn''tin about getting such a daughter-inw!" ¡°Neither would I.¡± Her husband agreed with her. ¡°Our brat could also definitely learn some things from her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on our girl.¡± ¡°Ahaha, you know that I¡¯m mostly joking. Our girl¡¯s the best, after all! I really want to see her right now!¡± In the end, he was just a doting father. ¡°That being said, visually speaking, I think I¡¯d actually prefer Ari as a partner for her. I think her pitch-ck hair and the snow-white of that from our daughter wouldplement each other incredibly well!" ¡°My, aren¡¯t you a smooth-talker, dear~?¡± Eve didn¡¯t fail to miss how he looked at her ck-and-white hair while he said that. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The couple soon got lost in their own little world and flirted for a bit longer before they finally entered the inn.
Chapter 274 – Still waiting Chapter 274 ¨C Still waiting Sophia and Ari had sessfully found the inn Eve and Theo, the couple of the cat beastfolk, were staying in. It had taken a little while because the two had gotten properly lost, but all ended well once Ari got the right clue to find the ce and guided them there. While the duo had finished their tourist guide duties, the mansion with the other three girls of their group was still rather lively. "They''rete!" The slightly agitated voice of the princess was echoing through the living room once again. Rather than jealous, she sounded somewhat more upset this time, though. ¡°Well, they really are taking their time¡­¡± Maya also didn¡¯t seem entirely happy about it. ¡°Chloe, earlier, it sounded like you also know the ingredients for pizza? Are they thatplicated to get?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°The base ingredients should be pretty easy, especially for the dough. The sauce could be a little tricky, though. It uses a lot of umon spices and other things where you might need to visit multiple stores. The toppings are rather easy to get again, but depending on how much variety you want, it most likely involves some running around, as well." ¡°I see¡­¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°As I do know my Sophia a little by now, her answer to how much variety she wants would most likely be¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chloe quickly finished her sentence. ¡°That would be my reply, at least.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl stared at her for a few seconds. ¡°Their shopping trip could take a little longer¡­¡± "I better hope this pizza thingy is delicious!" This time, Anna started pouting. ¡°I want to spend more time with Ari!¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± The two enjoyed the pouty and cute princess a lot. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Her cheeks quickly turned red in response. ¡°Why?¡± Chloe tilted her head. She wasn¡¯t teasing her, after all. ¡°I think it¡¯s great that you can so readily admit that you¡¯re missing her.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face got even redder. ¡°What a nice reaction. You¡¯re good, my dear fox.¡± Maya gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t teasing her!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked that reaction just as much. ¡°Anyway, while I doubt anything concerning is going on, and their flirtiness aside, it¡¯s still Sophia and Ari we¡¯re talking about¡­ They aren''t our troublemaker duo without reason. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they ran into something chaotic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°Those two¡­¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± The fox-girl looked a little lost. ¡°I mean, Sophia¡­ sure. Everything I¡¯ve seen so far clearly points in the direction of it being a fitting description for her. I love it, by the way, I want to add. Still, Ari, too? I don¡¯t know why, but I had the feeling that she¡¯d be rather grounded and reasonable?¡± ¡°She¡¯s also very easily influenced¡­¡± Anna suddenly let out a sigh. "Okay, the bigger issue is that Sophia''s really good at trapping others in her pace." ¡°Ari¡¯s the one who flooded the training grounds all on her own, though.¡± While the cat-girl naturally agreed to herint because it was true, she still got the urge to defend her girl. ¡°And who¡¯s the reason she¡¯s even able to do that in the first ce? Or had the idea to train with her in the academy when Ari hadn¡¯t tested her new magic yet?¡± ¡°That round goes to you.¡± She quickly noticed that it was impossible to defend Sophia in that regard. ¡°Ari usually tries to be the serious one, but once she gets talked into something by any tiger or feels yful, she can be quite the girl.¡± ¡°Ohh! That sounds fun!¡± Chloe happily pped her hands. ¡°It sounded a little like she wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of experimenting when we talked about the portals, but I guess she just has to warm up first? I can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°Do I like this¡­?¡± With a slightlyplicated expression, Anna then nced at Maya. ¡°Debatable.¡± The cat-girl shrugged her shoulders. ¡°She¡¯s about as, if not even more unhinged as our crazy blondie. Ari¡¯s serious side might kill itself for good after a while if she gets dragged into both of their ideas and whims.¡± "Seriously, how can there be anyone else as weird as her¡­?" The princess focused her attention on the fox-girl now. ¡°Sophia mentioned that she doesn¡¯t have any family anymore, but she never went into detail, but did the two of you actually grow up together or something like that and just reunited¡­? Or maybe in the same ce where being weird is normal?¡± ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± Chloe started pouting. ¡°That¡¯s quite mean¡­¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The princess got flustered. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way! I barely understand half of it, but I love how Sophia works! She does incredible things that are also a ton of fun! It''s just that I''ve never met anyone who even remotely thinks like her, and as a princess, I met many people¡­ Yet, here are you, and both of you could practically be twins in the way you think from the glimpses I got so far.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I¡¯m sorry for calling you mean.¡± Chloe felt like apologizing for it. ¡°E-Eh¡­? Why are you apologizing¡­? It was totally my fault that I worded it so poor!¡± ¡°She has a talent for making you feel flustered, huh?¡± Maya smiled at the princess. ¡°Her earnest and cute personality is something else.¡± ¡°For sure!¡± The tiger nodded a couple of times. ¡°Am I being bullied right now¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the exact opposite!¡± The two only shook their heads. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked that reply. ¡°Anyway, back to the question you asked. No, briefly seeing her in the capital before aside, I talked to this so-called weird tiger for the first time just a few days ago. I¡¯ve also been on tour and never been in one ce for too long ever since I was able to walk and stopped losing my bnce over my oversized tail. We also don''t really look like twins either, do we?¡± ¡°Not quite, no.¡± Anna shook her head. ¡°It still is super fascinating, though!¡± "Sophia and I seemed to have learned magic in a simr if not the same way, though. My teacher and mother even knows Sophia¡¯s Fenfen, who taught her how to use magic. Both of us directly learned chantless magic first. Actually, we learned just that. Our magic teachers are incredibly powerful and quite creative with the use of their magic. Together with how fascinated we are by said magic, we easilye up with fun ideas~.¡± ¡°That actually makes sense.¡± The princess could get behind this exnation. "Does that mean that there could be even more of you around? There¡¯s Fen and Aura, and then your teacher and or mother¡­? There have to be others of the same level of power who either had a child themselves or felt like raising one, right?" ¡°Probably?¡± Chloe just tilted her head. ¡°Feyfey, my mom, hasn¡¯t mentioned anyone else so far, but I¡¯m sure there are more like her or Sophia¡¯s wolves. Some of them surely have children as well, I¡¯d imagine.¡± ¡°Now I wonder what those are up to~.¡± Anna seemed to like the idea. "I mean, you and Sophia are kind of crazy, but in a good way. Everyone, myself included, seemed to simply use magic without actually experimenting with it. I bet that if there are more creative people with the power to back it off, all kinds of useful and fun magic will result from that. Sophia¡¯s inventions, like the heated floors or the hair-straightening iron she''s working on, will already better the lives of everyone. So, if there are more creative people out there, it could lead to even more beneficial things for us and everyone else of the beastfolk. Well, other races are most likely included if they can use it¡­" ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, Maya just stared at her for a few moments. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Anna didn¡¯t like it. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I forget that you¡¯re actually a princess every now and then.¡± ¡°Tigers are sooo cool!¡± Chloe pped her hands a few times while saying so. ¡°Uuh¡­ S-So embarrassing¡­¡± The princess blushed even more after getting praised. ¡°Also, great¡­¡± The fox-girl suddenly hung her head. ¡°Now that you mentioned the heated floors, I¡¯m starting to feel hot again¡­¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°We even turned the temperature down for you already?¡± ¡°Ah, is that why it doesn¡¯t feel as cozy as usual here?!¡± Anna raised her voice. ¡°Wait, do foxes not like the warmth¡­? I know that foxes are no cats, but I always thought we have quite a few characteristics inmon?¡± ¡°There are also cats that like cold climates!¡± Chloe felt likeining. ¡°Those are incredibly rare, though.¡± ¡°So are arctic foxes¡­¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The tiger¡¯s ears perked up after hearing Maya¡¯s exnation. ¡°Is that why you are so incredibly fluffy?!¡± She focused her attention on the big tail. ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Well, it makes sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡± "I''ve been so jealous of it ever since I first met you earlier! I bet it feels soft and amazing, too!¡± ¡°You have no idea.¡± The cat-girl was the one who replied to her. ¡°I knew it! Wait, what¡­?¡± Anna then looked at Maya with a confused expression. ¡°Why does it sound like you actually know how it feels?¡± ¡°Because I do.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I touched it. It is at least twice as fluffy as it looks. It''s incredible." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Chloe liked thepliment. ¡°What¡­? You touched her tail¡­?¡± The princess looked incredibly confused. ¡°W-What about Sophia¡­? I doubt she liked that¡­¡± ¡°She had buried her face into it before I got to touch it.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes shot open. "A-Are the three of you¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°I identally made Sophia remember her sister and I couldn¡¯t bear her looking so sad¡­¡± Chloe took over the exnation. "Before, she mentioned how much she likes my fluffy tail, and the only thing I could think of to cheer her up again, well¡­ I shoved my tail into her face¡­¡± ¡°Afterward, I maybe got a tiny bit jealous, and our dear fox allowed me to lightly touch it, as well, to make it even. It was very nice. I got bonked by Sophia afterward, though¡­" "I see¡­?" Anna wasn''t sure how to feel about any of that. "Huh? She has a sister¡­? Like I said before, I though she..." ¡°Had.¡± The cat-girl slightly corrected her. ¡°Oh¡­¡± The princess hung her head. Afterward, as the mood had turned awkward, the trio decided to drop the topic and went back to leisure chatting after taking a break while waiting for Sophia and Ari to finally return.
Chapter 275 – Royal expectations Chapter 275 ¨C Royal expectations While Anna, Maya, and Chloe were chatting the hours away in the mansion, Sophia and Ari still had yet to return. The two got a little sidetracked because they helped a lost couple back to their inn, which had taken a little longer than nned because they had a great time with them. Once they were finally done with that, the duo decided to head back home. ¡°Eve and Theo sure were a nice couple!¡± While they were walking back to the mansion, Sophia seemed to be in a great mood. "Yes," Ari gave her a slight nod. "I¡¯m d we were able to help them.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She let out another chuckle. ¡°I somehow liked them a lot! I hope we see them again. Something about them felt familiar in some weird way because I don¡¯t really know anyone with their personality, but it was super nice!" ¡°Really¡­?¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I agree that they were nice and friendly, but they didn¡¯t feel familiar to me. Then again, that doesn¡¯t have to mean anything, though.¡± ¡°Probably¡­¡± Sophia then tilted her head. ¡°I wonder who they remind me of¡­¡± "Well, should we pick up our pace a little?" As Ari didn''t feel like the tiger would find an answer to her question anytime soon, she tried to motivate her a bit. ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s head ho- Ah.¡± Instead of picking up her pace, the blonde actually stopped walking entirely. ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong?!¡± As usual, Sophia¡¯s sudden ¡®Ah¡¯s were met with panic. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I just concentrated a little more on my detection magic again and¡­ Our dear queen seems to be out shopping.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s actually on the street right around the corner there.¡± She pointed towards the intersection the two were heading towards right now. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Ari turned pale in an instant. ¡°C-Can we hide somewhere?! Please!¡± She didn¡¯t want to face her right now. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She enjoyed her panicked reaction. ¡°I kinda want to meet her, though.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about what is going on in the castle right now~.¡± The tiger just smiled at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make you apany me. Feel free to hide in a store for the time being.¡± ¡°B-But the queen will definitely find out that Anna and I are staying at your ce if you start asking questions!¡± ¡°Come on, do you really think she doesn¡¯t know that already¡­?¡± Sophia just stared at her. ¡°First, where else would you go, and secondly, she''s still the first princess, and this is the capital. Someone 100% saw you and or Anna heading over to our ce.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She hadn''t thought that far yet. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s getting closer, by the way.¡± "F-Fine¡­" Giving up, Ari then disappeared into the nearest store to hide from Queen Kira, who was about to run into them. ---------------- ¡°Oh my, would you look at that.¡± The blonde had remained near the store where Ari disappeared in and waited for the queen to run into her. Once Kira walked around the street corner, she quickly spotted the fellow tiger and walked up to her. ¡°Hey~.¡± Sophia casually waved at her. ¡°What a coincidence, huh?¡± ¡°Sure, miss who can sense everyone¡¯s magic all over the capital.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She just scratched her cheek. ¡°How is it going?¡± ¡°Apart from a couple of slightly embarrassing conversations I had in the castle today, it¡¯s going great.¡± ¡°Oh? Did something happen?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kira just stared at her for a moment. ¡°You know exactly what happened, don¡¯t you? Our idiots crashed at your ce, after all.¡± ¡°It was worth a try.¡± The blonde stopped feigning ignorance quite quickly. ¡°Is it really as bad as the two tried to tell Maya and me?¡± "I wouldn''t call it bad¡­" She shook her head, "After all, almost everyone in the castle had been rooting for them for quite a while already. ¡°Haa¡­ Someone should¡¯ve kicked their butts a long time ago¡­¡± Sophia had to sigh after hearing that absolutely everyone except the girls in question knew about what was going on between them. ¡°Well, no one dared to interfere with the love life of our princess. Not that it matters anymore. Everyone knows that they''re together now." ¡°Everyone¡­?¡± ¡°Yup¡­¡± She only nodded. ¡°For one, the bedroom of our dear jaguar is located quite centrally in the castle and isn¡¯t really as sound-dampened as the royal rooms. Together with how far sounds or the echo travels in the long corridors¡­ Did the two also mention that they started going at it during theter afternoon hours and continued to do so during the entire evening? You know, when the castle is at almost full capacity and buzzing with activity because everyone is leaving after having finished their work?¡± ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± Kira nodded again. ¡°I¡¯ve never met as many people that only blushed while they couldn''t look me in the eyes as today¡­ Even more so after the two went for seconds in the morning¡­ You know, when everyonees back to the castle and gets ready for work. The hallways are full of people during those times.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had no words. ¡°It¡¯s not like stopping them was an option, either. That would¡¯ve done even more damage.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure if more damage would¡¯ve even been possible. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± The queen just scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, I had a chat with Ari¡¯s mothers in the evening, and we decided to leave them a message. They also said they would knock to get their attention before leaving, but they either forgot about it, or the two were so busy that they hadn¡¯t heard it.¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard¡­ definitely busy.¡± Sophia also looked a little awkward. ¡°Ari noticed the letter the next morning when she¡­ uhh, wanted to get clothes for the princess. Afterward, they fled and begged us to let them move to our mansion. Anna even tried to bribe us with a gigantic cake. Delicious cake, I want to add~.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m able to me them¡­¡± "So, you aren''t mad they ran away to hide at my ce?" ¡°If I were in their shoes, I would¡¯ve been on the other side of the continent right about now¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The blonde felt a slight sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as she had made a rather simr exmation when Ari had asked her about that before. ¡°Well, we need to have a talk with them at some point because I doubt anyone wants something like that to happen again, but no one¡¯s going to scold them.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Though that will probably be the easy part¡­¡± Kira¡¯s expression suddenly turned a little awkward. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Everyone loves Ari and is in favor of her, but she¡¯s still dating the first princess of this nation now. Thates with some, no, a lot of obligations. I¡¯m not worried about her seriousness and devotion, so that won¡¯t be an issue, but she''ll appear in public much more frequently now. She didn''t do that well with this in the past, so that might be a bit bothersome for her. Basically, Ari will be by her side from now on whatever royal duty Anna has or needs to attend to. Whatever person Anna will be introduced to, Ari will be just as well.¡± "Urgh¡­" Sophia grimaced from just imagining all that. ¡°Also, while it is of no importance right now, some other sort ofmitment of both would be favorable in a year or two.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde tilted her head for a moment while thinking about something. ¡°Wait¡­ kids?!¡± At the exact moment she said those words, loud ttering, as if something fell over, could be heard from the store right next to them. "Hmm? Ahh, nonono, that¡¯spletely their own decision. Though, I definitely look forward to seeing some grandchildren somewhere in the future.¡± While saying so, she nced at the store where the sound just came from. ¡°I see. Then, what kind ofmitment do you mean?¡± ¡°Marriage.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia had to repeat herself because she had to roll her eyes at repeated tteringing from the nearby store. "Why is this idiot so adorable¡­?" Kira also rolled her eyes while mumbling those words as she nced at the store again. "I mean, there is no actual rule, and we''re not going to force it, but that''s themon and expected practice in noble and royal families.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, I guess that¡¯s nobility for you, huh?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± While giving her cheerful reply, the queen then stared at Sophia with a big smile. ¡°This is certainly how it is, my dear tiger.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that expression¡­¡± She had a bad feeling about this. ¡°I¡¯m technically also¡­ Is the same expected from Maya and me¡­?¡± ¡°As I said, no one is going to force you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a roundabout way of saying yes, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Pretty much, yeah.¡± Kira simply nodded. ¡°You two don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not o-opposed to it¡­ Not at all. Everything''s happening way too fasttely, anyway¡­ Still, ask me again in a year or two, just like your idiots.¡± ¡°dly!¡± The queen liked her answer. "A double marriage would be fun, too~." "S-Shush now!" "Ehehe~." ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time to head home. Dinner today will probably be a little fancy, and some preparation is needed for that." The blonde held up some of the grocery bags she was carrying to prove her point. ¡°Sounds fun. Yeah, I have to go, too. Greet my girls from me, okay? Also, I''d like to see them on my birthday, which ising soon." ¡°I will. The two also already agreed that your birthday will be their deadline for running away.¡± ¡°Happy to hear. Ah, before I leave, Ellie wanted to see you and Maya. She didn''t tell me for what, but you might want to pay her a visit soon.¡± ¡°I absolutely will!¡± Hearing that, Sophia¡¯s voice turned incredibly cheerful. "Tell her that we''lle over tomorrow!" ¡°Great. Well then, until then.¡± Saying so, Kira turned around to leave. ¡°Bye!¡± She waved after her. ¡°Ari~.¡± While walking past the noisy store, the queen also waved toward its shop window. ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A few momentster, Ari exited the store again and walked up next to Sophia without saying a single word. She looked incredibly embarrassed, and even small tears had formed in the corners of her eyes. She apparently had heard everything Kira had said and sustained a lot of damage from it. ¡°Should we head home¡­?¡± ¡°G-dly¡­¡± During the walk back to the mansion, the two hadn¡¯t exchanged a single word.
Chapter 276 – Back with news Chapter 276 ¨C Back with news On the way back from grocery shopping, while Ari was hiding, Sophia had run into queen Kira. The two chatted for a while, and the blonde found out about just how much the fresh couple had messed up when they failed to notice how far their voice had traveled through the castle during their first night. Once the two parted again, and the jaguar reunited with the tiger again, they continued the walk back to the mansion inplete silence because Ari was too embarrassed to say even a single word. ¡°You¡¯rete!¡± Back home, the duo was immediately greeted by a very loud and pouty-looking princess once they entered the living room after having deposited the groceries in the kitchen. ¡°That took forever!¡± ¡°Trust me, if you know what we went through, you¡¯d be shocked that we¡¯re back this early¡­¡± Sophia sounded a little tired. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Ari still looked terribly embarrassed after having listened to the blonde''s conversation with the queen earlier. ¡°W-Why is Ari blushing so hard?!¡± Anna raised her voice even more while she red at Sophia. ¡°What happened?¡± Maya also faced the duo. ¡°Well¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°First, we went to at least five stores to get everything for the pizza. That took a while. Then, we ran into a lovely older couple that had gotten lost in the capital while exploring it, and we helped them find their inn again. We had to walk to the other side of the capital for it. It was worth it, though. I loved those two! Once we were done with that, we also ran into our dear queen.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Y-You met mother?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I did, at least. Our dear jaguar hid in the next best store.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Not that she did a good job at hiding¡­¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± This remark didn¡¯t help her calm down in the slightest. ¡°W-What did you talk about with her¡­?¡± ¡°Girl, I¡¯m still amazed by how much the two of you messed up¡­¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari simply covered her face with her hands. ¡°Oh?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Did our couple here skip on telling us something?¡± ¡°We did not!¡± The princess raised her voice once again. ¡°Except the part where you had your loud first time in the early evening where the castle was super busy as everyone had just finished up their work. You know, when the corridors and hallways are packed with people going home. The loud corridors were sound travels really far.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s face grimaced a little. ¡°O-Oh no¡­¡± Anna''s face instantly turned pale. "Not to mention that you went at it in morning hours again. You know, during the time when everyonees back to the castle and gets ready for work. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Maya had the same reaction as the fox-girl. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Tears had appeared in the corners of Anna¡¯s eyes while her entire face had turned red. "Even the queen got embarrassed because she met so many people the next day that refused to make eye contact with her and only reacted with a slight blush when they ran into her¡­" ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Chloe and the cat-girl were unable to say much else at the moment. ¡°I-I want to die¡­¡± The princess hung her head in despair. ¡°Not so fast, my dear.¡± While Sophia did feel incredibly sorry for her, there unfortunately were even more bad news. ¡°Kira wants to talk with the two of you about the events and what kind of obligations are now waiting for you.¡± ¡°Again, k-kill me¡­¡± Anna didn¡¯t take the news overly well. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Ari, too, hadn''t stopped suffering yet. ¡°Obligations?¡± Once again, the fox-girl got curious. "At the end of the day, Anna''s still the first princess of this nation.¡± "Ohh!" Chloe pped her hand. "Because of that, the public will notice her being in a rtionship, right? Ari probably has to apany her to all important events and things like that, right? Standing right by her side at all times.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Aww!¡± She liked that a lot. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The couple in question did not. "There are also the general obligations expected from noble and royal couples after they¡¯re officially together for a while.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Wait, are we back to the marriage topic from before? Just without the eloping part this time?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Sophia just nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not mandatory, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna and Ari continued to quietly suffer. "Being a noble, or royalty even, can be difficult, huh?" Chloe looked at the two with sympathetic eyes before eventually ncing at Sophia. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you technically royalty, too¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde instantly turned her face away. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe, on the other hand, liked it very much. ¡°Is there something you want to tell us?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, is there¡­?¡± The cat-girl also started to ever so slightly blush. ¡°Ask me again in a year or two. That¡¯s what I told the queen, too.¡± ¡°Boo!¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t a fan of her reply. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Maya was, though. ¡°Things are happening way too fasttely, anyway. I want some peace in that regard¡­ I love what we have right now, after all.¡± "I love you." The cat-girl was d that Sophia was so capable when it came to these kinds of things. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Get a room, you two.¡± Chloe seemed slightly envious and/or jealous. ¡°We have. It¡¯s upstairs.¡± Maya smirked at her in response. ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl had no idea what to reply to that. ¡°I admit defeat.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± "A-Ari¡­¡± While the trio was having a good time, the princess slowly faced her jaguar. ¡°Can we talk about running away again¡­? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m physically able to deal with all of that¡­¡± ¡°dly¡­¡± She had given up, as well. ¡°I-I already destroyed two disys in the store I was hiding in because I had to hold onto something while listening to Kira¡­ Facing her or my parents in person¡­ I might actually die¡­¡± Ari already looked near death right now. ¡°Great, we leave at dawn tomorrow!¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The blonde faced them. ¡°I absolutely get you, and I would¡¯ve run away already while carrying Maya under my arm, but¡­ Does that actually solve anything?¡± "Not at all." Anna shook her head. "It''s not like I care about that part, though!" ¡°Yes!¡± The jaguar nodded a couple of times. ¡°Maya, I need some help with that¡­¡± She just pointed at the couple. "Nah, I''m kinda interested in how you''re going to be the voice of reason here." ¡°Y-You¡¯re horrible!¡± She pouted for a moment before eventually facing the couple again. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia had no idea what to say. ¡°Would running away even work? I know from experience that a tiger tends to stick out quite a bit. At least in areas that are inhabited by the beastfolk. So, with that, to run away from everything, you¡¯d need to go to a ce without them. Else, the scouts of the royal family would easily find you. That doesn¡¯t sound like fun, does it¡­?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The princess grimaced in response. ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you all want to visit the demon continent?! That sounds like fun! How about you and Chloe finish the portal thingy and give one to Ari and me? The two of us will then head over to the demon continent first! Once we get there, we will bring you over with the portals!" ¡°I¡¯d love to see you try!¡± The blonde just had to make a retort to their idea while she rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± Chloe suddenly sounded really cheerful as she smiled at the couple. ¡°That sounds like a lot of fun!¡± ¡°Shut up, you stupid fox!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°We¡¯re definitely going there in the future, but I won¡¯t let anyone willingly run away from their family to nevere back! Even more so if it¡¯s for such a petty reason! I get it, and I would beining at least three times as much, but it won¡¯t happen!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess didn¡¯t dare to utter even a single moreint after this. Having Sophia mention family-rted matters made her feel incredibly awkward, thanks to her alleged backstory. "I-I''m sorry¡­" ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Ari also nodded a couple of times. ¡°Good.¡± Sophia started smiling again. ¡°I know I¡¯m the queen of hasty decisions, but we don¡¯t have to make any here. The queen. Full stop. She''s okay with the two of you staying here until her birthday next week. I¡¯m sure that things will have calmed down a bit until then. I can also use my portals to get you right inside the castle without you having to walk around there for everyone on disy.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The couple was grateful for that. ¡°Also, while Ari will suffer a little in the future because she has to apany Anna everywhere and will appear a lot more in public¡­ Kira promised that the other thing expected of noble and royal couples won¡¯t be relevant to you for the next one or two years, either. Unless you two have earlier ns, of course. Judging by how you jumped right into your rtionship, it might actually be¡­¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± The couple in question got loud. ¡°Maya and I will also be going to the castle tomorrow. I¡¯ll try to get a feeling for the mood while we¡¯re there.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to the castle¡­?¡± The cat-girl hadn¡¯t heard about that yet. ¡°Kira said that Ellie wants to see us for something.¡± ¡°We will be going to the castle!¡± Her mood brightened up in an instant. ¡°It feels like so long since I¡¯vest seen her!¡± ¡°I know, right?!¡± Sophia felt the same. ¡°Though, it hasn¡¯t even been two weeks, I think.¡± ¡°Yeah, because way too much is going ontely!¡± Maya needed toin again. ¡°I agree! Well, it¡¯s fun, so I¡¯m okay with that~.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Anna was happy that she was doing so much for them. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± So was Ari. ¡°Could we ask you to fetch some more clothes for us when you''re there¡­? We brought some spares but left in a hurry and forgot some things¡­¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Anyway, enough of all that for the time being!¡± Sophia felt like it was time to stop. ¡°This day was long enough already! Let¡¯s do something more fun for the time being and push the issue to another day or whatever!¡± ¡°You ran out of steam being the voice of reason already, didn¡¯t you?¡± Maya showed her a slight smirk. ¡°Be d Isted for this long! That got to be a new record for me!¡± She wanted some praise. ¡°Good job. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± That was all she wanted. "Let''s get started on the pizza already!" ¡°That does sound like more fun.¡± Anna wasn¡¯t against the idea. ¡°Yes.¡± Neither was Ari. ¡°Yay!¡± Chloe even was a big fan of it. Afterward, the girls went to the kitchen to look at the ingredients Ari and Sophia had bought earlier to prepare everything.
Chapter 277 – Pizza preparations Chapter 277 ¨C Pizza preparations Sophia and Ari were finally back from their shopping trip to get the ingredients for homemade pizza, and the two had to exin why it had taken so long. Anna didn''t take it well when she heard that the blonde had run into her mother, the queen. They found out that it was even worse than the new couple had thought as they had gotten busy when the entire castle also was, well, busy. As a result of that, even more people had heard them. Not being able to deal with that, the two got serious about running away. Sophia, being the voice of reason she always is, barely managed to talk them out of it, though. As they were getting nowhere, the group decided to put the topic on hold for the time being and concentrated on something that was much more important. For some of them, at least. Making pizza, that is. ¡°It sure is great that we have such a big kitchen.¡± All five girls had decided to join in on the pizza fun in the kitchen, and Maya just had to make ament. ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Sophia was having a good time. She was a big fan of their mansion being so lively right now. ¡°I think so, too!¡± Chloe¡¯s mood was just as good. ¡°Can you cook?¡± Anna nced at the cheerful fox-girl. ¡°I specialize in eating!¡± She almost sounded smug. ¡°My cooking skills are ssified as a disaster, ording to Feyfey." ¡°Seriously, why are you two so simr?!¡± The princess then stared at the blonde. ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°While eating is also my specialty, I DO have an interest in cooking! I also think that I¡¯m not aplete disaster anymore!¡± ¡°She has gotten somewhat decent when ites to preparing ingredients," Maya added her own assessment of the situation. "Also, as long as you like spicy food, she does know how to season a meal.¡± ¡°See?!¡± Sophia looked back at the princess with a proud expression. ¡°Consistency, especially concerning cooking time, isn''t her strong suit, though." "A-Ah¡­¡± Her cheeks turned ever so slightly pink. ¡°T-There was no need to mention that bit¡­¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Anna liked that reply a lot. ¡°What are you getting so smug for?¡± Ari just stared at her girl. ¡°You are a proper disaster, after all.¡± "A-Ah.¡± She immediately turned her head away. ¡°Soo¡­" Maya collectively looked at everyone. "We have two that know what they''re doing, Ari and I. Then, there are the catastrophes, Anna and Chloe. Atst, there''s someone in between and eager to learn, my very own almost-idiot.¡± ¡°Yay, I leveled up!¡± Sophia was happy with her current assessment. "A-Ari, can I get a lesson once everything has cooled down a little¡­?¡± The princess didn¡¯t want to lose against her fellow tiger. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The jaguar¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Absolutely! That sounds like a lot of fun! Teaching Sophia a bit already was a great time, so this will be even better!¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt!¡± The blonde in question started pouting in return. ¡°You know what I mean!¡± ¡°Still hurt!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± "Wow, they sure get along great." Chloe seemed to enjoy their bickering. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-girl and the princess didn''t entirely share her feelings on the matter. "Well, they are cute, so it¡¯s fine¡­" Surprisingly, they could see something good in how the two were acting. "Wow, that''s some serious syncing. Almost creepy." This time, the fox-girl''s reply sounded a lot more mixed. "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get to the pizza!¡± Sophia, out of everyone, was the one who tried to get them back on track. ¡°I think it¡¯s best to group up here¡­ Chloe, cooking skills aside, do you know how to make pizza?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Though she sounded super motivated, she was just shaking her head. ¡°I do know the rough ingredients and how it¡¯s supposed to taste!¡± ¡°Good enough! Maya, do you still remember how it tastes? Especially the base dough or crust?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She just nodded. ¡°Perfect. It¡¯s a basic yeast dough. Water, flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and a bit of oil. Grab Anna for kneading it.¡± ¡°Why me and Maya?! I want to be with Ari!¡± The princess already wasn¡¯t a fan of the groupings.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt!¡± The cat-girl decided to do the same as Sophia earlier. ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± The blonde had to chuckle at that. ¡°Our dear jaguar and cat here are the only ones we can really count on the produce quality food¡­ Neither Ari nor you know how pizza tastes, so the two of you in the same group might not be the best idea. The sauce is also moreplex, so it might need two who know how it¡¯s supposed to taste¡­¡± She nced at the fox-girl during thest part. ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± The princess could understand the logic behind that. ¡°I will try to assist Ari with the sauce while Chloe helps me to get the taste right.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± The two in question nodded a couple of times in return. ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡± Sophia then energetically raised her fist. ¡°Yes!¡± The fox-girl followed right after her. "Sure." Not entirely as enthusiastic, the other three girls also raised their arms. ---------------- While Maya and Anna got ready to start on the dough, Chloe and Sophia gathered around Ari in front of the kitchen counter while looking at her with expectant eyes. ¡°You two do know that while I know how to cook, I have no idea what we¡¯re actually doing, right¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± Hearing that, the tiger scratched her cheek. ¡°I forgot about that. We want a tomato sauce with some very distinct spices. Oh, and a ton of garlic and onion because you can never have enough of that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me fall for you for real now¡­¡± Apparently, the fox-girl was a big fan of the idea of adding a lot of those ingredients. ¡°Oh, and it must be a thick sauce.¡± She hadn¡¯t been entirely serious about her im. ¡°Pizza with a watery sauce is the worst!¡± ¡°Good point!¡± Sophia was too excited to get embarrassed. ¡°It definitely has to be on the thicker side!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. "A thick tomato-based sauce is actually quiteplicated as tomatoes are basically all water¡­ Wait, is that why we got the puree and the already processed tomatoes? You ended up chatting with the seller for a good twenty minutes before he sold you a jar with cooked, peeled, and condensed tomatoes he normally uses for pasta sauces.¡± "Yup." The blonde just nodded. "It''s not thaaat far off from pasta sauce in one way or another." ¡°I see¡­ That way, there will be way less watery juice. The onions will also thicken it a bit. If we let everything simmer while the dough risester, the sauce should be thick enough.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d we have someone who knows what they¡¯re doing!¡± The two had a lot of praise for the jaguar in store. ¡°Thanks¡­ So, I guess we start with preparing all the ingredients? Does anyone want to volunteer to cut the onions and garlic¡­? I like their taste, but I''m not the biggest fan of how your hands smell after you''re done preparing them¡­ Not to mention what else onions do to you..." ¡°Oh, I can do that!¡± Chloe energetically raised her hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you can¡¯t cook?¡± Sophia looked ever so slightly dubious when she nced at her. ¡°Yup!¡± She just nodded. ¡°I¡¯m good at preparing things for Feyfey, though! It only bes a catastrophe once I try to cook a meal, so I leave that part to her as she¡¯s a good cook despite being a full fox!¡± ¡°I have many questions¡­¡± The tiger had no idea how a full would be able to actually cook. She knew that Fen could grill meat and stuff like that, but that was about the limits of his skill. Only having paws didn''t help with that, either. "I definitely want to see her cook once I get to know her." ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Most of the spices we need are dried and ready to also, so¡­ all I can do for now is to chop the fresh basil, I guess¡­?¡± Sophia tried to find out what she could do to help. "You also need to help me with the processed tomatoes and the puree to guide me about the quantity and consistency.¡± After all, Ari still had no idea how the finished product had to look. ¡°dly!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done with the onions and garlic!¡± The fox-girl suddenly interrupted the duo. ¡°Eh?!¡± As only a few moments had passed since she had volunteered for those, the two were shocked to hear that. ¡°How?!¡± Ari looked at the counter in front of the fox-girl and noticed that there was indeed a small mountain of finely chopped onions and a generous helping of minced garlic. ¡°Magic?¡± Chloe just tilted her head. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Again, how?!¡± The jaguar just got louder. ¡°Well¡­¡± She grabbed another onion, ced it on a cutting board, and a secondter, it almost seemed like it had peeled itself. Afterward, the fox-girl put her hand on it before letting go of it a few secondster again. Immediately after, the onion just crumbled into perfectly sized pieces. "Air magic''s amazing~. I still don''t understand why knives are a thing¡­¡± ¡°Because people usually aren¡¯t that skilled with magic.¡± The blonde answered her. "I did use air des to cut meat during our travels before, but even I haven''t thought of using it for such delicate works, either. I''ll try that out as soon as I can!" ¡°Sophia, can you teach me air magic next?!¡± Ari instantly had taken quite a liking to it. ¡°Ahaha, sure~.¡± She was a big fan of the easily excited side of the jaguar. Afterward, once Ari finished marveling over Chloe¡¯s technique when it came to preparing ingredients, everyone focused on their tasks again to get everyone ready for their homemade version of a pizza.
Chapter 278 – Preventing a war Chapter 278 ¨C Preventing a war The girls were still busy preparing everything for their dinner together. Sophia and Chloe were really into the idea of making pizza on their own, and the two managed to talk everyone into it. After Ari and the blonde had gotten all the ingredients, the girls split up into two groups to prepare everything at the same time. ¡°Alright, I think the dough¡¯s fine the way it is. It¡¯s currently resting in the slightly warm oven for the yeast to do its job.¡± Maya and Anna joined the other group while the cat-girl was updating them on the situation. ¡°How is it going here?¡± The princess also was curious. ¡°Good job.¡± Ari greeted them. ¡°The answer for that would be a strong hmm.¡± Saying so, she gestured at Sophia and Chloe, who were concentrating on the pot with the sauce. "The base is done, but those two are kinda fighting over the spices a little¡­¡± ¡°Is something like that really worth fighting over¡­?¡± Anna also nced at them. ¡°IT IS!¡± Even so, the duo was getting along well. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Maya!¡± The blonde addressed her cat. ¡°Please tell Chloe that it¡¯s enough oregano!¡± "No, tell her that it needs a lot more!" ¡°Do I want to be caught in the middle of this¡­?¡± She felt like it would be better to stay out of their squabble. "I tried and sided with Sophia¡­ It didn''t end well¡­" The jaguar only let out a sigh. ¡°Because you don¡¯t know how a pizza has to taste because you never tried one!¡± The reason for why it went badly, the fox-girl, loudlyined about it. ¡°See¡­?¡± ¡°With Maya, you can¡¯tin, though!¡± Sophia raised her voice again. ¡°She had it before, so her opinion will be based on that!¡± "She''s also your girlfriend, though! Her decision will be biased!" Chloe already wasining before the cat-girl had the chance to taste it. ¡°Maya wouldn¡¯t do that! She can be very objective if it¡¯s important!¡± ¡°Actually, if anything¡­¡± The cat-girl in question developed a slight smirk. ¡°Siding with Chloe just to tease my tiger seems like fun, too.¡± "A-Ah." Sophia had forgotten about this side of her for a moment. ¡°I suddenly like my chances a lot more here!¡± "Let''s get over with it¡­" Slightly rolling her eyes, Maya then got closer to the pot with the sauce, snatched the spoon Sophia was holding, and gave it a try. "Hmm¡­" ¡°So?!¡± The blonde seemed eager to get her opinion. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not enough oregano, isn¡¯t it?!¡± So was Chloe. ¡°It needs much more!¡± "If it''s a simple yes or no question, I would actually side with our dear fox. Yes, it needs more, but¡­" ¡°My win!¡± ¡°BUT!¡± Maya wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°While it could use a little more, it¡¯s definitely not MUCH more. Some shakes from the container your bought is all it needs.¡± "Not your win!" Sophia looked even smugger than the fox just now. ¡°You were both off, idiots.¡± "A-Ah.¡± They just turned their heads away in response. ---------------- Once Maya had finished seasoning the sauce, and the squabbling duo made up, everyone got together again to deal with one of the most important topics when it came to pizza, the toppings. ¡°By the way, what have you gotten for on top of the pizza?¡± Chloe eyed the shopping bags standing on the corner of the kitchen counter. "A little bit of everything," Sophia answered her. "A ton of cheese, different kinds, too. Smi, pepperoni, ham, bacon. We also got some mushrooms if you¡¯re into it.¡± ¡°Ham, huh¡­?¡± The fox-girl¡¯s expression got a little awkward. ¡°Did you get pineapple, as well¡­?¡± It was impossible to tell whether she wanted it or was appalled by the idea. ¡°So, you can put fruits on pizza?¡± Ari got interested in the topic again. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia had the same expression as Chloe. ¡°We decided to keep it easy this time¡­ And uplicated.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The pink-haired girl looked relieved. ¡°I was worried that a war would break out anytime soon.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was also a part of the reason to keep it easy¡­¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Good thinking.¡± "A war¡­?¡± The other three girls couldn¡¯t follow their conversation. ¡°Well¡­¡± Both scratched their cheeks before the blonde continued. ¡°Pineapple on pizza is a very delicate topic among pizza enthusiasts. Some love it, while others loathe it¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a matter of whether you like it or not¡­ Just like with every other type of food?¡± Anna didn¡¯t see the issue here. ¡°If only¡­¡± The two shook their heads while Chloe answered her. ¡°They get very enthusiastic about it¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The princess didn¡¯t even try to act like she understood, though. ¡°So, as it seems like the two of you are quite familiar with pizza, on which side of the war are you?¡± ¡°Noment.¡± They immediately answered at the same time before looking at each other. ¡°I like her too much to end this friendship now.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­? But you were just fighting over this oregano thingy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Once again, Anna didn¡¯t look like she understood them in the slightest. ¡°You two sure are weird¡­¡± Ari spoke out what everyone was thinking. ¡°It¡¯s not us that started it!¡± They had to protest. ¡°Sure.¡± Maya just rolled her eyes before continuing. ¡°So, back to the toppings we have. Is it just mix and match or are there rules?¡± ¡°That depends a lot on who you¡¯re asking.¡± ¡°Yep¡­¡± Their expression got a littleplicated again. ¡°Why is this stupid pizza such an emotional topic?!¡± ¡°No idea!¡± ¡°All I know is that it is delicious!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia and Chloe were on the same page here. ¡°Okay¡­ Well, I tried the pizzas the restaurant in Tga offered, so I have a rough understanding. Still, when ites to the two of you, pretty much anything goes, right?" ¡°Yup!¡± The duo just nodded. ¡°You can never go wrong with a simple cheese, but one with tuna and red onions is amazing, too. Too bad we weren¡¯t able to get any tuna¡­¡± The blonde looked ever so slightly disappointed. ¡°I¡¯m more of a pepperoni fan myself. Though, I wouldn¡¯t say no to either of those!¡± The fox-girl didn¡¯t seem to be picky with her pizza. ¡°Happy you got some!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a ssic.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°I also like it a lot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty interested in the bacon option!¡± Anna raised her voice a little. ¡°You bought it, so I won¡¯t upset the pizza gods, right?¡± ¡°Screw them!¡± Sophia also got louder. ¡°It won¡¯t upset me, so it¡¯s totally viable!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Chloe also agreed. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s a great choice!¡± ¡°Personally, I think I¡¯d like to try a version with ham on it.¡± ¡°I was thinking the same thing!¡± Ari liked the cat-girl¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Although, I maybe would like to try it together with a few mushrooms. I think that could work well.¡± ¡°Ohh! That sounds like a great idea.¡± The two seemed to be on the same page. ¡°Not my favorite, but I not not like it.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Once again, Sophia and the fox-girl agreed with their choice of toppings. "Should we make all three variants?" The blonde tilted her head. "One with bacon for Anna, ham, and mushrooms for Maya and Ari, and then one with a lot of pepperonis for Chloe and I.¡± ¡°I like how you mentioned a lot of pepperonis for us.¡± The pink-haired girl seemed to like the idea. ¡°Hehe.¡± She let out a chuckle in return. ¡°As we¡¯re going to form the pizzas ourselves, we can adjust their sizes so that everyone gets their fill without having too much or too little.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Everyone agreed with her n. ¡°How much longer does the sauce need to cook?¡± Maya then looked at the group responsible for it. "Hmm¡­" Chloe and Sophia looked inside the pot after stirring it for a moment. ¡°Maybe 5 or 10 minutes until the consistency is perfect.¡± ¡°10 to be sure, yes.¡± The fox-girl nodded in response. ¡°It¡¯s still a tiny bit too watery, but it shouldn''t be long anymore." "Now I wonder if you could use magic to extract the excess liquid from food¡­" The blonde suddenly tilted her head. "That would be amazing!" Chloe''s eyes started sparkling. "That would make preserving food so much easier, too!" "Okay!" The tiger looked motivated. "I don''t want to risk ruining the sauce now, but we definitely have to try that idea soon!¡± ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Afterward, once the duo had calmed down over their newest idea, they decided to heat up the oven with wood, as that would taste better. While that was happening, the group also started preparing the dough. Putting some extra flour on the kitchen counter, Sophia then pulled two rolling pins out of her storage she had in there for quite a while already for some reason. Once the dough was properly rolled out and formed under the guidance of the two resident pizza experts, they got to the sauce and the toppings. In the end, they decided to make threerge pizzas, though. One with pepperoni, one with bacon, and one with ham and mushrooms. Sophia and Chloe had decided that they wanted to try a bit of everything, so the duo decided that every pizza should be arge one. They put a bit of the sauce to cover the dough, followed by cheese in varying amounts and then topped with the meats and some mushrooms in one case before putting one after another into the hot oven.
Chapter 279 – Pajama crisis Chapter 279 ¨C Pajama crisis The girls had finally finished making the homemade pizzas they nned for dinner and just finished eating them right after they came out of the oven. ¡°Haa~, that was good!¡± With a satisfied expression, Chloe looked at all the empty tes at the dining table everyone was sitting on. "First try, and we already came close to a pizzeria. The future looks bright!" ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia had the same expression as her while she nodded a couple of times. ¡°Pizzeria¡­?¡± Maya just tilted her head. ¡°Oh, is that how a restaurant that serves pizza is called?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°I see. It has a nice ring to it, that name. Anyway, yes, I totally agree! It was delicious!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Anna and Ari also agreed. ¡°Can I suggest that we do that once a week or something like that?¡± The princess seemed to really have liked it. ¡°Even after Ari and I go back home.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± The blonde and the fox-girl had absolutely no issue with her suggestion. ¡°Maybe not every week, but it sounds like it could be a nice tradition.¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± Maya and Ari also were a fan of the idea. "Oh, how about we keep the once-a-week idea but do varying dishes together?"" After they decided on that, everyone returned to the kitchen and cleaned up a bit together because they had created quite the chaos there. ---------------- Once the kitchen didn¡¯t resemble a battlefield anymore, the group decided to rx some more in the living room together. Just like before, Sophia and Maya shared a sofa, just as Ari and Anna did. Chloe and her tail had thest one to herself. ¡°Is the temperature okay for you, Chloe?¡± After a little while, Sophia nced at their resident arctic fox. ¡°All of us besides you are cats that get cold easily, so you¡¯re a bit of the odd one out here¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my favorite temperature, but it¡¯s easily tolerable. Thanks for lowering it a little for more. Once I change into some lighter clothes, everything should be perfect.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t want her to suffer, after all. ¡°Also, yay for more eye candyter on~.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Chloe¡¯s face turned a little red as she covered her chest. ¡°Hmm?¡± Ari and Anna couldn¡¯t follow their conversation. "Our dear Chloe here likes to dress rather skimpy, and there''s a lot she''s hiding below that sweater of hers.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Ari suddenly got loud. ¡°I already had the feeling that she could rival Anna.¡± ¡°She absolutely can~.¡± Maya gave her an affirming nod. ¡°Hey!¡± Anna raised her voice as she red at her girlfriend. "A-Ah¡­¡± She got a little awkward for a moment. ¡°T-There¡¯s no way you weren¡¯t curious about that, right¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess decided to answer her question by only turning her head away. ¡°H-Hey!¡± This time, Chloe herself got loud. ¡°Also, Maya and Sophia dressed just as, if not even skimpier than I did!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The couple now looked at the duo in question with a somewhat curious look. "Ahh¡­" Sophia hadn''t thought about the apparent reversal. "The options were turning the heat down or stripping¡­ or rather, wearing lighter clothes. The answer to that should be obvious, right¡­?¡± ¡°Very obvious.¡± Ari and Anna could only nod. ¡°Getting a nice view is an amazing bonus to that!¡± Maya just stared at her tiger. ¡°That is true.¡± She simply looked back at her cat. ¡°Oh!¡± The other couple almost seemed to be looking forward to it. ¡°Not so thirsty, you two.¡± Maya just had to do it. "Not that any other of us is much better." "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°How do the two of you sleep?¡± Sophia got a little interested and looked at the thirsty couple in question. ¡°Especially now after I installed the heated floors in your rooms.¡± ¡°While we also got some shorts, our pajama tops were quite normal and short-sleeved, though. Nothing overly showy.¡± Ari answered them. ¡°And the moment I identally made my top showier, as it became somewhat disheveled, Ari literally a-attacked me¡­¡± The princess suddenly started blushing. ¡°¡­¡± So did the jaguar. ¡°I-It was more than a little¡­ You presented almost everything¡­ Not to mention that you weren¡¯t wearing a bra when it happened¡­¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°It absolutely does!¡± Sophia and Maya got loud. ¡°Yes, I have to agree with them.¡± Chloe first smiled at the two before ncing at Anna. Her chest, especially. ¡°I think you need to be very straight to not attack you in that situation. At least when you''re already cuddling together when it happened, as that really gives off the feeling that you revealed them on purpose." ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face became even redder. ¡°Ehehe.¡± Sophia liked her reaction. "I definitely look forward to seeing both of you in shorts, though!" She focused her gaze and the duo''s legs. ¡°Careful, your leg fetish is leaking a little.¡± Maya felt like taking a jab at her, too. ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever having kept that a secret.¡± The blonde simply smiled at her. ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl paused for a second. ¡°Okay, you win that round.¡± "A-Ah!¡± Ari¡¯s eyes suddenly shot open before she looked at her princess. ¡°I think I forgot to pack some new pajamas for us after the ones we wore yesterday, well¡­ you know¡­¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± "Don''t worry. None of us will mind if the two of you run around in your underwear during your stay here.¡± Maya just gave them a thumbs up. ¡°We would, though!¡± Anna got loud. "Who are the thirsty ones here, again?!" So got Ari. ¡°It was worth a try.¡± ¡°Yep¡­¡± Sophia and Chloe looked just as disappointed as the cat-girl. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya then faced the fox-girl. ¡°Chloe, do you have any spare tops with you? I have a pair of shorts I bought that ended up being too big for me. They might fit our princess, though. My tops, on the other hand, thanks to a certain someone,¡± She nced at Sophia while saying so. "They''re either suuuper skimpy and impossible to cover Anna''s chest or are quite tight and would probably tear when trying to tame her breasts¡­ Your chest is about the same size as hers, so if you have any extras that aren''t on the short side, our tall tiger here might fit into it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°I have one camisole that covers almost up to my navel¡­ I don¡¯t have anything longer than that on me. It would probably not even go to Anna''s waist¡­ if at all. Also, it is very open at the top. Even I have reservations wearing that with others around.¡± ¡°Oho, I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°D-Do I have a saying in this¡­?¡± The princess didn¡¯t seem to share Maya¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°I-I mean, I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re trying to help me, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s either that, going back to the castle and fetch something, or your underwear.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Anna didn¡¯t like any of those options. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you have any simple t-shirts for me¡­¡± ¡°None that your chest would even remotely fit into.¡± ¡°None on me and none that wouldn''t turn stomach-free on you.¡± Maya and Chloe just shook their heads. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°I am so happy that you and I have a simr size and height¡­¡± Ari then nced at Sophia with a wry smile. ¡°If I could ask to borrow some clothes, that is¡­¡± "dly!" The blonde smiled back at her. ¡°Although, while I do have some t-shirts you¡¯d fit into, they¡¯re all for outdoor use. Not thefiest for sleeping. For my actual nightwear, well¡­ I probably dress the skimpiest out of everyone here. Feel free to wear some of that. In fact, I look forward to it." ¡°I-I can do with a slightly ufy t-shirt!¡± Ari started panicking. ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind your girlfriend being embarrassed all on herself, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment while ncing at her blushing princess before facing Sophia again. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± Chloe looked quite impressed as she faced Maya. "I''m so proud of her!" The cat-girl was having a great time. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t have to do that for me, you know¡­?¡± While Anna was happy about it, she didn''t want Ari to do the same if she didn''t want to. ¡°I¡¯d feel even guiltier now that you said it like that!¡± It hadn¡¯t helped the jaguar in the slightest. ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± "By the way," Maya suddenly leaned closer to Sophia and started whispering. "You said all that, but do you actually have anything that fits Ari in the chest department? Thanks to me being me, weren¡¯t you in big mode with most of those skimpy tops?¡± "A-Ah.¡± The blonde hadn''t thought about that. ¡°L-Loose fit is popr, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°No, wait, the one I wore yesterday with Chloe around was made for normal, slightly improved me. I think I have one or two that are simr to that.¡± ¡°Right, I almost forgot about that.¡± ¡°Me, too¡­ Good thing I remembered going normal yesterday. Chloe wouldn¡¯t have stopped asking questions¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± "No whispering!" Anna suddenly got loud. "Don''t you daree up with something even more embarrassing for us to wear!" ¡°Oh?¡± Maya had a strong reaction to that. ¡°That sounds like a lovely n!¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like the idea. Once the couple finished teasing the princess and her jaguar, they decided it was time for a bath to have a more rxing evening afterward. And more to look at, too. As they had four bathrooms in total in the mansion, everyone could go at the same time. The big one on the ground floor got ignored, and Chloe, just like Anna together with Ari, took one of the guest ones each. At the same time, Sophia and Maya went to the usual one attached to their bedroom. Before that, everyone gathered some fitting pajama parts for the runaway couple. It almost seemed like they decided on clothes with the least amount of fabric they could find, as well. Though, they chose not to mention any of that. Chapter 280 – Much to look at Chapter 280 ¨C Much to look at The group had finished their dinner, everyone loved the homemade pizzas very much, and they decided to take a bath before gettingfy for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, the runaway couple had forgotten to bring a pair of pajamas with them. Luckily, Maya, Sophia, and Chloe managed to collect some spares for them. For some reason, the three decided to prepare the skimpiest pieces of clothing they could find, though. Naturally, that was pure coincidence, and none of them had any hidden thoughts behind their decision. ¡°Is it bad that I really want to see Anna and Ari in skimpy clothes?¡± Sophia and Maya were back in the living room already after their bath and were currently waiting for the others to return. Both wore matching clothes, ck shorts, and a camisole with a bit of cleavage and their navels showing. The colors of it were different, though. Sophia''s top was a light pink, while Maya''s was more of a light blue. ¡°Nope.¡± The cat-girl just shook her head. ¡°I do, too, after all.¡± ¡°Well, but you are a pervert, so I¡¯m not sure how much I can trust your opinion on the matter.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Maya got loud. "Who''s the one who got a crop top for Ari that might not even cover a bra or the entire underside of her chest? Why do you even have something like that?" ¡°Because you told me to buy it.¡± "A-Ah.¡± The cat-girl identally weakened her position even more. ¡°Y-You still gave it to our jaguar, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°See?¡± Maya started smiling again. ¡°We¡¯re both perverts, so it¡¯s safe for you to listen to my opinion.¡± ¡°Is that really how it works¡­?¡± The blonde looked a little dubious. ¡°Yup.¡± "Hmm¡­ Well, I guess as long as it''s just looking, it should be fine, right?" ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t get jealous about me doing that, though!" "A-Ah¡­¡± Maya awkwardly scratched her cheek again. ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°Well, I think the two of you already are more than a sight to behold, so I wonder if those two can top it.¡± Chloe suddenly entered the living room and joined their conversation in the most natural way possible. She, too, was wearing ck shorts and a white camisole, only that it was even more revealing. ¡°Though, I do look forward to seeing more of Ari.¡± The fox-girl was into medium-sized girls, after all. "Also, I can''t believe that we managed to get such a simr design pattern for their pajamas!" ¡°See, it¡¯s totally fine.¡± Maya smiled at her tiger once again before nodding at Chloe. ¡°Thanks for thepliment, by the way.¡± "Again, she''s just another pervert. So, who knows how credible those words are.¡± "H-Hey!" The fox-girl raised her voice. "I can''t say much to defend myself, but still! Hey! Also, one pervert calling out another is really mean!¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia hung her head in return. ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t escape that title¡­ You look great, Chloe. Thanks for the view.¡± She just embraced it for the time being while looking at the lightly dressed fox. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± Her cheeks turned ever so slightly pink. ---------------- Another 10 minutes had passed since Chloe joined the couple, and the living room was about to turn even noisier. The second duo also finally decided to show themselves again. "Ohh!" Maya, Sophia, and the fox-girl started pping once Anna and Ari entered the room. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The faces of the duo were entirely crimson. ¡°T-This is too much¡­¡± The princess squirmed around a little while she was trying to pull down the crop-top she had gotten from Chloe to hide even a little bit more of her entirely bare stomach. It was a light-pink top that resembled more the design of a sports bra, just not as tight as it wasn''t meant for support but for beingfortable. As the top was made for the fox-girl, who liked to dress lightly, it being worn by the tall princess only made it look even smaller. Actually, it barely covered all of her chest as the cleavage was rather big, and even the sides were mostly open. The white shorts she got from Maya were not quite that revealing, though the shape of her butt could still easily be seen in them, especially as they didn¡¯t fully cover the entire underside connecting to her thighs. They were a little short on the tiger, after all. ¡°I-I hate you¡­¡± Ari tried to re at the blonde, but she was too embarrassed to properly look angry. The jaguar looked even more revealing than Anna. The yellow top she had gotten from Sophia had a closed neckline, so there was no cleavage, but Ari would''ve vastly preferred that over what she actually got. It was so short that a part of the underside of her breasts wasn''t even fully covered. Her white shorts, which had a pink stripe on them, too, were the shortest out of anyone in the living room right now, covering only the absolute bare minimum. While it didn¡¯t reveal any immediate sensitive parts, a good bit of her lower butt was visible to everyone present. ¡°I-I knew that you¡¯re a p-pervert, b-but this much¡­?¡± Ari was even more squirming around than her princess. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The blonde pervert got loud. ¡°Maya¡¯s the one who made me buy them!¡± ¡°Y-You made me wear them, though! Pervert!¡± "A-Ah.¡± There was nothing she could defend herself with. "T-Though... Can you really use me of that...?" Sophia then stared at a particr part of Ari. "It doesn''t seem like you''re wearing a bra right now... The underside of your chest that is sticking out... It''s bare!" "..." The jaguar turned her head away while her face turned redder. "Don''t soundso excited while makingthisamazingdiscovery!" Maya red ather, but the way she worded it,didn''t make it sound like she was actually angry. "I-It would''ve looked even weirder with my bra sticking out..." She tried to defend herself. "Weirder than youractual breasts?" The cat-girl didn''t buy it. "You''re a little into the look, aren''t you?" "..." Ari paused for a moment. "It looks embarrassing!" "That''s not an answer." "S-Shut up!" ¡°On the plus side, you look great! You both do.¡± Chloe decided that it would be best to let her get used to the clothes without the teasing duo overdoing it. It totally wasn''t because the fox-girl was hoping that Ari really would take a liking to it and wear it more often from now on. ¡°Compliments aren¡¯t going to make this any better!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°T-Thanks, though¡­¡± She didn¡¯t entirely dislike it, either. ¡°Hehe~.¡± The three liked her reaction. ¡°Uuh¡­ Seriously, how can all of you be sofortable in such clothes¡­¡± She nced at Sophia, Maya, and Chloe, who, while slightly more dressed, didn''t look all that different from the couple. "I can''t calm down at all¡­" Her fidgeting just got stronger. ¡°Because the clothes arefortable?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Super easy to move in, too.¡± "Because there''s nothing! It''s obvious that it''s easy to move if you''re basically naked!" Anna also raised her voice. "Why did you get so embarrassed about wearing a skirt not too long ago when you now show lots of cleavage, most of your stomach, and a bit of your butt peeking out of your shorts?! Actually, I can even see parts of your panties while you''re sitting down because the legs of your shorts are rather wide. They''re the same color as Ari''s! A nice dark blue!" ¡°Just where are you looking?¡± More than just one girl replied to her. ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± She noticed her mistake. ¡°I-I just wanted to get my point across!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± More than just one girl rolled their eyes in response. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia just awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s a good question¡­ Maybe because I knew that I have to wear a skirt in public while me looking like this will only be seen by my best friends?" She gestured at herself while saying so. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The princess was touched for a second. ¡°Wait, you only met Chloe two or three days ago!¡± ¡°And I already love her enough that it feels like we¡¯ve known each other for years~.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The fox-girl in question liked her reply. "To me, it also feels like we''ve been friends for way longer already!" ¡°And there you have it~.¡± The blonde smiled at her fellow tiger. ¡°There¡¯s just no winning with you, is there?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Maya was the one who answered her. ¡°Now, just sit down and rx.¡± Sophia pointed at the free sofa. ¡°You look great, so there¡¯s no reason for all theining!¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± Saying so, Anna hung her head and walked over to the sofa while Ari followed after her. "Once we finally go shopping for clothes, I''m going to put you in the shortest skirt I can find¡­" The jaguar looked straight at her. "And don''t you darein about it for even a second.¡± "And once we bought it, I''ll give it to one of the maids in the castle who''s good at sewing, and we''re going to have it shortened even more!" The princess had the same expression. ¡°Oh, I like that n!¡± Maya showed them a bright smile. ¡°I do, too!¡± Chloe had the same reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± The blonde disagreed. ¡°I don¡¯t really have a choice, though, do I?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± All four girls replied to her at the same time. ¡°Well, it was worth it.¡± She was still looking at the couple. ¡°Yup.¡± The cat-girl and the fox were doing the same. ¡°All of you are the worst¡­¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t believe them. ¡°You know,¡± Maya addressed her. ¡°Your words would sting a lot more if your eyes would stop drifting towards Chloe''s chest, which is heavily entuated by the cleavage of her top, every now and then." ¡°¡­¡± She immediately turned her head away. "A-Ari?!¡± Anna stared right at her in return. ¡°Oh, you finally stopped looking at Sophia¡¯s breasts, huh?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°¡­¡± The princess also turned silent. ¡°My, quite a lot that¡¯s going on here.¡± Chloe was amazed by how tight the group was in one way or another. ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s a good idea to join in on this conversation, miss who¡¯s really strongly shifting around between Sophia and Ari?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya imed another victim. ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia eventually faced her cat. ¡°When will you stop staring at Anna?¡± "In about 5 to 7 minutes." She had no shame whatsoever. ¡°Wow.¡± The blonde had no idea what or how she should reply to that. Afterward, everyone needed some time to calm down again before they managed to put the topic past them for the time being. Eventually, they gotfy on their sofas and decided to chat about other, more meaningless topics for the rest of the evening.
Chapter 281 – More about the fox Chapter 281 ¨C More about the fox The group had finished their baths and changed into something morefortable. Something with much less fabric, one has to add. Chloe, Maya, and Sophia had already taken a liking to not wearing much when rxing or going to bed. Because of that, they decided that Anna and Ari should enjoy it, too. As the runaway couple had forgotten to bring pajamas, the trio gave them some spare, which happened to be their skimpiest pieces of clothing for some reason. As five lightly dressed girls were a sight to behold, things got slightly weird, especially when all of them were slightly thirsty and most definitely were some sort of perverts. Thanks to that, lots of viewing and appreciating each other was had before the girls could finally calm down and rx for good. ¡°Alrighty, now that everyone¡¯s got the horny out of their systems and is done looking at naked skin, what else should we do for the rest of the evening?¡± Sophia seemed to be in an excellent mood as she showed everyone in the living room a great smile. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chloe just tilted her head in response. ¡°Ah!¡± Hearing the fox-girl make a noise, Anna immediately looked at her. ¡°I¡¯d love to know more about you! You kind of just appeared and became a part of the group in an instant because you fit in so well, but it happened so fast that I still don¡¯t really know much about you. From the bits I heard, you also seem to have experienced a ton just as our Sophia and I bet it''s super interesting!" ¡°Uhh, sure!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The princess needed a moment to decide on her first question. "Well, I might as well ask about this Fey¡­ Feyfey, I''ve heard a few times now first. Who is she?" ¡°Do you have some time?¡± Chloe just looked at her. ¡°Can¡¯t say I have much nned for the rest of the evening.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually not thatplicated, but¡­¡± ¡°Less beating around the bush!¡± Anna was getting impatient. ¡°YOU are not allowed to say these words, my dear.¡± Maya rolled her eyes while she pointed at her with a highly disapproving expression. "A-Ahaha¡­¡± The princess had noeback for that. "A-Anyway¡­" She could not look back at her and continued to focus on Chloe. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ More or less, Feyfey¡¯s my mother. I¡¯m not entirely sure whether I¡¯m her real daughter because she always gets a little evasive on the topic. Still, it feels like it to me, and she also raised me since I was an infant, so¡­ Yep, she¡¯s my mother.¡± ¡°I see. If you aren¡¯t sure about it¡­ Is she not a fox like you?¡± "Oh, no, she is. Actually, she is a full fox, just like the wolves of Sophia and Maya.¡± ¡°Oh! Well, it¡¯s much rarer, but it¡¯s not impossible for her to be your mother. With the use of blessing magic and the right parents, that result is totally possible.¡± Anna pointed at Chloe while saying thest part. ¡°Ahhh!" Sophia suddenly looked like one of the world¡¯s biggest mysteries had suddenly been solved for her. ¡°Hmm?¡± Everyone except Maya looked at her with a confused expression. ¡°Ah, uhh¡­ no, I was just thinking about something¡­ Please continue." ¡°Okay.¡± Chloe just nodded again. "Well, anyway, Feyfey raised me, and she''s the one who taught me magic, too." ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The princess suddenly looked at Sophia. ¡°Raised and being taught by a full, somewhat of aplicated family backstory and extremely creative when ites to magic¡­¡± ¡°Well, it is a prettymon thing, you know?¡± ¡°IT IS NOT!¡± She didn¡¯t ept the blonde¡¯s answer. ¡°Really? You are the princess of this nation, Ari''s the daughter of two head maids and ys being a maid herself, and Maya grew up in a rural ce with her parents being normal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t y being a maid!" Ari felt the need toin here. ¡°Anyway,¡± She ignored the jaguar. ¡°All of you are unique, while Chloe and I are seemingly quite simr. See? It¡¯s much moremon than any other of you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna went silent for a moment. ¡°Is it¡­?¡± She looked at the other two. ¡°IT IS NOT!¡± Ari and Maya also got loud. ¡°Don¡¯t let her fool you!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± She focused on the blonde again. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Grrr!¡± The tall tiger growled at the blonde one. ¡°If the rest of this Feyfey is remotely simr to Sophia¡¯s Fen, then¡­¡± ¡°Fennyfenny, Aura, and Fey actually know each other.¡± Sophia added a few details. ¡°Really¡­? Then, I saw that Chloe¡¯s as creative as our girl here, but are you also as powerful? From what I can feel, you seem quite simr to myself, though?¡± ¡°No, Sophia has much more magic than I have.¡± "It recovers at least just as fast as mine, though. If not even faster. She''s also super efficient at using it. Much less wasteful than I am.¡± The girl in question felt like praising the fox. ¡°So, she is ridiculous, after all?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Maya just nodded in response. ¡°Business as usual, I see.¡± Anna decided not to be bothered or jealous about it. ¡°Where is she right now, though? Feyfey, that is? From the bits I''ve heard so far, you''re waiting for her, right?" ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Chloe suddenly looked slightly awkward while she scratched her cheek. ¡°Eh?! Did something happen to her?!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°No¡­ Feyfey¡¯s fine. Something kind of happened to me that made her visit someone to take care of it.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a very vague description of the events!¡± Sophia sounded impressed. ¡°I have to take notes of that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re already plenty good at that¡­¡± Maya just rolled her eyes again. ¡°Uhh¡­?¡± Anna wasn¡¯t any less confused when she looked at the fox. ¡°What happened to you, then?¡± ¡°We ran into some humans, and they, well¡­ they said some mean things to me and mentioned wanting to try something even meaner¡­¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± For some reason, the princess instinctively looked at her fellow tiger in response. ¡°Because of that, Feyfey got a little scary and decided to teach the humans a thing or two about how she thinks about their behavior¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know her yet, but I doubt she¡¯ll be overly effective with that.¡± She just shook her head. "Even the war Sophia started against them probably won¡¯t be solving everything at once.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The warmonger got loud. ¡°I didn¡¯t start the war! I merely fought and ended it!¡± "Let''s not get hung up on the little details here." ¡°It¡¯s not little at all!¡± Sophia felt the need to disagree. ¡°Also, Chloe left out the most important bits!¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± She looked back at the fox-girl. ¡°Well¡­ Feyfey can get quite angry¡­¡± ¡°So can be a certain someone.¡± Her stare went back to the blonde once again. ¡°Fey seems to be more intense, though.¡± She defended herself. ¡°Even Fennyfenny is scared of her! ording to Aura and him, she can get really angry. They even said thatpared to what I did in the war, I might as well have been only slightly upset back then.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Anna had nothing else to say. ¡°Also,¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°I got upset because the humans tried to do something to me and threatened my friends. Feyfey got angry because they tried to do something to her daughter. Daughter." She had to say it twice because it was important. ¡°That is worse, yes.¡± The princess nodded in agreement. ¡°Much.¡± She was d that she understood. ¡°If anyone ever tries something to my potential future child or whatever, what I did during the war, would not even equal to me being slightly upset. I would destroy a continent.¡± Her eyes looked absolutely serious. ¡°And you already are plenty scary without that¡­¡± Anna shivered for a second while she was looking at her fellow tiger. ¡°Worst is that I actually believe you¡­¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Scary.¡± She shuddered again before facing Chloe again. ¡°Okay, I still don¡¯t know where Feyfey went? A ce with some humans to vent her anger?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± "Poor humans." She had some conflicting emotions about it. "By the way, what ce exactly? I might have to tell father about it so that he can remove that ce from the map if she¡¯s even scarier than Sophia in that regard.¡± ¡°The human capital.¡± Chloe was awkwardly scratching her cheek again. ¡°Oh.¡± Once again, Anna didn''t know what else to say. ¡°I kind of don¡¯t want to tell father about that. Father has way too much on his mindtely, anyway¡­ Any more would probably make his head explode. It almost already did when they found this huge and suspiciouske a good while away from here where they wanted to build a new outpost city." ¡°Suspiciouske¡­?¡± Ari suddenly looked at Sophia. ¡°Why does that sound so familiar?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She was unable to look her in the eyes. ¡°I-If that already made him lose it, I wonder how he reacted to his daughter having had loud sex in the castle for everyone to hear.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone went silent while the faces of the couple in question turned bright red. ¡°Sorry, that was too much¡­¡± Sophia really wanted to change the topic away from theke she had created, but she overdid it a little. Afterward, as things had gotten a little awkward, Chloe eventually started talking about some of her other trips to cheer the embarrassed couple up a bit and distract their thoughts. She basically told them the same she already mentioned to Sophia, like the desert or the jungle she visited with Fey. Once the jungle came up, Anna and Ari quickly were able to let go of the whole castle fiasco rtively quickly. Something about said jungle made them really twitchy and excited for some reason. Thanks to that, the mood rxed again, and the girls continued their evening in a cheery manner. Chapter 282 – Plans for the week Chapter 282 ¨C ns for the week The girls were still rxing in the living room of Sophia''s mansion and chatting about all kinds of things. As Anna barely knew Chloe, she wanted to learn more about her and herpanion called Feyfey she had heard of a few times before. After finding out that saidpanion can get even angrier than Sophia and is currently teaching the humans in their capital a lesson, she quickly decided not to ask any further questions. It also had gotten a little awkward at some point, but the fox-girl quickly managed to fix the atmosphere again by telling them some more about her adventures. The princess and Ari were very interested in the jungle she had previously visited. After all, a jaguar and a tiger are naturally drawn to such an area. "I SO want to visit that jungle!" Anna liked that story a lot. ¡°Yes, it sounds like a lot of fun!¡± So did Ari. ¡°I get it! I so get!¡± Sophia sympathized greatly with them. ¡°I tickled the big cats¡¯ bits in them again, didn¡¯t I?¡± Chloe awkwardly nced at Maya while the other three seemed to be quite excited. ¡°Yup.¡± She just nodded. ¡°Also, wording.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Can we go there?¡± The princess raised her voice. ¡°Can we go there right now?!¡± ¡°I would love to!¡± The other tiger was just as loud. ¡°Chloe forgot to tell you about the impossible obstacle that is between us and paradise, though¡­¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like the sound of that. "It''s far from impossible, you stupid cat!" The fox-girl couldn''t deal with Sophia''s aversion to being cold. "It''s just a big icy tundra!¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes opened wide as she cuddled closer to Ari because she had started shivering a little. ¡°That¡¯s way worse than anything I just imagined!¡± "Not exactly my words, but I''d like to agree." Even the jaguar hated the idea. ¡°Maya¡­¡± Looking a little tired, Chloe nced at the cat-girl again. ¡°I know that you and Sophia agreed to help find a partner for me, but can I make a little request¡­?" ¡°No feline girl?¡± ¡°Someone who likes the cold would be amazing¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Maya just smiled at her. ¡°Thank you very much¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear princess.¡± Sophia gave her fellow tiger a thumbs up. "The moment it gets warmer again, I already long decided to head right for it!" ¡°I like the sound of that! Ari and I will have graduated by then, as well, and we''re free to explore it as long as we want! Please make sure to have perfected your portal thingies by then! I don¡¯t want to miss it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best~.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± As Sophia had already nned to give Anna some of her magic on her birthday, she already had a n B ready. Still, as she didn''t want to reveal that yet, the blonde just rolled with it for the time being. ¡°Chloe, let¡¯s give it a try tomo- err, the day after tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s Ellie-day, huh?¡± Maya knew why she had changed the day mid-sentence. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The fox-girl gave her a hearty nod. ¡°Oh, if you¡¯re gone all day tomorrow, could you maybe ce two portals that are connected to each other in the basement? I want to try and analyze them. It might help!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Sophia liked the n. ¡°I¡¯ll do that!¡± "Thanks! I didn''t have any n for tomorrow yet, so that will be fun!" "Can I watch you a little?" Anna got interested in it. "I probably won''t be much help, but I can act as a test subject." "You''re still hoping to end up on the other side of the continent, aren¡¯t you?¡± Maya saw through her in an instant. ¡°Yes!¡± She had no intention to hide it. ¡°I-I¡¯ll help, too!¡± Ari also jumped on the opportunity. ¡°You two really are something else." The cat-girl rolled her eyes. "Don''t you want to do anything more couple-like now that you are, well¡­ a couple? I bet there are more interesting things other than ying with magic in a basement a day or two after you got together, right? Ah, no offense, Chloe.¡± ¡°None taken.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°You definitely have a point there.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The new couple looked at each other while their cheeks turned red. "W-We might join you a littleter¡­" ¡°Of course.¡± Chloe then redirected her smile at the two. ¡°Don¡¯t be too loud at it, though.¡± Maya just had to do it. "HEY!" They did get loud. ¡°What have I just said?!¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± She liked their reaction a lot. ¡°You won¡¯t ever forget that, will you¡­?¡± Anna just nced at her with teary eyes. ¡°Highly unlikely.¡± Maya shook her head. "I''ll probably get bored of it once you stop caring, though." ¡°G-Good to know¡­¡± "How about a change of topic?" Sophia suddenly said something very unusual to her. Unusual because it seemed reasonable. ¡°dly!¡± Anna almost jumped at her in response. ¡°What do you want to talk about? Literally anything is fine!¡± ¡°Anything?¡± She raised an eyebrow in interest. ¡°¡­¡± The princess paused for a moment. ¡°M-Most things are fine¡­" "Good save." The blonde smiled at her. "No, I wanted to ask about our shopping trip for new clothes. I know Iin a lot about the cold, but¡­¡± "A lot a lot.¡± Chloe needed to make ament. ¡°I rightfullyin a lot about.¡± She stuck out her tongue while ncing at the fox-girl. ¡°That aside, it''s still somewhat manageable right now, but I''d like to get new clothes before it gets cold for real.¡± "That''s a great idea!" Anna liked the n. "Usually, it gets rather warm on the weeks around Ari''s and mine birthday, but after that, it plummets fast. We should have everything ready before that happens.¡± ¡°Spending a ton of money on clothes is also a great way to distract yourself from other things~.¡± Chloe tried to help the couple in her own way. ¡°THAT!¡± The two were big fans of the idea. "I think we could do that on either Wednesday or Thursday.¡± Ari continued. ¡°From what I remember from the teachers, one of those days will be a half-day while the academy''s fully closed on the other because the teachers are getting some lessons from Eluna.¡± "Ah, right!" The princess seemed to remember the same thing. "We aren''t needed for that one because it makes little sense that students would teach them. Us being better at magic than them or not aside.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± Sophia started smiling again. ¡°I am pretty sure we need a full day because I want to get a lot of clothes.¡± ¡°Don''t forget the many miniskirts!" Curiously enough, it wasn¡¯t just Ari, who had the idea as a punishment for putting her in skimpy clothes, that answered her. The blonde could''ve sworn that all four girls replied precisely the same words at the exact same time. ¡°¡­¡± She needed a short pause. ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± ¡°Great!¡± Again, all four girls liked her reply. ¡°I won¡¯t be wearing them in public, though! A normal or long skirt, sure, you can choose one for me to wear all the time, but the short or mini ones are for indoor use and your eyes only!¡± ¡°Good enough!¡± ¡°I hate all of you¡­¡± ¡°We love you, too.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She didn¡¯t actually look angry at all, though. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll get something nice for all of you, as well! Indoor use only, too.¡± ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± They were still answering her in unison. ¡°Do you also need clothes, Chloe?¡± Sophia then looked at her. ¡°I would love for you to join us.¡± "Do you ever not want to shop for new clothes?" ¡°Fair point.¡± Everyone seemed to agree. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need to get anything for fall and or winter as my current clothes are more than warm enough, but I definitely want to look at some more.¡± "You are weird!" The cats looked at her with big eyes while shaking their heads. They just couldn''t believe her clothes would even remotely be warm enough. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m the problem here¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± The fox-girl decided to ignore their protests. ¡°I might see some nice clothes I want, so I¡¯d like to apany all of you! Also,¡± She eventually nced at the blonde. ¡°I don¡¯t want to miss seeing Sophia in an ultra mini skirt.¡± ¡°No one ever said anything about ultra!¡± ¡°I did just now, though?¡± Chloe just tilted her head. ¡°Yep, I heard her saying it, too.¡± Ari nodded in return. ¡°I like that idea, so we¡¯re going with that.¡± ¡°Now doesn¡¯t count!¡± ¡°It does.¡± Everyone disagreed with her. ¡°That reminds me,¡± Anna suddenly faced the fox-girl. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a great idea for you toe with us. I need to give you something as thanks for that!" She pointed at her own chest, or rather at the top that barely managed to cover her breasts, that she had gotten from Chloe. "Compared to what I will choose for you, Sophia''s ultra-deluxe extreme super mini skirt will be modest!" ¡°Did the adjectives just increase again?!¡± The future owner of such a skirt got loud. ¡°By many times, I want to add!¡± ¡°Just your imagination.¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Really.¡± Everyone agreed with the tall tiger. ¡°Weird¡­¡± ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Chloe ignored the short tiger and looked back at Anna while pointing at herself. ¡°As you can see, I don¡¯t have much of a problem with skimpy clothes. In fact, I prefer them because I overheat really fast. During the summer months, it¡¯s not impossible to see me in my underwear only if I getfy enough around you and forget about my clothes. I actually almost left my room in underwear this morning before I remembered where I was. I might even have to concentrate on remembering to put on anything at all once it gets really hot." ¡°The future looks bright, is what Maya and Ari want to say." Sophia looked quite cheery during her exmation. ¡°Hey!¡± The cat-girl red at her tiger. That was all she said, though. She made no effort to try and deny Sophia¡¯s im. Ari didn¡¯t say anything at all. "Hmm¡­" Anna wasn''t sure how she should react to the jaguar''splete absence of said reaction. "Well, I guess I have to find something else for you, then." ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Chloe was having fun. The girls kept chatting for a good while longer and made some concrete ns for their shopping trip, but as it was slowly gettingte, they decided to head to their rooms at some point to get ready to sleep. Chapter 283 – Thanks for the confirmation Chapter 283 ¨C Thanks for the confirmation The girls were having a good time chatting together during the evening. The big cats, Sophia, Anna, and Ari, were very interested in Chloe''s story about the jungle she had visited in the past, and they made a promise to visit that ce the moment it gets warm in spring again. Afterward, the group made more specific ns about their scheduled shopping trip to get some clothes for the fall and winter seasons. And some skimpy clothes for Sophia as revenge for having put Ari into them. ¡°Good morning~¡­¡± The following day started a littlete. For some of them, at least. Maya and Ari had been up for a while already and were currently in the middle of preparing breakfast when their sleepy-looking tigers arrived in the kitchen together while letting out a small yawn at the same time. ¡°Oho, the loud one fromst night is finally up!¡± Maya smiled at the princess. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Anna¡¯s face immediately went red. ¡°Ah, right!¡± Sophia¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I totally forgot about that, but seriously¡­" She then looked at Ari. "You two sure are intense for the noise to even reach our bedroom." ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The jaguar had the same reaction. ¡°Y-Y-You heard us?!¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s no way!¡± Anna raised her voice. ¡°I-I even had Ari press a pillow on my face so that I shut up when my voice¡­¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The duo seemed impressed. ¡°Kinky.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Their faces got even redder. ¡°By the way,¡± The cat-girl¡¯s grin got even bigger. ¡°We didn¡¯t hear a thing.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°We just wanted to mess with you a little bit.¡± ¡°Thanks for the confirmation, though.¡± ¡°A-Ah!¡± Anna and Ari hid their faces behind their hands to hide their embarrassment. ¡°Good morning!¡± While the duo was having a great time teasing the couple, Chloe also arrived in the kitchen and gave everyone an energetic greeting. ¡°Oh, there''s the other loud one!¡± Maya went for it a second time. ¡°Yeah!¡± Sophia was directly in on it. "Quite the feat for being alone. Were the goods from your shopping trip that good?¡± She remembered when she mentioned the toy store to the fox-girl to get rid of some things that had pent up. ¡°There''s just no way you heard me.¡± Surprisingly, Chloe had stayedpletely calm. ¡°I used magic to block every sounding out or going into my room. It¡¯s simply impossible for you to have heard me trying out the stuff I bought.¡± "You''re right. We didn''t hear a thing." Sophia smiled at her. ¡°We were just messing with you.¡± ¡°Thanks for the confirmation, though.¡± Maya also was smiling broadly. "A-Ah¡­" Her expression turned much less calm in an instant, and the color of her cheeks turned to the same red as the still blushing couple. "So many perverts here¡­" The blonde let out a sigh afterward. ¡°Should I tell them what you didst night?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t done with her morning teasing routine yet. ¡°N-No, I¡¯m good¡­¡± There really were a lot of perverts in the mansion right now. ¡°You started it, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a different topic.¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± "You fooled me really wellst night, then." ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Maya enjoyed her reaction before she suddenly stared at Chloe again. ¡°Wait a moment¡­ What did you just say?! You used magic to mask the noiseing from your room?!¡± "YES!" Anna and Ari stopped being embarrassed instantly and stared at the fox-girl. ¡°TEACH US HOW TO DO THAT!¡± They were very interested in it. ¡°Sophia, why haven¡¯t youe up with that yet?!¡± Maya looked back at her tiger. ¡°It could¡¯ve saved us a lot of trouble with our wolves!¡± "Well¡­" The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheeks. "It''s not that I didn''te up with it, but I knew I''d forget to use it. After all, a certain someone is always so eager, and we always forget about all kinds of precautions.¡± ¡°Then stop being so eager all the time!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Sophia didn''t let her cat have this round. "Fair enough." She didn''t fight back. ¡°Uuuh¡­¡± Chloe was still embarrassed, but she also had something to add. "You could permanently use it on a room¡­ and automatically power it with your magic when you¡¯re inside. A little like the heated floors¡­¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek again. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re doing that right this evening!¡± Maya liked the idea. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Ari and Anna started trembling a little. "I-If only we would''ve met you a week earlier and found out about this magic¡­" The jaguar looked devastated. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Chloe had no idea what to say other than reacting with an awkwardugh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡­¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia seemingly had enough about the topic. ¡°How¡¯s breakfasting along?¡± ¡°Just a couple more minutes," Maya answered her. "Feel free to get the table ready if you want to." ¡°Sure!¡± Nodding a few times, the blonde went over to the cupboard with the dishes to get everything she needed for that. ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± Chloe went right after her. "I''ll do anything to change the topic for good¡­" With her head still hung, Anna also followed the duo. ¡°Should we finish the preparations for the breakfast?¡± Afterward, the cat-girl nced back at the jaguar while showing her a slight smile. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ---------------- A little whileter, the girls all had breakfast together while chatting about meaningless topics only for a change. Sophia and even Maya felt it was time to take a break from it for a little while. ¡°Haa, that was good~.¡± The blonde was in a good mood after they were done with their breakfast. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Yeah~.¡± She wasn¡¯t alone with that. ¡°Alrighty, I want to head over to the castle immediately! It feels like forever since Ist cuddled with Ellie!¡± Sophia was very giddy. "Doesn''t the saying usually say that you haven¡¯t seen someone in forever?¡± Chloe tilted her head in response. ¡°No.¡± "Okay." She had no intention of asking any further questions. ¡°Before you go, could you ce the two portals in the basement for me to experiment on like we mentioned yesterday?¡± ¡°Ah, of course!¡± The blonde nodded a few times in agreement. ¡°Any other requests before we go?¡± ¡°If you could fetch some clothes for us, that would be amazing!¡± Anna also looked at her. ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± ¡°Some of our pajamas, too!¡± Ari immediately joined the conversation. ¡°On second thought, I¡¯m not sure if we have the time to collect clothes.¡± Sophia immediately changed her opinion. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re on a tight schedule with Ellie.¡± Maya felt the same about the topic. Them not wanting to tease them didn¡¯tst overly long. "HEY!" The two didn''t like the reaction. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Maya liked theirs, though. ¡°Sure, we see what we can do.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Can you also, uhh¡­ try and find out how the mood in the castle is¡­?¡± Anna¡¯s face turned slightly red again. ¡°I want to know how bad it really is¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds like fun!¡± The blonde was a fan of the idea. ¡°IT DOES NOT!¡± The couple had a different opinion again. ¡°Well, I felt like paying the king a visit, anyway. I''ll try to see how he feels about the whole situation. Don''t worry. If our dear Menzor getsplicated, I''ll kick his butt." ¡°T-Thank you very much!¡± ¡°What a thing to say!¡± Chloe was amazed by the casual-sounding conversation that involved kicking the king of the nation they were in. ¡°He¡¯s earned his fair share of kicks already, don''t worry.¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°I am not exactly sure if that makes me less worry¡­" ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± She was still smiling at the fox-girl. ¡°Anything else we should bring?¡± The blonde then faced the couple again. ¡°Bathroom goods? Cremes, conditioners? Anything on you in case period¡¯sing up?¡± ¡°And youpared me to a mom in the past¡­¡± Ari just stared at her. "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to that. ¡°W-Well, you two went through a lot¡­ and I teased you a lot, so¡­ Let me be helpful!¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll ignore the teasing part.¡± The jaguar liked her intention. Most of it, at least. "Mine should actuallye up soon, so I managed to prepare for it," Anna replied to her. "I¡¯m good in that regard.¡± ¡°I also threw half of my bathroom utensils into one of the bags we brought with us. When ites to all of that, we¡¯re more than prepared.¡± ¡°And yet, you forgot to bring pajamas or anything else to sleep in¡­?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Alrighty!¡± Sophia felt like it was enough. ------------------ Afterward, the group went into the basement, where Sophia created two portals for Chloe to y with to find out how they work. After all, it would probably help them a lot when they want to enchant items with the same technique to make them portable. "I''m going to have so much fun with this!" The fox-girl was smiling broadly while staring at the portals with sparkling eyes. ¡°Ari¡­¡± Seeing that, Maya faced the jaguar. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about the mansion. Would you mind checking in on her once in a while¡­? Judging by my experience with Sophia, she shouldn''t be left unsupervised for too long.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She understood perfectly what the cat-girl was implying. ¡°I want to spend some time with Anna, but I¡¯ll have an eye on her every now and then. I¡¯m also a little interested in it, after all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too loud during your time with the princess, though.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t let go of it. ¡°Maya already upset our neighbors quite a bit when she couldn¡¯t stop with the explosions in our garden, so I don¡¯t want to get on their bad side even more.¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Anna, Ari, and Maya got loud. ¡°Good thing we¡¯re in the basement.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Chloe suddenly pped her hands while she smiled at the couple. ¡°Should I use my sound-dampening magic on your room? You can be as loud as you want, then.¡± "I didn''t mean that when saying that I want to spend time with her!" The jaguar raised her voice even more when she red at the fox-girl. ¡°Oh. I see.¡± There was not a hint of sass or teasing in her voice. ¡°Well, just ask me if you change your mind.¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± Ari didn¡¯t know how to react to her earnest reply. Once all of that was dealt with, Sophia and Maya finally left to meet up with Ellie in the castle, silently hoping their mansion would still be there when they returned. Chapter 284 – So that’s how it works Chapter 284 ¨C So that¡¯s how it works Sophia and Maya were still going strong with teasing the loud couple and even tried their luck on Chloe while they were at it, but the fox-girl was smarter than them and boasted about having invented magic that''s able to mask every sound she makes. Though, she didn''t notice that mentioning this also meant admitting to having done something loud during the night. Once they had breakfast together and finished a few other preparations, the duo left Anna, Ari, and Chloe behind in their mansion to visit Ellie in the castle. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Arriving in the castle, Sophia looked around in the entrance hall while studying the people running around there. ¡°Everyone seems to be pretty normal to me.¡± ¡°It feels a little like they¡¯re trying to avoid our queen, though.¡± Maya was doing the same before she faced Kira in front of them. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Said queen awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Half of them is too embarrassed to face me, and the other half has already gotten a talking from me.¡± ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± The couple had a simr reaction. ¡°Do you think it will be any better until your birthday when the idiots n to return?" Sophia looked at her, as well. ¡°Everyone who¡¯s trying to ruin the mood on my birthday when my girls return will be kicked out of the castle.¡± Kira raised her voice to a level loud enough for everyone in the entrance hall to hear. ¡°It¡¯s that easy.¡± The was not even a shred of joking in her voice. Immediately after, the entrance hall emptied out pretty quick. ¡°Wow.¡± The couple had nothing to add to that. ¡°You¡¯re great.¡± ¡°I know~.¡± ¡°As the topic came up already, how does the big boss feel about it?¡± Sophia nced at the fleeing people before focusing on the queen. ¡°He heard his daughter bing an adult, after all. Or however you want to call those events.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kira nodded. ¡°He and the fifteen ministers he received here in this very entrance hall had heard them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two needed a moment to get past that. ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°I wonder if I can kick the king out of his castle¡­¡± From her expression, Kira earnestly seemed to be thinking about it. ¡°That bad¡­?¡± ¡°He canceled the meeting with the ministers when it happened, and he hasn¡¯t left his office since then¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Wait!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°That was the day before yesterday, wasn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way it¡¯s okay for the king to mope around for two days, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s of any use right now¡­¡± Kira let out a sigh. ¡°He¡¯s behaving like the biggest child right now, throwing a gigantic temper tantrum.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The two weren¡¯t the absolute closest because Anna¡¯s a littleplicated, but she¡¯s still his little girl. Dads be dads, I guess?" ¡°Have fun with that once you meet mine, Sophia.¡± Maya seemed to understand the issue a little. "Well, he''s actually not that bad. I think..." ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡± She got a little nervous before concentrating on the queen yet again. ¡°Would you mind if I try my luck on him?¡± "Do you have a n?" "I liked the idea of kicking his butt quite a lot. I''m fairly sure I could kick him right out of the window and away from the castle.¡± "Oho, I''m a big fan of that n." ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s a very serious of high-level treason or something like that, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Says the one who tried to attack the first princess on the day they met.¡± "¡­" Maya had nothing to defend herself with against the blonde''s remark. ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± Kira waved her hand. ¡°If the queen allows you to get physical on him, no one will me you for anything." ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°Let¡¯s have a nice talk with his majesty~.¡± ¡°Have fun!¡± Kira looked forward to it. ¡°I¡¯ll sit that one out.¡± The cat-girl had mixed feelings about it. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, and he earns a kick or two, but I think I¡¯ll go and collect some clothes for the loud idiot couple.¡± ¡°Make sure to forget their pajamas, though.¡± "Of course!" ¡°Hmm?¡± Kira tilted her head in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± The two just smiled at her. ---------------- Afterward, the three went their own ways, and Sophia headed straight for the king''s office. Fortunately, thanks to her detection magic, it actually was pretty straight for her circumstances, and she only got lost three times as the tiger knew where Menzor was but not how to get there. ¡°Oh, hello!¡± In front of his office, she then ran into one of the jaguar head maids. She was a little smaller, only marginally taller than the tiger, and had dark-yellow hair with many ck rosettes in it. It was more or less the exact opposite of Ari. ¡°Wee.¡± She did a little curtsy while she greeted her. "I''m sorry to inform you that his majesty currently doesn''t receive any guests." ¡°I know.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°The queen sent me to kick his butt.¡± "Oh my, that''s a lovely idea!" The maid¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that answer.¡± ¡°Our dear king is acting way too much like a spoilt child, and it''s time he stops that. I want my Ari back here." ¡°You know her?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Ah, of course you would¡­¡± She had no idea why she asked this question. ¡°I know her very well.¡± The jaguar smiled at her. ¡°She came out of me, after all.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± She needed a moment. ¡°Ahh! You¡¯re her mother?!¡± ¡°That I am. One of them, the one that birthed her.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°She told me that she¡¯s the daughter of two of the head maids! It¡¯s nice to meet you. Well, meet you better, I guess¡­? We saw each other a couple of times already, after all.¡± ¡°That is true. I¡¯m Daria, by the way.¡± ¡°Sophia.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°How is our idiot doing? She¡¯s at your home, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s quite loud, but other than that, she¡¯s doing fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Daria took a short pause. ¡°Okay, that was a good one.¡± ¡°d to see that you can take a joke about it already.¡± Sophia was d that she didn¡¯t seem overly upset about it. ¡°Well, she¡¯s terribly embarrassed about everything, but it''s getting better already. Kira''s doing a good job about beating everything here into shape for them to shut up about it, too. So, if I go and beat up the king, the two should be good to return in a few days, right in time for the queen''s birthday." ¡°Those are splendid news!¡± "Granted, I can convince the king to stop being an idiot over his daughter having grown up.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Her expression turned awkward. ¡°Please do your best.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Having Ari and Anna stay at my ce is fun, but not under such circumstances.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Sophia then faced the door to Menzor¡¯s office, but she quickly stopped and nced at the jaguar again. ¡°Now that we met after Ari told me she has two moms¡­ Do you mind if I ask a few questions?¡± While she did want to stall the confrontation a little, the tiger really was terribly curious about many things. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way his majesty will run away, so¡­ What do you want to know?¡± "I grew up in a very remote ce, and I am extremely ignorant about many things¡­ I only learned about the blessing magic after arriving in the capital. I was extremely shocked that I, a girl that likes girls, am actually able to have her own child if she wants to." ¡°Do you want to?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The blonde gave her a strong reply. ¡°Not right now, it¡¯s too early, but I want a future for myself that involves this magic!¡± ¡°I see¡­ So, you want to know how it actually works?¡± "Exactly!" She nodded a few times. "First, though¡­ how does it work for two men¡­? It has absolutely no rtion to me, but it has been bugging me ever since I heard about it! I mean, they don¡¯te equipped with the necessaries to birth a child as we do, do they?" "Ahaha, no, they do not." She let out a small chuckle. "For them, it''s, unfortunately, a little moreplicated. They need a third party, a surrogate mother for it." ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± ¡°That mother only carries out the child, though. She has no other rtion to it. Both male parents provide everything that is needed for the child. In one way or another, one provides the regr male part converted to magic while the other reces the female part that is used instead of the surrogate mother¡¯s with his own. These fuses together like it would regrly happen, forming the child which is then carried out.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± Sophia sounded honestly interested. ¡°For us, our partner mixes her magic with mine, and I then carry it out in my womb, I guess?" "Not quite." Daria shook her head. "If you''re the birth-giving mother, everything about the pregnancy will bepletely normal for you." ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You only use your magic to ept and consent to your partner''s blessing. Her magic will, in a way, act like sperm, and the conception aside, everything else will happenpletely like it¡¯s biologically intended. Well, there is one thing that differs from a hetero couple. For both types of same-sex couples.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± She hadn¡¯t expected it to be that normal. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The biological gender of your child is fixed. Two women can only have a girl. There simply is no information about the other gender the child could receive. That¡¯s also why the poption of women is somewhat higher than men. It¡¯s easier for them to have children, after all.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, that ruins the surprise, but to be perfectly honest¡­ Those are great news! I would rather have a daughter, anyway. Not that I wouldn¡¯t have loved my son to death, of course.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°Still, it¡¯s mind-blowing that everything else about the pregnancy is that normal.¡± ¡°All of the amazing side-effects of a pregnancy included. Have fun with the morning sickness, mood swings, weird cravings, weight gain, and many more things I rather not remember." ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± ¡°Well, it gave me two lovely daughters, so I don''t have anything toin about. It''s an unforgettable experience I wouldn''t trade for anything in the world.." ¡°I can imagine!¡± She had not noticed a single shred of spite in her voice when Daria listed the side effects, either. "Wait, two? Ari has a sister?" ¡°Yes. She''s a few years older than our Ari. She left the castle a few years ago to travel with the prince. My wife gave birth to her.¡± "Ohh, the guy Anna told me about, and I definitely remember!" Her eyes started darting around. ¡°Oh, are those two¡­?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The maid shook her head. ¡°Nothing like Anna and Ari. They love each other and are inseparable, but it¡¯spletely tonic. They¡¯re basically like any other siblings.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± "Also, the prince ispletely useless without her, so she had no choice other than going with him." ¡°I¡¯m starting to see a pattern here. Our dear princess would be just as lost.¡± ¡°I neither deny nor conf¡­ What am I saying? Of course, you are right.¡± Daria couldn¡¯t finish her sentence while staying serious. ¡°Okay, back to the topic.¡± Sophia still had more questions. ¡°Conception aside, everything is perfectly natural¡­ So, how does the conception happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fairly unspectacr. Your partner puts her hand on your stomach and recites the blessing chant while you use the one to ept the blessing.¡± ¡°And then¡­ you¡¯re pregnant¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much. Although, it can happen that you need a few tries. As the part for the conceiving mother is more or lesspletely biological, some variables can cause you to have to try again. It basically doesn¡¯t work when you¡¯re on your period or on other days where you most likely wouldn¡¯t get pregnant from a man, either.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± She suddenly pped her hands. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a thing back when we made Ari, but for girl couples, blessing magic actually has advanced quite a bit. Even the conception now can be basicallypletely normal.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sophia looked surprised while she tilted her head. ¡°They developed some, uhh¡­ tools that recreate more or less everything." ¡°¡­¡± The blonde needed a moment. ¡°Toys¡­?¡±
Spoiler "Highly advanced magical toys. If you are into being prated, there are ways to make it seem more biological. Recreation of fluids that get shot into you included.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed a moment. ¡°G-Go on.¡± ¡°Interested?¡± ¡°Well¡­ It can feel pretty nice, and the liquid part sounds¡­ intriguing. If neither of those are attached to, oring from guys, I¡¯m not not interested. It¡¯s not the prating device that is, uhh¡­ you know, the problem¡­ The part where it¡¯s usually attached to, the male person, that¡¯s of zero interest for me.¡± ¡°I prefer other things, but you are not wrong.¡± ¡°I never said that it¡¯s my preferred method. But toys that reenact the act can sometimes be quite fun. Though, the original... shape and look aren''t overly cute... Some changes there could make it better. Then again, for the most part, it''s function over form, so..." "Fair enough. Ipletely agree." ¡°Wait, why am I talking about dildos with the mother of one of my best friends¡­?" Sophia finally noticed how bizarre the situation was. "Good question¡­" Daria also tilted her head. "Ah, the more natural method of blessing magic. Think of it as a magic dildo. That''s how we ended here." ¡°Okay¡­ I really am intrigued now.¡± ¡°It even attaches somewhat magical with some sort of suction power. Not only that, if the wearer prates someone with it, the feeling is transmitted to them as the dildo is ced over and somehow connected to the clitoris.¡± "¡­" The blonde wanted to scream that this world is way too advanced in the weirdest ways, as she usually does when she heard how perverted the inhabitants could be, but she managed to keep that to herself. "T-That sure is something." ¡°Ites with even more features. It constantly converts tiny amounts of the wearer¡¯s magic into a sort of liquid that acts as a lubricant and aphrodisiac for the partner.¡± ¡°It makes you hornier¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ amazing.¡± The tiger wasn''t sure what else to say. "So, it''s some sort of uber toy¡­? I''m definitely going to tell Maya about it as soon as I see herter. How does all that rte to the blessing magic, though? Also, please give me the address of the store where you can get it." "Ehehe, you''re an honest one, huh?" Daria let out a small chuckle again. "Sure, I''ll write it down for you. This very tool has another function. Once it¡¯s attached to the wearer, both of you can use the blessing magic on it instead. Afterward, while it''s in use, it charges up with the wearer''s magic, and once it''s ready, it shoots the converted and usable magical liquid into you. Thanks to the aphrodisiac, it alsoes with a guaranteed orgasm for both of you." ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had no words. ¡°Even more.¡± She wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that this function works without the blessing magic, as well. Just to have fun with the almost real deal. Something in between apparently is also possible.¡± ¡°In between¡­?¡± ¡°It makes it random. You activate the blessing magic, but it¡¯s not guaranteed that it actually uses the stored magic for the blessing or just as a load. You can get pregnant, but it¡¯s not guaranteed when or if.¡± ¡°Like when you do it with a man¡­? Why¡­?¡± ¡°For the kick?¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°Like you¡¯re okay with bing pregnant, but you don¡¯t absolutely want to? To y with fire, maybe?" ¡°Perverts are weird.¡± It was the only conclusion Sophia could reach. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be interested in it? When you have reached the point of being ready for a child but aren''t sure about the when and how yet? You¡¯ll only notice that you¡¯re pregnant once you start noticing symptoms like a missed period or morning sickness. If you ask me, I can see the appeal." ¡°¡­¡± Her expression turned awkward. ¡°Anyway, back to the function without the blessing magic involved¡­ It¡¯s all the fun but no risk, right?¡± She decided to answer her question by not answering. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard, you say¡­¡± Sophia stared at her for a moment. ¡°You can¡¯t fool me. You and your wife totally have it. There were way too many details for you to just have heard about it. Now I finally know why Ari is also such a pervert after you get to know her¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Daria scratched her cheek. "It''s pretty amazing every now and then. The designs are something else, too. You can get colorful and very interesting shaped ones, but natural tones and sizes are also an option. If you get the right one, it even looks like it actually belongs there.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll go and kick the king¡¯s butt now. I expect a piece of paper with an address on it once I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± [copse] Afterward, once the deep blush on her cheeks had calmed down a little, Sophia finally started what she had initially nned to do, beat up the king of this nation. Having gotten sex tips from the mother of her best friend was a rather unexpected experience. She wasn''t going toin, though. Chapter 285 – Sophia vs. Menzor Chapter 285 ¨C Sophia vs. Menzor Sophia and Maya went to the castle to meet Ellie, but they also had some other things on their agenda. They chatted with Kira and found out that she was already dealing with the issue by threatening most people in the castle with a bad time if they ever made the girls ufortable. The king was a different topic, though. Having heard that his little girl had be an adult, Menzor had taken quite some damage from it and had shut himself into his office like a pouting child would do. Sophia, highly motivated to kick his butt, ran into one of Ari''s mothers, Daria, on the way, and the blonde had learned a lot from her regarding the blessing magic as she was pretty interested in that. She also discovered that the world is even more perverted than she had thought as the two ended up talking about some highly borate toys. She was pretty interested in them, though. She, too, is a resident of this perverted world, after all. ¡°Alright!¡± After she had ended her chat with Ari¡¯s mother, Sophia flung open the door to Menzor¡¯s office and loudly announced her arrival. ¡°Daria! I told you to let no- Ah, Sophia¡­¡± He noticed who had entered his office and knew he couldn''t me the maid for not stopping her. ¡°Hey~!¡± She waved at him with a big smile after she closed the door. "Still throwing a petty tantrum?" After the great chat with the jaguar maid, she was in a spending mood. ¡°HEY!¡± Menzor wasn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m still the king of this nation! Show me some respect.¡± His mood was awful. ¡°We both know that our rtionship doesn¡¯t work like that. You have no power over me. I love this ce, so our interests align, but you still have to earn my respect. Usually, I do, but right now, you have a lot of work to do for that, though.¡± Her voice turned a lot more serious as she sat down on the free sofa opposite of him. ¡°¡­¡± He stared at her for a few moments. ¡°What do you want¡­?¡± ¡°For you to stop acting like a child.¡± ¡°I am not.¡± ¡°Your wife says otherwise, though. She even authorized me to kick you out of the castle if you continue to do so. Just so you know, said kick will be literally.¡± She pointed at the window behind him. ¡°W-Why do you look so serious?!¡± "Because I am?" The blonde only tilted her head. "Kira even said it¡¯s fine because I have her permission.¡± ¡°Can you¡­ can you really me me¡­? The entire castle heard my baby¡­ when she¡­ when she¡­¡± ¡°Had sex with the person she loves?¡± "I-I didn''t even know that she and Ari were¡­" "You should resign as the king¡­¡± Sophia let out a sigh. "If you hadn''t even noticed that, I can¡¯t even fathom how you could possibly know about anything that is going on in the kingdom. I recently met a girl that lives in a vige over a hundred kilometers away from here and saw the two twice when she visited the capital. She didn¡¯t believe me when I told her the two weren''t a couple at that point. It''s that obvious. Everyone besides you knew about the two. Most were rooting for them, too. Her parents and your wife included.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I mean¡­ I knew that there was something going on, but not that!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°That is an argument.¡± Few probably had seen their speed runing. ¡°I get that it was awkward¡­ but is hiding in your office and being mopey really the right thing to do¡­? If you are feeling like this, imagine how those two had felt when they discovered that everyone had heard them. They ran away from home and even asked me to bring them to the other end of the continent." ¡°T-That¡¯s!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no ns to do so.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let theme home until everything here returns to normal, though. You¡¯re the biggest obstacle for that right now.¡± ¡°T-The whole castle staff is acting awkward!¡± ¡°Not for much longer." The blonde shook her head. "Kira is working hard on that. She had already threatened many people, and when we were in the entrance hall earlier, she also announced that she''ll kick everyone out, which could make them feel ufortable when the two returned. I even recognized some of the tiger ministers that ran away afterward.¡± ¡°S-She can¡¯t do that! We need those people!" He got flustered. ¡°More than your daughter?¡± "¡­" Menzor instantly turned silent. ¡°Anyone who gets flustered over something like that for a prolonged time and can¡¯t separate work from such highly private matters isn¡¯t worth their money. Get rid of them and rece them with someonepetent. There are many people out there that can handle such a job, but you only have one daughter that goes by the name of Anna. Yes, you are the king and have to be responsible for a whole country, but you¡¯re also a father.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The king was just listening. ¡°Are you nning to fail at both? Keep people who are seemingly ipetent about everything except the work itself and scare away your daughter for good? Sure, there will be a stupidment every now and then, those two really messed up after all, but if the general mood stays like that, you failed on many levels. On top of you already having failed personally because you''re still throwing a tantrum two days after it happened. There is still time, though. Everything will turn out alright if you get over it before Kira''s birthday. The two n toe back for that, but that won''t be happening if you aren''t back to normal by then." ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Imagine how happy Kira will be if you don''t, and they won''t be able toe to her birthday because of you. Me kicking you out of this window using that foot will most likely be preferable." Sophia first pointed at her foot before gesturing at the window behind him again. ¡°Why are female tigers so much more aggressive than the male ones¡­?¡± ¡°Because the males are useless.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± She started smiling again. ¡°You are not a good example right now, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He went silent once more. ¡°Can I try to keep you here again¡­? I want you in a high position so that you can give everyone a figurative kick in the butt when something goes awry.¡± ¡°Sorry, figurative kicks are rare for me. I usually only do literal ones.¡± ¡°Just as good!¡± ¡°You know that that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Good. Just bury yours and the nose of every minister and high figure into work to keep them busy. Make everyone so busy that they have no time to do anything else. Everyone that still gets awkward over the Anna and Ari topic can go because they obviously aren¡¯t giving it their all. Give their names to Kira, and it''ll be dealt with before anyone even notices.¡± ¡°I can try that, yes.¡± ¡°Just make sure that I won¡¯t be adding your name to that list.¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you have one or two big problems that everyone can wreck their heads over, right? Throw everyone at your disposal at it to solve it.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s still that giganticke that appeared out of nowhere where we nned to build a new outpost city. No one has an idea what is going on there.¡± "Do you think being angry at something would distract your attention from the awkward situation?" "Maybe? That depends on how angry I get." Menzor tilted his head. "Why?" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia suddenly stood up and walked closer to the door. ¡°Fen and I created thatke. We yed around with magic, and it wentpletely out of control. One gigantic explosionter, we turned the hole into ake to hide the massive crater.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Menzor got loud. ¡°¡­¡± There was no one to reply anymore as the blonde had already left his office before closing the door behind her. ¡°SOPHIA!¡± He got even louder. ---------------- ¡°What did you do?!¡± On the other side of the door, Maya was already waiting for her tiger. ¡°Maya?!¡± She hadn¡¯t expected her. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I gave him something else to distract over to forget about the loud idiots.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The cat-girl got interested. ¡°What could possibly be distracting enough for that?¡± ¡°I told him about theke Fennyfenny and I created.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Well, that definitely will distract him¡­ Are you sure about that, though? I am sure he¡¯ll be super annoying about it in the long run.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s how much I love Anna and Ari~.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯ll use them as a buffer once everything returns to normal in the castle again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the girl I know and love.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She had to chuckle at that. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Daria?¡± ¡°Daria?¡± ¡°The jaguar-maid that was guarding the door.¡± ¡°Ahh. I was on my way to Anna¡¯s room to get some clothes for her after I got Ari¡¯s and walked past here. She told me that she has something to do, and there¡¯s currently no need to be on standby with you inside with the king. I decided to wait here instead as I was in no hurry.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°She gave me this letter with an address I never heard about it before, though.¡± She presented a small envelope. "For some reason, she was also smiling broadly while she was handing it over. Do you have any idea what is going on?" ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded a few times and also started smiling. ¡°I can¡¯t wait~. By the way, that was Ari¡¯s mother. Well, one of them.¡± ¡°Really? Did you chat about anything interesting with her before visiting the king?" ¡°Oh, you have no idea~.¡± Her smile got even broader. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Afterward, she tilted her head and took a small break because she had no idea where to start and what to tell Maya first.
Chapter 286 – Intrigued cat Chapter 286 ¨C Intrigued cat Sophia met with King Menzor and told him all about how she felt about him throwing a tantrum over his daughter having done what she did. Having threatened multiple times to literally kick him out of the castle while gesturing at the window behind them if he didn''t stop, Menzor eventually started caving in. Sophia gave him many tips to get over it. Together with admitting that she''s responsible for the giganticke in the area where the king nned to create an outpost for which no one had an exnation, to further distract him from being awkward. "Did you know that female same-sex couples can only have children of the same biological gender, too? Meaning, if we have kids, it will definitely be a daughter." After Sophia had parted with the king, she reunited with Maya, who was waiting for her already, and started telling her about the topics she had chatted with Ari''s mother beforehand. ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± Maya¡¯s face immediately turned a little red because she wasn¡¯t expecting for this topic toe up. ¡°Well, I did notice that all the same-sex couples I met so far had the same type of children, but I haven''t given it much thought. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for it to be a coincidence.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded. ¡°Well, to be honest¡­ I¡¯m not sure how you feel about it, but I¡¯m actually a tiny little bit happy about it. I would¡¯ve preferred a daughter, anyway.¡± ¡°M-Me, too¡­ I would have no idea how to raise a boy¡­ The bond between mother and daughter normally is tighter, too¡­ And I would like that¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The blonde felt the same. ¡°Did she tell you anything else about the blessing magic?¡± Though still embarrassed, the cat-girl had gotten curious about it. ¡°I know that it is a thing and what the purpose is, but I never looked that deeply into it before..." ¡°I asked her about everything she knew~. I was super surprised about how it actually works in detail!¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± "Male couples aside, it''s basicallypletely natural for us.¡± ¡°That means¡­? ¡°The mother that gives birth to the child has a 100% normal pregnancy. She even gets pregnant without any extras.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± Maya tilted her head. "I thought blessing magic is¡­ magic? Like, we mix our magics together, which is the basis for our child when it grows in either of our wombs?" ¡°That''s more or less how it works for male couples and a surrogate mother." ¡°Ohh¡­¡± She sounded impressed. ¡°What about us girls, then?¡± ¡°Each of us has to do a different chant for the blessing. For example, you have to do something that turns your magic into something that roughly has the properties of sperm in terms of the information about you it carries, and I have to use the magic merely to ept it... or rather, you. Once it enters me, everything happens as if the information came from a man in the biological way.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°I had the same reaction¡­¡± ¡°That is¡­ That is amazing in one way or another. I knew the child ispletely normal in the biological sense, but I had no idea it''s that natural.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Wait, how does my information enter you¡­?" Maya''s expression suddenly turnedplicated. "How does it... I get inside of you...?" "In the traditional way of the magic, you, uhh¡­ simply ce your hand on my stomach, and we both do our parts of the chant." ¡°Really?¡± She tilted her head and then ced her hand on Sophia¡¯s lower abdomen before she gently pressed on it with her fingers. "L-Like this¡­?" She had touched her tiger many times before, but something about this made her a little nervous. ¡°P-Pretty much¡­¡± The blonde¡¯s face, too, was turning redder with each passing moment. ¡°H-Has she told you the chants¡­?¡± She was still touching Sophia¡¯s stomach when she asked that question. ¡°¡­¡± The tiger¡¯s expression finally had lost its remainingposure, and her blush surpassed any level of embarrassment she had shown on her face in the past. "N-No¡­ No, she¡­ she h-has not.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± While her blush wasn''t any less intense, the cat-girl still had her hand gently ced on Sophia''s lower abdomen, right where her uterus would be inside. ¡°Y-You are scaring me a l-little right now¡­¡± Unable to bear it any longer, Sophia took a step away from her to prevent her face from lighting on fire. Although, the moment she touched her stomach with her own hand in the ce Maya was touching, her blush only worsened. "A-Ah, sorry about that¡­" The cat-girl nced at her hand for a moment before looking at the blonde. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I just felt like doing it¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not something you just do!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°Yes¡­ It made me curious, and my body kinda acted on its own¡­¡± ¡°Bad body!¡± "M-More importantly¡­" Maya then focused her attention on Sophia¡¯s bright red first. ¡°Why are you blushing more than back when we first met, and I clung to your arm¡­? You were the one who was able to deal with the whole c-children and blessing magic stuff with ease before! I always turned into a mess there.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She took a small break. ¡°Daria telling me that it¡¯s so natural for us¡­ and just how easy it to use¡­ N-Not to mention that she¡¯s the mother of Ari, the proof that it works¡­ Then, you a-actually putting your hand on my stomach while I was telling you about it¡­ It¡­ It¡­¡± "It finally started feeling real for you¡­?" ¡°¡­¡± Sophia went silent for another moment. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to ever tell Kira about this! She loves this topic way too much, and if she finds out that you also turn into a mess now when ites up¡­¡± ¡°Is that¡­ Is that really the most important part here¡­?¡± "Is there anything else you want to tell me about the topic?" Saying so, Maya once more brought her hand closer to Sophia''s stomach. ¡°S-Stop it!¡± She got louder again. ¡°You know thatplicated magic and I don¡¯t along. W-What if I mess up when you touch it and then¡­ bam!¡± ¡°Bam¡­ and you¡¯re pregnant?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°I highly doubt that¡­¡± ¡°H-How often did you say those very same words when it came to me and magic?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya went silent and actually pulled her hand away. ¡°See?!¡± ¡°Well, I still don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. The big C said you have to use your tiger magic and not the other one, right?¡± She decided against mentioning Canir¡¯s name in the castle. ¡°That magic is the one that¡¯s reasonable, right? Bound by the regtions of magic, that is.¡± ¡°Right!¡± She looked noticeably relieved. ¡°Being a tiger is the best!¡± ¡°Well, ording to him, that also makes you able to use it in the first ce, so¡­ It¡¯s also the root for your current embarrassment." ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ¡°Good.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°Sounds like you calmed down.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Now, stay like that! It¡¯s my job to freak out over this topic. You already freak out over everything else, so leave the child thing to me!¡± ¡°You know how greedy I am.¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde had gotten over it for the time being. ¡°Still¡­¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s kinda nice that it works so easy¡­ Simply cing your hand on the other¡¯s stomach and doing the blessing chant, but it¡¯s also prettyckluster for such an important event, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oho, you¡¯re in for a treat now!¡± Sophia''s smile changed into a full grin. "Have you heard about magic dildos already?" ¡°I like the sound of that! I can¡¯t say I have, though.¡± The cat-girl looked very interested. ¡°I did, too~.¡± Afterward, with an even bigger grin, the tiger told her everything about the magical device Daria had told her beforehand. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Maya looked a little overwhelmed after the blonde was done talking. ¡°Seriously, wow¡­¡± "I said it before, and I''ll say it again, everyone in this world is a pervert." ¡°I have to agree.¡± The cat-girl just nodded a few times. "It''s a fantastic world, isn''t it?" ¡°ABSOLUTELY!¡± Her nodding got even stronger. ¡°So, in summary, you can use all those amazing features without activating the blessing, too?¡± ¡°ording to Daria, yes. Yes, you can!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Maya sounded slightly excited. "Is only the, let''s call it... natural shape avable, but are there some cuter versions on sale, as well...? Making it look like the real thing is kinda intriguing for, uhh... roleying purposes, I think...?" She had a somewhatplicated expression. "Still, let''s face it... good fitment, judging by the more realistic toy we got for fun, aside, it''s not the most aesthetically pleasing thing to look at... Like, at all. It was a bit of a turnoff when we actually tried to use it... More than a bit, if I''m honest. Exotic-looking things with a good shape are way more fun!" "Yup! Same here..." Sophia agreed. "Good news, you can get all the colors you want, and shapes that are fit for insertion are avable." "Nice!" She started smiling again. "Wait, why were you talking about dildos with Ari''s mother in the first ce?!" "Weird how stuff like that happens, huh?" She just shrugged. ¡°One thing led to another when she told me about the most natural version of conceiving a child between two girls. Natural, is rtively speaking there, though. It¡¯s the most biological sound, at least, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°Natural, she says¡­¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°The girls that invented that thing were just horny beyond saving when they came up with it. I am 94% sure the blessing addon was just an afterthought.¡± ¡°I¡¯m totally with you on that.¡± ¡°Bless those girls.¡± ¡°I know, right?!¡± Sophia fully agreed with her assessment of the invention. ¡°So, where do we get this thing?¡± ¡°Why do you think Daria gave you a letter with an address earlier?¡± ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°Good answer~.¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go there tomorrow!¡± ¡°We are so going to do that!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Maya looked right at her. ¡°Can I wear it first? I want to use it on you!¡± "Oho!" Sophia''s eyes lit up. ¡°It sounds pretty enticing to find out about all it can do inside~. When you''re the one doing it, at least. Well, ALMOST all of it, I want to add!" ¡°We¡¯re definitely going to swap, though. I¡¯m not going to let you have all the fun of that side to yourself!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I bet it''s also pretty intriguing to be on the giving side.¡± While being in an excellent mood, the couple kept nning their nightly activities while walking toward Anna¡¯s room to collect some of her clothes because Maya hadn¡¯t had the chance to do that yet.
Chapter 287 – Shortcut Chapter 287 ¨C Shortcut Sophia told Maya about everything Daria had told her about the blessing magic as the cat-girl was also curious about it. She knew it was a thing, but until recently, she never cared about how it worked in detail. The tiger had exined it in great detail, and Maya even acted out a part of the exnation by cing her hand on Sophia''s stomach right above her uterus in the way you¡¯re supposed to do it. All of that was too much for the tiger, and the concept finally became real for her. Up until now, she handled the topic with rtive confidence because the procedure was too alien for her. Now that she knew how it works, and how natural it is, on top of it being very easy to do, she finally noticed that her future really does involve her bing a biological mother if she so desires to. Thanks to that, she had turned into a blushing and embarrassed mess while exining everything to Maya. Afterward, once they had calmed down again, the tiger told her about the magic dildo and its amazing features. Maya was very interested in everything about that, and their conversation soon took a rather horny turn. ¡°Alrighty, have you seen some pajamas we can bring for the princess?¡± The couple was currently in Anna¡¯s room to pack some clothes for her while she and Ari were staying at their mansion. "Eh?" Maya looked confused. ¡°I thought we decided that we don''t bring any pajamas for them because it''s nice to look at them in skimpy clothes?" ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to match our story here. So, have you seen some?¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± She understood her intention. ¡°Nope, I couldn¡¯t find any, no matter how hard I looked." ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll go with the same.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up before she eventually looked around in Anna¡¯s room again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I was wondering if there''s a ce to put a portal in this room.¡± ¡°If you do that, she can go and fetch a pajama on her own, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem?!¡± The blonde just stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s my most convincing argument for you not to do something that ridiculous.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± Sophia had no words. ¡°You might be getting too good at handling me.¡± ¡°If only. There''s still a lot of work left for me to do here¡­¡± ¡°Mixed feelings about that!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a fatal w in your argumentation, though.¡± ¡°I highly doubt that.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°You enjoyed looking at the princess just as much as I did.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Okay, almost as much as I did.¡± The cat-girl slightly altered her im after looking at Sophia¡¯s expression. ¡°Better.¡± She gave a slight nod. ¡°But!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°When did I ever say that I¡¯m going to tell Anna about the portal?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I can still out-predict you!¡± ¡°Sure¡­ What¡¯s the point for the portal then, though?¡± ¡°For fun?¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°Other than that, it will make it easier for them to return here once they decide to do so. That way, they don¡¯t have to meet everyone at the entrance. Also, with them having a portal, they can instantly visit us whenever they want in the future! Sounds like a ton of fun to me!¡± "It also sounds super fun if one of the maids or whoever else finds the portal. I bet it will be amazing having to exin everything.¡± "I just have to hide it really well!" ¡°A two-meter-tall, shiny and purple portal¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Sophia had no idea why she was raising her voice. ¡°Oh, how about I put it into Anna¡¯s huge, walk-in wardrobe?¡± While saying so, she entered the attached room where they got some clothes for the princess earlier. ¡°If we move some of the hangers in the back and use them to block the view, the portal would be hidden behind it.¡± ¡°Until someone puts back Anna''s clothes after they washed them. I doubt the princess is doing that herself.¡± ¡°Just let me have some fun already!¡± She got louder again. ¡°Then again, I¡¯m fairly sure Ari''s the one responsible for that.¡± ¡°And there you have it!¡± ¡°Why are you so excited about that?¡± ¡°I HAVE NO IDEA!¡± ¡°Then pipe down already.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± ¡°Doesn''t sound like it, though.¡± ¡°Alrighty!¡± Ignoring her cat, Sophia then made her way towards the end of the wardrobe and made some space behind some of the hangers holding some dresses. "I kinda would like to see Anna in full princess mode once." She had to take a better look at one of the fancier dresses there. ¡°Count me in on that one!¡± ¡°Oh, how about a half-size portal? It''s way less obtrusive, and you can simply crouch when going through it!¡± pping her hands once after having had the idea, Sophia did just that and one of her purple portals, only roughly one meter tall this time, appeared in front of them. ¡°Yup, totally not conspicuous at all¡­" Maya looked at the purple portal lighting up the whole area and the sparkles floating around in the room. ¡°I forgot that it emits light¡­¡± The tiger just awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Having some second guesses?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll just put it into an extra room in the portal hub for the time being. Even if someone wanders into it, no one would be able to link it to me! Let¡¯s make the room!¡± Saying so, Sophia went closer to the portal and entered it. ¡°Sure, because there are so many people who would be able to do the same." Maya just rolled her eyes while she decided to stay behind. ---------------- ¡°Oh?!¡± Arriving on the other side, the tiger directly ran into Chloe, who then waved at her. ¡°Wow, a portal appearing out of nowhere is super scary!¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Wait, what are you doing inside the hub?¡± ¡°I was going nowhere with the test portals that connected directly with each other, so I wanted to see if the ones inside here are any different.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°No idea yet.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I did manage to make them bigger and smaller, though!¡± ¡°Oho!¡± ¡°I wasn''t able to re-open one of the test portals I identally made so small it disappeared, though¡­¡± ¡°The size thing is already more than I was expecting in such a short amount of time!¡± Sophia seemed impressed. ¡°That might even be a possible solution already! If we¡¯re able to make it so small that you can put it in your pocket or something like that, you could make it bigger whenever you need it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely a start!¡± Chloe wasn''t against the idea. ¡°I¡¯ll try to shrink the other test portal that isn''t linked to anything anymore as small as possible while trying my best to let it stay!¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs up. ¡°By the way, what are Anna and Ari up to? Busy with each other?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She just turned her head away. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Chloe awkwardly scratched her cheek. "They were just fidgeting all the time and stealing nces at each other with a very obvious expression¡­ After a little while, I ended up making their room soundproof after all, and I haven''t seen them since. Or heard, for that matter¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­" She made a slight pause. "Surrounded by perverts¡­¡± ¡°And you¡¯re in the middle of everyone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia nced at the fox-girl. ¡°I thought you aren¡¯t sassy?¡± "Sassy?" Chloe tilted her head. "I just made a statement based on my observations so far." ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± She didn''t want to continue. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised about those two. Especially after I met one of Ari''s mothers earlier. The horny runs in the family. I wonder if the two would also be interested in the magic dildo. Or is it still too early for them?" "Magic dildo?" Chloe''s ears perked up, and her whole tail twitched in response. ¡°Not so obvious, my dear.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± Her cheeks turned red. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about itter~. It¡¯s amazing beyond your belief! Anyway, I''ll head back for the time being. Oh, here. Those are some clothes for Anna and Ari to change intoter. Some underwear, too. Sounds like they might need it once they''re done with being loud.¡± "Hmm¡­" The fox-girl nced at the bag Sophia had ced on the floor. ¡°Don''t worry. We didn''t find any pajamas orfy t-shirts and the likes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± The blonde smiled back at her. ¡°Anyway, see you in the evening!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Waving to each other, Sophia then went back through the small portal, after creating a room for it, and reunited with Maya on the other side. ---------------- ¡°You sure took your time.¡± The cat-girl just looked at her. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± She shook her head. ¡°Chloe was in the portal room and yed around with them. We just had a little chat.¡± ¡°Oh, just her? What about the other two?¡± ¡°Busy with each other in their now soundproof room after our fox had enough of them being fidgety and awkward around her.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, though.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded by perverts, aren¡¯t we?!¡± ¡°And you¡¯re in the middle of everyone~.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t enjoying this sort of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°Anyway, I also left the couple¡¯s clothes with Chloe, so we''re done with that, too! Let''s hide the portal a little and then finally do what we came for!" "To Ellie, we go!" Maya was just as motivated as Sophia was. ¡°Exactly!¡± Afterward, the two did just that and finally went to Ellie¡¯s room after Sophia had made sure that she was there by checking with her detection magic. Chapter 288 – Shopping with Ellie Chapter 288 ¨C Shopping with Ellie The couple had finished getting clothes for Ari and Anna, who were currently staying in their mansion, and Sophia had even ced a hidden portal in the princess'' bedroom for future use. Being able to visit each other in an instant would surelye in handy in one way or another. Once they had dealt with that, the duo finally did what they came to the castle for in the first ce and went to Ellie¡¯s room. ¡°So¡­ phia! Maya!¡± Entering her room, the little princess immediately greeted them and ran up to the two. ¡°Ellie~.¡± The couple kneeled down and gave the girl a hearty hug after she had jumped into their arms. ¡°Yay~!¡± Liking how she got hugged by them, Ellie cuddled even closer to them. "I missed that~." Once the trio was done with that, Sophia looked at the little princess with a big smile. "Kira said you wanted to see us? What can we do for you? Whatever it is, the answer will be yes." She was getting ready to spoil her already. ¡°Ellie needs someone to go shopping with!¡± ¡°Mhm?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Is Kira busy? I¡¯m sure your mother would love to go shopping with you.¡± ¡°No! Ellie can¡¯t go with mama!¡± ¡°Oh, back to being a rebel again?¡± ¡°No!¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Ellie¡¯s no rebel! With mama¡­¡± She turned her head away during thosest words. ¡°I heard that.¡± The cat-girl wanted to y with her a little. "A-Ah¡­¡± She looked even more awkward for a moment. ¡°Ellie wants to get a gift!¡± The little tiger decided to ignore it. ¡°Mama¡¯s birthday is soon!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The blonde pped her hands. ¡°You want to keep it a secret and surprise her?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie gave her a big nod. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Maya liked the idea. ¡°What a lovely n!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Do you already know what you want to get her?¡± ¡°No!¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Ahh.¡± ¡°Can you help me?¡± The little tiger nced at them with upturned eyes. ¡°Of course!¡± There was no way they would refuse to go with her. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ellie got even happier. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia raised her hand in motivation. ¡°Yay!¡± The little princess did the same. "Should we put you into some other clothes first?" Maya looked at the small tiger and noticed that she was still wearing her blue dress. The only difference was that she had exchanged her regr, long socks for either white overknees or tights, which was impossible to tell because of the dress¡¯ longer hem. ¡°It¡¯s too cold for that, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s new tights are super warm!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°They¡¯re all fluffy and fleecy inside! They¡¯re the bestest!¡± She apparently was doing fine. ¡°Ellie also got a new and super warm jacket to go over my dress!¡± ¡°Do you like your dress that much?" "Yes! Anna''s wife got it for me in the summer! She has very good taste! Super cute! She wanted to go shopping with Ellie for winter, but something happened. She and Anna had to leave for something. Ellie¡¯s pretty sure Anna did something bad again!¡± "Ahhh¡­" The couple naturally had no intention of telling her what had happened. ¡°Wait, wife¡­?¡± Sophia noticed something odd here. "Yes!" Ellie just nodded. "Ari is Anna''s wife, right? They act just like mama and papa all the time. They are just as annoying when together¡­ Always just pay attention to each other¡­ None to Ellie¡­!" She started pouting. "Well, Ari is really nice, so it''s okay! Ellie doesn¡¯t know why she likes Anna, though¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kick Ari so hard in her butt once we get home¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression looked a little dead. ¡°Even Ellie noticed her feelings¡­¡± "And I''m going to kick Anna¡­" Maya had basically the same expression. ¡°She¡¯s denser than even I thought¡­¡± ¡°So, they did do something bad?¡± Ellie tilted her head because she couldn¡¯t follow them. ¡°No¡­¡± The couple shook their heads. "They were just a little silly and stupid." ¡°Oh.¡± The princess paused for a moment. ¡°Ellie knows about that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The couple just fell even more in love with her. After having petted her head a little to praise her, the trio then finally got ready. ---------------- The couple put a jacket and some shoes on the princess, and after they had told Kira that they were going out with her for a while, the three left the castle to go shopping together. "By the way," While the trio was walking through the capital, Sophia nced at Ellie sandwiched between the couple while the princess held a hand of one each. "Do you want to buy something, or should we get some materials so you can craft a handmade gift for your mother?" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She titled her head in response. ¡°W-What is cheaper¡­? Ellie has a little spending money, but because Ellie is still young, it''s only a little¡­" ¡°Something handmade might be better, then.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s also more personal. I¡¯m sure your mother will like something you made yourself much more!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°Do you know where we can find a handicrafts store?¡± Maya then faced Sophia for some weird reason. ¡°Why are you asking me¡­?¡± She looked extremely confused. "I don''t even know where our home is from here. Without my detection magic and sensing where Ari is right now, it would take about two days for me to find the way¡­" "I was worth a try? Every now and then, you know about the oddest things, after all.¡± ¡°Even if I knew about it, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever find it again.¡± ¡°Yeah, I expected too much.¡± ¡°You were just messing with me in the first ce, right?¡± The blonde increased her stare. "Yup." She simply nodded. "Ellie, do you know where such a store could be?" "No!" She almost sounded proud. "Ellie is not very good with directions¡­ Ellie gets lost in the castle all the time¡­¡± "Okay, she''s still little, but why are tigers so¡­" Maya wasn¡¯t sure what to say. "Well, let''s walk around for a while, and if we find nothing, I''m sure there''s someone we could ask." ¡°Okay!¡± The tigers in question just gave her a big nod. ---------------- The trio kept walking around for a while, but as they were finding nothing, the cat-girl eventually started asking around and quickly found out that they were in thepletely wrong corner of the capital for these kinds of stores. ¡°Finally!¡± Around half an hourter, Maya let out a relieved sigh when the girls had finally found a store that sold all kinds of handicraft-rted goods. ¡°The capital is way too big¡­¡± The princess looked a little tired. ¡°Ellie will ask papa to make it smaller¡­¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl decided that she won¡¯t be involved in that. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Giving her a big nod, they finally entered the store. There, the trio looked around for a while before eventually asking the little tiger for an opinion. ¡°Have you found anything?¡± "Hmmmm¡­" Her eyes were darting all over the ce. ¡°Still no idea!¡± ¡°Nothing at all?¡± ¡°Hmmmmmm¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t decide. ¡°Do you just want to wish her a happy birthday? Something like a colorful card would be really nice. A mug might be too hard, but we maybe could also make a y bowl and paint it with lots of colors. Your mom could put it on disy or use it to store things.¡± Sophia gave her a few suggestions. ¡°Ellie wants to make a bowl!¡± She liked the idea. A lot. ¡°Alrighty!¡± The blonde liked her enthusiasm. ¡°Let¡¯s get some y and all the colors!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°How about¡­ we also get some¡­ glitter to¡­ eh¡­?¡± Maya wanted to suggest that they should decorate the bowl even more, but her gaze seemed to have suddenly drifted towards the store¡¯s window leading to the street outside. It seemed like she had noticed something there. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophia naturally noticed that something was up. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The cat-girl looked quite confused while her eyes were still glued to the window. ¡°C-Could you buy the stuff together with Ellie¡­? I, uhh¡­ I think I just saw something. It''s, err... impossible, but I have to check out¡­¡± Saying so, she didn¡¯t wait for her reply and immediately left the store. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± Sophia just tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s go and choose some nice colors?¡± She decided to focus her attention on Ellie for the time being. ¡°Yes!¡± ---------------- Outside the store, Maya looked around on the street for a short moment and quickly spotted what was bothering her. Or rather, who was bothering her. ¡°Mom?! Dad?!¡± With her eyes shot open, she was staring at a couple of the cat-beastfolk that seemed to be somewhere in their early fifties at best. ¡°Huh?!¡± The two, a cat-man with a slight belly and ever so slightly receding brown hair with ears and a tail in the same color. The ears and tail of the woman next to him had the same form as Maya, as well, but her medium-long hair was primarily ck, but it was streaked with many white highlights. "Maya?!" They seemed to be just as shocked. Immediately after, the two walked up to her and almost crushed her in a big and hearty hug. ¡°W-What are¡­ Why are you here?!¡± She was too confused to return their hug. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯d like to know!¡± The couple let go of her again after a few moments. ¡°Nonono, I asked first!¡± Maya didn¡¯t let them have that. ¡°Well,¡± The female cat looked at her. ¡°After you left home, Theo and I also got the urge to travel a little. Back when you were with us, we always had to apologize to everyone because you¡¯re such a rowdy girl, but after you left, we decided to use that chance.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± The rowdy girl felt offended. ¡°I wasn¡¯t that much of a bother!¡± ¡°Eve and I apologized to Masi at least twice a week, though. Because you always used him in your magic experiments.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She just awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°M-Masi doesn¡¯t count¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± "A-Anyway, so you felt a little adventurous and decided to visit the capital¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± The couple just nodded before the cat-man looked at her again. ¡°What about you? Weren¡¯t you out with some girl to train magic¡­?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Maya only got more awkward. ¡°Yes¡­ One thing led to another, though¡­ and we''re currently staying in the capital for the uing winter season¡­" ¡°Really?¡± The cat-woman tilted her head. ¡°Does that mean she¡¯s here, as well? I would love to meet the girl that made you be interested in someone.¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± She had a bad feeling about that. Sophia alone was already a big thing, but Ellie was currently there, as well, and meeting two tigers at once could only end in a disaster. ¡°Why so evasive? Are you trying to hide something?¡± Eve tilted her head. "You know, now that I think about it, during thest couple of years, your magic training became much more time-consuming, and you didn¡¯te home for a couple of days every now and then. All of that wasn¡¯t just a pretense, right? Did you know the girl for longer already, and you now left with her for an entirely different reason? Is there something you''re hiding with her? Wait! D-Don''t tell me you and her..." ¡°E-Eh¡­?!¡± "Look, there she is!" Just at the perfect moment, Sophia¡¯s voice echoed from behind her. ¡°Oh, Theo and Eve? What are you doing here?" While holding hands of Ellie, she walked closer to them and noticed the couple standing in front of Maya. Not only that, but said couple also looked strangely familiar to her. "It''s great to see you again so soon! You didn¡¯t get lost again, right?¡± ¡°Sophia!¡± The two waved at her before Eve started smiling. "Nice to see you, too! Don''t worry, we''re fine! We just ran into our daughter here! Can you believe that?!¡± She pointed at Maya. ¡°She¡¯s the girl we talked about before." "Y-You know each other?!" Maya got loud and then stared at her tiger with big eyes. ¡°You know my parents?!¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The blonde froze up when she heard that. "P-Parents...?" ¡°Here!¡± Ellie didn¡¯t care about any of that right now, though. Letting go of Sophia¡¯s hand, she walked between Maya and her parents to present the bag she was holding to her. ¡°Look! Ellie got a present for mama!¡± She had decided to choose the best possible wording for the situation while she clung to Maya¡¯s hand with the brightest smile she could muster on her lips. ¡°¡­¡± Afterward, things got a little chaotic.
Easy BG for a bit of vor: Spoiler [copse]
Chapter 289 – Change of plans Chapter 289 ¨C Change of ns Sophia and Maya went shopping with Ellie because the princess wanted to get a present for Kira as her birthday wasing up soon. As the little tiger was still young and didn¡¯t have much experience with anything, the blonde suggested that they could make a handcrafted bowl for her. Ellie loved the idea, and they got everything they needed for it. While that was happening, Maya noticed that her parents were in the capital, and once everyone met, an already chaotic situation got even worse when Ellie decided to be adorable while she was clinging to the couple. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia and Ellie were back in the castle, and the blonde looked more than just a little awkward when she was looking at Kira in front of her. ¡°Did something happen?¡± The queen just tilted her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you so soon again. Also, where¡¯s Maya?¡± ¡°Uhhhhhh¡­¡± She had no idea where to even start. ¡°E-Ellie¡­ I¡¯m not sure if we can do it tomorrow, but Maya and I will definitely visit you again before it¡¯s toote. We¡¯ll help you, okay?¡± She pointed at the bag she was holding. ¡°Yay!¡± The princess liked what she was hearing. "Okay, Ellie will go to her room and look some more at it!" The little tiger left the other two behind in a good mood. ¡°So?¡± The queen focused all of her attention on Sophia. ¡°Uhhhhhhhhhhhh¡­¡± It got worse. ¡°Did you have a fight with your cat?¡± ¡°If only¡­ That would¡¯ve been much easier¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I DIDN¡¯T DO ANYTHING!¡± She got loud in an instant. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± ¡°Maya¡¯s p-parents are in the capital¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Kira seemed interested. ¡°I would love to meet them!¡± ¡°They already met Ellie¡­ That was enough chaos for a year¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Did Ellie do anything¡­?¡± ¡°Not on purpose, but she made the situation much more chaotic¡­¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°She was really excited, and the way she worded some of the things she said¡­ It made it seem a little like Maya''s her, uhh¡­ mother¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Kira was starting to understand. ¡°Where are they now, though?¡± ¡°They went to a caf¨¦ to catch up and chat¡­ I, well¡­ I volunteered to return Ellie¡­¡± "You ran away, huh?" "Yes!" Sophia had no intention of hiding it. ¡°They¡¯re her parents! That¡¯s way too high-level for me!¡± "Why?" The queen just looked at her. "You''re a lovely girl that every parent would love as a partner for their children. You''re an amazing daughter-inw!" "D-Don''t go casually skipping three steps there!" ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Also, weren¡¯t you the one who said that you¡¯re happy I turned down your daughter because you like Ari more than me?!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I did say that, yes. But, shut up! We both know that Ari is the better match for Anna. That has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± The blonde still seemed reluctant, though. ¡°Even so, they¡¯re her parents¡­ Meeting them for the first time is something really important, right¡­?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t even begin to describe it.¡± ¡°Are you trying to help me or make it worse?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s spreading?!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t expecting to hear that sort of reply from the queen. ¡°It¡¯s what you say when you can¡¯t decide on an answer when both options are viable, right?¡± Kira tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard Anna using it when she was to choose something but wanted both at the same time.¡± ¡°Well, yes¡­ but also no¡­ Primarily yes, though¡­¡± ¡°That makes no sense.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kira made a slight break. ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡± She dropped the topic. ¡°Urgh¡­ Anna''s staying at my ce, so¡­ Her room is currently free, right?" ¡°You want to hide?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to bring you to this caf¨¦ myself. And then, once I kicked your butt all the way over there, I¡¯ll introduce myself to them, and I''m going to make it ten times worse for you." Kira was not a fan of Sophia''s n. Not even in the slightest. "A-Are you serious?!¡± ¡°More than serious.¡± She simply nodded. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll bring Menzor along, too.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also tell them about theke you created that kept the upper echelon of the kingdom busy for weeks.¡± ¡°He told you about that, huh¡­?¡± ¡°He sure did. After you left, he stormed out of his office and called out an emergency meeting with everyone. It was quite the event.¡± She started smiling again. ¡°Good job on distracting him from the loud idiots, by the way. Everyone will be quite busy from now on.¡± "G-d to hear¡­" ¡°You really should¡¯ve asked about the area beforehand, though.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Well, theke wasn¡¯t nned¡­ Fen¡¯s and my magic, uhhh¡­ wentpletely out of control there... Afterward, we just thought a beautifulke would be much better than a gigantic crater.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± She gave her a nod. ¡°How about you make it a tourist attraction¡­? Some inns, restaurants, ces to shop, and all that? I bet there¡¯s also still some ce left of a remote outpost, too.¡± ¡°My, that¡¯s a lovely idea.¡± Kira liked the n. ¡°I¡¯m totally going to steal that suggestion when Menzor¡¯s going to ask everyone about the ns for the area.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°And now stop stalling for time and get going!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± "Don''t worry. I''m sure they''re nice people, and they¡¯ll love you once they get to know you.¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I already met them. Yesterday, actually¡­ When I was grocery shopping¡­¡± "Oh, when I ran into you while Ari was hiding in the store?" ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The blonde had no idea what to say here. ¡°Ari and I actually spent an hour or two with them because they had gotten lost¡­ That just makes things even more awkward now! For a while, they even thought the two of us were a thing before correcting them..." ¡°Why are you always soplicated?!¡± "That''s what I would like to know, too!" ¡°Maybe they can answer that. You better go fast and find out.¡± ¡°Are you happy with that¡­?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Kira shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re still going now, though.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She hung her head and turned around. "Also, don''t forget to prepare the report for our meeting in a few days. I want to hear everything." The queen was a big fan of the topic, after all. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia decided to just start walking and ignored her. ---------------- Around 15 minutes had passed since then, and Sophia was back at the caf¨¦ near the store they went to with Ellie before. While she hadn''t run back there, she still didn''t take any unnecessary detours to stall for even more time. ¡°Finally!¡± Maya appeared out of nowhere and jumped at her the moment the tiger entered the caf¨¦. ¡°You took way too long!¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ a lot is going on, okay¡­?¡± ¡°That is nothingpared to what I had to go through with them the past 40 minutes!¡± She got loud. ¡°They just started believing me that Ellie isn¡¯t my daughter after her ambiguous wording earlier!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°And now, youe with me!¡± Saying so, she got behind Sophia, ced her hands on her shoulder, and guided her to the table her parents were sitting on. ¡°H-Hello¡­¡± Beingpletely overwhelmed and having no idea what to say, the tiger just awkwardly waved before she sat down on an empty chair. ¡°¡­¡± Eve and Theo didn¡¯t look any less awkward. ¡°J-Just to hear it from you, as well¡­¡± Eve eventually faced her. ¡°That adorable little tiger from earlier, is she really not Maya¡¯s or yours?¡± ¡°I mean, I, uhh¡­ would be happy to because Ellie¡¯s the best, but n-no, she is not¡­¡± Saying so, Sophia¡¯s eyes darted around in the caf¨¦ before she spotted a waitress with dog ears and dark-red hair and gestured her over to them. ¡°S-Say, have you seen the two of us walking around outside with a little girl before they entered the caf¨¦ earlier¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, do you mean princess Ellie?¡± She started smiling. ¡°Everyone has seen the two of you walking around with our beloved princess already. Everyone always gets delighted when they get the chance to see that heartwarming scene." ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± It made the blonde even more awkward. ¡°Could I get a coffee while we¡¯re at it¡­?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± "A-And there you have it¡­¡± She faced Maya¡¯s parents again. ¡°Why hadn¡¯t I thought about that?!¡± Her daughter was the one who got loud instead. ¡°It would¡¯ve saved me sooo much work!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Eve stared at the couple for a few moments. ¡°Stop looking disappointed!¡± Maya raised her voice even more. From the looks of it, she¡¯s going to scream a lot today. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia took a lot of second-hand damage from that and decided to change the topic to get the attention away from it. ¡°S-So¡­ Maya was the bratty daughter that doesn¡¯t know how to behave you told me about yesterday¡­?¡± "A-Ah!¡± The two immediately turned their faces away. ¡°What?!¡± The bratty girl had no intention of piping down anytime soon. ¡°W-Was that really necessary¡­?¡± Theo nced at the tiger. ¡°I am very sorry about that.¡± Sophia apologized. ¡°I¡¯m not overly good with that other topic, so¡­ I''d like to leave that behind us for now¡­" ¡°Well, both of you are still young enough, so that should be fine. I assume that you¡¯re the same age as our girl?¡± "Thank you¡­ I''m a little younger, but we¡¯re basically the same age, yes.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to keep mentioning that part¡­¡± Maya lightly red at her. ¡°There sure is~.¡± The blonde thought otherwise. ¡°Grr.¡± ¡°The way you two are acting¡­¡± Eve wasn¡¯t sure how to react while she was watching the couple. ¡°Maya, how have you gotten this close to a tiger?! Why didn¡¯t you tell us when you left?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She just awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°This will take a while¡­¡± Sophia had the same expression. Afterward, everyone got ready for a long day because there was lots of exining to be done here.
Chapter 290 – First impressions Chapter 290 ¨C First impressions Things had taken a weird turn when the couple was shopping with Ellie as they had run into Maya''s parents, who ended up visiting the capital. To make things even moreplicated, Maya''s parents were the very same couple Ari and Sophia had run into the day before already and helped them find their way back to their inn. Once Sophia had brought Ellie back home, she reunited with the family because there was lots of exining to do. ¡°Sophia?¡± The blonde had returned to the mansion and ran into Chloe, Ari, and Anna in the living room when the fox-girl looked at her. ¡°Back again?¡± "Oh, have you two stopped being horny?" She faced the couple. She seemed to be in a hurry, but there always had to be time for light teasing. "A-Ah!¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re just taking a break.¡± Chloe rolled her eyes. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The two got loud. ¡°Unfortunately, you two have to take a longer break¡­¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± They got even louder. ¡°Did something happen?¡± The pink-haired girl tilted her head. "Yeah, I need all of you to leave for a while¡­" Sophia made a short break. "I need the mansion empty¡­" ¡°Huh?!¡± All three raised their voices. ¡°Chloe, can you show the two the elven vige and maybe have them stay a night at your ce?¡± "Oh, that sounds fun!" Anna''s mood had changed rtively quick. ¡°Well, sure¡­ but¡­?¡± ¡°Maya¡¯s parents are in the capital¡­ We ran into them earlier¡­ There¡¯s a lot we have to exin to them, and I want to do that here in peace¡­¡± ¡°You two didn¡¯t know about them being here¡­?¡± Ari tilted her head. "We had no idea! They simply walked past the store we were in when Maya recognized them¡­" ¡°What a coincidence¡­¡± The jaguar almost looked impressed. ¡°Want to hear something even more amazing?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Do you remember Eve and Theo from when we went shopping?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re Maya¡¯s parents.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Ari was shocked. ¡°Yup¡­¡± ¡°Wow.¡± She had no better words. ¡°I know!¡± Sophia stared right at her. ¡°That¡¯s why I need everyone to leave for a while.¡± "Of course." The girls just nodded. Afterward, the couple grabbed the bag with clothes Sophia and Maya had gotten for them earlier just in case, and the trio went back to the portal room to go to Chloe''s vige. ---------------- Immediately after, the tiger returned to the caf¨¦ where Maya and her parents still were, and her cat-girl immediately got loud. ¡°Why did you take so long?!¡± She was waiting in front of the toilets for some reason. ¡°I took a quick portal to our mansion and chased the girls out. They¡¯re spending the night at Chloe¡¯s ce.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°This here will take forever, and I really don¡¯t feel like exining a lot of things in public¡­ Let¡¯s head home with them.¡± "Why are you dealing with all of this so well¡­?!" Maya didn¡¯t understand why she was so calm. "It was amazing how quickly you came up with asking a waitress about Ellie, too!" ¡°I have no idea!¡± The blonde was the most shocked. ¡°That might be the other reason I want to go home¡­ To not have a meltdown here¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± She looked strangely understanding. ¡°Well, to be fair¡­¡± Sophia started scratching her cheeks. ¡°I might¡¯ve stopped time 17 times so far toe up with my answers¡­¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± Maya¡¯s reply came in an instant. ¡°Isn''t that a little harsh?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I guess it is a bit unfair, huh? To get as much time as you need toe up with an answer.¡± ¡°Very!¡± "Alright then, should we head over to our ce?" She just dropped the topic. ¡°I am a little hesitant to tell them that we own a mansion¡­ We weren¡¯t poor, not at all, but a mansion is on another level¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I hadn''t thought about that¡­¡± ¡°One gets used to stuff fast, huh?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Sophia just nodded. ¡°I still think that¡¯s better than doing all that in the caf¨¦ here, though. Not to mention that our home wille up eventually, anyway¡­¡± ¡°Yet another sound argument¡­¡± She stared right into the tiger¡¯s eyes. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t stop time toe up with that!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Maya stared at her for a little longer before eventually turning around. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go home. I think I''ll be able to rx a little more there, too.¡± "Alright, let''s head back to the table and tell them!" The tiger was motivated to go home, and the couple returned to the cat-girl''s parents. ¡°Mom, dad, do you mind if we take this talk somewhere else? Sophia¡¯s nature as a tiger tends to draw more attention than is preferable for all of this¡­¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Her mother nodded. ¡°Where, though? Should we go to our inn?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I was more thinking about the ce Sophia and I are staying. It¡¯s rtively close to here, too.¡± She decided to keep it vague for the time being. ---------------- Around 20 minutester, the group was already quite close to the mansion, and Maya''s parents naturally started to notice how much the neighborhood had changed. "So many mansions!¡± ¡°Why are we in the noble area of the capital¡­?¡± The eyes of Theo and Eve were darting all over the ce. "Well, strictly speaking, the two of us are part of the nobility in the capital, so it¡¯s not that odd for us to stay in the corresponding area, right?¡± Somehow, it seemed like Sophia¡¯s body twitched for a moment before she answered them. "¡­" Maya just stared at her after noticing that she wasn''t in the exact same position a moment ago. "Oh, I see." Eve nodded a few times in understanding. "Wait, what?" She hadn''t understood after all while staring at her daughter with big eyes. "W-What''s that supposed to mean?!" ¡°Good job, Sophia¡­¡± "A-Ah¡­" She noticed that she had made it worse. "A-Anyway, there we are¡­¡± Luckily, they had arrived at their mansion at the perfect moment. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like an inn, though¡­?¡± It didn¡¯t help them calm down at all, though. ¡°Mom¡­ She¡¯s a tiger, you know? Yes, she doesn¡¯t act like a noble, though all I met so far are just as friendly, but¡­ Anyway, Menzor actually forbade us to stay in an inn¡­¡± ¡°Menzor¡­?¡± Theo tilted his head. ¡°Where have I heard¡­ WAIT, isn¡¯t that the name of our KING? Why do you call him by his name so casually, my dear daughter?!¡± ¡°Good job, Maya¡­¡± The blonde just had to get back to her for earlier. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go inside.¡± She unlocked the front gate and gestured everyone inside. ¡°It sounds like there is a lot we have to talk about¡­¡± Finally, inside the mansion, the group went to the living room, and Maya''s parents sat down on one sofa, while Sophia took the one opposite them. Maya remained standing for some reason. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare something to drink for everyone. Sophia, keep thempany and maybe tell them a thing or two about you in the meantime.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± The blonde sprang up from the sofa again. She obviously had something against being alone with her girlfriend¡¯s parents out of nowhere. ¡°I-I¡¯ll help!¡± ¡°Stay put.¡± The cat-girl just stared at her. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± She sat down again. ¡°Good girl.¡± Saying so, Maya smiled at her before she went to the kitchen. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her disappearance was followed by awkward silence. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Theo finally gave up and stared at the tiger. ¡°What is going on here¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Eve followed immediately after him. ¡°Wait! Yesterday, when we talked about our daughter and were hoping to get you interested¡­ You said that you already have a partner¡­ How you and our daughter are acting with each other¡­ Is she actually your partner? The one you mentioned?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t react at all for a moment. ¡°If I, uhhh¡­ If I were to say yes here, w-what, err¡­ what would that mean to you¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two also said nothing at first, but they then suddenly stood up. They walked around the coffee table, separating the sofas, and hugged the blonde from each side. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± The tiger, not having expected that, had no idea how to react. Even so, after a few moments of being bewildered, she started to notice how oddlyforting the hug felt and decided to return it. The trio stayed like that for a little while. Still, Maya''s parents eventually let go of Sophia again before returning to their sofa. ¡°Wee to the family!¡± The two smiled at the blonde. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± She stared right back at them. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that way too easy?!¡± She naturally had no idea how meeting the parents of your lover works, but she was pretty sure that it wasn¡¯t supposed to work that way. At least when it came to how differently it was depicted in TV, movies, and the like. ¡°Why not?¡± Eve tilted her head. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for anyone to create a better first impression than you did.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Sophia looked more confused than ever. ¡°That¡¯s the exact opposite of everything I heard so far¡­¡± She was skilled at leaving impressions, but good wasn¡¯t necessarily the most fitting description in the past. ¡°Is that so?¡± Theo was still smiling at her. ¡°Helping a clueless and lost couple back to their inn, even though we never asked for it, sure left a positive expression on me.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Eve nodded a few times. ¡°I also really enjoyed the conversations we had while we were walking around together. You seem like an extraordinarily sweet and lovely girl.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± She got more than a little bashful. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger didn¡¯t dislike it in the slightest, though. ¡°If anything, we should warn you about our Maya. She can be quite rowdy, after all. For us, she¡¯s obviously the best daughter you can have, but you might be able to find someone that fits better for you¡­¡± "That sure doesn''t sound like I''m the best daughter there is, though." At the perfect moment, Maya had reunited with everyone while holding a tray of drinks.¡± "A-Ah!¡± Her parents turned their heads away. ¡°Well, you waiting behind the door, listening to our conversation, and entering at the exact perfect moment just to be sassy, does help their case a little.¡± Sophia just stared at her. "A-Ah." She had the same reaction as her parents before. Afterward, as she had nothing to talk back to anymore, Maya ced the drinks on the table before sitting down next to her tiger. There was still a lot more to discuss, after all.
Chapter 291 – Lots to explain Chapter 291 ¨C Lots to exin The couple had brought Maya¡¯s parents to their home because they thought it would be easier and more private to chat there. Once they arrived there, Maya had left them alone, though, under the pretense of preparing some drinks. Sophia naturally wasn¡¯t a fan of being left alone with her girlfriend¡¯s parents out of nowhere, but she did surprisingly well. After all, they already liked her quite a bit after the phenomenally positive first impression she had left on them the day before. When she helped them find the way back to their inn when they had gotten lost in the capital, she scored a lot of points, ¡°Okay, now that the most important thing is confirmed, our girl finally having awakened to romance, I need to hear the whole story here¡­¡± Eve looked straight at her daughter. ¡°Maya, why haven¡¯t you told us that you¡¯re going to travel with a tiger?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very important detail if you ask me!¡± Theo was also focusing his gaze on her. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She only reacted by awkwardly scratching her cheek. After all, Sophia wasn¡¯t a tiger yet back then. ¡°I, uhh¡­ forgot¡­?¡± ¡°How is it possible to forget such an obvious thing?!¡± The two didn¡¯t buy it while pointing at said tiger. ¡°Well¡­¡± The blonde also looked a little awkward. Naturally, even though they are Maya¡¯s parents, she didn¡¯t want to tell them everything about her. ¡°Maya, why don¡¯t you tell them just how much you knew about tigers?¡± Luckily, she had a handy excuse ready that actually was the truth, as well. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like the direction this was going. ¡°Yeah, I, uhh¡­ I kinda forgot what tigers are supposed to be¡­ I only noticed when we were getting closer to the capital, and others started paying a weird amount of attention to us¡­¡± ¡°Where you that stupid?!¡± Theo couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Really, all that¡¯s going on in your brain is magic, huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The idiot in question had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°Then again,¡± Eve then focussed her attention on Sophia. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell her? It must¡¯ve been awkward for you, right? For her having no idea that you¡¯re someone important.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I had no idea about tigers being special, either¡­ We found out about that together¡­¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Maya¡¯s parents naturally only got more confused. ¡°How can you, a tiger, not know about tigers being the rulers of this nation¡­?¡± Theo wanted to know more about it. ¡°I am not from this nation¡­ One of my travelpanions, who¡¯s currently out somewhere with his girlfriend, and I came from the monster country, and Maya¡¯s one of the first people, at least when ites to those I want to talk about, we met after leaving that ce¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The two got loud. ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°I totally get your reaction¡­ I also have no idea how I managed to stay in such a boring ce for that long¡­ Finally finding some more friends was the best!¡± ¡°No! Nonono!¡± They vehemently shook their heads. ¡°I know, I know.¡± The blonde smiled at them. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite strong. Easily stronger than everything that lives in the monster country. Actually, so would Maya be, for that matter.¡± ¡°Leave me out of this!¡± The girl in question got loud. ¡°I never was any good at precisely sensing the magic of others, but¡­¡± Eve concentrated on Sophia for a little while. ¡°I know that our daughter¡¯s an exception among exceptions, but it feels like you have more than twice her power¡­ So, it¡¯s actually true¡­?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She sounded a little proud. ¡°There were no tigers, though¡­ So I had no idea that I was something special. I also didn¡¯t quite look like I do right now back then, so people actually had to look at me closely to notice that something was up with me¡­¡± Sophia decided not to mention that she looked so different that she wasn¡¯t even a tiger in the first ce back then. ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Maya¡¯s mother paused for a moment. ¡°Wait, if there were no tigers beside you¡­ What about your parents? At least one of them has to be a tiger, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression got quite awkward as she hung her head. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I don¡¯t have any family in this world anymore¡­ I¡­ I got separated from everyone long before I even learned how to use my tail to walk¡­ Thepanion I mentioned earlier, he taught me everything about magic and how to survive¡­¡± Once again, it was a bit of a stretch, but she hadn¡¯t told a single lie. ¡°Oh.¡± Eve instantly looked just as awkward as the tiger. ¡°I am deeply sorry to hear this¡­ Ah, it probably was pretty painful that we weed you to our family just like that earlier¡­ I am sorry about that, too¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The blonde just looked at her in response. ¡°Why? Rather, it made me quite happy! I-I love Maya, so hearing that her parents don¡¯t seem to dislike me made me really happy¡­¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Maya grabbed her hand in return because she liked what the bashful-looking girl was saying right now. ¡°Our girl actually has a romantic side.¡± Her mother was just as touched by her little gesture. ¡°...¡± Her face turned red. ¡°It¡¯s that easy to make her blush?!¡± The sight of that had calmed down Sophia a lot. ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually no work at all.¡± Eve looked at her. ¡°While she¡¯s extremely outgoing and often quite rowdy, there are many topics that made her embarrassed very easily.¡± ¡°I need to know about all of them!¡± The tiger¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°I know that she immediately loses herposure when the topic resolves around k-kids¡­ but that¡¯s not really a topic one can tease another¡­¡± Not only that, but Sophia had lost the ability to remain calm there, too. ¡°Other than that, it¡¯s more by chance that I can make her blush!¡± ¡°Oh? Kids are a weak subject?¡± Eve then smiled at her daughter. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting development.¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Her daughter didn¡¯t like her expression, or anything about this exchange for that matter, and turned her head away to hide the ever-increasing blush on her cheeks. ¡°Hehe.¡± Her smile only increased even more, though. ¡°Anyway,¡± She then faced Sophia again. ¡°Absolutely, I¡¯ll dly tell you about every weak point of our girl, my dear.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°D-Don¡¯t do that!¡± Maya did not. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do thatter, but I first need to know about everything that is going on here!¡± Eve¡¯s eyes were slightly sparkling. ¡°Maya, seriously, how did you, who waspletely ignorant of romance, fall in love and catch a tiger out of everything in half a year we haven¡¯t seen each other?!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s more like 8 months, okay¡­?¡± She tried to defend herself a little. ¡°Everything between us started in the first one or two months after we left your home, though?¡± Sophia decided not to be on her side for the time being. ¡°N-Not helping!¡± Maya lightly red at her, but she eventually gave up once she noticed the expectant expression of her mother. ¡°T-There really isn¡¯t much to talk about¡­ I, uhh¡­ I hadn¡¯t realized it back then, but it was, more or less, love at first sight for me¡­¡± She didn¡¯t have the easiest time admitting it in front of her parents. ¡°Aww!¡± Eve¡¯s smile actually managed to get even bigger. ¡°So, you were just missing the right girl for you to finally awaken?¡± ¡°M-More or less¡­¡± She weakly nodded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying back then, though¡­ My motivation to go with her really was to learn her magic. It took me a while to realize that there was more¡­¡± ¡°You started being aggressive quite fast, though. Even before we left, I want to add.¡± Sophia had a different opinion on the matter. ¡°That¡¯s just what you think because you were a shy mess back then.¡± Maya just looked at her. ¡°The stuff you did with Ari already isn¡¯t that differentpared to the first weeks of us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger paused for a moment while tilting her head. ¡°Okay¡­ It changed when you forced me to take my baths with you, though.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± Eve slightly shook her head while ncing at her daughter. ¡°W-Wording, idiot!¡± She just red at the blonde once again. ¡°You pretty much forced me, though? I mean, in retrospect, it was great, but I had not much saying in the matter, had I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, when she wants something, she wants something.¡± Theo smiled at her daughter. ¡°It¡¯s always been like that.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°That sounds a little like it was rather one-sided in the beginning?¡± Eve then changed her attention to Sophia once again. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Well, that backfired, huh?¡± Maya finally had the chance to look smug again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to tell us if it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The white-haired cat-girl got loud. ¡°That¡¯s unfair!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Her mother just tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯re our daughter, so we can pester you as much as we want, but Sophia, we have to win her over first.¡± ¡°Grr.¡± She just reacted with a growl. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The tiger liked their exchange a lot. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I would like it if you treat me the same as her, though¡­¡± ¡°Even though we like you more already?¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Maya raised her voice again while she red at her mother. ¡°Well¡­¡± As the blonde didn¡¯t want to get any special treatment. At least in the ways of them being careful around or with her, she decided to talk on her own. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure if it was full love at first sight¡­ but I definitely found her interesting from the moment I saw her. For the biggest part of my life so far, I had neither friends nor close acquaintances¡­¡± She made a slight pause after that. ¡°Because of that, I had a hard time understanding the feelings I had. Or were developing¡­ Now, I can say that I was in love with her for a while already, but I actually only realized when she confessed¡­¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± Eve enjoyed that bit of information a lot. ¡°You didn¡¯t have any friends, though? I sense some traces of timidness in you every once and then, but you really don¡¯t strike me as someone unsociable. Quite the opposite, actually.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± She looked really happy about that assessment. ¡°I worked really hard on that the past year and Maya helped me a lot, too! I used to be extremely shy and reserved to the point where it already was extremely unhealthy¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± Maya¡¯s parents just tilted their heads. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡± ¡°Up until this year¡­ my life was pretty miserable¡­ I went through a lot that left behind some scars on me¡­ I managed to start a new life and changed myself this spring with the help of others, first and foremost Maya, but before that, I was kind of a wreck¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The two had no idea how to react to that. ¡°Well~,¡± Sophia¡¯s voice suddenly got much more cheerful. ¡°As you can see, that¡¯s a thing of the past, though! My life is amazing right now, so there¡¯s no reason for those long faces!¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± They showed her a small smile in return. However, Maya¡¯s parents still needed a few moments to get over it before they could continue their little chat. Chapter 292 – Nice, grounded, and reasonable girl Chapter 292 ¨C Nice, grounded, and reasonable girl Sophia and Maya were still chatting with the cat-girl¡¯s parents about how the two fell in love with each other and became a thing. While omitting several details, the tiger also told them a little of her past and how it was all but fun. As the two were somewhat shaken by that, including how she doesn¡¯t seem to have any family anymore, they decided to have a bit of a break to process all of this. Afterward, to lighten the mood a little, they changed the topic to their travels leading to their arrival in the capital. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s put all of that aside for the time being¡­¡± Theo smiled at everyone as he felt the need to change the topic while focusing his attention on his daughter. ¡°I think it¡¯s a bit of a miracle that we all ended up here, isn¡¯t it? What happened between your leaving and our meeting here again? What kind of ces did you visit?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The duo just scratched their heads. As their journey to the capital had been a little all over the ce, exining their entire trip was a littleplicated. Even so, they eventually managed to give them a rough runup. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± The eyes of Maya¡¯s father grew wide. ¡°That huge crater¡­ And the permanently frozenke that has be a major tourist attraction¡­ Your group did all that?¡± ¡°Sophia did all that.¡± The cat-girl just looked at her tiger. She didn''t want to take any responsibility for any of this. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The girl in question just looked down in response. ¡°I get a little overexcited at times¡­¡± ¡°I loved thatke!¡± Eve suddenly sounded cheerful. ¡°It looked amazing!¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Her smile got bigger. ¡°It was a little crowded because hundreds of people from all over the ce visit it at the same, but it¡¯s an impressive sight nheless!¡± ¡°M-Maya, now that we met your parents here, there¡¯s no need to ever go back that way, right¡­?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Ehh?¡± Eve didn¡¯t seem to like that idea. ¡°But I want to brag to everyone about how amazing my daughter''s girlfriend is!" ¡°T-That would be super embarrassing, though¡­¡± The tiger started blushing harder just thinking about it. ¡°I would rather not be the center of attention in those cases¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± Theo tilted his head. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen from you so far, I would¡¯ve guessed that you love getting as much attention as possible.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The blonde took a lot of damage from that remark. ¡°I-It¡¯s not on purpose¡­ I simply act before thinking about the consequences first¡­¡± "You say that a lot, but¡­" Maya then looked right at her. "By now, I''m quite convinced that you actually enjoy it a lot when you¡¯re the talk of everyone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°S-Shut up.¡± Sophia had a hard time refuting it. Though she didn¡¯t want to admit it, there obviously was some truth to it. ¡°Everyone I met really loved theke, though.¡± Eve smiled at the tiger. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be praised a lot!¡± ¡°T-That is great, but¡­ I¡¯m a little concerned about the other thing, the huge crater I created¡­ I doubt that¡¯s just as well-liked.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Theo took over. ¡°I spoke with some of the guys I met there, and they apparently found some rare minerals and even a variety of magic ores in the lower levels of the crater. There¡¯s a high chance the whole ce will soon turn into a full-fledged mining town. The entire area there will prosper like nothing else.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I heard, yes.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a ce you visited where you haven¡¯t changed to lives of everyone around you.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia took even more damage. ¡°I-I might really have a talent for that¡­¡± ¡°Scratch that might.¡± Maya just shook her head. ¡°I think I liked you better when your mother was having the upper hand on you, which caused you to be less sassy.¡± ¡°Oh, we can continue with that!¡± Eve started smiling again. ¡°There are still lots of ways to make her embarrassed!¡± ¡°H-How about no?!¡± She didn¡¯t like the idea. ¡°That sounds like fun!¡± The tiger did, though. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to borrow your girlfriend for a little while.¡± Eve faced her daughter with a big smile. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± She liked that even less. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Sophia, too, didn¡¯t know how to feel about that specific n. ¡°You don¡¯t want to spend time with me¡­?¡± Maya¡¯s mother then changed her attention to the blonde. ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± She started panicking. ¡°Just thinking about being alone with my girlfriend''s mother makes me nervous¡­" ¡°Alright!¡± pping her hands once, Eve then stood up with a smile. ¡°Do you like to cook? Let¡¯s have a nice long chat while we prepare something for everyone!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The blonde¡¯s expression got even more awkward. ¡°I, well¡­ I like to cook in one way or another, but I¡¯m still pretty hopeless at it¡­ I used to be aplete catastrophe, but as I didn¡¯t want Maya to do all the work on her own, I started learning it bit by bit from her to help out, but¡­ I have gotten a lot better, but everything besides the basics is still a bit hard for me¡­¡± ¡°My, aren¡¯t you the sweetest girl there is?¡± She liked her motivation to get better at cooking a lot. ¡°T-Thanks¡­ Well, it would¡¯ve been even better to have had some skills that went a little further than bare survival in the first ce¡­ That was all that mattered to me before meeting Maya, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Eve wasn¡¯t sure what to reply to that. She had no idea that Sophia had no intention to make it sound like it, but it felt like a pretty heavy confession of her past life to her. ¡°H-How about baking¡­?¡± ¡°I love sweets!¡± Her reply didn¡¯t quite match the question. ¡°I baked some cookies with Ari, the jaguar that was with me yesterday, a little while ago, and that was a ton of fun! I¡¯m good ating up with stuff, but I need some help with the execution¡­ I get carried away rather easily, and following instructions isn''t exactly my specialty." ¡°Those cookies you came up with were amazing, though!¡± Maya had topliment her for it. ¡°I think those were easily the best cookies I ever had!¡± ¡°Oho? Even better than mine?¡± Eve faced her daughter. ¡°Mom¡¯s quite proud of her own cookie recipe, though.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± "A-Ah.¡± Sophia had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Interesting. Okay, how about you teach me how to bake cookies properly?¡± She changed her attention to the tiger again. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Her eyes grew wide. ¡°I-I just said that I need help for that¡­ I have great ideas to improve existing recipes, but my execution of things is wed at the very best!¡± ¡°Well, we can use my recipe as the basis. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s enough because my daughter apparently never liked them, but I guess they should improve a lot if we add your twist to them.¡± ¡°I-I never said that!¡± Maya sounded a little flustered. ¡°It¡¯s just that the idea Sophia came up with for cookies is amazing! I love your cookies, too!¡± ¡°I-If I try to teach you my style of cookies¡­ Can I get a lesson on how to get such reactions out of Maya while we¡¯re at it in return¡­?¡± ¡°Absolutely~.¡± Eve¡¯s voice sounded really cheerful. "I''ll teach you everything you have to know to make her flustered.¡± She was smiling broadly. ¡°And then some more.¡± ¡°I look forward to it!¡± ¡°C-Can I veto this¡­?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Sophia and Eve were bonding fast. ¡°D-Dad, do something about this...¡± She only panicked even more. ¡°Yeah, sure¡­¡± Theo sounded slightly defeated. ¡°Because the girls in our family are the type that easily back down¡­ Sophia, can you bring some fresh wind into the family when ites to that¡­?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Maya didn¡¯t even try to hold back herughter. ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± The blonde didn''t like thispletely uncalled-for reaction of hers. ¡°Should I tell them just how obstinate you can be?¡± ¡°E-Eve, the kitchen¡¯s that way!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want her to tell them. ¡°I¡¯m kinda interested in that now, though.¡± "T-There''s enough time for thatter¡­" She was hoping that the topic would be forgotten if some time passed. ¡°That¡¯s true. Okay, let¡¯s start with the cookies. Just the two of us. There¡¯s lots I want to ask you in private, as well.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ So, that¡¯s what people mean when they say they¡¯re trapped between a rock and a hard ce¡­¡± The tiger looked slightly defeated. ¡°W-Well, that aside¡­ I still want to do it because getting closer to Maya¡¯s parents is something I definitely want! No matter how embarrassing it might get¡­¡± ¡°You are such a good girl!¡± Eve¡¯s smile got incredibly soft while she looked at Sophia. ¡°Maya, learn a thing or seven from her!¡± Afterward, the duo left the living room together to bake some cookies in the kitchen together while also chatting a lot. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this¡­¡± Maya, who stayed behind with her father, wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of the situation. ¡°Seriously, how did you manage to get such a nice, grounded, and reasonable girl? You, out of everyone¡­?¡± Theo was just staring at her. "¡­" She needed a moment to process those words. "You¡­ You do remember that Sophia, just a few minutes ago, admitted that she permanently froze up an entireke and blew up a in so hard that some guys found rare minerals in it¡­?¡± After that, Maya decided that she didn''t want to talk to her father for a while. Chapter 293 – Alone with Eve Chapter 293 ¨C Alone with Eve Sophia and Maya were still chatting with the cat-girl¡¯s parents in their mansion. They had just finished telling them about their journey and how the couple got together while obviously omitting some details. Especially on the tiger''s side. Eve, Maya''s mother, was still far from having enough and decided to take Sophia on a one-to-one excursion to the kitchen, where she wanted to find out more about her while also baking some cookies together. ¡°So, how far have you gone with my daughter?¡± Together alone with the blonde in the kitchen, Eve directly started with a loaded expression. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Sophia almost dropped the te she was holding right now. ¡°W-Why would you ask something like that?!¡± ¡°Your reactions sure are something else.¡± ¡°Maya really is your daughter¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°The teasing runs in the family, huh¡­? Didn¡¯t you say earlier that you first want to win me over first before I get the rough treatment¡­?¡± ¡°And then you said that I shouldn¡¯t treat you special.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The tiger had already forgotten that she had brought this upon herself. ¡°C-Compared to yesterday, your personality sure has gotten deeper¡­¡± ¡°Despite my age, I¡¯m still a yful and curious cat.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± That reply left her speechless. ¡°Maya¡¯s future looks bright!¡± ¡°You like that sort of personality?¡± ¡°I love it! She had a bright smile. ¡°Else, I wouldn¡¯t be dating your daughter, would I?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fair point.¡± ¡°Well, it can get a little overwhelming at times, and especially in the early times, it made me embarrassed and or bashful way more often than I¡¯d like to admit, but it¡¯s still great! It never gets boring, and it''s rubbing off on me~. Not only on the receiving side, but I love being sassy myself, too!¡± ¡°You found someone great with Maya, then.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia only reacted with a couple of big nods. "I''m still learning to get back on her more reliably, though... She''s a tough girl." ¡°She is my daughter, after all.¡± Eve sounded a little proud. ¡°Still, she has so many exploitable ws that it should be super easy for you to get the upper hand if she ever gets too sassy.¡± ¡°Maya?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like the cat I know.¡± ¡°Have you ever told her a good and scary ghost story?¡± A slight grin appeared on her face. ¡°Do you really not know just how adorable she gets then?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ We actually explored a dungeon that had some ghost-like beings inside¡­ I loved it, but we almost needed to organize new underwear for Maya¡­¡± ¡°See?¡± ¡°Telling some ghost stories sounds like a ton of fun there, but¡­I can¡¯t really use that against her, though¡­ I¡¯m terribly afraid of insects, which were also more than abundant in that dungeon¡­ Whenever she teases me about that, I get back to her with the ghosts, but if I would bring that up first, she would never stop teasing me with those ghastly insects¡­¡± ¡°Really? Maya¡¯s teasing you about insects? Maya?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Yes?¡± Sophia looked a little confused. ¡°She¡¯s fine with them, after all¡­ Using worms for fishing, or¡­ She didn¡¯t even flinch when we saw spiders the size of children! I even saw her looking with interest at a centipede out of all things before I incinerated it with the strongest me my magic can produce¡­¡± ¡°And yet, she¡¯s terribly afraid ofdybugs.¡± ¡°Ladybugs?!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really like them, either, but¡­ Those are one of the very few insects that are actually almost slightly a little cute. When looking at them from a distance, at least. Maybe.¡± She wasn¡¯t that convinced about it. ¡°I have no idea why, but it is true. Maybe it¡¯s something about the pattern?¡± Eve gave it some thought. ¡°Normally, red and ck dots on insects often mean that they¡¯re dangerous, butdybugs are just cute.¡± ¡°Again, she¡¯s fine with child-sized spiders¡­?¡± This exnation didn¡¯t make it any better for her. ¡°Are your fears reasonable and make perfect sense?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia went silent for a moment. ¡°Ladybugs, huh? That could be fun~. Not that this information does anything for me in fall, though.¡± ¡°Ah, that is true.¡± She hadn¡¯t thought about that part. ¡°What other weak points does our dear girl have¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to know!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°My, someone¡¯s eager, huh?¡± ¡°W-Well, I adore Maya¡¯s sass and how smug she can get, but she also overdoes it at times, so¡­ Having something to get her back would be great~. I know that jealousy is one of her weaknesses, as well, but I have no ns to make her jealous on purpose. Okay, really jealous, that is. There maybe were a few instances where I yed with it a tiny bit. A-Ah, nothing that actually means anything, though¡­ Maya¡¯s absolutely the only one!¡± She somehow felt the need to add thest part after remembering that she was talking with her girlfriend¡¯s mother. ¡°Wait a moment, she gets jealous of others? The girl that was still mostly indifferent about actual love at the start of the year¡­?¡± ¡°You have no idea. She got much bettertely, but it actually used to be at a level where it was a problem¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eve looked surprised. ¡°I have a hard time imagining it, actually. What was the worst thing she did when she got jealous?¡± ¡°There was a time where she reliably got grumpy or angry when I was just chatting with other girls. That got annoying fairly quick. I¡¯m d that she noticed the issue herself, as well, and it doesn¡¯t bother her anymore.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Oh, there was also the time where she threatened King Menzor and attacked the first princess because he wanted me to marry the princess, and that tiger was surprisingly into it¡­ Admittedly, that was quite fun, though~." ¡°I seriously would¡¯ve never expected for Maya to be this¡­ Wait, what?¡± ¡°It was a very entertaining day~.¡± ¡°M-My daughter threatened his majesty and attacked a princess¡­?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She just nodded. "Shepletely destroyed and humiliated Anna, said princess, in a magic match afterward, as well." ¡°N-No way¡­ She always was overly impulsive, but that this would develop into something like that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, though. The king actually likes her quite a lot and regrly asks for her help on various things. Also, she¡¯s be best friends with the princess afterward.¡± ¡°My girl¡­ regrly talks with his majesty? She''s friends with the first princess, as well¡­?" ¡°And earlier, you thought Ellie¡¯s Maya¡¯s d-daughter because they looked so close. She¡¯s also a princess of this nation.¡± ¡°T-This is so unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°I never would¡¯ve believed anything of this just a few months ago¡­¡± "Still, you aside¡­ My daughter''s deeply involved with the royal family, the rulers. I get nervous just thinking about it¡­¡± ¡°Oh, speaking of,¡± The tiger¡¯s ears twitched after hearing those words. ¡°The queen actually wanted to see you. She also likes Maya a lot, and the few times her parents, you, came up, the queen was quite interested in meeting you.¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way I could do that!¡± Eve started panicking. ¡°That would mean you¡¯re going against the wishes of our nation¡¯s queen, though.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t do that to me!¡± She got loud. ¡°Sorry, this was an opportunity I couldn¡¯t miss.¡± She let out a small and awkward chuckle. ¡°Kira, the queen, is a really nice person, though. I bet you two would get along great.¡± ¡°Me? With the queen of this nation?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way that¡¯s possible! It¡¯s impossible for normal people to be around royalty like that!¡± ¡°You know,¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I had the same issue with all that, but¡­ While technically not entirely true, I¡¯m more or less considered to be something close to a royal princess myself, you know? You speak with me just fine? Also, confirmed by the king and the queen, your own daughter, thanks to her dating me, also now is on the same rank as a royal. In context, I think that you, too, are at least partly royal now because of that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Eve needed a moment. ¡°What¡­?¡± It was too much for her. "A lot to take in, huh?¡± She was still smiling. ¡°The royal family is surprisingly affable. You don¡¯t have to, but I''m sure it''ll go well. You don''t need to meet the king, but Kira would be really happy to meet you because she likes Maya and me a lot. I can also ask her toe here so that you don''t have to meet her in the castle to add even more pressure.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to decide right now, but give it some thought.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± She just weakly nodded before returning the tiger¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m starting to really believe that you are a true noble. You have an impressive way with words." "¡­" The blonde had to pause after hearing thispletely uncharacteristic exnation of her. ¡°Am I overdoing with stopping time to think¡­?¡± Mumbling those words to herself only, she then faced Eve again. "H-How about we change the topic a little? I still want to hear more weaknesses of Maya! We got a little derailed there! Also, some cookies sound delicious right now!" ¡°Yes¡­ Let¡¯s put the whole topic of my daughter now being a noble in name, my future daughter-inw being a real noble, and the queen of this nation wanting to meet me on hold for the time being¡­ Cookies do sound more fun, indeed.¡± ¡°I-I think there was something in your reply right now where you skipped a few steps¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Eve looked much more determined again. ¡°I¡¯m going to have you take responsibility for all of this.¡± "I-Is that so¡­?" Sophia''s cheeks turned red. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Even stopping time wouldn¡¯t help to regain all of herposure here. ¡°Any objections?¡± ¡°I-It doesn¡¯t have to happen now, r-right¡­?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Something like that is not to be rushed.¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­ It might make things worse for me, but Kira¡­ She tried to push Maya and me in that direction as well already¡­ You two would get along really well¡­¡± ¡°Oho.¡± Eve sounded a little more interested in the idea now. ¡°Well, for now, let¡¯s focus on baking a little while I tell you more secrets about our girl.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± Afterward, the two did just that while Sophia was doing her best to regain herposure. Chapter 294 – Cute weaknesses Chapter 294 ¨C Cute weaknesses Sophia and Eve were still in the kitchen together while chatting up a storm. The tiger learned some interesting bits about Maya, and Eve learned a lot more about her new ties to royalty, which made her a little anxious. She also decided to have the blonde take responsibility for being the center and the reason for the entire thing. After all, her future daughter-inw had made their life a lot moreplicated. ¡°So, back to my earlier question, how far have you gone with my sweet and innocent daughter?¡± Eve was in a good mood again. "¡­" Sophia''s cheeks turned red again before her expression soon changed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is going to sound terribly rude, but while I unconditionally agree with the sweet part, your daughter is anything but innocent.¡± She couldn¡¯t let that stand. "Too much, huh? So¡­ How far has my daughter gone with you?" She changed her wording. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She hadn''t thought about such an easy reversal. "W-We''re dating for around half a year already, and we share a bed here. That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to say.¡± She had no issue talking about that topic with her friends, aside from being a little embarrassed at times. Still, Maya''s mother is something else entirely. ¡°I see~.¡± It seemed to be enough for her. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have suggested for you treating me like Maya¡­¡± ¡°We got a lot closer because of that, though.¡± Eve showed her a genuine smile. ¡°Okay, maybe it was worth it.¡± The blonde reconsidered her statement. ¡°Good answer!¡± ¡°Do I get some more weaknesses of Maya for that?¡± ¡°My, aren¡¯t you a crafty one?¡± ¡°I have heard being addressed like that on asion.¡± ¡°Ahaha, let¡¯s see¡­¡± The cat-woman tilted her head. ¡°Do you have any food you dislike?¡± ¡°I have a few things that aren¡¯t exactly my favorite, but I¡¯m not really picky. Ahh¡­ Okay, I wouldn¡¯t be sad if bell-peppers would go extinct, though¡­ Please, no teasing such a childish dislike, okay? Maya did that enough already.¡± ¡°That smug little idiot¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The blonde looked a little confused. ¡°How often has she made something that involves spinach when she cooked for you or your group?" ¡°Now that I think about it¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have eaten any spinach since I met her. Why?¡± ¡°Ask her to make a spinach dish for your next meal, and you''ll find out what disliking a type of food really means.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°But spinach¡¯s delicious¡­?¡± ¡°So are bell-peppers.¡± "A-Ah... You win this round." The tiger had nothing to say here. ¡°Still, her disliking spinach is very valuable information. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Are you going to use it against her the next time you don¡¯t want to eat something?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She just shook her head. ¡°Maya¡¯s teaching me how to cook because I really want to get better at it. During our next cooking lesson, I¡¯ll be super motivated about wanting something with spinach all the way to the point where she would feel horrible to turn me down. And while we¡¯re cooking, I¡¯ll make her taste-test my creations three times more than normal. I''ll look super proud about my creation in a way that makes it seem I''d be heartbroken if I would get any sort of negative response." ¡°You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I lowkey love you already.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m starting to like you a lot, too¡­¡± Sophia got a little bashful again. ¡°You¡¯re the cutest, too.¡± Eve was having a great time with her. "I''d say that earned you another one of Maya¡¯s many weaknesses~.¡± ¡°I might even start to love you.¡± She was bonding with her quite fast. ¡°Do you have anything that is easy to exploit in an everyday situation when she gets a tad too sassy?¡± ¡°You probably already know that she¡¯s quite ticklish in some rather obvious areas?¡± ¡°She¡¯s also very ticklish in some not-so-obvious areas~." ¡°I guess that¡¯s a yes.¡± "A-Ah¡­ It is, yeah¡­¡± Sophia got a little flustered again. It might¡¯ve not been something you talk about with the mother of said girl. ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s great~.¡± Eve just showed her an even bigger smile. "Hmm, those are a bit hard toe up with. Also, it''s probably more fun to find out about them yourself, no?" ¡°That is very true.¡± ¡°Oh, but I have one left that is really amusing. You should really try that one~.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The blonde naturally got interested in it. ¡°Have you ever praised her a lot?¡± ¡°Of course! All the time!¡± ¡°What a nice answer!¡± She was pretty happy with her reply. ¡°No, but I meant actually overpraising her. You just keep going and shower her with praise to an unreasonable amount. She loves to be praised, she''s a smug idiot, after all. Still, when you overdo it, her whole personality falls apart. She gets so shy and bashful over it¡­ It¡¯s the most amusing thing I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± ¡°I take that back from earlier.¡± Sophia sounded very serious all of a sudden. ¡°I actually do love you already.¡± She liked the intel she got a lot. "Maya gets super angry afterward, though, so you might use it with caution. But, it is amazing, and you definitely have to try it out." ¡°Her getting angry is just a nice bonus~. This is totally going to happen the next time I get the chance. Thank you so much for that!¡± ¡°You are very wee.¡± ¡°Alright, should we finally try out my cookie recipe or¡­? The blonde noticed that all they had done in the kitchen so far, was having a lively chat about everything except that. ¡°Well, it was mostly an excuse to be alone with and learn a thing or two, but¡­" Eve gave her a thumbs up. ¡°You definitely passed my questioning or however you want to call it. I do like cookies a lot, though, so we might as well? It also sounds much more like traditional mother-daughter bonding, doesn''t it? Not that bonding over Maya''s many weaknesses wasn¡¯t any fun~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, Sophia suddenly got a lot more silent. ¡°What¡¯s wro- Oh.¡± Eve''s expression became very awkward when she understood the tiger''s reaction. ¡°T-That¡¯s not exactly what I wanted to imply here, okay? I have no intention to rece anyone dear to you, or you¡¯ve lost¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Kira, the queen, also did something simr, and I felt a little troubled because I lost my actual mother, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± Eve tilted her head. ¡°You are Maya¡¯s mother, and she is my partner¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°People in rtionships usually do have an extra mother, right? Whether it¡¯s an a-actual inw or just the pre-pre-pre-precursor to that¡­¡± ¡°Too many pre¡¯s in that, if you ask me.¡± "L-Let''s ignore that detail for the time being¡­" Sophia got more flustered again. ¡°Anyway, because of that, it didn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re trying to rece my actual mother in the first ce. Rather, it felt like I was getting another one, which made me pretty happy. I do miss this kind of bond, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Eve just looked at the tiger for a little while. A few momentster, she got closer to her and almost crushed the blonde in a strong hug. ¡°You are by far the sweetest girl I ever met.¡± Eve had no intention of letting go of her afterward, either. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Sophia felt a little awkward for a moment, but she soon returned the hug. ¡°This does feel pretty nice.¡± She only wrapped her hand tighter around her. ---------------- The two had stayed like that for a bit longer, but they eventually let go of each other again. Afterward, they decided to finally try out the cookies Sophia had suggested in the very beginning. "Alright, what do we need for this famous recipe of yours?" Once the mood had lightened up again, Eve smiled at the tiger. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call them famous¡­ Oh, then again, even the King and the Queen, together with the princesses, loved them¡­ Hmm¡­" Sophia got a little confused over the meaning of something being famous. "Seriously?! Now I''m actually curious!¡± ¡°Well, it sounds fancy, but those are just the people that are normally close to me¡­¡± ¡°If you are trying to make it sound less amazing, you are failing quite hard right now.¡± Eve just stared at her while slowly shaking her head. ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± She got a little awkward. ¡°Anyway, in the end, my cookies really aren¡¯t anything special. I just managed toe up with a twist that everyone seems to love.¡± ¡°Oho, that sounds fun! So, what do we need?¡± ¡°The basis is just a normal cookie dough, only with a little less sugar.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like them sweet?¡± Eve tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s quite surprising as Maya loves everything sugary." ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I do, too.¡± Sophia just waved her hand. ¡°My twist involves a ton of chocte, so too much sugar in the dough would make it too sweet.¡± ¡°Ohh.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get started!¡± Sophia raised her arm in motivation. Afterward, once Eve got over the blonde¡¯s storage magic, the two baked Sophia¡¯s famous chocte chip cookies together while chatting and bonding with each other even more. Once they were done baking them, the two decided to return to the living room while the cookies were cooling down. Chapter 295 – Soaring opinion Chapter 295 ¨C Soaring opinion Eve and Sophia were still having a great time chatting with each other, and the tiger found out a lot of exciting things about her girlfriend. As it turned out, Maya has many weaknesses that the blonde will have a ton of fun exploiting in the near future when her cat gets too sassy for her liking. Afterward, the duo also finally managed to bake Sophia¡¯s chocte chip cookies, the alleged reason why the two went to the kitchen in the first ce. ¡°You two sure took your time.¡± Maya addressed them the moment they arrived in the living room. ¡°Bonding takes time, you know?¡± Eve just smiled at her. ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia did the same. ¡°Judging by those smiles, it worked, huh?¡± Maya looked a little happy. ¡°Does that mean I get a passing grade on my girlfriend?¡± ¡°Passing grade?!¡± Her mother just stared at her. ¡°I¡¯ll disown you if you ever let her go.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s good to know¡­¡± She got a little flustered. ¡°Sophia, why are your first impressions on others always so extreme?¡± ¡°No idea!¡± The blonde had no exnation for it, either. ¡°I¡¯m quite happy about it, though!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactlyining. Well, too much, at least. I am also happy you two like each other.¡± She smiled at the duo. ¡°Though, if you two get along that much, I¡¯m a little concerned about some little things in the future¡­¡± ¡°For example?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like telling you¡­ This won¡¯t end well for me¡­¡± ¡°Ahh! Like how you¡¯re terribly afraid ofdybugs, for example?¡± The blonde understood her implication. ¡°MOM!¡± Maya got incredibly loud in an instant while she red at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear.¡± Eve just showed her a gentle smile. ¡°It¡¯s not like I spend thest hour telling my future daughter-inw all the little secrets I remembered that you¡¯d never tell anyone on your own~.¡± ¡°Definitely not~.¡± Sophia¡¯s smile was dripping with sass, though. ¡°D-Dad¡­¡± Looking slightly desperate, she looked at her father for help. ¡°Future daughter-inw¡­?¡± Theo was interested in something else, though. ¡°Eh?!¡± Maya seemed to have missed that part because she was busy getting flustered. "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia quickly joined her cat in being embarrassed. ¡°Just some future ns~.¡± Eve smiled at her husband. ¡°We¡¯re going to keep this tiger.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Theo didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you think you bonded a little too much with my mother?!¡± Maya lightly red at her. ¡°W-Well¡­ It¡¯s hardly my fault that she likes me so much, is it¡­?¡± "Of course it is!" She got loud again. "You''re an extremely loveable girl!" ¡°Thank you¡­?¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure how to take this insult. ¡°I-It was Eve¡¯s idea and her way of making me pay for all the royal mess around me¡­ Like you and your parents now also being kinda noble, for example¡­ I properly told her that it¡¯s too early for all this stuff¡­¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t against the idea, though~.¡± ¡°T-This and that are different things¡­¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t match Eve¡¯s gaze while replying to her. ¡°I really can¡¯t ever leave you alone, can I¡­?¡± Maya sounded a little defeated and tired. "I was serious about disowning you, you know?¡± Her mother looked straight at her. ¡°You better change your opinion on the matter! "Seriously, why do you like her better than me already?!" The cat-girl kept being loud. "Also, if I would change my mind now, it would mean it wouldn¡¯t h-happen!" ¡°Oh?¡± Eve¡¯s expression turned into a full smile. ¡°That¡¯s very good to hear~.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Maya noticed her mistake. ¡°You were ming me for what again¡­?¡± Sophia just looked at her while slowly shaking her head. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She only looked down at her feet in response. ¡°C-Can we bring up this subject at another time again¡­¡± The cat-girl eventually nced at her mother again. ¡°Let''s say, in a year or two¡­? I¡¯m not ready for this yet.¡± ¡°E-Exactly!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Sure!¡± Eve smiled at the two. ¡°It seems the thought¡¯s already in your heads, so I''m more than happy with that for now~. I''ll be expecting some grandchildren soon after, though!" ¡°W-Will you shut up already?!¡± Maya finally had enough while her entire face had turned crimson by now. ¡°I mean¡­ Could you please stop¡­?¡± She decided to change her tone a little. ¡°Of course.¡± She was still smiling. ¡°Well, I just wasn¡¯t expecting you to suddenly be so involved with romance, so I maybe got a little too happy and over-motivated here.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Maya had nothing for aeback here. "How about we take a small break and enjoy Sophia''s cookies? They should be cooled by now, and they were already delicious when I tried a fresh one earlier.¡± Her mother then looked at Theo. ¡°Would you mind helping me so the two can cool down a little?¡± ¡°In theory, of course, but¡­¡± His expression turned a littleplicated. ¡°Earlier, I started feeling my back again, so¡­¡± ¡°Oh,¡± She looked at him. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better for you to stay seated until it goes away again, then.¡± Saying so, Eve then went to the kitchen alone. "Eh?" Maya tilted her head. "I thought your back was fine again?" ¡°It is for the most time¡­ Running around all day is no problem, but when I sit down for a longer time, it starts to hurt again every now and then. It also often gets way worse when I stand up during those times. The best course of action normally is to literally sit it out¡­ It usually goes away on its own after a while.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Sounds like something is pinched? Maybe caused by some muscle tension?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­?¡± Theo didn¡¯t seem to be too sure about it. "Does it get any better if you warm or cool the area that hurts?" ¡°Warming helps a lot most of the time.¡± ¡°I see¡­ That sounds like something¡¯s getting pinched thanks to a tense muscle, yeah.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± He only got more confused. ¡°Is it possible for you to bend forward a little?¡± While saying so, Sophia went behind the sofa he was sitting on to get closer to his back. "A little should be fine.¡± Doing as told, he shifted his upper body a bit. ¡°Alrighty! Where exactly does it hurt the most?¡± "Slightly above my lower back, but not quite the middle, I guess?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Sophia then gently ced her hand on his back in the area he described. ¡°Around here?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Okay, this might feel a little funny, but please don¡¯t move, okay?¡± ¡°What are you¡­ Oh?¡± He suddenly stopped talking while his expression rxed. ¡°Your hand got super warm. It feels really nice.¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± The blonde started smiling behind him. ¡°Magic is amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It really is¡­ You sure are talented at using it without any sort of chant or even saying a single word¡­ I see now why Maya wanted to go with you. Besides her, I¡¯ve never seen anyone as proficient at it.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger was happy about the praise. ¡°By the way, I also poured quite a bit of healing magic into the warm feeling. I doubt you¡¯ll ever have problems with your back again.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Hearing that, he sprung up from the sofa in shock. ¡°Wait, it didn¡¯t hurt?! In fact, I feel better than ever!¡± ¡°As I just said, I used a generous amount of healing magic on you. I don¡¯t know the exact cause for your pain, but if you just use enough, everything in the area will be fine again~.¡± ¡°You can actually use healing magic?!¡± Theo wasn¡¯t done being loud yet. "Could you pipe it down a little?" Just at that very moment, Eve returned from the kitchen while holding a te with the cookies she had baked with the blonde earlier. ¡°S-Sophia just used healing magic on me! My back feels better than new!¡± ¡°Oh, my!¡± She sounded impressed. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± After she ced the te on the coffee table, she tilted her head while looking at the blonde. ¡°Aren¡¯t only people rted to a god, goddess, or higher being in general able to use healing magic¡­? That¡¯s what I heard, at least¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She just awkwardly scratched her cheeks in response. ¡°Maya can also use healing magic, you know?¡± She tried a diversion. ¡°You can?!¡± The two then stared at their daughter. ¡°Sophia taught me how to use it.¡± She had no ns to be involved here. ¡°Wow¡­ I mean, you have even more magic power than our daughter, from what I can feel. Much more, it seems. Is that maybe enough to be able to use it?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Sophia just shrugged her shoulders. This exnation worked for her, after all. She also had no intention to mention her involvement with Canir here. ¡°That is very impressive.¡± ¡°Maya!¡± Theo suddenly stared right at her. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to side with your mother here. If you leave her, you¡¯ll get disowned.¡± ¡°So selfish!¡± She also got loud. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but have some decency, dad!¡± ¡°She¡¯s super nice and courteous, looks out for others, can protect you from any danger by having even more power than you, and now she¡¯s even able to cure any illness you could ever suffer from in the future. She¡¯s perfect, don¡¯t ever let go of her. Seriously.¡± Their opinion of Sophia managed to soar even more. ¡°Uuhh¡­¡± The tiger only got embarrassed from getting praised so much. ¡°I-It really isn¡¯t that big of a deal¡­¡± ¡°Humble, too!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, are you doing this on purpose¡­?¡± Maya just looked at the blonde while whispering to her. ¡°I mean, at the end of the day, they aren¡¯t wrong, far from it, but that¡¯s seriously not the image you normally radiate, miss chaos incarnation¡­" "Y-You know that I''m not capable of plotting something like this¡­ I''m just amon idiot. A lucky idiot, I want to add." "Fair enough¡­" The cat-girl had nothing to say here. Afterward, because the two really wished for it, Maya''s parents took a short break on the whole topic. The group then chatted about some less rtionship-y topics while enjoying the delicious chocte-chip cookies Eve and Sophia had baked together. Chapter 296 – That went well Chapter 296 ¨C That went well Sophia had cured Theo, Maya''s father, from the back pain he was suffering by generously using a vast amount of healing magic on him. Naturally, that made their already high evaluation of the tiger soar even more as a result. It even reached a point where Maya would have a problem with them if she were to ever break up with the blonde. Not that she had any intentions to do so. ¡°By the way,¡± Now that the mood had rxed a little, Maya seemed curious about something while facing her parents. ¡°What is your n for this vacation of yours? How long are you going to stay in the capital? Where are you staying? What do you n to visit?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Eve tilted her head. ¡°Those are some very good questions. I wanted to visit the capital, and¡­ here we are." ¡°It was more of an impulse decision.¡± Theo added his own bit. ¡°And you were worried about meeting my parents¡­¡± The cat-girl looked at her tiger. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She smiled back at her. The queen of impulsive decisions now knew she''d get along great with them. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Eve then gave it some actual thought. ¡°I would say that we¡¯re staying for a good while. There''s nothing back in Raumont that needs us, and we have quite a bit of savings we brought with us for the trip. Traveling back, now that it seems to be getting cold soon, also doesn¡¯t sound like the most fun idea.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Theo nodded. ¡°The capital is also much, muchrger than I remembered. I. bet you can stay here for months without seeing everything.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± His wife agreed. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°Still, savings or not, staying that long in an inn sounds quite expensive. Our ce here is currently a little busy, but we still have some empty guestrooms in the mansion. You are MORE than wee to stay here as long as you want!¡± ¡°Really?¡± The two sounded surprised. ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Maya also agreed with her. ¡°That being said, the first princess, her girlfriend, and another friend of ours are also currently staying here. We also have two morepanions who will return¡­ eventually?¡± She tilted her head while thinking about the wolves. ¡°In short, it¡¯s pretty lively here right now. The princess and Ari will return to the castle in around a week, though.¡± ¡°Why is the first princess just staying here like it¡¯s nothing?!¡± Theo raised his voice. "Well," The blonde scratched her cheek. "It''s notpletely right, but as a fellow tiger, we''re kinda rted, I guess. We''re also quite close with everyone in the castle, so¡­ princesses or even the queen visiting us here every now and then is nothing out of the ordinary." ¡°Wow.¡± He had nothing else to say. "It is a very lovely and generous offer, and I would love the spend a lot more time with both of you, but¡­" Eve looked at the duo. "Our inn is really nice, and I feel like this is needed for the real vacation experience. Also, I''d like to spend some more time with the two of us while exploring the capital." ¡°That sounds great!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t me them in the slightest. ¡°Don¡¯t get lost again, though.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Maya''s mother only let out a dryugh. "If your offer still stands in a while, we''d love to stay here for a bit, though. We obviously miss Maya, and we already love you, so we definitely would like to spend more time with you once our vacation is a little less exciting." ¡°And maybe when we¡¯re not living in the same house as the first princess¡­¡± Theo sounded a little nervous just thinking about it. ¡°Of course!¡± The tiger reacted with a big nod. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely keep a room empty for you! We¡¯d love to have you here, after all!¡± ¡°What she said.¡± Maya just smiled at them. ¡°I look forward to it already!¡± Eve seemed happy about it. ¡°Spending time with both of you will be lovely. Also¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Staying in a mansion that is this warm and cozy will be great, too! Why is it so warm here?! It¡¯s amazing!¡± In the end, she also was just another cat. ¡°It¡¯s the best, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia sounded rather proud. ¡°I invented a new way of heating a house, and our mansion was the test object for that. I¡¯d say it came out rather well~.¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± She had no better words. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked her reaction. ¡°I know!¡± This time, she had no intention to be humble. ¡°It was a lot of trial and error¡­ The raw material is quite explosive before it gets refined. We just finished rebuilding the garden after Maya exploded half of it while we were experimenting¡­¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± The explosion-fanatic got loud. ¡°There was no need to mention that¡­¡± ¡°Again¡­?¡± Theo suddenly sounded slightly disappointed. ¡°Weren¡¯t the countless times you blew up our garden with your magic enough¡­?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Maya¡¯s cheeks turned red. ¡°My, a serial offender, huh?¡± Sophia enjoyed this revtion a lot. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She got even more embarrassed. ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± Afterward, the four kept chatting about many topics for a good while longer, and curiously enough, Maya was the constantly embarrassed one for a change. It had soon gotten prettyte, though, and her parents decided to head back for the time being. They apparently had a reservation in a fancy restaurant they didn¡¯t want to miss out on. Eve had invited the couple to join them, but the two didn¡¯t want to impose on their date. After promising many times toe to visit again soon, they finally left the mansion. ---------------- ¡°Phew¡­¡± Still in the living room, Sophia let out a sigh. ¡°Not what I was expecting to do today¡­¡± ¡°YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!¡± Maya was a little less indifferent about it. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had to chuckle at her reaction. "For not being prepared to meet your parents, I think I did a decent enough job¡­" ¡°That¡¯s putting it very lightly. Mom already likes you way too much. Dad¡¯s quite the fan, too.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger liked hearing that. ¡°I¡¯m so happy!¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. Though she suffered a lot in thest hours, she was d that Sophia had a great time and bonded with them. ¡°Still, I saw how often you suddenly looked a little jumpy as if you skipped in time. Not being prepared is quite the stretch, isn''t it? How often did you stop time? How long did it take you toe up with some of your replies¡­?" ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment while looking slightly awkward. ¡°I¡¯d like to not say an exact number here¡­¡± ¡°Often and long?¡± ¡°Often and long.¡± Sophia hung her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to mess up like I usually do¡­ This was too important for that¡­¡± "It''s fine. I totally understand that." Maya wasn''t angry. "Also, I¡¯m going to have a lot of fun when they see your unhinged side. It¡¯s only a matter of time, after all. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re able to keep it up like this. They¡¯ll like that side of yours just as much, don¡¯t worry, but I¡¯ll have the chance to get back at my parents for praising you so much~.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll try my best to ramp it up slowly¡­¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t believe she¡¯d be able to do that. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to meet them together with Chloe the next time¡­ Next to her, I¡¯ll look a little more normal¡­¡± "No." Maya just shook her head. "You are twice as unhinged with her. Just because she''s as insane as you doesn''t make you look any less entric. In fact, you look even worse.¡± "A-Ah¡­ Okay, no Chloe.¡± "Good idea." She nodded in agreement. "Speaking of, should we bring Chloe and the perverts back now that my parents are gone? I feel a little bad that we chased them out even though they were staying here¡­" ¡°Chloe and the perverts?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little redundant?¡± ¡°Chloe and the louder perverts?¡± "Better!" Sophia stifled a smallugh. "Yeah, let''s do that. It''s more fun with them here, too. Also, I still need to kick Ari''s butt for the whole Ellie thing." ¡°Because even a little 3-year-old girl had noticed her crush on Anna?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Maya liked the idea. ¡°I¡¯ll take the other cheek for the kick.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Afterward, the two went to their basement to reunite with the girls in the elven vige by using the portal there. ---------------- ¡°O-Ouch!¡± Exactly three seconds after the couple had entered Chloe¡¯s home, Ari yelped in pain while she started rubbing her but to ease the stinging. ¡°W-Why did you two kick me?!¡± ¡°Because you are a dense idiot!¡± Sophia stared right at her. ¡°H-Haven¡¯t I apologized enough for that already¡­? I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± "Ellie thought you and Anna were married already because you two were acting the same as her mom and dad¡­ Ellie, you know? A little girl who has no idea what romantic rtionships even are yet." ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t sure what to reply. A momentter, she bent over again while presenting her butt to the two. "A-Another one, please¡­¡± She saw no other solution. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± The couple had other ns, though, and looked at the princess instead. ¡°Ouch...¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re good.¡± After Anna was taken care of, as well, the two started smiling again. They also decided against making ament on how the princess'' yelp was much quieter even though they had used even more force. ¡°Soo¡­¡± Chloe decided to stay silent until now and also ignored everything that just happened before she faced Maya. ¡°Your parents are in the capital, huh?¡± ¡°They are.¡± She nodded. ¡°It really surprised me.¡± ¡°You have no idea.¡± Sophia was also nodding. ¡°I nearly had a heart attack¡­ or seven from suddenly meeting her parents¡­ Even more so after Ari and I had already run into them the day before while having no idea who they were¡­" ¡°I can imagine¡­¡± The jaguar was also quite surprised by this. ¡°It sure is a small world.¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°How was it?¡± The fox-girl then nced at the tiger. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s quite the event to meet your partner¡¯s parents, right?¡± ¡°Hence, the aforementioned heart attacks¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Totally unlike me, I think I did fairly well, though.¡± ¡°She did too well¡­¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°Mom already likes her more than me.¡± ¡°Good job!¡± Chloe was proud of her. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°S-Speaking of parents¡­¡± Ari looked at the couple. ¡°You were in the castle before all that, right¡­? How does it look there¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± Sophia pped her hands. ¡°I met your mother, too!¡± ¡°W-Which one¡­?¡± The jaguar suddenly got even warier. ¡°Daria! She¡¯s great! We got along really well!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± ¡°Now I also know why you¡¯re secretly such a pervert!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Ari¡¯s face turned red. ¡°W-Why did it have to be her she ran into¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Chloe looked a little confused because she couldn¡¯t follow the conversation. ¡°Ari has two moms, and I met one of them earlier. As I was, or am a little curious about the whole blessing magic thing because I only know the basics about it, I used the chance to ask her, who had used it twice already, to get all the details of her. It was very informative. I also learned that you can use the blessing magic on very specific toys to recreate a more natural way of making a child between two women. People in the capital sure are horny~.¡± ¡°Toys for a¡­ natural way¡­? Wait a moment¡­¡± The fox-girl seemed to have understood her implications. ¡°S-Seriously!?¡± ¡°I was also quite surprised.¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°It even simtes fluids based on liquid magic that act as an aphrodisiac. You apparently can also use it to purely have fun without getting pregnant. It¡¯s connected to the wearer in a way that you feel everything as if it¡¯s actually a part of yours¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Chloe had to repeat herself. ¡°Yup.¡± "Does it alsoe in different, uhh¡­ colors? It sounds absolutely fascinating, but I doubt I''d be into something thatpletely looks like the real thing overly much.¡± ¡°All shapes and colors you can possibly imagine~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re apparently able to have it custom made however you want it to be.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± She seemed to be very interested in it. "Still, the people of the capital are all gigantic perverts!" ¡°I know, right?!¡± The blonde wholeheartedly agreed with the fox-girl. ¡°I said the same time so many times already. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s a bad thing, though.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Chloe felt the same. ¡°M-Mom¡­¡± Ari only looked down at her feet while her entire face was on fire. Hearing that her mother had told her best friend about something like that was incredibly embarrassing for her. ¡°Toys¡­?¡± Anna seemed a little confused after having listened to their conversation. ¡°The adult kind.¡± Maya looked at her. ¡°The ones for extra fun during nightly activities with your partner.¡± "Or during the day," Sophia added her own bit. "Or when you''re alone, and... your own... fingers just aren''t enough..." So did Chloe. Her information sounded oddly specific, though. Slightly lonely-sounding, it was, too. ¡°¡­¡± The princess needed a moment before her entire face turned red. ¡°W-Wait, it almost sounds like all of you already have experience with those t-toys!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya, Sophia, and Chloe just turned their heads away. ¡°S-Seriously?! Wait¡­¡± She then nced at Ari. ¡°Y-You, too¡­?¡± ¡°N-No!¡± She violently shook her head. "I know they exist, just as everyone does, b-but I''ve never tried them out!" ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Want to change that?¡± Maya smirked at the jaguar. ¡°I can give you the address of the shop. ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t answer. "How, uhh¡­ H-How does it feel¡­?" Anna seemed a little interested. ¡°Well,¡± The cat-girl continued. "A tongue feels better, and nimble fingers do, too, but it¡¯s a nice change of pace every now and then. Depending on what kind of toys, and how you use them, you can also do things that two girls normally can¡¯t. There''s something really enticing about those specific poses and adventures. Toys aren¡¯t my favorite, but they are a great addition to the fun!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Sophia had nothing to add. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± The princess¡¯ face turned even redder before she nced at her jaguar. ¡°¡­¡± She briefly matched her gaze but decided to remain silent. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the addresster." It was enough of an answer for Maya. "Or maybe, Chloe, do you want to help them? You went there just recently, didn''t you~?" "E-Eh?!" The fox-girl''s eyes shot open. "T-That kind of shopping REALLY isn''t something you do with friends, isn''t it?! A-Also, I can only rmend solo things¡­ Couple toys are outside of my range of expertise¡­¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Maya understood where she wasing from. ¡°Well, rmending things there is all good, but I guess it''s better to make your own experiences, anyway." ¡°Uuhh¡­ I-I shouldn¡¯t have said anything¡­¡± Anna had taken a lot of damage from this. ¡°C-Can we get back to the earlier topic¡­ Ari¡¯s mother aside, how is the situation in the castle¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Kindaplicated, I¡¯d say¡­¡± ¡°T-That bad?!¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. "Well, you two went at it at the busiest times in the mansion. Everyone knows about the two of you now, and they have a hard time facing the queen because of that¡­" ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Kira¡¯s not letting them have any of that, though. While we were with her in the entrance hall, she loudly announced that she was going to kick anyone out of the castle who would continue to be awkward, especially around the two of you." ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The couple got loud. ¡°Yup. Your mother¡¯s amazing, after all. Afterward, I threatened the king with serious violence. I might or might not have promised him to literally kick him out of the window in his office if he doesn¡¯t stop being an idiot. Also, scratch the might part. I absolutely did.¡± ¡°F-Father is that upset?!¡± Anna liked the sound of that even less. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say upset¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek in return. ¡°On one hand, he¡¯s pretty embarrassed that so many people, including his ministers and whatnot, had, well¡­ heard you and Ari¡­ Then, you''re also his daughter, his little princess. Literally, at that. His daughter, who just had be an adult¡­ From what I¡¯ve heard, fathers usually don¡¯t cope overly well with that.¡± ¡°W-What a mess¡­¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. "I also gave him a good talking, not just promising him violence if he doesn''t stop. He was pretty understanding and knew that he''s an idiot. It should be fine soon. I also gave him something else to brood over and keep him busy. He won¡¯t have any time to be stupid because of me.¡± ¡°W-What did you do¡­?¡± The princess had a bad feeling about this. ¡°You have heard about the area they wanted to turn into a frontier city, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard about the massive migraine father had gotten because the whole ce had turned into a giganticke out of nowhere. Nobody can exin how or why that happened, either." ¡°How; Fennyfenny and I yed with magic. Why; We messed up." Sophia scratched her cheek. "We identally blew up the whole in during an experiment and tried to hush it up by turning the crater into ake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes started sparkling. "I want to see that!" "One of my portals leads to theke. I can show you when we have the time." ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that theke¡¯s multiple kilometers wide, though... Tens of kilometers, some even said¡­¡± Anna got even more confused. ¡°We really messed up.¡± Sophia slightly corrected herself. "I confessed that to the king and gave him something to concentrate his thoughts on. He¡¯ll be too busy to think about you and Ari for a while.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­ You really are something else¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde took it as apliment. ¡°I promise it will be fine when you return for the queen''s birthday. Kira and I will guarantee that. The ministers, the king, and everyone else in the castle know what will happen to them if they don''t behave." ¡°T-Thank you very much¡­¡± Ari and Anna had nothing else to say in response. Afterward, the girls chatted a little longer before eventually returning to the mansion. Ari and even more so Anna liked Chloe¡¯s treehouse, but the cats found it a little too cold for their liking. The fox-girl heartily disagreed with that but also went with them because she''d rather be with friends than in her perfectly temperate house. Chapter 297 – Worried about rumors Chapter 297 ¨C Worried about rumors Maya''s parents had left the couple''s mansion again as they had a reservation in a fancy restaurant they didn''t want to miss out on. They promised to meet each other again soon, though. While they wanted to enjoy their vacation, the two naturally also wanted to spend time with their daughter and her partner. Once they had parted, Maya and Sophia used the portal to go back to Chloe''s home, where the fox-girl, Ari and Anna, were currently at, to give them some alone time with the parents. There, the duo gave the loud couple an update on the situation in the castle and assured them that everything would turn out alright when they returned for Kira''s birthday. Afterward, the girls finally returned to the mansion. There, they chatted a little more, mainly about Sophia and Maya and how they had spent the day with the cat-girl¡¯s parents. Once they were done with that, the topic briefly drifted to the previously mentioned toys again. Maya also gave Ari and Anna the address of the shop while looking as smug as possible. The couple only started blushing in response without fighting back, though. After that topic was over, the girls decided to return to their rooms. It had gotten quitete by now, and everyone except Chloe had to head to school the following day as the loooong weekend was finally over. ---------------- ¡°Tiiiired!¡± Loudly announcing her feelings on the matter, Sophiained a lot on their way to the academy during the morning. ¡°I agree¡­¡± Her fellow tiger only reacted with a nod and a yawn. ¡°Why are we up so early again¡­?¡± The blonde then faced Maya. ¡°I thought we agreed to only show up during the magic sessions because it makes absolutely no sense for us to be there all day¡­¡± ¡°Mondays always start with magic lessons in the morning," Ari answered her. ¡°I hate your school.¡± Sophia had a very clear opinion about it. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m very enthusiastic about it either right now¡­¡± The jaguar hung her head. ¡°I-I¡¯ll die if the rumors from the castle made it all the way to there, as well¡­¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± The princess suddenly looked wide awake. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t think the girls in school already know?!¡± ¡°I kinda doubt it.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°Kira made it very clear what¡¯s going to happen if things get even more awkward. I¡¯m pretty sure the castle staff managed to keep their mouths shut.¡± ¡°I-I hope so¡­¡± Ari wasn¡¯t entirely convinced about it. ¡°What are you two going to do, though¡­?" Sophia nced at the duo, sticking like glue to each other while holding hands and even having their fingers intertwined. "One nce at that, and everyone will know what''s going on regardless. You two look more than a couple than Maya and I do, and we already are official." "A-Ah¡­¡± Hearing that, they let go of each other and put a bit of distance between them. ¡°That¡¯s just as suspicious, though.¡± The cat-girl shook her head. ¡°You two were always one clingy and flirty unit, so if you put in some distance now, everyone will notice that something¡¯s up.¡± ¡°What should we do, then?!¡± The duo got loud. ¡°No idea.¡± Maya and Sophia simply shook their heads. ¡°Not helping!¡± They only got louder. ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Ari and Anna hung their heads in response. ¡°I want to go home¡­¡± They already sounded tired. ¡°Ours or the castle?¡± The cat-girl was having a great time this early in the morning already. ¡°Shut up!¡± The loud duo had other feelings about the matter. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia then faced her cat. ¡°We¡¯re immediately leaving after the magic session is over. I want to get to Ellie as soon as possible. I don¡¯t want to risk any more dys that could spoil her surprise.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Maya only nodded. ¡°Surprise¡­?¡± As Anna was happy to change the subject, she got interested in the topic. ¡°Ellie wants to give Kira a present for her birthday. She decided on making something handmade for her, and we''re helping her with it." ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess sounded impressed. ¡°Such a good girl!¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird that she¡¯s your sister, huh?¡± The cat-girl just had to do it. ¡°H-Hey!¡± She got loud. ¡°Ari, that reminds me¡­ We have to get a present for her, too¡­¡± ¡°I already bought something for the queenst week¡­¡± The jaguar awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Maya and Sophia couldn¡¯t hold back a shortughter. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Anna¡¯s cheeks turned slightly red. Thanks to that, the mood of her and Ari rxed a lot, though, and they arrived worry-free at the academy. Luckily, word of their rtionship hadn¡¯t gotten to the school yet, either. Besides some getting suspicious about Anna and Ari being either way too close or not close at all at times, no one actually confronted them during the magic lessons. ---------------- Just as promised, right after the lessons were over, Sophia decided it was enough school for one day, grabbed Maya, and the two left to meet Ellie in the castle. "You know," On the way, the blonde faced Maya again. "I love the uniform, it looks great, and it''s superfy to wear, but the academy itself is a little underwhelming¡­" ¡°I agree with the uniform, but what were you expecting in the first ce¡­?¡± The cat-girl just tilted her head. ¡°No idea¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I was kinda hoping for more friends, but¡­ I¡¯m already pretty tight with Ari and on more than good terms with Anna, too. We found Chloe now, too, soo¡­¡± ¡°Quality over quantity?¡± Maya tried to interpret whatever she was trying to say. ¡°Pretty much!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Although, now with Chloe¡­ Maybe I should try harder to find someone interesting among the students as a girlfriend for her. The ones in Ari''s ss are all either 17 or 18. Thetter ones especially should be fine for our dear fox, I guess?" ¡°Well, even 17 should be as it¡¯s only two years, but¡­¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°The girls in the ss are all really nice, and some of them are quite the lookers, too. Still¡­ They are all not the standing-out kind, if you know what I mean." ¡°Mhmm¡­" The tiger kept nodding. "Chloe''s more of a main character herself while those girls are side characters at best, I see." ¡°Sure¡­?¡± Maya didn''t look like she could fully follow her logic, but she still decided to agree with her. "I mean, she said she''d be interested in someone like you. There¡¯s definitely no one like that in the academy. She¡¯d already stuck out a ton, after all.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a major pain to find someone for her, isn¡¯t it?¡± "It will also be a major pain if we do find someone, and we suddenly have three of your kind.¡± The cat-girl saw an entirely different issue with the whole ordeal. ¡°Hey!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°True, though.¡± She couldn¡¯t refute it, either. ¡°I bet it will also be a ton of fun, though~." ¡°Debatable¡­¡± She wasn''t thoroughly convinced about it. "Well, exploring with you was super fun, and Chloe seems to have visited a ton of interesting ces, as well. A third exploration-loving girl might be great in that regard. I just fear the day when all three of you go out of control simultaneously. You and Chloe alone are already a force of nature¡­ Screw that, either of you is, but three¡­" She couldn''t finish her sentence and just shuddered instead. ¡°You worry too much~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya just stared at her. "Sure..." ¡°I-It will be fine!¡± She flinched a little. ¡°Also, there¡¯s still Chloe¡¯s Fey. Even Fennyfenny¡¯s scared of her when she¡¯s angry. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to handle us.¡± "You said the same about Ari, and you still broke her." ¡°H-Hey!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°Wording!¡± "I have no intention to change anything about how I worded it." ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°S-She still can be serious when the situation calls for it! She just got morefortable with and around us!¡± ¡°Well, fair enough, I guess.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Sophia was happy with her reply and continued to walk toward the castle. "Oh?" She didn''t make it that far, though. "What''s wrong?" Maya also stopped walking and matched her line of sight. "Oh, that''s super cute!" Her eyes fell on a clothing shop for kids that had a few outfits in their window. The one the two were looking at featured a white hoodie with a peach-colored hood and an equally colored cat-like silhouette on the front. It wasbined with a light-blue skirt, ck leggings, and very warm-looking brown boots. ¡°Ellie would look so adorable in this!¡± The tiger¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look very princess-like, but you are absolutely right.¡± ¡°Who cares about that! She can wear whatever she wants in the castle!¡± The blonde energetically raised her fist. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy it for her!¡± Immediately after, she disappeared into the store. ¡°Got it!¡± It didn¡¯t even take three minutes for her to be back. ¡°I really love how straightforward you are.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia suddenly got silent. ¡°I love how decisive you are when ites to the things that make you happy¡­?¡± Maya changed her wording so that it didn''t involve the word straight. She knows her girl that is anything but straight, after all. ¡°Good!¡± She started smiling again. "Let''s pick up the pace! I want to see Ellie wearing it as soon as possible!" ¡°Okay!¡± Afterward, the couple did just that and arrived at the castle in no time. Chapter 298 – Playing with clay Chapter 298 ¨C ying with y A new week had finally begun, and the girls, except Chloe, returned to the academy. Luckily, the word about Anna and Ari finally having be a couple hadn''t reached the school yet, and they, fortunately, didn''t have to deal with that, as well. However, Sophia and Maya decided to leave early because they had something better to do. Visiting Ellie, that is. On the way to the castle, the two had also bought some new clothes for the little princess after having seen something adorable on disy that the two wanted to see her wear. "Oh, wee!" In the castle''s entrance hall, the couple directly ran into Kira, who cheerfully greeted them. ¡°I swear, the queen also has detection magic.¡± Maya thought that the frequency of her identally meeting the two the moment they entered the castle was a bit too suspicious. ¡°Ahaha,¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, actually, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­¡± ¡°What brings you here again so soon?¡± The queen decided to ignore their exchange. ¡°Ellie!¡± The blonde was in a good mood. "Ahh, I see." ¡°Oh, while we¡¯re at it,¡± She looked at the bag with the clothes she had bought earlier. ¡°Is she allowed to wear clothes that aren¡¯t princess-like at all?¡± ¡°That highly depends on what that would mean.¡± Kira raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oi!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like this implication. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the questionable wording here, my dear.¡± ¡°I am not! I bought some clothes for her that are purely adorable andfy, but it¡¯s just not fancy looking, that¡¯s all!¡± "Ah, yeah, that''s totally fine." She smiled at her fellow tiger. "She has to dress up a little for public events, but as long as it¡¯s something decent, she¡¯s allowed to wear whatever she wants inside the castle.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia¡¯s mood improved even more. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She grabbed Maya¡¯s hand and immediately wanted to leave. ¡°I need you for a moment longer, though.¡± Kira stopped her. ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. "We''ve gotten further with theke you and your wolf created." ¡°Oh?¡± The blonde got a little interested. "I had the idea of turning it into a tourist spot, right?" ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded. ¡°I suggested that to Menzor and everyone else. They all found the n quite interesting and decided to make further ns." ¡°Sounds great!¡± "That''s why, pleasee with a name for theke, the area as a whole, and then for the future tourist city soon." ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Again, eh?!¡± She had to repeat it. "You created theke, changed the entire area, and suggested the city. It''s your responsibility to give all of it a name. Make sure to give everything a good one because it¡¯s an official part of our territory and will be written down in various records, maps, and general geography books." ¡°Oh my, I look forward to that disaster.¡± Maya already knew how this would end up. ¡°What she said!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯m terrible with that kind of stuff!¡± ¡°Tough luck.¡± Saying so, Kira just waved her hand and left. ¡°H-Hey!¡± She yelled after her, but the queen didn¡¯t even react. ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sophia hung her head. "W-What are you so smug for? Who do you think is going to help me with that?" ¡°Chloe?¡± The cat-girl just tilted her head. ¡°I bet the two of you together wille up with something incredible.¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Afterward, as there was nothing to add to the topic anymore, the couple finally went to Ellie''s room. ---------------- ¡°So¡­ phia! Maya!¡± Ellie immediately ran up to the couple the moment they had entered her room and tightly hugged them. ¡°Hey~.¡± The two gently hugged her back. This sort of greeting had already be a routine for them. ¡°Ellie thought it would take longer?¡± Once the three had parted again, the little princess looked at the duo while tilting her head. "We hurried because we wanted to see you!" Maya decided to spare her the details. ¡°Yay!¡± She liked that answer a lot. ¡°Are we making the present today?¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°Of course!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°But first, we have a present for you.¡± She held up the bag with the clothes she¡¯d gotten earlier. ¡°For Ellie?!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Nodding a few times, she handed over the bag to the princess. ¡°I found some clothes that looked really cute you maybe would like. It doesn''t look as fancy as your usual dresses, but it''s adorable and superfy!" ¡°Ellie loves being adorable andfy!¡± She got even giddier when she grabbed the bag and looked inside. ¡°It looks cute and fluffy! Ellie wants to wear it immediately!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Afterward, the couple helped the princess to change into the new clothes to let her have her will. ¡°Sofy and warm!¡± Once she had changed clothes, Ellie started twirling around in the room before eventually looking at herself in a mirror to fully see the light-beige hoodie with the cat silhouette, the blue skirt, the ck leggings, and the brown boots. ¡°So cute, too!¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± Sophia was d that her little present was such a sess. ¡°Shall we start on Kira¡¯s present now?¡± Maya tried to get the excited princess back on track. ¡°YES!¡± It was very effective. ¡°Do we need anything to y with the y?¡± Maya tilted her head while looking at her tiger. ¡°I was busy with my parents, so I don¡¯t really know what you actually got.¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± She shook her head in return. ¡°It¡¯s air-dry y, so we don¡¯t have to bake it afterward, either. You can¡¯t really hold liquids with that, but it¡¯s perfect for beginners and decorative things like tes. A bowl with water to keep your hands moist will help. I also rmend an apron because it can get very messy. We don¡¯t want to ruin your new clothes, do we?¡± Sophia then nced at the princess. ¡°NO!¡± She vigorously shook her head. ¡°An already finished bowl to use as a mold to get the shape right would be nice, too.¡± ¡°You sure seem to know your stuff when ites to y? Do you have any experience with that?¡± The cat-girl got a little curious. ¡°y is SUPER popr with kids, and we yed with it at least once a week in the kindergarten I worked.¡± ¡°Less talking! Ellie wants to y with the y now!¡± She wasn¡¯t even listening to them anymore. ¡°See?¡± "Ahaha¡­" Maya just reacted with a slight chuckle. "I guess we should get started then." ---------------- Once Sophia had gotten everything ready and put an apron on the princess, the trio got together at the table in Ellie''s room. ¡°You still want to make a bowl, right?¡± The blonde then looked at the little girl next to her. ¡°Yes!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°Ellie likes that idea a lot!¡± ¡°Alrighty! How big do you want it to be?¡± Sophia pointed at three bowls on the table she had borrowed while she got the aprons in the kitchen earlier. ¡°Hmmmm¡­. Like this one!¡± The princess pointed at a medium-sized and rtively t bowl. ¡°Okay, sounds good.¡± Nodding once, the blonde opened the sealed box with the grayish-white y they had bought before. ¡°¡­¡± She stared at it for a moment. ¡°Ellie would like something more colorful, though¡­¡± "Ahaha, don''t worry about that. Once we finish forming it and it''s properly dried, we''ll paint it." ¡°Yay!¡± The princess looked happy again. Once those details were taken care of, Sophia showed her how to use the y. She used a bit of the y and rolled it out t on the table with her hands. Afterward, she took one of the bowls, turned it upside down, and made the outside a little wet with the water they had at the table. Then, the blonde took the ttened y and pulled it over the outsides of the bowl so that it could take on its shape. She formed it a little more with her hands and then turned the bowl around again before removing it. Thanks to the water, the y hadn''t clung to it and stayed fully intact. ¡°That¡¯s more or less it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°Ellie wants to try it, too!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Smiling at the excited girl, Sophia got a generous helping of the y out of the box and handed it to her. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She already was having lots of it. ¡°Does Ellie have to use the other bowl to copy? Forming it without sounds more fun!¡± ¡°You can do whatever you want. That is the beauty of y.¡± ¡°y is the bestest!¡± She immediately started ying with it and formed it into a t circle. ¡°If you want to make a bowl without a form, try to make the y a little thicker. It¡¯s easier to stay in shape that way.¡± Sophia gave her a little tip. ¡°Ellie sees!¡± The princess nodded a few times before changing her approach and formed the y into a big ball instead. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After looking at it for a little while, she then pressed her thumb into the ball and formed a hole with it. She kept widening the hole that way until the whole mass of y eventually resembled a bowl. It wasn¡¯t exactly a perfect circle, and the rim was a little wavy, but it wasn''t a half-bad try. ¡°I know that wasn¡¯t the n, but¡­¡± Maya stared at the bowl for a moment. ¡°I kinda like the wavy design. Maybe a little polishing to make it more even, but I think the idea is great." ¡°Yep!¡± Sophia agreed with her. "It looks like it''s made with much more love than mine, which is just a simple copy of an existing bowl!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The princess needed to think about it for a moment, but she eventually started smiling. ¡°Ellie likes that!¡± ¡°Good!¡± The blonde liked her enthusiasm. ¡°If you make the curving a little more evenly, it will make a lovely bowl!¡± ¡°YAY!¡± More motivated than ever, she continued to y around with the y for some more. Before long, it eventually really looked like a presentable bowl. It had a rather unique design and was clearly made by a child, albeit a talented one, but it turned out much better than they had expected. ¡°Looking good!¡± Sophia and Maya pped a few times once Ellie was done. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Happy that the princess was having a good time, the blonde looked at the leftover y, and it seemed like she suddenly got another idea. "Do you want to make another gift for your mother?¡± ¡°Is it a good one?¡± Ellie seemed interested. ¡°It¡¯s so good she¡¯ll probably cry from happiness.¡± ¡°Ellie wants to do it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Saying so, Sophia then grabbed some of the y and formed it into a t te with a diameter that was a bit bigger than Ellie¡¯s hand. ¡°Can you ce your t hand on that?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Okay!¡± The princess did it anyway. ¡°Perfect.¡± Saying so, the blonde then ced her own hand on top of hers and gently pressed the back of it and her fingers deeper into the y. Once she was sure it had left a nice imprint, she lifted both their hands up again. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± The princess repeated herself while tilting her head even more. ¡°Why?¡± "A good question?¡± Maya seemed about as confused. ¡°It¡¯s a te with her handprint?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Moms love that.¡± ¡°They do?¡± The cat-girl now also tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s not a thing here¡­?¡± The blonde paused for a moment. "Once the y hardens, your child''s handprint will be preserved, and you¡¯ll forever have a memory of how small your baby used to be~.¡± She started smiling. ¡°I think that¡¯s lovely!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Maya looked impressed. "I-It really sounds great to have such a memento. I¡¯d definitely feel more than touched when you put it like that, yeah¡­¡± ¡°So, mama will like this¡­?¡± Ellie pointed at the te with her handprint. ¡°She¡¯ll love it!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Even more so when we make it all colorful with the paint once the y is dry and hard.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Afterward, as there still was a lot of y left, the trio yed around with it for a good while longer and crafted all kinds of decorative items together. Eventually, though, they ran out of materials, and it had also gotten rtivelyte. As the three now had to wait for the y to fully dry and harden, the couple decided to revisit Ellie the next day to finish their little project. ---------------- Doing as promised, once they were done with their little trip to the academy, Sophia and Maya directly headed back to the castle the moment the magic lessons were over there. Back in Ellie¡¯s room, after having made sure the y was ready, the couple helped the princess paint her presents for Kira''s birthday. The bowl ended up extremely colorful as the little girl really wanted to use every color they had bought. Still, the te with her handprint was painted in a much more subdued two-tone color. As there was some time left, they also decided to color the other decorative y pieces they had created just for fun. Chapter 299 – Shopping with the group | Part 1/2 Chapter 299 ¨C Shopping with the group | Part 1/2 Thest couple of days had been quite eventful. The girls made a new friend, Chloe. Ari and Anna finally became a couple and royally messed up being so loud that the entire castle had heard their first time. Last but definitely not least, Maya¡¯s parents showed up in the capital, and Sophia had to do her best to make them like her. Fortunately, they not only ended up liking but straight-up loving her. As all of that, except for meeting the fox-girl, had been rather tiring, the girls decided it was time to do something fun together to get a bit of stress relief. Namely, spending a ton of money on new clothes. They had nned this a long time ago because they all needed new clothes for the uing fall and winter seasons. Still, because one thing kept happening anothertely, they only got the time to do it a few days after Sophia and Maya helped Ellie craft her present for Kira¡¯s birthday that was happening soon. Thankfully, they had gotten a day off from the academy, definitely not because a certain blonde and ck-haired troublemaker duo had caused another uproar, and the group decided to use that day to go shopping together. ¡°Alrighty, where do we start~?¡± While the five girls were walking around in the capital, Sophia faced the others while seemingly in a good mood. ¡°With a ce that sells incredibly short skirts.¡± As usual, the girls¡¯ ability to sync up was almost scary. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The blonde stopped walking. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I hoped you all would¡¯ve forgotten about that part¡­¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Everyone just shook their heads. "You all know that if it gets too extreme, I''ll only wear it at home, right?" ¡°Good enough!¡± ¡°Stop syncing up so well!" Sophia red at all of them. "With four at the same time, it gets seriously creepy!" ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°Can we go to the lingerie shop first, though? I really am open to an outfit with a skirt, one that I chose, but I''m only going to wear them outside when I can have tights or leggings beneath it. Just like I do with the school uniform. They have a nice selection, and something colorful might be fun!" ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe raised her voice. "Do they also have overknees? I''d like to get some that are a little sheerer and or thinner. My current ones are a little too warm for my liking¡­" ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± This time, all the cats unionized. ¡°Wow, you were right¡­" The fox-girl then nced at Sophia. "The sync is a little creepy." ¡°I do like the idea, though.¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The cats then focused their attention on her. "A-Ah, no¡­ No, not the ridiculous idea of our crazy fox. I mean getting new legwear in general. I¡¯d like to get something with more contrast to my hair. Maybe I¡¯ll give ck tights a try.¡± ¡°Ahhh.¡± They looked relieved again. "Aww..." Except for Chloe, as she still looking for apanion in that regard. ---------------- As everyone liked the idea of going to shop for new legwear first, the girls decided to go to the lingerie store they had visited several times to look at their stock. "Hmm¡­ I don''t think I''ve ever been in this area of the capital yet." After having walked around for 15 minutes, Sophia started scanning their surroundings. "It''s a shortcut," Ari replied to her. "The previous times, we went to the lingerie boutique from the castle, right? From your mansion, it¡¯s faster if we go this way.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯m totally not going to remember any of this.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± Maya had already given up on her girlfriend¡¯s navigation skills. ¡°Hmm?¡± Ignoring the justified insult, the blonde continued to look around until she found a curious sign. ¡°Shrine ground of Mira¡­? Who¡¯s Mira?¡± She seemed a little confused. ¡°You don¡¯t know her?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°She¡¯s the goddess of magic. Well, for the beastfolk, at least. Her being depicted with animal ears and a tail didn¡¯t make her overly popr amongst the humans.¡± ¡°Very fluffy tail and ears, I want to add.¡± Anna chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s divine fluff! It¡¯s kinda quite simr to, but barely above Chloe, even!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Understandable with the human thing, then. She had no problems imagining the issues there. ¡°Wait, what¡­?¡± She needed a moment before the words fully registered. ¡°There is a goddess of magic¡­? Wait, I thought magic is something natural¡­? Why does it need a goddess¡­? Wait, there are more besides that idi-, Canir?!" She decided to reword her sentence. "E-Eh?!" ¡°The great Canir has a bit of a special position.¡± The princess tilted her head while thinking of an exnation. ¡°He doesn¡¯t really have a role as Mira does. He¡¯s more of a general or, rather, the main higher being? He¡¯s basically in the center connecting everything? There are many besides Mira. There are goddesses of nature and life, too, for example.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about this revtion. The main one already was quite the handful, so any more of these higher beings seemed like a massive pain. ¡°Still, a goddess of magic, huh? Is she also an entric one¡­?¡± ¡°Also¡­?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°She¡¯s said to be very gentle, caring, and always looking out for others.¡± ¡°Oho.¡± She liked the sound of that a lot morepared to a certain unreliable-looking slob. ¡°Also¡­¡± She then looked at their fox-girl. ¡°Divine fluff, gentle, caring, always looking out for others and unexinably good at managing and controlling magic¡­ Chloe, is there anything you want to tell us?¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± She looked at the tiger with big eyes and a shocked expression. ¡°Where did thate from?! Also, wouldn¡¯t my magical reserves be much bigger if I were Mira?¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just artificially limiting yourself?¡± ¡°Bold thing to say by someone who actually has goddess-like magical power.¡± Ari stared at her. ¡°Is there anything you want to tell us?¡± "Not to mention that you even have your own pocket dimension with your portals." Chloe directly jumped in on the jaguar¡¯seback. ¡°Point taken.¡± Sophia had little room to talk back. ¡°I¡¯m not the gentlest girl around, though. At least not to a point where it is a definitive trait of mine. Also, I¡¯m a lover of divine fluff, not the wielder of it.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The jaguar epted her exnation. ¡°Do you want to look at the shrine? It¡¯s not far and almost on the way.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s probably not any different than the Canir shrines, right? Only with a different person? I¡¯ve seen enough of them already.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty much the same.¡±¡¯ ¡°Yeah! Shopping sounds like so much more fun!¡± Chloe agreed with her and energetically raised her arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She seemed very eager to move on. ---------------- After the girls had finished getting distracted, for the time being, they finally went to the lingerie boutique for real to get some of their sought-after legwear. ¡°Do you already have a specific idea for colorful tights in mind?¡± Inside, while browsing the products on disy, Ari faced Sophia. Some minutes ago, Chloe had spotted something interesting, and she took Maya and the princess with her, so the two ended up on their own while looking around. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger gave it some thought. "A red or maybe burgundy color might be fun. No idea why, but I think red tights look amazing. The same goes for leggings." ¡°Red, huh?¡± The jaguar tried to imagine it. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a shiny color, I could get behind it, yeah.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Yupyup." She agreed. "A subdued and or matte hue would be better." ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Ari nced around to find something fitting. ¡°Oh, how about those?¡± Her eyes stopped at a red pair of tights worn by a mannequin. ¡°I love the thin argyle pattern they have.¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, they are amazing!¡± Sophia immediately fell in love with them. ¡°I need those!¡± ¡°Well, that was easy.¡± ¡°Ohh! They¡¯re even lined! It¡¯s like they¡¯re made for me!¡± The blonde was already getting her hands on them. ¡°They feel so soft and warm~!¡± ¡°Lined tights really are taking over now that it¡¯s getting colder.¡± "And that''s a good thing!" ¡°Sure is.¡± The jaguar had to agree with her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m happy for now!¡± Sophia grabbed three sets of tights in her size while smiling at Ari. "Do you also n on getting something, or will you stay with the tried and proven ck legwear?" ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning to. Do you think anything else would fit me? I feel like ck is the best option for me.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± She nodded in agreement. ¡°Maybe something in white for contrast? I think that would work quite well.¡± ¡°Hmmng¡­¡± Ari didn¡¯t seem to be fully convinced. ¡°I was nning to get something along the lines of a white pullover to contrast my hair. I think my legs look better in ck.¡± "¡­" As they were currently in the school unfirm with the rather short skirt, as they went shopping right after the magic lessons, Sophia took a good look at Ari¡¯s legs in her usual ck tights. About a minuteter, she finally looked her into the eyes again. ¡°True.¡± ¡°Did you really need to stare at them for that long?¡± ¡°I even hurried up, you know?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t the least bit embarrassed. ¡°Right, your fondness of legs, I forgot.¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s lots to be fond of with yours!¡± ¡°T-Thanks? I guess?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She gave her a big smile. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ What else would be a great fit for those amazing legs¡­. Oh!¡± Sophia''s eyes wandered around in the boutique until they stopped on something they liked. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± The jaguar followed her line of sight and quickly found what she was looking at. ¡°N-No!¡± The moment she saw the scantily d mannequin wearing nothing but very revealing ck lingerie made with lots ofcebined with an eloquently designed garter belt and straps holding up a pair over overknees, her entire face turned red. ¡°Underwear aside, t-there¡¯s just no way I¡¯m going to wear a garter belt and straps in public!¡± ¡°Underwear aside?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow in interest. "A-Ah!" She got even more embarrassed. "W-Well, I likece trim a lot, so the underwear looks great¡­ Though, okay, maybe a good bit too see-through in important ces... Also, those bits won''t be seen in public, so¡­" ¡°You likece trim, huh? That must mean you also do like the garter parts, right?¡± She pointed at the detailedce on the holder and the overknees. "¡­" The jaguar paused for a moment while taking another nce or two at it. Or a lot more, to be precise. "S-Still, I''m still not going to wear it!" ¡°In public or in general?¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ¡°I bet Anna would love to see you in it, though. When the two of you are alone, of course.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent again while looking at the lingerie once more. ¡°I hate you¡­¡± Ari then hung her head in defeat. ¡°Want to try it on?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t have a hard time understanding her reaction. ¡°Should I get a clerk for help? I bet there are some catches to get it to fit perfectly.¡± ¡°N-No!¡± The jaguar raised her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t want some stranger to see me in that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a clerk, though? They do nothing else day in and out. It¡¯s not like they care as it¡¯s their job. They just want to help.¡± ¡°I care, though!¡± ¡°Fine, have it your way.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel like arguing. ¡°Thanks!¡± Afterward, she grabbed a set in her size, and the two made their way to the changing rooms. "P-Please make sure that no one enters my stall. I''ll die if someone sees me!" ¡°Sure~.¡± The blonde just waved at her before the curtain to her cabin closed. "¡­" Roughly ten minutes and lots of ruffling soundster, Ari still hadn¡¯t said a word in her cabin. ¡°Does it fit?¡± Sophia was getting a little curious. ¡°Uhh¡­ I-It¡¯s the right size, but I don¡¯t know if it¡­ fit¡¯s me¡­¡± ¡°Should I get a clerk, after all? They¡¯ll definitely be able to tell if it fits the way it''s supposed to be.¡± ¡°No!¡± She raised her voice again. "This lingerie hides nothing! NOTHING! No clerk is going to see me like that! It''s less sensual if I''d be naked!" ¡°Well, then I¡¯m out of options¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to help her. "As I''m pretty sure it looks amazing on you, just get it and have some fun with Anna once you present it to her.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The changing cubicle turned silent again. "P-Pleasee in and judge it for me¡­" ¡°Excuse me?!¡± She got loud. ¡°That¡¯s sooo a job for either a clerk or the princess!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want a stranger to see me, and it¡¯s supposed to be a surprise for Anna!¡± ¡°You know what¡¯s going to happen once our girls find out that you presented yourself to me in underwear, right? Right?! Not to mention that you''re wearing extremely sensual and suggestive lingerie right now¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any ulterior motives, though! You¡¯re just helping me to check the fitment of some clothes! They just happen to be quite embarrassing for anyone to see¡­¡± ¡°Are you happy with that excuse¡­?¡± There was a hint of sarcasm in Sophia¡¯s voice. ¡°Not at all! I don¡¯t have anything better either, though¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to me you for everything, okay?¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Hesitating for another moment, the blonde then entered Ari¡¯s changing cabin. ¡°W-Wow.¡± That was all she could say after she saw the jaguar in the outfit she was currently trying on. "I-It hiding nothing was a huge u-understatement!"
Chapter 299 – Shopping with the group | Part 2/2 Chapter 299 ¨C Shopping with the group | Part 2/2 The girls were finally having their long-awaited shopping trip to get all sorts of clothing for the already ongoing fall and the uing winter seasons. They started out by getting new legwear, namely tights and leggings. Sophia wanted to get something colorful, and the others wanted to change their usual styles. Ari and the blonde ended up looking at stuff on their own, and the duo eventually ended up in the underwear area of the boutique, and the tiger got pretty interested in the disy there. She even went as far as talking the jaguar into trying on a very sensual set of lingerie that also featured a garter belt and straps. Ari was very against the idea in the beginning, but after Sophia mentioned the princess and how happy she would probably be about seeing her in it, she changed her mind. That wasn¡¯t all, though. As the jaguar is still quite shy and timid around people she hasn¡¯t befriended yet, she refused to ask a clerk for a fitment, and it ended up being Sophia¡¯s job to make sure Ari looked good in the lingerie. Needless to say, it fitted her extraordinarily well, and the blonde got something out of it, as well. Roughly 15 minutester, the duo reunited with the other girls while holding a bag each. For some reason, Ari¡¯s was a good bit bigger than the one Sophia had. Also, both seemed quite embarrassed, as well. ¡°There you finally a-; Why are you two blushing?!¡± Anna spotted them first and directly started questioning the moment she saw their red faces. ¡°¡­¡± The duo instantly turned their heads away from each other to look to the side. ¡°Sophia~?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t a fan of this reaction, either. ¡°You are one lucky girl!¡± Sophia smiled at her, got closer to the princess, tapped her shoulder, and then looked at her cat-girl. ¡°Maya, there¡¯s something we need to buy for you right now! Come with me!¡± She then grabbed her hand and dragged her off in the direction she and the jaguar came from. ¡°Ari!¡± Anna immediately faced her girl. ¡°What did you two do?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She only got more embarrassed in return. ¡°HUH?!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Standing next to the princess, Chloe was also a little confused but then took a better look at the jaguar or the big bag she was holding. ¡°You bought some sexy underwear and asked Sophia how it looks on you after you tried it on, right?¡± Just like the blonde, she can be quite sharp about the strangest things. ¡°H-How did you know?!¡± ¡°Just took a wild guess. Seems like I was right.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Anna got even louder. ¡°You showed yourself to Sophia in underwear?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure if that even ssifies as underwear in the first ce¡­¡± Ari answered her without thinking. ¡°There was basically no fabric, after all...¡± ¡°W-WHAT?!¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She only repeated herself. ¡°It¡¯s all Sophia¡¯s fault!¡± ¡°She made you show her?!¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­ That was my idea¡­ I wanted to get her opinion about it because she¡¯s the only one I¡¯m okay with showing¡­¡± ¡°?!¡± The princess didn¡¯t even get an actual word out in response this time. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Chloe was following their exchange with great interest. ¡°Maya was right. You and Sophia are ambiguous as nothing else¡­¡± ¡°N-Not helping!¡± Ari just red at her. ¡°It was Sophia¡¯s idea to get this super revealing and sensual lingerie for you, and I was too embarrassed to ask a clerk for help!¡± ¡°Super revealing and sensual?!¡± The princess only got louder. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the important part here, Anna.¡± The fox-girl tried to calm her down. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it is!¡± She disagreed with her. ¡°What about the part where Sophia made Ari buy it to wear and have fun with you? Probably during some sort of nightly activities?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± That part only now registered in Anna¡¯s brain. ¡°F-For me¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The jaguar slightly nodded. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Thanks to all the fuss, she was a little slow right now. ¡°Because she¡¯s your girlfriend and wants to show herself off to you?!¡± Chloe just shook her head. ¡°A-Ah.¡± ¡°Is that the hyper denseness the other two were talking about¡­? Just how bad was it before you started dating her¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess decided not to answer her. ¡°Poor Maya¡­¡± Chloe rolled her eyes before facing Ari again. ¡°Did she find something nice for you? There was some amazing lingerie near the entrance. A garter belt and lots ofce would look great on you!¡± As usual, she and Sophia were thinking quite simrly. ¡°¡­¡± Ari also decided not to answer her. ---------------- Afterward, once the topic was over, Maya and Sophia eventually reunited with the other three while the cat-girl was holding a bag the same size as Ari and the girls finally left the boutique. On the way out, Anna and Maya exchanged some nces to convey how they felt about all of this but decided not to make another fuss for the greater good. The greater good of them having a lot of fun with their girls during the next night, that is. ¡°No!¡± Not even two minutes after the girls had entered the first clothing store, Sophia started loudlyining while the other five had encircled her. ¡°That¡¯s a belt! Not a skirt!¡± She was pointing at a piece of fabric Ari was holding. ¡°Actually, when we entered the store, I saw wider belts!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t care~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The blonde nced at the determined expression of everyone, and her bad feeling got worse. ¡°I might as well not wear it, and it would make little to no difference¡­ Is there really any point to this¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I hate all of you¡­¡± She hung her head in response. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to wear that in public, though! I don¡¯t even want to wear it at home, but that¡¯s all you¡¯re going to get!¡± ¡°Deal!¡± The girls seemed to be okay with that. ¡°¡­¡± Because Sophia felt like she got tricked right now, she decided to not engage in this topic any further and started looking for actual clothes instead. ¡°Make sure to hold onto this.¡± Chloe pointed at the piece of clothing Ari was holding before she followed after the blonde. ¡°Obviously!¡± Once this very important detail was secured and taken care of, it was finally time for some leisure shopping. ---------------- ¡°Okay, ignoring the earlier thing, what is everyone¡¯s n for their fall wardrobe?¡± Sophia¡¯s mood had improved a lot again, and she was looking forward to hearing everyone¡¯s normal ideas. ¡°I should be good,¡± Chloe answered first. ¡°I got some lighter overknees earlier, and my current clothes are more than warm enough for a possible snowstorm, even.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone just stared at her with their eyes wide open. ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya decided it was best to ignore the crazy fox-girl and continued to conversation. ¡°I¡¯m interested in taking a break from white clothes for a while and go for something more contrast-y. I already got some warm ck tights earlier, not sure if I actually stick with the color, though, and now I¡¯m nning to get a longer red skirt and a dark pullover. Maybe ck, as well, to contrast my hair.¡± ¡°Oho, I like the sound of that!¡± Sophia seemed to be looking forward to it already. ¡°Interesting,¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°I was actually nning to introduce more white to my wardrobe. I¡¯m keeping the ck tights and probably a ck skirt, but I saw a few nice-looking knit sweaters that might suit me earlier. There was an adorable turtle neck I saw by the entrance!¡± ¡°I bet that will look great with your hair. Basically the other way around as Maya, huh?¡± The blonde also was a fan of that idea. ¡°The fall season will be pleasant to look at~.¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± Chloe sounded just as cheery. Neither of them was talking about the nature scenery. ¡°What about our princess?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°I need something a little fancy for times where something semi-official is happening, but I would default to jeans again for casual clothing. I¡¯m a big fan of those and wore them thest winters, too. Probablybined with a top and jacket in earthen colors.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°No.¡± Maya just shook her head in return. ¡°We already agreed that you aren¡¯t getting any pants.¡± ¡°WE never agreed to anything!¡± She got a little loud. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is about, but I do agree with Maya.¡± Chloe sided with her. ¡°Me, too.¡± So did Ari and the princess. ¡°There¡¯s way too much bullying in my direction going on today¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to get a skirt in the first ce?¡± The cat-girl just looked at her. ¡°Because they¡¯refy and easy to move in?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a different topic¡­¡± She turned her head away. ¡°Anyway, I like the jeans idea, princess.¡± The blonde dropped the issue sooner than it even came up. ¡°Long legs in jeans are the best~.¡± ¡°By the way, what is your n?¡± The fox-girl got curious about Sophia¡¯s idea for her fall wardrobe. ¡°Well,¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I got some super cute red and argyle patterned tights earlier. I absolutely love them already! It could be a little hard tobine them, though. I am rather fond of the design of the academy uniform¡¯s skirt, so¡­ Maybe a simr tartan-styled pattern, but probably in ck and a little longer¡­ With those colors, a lightly colored top would probably be the best. A smooth but warm white pullover with a few highlights might be nice.¡± ¡°Sounds cute!¡± Everyone seemed to like her idea. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s hunt!¡± Sophia energetically raised her fist, and everyone started searching for their preferred outfits. A couple of hourster, and lots of discussions, trying on, and asking the other girls for opinions on their findings, everyone found a few outfits they liked. Even Chloe decided to buy a few things she could wear at home, like some shorts and cute camisoles. Luckily, all of them weren¡¯t short on cash because the cashier had a lot of work to do once the five finally had everything they wanted.
Chapter 300 – Kira’s birthday | Part 1/3 Chapter 300 ¨C Kira¡¯s birthday | Part 1/3 A few days ago, the girls went shopping together to get a new wardrobe for the ongoing fall season. It was also a fine distraction from all the chaos that was going ontely. One of those chaotic events was about to catch up to them, though. It was the day of Kira''s birthday, so Anna and Ari finally had to return to the castle after having run away a week ago when everyone had heard their loud first night as a couple. ¡°I SOOOO don¡¯t want to go home!¡± The girls, in their new clothes, were together in the living room while listening to Anna¡¯s loudining. ¡°It¡¯s going to be WAAAY too embarrassing!¡± ¡°I have to agree.¡± While not quite as loud, Ari¡¯s expression looked even worse. ¡°How about we have a nice day in peace here¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± Sophia, the voice of reason she always is, shook her head. ¡°You two promised to show up at Kira''s birthday, and that will happen. Why? Because I promised her.¡± She was a little scared of the queen. ¡°M-Mother is one thing, but all the others in the castle¡­ C-Can¡¯t shee here instead¡­?¡± ¡°The queen?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°To celebrate her birthday?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Anna just nodded a few times. ¡°How about no?¡± She didn¡¯t like the n. ¡°How about yes?!¡± The princess had no intention of backing down. ¡°Shut up already¡­¡± Maya also had enough. ¡°You know perfectly well that we¡¯ll bring you to the castle today.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She just hung her head. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna!¡± ¡°If I can guarantee that I¡¯ll bring the two of you into the castle and your room without anyone noticing, will you stopining?¡± ¡°As that ispletely impossible, sure¡­ I¡¯d feel a lot better¡­¡± Anna didn¡¯t believe her im. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia raised her fist and jumped off the sofa she was sitting on. ¡°We wasted enough time already!¡± ¡°And just how do you want to get us inside the castle without anyone noticing?¡± The princess stared right at her fellow tiger. ¡°Have you forgotten about my portals already?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She had. ¡°Also, I think I forgot to mention it, but I already ced a portal in your dressing room in the castle when we visited Ellie the other day." ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Anna and Ari hadn''t expected that. ¡°That¡¯s why, I can guarantee to bring you to your roompletely unnoticed~.¡± ¡°Y-You tricked us!¡± ¡°I sure did~.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel the least bit guilty. ¡°Sounds like today¡¯s going to be quite interesting.¡± Chloe was enjoying their conversation. ¡°I BEG TO DIFFER!¡± Anna had a different opinion on the matter. ¡°Sophia, I want to hear about everything tonight when you get back!¡± The fox-girl simply ignored her. ¡°Eh?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯reing with us!¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Chloe looked extremely confused. ¡°I-I can¡¯t go to the birthday of the queen!¡± ¡°I am pretty sure Kira won¡¯t mind. You don¡¯t have to worry about it, right?¡± Sophia nced at the still panicking princess. ¡°N-No, highly unlikely¡­ Mother likes to meet new people¡­ WAIT!¡± She suddenly got louder again. ¡°Actually, PLEASEe with us, Chloe!¡± ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re easily as exciting and distracting as Sophia, so you might be able to pull some attention away from Ari and me!" She had very selfish intentions. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I should feel about this¡­¡± ¡°See it as an opportunity to visit the castle and meet many new and kinda interesting people.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll meet your future partner there.¡± ¡°You think so¡­?¡± The fox-girl looked right at her. ¡°It still sounds fun even besides that, doesn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She stared at the cat-girl for a few moments. ¡°Yes, you might be right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± After the stare, Maya felt the need to apologize. "The weather is quite nice today, and the castle gardens are amazing with the fall foliage. It''s worth it for that alone!" "Fennyfenny and Aura are also in the garden there right now, judging by my detection magic. We could join them and have a pic once everything else calms down a little.¡± Sophia also tried to sell her on the idea. ¡°Okay, that does sound like a fun time!¡± Chloe¡¯s mood became cheery again. ¡°Alrighty for real now!¡± The blonde raised her fist again. ¡°Let¡¯s finally head out!¡± ---------------- Anna and Ari kept protesting for a good while longer, but the other three had enough of them soon enough, grabbed their hands, and dragged the couple downstairs to the portal. Stepping through it and another one inside Sophia¡¯s extra dimension, they ended up in the princess¡¯ dressing room before long. ¡°Wow, the room of a princess sure is something else!¡± The moment they came out of the dressing room, Chloe looked at everything with sparkling eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the same size as my entire treehouse in the elven vige!¡± ¡°Okay! Maya, let¡¯s go and visit Ellie! You three have fun, too~!¡± Sophia grabbed her hand and wanted to have a good time with her! ¡°W-Wait!¡± Ari immediately grabbed the blonde''s other free hand and stopped her from moving. ¡°If you leave now, I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡± ¡°So needy¡­¡± She let out a small sigh. ¡°Okay, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Maya, any suggestions?¡± Sophia faced her again. ¡°I quite liked the Ellie idea you had.¡± ¡°So did I, but Ari is too selfish to let us go¡­¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± The selfish jaguar raised her voice. ¡°We would really appreciate the help¡­¡± ¡°Fine¡­ Your pleading gaze is quite powerful¡­¡± She gave up. "It still involves me leaving, though. Chloe, any interest in having a tour through the castle?" ¡°Sounds fun!¡± The fox-girl seemed to like the idea. ¡°Who¡¯s the tour guide?¡± ¡°Me!¡± Sophia pointed at herself. ¡°On second thought, I think I rather stay here and try to mentally support Ari and the princess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so rude!¡± She started pouting. ¡°W-Well¡­ you got lost multiple times in a vige that is much smaller than the castle and which only has three streets¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia went silent for a moment. ¡°I-I already know where I want to go with you!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chloe looked at her for a moment longer but was eventually convinced by her determined expression. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go exploring!¡± ¡°Great!¡± The blonde was smiling again. ¡°Maya, you stay with the runaway couple. I don¡¯t trust them being unsupervised.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t trust the two of YOU being unsupervised!¡± The cat-girl had some reservations about the n. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going for, though. We need to be a little unrestrained this time~.¡± ¡°And my feelings about the idea just went from bad to worse.¡± ¡°I like it!¡± Anna was a fan of whatever her fellow tiger had in mind. "Perfect!" That was enough of a confirmation for Sophia. "Let''s go!" Afterward, she grabbed Chloe''s hand, and the two disappeared before Maya could protest any more. ---------------- ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the n?¡± While Chloe and Sophia were walking through the castle, the fox-girl eventually wanted to find out what was even going on. ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± ¡°I was hoping toe up with something on the fly. I mean, I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m naturally drawn to chaos for some reason, and you being simr to me, there''s a chance this condition will be even stronger.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She just nodded while pretending to understand. ¡°Oh, that looks promising!¡± Saying so, the tiger increased her pace again while dragging the fox-girl with her. A little whileter, the blonde identally ran into another, quite high-ranking tiger. ¡°Sophia?¡± Menzor tilted his head while looking at the duo. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re in the castle?¡± ¡°I have my ways to get in here undetected~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I approve of that¡­¡± He let out a small sigh. ¡°I am sure that there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, though¡­¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± She just gave him a big smile. ¡°By the way,¡± He decided to give up. ¡°Who is this fox-girl? Even for me, that¡¯s a rather rare encounter.¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± She had almost forgotten about that part. ¡°Chloe, the dear king of this nation, Menzor. Menzor, the newest friend of mine and the fluffiest fox-girl you¡¯ll ever see, Chloe.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°T-The king?!¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡± Menzor just showed her a slight but dignified smile. ¡°Well, meeting me, even inside the castle, must¡¯ve been a surprise, huh? Then again, you¡¯re friends with Sophia, so you should already be more than used to surprises, no?" ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± The girl in question raised her voice. ¡°It means exactly what I just said.¡± ¡°You win this round¡­¡± ¡°Ah, uhh¡­ I¡¯m honored to meet you, sir!¡± Chloe needed a moment to process the situation. ¡°Oh my, a formal and respectful greeting. That¡¯s unusualtely.¡± He nced at the blonde during thest part. ¡°Hey!¡± She got loud again. ¡°I was very formal in the beginning!¡± ¡°It didn¡¯tst overly long, though.¡± ¡°Do you wish for me to address you formally and with the due respect again, my eminence?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He just stared at her for a moment. ¡°Please¡­ Please continue as usual¡­¡± Menzor didn¡¯t like it. ¡°dly!¡± ¡°So, what are you two doing¡­?¡± The king tried to get back to the initial question. ¡°I wanted to show Chloe the castle~.¡± ¡°I see¡­?¡± ¡°Anyway, how¡¯s the mood? On the Anna and Ari topic, I mean. Do I need to kick someone out of the castle? You, for example?¡± She locked eyes with Menzor. ¡°N-No, there will be no need for that¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°R-Really!¡± He nodded a few times. ¡°I more than warned all of my ministers and aides about what will happen if they do anything to make them feel ufortable. Kira and Ari''s mothers, including all the maids below them, have been doing the same with the remaining castle staff.¡± ¡°Sounds great!¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°What about our dear king himself? How are his feelings on the matter?¡± ¡°He will do his best to not do anything inappropriate, either.¡± Menzor awkwardly scratched his cheeks. ¡°I cannot guarantee that there will be absolutely zero awkward moments, though.¡± ¡°Are we okay with this?¡± The blonde then faced Chloe. ¡°Eh?¡± She wasn¡¯t expecting to be involved here. ¡°Well¡­ it sounds like his majesty is trying his best, so¡­ I mean, it¡¯s kind of understandable that he just can¡¯tpletely ignore everything when he sees his daughter. It was quite the event, after all¡­" "Alright, you got approved by Chloe. That means I''m okay with it, too!¡± Sophia gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Thank you¡­?¡± The king looked a little confused again. ¡°Wait, she knows about all this?¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s also staying in our mansion right now after we visited an elven vige where we met her. She became friends with the two loud ones during their stay." ¡°Ah, I see. Wait, what¡­?¡± He noticed a very peculiar detail in her reply. ¡°Anyway, Anna and Ari are also in the castle right now.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± This was enough to make him forget about the elven vige for the time being. ¡°They¡¯re with Maya in the princess¡¯ room.¡± ¡°H-How¡­? Nobody ever mentioned anything about that!¡± "As I said before, I have my ways to get people in and out of the castle unnoticed." ¡°Scary!¡± The king got loud. "Go and visit them to get any awkwardness out before you and Kira see them together. You don¡¯t want to say anything awkward when she¡¯s with them, right?¡± ¡°T-That would be very bad!¡± Menzor¡¯s expression visibly changed. ¡°Speaking of her, what is our dear queen up to right now?¡± ¡°Well, it is her birthday, so she¡¯s constantly meeting people who want to congratte her. We had a little reception in the morning where the brunt of people met her, but she is quite popr. She¡¯ll probably be doing that all day. Kira decided against a party this year because it''s always such a stressful event, but that backfired a little bit." ¡°Meeting all kinds of people all day long sounds like a major pain.¡± ¡°Well, as the king, I¡¯m pretty much used to that.¡± ¡°Still sounds like a pain.¡± It didn¡¯t make it any better for Sophia. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree.¡± Menzor just gave her a slight nod. ¡°Most of the time, I do like my job a lot, though. It did get a lot hardertely, though¡­¡± He nced at the blonde during thest part. "What''s that supposed to mean?! What are you trying to imply here?!"" ¡°Exactly what you think I¡¯m implying!¡± He got louder again. "Fair." She shrugged her shoulder and piped down. "That does mean she won¡¯t notice if I borrow the royal bedroom or whatever it is called for half an hour, right?¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± The king tilted his head while looking somewhat confused. ¡°I want to give her a little present! I n to fit the room with the underfloor heating.¡± "Oh, she''ll be pleased about that!" ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Though¡­ Could you go a little easy on the intensity? I do like being warm, but Ellie¡¯s room is WAY too much¡­¡± ¡°Would Kira be happy about that, though?¡± Sophia had something against his suggestion. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± He hung his head. ¡°The right side of the bed¡­ That¡¯s my side¡­ At least under there, please don¡¯t make it too warm¡­¡± "I''ll see what I can do~." She looked pretty cheeky while answering him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Chloe!¡± Sophia grabbed her hand again and dragged her off. ¡°Eh? Ah, sure!¡± ¡°Our bedroom is that way¡­¡± Menzor pointed in the exact opposite direction of the corridor. ¡°¡­¡± The blonde went silent, turned around, and started walking in the opposite direction with the fox-girl. ¡°Take a left at the second turn and then a right after the third, and you''ll be right in front of it." ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Chloe was the one who answered him. ¡°M-Make sure to visit Anna¡¯s room¡­¡± Sophia looked a lot less smug now. Afterward, the duo parted ways with the king for good and went in their own directions. Chapter 300 – Kira’s birthday | Part 2/3 Chapter 300 ¨C Kira¡¯s birthday | Part 2/3 Sophia was giving Chloe a short tour of the castle and had promptly run into Menzor. Naturally, the fox-girl was a little overwhelmed from suddenly meeting the king, but everything went well. The blonde also got a short update on the situation around Anna and Ari. Happy with the result of that, she let him go to visit the couple before she continued her tour with Chloe. The two went to the royal bedroom because she wanted to equip the room with her underfloor heating as a birthday gift for Kira. ¡°Your storage magic is SOOO amazing!¡± The duo had just left the royal bedroom again, and the fox-girl was still looking at the tiger with sparkling eyes. "Being able to put an entire room in there like it''s nothing! It looked really funny inside, too!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°You should totally buy a house and put it in there! I bet it would be super interesting to actually live in there! If you really want to, I''m sure you''d even be able to recreate nature inside and make a little garden around your house and all that! That would be so great! I''d also like a house there while we''re at it!" ¡°Don¡¯t make me fall for you now¡­¡± Even Sophia was surprised at how much they think alike at times. ¡°You already had this n, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°After all, that¡¯s the natural progression with such a storage thingy!¡± ¡°I know, right?!¡± Chloe reacted with a big smile. ¡°I really want to be able to do that, too!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± The blonde liked her reply. "Alrighty, should we pay the person of honor, our dear queen, a visit now?" ¡°E-Eh?¡± The fox-girl looked surprised again. ¡°The king already was enough for one day!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Kira¡¯s amazing! You¡¯ll get along great with her!¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite the hurdle for a normal girl to meet such important people, you know?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also normal!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe just stared at her. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re at least as abnormal as I am, ording to our friends!¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t matter with this specific topic!¡± Chloe also got a little flustered. "Well, anyway, let''s go!" In the end, Sophia didn''t care about her reply, grabbed her hand again, and the two made their way toward the queen. As she could use her detection magic this time, the duo only got lost twice while wandering through the castle. ---------------- ¡°Happy birthday!¡± Once they finally found the queen, Sophia congratted her with a big smile on her face. ¡°Wait, is that you congratte a queen? Do you shake hands? Bow? Kneel? What¡¯s the etiquette here?¡± She then looked at Chloe for help. ¡°H-How am I supposed to know?!¡± She just shook her head. "You''re the quasi-royal here!" ¡°Come here, you dork!¡± Kira then grabbed the blonde and tightly hugged her. ¡°That¡¯s how you do it.¡± ¡°I see~.¡± She quickly returned the hug. ¡°Again, happy birthday!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Kira also smiled at her once the two parted again. ¡°I left a present for you in the royal bedchambers~.¡± ¡°What a word.¡± The queen rolled her eyes. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have. I¡¯m more than happy with the thought alone.¡± "Okay, I''ll remove the underfloor heating again, then." ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry! Thank you very much for the lovely present!¡± ¡°Cats¡­¡± Chloe unconsciously just had to make a remark. "We''re tigers, my dear." The queen faced her. "A-Ah!¡± All the colors instantly left Chloe''s face after noticing what she had just done. "I-I''m so sorry!" ¡°By the way,¡± Kira then looked back at Sophia with a yful expression. ¡°Who¡¯s this fluffy cutie of a fox?¡± ¡°Chloe!¡± The blonde had the same expression. ¡°My newest friend! She¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t she?!¡± ¡°Very.¡± She nodded a few times before smiling at the fox-girl once again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I am very well aware that our dislike of the cold is cat-like.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ Also, happy birthday. I mean, we don¡¯t exactly know each other, but you are the queen of this country- It is an honor for me to be able to congratte you. Not to mention that it is always a nice thing to celebrate someone!" ¡°Such a nice girl!¡± Kira was touched. ¡°Howe you are friends with Sophia?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The girl in question raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s it for the heated floor privileges! They¡¯re revoked!¡± ¡°I think Sophia is an extraordinarily nice girl!¡± Chloe had to stand up for her. ¡°She¡¯s always looking out for others and cares deeply for her friends!¡± ¡°You found a great friend there.¡± The queen gave her fellow tiger a thumbs up before focusing on the fox again. ¡°I am very well aware of that. Teasing her is quite enjoyable, though.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Heating rights are still revoked!¡± She was still pouting. "Well, as unfortunate as that is, I spent many days in Ellie''s room, and there''s just no way you''re going to revoke her rights, as well. I''ll just continue to sleep with her, then." ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia noticed that she had lost. ¡°Speaking of, has she already¡­?¡± "I cried for a solid ten minutes!" Kira''s expression turned incredibly gentle. "The bowl she made for me was so adorable, but the te with her handprint¡­ It''s the best gift I''ve ever received¡­ I only regret that I don''t have a version when she was a baby¡­ Thank you so much for helping her with those gifts. Just as our dear fox said, you are an extraordinarily nice girl!" "Ehehe~." She liked that a lot. "I knew you''d like that. Also, yes, I''m going to make one of my daughter''s hands days after she''s born!" ¡°Unfair!¡± The queen had toin. ¡°Wait, is there something you want to tell me?¡± ¡°I-I was just hypothetically speaking!¡± Sophia¡¯s face turned red in response. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°R-Really!¡± "Mhmm¡­" Kira continued to stare at her for a bit longer. "Anything else about the topic you want to talk about?" ¡°I-I do not!¡± Her blush just got stronger. ¡°There are no ns for that to happen in the n-near future!¡± "She''s not only nice but also way too adorable, isn''t she?" Happy with her reply, the queen then smiled at Chloe. ¡°Very!¡± She just smiled back. "Urgh¡­" The blonde hung her head in defeat and wanted to change the topic. "A-Anyway, I heard you did a good job with getting the castle under control¡­" ¡°Yup!¡± Kira gave her a big nod. ¡°Anna and Ari can safely return now. No one will bother them!¡± ¡°They¡¯re actually here already.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I made sure to bring them here unnoticed to avoid unnecessary risks. Both of them, together with Maya, are currently in Anna¡¯s room.¡± "Really?" She looked surprised. "Even I can''t get in and out of the castle without anyone noticing!" ¡°I have my tricks~.¡± Sophia looked a little proud. ¡°How about you go and visit them before things get too busy again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! Wait, what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to visit my favorite princess instead.¡± "Oh, I see. Well, she''ll be happy to see you, too." Saying so, Kira decided to go ahead with the idea and went to Anna''s room. "Want to meet Ellie?" The remaining tiger then faced Chloe. "Yes!" She seemed to like the n. "I''ve only seen her from afar before, but she looked so adorable!" ¡°You¡¯re in for a treat~.¡± Afterward, the two left the current ce and headed right for Ellie. Because it was of utmost importance, Sophia didn¡¯t even get lost once on their way. ---------------- "So¡­ phia!" Arriving in Ellie''s room, the little princess immediately ran up to her, and the two went through their usual routine of tightly hugging each other. "Hmm¡­?" She only then noticed the fox-girl. "Fluffy!" ¡°I love her.¡± Chloe was immediately taken by her. ¡°Also, yes, I am fluffy~.¡± ¡°So¡­ phia¡­?¡± She got a little confused while she nced at the older tiger. ¡°Who is this fluffy?¡± ¡°This fluffy fox is Chloe. She is a very dear friend of mine.¡± "Hmm¡­" Ellie stared at her for a while before looking at the blonde again. "Really¡­?" ¡°Hello, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± The fox waved at her. ¡°As Sophia mentioned, my name is Chloe. I became friends with her and Maya a little while ago.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess then faced the tiger again. ¡°Someone this fluffy and friends with Maya can¡¯t be a bad person, can she? I like her a lot, too!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Her expression suddenly changed a lot. ¡°My name is Ellie! It¡¯s nice to meet you, too! Ellie likes how fluffy Chloe is!¡± "Sophia does, too!" The taller tiger just had to do it. "Ahaha¡­" The fox-girl let out a little chuckle before squatting down to get on the same eye level as the princess. "I''m d you like it. I''m very proud of my fluffiness." ¡°Can Ellie touch Chloe¡¯s tail¡­? Ellie knows she shouldn¡¯t do that to others, but¡­ but¡­ Ellie really wants to!¡± ¡°If you promise me to be careful, you can go ahead.¡± There was no way she could say no to her, so the fox-girl simply presented her tail to the little tiger. ¡°Yay! Thank you very much!¡± The little girl seemed to be overjoyed. Immediately after, she gingerly reached for her tail and squealed the moment her hands came in contact with it. "FLUFFY!" ¡°Thank you~.¡± It was apliment to her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The princess seemed to be thinking about something again. ¡°Ey!¡± A momentter, she actually dove headfirst into Chloe''s, and her entire upper body disappeared into it. Only her legs were still sticking out of it. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Naturally, the girl attached to the tail got surprised because she didn¡¯t see thising. As the little princess''s actions had no deeper meaning besides bing one with the fluff, the fox decided not to do anything about her, though. "SO ENVIOUS!" Sophia, on the other hand, got loud upon seeing this. ¡°Of what¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head. "Of me because Ellie likes my tail, or of Ellie because of what she''s doing right now?" She knew how much the blonde loved the little tiger and everything fluffy, after all. ¡°YES!¡± It was both. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Fuah!¡± Roughly a minuteter, Ellie¡¯s upper body finally surfaced from her tail again. At the same time, she let out a happy sigh with the most satisfied expression one could possibly have. ¡°Thank you very much! Ellie just decided that she likes Chloe¡¯s tail a lot!¡± ¡°What about the rest of Chloe¡­?¡± The fox-girl pointed at herself. ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t know yet!¡± She seemed to be in a good mood. ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Sophia liked her reply a lot. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The fox started pouting while she nced at the blonde. ¡°Ellie, remember that the girl attached to the tail allowed you to touch it.¡± The older tiger then decided to help her friend out. "A-Ah!" The princess gasped after hearing this. "So¡­ phia is right! Okay! Ellie likes both Chloes! The tail and the girl!¡± ¡°They¡¯re one and the same, though¡­¡± The girl part of Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. ¡°I¡¯d take it.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°After all, she loves you twice~.¡± "Well¡­" She didn''t dislike this way of thinking about it. ¡°Ah!¡± Ellie suddenly got louder again while she ran to her bed, where she picked up a stuffed animal. "Look!" She held up a violet plush dog with a big tail and ears, one of which was floppy. "It''s not as fluffy, but Ellie also has something with a cute tail!¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s very adorable!¡± The fox-girl gave the plushy a small pat on the head. ¡°I also have a very simr one at home~.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Sophia also noticed that the plush dog looked familiar to the ones at her ce. ¡°Ehehe, Ellie loves it!¡± She gave it another squeeze while holding it in her arms. ¡°I heard that your mother likes the presents, huh?¡± Sophia then decided to change the topic. ¡°YES! Mama loves it! She even cried because she was so happy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Very!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Ellie is also happy! Thank you very much for helping!" ¡°You are wee~.¡± Afterward, Ellie kept boasting about her present for a good bit while the duo listened to her with a big smile on their lips.
Chapter 300 – Kira’s birthday | Part 3/3 Chapter 300 ¨C Kira¡¯s birthday | Part 3/3 Sophia was still giving Chloe a tour through the castle, which turned out to be quite eventful. First, they ran into Menzor, who gave the blonde an update on the current situation. Luckily, she decided against, literally, kicking him out of the ce as it seemed like he was dealing with the Ari and Anna situation reasonably well. Afterward, the duo went to the royal bed-chamber because Sophia''s gift for Kira''s birthday was to equip the room with her underfloor heating. They also promptly ran into the queen afterward and told her about the news while congratting her. For the grand finale, the two went to visit Ellie. At first, the little princess was a little wary of the fox-girl, but she instantly fell in love with her tail. Because of that, Chloe, as a whole, was epted by her in the end. She even went as far as diving headfirst into the tail, which made Sophia quite jealous. For multiple reasons. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot!¡± Once Ellie was done talking about her birthday present for her mother, and how much she liked it, Sophia spoke up again. ¡°When we were shopping the other day, Ari and I found some more cute clothes for you, Ellie!" ¡°Really?!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°Ellie loves the clothes So¡­ phia and Maya got for me! If Ari also helped, they¡¯re going to be the bestest now!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked how excited she was about it. ¡°I have the outfit with me. Do you want to try it on?¡± ¡°YES!¡± She was very eager about it. ¡°Alright!¡± Afterward, Sophia secretly took the clothes out of her storage and helped the little tiger into them. ¡°It¡¯s adorable!¡± Immediately after, she started jumping around while looking at herself in the mirror in the room. ¡°Ellie loves it!¡± The outfit came with a red cape-like hood over a frilly white top with long sleeves. It wasbined with a longer, waist-high brownish skirt with a frilly hem, ck leggings, and red shoes. It even came with a little red bow for her tail. ¡°Hnngh¡­¡± The blonde took some damage from this adorable disy. ¡°You look great, Ellie. You¡¯re the adorablest!¡± She had to word it like that. ¡°YAY!¡± ¡°It really is adorable!¡± Chloe also seemed to like it. ¡°It reminds me a lot of the outfit from the little red riding hood, which makes it even better!" ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± The little princess tilted her head. ¡°Red little¡­ riding hood¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s from a fairy tale! One of my favorites, actually!¡± ¡°Elle loves fairy tales! Ellie wants to hear it!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°Right now might be a little difficult, though. Can we do it at a different time? We¡¯ll definitely do it soon!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The small tiger was okay with that. ¡°Ellie will look forward to it!¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Hearing all that, Sophia froze up. She naturally knew about this fairy tale because she also liked them a lot. Still, this one was a popr one from her old world and not this one. ¡°Happy to hear!¡± The fox-girl smiled at Ellie. ¡°I really like it a lot, and my mom told it to me multiple times a week when I was little! I hope you¡¯ll like it just as much!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde needed a moment. ¡°Chloe¡­ Do you know where Feyfeyes from¡­?¡± ¡°Like, where she was born¡­?¡± She seemed a little confused. ¡°For example, yeah.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not actually sure¡­ Feyfey said that she lived for a long while in the monster country, but I¡¯m not entirely sure if she¡¯s been born there, as well.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The blonde¡¯s expression became moreplicated. She naturally was really curious to find out why or how Fey knows about a fairy tale from her old world, which doesn¡¯t seem to exist here as even Ellie, who has an entire bookshelf of fairy tales, has never heard about it before. She had no idea how to ask more questions without blowing her cover, though. After all, she wasn¡¯t supposed to know about the little red riding hood herself. ¡°Why are you asking, though¡­?¡± Chloe still didn¡¯t understand where that question even came from. ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s fine¡­ I was just curious¡­¡± Sophia decided to give up on it for the time being. It seemed like something only Fey could answer her, anyway. ¡°It can¡¯t be, right¡­?¡± She mumbled those words only to herself. ¡°There¡¯s just no way¡­¡± ---------------- The trio chatted for a while longer, and after Ellie lived out the need to dive into Chloe¡¯s tail once more, they decided to head back to Anna¡¯s room. As the little princess didn¡¯t want to let go of her tail, the two decided to bring her with them. The little girl also brought her plushy as she was going for maximum fluff right now. ¡°Maya!¡± Once the girls reunited with everyone in Anna¡¯s room, the little princess finally let go of Chloe¡¯s tail and jumped at Maya to hug her. ¡°Ellie~.¡± She happily returned it. ¡°The two of you sure are popr with her, huh?¡± The fox-girl seemed impressed. ¡°Funny you¡¯re saying this.¡± Sophia just looked back at her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She scratched her cheek in return. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s up with them again¡­?¡± Dropping the topic, Chloe then looked at Anna and Ari sitting on the bed in the room while both hung their heads. ¡°Well¡­¡± Once Maya finished her greeting with Ellie, she joined them. "First, Menzor came over, and while he was trying his best, he was still a little bit awkward about the whole thing. He tried so hard not to bring anything around the topic up that it only became more apparent that he knew everything, which turned the idiot couple into an embarrassed mess.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Afterward, Kira and Daria showed up¡­¡± ¡°Daria¡­?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°One of Ari¡¯s mothers:¡± The blonde answered her. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Congratting the queen, and everything went well. The two mothers also made clear that everything was fine and that they were happy for the couple. They also hugged them and all, being overjoyed that they were back, but¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re both the teasing kind.¡± Sophia had a rough idea of what happened. ¡°Yup.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Well, to be fair, you saw that they were trying their best to hold back as much as possible. Still, after Menzor already embarrassed them, any teasing multiplied the damage¡­¡± ¡°Such a pain¡­¡± The tiger let out a small sigh. ¡°Where are they now?¡± ¡°Kira had more birthday responsibilities to attend to for now. She said she''ll be back, though. Afterward, I asked Daria if it would be possible to prepare a few things for a pic. I remembered your idea, and I thought it would be a nice n for the afternoon.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia liked the n and loudly pped her hands. ¡°You heard her, drama-queens! Stop moping and get up!¡± She got closer to the couple while saying so. ¡°We don¡¯t wanna!¡± They apparently were quite happy with being mopey. ¡°We can go to a ce in the garden where no one sees us, though. Here, people now know where you are~.¡± The blonde tried her luck. ¡°A-Apelling argument¡­¡± Anna took the bait and lightly raised her head. ¡°Only if we go to the far end of the garden!¡± ¡°As long as there¡¯s a nice ce to look at the colorful fall foliage, I don¡¯t care about the details!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t picky about the location. ¡°It¡¯s actually prettier at the far ends of the garden for that because there are more and bigger trees there¡­" ¡°Perfect!¡± It sounded good for her. ¡°Ellie, do you also want toe with us?¡± ¡°Yay!¡± It seemed like she liked the idea. ---------------- Afterward, after a little more convincing work to make Ari and the princess leave the room, the girls went to a nice ce in the garden to have a little pic. On the way, they had also picked up the wolves who had been rxing outside for some reason. Before, Sophia and Maya met with the maids in one of the kitchens as they had prepared some food and a nket for everyone to sit on after the cat-girl had mentioned that they nned to have a pic. ¡°Look!¡± While everyone was putting down the nket and spreading out the food, Ellie walked up to the wolves, who had gottenfortable next to them, and presented the violet plushy she was still carrying. ¡°She looks simr to you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fen decided to stay out of this. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Aura wanted to humor her a little. ¡°Isn¡¯t your cute plushy a dog? We are wolves, you know?¡± ¡°A-Ah!¡± The little princess became flustered. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry~.¡± She enjoyed her reaction. ¡°Well, it¡¯s an adorable plushy, so it¡¯s apliment if you think I look simr! Also, her tail really is close to mine.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Ellie got happy again. Afterward, she gave the plushy another squeeze before cing it on the ground between Aura and Chloe, who had sat down at the edge of the nket near the wolf. ¡°Wolf, dog, fox!¡± She started smiling. ¡°They are simr, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°We are all rted to each other in a way.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She seemed d to have gotten it right. "Okay, she can stay here, so she doesn''t get lonely!" Saying so, she looked at her plushy between Aura and Chloe before walking over to Sophia and Maya on the nket. "Ellie needs some space there!" She pointed at the ce right in between the couple. ¡°What a spoilt princess~.¡± The words the two said sounded likeining, but they happily created a bit of space between them to make her fit there. ¡°Yay!¡± Ellie directly squeezed into the gap and clung to their arms while happily iling her legs for a while. ¡°W-Why is she so adorable¡­?¡± Sophia took some damage from this action. ¡°All three of you are adorable like this!¡± Chloe liked the whole picture and not just the little princess. "Ellie sure likes you two¡­" Anna looked ever so slightly envious while ncing at her little sister cuddling with the couple. ¡°YES!¡± Said sister just gave her a big nod. ¡°They are the bestest!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± As that was enough damage dealt by the tiny princess, the tall one decided to focus on her jaguar instead. ¡°I need some food to get over that¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Ari let out a small chuckle before she grabbed some of the snacks next to her on the nket. To provide some extra healing, instead of just handing it over to Anna, she decided to feed her. That calmed her down a lot, and the group could finally fully enjoy the pic while snacking on the food and taking in the scenery with the beautiful fall foliage around them.
Chapter 301 – Bad influence Chapter 301 ¨C Bad influence Kira''s birthday was finally there, which meant that Ari and Anna had to return to the castle after running away from home a week ago. For the most part, everything went fine because the queen, the jaguar¡¯s parents, and to some degree even Menzor made sure that no one in the castle would make them feel awkward after everyone had heard their loud first time as a couple thanks to theck of sound dampening in Ari¡¯s room. It didn''t go perfectly without any incidents, though. The king still had a somewhat hard time facing his now fully grown-up daughter, and Kira, together with Daria, one of the jaguar''s mothers, being the women they are, did have to tease the couple just a little bit. Afterward, to rx a little and enjoy the beautiful fall scenery, the girls decided to have a pic in a remote area of the castle garden. They also brought Ellie with them and picked up the wolves who had already been rxing in the garden. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m feeling better now¡­¡± After having eaten something, or rather lovingly being fed by Ari a few snacks, Anna let out a small sigh. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The jaguar had a simr expression. "I''m still not looking forward to the long talk Kira, and my parents want to have with us¡­" ¡°I forgot about that!¡± The rxation part was over already. ¡°Long talk?¡± Sophia tilted her head. "When you were out with Chloe, Kira and Daria said that they wanted to have a nice talk with the two about everything.¡± Maya answered her. ¡°Oh, can I listen in to that?¡± The blonde¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°It sounds like a lot of fun.¡± ¡°It does not!¡± The princess got loud. ¡°Aren¡¯t we punished enough already?!¡± ¡°Did Anna do something bad again?¡± Ellie wasn¡¯t really able to follow their conversation, but she picked up on the crucial part. ¡°Bad Anna!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Sophia and Maya loved her reaction. ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Ellie, most of it was actually my fault¡­¡± Ari naturally had no ns to tell her what she did, but she wanted to defend her girlfriend a little. ¡°Really¡­?¡± The little tiger seemed dubious. "Really." The jaguar gave her a slight nod. ¡°Bad Anna!¡± Instead, she just pointed at her older sister again. ¡°W-Why?!¡± ¡°Ari wouldn¡¯t do anything bad on her own! I¡¯m sure Anna influ¡­ influence¡­ influencened her!¡± The word was still a little too grand for her. ¡°Pfft!¡± Even Chloe couldn¡¯t hold back anymore now. ¡°I love you so much!¡± In return to her usation, Maya got the overwhelming urge to hug the little tiger as tightly as possible. "Ehehe~." Ellie didn''t know why she was being hugged, but she surely had no ns toin about it. ¡°¡­¡± The couple wasn¡¯t sure how to defend themselves in this situation. Ari had been the driving force in the incident, but Anna was far from innocent, either. More importantly, there was just no way to exin themselves without telling the little princess things she shall not, at any cost, hear ore in contact with for many, many years. ¡°Bad Anna!¡± As she didn''t get a reply from her, even after having finished cuddling with Maya, Ellie was now convinced that she had done something bad. ¡°Ari, no more being influencened by Anna!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The duo just took more damage. ¡°Unfortunately, Ari gets influenced very easily by others¡­¡± Maya had to use this chance. ¡°It¡¯s a real problem.¡± "Really¡­?" The little princess then changed her attention to the jaguar. ¡°That¡¯s bad! Mama always says that Ellie shouldn¡¯t get influencened by bad people! Ari also shouldn¡¯t!¡± ¡°E-Ellie¡­¡± As Maya was about to lose it, the innocent savageness of her was almost making her cry in joy, she needed to make her stop so she could calm down. ¡°Ari already went through a lot, so she knows now. Anna also promised that she''ll try to be better." ¡°Great!¡± Hearing that, the little princess showed the couple a big smile. ¡°S-So much for Ellie not being influenced by bad people¡­¡± The tall tiger leaned closer to her jaguar toin a little. ¡°I heard that.¡± The cat-girl looked right at her. ¡°W-Why are your ears so good?!¡± ¡°Tell me about it¡­¡± Sophia suddenly also hung her head. She, too, has some experience with her excellent hearing, after all. "Getting influenced by others isn''t always bad, Ellie.¡± Another voice suddenly entered their conversation. "Also, do you have new clothes again? You''re even more adorable than usual!¡± ¡°Ari and I got them for her," Sophia answered her. "You just have to spoil her, after all. Especially when it''s something this cute." ¡°Mama!¡± Her face lit up when she saw that Kira had arrived at their pic ce. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± "You just have to make sure that the sort of influence is a good one. Just because your sister is usually not a good role model, she still has a good idea once every three months on average." ¡°H-Hey!¡± Anna didn¡¯t like this treatment one bit. ¡°I was pretty generous with the three months, you know?¡± The queen just stared at her. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent again. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Ellie looked dubious. ¡°Anna can have good ideas¡­?¡± ¡°W-Was my standing in the family always this low?!¡± ¡°Her rebellious phase is the absolute best~.¡± Maya enjoyed every second of this exchange. ¡°Ellie isn¡¯t a rebel!¡± ¡°I beg to differ!¡± The tall princess raised her voice once again. ¡°Well,¡± Kira looked at both her daughters for a moment and then focused on Anna. ¡°Compared to you at her age, Ellie really isn¡¯t the slightest bit rebellious.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The tall tiger wasn¡¯t having an easy day. ¡°Anyway,¡± The queen then faced the smaller princess once more. ¡°Believe it or not, your sister does do something good every now and then.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Ellie still didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Yes.¡± Kira nodded. ¡°I mean, it was mostly Ari¡¯s doing, but your older sister managed to be her partner. That¡¯s a job well done, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°True! Ellie likes Ari, so Anna really did well there!¡± "Thank you!" The jaguar liked her reply. ¡°Ellie isn¡¯t sure if Ari did a good job, though¡­¡± The little girl suddenly tilted her head. ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t know much about being partners, but¡­ Ari could¡¯ve chosen better¡­?¡± ¡°That is not true at all.¡± Ari shook her head multiple times while looking right at the little princess. ¡°Yes, your sister is a bit of work because she is so easygoing, but she¡¯s a very loving and caring girl. It never gets boring, and you always have fun with her. I wouldn¡¯t want to be with anyone else!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Sophia and Maya also nodded in agreement. ¡°Well, without the veryst part, of course.¡± ¡°Aww¡­ So, you all do love me¡­" Anna was touched that they weren''t all just all messing with her. ¡°Of course!¡± The cat-girl gave her a thumbs up. ¡°The more I tease someone, the more I like them.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± The princess¡¯ expression suddenly changed. ¡°If that is how it is¡­ B-But I already have Ari, and you¡¯re dating Sophia!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°Okay, wow¡­ That was a splendideback!¡± She looked genuinely impressed. ¡°Yes, I like you a lot, but the way I tease Sophia when we¡¯re alone is on a different level.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The blonde''s face turned a bit red while nodding. ¡°¡­¡± Ever so slightly envious-looking, Anna then nced at her jaguar. "Ari, let''s have a chat once we''re done here." Maya then smiled at her. ¡°Ah, uhh¡­ sure.¡± ¡°Just keep your voice down when you try it outter¡­¡± Kira, naturally understanding what was going on, just rolled her eyes while sitting on the nket. ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, the couple''s faces turnedpletely crimson, and they could not say anything more. ¡°Savage.¡± The cat-girl was impressed. ¡°Anyway, are you done with the birthday greetings?¡± ¡°I may have ran away¡­¡± The queen looked ever so slightly awkward. "I needed a break¡­ People just keeping anding¡­ I¡¯m d that I, as the queen, am so popr, what a thing to say¡­ but I also want some peace on my birthday¡­¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Sophia sympathized with her. ¡°Will running away work, though¡­?¡± ¡°Highly unlikely¡­¡± She hung her head. "I might be able to take a break, but I''ll have to meet many more people in the evening¡­" ¡°Sounds like a massive pain¡­ Maya, if I ever end up in such a situation, grab me under your arm and just run¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t want to have such a future. ¡°You already would¡¯ve disappeared long before I would get the chance to do so.¡± The cat-girl knew her tiger. ¡°True.¡± ¡°Responsibilities are no fun from time to time¡­¡± Kira seemed slightly envious of the carefree girl. ¡°Well, you have to do what you have to do.¡± ¡°Maya, please note that I don¡¯t ever want to end up in an important position.¡± "Says the tiger, chatting with the nation''s queen in the castle garden while cuddling with one princess after the other princess stayed in her home for a week.¡± Chloe had no idea what else an important position would be, if not that. ¡°Oh, and you lightly threatened the king earlier.¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget where you threatened him a lot by saying that you¡¯d figuratively and literally kick him out of the castle if he doesn¡¯t get his act together.¡± The queen joined in on it. ¡°Who¡¯s the one who allowed me to do that?!¡± Sophia just red at her. ¡°And how does an agreement between you and the queen to take out the king make you seem any less important¡­?¡± The fox-girl further questioned her position. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She got even more awkward. ¡°Also, wording. Seriously, WORDING!¡± ¡°Did So¡­ phia and mama do something bad¡­?¡± Ellie was busy peacefully cuddling with her and the cat-girl until now, but she picked up some words that made her question the situation. ¡°Not at all.¡± Kira smiled at her. ¡°Actually, papa did something bad, so Sophia and I had to make sure he doesn¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The little princess started smiling again. ¡°That makes more sense! Okay, Ellie will also punish daddyter!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lovely n, dear.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Did Menzor do anything¡­?¡± Sophia wanted to know why she was enabling her. "I really don''t like how he reacted at the beginning of all this, so he earns a bit more suffering.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Afterward, the group kept chatting for a bit while enjoying the rxing atmosphere in the garden because those tranquil moments were on the rarer sidetely.
Chapter 302 – Everyone’s loud Chapter 302 ¨C Everyone¡¯s loud The group was still rxing during their pic in the castle garden, and even Kira had joined them for a little while to flee from her birthday responsibilities of receiving congrattions from all kinds of people. As the nation''s queen, she was naturally quite popr, and many wanted to see her on such a day. ¡°By the way,¡± Kira faced Anna and Ari. ¡°Are the two of you staying now, or will you go back to Sophia¡¯s home for a few more days?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The duo looked slightly troubled. ¡°How is the, uhh¡­ actual mood in the castle?¡± Ari looked back at her. ¡°You and mom and all said it¡¯s basically like nothing happened by now, but is that actually true¡­? We hadn''t met anyone when we came here, so I have no idea¡­" ¡°Well, I think it might be slightly moreplicated than just ck and white¡­¡± The queen scratched her cheek. ¡°No one is going to do anything truly stupid as you¡¯re now pretty much a part of the royal family¡­¡± ¡°I-I am?!¡± The jaguar got surprised by it. "Well, duh," Maya answered her. "What did you think you be when dating the first princess?" ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Kira nodded. ¡°In fact, if Nathan would renunciate his right of the throne as the firstborn, you¡¯re basically in the line for the next queen. Well, second queen in this case, but it¡¯s still effectively the same position as mine.¡± ¡°Nathan¡­?¡± Sophia nced at her cat. ¡°Her older brother, the first prince.¡± She answered her. ¡°Also, you heard his name before¡­¡± "Maybe I should get a checkup¡­?" The blonde got ever so slightly worried about her memory. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not a bad idea.¡± ¡°I-Is Nathan nning to do that¡­?¡± Ari sounded more than just a little worried. ¡°He ising back eventually, right¡­?¡± ¡°It is the n for him to return, yes. Also,¡± The queen first nodded before looking at Anna. ¡°If anyone, it would be you who has no ns to be the ruler in the future, right?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± She agreed. ¡°Me having no interest aside, I know that I¡¯m not the right person for that position. I¡¯d probably do a decent-enough job with Ari by my side, but no¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea.¡± The princess knew that she was no model queen material. ¡°I have to agree.¡± Kira smiled at her. ¡°I do believe it would work, now with Ari more than ever, but it¡¯s just not who you are.¡± ¡°Also, judging by how long grandfather remained on the throne, don¡¯t you and father still have MANY years left?¡± ¡°That is also true.¡± "Depending on how soon Nathan settles down and finds a partner, isn''t it entirely possible to skip a whole generation?" "Hmm¡­" The queen paused for a moment before her eyes started wandering between Anna and Ari. "I think there''s a high chance that you two beat him to the punch in that regard.¡± "¡­" The two in question only reacted with an utterly crimson face. ¡°You really are amazing!¡± Maya enjoyed her way of teasing a lot. ¡°You know, as Sophia is a tiger, your kid will, in theory, also be able to be the queen, you know?¡± Kira immediately jumped at the opportunity. ¡°And we all know that you two will most likely beat those two to the punch, as well." ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl also turned silent with a simr expression as the couple. ¡°You really should¡¯ve seen that oneing¡­¡± Chloe lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright!¡± Once the queen finished enjoying her reaction, she finally got back to the initial topic. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine for you two to return to the castle.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± Ari, now more than ever, seemed slightly dubious. ¡°Again, you two are royalty, so there was never going to be anything serious happen by the people working in the castle. They¡¯re all trusted and in favor of us. It was quite the thing that happened, though¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Not directly because it¡¯s something outrageous or scandalous. It was just the sheer unexpectedness. Almost everyone knew that the two of you are basically a couple in all but the actual definition. Still, you jumping over so many hurdles all at once was a lot to take in. Not to mention that these kinds of events are always somewhat awkward and embarrassing if a third party gets involved.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The two took some damage. "I promised everyone a nice punishment and literal and figurative kick out of the castle if they do anything stupid, but for a little while, you will get a small stare or a tiny blush from others youe across in the castle. That¡¯s just how it is.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t like the sound of that¡­¡± Anna hung her head in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. It won¡¯t take longer than a month before no one cares about it anymore. It probably won¡¯t take that long even. You are the first princess, but it¡¯s not quite the same as a loud prince who was already in training for taking over the throne¡­ and his wife, who also had no idea that some ces in the castle aren''t overly soundproof¡­" ¡°¡­¡± The tall princess tilted her head while thinking about those words. ¡°Wait¡­ You and father¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kira looked a little awkward now. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time something like this has happened in the castle¡­ From what we¡¯ve heard from Menzor¡¯s father, it¡¯s actually something close to a tradition already¡­¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Anna got loud. "Wait, I have never heard about that! Well, I''m kind of happy about that because I didn''t really need to know that about my parents, but¡­¡± "That much is only natural. It was quite some time ago.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°To be more precise¡­ It happened roughly 9 months before you were born.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She once again went silent. It was a bit too much information for her liking. ¡°Why do these kinds of scenes always end up being loud when a tiger is involved.¡± Fen was with them the entire time, but he was just quietly napping for most of it. Still, he thought it was the right time to make ament. "Our own tiger also has christened our mansion in that regard¡­ More than once, too. Many times, actually. All the time, to be exact..." "G-Go back to sleep, Fennyfenny!" The blonde immediately got flustered, as well. ¡°Should I do a group session soon where I teach everyone my sound-dampening magic?¡± Chloe tried to help them. ¡°PLEASE!¡± Sophia, Maya, Ari, and Anna all raised their voices. ¡°Next time,¡± Kira looked at her older daughter and the jaguar again. ¡°Use Anna¡¯s room for that. Every room of the immediate royal family has thicker walls and doors that stop sound from traveling.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Two just looked at each other before hanging their heads in defeat. ---------------- Kira stayed with the group for a little longer while they chatted some more. Still, she was eventually picked up by two maids because another group of people who wanted to congratte the queen on her birthday had gathered in the castle. While she was at it, she also took Ellie with her. The little tiger protested a little because she wanted to keep cuddling with Maya and Sophia, but she decided to go with her mother in the end. Before leaving, though, she collected the violet dog plushy between Chloe and Aura again, gave it a good squeeze, and made it wave to the two fellow canines before reluctantly following after the queen. ¡°So, are you staying in the castle now¡­?¡± Sophia looked at the runaway couple. ¡°The topic took a rather weird turn, and that part kinda got forgotten¡­ Just curious, of course. It¡¯s fun with you two in our home, so you can stay as long as you want~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna just scratched her cheek for a moment before looking at Ari. ¡°S-Should we try it¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I want to. Like, at all, but¡­ Do we have much of a choice? Kira decided against having a birthday party, so we, first and foremost you, didn''t have to make a public appearance. Still, our birthdays are in theing week, so¡­ A ton of people will want to congratte the first princess, as well¡­¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Also, it sounded a little like the folks in the castle first have to see us a couple of times rather than us just disappearing for a while until they forget about it again¡­¡± "Yes¡­" The princess hung her head even more. "Though, the moment something too awkward happens, we''re back to the mansion!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± The blonde had nothing against the idea. ¡°Actually, if you want to, we can keep the portal in your dressing room, and you can head over whenever you want. Somehow, that makes it like there''s almost no difference between you being in one of our guestrooms or here. It¡¯s about the same distance to rx with us in our living room.¡± ¡°We¡¯re definitely going to keep the portal!¡± Anna raised her voice. "That thing is the best invention since inventions were invented!" ¡°Uhh¡­¡± More than one of them wanted to mention that that¡¯s not exactly how it worked. ¡°S-Shut up! I just wanted to get my point across!¡± She got a little embarrassed. ¡°Well, I like that n!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°You two cane over whenever and however long you want!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The duo was happy that they were this wee in her home. "Chloe, you''re staying, though, right?" She then faced the fox-girl. "If you''ll still have me, I''d like to continue to stay in the capital and with you, yes." ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde¡¯s mood was great. ¡°You can absolutely stay~. Living with Maya and the sleepy wolves," She nced at the duo napping on the grass behind them. "It''s the best, but really, the more, the merrier!" ¡°Yup.¡± The cat-girl agreed. ¡°As long as you never dare to enter our bedroom when the door¡¯s closed. That means it¡¯s Sophia and Maya time.¡± ¡°I-I would never do that!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much the only rule I have. A bit of help in the household would be appreciated if it turns into a long-time stay, but as I said before, you can even move in for good if you want to." She also was a fan of havingpany. ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe just nodded a few times. ¡°Thank you!¡± Afterward, they kept chatting for a good bitter, but the moment the sun wasn''t at the perfect angle anymore, the temperature started dropping rather fast. One girl liked that very much, but all the other cats absolutely weren''t a fan of it. Because of that, they soon packed up and went back inside the castle. Also, as it had been a long time, Sophia and the others then decided to head back home for the time being.
Chapter 303 – Yet another take on magic Chapter 303 ¨C Yet another take on magic Kira''s birthday was over, and the girls, together with the wolves, went back to their mansion after having finished up the pic in the castle''s garden. Ari and Anna stayed behind, though. They hadn''t returned home for a whole week after running away, and they thought it would be best to finally though it out. Not that either of them wanted to do that. ¡°What a day¡­¡± They were back in the living room of the mansion when Chloe let out a long sigh. As usual, she was sitting on one of the sofas together with her tail while the couple shared one of the others. Fen and Aura had gottenfortable on the sheepskin rug. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to go to the castle today and meet the king and the queen of this nation¡­ I really made some influential friends with you all¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia just lightly scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s kinda weird how that turned out, huh? Imagine how I felt when I first discovered what being a tiger means¡­ Not to mention that I got hunted down by the royal family when we arrived in the capital¡­ Compared to that, befriending some of them is almost normal.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°Nothing about any of this is normal.¡± ¡°I never said that.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°Just, to identally bing part of the royal family, meeting them is not that much of a shock.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair enough.¡± She could see her point. ¡°Also, it doesn¡¯t seem like your life could be described as normal in the first ce either, my dear fox.¡± ¡°Goodeback.¡± Chloe had to agree here. ¡°I did experience a lot while I was traveling with Feyfey. Not to mention Feyfey herself, and how it seems like her magic and what she taught me are much more out of the ordinary than I thought¡­¡± ¡°Did you really have no idea that your magic ispletely bonkers¡­?¡± The cat-girl had a hard time believing it. ¡°Sophia¡¯s much more powerful than you are, but the way you two utilize magic is simr, if not even the same. It''s unlike anything that is known. It goespletely against themon sense of everyone.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox-girl thought about it for a moment. "Common sense, huh...? I mean, Feyfey often told me that my ideas are pretty ridiculous every now and then, but¡­ She''s the one who taught me how to use magic in the first ce, so¡­ Without her, I never would¡¯ve been able to think like that. It would''ve been impossible, after all. In the end, it''s all Feyfey''s fault! Also, before meeting all of you, the topic of magic rarely came up when I was with other people. That¡¯s why I was convinced the magic I learned was perfectly normal.¡± "It''s simr to Fennyfenny and me.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°He only taught me chantless magic because chants and activation words were useless to him and I got embarrassed just thinking about using chants because they''re so cringy¡­ Okay, I knew that not all are capable of using it, but especially the thing about people thinking they should only be able to use certain elements surprised me a lot, too.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe agreed with her. ¡°That really makes no sense. ¡°Magic doesn¡¯t care how for what you¡¯re using it. Magic is magic. It only cares about how much auth-, err, power you have because that determines the way you¡¯re able to use it. The limitation to certain elements is just weird¡­¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Chloe¡­¡± Fen suddenly lifted his head from the sheepskin rug and stared straight at her. ¡°Hmm?¡± She looked back at him. ¡°You know about magic authority, don¡¯t you?¡± "A-Ah!¡± The fox-girl immediately turned her head away. "You almost let that word slip multiple times already in that very context. Still, whenever that happened, it was followed by another bombshell from either your or our striped idiot that I forgot about it again, but¡­ You do know, don¡¯t you?¡± The wolf finally wasn¡¯t too surprised about the conversation that he could probe for details now. ¡°U, Uhh¡­¡± She looked rather awkward. ¡°Feyfey actually told me to never mention that¡­¡± "A bitte for that now, isn''t it?" Aura also joined the conversation because she was just as interested in it. "You basically just finally confirmed that you know." "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Well, we all know about it, too, so it should be fine.¡± The female wolf tried to make it easier for her. ¡°We are aware that our power is actually the authority we have over magic, and it regtes how much we canmand ambient magic.¡± She roughly recalled what Canir had told them before. "I see¡­ Honestly, I don''t really know why Feyfey told me to tell no one about it¡­ She taught me magic based on the authorization basis, but she always mentioned that it''s generally known as power, and I shouldn¡¯t mention the actual thing¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fen tilted his head while trying to understand the reasoning. ¡°So, Feyanis knows about the authorization¡­? The higher your authority on it, the better and easier magic listens to you.¡± ¡°That is the rough exnation she told me when I was a little older, yes. When I was younger, and she was teaching me the basics, she used a different way of exining, though. One that I still like much more!¡± ¡°That is?¡± He got curious. ¡°It is how much magic likes you!¡± She gave him a cheery answer. ¡°Before your magic awakens, it watches you and decides how much it likes you. It is a little biased, though, because that already starts happening before you are born. That determines what is known as your power. In the end, it¡¯s just the magic particles inside yourself that decided to stick with you because they like you. When you use your magic, they leave your body, ask for help with the ambient magic, and then return to your body after a while. Magic doesn''t get used. It just changes form before eventually turning back to its original shape.¡± ¡°I love that exnation!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°I know, right?!¡± So were Chloe¡¯s. ¡°The more magic likes you, the more you can y with it~. Feyfey also told me this is why so few bad guys use big magics to hurt or harm others. Most magic doesn¡¯t like doing bad things. Then again, I''m not sure if that part is actually true¡­ It sounds a little like a fairytale you''d tell a child, after all. I still love it, though!¡± ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Fen thought about it for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s kind of simr to the exnation we heard, but it¡¯s also not¡­? Weird.¡± He seemed a little confused. ¡°Was his interpretation of it just different so we can understand it better, or is he missing something, too?" He looked at Aura while making sure she''d understand that he was talking about Canir. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t know, who would?¡± Aura tilted her head. ¡°He is in a position where he definitely should, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Chloe,¡± The female wolf then nced at the fox. ¡°Has Feyanis ever told you how she knows all of this? When Fen and I were with her, neither she nor we knew about this side of magic yet." ¡°I don¡¯t think so? Not that I remember, at least.¡± She shook her head in return. ¡°Not that I ever asked in the first ce. It was a little weird that she asked me to keep it a secret, but everyone has a weird secret or two. The exnation itself made sense to me, so I never questioned where or how she learned it.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair enough.¡± Aura had nothing to add to that. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for her to return and question her!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Fen nodded a few times. ¡°Something grand has to have happened between us parting ways and her having Chloe.¡± "I look forward to that!" Sophia gave them a thumbs up. "Every time I thought I understood magic, something newes up! Feyfey seems to be very knowledgeable about it, so I want to hear her take on it!" ¡°Has she mentioned anything about when she¡¯s returning?¡± Maya also was curious about her. "She just mentioned that she''ll do her best to hurry but also that it will take a little while." Chloe shook her head. "I heard that the human capital is really far away, but I don¡¯t think it will take that much longer.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that something happened?¡± The cat-girl was surprised that there was not a hint of doubt in her voice. ¡°Not at all.¡± She just looked back at her. ¡°Would you be worried if Fenfen would go on an extended walk?¡± ¡°Very worried!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°Though, worried about anything and anyone but him¡­¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The wolf raised his voice. ¡°What happened thest time you went on a walk?!¡± She just red at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have talked back¡­¡± He immediately hung his head. ¡°See? Feyfey is at least as powerful as him. There is no need to be worried~.¡± ¡°About her, that is?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chloe smiled back at her in a way too gentle manner for this situation. Afterward, they chatted a little longer about Fey and magic itself. Still, as all the mysteries and questions seemed to be unresolvable without that very fox, it was getting nowhere, and the group decided to put a hold on the topic for the time being and just rxed for the rest of the evening.
Chapter 304 – Birthday present Chapter 304 ¨C Birthday present The group was rxing in their living room, and the topic eventually turned to Chloe, Feyanis, and the extended knowledge they seemed to have about magic. Much to their confusion, while being somewhat simr, it even differed slightly from what Canir had told them before. Unfortunately, Chloe didn¡¯t seem to know where Feyanis got her knowledge from, so she had no way of answering any of their questions. Everyone had to wait for the return of said fox to finally get theplete picture of what was going on. A few days had passed since then, and the next event was already happening. Ari¡¯s 18th birthday urred two days ago, and while the girls went over to congratte her, they decided that it was a day for the jaguar and Anna to be alone together, just as Sophia and Maya during the cat-girl¡¯s birthday. Today was the birthday of the princess, though, and, unfortunately, that was too much of an event for them to be alone together. During the day, Anna had to attend to some official stuff, including being congratted by all kinds of people, just as Kira had on the weekend before, but thete afternoon was reserved for her actual friends. ¡°I WANT TO DIE!¡± Anna¡¯s loud voice echoed through her room. ¡°I already am dead¡­¡± Ari, sitting next to her on the sofa, just hung her head. ¡°Uhh¡­?¡± Sophia and Maya, sitting on the other sofa, and Chloe, having gottenfortable on a big armchair, all had the same reaction. ¡°What happened¡­?¡± The blonde asked the question the other two wanted to know just as much. ¡°¡­¡± The couple just went silent again. ¡°T-The most embarrassing day in history¡­ is what happened¡­¡± Ari eventually answered her. ¡°Eh?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Did you two get caught again¡­?¡± It was the only thing she could think about. ¡°Seriously?!¡± Sophia immediately jumped on the idea. ¡°WE DID NOT!¡± They got loud again. ¡°So¡­?¡± Maya just looked at them. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Father and mother organized a little reception for me where some ministers, generals, and other important members of the castle and some more could congratte me¡­" "So far, so good¡­?" She was yet to see the issue. ¡°They¡­ They also used the chance to make us¡­ official¡­¡± The jaguar added the important bit. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The other three had the same reaction yet again. ¡°Congrattion¡­?¡± ¡°S-SHUT UP!¡± They weren¡¯t in the best mood. ¡°It didn¡¯t go badly now, though, did it?¡± Sophia was trying to find out the actual issue. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for anyone to be against it, after all. Okay, that never stopped some people, but let¡¯s not go there¡­¡± Her voice trailed off a little towards the end. ¡°N-No, all went well¡­ It was just way too embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°In fact, it was so embarrassing because¡­ because it went too well¡­¡± Anna and Ari had hung their heads again. ¡°Did they start apuding and yelling that it was about time or finally and stuff like that? It was obvious to everyone but you, after all.¡± The fellow tiger took a wild guess. ¡°Followed by them swarming you and mentioning how they were always rooting for you and how happy they are that it finally worked out?¡± ¡°¡­¡± They hung their head even deeper, but the others could still clearly see that their faces were on fire. ¡°For real?!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t actually serious, and it was just an attempt to get a reaction out of them. ¡°¡­¡± The two continued to be silent before they eventually gave her a small nod. ¡°That¡­ That is exactly what happened¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Maya had a ratherplicated expression in return. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not exactly sure what is worse¡­ getting caught¡­ or that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with the public shame y.¡± It sounded like a nightmare to the blonde. "Urgh¡­" The couple took some more damage. "Not only that, but most of the people who congratted them there, and apuded them, they already knew about, and or heard them having had sex before." Chloe decided to make it worse. Much worse. ¡°Right! Most of them are the same that are always in the castle! I would¡¯ve died having to go through something that humiliating and emba- Ah.¡± She remembered the start of their conversation earlier. ¡°I-I see now¡­¡± "Idiots¡­" Maya just rolled her eyes over the two girls who didn''te equipped with a filter as usual. ¡°W-Well, it could¡¯ve been worse, right¡­?¡± She tried to cheer them up. ¡°HOW?!¡± The two had the loudest reaction yet. ¡°JUST HOW?!¡± "Uhh¡­" She scratched her cheek. "I''m sorry¡­" In the end, the cat-girl was about as helpful as the other two. ¡°Well, at least you two can be open about it now¡­?¡± Chloe tried to find something actually positive about the situation. ¡°She¡¯s right!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s worth a lot!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna and Ari paused once again before slowly lifting their faces to look at them. ¡°T-That is true¡­¡± ¡°Well, anyway¡­ Congrattion. Seriously, now.¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t think it could¡¯ve gone any worse for the two of you, but¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Maya and Chloe nodded. ¡°BUT! In the end, the result is all that counts! You are a couple, and everyone loves you. From now on, only happy times are allowed! You two are important! Not the others!¡± ¡°T-Thank you.¡± This time, the two got embarrassed for a different reason. ¡°And now, there is something I want to do to ensure that you two will be happy together for a long while.¡± Saying so, the blonde got up from her sofa and walked up to Anna. There, she kneeled down in front of her. ¡°Give me your hand, please.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± The princess wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about any of this. ¡°Uhh¡­?¡± Ari had the strong feeling that no one would be happy with the current picture. ¡°Am I holding a ring, idiots?!¡± For a rare change, Sophia was ying the straight man. Even though neither of those words should or could ever be used for her, ording to the tiger herself. ¡°Just give me your hand¡­¡± Without waiting for further protest, the resident voice of reason just grabbed the right hand of the princess before cing it between her own. A momentter, their hands started to glow in a deep purple light. ¡°Happy birthday~!¡± Afterward, she let go of Anna again and stood up. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The princess looked slightly confused. ¡°What just happened¡­?¡± ¡°My birthday gift for you was a part of my magic. Once it settles down inside of you, you should end with about the same as current Ari.¡± She smiled at the two. ¡°You two should be equal in that regard to stay happy together in the future.¡± She then nced at Anna again. ¡°We might start to feel a little tired and or sick in a while, though¡­ Well, now that I know why Ari and I ended up like that thest time, we might get over it faster if I recharge your magic immediately after it empties outter¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna looked a bit overwhelmed and just stared at her. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t want to? Should I have asked¡­?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­ Wait, what just happened?!¡± "Remember when I identally boosted Ari''s magic and enabled her to use chantless magic? I just did the same with you, only that I did it consciously because I now know what I am doing." ¡°¡­¡± The princess blinked a few times. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± Sophia''s smile got bigger. "Well, I rtively know what I''m doing..." ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Anna jumped up from the sofa and right into the arms of her fellow tiger to crush her in a big hug. "Ehehe~." The blonde returned the hug because she was happy that her gift was such a sess. ¡°This is a great reward, too~." She then nced at Ari after getting some air again after almost having suffocated for some reason. "You sure are lucky! They''re... she''s super soft! Sorry, I had to, Maya." ¡°I would¡¯ve done the same.¡± She couldn¡¯t necessarily me her. "Probably even more." ¡°H-Hey!¡± The jaguar could, though. "I know, but they''re... s-she''s mine!" "Heh!" Being happy with that, Sophia let go of Anna, who then also got away from the blonde again. ¡°Y-You are such a pervert!" The princess''s face turned a little red after she put some distance between them. ¡°Who was the one who shoved her boobs into my face? You can¡¯t me me for having the perfect height for them... that!¡± "And now I''m even more jealous¡­" Maya was taking the whole exchange surprisingly well. Partly because it was obvious that there were no actual feelings involved in the whole exchange and also because she was genuinely happy for the princess. ¡°Anyway, thanks~.¡± Sophia smiled at her once more, but she then suddenly turned a lot more serious, though. ¡°The magices with a big catch, though¡­ Something I haven¡¯t told Ari yet, either¡­¡± ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± Both of them didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Well,¡± Scratching her cheek, Sophia then walked back to Maya and sat down next to her. As this would most likely take a while, she wanted to getfortable first. Revealing how magic power is rted to aging and what that would mean for the couple certainly wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task. Chapter 305 – Age is confusing Chapter 305 ¨C Age is confusing Ari¡¯s and Anna¡¯s birthdays were in the same week, and if that wasn''t hectic enough already, the queen and king decided to give a small reception for the princess where everyone could congratte her. That wasn''t the worst part, though. While that was happening, the royal couple decided to make the duo official after they started dating roughly two weeks ago. Naturally, that was beyond embarrassing for the two. Sophia decided to keep the tension high and made the princess an exceptional birthday gift. Just as she identally did with Ari a while ago, she shared some of her magic with Anna to roughly equal the couple¡¯s power again. As the higher level of magic has some side effects, she also had to do some exining to do afterward. ¡°W-What catch are we talking about here¡­?¡± Ari looked slightly concerned while repeating the blonde¡¯s words. ¡°Well¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to start. ¡°First, sorry that I waited until now to tell you¡­¡± ¡°I REALLY don¡¯t like the sound of that!¡± The jaguar started panicking a little. ¡°Anna, do you know why tigers grow older than most of the beastfolk? The regr beastfolk, that is." ¡°Uhh¡­ Yes, I do¡­ but father told me not to mention it¡­ Wait?!¡± Her eyes suddenly became big. ¡°Yes.¡± The blonde nodded. "Maya already knows it, and Chloe probably, too, so it should be fine to talk about. Not to mention that I don''t care about keeping it a secret in the first ce.¡± ¡°Could someone tell me what¡¯s going on already?!¡± Ari just raised her voice even more. ¡°Well¡­ Long story short, tigers be a good bit older because their magic usually is higher than the rest of the beastfolk.¡± She didn¡¯t know the actual age tigers could reach, but she recalled Menzor mentioning it. ¡°Oh, is that why a lot of them got way past over 100¡­ Wait¡­?¡± The jaguar¡¯s expression changed in an instant. ¡°I-I have like five times the magic Anna had till today after you boosted me! D-Does that mean I¡¯ll grow f-five times older now?!¡± ¡°No, it doesn''t work quite like that¡­¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± She looked a little relieved. ¡°It grows kinda exponentially¡­¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Every sign of relief had washed away from her face again. ¡°Err, I asked Fen when it happened with us,¡± Sophia nced at the jaguar. ¡°So, it should be the same for you, too, Anna¡­¡± ¡°W-What does that mean for us, then¡­?¡± The princess also looked concerned. "ording to Fen, your magic is a good bit about those of the elven race, so¡­ You two should be at least as old as them. Probably older, even¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two were speechless. "A-Aren¡¯t elves supposed to get like a t-thousand years old¡­?¡± Ari eventually spoke up again. ¡°From what Feyfey told me about magic aging, you two should definitely reach 4 digits easily." Apparently knowing about it, Chloe also gave them her own assessment. "Elves have no problems reaching that age, after all." ¡°N-No way¡­¡± The duo started trembling a little. ¡°On the plus side,¡± The fox-girl scratched her cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ll stay about as young as you currently are for half an eternity¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Not only do you grow older, but you also pretty much stop aging around our visual age.¡± ¡°W-Well, I am pretty happy with my current style¡­¡± Anna cheered up ever so slightly. ¡°M-Me, too¡­¡± So did the jaguar. ¡°S-Still¡­ seriously¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The blonde just kept nodding. ¡°WAIT!¡± The princess suddenly got loud once more. "I-If we will be getting THAT old¡­" She nced at Maya before staring right at Sophia. ¡°How old will you two get?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She got more awkward again. "A-ording to Fen, unless some sort of horrible ident happens¡­ we, well¡­ we probably won¡¯t naturally die¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl kept silent on the topic. ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way that that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You know how strong Fen is, right? He also can¡¯t die of natural causes. Thest time he was in the capital was around the time it was founded. He even was around when the demons were still around on this continent. He and Aura told me many stories about them, too. It¡¯s definitely true. Actually, I saw drawings of him in ruins we visited that seemed to be hundreds of years old.¡± ¡°T-The founding of the capital¡­? Do you have any idea how many centuries ago that was?! I''m not even getting started on the demons. That was millennia ago!" Ari refused to believe it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to you to believe it or not, but I do, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent again. ¡°So¡­ Is that why I believed Chloe looks a bit younger than 19, the age she ims to be¡­? She also has more magic than most, probably even more than she feels like because she can use chantless magic¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°I stopped aging a few years ago, right after I had a massive growth spurt¡­" She paused for a moment afterward. "Yes, I''m talking about my chest¡­" Chloe noticed the gaze of Maya and Sophia. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Anna looked a bit conflicted before ncing at Sophia. ¡°¡­¡± She looked back at her. ¡°My growth spurt wasn''t quite over yet. Shut up!" Her gaze turned into a slight re. "I still have the chance to make them bigger with the right diet!" She raised her voice. "Also, don''t you dare to mention how that¡¯s mostly a myth!¡± "I-I didn''t say a word!" The princess lifted her arms in defense. "Also, you''re pretty much the exact same size and height as Ari. That''s my favorite size!" ¡°I agree!¡± The fox-girl sided with her. ¡°Good save.¡± Her expression rxed again. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Anna looked relieved about that. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Her gaze then got more intense than ever while looking at Maya and the blonde. ¡°I never questioned it because you two are about as yful and easygoing as whatever your visual age suggests. Sophia even being outright unhinged at times, but both of you are oddly wise and responsible at times, too¡­ How old are you two?!¡± ¡°OI!¡± The duo didn¡¯t like the implication and heavily red at the princess. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t trying to say anything here!¡± She got quite intimidated by them. ¡°I-I just got curious¡­¡± ¡°Do I sound or act like a fully grown adult to you?¡± Sophia then started smiling again. ¡°I have my moments, but you know just as much as I do that I¡¯m pretty much still a spoilt child. I¡¯m a little older than Chloe, but it''s not really worth mentioning.¡± ¡°Same for me.¡± Maya joined her. ¡°We¡¯re pretty much the same. Only Fen and Aura are the ones with actual experience from age.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Anna decided to be happy with that and didn¡¯t ask any further questions. After all, it was pretty apparent that Sophia especially wasn''t any more mature than the other girls for the most time, and that''s all that counts. ¡°Though, seriously¡­ is it really true¡­? Are Ari and I going to be that old¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not going to guarantee anything, but that¡¯s what I learned from Fen.¡± ¡°Feyfey taught me the same.¡± Chloe gave her some backup. ¡°I-I see¡­ and we¡¯re going to stay young for most of it¡­? I haven¡¯t met any elves, but they¡¯re supposed to retain their youthful image until almost the very end, right¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I heard, yes.¡± ¡°Well, I can''t say I don''t like the sound of that, but¡­" The princess seemed a little relieved, but the whole situation obviously still was a lot to deal with. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s how it is.¡± The fox-girl also nodded. ¡°Once they stop growing, all elves look between 15 and 25. Though, their expressions make them seem a little more mature. Actually, I met an elf who imed to be 1200 years old, but she looked younger than Sophia! It''s amon belief among elves that once you start to look significantly older than 25, it means your final 150 years have begun. It seems to be true because actual elder elves are super rare. I only met like two that looked over 50¡­" ¡°And there you have- Wait, what¡­?¡± Sophia was happy about the support, but something about Chloe¡¯s exnation piqued her interest. "That almost sounds like you met some elves¡­?" ¡°I met several, actually. Why?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t? They¡¯re a fun bunch, you know? I can really rmend visiting them.¡± ¡°Why do you think I was so excited when visiting the elven vige where we met you?!¡± She got loud. ¡°I want to meet the elves so badly, but I have no idea how to find them! Even Fennyfenny and Aura said it''s mostly luck finding them!¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ Well, it¡¯s not that easy to run into them, true¡­ I had to pester Feyfey for quite a while until she finally found an inhabited vige of them.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me when we were talking about our previous adventures?!¡± The blonde got loud again. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She scratched her cheek in return. ¡°Feyfey and I stayed in 3¡­ 4? Something along the lines of that elven viges so far¡­ I am aware that they¡¯re rare, but I thought you already met elves before¡­¡± ¡°I DIDN¡¯T!¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Ari, Anna, I really want to question Chloe about some stuff, but you two are more important right now!¡± Sophia still had her priorities right. ¡°Is there anything else you want to know about the age thing¡­ I¡¯ll try to exin as much as I can. I could also get Fen and Aura as they know more about it¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari still looked troubled. ¡°I¡­ I first need fully wrap my head around it¡­ I am sure to have more questionster, but for now, I have to gather my thoughts first¡­ It¡¯s too much at once¡­ I still can¡¯t actually believe it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for me¡­¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Feel free to get excited with Chloe. Once you¡¯re done, I¡¯m sure we have some more questions¡­ Right now, I also have to think a little about it¡­¡± ¡°Okay! Please interrupt us the moment you want to know anything!¡± ¡°Will do¡­¡± ¡°Chloe!¡± Giving the couple a slight smile, she then faced the fox-girl. ¡°TELL ME EVERYTHING!¡± Afterward, she inched closer to Chloe by sliding toward the edge of the sofa next to the armchair the fox-girl was sitting on and stared at her with big, expectant-looking eyes. She was looking forward to hearing a nice story.
Chapter 306 – Taking responsibility Chapter 306 ¨C Taking responsibility After Sophia had shared some of her magic with Anna to bring her to an equal level to Ari, she also finally exined what kinds of side effects that much magic has. After all, one''s life expectancy directly rtes to the amount of magic one has. Thanks to the significant increase, the couple will now grow much older than they were ever supposed to. Obviously, this was a shocking revtion, and the two needed to process this information first. During the exnation, they also found out that Chloe actually met elves, another long-lived race before, which made the blonde very excited because she still really wanted to meet them. ¡°Chloe, details!¡± Sophia still was very looking forward to hearing more about the elves the fox-girl had run into before. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head in response. ¡°I wonder what there is to tell¡­ You already know their viges¡­ So more about the elves themselves¡­?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Their pointy ears are pretty cute, but other than that, remarkably unremarkable, I guess?¡± Chloe paused for a moment. ¡°They¡¯re pretty tight with nature, and I got the idea of growing a tree with my magic after being with them for a while. They had some activation words that did something simr, though on a much smaller scale.¡± ¡°Their pointy ears are on the sides of their head, right? Also, human-like in one way or another, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Hmmn¡­¡± The blonde looked a little conflicted. ¡°I do want to see them, but I already know that I¡¯ll prefer the fluffy type of pointy ears. The ones on yours and Maya¡¯s head, that is.¡± She alternatingly looked at the two. ¡°Fluff is justice!¡± "Well, it''s not like I disagree. I very much agree with you, but¡­ This and that is something different. We have animal ears while they have, well¡­ elven ears?¡± ¡°And I just stated what I prefer in this situation.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t see a problem with her im. ¡°Fair enough¡­¡± ¡°Well, how are their characters and stuff?¡± ¡°Surprisingly, really sociable and not high-and-mighty at all!¡± Chloe sounded surprised for some reason. ¡°Well, some are, but that¡¯s the same with every folk, I guess?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The blonde¡¯s voice had the same surprised tone. ¡°Totally unexpected, right?!¡± ¡°Right!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Sounds much better, though.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Why are elves supposed to be high-and-mighty¡­?¡± Maya looked a little confused while she was trying to follow their conversation. "Because they''re elves!" The two raised their voices while staring right at her. ¡°And¡­?¡± She just tilted her head even more. ¡°That¡¯s how elves are supposed to be, right?¡± The duo was in perfect sync. ¡°Are they¡­?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s confusion grew. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I''ve obviously never met any elves before, but I never heard them being described like that, either¡­ They¡¯re close to nature, yes, but they¡¯re said to be calm, collected, friendly, and generally very bnced with a neutral stance on most things.¡± ¡°They are exactly like that¡­¡± The fox-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Itpletely shattered my images of elves¡­¡± ¡°Mine, too, is shattered!¡± The blonde agreed with her. ¡°Where did that weird knowledge of the two of you evene from¡­?¡± ¡°No idea¡­¡± They shook their heads. In Sophia¡¯s case, she also couldn¡¯t mention how that description of elves was rtivelymon in fictional works in her old world. ¡°It¡¯s just that elves equal that.¡± ¡°Well, it doesn''t, though.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The two nodded. ¡°It¡¯s better this way, though, so all¡¯s fine~.¡± The duo was entirely on the same page. ¡°You are sooo weird¡­¡± Today, Maya learned nothing new. ¡°Yes¡­¡± They had no other choice but to agree. ¡°Okay, whatever¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°What else is there to know about them?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ They have great alcohol, I guess?¡± ¡°Do we have a drinking problem, my dear?¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­? Can you have a drinking problem if the actual alcohol part doesn¡¯t work on you? I just like how sweet it is~. I don¡¯t like the stuff that just burns or tastes bitter! Not at all!¡± ¡°Good point. The sweet stuff really is delicious~.¡± ¡°Other than that, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Chloe tilted her head while thinking about the elves she met. ¡°Oh, they basically don¡¯t use chants unless the situation calls for it. All of them know how to use activation words. About half of them even have a good level of understanding of chantless magic." ¡°Oho!¡± ¡°They''re also not limiting themselves to certain elements like it¡¯s custom here for some reason¡­¡± ¡°I like them already!¡± "Although, they are especially fond of nature-rted stuff and aren''t the biggest fans of everything around fire.¡± ¡°Well, those two are kinda ipatible in some ways¡­ Especially if your folk loves the forest and lives in self-made houses made of wood and or built on trees." Sophia saw the connection in their preferences. ¡°Yes.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°Not a goodbination.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Sophia then pped her hands. ¡°They¡¯re not exactly what I expected, but they sound better than I thought! Do you still know where you met them?" ¡°Feyfey definitely does!¡± ¡°Good enough!¡± The blonde didn''t care about such details as long as someone could show her the way. "Maya, add that to the list of ces I want to visit once winter is over!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Her secretary just gave her an affirmative nod. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± Sophia showed everyone a big smile. ¡°Once it¡¯s spring, we¡¯re going to have sooo much fun~.¡± "¡­" Hearing that, the ears of the princess, who was busy whispering with Ari until now, to process their current situation, twitched a couple of times. "Sophia¡­ before that, we''ll have you take responsibility for what you''ve done to Ari and me." ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Her expression changed instantly. ¡°Y-You have to deal with Maya first for that, though¡­ Also, I¡¯m not exactly in favor of the idea, either¡­ Looking and being a little horny at times aside, at the end of the day, while I can''t deny being slightly curious, I''m a supporter of monogamy¡­ Not that I disapprove of other lifestyles, but¡­¡± The blonde looked a little conflicted about her suggestion. ¡°Not to mention, you two just got together¡­ Is that really the right time for wanting a third party¡­?¡± "T-That''s not what I meant!" Anna''s face turned red. ¡°Really?¡± The other tiger tilted her head. ¡°Sure sounded like it, though.¡± ¡°Mh-hmm.¡± Maya just nodded. ¡°YES!¡± She got loud again. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you take responsibility for giving us so much magic that it messed with our age by promising to take us with you on your travels and that you wait until we graduate in spring!¡± Anna¡¯s face still was slightly red after the misunderstanding, but her voice was full of determination. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if our magic now is enough to be with you all the time, but you have to PROMISE us that you will perfect the portal thingy so that Ari and I can explore the world with you and the others at ANY time we want!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment before eventually looking at Maya and Chloe. ¡°Uhh¡­ didn¡¯t I do that already¡­?¡± ¡°I thought so, too?¡± The fox-girl also was somewhat confused. ¡°I mean, I want to y with the portals and hope to enchant items with that magic because I¡¯m EXTREMELY curious about it, but our main motivation was to take those two with us, right¡­?" ¡°No, it was just a suggestion from you after Ari and I eximed our interest ining with you all¡­ Now, I want an actual promise from you to us.¡± She looked right at the blonde while grabbing the jaguar¡¯s hand. ¡°I see¡­ Well, that was always my idea when I made the suggestion, but now I will promise to take you with us. Either by putting you through intense training to keep up with us or when Chloe and I manage to modify the portals. One way or another, you two wille with us.¡± She showed them a determined expression. ¡°C-Chloe, please manage to get the portals working¡­¡± Anna suddenly had a bad feeling about it. "Of course!" ¡°Give me your hand on that.¡± Ari then suddenly showed hers to Sophia. ¡°Sure.¡± Saying so, the blonde stood up to get closer to the jaguar. ¡°I promise to-¡± The moment she started shaking her hand, Ari spoke up again. ¡°You¡¯re also going to exin all of this to our parents and also tell them that we¡¯re going with you.¡± The jaguar added a little bit to their promise. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Her expression changed. ¡°That¡¯s a brilliant idea!¡± The princess was a big fan of that n., ¡°I AM NOT!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°I never promised that part!¡± ¡°You just shook my hand, though.¡± The jaguar just grinned at her. ¡°Yup, I saw that, too.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°I did, too.¡± Chloe did the same. ¡°THAT DOESN¡¯T COUNT!¡± The blonde really didn''t want to do that. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for messing with our bodies. After what you did to us, you have to take responsibility for your actions!¡± Ari was enjoying the situation a little bit. ¡°WORDING!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯re doing that on purpose, aren¡¯t you¡­?¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She had to take a small break. ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s great that you two are feeling better after the revtion, but why do I have to suffer so much¡­ I just wanted to do both of you a favor¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The two smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯re not going to forgive you about the other side that easily, though¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°You totally did that to yourself by not telling them first.¡± Maya looked at her tiger. ¡°Ari was an ident, but you knew full well what you were doing with Anna.¡± ¡°I totally would¡¯ve epted it, anyway, for the fact to match Ari and stay the same age as her, but some information about it would¡¯ve been nice beforehand.¡± Anna also looked at her. ¡°Fine¡­ I get it¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°I¡¯ll do it... Maya and I will tell them.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Good gir-, Wait, what?¡± The cat-girl needed a second before noticing that she suddenly was included in her promise. ¡°Did you really think I would do that without you?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Afterward, the girls discussed the topic a little more because Sophia needed to get all the help she could because such a conversation would be far from easy. Especially for her.
Chapter 307 – Portal pain Chapter 307 ¨C Portal pain Chloe had told Sophia about the elves she visited, and the blonde looked forward to meeting them once the group started traveling again. After that topic came up, Anna and Ari also made the tiger promise to take the two with them as a means of taking responsibility after messing with their magic and life expectancy. Ari, being extra sneaky, also made Sophia promise that she¡¯s going to be the one who will exin everything, the magic, and their travel ns, to their parents. ¡°Did I mention that I hate you already¡­?¡± The girls were still in Anna¡¯s room when Sophia eventually nced at Ari. ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡± The jaguar was in a good mood after having made the blonde promise that she would be the one to break the current events to their parents. ¡°Urgh¡­ Menzor still owes me, and Kira likes me a lot, so as long as I promise her to show my face often enough while bringing the princess with me, I should be fine on that side¡­¡± Sophia was trying to find out how hard her job would be. "Ari, how much of a pain are your parents going to be? I already know Daria, and I''m a big fan of hers, so I might have a chance for it to be easy¡­?" "Do you think it will be easy to tell my parents that you''re going to take me with you for a journey around the continent and might even the whole world? Not to mention the part where you identally made me half-immortal¡­?¡± The jaguar just stared at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t push that to you for nothing.¡± ¡°Seriously now, I hate you.¡± "Also," Anna also faced her. "I''ve whittled down father a lot thest two years because I want to travel the world! My chances were good because he allowed Nathen to do that. Still, if he finds out that I''m now like the most powerful tiger in the family, he will definitely raise a fuss on a whole different level.¡± "Ellie has much more magic than you will have once we''re done, though." The blonde shook her head. ¡°Actually, she has more than the two of you together.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± The princess¡¯ eyes grew big. ¡°How do you even know that? Her magic hasn¡¯t even awakened yet, has it? I didn¡¯t sense a thing when we werest together.¡± ¡°The way I sense magic is a little different from most. Well, I also know the instinctive way. Still, the detection magic I mentioned a few times already also lets me see the potential of others. ¡°You definitely have to teach me that as soon as you have the time!¡± Chloe sounded like she was very interested in it. ¡°Fennyfenny invented it.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°He might be the better teacher for it.¡± ¡°Okay! I will ask the next time I see him!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°W-Why has she so much magic, though¡­?¡± Anna looked confused. ¡°You didn¡¯t do the same to her, did you?!¡± ¡°I did not.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Stuff like that just happens from time to time.¡± ¡°It does¡­?¡± The tall tiger seemed dubious. ¡°Maya has more than twice than Ellie, and she also had that much even before I met and or even knew she existed. Her parents don''t have nearly as much as her, either. It apparently really just happens.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair.¡± Anna could ept this exnation. ¡°If that is the case and Ellie really has that much power, it might actually help you. Although¡­ Father then will probably raise quite the fuss about you leaving as you¡¯re undoubtedly the most talented magic user, and Ellie could learn a lot from you. Catastrophes aside." ¡°And that¡¯s where the portalse into y.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Whenever it¡¯s time to train, I¡¯ll be able to visit her. In a way, using a portal from the other side of the continent is faster than walking to the castle from the mansion.¡± "Does that mean you''ll tell father about your portals¡­?" The princess tilted her head. "If so, we''re back to the fuss that will be raised.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The blonde started to notice the problem. ¡°Every solution brings a new problem, huh?" "That¡¯s what you get for even thinking about it might be easy.¡± Ari just gave her a smile. ¡°Someone¡¯s extra sassy today, huh?¡± ¡°I need an outlet¡­¡± ¡°Why me?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°You have your own tiger for that!¡± "I need two for the amount I bottled up." ¡°Maya! Help!¡± ¡°Just make sure it¡¯s just the sass where you need a second tiger for.¡± The cat-girl had other priorities than helping her girl. ¡°I know how thirsty you can be, but you¡¯re not getting her for anything else.¡± "F-For that, I only need the one tiger!" The jaguar¡¯s cheeks turned red in response. ¡°Good.¡± Maya was happy with her reply. ¡°Have fun with Sophia for then.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde got even louder. ¡°C-Chloe, can you help me¡­?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She smiled at her in return. ¡°You need to tell me how, though. This whole situation is a little outside my field of expertise¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s my problem, too!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox-girl gave it some thought. ¡°Can¡¯t you juste up with a cheap excuse about the portals? Like, you need to have at least as much magic au- power as I have?¡± ¡°I think something along the lines of that was the n I had a while back, but¡­¡± Sophia had thought about this exnation before already. ¡°You would make that a lot moreplicated, though¡­¡± ¡°W-Why me¡­?¡± Chloe looked confused. "Because, on the surface, you seem to have do have a little more power than current Anna and the others, but not that much... In reality, your magic is much more potent, which is probably the reason you can use chantless stuff. Exining that will be about as much of a pain¡­" "A-Ah¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard ce, huh¡­?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°How about I just go home, and you never mention me during your talk with their parents?" Chloe tried to take the cheap way out. ¡°Nice try.¡± The blonde had no intention of letting her take the easy exit. "If I have to suffer, I will take everyone in my group with me!" ¡°What about the wolves?¡± Chloe yed along. ¡°I will find something to ruin their day, too!¡± ¡°She¡¯s having fun after all, isn¡¯t she?¡± The fox-girl looked at Maya instead. ¡°Pretty much.¡± The cat-girl nodded in agreement. ¡°Am not!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chloe just nodded. "Well, I don''t know why my magic is like it is. After all, I thought it was perfectly normal. That''s why, there''s not much to exin.... How about you just tell him that you need to be able to use chantless magic in one way or another? Once the magic boost of the princess ispleted, everyone here can, and it''s the perfect requirement for it.¡± ¡°I like that! Wait, wasn¡¯t that the idea I had in the very beginning when I mentioned that I have a way to quickly travel between two ces to the king¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Maya confirmed it. ¡°So, all of this worrying was for nothing?!¡± ¡°Business as usual, isn¡¯t it?¡± The cat-girl was used to it already. ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± Sophia got a little embarrassed. ¡°Also, Chloe, nice thinking.¡± Maya then smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s great to see that you cane up with logically sound arguments on the fly.¡± ¡°Everything for the sake of having fun!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She had hoped for a more serious reasoning. ¡°Speaking of, I think it actually could be a lot of fun to make the portals public!¡± The fox-girl sounded rather giddy. ¡°How?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t seem to agree. "Please look up the difference between fun and a major pain in a dictionary!" ¡°I am well aware of their definitions!¡± Chloe looked a little pouty. "I just think that a publicly essible travel hub could be pretty fun! It would be a great help to connect remote ces with each other. When we made pizza together the other day, you mentioned that it was hard to get tuna this time of the year, right? If you have portals in the right ces, seasonal products will be a thing of the past! Not just for you, but for everyone! I want some fruits you can''t get here right now, too!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°T-That does sound great¡­ Very helpful, too¡­¡± ¡°It would be extremely beneficial for everyone!¡± Anna also agreed. ¡°I know that such an idea tickles your dutiful tiger bits, but¡­¡± Ari didn¡¯t look like she was the biggest fan of the idea. ¡°Something like that sounds like the biggest imaginable pain possible! Just think about how many people wouldn¡¯t stop pestering you about it! Everyone would want to know how they work and all that¡­¡± ¡°Also true¡­¡± Both tigers hung their heads in response. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just push all that to a proxy?¡± Chloe didn¡¯t want to let go of the idea. ¡°Proxy?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Someone who officially manages the portals and is responsible for everything around it. You just create them, and that''s all the connection and responsibility you have with them." ¡°I see!¡± ¡°I bet father could appoint a minister just for that to make it an official noble duty. That way, no one would bother Sophia specifically!¡± ¡°That person would have to get paid very generously, though¡­¡± Maya looked concerned. ¡°They would be under a ton of stress¡­¡± ¡°What do you think how much merchants and every other type of traveler would pay for an opportunity to be wherever they need to be instantly!?¡± The fox-girl was very confident about her idea. ¡°Okay, you do have a point there¡­¡± ¡°Maybe we should at least mention it when we tell the king and the others what is going on¡­?¡± The blonde was warming up to the idea. ¡°If it turns into a pain, I can still say no?¡± ¡°When you are going to tell them about everything.¡± Ari corrected her. ¡°Not we.¡± ¡°Ari, my dear~,¡± She smiled at her. ¡°You never made me promise that I won¡¯t drag you and Anna with me while you two will be sitting left and right of me.¡± "A-Ah.¡± The smug smile on the jaguar¡¯s lips had disappeared in an instant. ¡°Okay, whatever! Let¡¯s strike it while it¡¯s hot!¡± Sophia jumped off the sofa. ¡°Let¡¯s go and tell everyone right now. If it drags on for too long, I¡¯ll probably try my best to skip this conversation. Also, the sooner it¡¯s done, the sooner we can have fun again!¡± Once the blonde had decided on that, she took everyone with them to tell Anna¡¯s and Ari¡¯s parents about everything that was, is, and will be going on.
Chapter 308 – Telling the parents Chapter 308 ¨C Telling the parents The group was discussing how Sophia should be telling Anna''s and Ari''s parents about their new magic and its side effects. Not only that, but the couple also decided that they were going to join the blonde''s group on their travels in one way or another. They thought about telling the king about the portals to exin how the two would be able to do that. Chloe then also introduced the idea of making the portals public so they could be used as a general means of transportation. Sophia was interested in the idea, but she also feared it would be a massive pain to deal with everything around it. ¡°Soo¡­ why are we all here?¡± Menzor found himself in a meeting room while he was staring at Sophia. It wasn¡¯t just the two of them, though. Maya, Chloe, Ari, and Anna were also present next to her. The king also had the queen by his side, and two jaguar maids were sitting next to them. One of them was Daria, but next to her, a woman with a simr style but slightly darker blonde hair and a more detailed rosette pattern was sitting. As it turned out, it was Ari¡¯s other mother, going by the name of Ste. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The blonde tiger scratched her cheek before ncing at the girls next to her. "A-A little help¡­?¡± ¡°No, the stage is all yours.¡± Maya had no intention of letting her get out of this, and the others just gave her a couple of nods. ¡°Urgh¡­ It was worth a try.¡± She hung her head. ¡°Menzor, I will tell Ari¡¯s parents about the age and magic connection¡­ Everyone else here already knows about it, but they need to know about it, too¡­" ¡°Why¡­?¡± The king seemed confused. ¡°Well¡­¡± Afterward, she exined everything about the ident that led Ari to gain a part of her power and enabled her to use chantless magic. Sophia then also added some details about what this amount of magic does to your life expectancy. ¡°¡­¡± Ari¡¯s parents had a ratherplicated expression. ¡°Is¡­ Is that really true¡­?¡± ¡°It is.¡± The blonde confirmed it again. ¡°Back when it happened, it was an honest mistake, but here we are now¡­ Being able to be that old is rather frightening, but I think it¡¯s overall a positive thing. You can use your magic in a much more versatile fashion, and it also has a positive effect on your overall health, as well." ¡°¡­¡± The two needed some time to let it sink in. ¡°Why are we here, too, though¡­?¡± Kira was looking for the connection. ¡°We already know about the corrtion of it¡­ and with Ellie being even more powerful in the future, we had a lot of thought put into it, too. Oh, is it because the two are now together? Wait, with their magic now being so different, wouldn¡¯t that mean...¡± The queen started to see the issue. ¡°Kind of¡­?¡± Sophia got more awkward again. ¡°I, uhh... I might¡¯ve done it again. This time, on purpose, though...¡± She stole a short nce at the princess. ¡°Anna was envious of Ari''s high magic and her ability to use it chantlessly now. Also, now that they''re together, I didn¡¯t want their life expectancy to differ that much, so... My birthday present was a little more special...¡± "Y-You don''t mean?!" Menzor jumped up from his chair. "I don''t feel her being any different, though? Actually, if anything, I have the feeling that her power is a good bit lower than usual?¡± ¡°It takes a while. If she¡¯s currently losing her magic, it means it¡¯s working. Anna, how are you feeling right now?¡± "A little tired, I guess?¡± She tilted her head. "A bit of muscle pain, maybe?¡± "Yeah, it''s the same for me..." Sophia gave her a slight nod. "Once your magic haspletely emptied, I''ll reactivate it again for it to regenerate to your new levels. Just like I did with Ari.¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°Are you serious right now?!¡± Menzor got louder. ¡°I always am!¡± The blonde gave him one of her standard replies. "Wanting to have her have more fun with magic, I didn''t want her and Ari to drift apart over time. It would be kinda weird if our princess ages normally while Ari looks young for much longer..." ¡°So... the two will have the same at the end of the day?¡± Kira just stared at her. ¡°Pretty much, yes.¡± She nodded again. "Just like her, she''ll have around half of the magic Ellie will have once it awakens." ¡°Wow... I¡¯m still in shock over Ellie that I¡¯m probably much calmer about this now... I do agree that it¡¯s a good thing, though. Things would probably get awkward with that much of a difference between the two.¡± Kira looked at Ari and Anna while saying so. "A-Anna, can you promise me not to blow up the capital once your elevated magic bes usable...?¡± The king had turned pale by now. He seemingly wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of his chaotic daughter having so much power. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The princess raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be careful...¡± She still saw his point. ¡°Don¡¯t try! DO!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± She actually looked slightly disappointed. ¡°Now I really fear for the capital¡­¡± ¡°I might have a solution for that." Sophia faced the king. "I''m pretty sure I have a way to save the castle from the princess'' inevitable fate." ¡°H-Hey!¡± Anna got even louder¡­ ¡°Oh¡­ Wait, no, go on!¡± She seemed to notice her n. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to walk into a trap but go on.¡± Menzor got a bit wary of her. ¡°Ahaha¡­ As you already know, I don¡¯t n to stay in the capital forever. The rest of fall and the entire winter is already set, but once it gets warmer in spring again, Maya, Fen, Aura, now Chloe, too, and I are going to leave again to explore the rest of the continent.¡± ¡°Yes, I am regretfully aware of that¡­¡± He still wasn¡¯t happy with her leaving eventually. ¡°How about I take the princess with us? She won¡¯t be a risk for the capital anymore that way.¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°Actually¡­ Both of them are dead set oning with us¡­ They actually went as far as ckmailing me into convincing all of you to take them with me as a means of taking responsibility for having messed with their magic and life expectancy without having told them first." ¡°H-Hey!¡± The duo red at her. ¡°T-There was no need to mention that part.¡± ¡°You never made me promise without my consent to keep my mouth shut about the circumstances.¡± "A-Ah.¡± They went silent again. ¡°¡­¡± All of their parents went silent and exchanged some nces with each other with very different expressions. ¡°It¡¯s the same as Nathan all over again, huh?¡± Daria was the first to speak up. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m that surprised.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± The other jaguar maid and Ari¡¯s mother next to her, Ste, followed after her. ¡°Our dear princess always was even more of an active child than even Nathan is. It¡¯s only natural that she¡¯d want to follow after him and do the same.¡± ¡°She has been energetically pestering me about it since the day he left¡­¡± Menzor sounded a little tired. ¡°I never was a fan of the idea, though¡­¡± ¡°Can we really deny her, though?¡± Kira smiled at the king. ¡°We allowed Nathan to explore the kingdom. Not letting Anna do the same would just be unfair. Even before, she had slightly more power than him, and now it seems like she''s going to be much stronger. Not being able to defend herself is not an argument. Not to mention the part where Maya, the wolves, and Sophia would be with her. If there¡¯s one ce where she¡¯s safe, it¡¯s within this group.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The king went silent again. ¡°Daria, Ste,¡± Kira then faced the jaguar maids. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two also needed a moment before Daria spoke up. ¡°No parent is happy when their kid leaves the nest, but this is a bit of a best-case scenario in that regard, I guess? I briefly got to know Sophia, and she''s quite the girl." She smiled at the blonde before continuing. "I can also sense how much power each member of her group has. Because of that, the safety of our baby is guaranteed.¡± ¡°Not to mention,¡± Ste also looked at the tiger. ¡°We know how much you helped Ari toe out of her shell. Our dear princess has been giving it her best for years already, but you helped give her the final push. From what I''ve heard, Maya also helped Anna greatly with her romance between our girl and herself. Ever since your group befriended her, Ari has been smiling sooo much more. If she has to leave, I am happy that she will continue to stay with the group that helped her blossom.¡± ¡°M-Mom¡­¡± The girl in question got embarrassed over all of this. "I am sad that it would mean both of our girls are away from home, though¡­¡± Ste was happy for her, but it was a little bittersweet. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing that, Sophia felt a little bad about it. ¡°I already told Menzor, but I have the ability to travel between ces fast. Even if we''re at the other end of the continent, it will take us minutes to return to the castle. We won¡¯t being back all the time, but I don¡¯t think I can go on without Ellie for much longer than a week, so we''ll visit a lot.¡± ¡°Is that really true¡­?¡± Ste tilted her head. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Magic~.¡± The blonde just smiled at her. ¡°And I still want to know the details about that!¡± The king raised his voice a little. ¡°Chloe did make me think about mizing it, so¡­¡± ¡°You are the best!¡± Menzor faced her. ¡°U-Uhh¡­¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t sure how to react to the king saying that to her. "I''m still trying to figure out some details, and I''m not 100% if it''s a good idea, but once I decide on that, we¡¯re going to have another conversation.¡± Sophia gave Menzor a small heads-up. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± He sounded quite excited. ¡°For now,¡± Sophia smiled at Ari¡¯s parents. ¡°All I want to say, even if she goes with us, in a way, she¡¯ll never be further away than a couple of minutes.¡± ¡°That sounds great!¡± The two looked really happy about that. Afterward, the group kept chatting about some more details, like when they wanted to leave and simr things.
(Made by , thanks!) Chapter 309 – Princess with extra power Chapter 309 ¨C Princess with extra power Sophia and her group met with Anna¡¯s and Ari¡¯s parents to tell them how both of them now had their magic increased and how the couple wanted to apany them on their travels in the future. Luckily, after being shocked for a few moments, their parents agreed with the n, and everyone ended up talking about all sorts of details regarding the idea. ¡°Phew, that was a lot easier than I had expected¡­¡± Back in Anna¡¯s room, Sophia let out a rxed sigh while gettingfortable next to Maya on the sofa. ¡°Yes.¡± Ari agreed. ¡°I¡¯m a little disappointed, too.¡± ¡°HEY!¡± She got loud. "Well, it''s indeed good being that easy," Anna sided with her fellow tiger. "I am disappointed that you got off the hook without any consequences, though.¡± In the end, she was on the jaguar¡¯s side, after all. ¡°I¡¯m starting to second-guess my decision to take them with us¡­¡± ¡°And I like the n more than ever now!¡± Maya wasn¡¯t on the blonde¡¯s side, either. ¡°You¡¯re just happy that I¡¯m on the receiving end of even more sass!¡± The blonde red at her cat. ¡°Yup.¡± She just grinned back at her. ¡°C-Chloe, you¡¯re still on my side, right¡­?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The fox-girl showed her a gentle smile. ¡°Unintentionally aside, I usually don¡¯t enjoy teasing others, after all.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Sophia looked happier again. "You do look pretty cute when you get flustered, though." ¡°S-Shut up!¡± She got loud. "That was intentional just now, wasn''t it?!" ¡°What was?¡± She only tilted her head while looking absolutely innocent. "Wow." Ari looked impressed. "Is she actually clueless, or is she that good?" ¡°Don¡¯t answer that, Chloe!¡± Sophia raised her voice even more. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know!¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± She looked honestly confused. ¡°Ari! Focus your teasing on your tiger!¡± The blonde faced the jaguar before pointing at herself. ¡°This tiger is off-limits for the time being!¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯re a white-haired cat. Teasing is never off-limits for her~.¡± Maya spoke about herself in third person for some reason. ¡°You¡¯re also free to use some of your excess energy on Chloe or something like that! She likes being teased, after all!¡± ¡°When did I ever discriminate with my teasing?¡± "F-Fair point¡­" Sophia forgot for a moment that no one around the cat was safe. ¡°Anyway, I feel like putting the portal idea on hold for a while. Putting Anna and Ari through intense training so that they can keep up with our pace seems like a much more rewarding experience for them." ¡°Sounds fun!¡± The cat really doesn¡¯t discriminate. ¡°A-Ah.¡± The couple in question suddenly got silent. ¡°B-But all the fun with them¡­¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t a fan of the idea. ¡°I was just warming up about thinking with portals¡­ There are so many ideas I want to try!¡± ¡°Oh, no, I was just talking about those two.¡± The blonde pointed at the duo before smiling at the fox-girl. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°I want to say that this is unfair, but¡­¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing I can say here¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have epted anyints, anyway!¡± Sophia was in a slightly pouty mood. ¡°Speaking of,¡± Maya tilted her head while looking at her tiger. ¡°Have you decided against telling the king about it after all? You sounded quite ambiguous towards him earlier.¡± ¡°Well, I am liking Chloe¡¯s idea, but if I tell him now that I¡¯m going to do something, I pretty much have to do it¡­ I don¡¯t like going back on my word. There¡¯s too much I have to change first, though¡­¡± ¡°For example?¡± ¡°First and foremost, all portals currently lead to the same ce. My storage thingy, that is. I don¡¯t want strangers in there. I would be a lot happier about it when the portals directly connect to each other without the stop in there. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense.¡± Maya nodded in agreement. ¡°I got used to it, but it still is kinda overwhelming and even slightly scary. Probably not the best thing for normal people to visit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the next thing,¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°The portals themselves maybe shouldn¡¯t look quite as impressive as they do now. If we can make them look a little nder and have them connect two ces directly with each other, I¡¯ll probably tell the king about it.¡± ¡°Directly with each other could be a big pain, couldn¡¯t it? Wouldn¡¯t that mean you have to go back and forth to each ce at least once?" The cat-girl was a little intrigued. "Like, when you find a nice ce, after you created the portal there, you have to go all the way back to the capital instead of just linking it to your storage.¡± ¡°Mhmmn¡­¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you still use the storage shortcut? ce a portal, put another one down connecting to the storage, traveling to the capital, and then cing the new one with a direct connection?" Chloe was very invested in the whole thing. ¡°No idea?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I never even tried to make portals without my extra dimension in between¡­¡± ¡°Well, it is more convenient for you that way, true.¡± She nodded in understanding. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try it!¡± The fox-girl was in a good mood. ¡°How about we make tomorrow portal day? Today already was more than long enough, and I''m getting pretty tired.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Anna heartily agreed. ¡°I was having fun, but I¡¯m actually exhausted!¡± ¡°And you still have 2/3 of your magic left.¡± Sophia looked at her. ¡°Now you can understand why Ari was so done when she lost all of her magic when I identally boosted her¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She looked a little awkward. ¡°Does that mean that I¡­ we have to go through the same as you two that time for my magic to increase¡­?¡± "Well, I now know what the issue was, so we probably don''t have to suffer as much, but¡­" ¡°Urgh¡­¡± "So, your magic first has to fully deplete before it refills with the new amount¡­?" The fox-girl tried to understand what was going on. ¡°Kinda.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Once her magic is empty, I have to pour mine into her again to activate it or something like that. Once that is done, it recovers almost instantly." ¡°Interesting!¡± Chloe looked fascinated. ¡°Wait, can¡¯t Anna just empty all of her magic by using it up to speed up the process?¡± ¡°Oh, that might be worth a try! How about it, Anna?¡± ¡°Sure, I guess?¡± She had no real opinion about it. Mostly because she wasn¡¯t exactly sure what was going on in the first ce. Afterward, the group made the princess activate all kinds of magic until it had finally entirely run out at some point. ---------------- ¡°W-Wow¡­ I¡¯ve run out of magic before¡­ b-but I never felt that horrible before¡­¡± Not only did the princess look extremely exhausted, but she seemed to feel a little sick. ¡°It¡¯s not fun at all, is it?¡± Ari looked very sympathetic while looking at her tiger. ¡°N-Not at all!¡± ¡°Thankfully, I¡¯m feeling a lot better this time!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t as affected by it. ¡°For me, it¡¯s probably all about the time between my sharing my magic and activating it.¡± ¡°Why are you feeling tired and or sick in the first ce?¡± Chloe looked confused. ¡°No idea.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t even fully understand why I can boost others in the first ce¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it in the end. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true¡­¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°Hard to exin stuff when you¡¯re only half-sure about the thing in the first ce." ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°S-Soo¡­?¡± The princess wasn¡¯t overly interested in their conversation. ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± The blonde focused on her again. ¡°Give me your hand again.¡± She held out hers in response while getting closer to her. ¡°Okay¡­¡± She gingerly put her hand on top of Sophia¡¯s before she then ced her other one on top. Soon after, their hands started to glow in a bright white light again. ¡°Any better now?¡± After she let go of her fellow tiger again, she took a step back to look at the princess. ¡°Like new!¡± Anna gave her a very energetic reply. ¡°Going from miserable to that in an instant is scary!¡± She had raised her voice quite a bit. ¡°Yup, she¡¯s fine again.¡± Everyone had the same reaction. ¡°Wait!¡± She got even louder. ¡°Scratch like new! It¡¯s much better than new! My magic feels like nothing else ever! It also feels like I have more energy than ever before, too!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Ari¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I forgot about that part¡­ It was the same for me, too¡­ but Anna with even more energy¡­ brrr!¡± She actually shuddered. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Well, then show me that you¡¯ll put your new extra energy to good use!¡± "¡­" The princess couldn''t hold eye contact with her jaguar. "Sophia! Teach me how to use chantless magic right now!" ¡°So much for that¡­¡± The ck-haired girl just rolled her eyes. "Today is a little¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°You might be feeling better than ever now, but I still feel a bit sluggish. Funny how you were feeling worse, but itsts longer for me¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Anna immediately stopped being overly giddy. ¡°Let¡¯s not do it today, then. You already did a lot for me, so I don¡¯t want to tire you out more. I¡¯ll train on my ownter and then do lots tomorrow.¡± ¡°She actually did put her energy to good use¡­¡± Ari looked shocked. ¡°Hey!¡± She put some extra energy into her voice again. ¡°Oh, how about this?¡± Chloe spoke up again. ¡°Do you want to help us with the portals tomorrow? It is very advanced magic, but I don¡¯t think anything can happen there even if you mess up. At least not if you don''t step into a weird-looking portal¡­ I absolutely doubt that they can explode, so there should be no harm in testing your new magic on that!" ¡°Yeah, them exploding should be totally impossible." Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°That sounds like a ton of fun!¡± The princess liked the idea. "How big do you think the explosion will be¡­?" Looking very awkward and concerned, Ari then nced at Maya. ¡°Those experiments are going to happen on an empty in with NOTHING around!¡± The cat-girl red at all three of them. ¡°Okay¡­¡± They didn¡¯t have the will to talk back. Afterward, the group chatted about a few more details about their n for the following day. Still, as Sophia was actually quite tired out from having shared her magic with Anna, she, Maya, and Chloe eventually headed back to the mansion through the handy portal that was still in the princess¡¯ dressing room. Chapter 310 – It definitely won’t explode Chapter 310 ¨C It definitely won¡¯t explode Sophia had sessfully shared a part of her magic with Anna to get her on the same level as Ari. Once she activated her new power, the princess felt better than ever. They also chatted about their ns to experiment more with the blonde''s portals. Still, as she was pretty tired out from boosting Anna, the group decided to do all that once they were fit again. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started!¡± The following day, shortly after breakfast, a very motivated-sounding princess was staring at Sophia and Chloe with sparkling eyes while all were in the mansion''s living room. ¡°Maya, please add the removal of the portal to Anna¡¯s room to my to-do list.¡± Looking rather tired, the blonde faced her secretary. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°Number one rule of this house, being way too energetic before noon is forbidden¡­¡± She let out a yawn before continuing. ¡°You should know by now that I¡¯m rarely of any use in the morning hours.¡± "Urgh¡­ Chloe, you''re cool, right? Let''s get started already, and she can join uster!" "Sorry, I''m a guest in this home, so I must abide by the rules.¡± The fox-girl also let out a yawn while answering her. ¡°She¡¯s just as useless in the mornings.¡± Maya tranted it for the princess. ¡°Stop being so simr, you two!¡± ¡°Yeah, because you¡¯re the prime example of a morning person.¡± Ari was also with her and only rolled her eyes. ¡°How about this¡­¡± Sophia seemed like she had an idea. ¡°As we aren¡¯t allowed to y with the portals because our worrywarts are concerned about explosions, no matter how impossible they are, how about we go to theke Fennyfenny and I created? There¡¯s plenty of empty space around there. You can get warmed up with whatever magic you want, and once I''m actually awake, Chloe, you, and I can get to the portals¡­¡± ¡°I love the sound of that!¡± "Great¡­" With another yawn, Sophia got up from her sofa, and the group went downstairs to the portal room. On the way, they also collected the wolves, who wanted toe with them after they heard that the girls wanted to experiment with the portalster on. ---------------- ¡°Are you serious?!¡± Arriving at the ce, Anna got loud as she looked at the giganticke with wide-open eyes. ¡°You caused that?! I can¡¯t even see the other side!¡± ¡°Well, Fennyfenny and I really overdid it a little bit¡­¡± Sophia decided to omit a lot of details here. ¡°I think we did a good save on it, though.¡± ¡°Sure, it¡¯s beautiful around here, but¡­¡± The princess paused for a moment before pointing at theke. ¡°LOOK AT THAT!¡± ¡°I have to agree with the loud girl.¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°Just how much magic did you two use¡­?¡± Chloe was also staring at theke with big eyes. ¡°All of it¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°We did an experiment where I channeled my magic through Fen. He used his magic constantly while I kept filling him up with mine¡­ It kinda ran out of control and used up all of Fen''s and my magic before it exploded.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ It suddenly started sucking out my magic through Fen, and it only stopped once both of us were basically empty¡­ then boom.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°I get that it ran out of control because that is way too much magic at once to stay in control, but¡­ The crater¡­ the is not even remotely big enough for that¡­ Is that really all that happened?¡± "E-EH?!" Anna got loud again. "Y-You are seeing this gigantonormouske in front of you, right?!¡± ¡°I do.¡± She nodded. ¡°I also know that Fenfen¡¯s magic alone, when going out of control, would easily reach halfway, maybe even all the way to the capital from here. Combined with Sophia, the resulting chain reaction would easily destroy the capital and¡­ probably half of the continent¡­¡± Chloe paused for a moment. ¡°And that¡¯s a conservative estimate.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The couple turned silent. ¡°After all,¡± She continued. ¡°Even if adding Sophia¡¯s magic would just double Fenfen''s output, which it doesn''t¡­ Doubling the auth-¡­ magic control doesn¡¯t double the power behind it. It being impossible aside, because it¡¯s too much, rather than doubling, both of them together, it would end up being 10 to 20 times as powerful¡­¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Anna and Ari were amazed. ¡°¡­¡± Fen also just stared at her. ¡°There¡­ There¡¯s something¡­¡± He then nced at Sophia. ¡°Once we¡¯re back home, we¡¯re going to have another conversation about magic. There are some more very specific things I need to know¡­ There seriously is too much going on¡­¡± "Okay¡­?" The fox-girl looked slightly confused. "If it''s something I can answer, I''ll happily do so." ¡°How much chaos could I cause with the magic Sophia gifted me?¡± Anna got a bit interested in the topic. ¡°W-Why do you want to know that¡­?¡± Ari looked at her with a concerned expression. ¡°Because I want to know what I am or rather, would be capable of!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I want you to know¡­¡± She had a bad feeling about this. "I recently learned that magic is much more personal, but¡­" Fen nced at Sophia, Chloe, and Maya before continuing. ¡°But you should be able to destroy your castle with absolute ease.¡± ¡°Why would you use this example?!¡± The jaguar got loud. ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess¡¯ eyes started sparkling instead. ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Is it?!¡± Ari really didn¡¯t share her opinion. ¡°Well, I would never do it, but it¡¯s nice to know how much magic I now have!¡± ¡°G-Good¡­¡± ¡°It sounds like I can y around a whole lot now!¡± Anna looked really happy about it. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the portal experiments!¡± She was very motivated. ¡°Alright!¡± Chloe liked the sound of that. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia was just as motivated. ¡°What do you think is a safe distance?¡± Maya nced over at Ari with a wry smile. ¡°The other side of theke¡­?¡± ¡°Shut up, you two!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like their exchange. ¡°100 meters are totally fine!¡± ¡°I thought it was impossible to explode?! Why 100 meters?!" The jaguar was straining her voice a lot today. "You can also stay right next to us if you want to. It was just a suggestion to make you happy." Sophia shrugged in response. ¡°I like the 100-meter idea.¡± Ari reconsidered herint. ¡°Alrighty!¡± She decided that it was enough of that. ¡°Anna, want to try and get the direct portals to work with us, or do you want your own to y with and get ustomed to your new magic?¡± ¡°Oh, do you already have a n for the direct portals?!¡± The fox-girl got excited after hearing that. ¡°Not at all.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Ohh¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ maybe I should start with something easier, after all¡­?¡± The princess was starting to have some doubts about the whole n. ¡°Maybe I should begin with training chantless water-based magic with the help of theke¡­?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s totally the safe option to do.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Ari sounded incredibly relieved that they were still able to make sensible decisions. ¡°As long as you think flooding the equivalent of a school is the safer optionpared to maybe destroying a portal leading to nothing.¡± Sophia nced at the jaguar while showing her a smug grin. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She immediately turned her head away. ¡°Fair point.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to create that much chaos.¡± ¡°I hate tigers¡­¡± The jaguar gave up. ¡°They¡¯re the worst, aren¡¯t they?¡± Maya knew the feeling. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s y with portals!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The tigers ignored them. ¡°Is that okay¡­?¡± Chloe pointed at Maya and Ari while looking at the other two. ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± ---------------- Afterward, the trio went to a slightly more open space, and Sophia started by creating a portal leading to an empty corner of her storage dimension for the princess to test out her magic on. ¡°Hmmnnn¡­¡± Anna was circling around her portal and was looking at it from all angles. ¡°I have absolutely no idea what I¡¯m supposed to be doing¡­¡± ¡°Wee to step one of inventing; or ying with new or unknown magic.¡± Sophia and Chloe just smiled at her. ¡°What is step two¡­?¡± ¡°Trial and error.¡± ¡°An explosion.¡± The chaos duo wasn¡¯t precisely on the same page. "A-Ah, yeah, that¡¯s what I meant¡­¡± The blonde slightly corrected herself. "T-Trial and error, of course..." ¡°Because that¡¯s one and the same for you!¡± Maya got loud again while watching them together with Ari and the wolves from the sidelines. ¡°Shush!¡± The blonde just waved her hand at the cat before looking at the other tiger. "I don''t know¡­ pour some of your magic into it, try to extract some¡­ Heck, throw some fire at it. It might result in something interesting and or fun. The portal connects to an area inside my storage where nothing is. You can''t destroy anything on the other side." ¡°Oh, I see! Well, I might try to get a little rough with it, then!¡± Anna started smiling. ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, especially from the princess, who would rather hear than speak those words, Sophia nced at Ari while tilting her head. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Slightly embarrassed for some reason, she looked back at her. ¡°Nothing~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia then focused on Chloe. ¡°Thanks to the fresh air and all the chatting, I¡¯m almost fully awake. Should we experiment a bit, as well? Let¡¯s find a way to use the portals without my extra dimension as a proxy!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The fox-girl raised her hand in motivation. ¡°What about enchanting items with the portal magic? Didn¡¯t we want to do that, too?¡± "Ah!" She had forgotten about that. "One thing after another!" "Good idea!" Afterward, the two got ready to do a lot of safe experimenting and ying around with their foolproof ideas for improving the portals. Chapter 311 – Fussy portals Chapter 311 ¨C Fussy portals The group went to theke Sophia and Fen had created to y around with magic. Anna wanted to test out her new increased powers while Chloe and the blonde tried to improve the portal by directly connecting them without using the storage space as a proxy. They didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how to do any of that, though. ¡°W-Whoah!¡± While Sophia and Chloe were thinking about how to set up a portal without going through the storage dimension, Anna¡¯s voice suddenly echoed through the area. ¡°Oho!¡± The blonde looked over to her fellow tiger and seemed slightly impressed while looking at the over 10-meter-tall portal in front of the princess. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She needed a moment to sort herself again. ¡°I¡­ I wanted to see what happens if I feed the portal with my magic¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Sophia tilted her head. "No idea¡­ Because I wanted to..." ¡°She¡¯s promising!¡± Chloe liked her answer. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the right mindset when experimenting with magic!¡± ¡°What she said!¡± The blonde felt the same. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s how it works.¡± The wolves also agreed. ¡°Is it?!¡± Ari and Maya had some slight issues with that. ¡°Alrighty,¡± Ignoring them, Sophia looked at the princess again. ¡°Now, try to get the portal to its original size again. Maybe even smaller for a challenge!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Nodding a few times, she concentrated on the portal again. ¡°We can¡¯t be outdone now, can we?!¡± Feeling extra motivated, the fox-girl smiled at the blonde with sparkling eyes. ¡°We have to improve the portals!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She was just as eager. ---------------- Half an hourter, things hadn¡¯t progressed much. Anna¡¯s portal was still gigantic because she couldn¡¯t figure out how to extract magic out of it again. Around Chloe and Sophia were around ten portals while they were trying to directly link them to each other. ¡°It isn¡¯t working, huh?¡± The fox-girl scratched her cheek while looking at the eleventh portal that appeared in front of the tiger. ¡°Yep¡­¡± Sophia hung her head. ¡°It also leads to the storage dimension¡­ I can¡¯t seem to create a portal without it directly connecting to that side¡­¡± ¡°Should we try it from the other side?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± She tilted her head at Chloe¡¯s suggestion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like you can control the destination of the portals, right? It always leads right to the other dimension.¡± ¡°I think so, too, yeah¡­¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Ohh! We might be able to do something with the portals on the other side?¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth a try, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia pointed at one of her portals, and the two disappeared right into that. ¡°Are we more or less safe now¡­?¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about them leaving. ¡°That entirely depends on your tiger¡­¡± Maya gestured at Anna, who was circling around her gigantic portal while her tail was darting all over to ce, indicating that she was slightly agitated about not being able to shrink it again. ¡°Can we go home¡­?¡± ---------------- Inside the storage dimension, Sophia and Chloe started circling around one of the many portals just as the other tiger outside. ¡°Hmmnn¡­¡± The fox-girl was trying toe up with an idea while they were studying the purple distortions. ¡°You can move the portals after they¡¯re created, right? You put Anna¡¯s test portal to the side after it was created, didn¡¯t you?¡± "Yup." The blonde nodded while reaching toward one of them and started moving it around. "Kinda like putting asso of raw magic around it and them dragging it." ¡°Mh-hmm.¡± ¡°Do you have an idea?¡± Sophia tilted her head again. ¡°Do you want to put them right in front of each other? You¡¯d still have to take the detour through my storage, but you don¡¯t actually enter it?¡± She made her own guess. ¡°Would that work?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The tiger immediately got to work and ced two of the portals right in front of each other, close enough that they were almost touching each other. ¡°What now? Should we head back and test it?¡± ¡°How about I go, and you watch from this side?¡± ¡°That might be a good idea.¡± She agreed with Chloe''s idea and watched her leave through one of the portals. A few momentster, the blonde noticed a fuzzy line of pink between the portals before everything turned back to normal. ¡°WE¡¯RE NOT DOING THAT!¡± Another few momentster, the fox-girl reappeared through one of the portals. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°WAY TOO SCARY!¡± ¡°Uhh...?¡± Sophia was a little confused. ¡°It feels SUPER weird!¡± Chloe shuddered a little. ¡°Once you¡¯re halfway through, you suddenly feel a tug from the other portal, and for a split second, it almost feels like they want to rip you in half!¡± ¡°SCARY!¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Could it be from the slight gap between the portals? You maybe have to go through fully first before taking the next one?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Or we need to eliminate the gap entirely. Pressing the portals right against each other.¡± ¡°Oh, that might be worth a try.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one testing it this time, though!¡± She got loud. ¡°S-Sure...¡± Giving her a slightly reluctant nod, Sophia then brought the portals even closer together. ¡°E-Eh...?¡± But once they touched each other, the two portals suddenly morphed into each other before eventually disappearing entirely with a slight popping sound. ¡°Well, that happened...¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°I guess they have to be individual portals, huh?" ¡°Seems like it...¡± She hung her head. ¡°What a bummer...¡± ¡°Maybe you could create some closed-off corridors for each portal pair?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ That seems to be the only way to keep the travel gates somewhat separate from the rest of the storage dimension. Still not really a fan of it¡­" The blonde paused for a moment. "I don''t exactly know why, but I don''t want to have anyone in here that I haven''t personally invited. No matter if it''s just a corridor or whatever¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°How about we take a break and try again if wee up with something new?¡± ¡°Might be for the best. I¡¯m out of ideas. Let¡¯s help Anna to get her portal under control for the time being.¡± "That sounds like a n. I still don''t understand why we let her y on a portal to train her newly gained magic even though it''s highly advanced stuff." ¡°Wasn¡¯t that your idea?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°¡­¡± She scratched her cheek in return. ¡°Was it?¡± ¡°I think so?¡± ¡°Why did I do that?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± The blonde just looked at her. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I was it, after all¡­? It¡¯s a fun idea to throw her right into somethingplicated.¡± ¡°Ahaha~.¡± ---------------- Back on the other side, the duo noticed that everyone was huddled up in a circle while looking at something on the ground in front of them. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± The two walked up to them to try and find out what is going on. ¡°Also, where is the portal?¡± ¡°Why are you all looking at a stone...?¡± Sophia and Chloe were a little confused. ¡°Uhh...¡± Anna awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Something, err... happened?¡± ¡°Okay...?¡± The two got only more confused. ¡°Has the group decided to keep a pet rock?¡± The blonde tried to make a guess. ¡°I agree, it''s very cute, but we¡¯re only keeping it if it''s housetrained, okay? Oh, well, it can stay in the barn if it isn''t, I guess." ¡°Pfft!¡± Chloe liked that. ¡°Ehh...?¡± They were only met with a confused expression by everyone else. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia decided to ignore that. ¡°What is going on here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about calling you ridiculous before, Chloe.¡± Maya suddenly faced her. ¡°It seems like your ways of tackling magic are not that odd, after all.¡± ¡°Okay...?¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t able to follow her. ¡°What about me?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°She and I are the same!¡± ¡°Mhmm...¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°Maybe slightly a little less ridiculous.¡± ¡°Not happy with that!¡± The blonde then thought about it for a moment. ¡°Wait, why...? What happened?¡± ¡°Anna, exin.¡± Maya faced the other tiger. ¡°Why me?!¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the one who did it!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I know what I did, though!¡± ¡°Never saved me from having to exin anything..." ¡°Me, neither...¡± Sophia and Chloe just smiled at her. ¡°Urgh...¡± The princess gave up. ¡°I got a little frustrated that I was unable to make the portal smaller again and threw a stone at it...¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± The duo nodded. ¡°Go on.¡± "Well, it stopped halfway through andnded on the ground at the bottom of the portal because I didn''t throw it hard enough... Anyway, afterward, I put some more effort into it again. I came up with the idea to get rid of some of my magic to use it a bit on other stuff and then tried to soak up the power from the portal.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°That kinda makes sense. If you¡¯repletely filled up, it would be hard to pull magic out of the portal.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I thought, too.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°So, it worked, and the portal started shrinking pretty fast. The stone was still there, though... Once the portal got so small that it had the same size as the stone, there was suddenly a bright light, and the portal was gone...¡± ¡°Okay... That¡¯s a little weird." The blonde looked a bit confused. "Doesn''t sound like too much of a problem, though, does it?" ¡°In theory, I guess, but...¡± Anna kneeled down and touched the stone while pouring a bit of her magic power into it. A momentter, a portal appeared out of nowhere right above the rock. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Sophia and Chloe were shocked after seeing that. As it turned out, the princess somehow had identally managed to enchant a stone with the portal magic.
Chapter 312 – Embrace the chaos Chapter 312 ¨C Embrace the chaos Sophia and Chloe had little luck with connecting two portals with each other to skip the detour through the blonde''s storage dimension. Having given up on it, for the time being, the two reunited with the others of the group, only to find out that the princess had identally managed to enchant a stone with the portal magic. ¡°W-Wait, what...?¡± Sophia still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°How...?¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t much different. ¡°No idea¡­¡± Anna shook her head. ¡°It, uhh¡­ it just happened.¡± ¡°See?!¡± The blonde suddenly raised her voice while staring at Maya and the wolves. ¡°Even Anna is ridiculous when ites to magic, and she just learned to use higher stuff today! Fennyfenny taught me, and Chloe also has been learning from someone overpowered for years. You all are the weird ones for noting up with such fun stuff! Not Chloe, Anna, and I!¡± She needed to get that out of her system. ¡°You lot need to get more creative instead of calling us breakers ofmon sense and other unjustified things!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The trio got silent. "A-Are we really the problem¡­?¡± Fen started to doubt his entire life. ¡°That can¡¯t be, right¡­?¡± Maya also didn¡¯t want to believe it. ¡°There are three of them already now, though¡­¡± Aura was a little more open to the idea. ¡°Wee to the true side~.¡± The chaos duo weed the princess. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I like this development¡­¡± Ari seemed slightly concerned about her girlfriend being put on the same pedestal as the chaos duo. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Anna herself was quite in favor, though. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked her reply. ¡°So, what did you actually do to get it to work? The rock was simply inside the portal when you shrunk it?¡± ¡°Pretty much, yeah¡­¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Chloe got closer to the still open portal and put her hand right against it. A momentter, it began to shrink, and once it encircled the stone on the ground again, it disappeared into it while shining in a bright white light. "Wow, it really gets absorbed into the stone¡­ Why?!" ¡°No idea¡­¡± The princess shook her head. "I don''t really understand that magic too much, but maybe the portal shrunk into the stone, and because you can''t touch it anymore, it stays like that. If you pour some of your magic into the stone again, it feeds on that¡­? Or it bes one with the stone and grows again once it has more magic to use¡­?¡± ¡°Those guesses are as good as any I have.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Sophia and the fox-girl had nothing to add here. ¡°¡­¡± Ari had no opinion on it besides being concerned about her girlfriend joining the dark side for real. Still, Maya and the wolves kept exchanging confused nces. They felt a little left behind. The trio thought Chloe was just another weirdo on the level of their tiger, but Anna, even though it was an ident, managed to create something equally outstanding the first time she used chantless magic. ¡°Let me try, too!¡± The blonde kneeled down next to the fox-girl and ced her hand on the stone. Soon after, a portal, about 2 meters in diameter, grew out of it. ¡°This is sooo amazing! Does it still work?¡± Saying so, she peeked inside and quickly retracted her head again, only to reveal a bright smile. ¡°It does!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Chloe pped her hands. ¡°To enchant something by ident! This is amazing!¡± ¡°Enchant¡­?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Do you remember the idea of using the portal magic on items? So that you can carry the portal around even if you can¡¯t use the magic? That way, you and Ari could use that to join us?¡± Sophia tried to exin it to her. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You just did that, idiot.¡± ¡°E-Eh?! I just messed up, though?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how half of my inventions happened.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°90% of mine, even.¡± The blonde had a simr expression. ¡°Magic is a lot more whimsical than I imagined¡­ Especially after everything I learned in school and from my private teachers¡­¡± The princess had aplicated expression. ¡°I already told you to forget everything they taught you!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°Now more than ever! Embrace the chaos!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Ari really didn¡¯t like the direction this was going. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± The blonde then smiled at the jaguar. ¡°We already know that you have the potential to be the most chaotic out of all of us after the school incident~.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t overexaggerate!¡± The jaguar raised her voice. ¡°Hehe~.¡± She liked her reply. ¡°You definitely do have the potential to do some great things with magic!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Chaos!¡± Anna didn¡¯t care about much else. ¡°Wait, does that mean with my discovery, there will absolutely no problem with Ari and Iing with you?!¡± ¡°It never was, especially after I put the portal in your dressing room, but it just became even more convenient.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± "We''re still doing the reven-, err, training to make you and Ari being able to keep up with us on foot.¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t forgotten about that after they had made her exin everything to their parents. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± The blonde ignored their reactions before pulling something out of her storage. "Let''s try this again while using something else!¡± She was holding a random red pillow she had grabbed. Afterward, she made another portal and ced the pillow inside of it. ¡°You just sucked the magic power out of the portal to shrink it, right? ¡°I think?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Love the confidence!¡± Sophia smiled at her before continuing. Afterward, she brought her hand closer to the portal, and it began to shrink rapidly. Once it got to the same size as the pillow, it started to shine in a white light before everything returned to normal. ¡°Did it work?¡± Chloe was very interested in it. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maya, give it a try.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± The cat-girl looked confused. ¡°Chloe, now Anna, too, and I are weird, after all. I want to see if someone normal can use it, too.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be forgiving us anytime soon for calling you and Chloe that, huh?¡± ¡°Not until you join the dark side!¡± ¡°Why are we the dark side¡­?¡± The fox-girl didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Fair point.¡± Sophia saw the issue. ¡°Join the fun side! We also have cookies!¡± ¡°Better!¡± ¡°I have to stay somewhat strong until Chloe¡¯s mom returns.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°We can¡¯t have even more of us go rogue¡­ I¡¯m basically the only one left after you even took Ari down with you.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The jaguar raised her voice. ¡°Wording!¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you ratherin about it being a false im?¡± The cat-girl focused her attention on her. ¡°¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, you are not entirely wrong¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Anna is worse already, though!¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t flooded a school so far yet.¡± Maya didn¡¯t let her have it. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, to focus on the important part here, once Fey is with us, you¡¯ll stop ying the responsible cat you¡¯re currently acting as?¡± ¡°A definite maybe.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Chloe!¡± Sophia suddenly sounded very excited. ¡°Eh? To where?¡± She only got confused. ¡°To get your mom! I don¡¯t even care if we have to travel through the freezing cold if that means I can get Maya to act like she wants to, have fun without caring, sooner like that!¡± ¡°I have no intention to do that during the winter, though.¡± Maya didn¡¯t like the n. ¡°Yep.¡± The wolves felt simrly. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Chloe alone, then!¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know where the capital is¡­¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t of much use. ¡°You¡¯ll also never find it¡­ Not with your sense of direction.¡± The cat-girl had no hope for her. "Not to mention, even with your detection magic, there''s a near 100% chance to miss each other if Feyanis isn''t in the human capital anymore." Aura didn¡¯t trust her even a bit. ¡°I¡¯m really missing the positive reinforcement in our little group!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°You can do it~.¡± The female wolf changed her opinion. ¡°There¡¯s no need for your voice to drip with sarcasm!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± She hadn''t changed her opinion in the slightest. ¡°Grr¡­¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like that, either. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ It shouldn¡¯t be hard to change the climate around me so that it always feels like it¡¯s summer for me! There, problem solved!¡± ¡°I would hate that!¡± This time, Chloe startedining. ¡°It also doesn¡¯t help with actually finding Feyanis.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound healthy for the environment, either.¡± ¡°Not to mention how weird how it would look¡­¡± ¡°WHY IS EVERYONE AGAINST ME LATELY?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re just protecting you from doing something stupid.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°Okay, what do I have to do to activate the portal?¡± ¡°I like the sound of that a lot better!¡± Sophia started to cheer up. ¡°Just touch the pillow and start pouring a little of your magic into it.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds easy enough.¡± Saying so, the cat-girl kneeled down and touched the pillow lying on the ground. Soon after, a medium-sized portal opened up in front of her. ¡°Wow, it actually does work! This could be really handy if you don¡¯t have a Sophia around that can create as many portals on a whim as she wants. Also perfect for hiding¡­ Wait, how does it work on the other side? Inside the storage, I mean? Does the portal there also appear and disappear the entire time?¡± She was pretty interested in magic, after all. Because of that, many questions came up. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uhh, no idea!¡± ¡°Those are some good questions, though¡­¡± Chloe had as much as an answer as the blonde. ¡°Let¡¯s find out!¡± ¡°Speaking of portals¡­¡± The wolves had moved a little to all the portals the chaos duo had created earlier when they were trying to link two of them directly to each other. From there, Fen addressed them. ¡°It worked? Linking two portals together, that is? Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°It didn¡¯t¡­ That¡¯s why we gave up and returned earlier.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about, then?¡± He gestured at the two portals right next to him. They were still a shimmery purple, but the inside was entirely see-through instead of being opaque. Looking through the one closest to the male wolf, one could see Aura standing in front of the portal a little further away from him. Looking through the one closest to her, Fen was fully visible. Those two portals were clearly linked directly to each other without anything in between. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Sophia and Chloe had no idea what was happening.
Chapter 313 – Direct travel Chapter 313 ¨C Direct travel The girls were having quite a sessful day of inventing new magics. Entirely by ident, Anna managed to enchant a random stone with the portal magic, which waster confirmed by Sophia as she enchanted a pillow in the same way. That wasn''t the only thing, though. As it turned out, the blonde and Chloe also had sessfully linked two portals to each other without having to take the detour through the tiger''s storage. The two had no idea when, how, or why it happened, though. ¡°Hmmnn¡­¡± Sophia was staring at one of the portals. Inside its middle part, she could see Chloe staring back at her through the other portal not too far away from her. She was making the same confused expression. "How?!" ¡°Seriously, how?!¡± The fox-girl yelled back at her. Afterward, she stepped through the portal and ended up right in front of Sophia in an instant. ¡°It works!¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Taking a step back because their noses were almost touching after Chloe tested the portal, the tiger smiled back at her. ¡°Why, how, and why, though?!¡± "No idea!" The two were obviously very happy about their sess, but it all made no sense to them. "You two must have done something while experimenting, right?¡± Fen tried to understand it, too. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say that stuff like that doesn¡¯t just happen, but we all know better than that¡­ Still, what did you two do while ying with the portals?¡± "Hmm¡­ Did we?" The blonde tilted her head. "We created a ton of portals, and they always led to the storage¡­ In there, we put two of them very close together, but that didn¡¯t really work, either¡­¡± ¡°IT DIDN¡¯T WORK AT ALL!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t like the experience she had there. ¡°Afterward, we tried to put them right against each other, but the moment they touched, both portals disappeared in a sh of light¡­" ¡°Yep, that¡¯s pretty much all we did.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Nothing interesting hap-, wait a moment¡­¡± ¡°Is that how it works¡­?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Smushing two portals together connect the corresponsive ones on the other side¡­?" ¡°Why, though¡­?¡± The blonde was looking for an exnation. ¡°You¡¯re the one who invented the portals, you know?¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how she could help her. ¡°So what? Even then, Anna was the one who used it to enchant things." ¡°And you¡¯re the one that smushed the portals together.¡± The fox-girl didn¡¯t ept this excuse. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I know what I¡¯m doing, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I knew, either!" The other tiger also startedining. ¡°Not that I now know¡­¡± ¡°I hate it when all I get are boring responses that are reasonable¡­¡± Sophia was missing the passion. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Chloe decided to give it some thought. ¡°Maybe, thanks to the portals smushing into each other, their magic mixed together? Afterward, it¡­ causing¡­ and then¡­ At least, it makes the two portals on the outside link to each other because¡­ reasons!¡± ¡°Makes sense!¡± The blonde nodded a few times after hearing her sound exnation. ¡°It does?!¡± Maya got loud. ¡°How?!¡± So did Ari. ¡°There was also half of it missing! She simply skipped like three steps!¡± ¡°She said that there are reasons for it to happen! What else do you want to know?¡± ¡°A logical response¡­?¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°One that has an exnation in it?¡± ¡°Mhmmn¡­¡± Sophia gave it some thought. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t feel like arguing more than that. "Well, the important part is that it works, huh?" ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Though, you¡¯re the one that asked for an exnation in the first ce.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde decided that she¡¯ll ignore Ari for a little while. ¡°Should we try it again? To make sure that¡¯s even what happened in the first ce?¡± She focused on Chloe instead. ¡°Obviously!¡± She was at least as motivated as the tiger. ¡°Oh, could you go to your pocket dimension while I wait here? I really want to see what happens to the portals on this side!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s probably good to know about that, anyway. While we¡¯re at it, could you open and close the, uhh¡­ pillow portal¡­? Once I''m inside, I mean. I want to see what happens to that there.¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Raising her fist in anticipation, the blonde stepped inside the portal. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Afterward, Chloe went over to the pillow and stone portals and opened and closed them a couple of times for twice the effect. Once she was done with that, everyone started to observe the portals. ---------------- A few minutester, Sophia returned through one of the remaining portals and was very eager to hear and see the results. ¡°And?!¡± She sounded quite excited. ¡°How did it go?!¡± ¡°It worked perfectly!¡± Chloe gave her a big nod. ¡°It was really interesting, too!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! The portals started flickering for a moment before the inside suddenly started to be see-through and then showed the picture of the other portal once it was done.¡± "Fascinating!" ¡°Very!¡± The fox-girl agreed with her. ¡°What about the enchanted portals?¡± ¡°Surprisingly unexciting.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°They simply appear and disappear. Nothing else." ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Ah, but I also linked them, and they went away. I wonder what happens now.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± She got even more excited over her idea. "That was our main motivation initially, wasn''t it?" ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°Maybe, I guess? Probably. I kinda lost track of our original n¡­¡± The blonde sounded somewhat confused over the many times they got sidetracked. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try!¡± The group walked over to the portals and looked at them. Just like the others, they were linked to each other. Afterward, Sophia deactivated both of them and looked at Ari. ¡°Please open the stone portal.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Why not you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar paused for a moment. ¡°Fair enough, I guess.¡± Having no problem with that, she kneeled down and touched the stone. Afterward, she poured a little of her magic into it, and the portal promptly appeared again. ¡°Mhm-hmm¡­¡± It looked a lot different, though, and Chloe was scrunching her eyebrows while looking at it. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± "Something like that, yeah¡­" Sophia was making the same expression while both were studying the portal that was only a sparkly purple frame with nothing inside of it. "Anna, open the other one, please." ¡°Sure~.¡± Doing just that, the other portal quickly appeared, and when that happened, both linked to each other once again, and the inside showed what was on disy on the other portal. ¡°Isn¡¯t this working a little too well¡­?¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°It¡¯s perfect, isn¡¯t it?¡± The fox-girl got excited again. "It''s exactly what we were hoping for, isn''t it?!" ¡°Yeah¡­ The only missing part is for the other side to get a signal or something like that when one portal opens. Right now, it¡¯s just a guess if you can use it before activating.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°I have no idea how we can solve that part, though¡­¡± ¡°True.¡± "Well, for now, I guess it would be best to keep it open when you''re ready and want to go to the other side. That way, whenever the other side is ready as well, both sides will be open, and you won¡¯t miss each other.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± Sophia agreed. ¡°In a way, even if you¡¯d receive a signal from the other side, if you¡¯re busy during that time, it won¡¯t do you any good, anyway.¡± ¡°Soo¡­¡± Anna tilted her head while listening to the two. ¡°What does all that mean¡­?¡± ¡°n B for you and Ari to apany us is pretty much dealt with and ready to go!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The princess liked the sound of that. ¡°Wait, n B¡­?¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Ruthless training to get some power in those long and pretty legs of yours, and the equally amazing ones of Ari will start next week!¡± Her n sounded a little biased. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t be all muscr and stuff if you don¡¯t want to. The soft and squishy shall persist! All the extra poweres from magic being awesome!¡± This part seemed important to her. ¡°Not that muscr legs don¡¯t have any appeal, but I prefer soft¡­ Anyway, training shall start soon!¡± She stopped herself before going into too much detail. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Anna¡¯s expression changed a little. ¡°T-Thanks for thepliment, though¡­¡± ¡°Any time~.¡± The short tiger''s fondness of legs was far from a secret, after all. ¡°Anyway, back to the portal enchantment for a second... What happens if you throw the item into its own portal...?¡± ¡°I feel like that would be the same as dividing by zero...¡± Chloe had a bad feeling about the idea. ¡°Uhh..." Sophia paused for a moment. "We kinda need to test it, though, don''t we?" ¡°Looking forward to it~.¡± ¡°Well then...¡± The blonde picked up the stone Anna had enchanted and threw it through the portal that came out of it. Immediately after, both portals disappeared after the stone came out on the other side. ¡°Oho! You need to make sure to have a backup at the ce you left, but it seems like you¡¯re able to disappear without leaving a trace!¡± Happy with that result, the group decided to take a break from the portals for the time being. For the rest of the day, they showed Anna some more chantless magic to get her used to it and let her try out a few things before they decided to head back home. They most definitely didn''t need to clean up for an hour after some explosions happened, either. Chapter 314 – Fairy tales Chapter 314 ¨C Fairy tales Roughly a week passed since the group had managed to enchant items with the portal magic and also were able to link them directly to each other without having to take the detour through Sophia¡¯s storage dimension. Afterward, the blonde also did some experimenting on her own and found out that she was able to overpower the enchanted items. Usually, one has to pour magic into the items on both sides for the portals to connect. However, both portals still opened after she used almost 1/3 of her entire magic at once on one side. She decided to only tell Maya about it, though. Except for her and the wolves, no one has enough power for that, anyway. Chloe also had be even better friends with Anna and Ari, and the trio was currently out shopping together. The cat-girl made some jabs at them visiting a particr store, but they decided not toment on the idea. While they were out, Sophia, Maya, and the wolves were rxing in the mansion¡¯s living room. ¡°Say,¡± The tiger eventually faced Fen and Aura. ¡°How much do you know about Feyfey?¡± ¡°Before meeting Chloe, I would¡¯ve said a decent amount, but...¡± Aura wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Yes...¡± Fen agreed. ¡°Our ways crossed a couple of times, and we often spent a few years together with her, but something definitely changed...¡± ¡°When did you first meet her? How many years ago?¡± ¡°Uhh...¡± The wolves paused for a moment. ¡°Many years...¡± ¡°You mentioned that it was long before Aura had her ident, right? So, some centuries?¡± ¡°Many of them.¡± ¡°How many? More than four?¡± ¡°Much more.¡± Fen nodded. ¡°It might even be a millennium already.¡± Aura added a bit more detail to it. ¡°W-Wow...¡± Maya was overwhelmed by the number. ¡°So long ago...¡± ¡°Hmm... there goes that theory...¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned more and moreplicated. ¡°Unless time works differently between the worlds, but that would open a whole different can of worms...¡± ¡°What is going on...?¡± The male wolf had no idea what she was going on about. ¡°Has anyone ever heard about little red riding hood?¡± ¡°The what?¡± All three had the same reaction. ¡°It¡¯s a fairy tale that is quite popr in my old world.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Why would we know about it, then?¡± ¡°Well... Apparently, it''s Chloe''s favorite fairy tale, and she had Feyfey tell it to her all the time when she was little. I have no idea how Fey knows about it...¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The wolves looked just as confused. ¡°Admittedly, that fairy tale¡¯s origin is already a couple of hundred years old, but if Fey''s already that old, I have no idea why or how she knows about it..." ¡°Seriously?!¡± Aura looked quite shocked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense, though... Maybe she met another otherworldler at some point? Maybe that one¡¯s even Chloe¡¯s other parent? Assuming Feyanis is her real mother. That would make a lot of sense, as well... Our dear pink fox is way too simr to you in many ways. She seems pretty clueless about a lot of things, but it would exin so much if she''s rted to an otherworldler. Feyanis'' knowledge about magicbined with the curiosity you show every day, my dear catastrophe-prone tiger, Chloe seems to be thebination of both.¡± ¡°There were actually many asions where I thought that Chloe was an otherworldler herself because she¡¯s just too simr to Sophia. Still, from what I got from her so far, it seems that she learned everything from Feyanis... Aura¡¯s theory makes a lot of sense, then. Feyanis might really have met an otherworldler and had an offspring, Chloe, with them. She learned all kinds of things from them, and our pink one inherited their quirky personality and ingenuity.¡± ¡°E-Eh...?¡± This was all news to Sophia. ¡°Chloe¡¯s rted to an otherworldler? You even thought she might be one herself...? What did I miss?!¡± "Come on, you must admit that Chloe''s a bit special, right?¡± Maya also seemed to agree with the wolves. ¡°Something about her is really odd. The way she thinks and how easily the two of you understand each other even though no one else even has a clue about what is going on... It''s been bugging me for a while already. The portals, for example, you two are so in tune about that while I still don¡¯t have the slightest idea how they work...¡± ¡°Can I let you in a little secret about that...?¡± Sophia got a little closer and stared right at her. "Neither do I... I just try stuff, and it seems to work out just fine... I don¡¯t see why that would make Chloe anything special... She just likes to experiment? Also, Anna¡¯s the one who sessfully enchanted an item with the portal magic. Is she an otherworldler, too?¡± ¡°W-Well, that was just a weird ident...¡± ¡°So was Chloe¡¯s and mine sess of linking the portals together.¡± The blonde had some very sound arguments. ¡°The princess also did that on her first day of being able to use chantless magic, I want to add. She seems super interested in magic, as well.¡± ¡°...¡± The cat-girl had noeback for that. "You have to admit that your personalities and likes line up suspiciously well with hers, right?" Aura also tried to convince her. ¡°Anna also agreed with most of our quirks, too...¡± The princess was a formidable ally in her argumentation. ¡°Also, there are so many people around, I doubt it¡¯s that unlikely for people to have simr likes and thoughts.¡± ¡°I hate it when you make so much sense...¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s unnerving...¡± The wolves agreed with Maya. ¡°HEY!¡± ¡°I still think my theory makes sense, though.¡± Aura looked at the tiger again. ¡°There were and or are other otherworldlers beside you. There are a few remnants of them on the demon continent, after all. Many inventions there are inspired by them. They were also described as having a simr personality as you and Chloe. The pink one doesn¡¯t seem to have the same otherworldly knowledge as you, though. That''s why it makes sense if she inherited the personality from an actual one who was Feyanis'' partner at some point. They maybe also told her about the fairy tale? Or, she was on the demon continent in the past, and those fairy tales are popr there thanks to the previous otherworldlers..." ¡°Thest part suddenly makes a lot more sense!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like how she came up with an easy exnation right at the end. ¡°It¡¯s no fun, though.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t fault that!¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t me Aura for thinking like that. ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked that reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t know your world besides the stuff you told us, but has Chloe ever mentioned anything that could indicate her knowing more about it than she should? More than zero, that is? Maybe she picked up something from Feyanis when she learned about it from her partner. When we¡¯re going with that theory for now.¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know? I don¡¯t think I would even notice until it¡¯s something super obvious. After all, it would sound totally normal to me unless I give it some actual thought like the fairy tale thingy...¡± ¡°Well, there were some instances where I had not the slightest clue what you were talking about... I didn¡¯t even know the words you were using. In retrospect, that¡¯s quite suspicious.¡± Maya also tried to recall some strange events. ¡°That didn¡¯t happen anymore after I cleaned your ears, didn¡¯t it? Pretty sure you just misheard.¡± ¡°My ears were always clean!¡± She didn¡¯t like the usation. ¡°Well, I did understand you after both of you exined it in more detail... Maybe I simply wasn''t paying enough attention to the conversation..." ¡°I guess it¡¯s fair that you wouldn¡¯t notice any subtle hints during a normal conversation when the words are normal for you.¡± The female wolf understood her reasoning. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t think twice about it, after all.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± "It might be worth paying a little more attention to it, though.¡± Aura was more and more bing a fan of her idea. ¡°It can¡¯t hurt, I guess?¡± ¡°You could also just ask her~.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°And if she has no rtion to any of the otherworldler business, after all... It¡¯s going to be a lot of fun when I have to exin myself...¡± She didn¡¯t like the idea. ¡°There are always sacrifices to be made~.¡± ¡°How about no?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of the n. "Aww." Aura didn''t look upset and just continued. "Though, it might be for the best if she has no rtion to an otherworldler, after all... I''m sure it will be a lot of fun, and I''ll learn a lot, but both of you, without a limiter and openly using the knowledge from the outrageous world you came from... I can already smell one disaster after another.¡± "And suddenly, I''m much more motivated to find out if she knows about my world!" Sophia started smiling instead. "IT WILL BE SO MUCH FUN! ying with all the ideas I have with someone who could follow my train of thought!¡± ¡°You did that on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Maya red at the female wolf. ¡°I would never~.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you clean up the mess they create, you know?¡± "A-Ah...¡± Afterward, as there was no way to continue this train of thought without either Chloe or Fey around, the group decided to put the topic on hold until any new evidence came up. Chapter 315 – Playing around Chapter 315 ¨C ying around Sophia, Maya, and the wolves were still rxing in the mansion¡¯s living room after having talked about the possibility of either Chloe and or Feyanis having any sort of rtion to a different otherworldler because evidence of that was slowly piling up. Some things that only make sense to Sophia are also known to these two, which just made no sense otherwise. As they couldn''t prove any of that right now, they put the topic on hold for the time being and concentrated on other things instead. ¡°Maya, I want to y with your body.¡± Out of nowhere, Sophia suddenly announced something rather peculiar. ¡°Sure.¡± The cat-girl seemed okay with the idea, jumped off the sofa the couple was on, and grabbed the tiger''s hand. "Let''s head upstairs to our room. I don''t exactly mind doing it here either, it wouldn''t be the first time, after all, but I¡¯m not into Fen and Aura watching us.¡± ¡°Neither are we!¡± The wolves had the same opinion on the matter. ¡°...¡± The blonde paused for a moment before realizing what was going on. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! Still, sure, let''s do thatter!" She wasn''t against the idea, though. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°No... You always want to y with my... features, right? Like making certain parts bigger or asionally smaller, too... You even ask to change my hair every now and then.¡± ¡°Still sounds like the same topic, though...¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°We always do that when we¡¯re, uhh... going to have fun.¡± ¡°Stop being a pervert for a minute!¡± ¡°You started it!¡± ¡°I did not!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°It¡¯s just how you interpreted my...¡± ¡°Totally ambiguous wording?¡± The cat-girl finished her sentence. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She was happy with the blonde¡¯s reaction. "Anyway, yeah, what about it?¡± ¡°I want to y with you and make some temporary changes, as well!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t happy with what you have with me right- Ah, scratch that...¡± ¡°Kinda superficial to ask that, huh?¡± Sophia just stared at her. "Yeah, I noticed the double standard towards the end myself... I¡¯m obviously more than happy with the standard Sophia, though... what actually is the standard Sophia after you changed yourself so often...?¡± "Let''s not go down that rabbit hole..." She saw the issue herself. "I''m also pleased with my cat-girl, but you always seem to be having so much fun when I change, so... I want to do it, too! It¡¯s not even sexual in my case!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not...?¡± Maya raised an eyebrow in doubt. ¡°NO!¡± She got loud again. "Not this time, at least! For now!" ¡°I see~.¡± The cat-girl liked that reaction, as well. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± ¡°Well, after we talked about Chloe so much earlier... She¡¯s the current queen of fluffiness, after all... I''d like to y with a fluffy tail to my heart''s content! Without having to hold back because you¡¯re my partner!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think such a big tail would fit me that well...¡± Maya had her doubts about the n. ¡°There are several cat breeds with fluffy tails!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t ept herint. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be as big as Chloe¡¯s, but Maine Coon cats have glorious tails!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know this main coon thing, but yes... there are fluffy cat breeds.¡± ¡°I want that! You don¡¯t have to keep it, but I want to y with it at least once!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°Urgh...¡± Naturally, there was little Maya could say against the idea as she loves to y with Sophia¡¯s sizes all the time. ¡°F-Fen, is it really safe to change your body? No side-effects...?¡± "As long as you specify with your magic that you only want to change your look and not your entire being like a certain tiger, it''s perfectly fine." ¡°...¡± Said tiger decided to stay silent. ¡°In the first ce, would it even change anything with your body?¡± The wolf tilted his head. ¡°All you''re doing is to make your fur longer and puffier. This is perfectly safe to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s what I wanted to hear...¡± ¡°You can also do a reverse Sophia and get rid of your ears and tail for a human look. Nothing will happen as long as you don¡¯t wish for them to stop being a part of your body and just hide them while using the magic." ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia suddenly got even more excited. ¡°Human Maya! I would love to see how you would¡¯ve looked if we met in my old world!¡± ¡°Ehhh...?¡± She liked that idea even less. ¡°Seriously...?¡± "Please! Just for a moment! I already know I like the cat Maya more, but now I''m super curious!" Her eyes and even the aura around the tiger were sparkling by now. ¡°Just for a moment...?¡± ¡°Only a minute or two!¡± ¡°...¡± Maya went silent for a little while. ¡°F-Fen, what do I have to do to not mess up there...?¡± ¡°The only really important thing is that you have to think about wanting to look like what you¡¯re imagining. Not bing it. If that is clear, nothing will happen. Although, even if you mess up, nothing bad besides Sophia''s phantom pain will happen. Humans are below the hybrid beastfolk when ites to their bodies. You have everything a human has, but a human is missing the animal characteristics. There''s nothing you can gain from turning into a human. Just lose." The wolf made a small pause. "Dignity included." He had to include the jab at the end. ¡°Not what I wanted to hear, either... Couldn¡¯t you have said that I should never try?!¡± Maya red at him. "We already went through all that with our tiger, so she knows it''s possible to change without side effects when you put the necessary effort into it." ¡°Urgh...¡± The cat-girl hung her head in defeat. ¡°Please!¡± The blonde just stared at her with puppy eyes. ¡°...¡± She paused for another moment. "F-Fen, just imagining how I''d look like without my tail and human ears instead of my cat ones and pouring some magic into those thoughts...?¡± ¡°Pretty much, yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°Fine... I¡¯m so going to regret this...¡± Comining ast time, Maya then closed her eyes and concentrated on the task for a while. A few minutester, her entire body was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Once it was gone, Maya was still there and looking mostly the same, but her tail was gone. So were her cat ears, but at the sides of her head, mostly hidden by her hair, a hint of human ears could be seen. "..." Sophia just stared at her inplete silence. ¡°Don¡¯t like it.¡± Fen shook his head. ¡°How are you feeling, though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kinda weird...?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°I can still feel my cat bits, but it¡¯s somewhat of a muffled feel?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to describe it. Afterward, she walked to the mirror in the corner of the living room to look at herself. "..." She also went silent for a moment to take everything in. ¡°I hate it!¡± She wasn¡¯t a fan, either. ¡°Are you happy now?¡± The girl then looked at her tiger. ¡°Uhh..." Sophia needed another moment. "You''re still adorable, but... but... It¡¯s definitely a downgrade.¡± ¡°Thank you?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how she liked her wording. "I was kinda hoping for more...?" The blonde had problems exining it. "I am biased, but you''d be extremely popr in my old world, but... I already forgot that humans are, uhh... boring? The animal add-ons are such an upgrade! I got used to seeing them on everyone around me, and having them myself, but... maybe because of that, I''m missing them on you already. It doesn''t feel fresh at all seeing you like this... Just underwhelming..." ¡°Still not sure how I feel about your wording...¡± Maya¡¯s expression was bing moreplicated again. ¡°Still, it means that you like the original me the best?¡± ¡°By far!¡± The tiger gave her a couple of big nods. ¡°Well, at least until I see fluffy-tailed Maya!¡± ¡°Idiot...¡± ¡°It¡¯s interesting to see that you became a member of the beastfolk so hard that you even lost interest in human females.¡± Aura was fascinated by her change. ¡°She already fawned all over the beastfolk long before she became a tiger, though.¡± Fen doubted that this was the reason. ¡°Judging by how she acted back then, human Maya always would¡¯ve lost against the cat version.¡± ¡°Yeah...¡± Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°I preferred the animal versions the moment I found out they were real.¡± ¡°What a weird human...¡± The female wolf couldn¡¯t make sense of her. ¡°Together with how much you fit in the role of the tiger, I¡¯m starting to believe that you ever having been a human was some sort of cosmic mistake in the first ce.¡± ¡°It would exin a lot.¡± Fen and Maya agreed with her. "Hey!" She raised her voice once more. "I agree!" She just wanted to be loud. ¡°Can I change back now? I miss my tail...¡± The girl had enough of looking like a human. ¡°Ah, give me another minute, please.¡± Saying so, Sophia drew some circles around her to look at every detail of transformed Maya. ¡°Alright, I have enough. Cat, please!¡± "dly!" She immediately closed her eyes again, and a few secondster, she was enveloped in smoke once more. After it disappeared, the usual cat-girl with her snow-white ears and tail was back. "I missed you, tail~." Looking at it, she gave her tail a gentle pat, which then twitched in response. ¡°Much better!¡± Sophia enjoyed that look a lot more. ¡°I agree.¡± The wolves did, too. ¡°Well, that was an experience...¡± Maya¡¯s expression was still slightlyplicated. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t ever have to do that again...¡± "Don''t worry. My curiosity in that regard is satiated." The tiger gave her a thumbs up. "Other than me, there''s no reason for you to do that again, either." ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Alright, fluffy tail!¡± She jumped right to the next thing on her agenda. ¡°That should be much more satisfying!¡± ¡°Haa...¡± The cat-girl just let out a sigh in response. ¡°I¡¯ll have you do a lot tonight to make up for that...¡± ¡°dly!¡± She wasn¡¯t against the idea. ¡°For many reasons!¡± ¡°Okay, that was a good answer.¡± Maya looked impressed. ¡°How fluffy do you want it?¡± It was enough to make her do it. ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable, though! Chloe levels of tail wouldn¡¯t fit me at all.¡± ¡°The fluffiest cat tail you¡¯ve ever seen, and then add 10%, please!" "That''s almost reasonable. I''m proud of you!" ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my tail privileges I might gain today before it even started!¡± ¡°I see...¡± She looked a lot less proud now. ¡°Well, there was one girl that used to live in my town who was crazy fluffy for being a cat. Even her ears were fuzzy!" ¡°I like the sound of that. That ear thing, too!¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned that part...¡± ¡°Toote now!¡± Sophia was very excited. ¡°Her actual tail, ording to the girl herself, wasn¡¯t any thicker than mine, but because her fur was so long and puffy, the total volume of her tail was even slightly bigger than Ari''s. The tail of our jaguar is also massive, but it seems like a lot of it is actually her real tail because her fur seems so smooth.¡± ¡°Ari is quite glorious in her tail game. If I can get even a little more than her, but it being pure fluff, you can wish for whatever tonight!¡± ¡°Everything?¡± Maya raised an eyebrow in interest while her ears twitched. ¡°EVERYTHING!¡± ¡°Fen, Aura, you¡¯re my witnesses for that, right?¡± ¡°Uhh... Sure.¡± The two felt it was better to stay out of it, so they just nodded. ¡°I take on whatever you throw at me!¡± The tiger was very determined about the event. ¡°Alright!¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°Make sure not to regret it, though!¡± Afterward, she closed her eyes once more to concentrate before her body, again, was wrapped in smoke. Once it was gone, the cat-girl had changed in subtle yet very noticeable ways. The fur on her ears had gotten a little longer and fuzzier, but the most significant change happened to her tail. It still had the same length and snow-white color, but it now had much more volume. Instead of the short and smooth fur she used to have, it had turned very long and fluffy. Her tail was around the thickness of Ari, maybe a bit more, but it was basically pure fluff. Whenever Maya moved her new tail, the fur needed a moment to react because so little of it was her actual tail. It looked incredibly soft to the touch, as well. ¡°...¡± Sophia forgot about her ability to speak words. She just looked at her with her mouth agape. ¡°Hmm...¡± Maya used that time to inspect herself in the mirror again. Moving her tail a couple of times to get a better feel for it, she eventually tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s pretty unfamiliar to me right now, but... I can¡¯t say I dislike it. Actually, it looks kinda nice. Maybe a bit too much volume, though. Is it better than my smooth tail, though?" She wasn''t sure how to feel about the change. ¡°YES!¡± The tiger relearned how to speak again. "A-Ah... I, uhh... I mean, it looks n-nice.¡± "Good save." The wolves just rolled their eyes. ¡°Err...¡± Sophia started to panic a little. ¡°I-I love your normal tail... but... but... YOU ALL KNOW HOW MUCH I LIKE FLUFF!¡± She gave up on pretending. ¡°Thank you for being honest.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t angry. "It''s not like I didn''t react simrly when you made yourself bigger...¡± ¡°C-Can I be shameless and ask how much it would cost me for you to stay like that...?" ¡°Full-time?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°How will you even exin that to the others?¡± The cat-girl just stared at her. ¡°I did some weird experiment that went horribly right, err... wrong.¡± ¡°Wow, that was a fast reply.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s important!¡± ¡°I like your passion, I guess.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it private for now... It¡¯s still my body we¡¯re talking about here... I¡¯m not thatfortable with announcing that I suddenly changed. Just like you aren¡¯t in big mode all the time.¡± ¡°I guess I have to ept that... I will continue to pester you about that a lot in the future, though!¡± "I would''ve been worried if you wouldn''t do it~." Maya smiled at her. ¡°Well, for now, I want to touch it!¡± She couldn¡¯t wait any longer and was already reaching for it. ¡°Well, you hold out longer than I thought you wo,- ahn~.¡± The cat-girl couldn''t finish her sentence as her entire body jolted when the tiger came in contact with her new tail. It apparently was still just as, if not even more, sensitive. "This level of fluff is divine!" Sophia enjoyed it a lot. "The amount is not the same as Chloe''s, but it''s even softer and more springy, too! THIS IS THE BEST!¡± Saying so, she also buried her other hand deep into Maya¡¯s fur. ¡°T-This is dangerous!¡± ¡°I-It¡­ ah¡­ it sure is¡­¡± The cat-girl was quite affected by the groping. Her expression was slightly feverish as her entire face turned red, and even her breathing had be haggard. ¡°¡­¡± Noticing that, Sophia froze up for a moment while her expression turned somewhat simr. Afterward, she let go of Maya''s tail, picked her up in a princess carry, and immediately left the living room with her without saying another word. ¡°Have fun~.¡± ¡°Try not to be too loud, you idiots! Or at least stop time for all I care!¡± Aura and Fen had nothing else to say when they heard Sophia sprinting up the stairs. A few momentster, as it didn¡¯t seem like Fen¡¯s suggestion was heard, the two decided to head out to get something to eat and kill a bit of time.
Spoiler Also looks really nice, but I''d say the ck ones fit better in this outfit/context. [copse]
Chapter 316 – That was fast Chapter 316 ¨C That was fast Sophia and Maya were having quite an interesting and productive day. As the cat-girl always had a great time when the tiger adjusted her body to make herself bigger, Sophia now wanted to y with her body, as well. It started out not nearly as sexual as one would''ve expected, though. At first, the blonde was really interested to see the human version of Maya without her tail and no cat ears. She actually granted her wish, but it ended up being rather underwhelming. Sophia still thought she was adorable, but everyone agreed that it was a clear downgrade for her. Because of that, she quickly changed back to her regr cat version. Sophia wasn¡¯t done yet, though. After that failure, she talked the cat-girl into a fluffy tail because the tiger immensely enjoys everything fluffy. Maya also granted that request, and without making her actual tail bigger, she vastly increased the length and fluff of her fur. She even gave a little extra service and also increased the fuzz on her ears. The tiger liked that so much that she tried to talk her into keeping it like that forever. Maya was still attached to her original body, though, so they decided to keep that version of her private for the time being. Afterward, the blonde got a good feeling of the divine fluff that Maya¡¯s tail now was, and things eventually did turn sexual, after all. Noticing Maya¡¯s feverish expression when she was touching her tail, together with how great the feeling of touching her was, Sophia¡¯s little remaining restraint went overboard, and the couple disappeared to their bedroom. ---------------- ¡°You sure can be intense.¡± A few hours after Maya had tried a different tail design, the couple was back in the living room while cuddling together on one of the sofas. It seemed like the two had just taken a shower, as well, as both of them still had damp hair and a towel on their shoulders. They were fully dressed again, though. Also, Fen and Aura still seemed to be gone after they had left the mansion once the couple started getting loud. ¡°Ehehe.¡± Sophia took it as apliment. ¡°That tail¡­ that glorious tail¡­ It did things to me¡­ Holding back wasn¡¯t an option anymore.¡± ¡°I noticed," The cat-girl rolled her eyes. "I was present, after all." ¡°R-Right¡­ Sorry if I overdid it a little¡­¡± ¡°Oh, nonono, it was great fun!¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°We can do that again whenever you want!¡± ¡°Fluffy tail included?!¡± The tiger¡¯s whole body twitched while she nced at the cat¡¯s normal tail. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± She liked that a lot. ¡°I¡¯ll first get to have my way with you like you promised me for changing my body, though.¡± Her expression turned into a smirk. ¡°Better prepare yourself for that.¡± ¡°Anything you want~.¡± Her mood was as good as it could be. ¡°After that, we can start negotiating about your new tail bing a permanent thing!¡± "Only if you permanently make your chest as big as mine, and believably exin to everyone how and why that happened." ¡°¡­¡± She actually needed to think about it. ¡°Well, my chest wouldn¡¯t be that hard to exin¡­ I finally got my growth spurt! Your tail would be a little more difficult besides it being a magic ident¡­ Fur usually doesn''t change that much, does it?" ¡°Not really, no.¡± The cat-girl shook her head. ¡°Also, don¡¯t actually be so serious about it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a serious matter, though!¡± Sophia raised her voice. "It has to be taken seriously!" "What is a serious matter?" At the perfect time, the voice of another girl entered their conversation. ¡°CHLOE?!¡± The couple hadn¡¯t noticed her arrival at all. Not even Sophia through her detection magic. She was so busy talking Maya into her new tail that she forgot to check it as the fox-girl isn''t marked as unknown or even an enemy. ¡°I¡¯m back?¡± She just tilted her head in response. ¡°H-How long are you here already¡­?¡± The tiger had a bad feeling about this. The couple¡¯s conversation just now was rather peculiar, after all. ¡°Just now?¡± Chloe looked even more confused. ¡°I heard something about a serious matter when I entered the entrance hall through the main door and directly went here¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I-I see¡­¡± She let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Safe¡­¡± ¡°So, what is a serious matter?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just serious in Sophia¡¯s terms. We were just talking about a makeover to change up some things style-wise." ¡°Ah, I see!" Luckily, Chloe wasn''t the type of girl who kept pestering about something. "That sort of thing can be quite important, though. A new style can have a big effect on others.¡± ¡°It sure can.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes again while staring at her tiger. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°So, how was the shopping, Chloe?¡± Sophia decided to change the topic. "It was fun! Ari''s fashion sense is impable, and Anna''s a delight to be around because she''s so lively! Shopping with them is great!¡± She had taken a real liking to the duo. ¡°They¡¯re also great guides because they grew up in the capital and know where even the most obscure shop is!¡± ¡°Did you guide them to the fun shop in return, though?¡± Maya smirked at her. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s the least you could¡¯ve done in return.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl turned her head away while her cheeks turned red. ¡°I like that reaction!¡± ¡°T-Those two are way too advanced already¡­ They got interested in things even I hesitated to look at¡­¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The cat-girl looked surprised. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see them the next time. This is going to be very interesting! They might even be good for some inspiration to get my revenge on Sophia for earlier!¡± ¡°Revenge is a very strong word here¡­¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°You know what I mean.¡± ¡°Earlier? Revenge? In that context¡­¡± The fox-girl didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°Couple stuff.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ Is that why your hair is still damp and the towel¡­?¡± ¡°Couple stuff that caused the need for a shower afterward.¡± Maya added some more details to the situation. ¡°¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to reply here. Judging by her expression, she seemed to be pretty envious, though. "A-Anyway, have a seat.¡± Noticing that, Sophia decided to change the topic again and gestured at the sofa opposite of them. ¡°We¡¯re probably done being flirty idiots for now. We won¡¯t stop cuddling, though. That part is not negotiable. So¡­ just a little less flirty idiots, actually. Sorry.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Hearing her slightly wed argumentation, Chloe let out a soft chuckle before sitting down on the sofa the blonde was gesturing at. Afterward, the trio spent most of the afternoon chatting about various but meaningless things until it turned dark outside. ---------------- During the evening, the trio had dinner together as there was still no hint of the wolves, and they went back to rxing in the living room. Naturally, Maya and Sophia went right back to cuddling while chatting with each other some more. ¡°You sure know how to make others envious¡­¡± Chloe was trying hard not to focus on the couple¡¯s clinginess, but it was hard to ignore. ¡°A-Ah.¡± Their expression turned slightly awkward, but they didn''t show any intention of stopping and letting go of each other. ¡°Well, it¡¯s reallyfy to watch, so it¡¯s not that bad, I guess.¡± The fox-girl tried to concentrate on the positive side. "Still, seeing you two being so cheesy while rxing on a sofa in afy living room, I kinda miss the times of watching a cheap movie on TV while doing nothing all evening long.¡± ¡°True.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Though, I was more into bad soap operas during those times. They were always good for augh and lots of second-hand embarrassment!" ¡°Not sure about that¡­ I never got the appeal of those¡­¡± Chloe apparently thought otherwise. "I always thought they were trashy¡­" "That''s the whole point! They''re so bad that it''s fun!" The tiger raised her voice. ¡°Now I feel reminded of Steph again¡­ We had the same dispute every evening, as well! She also preferred movies over that¡­¡± ¡°Because movies are obviously better!¡± ¡°They¡¯re not!¡± The two agreed to disagree. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Maya finally entered their conversation. ¡°What are you two talking about?! Movies? Soap operas¡­? What¡¯s a TeVe?¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± Sophia forgot that the cat-girl didn¡¯t know about these things. ¡°A TV is something from my old wor¡­ Wait a moment¡­" She only then noticed what was going on right now. It seems like Aura''s suggestion to watch out for anything odd wasn''t needed anymore. "What?!" ¡°W-What?!¡± The fox-girl had the exact same bewildered expression. ¡°C-Chloe, so you-!¡± In shock, the blonde jumped off the sofa and identally dragged Maya with her as she forgot that the two were holding hands while cuddling. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± She was never able to finish her sentence, though. At the very moment they got up, everything was bathed in a blindingly bright light. A momentter, she found herself in an all-too-familiar all-white room. ---------------- ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Maya was still next to her while holding Sophia¡¯s hand. Everything else, including Chloe, got reced by the white nothing. ¡°BAD TIMING, CANIR!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°Bring me back right now! There¡¯s important stuff I need to confirm!¡± ¡°That can wait.¡± After those words came out of nowhere, Canir eventually appeared in front of the couple. ¡°Nice to see you again, Maya.¡± ¡°H-Hello¡­¡± She was a little overwhelmed. "What do you mean it can wait?!" Sophia disagreed with him. "It was SUPER important!" ¡°My news is, too.¡± He struck out his hands to calm her down. ¡°There¡¯s something I really have to tell you first that can¡¯t wait any longer¡­¡± ¡°What did you do¡­?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like his wording. Afterward, the overseer let a few chairs appear and gestured for them to get seated before sitting down himself. It seemed like it could take a while. Chapter 317 – Important news Chapter 317 ¨C Important news Sophia, Maya, and Chloe were rxing together in the mansion¡¯s living room when things suddenly took a weird turn. While watching the flirty andfy couple, the fox-girl was reminded of the times when she used to watch cheesy romance movies in the evening. On the other hand, the tiger seemed to prefer cheap soap operas, and the two had a little quarrel over which of those was better, only to eventually realize the actual issue at hand. The tiger didn''t get to ask what was going on, though. The moment she jumped off the sofa in shock, while dragging Maya with her, the couple was suddenly bathed in a bright white light and found themselves in Canir''s domain without prior notice. It seemed like something important hade up, ording to him. ¡°So, what did you do?¡± Sophia was still suspicious about him having called her over so suddenly and out of nowhere. "If you''re honest and tell me the truth now, I won''t get angry with you." "You know I watch people a lot, right?" Canir looked back at her. "I am well aware that''s exactly what every mother says right before she gets angry." ¡°I¡¯m not a mother, though. It¡¯s safe to be honest with me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel safe at all!¡± It had the opposite effect on him. ¡°Hehe.¡± She let out a chuckle over his reaction. ¡°So, what is more important than me finding out whether Chloe is an otherworldler or not?¡± ¡°She is.¡± Canir just blurted it out. ¡°HEY!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Don¡¯t rob me of the suspense!¡± ¡°See?! You got angry!¡± ¡°But for a different reason!¡± ¡°She wins that round.¡± Maya had to side with her tiger. "Fine¡­" He hung his head. "It sure was quite the surprise that you two met. I look forward to the future chaos~. The stuff Feyanis is up to is quite entertaining, as well! I wasn''t expecting her n at all~." ¡°What is she doing¡­?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure if she even wanted to know. ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in spoiling the surprise?¡± ¡°AFTER YOU DID JUST THAT TO ME?!¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± He just scratched his cheek. ¡°I mean, it was pretty obvious if you even paid a little bit of attention, you know¡­? Chloe not being from that world, that is.¡± ¡°You know that I¡¯m not good at that!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not my fault, is it?!¡± "I''m not sure about that!" Sophia had no intention of calming down anytime soon. ¡°My boosts have settled down for the most part, but who knows what your influence on any of this was!¡± ¡°Were you good at paying attention to stuff like that before we met?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger chose not to answer him. ¡°Case closed.¡± Canir looked happy. ¡°So, Chloe is actually¡­ Wait, is she from the same world as I or are there more?!¡± ¡°There are more, but you¡¯re from the same.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± She hadn¡¯t expected that reply. ¡°Wait, why am I surprised? If there are two worlds, it only makes sense that there are many more¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Chloe isn¡¯t someone Sophia knew, though, right?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Judging by how alike they are and think basically the same, I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if she¡¯s actually her sister in a new, fluffy, package.¡± "Eh?" Sophia and Canir just stared at her. "How did you manage toe to that conclusion¡­?¡± They were in perfect sync. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know?!¡± She averted her head. "Sophia talked a lot about Steph, and looking at everything I noticed from Chloe''s behavior and personality, they seem very simr¡­¡± ¡°Those two and thousands of, if not millions of other people.¡± ¡°Yesyes!¡± The duo continued to stare at her. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t realize Steph being my sister just because she¡¯s a fluffy fox-girl now? Chloe''s just simr enough to her that she keeps reminding me of my sister. They would get along amazingly. Nothing more.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Maya felt a little stupid while she started blushing a bit. ¡°Also, Chloe died in their old world about 20 years ago.¡± Canir continued. ¡°The flow of time isn¡¯t exactly the same, but Sophia¡¯s sister was born around the time the previous life of your fox friend ended.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°So, other than me¡­ Chloe actually died for real when she came here¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ That¡¯s the norm. You actually were an exception amongst exceptions because you didn''t want to get a new body, and I felt sorry for you." ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. "I don''t have much more information on her, though. I only know that Chloe came from the same world as you and died there around 20 years ago. I''m not the one who brought her over, so I was only informed about the essentials. It''s quite amusing to watch her adventures here from time to time, though." ¡°Wait! You aren¡¯t the only one who can bring people from one world to another.¡± ¡°There are many with that ability.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yup." He nodded. "Every overseer can bring people from one world to another using their favorite method." ¡°Maya, I hope you¡¯re taking notes¡­¡± Sophia looked at her secretary. "I need to review themter to understand what is even going on right now." ¡°Sure.¡± She wasn¡¯t doing any of that, though. ¡°Anyway, enough of your fox for the time being!" Canir pped his hands to get them to the topic. "You can ask her herself all about her past life once you¡¯re back again. There are more important things to talk about now!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Sophia focused her attention on him again. ¡°You wanted to tell me how you messed up, right?¡± ¡°I did not!¡± He got loud. ¡°I didn¡¯t mess up at all! I just wanted to ry this information to you as fast as possible!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, then.¡± She was surprisingly apologetic. ¡°Please go on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always so unnerving when she suddenly gets reasonable¡­¡± Canir looked at Maya instead. ¡°Tell me about it¡­¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Once again, she got loud. ¡°That¡¯s what I get for trying, huh?!¡± ---------------- ¡°Your letters have reached your family.¡± Canir had enough of getting sidetracked. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Sophia immediately gave him her undivided attention. ¡°When?!¡± "A little over a week ago. I was pretty busy, so I hadn¡¯t had the chance to put them into the post box thing earlier. Afterward, I watched them for a few days to see their reaction and all that¡­" ¡°A-And¡­?¡± Her entire body tensed up. ¡°How did they take it¡­?¡± ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Canir looked straight at her. "Isn''t it enough for you to know they''ve gotten your message and move on?" ¡°¡­¡± The tiger needed to think about it. ¡°W-Will I regret if I want to know¡­?¡± ¡°A definite maybe.¡± ¡°Not helping!¡± ¡°What do you want to hear, then?" He tilted his head. "If there''s nothing for me to tell, you will be sad, but if there''s a lot, you will be just as much affected." ¡°¡­¡± She took another pause. ¡°Tell me¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°No!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Still, do it¡­¡± "How do you understand this girl...?" He looked at Maya with a questioning expression. "Who said I do?" "Fair point." There was nothing for him to add. "Well, you asked for it." Canir wasn¡¯t going to keep it to himself. ¡°Your mother took it the way you wanted it. She was quite sad, but it also seemed like it made her a little happy because it gave her the closure you wanted it to be.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± There was nothing else Sophia could say. "It also helped her to give her undivided attention to her new child. From what I¡¯ve picked up, your fate was still weighing down on her a little. She looked less tired with each passing day I looked over her before they went on a vacation or something like that." ¡°That¡¯s good to hear¡­ Wait, what?¡± The blonde needed a moment to process it. ¡°Mom had another child? I mean, she had me pretty early, and she''s still young enough, I guess, but¡­ Am I even nine months gone already?¡± ¡°Pretty much exactly nine months, going by earth time, yes.¡± The overseer nodded. ¡°It seems like she was already pregnant when you left, though. The child is a little over two months old now.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± She was back to her one-liner. ¡°I had no idea¡­ Still, it looks like she¡¯s doing fine, huh? I¡¯m d my letter helped a little even though it also hurt¡­¡± The tiger didn¡¯t want to dwell too much on it. ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°Your mother seemed to be able to move on.¡± ¡°What about Steph¡­? How is she doing¡­?¡± Her voice turned more somber again. ¡°¡­¡± Canir paused for a moment. ¡°Anyway, how are you enjoying the new world during fall? Might be a bit too cold for a tiger right now, huh?" ¡°HEY!¡± ¡°Is it bad¡­?¡± Maya didn¡¯t have a hard time guessing why he was trying to change the topic. ¡°Well¡­ Her sister is a little, no¡­ quite stubborn¡­¡± ¡°It is Sophia¡¯s sister we¡¯re talking about here.¡± It wasn''t a surprising im for the cat-girl. "Anything else would''ve been surprising." ¡°True.¡± He nodded. ¡°Compared to her, our tiger is low maintenance, though.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± This was surprising for her. ¡°I foreshadow trouble¡­¡± "Steph is quite the personality~." Sophia looked strangely proud before ring at the overseer. "Now tell me what is going on!" ¡°Fine¡­¡± He gave up on stalling for time. ¡°It seems like your sister never believed you died in the first ce. From what I¡¯ve gathered, she hasn¡¯t stopped searching for you ever since your disappearance¡­ She refused to ept that you were gone. It also drove her a little apart from your parents as she thought Stephanie''s behavior was unhealthily and only made a bad situation worse. Still, she didn¡¯t care about any of that.¡± ¡°G-Great¡­¡± Even though she used that specific word, her expression was theplete opposite of great. If anything, she looked devastated. ¡°The letter probably made it worse, too. After getting the confirmation that you''re, in fact, not dead, she got even more motivated about finding you.¡± ¡°So¡­ The exact opposite of what I wanted with the letter¡­?¡± Sophia hung her head in defeat. ¡°¡­¡± Canir didn¡¯t answer. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything to, uhh¡­ prevent her from doing anything stupid, right¡­?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°My influence on earth isn¡¯t that strong, after all. I mean, if something happens while I''m watching over her, I have some options, but you can''t expect me to watch her all day, every day.¡± ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to ask you¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°Well, Steph can be even more stubborn than I, but other than me, she knows when to give up for good. Once she notices that she can¡¯t find me, she¡¯ll eventually give up¡­ She has a good head on her shoulders, other than me, again¡­ It''ll work out, and she''ll get over it soon enough.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking it quite well.¡± Canir was a little surprised after she had turned so emotional thest time the topic came up. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯d like to cry right now¡­ Cry a lot, actually, but¡­ What good will it do?¡± She sniffed once before continuing. ¡°I¡¯ll always love and never forget her and what used to be my home, but I belong to the world Maya and the otherse from now¡­¡± ¡°Seems like both sisters have a good head on their shoulders.¡± The cat-girl liked her reply. ¡°It sure seems like it.¡± Canir agreed. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± She got a little bashful. ¡°While we¡¯re at it¡­ thank you so much for delivering the letters and giving me an update on them. That was very generous of you.¡± ¡°I ept payment in fun events and semi-catastrophes~.¡± He was d that she seemed to be mostly fine. ¡°Only semi?¡± Her mood really was improving. ¡°I also take big ones. Okay, at least to the size where I don¡¯t have to intervene to literally save the world, that is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± The tiger nodded a few times. ¡°I can do without that, as well. That was too scary for my liking.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best with the semi-catastrophes for a while, though!¡± ¡°Looking forward to it!¡± ¡°You also have toe down and visit us again!¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°Last time was a lot of fun! Let¡¯s getfy in our living room with the wolves and drink a lot! A LOT!¡± ¡°With your enjoyment for alcohol boosted?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Sounds fun!¡± He smiled back at her. ¡°I¡¯ll put it onto my to-do list.¡± ¡°With a priority marking, please!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Her mood was great again. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get stupidly drunk and tease you all night long!¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± Maya was immediately on board with the n. ¡°You two are the worst¡­¡± ¡°We know!¡± The couple was in perfect sync. ¡°I won¡¯t hold back!¡± The blonde¡¯s smile started to turn into a grin. "I''m incapable of doing that when teasing others in the first ce~." ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± He just waved his arm. ¡°Well, it seems like you¡¯re doing good, so go back where you came from and take your sassy cat with you!¡± ¡°Ehe---¡± As he didn''t want to look at their smug expressions for even a moment longer, Canir didn''t even let Sophia finish and teleported them out of his domain with a snap of his fingers. ---------------- ¡°Mommy, mommy, look! Those weird girls have animal ears and even a tail!¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t look, Billy! They¡¯re a bad influence!¡± A woman in herte twenties put away her smartphone to cover the eyes of her roughly five-year-old son, who was pointing and looking at a totally out-of-ce-looking tiger and cat-girl. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± It was the only reaction the couple had because they had slight issues processing the situation. "N-No way!" Sophia was especially shocked. ---------------- The two weren''t the only ones that had a rough time. Back in his domain, Canir had also started panicking. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The moment he was alone again, his expression immediately changed. ¡°W-Why did this cost me so much authority that I actually felt it just now¡­? Wait! After we talked about her sister and her old world¡­ I sent them back to where Sophia came from¡­ Uh-oh¡­¡± He started properly panicking. "Their sass threw me off, and I didn''t concentrate properly... I did a Sophia! T-That world is a one-way destination, too¡­ Once you''ve been brought there from another world, you''re stuck there as a punishment... oh no¡­"
Chapter 318 – Welcome Chapter 318 ¨C Wee Maya and Sophia ended up in an emergency meeting with Canir in his domain because he finally managed to sniff out the blonde¡¯s family. While they were at it, he also confirmed that Chloe was indeed an otherworldler from the same world as the tiger. Afterward, he exined how Sophia¡¯s family reacted to the letter she had ryed to them. Her mother took it rtively fine and started to move on for good, but her sister, Steph, was having a hard time with it. As there was nothing the tiger could do about it, though, she decided that it was best to let her calm down and get over it without further intervening. As the meeting wasing to a close, Canir made a grave mistake, though. Slightly riled up from being teased by the couple, he didn''t concentrate properly on his magic, and instead of sending them back to their current world, he sent them back to where the blonde came from, the world she lived in before her ident. ¡°Mommy, mommy, look! Those weird girls have animal ears and even a tail!¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t look, Billy! They¡¯re a bad influence!¡± "W-What?!" Seeing those two, and how the entire area around them looked nothing like the capital, including all the modern-looking houses, not to mention things like electric light posts and even cars, Sophia started panicking. Naturally, she hadn¡¯t seen thating at all. Immediately after, once she had a clear moment, she instantly grabbed Maya¡¯s hand and dragged her into a side alley. Luckily, Canir seemed to have sent them to a residential area during the day when only very few people were around. There, the tiger leaned against a wall and slowly slid down to the ground before sitting down and hugging her knees. ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± "¡­" Maya still hadn''t the slightest clue about what was happening. As she continued to look all around her and took in all the unfamiliar sights, she kept looking more and more confused with each passing moment. ¡°W-What is this weird ce¡­? W-Where are we¡­? W-Why do you look like you¡¯re about to die?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t answer. ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± ¡°This¡­ This is¡­¡± She needed a moment. ¡°W-Wee to my¡­ old world¡­¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Hearing that, the cat-girl also started to properly panic. ¡°WHAT?!¡± ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± Sophia repeated herself. ¡°First Chloe, which is cool¡­ Then how Steph seemed to be having a hard time¡­ And now this¡­ T-That¡¯s too much¡­¡± Her voice was a mix of sorrow and despair. "Eh, ah, uhh¡­" Maya was still unable to deal with the situation. A depressed girlfriend on top was anything but helpful right now. As this was the priority now, though, she kneeled in front of the tiger. She was still leaning against the wall while burying her head into her legs and hugging her knees at the same time, which she then started petting. ¡°I-It seemed like you were taking the Steph thing¡­ rtively well, though¡­?" The cat-girl decided to start with that. ¡°T-That was just because¡­ because I thought we would go home right after¡­¡± She let out another sniff before continuing. ¡°I was nning to immediately¡­ go to bed and cry¡­ for an hour or two¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ You acted strong, huh?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The tiger gave her a weak nod. ¡°That¡¯s what I get for it¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya looked around again. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I know that your mind is upied right now, but¡­ but we have to do something about this, as well¡­¡± She used one of her hands to simply point at everything around them. ¡°W-We can¡¯t stay here, you know¡­? We have to go back! Also¡­ those two humans just now¡­ they were shocked about our ears and tails¡­" ¡°W-Well, yeah¡­ Something like us doesn¡¯t exist here¡­¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that bad if people see us?!¡± ¡°Unbelievably bad¡­¡± ¡°W-We have to hurry back home then!¡± "Mind¡­ Mind telling me how?" Sophia still had her head buried in her legs she was hugging. "A-Ah.¡± The cat-girl froze up. ¡°W-Wait, I can still sense your magic! It feels lower than usual, but it¡¯s still there! Can¡¯t we use a portal to go back?!¡± "I still have my magic¡­?" For the first time since breaking down earlier, the blonde lifted her head to look at Maya, who then used her hand to wipe her tears away. ¡°M-My detection shut down, but¡­ Yes, I can feel some power in you, as well¡­ Why? There is supposed to be no magic in this world¡­¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know¡­¡± She probably was thest one who would be able to answer this question. "Oh, but didn''t Chloe mention something about you having actual magic inside of you, which doubles as your authority? It basicallymands the environment magic around you? I think I remember Canir saying something simr. Maybe the magic inside our bodies came with us¡­? It might be why your magic feels less now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ This also could be the reason why my detection stopped working¡­ I guess it uses the magic in the environment to find things¡­ Without that, no detection¡­¡± ¡°Makes sense¡­¡± Maya just nodded. "S-So¡­ uhh, portal?" ¡°R-Right!" Hesitating for a moment, Sophia then let go of her legs and lifted her left arm. A momentter, it disappeared into a small purple portal connecting to her storage. Right after, she pulled it out again while holding a couple of gold coins from the other world. ¡°IT WORKS!¡± The cat-girl seemed visibly relieved and happy. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The tiger sounded a lot more reserved. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That portal took way more magic than usual, and my recovery feels much slower, too.¡± She let out a small sigh. "A full-sized portal should still be possible, though.¡± ¡°G-Good¡­ Well, I guess that confirms the theory about the internal magic? As we only have that avable, we can¡¯t be as wasteful, and it takes longer until it returns to us.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Sophia hung her head again. ¡°So, what¡¯s the actual issue?¡± Maya naturally noticed that something else was weighing her down, as well, and stared right at her again. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be here¡­ and yet, we are¡­ It shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­ and yet, it happened¡­" She went back to hugging her legs. "If we return now, I can¡¯t leave the portal open because someone would definitely find it¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can forcibly open the portal from the other side, either. I doubt my magic would reach¡­ and again, someone would notice. Canir also mentioned before that he can send people over to a different world only once¡­ I¡¯m not sure if this counts, but what if it does¡­ Or if it resets if we return on our own¡­ W-What if not?¡± ¡°Y-You want to stay¡­?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s expression changedpletely. ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°But¡­ It might be the only chance I¡­ we have¡­¡± ¡°We?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Steph?¡± ¡°No!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Seeing her now only would end in a disaster!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°THERE¡¯S NOTHING I WANT MORE RIGHT NOW!¡± ¡°But?¡± She repeated herself. ¡°It will make things so much worse¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± The cat-girl decided against voicing her opinion on the matter for now. She understood that it was too much at once right now to be rational. ¡°So, what is this we you were talking about?" ¡°You and I¡­¡± She took another slight pause to try and regain her posture. "I want to show you where I came from¡­ I never thought I would be able to, and I don''t even particrly like this world, but¡­ I want you to know more about me¡­" ¡°Oh.¡± Maya didn¡¯t know how to reply to that. ¡°I¡¯m really happy, but¡­ I-It looks quite scary here, though¡­¡± She started looking around again while being seemingly quite nervous. Naturally, as absolutely nothing looked familiar to her, things got overwhelming fast. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such a scaredy cat¡­ literally¡­¡± ¡°HEY!¡± The cat-girl didn''t like that. "Speaking of, how would we be able to explore here in the first ce¡­ You said it yourself that it would be terrible if our animal features get noticed¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Afterward, Sophia''s body was enveloped by smoke, and a momentter, a slightly different-looking girl appeared. It was still Sophia, but her tiger ears and tail were gone. Also, her hair looked more like her summer style again, a much darker orange, but rather than the slight orange hue it had, it now shifted closer to a brownish blonde. The girl also looked a little taller and bigger than before. At least as much as her current clothes would allow her to grow. All in all, she had mostly returned to her pre-transmigration self aftering back to her old world. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to have to use that magic so soon again¡­ Or ever." Even so, she followed after her girl, and soon enough, her ears and tail were also gone. She didn¡¯t change anything else, though. After all, she didn¡¯t have multiple forms to choose from. ¡°I like the cat version more¡­¡± Even though it was her idea, it just made the whole mess of a situation worse for the blonde. ¡°I do, too!¡± The white-haired girlined even louder. ¡°Thankfully, I quite like your older human form quite a bit~. Tiger Sophia is still my favorite, though.¡± ¡°Mine, too!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re starting to feel better.¡± "Not at all¡­" Her voice quickly became quieter again. "Can''t say I''m a fan of the depressed Sophia, though. After the angry one, it¡¯s probably my least favorite variant¡­¡± ¡°S-Shut up¡­ I hate her more than anyone else¡­¡± "Good. So, what''s the n¡­?" Once again, Maya looked around in the vicinity, trying to make sense of all the strange things she saw. Luckily, as they weren¡¯t in a shopping or business district right now, the strangest things around them were cars. All the signs, monitor walls, and other sensory-overloading things had yet to be discovered by her. "No idea¡­" Sophia decided she would rather continue burying her head in her legs while hugging her knees for a while longer. ¡°I see.¡± Letting her gather her thoughts a little longer, Maya just sat down next to the blonde and leaned against her side while cing her head on the other girl''s shoulder, and the two stayed like that for a good while.
Chapter 319 – What a place Chapter 319 ¨C What a ce Things had taken quite a turn after Canir had summoned Sophia and Maya to tell the blonde the news about her family and how they had received her letters. After the overseer had finished telling them everything, he sent them back home. Unfortunately, he made a slight mistake and returned them to Sophia¡¯s original home, though. Luckily, albeit not as powerful anymore, their magic was still working, and Sophia was able to create her portals, which allowed them to go back to the right world. Being back, especially after having heard about Steph having a hard time, the blonde got even more emotional. After using magic to look like ordinary humans, they decided to stay a little longer because Sophia wanted to show Maya where she came from. ¡°It¡¯s probably not the best time to mention it, but it is getting rather cold here¡­¡± The two were still sitting on the ground of a random alley somewhere in Sophia¡¯s old world when Maya started to feel ufortable. "Y-Yeah¡­" The blonde, who was continuing to hug her knees, reacted with a slight nod. ¡°Come on now!¡± Hearing her still somber voice after the two had been sitting there for what felt like an hour already, the white-haired girl sprang back on her feet and positioned herself in front of the blonde while holding out her arms. ¡°Give me your hands!¡± She wanted to help her up. "¡­" Not answering her at first, Sophia stayed rooted like that for a moment longer. Still, she eventually, but very reluctantly, reached for the other¡¯s hands. ¡°Perfect!¡± Maya immediately pulled her up and showed her a gentle smile once they were at the same eye level again. "Oho, we''re almost the same size right now!" She noticed that the height gap between them had shrunk a lot. ¡°You¡¯re bigger, too~. It¡¯s not quite your old body, though, isn''t it? It feels like there are still a few centimeters missing.¡± It didn¡¯t sound like she was just talking about her height. ¡°It¡¯s as close as my current clothes allowed me to grow¡­ Wait, why did I go for my old self in the first ce¡­?¡± ¡°You did it unconsciously?¡± ¡°Old world, old me, I guess¡­?¡± She hung her head afterward. ¡°Drop the old personality, though!¡± Maya got loud. ¡°You¡¯re better than that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not! Even your body knows! Look!" She pointed at Sophia''s hair. "Even when you unconsciously transformed to your old looks, you still kept a few of your tiger stripes. You are someone else now! Someone better! Someone who forgot how being depressed even works! That¡¯s why, stop it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re the best or the worst motivational trainer in existence¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m the best!¡± ¡°Well, it has to be true if you say it, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Maya gave her a satisfied nod. ¡°If you don¡¯t cheer up at least a little now, I¡¯m going to get angry!¡± ¡°Definitely the worst motivational trainer¡­¡± She changed her opinion. ¡°I¡¯m the bestest!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s Ellie.¡± Hearing her wording it the way the little princess usually does, the blonde finally changed her expression and showed her a small but very cheeky smile. ¡°That¡¯s eptable!¡± She liked the change. "True, too!" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Even when she''s not around, Ellie still manages to save the day. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re finally getting somewhere!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I hate or love you right now¡­¡± "That means my distraction is working~.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°Might be leaning closer towards love.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Barely, though.¡± Sophia smiled back at her. ¡°At the end of the day, it will be all love!¡± ¡°At the end of the day¡­ You¡¯ve been better at that before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy sightseeing, so I¡¯ll take it easy!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to deduct points for your questionable priorities¡­¡± ¡°I work best when I start with a handicap.¡± ¡°You have an answer for everything, huh?¡± The blonde just stared at her way too smug-looking girlfriend. ¡°Yup~.¡± She was d that Sophia¡¯s retorts were getting livelier. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m quite surprised that it seems to be early morning here right now, even though it was evening at our ce. What¡¯s up with your world?¡± "Well, Canir just mentioned earlier that the flow of time is a little different. Ignoring the part where the year is 15 days longer on the other side. Also, it¡¯s morning here¡­ in some ce in this world, it is evening right now, so¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess.¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°Okay, that just means we have more time to explore!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°By the way, where exactly are we? Why are these houses so clean-looking? Why are the streets so smooth? What are those colorful boxes with wheels that somewhat resemble those of a carriage but also not, and are much smaller¡­? What¡­" It seemed like she could go on forever. "It seems like I''ll be doing lots of exining today, huh? Well, for where we are¡­ not even the slightest clue¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°There are almost 8 billion humans on this. Lots of cities to house them¡­ and the housing districts of pretty much every developed country looks more or less the same." ¡°Brr¡­¡± Hearing the first part especially, Maya just shuddered in response. ¡°Understandable.¡± She couldn¡¯t fault her for that reaction. ¡°It does feel ever so slightly nostalgic, though. Also, I understood those two earlier, and I can read the street signs and all that¡­ Judging by how it¡¯s the samenguage, we¡¯re most likely in my home country.¡± ¡°What does thenguage have to do with that¡­?¡± The white-haired girl tilted her head. ¡°Almost every country has its ownnguage. Some even have multiple ones. There are a couple of hundrednguages in total." ¡°Why¡­?¡± She only tilted her head more. ¡°Why, indeed¡­¡± "That sounds super inconvenient formunication and stuff!" ¡°That¡¯s putting it very lightly.¡± ¡°Your world is weird¡­¡± "Again, that''s putting it very lightly." Sophia kept nodding at everything she was saying. "Also, if you think that is weird... this will be a long day." "Lucky we ended up in a somewhat familiar ce then, huh?" ¡°Also lucky that Canir gave you the trantion skill for mynguage back when you wanted to read my letters.¡± ¡°True! It would¡¯ve been a major pain else.¡± Maya reacted with a big nod. ¡°Still is quite the pain, regardless. For many reasons¡­¡± ¡°I told you to stop being grumpy!¡± The white-haired girl raised her voice once again. ¡°If I¡¯m not allowed to be grumpy at all, we¡¯re going to have a problem¡­¡± ¡°One problem more or less won¡¯t change much at this point.¡± Maya stuck out her tongue while grinning at her. ¡°The hate you levels are rising.¡± ¡°Good~.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­ Shall we get going?¡± ¡°dly!¡± ¡°So, which way do you want to go?¡± The blonde pointed in both directions they could follow the alley. ¡°Why me?! I have no idea how this world works!¡± ¡°I lived here for over 20 years, and I have no clue about that, either. That''s no excuse. Even more, I also don''t know where we are. Adding to that, you''re the one who''s eager to explore. I mean, I want to show you, too, but¡­¡± She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°While we¡¯re at it¡­ If we¡¯re actually in a bigger city, you¡¯ll probably get surprised a lot and might even end up beingpletely overwhelmed. When that happens, try to keep it in you. If you¡¯re too surprised about something normal for absolutely everyone else, people might get suspicious¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t belittle me! I know how to behave!¡± She got a little pouty. ¡°No, you just have no idea just how ridiculous some areas and things of this world are.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine~.¡± Maya looked confident about her im. ¡°Just try not to act too surprised¡­¡± Sophia had a bad feeling already. ¡°So, which way?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ This way!¡± She simply pointed to her right. ¡°As good as any suggestion, I guess.¡± The blonde shrugged her shoulders again. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She gave her a big nod. "There are still a ton of questions I have!" ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°Why are the outsides of the houses and the streets so smooth? It¡¯s supposed to be bricks, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well, there are still brick houses and cobble roads around, but¡­ Houses nowadays are mostly made from concrete or have an outeryer stered over them to make them look clean and smooth¡­ The surface of the road is called asphalt, I think? Long story short, it''s a mix of some things, and the mass is kinda soft when heated up. Smells horrible when hot, too¡­ They put that stuff on the street, smoothen it, and once it cools down, it looks like this.¡± ¡°Oho! I don¡¯t really get it, but it looks great! Nice and clean.¡± ¡°A smooth street is also nice to drive on. Makes driving a car much more fun.¡± ¡°Car¡­?¡± Maya looked confused again. ¡°The colorful boxes with the small wheels¡­¡± Immediately after saying this, she heard something behind them and scootched Maya over to the side to make room for the red car that wanted to pass them. ¡°Eh?!¡± That just bewildered her even more. ¡°There was someone in there! How does it go without a horse?! Does this world have magic, after all?! Also, why is it so loud and smelly¡­?¡± It apparently wasn¡¯t an electric car. ¡°So much for not being surprised at every little thing¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a little thing!¡± ¡°Compared to what you haven¡¯t seen yet, it sure is.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°No, there is no magic. Those cars have something we call an engine. This thing, uhh¡­ burns something we pump out of the earth we call oil and converts that into movement¡­" She decided to spare her many details because it would make no difference. ¡°I see! I think¡­ It stinks and is loud because it¡¯s burning something¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°That aside, it¡¯s amazing that it can drive without a horse! The stuff it burns seems to be amazing!¡± "Yeah¡­" She nodded. "Aside from the part where it''s finite, about to run out, and burning it slowly makes the unlivable because it destroys nature and pollutes the air¡­" ¡°W-WHAT!?¡± Maya looked more than shocked. ¡°W-Why would you use it, then?!¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s convenient¡­? There is no magic we can use instead, after all¡­¡± ¡°Sure is convenient to destroy the you live on!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde had a hard time countering that. "W-Well¡­ when it was discovered or developed, no one thought about these side effects yet. When it became apparent, it was already toote to stop because of¡­ money¡­ and how everything in the world was dependent on it." ¡°Dependent enough, again, to destroy the very you live on¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She still had no arguments. ¡°T-There are newer cars and other transport vehicles that don''t use that stuff anymore and drive with something we call electricity now¡­ Depending on how that is made, there is no harm to the environment¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°W-Well, those new cars themselves have something big and heavy built inside of them to store that electricity¡­ Building those things kinda destroys the earth, too¡­ It''s made with rare stuff they have to destroyndscapes of unimaginable size all over the world to dig it out. From what I''ve heard, the stuff itself is also pretty harmful and a major pain to build. It also gets transported all over the world multiple times, which causes even more pollution because it''s transported on ships that use an impossible amount of the other stuff we pump out of the earth. It''s still better than burning oil in cars, as well, but..." "What is wrong with humans¡­?" Maya decided not to specify which humans from what world she meant because she didn''t want to insult the humans she already knew beforehand. ¡°¡­¡± And again, there was nothing she could say. ¡°I thought stupidity was a defining trait of our humans¡­¡± The white-haired girl had to take a short break. ¡°Well, at least the humans of this world, from what I¡¯ve seen so far, don¡¯t seem to think they''re the absolute best while having no reason to think so. Or are being needlessly aggressive and start one war after another under the pretense of either a petty or even no reason at all¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia was taking a lot of second-hand damage at the moment. Because she couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, she eventually just stopped answering and started walking again. ---------------- After the topic was over, or forcefully ended, the couple decided to wander around, and the scenery was slowly starting to change. Before long, they had left the housing district and entered the shopping area in the city they ended up in. ¡°WOW!¡± Maya had long abandoned her promise not to get surprised at absolutely anything. It was hard to me her, though. It seems like the city they were in was a rather big one because the shopping area ended up being gigantic. There were an uncountable number of stores while the ce was littered with ads, television screens, all kinds of shy lights, and enormous video walls on the tall buildings. It was in no wayparable to the capital the two came from. ¡°I-I don¡¯t even know¡­ What is all this¡­? W-Why are all these pictures moving¡­? Where is all this noiseing from¡­? How are there so many people¡­? Why are the buildings so enormous?!" There was absolutely no end to her questions. "¡­" Sophia, on the other hand, hadn''t said a thing for quite a while, and her face was seemingly turning paler with each passing moment. ¡°I¡­ I seriously hate you, Canir¡­ Why¡­ just why¡­?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Even though she was distracted by absolutely everything, she still managed to notice that something was up with the blonde again. "What''s wrong?" ¡°¡­¡± She only reacted by first cing her hands on her face. "W-Wee to my¡­ home city¡­" It seemed like the blonde finally found out where exactly they were bying across some more noticeablendmarks. ¡°Eh?!¡±
Chapter 320 – Sensory overload Chapter 320 ¨C Sensory overload One thing led to another, which caused Sophia and Maya to end up in the blonde''s original world. To make things worse, she already was plenty depressed after Canir had told her about her family right before and how her sister seemed to be having a hard time. Returning to her old home under these circumstances had stressed her a lot, and it almost seemed like she had regressed a little to her former self, as well. Luckily, Maya was with her, managed to keep her afloat, and cheered her up again. Once they made sure that returning home was possible, the couple decided to explore the city they were in while the blonde exined all the curious sights to her girlfriend. She also took a lot of second-hand damage from exining all the stupid mistakes humanity made, and is continuing to do, because Maya just could understand it. While arriving in the actual shopping district and noticing some familiar sights, the blonde finally realized why everything felt somewhat familiar. As it turned out, the two had ended up in her old home city. ¡°Eh¡­ This is your city¡­?¡± Maya needed a moment to understand those words. ¡°This is actually the ce you came from?!¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t sound too happy about this revtion. ¡°The city is gigantic, though¡­ Many, many timesrger than the capital. My actual home is quite far away. Basically impossible to reach on foot because we can¡¯t run faster than ordinary humans here¡­ Attention and all that stuff. I used other means of transport to go here for shopping and other things¡­" "We can''t do that to go there?" ¡°It costs money to use..." She shook her head before taking out one of the gold coins she had pulled out of her storage earlier. "Those obviously don¡¯t work here.¡± ¡°Ahh, that makes sense¡­¡± Maya saw the issue. ¡°Too bad.¡± ¡°W-We wouldn¡¯t be going there, anyway!" The blonde got loud. "I don''t know many people, but the chance that someone recognizes me there is not zero¡­ Not to mention that¡­ that Steph might be there¡­" Her voice instantly turned somber again. "It would only¡­ end in a catastrophe¡­¡± ¡°You worry too much~.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t worry nearly enough right now!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just agree to disagree.¡± The white-haired girl¡¯s mood was a lot cheerier than that of Sophia. "Aww, but no money also means no shopping, huh? I don''t get this ce at all, and all the noise and moving pictures are actually scary, but¡­ I bet there are lots of interesting things to buy, right?¡± ¡°You have no idea¡­ But yes, we¡¯re limited to looking at stuff only¡­¡± ¡°Too bad!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She nodded. After all, now that they were here, there would be many things Sophia wouldn''t mind getting. "Wait¡­" She then stared at the gold coin from the other world she had pulled out earlier. ¡°There¡¯s no way this is actual gold, right¡­? The coin is pretty heavy, but it would be way too valuable, right? Though, is gold even valuable over there¡­? It might actually bemon?¡± ¡°What are you mumbling about?¡± Maya tilted her head while trying to make sense of her girl. ¡°Say¡­ How much is gold worth on the other side?¡± ¡°Gold¡­?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°The metal, some jewelry, and the bigger coins are made out of? A little more than the other metals, I would say? It looks nice, but it¡¯s way too soft to make anything meaningful out of it. From what I remember, it¡¯s almost exclusively used for jewelry and some fancy decoration. It looks really nice, after all. And the coins, of course. It''s not that much of a rare material. Still, it''s softer than most metals, and together with the color that stands out quite a bit, it''s supposedly hard to make counterfeit coins. They would probably end up being more expensive than the original ones.¡± "A-Are you for real¡­?¡± "Yes?" Maya looked more confused. "I heard that there are some rules around gold, like everything made with gold has to cost at least as much as the same weight in coins to keep the value, but other than that, gold is nothing special. The same rule applies to silver, too. There are probably some, or many, other regtions, but that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Gold is incredibly valuable here¡­ If it¡¯s actually real gold, as in the same as it is here, and we find a ce to exchange it for money, a few coins would be enough to never stop shopping today!¡± "S-Seriously?!" The white-haired girl got loud. "Well¡­ a few gold coins do the same in the capital, so I guess it''s fair?¡± ¡°I was talking about serious shopping.¡± Sophia stared right at her. ¡°If I remember right, you need about 50 to 100 gold coins per month to live over there, right?¡± ¡°Normal people, yeah¡­ We spend a lot more¡­¡± The incognito cat only scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure about the exact gold price right now, but if the coin is solid gold, a single one might already be more than enough to get through a month here.¡± ¡°F-For real?!¡± "Yes!" Sophia was getting excited, and the whole situation of her worrying about being back in her home city was put on hold. ¡°I need to remember where all those cash-for-gold scammers are again¡­ Probably near the other tourist traps? We have to find the shadiest amongst them, though¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure the mostly legit ones ask for your ID or something simr. Something we don''t have. That will probably hurt the exchange rate a lot, but I can''t say I care about that if we can go on a shopping spree! Not to mention that the number of gold coins I have in my storage is in the 4 digits¡­ We are filthy rich, aren¡¯t we¡­?¡± ¡°What a thing to say¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s kinda true, though¡­ Wait, so that means we might be able to get some of this world¡¯s money?¡± "A lot of it, if we are lucky!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± She also got excited. "Before that, you have to exin a lot of things to me first!" ¡°There are many curious things here, huh?¡± ¡°Many?!¡± She raised her voice once again. ¡°What¡¯s up with this ce?! You said that there is no magic here, but all the stuff I''m seeing, and don''t understand at all, tells a different story! If anything, it''s way more impressive than our magic!" ¡°I beg to differ! Like, a lot. A lot a lot, but I can see where you¡¯reing from.¡± If one has never seen electricity and or technology before, it¡¯s not that weird topare it to magic, after all. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try my best to exin everything. Though, I can¡¯t say that I know how all of that works exactly, either¡­¡± ¡°As long as I¡¯ll be at least a little less confused afterward, that¡¯s fine!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee for nothing, but ask away~.¡± ¡°Why is it so loud here?! Sure there are a bunch of humans all around, which already is plenty unnerving, but it seems much louder¡­ I think I can make out a ton of music, too¡­ but I don¡¯t see anyone ying an instrument. Ignoring the part where I don¡¯t know any instruments that could even make sounds like some of the stuff I¡¯m hearing¡­ Is that even music¡­? Noise might be more fitting.¡± ¡°Ahh, well, I better not answer whether it''s noise or music¡­ Taste is subjective, after all.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek in return. "There are limits to that, though¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Anyway, no, it¡¯s fake.¡± ¡°Fake?¡± ¡°How to even exin all of this¡­?¡± She needed to think about it first. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a really stupid exnation, but it¡¯s simr to how we write down words on paper? Only that we have a way to actually note down the voice of someone and can make the sound of ite outter again. It works the same for music and basically everything that makes a noise¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°It¡¯s quite nice to be able to listen to music whenever you feel like it. It¡¯s actually one of the things I miss.¡± ¡°I can imagine! It gets a little overwhelming with all the noise, though¡­" ¡°Well, that¡¯s what happens if every store wants to make you hear their own things. Combine that with how some people think everyone around them also wants to hear whatever they''re listening to because they think they''re the center of the world." ¡°Are they idiots?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Sophia couldn''t have said it better herself as she nced at a few people using their phones on speaker right now. "Idiots." "I see." Maya had no intention of questioning it. "What about all those small boxes with the moving art in them? And the GIANT ones all over those way too big houses?!" She just kept going. ¡°It feels like my senses are getting fried here¡­ How can anyone stay calm with so much going on?!¡± ¡°You get used to it.¡± ¡°Is that really something you should get used to?!" She got louder again. "Wouldn''t it be better to turn all that down a little instead?" "That''s how advertisement works here... Instead of trying to sell something people actually want or try to catch them with something clever, they just make their ads louder." "Why...?" ¡°¡­¡± Once more, there was no reply. ¡°Anyway, well, it¡¯s apletely different concept, but the idea is pretty much the same as the recorded sound. Only that it¡¯s pictures, art, nature, or whatever else that got recorded visually. Often enough, it¡¯s also specifically made for those smaller boxes. By the way, those are TVs, the thing Chloe and I talked about earlier. They¡¯re able to y pictures and sound.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty fun to have one normal-sized one at home for entertainment.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t really get it, but I¡¯m starting to understand the allure of watching all those moving art. All of this at once is making my head spin, though¡­¡± "Yeah¡­ It''s a little overwhelming at times. Even I have a somewhat hard time after seeing nothing like this since I left¡­ Someone who sees it for the first time, that has to be too much.¡± ¡°Mh-hmm.¡± ¡°Anything else you¡¯re curious about?¡± ¡°Is that a joke?!¡± She just pointed at basically everything around them. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Afterward, Sophia spent quite a lot of time exining absolutely everything that had caught Maya¡¯s interest. Which was a lot. Once her curiosity was somewhat sated, the two could finally start exploring the city for real. The white-haired girl made no effort to stop being amazed at basically everything, though. For some reason, she was especially interested in some of the shops that used focusedser-like light to gather attention. Interestingly enough, Sophia also seemed to enjoy them a lot more than she remembered from her past.
Chapter 321 – Pocket money Chapter 321 ¨C Pocket money Still in her old world, Sophia was very busy exining all the curious sights to her girlfriend, who obviously had never seen any of them in her entire life. It also was a little overwhelming, though. Natural, as someone who isn¡¯t used to all the noise, lights, and moving images, one starts to suffer from sensory overload pretty quickly. Even Sophia, who grew up with all that, was a little taken aback after having spent almost a year without it. While they were at it, the blonde also learned something peculiar about the other world''s currency. Apparently, the gold coins were made from actual gold because the value wasn''t nearly as high there. This information coulde in rather handy soon. ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯m starting to get used to everything. To a degree, at least¡­¡± Maya seemed a lot more at ease while looking around by now. Her head was still moving around a lot, though. She looked like the stereotypical countryside tourist visiting the big city for the first time. "T-That''s good to hear¡­" The blonde looked and sounded a little tired, and it was not just because the whole part of her being in her old world again was putting a massive mental strain on her. ¡°I also could eat something¡­ Oh, is there any food that we don¡¯t have there?!¡± Her eyes started sparkling while thinking about it. ¡°We didn¡¯t have much Asian-themed cuisine yet. We''re definitely missing out on that. I always liked that a lot for the most part." ¡°No idea what that Asian part means, but I like the sound of that!¡± As that had no rtion to her actual world, even the trantion addon she got from Canir couldn¡¯t help her here. ¡°This world is grouped in regions. Mostly based on the continents. Asia is one of them." ¡°Ohh! So, it¡¯s food that is local there?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°But¡­ no money, no food¡­¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She had already forgotten about that. ¡°Should we try to exchange the gold coins for money¡­? It could end up being super bothersome as I¡¯m not exactly sure if that¡¯s even legal¡­¡± ¡°Could someone actually do anything to you, though? Maya tilted her head. ¡°You still have magic and are much stronger even without that¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just go using magic if something doesn''t work out¡­¡± ¡°But we can simply walk away and disappear before something happens. No consequences for us~.¡± ¡°My, I¡¯m a fan of the reckless Maya.¡± ¡°I¡¯m having fun, after all~.¡± Her mood was great. ¡°For that alone, I just have to try it now.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked Sophia''s reply. "Oh, if we do get money, we could visit your home, right?" ¡°Maya, stop it.¡± The blonde''s expression got serious in an instant. ¡°Okay.¡± She quickly decided against pressing the issue. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Sophia continued to stare at her for a bit longer, though. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try and find that ce¡­¡± She eventually broke the eye-contact with her. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°It might take a while, though.¡± ¡°Is it far?¡± ¡°Not really, but if you think my sense of direction in the capital is bad, get ready for some fun¡­¡± ¡°You have no idea where it is, huh?¡± ¡°No, I absolutely do know where it is.¡± "Well, that''s good, then¡­?" Maya looked confused because it sounded somewhat contradicting. ¡°I have no idea how to get there.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Unfortunately, the contradiction got resolved. ---------------- After about what felt like an hour, the girls finally arrived in a slightly shady but promising-looking area of the city. In Sophia¡¯s defense, it wasn¡¯t entirely her fault that it took so long. Maya kept getting curious about all sorts of things and demanded an exnation while they were walking around. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s starting to look familiar to the area I want to visit.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± The white-haired girl tilted her head. ¡°It''s less noisy here, and the sensory overload is milder, too, but I can''t say I like the area¡­ Feels kinda dirty and shady, not friendly at all¡­ Almost like one shouldn¡¯t be here¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the whole point. Our n also is pretty shady, after all.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that ce looks good¡­ or, well¡­ bad? What is it in our case¡­?¡± Terminology never was the blonde¡¯s strong suit. ¡°It¡¯s good that it¡¯s bad~.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She just epted it. ¡°This ce basically screams moneyundering!¡± Happy about that discovery, Sophia and her girl entered the shady-looking cash-for-gold store. Or rather, the shadiest one, to be more correct. ¡°¡­¡± The person behind the counter, a man in histe thirties with brown hair and a lush beard, immediately locked eyes with her without giving as much as a greeting. Curiously enough, he was wearing a perfectly fitting ck suit that seemed to be of exceptionally high quality. That only added to the shadiness, though. ¡°This isn¡¯t a ce for two cute girls.¡± ¡°My, thank you.¡± The blonde matched his gaze. "It''s always nice to be called cute.¡± She looked pretty confident. ¡°Oho, it¡¯s rare for someone to look back at me without flinching whatsoever.¡± He seemed to be rather impressed. ¡°Looks can be deceiving, huh?¡± ¡°I mean, it was a good effort, but I''ve met way more intimidating individuals before." Sophia was having fun with this exchange. "Actually, even she''s scarier when she gets angry." She then nced at Maya. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you.¡± ¡°Fearless, are we?¡± He intensified his stare. "Maybe I should try to be intimidating for real?" ¡°If you think it¡¯s necessary.¡± Sophia did the same, while her expression also turned serious. At the same time, it almost seemed like the whole inside of the store was getting darker. Her entire aura had changed in an instant. ¡°S-So, what do you want¡­?¡± The store owner actually managed to hold out longer than the humans from the other world, but he, too, had no chance to endure Sophia''s pressure that might or might not have had a tiny bit of dark magic mixed into it. ¡°I have to apologize for earlier. It seems like you found the right ce.¡± "Heh~." A slight smirk appeared on her lips. The two of us want to go on a totally overblown shopping spree.¡± She started smiling again after he gave up. ¡°I have some gold I want to get rid of to finance that.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The guy paused for a moment. ¡°There might be better ces for that, girl. My customers usually value other things over the best price in my store.¡± ¡°Is privacy one of them? That¡¯s the sole reason we¡¯re talking right now?¡± ¡°Is it stolen?¡± His expression changed once again. ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter, then. Feel free to melt it down immediately after receiving it." She had a hunch of why he asked. All those movies she watched in the past wereing in really handy right now. ¡°No, I can guarantee you that I acquired it in a legit way. I just can¡¯t prove it. The actual issue is the two of us.¡± She nced at Maya again. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be here. Like, at all. Neither of us wants or can ID ourselves for reasons." ¡°You shouldn¡¯t mention that so openly, girl.¡± ¡°What does it matter? If you try something, it won¡¯t end well for one side here, and it won''t be ours. Also, if that''s not your thing, we''ll simply walk out of the store and never see each other again.¡± ¡°You sure are hardcore. Big fan.¡± He started to like Sophia. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that such an arrangement is not unheard of. It has a bit of an effect on the exchange rate, though.¡± ¡°I was expecting that already.¡± She then pulled out one of the gold coins and handed it to him. "What do you think?" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The store owner moved it around in his hand a couple of times. ¡°The color and the weight match for now, but what kind of coin is this¡­? It looks like an old doubloon, but it seems too good shape for that. Also, I have never seen anguage like that before¡­ Is that even anguage?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t answer that.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He seemed pretty curious about its origin. "Well, I guess it doesn''t matter." He gave up rtively soon, though. "The insides are what count, after all." Afterward, the owner pulled out some testing equipment and thoroughly examined the coin. ¡°And?¡± Naturally, Sophia was quite curious about the result. ¡°Not bad.¡± He nodded a couple of times. ¡°There are some impurities, probably happened during manufacturing or if the mining technique wasn¡¯t the best, which is normal for older coins, but it¡¯s about 95% pure gold. It¡¯s a good coin. Quite heavy, too.¡± ¡°Sounds good~. How much is the market value?¡± "A lot.¡± ¡°How much less will it be after your cut?¡± "A good bit.¡± ¡°How will this change things?¡± Saying so, Sophia presented him four more coins. ¡°Are you serious?!¡± ¡°I did mention that we want to do some serious shopping, right?¡± ¡°Girl, those coins are about two fine ounces each. Even after my cut, you¡¯ll have to put some serious effort to blow all that in a shopping trip." "I like challenges!" "Okay, that''s a great answer. I can respect that." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Alright, I like you, girl, so I''ll be honest. Try to get a proxy to sell it in a legit ce and give them a cut instead. With my cut on this much, you¡¯re not that well of¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that right now.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Also, we¡¯re quite pressed for time.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Okay, how about that?¡± The blonde grabbed into her pocket once again to pull out a sixth coin. ¡°You give me the market price for the five coins, and I¡¯ll forget this one on the counter.¡± ¡°Just how many do you have?!¡± "That''s not important." She chose not to answer. ¡°So?¡± "¡­" He stared at the coins for a solid minute in absolute silence. "Give me a moment to test them first." ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°Alright, deal.¡± Once he checked the other coins, he eventually held out his hands toward the blonde. ¡°Perfect!¡± She did the same and shook his to seal the deal. Afterward, the owner handed over a nice bundle of money, and the two shook hands once more. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure to do business with you, girly.¡± "Likewise." Sophia smiled at him. "I can expect nothing to happen after I leave because you think I have more of those coins on me, right?" Her expression changed again for a moment. ¡°We all might be quite shady, but I honor good business practices. "A robbed customer won''te back, after all. We also live by word of mouth, after all. Following you to get the other coins might be a good short-time acquisition, but it¡¯s bad for business in the long run. I¡¯d rather for you toe back a lot.¡± "It wouldn''t be a good short-time acquisition, either. I don¡¯t know the people you know, but I know the people I know.¡± ¡°Yikes, you¡¯re scary.¡± Her intimidation worked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was serious about hoping for you to return. This wasn¡¯t my best deal, but it definitely was a lucrative one.¡± ¡°d to hear.¡± Sophia¡¯s gaze rxed again. ¡°I want to say that it¡¯s highly unlikely that I¡¯ll be back, but it was supposed to be impossible for us to be here in the first ce, so¡­ Or, if we run out of money, and we¡¯ll be back in the afternoon¡­¡± ¡°What kind of shopping are you nning?" ¡°Serious shopping, I just told you.¡± ¡°Haa¡­ Well, you know where to find me.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Alright then, have fun shopping, I guess.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ---------------- After all this was taken care of, the couple finally left the store after having had a rather exciting meeting. "You are something else¡­" The moment they exited the store, Maya immediately started staring down the blonde. ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± ¡°You had way too much fun in there!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Well, confident Sophia is great, so I guess it¡¯s fine. Anyway, what is this weird paper he gave you in return for the coins.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the money of this country. We also have coins, but the higher-value money is made of paper¡­ or something paper-like¡­ It seems weird, but it''s much more convenient because it¡¯s easier to carry around.¡± ¡°Oh, I can see that being the case, yeah. Clever. So, how much is it?¡± ¡°We have a long day of shopping ahead of us.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± This had put both in an excellent mood, and the duo returned to the actual shopping district because they now had a lot of money they needed to get rid of again. Chapter 322 – What to get first Chapter 322 ¨C What to get first Sophia¡¯s and Maya¡¯s idental trip to the blonde¡¯s old world was going strong. The incognito cat-girl was way too curious about everything for very obvious reasons, and the equally incognito tiger was doing a lot of exining. After a while, once Sophia discovered that the other world''s gold coins were actual gold, they found a ce to exchange them for usable money without any questions being asked. Now, as they were loaded, it was time for a shopping spree. ¡°How did you learn to speak like that¡­?¡± The couple was on the way back to the shopping district after having visited the cash-for-gold ce when Maya was curious about the blonde''s exchange with the store owner. ¡°You sounded like a viin from a bad book or something like that¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°Remember the TV thingy? There are many, uhh¡­ recordings we call shows and movies. They¡¯re like a story in a book in one way or another, but you can actually watch and listen to it happening inside the TV. Shows about gangsters and the likes are extremely popr. I might¡¯ve picked up a thing or two from that, and now that I''m outgoing and confident about myself, it''s fun to use~." ¡°That does sound kinda fun. All the movement and loud sounds here in this city are irritating at best, but if it¡¯s just a single of these small TV thingies, this could be interesting.¡± ¡°Hmm....¡± Sophia tilted her head. "A cinema might still be a bit too loud and shy... We could get a TV, a ton of them with our money, actually... We have no electricity, though... A tablet or aptop would be just as useless after their batteries run out...¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, but it¡¯s not that important, okay?¡± Maya didn''t know many of these words, but she understood that her blonde was trying to overthink something again. "If anything, I¡¯m most interested in the food thing you mentioned earlier! I¡¯m really hungry!¡± ¡°Right... Though, now I wonder if it¡¯s alright for you to eat food from this world...? I mean, you might be ipatible with it...? I might be, too, now...?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rely on your trusty healing magic if my stomach disagrees with the n!¡± The white-haired girl decided not to care about this possibility. "He, I like that answer. We''re in luck, as well. My favorite Chinese restaurant should be pretty close to us, judging by thendmarks I remember in this area." ¡°Chineese?¡± Maya looked confused. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention something about, uhh... Asian food earlier?¡± ¡°Ahh... Asia is the region, and China is a country there." ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s local cuisine from a certain area?" ¡°Something like that, yeah.¡± ¡°I look forward to it!¡± ¡°Though, it¡¯s still quite early... I wonder if they¡¯re already open...¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Most restaurants here, that don¡¯t serve breakfast, only open starting for lunch. Some even do dinner only... What time is it even...?¡± Saying so, the blonde looked around and quickly found a digital clock in the window of a store. "10:45, huh? That''s actually not bad. If we take our time a bit, we should be good for their lunch menu.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get lost three times on the way there, anyway. We should be good, I guess?¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± She got loud. ¡°The truth hurts, you know?¡± ¡°Hehe. Well then, show me your exceptional navigation skills.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ---------------- Roughly half an hourter, Sophia finally found the way to the ten-minute walk away restaurant. There, the two had a slightly early lunch together after the ce had just opened. "That was amazing!" Once they finished eating and exited the ce, Maya''s eyes were still sparkling while facing her girl. "So delicious! I never had anything like that. So many spices I never tasted¡­¡± "Yeah, they know their seasoning game." She nodded a few times. "I love the food I''m eatingtely, especially everything made by you, but the extreme variety of food you can get here definitely has its merits.¡± ¡°I can see that!¡± ¡°I wonder if something simr is going on over there. Different food in different areas and or continents. It has to be, right?¡± ¡°Pretty sure about that.¡± Maya agreed with her. ¡°The food in the capital and my home already differ. I¡¯m sure it will be even more so the further we go. We must go hunting for ingredients when we¡¯re back to traveling!¡± She was very motivated about it. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. It¡¯s probably harder for cultures to spread and mingle there, huh? Here, if we want to, we could be on the other side of the tomorrow. Nothing is really local anymore.¡± ¡°How can you be on the other side of the in a day?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°There are more means of transportation than the cars you already saw¡­ There¡¯s something we call nes. We use them to fly in the sky and just go right to wherever we want in the world.¡± ¡°Come on, now you¡¯re just messing with me because I have no idea what is and is not a thing here¡­¡± The incognito cat didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s an airport rtively nearby, so¡­¡± While saying that, Sophia looked up at the sky. ¡°There, look!¡± At the perfect time, a jumbo jet was flying above them. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Her eyes grew wide when she saw the n. "A-Are you serious?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She just nodded. ¡°Depending on the type, a few hundred people fit in those.¡± ¡°This world is scary¡­ Is this what happens when you don¡¯t have magic¡­?¡± ¡°By the way, one of these nes flying around is even worse for the environment than a bunch of those cars from earlier." ¡°What is wrong with you people¡­?¡± Maya¡¯s voice of admiration quickly changed into something else entirely. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde could only awkwardly look away because there was nothing she could say. "Well, it''s probably hard to judge as an outsider, but it feels incredibly stupid what you all are doing here¡­ No matter how amazing the results are. And they are amazing. Good thing it¡¯s not my problem.¡± ¡°Well, it is kinda stupid, but we had to help ourselves somehow¡­ We needed these things to develop to the point where we are right now. We had no magic, so we had to use alternatives. Those alternatives were far from optimal, but we didn''t know about the downsides at first. Could you give up on magic just like that if it eventually turns out to be harmful in one way or another? That being said, we definitely went way too far in some areas, though¡­¡± "Okay, I guess you have a point there... Yeah, letting go of magic would be near impossible... Anyway," Maya had no intention of wasting any more time on the issue. "Back to the food topic! Is it possible to get a few cookbooks somewhere? I bet I can find some amazing recipes even with the ingredients that are avable for us! And if we get our hands on more while traveling, I can directly put them to use!¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Sophia was a big fan of the idea. ¡°Yeah, there are many ces that sell them. Let¡¯s finally start the shopping, anyway!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s!¡± The white-haired girl raised her arm high in the air in anticipation. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°I really like you the best when you¡¯re yful and highly motivated about something~.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Is there anything specific you want?¡± ¡°Well, obviously, we have to get things that only exist here! No reason to buy anything we could get whenever.¡± ¡°Mh-hmm¡­¡± ¡°It seems like fashion-wise, the ces are kinda simr to each other. From what I¡¯ve seen from people watching so far, it might be a little more entric, but it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m missing out on anything¡­¡± ¡°What a nice way of saying how idiotic some people look.¡± "They do, don''t they?!" Maya felt happy that she wasn''t alone in the feeling. ¡°It¡¯s best to ignore that side of fashion here¡­ There might be some interesting underwear to explore, though. Mostly lingerie, that is. I always say that the capital¡¯s perverted in that regard, but it¡¯s honestly nothingpared to what you can get here.¡± "You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention!" ¡°Ahaha.¡± The blonde had to chuckle at her perverted girlfriend. ¡°Hmm¡­ A normal lingerie boutique might be on the same level as the capital, so¡­ Go all out and head for a sex shop? I VASTLY prefer online shopping for that, but that''s not really an option right now." ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± She didn¡¯t care about the online part that she didn¡¯t understand because the parts she did, were all she needed to get excited. ¡°They have some exciting things¡­ TOYS!" "I like the motivation, and I''m all for it, but don''t we already have a wide selection of them at home?" ¡°Oh no, oh nonono, let¡¯s ignore the magic extension one for now, but this world is on another level when ites to those kinds of things. You have no idea what we¡¯re missing out on¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Maya didn¡¯t care about anything else right now. ¡°Ah, but how can we charge them¡­? We could buy a thousand or more batteries and are set for a while when ites to the chap ones, but¡­ Also, all the good ones have a battery in them¡­ They need working USB power¡­¡± She actually looked depressed about it for a moment. ¡°Wait, there are those sr power banks! I wanted to get one a while back, but Steph told me they''re all super bad because even the better ones with arge and foldable sr panel need like a full day to charge your phone even once. That doesn¡¯t matter, though! I think they need a lot less energy, so it''s okay if the power bank needs a day or two to get full!" "What are you talking about¡­? I don''t get any of the gibberish you''re saying¡­" Naturally, the white-haired girl couldn''t follow her. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me¡­ I just had to think about some organizational details so that we can have the most possible fun in that store! My idea should work, so we can go all out!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but YAY!¡± ¡°YAY, indeed!¡± Afterward, the couple finally started their search for the mentioned shop. As Sophia had done such shopping only online before, they had to run around for a bit to find it. In the end, they finally had some luck after wandering around on the less fancy side streets for a while. ---------------- "T-THEY V-VIBRATE?!?!" Soon after they entered the ce, Maya''s surprised and excited-sounding voice could even be heard outside the store.
Chapter 323 – They vibrate! Chapter 323 ¨C They vibrate! Now that they had money and a delicious lunch, the girls finally decided to explore the shopping options of Sophia''s old world. Naturally, as both of them were perverts, they ended up visiting a sex shop first. The blonde had a few concerns about even being able to use some of the toys as they need batteries or have to be charged. Still, she was pretty confident that they might be able to scrape by with a sr power bank. ¡°T-They vibrate¡­ W-Why do they vibrate?!¡± The couple had just left the store again, and Maya was still visibly shaken. Needless to add, both had many gigantic bags dangling from their hands. ¡°Amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± "Forget magic! This alone is worth more than that!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­¡± "I would, and I do!" The white-haired girl sounded very passionate. "They vibrate! VIBRATE! V-I-B-R-A-T-E!" ¡°Ahaha¡­ Those aren¡¯t even the best ones we got, you know?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t?!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°They weren¡¯t any of them on disy, but we also got some that actually move by contracting and expanding and others that pulsate, as well." ¡°W-What?!¡± "Remote-controlled stuff, too." The blonde started smiling. ¡°Thosee with two parts. ¡°One that you insert, and the other part controls the vibration and all the other things. They aren''t even connected with each other. That means you could have something inside you, and I would be able to control it. I can y with you without even touching you.¡± ¡°!?¡± Maya looked so excited that she didn¡¯t even get a word out. ¡°The other way around, too, of course! I want you to control me!¡± ¡°!¡± "And I haven''t even mentioned the best sort of toy yet." ¡°T-T-There¡¯s something even better?!¡± ¡°Much better. It''s a type you don''t even insert, but it easily beats all the other ones. By far, I have to add. It works with pulsating airwaves, and it''s the best. It recreates the feel of having someone suck on your¡­ just way more intense!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She continued to be at a loss for words. ¡°We also got a ton of stuff that we can use together. Most of them vibrate and do other, even more exciting things, too.¡± ¡°C-Can we go home? Like, right now¡­?¡± ¡°What about the shopping? There¡¯s still much more, non-perverted stuff to get.¡± ¡°B-But I¡¯m horny now¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Sophia had no idea how to follow up on that. ¡°We can¡¯t use most of the toys we got right now, anyway. We have to get some other tools first before we can use them¡­¡± "S-Seriously¡­?" She looked and sounded utterly devastated. ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever saw you as disappointed as you look right now¡­¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Hearing that, Maya paused for a moment and shook her head a few times. ¡°Okay, I might be able to endure it a bit longer¡­ I''ll be quite pent up once we finally get to try out the new things, though. Better get ready for that, my dear." ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear,¡± Sophia smirked at her. ¡°You won¡¯tst longer than a few minutes with most of those toys. Probably less because you¡¯re not used to them yet. Especially the one that does it all at once¡­ That thing, the one that gets inserted, vibrates, and has a spot on the outside to line up with your¡­ to use those pulsating airwaves there¡­ That one, that one is dangerous. It will change you and your outlook in life forever." ¡°D-Don¡¯t tease me even more when I¡¯m horny already!¡± ¡°You really can be a pain at times¡­¡± ¡°Sucks that feeling, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Good thing the horny doesn¡¯t affect the sass, huh?¡± ¡°If anything, being horny only makes me sassier, so you better not overdo the teasing~.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± The blonde just rolled her eyes. "Anyway, let''s do some more shopping and use this chance. Once we''re done here, there will be plenty of time for the other things." ¡°Fine¡­¡± She was a little pouty. ¡°We¡¯ll start with getting whatever else is needed to use the fun toys first, though!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the n.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Depending on the oue of that, and how good it works, or at all, actually, it kinda dictates what other stuff we can buy and use.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± She had a hard time following her again. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s go!¡± It didn¡¯t dampen her motivation in the slightest. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Should we head to an electronics store? They would have batteries and a sr power bank¡­ Oh, maybe an outdoor store or one for camping equipment? They should also have those power banks, and it''s much more likely that they sell you stuff that actually works¡­ What do you think, Maya?" ¡°Maya has no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She felt like replying to her in the third person. ¡°Right¡­¡± The blonde had forgotten about that part. "Well, there''s an outdoor store nearby that Steph used to drag me to because she loves to go camping. We might as well start there, I guess.¡± ¡°Sure! I guess. Lead away!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ---------------- Trying her best to remember the way to the store, the two wandered around for a little while. Still, Sophia eventually found the ce and the girls first started browsing around inside before looking for the things they came for. ¡°Whoa, so many different types of tents!¡± The incognito cat-girl was having a good time in the store. ¡°The material is so different, as well¡­ I like it, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a synthetic fiber. Kinda simr to something we call stic.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± ¡°Pretty bad for the environment, too. The material stic is originally made of is the same as the stuff we burn in cars. stic also basically never leaves and is a big pollution hazard.¡± ¡°WHY?!¡± ¡°It''s extremely useful and very versatile¡­¡± She scratched her cheek in return. "Wait, tents are a thing on the other side, right?" ¡°Of course. They¡¯re super bulky and heavy, though. Not so lightweight and easy to store as those ones.¡± "Well, that doesn''t matter to us, right? I just can put them in my storage whole." ¡°True!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get some when we¡¯re back to traveling. Let¡¯s leave as much of a pollution hazard as possible in this world.¡± ¡°Good n.¡± Maya heartily agreed with that idea. ¡°I still like the starry sky more than tents, but it''s great when it''s too cold for that or if it''s raining, but we don''t want to head back home." ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if we find anything else that would be useful for camping and then buy the things we came for.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The couple walked around in the store a bit longer and picked up all sorts of things that could be useful during their travels and also a ton of gimmicks. Afterward, she called over a clerk to help with the sr idea because she wasn¡¯t as technically adept as she''d like to be in this case. "Hello there. How can I help you?" A man with brown hair and seemingly in histe twenties responded to her call. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a power bank with a sr panel. I heard that most of them are borderline a scam and useless, but I hoped that an outdoor store maybe has some that may at least be half decent¡­" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Well, we do have some, but¡­ truth to be told, even the sr panels on the good ones are more of a gimmick at best.¡± ¡°I see¡­ It really is just for emergency use, though.¡± As it was to get energy for their toys, emergency use was putting it lightly. ¡°It would be enough to get one phone worth of charge at the end of the day if it wasying in the sun all day." "It might work out with a good angle during the summer. In every other season, once it''s less sunny, even that might be a tall order." ¡°Seriously?! They¡¯re that useless¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how much size and weight are a concern to you, but I would definitely rmend a normal power bank, and a bigger standalone sr panel thates with an integrated USB port or two meant for charging devices. You charge the power bank with that over the day and use it when needed." ¡°Those are a thing?!¡± There suddenly was a lot of excitement in her voice. ¡°I thought there were only the huge things on fields and roofs and then the small ones for low-powered devices or gimmicks like the power banks.¡± "Theye in all sizes nowadays and are insanely popr if you go caravanning. You can connect multiple medium-sized panels to a gigantic power bank big enough to even power AC devices like TVs or fridges. The better ones have up to 3000 watt-hours of battery storage in them, and you can add additional batteries to them as an upgrade. The biggest ones have like a total of 15,000 watt-hours and can bebined with up to 1500 watt worth of sr panels. Even with the little sun during the winter, you''d still easily get 300 watts out of them. It''s super heavy, but you can livepletely off-grid with such a setup in your caravan." The clerk had entered sales mode. "You also don''t nearly need this size for that, either." ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were sparkling. She had no idea that power banks and sr panels of this size existed, but this would solve all her problems. ¡°Ah, but they are quite expensive. Like, really expensive¡­¡± ¡°How long do those big power banksst?¡± Money wasn''t a big concern of the blonde right now. "Batteries in smartphones are significantly worse after just two years, after all.¡± ¡°They use a different technology in them. Depending on the manufacturer, they''re rated for 3.000 to 4.000 full cycles.¡± ¡°So¡­ around ten years if you empty it every day?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± The clerk nodded. ¡°Though, this rating describes how long it takes for them to still hold 80% of their initial capacity. That means even after 10 years of using it daily, it has only lost 20% and is good for many more years.¡± "Ohh! Then, that also means the bigger the capacity, even though it''s not needed, the longer it will hold, right? Lower full cycles and all.¡± ¡°More or less, yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°But, it¡¯s not like when you get 10 times the capacity that it willst for a guaranteed 100 years. It''s still electronics, after all. It will fail eventually... Getting two bases with one or two extra batteries might be best for more reliability. It will be the same capacity in the end, but even if a part fails, you can still continue to use the rest. You will have some redundancy that way.¡± ¡°Sold!¡± It was getting too technical for her, but the parts she did understand, the blonde liked very much and decided to get it. "A-Are you sure¡­? I was serious when I mentioned them being expensive.¡± "Doesn''t matter~." Sophia smiled at him. "We''re nning to go on a really long journey, and I was prepared to say goodbye to electricity except for a little bit for emergency use." She was still talking about their toys being able to function as the emergency. "Well, sure, I won''t stop you¡­ Good for business, after all. No refunds, only store credit, by the way. Do you want to schedule a delivery for it, or¡­" "Can we take it with us immediately?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in stock, sure, but¡­ all that stuff is heavier than the two of you together, you know¡­? Good luck carrying that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re quite strong.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ like I said, well, whatever¡­¡± He gave up, knowing that she''d cave in once the blonde saw all the boxes and how heavy they really were. Afterward, the clerk disappeared for about 20 minutes to get everything ready.
Chapter 324 – Say cheese Chapter 324 ¨C Say cheese Sophia and Maya went to an outdoor store to get a power bank with a usable sr panel on it to get a bit of charge during the day in the other world because that would be the only source of electricity there. They only needed to charge their newly bought toys, after all. It ended up with the blonde spending a ton of money, though. After discovering that there arerge but portable sr panels and gigantic power banks that can even power AC devices for a long time, she got all that instead. With that, they''ll be able to power all sorts of electrical devices in the other world. "That look on that clerk was amazing!" After they had left the store and put everything into Sophia''s storage in a side alley where no one saw them, Maya was in a good mood while smiling at Sophia. "He was so shocked when we lifted all those boxes with ease. He totally couldn''t believe it~. Well, it did feel like it weighed more than the two of us together. Significantly more." "And I can''t believe I just spent half of the coin money on some oversized power banks¡­ He really wasn''t kidding about them being expensive. Well, it will be so worth it!" There was a moment of buyer''s remorse, but it onlysted a second because she was looking forward to all the possibilities they now had. ¡°By the way, what kind ofnguage were you and the clerk using¡­?¡± The white-haired girl tilted her head while looking confused. ¡°I understood next to nothing when you two were talking¡­¡± ¡°Ahh, it was rather technical stuff that only exists here. There¡¯s no way Canir¡¯s trantion feature would be able to take care of that." Sophia saw the issue. "Don''t worry, though. It was all pretty boring stuff. Also, I didn''t understand all of it, either¡­" ¡°Okay! So, the important part¡­ Will it work? Will I be able to test out the vibrating fun things?!¡± She was still horny. ¡°We absolutely will~.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± She was very horny. ¡°Not just that, we will be able to use pretty much anything from this world over in our mansion now. From what I understood, we might even be able to use a TV with it. Some of the devices that y music and words, too.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The blonde nodded. "We''d need to buy a ton of movies and series, though¡­ It could be quite a pain. Not sure if it''s worth it." ¡°Well, I am rather interested in it, but as long as I¡¯m able to vibrate once we¡¯re back home, everything else is optional!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had tough at her girlfriend¡¯s horniness. ¡°Good lord, are you thirsty¡­¡± ¡°I have no ns to apologize for that!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to. I am looking quite forward to it, too.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Mostly your reactions to the toys, though~.¡± Sophia¡¯s smile turned into a smirk. ¡°That will be amazing!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even care how smug you are about it! That just means they¡¯re at least as amazing as I imagine them to be!¡± "I doubt your imagination can reach the actual thing." ¡°S-Stop teasing me! I¡¯m enough on edge already!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Her smirk only increased. "I''m so going to use every single toy we got on you after I''m done testing them! I''ll make you scream!" ¡°Is that a threat or a promise?¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure what to make out of this reply of hers. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see~.¡± She was happy with Maya¡¯s answer. ¡°Well, for now, let¡¯s head to an electronics store and see how we can waste some more money.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ---------------- Luckily, a big electronics store was on the same street as the outdoor shop and just a few buildings away, so even Sophia could find it easily. ¡°Sure is loud and shy in here¡­¡± Even Sophia was affected by the many TVs on disy that were all ying something. ¡°T-That¡¯s putting it lightly¡­¡± The white-haired girl just nodded in agreement. ¡°Should we start looking for things further away from the TVs first? Oh, how about we look at some other household appliances? Like stuff for the kitchen? I doubt we¡¯ll be able to use many if any of them, and a lot of them we don¡¯t need because of magic, but we might get some inspiration for more inventions~.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± She seemed to be a fan of the idea. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Ah, fridges are quite fun! Well, not really, but¡­ in this context, maybe¡­ It¡¯s all those boxes over there.¡± She then pointed at several fridges while looking at her girl. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± Maybe got closer to one of them and decided to pull at its handle. ¡°Mhmm¡­ You can store things inside¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t seem very impressed. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Fair point, I guess.¡± Sophia saw how it seemed a bit underwhelming. ¡°It¡¯s not working right now. When it is, the insides turn cold, and you can store food in it to keep it fresh.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She sounded a lot more impressed now. ¡°That¡¯s super handy! It¡¯s like your ice storage, huh? Just a lot more essible! What a great idea! It was such a pain having to buy everything fresh all the time¡­ Being able to easily store perishable food for a few days makes it so much easier!" ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± She got even more excited. ¡°Now, with those portal enchantments¡­ Could you use that on a tall cupboard and make it activate when touching the handle? If the portal links to the ice storage inside, it would basically be the same, just much bigger!" ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± The blonde was also getting excited. ¡°We have to try that when we get home!¡± ¡°Only after we try the other things first, though!¡± Maya interrupted her. ¡°The vibraty things take utmost priority!¡± ¡°Yesyes¡­¡± She rolled her eyes in return. ¡°Good.¡± The incognito cat seemed happy about her reply. ¡°What other things are there? I can see some ovens, but they¡¯re not much different, I guess?¡± "Pretty much. Instead of magic, they work with electricity like pretty much anything in this world. Those t and ck rectangle things are our stoves. Same principle, too,¡± ¡°Fancy~.¡± She liked the look of them. ¡°I bet it¡¯s fun to cook on them.¡± ¡°What else is there¡­?¡± The blonde looked around some more. ¡°There are washing machines and dryers, but¡­ They use water and hot air to clean clothes¡­ Magic is much handier in that regard. Ah, speaking of which¡­¡± Her eyes fell on a few dishwashers while mentioning that. "Is there any cleaning magic for dishes, as well¡­? We have a machine here for that, and I miss that a lot¡­ It has to be, right? We can clean clothes with magic. Why are we scrubbing dishes by hand¡­?¡± "They break easily, and magic isn¡¯t the most delicate at times¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia could see the issue. She has a little experience with magic not being delicate at times, after all. ¡°There has to be a way, though¡­ A dishwasher is just a box that squirts warm water and soap at the dishes until it¡¯s clean, then dries them with hot air¡­ Nothing delicate about that, either¡­ More for the list of experiments!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°After the vibraty things, of course.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Her second reply was a lot livelier. ¡°So horny¡­¡± She rolled her eyes once again. ¡°Is there any more¡­? Coffee machines are nothing more than pouring hot water over the ground beans¡­ A toaster just uses heat¡­There are a ton of different varieties of the same thing that can be substituted with a regr stove and some pans¡­ Oh, a blender would be nice!¡± Sophia finally found something that might actually have a use. "They use many des that spin around at high speed to blend and or juice basically anything you throw inside.¡± ¡°Sounds fun! Useful, too! We usually chop something to death until it¡¯s smooth¡­ Oh, we might be able to do something simr if we create a tornado of air des in a tall container, wouldn¡¯t we?¡± "You''re on a roll today, huh?" The incognito tiger was impressed by how much stuff Maya wasing up with. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± "Well, I guess that''s pretty much it for appliances¡­ After all, most of the things are just useless gimmicks that do nothing other than taking up space in your cupboards after you used them once¡­ Okay, let¡¯s look for some electronics that are more fun!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Maya¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°Not that kind of fun.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± She hung her head again. ¡°Just how horny are you today¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, those days happen.¡± Sophia decided to ignore it again. ¡°Oh, I want to get a camera!¡± ¡°A what¡­?¡± The white-haired girl looked confused. ¡°Ahh¡­ How to exin that thing¡­?¡± The blonde tilted her head in response. ¡°Oh, let''s just take a look at them, and I will show you what they do." ¡°Okay!¡± ---------------- The two walked around for a moment, and Sophia quickly found the aisle with the cameras and picked up a random one. ¡°Say cheese~.¡± ¡°Cheese¡­?¡± Maya looked incredibly confused. ¡°Good enough¡­¡± Shrugging her shoulders, the blonde then pressed the trigger. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± She got even more confused about suddenly being bathed in a sh. "Such a nice reaction~." Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°W-What just happened¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± She pressed a few buttons and then showed the disy to Maya. ¡°Look, it¡¯s you~.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Noticing that it was indeed her, the girl clutched the camera to take a better look at it. ¡°I-It really is me?! How?!¡± "A good question¡­¡± The incognito tiger paused for a moment. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s a camera.¡± She ignored the question. "It takes a picture of everything in front of it, and you can look at it whenever you want. A picture is basically like a drawing, but this little thing does it for you. You can also look at these pictures on a big TV instead of the little one on the camera.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it all, but that¡¯s amazing!¡± Maya was saying that a lot today. "I want to take a ton of pictures of you!" The blonde got excited again. "All of our other friends, too. Oh, and like a million of Ellie!" ¡°That sounds great!¡± She liked the n. ¡°I also want to get a lot of you! Most of them are going to be the lewd kind, though. This camera can do that, too, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia just stared at her. ¡°You¡¯ll also get some of me, don¡¯t worry!¡± "You''re adapting to the technology of this world way too fast¡­" ¡°Is that a yes?!¡± ¡°As long as you keep those pictures to yourself¡­¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Only me and my new vibrating friends will ever see them!¡± ¡°Your horny levels are still rising?! How?!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Maya smirked at her. ¡°It¡¯s one of my biggest talents.¡± ¡°No kidding!¡± Afterward, Sophia chose a nice but not over-the-top camera together with a couple of memory cards to save all the pictures she wanted to take. They also found an instant picture camera and got one of them together with the entire stock of paper for it. Maya, especially, was a huge fan of being able to have some pictures at hand whenever they were needed.
Chapter 325 – That was a mistake Chapter 325 ¨C That was a mistake The couple was still busy in the electronics store of Sophia''s old world, and after having gotten a lot of inspiration from all the appliances there, the duo also decided to get a camera or two to capture all the little and big moments they were going to experiment. That, and lots of lewd pictures of each other for reasons. Maya was being quite horny, after all, and she was a big fan of the idea. ¡°I wonder if I should get aptop and or a tablet to y with, and to look at the pictures after taking them¡­" Once they left the camera aisle, Sophia started thinking about what else to get. ¡°Sure.¡± Maya nodded in agreement. ¡°I mean, why not, right?¡± ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯m talking about, do you?¡± ¡°Even less than usual.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She scratched her cheek in response. ¡°Well, no point in exining¡­ I¡¯ll show you once we get to them.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Looks like the tablets are first.¡± Directly after the aisle with the cameras, the store presented a wide variety of said tablets. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re like the TVs, but smaller¡­?¡± The white-haired girl got closer to one of them and touched it. "I-It moved!" ¡°S-Stop being so adorable¡­¡± The blonde was having a hard time staying calm over her curious and yful side. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that everything here is so interesting!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°So, why and how does it move when I touch it?!¡± ¡°How¡­ because technology is awesome!" She had no idea how exactly it worked, either. ¡°Roughly speaking, that¡¯s the main difference to TVs, I guess¡­? It''s not just for watching stuff. You can also y with it and do all sorts of things. Even reading books on it. However, if you have no inte, we would mostly use it to look at the pictures we took with the camera earlier.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°It can even take pictures on its own, but the quality is kinda bad. Here¡­¡± Saying so, Sophia started the camera app on the tablet and took another picture of her girlfriend. Afterward, she opened the gallery to show it to her. ¡°I-It¡¯s me again!¡± The incognito cat was still amazed. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s a bad quality?! It looks amazing! Way better than any drawing I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± ¡°Ahh, well¡­ In that context, you might be right, yeah¡­" She could see her point. "Still, the camera we got earlier makes WAY better pictures.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?! I can¡¯t wait! High-quality lewds of you sound amazing!" ¡°Okay¡­ Now you¡¯re just doing your best to y it up as much as possible, aren¡¯t you¡­?¡± ¡°ying up what?" She actually sounded and looked rtively clueless while tilting her head to the side. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had no idea what to say. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying we should get one?¡± "Yes!" Maya gave her a big nod. "Better, can we get two? I want my own! I don''t want to look for it first before I can get to look at lewds!" ¡°Sure¡­¡± The blonde decided to give up because she noticed that she was too far gone already. ¡°As we can''t use most of its features, we don''t need one with fancy extras or high power. Because of that, the ones perfect for us are quite cheap because everything is fine as long as the disy is nice." ¡°As usual, I don¡¯t get it, but I like the sound of it!¡± "By the way, all the devices we''re getting here will break if they get wet in the wrong ce. Any sort of liquid, I want to add. It¡¯s unfixable, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I-I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Afterward, Sophia grabbed two tablets that would suit their needs the best, a nice-looking big disy being more or less the only requirement, and put them on the big card they had decided to get a little while ago. Once they were done with that, the two made their way towards theptops to see if one of them would make any sense to them. ---------------- ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Finding theptops, Maya eyed them with a skeptical expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t this basically like the, uhh¡­ tablets we got? Just foldable and with a ton of extra buttons¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Once again, the blonde had no idea what to say because exining the difference would exin absolutely nothing to someone who has no idea what either really is. "Tablets are more for ying around, I guess¡­? Mostly made for entertainment. Great to have on yourp while lying on the sofa.¡± ¡°Mh-hmm.¡± ¡°You can do that withptops, too, but it¡¯s easier to work on them¡­ Here,¡± Saying so, Sophia opened a pre-installed writing software and started typing a short text using the keyboard. ¡°You use all the buttons to type text and stuff like that. They usually have more power, too, but that¡¯s not really important.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Typing words really is much easier on aptop. Unless I was outside, I used that most of the time to chat with mom and¡­ Steph, too.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± After hearing this, the white-haired girl made a short pause, but her curiosity quickly got the better of her. "Wait, you can chat over those things¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Those devices can connect to each other, and you''re able to talk with the owner of the other one. See that little dot on top of the disy? That¡¯s a camera. If you want to, you can even look at each other while chatting. Most of the time, it''s just simple written messages, something like a short letter, though.¡± ¡°That sounds amazing! Can you show me?¡± ¡°You need inte for that, though¡­¡± ¡°Inte¡­?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ That¡¯s the thing that connects the devices together, I guess¡­¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± ¡°Oh, wait¡­ Theptop is connected to the Wi-Fi here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that again?!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­" She scratched her cheek in return as she kept forgetting that Maya had no idea what any of those words meant. ¡°That¡¯s what you use to connect your device to the inte in the first ce.¡± ¡°Oh, I understand.¡± ¡°Do you¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head because she was having a hard time believing that. ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± She nodded. ¡°I could show you the messenger thingy I used. Luckily, I always, uhh... forgot to set up this 2-factor thingy. I''m also a responsible adult who uses the same password absolutely everywhere and has never ever changed it before. I should be able to remember that. I use a super easy password, after all~.¡± "Err¡­?" ¡°I¡¯m so happy you didn¡¯t understand that¡­ Many people would get angry over what I just said.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t look like she did, though. ¡°Anyway,¡± She just continued and opened the online version of the messenger she used in the past. Afterward, she entered her login credentials. Exactly two secondster, big tears began to stream down her face while staring at the screen in silence. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± Naturally, the white-haired girl immediately started panicking after seeing this. ¡°¡­¡± She continued to stay silent for another moment. ¡°W-Why did I do that¡­? Why have I not thought about that¡­?¡± Afterward, new tears just kept appearing. ¡°S-Seriously, what happened?!¡± ¡°T-This¡­ This chat thing¡­ it saves messages others sent you¡­ You can read them the next time you use aptop¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s neat!¡± Maya liked that feature. ¡°Wait¡­ have you gotten any letters since you left¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She started to see the reason for her emotional outbreak. ¡°From your family¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± It took her a while to answer. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ A couple dozen from mom and¡­ and many h-hundreds from¡­ Steph¡­¡± "¡­" Maya also had to think about what to say first. "What, uhh¡­ what did they write to you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ You have to click on their names to see their messages¡­" While saying so, Sophia used the trackpad to circle the mouse over their names several times. ¡°I-I can¡¯t, though¡­ If I read what Steph wrote now¡­ I-I don¡¯t know what that will do to me¡­ Nothing good, that I¡¯m sure of¡­¡± ¡°Not reading them won¡¯t do you any good either, though.¡± ¡°I''m scared¡­ I''m scared I''ll do something stupid if I read them¡­" ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m used to that already.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, Sophia finally turned her head away from the screen to look at her girlfriend, who promptly used the chance to wipe some of her tears away. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± ¡°Are you really qualified to use others of that?¡± ¡°It¡­ It takes one to know one¡­¡± It sounded rather half-hearted, but the blonde managed to make aeback. ¡°That point goes to you.¡± She was d that there was some life left in her. ¡°Okay, should I take a look for you? At the messages, I mean.¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± "Well, one of us is going to do it, or else we aren''t going to leave. You have to know what they wrote, and I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stared at her with her teary eyes wide open. ¡°I-I hate you¡­¡± ¡°In this situation, I¡¯m fine with being the viin.¡± ¡°S-Stop being so smooth¡­¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s a curse.¡± ¡°Come on¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°D-Do I really have to read them¡­?¡± Sophia got back to the topic. ¡°I feel like that will end up in a catastrophe...¡± ¡°What will one more of them change?¡± She let out a chuckle before continuing. ¡°Yes, you have to. It might not do you any good right now, but you¡¯ll regret it even more in the long run if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make you regret it if you¡¯re wrong¡­¡± The blonde red at her for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll get rid of the toys if it¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°!?¡± Maya really didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°No, I¡¯m willing to r-risk the vibrating goodness for that! It will be good for you!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± She looked honestly surprised. ¡°T-This is going to be sooo bad¡­¡± Afterward, Sophia clicked on the iconbeled ¡®Mom¡¯ inside the messenger. ---------------- The messages from her mother were basically divided into three groups. There were many right after she disappeared, asking about her whereabouts, concerned that something had happened, and hoping for her to return soon. After around a month, the messages started to be less, and her mother mostly gave her some updates on what was going on, like her pregnancy and her new little sibling after a while. There were also some mentions about her growing a little more distant from Steph as she wanted her to take it a little easier because it was affecting her life too much. Then, recently, after the letter arrived, her mother sent a few more messages again. They were mainly about thanking her and how she¡¯s d that her daughter seems to be doing fine. She also asked some questions, but none of them obviously got answered. ¡°¡­¡± Maya was standing right next to her and was also reading the messages. Once the blonde had reached thest one, she had no idea what to say and just put her hand on her shoulder. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia simply started crying again. In fact, it had begun the moment she read the first message from her mother. ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t want to read Steph¡¯s messages¡­ This¡­ This is already hurting too much... a-and I was m-much closer to my sister¡­ I won¡¯t be able to deal with more¡­¡± "I get that, I really do, but¡­" She had a hard time being convincing after that. ¡°Do you really not want to know what your sister wrote¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Once again, the blonde went silent. A few momentster, she finally clicked on the ¡®Steph¡¯ icon in the messenger. ----------------
Sophia~ - Howe you¡¯re not home? I even hurried toe after uni¡­ - Running again? Take care and make sure you won¡¯t stay out too long. - Oh, also bring some chocte on the way back. I¡¯m craving something sweet. - Did you get lost again? Seriously, how can one¡¯s sense of direction be this bad? I mean,e on. - It¡¯s gettingte, you know? - How about answering your phone for a change? - For real, stop with the night running¡­ I always get worried when you do that. - Really? - Okay, I¡¯m heading to bed because I have to get up early. Ready yourself for a serious talking tomorrow.
-
Did you actually note home¡­? - Where are you? - I called mom, but she hasn¡¯t heard anything from you, either. - What¡¯s going on? - I¡¯m getting really worried, you know¡­? - Please answer. - Sophia? - Why are my messages not even marked as read? - Did you break another phone? Again? - Why are you noting home, though?
--
I miss you. - Where are you? - Please answer already! - You¡¯ve never been gone for so long without a word! - Did something happen? - Please answer your phone! - Come back home! - Please! - Sophia¡­
---
Mom and I were at the police station today¡­ - We officially reported you missing. - They¡¯ll also start looking out for you. - I hope¡­ - Sophia¡­ - Where are you? - Please be safe¡­ - Just please reply already! - Please! I love you! I don¡¯t want you to be gone! - Juste back! - I hate this¡­
----
I scoured the inte¡­ - No mention of you or someone like you anyway¡­ - I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s good or bad. - Come back¡­ - I found an association that helps locate missing people. - I gave them a couple of pictures of you and a description. - I hope they find you. - I also started looking all over the city for you. - This stupid ce is way too big! - Sophia¡­ - What are you doing¡­?
-----
Nobody knows anything¡­ - Why? - Why is this happening? - Why have you disappeared? - Why aren¡¯t you replying? - Why haven¡¯t youe back? - I miss you! - Please¡­ - I will never let you go on a run alone anymore once I see you again. - You''ve lost the rights to that. - I¡¯ll even put you on a leash if I have to! - I don¡¯t care how kinky that might look!
----- ---- --- -- - Simr messages happened in the same pattern for an entire month after Sophia''s disappearance. Steph exined how she contacted many more organizations and mobilized everyone she knew to find her sister. She basically went through every street of the gigantic city they were living in herself, as well. Her messages also were bing increasingly desperate with each passing day. After the initial month, Steph''s messages began to change. Every day still started with begging for an update, but it turned more and more into a sort of diary over time. Every single evening, without fail, she wrote a little summary of her day and what happened. ces where she looked for Sophia, people she asked about her, posts on the inte she made. Also, mundane things to keep her sanity up. A new recipe for cookies, a new movie she''s looking forward to watching with her, or a cute jacket she found. A few monthster, Steph was still sending at least one message daily, but the contents had be much more somber. It felt a little like the sister was slowly realizing that Sophia was actually gone. Much was written about their mother, as well. How they had fought a lot over Sophia and how she didn¡¯t want to give up. Steph didn¡¯t care how much it was affecting her. No matter how apparent it was bing and how a part started to understand, she didn''t want to believe that Sophia was gone. Soon enough, her messages became cheerful again. Every single one was written in a very merry way afterward. This went on for many months afterward. One message after another. One day after the next one. Without fail. Not a single day was skipped. Asking how Sophia''s doing. Hoping she was okay. How she missed her. How Steph wanted her back. What her sister did. Where she went. What she experienced. Everything was ryed to Sophia¡¯s messaging ount. Then, the letter reached her, and everything changed again.
Sophia?! - Are you there?! - Answer! - I got a weird letter today! - It had no stamp, but the envelope had your name on it, so I obviously paid for it! - Did you really write it? - Really? - Please¡­ - Tell me it¡¯s true. - Are you still out there somewhere¡­? - Please. - The letter reads super weird, but there were some things only you would know¡­ - It looked like your handwriting, too... - So¡­ are you okay? - The letter makes no sense. - If you''re still there, why can''t you meet us? - Do you not want to? - Why¡­? - That is way too weird. - It makes no sense! - Come back already! - I want you here again! - Your apartment is still there, too¡­ - It¡¯s basically mine now¡­ - You have a ce to return¡­ - Just do it¡­ - I¡¯ll be there. - I¡¯ll hug you the moment the door opens and never let go of you again. - Actually, no¡­ I¡¯ll first p you. - You earned that. - After that, I won¡¯t stop hugging you. - Even besides that, your letter¡­ You¡¯re able to speak to girls now? - I need to see that before I believe you! - It would be great, though. You deserve as many friends as you can get, after all. - A girlfriend, though? Maya, was it? - You can''t just go and get a girlfriend without asking me first! - I have to check her out first! - Without my sign of approval, no one is allowed to date my sister! - You better tell that girl to get ready! - I WILL find you, and I will get behind all of this. - Though, help me out already! - Make it easier for me to find you! - You were always such a good girl! - Stop with your rebellious phase already! - Come back home! - Now! - Once I stop crying, I will start looking for you again! - It might take a few days for that to happen, though¡­ - Why?! - Come back! - Stop making me cry already! - Idiot! - I want to say that I hate you, but I love you too much for that! - Idiot! - You¡¯re the older sister here! Behave like one already! - I¡¯m sorry¡­ - Behave however you want¡­ Just be an idiot while I¡¯m with you, not where you are right now¡­
----- --- - Those were but a few of the messages Steph had left Sophia over the past almost year since she had disappeared. Once she was done reading through all of them, many she had to read at least twice because the tears were affecting her vision, the blonde exited the messaging program and closed the lid of theptop. "¡­" Without saying a single word and with tears still running down her cheeks, she just turned around and left. She couldn¡¯t be near theptop any longer. ¡°S-Sophia!¡± Maya wiped away her own tears as she was also reading along and quickly followed after her girlfriend. She hadn''t expected it to be that heavy, and while she stood by her decision to make the blonde read it, it also seemed like she was regretting it a little bit. In any case, she had a lot of work to do now. Getting Sophia back up after this might end up being slightlyplicated.
Chapter 326 – Paper tissues are great Chapter 326 ¨C Paper tissues are great Things in the electronics store had taken a turn. Sophia found out that theptops were connected to the inte, and while showing Maya how all that worked, she decided to open the messaging program she used with her family without thinking. There, she found out that her mother had sent her many messages, and to make matters even worse, Steph had sent her several hundred. Reluctantly reading through them, the blonde found out just how much she had hurt her sister with her disappearance and how much it affected her life. Still is, for that matter. Reading through every single one of their messages with tears running down her cheek, Sophia immediately exited the messaging program again and ran away. Herst conscious decision was to not have aplete breakdown in the middle of an electronics store. Maya ran after her, and the two ended up in the restrooms, the preferred ce to have a semi-public breakdown involving a lot of tears and sobbing. Luckily, it waspletely empty. ¡°S-Sophia¡­¡± Maya had no idea what to say and even less of a n of what to do. Even she was still crying a little from the heartfelt messages, after all. Just imagining what was going through the blonde¡¯s head right now made her feel horrible. ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t answer her. ¡°What can I do to help¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde stayed silent for a moment longer. ¡°I¡­ I can stop time. Can you learn how to¡­ reverse it¡­?¡± ¡°How far¡­ How far do you want to turn it back¡­?¡± Her expression turned even moreplicated. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ A day? I could immediately bash in Canir¡¯s face so that he never tells me about any of what led to t-today¡­ Even better, go back to theke incident, and punch me when I had the idea of those letters in the first ce¡­¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± Maya looked a little happier again. ¡°How is that good?!¡± ¡°I was worried that you wanted to go all the way back¡­ I thought you regretted meeting me¡­¡± ¡°Why would I want that¡­?¡± With her cheeks still wet with tears, the blonde tilted her head while ncing at her girlfriend. ¡°You, Fen, everyone. The whole world is the best that happened to me¡­ I-I just don''t want to see Steph suffer so much¡­ She hasn''t deserved any of that. She did nothing wrong. It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The white-haired girl had nothing to say here. She wanted to, but she couldn¡¯t. ¡°I never should¡¯ve opened this box¡­ Ignorance was bliss¡­ I always had the feeling that I hurt her with my disappearance, but this¡­ t-this is too much¡­¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty harmlesspared to what I¡¯d do in her situation.¡± ¡°A-Are you trying to make me feel worse?!¡± Sophia started yelling. ¡°I have no idea¡­ It¡¯s not easy for me, either¡­ I have no idea how to handle such a situation¡­ I¡¯m just trying¡­¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± She appreciated the effort. ¡°For real, though¡­ What can I do to make you feel better?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde just went silent once again. She couldn¡¯t think of a single thing. "Hmm¡­" As she also had nothing, Maya just got closer to her, put her hand behind Sophia''s head, and pressed it against her shoulder while using her other arm to hug the girl. ¡°¡­¡± Her only reaction was a few muffled sobs before she eventually hugged her back, and the two stayed like that for a few minutes. ---------------- ¡°Better now¡­?¡± After a while, Maya let go of her again and used a paper towel to dry the remaining tears on Sophia''s cheek. ¡°Not at all.¡± She shook her head in return. ¡°Ask me in a month again¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also how long I¡¯ll hate you for making me go through all that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair, I guess.¡± "You also won''t get to test the stuff we bought for that long." ¡°E-Even the vibraty things?!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Especially them.¡± ¡°N-No way¡­¡± She looked devastated. "Hehe." The faintest smile finally appeared on Sophia again. "I don''t think I can contain the horny until then, though." After seeing that she was feeling ever so slightly better, Maya decided to y along. It definitely wasn¡¯t because she was actually getting desperate. "I will be really annoying for the entire month, you know? I might even turn into part dog and start humping you at some point." ¡°Idiot.¡± The blonde had nothing else to say. ¡°I know!¡± "Don''t worry. Having to wait for so long will only make it better when you finally get to test them." ¡°I¡¯ll explode long before I get the chance!¡± ¡°Tough luck, I guess.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°You should be d that the ban isn''t one day per tear I shed today¡­" ¡°I¡¯d never get to test them then!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± "Ah, I''m sorry¡­" Hearing that, Maya decided to apologize again. ¡°I stand with my deration that it will be good for you in the long run, but¡­ I guess she really is your sister. Whatever you do, you give 120%... When it¡¯s important, that is.¡± ¡°Should I be happy about that? Angry?¡± ¡°Whatever makes you feel better.¡± ¡°Neither does!¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯m officially out of options.¡± ¡°Two months ban!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like her reply. ¡°A-Ah.¡± The white-haired girl flinched in response. ¡°W-What do you want to do, though¡­?¡± "How would I know?!" She got loud again. "Ah, wait, I do have an idea¡­ I want to cry some more!" ¡°Besides that, I mean¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to see her?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Should we go and visit her?¡± ¡°NO!¡± Sophia vehemently shook her head. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°D-Did you not see what just happened?!¡± She kept raising her voice. ¡°I-I won¡¯t be able to deal with that¡­ I will¡­ I will cave in to whatever she wants me to do¡­ I¡¯d feel too guilty to turn her down¡­¡± ¡°I highly doubt she¡¯d do anything to make you unhappy, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°How about you send her another message, then?¡± Maya tried a slightly different approach. ¡°Tell her that you¡¯re really doing fine. Tell her you''re happy she''s so worried about you and doesn''t want to let you go. She should, though. Tell her that you want her to be happy, too. She should stop worrying about her stupid big sister and have a good life. Something like that." ¡°Including the stupid part¡­?¡± ¡°First and foremost, that. It''s vital to this whole conversation." ¡°Idiot¡­¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°You should mention that about yourself a few times, too!¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± ¡°That, you shouldn¡¯t mention~.¡± ¡°Shut up already¡­¡± ¡°We both know I won¡¯t do that before you¡¯re back to normal again.¡± The incognito cat shook her head. ¡°When was I ever normal in the first ce¡­?¡± ¡°When did I ever stop talking?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde had noeback for that. ¡°Even at being the worst, you are the best¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the best at everything~.¡± ¡°You sure are.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked her agreeing on that. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and send Steph another message!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Sophia raised her voice once again. ¡°W-We¡¯re actually doing that?! I¡¯m going to cry again, you know?!¡± ¡°For again, you first have to stop, though¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes while handing her girlfriend another paper tissue. ¡°For starters, wipe your current ones away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± After Sophia looked somewhat presentable again, she grabbed her hand and dragged her back to theptop again. ---------------- ¡°A-Are we really going to do it¡­? W-What if she-¡­ Ah.¡± The blonde was unable to finish her sentence as she froze up the moment she logged into the messaging app again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fresh tears appeared in the corners of her eyes again. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± ¡°T-There¡­ There are new messages¡­ S-Steph just sent a ton of them¡­¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Maya hadn''t seen that oneing. ¡°What did she write?¡± ¡°I-I haven¡¯t looked yet¡­ Oh no!¡± She suddenly raised her voice again. ¡°What is it now?!¡± ¡°This chat¡­ it has a function that tells the other person when their messages got read¡­¡± "A-Ah.¡± "I-I bet Steph noticed that¡­ and¡­ and she now thinks I''m¡­ back¡­¡± ¡°Well, you kinda are, I guess¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! But actually, no!¡± ¡°And now?¡± ¡°No idea!¡± Sophia needed a moment to collect herself. ¡°Wait, I think you can turn that off somewhere in the settings¡­ I-I can¡¯t have her see that I¡¯ve read the newest messages, as well¡­¡± ¡°Won¡¯t she notice the moment you send your message, anyway?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, but if she sees me before the message¡­ She won¡¯t be stopping with sending me new ones¡­ and I¡¯ll go back to crying the entire time again¡­¡± ¡°As I said before¡­ you first have to stop crying before going back to it¡­¡± Maya handed her another tissue. She had grabbed a lot of them before leaving the restroom. ¡°¡­¡± She responded by patting her cheeks dry. Afterward, the blonde clicked around on the screen a bit. ¡°Okay, anyway, I changed it, so s-she doesn¡¯t see me¡­¡± Once that was dealt with, she finally opened the new messages. ----
Sophia?! - Are you there?! - Sophia?! - Answer!!!!!!!! - Please! - What is going on?! - I was about to give you my daily update¡­ - Why are all my messages marked as read?!!! - Are you back? - Where are you?! - Answer! - I beg you! - Sophia¡­ - I miss you¡­ - I want to see you again¡­ - Just reply already¡­ - Please¡­ - Anything¡­
---- ¡°¡­¡± Maya was even more d that she had grabbed all those tissues earlier. She needed some of them, too. ¡°Y-Your sister is great¡­ I thought Chloe is unmatched when ites to caring for others, but¡­¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s no one better than Steph¡­¡± Sophia had already blown through all of her tissues and had started stealing the ones of her girlfriend. ¡°Alright, I''ll let her have it today.¡± ¡°Idiot¡­¡± ¡°I know~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Letting out a small chuckle, Sophia nced at the screen again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Maya looked at her instead. ¡°This message thing¡­ Earlier, you mentioned that you can also use the camera to show yourself to the one chatting with you, right¡­?" ¡°I-I¡¯m not going to do that!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± The white-haired girl shook her head. ¡°Can you take one of these pictures things and send it to her? You look a bit different, but I don¡¯t think anyone would notice that you¡¯re a little smaller than you used to be without being right in front of you. The only difference is the few ck stripes in your hair, but those don''t really matter, do they?" ¡°¡­¡± Sophia went silent once again. ¡°Do¡­ Do you think that¡¯s a good idea¡­?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­? I don¡¯t know¡­ I messed up enough already.¡± ¡°You sure did¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°She wants to see you, and that¡¯s the best thing I can¡¯t think of if you can¡¯t handle meeting her. Show her that you¡¯re still out somewhere and that you¡¯re doing fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde¡¯s face probably went through every emotion it was capable of doing. Eventually, though, she opened the camera app on theptop. "Wow, I look horrible!" She immediately noticed her puffy eyes and the tear markings on her cheeks when she saw the picture of herself. ¡°You¡¯ve looked better, yeah.¡± She showed her a small smile in response before doing her best to clean up Sophia¡¯s face with thest remaining tissue. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do anything against the puffy eyes, though. Just tell her you cried a lot before.¡± ¡°Very helpful¡­¡± Sophia rolled her eyes in return. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She stared at her picture currently being shown by the camera for a bit longer and noticed how half of Maya was in it, as well. ¡°Come closer for a moment.¡± Saying so, the blonde wrapped one of her arms around her girlfriend¡¯s waist and pulled her as close as possible. Afterward, she put her head on Maya¡¯s shoulder and cuddled even closer to her. "Are you sure you want me in the picture¡­?" She took a wild guess of what her n was right now. ¡°Absolutely!¡± She started smiling. ¡°You¡¯re the main reason I¡¯m not going back to Steph, after all.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t you dare to tell her that!¡± Maya started panicking. "A-At least not in those very words!¡± ¡°Smile~.¡± The sound of her losing her cool helped the blonde calm down a bit. Afterward, once she was happy enough with the scene she was seeing, Sophia took the picture showing both. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like the electronics store background and how I look right now, but I guess there''s nothing I can do about that¡­" ----
Steph I¡¯m sorry. Sorry for everything I did to you. This wasn¡¯t the n. This wasn¡¯t my n at all. The n didn¡¯t care about my feeling on the matter, though. I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re missing me so much. I miss you, too. I¡¯m d that you worry so much, as well. Pleases stop that, though¡­ I¡¯m doing well. Really well. Incredibly well. I can¡¯t bear you ruining your life because of me. Stop looking for me. Please. Go on without me. I would love to see you, too¡­ But, I can¡¯t¡­ I fear that seeing you would waver my resolution to the decisions I have made so far. My old life and my new one¡­ They¡¯re notpatible with each other. I love you. I love you so much. You have no idea how much I really do. But¡­ There are so many other people I now love, too. First and foremost, my girlfriend. I can''t make her and all the others¡­ Make them feel the same as I made you¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m an idiot. I know. Please be happy again. Do it for me. Please. Just thinking about you being unhappy because of me is killing me. I know. I¡¯m selfish. You¡¯re strong. I know you can do it. For your sake, too. You might not believe me, but I¡¯m happy. Truly happy. I want nothing more than you to be happy, too. It just has to be without me¡­ I¡¯m sorry.
---
Here¡¯s proof of me being happy. I had a bit of a makeover, but it¡¯s still clearly me. (Please ignore my puffy eyes¡­ I cried a lot after I saw your messages) Next to me is Maya. She¡¯s the one. My girlfriend. Isn¡¯t she the cutest?
---
Thank you. For everything.
---- After sending all those messages in rapid session, Sophia attached the picture she had taken earlier and quickly closed the messaging app again. She didn¡¯t want to risk Steph being able to reply. This would¡¯ve destroyed her for good. Once this was taken care of, the blonde returned to the restroom. She had taken a liking to the paper tissues there and wanted to use more of them. A lot more, to be exact.
Chapter 327 – Hours of entertainment Chapter 327 ¨C Hours of entertainment After Sophia''s breakdown after having read all the messages her sister had sent her ever since she disappeared, she, with a lot of help from Maya, decided to reply to Steph''s messages. The blonde underlined how happy she now is and that she wants nothing more than her finally being happy again, as well. She should stop worrying about her older sister and finally live her life again. Afterward, using the camera of theptop she was typing on, she took a picture together with Maya and sent it to Steph, hoping to get the point across that there was no need to worry about Sophia anymore. "¡­" The two were still in the restroom together but were facing yet another problem. ¡°We¡¯re about to run out of tissues, huh¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also getting thirsty¡­¡± Sophia was having multiple problems, actually. ¡°No wonder¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes while using one of thest tissues to wipe away some of the blonde¡¯s tears. ¡°Well, that means you¡¯re about to run dry, huh?¡± ¡°I hope¡­ I¡¯m getting tired of crying¡­¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± She reacted with a wry smile. ¡°How about you stop, then?¡± ¡°E-Easier said than done!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Do you think it was a good thing? Sending the messages to Steph? The picture, too¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I hope so, though.¡± Maya could not give her a definitive answer. ¡°Me, too¡­¡± ¡°Well, she now has actual proof that you¡¯re still alive and doing well, so¡­¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± ¡°So, what now¡­?¡± The white-haired girl looked right at her. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°What do you want to do now? ¡°Get a drink and cry some more¡­¡± "Besides that, idiot." "No idea, then¡­" It wasn''t the first time they had had this exchange. ¡°Do you want to head home? Our home, that is?¡± Maya decided to rify this part. ¡°Or, should we buy some more things I don''t understand but am fascinated by?" ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°T-The mood is kinda gone, and I feel horrible, but¡­ We should use the chance we have right now¡­ We need to keep you busy for the next five months with some of the things we''re getting after this." ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, the toys are banned up until then for you, after all." ¡°W-What?!¡± Maya¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°W-Why so long?! That¡¯s beyond unreasonable!¡± ¡°I had to adjust the time after the recent events. I think it¡¯s a fair thing to do after everything you made me go through.¡± ¡°I beg to differ!¡± "Well, tough luck." Sophia just showed her a little smirk. ¡°¡­¡± Maya wanted toin, because she really wanted to try the toys out as soon as possible, but seeing the blonde being able to tease her despite the situation made her give up for the time being. "Okay, what else is a must-have we need to get?" "Nothing we get so far is a must-have." ¡°I WHOLEHEARTEDLY and STRONGLY disagree." She raised her voice. ¡°Besides the horny.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± The incognito cat looked relieved again. ¡°A TV might be fun¡­ Mostly to watch the pictures we took together.¡± "Ohh! I would also like to see a movie and or series you and Chloe talked about before¡­ I want to know what that is like!" ¡°Hmm¡­ That might be hard without inte¡­ Wait, are Blu-ray yers still a thing? DVDs, too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they are!¡± ¡°You have no idea what I just said, don¡¯t you?¡± "Not even in the slightest!" "Well, I like your enthusiasm. Let''s take a look¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ---------------- As Sophia¡¯s mood seemed to have improved a lot, mostly thanks to Maya keeping her busy, the two retrieved their cart with the cameras and the tablets, and walked far away from theptop area. ¡°W-Wee back to sensory overload¡­¡± "Mh-hmm¡­" The two had returned to the TV area, and both quickly got overwhelmed by all the moving pictures and sounds. ¡°Alright, which one do you want?¡± While pointing at the TVs, Sophia then looked at her girlfriend. ¡°E-Eh¡­? You let me decide?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I have no idea about anything here, though?¡± ¡°Just get the one with the nicest picture and the size you want. We should, in theory, look out for power consumption, but I doubt the difference between them is that big. Also, the sr thingy we got is waaay too oversized, anyway. Oh, but¡­¡± Sophia then pointed at the price tag of one of them. ¡°The higher the price, the fewer movies and series we can getter." ¡°I see¡­ We¡¯re putting it in the living room¡­?¡± ¡°Sure, if you want to.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ Our living room is way too huge, so maybe we should get a bigger one¡­?¡± ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± ¡°Hmmn¡­¡± Afterward, Maya started walking around to look at all the TVs individually, but she soon stopped again. ¡°T-They all look amazing¡­¡± Naturally, she had no idea what good and bad quality is. ¡°They feel like you¡¯re watching out of a window¡­ Sure, some look betterer, but even the cheaper ones are unbelievable!¡± ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s fair, I guess.¡± She couldn¡¯t me her for that. ¡°Well then, decide on a size, and I''ll choose the TV itself." ¡°Okay!¡± She walked around some more while inspecting the bigger TVs in the assortment. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe one of those two¡­?¡± Maya pointed at a 65¡± and 75¡± model standing right next to each other. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say because I can¡¯t imagine how it would look in the living room¡­¡± ¡°Going for the huge ones, huh?" ¡°T-There are still bigger ones!¡± She then pointed to her right, where a few 80"+ TVs were disyed. The greedy girl tried to look a little less greedy. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia liked her reaction. ¡°How about we get both?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± "Their prices are reasonable, they''re even on sale right now, and the image looks nice, too. I remember the brand being reliable, as well. Wait¡­¡± She then looked closer at the price tag. "That''s perfect! It seems like they''re running a promo right now, and we get a free Blu-ray yer with them!" ¡°That¡¯s good¡­?¡± Maya couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°That¡¯s the thing we need to watch movies on the TVs!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get both!¡± "Wait, would getting two mean that we can buy fewer movies¡­?" ¡°True.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Even with both, we can still get hundreds of them, though. Also, if we only get one TV and that one breaks, there will be no movies at all.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true!¡± ¡°I mean, they will all break eventually, but we should have some fun with them for a good while!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Also, if we do run out of money, we could always go back to the gold guy. But I doubt we''ll be able to spend all the money on movies and series. A lot of them are inly no good." ¡°I see!¡± Afterward, Sophia got another cart, a t one, to ce the massive TV boxes and the two free Blu-ray yers on it. Once that part was taken care of, the duo started looking for the movie area. ¡°Oho! Looks like the demand for movies and series on disks is still high!¡± They found them rtively quickly, and the blonde was surprised at just how big the area was. "Disks¡­?" Maya just looked confused again. ¡°You¡¯ll find out once we watch the first er.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s look around and get everything that looks good! Should we split up for a bit and look at stuff on our own? Everything that tickles our fancy goes into the cart.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± The incognito cat wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know anything about these movie things, though¡­¡± ¡°Here,¡± Sophia picked up a random one from the shelf. ¡°The most obvious thing to catch your interest is the picture at the front. Then, there''s also a little text at the back that tells you more about what the movie will be about. If it sounds interesting, in the cart it goes!¡± ¡°I see¡­ Okay, let¡¯s try it!¡± She wasn¡¯t against the n anymore. Afterward, the duo went in different directions to look at movies and series on their own for a bit. ¡°Alright, where are the horror movies?¡± The blonde had a specific reason for wanting to look on her own. ¡°Her reaction with the ghosts in the dungeon and what Eve told me about her getting scared by spooky things, this will be fun~." Roughly 15 minutester, the two reunited again. Still, something seemed odd, and it wasn''t the 30+ horror movies in Sophia''s cart, all lying cover down to not spoil the surprise. ¡°¡­¡± For some reason, Maya¡¯s face waspletely red while she continued to steal nces at her own cart, filled with about as many movies. ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Your world is amazing!¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± The blonde could only tilt her head in response. ¡°Where even were you? I haven¡¯t seen you once while browsing through the movies.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She got even more awkward. ¡°At the end of the row, there was a door with a sign over it¡­ Adult section or something like that¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Huh? Since when do electronic stores even have that...? In a separate room and all..¡± Sophia looked confused for a moment and then grabbed a few of the movies in Maya¡¯s cart to get a better look at them. ¡°They¡¯re all porn!¡± "There was also a so-called preview thing running on one of the TVs¡­ V-Very interesting. Informative, too¡­¡± ¡°Informative?!¡± ¡°There¡¯s something we have to tryter¡­" Saying so, Maya also pulled a movie out of her cart. "That''s the one that was running on the TV¡­¡± ¡°The lesbian Kamasutra¡­? Part 1 of 5¡­?¡± She needed a moment. ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I got the other four in here, as well!¡± ¡°It was a mistake to show you this world¡­ You¡¯re toopatible with it¡­ The pervert came home or whatever¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to watch it?¡± Maya looked at her with upturned eyes. ¡°I never said that!¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were that many lesbian movies in the wild. Outside the inte, I mean. Wait, they''re all girls only, right?" ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I got every movie in the lesbian section!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Not interested in the other stuff.¡± Maya then shook her head. ¡°There even was a super nice female clerk in there to help me out! She warned me about trap movies I shouldn¡¯t get.¡± ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s great!¡± ¡°By the way, what are trap movies¡­?¡± "Ahaha¡­ In this context, it would be lesbian porn that isn''t lesbian at all¡­ After the first five minutes, a guy would suddenly show up, and it ends in a threesome¡­¡± "Disgusting! Thank you very much, miss clerk!" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°So, what did you get?¡± Maya tried to peek into Sophia¡¯s cart. "That''s a secret. I got some of my favorite movies, and I want to surprise you with them!" As the blonde was into horror, she technically wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°Ohh, I look forward to that!¡± ¡°So do I!¡± Sophia was trying very hard for her smile not to turn into a grin. ¡°Should we look at the rest together? Let''s find something that catches both of our interests! ¡°Yes!¡± Maya liked the n. Afterward, once the spooky and horny genre was taken care of, the two collected a wide variety of many more movies. Once they had gotten a decent amount, the couple went over to the series box sets. There, they got theplete edition of basically every series that looked and sounded even remotely interesting. The y time of each collection usually was gigantic and a much better value for money if you have to maximize the amount of entertainment you can buy before not being able to get more. Thanks to that, they got many hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of entertainment in all the carts the two had by now. Nearby, Sophia had also spotted the video game section. As she still had a good bit of money left, even after getting way too many series and movies, the blonde also decided to get a game console. She limited herself to party games that can be yed with many, though. That sounded like more fun to her. She also got a couple of extra controllers and some other essories. Before finally leaving, the blonde also got two gigantic packs of batteries in bulk, a lot of the rechargeable kinds, all kinds of chargers, cables, and extension cords for power, data, and everything else she could think of. They would be out of luck if she missed anything, after all. Sophia also decided to buy two hair-straightening irons. One for herself and maybe Anna to use, as well. The other one was to experiment on after she might''ve remembered this almost forgotten plot point. ---------------- Once they had paid for everything, which took almost half an hour because it was multiple hundreds of objects, the couple swiftly disappeared into a dark corner inside the building, and when they came back, all their baggage was suddenly gone. Stuffed into Sophia¡¯s storage, that is. ¡°Unhinged binge shopping is the best~. Spending a ton of money really improves the mood~.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Maya chuckled at her. ¡°Oh, right! You wanted to get some cooking books, right? How about we-!¡± The two had just walked through the exit of the electronics store when Sophia tried to suggest their next activity. She wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence, though. Exactly half a second after having left the store, her expressionpletely changed as she froze up on the spot. At the same time, tears once again started to appear in the corners of her eyes. Something that was constantly happening today. Immediately after, the sound of her cheek being pped with immense force echoed through the area. The p sounded so strong that the old Sophia, without her boosts, probably would¡¯ve sustained quite a bit of damage. In fact, the hand of the dark-blonde girl in front of her, who was slightly smaller than the tiger version of Sophia, had turned bright red in an instant. Tears were also streaming down from the dark blue eyes of the girl in the white sweater and ck jacket and shorts, just like her sheer ck overknees and sneakers. Still, it somehow didn''t seem like those were the result of the pain in her hand. In fact, it seemed like this girl had already been crying long before the p. ¡°HEY!¡± Contrary to the frozen and rooted Sophia, Maya was anything but silent. No one¡¯s pping her girlfriend without repercussion, after all. She was about to pounce on the shorter blonde with a p of her own, one seemingly infused by magic and ready to send her to another dimension, but she didn''t make it far. "S-Stop!" Sophia held her arm in front of her to stop the white-haired girl from attacking her. Afterward, she slightly turned her head to the side to present her other, by now tear-soaked, cheek to the girl. ¡°S-p this one, too, please¡­ I-I¡­ I earn that¡­ T-That, and much more¡­¡± ¡°S-Sophia!¡± The girl had no intention of pping her again, though. Instead, she immediately jumped at her and tightly crushed the taller blonde into a gigantic hug while wrapping her arms around her neck. ¡°S-Steph¡­¡± While whispering the name of the girl in front of her, Sophia quickly returned the hug.
Chapter 328 – Reunited Chapter 328 ¨C Reunited Sophia and Maya had finally finished their shopping trip in the electronics store. After the cameras and the tablets, they also got two TVs, Blu-ray yers, and hundreds of movies and series boxsets that shouldst a while. Afterward, the blonde also decided to get a video game console together with some multiyer party games and all sorts of stuff that they may or may not need to operate all the things they got, like cables and batteries, for example. Once the duo exited the store, things quickly took a drastic turn, though. Outside, another blonde girl, slightly smaller than the tiger version of Sophia and with dark blue eyes instead, was already waiting for them with tears in her eyes. She wore an oversized white hoodie over a ck jacket, shorts, sheer overknees, and sneakers. Not only that, but she also violently pped Sophia''s cheek the moment they saw each other. Afterward, she immediately jumped into her arms, though. As it turned out, the girl seemed to be Steph, Sophia''s little sister she had to leave behind when she got transported to Maya¡¯s world. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The trio, still standing in front of the store, Steph hugging Sophia with all her might, she hugging her back just as strong, and Maya watching the exchange, had nothing to say for quite a while. It also didn¡¯t seem like the sisters would let go of each other anytime soon. Neither of the two had stopped crying ever since, either. Even the incognito cat had trouble holding back a few tears of her own once she finally understood what was happening. ¡°¡­¡± The two kept embracing each other for what felt like another five minutes. Still, Maya was slowly starting to wonder about their next steps. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She obviously didn¡¯t want to interrupt them, but it also seemed like if no one was going to say anything now, the sisters probably would stay there for the rest of the day. "A-Ah¡­¡± Hearing her voice, Sophia slowly came back to reality. Still, it took her another moment to let go of Steph again. Although, eventually, she finally pulled her arms away from the other¡¯s waist. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go, though!¡± Her sister had other ns and only increased her grip around the taller girl''s neck even more. ¡°Y-You¡¯ll just run away again else¡­¡± ¡°Uuh¡­ I-I''m sorry..." Sophia took a lot of damage from that remark. "I-I¡­ I didn''t run away, though¡­ W-What happened to me was, uhh¡­ a little outside of my influence¡­¡± ¡°Do¡­ Do you have any idea how fishy that sounds¡­?¡± Hearing that, Steph finally loosened her embrace on the taller blonde. Once she let go of her neck, she immediately grabbed one of Sophia¡¯s hands in return. ¡°J-Just to make sure you don¡¯t actually run, after all!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She took even more damage from her being so overcautious and scared of losing her older sister again. "T-That much is fine¡­ More than wee, actually¡­ Also, it may sound fishy, but for the actual events that happened¡­ fishy doesn''t evene close to describing it¡­" ¡°I¡¯m all ears!¡± Steph stared right at her. ¡°It better be a great story, or else I will never forget you for having left me without saying a word! Even if it is, I might still be angry at you for another year!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Naturally, there were some slight issues with exining her disappearance. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Having no idea what to say, Sophia looked at her girlfriend for help. "A-Ah, Maya!¡± She then noticed she had a handy distraction nearby. ¡°Err¡­ H-Hello¡­" The distraction in question had no idea what to do and just awkwardly waved at Steph. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re the one from the picture¡­¡± As the little sister was preupied with reuniting with Sophia, she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the other girl yet. ¡°Y-You¡¯re actually real¡­?¡± ¡°Err¡­ I think so¡­?¡± The white-haired girl wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that. ¡°Sophia, talk to her!¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­?¡± ¡°Do you actually believe I buy that you¡¯re able to talk to girls now?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Maya, uhh¡­ Wait, it¡¯s surprisingly hard toe up with something on the spot¡­¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a new one.¡± Speechless Sophia was a rare urrence, after all. ¡°My brain isplete mush after everything today, so cut me some ck¡­ Also, no, you don¡¯t have toment on my usual mushy brain levels.¡± "Well, I would say it''s about twice as mushy as normal." "Considering the circumstances, I''m unsure whether that''s an insult or apliment¡­" ¡°Yes.¡± Maya just smiled at her. ¡°That gets you another month.¡± The incognito cat''s ban from testing the new toys was still increasing. "A-Ah¡­¡± She really didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°My sass is not doing me much good today¡­¡± ¡°It sure isn¡¯t.¡± Sophia also started smiling. ¡°Well, it¡¯s kinda 50:50 today. You also had some good ones.¡± ¡°Good enough!¡± ¡°W-Wow!¡± Steph interrupted their little bantering. ¡°T-That just now was more than you talked with girls thest five years in total!¡± ¡°You were actually that bad before¡­?¡± Maya stared at her girlfriend with big eyes. ¡°S-Shush!¡± She wasn¡¯t in the mood for that. ¡°H-How did you manage to do that?!¡± Steph focused her attention on the white-haired girl. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard I tried for that?!¡± ¡°It was a long and hard fight¡­¡± She smiled at the little sister. ¡°One that paid off, though. She was worth all the pain I had to go through to get inside that thick skull of hers!¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± "I know perfectly well that she''s worth all the pain, of which there was lots to have with her!" Steph sounded a little proud. "H-Hey!" The pain in question repeated herself. ¡°There are many more questions I have for you¡­ and I still have to find out whether you¡¯re worthy of my big sister, but there are more pressing issues!¡± Steph tried to stay on topic. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Maya looked slightly scared. ¡°S-Sophia! I''m still waiting for an exnation of why you left us! It better be a good one!¡± "A-Ah¡­" Unfortunately, her distraction wasn''t as good as she had hoped. "I''m, err¡­ I''m still trying toe up with a way to exin it¡­ What exactly to tell you, too¡­ It¡¯s rather I need more time to sort this out¡­¡± ¡°You have 30 seconds.¡± ¡°Nonono, I¡¯m serious! I have to prepare myself for this!¡± There was no way Sophia would be able to tell her everything this fast. ¡°Also, I need a ce where it''s just us for that¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head home, then!¡± Saying so, as she was still clinging to her hand, Steph immediately started dragging her away. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Unable to stand up against her, the taller blonde only managed to grab Maya¡¯s hand as well, and the three left together. ---------------- A few minutester, the trio found themselves on a train leading toward Sophia''s old apartment, where Steph had basically fully moved in after her disappearance. ¡°...¡± Maya was curiously watching everything inside the train and was really mesmerized by the scenery speeding past them on the outside. Naturally, she wanted to ask a ton of questions because all of this was utterly alien to her. Still, having Steph with them, she decided to swallow it because she had no idea how Sophia nned to solve this situation. Instead, she simply continued to take it all in with sparkling eyes. ¡°Why do I feel like watching an overly curious cat when looking at you...?¡± The little sister still noticed that something was odd here. ¡°E-Eh...?¡± She panicked a little and actually put a hand on top of her head. As she didn¡¯t feel any ears there, the white-haired girl rxed a little and tried toe up with an excuse. ¡°W-Well, I am from a very remote ce, and I, uhh... never visited such a city... There¡¯s a lot of things I¡¯ve never seen before...¡± In a way, Maya told nothing but the truth. "Hmm..." Steph felt like something was odd about her reply and decided to stare at the girl for a while. ¡°S-Steph!¡± Sophia had a bad feeling about this and tried to divert her attention. ¡°How... How did you even find me...? It didn¡¯t seem like that was a coincidence, and more like you were waiting for me..." ¡°Because I was waiting for you!¡± She took the bait. ¡°I left home the second I got the picture of the two of you!¡± ¡°Eh...?¡± "I know that electronics store, idiot! I was there justst week to get a new phone!" "B-But there was only a part of the store in the background, right...? Also, that ce is a chain, isn''t it...? Don''t they all look the same inside...?" ¡°Yeah... and every store has the city name and the street they¡¯re on right below the entrance inside to rify exactly where you are... For example, when you want to reserve something online or stuff like that." ¡°Uhh...?¡± ¡°Here...¡± Steph pulled out her phone and opened the picture she had gotten earlier. Afterward, she zoomed in on the background, which showed the store''s entrance, including the city and street name." "A-Ah.¡± The taller blonde had no idea what to say. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice that at all...¡± "That wasn''t on purpose because you had to be cryptic for some reason...?" The little sister tilted her head. "If I wanted you to find me... I would''ve just said where I was or got home myself..." ¡°?!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like anything about this reply. "A-Ah!¡± ¡°Yeah, Sophia tried really hard to avoid you, even though I said she should just go and see you.¡± Maya spoke without a care for her words. ¡°!?!¡± She only made more of a scene. ¡°M-MAYA!?¡± The older sister had about as much of a reaction to her. "WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" "Not yours. Obviously." She wanted to have her meet her little sister since the moment they arrived here, after all. ¡°W-Why...?¡± New tears had appeared in the corners of Steph¡¯s eyes again. ¡°I-It¡¯s not what it sounds like... M-Maya and I only got here on ident, and our time is really... really limited... T-There was nothing more that I wanted other than seeing you... I-I just didn¡¯t want to hurt you even because I¡¯m going to disappear again...¡± ¡°WHY?!¡± She got even louder. ¡°DON¡¯T!¡± She also gripped the taller blonde¡¯s hand she was still holding even stronger. ¡°STAY!¡± "..." In the end, the situation Sophia had feared the most had inevitably happened. ¡°I-It¡¯s not that easy...¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°...¡± She was suffering a lot from this. ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t the n, not at all, but I started a new life. I made a lot of friends. Important friends that mean a lot to me. Many people depend on me, too, now... T-There¡¯s also Maya... she has all of her family and rtives there, too... I can¡¯t make her do the same I put you through...¡± ¡°S-So, their and Maya¡¯s feelings are more important than mine...?¡± Steph was properly crying again by now. ¡°T-That¡¯s unfair!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s also unfair that I¡¯m saying that, but... but...!¡± She noticed that she was being selfish. ¡°Stay! I don¡¯t want to lose you again!¡± ¡°...¡± Sophia was at a loss. She had already decided that her new life was the one she wanted to live, but her sister really wasn¡¯t making it easy. There was no way she could me her for that, though. She had all the rights in the world not to ept it. "Alright, then, take me with you!" Steph changed her approach. ¡°There¡¯s nothing important enough here to keep me from leaving! I¡¯ve grown to hate this ce, anyway!¡± ¡°Mhmm...¡± She had the feeling that thest part was her fault. ¡°Tell me one good reason not to bring me with you! ONE!¡± "W-Why do I feel like even if Ie up with one, you won''t care, either...?" ¡°Because we''re sisters, and you know me!" ¡°...¡± Immediately afterward, the train reached their station, and Sophia managed to talk her sister into continuing this conversation at home because the whole situation was bing tooplicated to speak about outside.
Chapter 329 – Time for an explanation Chapter 329 ¨C Time for an exnation Steph, Sophia''s little sister, had found the couple while they were shopping together, as the picture the two had sent her before contained the address of the store in the background. After that, she immediately headed out to reunite with her big sister. She also had no ns to ever let go of Sophia again, either, and wanted her to stay now. The taller blonde had already decided that she would continue her new life because that, her sister aside, was vastly superior to her old one. Hearing that, Steph changed her approach and decided she woulde with her instead. ¡°...¡± After their train ride home, the group arrived at Sophia''s old apartment, where Steph had been living since. "It still looks basically the same..." The taller blonde seemed slightly nostalgic. ¡°It¡¯s cozy.¡± Maya was also looking around. ¡°I like theyout.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She nodded. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t hold up to our new ce, but I liked it here.¡± "I thinkparing them to each other is pretty unfair." The white-haired girl scratched her cheek while thinking about their mansion. ¡°Fair point.¡± Sophia agreed with that assessment while the trio gotfortable in the living room. On the sofa there, her little sister immediately clung harder to her arm again. She definitely had no intention of parting with her again. ¡°You two already moved in together...?¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned a littleplicated. "Kinda...?" Her older sister tilted her head. "It''s more like we moved into the same ce? Though, it¡¯s also more temporary? We n to leave in spring, I guess? Also, it¡¯s not just us there.¡± ¡°It is your ce, though.¡± "Are you trying to help me, or are you just enjoying the show?" Sophia red at her girlfriend in response. ¡°I¡¯m just being honest towards the little sister of my partner.¡± ¡°5 points to the new girl!¡± Steph liked her response. ¡°I better hope that ce has room for one more girl!¡± She was already hellbent oning with them. ¡°If you¡¯re okay with a guestroom for now.¡± The incognito cat just kept on going. ¡°Fine by me!¡± "W-Will you shut up already?! The situation is way tooplicated for me already!" ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make you give up by breaking your obstinacy.¡± ¡°Another 5 points!¡± For the little sister, Maya was making a more-than-good figure. "I''m going to return everything we bought earlierter... Everything.¡± Sophia had a different opinion. ¡°I-I know that this one here will make you happy in the long run, so I¡¯m reluctantly okay with that.¡± The white-haired girl would miss the toys a lot, but she was willing to make that sacrifice. ¡°I¡¯m starting to like you. I might actually ept you as Sophia¡¯s partner.¡± ¡°G-Good to hear.¡± Maya got nervous again. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s anything left to ept at the end of the day..." The taller blonde was getting rather pouty. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on already!¡± Steph was getting impatient. ¡°I-I still don¡¯t know how to exin it... It¡¯s thatplicated... Also, I still don¡¯t know what I can tell you... There¡¯s some funky stuff that you¡¯re better off not knowing...¡± ¡°I beg to differ!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°For goodness sake!¡± Maya also had enough. ¡°She¡¯s your sister! From her messages, she is probably the most loyal and caring person I have ever met, too! She''s been searching for you every day for almost the whole past year since you disappeared from here! If you aren''t going to tell her, I will!" She snapped after Sophia tried to avoid this very situation so much today. ¡°M-Maya?!¡± ¡°Thank you...¡± Steph showed her a genuine smile before she faced her older sister. ¡°Please...¡± ¡°Haa...¡± Sophia hung her head in response. ¡°W-Where would I even start...?¡± ¡°From the beginning, obviously.¡± The incognito cat looked at her. ¡°It all happened because you almost died, right? Start with that.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Steph instantly got loud gain. ¡°Y-You almost died?!¡± "Thank you, Maya... Thank you so very much for your help...¡± She sounded rather tired. ¡°You¡¯re banned from talking for the next 30 minutes. I¡¯m serious, by the way.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°S-Sophia...?¡± Steph¡¯s expression was anything but good right now. ¡°I, uhhh... I might¡¯ve gotten, err... ufortably close to the front end of a bus... A driving one, I mean...¡± ¡°S-So, you actually did almost... d-die...?¡± ¡°T-The important part here is that I didn¡¯t, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia tried to focus on the positive part of the story to stop her sister''s tears. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m better than ever!¡± ¡°O-Okay...¡± "Things took a weird turn after I got saved, though..." ¡°Someone saved you...?¡± ¡°More or less... But, from here on, things will get superplicated and a gigantic mess..." ¡°You almost dying, wasn''t?!" ¡°Not at all...¡± ¡°E-Eh...?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also the part where you will call me a liar and or crazy...¡± ¡°I-I would never!¡± ¡°Well, I would call you crazy if you wouldn¡¯t, though¡­¡± Sophia knew how ridiculous her story was, after all. ¡°What do you want me to do, then¡­?¡± ¡°Maya, I still don¡¯t think this is a good idea¡­¡± "¡­" As she was banned from talking, she decided to stay silent. ¡°Since when do you listen to me?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± ¡°C-Could you give me a chance already¡­?¡± Steph looked at her sister with pleading eyes. ¡°L-Let me decide how unbelievable it is¡­¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Sophia finally gave up. ¡°BUT! No interruptions, and questions only after I finished! Let me tell you everything, and afterward, we can talk about it¡­" ¡°Okay!¡± Afterward, Sophia told her almost everything that happened after her disappearance for the following hours. Canir. Her boosts and personality changes. The new world. Fen. The monster country. Magic. The adventurer group they save. Maya. Their travels. The dungeon and all the other little mishaps. Her romance with the white-haired girl and how she fixed her. Aura. The capital and the royal family. Around half an hour was spent on Ellie alone. Ari. More magic stuff. Their mansion. Chloe. That, and much more, including everything that happened in between. Finishing off with how she ended up here again on ident. There was only one specific thing she had left out of her recap. The state of the humans in that world, and how no one of her friends, not even Maya, actually was a human. She had left out the whole beastfolk part. Sophia also hadn¡¯t told her about the transformation into a tiger-girl. ---------------- ¡°W-Well, that''s pretty much it¡­" A few hourster, the taller blonde finally finished her story and showed Steph a wry smile. "Feel free to call me an idiot and or liar now¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The little sister just stayed silent instead. ¡°That¡¯s also why I looked so, uhh¡­ curious about everything I saw earlier¡­" As Maya''s speaking ban had been lifted a while ago because the story took so long, she tried to genuinely help now. "I''m from a really remote ce¡­ One that¡¯s not in this world¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph rubbed her temples a couple of times before eventually facing Sophia again. ¡°Proof¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I want proof!" Her stare intensified. "I know you like to bend the truth and omit things to fit your narrative, but you never outright lied before¡­ This is too much, though¡­¡± ¡°How¡­ How can I show you any proof¡­? Any of this happened in the other world¡­ Right now, only my improved personality is with me. I mean, uhh¡­ me having a girlfriend is probably the most unbelievable part of the whole story, no? So, actually¡­ Maya is my biggest proof, after all?¡± ¡°T-That might be true, but¡­ but¡­¡± Steph had to give it to her. ¡°M-Magic! Show me some actual magic, and I will believe you!" ¡°I¡¯m, uhh¡­ perplexed you¡¯re even considering the possibility of believing me¡­¡± ¡°Because I want to! It sounds amazing! Still, there¡¯s just no way¡­ You¡¯re my sister, though¡­ I want to believe you! I want to trust you not to lie to me in such a grand way! Even so, you told me about a different world and gods¡­¡± ¡°Overseer. Not god.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had no reply to that. ¡°It¡¯s just important to make that distinction, okay¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a touchy subject.¡± Maya smiled at Steph. ¡°It¡¯s best not to go into detail there¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­?¡± It didn¡¯t seem like she did, though. "A-All that aside¡­¡± ¡°You actually want to see me use magic¡­?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Well, magic is not native in this world, and my powers are quite limited because of that. So¡­ nothing grand is possible, but¡­ my portals are quite shy¡­?¡± She looked at her incognito cat for confirmation. ¡°Very shy.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Do you really want to see this¡­?¡± Sophia went back to face her sister. ¡°I can¡¯t take it back afterward.¡± ¡°W-Who would say no now?!¡± Steph raised her voice even more. ¡°Alright, here goes nothing¡­¡± Still having a bad feeling about this, the taller blonde hesitated for another moment but then went ahead and opened one of her purple portals with a diameter of roughly a meter right in front of them. Afterward, she put her hand inside and pulled a small brown bag out of it. ¡°Uhh¡­ some snacks? The nuts you can get there are delicious¡­¡± "¡­" Steph ignored her and stared at the portal with wide-open eyes. "Eh¡­?" It was too much. ¡°I told you it¡¯s a little unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°I-Is¡­ Is that really magic¡­?¡± All sorts of emotions were visible on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t remember any technology like that, at least¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°You also know how bad I am with new tech, so¡­¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The little sister needed another minute. ¡°S-So¡­ you a-actually spent thest year in a different world¡­? One with m-magic of all things¡­? yed around all day and camped outside during the night, under a starry skypletely different from ours¡­? You traveled and explored ces no one here could ever even dream of and made all sorts of friends wherever you went¡­?¡± ¡°P-Pretty much, yes¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went back to staring daggers at her older sister. ¡°G-Give me a moment!¡± Afterward, she disappeared from the living room into an adjacent room. "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia just looked at her leaving. ¡°Is that her room¡­?¡± "More or less..." Sophia nodded. "Even before I left, she was mostly living here already, so I gave her that room because I wasn''t really using it anyway¡­" ¡°I see¡­ Well, it was a lot to take in, I guess¡­?¡± Maya could see why she needed a moment. ¡°I mean, I, uhh¡­ also ran away from you when you told me.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Fair point, I guess.¡± ¡°Can I see your room?¡± The white-haired girl tried to liven up the mood. ¡°While we wait, I mean. I¡¯m a little curious~.¡± ¡°We can do that, yeah. Oh, we could also get a couple more movies, series, and another TV, actually¡­ I don''t need any of that here. I amassed quite the collection before I decided that watching stuff online makes much more sense. My oldptop and tablet, as well.¡± ---------------- Afterward, while waiting for Steph to recover from the story, the couple decided to watch and plunder Sophia¡¯s old room. ¡°Ohh! So much decoration and stuff!¡± Maya seemed to like her room. ¡°Your bed looks superfy, too!¡± ¡°Ahaha, I used to collect all sorts of stuff.¡± The blonde looked a little awkward. ¡°Also, sleep had always been very important to me~.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised about that.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The two looked around for a couple of minutes before Sophia seemed to have an idea. ¡°Ohh!¡± A momentter, the whole room started to glow in the same purple color as her portals, and shortly after, it waspletely empty. ¡°I put everything into my storage~.¡± ¡°Makes going through stuff a lot easier.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t even surprised anymore. ---------------- Once her room was empty, literally, the duo headed back to the living room, and soon enough, the door to Steph''s room also opened again. ¡°Alright, I got a few clothes and some other necessities!¡± With a big smile on her lips, the little sister held up a medium-sized bag. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± The duo hadpletely misinterpreted her earlier reaction. "I told you I''m serious about never leaving you again!¡± She sounded incredibly motivated. ¡°And after what I just heard, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to stay here! Let''s go to your new world!¡± As the situation seemed to be getting moreplicated rather than easier, everyone gotfortable again because there was much more to take care of and discuss.
Chapter 330 – Let’s go Chapter 330 ¨C Let¡¯s go Sophia, Maya, and Steph were having a long chat in the apartment of the blondes because the little sister wanted to know what was going on. Sophia tried to somehow talk her way out of it, but Maya had had enough of that. She decided that Steph was way too nice of a girl and deserved the full truth. Because of that, she made her blonde tell the other one the whole story. Naturally, Steph had a hard time believing it. Still, the little sister started to believe her once Sophia demonstrated her magic by creating a portal. She had no other choice at this point, after all. As all of that, her big sister having a grand adventure in another world for the past year, was a lot to take in, she needed a break and disappeared into her room for a while. This is what it looked like, at least. In fact, she was actually just collecting a couple of clothes because she was eager to join in on the adventure. "A-Aren¡¯t you a little hasty...?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes wandered between her sister clinging to her arm next to her on the sofa and the packed bag of clothes in front of them. ¡°It¡¯s a different world, you know...?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Steph raised her voice. ¡°You know how much I like to go on adventures, camping, exploring, making friends, and all that! It¡¯s a dreame true!¡± "Right..." She had forgotten about that a little. "What about your current friends, though...? You will lose all of them...¡± ¡°It¡¯s, uhh... toote for that...¡± The shorter blonde sounded a little awkward all of a sudden. ¡°I got a little obsessed with your disappearance and how much I went looking for you that I lost contact with all of them... Same with everyone from uni... and or uni itself...¡± ¡°...¡± Sophia needed a moment before she hung her head. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...¡± ¡°As long as you take responsibility and take me with you and the biggest adventure imaginable, I will forgive you.¡± ¡°She¡¯s good!¡± Maya sounded impressed. ¡°T-Too good...¡± The older sister had mixed feelings about the craftiness of her little sister. ¡°W-What about mom...? She''ll lose another daughter... Sure there''s Sari now. That''s the new sister, right? She mentioned it in the messages I got... Still, it¡¯s not how that works, right?¡± "I already told mom that if I ever find you and chaining you down doesn''t work, I''ll go with you wherever that would be." ¡°W-Were you always this scary...?¡± ¡°Only after you disappeared without a trace. It¡¯s also mostly just figuratively speaking.¡± ¡°I see...¡± "Also, mom and I aren''t doing so well togethertely... We''re on a bit of a break..." ¡°Also because of me...?¡± ¡°...¡± She didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I hate this... You at least have to tell her that you¡¯re leaving! There will be no more disappearing!¡± "That might be a littleplicated... Mom and dad took an extended holiday from their jobs to live with Sari in more of a remote area to flee from all the buzz. They said that they even n to go offline in the beginning. The three also just left a few days ago, so it will be impossible to get a hold of them right now.¡± ¡°Urgh... How convenient.¡± She didn¡¯t like it. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to create any more chaos, though...¡± ¡°You maybe don¡¯t have to.¡± Maya faced her girlfriend. ¡°Though, admittedly, you¡¯re a natural in that regard.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the truth going to help here?!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She let out a small chuckle before continuing. ¡°When we arrived here, you said that we can never return once we go back because you can¡¯t leave the portal open. Someone would definitely find it, after all. The same goes with an item enchanted with portal magic." ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I can remotely activate enchanted items over here...¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth a try! Anyway," Maya then pointed around in the living room. "This is your ce, right? Isn''t this perfect for a permanent portal?" ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia hadn¡¯t thought about that idea yet. ¡°Well, it¡¯s rented, but no one¡¯s allowed to enter it. We could also barricade the door from the inside to ensure that nobody can enter..." ¡°Perfect!¡± The white-haired girl pped her hands. ¡°This way, if Steph changes her mind, we can bring her back. You two can also meet your mother once you get a hold of her. We can also do some more shopping once we run out of the stuff we got~.¡± She got especially cheerful during thest part. ¡°I¡¯m starting to like your girlfriend a lot!¡± Steph was bing a fan of her. ¡°Most of the time, I do, too...¡± Sophia had some mixed feelings about it today. Mostly because Maya was a colossal piece of work the past couple of hours. The taller blonde also knew she was doing most of it for her, too. ¡°Enchanting something might still be better in case something unforeseen does happen...¡± ¡°Enchanting...?¡± Naturally, the little sister couldn¡¯t follow them. ¡°Ah, let¡¯s see...¡± She created another portal above the coffee table and then grabbed one of the sofa pillows. Afterward, she partially put it inside the portal before letting it shrink around it. After a while, it eventually disappeared into the pillow. ¡°The magic is now part of the pillow. ¡°I see.¡± She didn¡¯t, though, clearly apparent by her confused expression. ¡°It will take a while before you stop being confused by everything she does...¡± Maya looked strangely sympathetic. ¡°We need a second item for the other side, though... So that it can be activated from both sides.¡± Afterward, she grabbed another pillow and did the same again. "Maya, please activate one of them so that we can see if it works." "Sure." Nodding once, the incognito cat poured some of her magic into the pillow, and the portal soon opened again. "So far, so good..." Saying so, Sophia did the same with the other pillow. ¡°Perfect!¡± She looked at both portals with a satisfied expression. ¡°T-That¡¯s insane...¡± Steph had a hard time believing what was happening. ¡°The hard part starts now, though... I have to go to the other side to connect the portals...¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going alone!¡± Maya instantly interrupted her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be stuck here without you in case the portals close after you go through!¡± "I don''t get it at all, but I''m alsoing with you!" The little sister had no idea about the current events, but she had no ns to let Sophia go anywhere on her own anymore. ¡°Steph... If you go with us for this and it fails, there is a very high chance that you won¡¯t ever be able toe back...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± She had a very serious expression while staring right into her older sister¡¯s eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t get out of this, huh...?¡± Sophia looked at Maya with a wry smile. ¡°If she¡¯s at least half as stubborn as you are, no.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m about twice as stubborn as she is!¡± Steph only raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s possible...? You¡¯re out of luck, then.¡± The white-haired girl smiled back at her blonde. ¡°I¡¯m also on the side of hering with us, so...¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The other blonde liked the sound of that. ¡°...¡± Sophia went silent for a moment. ¡°You have to write mom a message, though! I want her to know what¡¯s going on! I don¡¯t care that the two of you are taking a break from each other or whatever!¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t grown that apart from each other!¡± Steph pulled out her phone. ¡°I already sent her a message about how I think I found you, together with the picture of the two of you!¡± She then presented her chatlog with their mother to her sister. ¡°That¡¯s good...¡± ¡°Maya, can you take a picture of us?" Steph handed the incognito cat her phone and clung closer to her older sister. ¡°Uhh...¡± She stared at the small and t thing in her hand. ¡°What is this...?¡± ¡°Eh...?¡± ¡°Steph, technology isn¡¯t a thing in the world she came from.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°We have magic instead. For the most part, that¡¯s a lot more fun!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°The vibraty things aside!¡± ¡°Them aside, yeah...¡± ¡°Vibraty things...?¡± The shorter blonde also got confused. ¡°Ignore that.¡± Sophia did just that and faced Maya. ¡°It¡¯s a little like those tablets we got, just smaller.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She looked at the phone with greater interest now. "How does it work?" ¡°That¡¯s a topic for another time.¡± The taller blonde couldn¡¯t be bothered to exin it now and just opened the camera app for her. ¡°Once it looks good, you put your finger on the big round button, and it takes a picture for you." ¡°I see!¡± Afterward, Maya pointed the phone at the sisters and waited for them to get in a good pose. Once Steph had sufficiently cuddled against Sophia¡¯s side, she took a cute picture of them. ¡°That should do it... Sophia, I also want some cuddly picturester!¡± ¡°You want to cuddle with Steph...?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°You, you idiot!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°Are you two always this flirty...?¡± The little sister sounded a little envious. ¡°Eh?¡± The duo tilted their heads. ¡°That wasn¡¯t flirty.¡± "Oh no..." She had a bad feeling about this. "Are there any more cute girls in that world...? If you two don¡¯t think that¡¯s flirting, I¡¯ll probably get way too jealous once you actually start to. I can¡¯t do that while being single...¡± ¡°I still get surprised by just how adorable everyone there is every single day!¡± "Let''s go!" For some reason, Steph sounded the most motivated yet. ¡°Yep. No doubt. You two are sisters.¡± Maya could only roll her eyes. ¡°Okay... I still have my reservations about the n, but... If you send mom another message, we will take you with us...¡± ¡°YES!¡± --
Hey mom I found her! I found the idiot! Our idiot! I told you so! Sorry that I was such a pain, but there was no way I could give up! She got roped into a bit of a mess, though... I¡¯m going with her for now. It might take a while, but I¡¯ll try my best to get back to you with more as soon as possible! Have fun with dad and Sari during your timeout! See you soon!
-- Afterward, she also attached the picture of the two to her messages. ¡°Was the idiot part really necessary...?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most vital part of the whole thing!¡± ¡°I agree!¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even seen the message!¡± Sophia red at Maya. ¡°It¡¯s pretty self-exnatory, though.¡± ¡°Urgh...¡± "Are we good to go now?!" Steph''s excitement was rising once again. ¡°S-Sure...¡± "You might want to change your current clothes first, though..." Maya nced at the shorter girl. She still was wearing her ck jacket over an oversized white hoodiebined with rtively short ck shorts barely peeking out under her hoodie and some sheer ck tights that looked the exact opposite of warm together with ck and white sneakers. ¡°It¡¯s a lot colder over there. Your jacket and the hoodie seem fine, but I start shivering just looking at your legs...¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright~.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°I actually like the cold a lot. Never been much bothered by it. Warm weather is my enemy... I¡¯m actually the exact opposite of Sophia when ites to all that. She turns into the textbook example of a cat once summer is over...¡± "Ahaha..." The girl in question awkwardly scratched her cheek while waiting for Maya''s retort. ¡°You really found your calling, huh...?¡± It didn¡¯t take long. "Y-Yeah..." ¡°Hmm...?¡± Steph was obviously missing some information here. ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Afterward, using some sort of magic, Sophia tampered a little with the door to the apartment, making sure that no one would ever be able to enter it. Once she was happy with the result, she created another standard portal next to the two pillow ones. However, Maya and the shorter blonde decided that she had to use itst to ensure that nothing fishy would happen. Maya went through it first and was then followed by Steph, who, despite her excitement, was naturally highly nervous but made it without problems to the other side. Atst, Sophia followed after them. In her all-white storage dimension, the older sister first had to calm down the younger one, though. Seeing it for the first time was quite the event, after all. Once Steph was finally able to deal with the situation, Sophia connected the two portals of the pillows with each other. After their disappearance in the storage, Sophia returned to her old world again to collect one of the pillows. On the off chance anything went wrong, she was the only one to get back on her own. Back with one pillow, the blonde tried to forcibly activate both, including the one in the other world, by pouring a significant amount of her magic into it. Inside her storage, her magic power had returned to her normal, totally overpowered levels. However, she still had to use over two-thirds of her total amount for both portals to activate. It did work, though, so they now had a usable portal between her old world and her storage connecting to the new world. It took a little longer to exin everything that just happened to the overly confused Steph, but she eventually understood enough, or at least pretended to, so that the group could finally go on.
Chapter 331 – Calm down Chapter 331 ¨C Calm down Steph managed to talk Sophia into taking her with them into the other world. The taller blonde wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of the n, but she also knew she had no chance of winning against her little sister. Not to mention that she still felt incredibly guilty about having made her go through so much pain. So, after she made her send their mother a message about what was going on, without details, of course, the older sister finally agreed to let here with them. Once she got the portals to work and even seeded in making a permanently essible way between the worlds by enchanting some items with the magic, everyone went to her storage dimension. ¡°T-This ce is so freaky¡­¡± She seemed a little scared, but Steph was still looking at the all-white space with great interest. ¡°Where even is this¡­?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Sophia just shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Eh?!¡± "I was just experimenting with a ce to store things while traveling, and here we are!¡± ¡°Where is here, though?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small details!¡± "Small?!" "Small~." ¡°I wonder how long it will take me to get used to the carefree Sophia¡­ You used to overthink and oveplicate absolutely everything¡­¡± ¡°Those days are gone!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure if she could agree with that. "Overthink stuff in a way I get depressed because I can only see the negative side!" ¡°Ahhh¡­ Yeah.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Nowadays, you overthinking things usually ends up in a catastrophe and or explosion¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­.¡± "Are you actually as wild as you told me in your story?!" The little sister got loud again. ¡°She was seriously holding back on the details.¡± ¡°M-Maya, what did I tell you about shutting up?!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see you in action!¡± ¡°See what you did?!¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± The incognito cat was having a good time. ¡°Urgh¡­ Fine.¡± Sophia gave up. ¡°Let¡¯s just go home.¡± ¡°Okay! Wait, our new home, right?¡± Her little sister wanted to make sure. ¡°Don¡¯t get too hasty¡­ But, yes¡­ I mean the new world.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°This will be something¡­¡± Afterward, Sophia encased the still-open portal and the enchanted pillow back up in a super thick wall to make sure no one would do anything stupid, and the trio went through the portal leading to the mansion''s basement. Before that, the taller blonde used a generous amount of healing magic on everyone to make sure they won''t introduce anything nasty to the new world. In retrospect, she felt a little conflicted about not having done the same when she and Maya came over, but she was in no condition to have thought about that back then. Thinking about there being just no way that they could''ve introduced anything worse than what already exists on earth made her feel a lot better about it, though. ---------------- ¡°Wow!¡± The trio arrived in the living room, and Steph immediately got even more excited. ¡°This feels sooo cozy! Rather than a different world, this feels more like something from an antique show or something like that¡­ Just that someone¡¯s actually living in the ce.¡± "Well, it''s just us, and you haven''t seen the outside yet, so¡­" ¡°Speaking of us,¡± Maya nced at the incognito tiger. ¡°What are we going to do¡­?¡± ¡°No idea¡­¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°To make things even moreplicated, I can sense Chloeing home¡­ She¡¯ll be here in a few minutes¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Well, she will probably be the easiest one of the bunch, but we also left a bit abruptly and on a weird note with her¡­ This will be something, huh?" ¡°Yeah¡­¡± "Chloe¡­ That''s the girl you befriended in a vige you found not too long ago, right?" Steph tried to recall the story her sister had told her earlier. ¡°Is something the matter with her?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Naturally, there were many things, but Sophia decided to focus on the most recent event with her. ¡°Right before Maya and I disappeared, we discovered that Chloe seemed to be from our world, as well. ording to Canir, she died about 20 years ago and started a new life here afterward. Neither Chloe nor we knew about each other¡¯s past, though¡­¡± ¡°Wow, that sounds messy¡­ Also, that girl died, as well¡­? That''s pretty sad¡­¡± ¡°I like to think about it from the other side. Both of us got a new chance.¡± ¡°T-That is true¡­¡± Steph still looked awkward, though. ¡°Happier circumstances still would¡¯ve made it better.¡± "¡­" The taller blonde had nothing to add and decided to change the topic. "About Chloe, though¡­ This world is a bit special, so try not to be too surprised, okay?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Just try to, okay¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Thank yo- wait, what?¡± ¡°I have no idea what is going on, so I will react however I n to react to whatever will happen.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia tried to make her agree for a little while longer, but it was no use. There was only one girl more stubborn than the incognito tiger, and it was the very girl she tried to convince right now. ---------------- ¡°Sophia! Maya!¡± Once the fox-girl arrived home and heard noises from the living room, she immediately barged through the door and jumped at the couple not too far away from it. She tightly hugged both of them at the same time and even wrapped her bushy tail all around them. ¡°I¡¯m sooo d you¡¯re ba-, huh?" She had small tears in the corners of her eyes, but once she got a better look at the two, she immediately got confused and let go of them again. ¡°W-We¡¯re back¡­¡± They had no idea what to say. ¡°M-Maya, where are your ears and tail?! Sophia! Sophia¡­?¡± Chloe noticed that more than just her ears and tail were amiss with the blonde. "W-What happened to you?! You barely even still are Sophia! Your hair is different! You¡¯re taller! Bigger, too! Eh? Wait, who are you?!¡± To make matters even worse, she then spotted the other blonde further inside the room. "You''re cute!" Steph had her very own reaction to the situation. "Wait, why does this girl have a tail? Ears, too! Looks like an arctic fox to me¡­? Huh? They move?! Are they real?!¡± She was about as loud as the other confused girl. ¡°I-I have to see that fluff from closer!¡± Immediately after, she closed in on the fox-girl and went right for her tail by burying her hands deep into it. ¡°T-This fluff is divine!¡± Afterward, she went as far as giving her whole tail a big squeeze. ¡°E-Eek!¡± Naturally, Choe had a strong reaction to that and flinched in response. ¡°T-Those ears, too¡­¡± Once she had her initial fill with that, the little sister tried for the next type of fluff. ¡°S-Stop that!¡± Sophia finally reacted before it was toote and karate-shopped her sister¡¯s head before pulling her away from Chloe. "W-Why would you do that?! The fluff! THE FLUFF!" ¡°Yep, she¡¯s her sister¡­¡± It¡¯s not the first time Maya said that, and it certainly won¡¯t be thest time. ¡°Just even more unhinged¡­¡± ¡°Just look at her!¡± Sophia red at her sister while pointing at the shivering fox-girl, who had even more tears in the corners of her eyes while she had wrapped her fluffy tail all around herself. ¡°I-I want to have your kids!¡± It had the opposite effect on Steph. She only got more excited by this adorable disy. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Chloe looked even more shocked. ¡°STOP IT ALREADY!¡± The taller blonde got loud. ¡°I get you, but there are some rules in this world that are very important! Our tails and, even more so, our ears are super important to us! You can''t just go and touch them! They are extremely sensitive! So much actually that only your partner is allowed to touch them!¡± ¡°O-Oh!¡± Steph¡¯s expression changed, and she immediately faced Chloe again. "I-I''m soo sorry! I had no idea! I just saw the fluff and lost my reasoning! Wanting to have your kids aside, because you are way too cute, I had no n to sexually harass you with that!¡± ¡°Stop it with the kids, too!¡± Sophia was still yelling at her. ¡°That¡¯s just as bad in this situation for many different reasons!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because two girls can have kids with each other in this world¡­¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Things were getting out of hand fast. "Properly apologize to Chloe now, and we can have a talkter¡­" ¡°Wait, what...? S-Seriously¡­?¡± Steph was stillpletely overwhelmed. ¡°Again, I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡± She looked at the fox-girl once more. "I''m new here, and it seems like I made many mistakes¡­I love everything fluffy and foxes, especially the arctic kind, are my favorite¡­ Seeing that attached to such a cute girl seems to have made me lose my restraints¡­ I didn¡¯t know that you shouldn¡¯t do something like this. The same with the kids thing just now¡­ I have many, MANY, M-A-N-Y questions about that, but I wasn''t serious in that way when I said it. I am very sorry about my outbreak¡­" ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Chloe stopped shivering after hearing that, and her tail rxed again. ¡°T-Thank you for apologizing. I guess there¡¯s nothing one can do if you don¡¯t know about it, huh? It¡¯s also, uhh¡­ it''s half as bad if a cute girl like you does that without knowing¡­¡± The fox-girl was still a little all over the ce, but it seemed like she could forgive her. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The smaller blonde liked her reply and was happy that her apology got epted. ¡°By the way, why do you have the ears and tail of an arctic fox¡­? They being pink and even fluffier aside?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ because that¡¯s how I was born¡­? It¡¯s pretty normal to have some sort of animal characteristics, after all. I¡¯m more confused about why Maya and Sophia have lost them¡­ Also, who are you¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Steph! Short for Stephanie! I''m Sophia''s little sister, and I will live here starting today!" "I see. It''s nice to meet you! My name is Ch- wait, what?" She stopped mid-sentence. ¡°Sophia¡¯s sister¡­ Steph¡­?¡± She then nced at the older sister. ¡°I-I thought¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long and veryplicated story¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal to have parts of an animal attached to you¡­?¡± Steph was still busy with that part. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m all for it. It''s adorable! But¡­ Wait, what?!¡± She then also fixated her eyes on the taller blonde. ¡°What¡¯s that about you and Maya having lost your ears and tail¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long and veryplicated story¡­¡± Sophia only repeated herself. Afterward, she gestured for everyone to sit down on the sofas because there seemed to be a lot of questions floating around that needed some answering. Unfortunately, Sophia had no idea where to even start, so it looked like this might take a while.
Chapter 332 – Old and new Chapter 332 ¨C Old and new Sophia had brought her sister over to her new world, and things got out of hand almost instantly. Soon after they arrived, Chloe also returned home and was relieved that the couple was back. Seeing the fox-girl for the first time, Steph immediately pounced on her because she liked everything fluffy, at least as much as her older sister. Even more, she loved foxes, so Chloe was a double kill for her. Afterward, once she found out that she had just considerably sexually harassed the poor girl, she apologized multiple times, and the two were able to put it past them. The fox-girl obviously wasn¡¯t any less confused about everything that was going on and had a lot of questions. First and foremost, why Sophia¡¯s supposedly dead sister was here and how the couple had lost their animal ears and tails. ¡°So, what is going on here?¡± Chloe and Steph asked the same question while staring at the couple. As the little sister had entered interrogation mode, she opted against clinging to Sophia and sat down next to Chloe on the sofa opposite the duo. When the fox-girl asked her why she was so close to her tail, the short blonde decided not to answer, and they started questioning Sophia and Maya instead. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The taller blonde had no idea where to start. ¡°Chloe, can we continue with the topic we left off with before Maya and I disappeared? That will eventually lead to everything that is going on right now¡­¡± ¡°Before you disappeared¡­? Oh, that¡­¡± She needed a second to remember. ¡°Yeah, that.¡± Sophia nodded before continuing. "I still can''t believe we''re both from a different world.¡± ¡°S-So you are¡­?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I am, too¡­¡± ¡°I know~.¡± ¡°You know?!¡± ¡°Well, the TV thing was a big giveaway¡­ Also, Canir confirmed it to me when we met him after disappearing on you.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ Wait, what?!¡± Chloe got loud after the second part registered in her brain. ¡°Canir?! As in the overseer?! You met him?! He actually exists?!¡± "We, mostly I, meet him every month or so¡­" ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Last time, he went drinking with us. It was great fun~.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re kidding¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s actually the one who brought me to this world.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Who''s the one that brought you here? He mentioned that it wasn¡¯t him.¡± Sophia was still curious about that part. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I don¡¯t actually know¡­¡± The fox-girl shook her head. ¡°While growing up here, I regained the memories from my old life, but I have no idea how I ended up here¡­¡± ¡°Really? Woah, that must¡¯ve been freaky, suddenly gaining the memories from another life.¡± ¡°It really was¡­¡± She scratched her cheek in response. ¡°Did it all hit you at once when you reached a certain age or how did it happen¡­?¡± ¡°Now, it almost was like living two lives at once¡­ I don''t really remember much of the first one or two years, but while I was growing up, the memories of my old self with the same age also flowed into me¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s better or worse than suddenly remembering everything at once¡­¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better. If I suddenly learned about my past all at once one day, everything about myself would¡¯ve felt pretty disconnected. That also means that I had a normal childhood here and didn¡¯t have the memories of the future me or something like that.¡± ¡°I guess that would be true¡­¡± Sophia looked a little awkward. ¡°I could¡¯ve done without the past 14-year-old me, though¡­ Seeing and somewhat feeling myself dying over time and then that side of me going ck freaked me out a LOT¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone went silent. ¡°Y-You died when you were 14¡­?¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the sound of that. Neither, judging from their expressions, did the other two. ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°I was very sick for a while and lost the fight against it in the end¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The trio went silent again. "Stop with the long faces!" Chloe got loud! "It''s literally a thing of the past! I''m feeling great! In fact, except for an asional cold or an upset stomach may, I''ve never been seriously sick since being in this world!" ¡°T-That¡¯s good¡­¡± Everyone seemed relieved again. "Alrighty!" The fox-girl decided that her part of the story was over with that. "Wait, it sounds like the memories of your previous life were different, Sophia?" ¡°Ah, no¡­ I didn¡¯t start anew¡­¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°I had an¡­ ident in my old world, but before it was game over, Canir let me continue my life here instead. I¡¯m actually here for not even a year yet¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± She looked surprised. ¡°Wait¡­ if you didn¡¯t have a full restart¡­ was you being a tiger just a fake?!¡± ¡°Not quite¡­ I became an actual tiger to better fit in¡­ You really don¡¯t want to be a human in this world, after all¡­ I didn¡¯t know what being a tiger means when I went for that, though¡­¡± Sophia decided to leave out the part where she¡¯s the one who turned herself into a tiger for the time being. ¡°Right now, I just look like a human because Maya and I identally ended up visiting my old world¡­ That¡¯s why Maya¡¯s ears and tail are gone, and I look like my old self. You can¡¯t really run around with animal features on earth¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a tiger?!¡± Steph immediately got loud. ¡°You went back to earth?!¡± So did Chloe. ¡°I want to see!¡± The eyes of the smaller blonde started sparkling. ¡°Later, Steph¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°I had asked Canir to send my mother and sister a letter I wrote because I couldn''t say goodbye to them¡­¡± Sophia looked at the fox-girl again. ¡°He had summoned Maya and me to his ce because he wanted to tell me how that turned out¡­¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ So, when you talked about your sister before, you hadn¡¯t lost her because she died but because she stayed behind in your old world¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much¡­ Sorry for that¡­¡± "Well, you never said she was actually dead. That''s just how I interpreted it¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m kinda good at that¡­ Anyway, after we were done, Canir made a mistake while sending us home.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Chloe didn¡¯t need much more of an exnation. ¡°Once we were there, after we made sure that my portals were still working, Maya and I changed our looks to match the humans and went shopping~.¡± ¡°Your magic still worked? There should be none on earth, right?¡± ¡°Our magic was much weaker, and it took way longer to recover. It felt like the magic inside our bodies came with us, and that¡¯s what we were able to use.¡± ¡°Ohh, that almost makes sense!¡± ¡°I thought the same.¡± Maya nodded in agreement. ¡°Shopping there sounds like a lot of fun! Wait, how did you have any money for that?¡± ¡°Did you know that the gold coins from this world are made from actual gold? We exchanged some of them and then went on a serious shopping spree!¡± ¡°Ohh! How handy!¡± ¡°I know! We got all sorts of fun stuff!¡± ¡°VERY fun stuff!¡± Maya also got excited. "While we were shopping, another little mistake happened¡­" Sophia nced at her sister during thest part. ¡°I am no mistake!¡± The mistake in question got louder again before she faced Chloe to exin herself. ¡°I managed to find them, and after Sophia told me what happened after she disappeared and where she ended up as a result, I decided toe with them! I won¡¯t ever let her run away again!¡± "That''s beautiful!" The fox-girl was touched. "Wait, so you just decided to go to another world on the spot¡­?¡± "Of course! An adventure in a different world?! How could I have said no to that? I love exploring, and I can''t wait to see everything this ce has to offer! If possible, I want to go traveling with everyone right now!¡± She was very motivated. "We''re keeping her, right?" Chloe liked everything she just heard while looking at the taller blonde with pleading eyes. ¡°Steph is about as thickheaded as all of usbined¡­ If she decided so, there¡¯s little we can do¡­¡± Sophia sounded a little tired while she hung her head. Deep down, she was the happiest about her being here, but the how was far from ideal, after all. ¡°Yay!¡± Steph and the fox-girl sounded the exact opposite of tired. ¡°You two sure are getting along fast.¡± Maya looked a little surprised while watching the two on the other sofa being so in sync already. ¡°Well¡­¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°The first moments were a little awkward, but¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m still sorry about that!¡± The shorter blonde apologized again. ¡°Y-You were just so fluffy, and I love foxes, so¡­ so¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it! I didn''t know it was something bad¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the reason.¡± She smiled at Steph before looking at Maya again. ¡°You can¡¯t really be mad at her for that, can you? It was extremely embarrassing because I wasn¡¯t expecting it, but if I start disliking someone for loving fluffy things, I would hate myself, and I wouldn¡¯t be friends with Sophia, either¡­¡± ¡°We would be mortal enemies!¡± The girl in question had a very clear opinion about it. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m surprised that Sophia¡¯s the calm, well¡­ calmer sister here¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m just overexcited because everything is new for me¡­ I-I mean, a girl with fox features?! How could I stay calm there?!¡± "I''m not sure if that''s helping your point." Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°In any case, a friend of exploration, traveling, and general adventuring is a friend of mine!¡± Chloe added another point of why she seems to be getting along with Steph already. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The little sister liked the sound of that. ¡°Speaking of, when can we go on an adventure? Tomorrow? Tomorrow sounds great!¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m all in for that, but¡­¡± The fox-girl nced at the couple. ¡°All the other girls in our group are cats in one way or another¡­ They don''t like to go outside when it''s cold." ¡°They hate it!¡± Sophia corrected her slightly. ¡°Why? The weather seems perfect! As long as it doesn¡¯t rain, all is well! If anything, it¡¯s way better than being too warm! I hate being sweaty!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe stopped for a moment while she stared at Steph. ¡°Y-You like the cold¡­?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°It¡¯s not like I hate the summer, but I always end up getting super sluggish because I tend to overheat quickly¡­ This room is already close to being too warm¡­ I don''t know how many more qualities you have of an arctic fox, but it should be simr to you, right?" ¡°YES!¡± She had a strong reaction to this. "S-Sophia, your sister is the best!" ¡°I do agree with that a lot.¡± The taller blonde felt the same. "I do disagree with you on this particr reason, though¡­¡± As Chloe was getting excited over Steph liking cold weather, and the little sister not having stopped being excited since her arrival, the couple decided to take a small break while the other two continued to chat about the topic while seemingly bonding incredibly fast.
Chapter 333 – Back to normal Chapter 333 ¨C Back to normal Even though they had just met and had a somewhat rough start, Chloe and Steph were already getting along and bonded even more over the fact that both preferred colder weather over being hot. Though there was much more to talk about, so the duo eventually got back on track after letting go of their shared likes. ¡°Again, I¡¯m all for it¡­ but I still don¡¯t get why you have some fox characteristics, Chloe¡­" Steph was staring at her tail and ears again. ¡°Also, Maya is hiding hers because of visiting my old world? Chloe, you came from the same world as me, right? Why aren''t you a human now, too?! And Sophia¡¯s supposed to be a tiger?!¡± "Part tiger." The older sister corrected her. "Just ears and tail. Well, and some instincts and stuff..." ¡°Already weird enough! Why?! I mean, it sounds amazing, but why?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The fox-girl scratched her cheek. "It''s just that I was reborn as a member of the fox tribe in this world¡­ I didn''t choose it, but I definitely am happy about it. I like being a fox a lot! Also, it wouldn''t have been fun at all to be a human here¡­" ¡°Same here¡­ except the reborn part¡­¡± Maya nodded. ¡°My parents are from the cat tribe, so I naturally ended up as one, as well. Thank everything that is holy that I''m not a human¡­" ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t want to be a human here¡­¡± Sophia also agreed. ¡°Me ending up as a tiger, who are supposed to be royal, also had its own ups and downs, but it¡¯s far preferable¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­" After hearing this, Steph, the human girl, had a slightlyplicated expression. "W-What is wrong with being human¡­?" ¡°Well¡­¡± Her sister tried toe up with an exnation. ¡°Humans here are probably the most infuriating race on the¡­¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± She just nodded a few times. "They like to fight and stir up trouble whenever they can." ¡°I see.¡± ¡°They have an overblown ego and a serious superiorityplex." ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°In their opinion, every other race or living being should bow down in front of them.¡± "That''s no good." ¡°Everyone should basically be their ve and work for them." ¡°Sophia¡­¡± Steph eventually stopped her. ¡°I was asking about the humans of this world.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Her sister paused for a moment. ¡°I mean, that world had some nice ones, so I wouldn''t use that as a general description for our old ce. I have yet to find them here, though... The biggest reason is that the humans here have barely any magic and no technology to put them at the top of the food chain. They are so weak that everything they do is all bark and no bite¡­ Yeah, humanity on earth also is almost beyond saving already, but we at least made some sort of aplishments¡­ A lot of them, actually. Here, from what I''ve learned so far, they have exactly zero redeeming features." ¡°I see¡­¡± The shorter blonde needed to let that sink in first. ¡°W-Wouldn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s pretty bad if I¡¯m still a human in this world¡­?¡± ¡°If you decide to stay, it is far from ideal, yes.¡± ¡°So, it IS bad?!¡± She had already made her decision, after all. ¡°It¡¯s not optimal¡­¡± Sophia had some experience with it, after all. ¡°Well, there¡¯s the demon race. Their females look just like humans. You could pretend to be one of them. Sounds pretty cool if you ask me¡­¡± She had just as much experience with that. "As if someone would believe that." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Everyone would instantly look through someone pretending to be a demon¡­" ¡°¡­¡± Maya and Sophia suddenly looked quite awkward. "You have to think of something better for this. Such a cheap excuse would never work! People aren''t idiots, you know?!" ¡°¡­¡± Once Sophia finished taking damage from this, she tried toe up with something different. ¡°You could do the opposite of what Maya and I are doing right now. You could pretend to be one of us beastfolk by adding some animal ears and a tail to yourself.¡± ¡°I could be fluffy?!¡± Steph¡¯s face immediately lit up. "You could at least look like it with magic." The taller blonde, for now, decided to keep the part where she could change for real to herself. ¡°That¡¯s a start!¡± She wasn¡¯t any less excited about that. ¡°WAIT! I don¡¯t have any magic¡­¡± ¡°I have one or two ideas to get around that¡­ I¡¯m not sure how I want to do it, but we¡¯ll definitely get some magic into you.¡± If everything fails, Sophia could simply share some of hers, after all. ¡°Really?!¡± Her eyes started to sparkle even more. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Every older sister likes to hear that. "I need a day or two for that, though, so you need to stay put until then." ¡°Okay!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I want to see something else first, though!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Unleash the tiger! I want to see how you actually look in this world! Maya, too!¡± ¡°I want them back, too!¡± Chloe agreed with her. ¡°You look great right now, but I prefer the fluffier version!¡± ¡°Alright...¡± The incognito tiger agreed to be a real one again. ¡°I also miss my tail, so... Maya, do you want to start?¡± ¡°dly!¡± She seemed pretty eager to return herself. Afterward, she quickly got swallowed by a cloud of smoke, and the original cat-girl was back. "SOOO much better!" She immediately gave her tail a few pats to wee it back. ¡°Definitely better.¡± The fox-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Woah...¡± Steph also seemed to agree. "I already thought you were beautiful, but now I know why it felt like something was missing! You are perfect with the cat attachments!¡± ¡°Thank you~.¡± She liked thepliment. ¡°She¡¯s mine, you know?¡± Sophia found it a tad too much praise. ¡°I know, idiot!¡± ¡°Good...¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Maya liked it even more that her blonde got jealous. "A-Anyway,¡± Afterward, while looking slightly flustered, the tiger also returned to her former glory. Once the smoke was gone, she did the same as the cat-girl and gave her tail a loving pat or two. ¡°I missed you~.¡± ¡°I know, right?!¡± Maya had felt the same, after all. ¡°Ahh...¡± Chloe also started smiling. ¡°I missed this picture.¡± ¡°S-So cute...¡± Steph needed a moment. ¡°W-Wait, you look way too different, Sophia! You seem much younger, too!¡± "Ahh..." She scratched her cheek in return. "There was a little ident when I came to this world, and Canir made me a few years younger...¡± ¡°Eh? Does that mean I¡¯m the older sister now...?¡± She got confused. ¡°I just look younger, don''t worry." ¡°Aww...¡± She actually seemed disappointed. ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like that reaction. ¡°Also, I¡¯m still taller!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Steph got up from the sofa. ¡°Show me!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± While Sophia was older, she wasn¡¯t any more mature. She also stood up, and the sisters got back-to-back to measure their height. ¡°Yup, Sophia is a centimeter or two taller.¡± Maya presented the result. ¡°Looks like Steph¡¯s right between Sophia and me." Chloe came to the same conclusion. ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger looked quite smug for some reason. Even her tail was happily swishing around. ¡°...¡± Steph looked a little pouty for a moment. However, the moment she noticed Sophia''s tail moving around in front of her, as the two were still back-to-back, her focus immediately changed to this. "Sorry for what is about to happen..." Saying so, she instantly went for it and grabbed it with both hands. ¡°H-Hiya~!¡± Sophia immediately lost the strength in her legs and got down on her knees. "L-Let go of it..." ¡°...¡± Enjoying that reaction for a moment, the little sister touched it for a second or two longer before she eventually granted her wish. ¡°You are way too adorable, sis...¡± "A-And you are horrible!¡± Tears had appeared in the corners of her eyes. ¡°T-Try to be at least more gentle...¡± ¡°Your tail is way too great not to go for it!¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t mean to have to grip it with all your strength! I don¡¯t mind youing in contact with it as you¡¯re my sister and nothing else, but my tail is super sensitive! It''splete sensory overload! I-It even hurts because it¡¯s too much!¡± ¡°Our tails really are delicate, Steph.¡± Maya also tried to exin it to her. "Chloe has a literal ton of fluff around her actual tail, and even she reacted so strongly earlier. Sophia and I only have a thinyer of fur on it... It¡¯s a much more intense feeling when someone touches it...¡± ¡°I see...¡± She hung her head again. ¡°Sorry for overdoing it once more... It is a very great tail, though.¡± ¡°Thanks... I mean, I get it. I go through pretty much the same when I see a good tail... As I have my own now, though... I know how it feels, and that''s why I can hold back... Most of the time, at least...¡± She stole a quick nce at Chloe during the end. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to suppress my urges... Isn¡¯t it quite dangerous that your tails are so sensitive...? I don¡¯t mean any harm. I just want the fluff, but if someone wants to harm you, couldn''t theypletely put you all out ofmission by simply grabbing your tails...?" ¡°If someone I don¡¯t like would touch my tail like that, they would die.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Die, yes.¡± Maya agreed. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s what would happen.¡± Chloe also had the same serious expression. ¡°O-Okay...¡± Steph took a step back from everyone. ¡°G-Good thing you held back there earlier..." She nced at the fox-girl with a sheepish expression while scratching her cheek. "T-Thank you for that..." "Cute girls get the benefit of the doubt. Wow, that sounds pretty bad when said out loud... Also, because I couldn¡¯t feel any magic from you, there¡¯s little harm you could do. Not to mention that you seemed more like an excited kid when doing it rather than anything else.¡± ¡°I am sooo happy that I ended up looking cute!¡± The shorter blonde looked incredibly relieved. ¡°Ahaha..." It was hard to say anything in response to that, and so everyone just let out a chuckle instead. Afterward, the sisters sat down on the sofas again. Steph wanted to sit next to Sophia this time for cuddling reasons, but as the tiger didn''t like how she kept staring at her tail, the older blonde made her sit down next to Chloe again before gettingfortable with Maya. Once that was dealt with, they returned to chatting because there were still many things left to discuss.
Chapter 334 – Getting to know each other better Chapter 334 ¨C Getting to know each other better Sophia and Maya had finally shown their true feline form to Steph, and she was a big fan of both. She especially liked the tail of her tiger sister, and she, again, got the urge to pounce on the fluff. Sophia''s tail is much more sensitive than Chloe''s, though, as there''s less volume of fur protecting the base. Because of that, it resulted in yet another scolding from the now only slightly taller blonde once she had recovered from her tail being squeezed. The group also told the little sister about this world¡¯s humans. Their best suggestion for Steph was to use magic to make her look like a member of the beastfolk, basically a reverse of what Sophia and Maya had done in the sisters¡¯ old world. Unfortunately, Steph didn''t have any ess to magic yet, though. Still, Sophia was sure she''d find a way around it before long. ¡°By the way,¡± Steph looked across the coffee table at Sophia. ¡°In the old world, you told me how you got tangled up with royalty because they think you¡¯re part of them because of something or another¡­ You were pretty vague about that for some reason." She intensified her stare. "In the end, it was because you had turned into a tiger, and every tiger is per default part of the royal family or adjacent to it because of their standing¡­ am I understanding that correctly¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much, yeah¡­¡± Her sister nodded. ¡°It was rather messy when I first found out about that, and the royal family actually started hunting me down¡­ It¡¯s not like I could tell them that I haven¡¯t always been a tiger, let alone that I came from a different world¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair, I guess.¡± "Only Maya and two of my other friends know about that part of me. Well, and Chloe now, too, because she''s in a simr situation¡­ It¡¯s also not like it¡¯s wrong¡­ I actually became a full member of the tiger race. Ears, tail, stripes, and some other details, just that I stayed blonde instead of orange." ¡°If anything, you¡¯re blonder than ever!¡± ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s another tiger feature, actually. During summer, my color was simr to earlier, but with a hint of orange rather than brown. Tiger hair and fur apparently turn lighter during the colder months, and I ended up like this¡­ I love it, though! I like this color a lot!" Sophia started ying with a strand of her hair while saying so.¡± ¡°It definitely is great!¡± Her sister agreed with her. ¡°Is the wavy fluffiness also a tiger thing? Something like a winter coat¡­?¡± ¡°Something along the lines of that¡­ It¡¯s a massive pain, though¡­ It¡¯s almost untamable¡­¡± "Ah, is that so¡­?" Her voice dripping with sarcasm, Steph then held up a strand of her own hair. The color aside, hers was more of a darker dirty blonde, the consistency seemed simr. If anything, the hair of the little sister seemed to be even more unruly. ¡°Wee to the club of suffering~.¡± ¡°Sorry, that wasn¡¯t my intention¡­¡± "Well, I was thinking about cutting it short anyway. What''s a better time for a style change than a new start in a different world~?" ¡°Ehh¡­?" Sophia stared at her sister''s hair, which went just below her shoulder des. ¡°The length¡¯s great, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too much of a pain, though! You know how much work I have to put into it every time it gets wet or the humidity¡¯s too high!¡± ¡°Tell me about it¡­¡± Chloe seemed to sympathize a lot with her. ¡°My hair¡¯s the same. Other than me, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d look great with short hair, though! I bet something between chin and shoulder length would fit you perfectly!¡± "I like this girl more and more with each passing moment!" Steph gestured at Chloe while looking at her sister. "She is a good one." She also could see her appeal. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The fox-girl enjoyed the praise. "Speaking of!" Steph then looked at Chloe next to her again. ¡°I want to know more about you!¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Hearing that, her cheeks quickly turned red. ¡°Me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Sophia ending here was already plenty weird, but she simply continued her life here. Though, there were some changes¡­ You, on the other hand, started from scratch but also regained your memories over time¡­? How was your old life? How is the new one? Wasn¡¯t it super confusing to have two types of memories or whatever¡­? What about your family back then? Now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°My old life wasn¡¯t anything too exciting, I would say¡­ I was always a little frail, so I was more of an indoors kid¡­ I did have some friends, though, that was nice. My health started declining a lot once I turned 12 and¡­ well¡­ it was over not too long after my 14th birthday¡­¡± "A-Ah! I¡¯m sorry that I made you remember it again¡­¡± The shorter blonde noticed that she sounded a little sad at the end. "Don''t worry about it. It''s not exactly a bad memory of mine. It¡¯s a part of my past and definitely a valuable experience. Because of that, I cherish being healthy and my love for traveling and exploring much more! It has a way bigger worth to me now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a nice way of thinking! You should always look for the positive in life! Right, sis?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia gave her a big nod. ¡°¡­?¡± Steph looked pretty confused. ¡°You, of all people, agree with that¡­?¡± ¡°Very!¡± ¡°Even though you always went out of the way to find the negative side of something no matter how stupidly low the chance of that was¡­?¡± ¡°Sophia¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°She¡¯s about the most positive person I ever met." ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger smirked at her sister. ¡°I told you that I changed~.¡± "When you get depressed, you do get depressed, though¡­¡± Maya had to dampen her smugness a little. ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡± ¡°I really have to get used to my depressed crybaby of a big sister finally havinge out of her shell¡­" Steph shed a small tear. ¡°I¡¯m all for it, though! It¡¯s the best possible oue! The how is more than just a little weird, but that¡¯s just another plus!¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± Sophia only got more embarrassed. ¡°The people that like to tease our tiger just has increased, huh?¡± Listening to their exchange, Chloe let out a small chuckle. ¡°Urgh¡­ What she said! Steph, focus your teasing on Chloe! She¡¯s into that! I already have my hands full with enough people in that regard! My cat here is worth 17 people already!¡± ¡°17? Please~.¡± Maya didn¡¯t like that number. ¡°Looks like I have to step up my game!¡± ¡°See?!¡± ¡°You enjoy being teased?¡± Steph ignored the couple and looked at the fox-girl while tilting her head. ¡°It depends, I guess¡­?¡± She also tilted her head in response. ¡°Maybe not so much teasing, after all, because I¡¯m not the biggest fan of deliberately teasing others, but I¡¯m terribly envious of the bantering those two have! It seems like soo much fun!¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± The shorter blonde looked like she understood. ¡°Basically, you want someone to flirt with?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°I see¡­ I can¡¯t say I have that much experience with serious flirting, but I used to have a lot of female friends I was pretty close with. I¡¯m sure I can try~.¡± ¡°Eh? Y-You don¡¯t have to!¡± ¡°Why not? Sounds fun! Also, not trying to flirt with a girl as cute as you would be the bigger crime! Wait, you¡¯re probably straight, right? You meant Sophia¡¯s and Maya¡¯s flirting more as an example, huh? Makes sense.¡± ¡°Ah, no, I am into¡­ girls, but¡­¡± ¡°You are?!¡± She looked honestly surprised. "Well, I''ve only known you for an hour or two, so it''s hard to make a guess¡­ Still, what a small world this is.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Sophia nced at her sister. ¡°There¡¯s another thing that I forgot to tell you¡­ It¡¯s prettymon in this world¡­ Not only can same-sex couples have their own kids here, but straight, homosexual and bi people also are equally distributed here¡­ there are basically no preferences more normal than the other. Obviously, there''s also more on the spectrum here, but it''s actually harder to meet a girl that is not into girls to at least some degree...¡± ¡°S-SERIOUSLY?!¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°Is this world the paradise?!¡± ¡°Pretty much, yeah.¡± The taller blonde had nothing to add. ¡°I hate you so much for keeping this world away from me for so long now!" "I''m sorry¡­" Sophia was unable to look Steph in the eyes while apologizing. "You better be! Also, how are kids between same-sex couples supposed to work¡­?" ¡°Long story short, your magic in this world is something like your DNA. When you share that with others in a special and protected way, you can create a new life with your partner. This union, conception aside, is pretty much the same as a regr pregnancy and gives you a perfectly normal and healthy child.¡± "Wow¡­" Steph was too overwhelmed by that. "Amazing!" ¡°I had the same reaction¡­¡± Both sisters felt the same about it. ¡°I can tell you more about itter. A friend of ours is the result of such an union, and she''s amazing, so it definitely works! I had one of her mothers tell me all about it!¡± ¡°I look forward to that!¡± ¡°So¡­ are you also into girls¡­ or just happy that there¡¯s no discrimination?¡± Chloe tried to interpret her reaction. ¡°Into girls and happy about that!¡± Steph smiled at her. "That''s why I would totally be fine about flirting with a cute girl!" ¡°I-I see.¡± ¡°Your sister¡¯s smooth.¡± ¡°Mh-hmm.¡± The couple came to the same conclusion. ¡°Before that, I still want to know more about you!¡± The shorter blonde just kept going. ¡°Please continue from earlier!¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Chloe needed a moment before she got back on track. ¡°More about my second try in life, I guess¡­?" ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see... My life here definitely was a lot more eventful and a ton of fun for every single day since I can remember! Feyfey showed me all kinds of interesting ces all over the continent while growing up! She also taught me how to use magic, making things even more fun!¡± ¡°Feyfey?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°My mother!¡± ¡°Ahh! Oh, does she also have a fluffy tail and ears? Is that how it works here?¡± She came right to the most important question. ¡°She¡¯s actually a full fox, only with her original length being about 3 meters, but she can adjust her size however she wants.¡± "A full...? Wait, so she¡¯s actually just like a normal fox, just in varying sizes?!¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± Sophia took over. "A full looks the same as the animal, but they''re actually fully sapient and intelligent. They can speak normally, as well. The full part refers to the look. Most of the beastfolk are hybrids, like Maya, Chloe, and I. Those alsoe in varying degrees, though. Like having full body fur, for example. Fulls are just the closest to the corresponding animal.¡± ¡°Ohh! You sure know your stuff, sis.¡± The shorter blonde seemed impressed. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t met Feyfey yet, but we have two full wolves in our group. Not sure where they are right now, though...¡± ¡°When I panicked after your disappearance, Fenfen told me to stay put as this happens quite often, and then he and Aura went to my hometown to go drinking without answering any more questions I had!" Chloe sounded slightly pouty while exining what happened. "Ahaha..." Sophia just awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Sorry about that... Well, if they''re drinking, we won''t see them today... You can meet them tomorrow or something like that, Steph." ¡°Okay...?¡± She looked more confused than before. ¡°Wait... if your mother looks like a full fox, bigger or not, and you are mostly humanoid with some great improvements... HOW?" She gestured all over Chloe. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly certain if Feyfey is my real mom... only that she¡¯s the one who raised me and has been with me since the very beginning. She always gets a little evasive when I start asking, but to me, she is my mom!¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°It is possible, though.¡± Sophia joined in again. She had had the exact question before, after all. ¡°If two partners are too far apart biologically speaking, they can use the same magic as a same-sex couple would do. Their child would be something random in between then." ¡°That¡¯s amazing! No one gets left out!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The taller blonde felt the same. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not for me personally, a few animal add-ons are great, and an absolute improvement, but too much animal would be a bit much...¡± ¡°Agree!¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Getting a girlfriend with the fluffiest tail possible is my new goal, though! Same with the ears! Other than that, I''m probably good, though!" ¡°Excellent taste!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Dexterous tails are quite nice, too, though~.¡± ¡°...¡± Maya stayed silent on that part. Instead, she decided to look at Chloe while trying to figure out whether she had just moved her tail closer to Steph or if that was just her imagination. ¡°Anyway...¡± Steph shortly looked to her side and also noticed the big ball of fluff right beside her, shamelessly brushed the side of her head against it, and then continued talking with a big smile on her face. ¡°If Feyfey is like a full fox on the outside... only like a massive one at times... How fluffy is she?¡± ¡°Even fluffier than I am! All over her body, too!¡± Chloe smiled at her. "WOW! How does she feel about being petted?" ¡°She loves being groomed with a brush or magic by me when she''s in her full size. She also enjoys being pet by me while she¡¯s sleeping on myp in her mini form.¡± ¡°D-Do you think I could-.¡± ¡°Get in line, sis!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t even let her finish the sentence before she interrupted her. ¡°I asked her about that a long time ago already!¡± ¡°Aww...¡± ¡°No one will ever doubt they are sisters, huh?¡± Chloe faced Maya with a wry smile while the two were quarreling over the fluff of someone they had never met before. "Yeah, impossible." Afterward, everyone, first and foremost the sisters, kept talking about Feyfey¡¯s fluffiness and how to get to it. Once they calmed down again, Steph wanted to find out more about Chloe herself again and continued to ask her questions.
Chapter 335 – Age is just a number Chapter 335 ¨C Age is just a number Steph was already feeling right at home in the new world and kept learning new things that made her love it even more. For example, she was a big fan of there being absolutely no discrimination when it came to one¡¯s sexuality, as there was no main preference more popr than the other. Same-sex couples being able to have children together was the icing on the cake for her. She liked everything so much that she even got angry at Sophia for having kept this world a secret for so long. Just as much she was interested in the world, Steph was also curious about the pink-haired fox-girl she already was getting along with great, even after their somewhat embarrassing start where the shorter blonde couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity about the other¡¯s tail. As she wanted to know more about her, Steph just kept asking question after question about her. ¡°I¡¯m still curious about you having lived or are living two lives, though...¡± The shorter blonde was still busy with the fox-girl. "Does that mean you''re actually much older than you look, or how does that work...?¡± ¡°Hmm... It maybe depends on how you define age? Personally, I definitely see myself as 19 years old. A far from mature 19-year-old, I want to add!" ¡°You¡¯re 19 right now?!¡± Steph looked surprised. ¡°You look a bit younger! Only a year younger than me, that¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Uhh, Steph... you¡¯re also 19 again now.¡± Sophia interrupted her. ¡°I turned 20 a good while ago, though? Actually, you do know that my birthday is kinda soon, right?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°The year in this world has 380 days, so 15 days more than our old one. If we convert our age, I¡¯m actually 22 again, while you would be 19.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°Even better, that means we''re the same age, then?" Her smile got even brighter. "If the old world life doesn''t count? You still look younger, though!¡± "I can''t say I see much of an age difference between you two..." Maya tilted her head while looking at the duo. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Steph, you always looked younger than you actually are.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that more than once, yeah... I guess that¡¯s fair. Feels weird to hear that from someone who actually got a few years younger, turned into half a tiger, and changed basically all of her measurements, though.¡± Steph stared at a very specific part of Sophia¡¯s body. ¡°Sis, I don¡¯t vividly remember the younger you, but I do remember that you had your growth spurt prettyte in life. I remember because I was hoping for the same, but I only got half of one! At best...¡± She stared down at herself in the end. ¡°Eh? You look great, though?¡± Chloe jumped in on that. ¡°You are definitely in no need of growing more.¡± ¡°Hmm...?¡± The shorter blonde then mustered the fox-girl. ¡°You might not be the ideal advocate when ites talking about growth spurts...¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± She followed her line of sight, which ended on her chest, and got loud. "Yes, I had a big growth in that ce, but I''m still super short! Also, medium chests are great!¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Steph seemed surprisingly alright with that reply. "So, sis, what''s up with your growth? Is that also a tiger thing?¡± "S-Sure..." Sophia''s eyes immediately started swimming while she couldn''t look at her. "T-Tiger thing, yeah... Yep." ¡°...¡± Chloe stared at her, as well. "So, it is possible to adjust your body with magic, after all?! I mean, it was obvious after you two turned to humans, but that¡¯s it, isn¡¯t it?¡± It wasn''t hard to interpret that reply and reaction. "A-A definite maybe...¡± ¡°What a sly girl!¡± Steph looked a little envious. ¡°Maya, did you know that she adjusted her body?!¡± ¡°It was her idea in the first ce!¡± The taller blonde got loud. ¡°Maya wanted more to y with every now and then, and eventually, I made some slight permanent changes to my chest..." "A-Ahaha...¡± The cat-girl just awkwardly rubbed the back of her head with one hand. She obviously regretted nothing. "..." Steph and Chloe first nced at each other before staring at the couple. "You two really are made for each other..." "Ehehe~." It was apliment to them. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to know who to ask when it¡¯s time for me to get animal features! Seems like we have an expert when ites to adjusting your body!¡± ¡°S-Sure...¡± Sophia had nothing to say here. ¡°Do you want to change your actual body, too...?¡± Chloe faced Steph again. ¡°Nah, not really. Okay, maybe my hair, but I like being slightly shorter, and my sizes work plenty well! I''m sure she can teach me all those other things, though!" ¡°Great!¡± The fox-girl sounded a lot happier again. ¡°Hehe.¡± Somehow, Steph seemed to like her reaction. ¡°Anyway, back to before, why do you feel like you''re still 19, regardless of having lived for more years in one way or another?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see... First, do I act or look like I¡¯m 30+?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Chloe was happy with that reply. ¡°In my old world, my life ended with 14. I''m already 5 years older, and I feel 14+ is much more important than everything below.¡± ¡°I can see that, yeah.¡± ¡°Also, I didn¡¯t have the memories of my old world the moment I reincarnated here. I wasn¡¯t a super intelligent baby that could already speak, do math, or have memories of the future or, rather, past me... While growing up, I learned bits of my old self when it happened in the past. For example, when I was two, I started to remember a few fairy tales, and once I told Feyfey, I had her tell me them all the time~. Something like that was an actual plus. Other memories werepletely useless. For example, before, I was already frail as a baby, so I got the memories of learning how to walk after I already could do that here... Not to mention that it was just bits as the memory of a baby is... well, exactly that...¡± ¡°Oh, that must¡¯ve been weird...¡± ¡°Not as weird as reliving the memories of old me dying.¡± "A-Ah...¡± Steph wasn¡¯t sure what to reply to that. "Don''t worry. I¡¯m long over that already.¡± Chloe just smiled at her before continuing with her story. "My two lives were so different from each other, so it never felt like I lived the same life twice. Before, I was a frail girl who barely left the house; here, I am the very picture of health. I¡¯m overflowing with energy, am super adventurous, and am always on the move while exploring one interesting ce after another! If anything, it was more like watching a long-running series inside my head. The main character just happened to be the same as the current me... Well, it was pretty weird at times, but that¡¯s my take on it. Mentally, I feel no older than I am right now. I never was, after all... It¡¯s not like two ten-year-olds make one 20-year one, right? Not even with a long trenchcoat~.¡± ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s a good point!¡± The shorter blonde let out a chuckle at this very fitting description of the situation. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! You being much older somehow would¡¯ve been quite weird...¡± ¡°True! You don¡¯t have to worry about that, though. I behave just like I look!¡± ¡°How does one behave adorable?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± Maya and Sophia had the same reaction to her question. "T-That''s not what I meant!" The fox-girl got a little flustered. ¡°Ahh, I get it!¡± The shorter blonde just started smiling in return. ¡°Urgh...¡± ¡°That still means you left earth around 20 years ago, right? So much has happened since then!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good that she left before, huh?¡± The tiger had her own interpretation of her words. ¡°...¡± Steph paused for a moment. ¡°T-True... but... but, that¡¯s not what I meant! Technology, for example, made quite a leap since then, did it not?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true!¡± The older sister nodded a few times. ¡°I think most was already invented 20 years ago, but a lot of things have changed shape drastically since then. Even smartphones only became a thing when we grew up, after all.¡± ¡°Smartphones...?¡± Chloe looked confused. ¡°Why would phones need to be smart...? You''re supposed to call others with them, right?" ¡°...¡± The sisters paused for a moment. ¡°Right... You can also use them to call others...¡± ¡°Ehh...?¡± ¡°Here!¡± Saying so, Steph grabbed into the big pocket of her hoodie and pulled out her smartphone. ¡°That¡¯s how mobile phones look nowadays.¡± ¡°How is that a phone? That¡¯s just a shiny ck brick...?¡± ¡°Ahaha...¡± The shorter blonde let out a chuckle before she turned on the disy. ¡°Better now? Ah, no service around here...¡± ¡°Well, duh...¡± Sophia rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Fair point...¡± "Huh?!" Her eyes grew wide. "It''s all a disy?! How? So colorful, too! The disys I remember on phones were super small and also ck-and-white. Also, where are the buttons...?" ¡°Well, you really left earth 20 years ago.¡± Saying so, Steph swiped around on the screen a few times before opening the phone app. ¡°Any better now?¡± ¡°Eh? Now it looks like a phone¡­ kinda? It changed when you touched it?¡± ¡°Yep, it¡¯s a touchscreen, after all. Stuff with many buttons has be rare because everything is now basically the same thing with a big screen of varying sizes." ¡°That¡¯s sooo cool!¡± ¡°You can even take photos or y games with your phone.¡± ¡°Why would you need to do that with a phone¡­?¡± ¡°Because why not¡­?¡± ¡°Good argument!¡± That was all Chloe needed. ¡°Nowadays, the actual ability to use your phone for calls has be the least important for many." ¡°I see¡­?¡± ¡°Taking pictures or videos of absolutely everything is much more important, for example!¡± Steph opened the camera app and took a quick picture of the couple cuddling on the sofa across the duo. ¡°See?¡± ¡°Woah, so quick! It looks amazing, too! I never would¡¯ve expected such a small device to take such great pictures!¡± The fox girl got a little closer to get a better look. ¡°The phone also has a camera at the front to take pictures of yourself or together with friends while being able to look at the disy.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Nodding once, the shorter blonde switched cameras. Afterward, she shuffled around a bit, got closer to the fox-girl, and lightly pressed the side of her face against the other girl''s. "Now, look as cute as possible! Not that that would be hard for you~.¡± ¡°Eh, ah¡­ sure!¡± Changing her expression to a gentle smile while she also moved her face a little closer to Steph, Chloe tried to look as cute as she could as she mustered the screen. ¡°Perfect!¡± Immediately after, she matched her expression and took a nice picture of the duo. ¡°It turned out great!¡± Steph directly opened the gallery afterward. ¡°Y-Yes, it did!¡± Chloe felt the same. ¡°Now, you can even y around with it!¡± Sounding quite excited, the little sister made some slight edits to the picture, like adding some stars and heart stickers in the corners. ¡°Phones are amazing!¡± ¡°I know, right?!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°You can even set it as your phone background and be able to look at it from anywhere." Saying so, she did just that and then shortly locked the phone. After she activated the screen again, the phone now showed Steph and Chloe having their cheeks pressed together while also lightly leaning against each other on the sofa. The rest of the picture behind them was covered by the fox-girl''s tail, and a few small pink hearts could be seen in the corners. ¡°It¡¯s super cute, isn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± While still sitting as close as possible together, Steph then continued to exin to Chloe how a smartphone worked while also taking a few more pictures of them together. Afterward, she also gave her a brief update on how much things likeputers or the inte have changed since the time the fox-girl had left earth. Chapter 336 – Fluff is serious business Chapter 336 ¨C Fluff is serious business As Steph continued to be curious about the fox-girl, Chloe told everyone a lot more about her old life and how she experienced going through basically two childhoods in this world as she regained the memories of her previous life while growing up. She also exined how and why she doesn''t feel any older because of this, as it was limited to her childhood, and one doesn''t really gain any valuable wisdom from going through that twice, especially because her lives were so different. Afterward, as Chloe had left earth roughly 20 years ago, Steph then proceeded to exin the advancements of technology since then by using the smartphone she had brought with her. While doing that, the two also took quite a few selfies and generally had a good time together. The first five minutes aside, the two were getting along splendidly. ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia was having a great time seeing Steph having fun with Chloe, which made her feel a lot better about her sister insisting oning with her. After all, it seemed like she was actually enjoying herself already, rather than just happy being reunited with her sister again. Still, when she noticed that the two stopped being busy with each other for a moment, the tiger decided to join the conversation. ¡°When Maya and I were shopping in the other world, we bought a ton of this modern technology. I might''ve even found a way to get some sort of electricity here to power everything. Tomorrow, we could probably all y around with them together. That should be a lot of fun~." "E-Eh?!" Maya''s expression instantly changed. "Y-You want to do that together with everyone¡­ Even your sister?! That''s a little..." ¡°¡­?¡± The tiger needed a moment to understand why her cat got so flustered. ¡°Idiot¡­ I mean the stuff we got in the electronics store¡­ Like the TV and all the movies I got.¡± "A-Ah." Her face turned even redder. "T-That''s fine then¡­ I''m unsure how I would''ve felt about the other things¡­" ¡°What other things¡­?¡± The other duo just tilted their heads in unison. ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s better for you. Trust me.¡± "I sense something perverted. Sophia, where were you with Maya before I found you in the electronics store¡­?" The little sister saw through her in an instant. "Some ce that, uhh¡­ maybe sells some more primitive technology¡­¡± "Primitive?!" Maya got loud again. "Vibraty stuff is the pinnacle of technology in your world!¡± "Vibratey stuff¡­ ahh¡­" Steph eventually looked like she understood. ¡°I was right! Wait, that¡¯s not a thing here?¡± ¡°There is nothing in this world except maybe carriages or other big moving things that vibrate!¡± The cat-girl sounded excited. ¡°Especially not something this small and made for insertion! You can get stuff with the same shape here, but nothing that vibrates!¡± "I see why you''re so giddy now." Steph nodded a few times. "Sophia, I hope you got more things that don''t just vibrate. Compared to some of the other things, that''s more of the mediocre to nice tier at best." "I-I got a lot of everything, including the really good ones." She looked a little awkward talking about that with her sister, with Chloe being present, as well. ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe decided to stay silent on the matter. She was too young to have had any experience with those toys in her old world. Still, she had obviously heard of them already, so she understood the trio after a moment of listening. Also, Steph didn''t need to know that she was just as much of a pervert as the couple. ¡°Anyway!¡± Sophia wanted to talk about her actual subject. "We also get some good cameras, tablets, two TVs, stuff to watch movies on, movies itself, a ton of series collections, and even a game console! I don''t want it to be a habit because this world has more than enough fun things to offer, but we thought it could be great fun for azy evening or something like that. And to look at pictures we took during traveling!" "Ohh, a movie would be fun every now and then!" The fox-girl seemed to be a fan of the idea. ¡°I like the picture n! How do you n to power all that stuff, though¡­?¡± Steph looked a little confused. ¡°You said that there¡¯s no electricity here, right?¡± "But there''s a sun here, too!" Sophia pointed at the window to their garden. "W-Well, it''s night right now, but you know what I mean¡­ We went to the camping store you took me tost year, and they sold me an, uhh¡­ sr generator! Judging by the specs of the way too overpriced thing we got, the batteries and sr panels should be big enough to give us enough power for hours of fun on the TV even in winter. On sunnier days, it should be waaay more than we could possibly use!¡± ¡°Ohh, fancy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same I said when I got the invoice!¡± ¡°I can imagine! I heard that the smaller ones are already plenty expensive! One big enough to gopletely off-grid has to cost a fortune!¡± ¡°That¡¯s very fitting, yeah. I think it was worth it, though. If it works, that is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure a sun should work simrly enough everywhere where life has formed, no?¡± The fox-girl tried toe up with an exnation. ¡°Good argument.¡± ¡°Wait, so we might actually be able to watch a movie together every now and then...?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°That sounds great!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t promise anything, but it¡¯s looking good!¡± Sophia gave a small thumbs up. ¡°Yay!¡± ---------------- The girls kept chatting about the idea for a good bit longer. Maya also got quite excited because she was also looking forward to it. Everything at once in the other world was rather overwhelming because it was a massive sensory overload. Still, with only a single TV, it seemed like a lot of fun and apletely new experience, after all. "By the way, does anyone wants something to drink?" After a little while, the cat-girl looked around in the group to see if anyone was thirsty. ¡°We¡¯ve been chatting forever already, after all.¡± ¡°I could drink something!¡± The sisters were in perfect sync. ¡°I¡¯m also a little thirsty.¡± Chloe nodded along. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll prepare something for everyone, then.¡± Saying so, Maya got up from the sofa and started walking toward the kitchen. ¡°Ah, let me help you!¡± The fox-girl also left her ce next to Steph and went with her. Soon enough, they were gone. ¡°Mhmm...¡± The shorter blonde in question didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of this. She also had to readjust her posture because, over time, she had more and more leaned against Chloe''s tail and ended up half-using it as a pillow at some point without the fox-girl seemingly having minded it. ¡°Boo..." Instead of doing that, though, she stood up and went to Sophia instead. Steph sat down next to her, quickly hugged the tiger''s arm, and cuddled against her side instead. ¡°Why do I feel like a recement right now?¡± She naturally had noticed what was happening on the other sofa until now. ¡°Must be your imagination~.¡± To get her point across, the little sister got even closer and rubbed her head against the tiger¡¯s shoulder a few times. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, okay?¡± Saying so, Sophia moved her tail around and behind her sister and then used it to bonk her forehead. ¡°O-Ouch!¡± She rubbed the spot that got bonked in return to relieve the pain. ¡°Your tail has some serious punching power!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± She showed her a little smirk. ¡°You don¡¯t want to make her feel ufortable like when you met, right?" ¡°Y-Yes...¡± Steph got a little awkward. ¡°I¡¯ll try to watch out for that.¡± ¡°Chloe is a good girl, so she should also be treated well. Fluff is a very intimate thing here, so I¡¯m not really sure how much she¡¯s just ying along because it makes others happy. Don¡¯t even try to touch her ears! That would definitely be too much.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The shorter blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Are your animal bits really that sensitive?¡± ¡°You saw Chloe¡¯s reaction when you jumped at her, right? You also saw me going down on my knees when you grabbed mine... Our ears are even much, MUCH more sensitive!¡± ¡°How does it feel to have it touched?¡± ¡°Unless someone grabs it with all their might, it''s actually kinda pervy... Especially having your ears touched. The tail is a little bit more neutral at times. Other than you, I still only bonk Maya with my tail because I don''t want to have it touched by anyone else. Still, I could probably manage someone identallying in contact with it... For our ears... Well, how to exin it... There are some, uhh... things you usually do in bed that feel less intense...¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°Good thing you stopped me when I met Chloe...¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s why, being able to fluff someone here is some sort of disy of absolute trust and also affection.¡± ¡°So... Hypothetically speaking, of course, if I¡¯d like to use Chloe''s tail as a hug pillow every night while sleeping or live out my desire to find out how soft the ball of fluff inside her ears is, I...¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to date her. And even then, it''s a definite consent thing." ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Anyway, what a day, huh...?" She decided to change the topic. ¡°Are you kidding?!¡± Steph immediately got loud. ¡°That¡¯s way too much of an understatement!¡± ¡°Sorry...¡± ¡°It sure was a day, though... I wasn¡¯t expecting to find my idiotic runaway sister like that...¡± ¡°Sorry...¡± Sophia apologized another time. ¡°You better be! Just disappearing like that! Making me worried like nothing else! All while you were living in paradise!¡± "Ahh..." Hearing her sounding so terribly envious towards the end made Sophia feel a little less horrible about the situation. ¡°I take you like this world, then?¡± "Well, I haven''t seen much, if any, of it yet... We arrived in the middle of the night and haven''t gone outside, either..." ¡°Fair point.¡± "I do like my stripy tiger sister a lot, though.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Liking that answer, Sophia gave her another bonk with her tail. This time, it was much gentler, though. "Maya also looks great. When I met her, I felt like something was missing, and those cat-ears reallypleted her! You made a great choice there!" ¡°I do agree~.¡± "Though, no offense... but I think she would''ve been perfect with a slightly fluffier tail...¡± ¡°Ahaha...¡± The tiger decided against saying anything here, especially not after she made Maya try out that very idea not too long ago. ¡°What about Chloe?¡± ¡°She¡¯s amazing!¡± Her reply was instantaneous. ¡°She¡¯s so fluffy!¡± ¡°If she¡¯s one thing, she¡¯s definitely that, yeah.¡± ¡°She¡¯s much more than that! It¡¯s super fun to talk to her, too. It¡¯s rare to meet anyone as nice as her. She¡¯s so positive about everything, too! From her stories, she also seems to love exploring and traveling. I can¡¯t wait to do that together with her! With everyone, I want to add!¡± ¡°Hehe, happy to hear that~.¡± Sophia started smiling in return. She was pleased that her sister was having a great time already. ¡°We do have to make some preparations for all that first, though. You definitely need a decent amount of magic authority first and how to use it, for example.¡± ¡°I want to get some fluff on myself, too!¡± ¡°Sure~. You looking the part to blend in with the beastfolk is also part of the requirements.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Afterward, the sisters kept chatting about that topic while Chloe and Maya were still preparing some drinks for everyone in the kitchen.
Chapter 337 – Sleepy tiger Chapter 337 ¨C Sleepy tiger Sophia and Maya talked about all the stuff the two got while shopping in the tiger''s old world and how they looked forward to watching a movie with everyone once they set everything up. Afterward, the sisters also got some alone time, and Sophia used the chance to ask her little sister how she liked the new ce so far. Needless to say, she was a big fan. While the sisters were talking with each other in the living room, Maya and Chloe went to the kitchen to prepare a few drinks for everyone. As a matter of course, the two had ended up getting lost in a chat of their own. ¡°Sorry that we disappeared so out of nowhere yesterday, by the way¡­¡± The cat-girl felt like apologizing for that again. ¡°That sure spooked me! Even more so because it meant you met Canir?! That¡¯s unbelievable!¡± ¡°Lots of unbelievable things happened today¡­ I ended up in a different world!¡± Maya was as shocked. ¡°Wee to the club¡­?¡± "A-Ah.¡± She noticed that she was far from alone with that experience in the group. ¡°No, that has to be surprising. Also, from what Steph said, it seems like earth has gotten even crazier. Compared to this world, everything there is quite overblown." ¡°Yeah, it wasplete sensory overload." The cat-girl looked a little tired. ¡°The sisters take the cake for having gone through the most, though¡­ Sophia was aplete wreck when we ended up in her world, and even more so when she got the message from her sister. I was trying to talk her into meeting her, the only thing she was doing was hurting herself, after all, but she¡¯s a blockhead¡­ When Steph then finally did find her, she wasn¡¯t any different. She looked so desperate¡­ Those two cried for like half an hour when they were reunited¡­ That insane little sister even decided to immediately follow us to this world because she didn¡¯t want to lose Sophia again.¡± ¡°That is some dedication. She''s amazing. They really missed each other a lot, huh?" ¡°That¡¯s putting it rather lightly.¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°Well, Steph seems to love exploring and adventures, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have a lot of fun once we¡¯re back on the go again. Even now, exploring the capital will be an event on its own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! When ites to that, this world is much more interesting than the one we came from! It¡¯s also great that we now have another one that loves to go on adventures in the group! I already look forward to going on an adventure with her! And everyone else!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the only great thing about Steph, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°You two were getting along amazingly!¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°The start was a little rough, but that¡¯s just because Steph has the personality of an easily excitable puppy, and she had no idea what was going on.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a very fitting description of her¡­ I also felt reminded of a happy dog, so it was hard to be angry at her¡­¡± ¡°Not that you are much different¡­ or Sophia, for that matter. Still, she takes to crown.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Even so, you two got along extraordinarily well~.¡± ¡°I guess so? She seems like a fun girl! I enjoyed the time we spent together earlier a lot.¡± ¡°That definitely showed. For both of you. Steph seemed to be having as much of a good time as you did.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Still, are you alright with your tail being all over her¡­? I mean, it seems like Steph likes to cuddle, and I guess you are very cuddly, which she liked, but your tail also was in her face more than once¡­¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Chloe looked a little awkward in return. ¡°Well, we did end up rather close when looking at her phone and ended up staying like that¡­? My tail also has a mind of its own¡­ Not to mention that I often don¡¯t even notice where it ends up in because I don''t feel that much through the fluff¡­" ¡°Steph ended up, more or less, using it as a pillow at some point, though." ¡°¡­¡± With the slightest blush, the fox-girl just turned her head away. ¡°Well, I bet you just want to make Steph feel more wee, right? Your tail has a very calming effect, after all~.¡± Maya smiled at her before grabbing the tray with the drinks she had poured while chatting with Chloe. ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± ¡°S-Sure!¡± ---------------- "Ahh, looks like she finally ran out of energy, huh?" Back in the living room, Maya saw that her tiger had fallen asleep. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Steph let out a dryugh while she was ncing at Sophia next to her, who also was resting her head on the shorter blonde¡¯s shoulder. Not only that, but she had also wrapped her tail around her sister''s waist at some point. "Sleep always has been quite important for her, after all." ¡°True.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times while sitting down on the empty sofa across them while Chloe did the same next to her. ¡°Then again, to be fair, Sophia and I have been awake for almost two days now. We ended up in your world in the evening here, spent a whole day there, and now had been chatting for hours here¡­ Not to mention that lots of exhausting things happened." ¡°Wow, she held out that long?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably the first time she was able to calm down since.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Do I have to know anything about this¡­?" She petted Sophia''s tail, which had been tightly wrapped around her waist, while the tip of her tail was twitching with every touch of her little sister. ¡°It¡¯s a sign of affection.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°She does that with me all the time, too. Almost every night when we sleep, actually. ¡°It¡¯s exclusively a thing between lovers and family, I want to add.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She seemed pretty happy about that. ¡°It¡¯s normally not so tightly wrapped around you, though. She probably also, unconsciously, wants to make sure that you don¡¯t suddenly disappear or leave her.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Steph liked that exnation a lot and started petting Sophia¡¯s tail even more. ¡°Mmrrmmm~.¡± ¡°D-Did she just purr?!¡± Her eyes grew wide. ¡°Well, something like a purr at least, just a bit phonier¡­?¡± ¡°She does that from time to time, yeah. She is part feline, after all. Big cats normally roar, but thanks to her human side, it bes more of a purr again." ¡°T-That¡¯s soo adorable!¡± ¡°Take it easy, though¡­ She might wake up if you continue. Well, not that it''s something that usually happens... Her waking up, that is.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± The little sister stopped petting her tail and ced her hands t on it. ¡°¡­¡± A short whileter, Sophia also went silent again and nuzzled her head closer against Steph¡¯s shoulder. "It''s okay that she does that, right¡­?" With a slightlyplicated expression, the shorter blonde nced at Maya. ¡°Well, I am a little envious, because cuddling with her is great, but the two of you have a lot to catch up on.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She seemed grateful for it and then nced at the tail once more. "I have no ns to leave her, though." ¡°Well, you made that pretty clear already, but she still wants to make sure. Also, Sophia was the one who wanted to be hard as she didn¡¯t want to be responsible for taking you out of your world, your home, just like what happened to her. Her subconscious knows better, though. No one wants you here more than her, after all." Maya tried to exin the situation. "Not to mention how quickly you made your decision. She might fear that you will change your mind again. Please don''t, by the way." ¡°I have no ns to do so!¡± Steph sounded as determined as one could be. ¡°I was serious when I mentioned being tired of the city I live in. Before I got Sophia''s letter, I was actually getting ready to travel the world¡­ Last year, Sophia and I talked about going on a long vacation together. We had decided on a few countries and cities we wanted to visit¡­ I had nned to go to all of them¡­ Who knows, maybe she ended up there somehow¡­ I know it''s stupid, but I was desperate. Now, I actually do get to travel, and it even is with my sister! Being in apletely unknown ce only makes it more exciting!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to like it a lot here!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ll be having so much fun!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Just be sure that you know what you¡¯re doing, okay?¡± Maya looked slightly more serious. ¡°I wanted to have you here the moment we arrived in your world, but more than that, I don¡¯t want Sophia to get hurt. I can only imagine how much you went through with her disappearance. It probably was worse, but I saw Sophia suffering, so this doesn''t have to happen again.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± Steph looked right back into her eyes. ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She was happy with that strong reply. ¡°Gosh, how did my sister manage to get such a capable girlfriend? I mean, my sister is the best, but she used to be so¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯se a long way.¡± Maya started smiling. ¡°Canir did an amazing thing with all the boosts he gave her, okay, many of them, at least. Some were kinda bad¡­ Fen helped her a lot, and I will shamelessly give myself a lot of credit, as well~. All her other friends also positively shaped her.¡± ¡°I want to meet all of them and thank every single one of them personally!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure you will see Canir sooner rather thanter. You being here probably created some kind of mess he has to say a thing or two about. Don''t worry, though. He wouldn''t dare make you go back." Maya knew how Sophia would react to that, after all. ¡°G-Good¡­¡± ¡°Our other friends are also regrlying over, so you''ll be meeting them before long. But, you first have to have magic and a disguise¡­ You looking like a human and having no magic is just too suspicious. It would be impossible for you to be Sophia¡¯s sister. Sophia loves being a tiger, and how her life is right now, so you can¡¯t do anything that would contradict or destroy that! Also, don¡¯t ever do or say anything that would make clear you¡¯re not from this world! Unless everyone around knows about it! We''ll probably go over some rules for you once everything is settled, but this is most important!¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± The little sister nodded a few times. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to ruin her life or the ce in this world, either!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Though¡­ do I have to be a tiger in order to qualify as her sister¡­? I mean, she looks adorable, and it fits her soo much, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my style¡­ She has always been like half a cat, but I don''t have much of a feline side.¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± The cat-girl shook her head. ¡°It should be good enough as long as you look like a member of the beastfolk in general. It is said that as soon as a tiger is involved, their children automatically be tigers, as well. Still, there are always exceptions to these kinds of things. Especially when it involves Sophia." ¡°Perfect!¡± Steph¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I definitely want to get some fluffy extras, but I wasn¡¯t thinking about stripes!¡± ¡°Do you already have an idea?¡± Chloe got interested. ¡°What is it going to be?¡± ¡°Nu-uh~.¡± She shook her head while smiling at the fox-girl. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a surprise!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I think my idea is really cute, so please look forward to it!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe also started smiling. ¡°I love how easily you adapt to what is happening!¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of my specialties!¡± Steph gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ll only say that I¡¯ll include short hair into my changed looks!¡± "Ohh!" The fox-girl seemed to like the sound of that. ¡°You two really get along like nothing else¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± While Sophia continued to nap peacefully and leaned against Steph¡¯s shoulder as she hugged her sister with her tail, the trio chatted together for a good while longer. Chapter 338 – Filling in the gaps Chapter 338 ¨C Filling in the gaps As they had been up for quite a while already, Sophia had finally run out of steam after being tense for a long time and fell asleep while cuddling against the side of her little sister. Not only had she nuzzled her head against her shoulder, but the tiger had also tightly wrapped her tail around the shorter blonde''s waist. She was unconsciously signaling how she didn''t want to let go of her again. While she was asleep, the other three continued to chat about all kinds of things. Maya also included a warning that Steph has to be absolutely sure that she knows what she¡¯s doing because the well-being of her girlfriends was the cat-girl''s biggest concern. Once that was taken care of, and Maya was happy with Steph¡¯s dedication, the mood between them rxed quite a bit. ¡°Okay, now that she¡¯s asleep¡­ Maya, please tell me everything our girl skipped when she told me everything about her life in this world.¡± ¡°I wonder if she¡¯ll stay asleep for that long~.¡± The cat-girl''s expression changed into a slight smirk. "This idiot hadn''t even told you half. Though, she did an excellent job telling you the important and nice bits to show you what¡¯s going on, I have to give her that.¡± ¡°Alright, fill in the gaps, my dear!¡± ¡°With pleasure~.¡± "Poor Sophia¡­" Chloe felt a little sorry for the tiger, who was still peacefully asleep against Steph''s shoulder. ¡°Feel free to leave if you want to feign innocenceter on.¡± ¡°And miss it? No way!¡± The fox-girl shook her head while looking at Maya. "It doesn''t feel like she told me anything, either, and I''m most curious!" ¡°Hehe.¡± The cat-girl¡¯s smirk just got bigger. ¡°Hmm¡­ Where to even start, though¡­ Wait!" She suddenly stopped and looked at the shorter blonde. "Am I still being tested whether I¡¯m worthy of Sophia?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll always be! That¡¯s my duty as the little sister!¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Though, the more embarrassing details I will learn of Sophia, the more points you gain.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯ll be epted in the family then, huh?¡± Chloe had a feeling of what that would lead to. ¡°My chances are better than ever!¡± Maya agreed with her. ¡°Well, I doubt she minds you knowing at this point, so I might as well start with those boosts she got from Canir.¡± She nced at the fox-girl before telling the two about them. ---------------- "Woah, still... If I hadn''t known old Sophia, I would never have believed it... It''s sooo freaky that anyone¡¯s capable of messing with your personality... or stats like that... Is it really alright for such a being to actually exist...?¡± ¡°Well, he is why Sophia ended up here and is still alive in the first ce, so... Also, from the two times I have met him, he is a bit weird and likes to be entertained by some questionable things, but he¡¯s definitely on top of things. He seems to be knowing what he¡¯s doing. Most of the time, at least. ¡°I am a little envious that Sophia got so many cheats, err... much stuff when she came here... That vast amount of magic, too...¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s absolutely unfair, miss who got raised by one of the most powerful beings on this, is unusually healthy, immune to alcohol poisoning and probably any other toxin, has more magic than almost every normal being and recovers her magic even faster than Sophia does.¡± Maya just rolled her eyes. "Unfair." ¡°...¡± She needed a moment. ¡°I-I guess I did get lucky, too...¡± "Not to mention that even with all those boosts, our tiger only ended up being as entric as you at times. I¡¯m not exactlyining, by the way.¡± The cat-girl felt the need to add that part. ¡°You two make my life veryplicated at times, but it¡¯s clear the both of you just want to make the most out of what you have. You are able to do that on your own, or maybe even got a little help yourself, but Sophia needed a serious push to get over herself...¡± ¡°She needed a serious push." Steph nodded a couple of times while repeating Maya''s words. ¡°I guess it¡¯s fair that she got a little more, then...¡± ¡°Then, there¡¯s the bad side of those boosts... They don¡¯t fail anymore, and Sophia¡¯s be able to handle pretty much anything now. Still, her boosted anger can be quite something... I mean, you heard what she did in Tga, right? The ce with the pizzeria.¡± ¡°Ahh... Fair point. S-Still better than my mom, though...¡± ¡°Is it really apetition, though...? It means something if I¡¯m the one saying that...¡± Maya usually always was a fan of goodpetition, after all. ¡°What did Sophia do...?¡± Her little sister naturally got interested. ¡°Err... Earlier, she mentioned how most humans in this world are extra no good here, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems like they¡¯re slightly worse than the, uhh... elite of my world...¡± "Well, our tiger has some personal experience with them... Some of them tried some shady stuff with her when she tried to approach them shortly aftering here... Didn¡¯t end well at all.¡± She didn¡¯t feel like going into detail. ¡°Then, a few months ago, shortly after we arrived in the capital and ended up getting involved with the royal family, the humans felt like ying war over a city not too far away from here...¡± "A war...?¡± ¡°Yeah, and the humans made some... disgusting demands regarding the children about the beastfolk in their promation that made Sophia angry. She likes kids quite a bit, after all. Not that it was a requirement for wanting to punch those humans...¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me Sophia participated in a war...?¡± ¡°Can you call it participating in this case?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°She was so angry that she told the king¡¯s army to take a day off and took care of it herself... Thanks to her magic, she beat a couple of thousand humans into submissions in like 15 minutes. Then, she threatened their defeated army that she¡¯d destroy their capital if any human would ever try to do anything to a member of the beastfolk.¡± ¡°N-No way...¡± ¡°Only toter find out that Chloe¡¯s mom¡¯s already on the way to the human capital because they tried to do something mean to our fox, as well, and the capital might be gone already...¡± "A-Ahaha...¡± The pink-haired girl wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Feyfey also can get a little angry at times...¡± ¡°Y-You can¡¯t be serious...¡± Steph obviously had a hard time believing it. "I-I mean, Sophia could get angry at times, mostly at herself, but that is something else entirely!¡± "That''s the bad side of the boost, plus having enough power to destroy a continent. She hates it herself, though, so you don¡¯t really have to worry about her going rogue. She¡¯s way too easygoing for that, too. Also, there have been some exceptions like that, but she has gotten good control of her anger, so I doubt it will matter much anymore.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s good, I guess?¡± ¡°Certainly isn¡¯t bad.¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°I get that it sounds overwhelming. It was even more so having witnessed it, but our tiger did it because she deeply cared about everyone around her. That should be all that counts.¡± ¡°T-True... It¡¯s just that it¡¯s unbelievable for me that she¡¯s been in a war.¡± "In the end, I can''t even call it one... The humans had the numbers of soldiers for it, but it was over before it began because Sophiapletely stopped them in their tracks without killing or seriously hurting a single one of them.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s doing fine! Don¡¯t worry about some slight mishaps!¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°How about we switch to some actual embarrassing stories instead?¡± ¡°That sounds better!¡± Afterward, Maya told Sophia¡¯s sister all the embarrassing little things the tiger had skipped when telling her about her journey before. She spent a lot of time on the days when they had just met and got together on the way to the capital. Back then, the taller blonde was still quite a wreck, after all, and heavily embarrassed herself on a daily basis as her shyness was still rtively strong those days. Their travel towards to capital got some more mentions, as well. Things like the frozenke, the exploded dungeon, and many more things had to be properly ryed to the little sister, after all. The cat-girl also went over the many friends Sophia has made so far, how everyone enjoys teasing her in a loving way, and how the older sister usually reacts to that. Pouty, but rarely actually angry because she does enjoy it herself a lot. She still gets embarrassed way more and often than she wants to, which everyone enjoys greatly, as well. Maya also mentioned many more positive things, though. Like, how Sophia is usually the center of attention wherever she goes because everyone gets interested in that crazy tiger, and absolutely no one means that in a bad way. She had be an extremely popr girl, and everyone absolutely loved her. Maya went on for about an hour but eventually went out of things to tell. ---------------- "..." Having listened to all that, Steph needed a minute to let it sink in. Eventually, though, a tear or two ran down her cheeks. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The cat-girl started panicking. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°N-No...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just way too happy... I can¡¯t believe all of this is happening. It¡¯s a weird one, but my idiot finally has the life she deserves.¡± "A weird life for a weird girl. Seems believable to me." Maya chuckled a little. ¡°Ahaha, you win that round.¡± ¡°Well, anyway, that¡¯s all I can think of right now. I¡¯m also pretty tired, as it was far from an easy day for me, either... Almost two days, to be exact...¡± The cat-girl let out a small yawn. ¡°Do you mind if we call it a day? Tomorrow will be far from rxing, either. I''m sure of that already... You can keep Sophia for the rest of the night, as well.¡± She nced at her girlfriend, who definitely still had no ns of letting go of her sister in her sleep anytime soon. ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s totally alright!¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to sleep because of...¡± She just pointed at basically everything around her. ¡°I am really tired and exhausted, though... I¡¯m okay with the sofa, by the way. No need to prepare anything right now. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to peel her away from me, anyway.¡± The shorter blonde looked at the tail wrapped around her waist. ¡°Not that I want to in the first ce.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll prepare a room for you tomorrow, then. Alright, Chloe, let¡¯s leave the sisters on their own for a while. Good night, Steph.¡± ¡°Night!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m also tired.¡± The fox-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Good night, Steph. Try to get some sleep, regardless.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± The shorter blonde smiled at her. ¡°Night, Chloe~.¡± Afterward, the duo left the sisters alone in the living room, and Steph cuddled closer against the tiger while closing her eyes. Even though she had doubted it before, it took her about two seconds to fall asleep. Chapter 339 – It’s alright to stay Chapter 339 ¨C It¡¯s alright to stay While Sophia was asleep, Steph used the chance to ask the others, primarily Maya, about how her sister really was doing in her new life. Obviously, the cat-girl used the opportunity to tell her all the embarrassing details and mess-ups the tiger had done so far. Still, she also told the shorter blonde all about just how popr and loved by everyone she was. As it had gotten reallyte and everyone else was tired, as well, the group eventually called it a day. Maya and Chloe decided to leave the sisters alone and headed to bed while leaving the living room to them. There was no way Steph would be able to peel the tiger away from her, so she decided to sleep with her on the sofa instead. ¡°You¡¯re still there!¡± ¡°So are you!¡± On the following day, once the sisters were awake, the living room immediately turned loud again. After their discovery, the two immediately hugged each other again. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± "You two aren''t going to do that every morning from now on, do you?" ¡°Come on, it¡¯s cute.¡± At the perfect time, Maya and Chloe also had returned to the living room. "For the next two weeks, at the very least!" ¡°Three, I say!¡± Sophia and Steph weren¡¯t nning to stop their clinginess anytime soon. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a lot shorter than I had expected, so I guess that¡¯s fine.¡± "We''ll do it for longer, then!" ¡°Sure¡­¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes in return. ¡°Anyway, I finished making breakfast. Are you two hungry?¡± ¡°I helped!¡± The fox-girl smiled at them. ¡°Very hungry!¡± The tiger liked the sound of that. ¡°Oh, you can cook?¡± Steph seemed more interested in Chloe¡¯s answer. ¡°N-Not really¡­¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I like to help and am half-decent at preparing things, tough¡­¡± "That''s a start, and it sounds like you want to learn! Perfectly fine! If you want to, I can show you a thing or two once everything settles down. I¡¯m not the best cook you¡¯ll find, but I¡¯m rtively confident about my skills!¡± The shorter blonde gave her a thumbs up. ¡°That sounds fun!¡± The pink-haired girl seemed to be looking forward to it already. ¡°Hehe.¡± The shorter blonde had a simr expression. ---------------- Once the girls had breakfast together, they returned to the living room to chat as there were still many things that needed to be dealt with. This time, Maya snatched the spot next to Sophia again, and Steph had to make do with Chloe. Not that she looked overly disappointed about it. Far from it, actually, and once the fox-girl''s tail got closer to her, she seemed to be even ever so slightly happier about the seating arrangement. ¡°Steph, are you really sure about your stay here?¡± Sophia stared at her sister. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievably amazing that you¡¯re with me again, but the circumstances are extremely weird. You also have to hide your looks because looking like a human will cause many issues¡­ Trust me¡­" She sounded pretty tired all of a sudden. ¡°Meeting my other friends will also need some sort of nning because I¡¯m not supposed to have a sister¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry~.¡± The shorter blonde smiled at her. ¡°Maya already gave me an overview on these kinds of thingsst night after you fell asleep. I have no ns to make your friends suspicious or spoil the life you got here. You won¡¯t get rid of me ever again, though. It''s not even been a day, and I have already met someone amazing! And I can''t wait to go exploring! Also, I want to be fluffy now!¡± ¡°I see.¡± That was enough for the tiger. ¡°I guess we should start getting you ready for this world, huh?¡± ¡°Magic?!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°I want it!¡± ¡°Yeah, that, too¡­ You also need to learn thenguage of this world, or you won¡¯t be able to speak with anyone.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She looked confused. ¡°I can speak to everyone just fine, though?¡± "Yeah, Maya, who learned ournguage as a gift from Canir, Chloe, who remembered her oldnguage, and I, who¡­ well, pretty obvious. ¡°Ah¡­ Wait, this world actually uses a differentnguage?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± The cat-girl started nodding. ¡°Ipletely forgot about that again because everything seemed normal after we returned.¡± "I hadn''t even realized that I''m bilingual." The fox-girl actually looked quite surprised. ¡°I must¡¯ve unconsciously swappednguages because everyone was using it right now." ¡°Wait!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°Was that why I got confused with the two of you every now and then? Like the whole arctic thing and some other little words that I misunderstood when we first met? All three of us know the othernguage, so we might¡¯ve unconsciously swapped to it when we were under us? I got thenguage hammered into my brain by Canir. He mentioned that I need to hear some words a couple of times before it clicks, so that might actually be what happened!¡± ¡°Oh, that might be true!¡± Sophia could get behind the reasoning. "It''s either that or you neglected your ear hygiene." ¡°My ears are always clean!¡± The cat-girl got even louder. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°I-I have to learn a whole newnguage¡­?¡± "As Maya just said, she has gotten ournguage from Canir. I also got this world¡¯snguage as a gift from him back when I ended up here. No actual learning it by hand was involved. I¡¯m sure I can talk him into doing the same for you. I might even be able to get some magic out of him for you. If not, I will share a good portion of mine with you. No problem there, but getting some from him obviously would be better." ¡°I see¡­ I don¡¯t really get it, but I see!¡± Steph looked a little bit confused and slightly bewildered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will be fine~.¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± ¡°How are you even able to meet Canir, though?¡± Chloe looked pretty interested. ¡°Sure,st time, he got you, but this time¡­" "Hmm, I usually go and... but¡­" Sophia paused for a moment and then looked towards the living room''s ceiling. "Oi, Canir, get your butt down here! I know you''re listening!" She didn''t want to go and visit a shrine right now. ¡°Eh?!¡± The fox-girl hadn¡¯t seen that oneing. "A-As if it¡¯s that ea-.¡± ¡°How about a please, my dear?¡± A momentter, another voice interrupted Chloe and entered the conversation. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The fox-girl got even louder when she noticed a man suddenly sitting on the third sofa that was empty until now. ¡°It seemed like it worked without the please, though.¡± "I would''ve greatly appreciated it, though!¡± ¡°And I would¡¯ve appreciated not being sent back to my old world without any prior warning!¡± ¡°¡­¡± He went silent. ¡°W-Wait¡­ He looks somewhat simr to the statues¡­ I-Is that the Canir?!¡± Everything was going a little too fast for Chloe. ¡°I sure am.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Nice to finally meet you in person, my dear fox.¡± ¡°L-Likewise¡­ S-So, you actually do know about me¡­?¡± ¡°I know about every interesting being on this. You definitely are amongst the most interesting ones.¡± "A-Am I?¡± ¡°You most certainly are.¡± Canir¡¯s smile only got bigger. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say in your case, though~.¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­?¡± ¡°You are the one who saved my sister and brought her to this world¡­?¡± Steph was also staring at him. ¡°I did, yes.¡± He changed his attention to her. ¡°At the point where I did save her, it had be impossible to let her return to her original ce, if that is what you want to know. This world seemed to be great for her, so I let her continue her life here. I am sorry that she got taken from you.¡± When he wants to, he really has his act together. ¡°Could you stand up for a moment?¡± While saying so, she did the same and walked up to him. ¡°Sure.¡± After getting up, the shorter blonde immediately hugged him. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Thank you so much for saving my sister and allowing her to have a new chance in this world!¡± Once she gave him another quick squeeze for it, Steph eventually let go of him again before going back to sitting next to Chloe on the sofa. "I think I like the little sister better." Canir nced at the tiger while sitting down again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I like her better than you, too.¡± She wasn¡¯t angry about his jab. ¡°By the way, sorry about the mess...¡± The overseer suddenly apologized to the older blonde. ¡°You probably won¡¯t believe me, but it was an honest mistake on my part because my concentration had suffered a little from our conversation. ¡°You better be! You will definitely pay for the emotional damage I sustained!¡± ¡°Ahh...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can be mad at you, though...¡± Sophia made a small break while she nced at her sister. ¡°Speaking of, how bad is it that Steph is here now...?¡± ¡°Mhmm...¡± He tilted his head in return. ¡°It¡¯s certainly not ideal because you brought her over rather than an official overseer, but... Well, we found it interesting, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°We...? Anyway, does that mean it¡¯s alright for her to stay here...?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you, and most importantly, she wants, I see very little issue with that.¡± ¡°I ABSOLUTELY want to!¡± Steph¡¯s reply was instantaneous. "Well then, have fun in this world, little sister." Canir wasn''t going to stop her. ¡°Yay!¡± Once this very important topic was taken care of, the sisters rxed quite a bit again, and the tiger could start asking for Canir''s help to get Steph ready for the world.
Chapter 340 – A sweet gift Chapter 340 ¨C A sweet gift On the following day, after the sisters made sure that they were still together and Sophia confirmed that Steph still wanted to be in this world with her and everyone else, the tiger called Canir to get his butt over to them. Literally, as this was precisely what she did. Once he arrived and rified that it was okay for the shorter blonde to stay, and she also thanked him for saving her older sister, they wanted to start asking him for help to get her ready to stay in the new ce. ¡°As a reward and making up for the seven heart attacks and the emotional damage, I''m sure it''s alright to ask for a thing or two, right?¡± While the girls and Canir were in the mansion¡¯s living room, Sophia stared at him with pleading eyes. She also looked ever so slightly upset because of the events, but that was a different matter. "Well, it was my fault, and you even solved it without my help, so I guess I can give you a bit of a reward. Also, I seriously wasn¡¯t expecting your portals to still work, and I actually panicked a little because it was impossible for me to get you out of there... In fact, I even only found you again after the contact with Stephanie happened... That''s how little influence I have on earth. I even went as far as getting the help of someone else. Then, before anything could be done by us, bam... All three of you were back in this world thanks to the portals... You sure are something...¡± ¡°I have my moments.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, let¡¯s keep it at that.¡± He just rolled his eyes in return. ¡°So, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Can you give Steph thenguage of this world? Like you gave Maya ours before, and how I learned it? Ah, if preferable, the fixed version. She doesn¡¯t need to know about kows¡­¡± ¡°Kows¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Ignore that!¡± The tiger got a little flustered. ¡°Sure, I can do that.¡± The overseer smiled at her. ¡°In fact, I already did that when she hugged me. The next time your sister meets anyone outside this group or tries to read something, she''ll be able to do that just fine. I might do the same as I did for Maya, for Fen, and the others, too. Even if I gifted Stephanie thisnguage, there will still be a ton of misunderstandings as there are some things that don''t trante in that direction. It might help to ease their confusion a little." ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Steph looked confused. ¡°I-I learned an aliennguage just like that?! Seriously?! I didn¡¯t feel anything when I hugged you, though!¡± ¡°That hurts to hear¡­¡± Canir had to use this chance. "That''s not what I meant! Well, that''s also true. You''re not my type, but¡­ A-Anyway, I still don¡¯t really get it, but thank you very much!¡± ¡°Shot down by both sisters, huh?¡± "I-I''ll buy you a drink next time to get over it." Sophia tried her best not to break into a fullughter and kept it at a light snickering. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± He simply waved his hand. ¡°Drinks still sound fine, though.¡± ¡°Great!¡± She liked his reply. ¡°Then, there¡¯s the question of magic for Steph. You kinda need it in this world, after all. I''ll dly share half of mine with her if it doesn''t work out. I won''t even bat an eye about it, but¡­" ¡°Half?¡± Canir raised an eyebrow. ¡°Definitely! She¡¯s my sister, and I love her! I want her to have as much fun as possible here! In a way, she¡¯s here because of me, so I have to take care of her!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Nodding a few times, some sort of pinkish-orange object suddenly appeared in his hand, which he then threw over to Steph. ¡°Here, catch!¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Barely able to react, she still managed to catch it. "A peach¡­?¡± The girl tilted her head while looking at the fruit the overseer had thrown at her. ¡°I love peaches!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t seem too concerned about it. ¡°Too bad it¡¯s so hard to get them around here¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He nced at the fox-girl for a second before focusing on the shorter blonde again. ¡°Eat it.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± Steph only got more confused. ¡°The fruit¡¯s infused with a special magic. Once you¡¯ve eaten it, it will be the seed inside of you to use magic to your heart¡¯s content.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Steph couldn¡¯t believe it as she stared at the peach with big eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t remember eating anything when you gave me magic¡­?¡± Sophia also looked quite confused over it. ¡°Because this is not my magic.¡± Canir pointed at the fruit while looking at the tiger. ¡°After you and Maya disappeared, I asked Mira for help because both of you are also part of her system. Maybe she had an idea to get you back into it and this world, but you had already solved it yourself before we had a chance to.¡± ¡°Mira¡­?¡± The tiger paused for a moment. ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t that the name of the goddess of magic¡­? The shrine we found while shopping?¡± She looked at Maya for help. ¡°She also would prefer the overseer title, but she actually governs the magic of this world, so her overseer title is a little¡­ Anyway, we just aren¡¯t the biggest fans of the god and or goddess titles¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ the authority is from the boss of this world¡¯s magic¡­?¡± Sophia tried to make sense of it. ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°While we were trying to figure out how to get the two of you back, we ended up watching you three in the other world once we found you. Afterward, we continued to watch all four of you back here for a while. It seems like Mira took a liking to Stephanie and decided that she would like to gift her magic in case she wants to stay." ¡°Someone that important got interested in me? Why¡­?¡± The shorter blonde couldn¡¯t see the reason for that. ¡°Why not?¡± Canir just shrugged. ¡°My interest in Sophia also happened mostly on a whim, so¡­¡± ¡°Thank you so much for having that whim!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± He smiled at the little sister. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t think too deeply about it and just enjoy the gift.¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± ¡°Why the peach, though¡­?¡± The taller blonde was still confused. "She likes fruits, and peaches are one of her favorites, I guess?¡± The overseer tilted his head. ¡°Her magic is also the one that regtes this world, so she used something from this world as a proxy to ry it to your sister? She''s quite busy with some other things right now. Me interrupting her already took some time, so meeting Stephanie wasn''t possible right now. Because of that, she used an alternative.¡± ¡°I see. I think¡­¡± She looked slightly confused still, but she reacted with a few nods. ¡°Will it, uhh¡­ do me any bad if someone so important is interested in me¡­?¡± Steph still wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. ¡°Kiss your privacy goodbye¡­¡± Sophia hung her head in response. ¡°Overseers like to peek into the lives of others, after all.¡± ¡°Mira has a lot more decency than I have. Also, just as I won''t, she would never peek into something truly private, either." ¡°Sounds like Mira is the better overseer, huh? Though, I''m kinda a fan of how casually you just admitted to being indecent~.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t disagree.¡± Canir felt himself agreeing with the tiger. ¡°Well, I¡¯m okay with it because you earned some entertainment after everything you¡¯ve done for me.¡± "d to hear~. Anyway," He then focused his attention on Steph again. "There aren''t any downsides to epting it from her." ¡°T-That¡¯s good¡­¡± ¡°Now, once you¡¯ve eaten the peach, magic will start to manifest inside of you. I''m not sure how much exactly she''s gifting you, but it feels like quite a lot. Magic in this world has multiple effects. One of them is that it also affects your body in general. You''ll grow much healthier, and stronger. It also has a direct effect on your life expectancy. The amount you¡¯ll gain most likely will push you over the boundary of being able to die of old age and most other natural deaths.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The little sister got loud again. ¡°You will not be immortal, though. That is something else entirely. It can end whenever you want it to end. Also, it means that you will be like the others here. You¡¯ll be able to keep each otherpany for a looong time if that¡¯s your desire.¡± ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­ I''ve kinda be ageless¡­ I guess I forgot to mention that, huh¡­?" ¡°YES! Yes, you did!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll also stay looking like our current age for basically forever, by the way¡­ Well, if you want a change of pace, there¡¯s always magic, so¡­¡± ¡°Okay, that means if I gain the ability to use magic, my body will also change in a way that old age won¡¯t be a thing anymore? The same is also true for Sophia?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Canir just nodded. ¡°Down it goes!¡± Saying so, Steph immediately bit into the peach. ¡°Woah, so sweet! It¡¯s super tasty!¡± ¡°Now I also want some peaches¡­¡± Chloe sounded a little envious. ¡°Why are they so hard to get around here? Most of the ces I visited with Feyfey had an abundant amount of them¡­" ¡°It¡¯s probably bad if I share some, right?¡± The eyes of the shorter blonde started to wander between the half-eaten peach, Canir, and the fox-girl next to her. "Yes, you must eat it all to work properly." The overseer shook his head at her idea. ¡°Sorry about that, Chloe¡­¡± ¡°Eh? It¡¯s totally fine! Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± While the duo was busy with each other, Canir looked at the tiger once more. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what you two did on earth, but when Steph found you, you came out of an electronics store. I also heard some things afterward. You went shopping, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, we got lots of stuff. Bad idea?¡± ¡°Mhmm...¡± His eyebrows got a little scrunchy. ¡°Your jaguar and the tiger princess should be fine with a little deceiving, the wolves anyway, but try to keep it contained. Actually, it would be great if you¡¯re able to recreate some of earth¡¯s technology, but based on magic, and not by destroying the. Batteries, for example, the stuff they''re made of are really no good, after all. There are ways to store magic, so try to go after that. It might be usable as energy~. The same goes for how everything is made out of stic in your old world. There are alternatives. Go for them. Don¡¯t pollute this. Don¡¯t give the humans here weird ideas if they find anything you lost...¡± ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t nning to! Thanks for the reminder, though. I will make extra sure that none of the bad stuff spreads!¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Afterward, once he made sure that Steph had properly absorbed the magic and exchanged some more words with everyone, Canir left again. He apparently also was kind of busy with something, and as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone again, as well. Chapter 341 – The fluffiest of references Chapter 341 ¨C The fluffiest of references Canir had visited the group, and much to the delight of everyone, he was alright with giving Steph the necessities to have a great life in the new world by gifting her the ability to use thenguage and also making her able to use magic. The magic came with a twist, though, as it wasn''t his own. Instead, the goddess, or overseer of this world''s magic, Mira, seemed to have taken a liking to the shorter blonde while watching the group together with Canir. She decided that she would bless Steph with a portion of her magic instead. ¡°Oh no, another one with way too much magic..." ¡°Wow, that is impressive!¡± ¡°I want Mira to get interested in me, too!¡± Their reactions were slightly different when they were checking out Steph¡¯s magic that had activated shortly after Canir left. Maya had mixed feelings, but Chloe and Sophia were big fans. ¡°Uhh...?¡± The shorter blonde seemed to be a little confused. ¡°What is going on? My body feels slightly different, but I have magic now...? Is there something wrong...?¡± ¡°Not really wrong.¡± Her older sister scratched her cheek. ¡°Far from it, actually. It¡¯s just that Canir hriously overdid it with the amount of magic he gave me...¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly!¡± The cat-girl got loud. ¡°Okay...? And?¡± ¡°From what I can detect, Mira gave you like 50% more authority over magic than I have!¡± There was a hint of envy in the tiger¡¯s voice. ¡°Wow!¡± Steph got excited. ¡°Well, I have not the slightest clue what this actually means...¡± Her excitement didn¡¯tst too long, though. ¡°It¡¯s amazing! Well, even I would have no idea what to do with that much magic, but you never have to worry about running out when wanting to y!¡± ¡°I like the sound of that! Wait!¡± The little sister got jumpy for a second again but then seemingly remembered something else. "If I have 50% more magic authority or whatever, does that also mean that I¡¯ll grow 50% older than you? Err, live longer? Is that how that works...? If so, please take some! I don''t want to live that much longer! You can share magic with others, right? You mentioned doing that for me!" ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Sophia smiled at her. "Like Canir also said, it doesn''t matter anymore after a certain amount of magic. Maya has around half of my amount, but our life expectancy is supposed to be the same. I¡¯m not entirely sure about Chloe, though. Her magic is kinda weird, like mine, but... Not sure how that trantes to anything.¡± ¡°Feyfey mentioned before that I don¡¯t ever have to worry about bing old, so...¡± ¡°Well, that would exin why Canir mentioned everyone in this room earlier when he talked about the age thingy... Even so, Chloe would be the right girl to share some magic with if you want to get rid of a bit! Her amount is more than decent, but her ideas are amazing, and her having more to y with will guaranteed lead to something amazing!¡± ¡°I want to learn how to be fluffy! Teach me how to get a tail and animal ears!" She sounded very excited again. ¡°Really starting with that right off the bat?¡± ¡°Yes! I want to look the part, fluff myself a little¡­ or a lot, and then go exploring with everyone when no one gets suspicious of me. While we''re doing that, you can teach me some more magic!" ¡°Well, I can¡¯t fault that logic¡­ Fluff is justice, after all. It has to be prioritized at all times.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± "Seriously, no one will ever doubt them being sisters." ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The fox-girl had to chuckle at Maya¡¯s remark. ¡°I think we should still make sure your magic works properly, right?¡± The taller blonde tilted her head. ¡°You don¡¯t identally want to look like something hideous on your first try because you messed up, right?¡± ¡°T-True!¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait either, though!¡± ¡°Understandable¡­ Let¡¯s just try something quick and easy. If that works, everything purely powered by your imagination should be super easy!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She just gave her an even bigger nod. ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯m talking about, do you?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± Sophia smiled at her sister. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Here!¡± Saying so, a ball of water appeared on top of the tiger¡¯s palm. ¡°Concentrate, imagine this very picture, a small sphere of water, its properties, and all that. Once it looks good inside your head, bring it to reality. Make sure you are confident about it, though. You don¡¯t want to drench us all and flood the ce, do you?¡± ¡°Way to add pressure!¡± The shorter blonde didn¡¯t like thest part. ¡°How angry will you be if I flood everything¡­?¡± ¡°How about we never find out?¡± The tiger¡¯s smile changed a little. ¡°If you fail even that, there will be weeks of training before I let you change your appearance!¡± "I better go all out, then!" Afterward, Steph held out her palm while closing her eyes, seemingly trying her best to concentrate as much as possible. About a minuteter, a small sphere of water, though with a slightly odd shape, appeared on top of her hand. "That was easy! Magic is super fun!" Once she noticed something had happened, she opened her eyes again to inspect her work. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re amazing!¡± Chloe pped her hands a few times after having watched the shorter blonde use magic for the first time. ¡°R-Really? Ehehe~.¡± "One is scarier than the other!" Maya was a little concerned about it. ¡°Great job! As expected of my sister! The future of ying with fun magics looks bright!¡± Sophia was proud of her. ¡°You have quite the talent!¡± ¡°I like the sound of that! Does that mean I can be fluffy now?!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The shorter blonde became the most excited yet. ¡°Tell me how!¡± ¡°In one way or another, it¡¯s the same you just did.¡± The tiger shrugged in response. ¡°Every advanced magic is based on your imagination. You think it, you do it. Get a good of how you want to look, and then use the magic on yourself once you¡¯re ready. Be sure the image is very clear, though. After all, that is how you will end up looking!¡± ¡°That is such an interesting concept! I wonder what else you can magic into existence!¡± ¡°Asking all the right questions!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°One thing after another, though.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Fluff is the number one priority right now! Chloe!¡± She then faced the girl next to her again. ¡°Y-Yes?!¡± She hadn¡¯t expected to be addressed with such vigor out of nowhere. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I learned that touching other¡¯s ears is no good, but what about taking a better look...? A-And maybe a light fluffing of your tail, without touching the base... To better recreate the supreme fluff!¡± The shorter blonde looked at her with pleading eyes. ¡°It''s probably better to pester Sophia, and I love her tail, but that''s not what I want to go for. She also isn¡¯t fluffy enough!¡± ¡°HEY!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°That is DEEPLY offensive!¡± ¡°You are fluffy, very much so, butpared to this amazing girl right here, I¡¯m sorry...¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± She couldn''t dream ofparing to her, after all. "Do you want to look like a fox?¡± Chloe looked back at the shorter blonde. ¡°Not exactly, I already have perfection to look at, so there¡¯s no need to be one myself! The same general family would be nice, though! I love canines! That¡¯s why your tail and ears are more interesting than Sophia''s!" She showed her a big smile while exining her reasoning. ¡°I-I see...¡± Her cheeks turned a little red in response. There was some serious praise in the exnation, after all. ¡°If you want to look more canine, you might do well in waiting for Fen and Aura." Sophia thought the two would help her a lot in that regard. "As I mentioned before, they''re full wolves. They''re super fluffy, too. Especially Aura has amazing fur!¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Steph tilted her head for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can trust myself with meeting a wolf with full body fur right before wanting to change my appearance... I might do something regretfully...¡± ¡°Fair.¡± ¡°Have you sisters really never heard of self-restraint before?!¡± Maya got loud again. "Hmm?" Both tilted their heads in response ¡°...¡± She just red at them. ¡°Anyway,¡± The shorter blonde faced Chloe again. ¡°I would really prefer to learn it from you! I promise not to overdo it this time!¡± ¡°Well, okay...¡± The fox-girl gave a slight nod. ¡°I do want to help, and you looking like a member of the canine family sounds really cute! So...¡± ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Her eyes were sparkling again. Immediately after, the little sister got closer to the fox¡¯s head to get a good look at her ears. She was especially interested in the fluff inside it. ¡°Uhh...¡± Chloe¡¯s blush only got stronger as Steph was right next to her while she did her best to get as close to her ears as possible while intently watching them. "Should we, err... leave you two alone for an hour...?" The cat-girl also had some mixed feelings about the situation. ¡°P-Please stay!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that it¡¯s getting ufortable again...¡± "I-I wouldn''t say ufortable..." Chloe wasn''t sure how to exin it. "It doesn''t feel bad at all, just... just, I-I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve ever been so embarrassed before...¡± ¡°I see...¡± Steph continued to stare at her ears for a moment or two longer, but she eventually put some distance between them again. ¡°I love the fuzziness of the fur around your ears and how it¡¯s a bit longer at the tip! The fluff inside looks divine, too! Too bad I can¡¯t touch it, but I respect that! Even looking at it gives me a good feeling of just how soft it has to be, so it¡¯s fine! Regrettable, but fine!¡± ¡°T-Thank you. Also, I¡¯m d you like my ears. I am a little proud of them...¡± ¡°I love them!¡± "Ehehe~." Despite her embarrassment, Chloe still liked that a lot. ¡°You also want to get a better look at my tail, right...?¡± Seemingly in a much better mood again, the fox-girl moved the tip of her tail a little closer to Steph¡¯s face. "Yay!" The shorter blonde got even happier. ¡°I just want to ensure I get the divine levels of fluff right, so I don''t want or need to be rough, don''t worry!" ¡°G-Go ahead.¡± ¡°..." Not wasting another word, Steph gently reached for the fox-girl''s tail and brushed over the fur several times. ¡°It¡¯s sooo amazing! The fur itself is pretty silky, but the sheer mass and the volume makes it so fluffy and spongy! It''s unbelievably soft to the touch, as well! T-This is perfection!¡± "I-It takes a lot of work, though... I use many different conditioners, and there''s lots of brushing involved..." ¡°B-Brushing!?¡± Steph¡¯s eyes got wider. ¡°That¡¯s also pretty intimate, right... T-There¡¯s nothing I would like to do more than brushing your tail!¡± ¡°T-That is a little...¡± Once again, Chloe¡¯s cheeks turned redder. ¡°Too bad!¡± She looked rather disappointed. ¡°Well, for now, can I count on you to show me the best care products and how to take care of a tail in generalter on?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The fox-girl nodded a few times. ¡°You can count on me! I¡¯ll dly help you as much as possible!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± With a big and happy smile on her lips, Steph then looked at her older sister again. ¡°Alright, I think I have everything I need! I¡¯ve reached enlightenment when ites to fluff! All I have to do is to create my own looks, as detailed as possible, and then pour some energy, err... magic into it like with the ball of water...?¡± ¡°You really have to make sure your details are sound! Everything will affect your looks. You can try as often as you want in the end if you end up looking not like you wanted, but it¡¯s still a definite rmendation of mine.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t think it would be much fun doing that. ¡°Also, take absolute care that you think or use the right words when you change your looks!¡± She suddenly looked a lot more serious. ¡°Meaning?¡± The shorter blonde tilted her head. ¡°Remember this! Make absolutely sure you listen to me here! There is a huge difference between wanting to look like the thing you want to imagine and wanting to be it! Do not make a mistake and use the wrong one!¡± Thetiger-girl had some experience with that, after all. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°When Maya and I visited the old world yesterday, we changed our looks and hid our animal features. Beneath, we stayed a part of the beastfolk, though. If you adjust your looks, you only change, well, your visuals. If you be what you''re thinking of, your entire being changes. You will stop being a human and change into an actual hybrid like the three of us are.¡± The tiger does have some experience with that, after all. ¡°Your ears will be relocated to the fluffy ones, your tail will be a permanent addition to your body, and you will never be able to get rid of it again. It bes one with your being instead of just a nice visual addition. You will also gain many traits, feelings, and instincts of whatever animal you borrow stuff from. You will understand why we are so fussy about our ears and tails because you will feel it, as well. Your senses might improve or change, like being able to smell or see things better or in a different way. You might gain new instincts like the urge to hunt or mark things or others... As a cat, p-purring might also happen unconsciously... stuff like that.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s something!¡± ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why you have to make absolutely sure you use the right wording!¡± Theck of this very thing was the cause for most of Sophia''s catastrophes, so she wanted to make sure Steph knew what she was doing. "Seriously! Depending on your wording, you will forever be a hybrid because this change is irreversible!" ¡°I get it! I will make sure not to mess it up!¡± ¡°Good!¡± The tiger was d she understood her concern. ---------------- Afterward, Steph closed her eyes and took her time to concentrate on her new looks. It wasn''t any day that you could change yourself to however you wanted with little to no consequences, after all. It took her about 20 minutes before she opened her eyes again while showing everyone a confident expression. ¡°I got it! Chloe, I need your input on itter, but I think I came up with something cute!¡± ¡°I look forward to it!¡± ¡°Sis, now, while thinking about my, uhh... new self, I just have to pour a good bit of magic into my thoughts?" ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Just make sure to follow what I said earlier about the very heavy difference between looking and bing!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Confirming that she did indeed listen to the tiger, she got ready to use the magic. ¡°Hair, color, fluffy tail, ears... Okay, I want to BECOME a dog-girl!" Steph made sure to put extra emphasis on the most crucial part. ¡°E-EH?!¡± Sophia obviously got loud. ¡°W-What did I just- Ah.¡± She didn¡¯t even have time to finish herint as her sister was immediately swallowed by a cloud of smoke, indicating her change. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised...¡± Maya just shook her head. ¡°These sisters...¡± As there was nothing there could be done anymore at this point, the girls just waited for Steph to finish changing.
Chapter 342 – What a change Chapter 342 ¨C What a change Sophia exined the very basics of magic to her sister after she became able to use it. After a short introduction, Steph was immediately able to create a small ball of water out of nowhere. Afterward, the shorter blonde immediately wanted to go ahead and change her looks because it meant she could start exploring the world sooner. Once she got a lot of references from Chloe, the queen of fluff, and Sophia made sure she understood the difference between looking like a member of the beastfolk and bing one, the little sister went ahead and changed herself. ¡°I want to BECOME a dog-girl!¡± Judging by Steph¡¯s intonation, she definitely made extra sure that she used the correct type of magic while adjusting her appearance. And what an adjustment it was. For the most part, Steph¡¯s body stayed the same. Her height was still somewhere between Sophia and Chloe, around 157cm, and her size also remained simr to her medium-but-premium tiger sister, maybe slightly smaller. Other than that, she changed a lot, though. Her somewhat longer and unruly dark-blonde hair was gone. Instead, her hair turned rtively short, not even reaching all the way to her shoulders. It was still slightly unruly, though. Quite fluffy-looking, as well. Even so, the biggest change was that the blonde had been reced by a light-violet color. It was slightly multicolored, too. Some of the tips faded into a white while others, mostly around her neck, turned into a darker violet, as well. On top of her head, two dog-like ears in the same violet and white hue could be found now, naturally with a generous amount of fluff inside of them. One ear lookedpletely perky like it was supposed to be, but the other was slightly kinked to add a bit of extra cuteness. Her eyes had also changed. Compared to all the other girls, she had not changed to slit pupils as she decided to go with a dog base. However, the design still got altered a little because there was a slightly more prominent ck rim around her eyes now. She didn''t stop there, either. One of her eyes had remained blue, but the other one turned into a deep pink in a simr hue to Chloe''s hair. Even with all that, the most striking feature was her new tail. It was nowhere close to the mountain of fluff attached to the backside of the fox-girl, but it had more than a decent size for her style. In fact, if it wouldn¡¯t be wagging from one side to the other behind her back and pointing down to the ground, it might be almost as long as her legs, just much wider. It also had the same light-violet base color as her hair, with a few darker-colored strands here and there. The underside of her tail was a pure-white, as well. ---------------- ¡°Wow, what a change!¡± Maya was the first to react. ¡°You look adorable, though.¡± "..." Chloe simply stared at the dog-girl with a slightly agape mouth. ¡°I love the design!¡± Sophia also got excited. ¡°WAIT! Why did you say that you want to BECOME a dog-girl?!¡± She got loud. ¡°I told you what that means, didn¡¯t I?!¡± ¡°E-Exactly!¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°That¡¯s... That¡¯s why I worded it the way I did... W-Why would I only want to look like this if I can be like this for real...?¡± Her expression was somehow turningplicated along the way. ¡°I hate that I get what you mean...¡± The tiger hung her head. "You still should''ve tried it out first before doing... Changing for reales with some other caveats, after all... For example..." ¡°ITCHY! Why am I feeling so itchy?!¡± The little sister couldn¡¯t take it any longer. ¡°T-This is horrible! Why?!¡± ¡°Because you fundamentally changed your body and grew an extra limb, idiot!¡± "A-Ah... Why didn¡¯t you warn me about the itch?!¡± "BECAUSE I told you to change your looks!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t! You told me the difference between changing one¡¯s looks and bing part fluffy! Any normal-thinking person would decide to be a member of the fluffy after you listed all those amazing features!¡± ¡°Is it really my fault...?¡± Sophia then looked at Maya for help. ¡°For a normal thinking person, no, you worded it quite clearly...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You were talking to your sister, though... so... debatable.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve seen iting, huh?¡± ¡°You really should¡¯ve.¡± ¡°Can we focus on the itch?! This itchingly itchy ITCH!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deal with this again...¡± Feeling the dread of a strong d¨¦j¨¤-vu, Maya got up from the sofa to leave for the kitchen. "I''ll get some drinks ready... Steph, good job on the change. You look adorable. Love the eyes~.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Steph waved after her before focusing on Sophia once again. ¡°T-Tell me how to get rid of the itch! The ITCH!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± The blonde showed her a wry smile. "It will take a while for your body to deal with it. Your brain has no idea what to do with the tail yet, so it''s a little itchy because it''s still foreign to you." ¡°I-I see¡­ So itchy! I¡¯m really mad that you didn¡¯t warn me about this¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia went silent for a moment before her expression changed. ¡°You know, there¡¯s a way to make you get used to it faster.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Stand up, please.¡± While saying so, the tiger did the same and walked over to her sister. ¡°Okay- W-Woah!¡± She jumped off the sofa and almost tripped over her feat. ¡°M-My bnce is kinda off¡­¡± "Well, there is a gigantic tail sticking out your back. Imagine a feline who even more actively uses its tail for bnce all the time¡­" The tiger looked a little tired all of a sudden. ¡°That makes sense¡­ S-So, what can we do about the itch?!¡± ¡°Turn around, please.¡± ¡°Alri-, H-HhiYaaA!¡± The moment she showed her back to her sister, Sophia immediately grabbed Steph¡¯s tail and gave it a good squeeze directly at the base where it wasing out of her back. Directly after the shriek, the dog-girl sank down on her knees and looked at her with tears in the corners of her eyes. "W-Why did you do that?! W-Why did that feel so intense?!¡± ¡°I told you that our tails are super sensitive! Why do you think Chloe and I reacted so much when you jumped at us?! Also, that is nothingpared to our ears.¡± During her exnation, Sophia let go of Steph¡¯s tail and slowly moved her hand closer to her ears. ¡°S-Stop!¡± The little sister immediately used her own hands to cover her ears. She tried to, at least. ¡°Idiot, they¡¯re on top of your head now.¡± Instead of using this chance, the tiger grabbed one of Steph''s hands, which she was currently pressing against the side of her head where her ears were in the past, and moved it up. ¡°W-Woah!¡± Once Steph came in contact with her own ear, her expression changed. ¡°It feels just like the ear of a dog!¡± ¡°Because it is¡­¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°R-Right¡­¡± ¡°Before that, isn¡¯t there something else you want to say? If not, I¡¯ll go for the tail again! It¡¯s very fluffy, by the way, so I¡¯ll enjoy it for a long time.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry that I jumped at you earlier! I now definitely know that fluffing only has to happen with absolute consent!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Y-You, too, Chloe¡­¡± She faced the fox-girl while she was still sitting on the ground. ¡°I had no idea it¡¯s this extreme¡­ I really hope everything is good between us. I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had no reactions whatsoever and just continued to look at the new dog-girl with a slightly dazed expression. ¡°Chloe¡­?¡± Seeing herplete non-reaction, Steph waved her arm around in front of the fox-girl''s face a couple of times. "A-Ah! Eh, hmm¡­?" She finally snapped back to reality. "I-I''m sorry! Did you say something¡­?" ¡°I just apologized for touching your tail yesterday again. When we just met. I now know just how sensitive they are¡­¡± ¡°O-Oh, that¡¯s fine! You didn¡¯t know about that, after all. I¡¯m not mad at all.¡± ¡°Thank goodness!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl went back to being silent while staring at Steph. ¡°Chloe¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes?!¡± ¡°Is something the matter? You seem a little out of it.¡± ¡°N-Not at all! Everything¡¯s fine!¡± Her cheeks seemed a little flushed when she suddenly turned her head away. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± The dog-girl looked a little confused. ¡°By the way, sis, my tail is still super itchy!¡± ¡°Should I go again?¡± She simply lifted her hand once more. ¡°I-I¡¯m good!¡± Steph jumped on her feet again and turned her back away from the tiger. ¡°It should be fine in a few days.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I have to tough it out, then.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°By the way, is there a- found it!" Not finishing her sentence, Steph spotted the mirror in the corner of the living room and walked over to it. "W-Woah! Is that really me?!" ¡°That¡¯s how mirrors work, yes.¡± ¡°Stop smarting me!¡± The little sister raised her voice again. ¡°Well, what do you want to hear then?" Sophia tilted her head. "Is that not what you imagined? I think you did an amazing job! It''s mega unfamiliar, but you look super good! I even love the short hair! I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Not too long ago, I was quite short myself, but I always preferred looking at long hair.¡± ¡°N-No, it¡¯s scary how much it matches my imagination! That was exactly what I had in mind! The coloring, shape, everything!¡± ¡°Why violet, though?¡± ¡°I thought it would look great!¡± ¡°Well, as good as any reasoning. True, as well. It¡¯s an amazing color. Was the kinked ear on purpose, too?¡± ¡°Yes! I thought it would be cute! Dogs with a kinked ear always look so yful, and I love that! I was right, if I can say so myself!¡± ¡°You absolutely were!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Love the shape of your ears as a whole!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± "Your tail looks super fluffy, too. Am a big fan of that! Feels great to the touch, as well~.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± After having been slightly vited by her sister, her feelings on that part were a little mixed. ¡°What about the pink eye, though? Odd eyes are amazing, I love those of Chloe, but I can¡¯t say I was expecting that.¡± ¡°Ahaha, I actually wasn¡¯t so sure about that myself¡­ I did like my blue eyes, but my ears and, even more so, my tail were inspired by huskies, and it''s quitemon for them to have heterochromia. I was thinking of keeping both blue or going with the more traditionalbination of blue and yellow or orange. Still, I wasn''t sure if that sort of odd eyes would''ve worked with the light violet. Instead, I went with pink! Pink is an amazing color, after all! I love it!" ¡°I see! Yeah, the pink works really well with the rest of your light-violet base! Good choice! I sure have to get used to my sister looking that different, though." "It''s not like your change was that much less drastic¡­ Sure, you are still blonde, but it''s an entirely different hue, and everything else ispletely different! Even your height, size, and age have changed!" ¡°¡­¡± The tiger paused for a moment. ¡°You win this round.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Looking slightly smug, Steph went back to the sofas and stopped in front of where Chloe was sitting. There, she did a short twirl before smiling at the fox-girl. ¡°What do you think?¡± "¡­" She needed another moment. ¡°Why are you spacing out so much?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head while she continued to stare at her. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing! I just think you might ended up too cute, and I have no idea what to say¡­" ¡°Woah, that was smooth!¡± Sophia looked impressed. ¡°Really?!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Wait, did I say that out loud?!¡± ¡°You totally did!¡± She got closer to her. ¡°I want to hear it again! With as many details as possible!¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s face turned red again. ¡°Y-You look very cute! The light violet with the white tips and the darker ents is amazing! The kinked ear is beyond cute, and the tail is perfect, too! I¡¯m d I could help out with making it look so fluffy! I think bing a member of the dog family is perfect for you, too! You are super friendly and approachable and get excited about many things, after all!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She was so happy about her assessment that her face turned slightly red. Not only that, but her tail also started wagging in response. ¡°She totally is a dog. Always has been, too.¡± Sophia agreed with the sentiment. "It''s a perfect choice." ¡°What about my eye?¡± Steph ignored her sister and kept focusing on Chloe. ¡°The pink one especially! I got the idea from you, after all!¡± ¡°F-From me?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The dog-girl reacted with a big nod while the wagging of her tail intensified. ¡°I love the pink of your hair and tail so much that I wanted to have a piece of it for myself!¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Absolutely! Your looks are amazing, after all! Only topped by your personality I got to know so far!" ¡°T-Thank you very much¡­¡± The fox-girl¡¯s face only got redder. ¡°I-I¡¯m d you enjoy mypany so much.¡± ¡°I definitely do!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Her expression got even softer. ¡°I-I feel the same¡­ I¡¯m really d you came with your sister!¡± ¡°So am I!¡± With her tail having never stopped wagging, Steph sat back down on the sofa while gettingfortable right next to the fox-girl. Afterward, while the duo kept chatting and seemingly being in a brilliant mood, Sophia decided to join Maya in the kitchen because she got a little suspicious about why she was taking so long.
Chapter 342.5 – Illustration Chapter 342.5 ¨C Illustration The final form of Steph is finally with us! I didn''t get an illustration of human Steph because she never was supposed to be with us for long. Here she is again: Overall, I immediately fell in love with her design, but the eyes were a bit of work. I think I yed around with like 30 differentbinations before settling on 3 final ideas I had fully illustrated. Spoiler Alternative 1: Alternative 2: [copse] I liked both ones a lot, especially the yellow alternative. Still, the blue one was slightly too boring, and the yellow shed with her hair too much. The pink looked nice,plimented her colors, and matched Chloe, so that was my winner~
I''m sure that some probably prefer a different version of her from the choices I had, but I am REALLY happy with what I went with!
Now to some trivia~ THERE WERE SO MANY HINTS FOR HER I HID IN THE STORY xD I''ll skip all the dog/fox references because I forgot where I put most of them myself, but let me show you some pictures with plushies that might look familiar: Spoiler From around chapter 300: And then all the way back to the background of the illustration in chapter 183!!! Yeah, over 150 chapters back! [copse] It was really fun hiding them... I had done the same with Chloe, as well. Might there be others, too? -- Anyway, I hope you like the new design of Steph. In a way, it''s kinda simple, but she is sooo darn adorable that I will ept noints about anything regarding her design. Again, people often say it''s okay to be wrong or have their own opinion, but in this case, that''s simply not the truth. Bonus: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays~ Bonus: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays~ ¡°You know, I already love it here, but I do kinda miss Christmas. Not for the religious side, but the mood was always nice.¡± While Sophia, Maya, Chloe, and Steph were rxing in the mansion¡¯s living room, the dog-girl suddenly spoke up. ¡°It would be right around now, too.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The pink fox seemed to be a fan of the idea. ¡°It¡¯s been forever since I even heard that name. I loved the decoration and the food~.¡± ¡°I like the smell of the tree in the living room~.¡± Sophia also liked it. "Aside from the part where I now smell forests and stuff on a daily basis.¡± She was a lot closer to nature than before, after all. ¡°What¡¯s, uhh¡­ Christmas¡­?¡± Maya was just confused. Obviously, she had never heard of it before. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The otherworldler trio looked a little awkward before the tiger continued. ¡°It¡¯s a popr holiday from our old world. It¡¯s based on something religious, but most really only care about getting together with friends or family and having a good time together by having a great meal, beingzy, decorating the house, and exchanging some presents." ¡°Ohh, that sounds like fun!¡± The cat-girl was warming up to it. ¡°Should we do it? Just for the fun?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph liked her sister¡¯s suggestion. ¡°How, though?¡± Chloe tilted her head. "Sure, food and a Christmas tree will be easy to get. Food is food, and firs are more than plenty around, but¡­ the kind of decoration doesn''t exist here." ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°Maya, how do you feel about another quick trip to my old home?¡± ¡°Not overly excited, but I¡¯m willing to go for the greater good.¡± ¡°That works!¡± She could live with her low level of excitement for it. ¡°Steph, you know how to cook, and Chloe, you still remember some popr dishes, as well?" ¡°Sure!¡± The duo nodded. "Perfect! How about the two of you get some ingredients so we can cook something¡­ and borrow a nice fir from somewhere. Maya and I will take care of decorations and maybe some specialties like Christmas cookies or stuff like that. Once we¡¯re back, we¡¯ll also collect Anna, Ari, and our favorite princess.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± Everyone agreed. ---------------- A couple of hourster, Sophia and Maya finally returned to the good world after their shopping trip and took the portal to the castle. Naturally, only after they added their animal bits again, of course. ¡°Alright, who wants to celebrate Christmas with us?!¡± The duo met Anna and Ari in the princess''s room, and Sophia sounded quite excited. ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± The taller tiger immediately agreed to it. ¡°What¡¯s Christmas?¡± ¡°Same question.¡± The jaguar was a little more reserved. ¡°It¡¯s a holiday Steph remembered from our birthce, and we decided to celebrate it for fun. Good food, fun decorations, and just rxing with each other.¡± ¡°Still in!¡± Anna liked what she was hearing. ¡°It does sound fun.¡± Ari also warmed up to the idea. ¡°Perfect!¡± The shorter tiger raised her fist. ¡°Let¡¯s go and get Ellie!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Maya followed after her. ---------------- "Ellie!" The group arrived at her room, and Sophia immediately addressed her. "Do you also want to celebrate Christmas with us?" ¡°Yay!¡± The little princess immediately got excited. ¡°What is¡­ cri¡­ chrima¡­ Ellie is not going to try!¡± She started pouting over the needlesslyplicated word. ¡°What is¡­ that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll only tell you if you try your best in saying Christmas. Christ-mas.¡± The blonde repeated it while putting extra focus on the pronunciation. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Cri¡­ Chrii¡­ Crimas¡­ Chriistmast!¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± Everyone could live with that. Mainly because they were already taking damage from the sugar while watching and listening to her trying to pronounce the word. ¡°Yay!¡± Ellie started smiling again. ¡°So, what is that?¡± She refused to do it again, though. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°It¡¯s kinda like a party where we eat good food and y around with decorations to make our home look funny.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ellie seemed to like it, too. Listening to their boss, everyone got ready and made their way toward the mansion to celebrate Christmas together there.
Chapter 343 – Not subtle at all Chapter 343 ¨C Not subtle at all Steph had sessfully changed her looks to match the beastfolk and be able to explore everything without arousing suspicion. In fact, she had gone much further than that. Just like Sophia a long time ago, she had be a full member of the beastfolk as she changed her very being rather than just look her looks. Other than the tiger, she had done so fully consciously, though, as she was convinced this would be way more fun. In the end, she had turned into a violet-haired dog girl with odd eyes, a kinked ear, and a super fluffy tail in the same color scheme. Everything thought she turned out incredibly cute, and Chloe was especially taken by her. The fox-girl liked absolutely everything about her changes that seemed to perfectly fit her personality, as well. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Once she had left the living room to look for her cat-girl, Sophia immediately ran into her behind the door. Why didn¡¯t youe in?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°First, I remembered how annoying you were with the itchiness of your new tail... I couldn¡¯t deal with that a second time... Though, it seems like your sister is taking it a little better. A feline tail is more flexible and maneuverable, so it might¡¯ve been harder for your brain?¡± ¡°Oh, that could be it! I really was quite annoying back then, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Why were you waiting behind the door, though?¡± ¡°Err... I was watching and listening from here instead... I couldn¡¯t be closer...¡± ¡°Ehh? I thought that Steph¡¯s new form looks amazing, though? Sure, pretty unfamiliar, but I really like her looks! Staying away from her is quite the overreaction even if you didn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Your imagination really is something else.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Your, uhh... new sister looks great! She¡¯s extremely cute. I love the coloring, and her animal bits look amazing, too. Super fluffy! Her choice of bing a member of the dog folk also was the perfect choice for her personality. Most of them are really easygoing, active, loyal, and excitable! She¡¯s all that, after all!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked that her sister got praised so much and smiled the entire way toward the kitchen they went to for real now. ¡°What¡¯s the problem, then?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t trust myself around Chloe... She¡¯s way too much of an easy target right now. Even from afar, I had a hard time holding back, but teasing her about it already would make me feel bad...¡± ¡°Hmm? What did Chloe do?¡± The tiger tilted her head while thinking about it. ¡°Oh, do you mean the very obvious crush she¡¯s developing on my sister?¡± ¡°YES!¡± The cat-girl nodded a couple of times. ¡°Thank you very much for me not having to exin it to you...¡± ¡°Have some faith in me!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°If anything, I''m disappointed that it took you this long! It''s not like Chloe was subtle yesterday..." "I was giving her the benefit of the doubt because a lot was going on yesterday. It was already starting to be obvious, though, yes.¡± ¡°Well, I always knew Chloe had good taste~.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she say that you were her type?¡± Maya stared at her. ¡°This and that is unrted...¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Her eyes shifted around a bit before continuing. "My sister is the best, after all. Everyone should have a crush on her, logically speaking! Except you, of course!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± She liked the slight jealousy in her voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I prefer the older sister.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Are you okay with that, though? Chloe having a crush on Steph, I mean? She''s your sister, after all." ¡°Hmm?¡± "Precious little sister, who''s never allowed to have a partner if you can prevent it?" ¡°Ahh...¡± The tiger could see what she was going for. ¡°I mean, if it¡¯s someone I don¡¯t know, sure... magic trial till death, it is, but... It¡¯s Chloe. I love that fox. I already like how well they go together, so I¡¯m willing to give her a pass~.¡± ¡°They definitely look good together, and their personalities work, too.¡± Maya agreed. ¡°Now more than ever. Their colors match amazingly. Did Steph do that on purpose? She seems to be quite taken by our fox as well, after all.¡± ¡°Hmm... Steph has always liked soft colors, so she probably would¡¯ve gone for something simr even without her. Then again, she changed one of her eyes because she loved Chloe¡¯s hair. That¡¯s literally what she said, so... She might¡¯ve gotten some inspiration in other things from her, as well.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s mutual already? Steph definitely seems to like her a lot already, but I have no idea how she normally is around friends. Not to mention that she loves fluff just as much, if not even more than you, so it¡¯s not that easy for me to take a guess.¡± Maya didn¡¯t know the little sister that well yet, after all. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not so sure how she acted around most of her friends, either... I rarely met them. She was quite clingy with the few I did meet, but... She already seems tighter with Chloe. I mean, it''s kinda understandable in a way? She''s the first of the beastfolk she met and a fox, of all things, one of the animals she loves the most. I would be rather excited in that situation, too.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve rarely seen her getting so happy from being praised orplimented as she does from Chloe, though. She''s definitely a big fan of our fox. I can say that much with confidence." ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give them some time before I start the teasing.¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°They have to get to know each other first, after all.¡± ¡°My, how generous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I am~.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She rolled her eyes in return before her expression changed into a smile. ¡°Teasing them will be most enjoyable~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my girl!¡± The cat-girl had an even brighter smile. ¡°Hehe. Alrighty, how about we head back for the time being?¡± ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± Afterward, once the two had gotten that topic out of their system, and the cat-girl quickly prepared the drinks she had left for in the first ce, they returned to the living room to join up with the duo again to make some ns regarding going forward from now on. ---------------- ¡°How¡¯s the tail doing?¡± Back with the duo, Sophia looked at her sister. ¡°Itchy! That¡¯s how it¡¯s doing! Very, very itchy!¡± Steph immediately got loud. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± As the tiger could rte to that on a very deep level, she decided to stay silent. ¡°What about your ears? Are they any better?¡± "A lot, actually! They feel a little weird, but not actually itchy! Maybe it''s because I already had ears, and they just moved¡­? It feels like my hearing has changed, though¡­ I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s gotten better, but it¡¯s definitely sounding more clear now¡­ It¡¯s very unfamiliar.¡± "Yeah, my hearing has gotten much more directional, so I can see yours changing in one way or another, too.¡± Sophia¡¯s ears twitched a few times while giving her reply. ¡°It¡¯s weird at first, but you get used to it fast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very reassuring to know.¡± "Anything else that feels odd?" The blonde wanted to ensure her sister was doing fine after her sudden change. "Other than the itch, I mean." ¡°I¡¯m feeling weirdly fine, actually! Better than ever, almost¡­ There are some weird feelings, but I''m brimming with energy!" ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s mostly your new magic. It improves every aspect of your body, like giving you a ton of extra stamina and energy.¡± ¡°I can feel that! So much that I want to go on a walk right this instant!¡± As Steph said that, her tail started wagging again. ¡°The dog wants to go on a walk, huh?¡± "A-Ah.¡± Her face turned red. ¡°S-Shut up, sis¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. You know how much I love to run, right? That feeling got much more intense ever sinceing here. If you want to, we can go on a run every single day!¡± "Sounds like fun! I feel like running 20 kilometers right now, though! I have that much energy that needs to get out right now! Might be a bit much?¡± "I mean, I can hold myself back if you only want to do a warm-upp, sure." Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little busy recently, so it''s not every day right now, but my usual routine has be at least marathon-length at this point.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± "Yeah, she also bes a real pain if she hasn''t moved enough in a day¡­" Maya let out a short sigh. "I run with her every now and then, but I''m still nowhere close to matching her¡­ If you manage to power her out on your walks, I''ll forever be grateful to you!" ¡°Sounds like you became even worse when having to sit still, huh?¡± ¡°Very!¡± The tiger had no ns to y it down. "I look forward to doing that together with you!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The new dog-girl definitely was a fan of going on walks already. ¡°I¡¯d like to do some normal exploring first, though! We haven¡¯t even left the house, after all! I want to see more of this ce!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess we¡¯re good to go now? I mean, you understand thenguage and look the part, as well. I guess we could do some exploring.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°You have to promise that you don¡¯t mention the other world, or how you¡¯ve changed your appearance, even be a member of the beastfolk, in public! It would either raise way too much of a fuss, or we''d bebeled as crazy! I don''t want any of that!¡± ¡°Of course! I know exactly how I¡¯d look at someone making such ims! No matter how true it actually is¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Sophia was d she understood. ¡°Alright, I guess we can do some exploring, then!¡± "Let''s go!" Steph immediately sprang up from the sofa while raising her arm high into the air. ¡°Chloe,¡± The cat-girl then looked at her. ¡°Do you mind if we leave that to the sisters? Except for having napped together on the sofast night, those two haven¡¯t had any alone time since reuniting. They earned some more bonding time.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The fox-girl nodded a couple of times. ¡°There¡¯s more than enough time for all of us to do something together, so we can definitely give them some alone time!¡± ¡°Thank you so much, you two, but you really don¡¯t have to hold back for us. I don¡¯t mind at all if we go as a group.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Steph nodded a few times in agreement. "No, we insist." Maya shook her head. "You two have a good time while Chloe and I head to the castle. We¡¯ll give Anna and Ari a short briefing. They will be way too surprised else¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s actually a good idea¡­¡± Afterward, once the sisters agreed to the n, everyone got ready and finally left the mansion for the first time since Steph had arrived in the world.
Chapter 344 – Another one of them Chapter 344 ¨C Another one of them Sophia and Maya had a nice chat over the rather obvious crush that Chloe was developing on Steph, how the big sister felt about that, and the possibility of the new dog-girl feeling the same about the fox-girl as she definitely is getting along with her more than fine. Afterward, as Steph was brimming with energy, the sisters, now that she could understand thenguage and looked the part, decided to go on a little adventure while the other two headed over to the castle instead. They wanted to give the sisters some alone time because they still had much catching up to do after not having seen each other for almost a year. ¡°There she is!¡± Maya and Chloe had gone to the castle while the sisters went exploring, and Anna immediately red at the cat-girl the moment the two had entered her room. "Ari and I waited for you this morning to go to school, but you and Sophia never came, and we had to go without you! We didn''t see you yesterday at all, either!¡± ¡°You really should¡¯ve said something beforehand.¡± Ari also looked a little pouty. ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m sorry about that¡­¡± Maya awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Thest few days were so extremelyplicated and hectic that I forgot about that¡­¡± ¡°What could¡¯ve been so bad that you even forgot to give us a heads-up?¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°Also, where is Sophia? Did something happen?¡± ¡°That might be putting it lightly¡­ Chloe, please exin to them what happened¡­¡± ¡°W-Why me?!¡± The fox-girl got loud. "I still don''t understand more than half of it myself! I only know that she''s adorable and fun and that I¡¯m looking forward to going exploring with her!" ¡°¡­¡± Maya stared at her for a moment before eventually shaking her head. ¡°Thanks for the help¡­¡± "I-I''m not qualified to tell them about Steph, don''t you think?!" ¡°Steph¡­?¡± Hearing that name, Anna and Ari tilted their head in confusion. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Err¡­ Do you really not want to exin it¡­?¡± The cat-girl realized she really didn''t want to do it and looked at the fox-girl again. ¡°You found her! You exin!¡± ¡°She found us!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t make me any more qualified to tell the story!¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t going to let her off the hook. ¡°Urgh, I hate it when someone counters with sound arguments¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t used to that sort of thing, after all. ¡°Uhh¡­?¡± The princess only got more confused while listening to them. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kindaplicated to exin, but Sophia and I went on a bit of an¡­ let¡¯s call it an expedition, and we made a new, uhh¡­ friend? A good one, I want to add.¡± "She''s great. I more than agree with that, but is friend really the right word?¡± ¡°What do you want her to be, then?¡± Maya¡¯s vow not to tease Chloe about her obviousness, for the time being, was already being tested. "Well, you have a point, but stop making it moreplicated!" ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s making itplicated¡­?¡± ¡°You are certainly not making it easier!¡± ¡°Maya, stop being a Sophia and get to the point!¡± Ari had had enough. ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl had no idea how to respond to that. ¡°That is¡­ you win.¡± She was a little speechless after that, but it helped her calm down. ¡°Long story short, we met Sophia¡¯s little sister after a series of weird coincidences¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know Sophia had a sister!¡± Ari didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it. ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Anna remembered the family situation of the blonde tiger, though. ¡°H-Her sister¡­? Eh? I thought Sophia¡¯s family was¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what we all thought¡­ Sophia included.¡± As the cat-girl wasn¡¯t specifying what everyone was thinking, she had spoken no lie yet. ¡°As it turns out, Sophia just thought she had lost her sister when in reality, they only got separated." ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The princess raised her voice. ¡°How did that even happen?!¡± "That''s an excellent question¡­" Maya didn''t feel like answering this question. Mainly because there was no way she could. "It was quite the shock for everyone¡­" ¡°I can imagine!¡± Anna nodded a couple of times. ¡°How¡¯s Sophia doing? I have no idea how I¡¯d deal with something like that¡­¡± "She cried a lot. Both cried a lot. Heck, I also cried a bunch when they reunited¡­ It was very touching.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Talk about unexpected¡­¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Where are they now, though¡­? D-Don¡¯t tell me Sophia left with her?!¡± "Would we really be talking right now, then? As if I¡¯d let her go so easily.¡± ¡°G-Good point.¡± ¡°I was with them ever since they found each other, and Chloe, too, has been around since we returned to the mansion. I felt that the two should have some time with just each other to catch up on stuff and all that.¡± ¡°Aww, that¡¯s very nice of you!¡± Anna liked the gesture a lot. "Steph, as Chloe already mentioned, that''s her name. She also wanted to see the capital because it was her first time being here, so they also went exploring. They mighte over depending on how sidetracked they get¡­¡± ¡°I look forward to it!¡± ¡°How is she like?¡± Ari was naturally interested in her, as well. ¡°She¡¯s SUPER cute!¡± The fox-girl¡¯s reply came in an instant. ¡°Calm down¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes in return. ¡°It is very true, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s, uhh¡­ good to know, but I was more wondering about actual details¡­¡± "She''s about Chloe''s age and a dog-girl with violet hair and a super fluffy tail. Obviously notparable to our fox-girl, though. She also incorporates the very soul of a dog. She easily gets excited about basically everything, caring, and loves body contact. She¡¯s pretty clingy, actually. Super active and can¡¯t sit still. A very peppy and lovable girl.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Chloe agreed with Maya¡¯s exnation. ¡°Violet? That¡¯s a rare one.¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°Makes me feel even more stupid that I was so worried about my ck hair¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, you were pretty stupid.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± She red at the cat-girl. ¡°No need to agree there!¡± ¡°Wait, a dog-girl¡­?¡± Anna looked slightly confused. ¡°Sophia¡¯s a tiger, so her sister should be one, too¡­? That¡¯s how we tiger work. If at least one parent is a tiger, the children will basically always be, too¡­ Share they only one parent, maybe?¡± "I have no idea¡­" Maya shook her head. "We''re talking about Sophia''s family, though. Do you really think anything there would be normal? I''m sure that the tiger rule has exceptions, too. Sophia is so much tiger that I wouldn''t be surprised that there was nothing left for her sister when she was born." "I hate how that makes perfect sense to me¡­" The princess had some very conflicting emotions about that. "Well, yeah, every rule has some exceptions, huh? Assuming they actually are sisters. It¡¯s no super weird misunderstanding, right¡­?¡± ¡°Trust me, they are sisters.¡± ¡°Yeah, there is absolutely zero doubt about that.¡± Maya and Chloe were absolutely certain about that. "Spend three seconds with them, and your doubts are gone.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Speaking of¡­¡± Ari¡¯s expression also turnedplicated. ¡°If she¡¯s Sophia¡¯s sister¡­ How crazy and or unhinged is shepared to our blonde¡­? From what I¡¯ve heard so far, I might be worried¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Do you really want to know¡­?¡± Maya looked right into her eyes. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like that gesture. ¡°Between them only, Sophia¡¯s the reasonable and grounded sister with a healthy amount ofmon sense.¡± ¡°N-No way that¡¯s possible!¡± Anna and Ari had the same reaction. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± The fox-girl smiled at them. ¡°She¡¯s awesome!¡± ¡°She has more magic than our tiger, too. A lot more, actually¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I give up!¡± Ari threw her hands into the air while looking slightly broken. ¡°I don¡¯t get paid enough for having to deal with that many unhinged girls! I''ll also embrace the chaos from now on!" ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± Chloe was an instant fan. ¡°Me, too!¡± So was the princess. ¡°Y-You can¡¯t leave me on my own!¡± Maya had some reservations about the n. ¡°We have to hold out until Chloe¡¯s mother returns! It shouldn¡¯t be long, and ording to the wolves, she should be able to keep them in check!¡± ¡°As if that¡¯s still possible at this point!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± There was little she could say here. ¡°W-We have to try, though! The world will end with so muchbined chaos!¡± ¡°Everything good has to end eventually, you know?¡± "A-Ari!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like her broken expression. ¡°Pull yourself together!¡± ¡°What for¡­? If the little sister is even crazier and the two are reunited again, which is amazing, by the way, there¡¯s no need to try anymore. We¡¯re done!¡± ¡°Dark Ari is pretty interesting~.¡± The fox-girl was having a good time. ¡°You stay out of this!¡± The cat got louder. ¡°You¡¯re part of the issue!¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± There was little she could say here. ¡°Can we say for sure that Steph is another chaos incarnate, though¡­? Yes, hermon sense is, uhh¡­ bad. Still, to me, it sounded like she was simply really looking forward to going exploring because she couldn''t do that yet. Right now, she''s just a super bouncy girl with no over-the-top ideas like Sophia and I have¡­ So far, at least. Steph also doesn''t seem to care much about her massive magic, so she shouldn''t be as catastrophe prone as the older sister?" ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± Ari¡¯s voice got ever so slightly hopeful again. ¡°I think!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her hope didn¡¯tst long. ¡°Steph is really nice, though! It should be fine!¡± ¡°So are you and Sophia!¡± The jaguar was back to retorting. ¡°It didn¡¯t make anything fine at all!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Once again, the fox-girl had nothing to say in her defense. Afterward, as Ari was too tired and Chloe had run out of options, they decided to take a small break from the topic to chat about other things for the time being. Chapter 345 – Slight trust issues Chapter 345 ¨C Slight trust issues Maya and Chloe went to the castle to tell Ari and Anna about what was currently going on. Or rather, giving them a rough overview as there was just no way they could tell them everything. Naturally, the couple was quite surprised by the sudden appearance of Sophia''s sister. Still, the jaguar was most concerned that Steph seemed to be anothermon-sense-less individual that could potentially destroy the world if not watching out, just like her bigger sister. While that was going on, Steph was finally getting her first small adventure while the sisters explored the capital together. ¡°I had no idea the ce we were staying in was this huge!¡± The two had just left the mansion, and the dog-girl was still staring at their home. "It felt big inside, but not that much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°It even has a stable in the back garden.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°No horses, though.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± She looked honestly disappointed. ¡°Too bad!¡± ¡°Well, horses aren¡¯t exactly easy to keep. We also don¡¯t really need them. You don¡¯t know it yet, but thanks to the magic strengthening our body, we¡¯re significantly faster than horses. We have more endurance, as well.¡± ¡°F-For real?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Steph needed to let that sink in first. ¡°Still, horses would be cute!¡± ¡°Very true.¡± The tiger nodded a few times. ¡°On the other hand, I¡¯m friends with two wolves that can grow over three meters tall and are cool with riding on them. Not to mention that they speak ournguage. Slightly beats a horse in my opinion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult to believe such tall wolves being a thing, but if it¡¯s actually true, yeah, that is an adequate recement for horses.¡± ¡°Yeah, this world is a little unbelievable at times. Then again, when Maya ended up in our old world, she had to deal with a much bigger shock.¡± ¡°I can see that!¡± The violet-haired girl could see the issue. ¡°Right now, this ce just looks like a remote, but very fancy area¡­ All those old-school mansions that look in pristine condition, no signs of electricity or cars and the like. Very weird, but also really refreshing in a way." She seemed to like it. "Speaking of refreshing, the air here feels amazing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what theck of excessive pollution does to you. Environmental destruction of that kind isn''t a thing here. Like, at all. Also, once you exit the capital, there¡¯s only green as far as the eye reaches.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to even imagine that!¡± ¡°I know, right? You should¡¯ve heard Maya roasting the humans when I told her what we¡¯re doing in that world¡­ Ignoring the part where I only mentioned a fraction of our endless stupidity.¡± ¡°It has to be unbelievable for outsiders.¡± Steph awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°To be fair, though, there weren''t any alternatives for the longest time. It also helped us to develop in an amazing way and all that. I mean, seriously, the stuff we came up with is beyond impressive. It¡¯s just that humans have no understanding of the concept of modesty. Most of them don¡¯t know when to stop¡­¡± ¡°Unfortunately. I guess that¡¯s also why Canir gave the warning about the stuff Maya and I got. It spreading would definitely be a huge issue, after all.¡± ¡°Great for personal enjoyment, though! It also sounded like it''s possible to recreate many things with magic. I bet that could be fun!" ¡°I¡¯ve already tried to do that with some things, but there¡¯s lots of untapped protentional there! Maybe we should head back to earth for a day and get all kinds of books and stuff about detailed exnations of various inventions.¡± ¡°Sounds like a lot of fun!¡± The dog-girl liked the idea. ¡°I first have to learn how to use magic, though.¡± ¡°Well, judging by your use of it so far, that should be the smallest of issues. You changed your everything like five minutes after you got able to use magic. And it¡¯s an amazing conversion! You look amazing!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She was happy about thepliment. ¡°It¡¯s still super weird to have such ears and a tail now! Not to mention¡­¡± ¡°Itchy?¡± ¡°ITCHY!¡± It seems like Steph hasn¡¯t gotten over it yet. ¡°I¡¯m also starting to feel some instincts and other things that a human isn¡¯t supposed to feel¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sophia looked a little awkward. ¡°It takes some time to get used to all that¡­¡± "You were always pretty cat-like, though. I bet it was quite easy for you¡­¡± "Yeah, it was super easy to get used to a tail that threw off my bnce so hard that I had topletely relearn how to WALK from SCRATCH.¡± ¡°T-That sounds rough¡­¡± "No kidding!" "I was more talking about feline instincts and all that, though¡­" ¡°That was a lot easier, yeah. Much easier than I want to admit, actually¡­¡± ¡°See?!¡± ¡°Because you aren¡¯t dog-like at all. Never have been, either.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°We be what we be, huh?¡± ¡°Always have been.¡± The tiger let out a small chuckle. ¡°Well, if any of the instincts or whatever confuse you, I think it¡¯s best to ask Chloe. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll love to help you. She¡¯s probably also the biggest fan of your change, after all. You¡¯re also both canine, so I won¡¯t be of much use, I guess. Foxes are still half-cat to me, but it¡¯s not actually true at the end of the day, so she¡¯s closer to you.¡± ¡°I will! Sounds like a great idea!¡± ¡°You like Chloe a lot already, huh?¡± ¡°She¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°She sure is.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t disagree with that. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Alright, should we continue to explore for the time being?¡± The blonde tried to get back on topic. ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Can you promise me something first, though?¡± ¡°That entirely depends on the topic.¡± Steph had no ns to agree to simply anything. ¡°Someone¡¯s cautious, huh?¡± ¡°There are some slight trust issues I have to get over before I unconditionally agree with everything you have to say again¡­¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± That was enough to make Sophia stop dead in her tracks, and she stopped walking. ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t get depressed by that!¡± Noticing herplicated expression, the dog-girl grabbed her hand while smiling at the blonde. ¡°I thought you¡¯re better than that now. I love the old Sophia, but I¡¯m already vastly preferring my new tiger, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to stay positive when your sister tells you that she has developed trust issues, you know¡­?¡± ¡°Can you really me me?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t¡­¡± Sophia hung her head even more. ¡°It¡¯s not like I did it on purpose, though¡­ Also, there¡¯s no way that I could¡¯ve given up on this life here again, either¡­ I promise I will do my absolute best to never disappear on you ever again!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good start!¡± Steph gave Sophia¡¯s hand she was still holding a good squeeze. ¡°So, what do you want me to promise?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed another moment before getting back to the topic. ¡°We¡¯re in the capital of the beastfolk kingdom, and the royal family, together with all the higher nobles, are tigers, just like I am¡­ Thanks to that, I¡¯m pretty well-known. Being the only tiger with light-blonde hair and being with the nation¡¯s princesses all the time doesn¡¯t help in that regard, either.¡± ¡°And?¡± The violet-haired girl stared at the blonde. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to tell me that you¡¯re concerned about your little sister embarrassing you in public, I¡¯ll make sure to do exactly that!¡± She didn¡¯t like the implication. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about that. I embarrassed myself in public so often already that one more time won''t change anything. I doubt you could top all the stuff I already did so far¡­" Sophia wasn''t concerned about that. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ we''re in the noble housing district right now, and no one''s here at this time of the day." "Yeah, now that you mention it, we haven''t run into anyone yet.¡± ¡°Yeah, but especially near the entrances, the tourist ces, and the shopping districts, it¡¯s bustling with people. And the beastfolk is amazing! So many different and interesting people! Most are super cute, as well. Even I have trouble staying calm at times, and I''ve been in the capital for some months already. I trust that you won¡¯t attack any of the extra fluffy ones, no matter how hard it is¡­ But, if you, the sister of a tiger, and a dog-girl herself, get way too excited over the beastfolk, people might get confused.¡± ¡°Basically, I shouldn¡¯t act like an overexcited tourist being in the big city for the first time?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t be a Maya, basically¡­¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°She really couldn¡¯t calm down for even a second in the other ce¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°Well, it would be quite weird for me to act like I never saw a bigger group of the beastfolk before, huh?¡± ¡°I think so. It would also lead to a ton ofplicated questions. I already don''t know how I will exin your existence to many people, and this only would make it worse¡­ I mean, the royal family thinks I don¡¯t have a family anymore because I lost them. Technically not a lie, but I omitted a detail or 50 about the how I lost them. They¡¯re convinced I¡¯m the only one left and I, uhh¡­ forgot to correct them¡­¡± ¡°You and your talent of technically not lying¡­¡± ¡°Telling the full truth isn¡¯t an option, after all.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair. I¡¯ll do my best to keep our dark past a secret.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Sophia was d that her sister understood the issue. ¡°We still need toe up with a bit of a story for you, though¡­¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°We can do that after exploring, though! I want to taste some local food, as well!¡± ¡°That n sounds like a lot more fun!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Steph raised her arm in motivation. As she was using the same arm that she was holding hands with Sophia, she raised hers, as well. "Let''s go!" Afterward, the sisters finally left the noble area for good and started their actual exploration of the capital.
Spoiler Yep, it''s Anna in a Virgin Killer sweater. (If you look closely, you can actually see the sweater...) No idea why that happened, but I love it~ More variants can be found here: (Don''t look too hard at the versions with the background, though. It''s, err...borrowed fromsomewhere and wasn''t made for this one, so it only kinda fits xD ) [copse]
Chapter 346 – Let’s have a race Chapter 346 ¨C Let¡¯s have a race Sophia and Steph had started their exploration of the capital because the little sister really wanted to see more of the world as soon as possible. They hadn''t made it far yet, though. Still in the noble area around the mansion, the two ended up in a longer chat about how the new dog-girl should make sure that she doesn¡¯t get too excited about the beastfolk because it would raise many questions. Sophia''s position as a tiger, how she''s supposed to have lost her family also came up, and how they now have to deal with a backstory for the little sister. Once the duo had enough of all that, they finally started their exploration for real. "W-Whoa, you weren''t kidding!" The sisters had finally arrived in the livelier parts of the capital, and Steph wasn''t sure where to look at first. Or rather, at who to look at first. The architecture was a little curious, but it was nothing too exciting for Steph. The beastfolk was a different story, though. All the different kinds with varying degrees of animal add-ons fascinated her a lot. ¡°So many fluffies! The bird people look amazing, too! The reptiles are super cool, as well!¡± ¡°What was that about staying cool we talked about before?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea how much I¡¯m holding back right now!?¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°The city is quite cozy, and I already love the beastfolk, not to mention how overwhelmingly amazing it is to see so many same-sex couples being so openly affectionate while no one even bats an eye. It¡¯s a dreame true! Even so¡­ Can we go outside? I want to see nature! Unspoiled by human nature!" She was getting more excited. "I also think I need some more exposure to you, Maya, and Chloe first to get used to the beastfolk... Too stimting!¡± The dog-girl was starting to get a little twitchy while staring at the people around them. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± The tiger let out a short chuckle. ¡°Sure, we can do that. As you can feel, it¡¯s quite cold, though, and basically winter already, so the tree and flower game is a little sad right now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°Shut up! The crazy arctic fox was already enough! I don''t need another cold-loving freak..." ¡°No, you are the problem because you¡¯re a textbook cat.¡± ¡°All my friends except you and Chloe agree with me on the topic, though!¡± ¡°How many of them are of feline origin?¡± ¡°...¡± Sophia turned her head away. ¡°Anything else you want to do before we leave the capital?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Steph liked her reaction. "A snack or two on the go would be nice! I wonder what kind of food this world has to offer!¡± ¡°The varietycks a little because globalization isn¡¯t a thing, but the quality is outstanding! No pesticides, and all ingredients are organic! There''s no weird chemistry stuff some call food, and every animal is free range!¡± ¡°Sounds delicious!¡± ¡°Sure is.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Anything you want to try in particr?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m really craving some meat!¡± "A-Ah...¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned awkward. ¡°What¡¯s wrong...?¡± ¡°Nothing, my dear carnivore dog-girl of a sister.¡± ¡°It changed even that?!¡± Her eyes grew wide. "I did mention that it changes your entire being, instincts, and other characteristics of the animal you''re borrowing your features from included." "Wow, wait... aren''t tigers like some uber carnivores...? Just how much do you like meat now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it...¡± The blonde got even more awkward. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not at a point where I came to love even bear meat. Hunting, killing, and grilling a boar using nothing but my hands wasn''t one of the best meals I had, and I definitely don¡¯t feel like eating meat every day... Nope.¡± ¡°You¡¯re basically a vegetarian, then?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°What a dork.¡± Steph rolled her eyes in response. ¡°I¡¯m also not going to mention how all of that sounds amazing and how I got a little shaky just imagining those things. It¡¯s not true, after all.¡± "I mean, why would it be the case, right?" ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I know all the ces to avoid then, huh?¡± ---------------- After the sisters most definitely didn¡¯t have a fully loaded dinner based on nothing but meat, and Steph absolutely wasn''t overly excited about just how good it tasted, the two finally exited the capital through the main gate. ¡°This is amazing!¡± The two walked away from the capital and up a little hill, from where they could overlook everything in the area. "The city also looks way more impressive from the outside and from a distance! Very fantasy-like! Especially with that gigantic castle in the middle!¡± "I had the same reaction when I first saw it. The castle is also really nice from the inside. We can head over there once we¡¯re done if you want to. Maya and Chloe are also there right now.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°I first want to run around, though!¡± ¡°Sure, I can take you on a walk.¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± The dog-girl red at her. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a race on who will take who on walks from now on! You''ve read my messages, right? The ones I wrote you on chat. I was serious about putting you on a leash! This might be the perfect opportunity!" ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I want to be leashed by my little sister... I don''t think I would be much into it when Maya does it, either, actually..." Sophia had some mixed feelings about it. "I mean, I might be a little intrigued and open to testing it if it''s only something light, but... Definitely by Maya only!" ¡°Don¡¯t care!¡± ¡°I do, though! Well, I can outrun an actual, 3-meter-tall wolf, so the odds are in my favor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just physically impossible! Anything humanoid simply can''t beat a wolf. Let alone one of that size!" ¡°Magic is the answer, my dear. Physical limits are merely suggestions in this world. So is pretty much every scientific rule you ever learned. Magic has some rules, but everything else is a guideline at best!¡± The tiger was a big fan of this world. "So... you''re telling me I have no chance against you in a race?" ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that!¡± Steph had no intention of epting it just like that. "Let''s have a race to the range of trees over there!" She pointed at a tiny forest a good bit over 500 meters away from them. ¡°You are so stubborn¡­¡± ¡°I learned that from my big sister.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve always been like that.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been picking it up from you ever since we were little.¡± ¡°Okay, that round goes to you.¡± Sophia had nothing to add here. ¡°You¡¯re definitely the one who perfected stubbornness, though.¡± ¡°That might be true.¡± The dog-girl could ept that usation. ¡°Alright, with that, let¡¯s have the race!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°Well, I have a bit of a handicap, so it might be a little fairer.¡± Sophia pointed at herself. ¡°Neither my boots nor this skirt is made for running, after all.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t get over the fact that you¡¯re wearing a skirt in the first ce¡­ You, of all people¡­¡± While saying so, Steph mustered the outfit of her bigger sister. The white pullover with the blue undershirt, the ck and white skirt, the red leggings, and the brown ankle boots. ¡°W-Well, it¡¯sfy! Also, my leggings are lined and absolutely opaque¡­ Even if the skirt misbehaves, it¡¯s only mildly embarrassing because you could wear those leggings without the skirt in the first ce. Not that I would ever wear leggings with nothing else¡­ Outside, at least.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair. Well, whoever talked you into giving skirts a real chance, thank you very much. You look great in them! The red argyle leggings are amazing, as well! Not a fan of the lined part, though. Way too warm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best part!¡± The tiger disagreed. "T-Thanks for the other remarks, though¡­" ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The dog-girl liked her reaction. ¡°Anyway, feel free to change into something more fitting to run! I don¡¯t want you toin that it was unfairter on!¡± ¡°You still think you can win this, huh?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d have any idea just how much energy wants to burst out of me right now, you¡¯d be begging me to call it a day!¡± Steph seemed rather convinced of herself. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll destroy you.¡± Sophia¡¯spetitive side was finally lit. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The little sister gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started!¡± Afterward, she got down in a crouching-start position and urged Sophia to do the same. ¡°Okay.¡± She positioned herself next to the dog-girl. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Ready!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll count down, then¡­ 3-2-1- Go!¡± The blonde had no intention to start running afterward, though. "W-Woah!" Steph made a perfect start and was surprised by her own speed, which was already faster than any normal human could achieve. ¡°I-I¡¯m so fast! This is amazing! Magic is the best!¡± She was getting faster with each step. ¡°Sure is~.¡± A few momentster, the tiger also started running and sped past her instantly while showing her sister a big smile. Soon after, she had already arrived at the range of trees long before Steph was even near it. ¡°W-What?!¡± ---------------- "You sure are fast." After Steph had also arrived at the finish line, Sophia tried her best not to let the big grin she was trying hard to suppress show on her face. ¡°H-How?! What? Eh?!¡± The little sister couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°T-That waspletely inhuman!¡± ¡°Well, I am no human, so all is fine~.¡± She gave her another thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯m a member of the tiger beastfolk, filled to the brim with magic and then some.¡± ¡°You still have normal legs, though! Only two of them, as well! That''s not how physics works! Neither does biology, for that matter!" ¡°Magic and its body strengthening work like that, though~." ¡°There have to be limits!¡± ¡°You do know that you also probably just broke basically every world record from earth just now, don¡¯t you? Without any training whatsoever. Not sure if you can ever beat me, but you will get close to me before long. And then, we will have a ton of fun running around!" ¡°¡­¡± Steph wasn¡¯t sure what to reply. ¡°Here,¡± The blonde suddenly opened a portal in front of them. "Let me show you how ridiculous magic really can be and how the rules of earth are a thing of the past. We have to relocate a little, though. We''re too close to the capital to let loose." Afterward, Sophia grabbed Steph''s hand, and the sisters went through the portal together to get to a more fitting ce to y with real magic.
Chapter 347 – Magic is amazing Chapter 347 ¨C Magic is amazing The sisters had cut their exploration of the capital a little short and left it after having had a nice, primarily meat-based, lunch together. Steph wanted to see more of the nature around them because she found it more interesting. It had nothing to do with her not trusting herself to stay sane around all the fluffy beastpeople. Outside, the dog-girl got the urge to get rid of some excess energy, and she dared her sister to a race. Naturally, she had no chance against the tiger and got destroyed by her in the end. Sophia was so fast that she broke her sister¡¯s understanding of thews of physics and biology. ¡°Alright, this should work.¡± As the blonde wanted to show Steph that magic doesn¡¯t care about such punyws, the two used her portals to go to a ce with no one around so she could let loose. Because it was nice to look at andpletely devoid of any onlookers, they ended up near theke Fen and the tiger had created a little while ago. It also was an excellent demonstration in itself, as the ce was the result of magic happening. ¡°What a niceke!¡± She seemed to like it. ¡°Unbelievably massive, too!¡± ¡°Yeah, I kinda overdid it a little.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek in return. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The dog-girl looked confused. "A friend of mine and I caused the crater thatter turned into thiske.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph¡¯s eyes wandered between theke and her sister a couple of times. ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°We did a small magic experiment that went a little wrong. The result was a bit of an explosion.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± She looked at theke again. ¡°Magic did that?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The tiger nodded a few times. ¡°And you have significantly more of it than I do.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The violet-haired girl needed a moment. "A-As if magic has that much power¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s even more powerful if you put in some work.¡± Afterward, Sophia lifted her right arm and pointed the palm of her hand toward the sky. A momentter, a gigantic pir of fire shot upwards, starting from her palm. It quickly reached multiple hundreds of meters in height and brightened up the entire area even though it still was noon. ¡°W-Whoa!¡± Feeling the immense heat, Steph put her arms in front of her face and turned her head to the side. "A-Are you serious?!¡± She was in awe. ¡°That was merely a warmup~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. "It was a fraction of my power and would be even less for you.¡± ¡°I seriously hate you for having been able to do all that for the past year... All while I had to stay behind in that joke of a world where we came from!" She was shocked by the fire her sister had created, but her eyes were still sparkling. "Couldn''t you havee and gotten me earlier? I will never forgive you!" ¡°I-I didn¡¯t think I would be able to¡­ I also didn¡¯t want you having to give up on your current life, as well¡­¡± ¡°Who would choose our old world over this?!¡± Steph gestured all around her. ¡°Sure, electronics and technology as a whole are nice, but seriously¡­ Magic?! Also, I¡¯m sure we can recreate some of them, just like that Canir guy said. He¡¯s pretty important, right? He should know, then!¡± ¡°Yeah, his role is kinda big.¡± ¡°See!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Also, if there¡¯s something we really want, we can always use the portal things to get back!¡± ¡°I forgot about that already¡­ Sooner orter, we have to do something about that portal, though. The apartment is a rental, after all. If the rent eventually stops because there is no money, all sorts of problems will happen.¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Hmm, we could sell some of the gold coins every now and then, but¡­ It¡¯s still pretty suspicious. Also, while I don¡¯t mind going back every now and then, I don¡¯t want it to be a habit¡­¡± ¡°You do have a point there¡­¡± Steph tilted her head. "There''s still mom and dad''s house¡­ It''s theirs, so¡­ We would need to tell them, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the n. ¡°It is an option¡­ Now that you found out, I¡¯m a bit more okay with telling her, especially because else it would mean she lost two daughters, but¡­ but¡­¡± "Yeah, it will be a weird conversation. It¡¯s not like I fully understand it, either¡­ Well, they said they''ll be gone for quite a while, so we will likely have many months to decide on a course of action. Keeping the apartment for that long shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Great!¡± The dog-girl pped her hands once. ¡°Alright, back to magic!¡± There were more important matters for her right now. ¡°dly!¡± The blonde also was happy to change the topic. ¡°Also, back to earlier, you mentioned that running so fast shouldn¡¯t be biologically or physically possible, no matter how powerful magic is¡­ Who changed herplete biology just a little while using nothing but magic again?¡± "A-Ah.¡± Steph hadn¡¯t thought about that. ¡°Magic is amazing!¡± ¡°Sure is~.¡± She smiled at her little sister. "It''s a lot of fun. I can''t wait for you to get a better understanding of it so we can y around a lot together!" ¡°Neither can I!¡± "It might be best for you to learn the basics first, though. Afterward, Chloe and I will continue with the more unhinged¡­ err, creative side!¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°Aura and Fennyfenny might be really helpful for the basics. They¡¯re probably sleeping out their hangover from drinking with Alex and the others¡­? Steph, want to see a nature-themed vige in the middle of a forest built by elves?¡± "I don''t really get it, but it sounds like an adventure, and I''m definitely into that!" ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Should we go?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Once Steph had grabbed the tiger¡¯s hand, the two went back to the portal and returned to the extra dimension. From there, the sisters then went to the elven vige where the blonde suspected the wolves to be. ---------------- ¡°And here we are! Wee to my elven treehouse summer home!¡± Still holding hands with her, Sophia gestured around them while smiling at her sister. ¡°I thought it¡¯s winter?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t sweat the small details!¡± ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Steph liked her reaction. ¡°Wait, elves¡­? I didn''t pay attention to it earlier, but¡­ Aren''t elves those mythical creatures with pointy ears and strongly connected to nature as pictured in fiction?¡± ¡°Those very elves.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°They''re a thing in this world, and they built the vige we''re in right now. There are none of them around this ce anymore.¡± ¡°Aww¡­ They sounded interesting¡­¡± ¡°Chloe met some elves, though. She promised to bring me to them eventually.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The dog-girl liked the sound of that. ¡°We sure will~. Once it gets warmer, I want to add.¡± The tiger smiled at her before she started dragging her out of the room the portal was in. ¡°First, there are two other very important individuals I want you to meet. From what I can feel, they¡¯re napping in the living room of this ce.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Arriving there, Steph immediately noticed the two in question lying on a carpet in the middle of the room. ¡°Actual wolves! So awesome! They look pretty domesticated, though. Perfectly groomed and way fluffier fur than wild wolves!¡± ¡°Aura, the lighter one, is quite fussy about her fur, so she puts a lot of work into it. Fen, the darker one, always gets caught up in the grooming, as well.¡± ¡°Nice! So, they actually can talk¡­? I saw some of the beastfolk that leaned more towards their animal side in the city, but there were no¡­ fulls¡­?¡± ¡°They''re a little rarer. You do see them a lot during the evening hours, though. For some reason, I don''t know why yet, most of them really love to drink. You won¡¯t see a bar without a group of them. They''re a really fun bunch to drink with, too." ¡°Oho!¡± ¡°Alright! Fennyfenny! Aura!¡± The tiger raised her voice quite a bit. ¡°You¡¯ve slept enough! Get up! There¡¯s stuff to do and news to be heard!¡± She was in a good mood. ¡°The loud one¡¯s back¡­¡± The male wolf was the first to react and sluggishly lifted his head to look at the blonde while replying to her in a tired voice. ¡°Wee back, I guess? It was very peaceful without you.¡± ¡°That almost sounds like you¡¯re happy about that!¡± Peaceful was over. ¡°I want more regret in your voice!¡± ¡°Aura, you deal with that¡­¡± He already gave up and rested his head on his paws again. "A good day to you.¡± Aura also woke up and looked at Sophia. ¡°I missed you a lot. I¡¯m d you¡¯re back again. You gave Chloe quite the fright. I hope you apologized to her.¡± ¡°I missed you, too! d to see my favorite wolf again!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Fen didn¡¯t like that. ¡°W-Whoa!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes were sparkling again. ¡°They can actually talk! This is amazing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s great, huh?¡± ¡°Very!¡± The sisters were in perfect sync when it came to their likes. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Aura then focused her attention on the new girl. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Steph! Short for Stephanie!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She sounded a little confused. "Also, why are you two holding hands¡­?" The female wolf only now noticed that specific detail. "Wait, Sophia, what about Maya? Don''t tell me you found a new one¡­? Our cat will kill you, you know? Eh?! Why has this dog so much magic?! Maya will still end you with ease, but¡­ You have almost as much as I do?! What?!¡± There was too much at once for the female wolf to take in. She still acknowledged that it would end up in a disaster if the hidden boss of the group found out about the situation of what she thought was going on, though. ¡°Calm down, Aura.¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s fully endorsed by Maya.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like the rightfully monopolizing and very jealous cat-girl I know.¡± ¡°Steph¡¯s my sister. It doesn¡¯t count when I cuddle with her.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Said sister used the chance to rub her head against the blonde¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Only familial love here~. We¡¯re not interested in any other kind. It¡¯s the duty and birthright of the little sister to be clingy!¡± ¡°Oh, I see! Makes sense that Maya wouldn¡¯t mind that.¡± The female wolf nodded a few times in understanding. ¡°Wait, what¡­?¡± ¡°Your sister¡­?¡± Fen also tilted his head in confusion. Afterward, the sister needed about an hour to exin thest two days and everything that happened there to the wolves, who had a hard time believing everything they were hearing.
Chapter 348 – A nice addition to the group Chapter 348 ¨C A nice addition to the group Sophia and Steph were still on a little adventure together, and the big sister showed the little one the giganticke she had created together with Fen to show just how powerful magic really can be while also creating a massive firestorm to further prove her point. Afterward, the two went to the elven vige, where they found Fen and Aura. Naturally, the wolves were beyond surprised after finding out what had happened in the past two days, and the couple needed a few moments to let all that sink in. ¡°Are you two for real...?¡± Fen had a hard time believing it. ¡°First, wee to this world, Steph. We¡¯re happy to have you, especially after Sophia missed you so much, but...¡± Aura smiled at her. ¡°Seriously, though, are you two for real...?¡± In the end, she had the same reaction as her partner. ¡°Yup.¡± The sisters nodded a few times. "Canir identally sent you and Maya to your old world, where your sister managed to find you¡­?" Fen stared at the tiger. ¡°Then, after finding out what happened, your sister decided, on the spot, I want to add, to leave her world to go with you¡­?¡± ¡°Here,¡± Aura continued. ¡°Steph got magic gifted to her by Mira out of all people¡­? Almost the same amount as I have? As it came from an overseer, the effective power probably is even way higher than mine. Then, the first thing the little sister uses her new magic on, is to be a member of the dog beastfolk because she wanted to make herself fluffy¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much!¡± The duo kept nodding. ¡°So easygoing!¡± The male wolf had nothing else to say. ¡°Well, you two are definitely sisters¡­¡± The wording was different, but the female one came to the same conclusion. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± They took it as apliment. "I have to admit that you have great taste, though." Aura took a better look at the little sister. ¡°Wee to the canine world. Not a wolf and also a hybrid, but it¡¯s still a great choice! The color scheme is great, the ears are nice, and your tail even makes me envious! Do you mind if I take a bit of inspiration from it if I ever want to y with the appearance magic?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Steph smiled back at her. ¡°Though, do you really have to? Your fur seems amazing, and your tail is quite simr already!¡± ¡°There¡¯s always room for improvement when ites to the quality of your fur!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll get along great with her!¡± The dog-girl looked at Sophia while pointing at the female wolf. ¡°Her priorities match my desire to find the ultimate fluff!¡± ¡°Yep. Sisters, alright.¡± Aura had to repeat herself. ¡°I am quite proud of my fluff, but Mira aside, as she¡¯s literally the divine fluff, you won¡¯t find anyone more ultimate other than Chloe and her mother Feyanis. Those two are the pinnacle of fluff on the not overseer ne.¡± ¡°So, Chloe¡¯s the fluffiest, uhh¡­ normal hybrid? Same as me, ears and tail only?¡± Steph tried to interpret her words. "I have yet to meet any non-divine hybrid thates close to her.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The pitch of the dog-girl¡¯s voice got a bit higher. "I already thought she was perfect! How is it possible that she got even better?! She is a bit greedy, though¡­ Hogging the pinnacle of personality, looks, and fluffiness to herself!¡± ¡°Someone likes the pink one, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The dog-girl reacted with a big nod. ¡°Chloe¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Aura then nced at the tiger while tilting her head. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what she was trying to imply. ¡°More importantly, I need more information about this divine fluff!¡± "A good interjection!¡± Steph also jumped on that. ¡°I really want to meet Mira and thank her for gifting me the magic of this world! Knowing that she¡¯s a fluffy only makes me even more excited!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little hard to answer.¡± The female wolf paused for a moment. ¡°Mira has multiple forms. Waaay back, she even was supposed to have a human form, but she decided against ever using that shape again because¡­ well¡­ obvious reason. Her hybrid, like you all, and her full version, like Fen and I, are beyond amazing, though. Thetter might even made me question my sexuality on way more than one asion.¡± "E-Eh?!" Fen had some very mixed feelings about that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I still like you better.¡± ¡°G-Good.¡± ¡°Slightly, at least.¡± She just had to do it. ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Aura liked his reaction. ¡°You do have to agree that she¡¯s extremely attractive, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°...¡± He went silent. ¡°Good luck getting out of this again, my boy.¡± Sophia showed him a wry smile. ¡°Is there a right answer here...?¡± Fen looked at his partner. "Try your luck." ¡°I mean, it¡¯s quite unfair that you¡¯re allowed to say that she¡¯s so attractive that you consider the possibility of being bi, while I¡¯m not allowed to agree. Don¡¯t you think so, too?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a brave route!¡± Steph was amazed by his way of dealing with this. ¡°So, you do find her attractive?¡± Aura stared at him. ¡°Well, her full form is indeed very pleasant to look at, maybe slightly too fluffy and hard to deal with for obvious reasons, but... Mira having multiple forms is a big turn-off. Her hybrid form is aesthetically pleasing, I guess, but anything humanoid is a hard no for me. No offense here.¡± He looked at the sisters at the end. ¡°None taken.¡± The duo smiled at him. ¡°Same, too. Just the other way around.¡± ¡°Anyway, borrowing the words of Sophia, full Mira is quite the eye candy, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Hmm... What do we think about this?¡± The female wolf faced the tiger. ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s fair. His priorities are definitely right.¡± ¡°If anything,¡± Steph also spoke up. ¡°I think Fen has the moral high ground here. You seem to like Mira a lot more than he does.¡± "A-Ah.¡± Aura hadn¡¯t expected this turn of events. ¡°I think I like the little sister.¡± Fen was quite happy about the oue. ¡°She¡¯s a nice addition to the group.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The dog-girl was happy about that. ¡°I¡¯m thrilled to be here, too~! It¡¯s still a bit weird to have a conversation with someone who looks just like an animal... Great, though!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it in no time.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m a little concerned that I pretty much am used to it already¡­¡± ¡°Right, the ce you two came from only has humans, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Aura remembered that bit from Sophia¡¯s stories. ¡°That sounds so hard to imagine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even want to imagine it!¡± Fen¡¯s fur started to puff up just hearing that. ¡°Do you want to see it? I still have a portal leading to our old world." Sophia smiled at her. "A world with 8 billion humans~." ¡°Brr...¡± The female wolf also shuddered a little. "I think I''m good for now... I am interested in taking a peek at a different world, but that''s a big caveat.¡± ¡°Totally not worth it.¡± Her partner was a little more direct about it. ¡°Steph, do you have your phone on you?¡± ¡°No, the battery died shortly after Chloe and I finished ying around with it yesterday, so I left it at home. Why?¡± ¡°I was thinking about showing them some pictures of that world. I¡¯m sure you have a ton of all kinds of things, right?¡± ¡°Ohh! Yeah, I do have a lot, but I¡¯d first need somehow charge it again.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to get those sr generator thingies running!¡± ¡°Do you have any idea how to do that?¡± ¡°No!¡± The tiger sounded weirdly confident for some reason. ¡°For how expensive all that was, I better hope theye with a good manual!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t stuff like that usuallye with an online manual nowadays?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°I-I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± ¡°Phone? Pictures? Sr generator¡­?¡± ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Naturally, the wolves were rather confused. ¡°It¡¯s all stuff from our old world.¡± The blonde answered them. ¡°Maya and I went on a massive shopping spree and bought all sorts of things. If it works the way I want it to, we can experience the best of that world without actually going there. No need to meet any human in person, either.¡± ¡°That sounds like a much better n!¡± ¡°Fascinating, as well!¡± The wolves seemed to like that a lot more. ¡°I also need a bit of a favor from the two of you while we¡¯re at it.¡± Sophia looked at the two. ¡°Hmm? The wolves tilted their heads to the side. ¡°Steph seems incredibly talented with magic." She sounded pretty proud. "It took her a whole five minutes before she could chantlessly create a ball of water, and an hourter, she had turned herself into a dog-girl. A full one, not just her looks.¡± ¡°I did have a good day~.¡± The little sister let out a small chuckle. ¡°Anyway, I do want to add my own twist in teaching her, but she should learn the basics from someone who¡¯s been around for a while, as well. We learned all kinds of new stuff about magictely that changes a lot, but the basics are still the basics. I would appreciate it if you two could help me teach her the basics.¡± ¡°Only if you invite me to a drink for every headache this will cause.¡± Fen had some difficult feelings on the matter. He knew the older sister, after all. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little counterproductive?¡± Sophia doubted that a drink would cure his headache. ¡°The bad will cure the worse!¡± The wolf didn¡¯t care about it. ¡°Also, a hangover can be cured with healing magic! You sisters being ridiculous can''t be." ¡°Ahh¡­ I get it.¡± ¡°I would love to help!¡± Aura sounded a lot more cheerful. ¡°The result of Fen raising Sophia, pure and unbridled chaos, is amazing! I want to try giving the little sister some of my own vors. I don¡¯t want Fen to hog all the glory in future history books! I want a mention, too, when they write about the at least equally gifted little sister! They''ll change the future, and I want a piece of that cake!¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°Calm down a bit! I have no intentions to go down in history!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a little toote for that¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, Fennyfenny!¡± She didn¡¯t want to hear it. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but getting a mention in a history book sounds fun!¡± Steph was way more open to the idea. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Aura and the dog-girl were bonding fast. Afterward, for the next 30 minutes, Sophia desperately tried her best to get them away from the n of being written down in future history books. It didn''t seem to be working out, though, as the duo was having a great time with the idea.
Chapter 349 – Magical plants Chapter 349 ¨C Magical nts The sisters met the wolves, and once they finished exining what happened, the topic drifted toward the magic of Steph. The new dog-girl showed extraordinary prowess when it came to using her powers, but Sophia would like for her to learn the basics, as well, and asked the wolves for help. Fen was a little skeptical, but Aura was a big fan. She knew how her partner had shaped the tiger in one way or another, and she wanted to have a positive influence on the little sister, so that she would also get a mention in future history books, where the duo would inevitably end up in sooner orter. ¡°Alright, with that being dealt with, do you want to explore a little more of the vige before we head back, Steph?¡± Sophia smiled at her sister once they finished their chat about magic with the wolves. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± She liked the n. "Fen, Aura, will you also return to the mansion soon? Depending on how long it will take today, I¡¯d like to try out some of the things we got in our old world in the evening.¡± ¡°I definitely won¡¯t miss that!¡± Aura seemed to be looking forward to it. ¡°We¡¯ll be there.¡± Fen, too, wanted to see it. ¡°Perfect! Okay, shall we head out for a bit?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Brimming with motivation, the dog-girl grabbed the tiger''s hand, and the two left the treehouse together. ¡°Bye!¡± "Bye~." Aura watched them leave before looking at her partner. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have told Sophia about our giant trees and what happened to the forest?¡± ¡°Ah, I forgot about that...¡± Fen made a slight pause. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll find out about it soon enough.¡± ¡°True, but... Well, they''ll probably run into Alex, and he will surely tell them." ¡°Yeah, I like that n better.¡± Afterward, the wolves rxed for a little longer before eventually returning to the mansion. ---------------- ¡°Wow, it¡¯s sooo cozy here!¡± Walking around in the vige, Steph was taking everything in while her eyes were sparkling. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s a great ce.¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°In the middle of a forest makes for such great scenery. I love my treehouse. There even are some hot springs.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°They¡¯re currently under renovation, though...¡± ¡°Aww...¡± ¡°The renovations are as good as done, though.¡± A male voice suddenly entered their conversation. ¡°Alex!¡± Hearing him, Sophia turned around and showed him a big smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, huh? I think, at least... I¡¯ve lost all sense of timetely...¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re busy. You¡¯re a tiger, after all.¡± ¡°S-Something like that, yeah...¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. She definitely was busytely, but being a tiger had nothing to do with that. ¡°Anyway, the hot springs are opening soon again? That¡¯s great! I can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°If you can hold out another week or two, it will be ready and better than ever!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± The fox-man then nced at the dog-girl, who was still holding Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°Admittedly, I haven¡¯t spent the most time with Maya, but I would¡¯ve bet a lot of money that she¡¯s the monopolizing kind. I seriously wasn¡¯t expecting you to have another partner. She¡¯s quite a cutie, though, so it¡¯s hard to me you.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph liked thest part. ¡°We are sisters, though... So, none of that other business. Just familiar clinginess~.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Alex¡¯s expression became a lot lessplicated. ¡°That¡¯s great! I didn¡¯t know you had a sister, Sophia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s, uhh... a littleplicated...¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it very lightly.¡± The little sister nodded a few times. ¡°We kinda lost contact for a while, but now we¡¯re together again.¡± ¡°I see! Good for you two!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The sisters felt the same. ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here, Sophia.¡± Alex focused on the tiger again. ¡°Do you remember those huge trees I discovered?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She froze up for a moment. ¡°T-The ones you imagined after having drunk too much¡­?" ¡°I didn¡¯t imagine them, and I haven¡¯t drunk too much back then!¡± He got loud. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°REALLY!¡± He raised his voice even more. ¡°I now have witnesses! Most of the vige was there by now and confirmed it!¡± ¡°Everyone here likes to drink, though¡­¡± ¡°This and that are unrted!¡± The fox-man couldn¡¯t exactly deny that, either. "A-N-Y-W-A-Y! They are real!¡± ¡°Giant trees¡­?¡± Steph looked a bit confused. ¡°MASSIVE trees! The tallest ones are over a kilometer high!¡± ¡°Over a kilometer?!¡± She also got loud. ¡°How¡¯s that possible? That¡¯s not how nts work.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Alex agreed with her. ¡°It seems like those aren¡¯t regr trees, though. They have magical abilities. They even seem to radiate excess magic to their surroundings as the whole flora around them has changed ever since they appeared. Everything there has turnedpletely overgrown. You can even feel and taste the magic in the air. It feels amazing, but also a little scary¡­¡± ¡°That sounds fun!¡± ¡°Wait, what¡­?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t share the immediate enthusiasm of her little sister. ¡°I want to see it!¡± The dog-girl was getting excited again. ¡°Let¡¯s go and look at it!¡± ¡°The n was to show it to Sophia. I heard that she¡¯s incredibly talented when ites to magic, and her knowledge of the kingdom as a tiger might be helpful, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The girl in question looked incredibly awkward. ¡°I-I mean, I also am curious, but I¡¯m not sure if I can help¡­¡± ¡°Good enough!¡± The fox could live with that. "Can we head over there right now, or are you two busy with something else?" ¡°We were busy with looking at interesting things!¡± Steph smiled at him. ¡°This will fit right into that!¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°I have a bad feeling about this¡­¡± While Sophia mumbled these words to herself, Alex guided Steph into the forest while she was energetically dragging the tiger with her. ---------------- "W-Woah!" Arriving at the ce in question inside the forest, Steph''s eyes immediately started sparkling once again. ¡°This is amazing!¡± The area had significantly changed since the group yed around with the trees. Every nt, be it other trees, vines, moss, ferns, or everything else, had turned into an utterly overgrown version of themselves. One could barely walk around because there was almost no space left. The close one got to the original trees of the group, the denser the nts got. "¡­" The tiger''s expression had turned the mostplicated yet. ¡°The air also feels so different¡­ Much cleaner, and it even has a bit of a taste¡­? It''s somehow easier to breathe, and I feel a little more powerful with every breath." ¡°The air¡¯s full of purple sparkly stuff, as well!¡± The dog-girl was still looking around. ¡°It¡¯s soo pretty! What is that stuff?¡± ¡°Sparkly stuff¡­?¡± Alex seemed slightly confused. ¡°I see nothing like that. I agree with Sophia¡¯s description of the air, though. It¡¯s exactly like that for me, too.¡± ¡°I see that, as well.¡± Sophia shook her head before facing her sister. ¡°The purple stuff is raw magic. It seems like the density of it around here is so high that you can actually see it with the naked eye. That usually only happens when you use your own magic on the environment.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The fox couldn¡¯t follow. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything, though?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°I recently learned that not everyone can see raw magic. One of the reasons we can see it might be because Steph and I have so much magic power inside of us.¡± ¡°Fascinating!¡± Alex had no ns to question her further. ¡°That means it¡¯s a confirmation that this ce is brimming with magic, right? Way more than it should.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I have never seen or felt something like that.¡± ¡°So, does that mean you have no idea what the cause could be¡­?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The tiger¡¯s eyes started swimming. Naturally, she had a pretty good theory about the cause, but there was no way she wanted to admit that. She probably was part of the cause, after all. ¡°It gets even more interesting!¡± The fox wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°We fell a tree to see if the nts had changed in any other way other than the size, and they absolutely did! Not only did the cutting go on forever because the wood had turned so much harder, but the tree had also regrown to its full glory the next day!" ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The blonde had a strong reaction to that. ¡°W-Wait, the hardness aside, it¡¯s probably strengthened by the excess magic¡­ It actuallypletely regrew?! Overnight, at that?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how trees work! If you cut them, it¡¯s over!¡± ¡°I know how trees work!¡± Alex looked at Steph before continuing. ¡°It¡¯s back, though!¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not just a different tree?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I mean, everything is so dense and overgrown here that I can barely tell right from up apart! Maybe you just thought it was regrown, but it actually was an entirely different tree?¡± ¡°The tree we fell was still lying next to it.¡± "A-Ah.¡± The tiger¡¯s hope of an easy way out was gone. "What''s more, the leaves of the cut tree were still fresh and not the slightest bit limp or withered. It seems like it''s still alive.¡± ¡°Can nts live on magic?¡± Steph was trying to understand it. ¡°As a recement for water and nutrients, I mean. It¡¯s pretty obvious that those gigantic trees wouldn¡¯t be able to exist with just that. It would never reach the crown or even close to that because the way up is so long. Impossible. Even if it were possible, trees of this size would suck out the nutrients of the entire ground around them in no time. Everyone around them would die before they do so themselves. But it¡¯s theplete opposite! I¡¯ve never seen a forest this healthy!¡± ¡°What a curious sister!¡± The fox seemed to like her. "Did I already mention how all this happened in a few weeks? Last month, those gigantic trees weren¡¯t there yet, and the forest waspletely normal!¡± ¡°For real?!¡± ¡°For real.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The dog-girl was having a great time. ¡°It has to be magic, then! Right, sis?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Sophia was still trying toe up with an exnation that didn''t include her or her group. "I-It seems like magic is influencing the forest here¡­ It, uhh¡­ might even created the giant trees, which then supply the environment with excess magic or something like that¡­" ¡°Sounds like an exnation to me!¡± Alex nodded a few times. ¡°How and why, though?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed a second. "T-That''s an excellent question¡­" ¡°Fair.¡± "By the way," Being more than happy that Alex interpreted her reply as not knowing what was going on, the tiger just continued. ¡°Is this effect spreading, or¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem this way.¡± He shook his head. ¡°The further away from the giant trees, the less pronounced the effect gets. Around 500 meters away, everything is back to normal. Even the air itself has no excess magic anymore. It¡¯s been like that ever since we discovered the phenomenon, so it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s spreading.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely! It would be terrible if it had spread all the way to the vige!" The fox agreed with her. Afterward, the trio chatted a little longer about the topic, while Alex also mentioned that they were thinking about using the wood in the renovation of the hot springs as it had excellent properties for it. Before long, the sisters decided to head back, though.
Chapter 350 – Technically not a lie Chapter 350 ¨C Technically not a lie While exploring the elven vige, Sophia and Steph ran into Alex, the fox-man being responsible for the ce. He informed Sophia about the changes in the nearby forest, mainly about the gigantic trees that had appeared a while ago. The entire area around them had changed, and the ce was brimming with excess magic, which seemed to have an effect on the nts around as everything had turnedpletely overgrown and was brimming with life. Even the air itself had such a high concentration of magic that it was visible to the bare eye of the sisters, and one could even feel it. ¡°So, what did you forget to tell him?¡± On their way back to the vige, after Alex decided to stay a little longer in the forest, Steph addressed her sister. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger didn¡¯t answer at first. ¡°Maya, Fen, and Aura might¡¯ve created those gigantic trees by infusing a sapling with a considerable amount of rare magic of their own¡­¡± ¡°Really? Sounds fun! There were four massive trees, though?¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ one of them might¡¯ve been my work¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The older sister awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°So, how do you do that? A fifth tree surely won¡¯t make a difference, right?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see what kind of chaos we already created?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°That¡¯s why a little more won¡¯t matter, right?¡± "What if you gopletely ham with your magic, and it reaches the vige because you have way too much of it?" ¡°Ah, right, that would be bad¡­¡± Steph looked a little disappointed. ¡°But then I want to create a massive tree in the middle of a jungle or other fitting ces! Just like in those fantasy movies we watched together! I want to make a world tree or what they were called! So big that those four you all created pale inparison!¡± ¡°Ahaha, we¡¯re sisters, alright¡­¡± She had to chuckle for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s already on my to-do list. Chloe wants to do it, too.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± ¡°She also knows a jungle we¡¯re nning to visit.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°In spring.¡± ¡°I hate you!¡± The dog-girl started pouting. ¡°Stupid cats¡­¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°I have no intention to apologize or take anything back.¡± Her pouting got stronger. ¡°If this goes on like that and you and Maya might even start hibernating at some point¡­¡± ¡°I did think about doing that before¡­¡± ¡°Cats don¡¯t hibernate!¡± ¡°¡­¡± "Anyway, if it goes on like that, I have to go exploring alone with Chloe for the next couple of months!" ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad, does it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph went silent. ¡°And the pout changed into a bright smile~.¡± Sophia naturally noticed her change. ¡°You sure are a big fan of the pink one, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Her reply came the moment the tiger finished her sentence. ¡°I mean¡­ Yes, but¡­ We just got reunited, and I want spent time with you! Exploring with Chloe sounds amazing, but I want to do it with you, too!¡± "Well, I guess that''s fair. More than fair.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I feel the same, too. But¡­ but¡­ cold!¡± ¡°Come on, idiot¡­ Let¡¯s have some fun! Wait! I was able to change my entire being with magic, and you all created a massiveke and changed the whole ecosystem of this forest! I¡¯m sure you can make yourself feel warm with magic, right? Or maybe create a warm pocket around you and your cat friends while walking around!¡± ¡°That¡¯s, uhh¡­ actually pretty easy to do. I already tried it a few times, and it works wlessly!" ¡°Then stopining!¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty awkward, though¡­ When everything around you is cold and ufy, and you¡¯re toasty warm so that you can run around in a t-shirt while everyone else is wearing a coat and stuff¡­¡± "Then don''t make it toasty! Just warm enough that your cat''s brain can deal with it! You can still wear winter clothes, but at a temperature around you that is not too harsh!¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned awkward. ¡°I¡­ I hadn¡¯t thought about that¡­¡± ¡°Did you get stupider aftering to this world, sis¡­?¡± She stared right at her in return. ¡°Oi!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It took her a second. ¡°I got a lot more easygoing, and I fail to think things through more often than not¡­ I do be stupid at times, though¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I can see that. Well, it¡¯s fun, though. Easygoing is best!¡± ¡°Sure is!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Steph raised her arm high into the air. ¡°That means we can go exploring asap, right!¡± ¡°To a degree, I think. We can look at many things, but there''s still Anna and Ari. They''re friends of ours and will apany us when we go exploring for real. We promised them. They¡¯re still attending the magic academy in the capital, though. The two will graduate in spring, and then we''ll travel the world." ¡°Aww¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like that reply. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped if you already made concrete ns with the rest of your group¡­ STILL! Before spring, I want to do lots with you and see all kinds of things! Make some lukewarm weather around you, and let''s go!" ¡°You sure know how to motivate someone.¡± ¡°I sense a hint of sarcasm, but I take it!" ¡°Good!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her sister. ¡°By the way, wasn¡¯t there something else kinda odd about that, uhh... magic forest?¡± "Hmm?" Sophia tilted her head before looking around. The two were already halfway back to the vige and a good bit away from the gigantic trees. "Eh...?" She then noticed that the trees closer to the vige had already lost all their leaves. The bushes and other types of nts were significantly reduced, as well. It already was winter, after all. ¡°Wait! Why was everything there still lush and green?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to ask.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger gave it some thought. ¡°Maybe because the trees work on magic now? They don''t seem to need nutrients anymore, and frost most likely won''t be an issue for them, either. No need to get rid of their leaves to conserve energy?¡± ¡°Sounds like it would make sense.¡± Steph nodded a couple of times. ¡°Then again, I don¡¯t really get how magic works, so¡­¡± ¡°Wee to the club.¡± She also still had some slight gaps in her knowledge about it, after all. ¡°I wonder if that forest¡¯s evergreen now¡­ Oh, do you think you can control it?¡± ¡°Control it?¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°Green all year around is nice and all, but nts, trees included, look way nicer during spring when everything blooms and in fall when the foliage turns colorful.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± ¡°Flowers forever blooming and trees having colorful fall foliage forever would be amazing, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That WOULD be amazing!¡± The blonde liked the idea. ¡°Oh, that fox-man¡­ Alex! He mentioned the hot spring would be finished soon, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be amazing to make the area around it look like it¡¯s always fall? Or maybe, if we can find some cherry blossoms¡­¡± ¡°I really like the sound of that.¡± She was getting excited. "Chloe was the one who came up with the idea of infusing saplings with magic to let them grow. Maybe she also has an idea of how to do that!" ¡°Chloe¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°She sure is~.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and ask her!¡± Steph raised her voice. ¡°The hot spring with everyone sounds amazing, so I want something nice to look at for the asion!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger tilted her head. "I''m sure there will be plenty of nice things to look at, and you haven¡¯t even met Ari and Anna yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent for a second while her mind visibly wandered for a moment. ¡°You win that round, sis.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°That being said, a beautiful background would still be nice!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, let¡¯s go!¡± The dog-girl¡¯s motivation soared once again. ¡°Sure~.¡± She was a big fan of her motivation. ¡°Chloe and Maya went to the castle, though. Before going there, we must match our stories first¡­¡± Her expression turnedplicated. "A year is a very long time, isn¡¯t it? No need to get specific there and add details like mentioning it¡¯s been a year, right?¡± ¡°You and your technically not lying¡­¡± Steph rolled her eyes before continuing. ¡°Okay with me, though. Same with how we got separated. It¡¯s ratherplicated, painful, and we¡¯d rather not talk about it.¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked her response. ¡°Even better, we actually do not know where our parents are right now and how they¡¯re doing. It¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it perfect, far from it, but it certainly helps our case here." ¡°We¡¯re not lying, after all.¡± ¡°Technically, yes~.¡± ¡°Maya told me that all children turn out to be a tiger when one of their parents was one, as well. Are their genes dominant or something like that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I understood it, yeah. I mean, there are always exceptions for things like that, especially when I''m involved because neither I nor my magic cares about catastrophes most of the time, but¡­¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s one parent¡­ Don¡¯t we have a workaround for that, too?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sophia tilted her head again. ¡°Right! I tend to forget about it because he''s been there since my birth, and to me, he is my father, and you''re 100% my full sister, but we do have different fathers at the end of the day, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect, isn¡¯t it?¡± "Again, I wouldn''t call it perfect, but it certainly helps our case here once more." The tiger had to repeat herself. ¡°Ahaha, good counter.¡± The violet-haired girl let out a small chuckle. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how well your technically not lying tactic works.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°In many ways, yes.¡± Steph wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. ¡°There¡¯s still the part of our reunion. How do you n to weasel yourself out of that?¡± ¡°You suddenly popped up right in front of me.¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°Exactly what happened, too.¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s too easy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The dog-girl rolled her eyes once again. Once the basics of their story were taken care of, the sisters tried toe up with more details they could share on their way back to Sophia''s treehouse to use the existing portal to return to the capital.
Chapter 351 – Meeting the tigers Chapter 351 ¨C Meeting the tigers The sisters returned from the magic forest Sophia and the others had identally created a little while ago by using raw magic to grow a few gigantic trees. It seemed like the nts around there were all affected, as well, because even though it was winter already, everything was perfectly lush, green, and full of life. On the way back, they decided to go and visit the others because the two, with the help of Chloe, who came up with it, wanted to find out if it could be controlled and make the nts and trees look like permanent fall or spring. Sophia and Steph also added some details to their story, so that no one would get too suspicious about the dog¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Alrighty!¡± After briefly returning to the mansion and exchanging a few words with the wolves, who were also back there, Sophia smiled at her sister. ¡°I have a portal in the room of the first princess. Should we take that or the scenic route through the castle''s main entrance?" ¡°Scenic route, please!¡± Her reply was instantaneous. ¡°I want to see all of it!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± The tiger had no issues with that. ¡°Shall we head out?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Like any good dog, her tail was excitedly wagging from side to side after hearing they''ll go on another walk. Then again, her tail hadn''t stopped wagging since her transformation, but it still got even more intense. It would definitely hurt if someone got too close to it. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the tail doing?¡± Naturally, the older sister didn¡¯t fail to notice it, either. ¡°ITCHY!¡± Steph immediately got loud. ¡°It¡¯s gotten a lot better already, though!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± She knew how bothersome that was, after all. ¡°To the castle!¡± ¡°To the castle!¡± Highly motivated, the sisters left the mansion to be on their way. ---------------- ¡°Brr¡­¡± Sophia started hugging herself three seconds after leaving their home while slightly shivering. "S-So cold! Why is it so much colder herepared to the fox vige?!" ¡°Is it?¡± The dog-girl seemedpletely unaffected. ¡°Feels prettyfy to me. I wouldn¡¯t mind it being a few degrees colder, actually.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stared at her with big eyes. ¡°Are you insane?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine~.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°If anything, it seems like I enjoy this kind of temperature even more since my transformation. Is it because I mostly thought about a husky when sorting my new features? Okay, my eyes have some slight influence of a Shiba, but my main idea, especially with my tail, was a husky. Did I gain some other traits from them, as well? They love the cold, too, after all.¡± ¡°I never expected, after having forcefully been ripped out of my world, that this would be the thing to tear us apart¡­¡± The blonde sounded quite defeated. ¡°Oi!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Well, at least you will be really tight with Chloe. She¡¯s even more of a freak in that regard¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± She smiled for a second before ring at her sister again. ¡°I''m this close to giving your inner cat a massive kick in the butt!" She pinched two fingers together while saying so. ¡°Try to get your warmth bubble or however you¡¯re going to call it running!¡± ¡°You have no idea how much I¡¯m going to tease you once it gets warm again¡­¡± ¡°If you survive until then.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia went silent again. ¡°Also, I do remember that you weren¡¯t the biggest fan of it being too warm, either.¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you are way too high maintenance?¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ heard that a few times, yes.¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°About 7,000 times by you alone.¡± ¡°I am fairly sure that¡¯s way too much of an understatement.¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± ---------------- As Sophia was a little pouty afterward, the sisters continued their walk in silence until reaching the castle, where Steph got excited again. "Woah!" Her eyes were sparkling again. "It''s so much more impressive up close!" ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± The blonde had recovered from earlier and nodded a few times. ¡°For most ces in the old thing, castles weren¡¯t really a thing, huh? Especially such immacte ones.¡± ¡°Yup! It¡¯s great!¡± The dog-girl was in a good mood. ¡°By the way, why were the guards at the entrance so shocked when they saw us together¡­?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I do have a theory... One that could get quite troublesometer¡­" ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°They know that Maya and I are a couple, and they know Maya¡­¡± ¡°Okay?¡± "Everyone in the castle knows that my cat is slightly possessive and quite jealous at times. Now, they saw me walking around with another girl, and we are even holding hands¡­¡± ¡°But we¡¯re sisters?¡± ¡°Do we look like sisters, though?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Steph saw the issue. ¡°Have fun with that.¡± ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ll take you down with me. That has be my motto whenever I get in trouble that isn¡¯t my sole responsibility.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I steal that motto? I have the feeling I¡¯ll need a lot in the future.¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t use it on me.¡± ¡°You just wanted to do the same with me, though!¡± The dog-girl got loud. ¡°Older sister privileges.¡± ¡°Nonono, that¡¯s not how that works!¡± Steph shook her head. ¡°The little sister is the one with the privileges! ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little one-sided?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to defend oneself against such a smile¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s also the power of a little sister!¡± ¡°Little sisters are way too strong¡­¡± ¡°Sure are~.¡± ¡°I wonder how strong you are against Kira¡­¡± ¡°Kira?¡± The violet girl tilted her head. ¡°She¡¯s the queen of the country.¡± ¡°Ohh, fancy!¡± ¡°She definitely is fancy. Ellie¡¯s also with her~.¡± ¡°Ellie¡­?¡± Steph needed a second. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the little girl you so extensively talked about during your recap, no? The one everyone has to love, right?¡± ¡°Little tiger-girl, to be exact. You''re right about the other part, though. She''s the bestest!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already looking forward to meeting her!¡± ¡°Well, both of them just arrived in the entrance hall, so we¡¯ll meet them soon. Detection magic is sooo handy~.¡± ¡°You have to teach me that asap!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ---------------- ¡°It actually is true what the guards and maids told me¡­¡± Entering the castle, the duo was immediately approached by Kira, who had a stern expression while slowly shaking her head. ¡°Bad So¡­ phia!¡± Ellie, holding the queen¡¯s hand, was trying her best to mimic her mother. ¡°U-Urgh!¡± The blonde took some actual damage from that. ¡°You do know that Maya will kill you, right?¡± Kira looked at the linked hands of the sisters before staring at Sophia. ¡°Okay, I get it. This dog is incredibly adorable, but even so! ¡°Even so!¡± The little tiger princess let go of Kira and put her hands on her hips. Judging by her impression, she had no idea what was going on, but it was also clear that she was having fun. The queen most likely had taught her that pose just moments before meeting the sisters. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± She only then took a better look at the violet dog-girl and her expression. ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± Immediately after, Ellie dashed away from the entrance hall. ¡°O-Ouch¡­¡± Steph didn¡¯t take it too well. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a new one¡­¡± Even Kira was surprised by that. ¡°Anyway, you two are more important! Sophia, what are you thinking?! You were the one who turned Anna down because you said you only wanted Maya, and now this?! I mean, it was a good decision because of Ari, but that''s a different matter!" ¡°C-Could you calm down for a second¡­?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t expecting it to escte that much. ¡°Why would I?! You¡¯re in for a stern talking unless you give me ONE good reason for this!" She pointed at both of them, especially their hands, while raising her voice. ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The queen calmed down in an instant. ¡°That¡­ That is a good reason.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± The blonde was d it ended up being so easy. ¡°Wait, WHAT?¡± It wasn¡¯t going to be easy, after all. ¡°She¡¯s your SISTER?!¡± She stared right at the dog-girl. ¡°N-Nice to meet you¡­¡± She was a little overwhelmed. ¡°My name is Stephanie. Everyone calls me Steph, though. Yes, we are sisters.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Kira changed her attention to Sophia again. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± The queen¡¯s expression changed again. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I thought you, well¡­ lost your family¡­?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s what I believed, too¡­ As it turned out, in my sister''s case, at the very least, for now, lost seemed to be a more literal meaning¡­ I thought she was gone, but in the end, it seemed that we just got separated a long time ago¡­ Somehow, we managed to run into each other again.¡± "Seriously¡­? But, she''s a member of the dog folk, and you''re a tiger¡­ That isn¡¯t supposed to be possible. Siblings should always be tigers when one of the parents is a tiger. I mean, you¡¯re an exception in pretty much anything, but this should be different. Then again, the magic I can feel from your sister ispletely abnormal, as well¡­ So, what''s normal anymore¡­?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Steph tried to be a part of the conversation. ¡°Sophia and I have different fathers¡­ Neither of us ever met him because he, err¡­ was gone before she was born, and we grew up with my father and our mother until we got¡­ separated. I haven''t seen them in a while, either, and I have no idea where they are. ¡°Ohh!¡± Kira nodded a few times. ¡°Then, it makes a lot more sense. That way, it would be entirely possible for both of you not to be tigers if your mother wasn''t one." ¡°S-Something like that¡­¡± Both sisters seemed a little awkward. ---------------- Afterward, the sisters exined what happened thest few days in a way it somehow made sense while leaving out all kinds of details, barely making it believable. Thankfully, as the two made it sound like a touchy subject, Kira refrained from asking about too many details, and they somehow managed to talk their way out of it. ¡°Wow... Is there any part of your life that isn¡¯t notplicated girl has dely, I''ll tell him.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Steph eventually joined in on the conversation. ¡°The cute little one¡­ Ellie, right? Did I do something to her earlier? She ran away the moment she looked at me¡­ I don¡¯t look scary, do I¡­?¡± ¡°If anything, you¡¯re adorable, but Ellie¡¯s a little shy from time to time.¡± Kira tilted her head. ¡°It got a lot better after meeting Sophia, so running away like that was a little surprising. I''ll have a talk to herter that it was a little rude what she dis¡­" ¡°Hmm¡­ She instantly fell in love with Chloe, though.¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure if that would work as an exnation. ¡°That fox is just a big ball of fluff. There¡¯s no way that Ellie wouldn¡¯t love her after a minute or two.¡± "Actually, she actually did need a minute or two to warm up to the girl attached to the tail, so¡­ Steph is also super fluffy, though. Her running away seems a little weird.¡± "That''s true. Our dear dog here is rather high on the fluffiness scale. Way above the threshold of Ellie unconditionally liking her¡­¡± The queen had no exnation for her behavior, either. ¡°Alright, ording to my detection magic, Ellie ran to her room! Let¡¯s pay her a visit and find out why she did that!¡± Afterward, Sophia grabbed her little sister''s hand, and the two made their way toward the little princess''s room. ¡°Always good for a surprise, that girl¡­¡± Waving after them for a moment, the queen eventually also returned to wherever she came from before.
Chapter 352 – Plushie Chapter 352 ¨C Plushie Sophia and Steph arrived at the castle and directly ran into Kira and Ellie. Seeing the sisters, the queen immediately started scolding the blonde for two-timing as she had no idea who this dog-girl was. Ellie had an even bigger reaction to the new one and ran away after having taken a better look at her for some reason. Once Sophia managed to exin what was actually going on and Kira stopped being surprised, the sisters went to Ellie¡¯s room to find out why she had reacted the way she did. ¡°Ellie¡­?¡± Slowly opening the door to her room, Sophia, together with her little sister, entered the room of the princess. ¡°So¡­ phia! Plushie!¡± Her eyes immediately lit up when she saw the duo. ¡°Plushie¡­?" The dog-girl noticed the little tiger staring at her during that part. ¡°Yes!¡± With a big smile, Ellie walked up to her and presented her a stuffed toy that looked strangely familiar. ¡°Here!¡± It was the same plushie she already had during the pic. A violet and white dog with a super fluffy tail and one kinked ear. ¡°Ellie ran back to her room because Ellie thought my plushie had turned into a girl! Ellie was wrong, though¡­" She actually looked quite disappointed. ¡°Oh!¡± She nced at the plushie with great interest. ¡°It really looks a lot like me, huh? Simr color scheme, and the ears and tail are exactly the same! How weird! It¡¯s a really cute stuffed animal, though!¡± ¡°Is that some weird type of self-praise¡­?¡± Sophia stared at Steph and the plush copy with a confused expression. "A-Ah¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that and smiled at the little princess instead. "Anyway, it''s great to see that you don''t seem scared of me after all. I got a little worried when you ran away after seeing me." ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± The little tiger looked confused for a moment. ¡°Ah! Ellie¡¯s sorry! That wasn¡¯t¡­ Ellie just wanted to see if the plushie was still there or had be you!¡± She held up the plush dog even higher while saying so. ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t know you yet, but she doesn¡¯t dislike you at all!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear~." Her mood got even better while her tail wag intensified, as well. ¡°By the way, my name is Stephanie.¡± ¡°Steph¡­ anie¡­?¡± Her name was just asplicated as Sophia¡¯s for the princess. ¡°Everyone calls me Steph, though. Feel free to do the same!¡± ¡°Steph!¡± Ellie naturally liked the way easier pronounce name much more!¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t she a bit too adorable¡­?¡± Slightly flustered, the violet girl then nced at her older sister. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia naturally agreed with her. ¡°Now you understand why I love her so much, huh?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°So... phia...?¡± The little princess eventually stared at the older tiger. ¡°Is she also a friend...?¡± ¡°Who? Plushie?¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like that. ¡°This is so going to be your new nickname.¡± ¡°Urgh...¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie smiled at her. ¡°Plushie!¡± ¡°Aaand it¡¯s decided.¡± ¡°...¡± There was no way the dog-girl couldin about it after this. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s pretty cute, after all.¡± She gave up. ¡°Anyway, Sophia and I are more than friends. The two of us are sisters!¡± ¡°Sisters¡­?¡± The little princess tilted her head. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Amazing!¡± She smiled at both of them. ¡°Ellie didn¡¯t know So¡­ phia had a sister!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ We lost each other a long time ago and just found each other again a few days ago.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She didn¡¯t fully understand it, but the princess was clearly happy for them. ¡°Yay, indeed!¡± The sisters naturally felt the same. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia stared at Ellie for a moment before she also started smiling. ¡°Plushie and I are a little busy at the moment, but how about we y lots together in a few days?¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± Steph also was on board. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Alrighty! We¡¯lle back soon, Ellie! Plushie, let¡¯s go to the others!¡± ¡°Bye-bye, So¡­ phia! Plushie!¡± Waving a few times to each other, the sisters then left to make their way toward Anna''s room, where the blonde had detected the other girls. ---------------- ¡°Soo¡­ Plushie¡¯s officially my nickname now¡­?¡± On the way toward the others, Steph addressed her sister. ¡°Ellie likes it, so it is your new nickname. Her word¡¯s thew around here, after all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s spoiling her a bit much?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The blonde gave her a big nod. ¡°No one, myself included, has any intentions to change that, though.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Plushie could understand her reasoning. ¡°It seems like it would be impossible to say no to her.¡± ¡°It is~.¡± Sophia was well aware of it, after all. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s head over to the girls!¡± ¡°Sure! Ah, do I need to know anything about the ones I haven¡¯t met yet?¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­ Anna¡¯s the first princess of this nation, but she¡¯s super nice and affable! Just like me, she¡¯s a tiger. She also looks a bit like a tomboy and is always in when ites to having fun. She''s super tall, around 20cm taller than us, and she''s big. An awesome figure, too. Her legs are most amazing, as well!¡± "I see. Your leg fetish is still there, huh?¡± ¡°Stronger than ever!¡± As usual, the blonde had no intention of hiding it. ¡°Well, I have to agree. Legs are great. Not quite as great as boobs or a nice butt, but great nheless.¡± ¡°Anna¡¯s exceptional in all those areas~. She¡¯s taken, though. So, only looky, no touchy.¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°The other girl¡¯s Ari. Their rtionship is a little advanced¡­? She¡¯s Anna¡¯s maid, brain, childhood friend, and girlfriend.¡± ¡°Wow! I¡¯ve never seen a maid before!¡± "Well, she''s more maid in name only, I think¡­ She is exclusively responsible for Anna because she''s the only one who can deal with her in the castle." ¡°What abination!¡± Steph seemed to like it. ¡°Also, so much girls loving girls action around here! That¡¯s sooo amazing!¡± ¡°It absolutely is!¡± Sophia reacted with a big nod. ¡°Besides that, Ari¡¯s also really interesting, as well. She''s not a tiger but a jaguar with ck hair and fur,bined with a yellow and golden pattern. It¡¯s beyond amazing! I prefer Maya, because she¡¯s more my type, but she¡¯s, objectively speaking, pretty much the most beautiful girl I¡¯ve ever met! She¡¯s somewhat medium-sized, kinda simr to me, but her proportions and style are perfect, and her legs¡­ wow.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Her personality is also pretty fun. On default, she¡¯s really levelheaded, kinda strict at times, and our voice of reason. Once she warms up to you, she turns quite yful and likes to tease others, though. Which is quite useful because Anna¡¯s a bit of an M. Overall, they¡¯re an amazing and very fitting couple.¡± ¡°Oho, they¡¯re setting the bar quite high, huh?¡± ¡°In multiple ways, yes¡­¡± The blonde made a short pause. ¡°The two were also as dense as a ck hole, though¡­ They haven''t been dating for that long yet, and Maya and I went through a lot to help them realize and ept their feelings¡­ It was quite a bit of pain.¡± ¡°Sounds quite simr to what Maya told me about you.¡± Steph¡¯s lips formed into a smile. "A-Ah!¡± Her expression turned awkward. ¡°W-Wait?! She told you about that?! When?¡± ¡°After you fell asleepst night. She told me all kinds of interesting things about you~.¡± ¡°Urgh, this girl¡­¡± Sophia hung her head. ¡°She wasn¡¯t much better most of the time, you know?¡± ¡°Really? She hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about that, though.¡± ¡°Is that so? I wonder why.¡± Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Anyway, be that as it may, Anna and Ari were on a different level of denseness. Those two were so oblivious about their feelings being mutual that everyone in this castle knew about it before them. Even Ellie was aware of their feelings for each other before we could hammer it into their thick heads¡­" ¡°Wow, that¡¯s advanced denseness for sure.¡± Steph actually sounded impressed in a way. ¡°Indeed.¡± The blonde reacted with a slight nod. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to copy them!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± The dog-girl looked a little confused. ---------------- Once this topic was taken care of, the sisters finally made their way to Anna¡¯s room, where the other girls currently were. ¡°Woah, she¡¯s adorable!¡± Arriving there, Ari and the princess immediately announced how they felt about the new girl. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph liked her reaction. ¡°Thank you! You two also are amazing! I''m not the biggest fan of experiencing a size gap myself, though it¡¯s adorable to look at, but tall girls are great! Same with the stripes! Not mine, but adorable to look at!¡± She then focused her attention on Ari. ¡°I absolutely adore your hair! I¡¯ve never seen anything remotely as amazing as that! I prefer pastel colors, but the ck hair with the yellowish-golden pattern is just¡­ wow! Your style is amazing!¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The couple got a little bashful over thepliments. Ari felt especially awkward as there was another new girl that loved the hair she used to hate. ¡°Calm down, plushie¡­¡± Sophia rolled her eyes while looking at her sister. "A-Ah.¡± Steph noticed that she had gotten a little too excited again. ¡°Plushie¡­?¡± Hearing that word, Maya and Chloe tilted their heads in response. ¡°Steph¡¯s new nickname!¡± The blonde smiled at the two. ¡°Ellie came up with it earlier after she noticed that Steph looks really simr to the stuffed dog plushie she has.¡± ¡°I love it! It¡¯s super cute!¡± The fox-girl seemed to be a big fan of it. ¡°Plushie!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She still had some mixed feelings about it. Seeing Chloe cheerfully address her like that put a smile on her, though. ¡°Now that I think about it, you really do resemble that plushie a lot!¡± The pink-haired girl nodded a few times. ¡°I actually have your model at home, too!¡± "Any resemnce between me and the plushie is purely coincidental!¡± ¡°That reminds me¡­¡± Maya joined the conversation. ¡°We have both models in our bedroom. The violet dog and the pink fox plushie that looks suspiciously close to Chloe.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The fox-girl had forgotten about the part where she also exists as a plush animal. ¡°It¡¯s kinda weird how those plushies resemble the general design of the two¡­ It¡¯s almost like they were hinting at some future events¡­¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s an interesting conspiracy theory.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes while ncing at the blonde tiger. "As if someone would use plushies to hint at people." ¡°Ahaha.¡± Afterward, once the silly topic of those plushies ever having had a deeper meaning was over, Steph finally introduced herself to the royal couple for real because everyone continued to chat. Naturally, the dog-girl was the center of attention as Anna and Ari wanted to get all the details about what was going on and how the sisters managed to reunite with each other. Steph and Sophia happily told them about everything they were okay to disclose while also making sure none of the otherworldler or human stuff woulde up. As they were pretty interested and confused about one being a dog and the other sister being a tiger, them technically being half-sisters also got a mention.
Chapter 353 – Throwing the towel Chapter 353 ¨C Throwing the towel The sisters visited Ellie after she had run away from Steph once she had seen her, to find out that it was just a misunderstanding. The little princess wasn¡¯t scared of her in the slightest and merely wanted to make sure that her dog plushie was still in her room because Steph looked so simr to it, and she thought her plushie had turned into a girl. Afterward, the duo went to the other girls, and Plushie, the dog-girl¡¯s new nickname, immediately befriended Anna and Ari as she was incredibly sociable. ¡°It¡¯s beyond amazing that you managed to find each other again, and I¡¯m incredibly happy for you, but¡­¡± Ari looked a little awkward after having listened to the tale of the sisters. ¡°Maya already warned me, but it actually does feel like you have even more magic than Sophia¡­ Much more, in fact¡­ D-Does that mean you¡¯re even more ridiculous than her when ites to that¡­?¡± She sounded pretty worried while facing the little sister. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say, actually¡­ To be perfectly honest, even though I have that much of it, I don¡¯t really know how to use magic.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Anna and the jaguar got loud while staring at the dog-girl, who had gottenfortable next to Chloe on the sofa after the sisters had arrived earlier. ¡°Well,¡± She scratched her cheek, trying toe up with an exnation. ¡°I¡¯m aware of my magic at least as long¡­ as I remember having a tail, but¡­ I somehow only became able to actually able to use it like yesterday¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± The princess naturally couldn¡¯t understand that kind of exnation. "That''s an excellent question!¡± The dog-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°Why are you sisters soplicated?!¡± The jaguar got loud. ¡°Well, it proves that you are sisters, but still!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± In one way or another, the two took it as apliment. ¡°We do know how to make things not boring, after all!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Ari¡¯s face paled a little. ¡°From the sound of that, there definitely will be even more chaos from now on¡­¡± ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Steph liked the idea. ¡°Maya, Chloe¡­ I hate you¡­¡± Looking utterly defeated, the ck-haired girl red at both of them. "A-Ah¡­¡± They had nothing to say in their defense. ¡°S-Say,¡± The jaguar looked at the new girl with slightly upturned eyes. ¡°How do you feel about catastrophes caused by magic and orck ofmon sense¡­?¡± ¡°I do feel like I¡¯ll rte a lot to theck ofmon sense part, but¡­¡± Naturally, as Steph had just arrived here a day ago, her sense would be even worse than that of Sophia or Chloe. ¡°How do you define catastrophes? Something world-ending?¡± ¡°NO! I-I mean, yes! B-But¡­ urgh!¡± Her expression turned desperate. ¡°W-Why is something world-ending your first thought?! What¡¯s wrong with you sisters?!¡± ¡°I think the sisters are perfectly fine!¡± Chloe disagreed with her. "One''s amazing, and the other''s even amazinger!¡± ¡°You¡¯re part of the problem!¡± Ari just red at the fox. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, Sophia wanted toin about clearly not being the amazinger sister, but after seeing the nice smile of her while ncing at Steph as she said that, she decided against it. ¡°Anyway,¡± The dog-girl faced Ari again. ¡°I can promise that I have no intention of destroying the world because I love it too much, but I need some examples for regr catastrophes.¡± ¡°Sophia, please exin everything you didtely¡­¡± The jaguar had a handy example ready. ¡°Did you forget to tell me some stories?¡± Steph nced at her sister. ¡°I might¡¯ve skipped a minor detail or so, but I think I mentioned everything of interest that happenedtely.¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Hmm¡­ The war thingy was quite unfortunate, but were the other things really catastrophes?¡± ¡°The magic ident Fenny and I had that created theke we visited earlier definitely was.¡± She could admit to that, at the very least. ¡°Ah, right! That was pretty baffling, true.¡± The dog-girl had forgotten about that for a second. ¡°Alright, ignoring the war, and that¡­ Ah, I might be able to see a slight pattern.¡± ¡°T-Thank you!¡± Ari was happy that she could understand her. ¡°Still, for the most part, nothing seems like catastrophes to me. Just a girl having a ton of fun~. Sure, a mishap or two might¡¯ve happened, but there was no actual harm, was there? I¡¯m all for that! Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Wow, you really are absolutely amazing!¡± Chloe liked her reply a lot. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph let out a happy giggle before focusing on the jaguar again. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m sure it can be a bit of an inconvenience at times, but¡­ Depending on what happened, maybe also embarrassing for a moment. Even so, everything I heard from Sophia¡¯s adventurestely sounded extremely fun! The bits Chloe told me were amazing, too! If you think having a great time in life is a catastrophe, I¡¯ll be an absolute disaster!¡± ¡°I want to change my previous statement from you being amazing to you being perfect!¡± The fox-girl''s opinion of her got even better. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± The dog-girl took a bit of damage from the increasing praise and started blushing a little. ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s hard toe up with a counter if you word it like that¡­¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure what to say in return. ¡°Okay, to be honest, I¡¯m not good with public attention, and all those shy things gather a lot of it¡­ So, in a way, it is a catastrophe for me¡­" ¡°I think I can get behind that. I like attention. Like, a lot, but I can respect that. Are you actually not good with it, or is it maybe more of a question of getting used to it first?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an¡­ Okay, sure. I used this reply more often than I count myself, so¡­¡± Steph couldn¡¯t me her for that. ¡°In the end, you aren¡¯t really against it, but the attention bothers you as you have a hard time dealing with that because you aren¡¯t used to it?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°I have a rather big connection to the royal family, now more than ever after Anna and I¡­ I''m also the only jaguar around with ck hair, so I am used to attention in a way, but I really don¡¯t enjoy it¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Steph,¡± Sophia then looked at her. "Ari used to think that she was getting all the attention because people were gossiping behind her back because she¡¯s the only one of her type with ck hair. She thought everyone would dislike her for that because she¡¯s different and it¡¯s ugly¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar went silent. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Steph didn¡¯t and looked right at the ck-haired girl with big eyes. ¡°Seriously now? How could you think anyone would be able to hate that gorgeous hair of yours?!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The tigers nodded a couple of times as they felt the same. Anna¡¯s nodding was especially vigorous. ¡°¡­¡± There was still nothing Ari could say in her defense. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°You might be okay with my current number one wish for an activity! It¡¯s kinda ridiculous, but it¡¯s also super fun and will happen far away from any witnesses!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that¡­¡± The jaguar had some doubts about how she worded it. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± "I want to create a MASSIVE world tree-like thing in the middle of a jungle and turn everything around it into a magic forest!" ¡°Oh my gosh!¡± Chloe liked that idea a lot. ¡°Let¡¯s go immediately!¡± ¡°I knew that I could count on you!" Steph reacted with a big smile while looking at the fox-girl. ¡°A what now¡­?¡± Ari was just confused instead. ¡°It¡¯s, more or less, just a massive tree that is a couple of kilometers tall, super thick, and has magical capabilities!¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Judging by her expression, she had some mixed feelings about it. ¡°It does sound a little intriguing to look at, though¡­" ¡°It sounds amazing!¡± Anna corrected her. ¡°I want to do that, too!¡± ¡°I wee anyone that joins in on the idea!¡± ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± The princess eventually tilted her head. "A few days ago, father mentioned something about being able to see some massive trees in the far distance from his office windows. He also swears that they haven''t always been there¡­" "Sophia?" Hearing that, Ari immediately stared at the most likely culprit. "A-Ah.¡± She looked somewhat awkward for a moment. ¡°M-Maya¡¯s the one who started it! She¡¯s the one who grew the first tree!¡± "H-Hey!" The cat-girl got loud. "I mean, it''s true, but that was just to prevent you from going insane with it! It was all your idea!" ¡°Technically, it was Chloe¡¯s idea¡­¡± ¡°I have no intention of apologizing here.¡± The fox-girl took the me much better than the couple. ¡°It was glorious what you all did.¡± ¡°See?!¡± The blonde looked back at Ari. ¡°See what? I already know that Chloe''s as much, if not even more, of a lost cause, and Maya just did it to ensure you don''t overdo it. How tall was your tree, Maya?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Something between 200 and 300 meters tall¡­¡± The cat-girl¡¯s reply was more of a mumble. ¡°E-Eh?¡± The jaguar hadn''t expected that. ¡°It, uhh¡­ It was an ident¡­¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°I had nned for half the size because that still sounded fun and wasn¡¯tpletely unreasonable! It seems like Sophia messed up my magic a little, though, and it¡¯s now twice as effective, and the tree turned twice as tall because of that¡­" ¡°So, in the end, it IS your fault!¡± Ari went back to staring at the blonde. ¡°Ah.¡± She had no excuse this time. ¡°How big was your tree, then?! There''s just no way she would''ve kept it at that, after all!¡± ¡°T-Twice the size, I guess¡­¡± ¡°T-That would mean around 500 meters! Seriously?!¡± The jaguar raised her voice. ¡°Wait, actually¡­ I mean, it''s stillpletely over the top, but I was expecting more. D-Don''t tell me you held back?!" ¡°Could you not be so shocked?!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°Impossible!¡± "Don''t I have the best friends?" There was the slightest hint of sarcasm in the blonde''s voice while she nced at her sister. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Steph only showed her a massive smile in return, though. After all, it was perfectly obvious that the group was really tight, and she was incredibly happy about that. ¡°I promised Maya to make a tree twice the size of hers, so¡­¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the reason, I see.¡± ¡°You should see the trees of Fennyfenny and Aura!¡± Sophia tried to divert the attention a little. ¡°They each created a tree that¡¯s over a kilometer tall! Those are probably also the ones that can be seen from the king¡¯s office!¡± ¡°Fen being the one who taught you magic really had an effect on you¡­¡± Ari could only roll her eyes. ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°I wanna make such a tree, too!¡± Anna apparently liked everything she had heard so far. ¡°Oh, speaking of,¡± The blonde then faced Chloe. ¡°Have you already heard what the trees have done to the surrounding forest?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She just tilted her head. ¡°It seems like the trees we grewpletely work on magic now. From the looks of it, they need neither water nor nutrients anymore.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± The fox-girl got loud. ¡°Even more, they also radiate magic. So much actually that you can see it with your bare eyes in the air.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°It also had an effect on the surrounding forest. Every nt grew a good bit bigger, and everything''s green again! The trees and all are full of leaves even though they should¡¯ve long fallen off!¡± ¡°It turned into a magical forest!¡± Steph summarized it in an easier way. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful there!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Chloe¡¯s expression changed into an even bigger smiler. ¡°Mythical magic mega jungle, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The dog-girl was a big fan of the idea. ¡°Those two get along quite well already, huh?¡± Anna tilted her head while watching the duo. ¡°Also, let¡¯s go!¡± She also was looking forward to it. ¡°It¡¯s official... I give up, Maya.¡± With a defeated expression, Ari then looked at the cat-girl. ¡°I definitely don¡¯t get paid enough to deal with one more. I quit being the voice of reason from now on! Steph also said some very nice things about it, so I¡¯ll give it a try!¡± ¡°Always happy to help!¡± The cause smiled at her. ¡°...¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t smiling, though. ¡°S-She definitely has a point and all, and I look a little forward to the jungle, but... BUT! At least when we¡¯re in public... At least assist me there!¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± ¡°Please!¡± ¡°Alright, fine¡­¡± Ari felt bad about leaving her hanging. ¡°Wait!¡± It seemed like Chloe was listening in on them. ¡°Does that mean we can officially go nuts when it''s just us?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The duo didn¡¯t answer her. Once that topic was taken care of, the girls returned to chatting again, and Steph was already fully integrated into the group. Chapter 354 – Shopping goodies Chapter 354 ¨C Shopping goodies The girls were still chatting together in Anna''s room, and Steph, to the surprise of none, was splendidly getting along with everyone. She had already be a part of the group. Ari had a bit of a problem with her, though. On a personal level, she liked the little sister a lot already, but she now had the confirmation that she was just as bad as Sophia when it came to themon sense question. One might even say that Steph''s the worst of the bunch. Because of that, the jaguar finally decided to give up on being the voice of reason for good. Luckily, Maya managed to talk her into helping out when they needed a reprimanding in public, at least. The group continued to chat about turning a jungle into a magical wondend in the future for a while. Still, it was eventually turningte, and the sisters were getting tired after having run around so much the entire day. Or, that was Sophia¡¯s excuse, at least. In reality, she really wanted to try out all the things she and Maya had bought in the other world. She still needed toe up with an exnation about all that for Anna and Ari, so she went with the tired excuse for the time being. ---------------- ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been a while!¡± After the girls, without Anna and Ari, had returned home and entered the living room, Maya spotted the wolves rxing on the sheepskin rug there and greeted them. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like all of you had much free timetely.¡± Fen looked at her. ¡°Be it taking in a runaway princess or casually going to a different world without prior notice.¡± "A-Ahaha...¡± The cat-girl had little to say here. ¡°Things were a little weirdtely...¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly.¡± Aura also faced her. ¡°Stop looking at me, you two! I take next to no me for those hectic days!¡± She raised her voice while gesturing at Sophia next to her. ¡°It certainly hasn¡¯t gotten boring with metely~.¡± ¡°No kidding! That¡¯s way too much of an understatement!¡± Everyone red at her. ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Chloe, sitting next to Steph, with a suspiciously minimal amount of distance, as it already became customs, looked at Sophia and Maya. "You mentioned something about having bought many things from the other world, right?" ¡°Right!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°The vibrating fun!¡± ¡°...¡± The fox paused for a moment and then focused on Maya again. "That, uhh... wasn¡¯t exactly what I was asking about.¡± Even while saying that, she still looked mighty curious, though. ¡°Boring!¡± ¡°What is this about?¡± Aura seemed a little confused. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± Sophia simply shook her head in return. She was fairly sure that it wouldn''t be much of interest to the wolf. ¡°Other than that, Maya and I bought all sorts of inventions the humans in our old world made to make everyday life less boring and more entertaining.¡± ¡°So we are talking the vibraty things, after all!" ¡°Go and take a cold shower!¡± ¡°No!¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°Unless you can use them while taking a shower!¡± ¡°You actually can.¡± Steph, knowing what she was talking about, answered her. "They''re much more fun during a bath, though. Easier and more rxing, too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Liking the sound of that, she grabbed Sophia¡¯s hand and stood up from the sofa the two were on. ¡°Sit down and shut up, idiot!¡± The tiger just sighed while rolling her eyes. ¡°The cold shower was meant for you to calm down!¡± "Boo!" Her smile changed into a big pout, and the cat-girl returned to the sofa again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± The dog-girl¡¯s expression changed into a gentle smile while watching the couple. "Their bickering is great, isn''t it?" Chloe had the same look as she nced at Steph next to her. ¡°Very!¡± ¡°Then do some bickering on your own!¡± It wasn¡¯t overly intense, but Sophia still red at the rather cuddly-looking duo on the sofa opposite of her. She also wanted to make ament about how her sister was more and more using Chloe¡¯s tail as a pillow and how the fox-girl seemed to be leaning into it, as well, while ever so slightly wrapping the tip of her tail around the dog. She and Maya still had somewhat of a non-intervention pact on that topic, so she managed to hold back. ¡°Soo¡­ about the stuff you got from that world¡­¡± Fen wanted to get back to the topic. He was also more interested in that, rather than the romance ir lingering in the room. "Thank you!" Sophia was happy that at least one serious individual was left beside her. ¡°We got some cameras, tablets, TVs, an obscene number of movies and series, and even a game console with some games! Together with some essories and equipment to run everything.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t understand a single word you just said¡­¡± The male wolf lightly shook his head a few times. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± ¡°Wait, you actually got a TV and all that¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head while listening to the tiger. ¡°Yup!¡± She gave her a thumbs up. "Now, we can have the cuddly time while watching cheap reality TV, just like you wanted the other day!¡± ¡°You were the one with the reality TV stuff!¡± The fox-girl got loud. ¡°I don¡¯t really like that! In the first ce, I prefer movies over series 80% of the time!¡± "Series have much more entertainment value, though!" Sophia disagreed with her. ¡°Not this again¡­¡± Her little sister suddenly let out a sigh. ¡°Thank you for being on my side with that, Chloe¡­ I had to go through discussion almost every evening with her because I also like movies better¡­¡± ¡°Yay~.¡± "Not so fast, my dear fox!" The blonde wasn''t done yet. "Hasn''t it been like 20 years since yourst movie? Who knows, maybe you like series now better, too!¡± ¡°Fair, I guess¡­? Have movies changed a lot since then, though?¡± "A lot, a lot!¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°They got worse with each passing year!¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± ¡°They look a lot better than in the past, though.¡± Sophia added her own bit. "The plot is bad or nonexistent most of the time, but they''re still quite entertaining, and the visuals are amazing! The same is pretty much true for series, too, though¡­¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­? Chloe got even more confused. ¡°I mean, cheap movies are pretty fun every now and then, but¡­. Shouldn¡¯t a good plot be more important than how a movie looks?¡± "¡­" The sisters had nothing to reply to here. ¡°Wait!¡± The fox-girl got louder. ¡°How are we going to run a TV, anyway? From time to time, it does feel like raw magic is kinda simr to electricity, but there¡¯s no actual one in this world!¡± ¡°Was sr power already popr for home use 20 years ago?¡± Sophia looked at her little sister with a questioning expression. ¡°How am I supposed to know? I was only just born back then¡­¡± "Fair¡­ Well, I know that photovoltaic stuff is much older, so it probably has been?¡± ¡°Oh, the stuff that uses the sunlight to generate power?¡± Chloe looked back at the tiger. ¡°I remember my father really being into green energy, and he stered our entire roof with those big blue panel tile thingies¡­ I never really understood, but I do recall how proud my father was about being as good as independent from the electric guys. At least during the day and when the sun was out¡­ He always mumbled that part. So, yeah, they already were popr when I lived in the old world.¡± ¡°Great! That makes exining a lot easier!¡± ¡°Does it¡­?¡± Fen didn¡¯t sound convinced. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m more confused than ever before¡­¡± "Don''t worry. We''ll get to thatter. For now, I want to exin it to Chloe first because she¡¯s from the same ce, so there¡¯s a higher chance for her to understand.¡± ¡°Wait, so you got some of those sr panels for the roof here¡­?¡± The fox-girl stared at the tiger again. ¡°Don¡¯t you need like apany to install those things¡­? It looked prettyplicated from what I can remember¡­¡± "While I was shopping with Maya, we discovered that there are also somewhat portable variants for caravanning and stuff. Ites with severalrge but foldable sr panels you connect to some huge rechargeable batteries. In those, you can plug anything electric as it has regr AC outlets and stuff. From what the clerk told me, even with the fewer sunlight hours during winter, all the stuff I got is way more than enough to easily power a regr household and then some! At least unless you don''t want too much at once." ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Where did you get the money for that¡­?¡± Steph tilted her head while looking at her sister. ¡°I had looked into that stuff not too long ago myself, and it was insanely expensive!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Fun fact, the currency in this world includes gold coins¡­ You know, made from actual gold. I have a literal ton of gold coins. I mean literal. I exchanged some of those coins for cash in our world. Afterward, Maya and I went shopping~.¡± "That sounds incredibly sketchy and outright illegal for some reason¡­" ¡°I thought so, too!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Then, I decided not to think too deeply about it. It¡¯s not hurting anybody, after all.¡± ¡°Wait, if you have that much gold, couldn¡¯t we just buy a house or some other ce in the old world, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, to hide your portal thingy in? If you own it, there¡¯s basically no chance for someone to find out about it. At least, after making sure about it with magic in one way or another.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head while thinking about her little sister¡¯s idea. ¡°I¡¯d definitely have the money for it if I get that amount of gold exchanged somewhere, but that alone would probably already be a problem. Not to mention buying a house with cash¡­ or adding that much money to a bank ount would probably trigger all sorts of moneyundering-rted rms¡­ Not to mention property taxes and all that fun stuff where the government would get suspicious." ¡°Those are some valid points¡­ Too bad. I thought it would solve the issues of being readily avable to go back and forth.¡± ¡°I don''t n to go back often, anyway¡­ Maybe some shopping every now and then to get some inspiration or technical books and the like, but I guess it''s best to keep the apartment for a while? Once we get a hold of mom and exin what is going on, we maybe could relocate the portal to there. We could pay her for it, too.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s the best course of action, yeah.¡± Steph had to agree with her. Afterward, once the talk was done, they were finally about to start the unboxing of their shopping. Unfortunately, as Maya hadn''t understood a whole lot of their exchange, she wasn''t able toment on Sophia''s unusually high levels ofmon sense she had shown just now.
Chapter 355 – Needlessly elaborate Chapter 355 ¨C Needlessly borate After having gone to the castle where Sophia introduced her little sister to everyone, the two, including Maya and Chloe, went back to the mansion. Fen and Aura had also returned, and the group gotfortable in the living room. The wolves on the sheepskin rug, the tiger and cat on one sofa, and Steph and the fox-girl on one of the others. Once everyone got, some slightly strangely, cuddly, Sophia finally got to the items she and Maya had gotten while shopping in the blonde¡¯s old world. ¡°Alrighty! Enough of the distractions!¡± While chatting about this and that, Sophia pped her hands to get everyone''s attention. ¡°Let the unpackening begin!¡± Afterward, the tiger opened a portal and pulled two somewhat smaller boxes out of it. ¡°Nice choice on the tablets!¡± Steph recognized the boxes. ¡°They aren¡¯t the most powerful, but I heard their disys are amongst the best!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we got them! I mean, there''s no inte, so there will be no fancy apps that need power. The n was mostly to use them for pictures; a nice disy is most important there!" ¡°Good point!¡± "Tablet¡­?" Chloe looked slightly confused while staring at the boxes. "What''s that?" ¡°Oh!¡± The dog-girl then looked at her. ¡°You were already, uhh¡­ gone when they became popr, huh? I think it hasn¡¯t been much more than ten years since they became any good and readily avable.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Steph had to chuckle in response. ¡°Your confused expression is super cute!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m okay with that!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± She enjoyed the pout just as much. ¡°There are some other differences, but a tablet is basically just a bigger version of my smartphone I showed you before. Bigger disy for more fun!¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°Here!¡± Sophia handed one of the boxes over to her sister. ¡°Show it to Chloe. I¡¯ll configure the other one with Maya. They usuallye pre-charged to some degree, right? I think we don''t need the sr battery thing just yet." ¡°Thanks!¡± Steph took the box from her. ¡°Yeah, they always have enough juice to y around first.¡± "Perfect!" The tiger then nced at the wolves. "Don''t worry. The other stuff we''ll get toter will also be entertaining for you!" Afterward, she focused her attention on Maya next to her. ¡°Let¡¯s open it!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As Maya was the one who wanted to open the box, she snatched it from the blonde and looked at it from all angles. ¡°Wait, how does this work¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t even get inside. ¡°stic wrap is the worst, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia could feel her pain. "There should be a tab you can pull on somewhere. That should get rid of it.¡± "Why is mere packaging in that world soplicated?!" ¡°Asking all the right questions!¡± Chloe joined in on theining. "I either forgot all about just how infuriating stic wrap was, or things got much worse since I left!¡± She was also fighting the packaging of the tablet. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The sisters had to chuckle a little before Steph continued. ¡°That¡¯s a good question, actually¡­ It might be because stuff so tightly wrapped is often quite expensive and or easily breaks. It being wrapped like that prevents it from falling out or others getting into the inside without buying it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Still weird, though.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The sisters had to agree. ¡°Alright, done!¡± Roughly a minuteter, Maya had won the fight against the wrapping stic and was able to open the box. ¡°Wait, the tablet itself is also wrapped?! This is way too borate! Why are you so wasteful even with something stupid like packaging?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph and Sophia scratched her cheeks in return. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a paper wrap¡­¡± The cat-girl calmed down a little after closer inspecting it. ¡°Still¡­ Wait! After all that, it¡¯s not even working!¡± She had freed it from the extra wrap and started tapping the screen, but nothing happened. ¡°It¡¯s not on yet¡­¡± Saying so, Sophia reached for the tablet and pressed a button on it. ¡°See?¡± Soon after, the screen turned on, and the tablet started. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She looked slightly embarrassed. ¡°W-Well, there¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve known that¡­¡± ¡°You have quite the adorable girlfriend.¡± Steph liked her reaction a lot. ¡°I know!¡± The tiger¡¯s expression turned more than a little smug. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Which button was it¡­?¡± Chloe had also managed to free the tablet from its packaging and was curiously looking at it from all angles. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how thin and sleek electronic stuff has be! Everything was so bulky and ugly back when I lived on earth! Unbelievable what 20 years did!¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess the design of electronics has be at least as important as the function of it nowadays." ¡°Can¡¯t say I hate it!¡± The fox-girl was a fan. ¡°Back to the buttons¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ There seem to be only three buttons in total, so¡­ Two are right next to each other and have a plus and a minus on them. Volume? That would mean¡­ Yay!¡± She pressed and held the third option, finally turning the tablet on. ¡°I did it!¡± ¡°That one¡¯s also pretty adorable, though.¡± Sophia pointed at the pink-haired girl while smiling at her little sister. ¡°Very true!¡± Steph readily agreed here. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Chloe was a lot happier about theplimentpared to Maya. Afterward, the sisters took over for the initial configuration because the other two had absolutely no idea how to do that. They, Maya especially, had no clue what the setup questions wanted from them. As there was no inte avable, it didn¡¯t take overly long because most steps could, or rather had to, be skipped. ¡°And there we go!¡± Sophia had finished setting up their tablet and promptly opened the camera app on it. Then, she pointed it at the duo on the sofa opposite of them and took a quick picture of thefy-looking girls. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± After that, she got up and gave her tablet to the other two while snatching theirs before returning to Maya. ¡°It looks great~.¡± ¡°Eh¡­? A-Ah.¡± Steph then looked at the disy and noticed the picture of her and Chloe. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s us!¡± The fox-girl was also looking at it. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how easily you can take and look at pictures nowad- A-Ah.¡± She then seemed to have noticed just how much her tail was wrapped around Steph and how the girl had been using it as a pillow. Her cheeks then turned quite red, and she loosened the grip of her tail around the dog a little. ¡°¡­¡± Even though it made basically no difference because Chloe really only slightly adjusted her tail, the dog-girl¡¯s expression still turned into a bit of a pout. ¡°Subtle¡­¡± Maya could only roll her eyes while mumbling to herself. ¡°Heh.¡± Sophia was still able to hear it. ¡°Oh, while we¡¯re at it!¡± She opened the camera on the new tablet, as well, and then pointed it at the wolves to take a picture of them. ¡°Also great to look at!¡± The tiger seemed to be quite happy with the result. Then, she got up again and walked over to the wolves to show it to them. "Behold! The wonders of technology!" ¡°What¡­? Oh? Eh?¡± Fen was a little confused about her wording and then got really confused after looking at the disy and seeing himself and Aura in it. ¡°Oh?¡± The female wolf also looked surprised after seeing it. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s you and Fennyfenny!¡± ¡°No... I mean, yeah, I can see that, but how...?¡± ¡°This tablet has a camera that lets you take pictures!¡± ¡°Should I pretend to understand even a single word, or¡­?¡± "A tablet is the thing I¡¯m holding right now. A camera is a thing that lets you take pictures. A picture is what you¡¯re seeing right now. An illustration of a scene you pointed the camera at¡­ or something like that. I have no idea how any of that actually works, so don¡¯t even try to ask about details.¡± ¡°That sounds a lot like when you talk about magic.¡± Fen stared at her. ¡°Fascinated by it, but also having no idea how it works. I thought there was no magic in your previous world?" ¡°There is no magic. Living beings have no sort of power inside of them. Creating things out of essentially nothing is not possible, either.¡± ¡°Some of the humans in our world are quite clever and inventive, though.¡± Steph continued her sister¡¯s exnation. ¡°Basically, all of this so-called technology is made out of refined minerals and other substances that are present in our world. In one way or another, at least. Combining a bunch of stuff and using all sorts of processes eventually led to this and many other things." She pointed at the tablet towards the end. "Millions of inventions and ideas got realized like this." ¡°I see¡­¡± While they said so, the wolves still seemed quite confused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­¡± Sophia could understand their reaction. ¡°I kinda understand how the finished product works and all that, but the processes leading to it, arepletely above me." She scratched her cheek. "The theory behind all that kinda makes sense, but if someone would eventually reveal that those steps were based on magic¡­ I would only be slightly surprised.¡± ¡°I feel like agreeing.¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Your world is weird¡­¡± Fen and Aura could onlye to this conclusion. ¡°Yup.¡± The sisters agreed. ¡°Previous world, that is.¡± They were in perfect sync. Afterward, Sophia and Steph exined a little more about the results of technology while also showing off some more features of the tablets to everyone.
Chapter 356 – Was it magic? Chapter 356 ¨C Was it magic? While everyone was in the living room, Sophia had gotten the tablets she and Maya bought in the old world out of her storage, and the sisters showed how they worked to everyone. Chloe was very impressed by how far technology had advanced since she left about 20 years ago. The wolves were a little more confused, though, as it really looked like, to an outsider at least, that magic very well existed in the world they came from. They somehow could convince them that magic, in the way they know it, definitely isn¡¯t a thing, but it was also hard for them to exin how the technology worked because it''s ratherplex. ¡°Alright, should we get to the next thing we got?¡± Everyone was still ying with the two tablets, but Sophia slowly wanted to continue because they had bought many more things, after all. ¡°It¡¯s camera time!¡± Saying so, she pulled a couple of boxes out of her storage again. It was the main camera she bought, the instant print one, and many essories, including the paper for the instant one. "Eh¡­?" Fen got confused again while he looked at the boxes and the pictures on them. ¡°It looks so different than the, uhh¡­ tablet? You said that also had a camera thing?¡± "Ahh¡­" The tiger scratched her cheek. "The tablet from earlier has another main function. Its selling point is the big disy you can use to look at pictures, for example. They just crammed a camera in there because¡­ because they could. This is a standalone camera you use purely to take pictures. They¡¯re of much better quality.¡± ¡°I see?¡± ¡°Think of the tablet as activation word magic. Pretty versatile, easy to use, and you can do most moderately well with it. The camera is highly focused chantless magic designed to do one thing perfectly.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Somehow, this seemed to have made sense to him. ¡°We¡¯re going to take so many pictures!¡± Sophia sounded really excited about it. "Maybe not today, though¡­" She noticed that it had already long gotten dark. ¡°I guess we can save the cameras for tomorrow. In the end, it¡¯s just a much fancier version of what the tablets can do, after all.¡± ¡°The tablets also are about to run out of battery, so, the instant one aside, we also have nothing to look at the pictures on. Not to mention that setting up the cameras would also probably empty their batteries." Steph agreed that ying with them right now wouldn¡¯t lead to the desired oue. ¡°You also bought sr generators with battery storage, right? How about we check them out now? They¡¯re kinda essential for everything, after all.¡± ¡°True, but¡­¡± The tiger then looked out of the window again. ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll be getting much of a charge out of that.¡± She then pointed at the pitch-ck darkness outside. ¡°Yeah, but the batteries of the generator should be at least 50% or more charged, as well. That stuff really doesn¡¯t like to be fully empty, after all. If you really got as much capacity as you imed you did, that shouldst us for a loooong time!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia¡¯s face lit up again. ¡°That¡¯s true! Let¡¯s try them next!¡± She jumped off the sofa in high spirits and then looked at Maya. "Can you help me get all the boxes out of the storage? It was quite a lot of boxes." "The many and somewhat heavy ones we bought in the camping store, right?¡± She tilted her head in response before also getting up. ¡°Sure!¡± Afterward, the couple stepped into the portal, and a few minutester, half of the living room was littered with boxes. ¡°That¡¯s even more than I thought! Just how much did you spend?!¡± Once the dog-girl got a good look at everything, her eyes grew wide. ¡°That must¡¯ve been a fortune!¡± ¡°That is a pretty good description of how much money I left in that store¡­¡± Sophia reacted with a small sigh. ¡°No kidding!¡± Steph raised her voice a little. ¡°Well, we went shopping with the intention of getting rid of all the money we had because we were sure that we couldn¡¯te back to get more or recements, so¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair enough. I probably would¡¯ve done the same. I haven''t seen any sr generators myself, so I''m also looking forward to this! ¡°Oh, that¡¯s no good¡­¡± The blonde¡¯s expression suddenly changed. ¡°I was counting on your expertise here! I have no idea how any of this works or is even put together!" ¡°I¡¯m sure ites with a manual.¡± ¡°R-Right!¡± ¡°Then again, manuals are nowadays often just an online link to a video or something like that¡­" The little sister also got a little awkward. "W-Well, I''ve always been the learning-by-doing type, so it''ll be fine!" ¡°Uh-oh¡­¡± For some reason, Sophia didn¡¯t seem to be relieved in the slightest. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph ignored her and energetically started opening the first box. ---------------- After a little over an hour, a ton of boxes, and packaging material, together with a mess of cablester, the sisters seemed to be finally done setting everything up. "Thank everything holy that it came with a manual that even included pictures¡­¡± The tiger sounded slightly tired. ¡°Ahaha¡­ Well, I think it was pretty plug-and-y for the most part.¡± The dog-girl looked a little more confident. ¡°Okay, connecting the sr panels was a good bit of pain with how you have to connect them in a certain way with a mess of adapters¡­" She was somewhat confident about it. ¡°Why did you two want to plug in all those sr panels in the first ce? It¡¯s not like those will do anything right now.¡± Chloe tilted her head while staring out of the dark window. ¡°It¡¯s amazing that those are somewhat portable now, though! It¡¯s a great idea to make them foldable!¡± ¡°Because I wanted to see how everything goes together!¡± Steph had an easy exnation for her. ¡°Okay, I can ept that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you joined us halfway in and were just as excited about it as Plushie, after all.¡± The blonde was a big fan of the nickname. ¡°A-Ah.¡± ¡°What is all that¡­?¡± Fen was confused a lot today already, and the array of new and weird-looking things wasn''t making it any better. "Any electronic device needs something called electricity.¡± Steph tried to exin it to him. ¡°All those square boxes are something we call batteries. They''re used to storing it. Electricity can be generated in many ways, but we¡¯re going to use sr power here. In easy, very easy, terms, it uses the sun''s light to generate it. It then gets stored in the batteries, and we canter use it in the electronic devices even when there is no sun anymore.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Aura was the one who nodded in return. ¡°Long story short, magic is called electricity in your old world, and all of you are just in denial?¡± She had her very own exnation for all the weird-sounding things she had heard just now. ¡°¡­¡± The sisters and Chloe paused for a moment. ¡°I mean¡­ Sure, why not¡­¡± They gave up. ¡°There are many logical exnations, scientific proof, natural urrences as examples, but¡­¡± ¡°Same goes for our magic here.¡± Aura had no intention of letting Steph have this. ¡°Did our world have magic¡­?¡± The brainwashing was working, and she looked at her older sister with a questioning expression. ¡°I mean, if we really want to, we can also create electricity with our own body by converting movement¡­ It¡¯s just incredibly low and negligible in general terms.¡± ¡°Same goes for the magic power of humans in this world.¡± Fen had to use this chance. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°W-We still aren¡¯t able to create something out of nothing like we can do with magic here, so¡­¡± Sophia was grasping for thest straw she had. ¡°Also, let¡¯s just ignore our old world! It¡¯s a bad ce, so let¡¯s just enjoy some of the few good things here, and we¡¯re good!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± The wolves took it as their win. "Hmm¡­" While all this was happening, Chloe started staring at the sr panels again with a curious expression. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Noticing that, Sophia then addressed her. ¡°Does it have to be sunlight?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She needed a little more context. ¡°Light magic to use on the panels.¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°If you put some power into it, it has some, well¡­ real power. It can be blindingly bright, and it even radiates some warmth. If used right, it can feel exactly the same as being hit with the warm rays of thefy afternoon sun. There''s a high chance it has the same properties and can be used to generate electricity through the sr panels¡­." ¡°Ohh!¡± The tiger liked the sound of that. ¡°Let¡¯s try that!¡± Looking really motivated about the idea, she moved in front of the six huge sr panels they had unfolded on the other side of the room and concentrated for a moment. Soon after, a big ball of pure light formed above the panels and brightly illuminated the whole room. It even made the surroundings feel warmer, as well. "Woah!¡± A few momentster, once Steph was done being amazed by the show, her eyes grew even wider when she looked at the two base stations of the sr generators. ¡°They¡¯re each charging with about 1000 watts! The panels can apparently do 350 each, so it¡¯s basically maxed out!¡± ¡°Seriously?! That¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°First: Ouch, my eyes!¡± Maya wasn¡¯t a fan of the sudden brightness and was covering her eyes. ¡°Second: What does that mean?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­.¡± Hearing that, she turned off the light again and smiled at her girlfriend. ¡°It means we have unlimited electricity! We¡¯ll be able to easily run and use everything we bought in the other world without having to worry!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± That was all she needed to know. ¡°Alrighty! That went even better than expected!" Sophia''s mood was excellent. "How about we clean up a bit? The boxes and packaging material ended up everywhere, after all. After that, we can continue with the other stuff we got!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone agreed with her, and the group made the living room livable again before they could finally focus on the main attraction, the TV. Maya disagreed with that being the most important thing they got, but that was a different story.
Chapter 357 – Amazed wolves Chapter 357 ¨C Amazed wolves The group continued to test out all the gadgets Sophia and Maya had bought in the other world while also trying to exin everything to the wolves. It only caused them to conclude that the tiger had lied to them and magic did exist there, after all. Electronic devices and electricity were way too alien for them, after all. Also, in their eyes, magic in this world didn¡¯t sound that different from what they were trying to exin. After the sisters, and Chloe, decided to give up on the topic, not only because the wolves somehow had a point, and concentrated on the sr generators. They also discovered that the sr panels worked with light magic, which effectively meant unlimited energy. Very handy. ¡°Okay, now that we have power, let¡¯s try and get a TV running!¡± Sophia¡¯s mood was excellent after the sr proved to be even more useful than she had thought. ¡°Maya, which one should we use?¡± ¡°The biggest one!¡± It wasn¡¯t a hard decision for the cat-girl to make. ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Wait, how many TVs did you two buy?¡± Chloe got a little curious about their wording. ¡°Two. To have a spare and because we weren¡¯t sure about the size.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± ¡°I also put my entire old room inside my storage, though. So, there¡¯s another TV in there, among many other things!¡± ¡°Wait, you can do that?!¡± Steph raised her voice after hearing this. ¡°Yup!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Not difficult at all!¡± ¡°Can we go back for a momentter and do the same with my room? I only packed lightly because I didn¡¯t want to give you any more time to think, but there are some more things I¡¯d like to get!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Actually, the guest rooms here and your room in the old apartment are pretty much the same size. If you want to, we can empty it and then put your whole room into it.¡± ¡°That sounds fun!¡± The dog-girl liked the idea. ¡°Let¡¯s try that tomorrow or whenever we get the time. No need to hurry!" ¡°Okay~.¡± ¡°Alrighty, the big TV, give me a moment!¡± Going back to the topic, Sophia pped her hands once before entering her storage again before returning with a massive box only half a minuteter. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Chloe immediately raised her voice. ¡°How would a TV fit inside that? That box is way too big, but also way too thin! TVs are super bulky, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah!¡± The tiger needed a second to understand herint. Even for her, she basically was only a little older than Ellie when t-screen TVs reced the CRT version for good, after all. ¡°They also changed a lot since you left. The era of bulky tech is long over! TVs are also t! In fact, take away the touch function, among some other stuff, and they''re just like oversized tablets! I mean, if they''re t, why wouldn''t TVs?" ¡°Oh! Yeah, that makes sense!¡± The fox-girl nodded a few times. ¡°It would make little sense with those smartphones and tablets that are nothing but disy for TVs to be different¡­ Although, why is that box still so wide¡­?" ¡°It may be t, but it¡¯s a big boy~.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Steph, can you help me get it out of the box?¡± Sophia looked at her sister. ¡°I think it¡¯s for the best to do that with someone who has done that before.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had just gotten back to the sofa and gotfortable next to Chloe and her glorious tail, so she looked very reluctant to get up again. ¡°Okay¡­¡± The dog-girl eventually followed suit, after all. ¡°Thank you for your noble sacrifice.¡± The tiger just rolled her eyes. ¡°You better be thankful!¡± ¡°Look at it that way,¡± Sophia then got closer to her sister so that only she could hear it. ¡°I''m sure there are even better chances to cuddle to your heart''s content while watching a movie together." ¡°You¡¯re a genius!¡± Steph¡¯s mood soared in an instant. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°And I thought I was easy to read¡­¡± Mumbling those words with a wry smile on her lips, the tiger went over to the boxed TV, and the sisters started to unwrap it. ---------------- ¡°Woah, it really is a big boy!¡± Once it was out of the box and standing on its own, Chloe marveled at the size of the 75¡± TV. ¡°That¡¯s half a cinema! Why do you need a TV this big?!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Sophia and Steph tilted their heads in return. ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl went silent. ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°What is so great about this ck mirror¡­?¡± Fen stared at the big rectangr thing while sounding more than a little dubious. ¡°It¡¯s not turned on yet, my dear~.¡± The blonde smiled at him. "Let''s see¡­ Where did I put it¡­?" Saying so, she nced around for a moment and then grabbed an extension cord lying behind one of the sofas. Afterward, she plugged one end into a sr generator and connected the other one to the cable of the TV. ¡°Steph, have you seen the remote while we unpacked the thing?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Here!¡± She needed a second but then found it on the floor. "Batteries are already in!" ¡°Thanks!¡± Grabbing it, the tiger then turned on the TV. ¡°Yay, it works!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The male wolf sounded even more sarcastic than before. ¡°It¡¯s impressive how some stuff started glowing on it, but it''s all just some sort of text¡­" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Hearing that, she pressed a few buttons and eventually found the media center that included some demo pictures. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Sophia opened a photo that showed a massive metropolis of her old world at night. ¡°W-Whoa!¡± He sounded much more impressed this time. ¡°This is¡­ Wait, what is this¡­? What are those structures, and what about all those lights¡­?¡± ¡°Someone took a camera, like the one I showered earlier, and took a picture of one of the human cities from that world while being up somewhere high.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a city?! Those are buildings?!¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°The city Steph and I came from is a good bit smaller, but it was still rtivelyparable to that.¡± ¡°N-No way¡­¡± Fen didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°This looks so¡­ advanced and impressive and¡­ impossible for humans¡­¡± ¡°Some of them, like those who came up with those buildings or made all this technology, were quite ingenious. Most weren¡¯t and or aren¡¯t, though, so don¡¯t worry too much about your sanity~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very reassuring¡­¡± He calmed down again. ¡°Oh, speaking of some of them being ingenious, here!¡± Saying so, she selected a different picture that showed the entirety of earth from space. ¡°What is that¡­?¡± The male wolf looked confused again. ¡°Whatever it is, it seems seriously impressive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Chloe, Steph, and I came from. Some of our more capable humans invented and created things that let us go to space and visit our moon. We''ve sent cameras far away to others, as well.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Aura got loud. ¡°The people from your world managed to leave the they live on?! And you¡¯re seriously saying that they had no magic at their disposal?! Even we can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ I thought we agreed that it¡¯s a matter of perspective¡­?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel like arguing about it anymore. ¡°I want to go to space, too! I¡¯ve always loved watching the stars!¡± Aura suddenly got even livelier. ¡°Let¡¯s recreate those things with magic and go!¡± ¡°Ehhh?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t seem to be a fan. ¡°Absolutely, space is fascinating, but¡­ scary and dangerous, too! There¡¯s no air or¡­ anything at all! Asteroids in all kinds of sizes and speeds, too¡­ Not to mention cosmic rays and stuff can be far from healthy, either!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand one half of that and don¡¯t care about the other!¡± She was quite serious about it. ¡°I¡¯m sure our magic can get around it if your humans and their weird magic were able to!¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ M-Maya!¡± ¡°Sophia¡¯s not leaving this!¡± The cat-girl also wasn¡¯t a fan of the n. ¡°But she already did!¡± The female wolf didn¡¯t ept this. ¡°So did you, for that matter!¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll dly take you for a visit to my old world instead!" Sophia preferred that idea. ¡°Space cat wasn¡¯t a part of my bucket list!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a tiger!¡± ¡°Same difference!¡± The two agreed to disagree. ¡°Seeing my sister, who used to be so shy, having so much fun really is the best~.¡± Steph leaned closer to Chloe while she told her this with an incredibly happy voice. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The fox-girl liked how much she cared about Sophia. ¡°Not helping!¡± The blonde had mixed feelings, though. ¡°H-How about a movie with lots of space instead¡­? We can see all about how amazing it is and looks without actually going there!¡± She tried to find an alternative. ¡°Oh, did you get some documentaries?¡± The dog-girl got a little interested. ¡°No, but a bunch of sci-fi stuff! That should work just as well!¡± ¡°Yeah, because those movies always focus on the science part of science fiction¡­¡± Steph rolled her eyes. ¡°The fiction part never ys a big role¡­¡± ¡°They show a lot of amazing-looking space regardless, though!¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair enough.¡± She couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°How about it, Aura?¡± Sophia focused her attention on the wolf again. ¡°Let¡¯s watch a movie with lots of space instead! It¡¯s not the same, but it¡¯s much safer! Also, because the TV is so big, it will be almost like looking at it through a window! A movie is like a moving picture. Ites with sound, too. Very fun!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but it sounds very enticing!¡± She bought it. ¡°We¡¯ll get back to this, though!¡± Or not. ¡°¡­¡± Afterward, Sophia entered her storage again to grab one of the Blu-Ray yers they got together with a few fitting movies to get everything ready for a cozy evening in front of the TV.
Chapter 358 – Comfy cuddly evening Chapter 358 ¨C Comfy cuddly evening Everyone was still busy exploring all the weird tech Sophia and Maya had bought in the other world, and the TV especially gathered a lot of interest. Chloe was amazed at just how much they had changed in the 20 years since she had left, and Aura got very excited about the sample picture of their old world that was taken from space. She got even more excited after discovering that the humans from there managed to visit space, and she wanted to do the same. The tiger had some very mixed feelings about this and managed to talk her into watching a sci-fi movie instead for the time being. That was basically the same, after all. ¡°Oh, are DVDs still a thing?¡± While the sisters were setting up everything, Chloe started looking at the movies Sophia had ced on the table. ¡°I somewhat remember it just bing the new thing, but it¡¯s impressive it held up so long.¡± "Not quite," Steph answered her. ¡°While DVDs are still around, I think, that¡¯s the sessor called Blu-Ray. It can hold way more data, but that¡¯s also basically dead. Nowadays, because the inte has gotten so fast and everything is connected to it, everyone watches movies and stuff over that.¡± "Not very useful in ces without inte, though." The blonde joined the conversation. ¡°In other worlds, for example. ¡°We also got a ton of DVDs, by the way. Many series stille on those for some reason.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°The inte was great for that!¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°It was possible to watch basically every movie ever made without even having to stand up from the sofa!" ¡°Sozy! I love it!¡± Chloe liked that idea a lot. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°Anyway, everything is hooked up and good to go!¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Aura was still rather confused about the whole thing. ¡°It''s fine. You''ll understand soon enough~." The tiger just smiled at her. ¡°For now, just choose a movie for us to watch together.¡± She then pointed at the table. ¡°Eh? But I know nothing about this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. They¡¯re not that different from each other at the end of the day. Just choose the one with the cover art you like the most~.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Not being any less confused, the female wolf then took a better look at the ten movie cases the tiger hadid out. ¡°This one looks interesting.¡± She gestured at a cover showing a massive spaceship with a in the background. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s watch that one~.¡± Saying so, Sophia grabbed the case, pulled out the disk, and put it into the yer. "Time to getfy!" Once a movie was decided again, the group cleaned up a little again by stuffing all the trash, packaging materials, and other things in the corner of the room and out of view before cing the sheepskin rug in front of the TV, which they had put on a short table. After all, the wolves should have a good view from their favorite spot in the mansion. Afterward, the girls got alsofortable on the sofas behind the rug. Sophia got cozy against Maya''s side while hugging her arm, and Steph seemed to be in heaven as she sunk into her very own personal pillow. Chloe¡¯s tail, that is. The owner of said tail started blushing for a moment or two, but it didn¡¯tst overly long, and it didn¡¯t seem like the fox-girl had anything against it, either. In fact, herfortable-looking smile suggested the exact opposite. The duo also huddled close enough together that their shoulders ended up touching. ¡°¡­¡± The actual couple thought about saying something while ncing at the duo and how they were acting already, but they decided against it. Sophia then pressed the y button on the remote instead to start the movie. ---------------- ¡°W-Whoa!¡± It didn¡¯t take long for the wolves to get loud again. "T-This is..." Aura was especially invested in the movie as she couldn''t peel her eyes away from the TV while her tail was wagging the entire time. ¡°Your humans actually aplished all that?!¡± She got even more excited when she saw a scene with a massive spaceship orbiting a. ¡°Ahh...¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Steph, please exin it to her.¡± She didn¡¯t want to deal with that. ¡°Ehh...?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of the idea. ¡°I want to know, too!¡± Maya, who had also attentively followed the events on the TV, was curious about the same thing before looking at Sophia. ¡°You showed me those big things flying in the sky that supposedly transport people, but they can even go to space? They looked nothing like those things, though!¡± She pointed at the TV again. ¡°It¡¯s made up.¡± The dog-girl answered her. ¡°Fiction books are a thing in this world, right? Someone just having a good time withing up with a fun story that doesn¡¯t line up with the real world.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Most movies, including this one here, are based on the same principle. "It looks like the real thing, but almost nothing you''re seeing right now actually happened." ¡°Eh?¡± Maya and the wolves had the same reaction. ¡°The humans are real, but the scenery, the spaceship, and all that are not. They''re either partly replicated and made look real by the camera only showing the needed part, like the wall behind them, or it''s made on aputer, and everything else, like the people, are addedter...¡± She paused for a moment after looking at their confused expression. ¡°Computers are somewhat simr to the tablets we showed you before, just MUCH more powerful. Those can be used to create fake environments and other things for entertainment. It''s simr to how an artist can draw whateveres to their mind. Only that it¡¯s moving pictures in this case. Yeah, imagine it like actors moving in front of a crafted and moving picture. Something like that, at least...¡± Steph naturally was having a hard time putting it in a way they¡¯d understand it. ¡°I see!¡± Aura pretended to have understood her. ¡°In short, it¡¯s some obscure magic your weird world hase up to keep yourself entertained?¡± ¡°...¡± The sisters exchanged a few nces. ¡°Sure...¡± They went for the easy way out. ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°Sure...¡± Once this topic, more or less, was dealt with, the group continued to focus on the movie again for the next hour and a half. ---------------- ¡°That was amazing!¡± Aura seemed to have enjoyed it very much. ¡°Yes, it was very entertaining.¡± Fen had a simr opinion. ¡°Even though it was very alien and weird... Not to mention they were many things I didn''t understand. And most of them being humans...¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Maya agreed with him. ¡°Wait a moment... Speaking of... I also didn¡¯t understand very many things, but I understood it...¡± The female wolf sounded a little cryptic. ¡°Didn''t Canir give you a gift to make you understand thenguage of this world? Including your cute mispronunciations in the beginning?¡± ¡°T-There was no need to mention that!¡± The tiger got a little embarrassed. ¡°Anyway, yes¡­ He gave it to me because thenguage I spoke in my previous world ispletely different to the one we speak here¡­¡± "Then why did Fen and I understand this y we just watched?!" She gestured at the TV. ¡°Well, for the most part¡­¡± The male wolf slightly corrected her. ¡°Actually, when we called Canir to give Steph magic and the samenguage boost, he briefly mentioned something about giving it to you, too. He had the feeling that even if Steph speaks the samenguage as we do, you would still be confused a lot because some¡­ or a lot of things don''t trante well as the concept''spletely different." ¡°Woah, how unexpectedly thoughtful of him!¡± ¡°That guy can be reliable if he wants to, huh?¡± The wolves'' opinion of Canir wasn''t the absolute best. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Sophia liked their reaction. ¡°He seems to have his moments.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Aura then faced the tiger again. ¡°I now want to visit space more than ever!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°We should¡¯ve watched something where their spaceship gets destroyed and ends in a big ball of fire, huh?¡± Steph noticed the issue. ¡°Do you have a movie like that?!¡± It had the opposite effect on her. ¡°Big explosions are the best, after all!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The little sister had the same reaction afterward. ¡°How about we watch a movie of a different genre next?¡± Chloe decided to save them. ¡°It¡¯s okay from time to time, but I never was the biggest fan of sci-fi stuff back then... That being said, WOW!" She paused for a moment. "How and why do movies look so amazing now? It looked better than real life?!" "Ahaha..." The sisters only chuckled in return. "It''s something, huh?" "Yes!" She nodded a few times. "So, do you have any funny movies, as well?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia jumped at the chance to change the topic and pulled a wide selection ofedy movies out of her storage. ¡°Choose anything you want~.¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± The fox-girl looked at the collection the blonde had put on the table before them. ¡°Wait a moment, I think I remember this one... I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve watched it in the past. I liked it, too!¡± ¡°It does look like an older movie, but I don¡¯t think I know it...¡± The tiger slightly tilted her head while also looking at it. ¡°I got this one!¡± Maya spoke up. ¡°I liked the picture. It looks very funny, so I added it to the others I picked up!" ¡°Let¡¯s watch it!" Steph also got curious about it. "The cover really does look fun, and I want to know which movies Chloe used to watch!" ¡°Eh? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Everyone smiled at the fox. Once they agreed on the next movie to watch, Sophia put it into the yer, and everyone gotfortable again. Afterward, they watched another random movie before everyone eventually fell asleep in the living room. The wolves had huddled up on the sheepskin rug. Maya and Sophia cuddled against each other''s sides, and Steph and Chloe had gotten just asfy, with the dog-girl having sunken even deeper into the fox-girl''s tail while also resting their shoulders against each other.
Spoiler [copse] Chapter 359 – Out together Chapter 359 ¨C Out together The group continued to have a great time with all the things Sophia and Maya had bought. Once they had set up the sr generator and hooked up a TV to it, they ended up watching movies until everyone fell asleep in the living room together. On the day after, they watched some more movies, yed around with the tablets, and they also set up the cameras. Once they were running, Sophia took a picture of basically anything and everyone around before looking at them on the TV, as well. The following day went a little differently than nned, though. Ari and Anna hade over the collect Maya and the other tiger, as the couple was needed in the academy because Eluna had nned something she wanted to do a few days ago already when they had disappeared. Sophia really didn¡¯t want to, but letting them in and having to exin a lot of things in the living room, for which she hadn''te up with a reasonable excuse yet, would be even worse. Reluctantly, she agreed to go to school with them. Steph wasn''t a fan either, because she didn''t want to lose sight of her sister again, but the blonde somehow managed to talk her out ofing with them. So, after enjoying the blonde in the uniform for a moment or two, the dog-girl stayed behind with Chloe. ---------------- ¡°Let¡¯s have a date!¡± It took Steph precisely five seconds to get bored in the mansion after everyone except the fox-girl left, as the wolves had also decided to go somewhere. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Hearing that, Chloe¡¯s entire body jerked while her ears twitched a couple of times. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She was very motivated about the idea. ¡°O-Okay¡­?¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t against the n. Her cheeks turned rather red, though. ¡°What, uhh¡­ What do you want to do?¡± ¡°I want to see more of everything! If you know any interesting ces, please take me there! You¡¯re also from a different world, so you can imagine how excited I am, right?! Oh, but I¡¯m also getting hungry, so a nice ce where the two of us can enjoy some food together first would be amazing!¡± ¡°W-Well, that does sound fun!¡± Chloe was getting excited about it. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the capital either, though¡­ I''ve been traveling until a little while ago and haven''t visited this ce much. Right now, I''m even just here because of Sophia''s portals.¡± ¡°Even better!¡± The violet-haired girl didn¡¯t seem to mind it in the slightest. ¡°Let¡¯s go and explore together! Let¡¯s find something fun! Just the two of us!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She liked the idea a lot. ¡°Food first, though!¡± ¡°Ahaha~.¡± This caused the fox-girl to chuckle. ¡°You definitely are sisters.¡± ¡°Heh! Food¡¯s important!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± ¡°Alright, date time!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chloe''s earlier embarrassment about the n was gone, and she was more excited about it than ever. She alone was already plenty positive, but with Steph around, there was just no way to be reserved. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Liking the excited tone in her reaction, the dog-girl grabbed her hand, and the duo finally left the mansion together. ---------------- ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The two had been walking around in the capital for about 15 minutes already, but rather than finding something to explore, Chloe was curious about something else. ¡°W-Why are we still holding hands¡­?¡± Ever since the dog-girl grabbed hers in the mansion, she had yet to let go of the fox. ¡°Why not?¡± Steph had a very easy and reasonable exnation for it. ¡°I see¡­¡± Not sure what to do with that reply, she continued to nce at their connected hands. ¡°Oh, does it make you ufortable?¡± The dog tried to guess the issue. ¡°I¡¯m kinda bad with personal space and such, so I can stop if it¡¯s too much for you.¡± ¡°N-Not at all!¡± Instead, Chloe actually seemed to grip Steph¡¯s hand harder. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°It¡¯s, uhh¡­ nice to hold hands, but¡­ I¡¯m not used to being so close to people. To this level, at least¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we fall asleep on the sofa togetherst night¡­? I¡¯d say we were a little cuddly before, as well, no?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl fell silent, and the blush on her cheeks increased a little. ¡°T-That was a first for me, too! I¡¯ve never done that before! Same with my t-tail¡­ I¡¯m not that against it when someonees in contact with it as long as they have no weird or worse intentions, but having someone use it as a pillow¡­¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Steph wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that. "Why are you okay with me being so close with it then, though?" ¡°Hmm¡­ I do think I¡¯m pretty sociable and get along with everyone super fast, especially with Sophia, and the others, too, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°If we ignore our first five minutes,¡± ¡°Please do!¡± The dog-girl wasn¡¯t overly proud of her overexcited meeting with the fox. ¡°Hehe.¡± She let out another small chuckle before continuing. ¡°It¡­ It sounds pretty cheesy and is super embarrassing to admit, but¡­ even though we basically just met, I¡¯ve never felt asfortable and at ease with someone as I do with you¡­ In both lives.¡± "Seriously?!" Steph''s tail still had yet to stop wagging since it grew on her lower back, but it just got even more lively. ¡°S-Seriously¡­¡± Chloe only got more embarrassed in return. ¡°YAY!¡± Hearing that, the dog-girl let go of her hand, after all, and instead jumped at the fox and tightly hugged her side. ¡°I love to hear that! It makes me super happy!¡± ¡°G-d to hear¡­" The pink-haired girl was getting uncharacteristically shy a lottely. ¡°Y-You seem to be quite used to all this, though¡­¡± "Hmm?" Giving her another quick squeeze, Steph then parted from her again while pointing at herself. "Me?" ¡°No, that girl over there.¡± Rolling her eyes, Chloe then pointed at a wolf-girl quite a bit away from them at the far end of the street. ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m not sure? I¡¯ve always been pretty clingy and liked to glomp my friends a lot, but walking around while holding hands wasn¡¯t something I did often. And something likest night, watching a movie together while being all close and kinda cuddly, that¡¯s something that was exclusively reserved for Sophia.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Steph nodded a couple of times. ¡°I''m quite extroverted. I like to y a little, and flirting is great fun, but I haven''t done anything more serious yet because cuddling with my sister doesn''t count in that regard." "S-Seriously¡­?" "Seriously!" "W-With me, it counts, then¡­? Why¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°When I first saw you, woah, is all I could think about. That never happened before~. You¡¯re positively amazing!¡± ¡°You also are amazing!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph liked that. ¡°I wanted and still want to get closer to you, and I don¡¯t mean your tail! Okay, your tail is included, b-but you can¡¯t me me for that!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to. Fluff is justice, after all.¡± Chloe stole a short nce at the dog¡¯s tail while saying so. While it had a good bit less volume than her own, it still looked incredibly soft and pleasant to the touch. ¡°You really are perfect!¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Sophia''s the only one who touched it so far, and she was anything but gentle, so I don''t exactly know how it feels, but I already do get that it¡¯s something very personal¡­ Still, you can try and cuddle a little with it once we¡¯re home~. That¡¯s only fair, I¡¯d say!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be against the idea. ¡°Back to the previous topic!" Her smile only got bigger. "Aside from you being perfect, it¡¯s the same for me, as well. I''ve never felt asfortable and at ease around someone as I do with you. Again, Sophia¡¯s my sister, so she doesn¡¯t count for that. I also agree it''s weird because we just met, but maybe it was just meant to be~.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Really!¡± ¡°I¡¯m really happy that I¡¯m not alone with that feeling!¡± Chloe''s smile turned incredibly gentle. ¡°Yep!¡± The dog-girl had a simr expression. ¡°That¡¯s why I hope you¡¯re okay with me wanting to get to know you even better! Get much closer, too!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°I want the same!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The two seemed to want the same. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s continue our date!¡± Saying so, Steph held out her hand. ¡°Okay!¡± Still smiling broadly, Chloe immediately followed suit and gently grabbed it with her own. ¡°Though, continue?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get it started!¡± The dog slightly corrected herself. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯m even hungrier now! Do you know a nice ce with a good atmosphere where we can get breakfast? Hmm¡­ Or maybe brunch?¡± She noticed that breakfast time was stretching it a little already. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about the good atmosphere part, but I know a ce with amazing food!¡± ¡°Honestly, that¡¯s all that really counts! Fancy is overrated, anyway!¡± ¡°Back to the basics?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Once their little chat was over and their stomachs had won, Chloe guided them to a well-liked restaurant of hers. They hadn¡¯t let go of each other¡¯s hands not even once on the way. Steph¡¯s tail was also wagging so hard that it actually was dangerous to approach her from behind, and Chloe''s, too, was gently swishing from side to side in a simr, but slower motion.
Chapter 360 – Date time Chapter 360 ¨C Date time Steph and Chloe had ended up on their own as the other girls had to attend the academy, and the wolves also had other ns. Because of that, the dog-girl decided that she wanted to go on a date with her favorite fox-girl. At first, Chloe was quite embarrassed about it because she wasn''t used to even the idea of going on a date, but she quickly got into it. While walking through the capital, and holding hands, the duo also had a pleasant conversation about themselves and how they''re rather taken by the other. Morefortable with each other than ever afterward, the two continued their date by having brunch together. ¡°Wee~!¡± Entering the restaurant Chloe had decided on, they were immediately greeted by an energetic-sounding, white-haired bunny-girl in a very cute waitress uniform. ¡°I can see why you like this ce!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes wandered between the bunny and the fox next to her. "T-This and that arepletely unrted!" ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see~.¡± "A table for two?" Seemingly used to it, the waitress continued smiling at them in a gentle yet professional manner. ¡°Please.¡± The duo nodded in return. ¡°Please let me guide you.¡± Saying so, the bunny-girl brought them to a small table just big enough to seat two. "Shall I bring you the menu, or can I get the fluffiest couple in the capital interested in the lover¡¯s course?¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Chloe had a strong reaction to that. ¡°Oh?¡± Steph was a lot cooler about it. "What do we get with that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a best of selection from our brunch menu with the portions having the ideal size for them to be shared with each other. The way it''s arranged also is extra romantic to increase the mood~. Alsoes with a fancy drink." ¡°I like the sound of that! What do you think?¡± She then looked at the fox-girl. ¡°H-Huh¡­? Ah, sure¡­¡± ¡°Certainly, I¡¯ll bring it to you as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Steph waved after the disappearing bunny-girl before looking at Chloe again. ¡°Err, sorry about that¡­ I¡¯m weak to anything that¡¯s marked as special.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± There suddenly was the slightest hint of disappointment in her expression. "Even so, it''s amazing that she just assumed that we were... uhh, a couple like it''s nothing! That never happened when I was out with friends in the¡­ other ce!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe''s disappointment was instantly gone again. "Well, Sophia did mention everyone¡¯s sexuality is much more evenly distributed here, right¡­? Two girls walking in here that are dating aren''t any less likely than a girl and a boy duo. In fact, it might be even more likely because the restaurant¡¯s quite cute-looking.¡± ¡°She did say that, but¡­¡± Steph paused for a moment. ¡°Coming from there, it¡¯s hard to believe, is it not?¡± ¡°Is it still that intolerant over there? I mean, I left when I was young and only realized who I am when I already was pretty sick and barely went outside, but¡­ I watched a lot of TV¡­¡± ¡°It has gotten a lot better, especiallytely. Well, depending on the ce, I guess... Some regions actually managed to get worse." The dog-girl then scratched her cheek and looked a little more awkward. "Still, you continue to get a lot of curious and or other nces when just being close to the same sex in public. Boys way more so than girls. Many people don''t understand it, or don''t want to¡­ It¡¯s also much rarer there, so¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s no excuse, though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me.¡± ¡°Fair¡­¡± ¡°Humans, huh?¡± She only whispered those words. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Chloe let out a chuckle over the girl who had been a human for the longest time and only just stopped being one. ¡°It¡¯s a great ce, isn¡¯t it?¡± "The best!" Her mood instantly brightened up. "I''ll never forgive Sophia for hiding it from me for almost a year!" ¡°I don¡¯t think she did that on purpose. I¡®m sure she would¡¯ve loved to show you everything much earlier. I¡¯m still amazed she managed to end up back there at all¡­ She definitely thought it was impossible, too. Not to mention that you had your own life you¡¯ve given up now. She had her fair share of troubles, as well.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Steph started pouting. ¡°Just let mein here! I¡¯ve earned that right!¡± ¡°You two sure are simr.¡± ¡°We¡¯re sisters, after all~.¡± Her pouting stopped immediately. ¡°Though, that sure is weird to hear from others. I saw this personality of hers rtively often when it''s just us, but her being so cheery, fun-loving, and full of life all the time is sooo different. It¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Well, I only know the tiger variant of her, but she¡¯s indeed great. I¡¯m happy for her that she got over her past.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Thank you for waiting!¡± The moment the duo finished talking about the blonde, the waitress returned with their food and ced it on the table. ¡°Ohhh!¡± Seeing all the neatly decorated and tasty-looking food in front of her, Steph got excited again. ¡°It looks so tasty!¡± ¡°It really does!¡± Chloe agreed with her. "The way it''s presented is super cute, as well!" ¡°Enjoy~.¡± Smiling at them, the bunny-girl then left them alone. ---------------- ¡°They sure didn¡¯t hold back on making it romantic, huh?¡± Once the two were on their own, Steph took a better look at the food. It came with two croissants, a small heart-shaped bowl with strawberry jam, and another sweet kind of pastry, which seemed to be filled with chocte. A few slices of heart-shaped toast with slices of ham and cheese on the side were next to them. Lots of berries, a sliced apple, and a small bowl of cereals were avable, as well. The individual portions weren¡¯t big, but the duo definitely wouldn¡¯t leave hungry. The waitress had also scattered a few rose petals and put a freshly cut one in a small vase between the girls. ¡°How do you even get roses around here at this time of the year. Well, who cares as long as it looks nice~.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± After Chloe took it all in, as well, her eyes fell on their drinks. Both got a cup of coffee each, which was fine, but there was also a big ss of what looked like orange juice, which was lovingly decorated with a few extra slices of the fruit itself. It only had one straw in it. One that was shaped like a Y, at that. ¡°We can take turns, don¡¯t worry.¡± The dog-girl noticed her gaze. ¡°There¡¯s no need to share the food or even feed each other. As long as we enjoy the food, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°Ah, r-right¡­¡± The hint of slight disappointment returned to her expression. ¡°Or we can do that." Steph focused all her attention on the fox-girl right in front of her and stared right into her eyes. "I¡¯m getting some mixed signals here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her cheeks turned a little red. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± ---------------- ¡°That was soo delicious!" Roughly an hourter, the girls were back on the capital''s streets, and Steph seemed quite happy after they left the restaurant. ¡°It really was!¡± ¡°Quite eventful, too~.¡± Her mood got even better. ¡°T-There¡¯s no need to mention that!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± She enjoyed her reaction a lot. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s continue our date!¡± Saying so, the dog-girl grabbed Chloe¡¯s hand again. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°S-So smooth¡­¡± Mumbling these words, she briefly nced at their joined hands before looking into Steph¡¯s eyes. ¡°dly!¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯m the smooth one here¡­¡± She also got the urge to mumble something to herself. "A-Anyway, where should we go next?" ¡°You were the one who wanted to go exploring, no?¡± ¡°Right!¡± The dog-girl had forgotten about that for a moment. ¡°So, what do you want to show me next?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how that works.¡± ¡°It was worth a try!¡± It didn¡¯t dampen her mood in the slightest. ¡°Let¡¯s, uhh¡­ go that way!¡± In the end, Steph simply pointed down the road on her left. ¡°Okay!¡± She liked the n. Or theck of it. ¡°I love being carefree~.¡± ¡°You found the right girl, then!¡± Steph puffed out her chest a little. ¡°I¡¯m really talented at that! Especially because I have a lot catching up to do on that front after having been¡­ busy with Sophia¡¯s disappearance for the past year¡­¡± ¡°I look forward to seeing more of your talent~.¡± ¡°You better be prepared!¡± ¡°I should be fine! I''m a little overwhelmed by many things right now, but I¡¯m usually second to none when ites to that!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have sooo much fun together!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ---------------- Once the duo had found yet another thing they shared and loved, they continued to walk around in the capital for a bit while obviously continuing to hold hands, as well. Roughly an hour of exploringter, Steph ran into something that caught her interest more than most she had seen so far. ¡°Shrine of Mira¡­?¡± The dog-girl had stopped walking once she saw the sign together with an arrow pointing towards a side street. ¡°She has a shrine?¡± ¡°She is the goddess of magic, you know?¡± Chloe stared at her. ¡°She obviously has some shrines dedicated to her. Canir also has a lot, for that matter." ¡°I see! Yeah, if you put it like that, it does make a lot of sense. She¡¯s an important one, huh? The one who made me able to use magic.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s putting it rather lightly.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± It was still a little hard to wrap her head around all that. ¡°Can we go to the shrine? I want to see how it looks. It¡¯s probably also a great ce to properly thank her!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I guess so?¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Highly motivated about getting a little closer to the person who gifted her magic and made this new life possible, Steph gave Chloe¡¯s hand a little squeeze and then dragged her towards the shrine. Chapter 361 – Shrine exploration Chapter 361 ¨C Shrine exploration Chloe and Steph were still on their date while exploring the capital. So far, they had walked around a lot and had a rather romantic-seeming brunch in a chic restaurant. Afterward, the duo continued exploring and eventually found a shrine dedicated to Mira, and the dog-girl really wanted to take a closer look. Mira was the one who gifted her magic, after all, and she wanted to properly thank her for that and thought a shrine might be a good ce for that. ¡°Ohhh!¡± The moment the two entered Mira¡¯s shrine grounds, Steph¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Rather than a shrine, it¡¯s a whole templeplex!¡± There were many buildings of varying sizes that lightly looked like Asian-themed temples in perfect condition, and countless fox statues were ced on pedestals all over the ce. In the middle of the main grounds was a massive statue of a very elegant-looking full fox. ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s the second most beautiful fox I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± She seemed to like it a lot. ¡°She is fluffier than you, though¡­ Sorry.¡± She sounded slightly apologetic while she nced at the pink fox next to her. ¡°¡­¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to react to any of that. "Feyfey told me a lot about Mira, she seems to be quite a fan, but it¡¯s my first time visiting a shrine, too. She really is very pretty. Fluffy, too! Even more than Feyfey!¡± ¡°Whoa, wait a moment!¡± Steph walked around the statue and noticed something. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have one mega fluffy tail, but actually multiple ones!¡± ¡°Oh, you are right! Let¡¯s see... One, two, three... Nine in total! Wow!¡± Chloe also got more interested in it. ¡°Wait, nine...? That sounds familiar for some reason...?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°Anyway, stop being so greedy, Mira! There is no such thing as being too fluffy, but what if someone else missed out on bing fluffy because you needed nine tails? I get it, though! Excellent choice!¡± "How about you decide on a stance? Also, I don''t think that''s how it works..." ¡°No! Do you mean that no one else missed the chance to be fluffy because of that?¡± ¡°Pretty sure.¡± Chloe nodded and rolled her eyes at the same time. ¡°Perfect! Good job then, Mira!¡± ¡°Ahaha...¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the wolves say that she also has a humanoid form? I wonder if there¡¯s a statue of that somewhere, as well. Oh, do you think she also has nine tails in that one?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why she wouldn¡¯t. Though, it might be hard to walk or keep your bnce with that much tail? I already have some issues every now and then.¡± "In your defense, your tail is worth three or four of Mira¡¯s, so...¡± Her eyes wandered between the foxes. ¡°See, Mira¡¯s cheating! You¡¯re actually fluffier! You win in both categories! Number one in being the fluffiest and most beautiful fox!¡± "A-Again, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works, either... Thank you, though...¡± Chloe¡¯s cheeks turned red. ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely how it works!¡± "Also, Feyfey only has one tail, and it''s fluffier than mine...¡± "..." Steph turned silent and started pouting. "Shut up, and let mepliment you!" ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...?¡± ¡°You better be!¡± The dog-girl pouted even more. ¡°If I say you are the best, then you are the best!¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± ¡°Good girl!¡± She was happy that she finally understood it. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s see if we can find a statue or something simr that shows her humanoid form!" Saying so, Steph gave Chloe''s hand, she was still holding, a short squeezing before dragging her with her. ¡°S-So eager!¡± ¡°That¡¯s another thing you have to get used to!¡± The violet-haired girl smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s one of my most defining features!¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be too hard~.¡± Chloe smiled back at her. ¡°Most of the time, I¡¯m the same!¡± ¡°Yay! That¡¯s-, ohh?¡± Happy about that, Steph suddenly noticed something inside one of the shrine buildings while the two were walking around. ¡°I think I found it! It looks like an illustration of what we were looking for!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Chloe also found the art of a fox-woman, seemingly in her mid-twenties. Not that her actual age would have to do anything with it. Her ears had the same size and shape as those of Chloe, and she had long pure white hair, with a few strands of it being teal colored. Her eyes were teal, as well. The most striking feature was her many tails, though. Basically the entire background was filled with them. All nine of them had the same coloring as her hair. Most of them were white, with the tip of each also being teal. ¡°She looks so pretty and elegant!¡± ¡°She really does look so elegant!¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Her style is amazing, too!¡± She focused her attention on the figure of Mira, of which a lot could be seen as her clothes were somewhat revealing. She was wearing a top with detached sleeves and a bit of midriff showing,bined with a skirt that was open at one side. Both were mainly ck with teal highlights and some colorful applications and essories on them. It was hard to judge her height without a reference, but her overall figure looked simr to Maya''s, maybe slightly more slender. "Midriff does things to me..." ¡°Hey!¡± The pink fox-girl had noticed her detailed stare. ¡°Ahaha...¡± She awkwardly rubbed the back of her head before continuing. ¡°In terms of being pretty, she¡¯s still number two, though!¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way you¡¯d honestly think that!¡± Chloe pointed at the painting of Mira. ¡°She¡¯s leagues above!¡± ¡°I¡¯m always serious about the things I say!¡± Steph looked right at her. ¡°I¡¯d say you actually look somewhat simr, and you''re the improved version!" ¡°Just how do we look simr?! We¡¯re both foxes, that¡¯s all!¡± "Yeah, with your ears, color aside, looking almost identical. Also, both of you give out afy feel. Mira looks more mature, but your facial features have something slightly familiar, as well!¡± ¡°Really...?¡± The pink fox took a better look at the white and teal one. ¡°I don¡¯t see it. Okay, maybe ears aside, that is..." ¡°It¡¯s hard topare yourself to others! Also, you look much better, so I can understand that you don''t see it, but I do think there are some simrities.¡± ¡°S-Shut up already!¡± Her blush got stronger. ¡°I will never!¡± Steph had no ns of listening to her. "ALSO! Pink is much better than teal! AND! One mega-fluffy tail is muchfier than multiple very fluffy ones!¡± ¡°...¡± Chloe needed a moment. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know how I feel about beingpared to a literal goddess...¡± ¡°I¡¯m notparing you to one! I¡¯m putting you above one!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any better!¡± ¡°It sure does!¡± The dog-girl had no intention of backing down. ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m also just warming up! I can go much harder on thepliments if you don¡¯t ept the current ones!¡± ¡°T-Thank you very much! I¡¯m delighted you think so highly of me!" ¡°You¡¯re very wee~.¡± ¡°Uuh...¡± Chloe felt a little bullied, but in a way she could hardlyin. Bullied with love, that is. ¡°Alrighty, with this fact rified, let¡¯s go on!¡± While slightly squeezing the hand she was using to hold Chloe''s, she raised her other arm high into the air. ¡°dly!¡± She was very happy about this change of topic. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ---------------- The duo walked around on the shrine grounds for a bit longer while taking in the buildings and statues, but this time it was Chloe who found something that interested her. ¡°Eh...?¡± The pink-haired girl suddenly stopped walking while her eyes were peeled on two fox statues sitting next to each other on a pedestal. ¡°Hmm?¡± Steph also looked at them. ¡°Another beautiful fox! Is that what all of you have going on? Being criminally beautiful? Well, that applies to everyone in this world, but... Foxes really take the cake! It¡¯s also a single-tailed mega-fluff fox! Very nice! Uh-oh... She might actually be fluffier for real, Chloe...¡± ¡°That¡¯s Feyfey!¡± Chloe tilted her head while staring at the fox next to Mira. ¡°That¡¯s 100% Feyfey! It has no colors because it¡¯s stone, but you can still see the pattern in her fur and her supreme fluffiness!¡± ¡°Feyfey?¡± The dog-girl needed a moment. ¡°Wait, your mom?¡± ¡°Yeah! Why does she have a statue here?¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think I would recognize a statue of my own mother?!¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± There was nothing Steph could say. ¡°Maybe they know each other? Are friends, even?¡± ¡°Why would my mom be friends with Mira?!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Steph looked at her. ¡°Sophia¡¯s friends with Canir, and the wolves seem to be well acquainted with him and Mira. It¡¯s not impossible for Fey to be simr, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She wasn''t sure what to reply. "Why do I know so many weird and over-the-top people for it to make sense¡­? Feyfey knows Mira¡­? She never told me, though!¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably not an easy topic telling someone that you know a goddess?¡± ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°I can also keep nothing to myself, so¡­¡± ¡°Same here! Don¡¯t ever ask me to keep something a secret!¡± ¡°Good to know! That¡¯s mutual, by the way! Still¡­¡± The fox-girl looked at the statues again. ¡°Even so, why does Feyfey have her own statue here?¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re very good friends?¡± ¡°How good of a friend do you have to be to get a statue in the shrine dedicated to said friend?¡± "If I ever be a goddess, there will be tons of statues of you in my shrines!" The dog-girl was on a roll. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°How about we ask her once she¡¯s back?¡± Steph was also interested in the story here. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that! I¡¯m really curious now!¡± As they were unable to get any answers right now, as the foxes in question weren''t around to tell them, the duo continued their exploration of the shrine for a while until eventually arriving back in the central area with the giant statue of full fox Mira. ¡°I guess that¡¯s all, huh?¡± Steph noticed they were at the entrance again. ¡°Well, it was much bigger than I had thought.¡± ¡°Much more surprising, as well!¡± Chloe was still confused about their findings. ¡°True!¡± The dog-girl gave her a big nod. "I would really love to meet Mira and thank her in person! Do you think there¡¯s a way to contact her from the shrines?¡± ¡°How, though?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Steph thought about her idea for a bit. Soon after, she lifted the hand she was using to hold Chloe''s and put both their hands on the side of Mira''s statue. ¡°Maybe we just have to think about her here and pour some magic into her statue to get a connection?¡± ¡°As if it¡¯s that ea-!¡± Without even being able to finish her sentence, their vision suddenly turned white, and the duo disappeared from the shrine grounds. Chapter 362 – Mira’s domain Chapter 362 ¨C Mira¡¯s domain Chloe and Steph were still on their date and had a great time exploring Mira¡¯s shrine they had found. Interestingly enough, there, they also found a statue of Fey, Chloe''s mother, for some reason. Unfortunately, as neither of those foxes were with them, the duo had no idea of finding out why she had a statue there. Just before leaving, the dog-girl got curious about maybe being able to contact Mira on the shrine grounds and tried toe up with a way to do so. In the end, the duo ced their hands on the statue and poured some of their magic into it, unconsciously recreating the way Sophia usually contacted Canir in the past. ¡°Woah!¡± ¡°Where are we¡­?¡± Once the two could see again, after their vision had turned white, they noticed that the duo wasn¡¯t in the shrine anymore. Instead, Steph and Chloe were standing on a grassy hill overlooking a vast, overgrown forest. It looked a little like the forest near the fox vige that Sophia and her group had turned into a magic forest, but the one in front of them was on apletely different level. A whole range of trees easily exceeded a kilometer in height, and even the smaller ones had crowns of a size that should be impossible with natural growth alone. In the middle of everything, beneath a tree that easily towered over every other one, there was a small valley with lush green grass and a cozy-looking cottage next to a beautiful pond. It could only be seen from the hill because no trees blocked the view in that area, and a path between them and the valley was carved through the forest. ¡°Did we get teleported to somewhere¡­?¡± Steph was still looking around with sparkling eyes. ¡°Maybe?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°If so, it has to be pretty far away from the capital because it feels so much warmer here¡­ Not a fan, I want to add¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, me neither¡­¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Although, the magic forest Sophia and the others identally created was also much warmer. This ce here is much more impressive and filled with so much magic that the air is sparkling like crazy! Maybe that also increases the temperature? That could mean we ended up wherever¡­¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯ve never seen magic as dense as here!¡± ¡°Does that mean this is the ce where Mira lives?" She tried toe up with an exnation. ¡°It would make sense for it to overflow with magic, then. She¡¯s the goddess of it, after all. Or overseer, as Sophia and Canir insist on for some reason." ¡°It could be?¡± The fox-girl was still confused about the sudden change. ¡°It would definitely make sense. Where else could we be after pouring our magic into one of her statues?¡± ¡°Yeah! Wait, so, does that mean anyone who had the same idea could visit this ce whenever they want¡­? That sounds like a huge oversight!" ¡°True!¡± Chloe saw the issue. ¡°Everyone with even a shred of intelligence would try that!¡± ¡°Exactly! Oh!¡± It seemed like the violet-haired girl had an idea. ¡°Maybe you can only go here if you¡¯ve been blessed by Mira and or have her actual magic inside of you? She''s the one who gave me a portion of hers, after all!" ¡°Why am I here, too, then?¡± The fox-girl pointed at herself. ¡°I have nothing to do with Mira as far as I know?¡± "Aside from the part where your mom has a statue in her shrine?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Or,¡± Steph then looked at their hands that were still connected. ¡°We were holding hands when we touched the statue. Maybe because we were connected when I got teleported?¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense!¡± She somehow liked that exnation more. ¡°Do you think Mira is here somewhere? Canir said she¡¯s usually quite busy, so¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to meet her? I definitely want to!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous because of who she is, but Canir was rtively normal. Also, I really want to know why there¡¯s a statue of Feyfey in her shrine!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Sounding even more motivated, Steph raised her arm high in the air, causing Chloe to do the same as she used the one she was holding hands with her. ¡°Go to where?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s follow that path to the valley under that MASSIVE tree. The cottage seems to be the only building around, so that should be our best chance!¡± ¡°It does seem like you''re supposed to go there if you end up here. Why not get teleported there in the first ce, though?¡± ¡°So she can boast about her awesome magic forest? That¡¯s what I¡¯d do!¡± ¡°Good point!¡± It was a perfectly reasonable exnation for the fox-girl. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s head over there!¡± "Exploration time!" ¡°Yes!¡± ---------------- Once the duo had decided on a n, the two descended the hill they were on and entered the path leading through the lush and overgrown forest. "You can''t really see anything down here, huh?" While walking through the forest, Chloe tried to take in everything around her. ¡°Just trees and other nts. It is surprisingly bright here, though¡­ And warm!¡± ¡°Yeah, it feels like summer here! Hot, stuffy, and humid summer!¡± The two absolutely weren¡¯t a fan of it. ¡°You have a point with the light, though. It almost seems like some nts emit light, and the magic particles in the air are also extra sparkly!" ¡°You are so right about the temperature¡­ It¡¯s almost enough that I want to head home!¡± Chloe really hated it. ¡°I feel you, but I¡¯m too motivated to head back now!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that! We¡¯re definitely going to continue! I just turn into a baby that won¡¯t stopining when it gets too warm. I overheat super quickly, but this much is still tolerable as long as we aren¡¯t going to stay here for days. If I strip down, even that might be possible for now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The dog-girl paused for a moment. ¡°Wanna move here?¡± ¡°No.¡± The fox-girl looked right at her while replying. ¡°Aww¡­¡± She looked disappointed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not even sure if I can strip down enough for it to be bearable here, so... I¡¯d try, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe went silent for a second. ¡°N-No.¡± She started blushing. ¡°I¡¯d still prefer a colder ce!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Steph liked her reaction. ¡°Honestly, true, though!¡± She couldn¡¯t disagree with her. "A-Anyway,¡± The fox-girl decided to change the topic and looked around again. ¡°I wonder if there are any animals in this forest.¡± ¡°Magical giant animals?!¡± She got even more excited. ¡°Uhh, I was more thinking about the general kind, but... do you think there¡¯s something mutated in here...?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be amazing?!¡± ¡°T-That really depends on what... If there¡¯s any kind of mutated insect in here, I¡¯m going to burn this forest!¡± "A-Ah.¡± Steph looked pretty awkward all of a sudden. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that...¡± ¡°You¡¯re also not a fan?¡± ¡°I hate them!¡± She raised her voice a lot while confirming it. "Ignoring that, I do hear some birds, and they sound normal. Maybe the magic only affects nts and stuff?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just assume it does for the time being.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The dog-girl agreed. ¡°I do be interested in oversized magic animals, as long as they aren¡¯t insects, but we have more important things to do!¡± ¡°Wait a moment...¡± Chloe seemed to have more to say about it. ¡°Is that why Feyfey, Aura, and Fennyfenny have a big form?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I be a giant then, too...?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°Sophia actually became smaller after she got magic. Both of us are supposed to have way too much magic, no? Wait, can I turn into a giant?!¡± ¡°I like your current size, so please don¡¯t try...¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She was surprisingly cooperative. ¡°T-Thank you...¡± ---------------- They put the topic on hold shortly after and continued their walk through the forest. Soon enough, the duo finally arrived in the little valley in the middle of everything. ¡°You know, temperature aside, living here might actually be great! I love the little pond, and the cottage looks sooo cozy!" ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be against it, either.¡± Chloe nodded once. ¡°It would be pretty boring to be here all the time, but something like this to return to in the evening after having had fun all day would be quite something!¡± ¡°I love that idea!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes were sparkling again. ¡°Go on an adventure all day and then rx in a cozy cottage like that in the evening! That¡¯s the dream right there!¡± ¡°Yes! That sounds even better than the treehouse apartment I have!¡± "You have a treehouse?!" ¡°Yep! Sophia has one, too. We¡¯re actually neighbors!¡± ¡°Wait! That treehouse we arrived in that vige near that other magic forest was actually Sophia¡¯s?! She has a mansion, too?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°I soo hate her!¡± She suddenly looked angry. ¡°I keep learning about more amazing things I only now get to experience!¡± "Ahaha, well, now you have all the chances to experience that and much more together with us!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Good~.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°So, what now?¡± She pointed at the cottage. ¡°Should we go and knock, or¡­? What¡¯s the n here?¡± ¡°I guess?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°Unless you have a better idea.¡± ¡°I do~.¡± An incredibly soft and gentle-sounding voice suddenly addressed the duo from behind. "I have a better one." "Really? Eh¡­?" They answered without thinking but immediately froze when they turned around and saw the person behind them. ¡°Wee to my domain.¡± Mira had appeared behind without having made any sound at all. She was in her hybrid form, as well. Compared to her ck clothes from the paintings in the shrine, she was wearing white this time. The design and cut were still simr, though. The fox-girl had the same type of ears as Chloe, and her hair was a simrly long and fluffy type, as well. Just not quite as much. It looked a little more tamed. The color was different, as well. Most of her hair and ears were an even purer white than Maya, but a strand next to her face and another one on the back was teal-colored, just like the tips of her ears. The most striking feature was here many tails, though. She indeed had nine of them, with each being roughly the size of Steph''s. On the bigger side, but still nothingpared to Chloe¡¯s. Mira having nine of them at once definitely made it look extremely impressive, though. Each of them was white, with the tip being teal, just like her ears. ¡°Mira?¡± Steph was the first to react. ¡°Yes, I am Mira.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m d that I¡¯m able to meet you in person now. I¡¯m sorry that I was unable to do so the other day and had Canir ry my gift.¡± ¡°Oh no, there¡¯s no reason to apologize!¡± The dog-girl rapidly shook her head. ¡°If anything, thank you SOO much for gifting me a part of your magic in the first ce! You really didn''t have to, but I''m thrilled to be able to be with my sister and everyone else now!" ¡°Not at all~.¡± Her smile only got brighter. ¡°You''re a fascinating girl, just like your sister, and I didn''t want Canir to have all the glory. I''m d I could help out. I secretly hoped you to be a fellow fox, though." She then mustered her. ¡°You dide up with something incredibly adorable, so it¡¯s alright~.¡± ¡°Ahaha,¡± Steph let out a small chuckle. "I love foxes, and they''re my favorites! Without Chloe, I definitely would¡¯ve considered it, but¡­¡± She nced at the pink girl. ¡°I already have her to look at! She¡¯s the perfect fox, so there was nothing for me to improve! I want to be the cutest of the species, after all! Dogs are also great, so I went for somethingplementary instead!" ¡°S-Shush!¡± Chloe started blushing again while she lightly red at her. ¡°¡­¡± Mira then focused her attention on the other girl and looked at her without saying a word. "H-Hello¡­" The pink fox-girl wasn''t sure how to react to the stare on top of being nervous about meeting the goddess or overseer of magic. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ Again, the pleasure is all mine.¡± Her smile became the by far gentlest yet. ¡°I already, uhh¡­ know you, but I am delighted to see you in person here right now.¡± "You know me¡­?" Chloe got somewhat confused after hearing that part. ¡°¡­¡± Mira paused for a moment while she continued to look at the fellow fox-girl. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you ever since you¡¯ve been reborn in this world. ¡°You were¡­? You¡¯re aware of me not being from this world¡­?¡± Her confusion only grew. ¡°Well, uhh¡­ I guess knowing about me not being from here is a given to someone like you¡­? Canir also knew, after all¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°I''m also, err... well-acquainted with Fey, so there were many reasons to check in on you when I had the chance to.¡± "So, you DO know each other!" Chloe raised her voice. "Why is there a statue of Feyfey in your shrine?" "How about we head inside?" Mira pointed at the cottage. "It''s much cozier in there, and I actually managed to significantly free my schedule for the foreseeable future, so we can talk however long you two want to.¡± The duo liked the idea, especially because there was a lot that they wanted to know from her, so the three entered the cottage to continue their chat there.
Chapter 363 – Questions and explanations Chapter 363 ¨C Questions and exnations Steph and Chloe¡¯s date somehow had ended up in a rather interesting ce. After exploring Mira''s shrine and touching one of her statues there, the duo got transported to her domain, just as Sophia visited Canir every so often. The overseer of magic had a much more magical domain, though, as it was a mythical forest type of ce. While exploring, they eventually found a small cottage and ran into Mira herself soon after, as well. ¡°So¡­¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to start the conversation. The trio had gone to the living room of Mira¡¯s cottage, there was tons of wood, and it looked very cozy, and the duo was sitting on one sofa while the divine fox-girl sat on one opposite of them. ¡°Can I know more about you and Feyfey? Why does she have her own statue in your shrine in the capital?¡± ¡°Fey and I became good friends a few hundred years ago.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°I also like to walk on the world when I have the chance. Fey and I were seen traveling together quite often in the past, and¡­ Well, I think you can see where this is going.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± The pink fox nodded a few times. ¡°Feyfey never told me about that¡­ She did mention you a lot, though! Wait, is that why the way she taught me magic is so different from how most learned it?¡± "Yes," Mira answered her. "I¡¯ve made a rule to myself that I won¡¯t interfere with how people learn and understand magic and how it works. Unfortunately, people around here are quitezy and simply went with the easiest way of using it¡­ Anyway, Fey and the two wolves you met came pretty close to the true way of using it. When we got closer, and I was perfectlyfortable around her, I may ended up letting slip something every now and then¡­ She doesn¡¯t know absolutely everything about magic, but besides me, there¡¯s no one with a deeper knowledge of the magic system of this world than her.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± Chloe liked the sound of that. ¡°I guess that means I got twice as lucky with her, huh?¡± She seemed pretty happy about something. ¡°The best mom and teacher in one person!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The white fox seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "Fey''s the best. Full stop." ¡°YES!¡± She more than agreed with that. ¡°If you know her that well¡­ Can I ask something¡­?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s something I can answer, I¡¯ll more than dly be of help.¡± ¡°Is Feyfey my mother¡­? My actual one?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Mira paused for a second. ¡°Am I really the right person to tell you?¡± ¡°B-But Feyfey always gets so evasive when I start the subject¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The white fox scratched her cheek. ¡°The next time you ask her about it, tell her I said she should be honest about what she is. She listens to me, and I''m sure she''ll tell you the truth." ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Tell her I¡¯ll get upset with her otherwise.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± As hearing that from a goddess sounded quite impactful, Chloe was more than happy with that. ¡°But, that does mean you know my parents, right¡­? Both of them.¡± "Yes. Yes, I do." She gave her a slight nod. ¡°I see! If Feyfey still doesn¡¯t tell me, I wille back and bug you about it!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Mira seemed to be a little overwhelmed by the pink fox. ¡°Good!¡± She was very happy about that. ¡°You sure gotfortable fast with her.¡± Steph faced Chloe after having watched their exchange. ¡°The whole actual god, goddess, and or overseer thing is pretty alien to me, so I¡¯m not sure how awesome this meeting is, but weren¡¯t you a lot more nervous around Canir? Initially, at least.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head while looking at Mira. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I nervous with you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The white fox looked back at her. ¡°How can I answer that?¡± ¡°T-True!¡± ¡°Well, she does seem a lot friendlier, approachable, and easier to get along withpared to Canir. He is a good guy, though.¡± The dog-girl tried toe up with an exnation. ¡°Thank you~.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s definitely true!¡± Chloe nodded a couple of times. ¡°Is that all, though¡­?¡± She looked a little confused and nced at her fellow fox again. ¡°I do feel really at ease when talking with you! It reminds me a lot of Feyfey!¡± ¡°Is¡­ that so?¡± She seemed to have some mixed feelings about that. ¡°Yes! I can really see why the two of you got along in the past! Feyfey has excellent taste, after all! I definitely approve! I love Feyfey, and so I like you, too!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira seemingly needed a moment. ¡°It makes me very happy to hear that. I love hearing the high praise of Fey." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Alrighty, can I also ask some questions?¡± Once it seemed like the duo was done, for the time being, Steph got excited again. ¡°I¡¯ll happily answer everything I can.¡± The white fox changed her attention to the dog-girl. ¡°The wolves mentioned it, and I saw it in the shrine, too! You can transform into a full fox, right?!" ¡°I can.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°In fact, that¡¯s my true or natural form. My hybrid form just is more approachable or rtable for most, so I use that from time to time, as well. Not to mention that a humanoid body has its very own merits. Especially the female one.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Steph liked that answer a lot. ¡°Anyway, I want to do that, too!¡± "Do what now?" ¡°Turn into a full animal! A big dog, in my case!" She sounded extremely excited about it. ¡°Eh?!¡± Chloe had some rather mixed feelings about the idea, though. ¡°You want to be a full¡­?¡± ¡°Not forever or anything.¡± She shook her head. ¡°But it sounds really fun, and I¡¯d love to experience it at least once! Being fluffy all over and running around on a field on all fours!" ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The pink fox still wasn''t sure how she thought about it. ¡°Well, it is possible, but I¡¯m not sure if I can rmend it.¡± Mira tilted her head a little while giving her reply. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s extremelyplex andplicated to use this sort of magic. How does your tail feel, by the way?" ¡°Itchy!¡± Steph¡¯s answer was instantaneous. ¡°It¡¯s gotten much better, though.¡± "See? What do you think will happen if you change your entire body to something else?" ¡°A-Ah.¡± ¡°If you mess up, all of those, let¡¯s call them features of your new animal self, will be permanently added to your brain and nervous system. Just like your tail and some of the instincts you gained before. At best, you can¡¯t change back again. At worst, let¡¯s not go there¡­¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°It is possible if you¡¯re able to create some¡­ extra space to put your second, uhh¡­ persona. Sorry, it¡¯s a little hard to exin¡­ Basically, when you switch between animal and hybrid, everything rted to it also switches.¡± ¡°Two in one, basically¡­?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°More or less.¡± Mira nodded once. ¡°You have to exist twice in yourself where only your personality, thoughts, memories, and things like that are shared between both.¡± ¡°That sounds superplicated!¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it way too lightly.¡± The white fox looked a little awkward. ¡°I¡¯m the overseer and ruler of magic, and even I almost deemed it impossible." ¡°Too bad!¡± She didn¡¯t like that reply. ¡°I was really looking forward to that!¡± ¡°Well, despite the warning, it¡¯s not impossible. You have basically no control of the magic I¡¯ve given you right now, but if you train a lot and move towards it little by little, you might be able to seed eventually.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± Her mood improved again. ¡°Speaking of, why did you give me so much of your magic? I heard that what Canir did for Sophia was already way too overpowered, but I got even more from you!¡± ¡°Exactly because of that~.¡± Mira¡¯s expression became a little cheeky. ¡°We can¡¯t be outdone by them, can we?¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, I love you even more now!¡± Steph liked her reasoning a lot. ¡°I am nning to share some of my magic, though¡­ I might end up below Sophia again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s totally fine! I gave you way more than you can use at once, anyway. Besides, because it''s my authority, it recovers even faster than Canir¡¯s in this world. It literally recovers faster than you can reasonably spend it. I govern the magic of this world, after all.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just like Feyfey¡¯s and my authority!¡± Chloe joined their conversation. ¡°It also recovers super fast! Mine¡¯s even faster than hers, actually! Did you give some of yours to her, too?" ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡± The dog-girl looked at her. ¡°I want to share it with you, after all, and it sounds like our magic ispatible!¡± ¡°Y-You really don¡¯t have to!¡± ¡°I want to, though!¡± Steph had no intention of letting her be humble. ¡°I can do that, right?¡± She faced Mira again. ¡°Yes.¡± The white fox nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the privilege of overseer magic. It can be shared. The total amount of your magic will also keep growing much faster than everyone else. Another overseer benefit.¡± ¡°Perfect! Wait¡­?¡± She heard something odd in her reply. ¡°Did I be a goddess and or overseer without even noticing¡­?¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Chloe sounded even more surprised than the girl in question. "Not exactly." Mira lightly shook her head. "To be considered an official overseer, you need a certain level of total authority, be able to create your own domain, and a few other specialized magics." ¡°Aww¡­¡± Steph sounded quite disappointed. ¡°That sounded sooo fun, too!¡± "You really are most interesting!" The white fox was bing more and more of a fan. "You have the potential, though. If you keep growing your magic, which has the properties of overseer authority, as it¡¯s mine, it is possible in the future.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± She got even more excited. ¡°Well, I''ll first lose a good bit, but that definitely goes onto my list of goals!¡± ¡°I look forward to your aplishments~.¡± ¡°So, how do I share my magic?¡± The dog-girl got back on track. ¡°You gave me an infused peach¡­? Do I have to enchant a fruit or something like that¡­?¡± "Oh, no, that was just because you got it straight from the source. Me, that is. To share yours, a little more effort is needed.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°A kiss while thinking about transferring magic should work well.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Chloe reacted before Steph had the chance. ¡°Ohhh!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°How? Where? Cheek? Hand? Lips? Somewhere else entirely?!¡± ¡°Where do you think would be best to share something!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Hearing that, Steph immediately looked right into Chloe''s eyes. "S-Stop looking at me like that!" Her entire face turned red. "W-Wait! Sophia was able to share her magic just by holding Anna''s hand! Here!" She held up her hand that was still connected with that of the dog-girl. "I-Isn''t that enough?!" "That''s only because Canir''s authority is above everything else. It isn¡¯t bound to any rules and can be brute forced. He also simply pumped Sophia full of a nk version of it rather than adjusting it for her. Because of that, the two can share it by just thinking about it. With some training, Sophia probably could do it purely by thinking about the person she wants to boost." Mira tried to exin the differences. ¡°My authority is bound by more rules because it is the rules. Well, on paper, at least. Let''s just say that I can skip a few steps, but I added some extra safeties for Steph¡¯s version of my powers.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Her face only turned redder. ¡°Alright!¡± Steph intensified her stare at the pink fox-girl instead. ¡°D-Don¡¯t alright me!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to kiss me?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not the issue!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not?!¡± The dog hadn¡¯t expected that. She was obviously super excited about everything, but it was rather hard to tell whether she was serious or simply teasing right now. ¡°T-That¡¯s not something you do on a whim!¡± ¡°Kissing or sharing magic?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± "A k-kiss like that is too early!¡± Chloe specified the real issue. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Hearing that, the slight blush that had appeared on Steph¡¯s cheeks fully lit up. ¡°Someone has no defense, huh?¡± Mira was seemingly enjoying their exchange. ¡°S-Shush!¡± The dog-girl wasn¡¯t and turned her face away in a huff. It also seemed like she started pouting, but it was hard to tell because of her bright red face. ¡°Hehe.¡± The white fox let out a small chuckle before facing the pink one. ¡°Pshh, hey, Chloe." She started whispering to her. ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± She naturally also was affected by the current situation. ¡°Go for that instead.¡± Saying so, Mira started tapping her cheek with a finger while gesturing at Steph. ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°You understand me.¡± ¡°B-But!¡± "Trust me~." The white fox gave her a thumbs up together with a smile. ¡°¡­¡± Being frozen for a moment, Chloe eventually nced over to Steph next to her, who was still looking away from them to hide her embarrassment. ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Really!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She needed another moment to prepare herself, but the pink-haired girl eventually leaned closer to Steph, and a secondter, she lightly pressed her lips against the dog-girl¡¯s cheek. It onlysted a moment and seemed rather clumsy, but she still managed to do it properly before swiftly putting in some distance between them again. ¡°?!!¡± Steph was only able to react with an iprehensible squeal-like sound while her face managed to turn even redder as she started panicking. ¡°¡­¡± Chloe had turned her face in the opposite direction because she was unable to look at anyone, either. ¡°To be young again.¡± Mira, on the other hand, was doing just fine, though. After everything that happened, the duo was out ofmission, and they had to take a break to calm down.
Chapter 363.5 – Illustrations Chapter 363.5 ¨C Illustrations The usual~ This time, with Mira. The, depending on who you ask, the fluffiest of our girls. "Original" ck clothes: "Winter Theme":
And my new passion: Animated~ Here''s the folder for the MP4 versions, including the white one, and a higher-quality GIF.
Also, for fun, her initial concept sketches:
Initially, I had asked for a ck outfit, but the artist surprised me with the white one, and I had to decide afterward! Obviously, that waspletely impossible, and I needed to get both~ I wasn''t the biggest fan of the super long sleeves, though, and we got the shorter ones. Chapter 364 – Expectations Chapter 364 ¨C Expectations The duo was still in Mira¡¯s domain and chatting with the divine fox. During that, Chloe learned that Mira¡¯s actually friends with Fey, and that¡¯s how her mother ended up as a statue in the shrine. Steph also learned a lot about the magic that she had been gifted by her. The dog-girl also found out that sharing her magic with others involved a little more workpared to how Sophia was able to do it. She more or less has to kiss the receiving party for it. She got pretty excited about it because she wanted to give Chloe some of it, but once the pink fox leaned into the idea a little, the other two found out that the dog-girl¡¯s a bit of a ss canon, who got terribly embarrassed over it. In the end, Chloe even gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, whichpletely made her panic. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, that was fun.¡± Mira smiled at the two overly embarrassed girls. ¡°W-Why did you listen to her¡­?¡± After a while, Steph finally turned around to steal a nce or two while also gently touching the cheek that the pink fox had kissed before. ¡°Y-You¡¯re the one who started it, no?!¡± Chloe looked back at her. ¡°Y-You almost jumped at me when Mira told us you have to k-kiss me to transfer magic¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s just how I am! I also get excited super easily!¡± ¡°So, you would¡¯ve done that with everyone in this situation¡­?¡± Chloe didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± The dog-girl started panicking. "A-Also, no!¡± ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Does that mean you didn¡¯t want to be kissed by her?¡± Mira was having a grand time. ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant, either!¡± Steph raised her voice again. ¡°Why do youin so much, then?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what I do!¡± After all, she is the sister of a certain blonde. ¡°Stop that and be happy that you got a little kiss from your crush!¡± The white fox was a rather direct one. ¡°?!¡± Steph could only react with iprehensible noises. ¡°She really has no defense, huh?¡± Mira smiled at Chloe once she had had enough of the adorable disy of the other girl. ¡°¡­¡± The pink fox wasn¡¯t doing much better, though. ¡°I guess I might¡¯ve overdone it a little.¡± Looking at them, the divine looked ever so slightly awkward while she scratched her cheek. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± The duo immediately unionized in theirint. ¡°Alright, I leave the rest of this conversation to the two of you.¡± ¡°W-What conversation?!¡± ¡°Back to the previous topic,¡± Mira simply ignored how the two got even more nervous while they continued to steal nces at each other. ¡°That¡¯s how sharing my magic works on you. I¡¯m sorry that it might be a bit much, but Canir''s way is a bit too short-sighted for me, and I added some safeties." ¡°...¡± It looked like there were many things Steph wanted to say, but at the same time, it also didn¡¯t, and she stayed silent on the matter. "Is there anything else either of you wants to know while we''re together like this?" ¡°...¡± They needed another minute before Steph then eventually went ahead. ¡°W-Was, uhh... was supporting me with magic and all that really just a whim of yours, or is there anything deeper...?¡± ¡°What would you prefer?¡± ¡°Not beating around the bush would be the best!¡± ¡°My, that was a goodeback.¡± Mira sounded slightly impressed. ¡°I have my moments!¡± ¡°Well, answering that is slightlyplicated...¡± The white fox scratched her cheek. ¡°I do like your sister a lot.¡± She smiled at Steph. ¡°Ever since she arrived in this world, she¡¯s been very creative in the way she utilizes magic. As the one who governs it, that fills me with great joy. The same goes for Chloe here. I love her, uhh¡­ way of doing things. She¡¯s so creative and inventive! Watching her get all excited whening up with a new way of using magic excited even me. It''s very contagious." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The pink fox in question got very happy about her description and praise. ¡°Anyway,¡± Smiling at the happy girl for a moment, Mira then focused on the dog-girl again. ¡°After you arrived here and how it seemed like your adventurous and yful side is even bigger than your sister''s, I got a little curious. Then, you met Chloe, and the two of you got along very¡­ wellinstantly. I think the three of you will do amazing things for the further development of magic in this world.¡± ¡°Quite the expectations you have there!¡± "Don''t worry about it~. My only expectation for you and everyone else is to have fun. That''s when the best ideas and inventions happen, anyway." ¡°Oh! I can definitely meet those expectations!¡± Steph liked the sound of that. ¡°Just what I wanted to hear!¡± The white fox gave her a thumbs up. ¡°In the end, it started out on a whim because I simply found you interesting, but it eventually turned into some sort of n because it could benefit magic as a whole." ¡°I see.¡± "All that, and one-upping Canir, of course." Mira smiled at her. ¡°You always use that chance if you can.¡± ¡°Is it really such a good idea to openly admit that¡­? Isn¡¯t he like the main, uhh¡­ person, overseer, god¡­ that kind of thing?¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure what to call him anymore. ¡°I respect him a lot, we all do, but¡­¡± The white fox paused for a moment. ¡°He¡¯s way too smug. All of us jump at the chance to put him back in his shoes whenever we can." ¡°I-I see¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°You have no idea how excited we get when he meets Sophia because she¡¯s something else when ites to bashing his face in when he gets too smug.¡± ¡°What did my sister do¡­?¡± Steph wasn¡¯t a fan of her wording. ¡°Exactly what I just said.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°She bashed his face in. Multiple times, that is. One time, she even used so much force that she literally punched him out of this world. It was soo much fun watching that!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph and Chloe just looked at each other for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to do the same, do you¡­?¡± The dog-girl eventually nced at the white fox again. ¡°I¡¯m not really into punching people¡­¡± "Don''t worry about that. You can do whatever in that regard." ¡°G-Great.¡± She looked relieved. ¡°Then again, I never thought Sophia would punch anyone, either¡­ Maybe he did earn it?¡± ¡°That sounds very promising!¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°No, seriously, do whatever you want in this world. I can provide you with some guidance, but that¡¯s all it is. Guidance.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Well, unless you try to destroy this word¡­ I¡¯m quite attached to it, so I¡¯ll probably intervene then.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?!¡± ¡°Your older sister almost did, so who knows.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it was an ident.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°She wasn¡¯t actively trying to create a singrity akin to a ck hole that almost swallowed this. It just happened.¡± ¡°HOW DOES SOMETHING LIKE THAT JUST HAPPEN?!¡± Steph got loud. "Just spend another week or two with us, and you''ll see." Chloe also started smiling. ¡°I haven¡¯t managed to do something like that myself, but I can totally see it happening. We can think of some fun stuff.¡± ¡°Y-You can?!¡± ¡°Magic is something truly wonderful,¡± The white fox continued. ¡°The sky¡¯s the limit! And that¡¯s just a figure of speech because it isn¡¯t¡­ Some limitations in the system that I included in your magic aside, only your imagination will hold you back.¡± ¡°Do those limitations include being unable to blow up this world?¡± ¡°I am 94% sure you shouldn¡¯t be able to.¡± ¡°What with the remaining 6%?!¡± ¡°Uncertainty factor.¡± Mira scratched her cheek. ¡°If you¡¯re half as easygoing and creative as your sister, you might find a way.¡± ¡°People always called me the easygoing and creative sister while Sophia was the reserved and overthinking one!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m 69% certain my limitations will hold¡­¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Somehow, Steph¡¯s reply was instantaneous. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not nice at all!¡± She corrected herself. ¡°Please do your job better! I want to have fun and the time of my life, but I don¡¯t want to destroy this paradise!¡± ¡°Well, again, it should be safe, but else you just have to listen to Fey. She knows the limits, and she is quite convincing when ites to making one stop.¡± ¡°That is very true!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°B-But what if I mess up before she¡¯s back?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you can hold out for two or three days, no?¡± ¡°I guess that should be possible.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± The pink fox tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean with two or three days?¡± ¡°Fey¡¯s on her way back. She''ll be here¡­ or rather, in the fox vige soon." ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Why would I lie about that?¡± "YAY!" Chloe sounded incredibly happy. "I miss her a whole lot, so this is amazing news!" ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet her, either!¡± Steph also seemed to be looking forward to it. ¡°She seems very interesting!¡± ¡°She can be a little strict and stuck up at times, though." Mira looked at the dog-girl. "Please try not to get a wrong impression of her because of that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that would happen!¡± She smiled back at her. ¡°It¡¯s simply impossible for the one that raised Chloe not the be a great individual.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The white fox paused for a moment before ncing at the pink one. ¡°She¡¯s a smooth one, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Way too smooth!¡± She nodded a few times. "At least when her defenses are up." Mira''s expression changed into a slight smirk. ¡°H-Hey!¡± ---------------- The trio chatted for a good while longer, but as this meeting was somewhat unexpected, they eventually ran out of topics to talk about. ¡°There¡¯s onest thing I want to do for now.¡± While the duo was getting ready to leave, Steph faced the white fox. ¡°And what would that be?¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°Here,¡± The dog-girl spread her arms. ¡°I want to give you a hug!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my way of thanking you for giving me a part of your magic so that I can have as much fun in this world as possible. I am slightly upset about some things you said and did earlier, but I''m incredibly thankful for the magic!" ¡°Ahaha, well, I can¡¯t really say no to a good hug.¡± Chuckling to herself once, Mira walked over to her, and the two hugged for a moment. ¡°You are very wee.¡± ¡°I-I want one, too!¡± Chloe swiftly raised her voice while watching them. "Sure!" Once they parted, Steph turned around to face the pink fox and opened her arms again. ¡°N-Not you!¡± She was looking at the magic overseer instead. "Eh¡­? Me?" Mira looked rather confused as she pointed at herself. ¡°Yes!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°You did Steph a huge favor, and you told me lots about Feyfey I didn¡¯t know yet! You even helped with finally finding out more about my biological parents and whether or not Feyfey is one of them, as I can now threaten her with you!" ¡°I, uhh¡­ see.¡± The white fox wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°Also, hugs are great, and I like you already, so¡­¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± As it was impossible to say no to the fluffy pink being in front of her, Mira got closer to her, and the two hugged each other, as well. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Once they parted again from their hug, Chloe showed her an even bigger smile. ¡°For everything we found out and learned today!¡± ¡°You¡­ You are very wee, as well.¡± Even for Mira, staying calm and collected was hard when confronted with such a pure and bright smile. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Afterward, the duo got transported back to the shrine with Mira''s help, while the white fox stayed back on her own inside the cottage. "What a twist of events¡­" She sat back down on the sofa and let out a small sigh. "I am so d I wasn''t busy today. Although, now I want to see Fey again¡­ and spend some actual time with her. I think it¡¯s time to stop being busy for a while and start wandering down there again. I feel like many things will happen soon, and I don¡¯t want to miss them. Fey will probably also need a bit of help now that all those troublemakers have met. Yep, I think that¡¯s a good excuse for me!¡±
Chapter 365 – Speed Chapter 365 ¨C Speed Chloe and Steph had learned a lot when they ended up in Mira''s domain, where they also met the divine fox. The dog-girl discovered many things about her new magic that she had been gifted, and the pink fox learned more about Fey, as it turned out that she has a significant connection to the overseer of magic. After a lot of chatting and a final hug at the end of the day, the duo returned to the shrine, and everything went back to normal. ¡°Wow, what a turn of events!¡± Steph was still in high spirits while leaving the shrine. ¡°Did that really just happen¡­?¡± Chloe was slightly confused. "Did we just visit Mira''s ce and spend half the day chatting with her¡­?" ¡°We sure did! This world is amazing!¡± She was enjoying every second of her new life. ¡°That¡¯s definitely true!¡± The fox nodded a few times. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ meeting Canir, and now even Mira is not something you usually do¡­ as someone who has lived here for 20 years now, that''s crazy!" ¡°I guess so?¡± Their standings didn¡¯t have that much of an effect on the dog. ¡°Mira was really nice, though! Even if the circumstances were weird, I''m d we could meet her! W-Well, some things she said and made you do aside¡­" Steph touched her cheek during thest part. ¡°Yes, I also like her a lot, but what do you mean by¡­ a-ah.¡± It took Chloe a moment to process thest part. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Should we, uhh¡­ get something to eat again¡­?¡± She also seemed a little awkward. "We''ve spent so much time with Mira that it''s getting dark already, and I''m a little hungry again¡­" ¡°Yeah¡­ That sounds good. It sure has been a busy day, huh?¡± ¡°Very!¡± Steph smiled at her before grabbing her hand once again. ¡°L-Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°S-Sure!¡± They, especially Chloe, had gotten used to holding hands before, but after visiting Mira, both had be conscious about it, and the duo had roughly the same level of blush on their cheeks. ---------------- The two walked around for about 20 minutes before they found a restaurant that struck their fancy. Inside, the duo got seated at an avable table, and once they ordered something, the two started chatting again. ¡°Say¡­¡± Looking slightly awkward, Steph looked at the pink fox-girl sitting across her at the other side of the table. In fact, after a moment or two, her eyes stopped swimming around, and she locked them with Chloe''s. "What are we now¡­?" ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± She looked slightly confused and a little bewildered, but she eventually looked her in the eyes, as well, while tilting her head. ¡°Friends¡­?¡± Judging by her intonation, she didn''t even seem to fully believe that herself. ¡°Do you kiss all your friends¡­?¡± Naturally, the dog-girl believed it even less. "A-Ah.¡± She got even more awkward. ¡°Y-You¡¯re the one who started it! Overly excited or not, did you try to k-kiss me, or did you not¡­?" ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Steph scratched her cheek a few times. ¡°I might have¡­¡± ¡°See?!¡± ¡°So?¡± Slightly enthralled by her somewhat smug smile for a moment, the violet-haired girl tried to be a little more serious again. ¡°What are we?¡± ¡°Good friends¡­?¡± She tried her luck. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Steph wasn¡¯t happy about that. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are we dating now¡­?¡± She simply blurted it out. ¡°H-HUH?!¡± Her entire face instantly lit on fire. ¡°L-Let me rephrase that¡­ Do you want to date me?¡± Steph paused for a moment to fight off a little of her own embarrassment. ¡°Mira was right. I was happy about getting a kiss from my¡­ crush. I still am! You do think, uhh¡­ favorable of me, as well, right¡­? Otherwise, you wouldn''t have done that, no¡­?" ¡°I-I do like you! I like you a whole lot!¡± Chloe raised her voice. ¡°B-But¡­ we only met each other a few days ago¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°S-So, she says¡­¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to that. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you usually get to know the other party better first¡­? I-I mean, I have no experience, but that¡¯s how it works, is it not¡­?¡± "Who said you can''t do that while dating¡­?" ¡°B-But what if we get to know each other better and realize we aren¡¯t that good of a match, after all¡­?¡± ¡°What if not?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Chloe had nothing to counter after hearing that. ¡°There¡¯s never a guarantee for anything in life. You could even end in another world by the end of the week, you know?¡± She had an oddly specific example ready. ¡°We could spend years getting to know each other and then still learn something that could break us apart a day after we started dating." ¡°Do you have any experience with all that¡­?¡± ¡°None at all!¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± The fox-girl looked confused. ¡°You sound so¡­ knowledgeable about d-dating, though¡­¡± ¡°I used to be the support-character for my friends¡­ Romance is fun, after all! There were two girls I was interested in before¡­ I think? I was too young to be sure the first time, and the other ended before I had the chance to explore whatever I might have felt because I waited and wanted to get to know her better first¡­" ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Chloe started to understand her take. ¡°Well, it turned out the second girl was straight, after all, so¡­ It might not be the best example for my story¡­ Also, it felt more like an admiration, now that I think about it again¡­¡± ¡°I definitely am not straight. I can say that for sure!" ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Same, by the way. Toys are the closest thing to men I have an interest in. As long as they¡¯re not too life-like, at least. If you get my drift~. The more colorful and fun-shaped, the better!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°W-Wait, did I say that out loud just now?!¡± The color on her face changed. ¡°P-Please forget about that!¡± ¡°Well, you do have a point. They are¡­ I-I mean, forget about what? Did you say something?¡± Both of them have next to no filter, after all. ¡°Ahaha¡­ No, I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°G-Good.¡± ¡°Anyway, back to the topic!¡± ¡°W-Which one¡­?¡± Chloe had lost track. ¡°Do you want to date me?¡± The dog-girl looked right into her eyes again. "We don''t have to do anything that makes either of us ufortable immediately, and we can take our time growing ever closer, but I don¡¯t want to risk wasting my chance with you! If I have a chance, that is!¡± ¡°W-Why me?" ¡°Because you¡¯re amazing!¡± Steph¡¯s reply was instantaneous. ¡°¡­¡± She had hoped for a more detailed response. ¡°You¡¯re amazingly beautiful, cute, fluffy, and attractive! Your looks are perfect!¡± She sounded a little excited for a moment. ¡°Now, to more important things! Your personality! You¡¯re super friendly, attentive, and approachable! What I¡¯ve heard from the others, when it involves your character and magic, you¡¯re super yful and easygoing. Forgiving, too¡­ Sorry about having jumped at you the moment we met¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°You like to cuddle as much as I do, which is most important!¡± She put some extra emphasis on that. ¡°From your stories, you also seem to love exploring, traveling, and other outdoor activities like camping.¡± "I constantly did that for the past almost 20 years and enjoyed every second of it. I¡¯ve spent way more days outside than you can imagine!¡± ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°?!¡± The fox-girl hadn¡¯t expected such a direct follow-up. "A-Are you really fine with me¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re more than I could¡¯ve ever imagined and dreamed of!¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°So? So? So?¡± With each repeat, Steph leaned a little closer to Chloe over the table. ¡°Do you want to date me? I definitely want to date you!¡± ¡°...¡± The fox-girl was quite overwhelmed. ¡°W-We can still get to know each other better before... before, uhh... other stuff, right...?¡± ¡°...¡± Steph paused for a moment, as well. ¡°W-We can wait however long you can hold back with it.¡± ¡°W-Why me?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought it up just now! I hadn''t even thought about that yet... For now, I mainly want to make sure not to lose this amazing girl right in front of me I fell for at first sight and gain the right to brag about it to absolutely everyone we meet!" "A-Ah.¡± Chloe¡¯s face actually managed to get even redder. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry... M-My mind¡¯s a little too horny for its own good from time to time...¡± ¡°W-Why are you apologizing...? Also, if anything, that¡¯s another thing I¡¯ll add to your redeeming features! N-Not a now topic, though...¡± ¡°...¡± The fox-girl just got more embarrassed. "A-Are you really fine with someone like me...?¡± ¡°YES!¡± She reacted with a big nod. ¡°I want you! It all depends on your answer now!¡± "I-I do like you a lot, and I was m-mesmerized by you the moment we met! Even more so on. You being a dog is a perfect fit for your personality. A personality I like very much! Quirky, outgoing, and adorable! I can¡¯t wait to go on more adventures with you, either! I feel superfy around you, too, and cuddling is great, as well! T-That¡¯s definitely a crush, r-right?¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± Steph was getting even more excited. ¡°SO?¡± ¡°I-If you¡¯re really okay with me... I, uhh... I¡¯d dly... y-you know...¡± "No, I don''t know." The dog-girl smiled at her. "You have to tell me. I want you to tell me.¡± ¡°Uuh...¡± Chloe¡¯s usually quite confident about her social skills, but this situation,bined with Steph¡¯s ultra-direct way of doing things, turned her into a bit of a mess. ¡°I-I feel honored that you want to be my partner, and it makes me really happy because I want the same! It still feels very early, but you¡¯re right! Why should it matter?! I want to date you, too!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph liked her response a lot. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The fox-girl also looked happy. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± Afterward, as all the tension and excitement calmed down in an instant, the mood got a little awkward as both got rather embarrassed over just how much they had gotten into it. A few momentster, as they were still in the restaurant, the waitress, who had taken their order a long time ago, finally came with their food while apologizing for taking so long. Apparently, it was a busy time, and it had absolutely nothing to do with not having wanted to interrupt the couple until now.
Chapter 366 – Good luck on explaining that Chapter 366 ¨C Good luck on exining that After Chloe and Steph had returned from Mira''s domain, they went to visit another restaurant because after having explored and then chatted with the white fox all day, they had gotten hungry again. While sitting in the restaurant, they started talking about the events and how it seemed like their feelings for each other had taken quite the leap in a very short amount of time. One thing led to another, and even though Chloe initially thought it was a little fast, they decided not to care about the little things and ended up bing a couple, as that was what both wanted. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± The couple had left the restaurant again and was back on the capital''s streets. Their hands had already naturally found and started holding each other, but there was more than a hint of nervousness around them. "W-Why are you so silent all of a sudden!" Chloe was the first who couldn''t take it anymore. "T-That''s the first time you haven¡¯t said anything for longer than a minute since we met!¡± "A-Ah!¡± Hearing that, the dog-girl twitched a few times. ¡°I-I also have my limits, you know?!¡± ¡°You have limits...?¡± Sounding honestly surprised, she tilted her head in return. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Steph raised her voice a little while her face turned even redder. ¡°YES, I even I run out of steam! Today was quite eventful, was it not?!¡± ¡°Even though you were that confident in the restaurant not even half an hour ago...?¡± ¡°E-Especially because of that!¡± She got even louder. ¡°I-I wanted to sound cool and gave it my all!¡± ¡°You definitely did sound cool! Really cool! It was spot on!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The mood was getting livelier again. "I saw my chance, and I had to use it! No matter how much I run out of steam afterward! Worth it, I want to add!¡± She gave Chloe¡¯s hand a squeeze at the end. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked that gesture at the end a lot. "You are right. It was very eventful today. The good kind, though!¡± The fox-girl squeezed her hand back. ¡°I can¡¯t say I saw any of iting...¡± ¡°Expect the unexpected!¡± Steph showed her a big smile. ¡°The best motto to live by! One of the best, at least.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve expected to get transported to another dimension, meet a goddess, find out my mom¡¯s besties with her, and get a g-girlfriend...? On the same day?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She reacted with a confident nod. ¡°HOW?!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s quite self-exnatory!¡± ¡°I-Is this how Maya feels with all of us around... I have to apologize to her!" She made a slight pause while thinking about the everyday struggles of the cat-girl. "S-Speaking about that... if it really is so self-exnatory for you... You¡¯re okay with exining everything that happened today to the group, right?¡± ¡°E-Everything...?¡± Steph¡¯s smug smile was gone. ¡°Everything.¡± "A-Ah... Are we going to, uhh... tell them about... well, us...?¡± ¡°Do you think we are, err... able to hide it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been good at that!¡± ¡°Neither am I...¡± Chloe hung her head. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just continue like before...?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°I-I mean¡­ we couldn¡¯t get much closer with others around, anyway¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, the fox-girl¡¯s blush also intensified. ¡°We really hit it off fast, huh¡­?¡± ¡°YES!¡± She felt the same. ¡°If you know it, you know it~.¡± ¡°Know what¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think so, too?!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Chloe gave up and paused for a moment. ¡°I need to ask Sophia if she has a manual for you¡­¡± ¡°Good luck with that~.¡± Her smile turned into a smirk. ¡°An impossible task, is it not?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Well, you are sisters, after all¡­¡± She let out a small sigh. ¡°Maya also wants to get a manual for Sophia for obvious reasons.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯d like the get one of that, too.¡± Steph startedughing. ¡°There¡¯s no one that knows her better than I do, but that doesn¡¯t say much, especially after thest year happened." ¡°Poor Maya¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s more fun that way, anyway!¡± ¡°I mean¡­ Yeah, you¡¯ve got a point.¡± Chloe agreed with her. ¡°It¡¯s much more interesting to find out all the things on your own! I won¡¯t deny that it would be helpful, though.¡± ¡°Exactly! Also, fair point toward the end there.¡± She felt the same way. ¡°So, anyway, it should be fine if we simply act the same way we did thest few days in public, no?¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll let us be like that for much longer¡­.? Maya¡¯s quite sharp with those things, and teasing others is one of her great joys. I¡¯ll give her a week before she¡¯s onto us if we keep doing what we¡¯ve been doing¡­¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Sophia also knows me quite well and how I act¡­ I wouldn''t be surprised if she had already noticed some things about my behavior. At best, I''ll give her a week before she starts questioning me, either¡­" ¡°So¡­?¡± Chloe looked at her. ¡°What are we going to do¡­?¡± ¡°The others aside, I¡¯d also feel really bad about hiding it from Sophia¡­¡± She didn¡¯t want to lie to her sister. ¡°That means you¡¯re going to tell the others? The whole thing is so self-exnatory for you that it should be easy, right?" ¡°I was a little too motivated there, huh?¡± ¡°A little.¡± The fox-girl let out a small chuckle ¡°Y-You¡¯re not going to help me, though¡­ Like, at all?¡± ¡°Do you want my help?¡± ¡°PLEASE!¡± Steph really didn¡¯t want to do it on her own. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, huh?¡± Chloe started smiling. ¡°Though, I doubt I¡¯ll be of much use¡­ I still don''t really get what even happened myself." ¡°We¡¯re a couple now!¡± ¡°I-I got that part, but¡­ I¡¯m really happy about that, but¡­ How, actually¡­?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re made for each other!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s the answer to why¡­ I asked for how.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph liked how she hadn''t disagreed with her im. ¡°How doesn¡¯t matter! The only thing that matters is that it happened!¡± ¡°Do you think Maya and Sophia will be happy with that much of an exnation?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have toe up with something more, or they''ll never stop asking questions." ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The dog-girl paused for a moment. ¡°Oh, how about this?!¡± ¡°You have a n?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She seemed quite confident about her idea. ¡°We¡¯ll do everything like usual when we get together in the living room, and when it¡¯s time for bed, we¡¯ll quickly say, ¡®ah, by the way, the two of us started dating.¡¯ Afterward, we¡¯ll immediately go to our rooms and lock the doors.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe tilted her head while thinking about the idea. ¡°I like it! Let¡¯s do it like that!¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Steph was the surprised one. ¡°I, uhh¡­ didn¡¯t think that would work.¡± "Why not? That sounds like the easiest way out! I''m a big fan of that!¡± ¡°Perfect! It¡¯s settled, then.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work on Feyfey, though.¡± ¡°Feyfey¡­?¡± Her face turned pale. "A-As, in your mother¡­?¡± ¡°That very Feyfey!¡± ¡°T-The overpowered and very serious fox even the goddess of magic warned me about¡­?¡± "You forgot overly cautious, very doting, and overprotective!" ¡°N-Not helping!¡± Steph turned even paler. ¡°Will I survive her return if she finds out about us¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She looked honestly concerned. ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°It should be fine.¡± ¡°R-Really!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°T-Thank goodness!¡± ¡°Probably¡­¡± Chloe still looked concerned. ¡°S-Stop that!¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry, I''ll stop her before she does anything too hasty!" ¡°I-I don¡¯t like the sound of that! Also, neither do I like this way too-concerned expression on your face!" ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best!¡± ¡°Still not any better!¡± Steph got even louder. ¡°Is it possible to stop time with magic?! I want to go on a training arc to develop my magic to hold a candle to her!¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way that¡¯s possible!¡± ¡°Aww, too bad!¡± ¡°I do like the sound of that, though!¡± ¡°I know, right?!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°It would be soo much fun, wouldn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Chloe reacted with a big nod. ¡°It would be amazing!¡± ¡°Hrmn¡­ Still, I feel like a proper overseer should have a power like this, no? It sounds like something they would be able to do, right? Not that I know what an overseer actually is¡­¡± ¡°Kinda, I guess? It would be super overpowered, though?¡± ¡°Like I said, fitting for them!" It only added weight to Steph''s theory. ¡°Let¡¯s ask Mira the next time we see her!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll likely meet Feyfey before that, though.¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Maybe you could ask Sophia? She¡¯s, uhh¡­ friends with Canir, and if he can¡¯t do it, no one can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± ¡°Also, knowing her, she would be just as interested in it as we are! I am absolutely certain she¡¯d want to find out about it, as well! There''s still no way it''s possible, but Canir''s our best bet!" ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°We first have to tell them about all the other things that happened today, though.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not go!¡± The dog-girl changed her mind. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like that¡¯s possible, huh?¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go¡­¡± She changed her mind once more. This time, Steph sounded a lot less motivated, though. ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re quite jumpy?¡± ¡°First time I¡¯ve heard that usation!¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Chloe tilted her head while she stared at her. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that multiple times when people described me, so I do have some experience with that.¡± ¡°Nope, that¡¯s a first!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Sophia once we¡¯re home, you know?¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve been called that once or twice before¡­¡± She reconsidered her stance on it. ¡°I somehow still have my doubts.¡± The fox-girl only intensified her stare. ¡°I never rified the time frame on these usations, did I?¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ Once or twice a day!¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go!¡± Steph gave Chloe''s hand, which she had been holding all the time, a quick squeeze before dragging her toward the mansion. ¡°Maybe it was per hour, after all¡­? There¡¯s a challenger to my throne!¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t any different in the end. ¡°Well, another one after Sophia, I have to add!¡± Chapter 367 – An eventful day Chapter 367 ¨C An eventful day The new couple had left the restaurant where they got together and were back on the capital''s streets. At first, the mood between them was a little awkward as the events had been rather unexpected, but Steph and Chloe got over it fairly fast and had a good time chatting immediately again. They also came up with a n to tell Sophia and the others. It wasn¡¯t an overly borate n, but they had thought of something. Once the dog-girl had recovered from the knowledge that Fey, Chloe¡¯s mother, would be a much tougher nut to crack, the couple headed back home to get over with everything. ¡°H-Hello!¡± ¡°W-We¡¯re back!¡± The couple had returned to the mansion and entered the living room, where they had heard Maya and Sophia all the way back from the entrance hall. ¡°You really aren¡¯t sorry at all, are you?!¡± ¡°I-It was just a tree!¡± Maya and Sophia had yet to notice the arrival of the two because the cat-girl was too busy yelling at the tiger. "Just a tree?! It was older than the school, and it¡¯s even on the academy crest! It was important!¡± ¡°B-But it was Anna who burned down the tree!¡± ¡°And it has nothing to do with the two of you ying around with chantless fire magic right before it went up in mes?!¡± ¡°T-Totally unrted!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I just showed the princess how to properly concentrate so that you can put some real power into your magic¡­¡± ¡°And 30 secondster, the tree had turned into ashes¡­¡± Maya stared right at her. ¡°That¡¯s unrted to you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be made responsible for Anna having lost control!¡± ¡°Is that so? Does that mean it also would¡¯ve happened without your influence?¡± ¡°Knowing Anna, probably, yes!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl suddenly went silent. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually made your excuse work¡­¡± "Hah!" Sophia''s expression turned smug. ¡°BUT!¡± She wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°Why did you teach her how to make nts grow with your raw magic like we did in that forest?!¡± ¡°B-Because we felt bad and wanted to rece the destroyed tree¡­¡± ¡°With one that is about as tall as the castle and can be seen from everywhere in the capital?!¡± ¡°T-That was an ident¡­¡± Sophia hung her head. ¡°Once again, Anna¡¯s fault!¡± "You can''t me her alone this time, though! There''s no way she would''ve been able to do that on her own because she didn''t know this magic even existed!" ¡°Uhh¡­" The tiger didn''t have an excuse for this ready. ¡°Just apologize already!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She gave up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that Anna has no self-control!¡± ¡°Haa¡­ I feel sorry for Ari¡­ I bet the king has also already noticed what happened¡­¡± ¡°He should be used to headaches by now.¡± ¡°Is that really your justification?!" "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°Someone had an eventful day, huh?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t burn down a tree, sis? How did that not happen?¡± Steph and Chloe tried to join the conversation again after being ignored while sounding extra sarcastic. ¡°S-Steph!¡± Finally noticing them, Sophia immediately jumped at her sister and hid behind her. ¡°Please help me with her!¡± ¡°Meh, kinda sounded like you weren¡¯t entirely innocent on that, though.¡± "Thank you very much!" The cat-girl was happy that she didn''t blindly side with her sister. ¡°Traitor!¡± The tiger had a different opinion on the matter. ¡°Wait, why are you holding hands with Chloe¡­?¡± Even though she was upset, Sophia, as usual, got distracted fairly quickly. "A-Ah!¡± The couple hadn¡¯t even realized they were doing that and quickly let go of each other. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I kept getting distracted by everything and got lost way too often because of that until Chloe had enough and grabbed my hand to keep me at bay¡­¡± ¡°S-Something like that!¡± The fox-girl hastily agreed with her excuse. ¡°They are sisters, after all¡­¡± Maya actually bought it. ¡°You¡­ getting lost¡­?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t, though. ¡°You have like a perfect directional sense¡­ You''re somehow even able to navigate cities you''ve never been to before!" She just stared at her sister. "Abroad cities, where you didn''t speak thenguage, too!" ¡°Wait, there¡¯s just no way that¡¯s possible!¡± The cat-girl got loud. ¡°Are you actually not sisters, after all?! Sophia, you¡¯re the exact opposite of that! Your directional sense is in the negatives!¡± ¡°H-Hey, that¡¯s a bit much¡­¡± ¡°You got lost in a vige with only three roads!¡± ¡°T-To be fair, they were very confusing roads¡­¡± The tiger tried to defend herself. ¡°They were perfectly straight!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Being straight confuses me!¡± ¡°I hate you so much¡­¡± Even though she sounded a little tired, Maya still had to smile at her dork of a girlfriend. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Wow, I love this improved Sophia way too much!¡± The dog-girl was a big fan of the change. ---------------- Afterward, as the couple had somehow managed to divert their attention, for the time being, everyone sat down on the sofas. Sophia and Maya on one, Chloe and Steph opposite of them, as it had already be customs. ¡°I hope your day wasn¡¯t as eventful as ours¡­¡± The cat-girl let out a sigh before she smiled at the duo. "Did you two do anything interesting while I failed at babysitting two idiots?" ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The couple immediately started looking incredibly awkward. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Sophia leaned forward on the sofa. ¡°I smell adventure! Did you run into anything interesting?! I want to know!¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± They only got more awkward. ¡°What happened¡­?¡± Maya¡¯s curiosity was also piqued. ¡°¡­¡± The two went silent and looked at each other. ¡°S-Should we¡­?¡± ¡°T-The other n isn¡¯t going to work, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it¡­¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°M-Maybe you should just rapid-fire everything¡­?¡± ¡°W-Why me?!¡± ¡°Because I just said you.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s unfair!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the sound of that. "Well, you could''ve said it first." ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°E-Everything¡­?¡± ¡°Might as well, I guess¡­? Getting it over will make it much easier in the long run." ¡°What happened?!¡± The tiger couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. ¡°I want to know everything!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Steph took a deep breath before continuing because there was quite a lot to tell. "Chloe and I went on a date. We had an amazing brunch together in a fancy restaurant. We found a shrine dedicated to Mira. There was also a statue of Fey. We got teleported to another dimension. We explored an enchanted tropical forest. We ran into Mira herself. She¡¯s amazing! We chatted a ton about all kinds of stuff and found out that she and Fey know each other. That¡¯s why she knows so much about magic and taught it to Chloe. I learned a lot about the magic she gifted me, as well. If I train really hard, I might be able to turn into a full animal at will! I could be an overseer, too! What else¡­¡± She had to take a small break the recover her breath. ¡°I also learned that my magic has some limitations, and it''s probably pretty hard for me to destroy the world. Kinda happy about that. Sharing my magic is harder because of that, too. I tried to kiss Chloe. I failed. Chloe kissed me, though. Surprisingly, Mira is quite yful and likes to tease. Mixed feelings there. She also helped Chloe in finding out whether Fey is her real mom. That was quite nice of her! The two of us went back to this world and continued our date. We had dinner together and then became a couple. Afterward, we headed back and found out that my sister and the princess had burned down thendmark of the academy. That was quite surprising!" ¡°Yeah, I hadn¡¯t seen that oneing, either! The tree totally caught me off-guard!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia and Maya first looked at each other before focusing on the couple again while blinking a few times. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Which part is the issue?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°It should be pretty self-exnatory, no?¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± The fox-girl didn¡¯t actually feel that way, but that wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°You found a shrine of Mira, and there was a statue of Chloe''s mother¡­?" Maya looked more than confused. ¡°You got teleported?!¡± So was Sophia. ¡°You explored an enchanted forest?!¡± She also sounded envious. ¡°Tropical, too?! As in warm?!¡± That was especially important. ¡°Y-You met Mira?!¡± ¡°What kind of things did you learn about magic from her?! There¡¯s sooo much I want to know!¡± ¡°WAIT!¡± The two eventually unionized. ¡°YOU BECAME A COUPLE?!¡± It had taken a little while before that part had registered. ¡°Is it really that surprising?" The dog-girl didn''t understand their extreme reaction. ¡°YES?!¡± Maya and Sophia just became louder. ¡°Really?¡± Chloe joined Steph¡¯s side. ¡°I think we were rather obvious about being attracted to each other the moment we met, though?¡± ¡°?!¡± The other couple looked like they were about to explode for a moment. ¡°WELL, DUH?!¡± ¡°Why are you so loud, then¡­?¡± The dog-girl was having way too much fun. ¡°I think I¡¯ll bring her back home and leave her there.¡± Sophia had enough and nced at Maya. ¡°This ce might not be right for her, after all.¡± ¡°That might be for the best.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Good luck with that!¡± Steph disagreed. ¡°You¡¯ll never be able to make me leave paradise!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two paused again. ¡°Seriously, what is going on¡­?¡± They looked slightly tired. ¡°Could you please start over and add some details this time¡­?¡± ¡°That will take a while, though¡­ It wasn¡¯t quite as eventful as not burning down a tree, but Chloe and I were really busy today!¡± ¡°Shut up about the tree already!¡± Following that exchange, the new couple finally exined what happened in great detail. Obviously, they had to repeat themselves many times as more than just one hard-to-exin thing happened.
Chapter 368 – No time wasted Chapter 368 ¨C No time wasted Steph and Chloe had returned home after a rather eventful day and reunited with Maya and Sophia, who were quarreling a little over a slight mishap in the academy. The new couple soon became the focus of the conversation, though. The cat-girl and the tiger naturally were slightly confused when they learned about everything that just happened. Afterward, the fox and dog-girl needed about an hour to make them understand everything. Or, at least enough for them to stop asking one question after another. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°That happened, huh?¡± After they heard the whole story, Sophia and Maya needed a moment to let it all sink in. ¡°Alright, there are many, MANY things I need to address, but the most important part has toe first¡­¡± ¡°Mira has nine tails?!¡± Maya was the one who finished Sophia¡¯s sentence. ¡°Exactly!¡± The tiger nodded a few times. ¡°T-That¡¯s the most important part?!¡± Chloe instantly retorted the couple. ¡°Okay, I get Sophia, but you, too, Maya¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯m kinda curious about that part, as well, but there are more pressing matters for me here. It¡¯s just that I know my Sophia, and she won¡¯t be able to calm down before discussing her fluffiness in great detail.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she the best?!¡± The blonde looked quite smug while she smiled at her sister. ¡°You definitely got yourself a keeper there!¡± Steph was happy for her. ¡°Anyway! Nine tails!¡± Her excitement rose. ¡°Wait, nine tails¡­? Does that mean she¡¯s a¡­ Well, not that it matters at this point anymore¡­ With Fen and all¡­¡± The tiger¡¯s eyes seemed to have lost focus for a moment before she continued. ¡°She has to be the most fluffiest person in existence, right?! No offense, Chloe¡­¡± ¡°None taken.¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s fluffier!¡± The dog-girl disagreed. ¡°Why do I feel like that¡¯s biased?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Yes, in total fluff levels, Mira might win, BUT!¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Many very fluffy tails don¡¯t beat the fluffy tail!¡± Saying so, she rubbed the back of her head against the fox-girl¡¯s tail as she was using it as a pillow once more. ¡°Quality beats quantity, huh?¡± Sophia nodded in understanding. ¡°How fluffy is one of her tails?¡± ¡°About the same as mine, I would say.¡± The dog-girl gestured at her own tail. ¡°They were a little longer, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s plenty quality, though! Your tail is quite glorious, after all!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph liked her response. ¡°Even so, it¡¯s not even one-third of Chloe¡¯s singr tail, making them an inferior pillow! One big is better than many mediums!¡± ¡°A verypelling argument!¡± She could follow her logic. ¡°BUT!¡± ¡°But?¡± The dog tilted her head. ¡°Nine individually movable tails!¡± Sophia raised her arms in excitement. ¡°They could wrap all around you and cover every inch of you because they¡¯re more maneuverable!¡± ¡°!¡± Her eyes grew wide. ¡°I-I hadn¡¯t thought about that part! You¡¯re a genius, sis!¡± ¡°Is she now¡­?¡± Chloe, for some reason, didn¡¯t seem to be too much of a fan of her reaction. ¡°I-I already made clear that I prefer your tail, did I not?! Not to mention the rest of you, the much more important part, too! Mira doesn¡¯t hold a candle to you! I mean, she is really nice, and I felt quitefy around her, but the first ce is long taken!¡± ¡°I still think that my idea would be quite glorious.¡± Sophia looked at Maya. ¡°No matter that I definitely, without even knowing her, would prefer you, as well.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± The cat-girl reacted with a nod. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s hard to put the implications aside, but as an enjoyer of fluff myself, I can see the appeal and support it.¡± ¡°It looks like I still have a lot to learn if that already made me slightly jealous, huh?¡± The fox-girl felt a little awkward while looking at Maya. ¡°It will take a while. I¡¯m speaking from experience there¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t fault her for the way she reacted. ¡°She really does.¡± Sophia tried her best to stifle augh. ¡°A goood while.¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± Maya didn¡¯t need that jab and focused on the pink fox again. ¡°I still can¡¯t wrap my head around the fact you¡¯re dating already¡­¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s pretty unbelievable, isn¡¯t it?¡± Chloe agreed with her. ¡°Steph had some verypelling arguments about time not being important in the slightest, and so, as I l-liked her since the moment we met, well¡­¡± ¡°Those sisters are way too smooth, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You¡¯re thest one I want to hear that from!¡± Sophia and Steph didn¡¯t seem to agree with them. ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya ignored them. ¡°The hard-to-believe part really is the already here. Sophia and I had started to argue about how long we were going to leave you alone because of all the obliviousness that was going on. Turns out you two were the exact opposite of being oblivious¡­ Good for you because I was only giving you a few more days before I would¡¯ve started my teasing. This time, after having gone through Anna and Ari, I was going to show no mercy, too.¡± ¡°P-Phew¡­¡± The fox-girl looked honestly relieved. ¡°T-Thanks for not wanting to waste any time, Steph¡­¡± ¡°Any time~.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t feel too safe now, though.¡± Sophia nced at her girlfriend. ¡°She¡¯ll now probably be twice as motivated to find something else to tease you with.¡± ¡°As if I need a reason for that!¡± Naturally, she sounded extra smug while making that im. ¡°W-Well, it can¡¯t be worse than you teasing us about, uhh... us.¡± Chloe tried to look on the bright side. ¡°That is indeed true.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Teasing you about would¡¯ve been because I got annoyed by it. I can¡¯t deal with that anymore after having had to go through two dense tigers already... Now that that¡¯s taken care of already, I¡¯m just going to tease you because I like you. Big difference~.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Steph agreed with her. ¡°Teasing¡¯s great! As long as it isn¡¯t hurtful, I¡¯m a big fan! Chloe and I also want to figure out things ourselves going forward, though. No excessive teasing in that regard for a while, please.¡± ¡°T-That would be great!¡± ¡°I can respect that. That being said,¡± Maya then faced her tiger. ¡°Why is the little sister the one who has her act together?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like this usation. ¡°I have my moments where I am serious and responsible, as well! Just as much as Steph has her moments where she doesn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Really?¡± She didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°I think I have to side with Sophia here.¡± Chloe awkwardly scratched her cheek while ncing at her girlfriend. ¡°Huh?¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°I¡¯m the embodiment of having your act together!¡± ¡°I guess that depends on how you define that, huh?¡± The fox-girl smiled at her. ¡°You definitely were amazing during our dinner, but you also came up with the idea to find a way to stop time to go on training arc to be ready to meet my mother, so¡­¡± ¡°I-I did say that¡­¡± ¡°Unbelievable, right?¡± The fox-girl looked at Maya. ¡°No one who has her act together would be able toe up with something that out of the norm, not to mention impossible. It would be amazing, though!¡± ¡°E-Err¡­¡± She got incredibly awkward in an instant. ¡°What do you think, sis?!¡± Steph faced her. ¡°I know it sounds ridiculous, but do you think it¡¯s impossible? It can¡¯t be, right?! Magic can do anything, after all! I bet you love the idea, too, right?!¡± ¡°E-Err¡­¡± Sophia had the exact same reaction as her cat. ¡°Do you think Canir would know more about it?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Mira aside, if anyone would know if it¡¯s possible, it would be him, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde needed a moment. ¡°I-I¡¯m sure he would know more, y-yeah¡­¡± ¡°Sophia.¡± The dog-girl started right at her. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± ¡°You already know more about this, don¡¯t you?¡± It wasn¡¯t hard for her to understand her reaction. ---------------- ¡°Well, how will you get out of that one?¡± A momentter, Maya turned to look at the blonde next to her once she noticed that everything around them, including the couple on the other sofa, had frozen in time. ¡°D-Do you think I need to get out of that?¡± ¡°You nning to tell them?¡± ¡°I never ever want to have any big secrets from Steph again, and now that she¡¯s dating Chloe¡­ The heck, she¡¯s dating Chloe?!¡± ¡°They move fast, huh?¡± ¡°No kidding!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°I mean, it was obvious that the two are superpatible, but that much?!¡± ¡°If you know, you know, huh? At least if you aren¡¯t a dense idiot.¡± ¡°I feel called out!¡± She started pouting. ¡°That includes me¡­¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°I tried to sit it out with you, too, after all¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a relief because I do feel called out, still¡­¡± ¡°Are we the prude ones in our group¡­?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Anna and Ari so amazing sex the moment they became a couple that the whole castle heard them, and those two decided to start dating a few days after meeting. Heck, it¡¯s their first time after really being alone together¡­¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m physically incapable of calling you prude¡­¡± Sophia stared back at her. ¡°You¡¯re way too much of a pervert for that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s apliment for me!¡± She smirked at her. ¡°I¡¯m in goodpany, as well!¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m surrounded by perverts¡­¡± ¡°Yourself included! I would know, after all!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not prude, I¡¯ll admit to that much.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°If anything, I guess we¡¯re a little slow, huh?¡± ¡°Not sure if I like that¡­¡± The cat-girl had mixed feelings about that. ¡°So much wasted time!¡± ¡°Does that really matter, though¡­? We¡¯re basically ageless, after all.¡± ¡°T-That¡­¡± ¡°Also, all of those little things led to where and who we are right now. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s great what we have going on at this very moment?¡± ¡°I take back what I said earlier.¡± Her expression changed once again. This time, it turned gentle, though. ¡°Hmm?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°When it counts, you really have your act together.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked that a lot. ¡°Anyway, Anna and Ari, as well as Steph and Chloe, might have a slightly more interesting-sounding story, but we have our own thing!¡± ¡°Yeah! Also, if we include all the things we can¡¯t tell others so readily, we definitely have the most interesting story, as well!¡± ¡°True! Well, those two might be able to slightlypete, though.¡± She gestured at the other couple. ¡°Wait¡­ they¡¯re both from a different world¡­ and just came back from visiting a goddess¡­ T-That¡¯s at least as¡­¡± ¡°Not everything is apetition! Got your act together, idiot!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°A-Ah¡­ I hadn¡¯t expected for you to be able to turn this on me¡­¡± ¡°You should know by now that I¡¯m the best!¡± Sophia was in a good mood. ¡°I see¡­ So, how does the best think about dealing with this situation?¡± She waved her hand around before pointing at Steph and Chloe. ¡°Are you going to show them?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger paused for another moment. ¡°Again, I don¡¯t want to keep any big secrets from Steph, and Chloe¡­ Well, she¡¯s, uhh¡­ family, I guess?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also funny how you were already advertising Steph to her before she even ended up here.¡± ¡°I kinda did that a lot, huh? I mean, as I had rightfully predicted, they work together amazingly!¡± ¡°When you¡¯re right, you¡¯re right.¡± Maya had nothing to say against her im. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get over with it.¡± Afterward, Sophia got up from the sofa and walked behind the other couple. There, she ced her hands on their shoulders and concentrated for a moment. Stopping time for herself is easy, but if she selectively wants to unstop it for others, she still has to touch them while pouring some of her magic into them.
Chapter 369 – Overpowered Chapter 369 ¨C Overpowered The new couple had told Sophia and Maya about their day and how they started dating. Naturally, they had many questions about various things. Mira had been a topic for a while. Mostly how fluffy she was. Eventually, it drifted over how Steph was interested in finding out whether it was possible to stop time. This caused the blonde tiger to feel slightly awkward, as she has some experience with that. After a bit of back and forth with her cat-girl, she then decided to show it to the other two. ¡°Huh?! Wait, where¡¯s Sophia?!¡± ¡°She was just there!¡± The moment time unfroze for Chloe and Steph, they immediately got loud. ¡°There¡­¡± Maya simply pointed past them. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The couple looked behind them in return. ¡°Hey~.¡± Once their eyes met, Sophia smiled at them. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± ¡°Wait! You can teleport, sis?!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice even more. ¡°No, even I can¡¯t do something as impossible as teleporting¡­¡± She scratched her cheeks while recalling the whole teleporting topic that hase up way too often. ¡°I merely stopped time and walked behind you.¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± Steph nodded in understanding. ¡°Wait, what?!¡± ¡°You did what now?!¡± Chloe was just as surprised. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been able to do that for a long time already. It¡¯s quite fun. Useful, too.¡± ¡°And scary!¡± Maya added her own bit. ¡°Though, you get used to it. It giving us as much privacy as we want is a huge plus, as well.¡± "A-Are you serious?!¡± The couple¡¯s voices perfectly ovepped. "Y-Yeah, it was quite the shock when I did it on ident the first time, and I had no idea how to revert it¡­" She started shuddering just thinking about that memory. ¡°How do you do it?!¡± Steph sounded highly excited. ¡°I want to be able to do it, too!¡± ¡°As far as I¡¯ve understood it, which doesn¡¯t have to mean much¡­ It¡¯s thanks to having Canir¡¯s magic inside of me.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Her excitement changed to disappointment instead. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a general overseer thing, though?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯re using the same magic as Mira, so you might be able to?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°Wait, she mentioned that she added some safeties to my copy of her powers so that no idents happen¡­¡± ¡°Why is your overseer so much better and more caring than mine?!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°Canir paid no attention to anything other than having a great time with the stuff I do! I mean, it¡¯s fun, but I could¡¯ve done without having almost destroyed the world once!¡± "I was happy about her having given it so much thought, too!" Steph smiled at her. "She said it''s 69% impossible for me to identally destroy the world!¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Sophia¡¯s answer was instantaneous. ¡°Wait! That¡¯s not nice at all! Why is that number so low?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s your fault¡­¡± ¡°How could that possibly be my fault?!¡± The blonde got even louder. ¡°I had absolutely nothing to do with any of what happened between you and Mira!¡± "She said she was confident about her safeties, but then remembered that I''m your sister¡­" She made a slight pause. "Afterward, Mira got a little awkward and a lot less confident about it¡­¡± ¡°You forgot the part where you mentioned being even more easygoing than your older sister, which made her even less confident about everything.¡± Chloe helped her fill in the parts she failed to mention. ¡°This world is doomed¡­¡± Hearing all that, all Maya could do, was to hang her head in defeat. ¡°W-Well!¡± Steph didn¡¯t want to hear about any of that. "Mira also said that, while it will be incredibly hard, it''s not impossible for me to turn into a full animal at will! Time stopping might be possible, too!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The tiger liked her enthusiasm. ¡°Wait, what¡­? You want to turn into a full¡­?¡± ¡°Not forever! Still, I¡¯d like to experience it at least once! Doesn¡¯t it sound fun?!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°Fully turn into a fluffy and zoom over a field on all fours while chasing something?!¡± ¡°Like a ball¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°YES!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had no idea what to say in return. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± The dog-girl¡¯s face turned red. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say a word¡­¡± The blonde tried her best to hold in a chuckle. ¡°It, uhh¡­ does sound like fun, though. Maybe not a ball, but stalking and chasing, err¡­ some prey like that would be fun!" ¡°Spoken like a true tiger!¡± Chloe was impressed at how true she was to her character. ¡°Save for bing a full, you did all that already, Sophia¡­¡± Maya rolled her eyes while looking at her girlfriend. "You stalked and chased a lot of animals, and more often than not, you ended on all fours, at least for a little while when you got really into it¡­ Remember all the boars you hunted?¡± ¡°S-Stupid tiger instincts¡­¡± She also got embarrassed. ¡°T-That¡¯s different, though! A full animal surely has all kinds of different attributes that would be super interesting to experience!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Her little sister nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about this¡­ Knowing you¡­ what happens if you mess up and can¡¯t turn back?¡± "A-Ah.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression changedpletely. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I love you, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m very attracted to fulls in a sexual way¡­ Things would turn veryplicated¡­¡± ¡°Mira also said it took even her forever to change into different bodies¡­¡± Chloe, once again, decided to help. "Alright, the n''s put on indefinite hiatus!" Even Sophia was sensible enough to realize it wasn¡¯t worth it. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Steph nodded. ¡°I really want to do it eventually, but not until I am 1000% sure nothing can go wrong!¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± Maya and the fox-girl sounded incredibly relieved. ¡°By the way,¡± Once the topic was put on hold, the dog-girl faced her sister again. ¡°How does it feel when time is stopped? I¡¯d love to experience it!¡± ¡°Well, how does it feel?¡± Sophia looked back at her while tilting her head. ¡°What is that supposed to mean¡­?¡± ¡°Time¡¯s still stopped.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I only unfroze it for the four of us.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Huh, for how long can you stop it, then?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a limit. The longest I stopped it so far is¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment while ncing at Maya. ¡°P-Probably around a day or so¡­¡± ¡°Why did you pause just now?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t a fan of her reply. ¡°N-No particr reason.¡± Her eyes got even shiftier. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have a talkter~.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± "Wait!" Chloe wasn''t done being surprised yet. "No limit¡­? A whole day?! What about your authority?! It has to cost a ton to maintain, doesn''t it?" ¡°Not really.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°It costs a good chunk to stop it, but afterward, it¡¯s just¡­ well¡­ stopped. For as long as I want. It only costs a little when I unstop it again.¡± ¡°F-For real?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s way too overpowered!¡± Steph and Chloe were quite impressed with their over-the-top tiger. ¡°Yeah, Canir¡¯s blessings on me were vast and¡­ indiscriminate¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s so amazing!¡± The couple was in awe. ¡°Debatable on some things, but in general, I very agree!¡± ¡°What are you even doing when time is stopped?¡± Steph got curious. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re doing that quite a lot." ¡°Mostly three things, I would say.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Thinking about difficult things when you have to answer quickly and taking naps when the day didn¡¯t have enough hours.¡± ¡°So you are doing that?!¡± Maya¡¯s expression changed when she heard that. "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Uhh, those were only two things¡­? What about the third you mentioned?¡± Chloe sounded a little confused. ¡°To have uninterrupted and as loud and unbridled sex as possible, of course!¡± The cat-girl¡¯s mood changed quick. ¡°T-That, yeah.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s cheeks turned red. ¡°I want to be able to stop time SOOO bad!¡± Steph got excited instead. ¡°H-HUH?!¡± The pink-haired got even more embarrassed. ¡°Hmm¡­? A-Ah!¡± She needed a moment to understand her reaction. ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant¡­ I mean¡­ N-No, I was just generally speaking! It had nothing to do with the perverts¡¯st im!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The perverts got loud. ¡°Well, true¡­¡± They had no basis to defend themselves, after all. ¡°O-Oh, okay!¡± Even though she sounded relieved, Chloe¡¯s expression seemed slightly moreplex, and she quickly tried to change the subject. ¡°Is time really still stopped¡­? I don¡¯t feel like anything¡¯s different from usual.¡± ¡°How about you look outside and see for yourself?¡± Saying so, Sophia went to the ss door leading to the garden and opened it. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± The couple first looked at each other before getting up and walking over to her. ¡°W-Whoah!¡± It didn¡¯t take them long to notice something. Apparently, some time after they had returned home, it had started to rain a little. The raindrops of the light shower were still floating in the air and made for a very nice effect to show off the frozen time. ¡°This is amazing!¡± ¡°Very!¡± Steph and Chloe had the same reaction. ¡°Well, let me show you something even more fun, then.¡± Looking a little smug, the blonde closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. Immediately after, the droplets of rain began to fall again, apanied by the sound of it, together with several other background noises. ¡°You really are way too overpowered!¡± The two came to the same conclusion yet again. ¡°Comints have to be directed to Canir personally. I had no sayings in this matter.¡± Once the couple was thoroughly satisfied with the demonstration, Sophia closed the door again. Inside, they returned to gettingfortable on the sofas once more while continuing their chat.
Spoiler [copse] Chapter 370 – Reuniting plans Chapter 370 ¨C Reuniting ns While chatting about their day, Steph and Chloe eventually mentioned the part where they wanted to find out if stopping time with magic was possible. Naturally, Sophia got more than a little awkward after hearing that but eventually decided to tell them that she could do that already. The couple got quite excited about that and loved every moment of the demonstration they got afterward. ¡°My own sister can stop time¡­¡± Steph was still in awe. ¡°Whenever I think I can¡¯t get surprised anymore, something like that happens.¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t much different. ¡°And I did lots of unbelievable things myself already¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to her being ridiculous, don¡¯t worry.¡± Maya just smiled at them. ¡°Really?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°How long does it take to get used to all that?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m mostly trying to convince myself of it by saying it out loud¡­¡± Her smile vanished. ¡°Ahh¡­ Well, I can¡¯t wait to cause that reaction in others, as well!¡± If anything, it only motivated Steph even more. ¡°¡­¡± Maya looked like she wanted to say something, but her concerned expression suddenly changed to something more hopeful while she looked at Chloe. ¡°Wait a moment¡­ Earlier, when telling us about your day, you mentioned that your mom would be back soon¡­?" ¡°Yes!¡± She reacted with a big nod. ¡°Mira said that Feyfey will be with us in a day or two!¡± ¡°That is very reassuring to hear.¡± The cat-girl sounded rather relieved for some reason. ¡°Ah, does that mean she finished burning down the human capital?¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± This part was still news for Steph, who looked shocked after hearing her sister''s casual remark. ¡°I, uhh¡­ guess so¡­¡± Chloe just awkwardly scratched her cheek in return. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde still wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°Hold on a moment!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°Your mother burned down the human capital of this world?!¡± ¡°Well, that was what the wolves predicted¡­¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°It seems like Fey can get quite angry when something upsets her, so they think she went for revenge.¡± ¡°It, err¡­ definitely sounds like something Feyfey would do¡­¡± The fox-girl had nothing to add. ¡°What in the name of¡­ Canir¡­?¡± Steph got confused for a moment. ¡°No.¡± Sophia immediately shook her head. ¡°Whatever! Just what happened for her to be that upset over something?! Even if the humans in this world are as bad as described, there¡¯s just no way a single event would be enough to warrant the destruction of their capital, right? Right?!" ¡°Feyfey and I ran into a few human soldiers, and they said some very mean things to me and implied wanting to do¡­ even meaner things to me¡­¡± Chloe paused for a moment. ¡°Afterward, mom got upset.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t seem to like that very much, either, because her expression instantly changed. ¡°I hope not even ash remained of the capital.¡± Her voice soundedpletely dry and devoid of emotion. ¡°Why do both sisters have so crazy and over-the-top mood swings?!¡± Maya couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Come on,¡± Sophia just looked at her. ¡°Have you already forgotten how you reacted when I told you that some humans tried to sell me to a brothel?¡± "A-Ah.¡± She went silent for a moment. ¡°I had suppressed that memory¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Steph¡¯s expression worsened even more. ¡°What was that just now?¡± "Don''t worry about it!" Sophia smiled at her sister. "Nothing happened, and they definitely got what they deserved afterward. Fen and I also got a little upset over it and cleaned up~.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She didn¡¯t sound happy in the slightest, though. ¡°Nothing happened to you, too, right?¡± She then looked at Chloe again. ¡°Nothing at all!¡± The fox-girl also smiled at her. ¡°Feyfey just red at them, and they disappeared. Afterward, she told me to stay in the fox vige for a while because she¡¯s going to visit their capital¡­¡± ¡°I hope she taught them a lesson.¡± Steph hadpletely changed her opinion on the topic. ¡°Anyway!¡± Maya decided that it was enough about that thing. ¡°Fey will be back soon, huh? I hope she¡¯s at least half as serious when needed as she had been described. Some people, I won¡¯t call names, need a bit of a kick to calm down, after all.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t call any names, huh?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, it would take too long to list all of them because our group is way too insane!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just agree!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°Decide on what you want already!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°I wonder if the name Maya is also on Maya¡¯s list.¡± Watching their bickering, Steph then leaned closer to Chloe. ¡°Probably the first entry if you ask me.¡± The fox-girl had to do it. ¡°Yeah, everything else would make no sense.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Oi!¡± The leader of the list of troublemakers red at the couple once she was done with Sophia. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a confirmation.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The couple wasn¡¯t overly fazed by it, though. ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl gave up and simply rubbed her temples. ¡°Yeah, sure¡­ Again, back to Fey! Does she even know where you are right now? She¡¯ll be going to the fox vige, right?¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t Alex or some of the other foxes simply tell her that she went to the capital with us?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Why are you the one with the simple and reasonable exnation?!¡± Maya instinctively retorted. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She only tilted her head even more. ¡°As I¡¯m the one on the very bottom of your list of troublemakers, I naturally am the voice of reason here.¡± ¡°I love how she was able to say that with a perfectly serious expression.¡± Chloe looked quite impressed. ¡°I seriously hate all of you¡­¡± Maya sounded a little tired. ¡°We love you, too!¡± Sophia was much more cheerful, though. ¡°Hmm¡­ She¡¯ll definitely find me, but I wouldn¡¯t like her having to search for me¡­¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t a fan of the idea. ¡°You going back, then?¡± ¡°Hmm, I guess so?¡± Chloe gave it some thought. ¡°Mira said she¡¯ll return either tomorrow or the day after. So, if I stay here till tomorrow, it¡¯ll be only one night at best, anyway.¡± "I''lle with you!" Steph was immediately on board with the idea. ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°But I want to! We just started dating! We aren¡¯t going to celebrate that by staying away from each other for two days!¡± ¡°I-I see!¡± She got a little embarrassed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia seemed to be thinking about something. "What''s up?" Maya still needed to determine whether she liked her expression or not. "When west went there a few days ago, Alex mentioned that the hot springs would be finished in around a week. I wonder if we go and kick hiszy butt, whether we would be able to use it tomorrow already or not. It would be a great pastime while we wait for Fey, right?¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± Steph seemed to be a fan of the idea. "Me, too!" Maya also liked that very much. ¡°Let¡¯s invite Anna and Ari, as well! I can¡¯t wait for the view!¡± ¡°Of the forest while rxing in the water, right?¡± The dog-girl smiled at her while having a slightly cheeky expression. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the same reason as you do, my dear~.¡± No one could out-cheek the cat-girl. ¡°Great! I knew I could count on you!¡± ¡°Always happy to provide!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia then nced at Chloe. ¡°The two are not talking about the forest. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I figured that out myself already¡­¡± ¡°Oh, but speaking about the forest! For real, I mean!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head while focusing on the tiger. ¡°The magical forest we created on ident, the trees, nts, and all that looked like it was summer for them even though it isn¡¯t. Do you think we could make them look like other seasons, as well?¡± ¡°Like autumn when everything gets colorful or spring when it¡¯s blooming¡­?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I had the idea when thinking about the hot springs the other day. Wouldn¡¯t it be amazing for the forest around it to be eternally autumn? The view would be the best!¡± ¡°Or forever blooming cherry blossoms if we find some!¡± She was a fan of the idea. ¡°Although, snow would be great, too! Oh! Or a bamboo forest!¡± ¡°I love all of those ideas! Maybe we could make themed hot springs if there are multiple! One winter, one spring, one summer, one autumn, and then another one like bamboo!¡± The tiger was getting very motivated. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± So was Chloe. ¡°How would we be able to do that, though? Controlling how they look, that is.¡± ¡°No idea!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She gave it some more thought. ¡°Could it have to do something with the amount of ambient magic? You said that the forest in the fox vige was so dense with magic that it could be seen with the naked eye, right? It was the same in Mira¡¯s domain, too.¡± ¡°It was actually much sparklier in Mira¡¯s ce!¡± Steph joined the conversation. ¡°That would actually add to my theory! Her domain was half a jungle and way too warm! I¡¯m sure there are few ces with more ambient magic than the home of the magic overseer.¡± ¡°So¡­ because we pumped the trees full of magic, the excess one turned the area into perpetual summer¡­?¡± "Well, who knows if it''s perpetual or dissipates eventually, but it does sound logical, doesn''t it?" ¡°That¡¯s for sure!¡± The blonde agreed with her. ¡°Does it¡­?¡± Maya looked confused and nced at Steph instead. ¡°I don¡¯t get it at all, but I love the sound of it!¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the n?¡± Sophia kept her focus on the fox. ¡°Should we try to increase or decrease the ambient magic and see what happens?¡± ¡°Sounds like a n, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She had the same idea. ¡°Trees lose their leaves to conserve energy, among other things, right? Wouldn''t that mean if we reduce the ambient magic, which is supposedly keeping them green right now, maybe we can change them to autumn settings?¡± ¡°It really does sound like a n! Maybe that''s also how we can make them look like spring. We increase the magic, but not enough to make them go to summer mode?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± The fox-girl sounded highly motivated. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph still wasn''t sure what was going on, but she smelled an adventure, and that was enough for her. ¡°It does sound like fun and totally not dangerous for a change, so I actually am excited about it, but¡­" Even Maya liked the n but then looked out of the window. ¡°Today is kinda over, you know?¡± The sun was already setting when they watched the earlier raindrops, but it was fully gone by now. ¡°Ah.¡± No one liked that. Afterward, the girls made it their n for the following day before rxing again while chatting some more.
Chapter 371 – Room situation Chapter 371 ¨C Room situation The group had a good time chatting, as usual, and the topic slowly drifted toward the announced return of Feyanis, Chloe''s mother. Naturally, the fox-girl was beyond thrilled about that and wanted to return to the vige to meet her as soon as possible. As her girlfriend and lover of adventure, Steph immediately decided to go with her. Sophia then remembered the hot springs there and how she wanted to try them out and see if she could change the magical forest to an autumn setting for a better view while taking a bath there. Everyone liked that idea, and the group decided to do it the following day as it had already be evening while they were chatting. "By the way," After having finished their ns to mess around with the hot springs and rx some more, Sophia looked at her sister again. ¡°We still haven¡¯t gotten around your room and all that, have we¡­?¡± ¡°Right!¡± Steph raised her voice. ¡°I always ended up napping on the sofa here because it was sofy, and during the day, we were busy!" She rubbed her back against Chloe''s tail she was using as a pillow while mentioning thefy part. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to even see it!¡± ¡°Yeah, we got sidetracked a lot¡­¡± ¡°Nothing new on that part, at least.¡± Maya had toment on that. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t say much there. ¡°Do you want to see the guestrooms and choose one to stay in? Wait, do you even still need your own room now? After you started dating Chloe and all that.¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s too early to share a room!¡± The dog-girl had mixed feelings about that. ¡°Wow, that was a cute reaction~.¡± The cat-girl saw a chance for a quick tease, and she used it. ¡°S-Shush!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe was surprisingly quiet during that exchange. ¡°Understandable.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Sleeping in the same room on the same day you started dating would be way too soon. After all, it took you four whole days after meeting each other to start dating. No need to start rushing things now.¡± ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Woah, that was a good one! I¡¯m soo proud of you!¡± Maya enjoyed it a lot, though. ¡°Well, I do get it, so it¡¯s fine.¡± The tiger smiled at her sister. ¡°Also, the guest rooms are a little too small to stay in together permanently, so it¡¯s better that way. Though, once you are ready, it¡¯ll be fine to tear down a wall for all I care~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s, uhh¡­ good to hear.¡± The dog-girl wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°Should we go and take a look? You also wanted to bring your old room over, didn''t you?" ¡°Right! I almost forgot about that again!¡± After they had decided on that, the sisters decided to head upstairs to where the guest rooms were located. Having nothing better to do, Maya and Chloe naturally tagged along. ---------------- ¡°Alright, on the right side, the first room is the guest bathroom, followed by two offices. Thetter ones I never entered and never n to.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes while exining theyout to her sister. ¡°Very understandable.¡± Steph nodded a few times. She didn¡¯t seem like the type who would enjoy office work, either. ¡°Then again, the offices are a bit bigger than the guest rooms, so using one of them as a bedroomter on, rather than joining two guest rooms, might also be an option." The tiger now also nced at Chloe. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± This time, the fox-girl got a little embarrassed. ¡°What room are you using?¡± The dog-girl also looked at her girlfriend. ¡°This one here.¡± She pointed at the first door on the left. ¡°It¡¯s the closest to the bath, after all.¡± ¡°Clever! Well, I was nning to get the room next to you, anyway, so that¡¯s just an added bonus~.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± Sophia and Maya had the same reaction. "Well, let''s have a look!" Ignoring them, Steph opened the second door on the left that would be her room from now on. ¡°The furniture is a little boring, but that¡¯s to be expected for a ce where guests stay. I can work with the room itself, though! It¡¯s about the same size as my old one in our apartment, too. Could we really bring my furniture over? I would vastly prefer it over the default one here.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°We need to go back to the old world to collect it, though.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Her expression changed. ¡°Hmm¡­ Leaving paradise to get afier room¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of the idea. ¡°It will take like five minutes, you know?¡± The blonde rolled her eyes at Steph being needlessly dramatic. Ignoring the part where she was thest to criticize anyone else in that regard. ¡°I guess that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll alsoe with you!¡± Maya immediately raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go to that world alone!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me not to return anymore, though?¡± Sophia pointed at her sister while saying so. ¡°Not risking it!¡± ¡°Sure, I mean, I don¡¯t really mind. Chloe, do you want toe with us, too? It should be quite interesting for you, as well, no? In a way, it also was your home, after all.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She seemed to have very mixed feelings as her whole expression crumbled up. ¡°I don¡¯t really see it as my home¡­ That part of my life is only an old memory at this point. Literally, I want to add¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to feel about her take on the matter. ¡°It¡¯s still a different world, though. One of which you have rather outdated memories of. If that doesn¡¯t sound like an adventure, I don¡¯t know what does. Well, we won¡¯t go exploring, but still.¡± ¡°You really know how to get me interested in something I didn¡¯t want to do¡­¡± The fox-girl changed her mind. ¡°¡­¡± Steph, hearing this exact wording from her girlfriend, needed a moment to ignore that again. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Afterward, everyone entered Sophia¡¯s extra dimension, where she removed the white walls around the portal to Earth she had made as a safety. "Wouldn''t it be something for a group of people waiting behind these walls after they somehow found the portal?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t even joke about that!¡± The tiger started panicking, just thinking about that possibility. Then, she picked up a pillow lying on the ground next to the portal and poured a significant amount of her authority into it. Soon enough, another portal emerged from it. "Great, it''s still working! Once we''re done, and back, I''ll remove the permanent portal, and we''re using the portable one!¡± "Wait, was the other half of the portal still active, or why did it connect¡­?" Chloe looked a little confused. "No, but I found out that if I pour enough of my authority into it, I can brute force it to still open.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yeah, but that portal just now took way more than half of my authority all at once. Almost two-thirds, to be exact." ¡°Wow!¡± She seemed impressed. ¡°For many reasons!¡± Once this topic was over, the girls finally used the portal to visit Earth again. This time, it was a lot more of a conscious choice. ---------------- "Woah, that''s a cute apartment!" The group arrived in the living room, and Chloe''s mood immediately changed as she looked around before facing the sisters. ¡°Is that where you two lived before?¡± ¡°Kinda?¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Initially, it was my apartment, but Steph was here about as much as I did since day one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a great ce, after all!¡± The little sister looked a little smug. ¡°After our idiot found paradise without telling me, I moved in for good because I wanted her to have a ce to return to and to make sure that we don''t miss each other¡­" ¡°Aww¡­¡± The fox-girl liked thest part especially. ¡°Anyway!¡± Steph then grabbed her hand and guided Chloe towards the big window in the living room. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent, and her expression turnedplicated again while watching all the other buildings she could see outside. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°No. Well, maybe?¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t entirely sure herself. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling way more nostalgic than I had thought I would be¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°Even though it¡¯s just a memory for you at this point, there¡¯s still a lot of them, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She reacted with a slight nod. ¡°That being said, technology and stuff changed a LOT, but housing not so much, huh? Some buildings look a little sleeker than I remember, but it¡¯s overall pretty much the same as I remember a city looking like.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure most of those buildings were already there when you still lived on Earth. It¡¯s not like you tear down a house and build a new one every ten years or so.¡± Sophia added her theory on that part. ¡°Even 50 years and more isn¡¯t rare for buildings.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Going outside would be bad without changing, but Steph, how about you show her some morendmarks you can see from here? I¡¯ll go and pack your room in the meanwhile.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She liked the n. ¡°But don¡¯t look inside the drawer next to my bed!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have! Still, you just publicly announced that you¡¯re hiding something in there¡­¡± ¡°A-Ah!¡± ¡°I smell something naughty in there!¡± Maya immediately jumped on the chance. ¡°Next to the bed¡­¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t you finish that sentence!¡± Steph¡¯s cheeks turned slightly red. ¡°The vibrating goodness!¡± The cat-girl had no ns of listening to her. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Would you stop being so horny already?¡± Sophia lightly red at her. ¡°Not until you finally let me test the ones we bought!¡± She got loud. ¡°Let this stupid ban be over already!¡± ¡°Okay, fine¡­¡± The blonde caved in. ¡°In the end, you were right, after all. Everything turned out nicely. More than that, even. ¡°ALRIGHT!¡± Maya got very excited very fast. ¡°Let¡¯s go home right now!¡± ¡°After we got Steph¡¯s room over to our mansion.¡± ¡°You darn tease!¡± She didn¡¯t like that n. ¡°Haa¡­ Let''s collect her room." Sighing while rolling her eyes, the blonde grabbed her hand and dragged the cat toward Steph''s room. ¡°Maya sure is a personality.¡± The dog-girl sounded honestly impressed while she watched them leave. "So happy for Sophia!" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± "A-Also, sorry about that drawer thing¡­¡± She suddenly looked a little awkward. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, especially after we talked about it rather openly a few days ago when Maya was so obsessed with vibrating, but I didn¡¯t n to announce it like that¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ¡°While we¡¯re on the topic already, though, don¡¯t ever open the drawer next to my bed without my permission, either!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph had no idea how to react to that. A few momentster, she pped her cheeks once before pointing out of the window. ¡°See that big building over there, it¡¯s¡­¡± To change the topic, the dog-girl then started exining the scenery that could be seen. ---------------- Roughly five minutester, the tiger had finished teleporting the insides of Steph¡¯s room into her storage, and the girls decided to return to paradise because they had no ns of further exploring for the time being. Back home, Sophia got rid of the furniture inside the guest room next to Chloe¡¯s before cing everything from the other world inside there. It was a bit all over the ce because the rooms weren¡¯t exactly the same size, but everything easily fit. ¡°Alright!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°Have fun reorganizing and all that, Steph! Chloe, you help her! Sophia! Vibrating goodness! Bedroom! Now!¡± Neither speaking in whole sentences nor wasting any more time, she grabbed the hand of her blonde and dragged her towards their room. ¡°If anyone even thinks about interrupting us, they¡¯ll die!¡± This was thest time the couple had seen Maya and Sophia that evening. Afterward, the two decided to take their time while getting Steph¡¯s room ready.
Chapter 372 – Hot spring preparations Chapter 372 ¨C Hot spring preparations The girls briefly returned to Earth again to collect everything inside Steph¡¯s room because she wanted to ce her furniture and all the other stuff from there into her new room in the mansion. It was a lot cozier than the default furniture of a guest room, after all. Afterward, things got a little hectic. Maya finally got permission to try out the adult toys she and Sophia had bought during their first trip. The cat-girl immediately dragged her tiger off to their bedroom, which was thest everyone had seen of them that day. "Morning!" On the following day, unusually awake and very refreshed-looking, Sophia entered the living room and energetically greeted Chloe and Steph, who had been there already. ¡°Good morning¡­?¡± The two weren¡¯t sure how to feel about this. Especially because both knew how little of a morning person the blonde usually was. ¡°Where¡¯s Maya¡­?¡± After how thest day ended, Chloe was a little confused about why she wasn''t with her. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Maya¡­ she¡­ it¡¯ll take a while before she can, err¡­ feel her legs again¡­¡± ¡°What did you two do?!¡± Steph got loud. ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia just got more awkward. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer!¡± She didn¡¯t let her have it. ¡°I would know because I invented that reply!¡± ¡°Look¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. "We spent like a whole month''s sry worth of money, if not even more, in that sex shop we visited and¡­ Save for some souvenirs we bought for everyone to have some fun with, Maya wanted to test everything. Everything.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The fox-girl heard something interesting in there. ¡°E-Everything!?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± She repeated herself. ¡°I tried to warn her that it would be too much, but¡­ that kind of thing doesn¡¯t work on Maya, and¡­ she was very horny.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, she needs some more rest. I was very thorough with her. Everything was 100% consensual, I want to add.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡­?¡± Steph still wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She did look a little proud for some reason, though. ¡°If anything, after hearing that, I¡¯m surprised we didn¡¯t hear you two.¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Sophia showed her a cheeky smile. ¡°All that happened while I stopped time for us. I¡¯ve slept for ten hours already at this point. My tinnitus caused by Maya¡¯s screaming is long gone, too.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Chloe sounded impressed. ¡°Wait! If you¡¯ve slept for ten hours already now¡­ D-Does that mean it has been at least that long since you two, err¡­ finished?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s still done for?!¡± ¡°Not wanting to brag, but I¡¯m pretty good at what I do~.¡± Her voice turned incredibly smug. ¡°Sure sounds like bragging to me.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The couple didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Because I am! I have all the rights to!¡± After all, Sophia was quite proud of her achievement. ¡°Fair enough, I guess.¡± "Anyway, as much as I love talking about my sex life with my sister and her girlfriend¡­" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The duo only scratched their cheeks in return. ¡°Steph, you didn¡¯t bring your phone when we returned to Earth yesterday, did you?¡± "I did, and no, no message from mom. She hasn''t read ours yet, either." The dog-girl took a wild guess about her intent. ¡°That was about to be expected, though. She told me that they want to go really offline for a good while, after all.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Chloe looked a little confused. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°Our parents had a new child and decided to go on an extended vacation with our little sister away from phones, the inte, and all that.¡± ¡°Ohh! Congrats on the little sister!¡± ¡°Thanks! Anyway, they had just left a few days before Sophia¡¯s little, uhh¡­ return trip back to Earth. That¡¯s why we had no chance to tell them in person about me having found her and also going with her. We could only send out mom a message about what was going on.¡± ¡°Is that how it is? Well, far from optimal, but it¡¯s better than nothing, I guess?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± The sisters just nodded. ---------------- The trio kept chatting for a good bit longer until the door to the living room eventually opened again, as Maya finally decided to join them. ¡°Good morning!¡± The cat-girl sounded quite energetic. Her looks were theplete opposite of that, though. She looked pretty tired and exhausted, and her legs even seemed a little wobbly while she made her way to the empty sofa. Her hair waspletely disheveled and all over the ce, as well. Not to mention that her clothes, a pair of ck shorts and a blue, very short, crop top, were barely in the ce they were supposed to be. It seemed more like luck rather than nning that they somehow, at least barely, covered the important bits. It also seemed like the shorts and the top was all she was wearing, judging by the parts that weren¡¯t covered. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Arriving at the sofa, she then fell face-first down on it while letting out afortable sigh. ¡°M-Morning¡­¡± ¡°Woah, your girlfriend is hot!¡± Steph voiced the first thing that flew through her mind while staring at her attire and overall look before ncing at her sister. ¡°A-Ah, is that okay to say¡­?¡± She then sheepishly faced Chloe. ¡°When you¡¯re right, you¡¯re right.¡± The fox-girl couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°Thanks~.¡± Maya loved to hear it. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia did, too. ¡°I heard you had a¡­ fun night?¡± The dog-girl was a little curious to hear her side of the story, even though the picture was speaking for itself already. ¡°Oh. My. Goodness!¡± The cat-girl lifted her face to look at Steph. ¡°Your world is insane! How can anyone be productive over there when stuff like that exists?!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°You need money to buy them, and a home to use them in, which you have to pay for, too. To get money, you need a job, and so on. Food every now and then is nice, too.¡± "Ahh, I see." Okay with that exnation, Maya again ced her head on the pillow on the sofa. ¡°Good thing we have money~.¡± ¡°Wow, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen her this, uhh¡­ useless since meeting her.¡± In a way, Chloe sounded a little impressed. ¡°Can you me me?!¡± The cat-girl lifted her head once more. ¡°You are from that world, too, aren¡¯t you?! You should know how amazing those things are!¡± ¡°I am, but do you remember the part where I left that world when I was 14? Even before that, I spent most of my time being sick¡­¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± The cat-girl had suppressed this part of her backstory. ¡°Well, worry not! We bought many spares for everyone! Unused, of course!¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­?¡± While Chloe couldn¡¯t hide her smile caused by that, it was still a rather awkward topic. ¡°Anyway, are youing with us to the fox vige¡­?" She increased her stare at Maya. "Walking, err¡­ seems like a challenge¡­?¡± "Give me an hour, and I''ll be as good as new!" ---------------- Precisely two hours and 48 minutester, perfectly on time, the group took the portal to the vige and directly made their way towards the hot springs to get inspiration for their n to modify the forest. Maya, who was as good as new, definitely did notg behind and still didn''t seem a little unsteady on her feet. Not at all. ¡°Oho, what are you all doing here?¡± In front of the hot spring building, Alex, the fox-man and leader of the vige, was standing while holding some sort of papers when he spotted the group. "Wait, what happened to our dear cat? She looks like she has run all the way from the capital to here in one go¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s just a little tired.¡± Sophia smiled at him. "Okay? Speaking of, how do you alle and go all the time, anyway¡­? The wolves are constantly doing the same, as well¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, either.¡± She then scratched her cheek. "Kindaplicated to exin. Long story short. Magic. It will probably be announced from the capital soon. Well, soon-ish¡­" After all, the tiger was nning to tell the king about her portals. ¡°Okay¡­?¡± He only got even more confused. ¡°Sooo¡­ What brings you here?¡± ¡°Are the hot springs done yet?!¡± Sophia cut right to the point. "Hmm¡­" Alex tilted his head. "We just finished one of the artificial wooden baths today. The second and the natural, stone-themed ones will take a while longer.¡± ¡°Good enough!¡± "The protective fence still needs to be done, though. It might be a little too open-air for you all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even better!¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?" He hadn''t expected that. "I mean, all the power to you, but I hadn''t thought you''d be the type who''s into exhibitionism¡­" ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean it like that, idiot!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°We found the cause for the, uhh¡­ magic forest with the gigantic trees. It happened because they somehow were subjected to an enormous amount of ambient magic during their growth.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s fascinating!¡± ¡°We¡¯re thinking about recreating that here on a much smaller scale. Not overgrown like over there at all, but we''re hoping to create a themed hot spring. We have the theory that we could even control the season of the nts with the right amount of ambient magic. We could make the backdrop of the bath like a permanent autumn theme with the trees having their colorful fall foliage all year round." "Is it okay if I don''t even pretend to have understood what you just said¡­?" Alex tilted his head. ¡°Long story short, I think we can make the forest around the hot springs look fancy without it causing any harm.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± That was all he needed to hear. ¡°Sure, feel free to get creative!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Afterward, Alex guided them to the finished outdoor bath, a big wooden tub-style hot spring with a roof on top right next to, and reaching into, the forest surrounding the vige. As it had be winter by now, though, it was devoid of any leaves, and the nts no longer provided privacy protection. Once he gave them a quick rundown, the fox-man left the girls on their own.
Chapter 373 – More participants Chapter 373 ¨C More participants Sophia and Maya had a fun night, where they tested out the toys they got in the blonde¡¯s original world during their trip. As the cat-girl was very excited and horny, she decided that she wanted to test out everything. This had taken quite the toll on her, to the point where she hadpletely overslept, was beyond exhausted, and even had trouble standing on her legs, let alone walking on the following day once she eventually did manage to leave the bed. She regretted nothing, though. Far from it. Once Maya had recovered from her impressive night with her tiger, well, recovered enough, the group went to the fox vige where they found Chloe because her mother, Fey, was about to return, and they wanted to greet her there. While they were at it, the girls also had the idea to test out the hot springs and also y around with the forest there to create a pleasant and magical scenery around the bath to enjoy while taking a dip in it. ¡°Alright, any idea how we turn those trees and stuff more autumn-like?¡± Sophia was looking at the leafless forest while tilting her head. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who came up with the idea¡­?¡± Chloe just looked at her. ¡°Exactly!¡± She nodded. ¡°And now I need someone to exin it to me!¡± ¡°Your idea¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright, let me think¡­¡± ¡°Wait, she¡¯s actually going to try¡­?¡± Steph looked at Maya while she was watching their exchange. ¡°Those two enter their own little world when ites to magic. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I see¡­?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe faced the tiger again. ¡°If the trees we grew with magic function on it now, and the ample ambient magic sustains everything around them, we might be able to pour some of our authority into a few surrounding trees around here. Only much less, though. Just enough to let them regrow their leaves and then take back some authority until they turn red and orange. With a little bit of luck, it spreads and stays that way for every nt.¡± ¡°Makes sense!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Does it¡­?¡± The dog-girl looked at the cat again. ¡°Nothing those two ever say does¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Anyway, I don¡¯t get it, but let¡¯s go!¡± Steph raised her fist in anticipation. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia and Chloe liked her enthusiasm. ¡°Ah, right, she¡¯s on their side¡­¡± Maya had forgotten about that for a moment. ¡°Alright, can I try to grow a tree?!¡± The dog-girl sounded really excited. ¡°Do you even know how?¡± Sophia stared at her sister. ¡°From what I¡¯ve gathered so far, that¡¯s not a requirement, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe and the blonde looked at each other. ¡°She wins that round.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like that. ¡°So, teach me how to do it!¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t care about herints. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°In theory, sure, I¡¯m all for experiments, but¡­ If you mess up even a little, you might destroy this whole vige¡­¡± ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll take care!¡± ¡°Y-You are actually sensible when ites to experimenting¡­?¡± Maya looked extremely confused. ¡°Wait, are you trying to be responsible older sister now¡­? Great!¡± ¡°If she destroys the ce, we won¡¯t be able to go in the hot springs with everyone tonight!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The cat-girl hung her head. ¡°Well, okay, that would be a tragedy¡­ By the way, on an unrted note, are we going to invite Anna and Ari, as well?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph paused for a moment. ¡°That would be a travesty, yeah¡­¡± ¡°The destruction of the vige or not being able to take a bath with everyone?¡± In some ways, Maya and the little sister were quite alike. ¡°Yes.¡± She just nodded. ¡°She, uhh¡­ really fits in quite nicely in the group, huh?¡± Chloe smiled at the blonde. ¡°You, of all people, would know, huh?" Sophia smiled back at the girlfriend of her little sister. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright, fine¡­¡± The dog-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll sit this one out¡­ Still! I want to see how it works to be able to test it out in some other ce soon!¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± The tiger liked the sound of that. ¡°Chloe, should we start by pouring some of our authority into a tree and see what happens?" ¡°Best would be slowly increasing it, though. I feel like we only need a tiny bit¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent for a moment. ¡°My dear fox, would you like to start¡­? I¡¯m not the best when ites to using a tiny bit.¡± ¡°Good thing Feyfey taught me how to finely control my magic~.¡± Luckily, the pink girl was exceptionally talented when it came to that. Afterward, she walked closer to the next tree before looking at Steph. ¡°When we grew the big trees, we bathed a few saplings with our magic authority and let them soak it up. Immediately after, you can literally watch them grow.¡± ¡°Fenny¡¯s and Aura¡¯s trees, which are over a kilometer tall, took like 10 minutes to reach that size! It was amazing!¡± Sophia added her own bit. ¡°Woah!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want that to happen here, though.¡± Maya just started at the sisters. ¡°Exactly.¡± The fox-girl nodded a few times before continuing. Afterward, she released some of her magic around the tree in front of her, and it quickly sucked it in. ¡°And now we wait.¡± ¡°I wonder why trees aren¡¯t doing that all the time...?¡± While watching the magic going into them, the blonde tilted her head. ¡°Normal trees aren¡¯t any bigger than everything I¡¯m used to.¡± ¡°It probably needs a certain level of magic for it to be an alternative?¡± Chloe tried toe up with an exnation. ¡°In Mira¡¯s domain, where ambient magic was more than abundant, not a single nt was normal-sized.¡± ¡°Sounds like it would make sense. If they¡¯d react to normal levels of ambient magic, the entire world would be overgrown, huh?¡± ¡°That sounds fun!¡± Steph liked the idea. ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily disagree, but...¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°I also think it would get boring after a while.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true!¡± The dog-girl saw the issue in her idea. ¡°Oh, wait! I think something is happening!¡± She then pointed at the tree where little green spots had started to appear on the twig¡¯s buds. Soon after, leaves formed out of them, and before they fully realized it, a perfectly lush green tree appeared in front of them. ¡°So cool!¡± ¡°It really is!¡± Even Maya had to agree. ¡°Though, now I really wonder...¡± Sophia had a confused expression. ¡°It¡¯s so very easy to influence nts and stuff... Why has no one ever thought about that before? Forget trees and stuff. Imagine what an influence this would have on farming and all that! Maya, exin!" ¡°Uhh...¡± The cat-girl looked back at her. ¡°Before meeting any of you, I had no idea that ambient magic is a thing, let alone that you can control or generate it on your own. It¡¯smon sense that magic only works when you use some sort of words or simr intents. No one even dreamed about directly manipting magic.¡± ¡°What kind of boringmon sense is that...?¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Where¡¯s the passion? The love for experimenting?!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Chloe and the blonde heartily agreed. ¡°Well, what can I say... I-I even got as far as getting further with magic than 99.6% of everyone else, but still...¡± She was able to learn chantless magic on her own, after all. ¡°Looks like I now have an ace up my sleeve when I make Menzor angry again~. This could change everything, and there are only positives!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± The fox-girl nodded at Sophia. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it, either, but farming crops would never be the same with this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice and all, seriously, but can we change to the really important things for now?" Steph looked at the two. ¡°Getting a great view in the bath and also having a nice background?" She pointed at the tree. "I have mixed feelings about your wording, but I don''t disagree, so I can''t reallyin¡­" Slightly rolling her eyes, Chloe then put her hand on the green tree. Soon after, the leaves on the tree quickly turned orange, yellow, and red. ¡°Wow, it actually works! I just simply sucked out a bit of magic.¡± "The question now is whether the tree stays like this or will start losing its leaves soon.¡± Sophia took a better look at their creation. "While I am interested in that, too, I think that''s a question for another day!" The dog-girl seemed to have different priorities. ¡°For now, it means we can have a nice background while being in the hot springs with everyone!¡± ¡°Fair enough!¡± The older sister could get behind that logic. ¡°Alright, Chloe, could you give the other trees the same treatment to make everything look nice? I¡¯ll go get Anna and Ari in the meanwhile.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay and keep her from experimenting.¡± Maya just focused her stare on the fox-girl. ¡°Ahaha... Steph, do you want toe with me?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Afterward, the sisters left for the castle to collect the couple there. ---------------- ¡°Alright, who wants to go on a trip?!¡± The two arrived in Anna¡¯s room while seemingly being in an excellent mood. "Clothes are optional!" Steph paused for a moment. "Wait, no! Clothes are banned!" ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± The princess was immediately in. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about the part Steph mentioned there.¡± Ari had some mixed feelings about it. "What''s going on?" ¡°Remember Chloe¡¯s elven or fox vige?¡± The blonde tried to add some details. ¡°There¡¯s a hot spring we want to visit today after they finished renovating, and we want you two toe, too." ¡°Ohh!¡± Anna became an even bigger fan of the idea. "Ahh, is that why clothes are optional...?" The jaguar was starting to understand. ¡°Well, I also wanna see lots of goodies, but it¡¯s definitely about the bath, yeah!¡± The dog-girl was pretty shameless, after all. ¡°Why are both sisters so massive perverts...?¡± "We are sisters, after all!" ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde pervert didn¡¯t like that usation. ¡°Well, a hot spring does sound like a lot of fun, though.¡± Ari was warming up to the idea. ¡°Yay!¡± The sisters liked her reply a lot. ¡°No watching Ari, though! She¡¯s mine!¡± "Ehh...? What''s wrong with looking?" Steph faced her. ¡°As long as it¡¯s just watching, I have no issues with you looking at Chloe, either~. It would be a crime to forbid it!¡± ¡°B-But Ari is my girlfriend! T-This and that are different!¡± ¡°And Chloe¡¯s mine, so it changes nothing.¡± ¡°Oh, I see...¡± ¡°Also,¡± Sophia nced at her fellow tiger friend. "What happened when you two stayed in the mansion when we all showed off a bit more than usual? I do remember being watched a lot by a certain someone.¡± "A-Ah...¡± The princess¡¯ face turned a little red. ¡°O-Only looking, okay?!¡± She then sheepishly faced the little sister again. ¡°Sure! No motivation for anything else, anyway!¡± ¡°Good...¡± ¡°Wait, what...?¡± Ari suddenly looked a little confused before she changed her attention to Steph. ¡°Chloe¡¯s your girlfriend...?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She nodded. ¡°When did that happen?!¡± ¡°Yesterday!¡± ¡°Ehh...?¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just meet each other like a week ago?" ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a week yet since Steph found me...¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°And you¡¯re dating her already?!¡± The princess joined the questioning. ¡°I do!¡± She kept nodding. ¡°You know Chloe, right? With her looks and even more so personality, you can¡¯t afford to waste time, you know!¡± ¡°I mean...¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°Theck ofmon sense aside, Chloe really is someone special, so I guess?" ¡°That¡¯s one of the best parts!¡± Steph disagreed with her assessment. ¡°...¡± She ignored her reply. ¡°Still, isn¡¯t that a little, no... very fast? Shouldn¡¯t you get to know each other better first?¡± "Really, who decided you can''t do that while dating?" The dog-girl stared at her. "It''s not like, just because you start dating, you directly have to jump into bed with each other! You can still take it easy! We just confirmed our developing feelings and want to explore more of them!¡± ¡°...¡± The couple immediately turned silent. ¡°Maya would be so proud of you.¡± Sophia loved her answer. ¡°Anyway, hot springs?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± After the couple recovered, the sisters took the two to the fox vige using the blonde¡¯s portals. Chapter 374 – Naked bonding Chapter 374 ¨C Naked bonding The group returned to the fox vige to wait for Fey''s return, and while they were at it, the girls also decided to visit the hot springs there. While getting ready for that, they also experimented with the trees there to make them look like it was fall again to give them their colorful leaves back. Once the group seeded with that, Sophia and Steph went to collect Anna and Ari because the two should also be there. ¡°Woah, it looks amazing!¡± Anna was the first who finished undressing and entered the bathing area after having taken a quick shower. Her eyes started sparkling while looking at the big wooden tub, the fancy roof, and the waterfall-like faucet. The lush and fall-themed forest in the background had also caught her interest. "The view is amazing!" "I couldn''t agree more~." Maya appeared behind her while nodding a few times. She wasn''t looking at the scenery, though. "I couldn''t agree more~." Steph followed immediately behind her while having the exact same reply. Just like the cat-girl, she was focusing her attention on the bare backside of the princess in front of them. ¡°Uhh¡­ I-I know it was mostly my idea, but this is pretty embarrassing, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± Sophia was a little further behind them and squirmed a little while she was trying to hide her important bits with a white towel that was way too small for the job. "Y-Yeah¡­" Chloe was right next to her and had a simr expression. Just like the blonde, she also tried her best to cover herself with a towel, but it was even more of a losing battle she was fighting. "It do be a good view, though." Sophia''s gaze alternated between Maya and Anna in front of them. "T-True¡­" The fox-girl focused more on all three of them while paying extra good attention to the dog-girl. Afterward, she also stole a nce or two at the girl next to her. ¡°Wrong sister.¡± The blonde''s expression changed into a slight grin when she looked back at her. She wasn''t looking at Chloe¡¯s face, though. "A-Ah.¡± She got even more awkward. "A-Also, my eyes are up here!¡± "W-Why is everyone in our group such a pervert¡­?" Ari was following behind the duo with a slight blush on her cheeks as she was fighting the same fight with her towel. Just like Sophia, it wasn''t looking good, though. Or very good, depending on who to ask. ¡°Do you disagree, though?¡± Maya turned around to smile at her. ¡°Especially when you¡¯re at the very back where you have a good view of everyone." ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar¡¯s blush only intensified before she looked away. ¡°F-Forget Ii- Wait, why are there still leaves on the trees?! It''s winter, and no other tree still has theirs. Also, why does there seem to be light in the forest?!" Luckily, she found a topic to get the attention away from her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± Sophia focused on the forest for the first time since returning. There were more important things, after all. ¡°What¡¯s up with the light?¡± ¡°The lights were my idea~.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I thought it would add to the mood, so I yed around with light magic a little and created some orbs of light to illuminate the forest.¡± ¡°Love it!¡± The blonde was a big fan. ¡°For the fall theme¡­ Do you still remember the tree Anna created on the academy grounds?¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like her pronunciation. ¡°What do you mean, remember?!¡± Ari raised her voice. ¡°That was yesterday!¡± ¡°Right¡­ It feels like a week because so much is going on¡­¡± ¡°Even a week is not enough time to forget about something like that!¡± The jaguar only got louder. ¡°Was it hard to exin everything to the king¡­?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Sophia looked a little awkward. "Anyway, we found out that with the right amount of magic, you can manipte the growth of nts. For example, letting them grow leaves, or making them look like it¡¯s fall.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s just¡­ Wow.¡± She found no better words. ¡°Pretty much.¡± The blonde agreed. ¡°For now, it¡¯s just a novelty for a better backdrop on the hot springs, but I think there are some actual and very amazing things you could do with this nt modification.¡± "Less chatting, more bathing!" Steph was getting impatient. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve heard the boss.¡± Smiling at Ari, Sophia then started walking again while Chloe followed as well. Soon after, everyone entered the water while the somewhat shy girls also got rid of their towels because they would only be in the way, not that they ever fulfilled the intended purpose in the first ce. Covering some important areas, that is. ---------------- ¡°Oh, the water¡¯s great!¡± The moment Chloe had submerged herself, any hints of her being embarrassed about being naked were gone. ¡°And no, I have no idea why hot water¡¯s fine.¡± She immediately looked at Sophia because she could feel her stare. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Speaking of hot¡­¡± Maya joined the conversation while looking at every single girl around her. ¡°Come on, even for you being your usual horny self, that¡¯s a too low-hanging fruit.¡± The blonde immediately shot her down. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent again. ¡°Everyone here is extremely hot, and the water is nothing inparison!¡± It didn¡¯t stop Steph from finishing her sentence while she was doing the exact same. ¡°Bing more and more a fan of the little sister. Besides the headache-inducingmon-sense issues, that is¡­" ¡°It¡¯s good that the two are bonding, right¡­?¡± Slightly unsure about it, Sophia turned her head to look at Ari. ¡°Debatable.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Your girlfriend getting along with your sister is definitely a good thing. The topic they¡¯re bonding over¡­ Well, that¡¯s a different topic." ¡°Come on, don¡¯t try to y innocent now.¡± The cat-girl also changed her attention to the jaguar. ¡°You were just as horny as everyone else when you stayed at our mansion not too long ago! Just as shameless when looking at the others, as well.¡± "¡­" The jaguar went silent for a moment before facing Sophia again. ¡°Can I¡­?¡± ¡°Can what?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Anyway, sure.¡± ¡°Are your breasts actually still growing? I mean, when we met, I was sure you were smaller than me. Then, my clothes were a perfect fit for you, and now¡­" Her eyes started wandering as she gave up on being embarrassed. "They do seem ever so slightly bigger than mine.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Sophia covered her chest with her arms. "True!" Anna had the same line of sight as her girlfriend. "You were 100% smaller than that when you arrived in the capital!" ¡°Why would you two even pay so much attention to my breasts to notice that in the first ce?!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Chloe answered for them. ¡°You have a great figure.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The couple nodded a few times. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± The blonde started blushing. ¡°I, uhh¡­ don¡¯t see where I¡¯m supposed to be bigger than you, though.¡± She first nced down at herself before her eyes wandered toward Ari. "Seems pretty much the same to me. If anything, the shape of yours makes it seem like¡­¡± ¡°I-I get it!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like the reversal and also opted to cover her chest with her arms. ¡°The shape is ever so slightly different, but our sizes match each other almost perfectly.¡± ¡°Not so much detailed staring!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°I agree, same size, somewhat different shape, both very beautiful, but keep it easy!¡± When it came to the two, she always got mixed feelings. ¡°Both are very beautiful, huh?¡± It was time for Maya again. ¡°Who¡¯s doing the most detailed staring here?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The princess went silent for a moment but immediately raised her voice again when she looked at Maya. ¡°J-Judging by your line of sight, YOU! I¡¯m not the first one saying it, but my eyes are up here!¡± ¡°I know.¡± The cat-girl had no intention of stopping looking where she was looking at, though. ¡°Actually, this is also a very interesting battle!¡± She eventually stopped staring at her, after all, but only to change her attention to the fox-girl. ¡°Anna vs. Chloe! Now, finally, without any guessing!" ¡°Chloe wins!¡± Steph¡¯s reply was instantaneous. "Unbiased reviews only!" Maya slowly shook her head. "Ah, I understand¡­" The dog-girl calmed down a little. ¡°Let¡¯s see," Her eyes then started wandering between the two. ¡°This is a difficult one¡­¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± The white-haired girl nodded a few times. ¡°I guess we just have to look harder?¡± "And longer!" The duo was on the same page. Afterward, the two continued their stares at the two most stacked girls in the group. ¡°U-Uuhh¡­¡± The princess was starting to get embarrassed. "T-To answer your question from earlier," Chloe nced at Sophia. ¡°I-I have very mixed feelings about them bonding to this degree¡­¡± ¡°You, err¡­ might have a point¡­¡± "A-Also, how can Maya be this horny again afterst night and how exhausted she was only a few hours ago?" ¡°Knowing Maya, it probably just made it worse¡­ or better?" The blonde let out a short sigh. "She was just too tired to show it in the morning¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± "What happened?" Ari felt like she was missing some information. ¡°We got new toys!¡± The cat-girl briefly interrupted her current research. ¡°Amazing toys! Unbelievable toys! Unbelievably amazing toys! One that will change your worldview forever!" "I-I shouldn''t have asked¡­ Wait, they changed your world view¡­?" The jaguar suddenly sounded ever so slightly interested. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± The blonde gave her a slight nod. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± "Don''t worry. We have spares for everyone! Unused, I want to add!" Maya really wanted them to spread. ¡°¡­¡± Ari wentpletely silent. ¡°Alright, I think I came to a conclusion!¡± Ignoring their exchange, Steph eventually spoke up. ¡°Let me hear it!¡± The cat-girl was looking forward to it. ¡°In absolute terms, Anna pulls slightly ahead.¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t sound too happy about having to admit that. ¡°When we factor in the body-to-breasts ratio, my Chloe definitely wins, though!¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Maya¡¯s eyes started wandering again to confirm her im. Even Sophia and Ari now joined in andpared them, as well. ¡°Fair.¡± All three came to the same conclusion. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Anna and Chloe didn¡¯t seem to appreciate the sudden unionization and decided to hide their breasts by covering them with their respective arms. Unfortunately, thanks to their size, they only ended up squeezing them, entuating their chest even more by it. ¡°Nice.¡± Afterward, everyone silently agreed to be horny for five more minutes, where they continued to stare. Still, the girls eventually gotfortable for good, and they calmed down a fair bit while simply enjoying the water, the background, and each other''spany. Steph had some slight difficulties with thecalmpart, as that word didn''t exist in her dictionary, but Chloe somehow managed to gather the brunt of her attention.
Chapter 375 – Serious tigers Chapter 375 ¨C Serious tigers The girls all got together to visit the hot springs in the fox vige. Naturally, as they are who they are, things got a little horny for a while because there was much to see. Once everyone got a good look at everyone, someparisons were made, and contests had, the girls eventually calmed down, to some degree, at least, and enjoyed the rxing bath, the lovely scenery, and each other''spany. ¡°Can I start a pretty uncharacteristic conversation¡­?¡± While still in the hot springs with everyone, Sophia sounded unusually serious. ¡°Sure¡­?¡± Everyone looked slightly confused. "It''s a pretty dry topic based onmon sense, though." ¡°¡­¡± They all went silent. ¡°I know that you¡¯re not good with hot water, but that¡¯s too much.¡± Maya put a hand on the blonde¡¯s forehead to check her temperature. ¡°Even for you¡­¡± ¡°I guess I earned that.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t really me anyone for their reactions. "So, what''s up?" Ari eventually gave her the benefit of the doubt. ¡°Anna, how much do you know about farming or general agriculture of the kingdom?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar went silent. ¡°Maya, what does her temperature say?¡± ¡°It seems normal, but¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no way she¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Sophia started it herself, but she felt the two leaned into it a bit too much. ¡°What exactly do you want to know?¡± Anna decided to ignore their sassy girlfriends and faced her fellow tiger. ¡°As the princess, I have a rough understanding of what is going on and how the capital especially is fed, but I¡¯m no expert on the matter.¡± ¡°Good enough! Do you know if magic ys any role in it?¡± ¡°Sure, it does!¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°Mostly water magic during the hotter summer months. I''ve also heard that some alternatives are being researched that involve earth magic when ites to sowing crops, though." ¡°Oh, so there¡¯s no one using magic directly on it to make crops grow faster and or bigger?¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible?!¡± ¡°You grew a tree out of a tiny sapling in the academy not too long ago, right?¡± ¡°Right!¡± The princess raised her voice. ¡°Do you think it would work on crops, too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. nts are nts, huh? I wonder if it would be sustainable, though¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sophia tilted her head. "I mean, it had cost surprisingly little to grow this small tree, but¡­" "SMALL TREE?!" The jaguar immediately got loud. "Not now, Ari. We''re having a serious talk here." The duo didn¡¯t have time for her. ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know how to react to that and faced Maya. ¡°Is it okay to hate them a bit?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Not that I can take them seriously in the first ce¡­ I mean, basically the only time those two being serious obviously has to be when both of them are naked in a hot spring¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a little reassuring.¡± "I think otherwise!" Steph disagreed with them. "The best conversations are made naked! There¡¯s nothing you can hide, after all!¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Chloe looked at her girlfriend. ¡°I don¡¯t think this and that are overly rted¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care!¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± The princess decided to continue. ¡°It did cost surprisingly little magic, but I also have considerably more of it at my disposal than most. Even more so after you increased it by so much for me!¡± She smiled at Sophia during thest part. ¡°elerating the growth of a whole field the farmers own might be challenging for the average. Not to mention, isn¡¯t it chantless magic¡­?¡± ¡°Fair, a whole field really might be difficult.¡± The blonde could see the issue. "Though, I''m pretty sure it could also be used with chants. Is it even chantless¡­? It¡¯s not like you do anything? Chloe, exnation, please!¡± ¡°Why me?¡± The fox-girl looked confused. ¡°Because you know the most about magic!¡± ¡°I do? Well, sure, I can take a guess¡­?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to take it. ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard to define what it is? You do use your internal power, but you don¡¯t actually use it to activate magic. The nts seemingly use the raw form for nourishment to grow¡­? Basically, it¡¯s based on the step before what we call magic? Like, it hasn¡¯t changed form into a ball of fire, for example. I would say that with some training, it should be possible for everyone to use it like that. I agree that it would be extremely taxing and or impossible to do it with an entire field''s worth of crops on your own.¡± ¡°That is pretty interesting and amazing.¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°It¡¯s most definitely something that needs further testing and research, though. Just to have a way to deal with unexpected crop loss at the very least!" ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t thought about that part yet! That¡¯s a princess for you, huh?¡± The blonde sounded impressed. ¡°Wait, I think it would also be great for out-of-season things like certain fruits and stuff! Low-volume products, as well!¡± ¡°Interesting idea!¡± The princess liked it. ¡°Peaches!¡± Chloe suddenly raised her voice. "I could get them all year round!" ¡°Why peaches¡­?¡± Ari couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°I love peaches!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what she had expected. ¡°We should tell father about the idea!¡± The princess got back to the topic. "Obviously, he knows more about all that, and he, together with the experts on the field, could also assess just how much it would really benefit all of us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡± Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°I also nned to finally tell them about the portals. Might as well do that together and be over with it.¡± ¡°Is it really such a good idea to tell him both at the same time¡­?¡± Ari didn¡¯t seem to approve of the n. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Explosive headache.¡± Maya was the one who replied. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine~.¡± The tigers showed no mercy for him in that regard. ¡°Poor king¡­¡± Everyone else felt a little sorry for him. After the topic was exhausted, the girls enjoyed the hot springs for a little longer, but it wasn¡¯t like they could stay in there forever. Much to the disapproval of Maya and Steph, they eventually left the water, got dressed again, and returned to Sophia¡¯s treehouse. ---------------- ¡°Well, that was fun~.¡± In the treehouse''s living room, the dog-girl sat down with a pretty satisfied expression. ¡°Absolutely!¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°We really didn¡¯t need to leave already, though¡­¡± ¡°You got enough staring for one day.¡± Sophia just rolled her eyes while bonking her girlfriend with her tail. ¡°I mean, it was great, but¡­ Wait¡­ Y-Yeah, calm down.¡± ¡°Very convincing.¡± Ari slowly shook her head. ¡°Alright, before this esctes to who was looking and who wasn¡¯t and where they did or did not focus on, let¡¯s just keep going.¡± ¡°EVERYONE was looking at everyone.¡± Maya wasn''t letting her have the moral high ground here. "Extensively.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar chose not to reply. ¡°By the way,¡± Anna took over. ¡°Why were you all here today? Just because of the hot springs?" ¡°We¡¯ve been told that Chloe¡¯s mom is returning today or tomorrow, and as she wille here, we decided to wait for her. To sweeten the waiting, the idea of the hot springs came up.¡± Steph answered her. ¡°Ohh! Happy she¡¯ll be back soon!¡± The princess smiled at the fox-girl. ¡°Me, too!¡± She had an even bigger smile. ¡°Someone told you?¡± Ari tilted her head. "Who? Who and how would anyone know that, and be here when her mom is not¡­?" ¡°¡­¡± Sophia looked incredibly awkward and immediately put her hands on Steph¡¯s lips as they were next to each other because it seemed like the little sister wanted to answer her. "Look, alright¡­ Trust me on this, okay? You don''t¡­ You seriously do not want to know. Alright?¡± ¡°Err¡­?¡± The jaguar looked at Maya for help. ¡°You positively do NOT want to know.¡± She shook her head a couple of times. ¡°We''ll probably¡­ maybe tell you two once we''re traveling together, but right now¡­ It¡¯s probably for the better.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t want to overload them. ¡°I really don¡¯t like the sound of this!¡± Ari raised her voice. ¡°What kind of special person does it have to be for you to be like that?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m super curious!¡± It had the opposite effect on the princess. ¡°It¡¯s an amazing person!¡± After all, Chloe was a big fan of Mira. ¡°It¡¯s true, though. It¡¯s a lot to take in meeting them.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± The royal couple had the same reaction. Though, their expressions couldn¡¯t be further apart. ¡°Anyway!¡± Sophia let go of Steph and pped her hands. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re waiting for Fey''s return. Once she''s back, and we exin what is going on¡­ I mean, she''s expecting Chloe and not a whole group, we¡¯ll introduce her to you, as well. The n is for her to be a part of our group, as well, after all.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait for Feyanis¡­¡± Maya let out a small sigh. ¡°She¡¯s ourst hope to keep this group somewhat in check¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­¡± ¡°Feyanis¡­¡± The jaguar seemed to be lost in thoughts for a moment. ¡°I keep thinking that I¡¯ve heard the name somewhere before¡­ Anna, do we know someone with that name?¡± ¡°Not that I can remember.¡± The princess shook her head. "I''m not sure if it rings a bell with me in the first ce¡­ It doesn¡¯t feel familiar, but also not unfamiliar¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I doubt either of you ever met her, though.¡± Chloe looked at them. "I''ve been with her basically my entire life, and aside from seeing you in the capital a few times from afar, we never met, either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Ari only got more confused. ¡°Well, you can always ask her about it once she¡¯s back.¡± ¡°True!¡± The group kept chatting for a little while longer, but as it didn¡¯t seem like Fey would return anytime soon, Sophia had yet to even notice her with the detection magic, Anna and Ari decided to head back to the capital again while the others stayed behind. Eventually, they got a bit bored and headed to the vige''s bar, where they also met up with the wolves and spent the rest of the evening there before eventually going to bed.
Chapter 376 – Sharing is caring Chapter 376 ¨C Sharing is caring The group had a great time together in the hot springs while enjoying each other''spany and chatting about various topics. The girls also told Anna and Ari about Fey''s return, which only raised more questions. None of which Sophia decided to answer. It was for their own good, too. After all, Mira told them about hering back, which was too much information to share. In the evening, once the couple wasn¡¯t with them anymore, the four decided to visit the vige¡¯s bar while also reuniting with the wolves there. Once it had gottente, the girls returned to the treehouse again because everyone was getting tired. Sophia and Maya stayed in the tiger¡¯s, but Chloe and Steph ended up heading over to the fox-girl¡¯s in the end because it was fully furnished. ¡°Do you have a spare nket and pillow?¡± Steph looked at her fox-girl before ncing at the sofa in the living room there. ¡°I¡¯m good without, but it would be a little bitfier.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s expression changed a couple of times while she seemingly was thinking about something. ¡°D-Do you, uhh¡­ want to sleep in the bed with me¡­?¡± ¡°E-EH?!¡± She hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°I-I¡¯m not implying anything, okay¡­? I-It¡¯s not that unusual for friends to do that during a sleepover, so¡­ it, err¡­ would almost be weird if we don¡¯t, right¡­?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Steph wasn¡¯t going to talk her out of it. ¡°Y-You could at least hesitate a little¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t really me her. It even was her suggestion, after all. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Doing just that, the couple went to the bedroom, changed into something morefortable, and entered the bed together. "A-Ah.¡± In the bed, Chloe quickly noticed that it had gotten much more intimate than she had previously anticipated. Before she knew it, after turning around and looking at the dog-girl, she was basically face to face with her, and only a few inches apart from each other. ¡°It¡¯s, err¡­ not the biggest bed, huh¡­?¡± Steph also looked a little awkward when she locked eyes with the fox right in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s veryfy, though!¡± ¡°T-That is true.¡± ¡°I can still take the sofa, you know?¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s totally okay with me because I don¡¯t n to make you ufortable anymore ever, if I can prevent it! Admittedly, even I think it''s way more intimate than I had thought." ¡°T-That¡¯s not it! Not at all!¡± Chloe raised her voice a little. ¡°I, uhh¡­ just aren¡¯t sure what to do now¡­ Do we chat some more? Cuddle? Kiss? Just go to sleep and look forward to tomorrow?¡± ¡°G-Girl¡­¡± Steph needed a moment. ¡°There was at least one thing in there that definitely goes against your im of not wanting to imply anything you mentioned earlier.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She closed her eyes to think about it. ¡°I-Is she¡­? Does that mean it¡¯s okay to¡­?¡± While starting to mumble, Steph took a better look at the girl in front of her while her cheeks were turning red before she closed her eyes, as well. A few moments passed, and the blush on her face only increased. Eventually, she moved her head closer to Chloe, though. Taking a quick breath, Steph then closed thest bit of distance between them. A little clumsy, she first lightly touched Chloe''s nose with her own before their lips slightly brushed against each other. Once she found the target of her desire, the dog-girl used her lips to brush against Chloe¡¯s another one or two times before she pressed their lips a little firmer together to get a better sensation of the girl in front of her. Doing that a few times, with each repeat being a little more confident, Steph was eventually satisfied enough and put a little bit of distance between them again. ¡°¡­¡± It took Chloe a few moments before she opened her eyes to look at the other girl with a bright red face. Not that her expression was the slightest bit different after what just happened. ¡°D-Did you¡­ did we just¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She weakly nodded in response. ¡°...¡± The fox-girl was still trying to process it. ¡°W-Well, I, uhh... I guess we¡¯re even now...¡± Steph was still rather embarrassed over what she did. ¡°You kissed me first, after all...¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s just no way you canpare my little kiss on your cheek with that!¡± ¡°You think so? Then... How about you do whatever you think to make it even...?¡± After saying that, the dog-girl paused for a moment and then closed her eyes again. ¡°T-That was your n from the beginning, wasn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°...¡± She remained silent. ¡°Uuh...¡± Her embarrassment was rising again. It wasn¡¯t like Chloe was against it, though. Far from it, actually. Needing a short moment to gather some courage, she also eventually closed her eyes and moved closer to Steph. Afterward, she copied the actions of the dog-girl before and also first booped her nose before brushing her lips against the other¡¯s a few times before getting more confident about it. Exchanging a couple of light but actual kisses afterward, the fox-girl finally put some distance between them. ¡°W-Was the nose boop really necessary...? That, err... was an ident earlier...¡± Steph had mixed feelings about that part. ¡°Y-You didn¡¯t have to copy that, too.¡± ¡°Ehh...? But that was soo cute! I liked that part a lot!¡± "A-Ah...¡± Steph¡¯s confident side was having a rough time. ¡°If you say so... I guess I don¡¯t really mind...¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She genuinely was a fan of it. "A-Anyway, I guess we¡¯re really even now...¡± ¡°How are we even?!¡± The dog-girl seemed to disagree. ¡°Y-You easily kissed me twice as often! You were better at it, too!¡± "W-Well, if you think so..." ... .. . ---------------- On the following day, which started somewhatte, the couple returned to Sophia¡¯s treehouse to group up with the other two there. ¡°¡­¡± The tiger was circling around them while making all sorts of expressions for a while. ¡°¡­¡± Chloe and Steph just awkwardly looked back at her with a rather deep blush on their faces. ¡°You two had sex, didn¡¯t you?¡± Maya was watching them from the sideline and showed no mercy after she took a sip from the cup of coffee she was holding. ¡°So much for taking it easy¡­ Well, not that I¡¯m surprised.¡± ¡°W-We had not!¡± With an even redder face, the couple immediately got loud. ¡°Really?¡± She didn¡¯t believe them. ¡°R-Really!¡± "Sophia, what''s your verdict?" The cat-girl looked at her girlfriend, who was still circling around the couple. ¡°Big doubt from me, but I don¡¯t care about that right now!¡± She seemed to be bothered by something else. ¡°Why do you two have the same amount of magic authority?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right!¡± Maya seemed to have noticed it as well. ¡°Steph has a lot less, but Chloe has so much more now!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The two got even more awkward. ¡°I, err¡­ might¡¯ve shared some of mine with her¡­¡± The dog-girl eventually looked back at her sister. ¡°Some, huh?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you tell me that, thanks to Mira, you have to get quite physical when you want to share your magic?¡± ¡°So you two did have sex, after all!¡± The cat-girl took it as a confirmation. ¡°W-We did not!¡± Steph got even louder. ¡°Just making out with each other was enough!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Maya and Sophia started grinning. "A-Ah.¡± The couple was unable to face them anymore. ¡°Hehe.¡± The tiger liked their reaction. ¡°That aside, are you okay with having given up so much of your magic?¡± She focused her stare on her sister. ¡°Yes!¡± Her reply was instantaneous. ¡°I love the dedication!¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Well, you still have like 80% of my authority, so it will have basically no effect on your ability to use magic however you want to. Because of that, having Chloe on that level, as well, is the best possible thing! We will have so much fun ying with magic together!¡± "Yay¡­" Somehow, Maya''s wording and her expression didn''t match at all. ¡°Yay!¡± Chloe¡¯s did, though. ¡°Are you two okay, though?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I shared much less magic with Ari and Anna, but it totally powered us out¡­ I can¡¯t imagine how taxing your exchange was!¡± ¡°It was totally fine!¡± ¡°I barely felt my power increasing.¡± The two felt otherwise. ¡°In fact, I only noticed what Steph was doing when she was halfway done already.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Steph had no answers for her. ¡°Might it be because of the different origins of the magic?¡± Chloe tried toe up with an exnation. ¡°Canir¡¯s magic isn¡¯t native to this world, but Mira¡¯s magic, which Steph has been gifted, is the magic of this world. It might be morepatible and doesn¡¯t need to be converted or anything? Other than Anna, I also didn¡¯t have to empty my magic first or anything like that. It just kept growing like it was the most natural thing.¡± ¡°Sounds like it makes sense.¡± The tiger had no better exnation, either. ¡°Canir¡¯s really losing more and more inparison here. Well, it seems like he¡¯s a lot more whimsical and easygoing with consequences, which is a bit of a double-sided thing, but it¡¯s also fun, so I guess it¡¯s an okay trade-off. Not to mention the part where he literally saved my life. That scored a lot of points in my book.¡± ¡°In mine, too!¡± Maya and Steph immediately agreed. ¡°He¡¯s a good one.¡± Sophia did like him, after all. ¡°He needs a good punch or two every now and then, though. He gets carried away too easily.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you are sopatible with his magic¡­¡± The cat-girl just had to do it. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She only awkwardly scratched her cheek in return. Afterward, the girls kept chatting about the magic topic a little more before the topic eventually drifted towards Chloe and Steph again because the other two still had a lot of questions regarding theirst night.
Chapter 377 – Reunion Chapter 377 ¨C Reunion Steph and Chloe had somewhat of an interesting night. After the fox-girl had offered to share her bed with Steph because she didn''t want her to sleep on the sofa, the two had some slight issues with taking it easy and ended up making out a little. This was not all, though. While they were at it already, the dog-girl also decided to share a part of her magic with Chloe because, ording to Mira, this was the way to do it. In the end, both ended up with the same amount, which roughly corrted with around 80% of Sophia''s authority. A more than respectable amount. ¡°Ah.¡± While they were still questioning the couple, Sophia¡¯s ears suddenly started twitching a few times while her tail perked up. ¡°Stop that!¡± Maya immediately raised her voice. ¡°Woah, that hasn¡¯t happened in a while, but it¡¯s still muscle memory, huh? I hate your ah¡¯s!¡± ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t tell you what I just noticed.¡± The tiger started pouting. ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like that, either. ¡°You sure areplicated...¡± ¡°You¡¯re thest one on the to say that to anyone!¡± The two were having fun. "Onany, actually!" ¡°Err...?¡± Chloe looked slightly confused. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°I noticed something with my detection magic.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Something strong. Very strong. It seems to be heading right towards us.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°It has to be Feyfey, right?!¡± ¡°I sure hope so.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like that joke. "How far away is she?!" The fox-girl was naturally getting excited. ¡°She¡¯s a fast one~. It seems like she¡¯ll be here in around an hour or two at thetest.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph was also looking forward to it. ¡°Should we collect the wolves and wait for her at the entrance of the vige? I bet they are also looking forward to seeing her again. After you two had your reunion, of course.¡± Sophia smiled at Chloe during thest part. ¡°Okay!¡± Doing as nned, the girls left the treehouse and went to the inn above the vige¡¯s bar, as it seemed like Fen and Aura had stayed the night there. ---------------- ¡°What the?!" The moment the wolves noticed the magic situation between Chloe and Steph, they immediately got loud. "What happened with you two?!" ¡°Why is your power on the same level¡­? Chloe used to have so much less, and Steph significantly more!" Aura sounded a little less shocked. "The two had such steamy and hot sex that they ended up sharing their magic.¡± Maya still wasn''t believing them. ¡°Really¡­?¡± The female wolf looked at the two. ¡°NO!¡± They raised their voices. ¡°We did not have s-sex! It was just some kisses. Okay, many of them, but that was it!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Aura didn¡¯t sound any less confused. ¡°Wait, you two are dating? When did that happen?¡± ¡°Two days ago!¡± The couple got happier again. ¡°Congrattions¡­?¡± The feeling of having missed a lot was growing. ¡°Fen, we¡¯re staying in the mansion more often from now on! I feel so detached and out of the loop right now!" ¡°I don¡¯t particrly mind.¡± The male wolf was fine either way. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia looked at the wolves. ¡°Are youing with us to wee Fey? She¡¯ll be here in an hour.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± "How do you know¡­?" The two were confused yet again. ¡°She entered my detection range about 20 minutes ago. Well, I at least hope it¡¯s her. The reaction I''m getting is super powerful, and it''s heading right for us. It would be quite something if it''s someone else¡­" "S-Stop that already!" Maya red at her. ¡°Don¡¯t jinx us!¡± "Wait a moment¡­" Aura stared back at her. "Oh, you''re right. I can detect something, too, now. Only barely, though. ¡°20 minutes ago, with the speed I¡¯m sensing, it wouldn¡¯t have been even close to my range. Have you overtaken me with your reach?¡± ¡°I guess?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°It has actually gotten so big that I¡¯m getting difficulties guessing the exact distance.¡± ¡°You really are something else.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Once that topic was dealt with, the group went to the outskirts of the vige to wait for Feyani''s arrival. ---------------- ¡°Feyfey!¡± Not even an hour had passed when Chloe spotted a big ball of white fluff speeding along the path leading through the forest into the vige and started running herself. ¡°She really missed her, huh?¡± Mayamented on her swift disappearance. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t me her at all.¡± ¡°Fluffy!¡± The sisters had the exact same reaction while they were staring at the oversized full fox in the distance. "Well, I can''t say I''m surprised about that¡­" Aura reacted somewhat simrly to the cat-girl when she looked at the duo. ¡°Can¡¯t me them, either.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± The cat-girl faced the wolves after having looked at the new fox in the distance a bit. ¡°The red spots in her pure white fur, like the tip of her ears and tail, and some other strands¡­ She always looked like that, right? It¡¯s not leftovers from the human capital, is it?¡± "No, she always had those red ents," Fen reassured her. ¡°Good¡­¡± "She looks great!" Steph was having a good time. "Tails aside, she reminds me a little of Mira. She also was mostly white but had teal ents.¡± ¡°That sounds great!¡± Sophia sounded slightly envious. "I still can''t believe you went ahead and met her without me!" ¡°You¡¯re thest one who''s allowed toin about missed opportunities!" The voice of the dog-girl changed. ¡°Ah.¡± She had nothing else to say. "A-Anyway, Fey looks amazing! A wee addition to the group!" ¡°Indeed!¡± Steph wasn¡¯t angry for long. ¡°Chloe!¡± Noticing her daughter running up to her, Fey increased her speed even more. Once she was close enough to her, she jumped and transformed into a size about half as big as the wolves were right now mid-flight andnded in Chloe¡¯s arms. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± She immediately tightly hugged the fox in her arms. ¡°I missed you, too! I¡¯m sorry it took so long¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright! It wasn¡¯t the same without you, but I had lots of fun! I made a lot of new friends, too!¡± The pink fox-girl gestured at the group behind them while saying so. ¡°That¡¯s great! Eh¡­?¡± Looking at the group, Fey sounded quite confused and jumped back on the ground again while transforming to a size that roughly matched the wolves. ¡°Fen¡­? Aura¡­?¡± She walked a little closer to them. "Long time no see¡­ I guess?" Aura greeted her while the male wolf nodded a few times. ¡°That¡¯s putting it very lightly. Anyway, it¡¯s great that the two of you are as inseparable as ever.¡± "A-Ahaha¡­¡± The female wolf got incredibly awkward. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± ¡°Err¡­ I don¡¯t even know where to start." Fen paused for a moment. "Well, it''s mostly her fault." He then gestured at the blonde. "Hey!" Sophia red at him. "Well, it''s not exactly negative and also kinda true, so¡­¡± ¡°And you are?¡± Fey focused on her. ¡°Sophia!¡± ¡°I see.¡± She kept mustering her. ¡°I¡¯m Feyanis. Why is a tiger here? Actually, wait a moment¡­ your magic. Your magic¡­ are you even a tiger?¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± ¡°Your magic, it¡¯s nk. It¡¯s the same as Canir¡¯s. In fact, I believe it is his¡­¡± Fey paused for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ are you his daughter? I thought it wasn''t possible with his type of nk authority to have¡­ HUH?!¡± She immediately froze when she took a quick look at the dog-girl next to her. ¡°M-Mira¡­?¡± ¡°Steph.¡± She corrected the fox. "It''s nice to meet you!" "No, your magic¡­ It''s the same as Mira." ¡°Ahh!¡± The violet-haired girl connected the dots. ¡°Mira blessed me with a portion of her magic to let me use it. I¡¯m not rted to her.¡± ¡°IT¡¯S THE SAME IN MY CASE!¡± For some reason, Sophia had gotten extremely loud with her reply. ¡°I am not, I repeat, I am NOT Canir¡¯s daughter. I am DEFINITELY not!¡± Because it was important, she had to say it three times. ¡°Ahh!¡± Fey sounded incredibly relieved. ¡°Also, I really understand why you felt the need to repeat it.¡± She faced Sophia again during that part. ¡°What a curse this would¡¯ve been¡­ Still, why would those two bless you with a portion of their magic?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°The only exnation I could imagine would be¡­ Are you from a different world? One without magic, and you came here without reincarnating?" ¡°Yup.¡± Steph simply went ahead and confirmed it. There was no way she would keep secrets from her girlfriend¡¯s mother, after all. ¡°Wow.¡± She had no better reaction ready. ¡°By the way,¡± Chloe spoke up again while pointing at herself. ¡°Do you notice something about me, too, Feyfey?¡± She sounded incredibly happy. ¡°Hmm¡­? Eh?!¡± The fox sounded surprised yet again. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize earlier because it still feels the same, but¡­ Chloe, why has your authority be so massive?!¡± ¡°Steph gave me some of hers because she wanted us to be the same! Isn¡¯t she the sweetest?!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The dog-girl liked that a lot. ¡°What¡­? That should not be possible¡­ How did you do that?¡± "A-Ah.¡± The couple immediately started blushing in response. "What is the meaning of that reaction?" ¡°Y-You see,¡± The pink fox panicked a little and tried a different approach. "A few days ago, Steph and I ended up in Mira¡¯s domain by chance, and we met her! She''s super nice! I totally get why you got along so well with her in the past, mom!" ¡°Wait¡­?¡± Fey couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°Mira told us so many things!¡± Chloe simply continued. ¡°We really learned a lot! Why did you never tell me about her? I mean, you did mention her a few times, but never about that! You really shouldn''t have kept that a secret..." She was talking about the part where they were actual friends. "So many things I never knew about you! She also told us more about Steph''s authority and its quirks, including that she can share a part of it.¡± She let out the how part. ¡°One thing led to another, and here we are!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey needed a minute. ¡°Y-You¡­ You met your¡­ mother¡­?¡± All sorts of emotions were present in her voice. ¡°Yeah!¡± She gave her a big nod. ¡°We explored a shrine of her and then¡­ WHAT?!¡± It took her a moment before it clicked. ¡°WHAT?!¡± Everyone else had the same reaction.
Chapter 378 – Family Chapter 378 ¨C Family Feyanis had finally returned and reunited with Chloe, who had missed her a whole lot during the time they were separated. She also met the others of the group and got confused about everyone except Maya. She hadn¡¯t expected to see the wolves again, but the sisters were on another level because of their magic they had been gifted by the overseers. Things got even more chaotic after she found out that Chloe met Mira while she was gone. "M-Mira is my m-mother¡­?" Chloe had to repeat Fey''s words because there was just no way she could believe it just like that. ¡°W-WAIT!¡± The white fox¡¯s eyes shot open. ¡°S-She didn¡¯t tell you when you met¡­?¡± ¡°NO!¡± She got even louder. "A-Ah¡­¡± Fey froze up. ¡°I got too emotional and messed up¡­¡± ¡°WHAT IS GOING ON?!¡± The pink-haired girl couldn''t take it anymore. "MIRA! Mira, as in the overseer and or goddess of magic, is my m-mother?! MOTHER?!" ¡°¡­¡± WAIT!" She wasn''t being loud quite yet. "D-Does that mean you aren''t my mom, after all, Feyfey¡­?¡± The loudness instantly switched over to sadness. ¡°I-Is that why you were always so evasive¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey tried to collect herself. ¡°Mira¡­ and I¡­ you.¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­?¡± This time, the wolves couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°SHUSH!¡± Sophia red at them. ¡°NOT NOW!¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± They hung their heads in response. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m the daughter of you and¡­ Mira¡­?¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°F-First, what did you talk about¡­? I don¡¯t want to mention even more that-¡± The fox wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to tell her, Fey?¡± A very soft and gentle-sounding voice suddenly interrupted her. "Everything, I mean." ¡°Mira¡­?¡± She instantly recognized that voice and looked to the side, where she spotted the other white fox-girl with the many tails and teal ents. She had appeared in her hybrid form again, as well. ¡°Fluffy!¡± This time, Maya and Sophia had the same reaction. The cat-girl, while not as extreme, too, was a lover of everything fluffy, after all. ¡°SHUSH!¡± It was Steph¡¯s time to re now. ¡°A-Ah.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes alternated between the two other foxes. ¡°C-Can I please¡­ What is happening right now¡­?¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Mira first walked over to Fey and used her hand to glide through the fur on her side before making her way to the pink-haired girl. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She put a hand on her head and lightly ruffled her hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that Fey kept it a secret and how I didn¡¯t tell you, either¡­ Most of all, I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t there for you in person¡­ But, yes, you are our daughter. We had been thinking about it for the longest time, and when we learned about your previous life, we decided to let you reincarnate through us.¡± "W-Why¡­?" Tears started forming in her eyes'' corners. "Why did you two keep it a secret from me¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The overseer nced at the other fox. ¡°I wanted you to have a normal life¡­¡± Fey got closer to them while sounding incredibly apologetic. ¡°Mira is, well¡­ Mira. Her being your mother changes pretty much everything. Growing up like any other ordinary girl would be nearly impossible.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The teal fox nodded. ¡°Things would¡¯ve gotten extremelyplicated if I stayed with you¡­ You would¡¯ve been the center of attention wherever we went¡­ It''s also unheard of for overseers to have children that way. We kind of abused my powers to have you. Literally governing magic has its advantages¡­ It took some time to convince the others it was a good idea, though.¡± "I''m also sorry I always was evasive about the topic." Fey continued the apology. "I just had no idea what to do afterward¡­ I mean, once I confirmed my involvement, the question of who¡¯s the other parent would¡¯ve followed immediately¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Looking back at it, it probably was one of the worst decisions we could''ve made, but¡­" The fox didn¡¯t know how to finish her sentence. ¡°¡­¡± Chloe also didn¡¯t know what to say. "We indeed made some mistakes." Mira agreed. "We wanted your best, but we failed to realize what exactly that was. As an overseer, this fills me even more with shame. I can only apologize for what we did and promise that it won¡¯t happen again from now on.¡± She kept stroking the hair of the pink fox-girl. ¡°If you let me stay with you, that is. I could understand if this is asking for too much.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­?¡± Fey looked at her again. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°If I¡¯m wee, I will walk down here for the foreseeable future again." ¡°Y-You¡¯ll stay with us¡­?¡± Chloe eventually looked the teal fox in her eyes. ¡°Only if you want me to.¡± "¡­" She went silent again, and instead of answering, Chloe jumped at the teal fox, wrapped her arms around Mira, and tightly hugged her. ¡°Is that¡­ Err, is that a yes¡­?¡± "A-Absolutely!¡± The pink fox only increased her grip. ¡°I¡¯m still really confused, and I can¡¯t believe it, but¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose you now!¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Mira was bing increasingly emotional, as well, and hugged her back while trying her best to suppress her tears. ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you for giving me a chance.¡± She was failing at holding them back, though, and a few tears had already formed. "I-It¡¯s alright to cry a little while watching them, right¡­?¡± Maya was also affected by it and nced at the sisters for confirmation. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She noticed that both of them were way ahead of her already as some tears were flowing down their cheeks. ¡°Is that why I felt so at ease with you the other day when we met¡­?¡± Chloe tried to find an exnation about why she got along so well with Mira the moment she saw her. ¡°I¡­¡± The teal fox let go of her to be able to better look at the pink one. "I¡­ I would be delighted if that would be the case." ¡°Then that is what it was!¡± She simply smiled at her. ¡°¡­¡± Mira then nced at Fey, who had been next to them the entire time. "I will say it time and time again¡­ You raised her incredibly well. I can¡¯t apologize enough for only having been able to support you from the sidelines¡­¡± Saying so, she petted the head of the fox a couple of times. ¡°Hehe, seeing you this emotional is something new.¡± She enjoyed being pet and rhythmically moved her head in the same way. ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± The teal fox started blushing a little harder. ¡°There is just no way you can me me for that¡­¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to.¡± Sounding a little yful, Fey then booped her hip with her nose. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do that, either. I mean, it was foremost my idea. I was the one who wanted Chloe to have a normal life¡­ You agreed to it, but I know just how hard it was for you¡­¡± ¡°It really was¡­¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I always felt close because I was able to watch and look over her, but¡­ Seeing her happy and having a fulfilled life was all I wished for, but¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Fey booped her again. ¡°Were you really watching me, though¡­?¡± Chloe then tilted her head. ¡°Because if you did, you would¡¯ve known that being the daughter of an overseer and having a super interesting life filled with all kinds of things rted to that sounds amazing to me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira had no idea what to say in her defense. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s easy for me to say now¡­ I can definitely see and am absolutely thankful for your thoughts of wanting to protect me¡­ You, too, Feyfey.¡± The pink fox faced her other mother. ¡°Thank you so much for raising me with so much love and always having tried to put me first. I love you!¡± ¡°I-I love you, too!¡± This time, Fey pressed her head against the other girl. ¡°It¡¯s a little early, so it''s hard to say what my feelings are right now, but I do hope I want to be able to say the same to you, too.¡± Chloe nced at the overseer. ¡°I, at the very least, definitely can¡¯t wait to get to know you better!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira¡¯s expression got more emotional again. ¡°That¡¯s already way more than I could¡¯ve hoped for. Thank you so much for giving me a chance.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Showing her a massive smile, the pink fox girl went ahead and hugged the teal one yet again. ---------------- While all of that was happening, the other group members started to feel a little awkward. ¡°Is it really alright to be listening in to this¡­?¡± Aura wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good thing that they were still there. ¡°It seems rather private.¡± ¡°I do agree.¡± Fen nodded a couple of times. ¡°Steph,¡± Sophia ignored the wolves and looked at her sister. ¡°Can we, uhh¡­ check on your phone and if mom has seen your message more often from now on¡­? I want to see her. Tell her everything, as well.¡± ¡°O-Of course¡­¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°I want to, too!¡± The two were pretty touched by the scene in front of them. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I think I¡¯m going to visit my parentster¡­¡± Maya also wasn¡¯t unaffected by it. ¡°How about we give those three some alone time for now?¡± Aura looked at the girls. "They probably have a lot more to talk about, and it''s really not within our rights to be a part of that, as well.¡± "T-True!" The trio collected themselves, and afterward, the group decided to leave them alone for the time being and headed back to the vige to wait for them there.
Spoiler [copse] Chapter 379 – Girlfriend problems Chapter 379 ¨C Girlfriend problems Not only had Fey returned from her trip, but Mira, the overseer of magic, had also shown up, together with a rather big bombshell. As it turned out, Chloe is the actual daughter of Mira and Fey. Naturally, the pink fox had many questions, and she needed to process even more emotions that came with this revtion. Her mothers felt quite simrly about the topic, and the trio got very emotional and teary-eyed over their reunion. ¡°Well, that was something¡­¡± The group, sans the reunited family, was in Sophia''s treehouse again, trying to understand what had just happened. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The others could only agree with Maya. ¡°Did you two really not know about any of this?¡± The blonde faced the wolves. ¡°Fey and Mira, err¡­ getting along rather well?¡± ¡°I had no idea.¡± ¡°Neither did I.¡± They shook their heads before Aura continued. ¡°That being said, as we mentioned before, it¡¯s easily been many hundreds, if not a thousand years, since west met Feyanis. Who knows what happened since then.¡± ¡°We met Mira a few more times since then, but romance wasn¡¯t something we usually talked about.¡± The male wolf added a bit of trivia. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t exactly satisfied with that reply. ¡°Hundreds of years? Maybe a thousand, even¡­?¡± The dog-girl got stuck on that part. ¡°W-Wait!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°I-I did mention that part where we pretty much became and or are ageless because of our magic, right¡­?¡± With a slightly terrified expression, she looked at Maya for help. ¡°You did.¡± She looked back at her. ¡°But, it¡¯s a difference between being told that and actually having evidence or however you want to call it.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°I-It is a little hard to believe, after all¡­ Wait, how old are you?¡± She then also faced the wolves. ¡°Older than that.¡± The two answered her at the same time. ¡°I-I see.¡± She got a little nervous after hearing the tone in their voices. ¡°I mean, it has no priority right now because of the events, but I can¡¯t wait to get to know them better, too!¡± Sophia got back to the original topic. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to meet Fey ever since Chloe first mentioned her. Not to mention that I REALLY want to know what she did in the capital. Now, it seems like Mira will also be with us for a while! She¡¯s sooo fluffy! A wee addition!¡± "I agree!" Maya felt the same. "Though¡­ I''m not exactly sure if I really want to know what happened with the humans¡­" She had some mixed feelings about that part. ¡°Chloe¡¯s fluffier!¡± Steph started pouting. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°Quite honestly, I can''t agree anymore and say you''re biased. Nothing wrong with that, I want to add. I am, too, when ites to Maya, after all." ¡°Same~.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°I agree with my perfect tiger, as well.¡± She had to word it like that. ¡°Chloe is amazing, and her fluffiness is unbelievable, but¡­ Fey¡¯s tail seemed ever so slightly fluffier. I might be okay with giving our pink one the win because she¡¯s more attractive as a hybrid rather than a full, but against Mira and her literal armada of fluffy tails, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia seemed to feel the same. ¡°I agree with my perfect girlfriend.¡± She needed to respond in kind. ¡°I¡¯m willing to agree that Chloe is more attractive for the same reasons as Maya mentioned, which makes her fluff more interesting, but if it¡¯s just purely about fluffy, Fey wins. Mira''s fluff is attached to a beautiful woman, though. And there¡¯s lots of fluff. Yeah, her individual tails are inferior to Chloe and Fey, but there are nine! NINE!¡± ¡°Grrr¡­¡± The dog started growling. ¡°Oho, you¡¯re good that that already!¡± Aura was proud of her new fellow canine. ¡°Chloe¡¯s the number one!¡± She wasn¡¯t budging on it. ¡°And she should.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°For you, that is.¡± ¡°Being biased means she¡¯s the best for you, after all.¡± The tiger continued. ¡°You should definitely continue to be such a big fan of Chloe, though." The female wolf addressed her. "It shows your dedication, after all, and you need to grasp for every straw you have to survive from now on¡­ Then again, how would they react to their fluff being inferior¡­?¡± ¡°W-What¡¯s this about¡­?¡± The violet girl didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°You¡¯re dating the daughter of an extremely serious, doting, and protective woman, Fey, and her other mother is a literal overseer. Someone who gets worshipped by millions in this world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph¡¯s face turned as white as a sheet. ¡°Wow, I hadn¡¯t thought about that!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°You sure decided to go hard mode, huh?¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± Maya had nothing else to say. ¡°She¡¯ll definitely need it.¡± Fen agreed with her. ¡°D-Don¡¯t look so smug, sis!¡± The dog-girl red at her. ¡°Even with your enhanced personality, I can¡¯t even imagine you meeting Maya¡¯s parents!¡± ¡°I already did~.¡± She only got smugger instead. ¡°In fact, they love me!¡± ¡°More than me, actually¡­¡± The cat-girl looked a little tired. ¡°See!¡± ¡°N-No way¡­¡± On one side, she was happy for her sister, but it also was the exact opposite of what she wanted to hear right now. ¡°Hehe~!¡± ¡°How did you do that? I need to learn that fast!¡± "I met them in the capital without Maya and not knowing who they are¡­" Sophia scratched her cheek. "The two were lost, and I helped them find their way back. While doing that, we ended up chatting a lot and got along super well~.¡± ¡°How can anyone be this lucky?!¡± Steph couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°I know, right¡­?¡± Maya sounded tired again. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Well, that isn¡¯t going to work for me¡­ Fenny! Aura!¡± The dog-girl faced her wolves. ¡°You know Fey, right? How can I win her over?!¡± ¡°Havemon sense, know how to behave, don¡¯t be hyperactive, don¡¯t overdo things, be calm, don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Be the exact opposite of Sophia, basically.¡± Aura finished his sentence. ¡°Yup.¡± The male wolf nodded a few times. ¡°HEY!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like that. ¡°¡­¡± Steph¡¯s expression turnedplicated. ¡°I-I¡¯m doomed, huh¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Maya patted her shoulder a couple of times. ¡°You had a good run, though.¡± ¡°I-I think Mira likes me, though!¡± She had one chance left. ¡°She got interested in me and gifted me so much magic! Half of which I shared with her daughter without even knowing that part! She also knew about my crush on Chloe and encouraged her to kiss me when we were in her domain! T-That doesn¡¯t sound too bad for me, does it¡­?¡± ¡°That certainly is a start." Aura gave her a bit of hope. For a second, at least. "Mira only reunited with them herself, though, and probably has to prove herself first, as well. Fey''s the one who raised Chloe, and she''s the one you have to win over.¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± Steph hung her head. ¡°Always happy to help~.¡± The female wolf was enjoying herself. ¡°S-Sis, what should I do¡­?¡± She looked at the blonde with pleading eyes. "Your puppy eyes are already top-notch, as expected of a dog.¡± Sophia looked impressed for a moment before continuing. "Just be yourself? I''m pretty sure faking someone you aren''t will only end up even worse in the long run. You would be basically lying to her. Admittedly, I got SUPER lucky with Maya¡¯s parents, who put me on a way too high pedestal for some reason. Still, while I tried my best to watch my words, I not once said or did anything that didn¡¯t match my usual self. Right?¡± She looked at her cat-girl towards the end. ¡°I mean¡­ I guess?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°You were a lot calmer than usual, but you also did tell them a lot of ridiculous things they loved for some reason, so¡­ Yeah, you did try to show them your best side, but you were honest for the most part. I can¡¯t fault you at all.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Steph wasn¡¯t sure what to do with this information. ¡°Yeah, you are right. Pretending to be someone I am not, does sound like a bad idea and is asking for trouble. Also, Mira seemed to like my way of doing things. Changing that would mean losing points with one mom to gain some with the other. Even if Fey¡¯s supposed to be the tougher nut to crack, that n can only fail¡­¡± ¡°Oh! How about this?¡± The tiger started smiling. ¡°I have no idea what the current rtionship between Mira and Fey is, but our dear overseer seems to be in a bit of a tough spot right now. Chloe grew up without her, good intentions or not aside, so she has to prove herself, as well. To Chloe and Fey. If you get along with Mira, this might be the way. I bet she would appreciate the help, and Fey might be impressed about you wanting to help. I think¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t like she had any proof, after all. ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± The wolves seemed impressed. ¡°She really is.¡± Maya also had to give it to her. ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°That does sound like a solid-enough n¡­?¡± Steph gave it some thought. ¡°Well, it¡¯s at least better than everything I thought of so far¡­¡± ¡°What did youe up with?¡± The cat-girl got interested. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Sophia¡¯s n certainly is better, then.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Well, maybe, if I¡¯m half as lucky as my tiger here, Fey might also just like me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia liked that a lot. "I also want to see them again soon! We''ve already been waiting for Fey for so long! Mira''s an unexpected and amazing bonus! That meeting earlier was way too chaotic, to say the least! I can¡¯t wait!¡± As there was nothing else they could do right now, the group continued to think of alternative ways for Steph to win over Chloe¡¯s mothers while waiting for the three to finish their reunion. Chapter 380 – One way to deal with it Chapter 380 ¨C One way to deal with it After Chloe reunited with both of her mothers, the rest of the group decided to give the trio some alone time to talk, bond with each other, and do whatever else was needed. They returned to Sophia''s treehouse, where they tried toe up with a n for Steph to win over Chloe¡¯s parents. Suddenly meeting them was already one thing, but finding out that Chloe''s other parent was an actual overseer didn''t make it easier for the dog-girl. Both of her girlfriend''s mothers seem to be quite the big shots. A couple of hours had passed since then, but the family eventually seemed to have sorted out the most pressing issues as they had decided to go to the treehouse, as well, and regrouped with the others there. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the slight turbulences earlier.¡± Fey apologized to everyone before looking at Maya and the sisters. ¡°It got cut a little short because of something¡­¡± She nced at the something with the many tails. ¡°Once again, my name is Feyanis. Most decided to call me Fey, though. I¡¯m pleased to meet you and delighted that you seem to get along with my daughter.¡± ¡°Likewise!¡± The trio smiled at her before introducing themselves again, as well. --- ¡°You found some interesting friends.¡± Once she heard them introducing themselves while also getting a better look, including their magic, the full fox faced Chloe again. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°So,¡± She then focused on Maya. ¡°Are you the only normal one here? Okay, most normal one.¡± The fox slightly rephrased her question. "Your magic is still out of the ordinary, and I can also feel some traces of Canir¡¯s properties in it, but it seems like you¡¯re actually from here?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Yes.¡± The cat-girl needed a moment. ¡°My magic has always been unnaturally high, and it got even more potent with Sophia¡¯s influence, but I¡¯ve been native to this world and raised by normal parents.¡± ¡°Wow, that must¡¯ve been hard for you.¡± Fey sounded slightly sympathetic. ¡°Being the only one with regr nativemon sense¡­" ¡°YES!¡± She got very emotional in an instant. ¡°Finally, someone who understands my pain!¡± ¡°Well, I have my fair share of problems in that regard with a certain someone, as well.¡± Fey stole a nce or two at Chloe while answering her. ¡°H-Hey!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. "Admittedly, she certainly didn''t help with the issue after having joined our group." Maya also looked at the pink fox. "A-Ah¡­¡± ¡°What did I tell you about that?¡± Her stare turned a little rougher. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Chloe flinched under the pressure. ¡°I-It was just too much fun with Sophia and the others!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The serious duo let out a sigh in return. It was hard to be mad at her. ¡°I guess I left you alone for too long, too¡­¡± Fey hung her head. ¡°I should¡¯ve hurried more.¡± ¡°Err, speaking of¡­¡± Sophia stared at her. ¡°We heard that you went on a quick sightseeing trip to the human capital. Is it still, uhh¡­ there?¡± "Ahh¡­" She looked back at her. "You also used to be human, right? I guess you were slightly concerned about them after you heard I got angry at them? You might not know the humans of this world yet, but trust me, you wouldn¡¯t be concerned about them if you knew them. They have some serious... let''s call it management issues.¡± ¡°AHAHA!¡± Hearing that, Fen was unable to hold back hisughter. ¡°Glorious!¡± ¡°What is the meaning of this reaction?¡± Fey simply stared at him. ¡°Well, ignoring some smaller events, our concerned tiger here already went to war with a human army, singlehandedly defeated them, andpletely broke their minds with darkness-based magic.¡± ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± Steph got loud because thest part was still news to her. ¡°I-I got a little upset that they threatened my loved ones, okay¡­?¡± ¡°Oho!¡± The voice of the full fox turned warm. ¡°Someone who stands up for family and friends, and knows how to get angry? I respect that!¡± ¡°Sure, you do¡­¡± The male wolf started mumbling. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°N-Nothing!¡± He immediately turned his head away. ¡°Anyway,¡± The blonde got back to the topic. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I was nning to go to the capital myself, to tell them how I feel about them based on the things I''ve seen so far, but then I heard about, well¡­ you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Fey nodded a few times. ¡°But, wait¡­ does that mean you were the one who messed up their army¡­? Half of them fainted when I came near while the other half started screaming while, uhh¡­ having had pants-rted incidents.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to react, especially to thest part. ¡°I focused my, let¡¯s call it¡­ brainwashing on making them exceptionally afraid of evening near a member of the beastfolk, so¡­ Yeah, it sounds like my work. Though, it''s not really brainwashing, I guess? More like instigating a deeply rooted fear to prevent them from messing with things they have no right to mess with? Later on, if they''ve ever be capable of treating the beastfolk as equals, it shouldn''t have an effect on them anymore, anyway. Even though I overdid a bit back then and said some things that were out of line, I was angry about what they tried to do.¡± ¡°My, it almost seems like we will get along well in the future.¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya and Steph had some considerable reservations about that, but for different reasons. One of them had put their whole hope in Fey as their ray of hope for making the blonde calm down, and the other was envious of their bonding. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°How did you meet that army? You should¡¯ve been way ahead of them, on top of being much faster. Oh, was it on the way back?¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± Fey shook her head. ¡°Halfway towards the capital, I calmed down enough to think ¡®why'' and headed back. While basically everyone in power amongst the humans is at least close to being hopeless, there are also many that are innocent and or did not have a choice in one way or another. I decided that I much rather be with Chloe than doing that.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Both sisters agreed. ¡°There, I found that army.¡± She continued her story. ¡°At first, I thought about taking out my remaining anger on them. I mean, they arenot innocent. Still, once I noticed what was going on, I changed my ns yet again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± Sophia and Chloe had the same reaction. ¡°Let me finish.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Long story short, I started a revolution in their capital." ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± This time, Fen, Aura, and Maya joined the duo. ¡°Fey, my dear,¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°I think you need to add a few more details here. I mean, I watched over you a few times during your expedition, so I know what happened, but you skipped some crucial steps there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get to that! You know that I like to start with the result before exining what I did.¡± ¡°And I never understood why¡­¡± The voices of the pink and teal fox ovepped. ¡°¡­¡± Fey didn¡¯t like that. ¡°I think it¡¯s a great way to exin things!¡± Steph took her chance. ¡°That way, you know if you¡¯re even interested before having to listen to whatever exnation there is!" ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Also, what other exnation is even needed here?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s perfectly obvious what she did?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Everyone looked at her. ¡°Oho?¡± Fey also faced her. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, humans have a bit of a supremacy thing going on, right? They''re, like, the best and all¡­ Even though they are, in fact, not. Which is totally fine. The issue here seems like they''re dealing with it. Like, the beastfolk is supposed to be under them for whatever reason, even though animal features are a clear upgrade¡­ To me, at least. Anyway, you took the army Sophia broke, taught them how to be humble, and brought them to the capital. Or, at least, the captains or whatever, because that would be easier to organize. And now¡­ they¡¯re the new leaders." Steph made a small pause. "Again, I haven''t met the humans in this world yet, but it''s just impossible for an entire race to be that hopeless. It has to be their leaders being responsible for the state of things. Propaganda, lies, istion, oppression, and all the other good stuff. In our old world, there were regions and countries ruled by dictators and simr kinds that used these tactics to make their people submit and believe in their lies, as well. There, too, it felt like the entire poption of that country was beyond saving. However, once you''ve cut the head of the snake, you quickly realize that there were lots of normal people still around.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The full continued to stare at her. ¡°You¡¯re good. That¡¯s more or less what happened. Thanks to Mira, I actually managed to bring Sophia''s whole army. Her weird portal invention was great for that.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Steph enjoyed the praise. ¡°Portal invention¡­?¡± The tiger got curious about that part. ¡°I, err¡­ might¡¯ve copied your idea when I first saw you ying around with it.¡± The overseer nced at her. "I usually simply teleport back and forth to my domain, but your idea looked fun, so¡­" ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± The blonde just smiled back. ¡°There¡¯s no way the humans in the capital, especially their excuse for royalty, would''ve gone along with that!" Fen didn''t believe it. ¡°Making the current rulers bow down in front of me and their former army while their castle is burning behind them was quite impactful.¡± Fey¡¯s absolutely dry voice made it sound about twice as scary as it already was. ¡°¡­¡± Most of the group was speechless. ¡°I guess that might have a slight chance of actually working.¡± Even the male wolf sounded impressed. ¡°Afterward, Mira let me use her portals again to send the previous nobility to the other side of the continent. After all, we don''t want them toe up with anything shady. I thought about simply removing them, but this actually felt more impactful. Killing them also would divert a lot of the folk''s hatred towards me, which wouldn''t have helped.¡± ¡°I love it!¡± Sophia was a fan. She also preferred leaving asting impression over the other option. "I also stayed for a bit while I quelled every sign of a counter-rebellion by giving the same treatment while also teaching the new rulers some basics. The bar wasn''t high, but they still had even less of an idea of how to run a country. They are far frompetent, and it will be hard, but the three members of the beastfolk I left there to supervise seemed extraordinarilypetent, so I¡¯m 24% certain it will work out in the long run. They even got epted by the masses to a degree. Just as Steph said, once the rotten part was removed, the remaining parts actually started healing, to put in other words.¡± ¡°My, aren¡¯t those some great numbers?¡± Aura had to do it. ¡°That¡¯s about 24% higher than the previous humanity with their impossible leaders working out in the long run. One day, they surely would''ve picked a fight with a race that doesn''t simply defend themselves and call it a day as the beastfolk does.¡± Fey looked back at her. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a point.¡± The female wolf took back her sarcastic undertone. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± The tiger looked confused. ¡°What¡¯s that about the three members of the beastfolk? There shouldn¡¯t be any of us near their capital, no?¡± "They arrived just before I was getting ready to leave," Fey answered her. ¡°They apparently were messengers from the beastfolk capital and were sent there to discuss the consequences of the war the humans started and lost. I decided to give them a promotion to a management position.¡± ¡°Sounds familiar.¡± Maya stole some nces at her blonde. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Those poor messengers¡­¡± ¡°Poor Menzor and his headache.¡± The cat-girl felt sorry for someone else. ¡°I¡¯m not going to exin that to him!" Sophia immediately raised her voice. "For once, I am innocent! INNOCENT!¡± She sounded really happy about that. ¡°Weren¡¯t you nning to tell him some things that will cause some serious headaches, as well?" The cat-girl didn''t let her be smug for long. ¡°S-Shush!¡± ¡°Someone is a bit of a troublemaker, isn¡¯t she?¡± Fey stared at the blonde again. ¡°N-Not intentionally!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I believe you?¡± She only intensified her stare. ¡°W-Who knows¡­?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started swimming. ¡°I see.¡± The fox let it be for now. ¡°Anyway, I was nning to inform the king of the beastfolk about the events as soon as possible. Meeting Chloe first had a much higher priority, though.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± The blonde saw no fault in that. ¡°Origin aside, you are a tiger, right? From the sound of it, you are able to meet him fairly easily. Would it be possible to get an audience with him for me?¡± ¡°I usually waltz right into his office when something¡¯s up, but¡­ I think I can ask for an audience¡­?" She tilted her head while also scratching her cheek. "Not an intentional troublemaker, huh?" "A-Ah.¡± She had nothing to say in her defense.
Chapter 381 – Mother and daughter Chapter 381 ¨C Mother and daughter Chloe, Fey, and Mira reunited with the others after having had some alone time, and the full fox told Sophia and the group what happened in the human capital that she visited to clean up. As it turned out, rather thanpletely burning it to the ground, she started a revolt. Their castle still burned down, though. She had taken the army Sophia broke during the war some time ago and made them the new leaders, as they¡¯re painfully aware of what would happen if they won¡¯t change their attitude. ¡°Alright, enough about that topic.¡± Fey didn¡¯t want to talk about the humans anymore and faced the wolves. ¡°I¡¯m still interested in why you two are here. Also, Aura, why is your magic maxed out? It didn''t use to be like that as far as I can remember." ¡°I met Sophia during spring, and we stayed together because she was and is quite interesting. During our travels, our group kept growing on the way to the beastfolk capital she wanted to see. From there, Aura and I went a bit on an exploration and ran into this vige. That¡¯s pretty much it.¡± ¡°About my magic¡­¡± The female wolf got a little awkward. ¡°I had the glorious idea of trying to teleport myself and¡­¡± ¡°Are you an idiot?!¡± Fey got loud. ¡°Yup.¡± She simply nodded. ¡°I had no idea it was basically impossible, okay? Thankfully, ording to Canir, I somehow got saved by magic because I got extra power to not die from it. Well, I almost died, but I made it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee~.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Aura faced her. ¡°Did you¡­?¡± ¡°Yes." She kept smiling. "I noticed what was about to happen, increased the ambient magic around you, and ordered it to guide you through it. We didn¡¯t want you to die now, did we?¡± ¡°T-Thank you..." The female wolf sounded incredibly touched. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Fey and Fen didn¡¯t like the tone in her voice. ¡°Ahaha,¡± Mira smiled at the slightly jealous-sounding duo before looking at Aura again. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting for the authority to stick to you, though. You weren¡¯t supposed to end up with the demons, either.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you!¡± ¡°Are you alright with telling them about the authority part?¡± The full fox sounded a little concerned. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Canir already told them about that.¡± ¡°Wait...¡± Sophia joined their conversation. ¡°Speaking of Canir, if I remember right, when he told us about Aura¡¯s ident, he never mentioned that part. In fact, he also sounded rather confused about the details.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever told him?¡± Mira tried to recall it. ¡°Isn¡¯t he the main overseer?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean he oversees and knows everything...?¡± ¡°Not even close, my dear~.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°While he has a general understanding of everything, and his magic is the most potent around as it¡¯spatible with every system, when ites to the fine details of this world specifically, his knowledge about magic covers maybe one-third. At best. That¡¯s why us local and or specialized overseers exist.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. "TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Sophia''s eyes instantly started to sparkle. "I want to learn more about magic!" ¡°No can do~.¡± She replied with a rather cheeky expression. ¡°There are a few exceptions I do every now and then,¡± The teal fox took a quick nce at Fey. ¡°But I usually don¡¯t meddle with the magic development. You have to discover it yourself.¡± ¡°Aww...¡± ¡°I do give some tips every now and then, though. To guide you in the right direction if you¡¯re onto something. Also, if you''ve discovered something, I will honestly confirm or deny it without being wishy-washy about it." ¡°Ohh!¡± The tiger liked the sound of that much more. ¡°I hope you¡¯re prepared to hear one ridiculous idea after another from me!¡± ¡°From me, as well!¡± The sisters were on the same page. ¡°S-Same!¡± So was Chloe. ¡°More than prepared, I¡¯m looking forward to it~.¡± Mira gave all of them a thumbs-up. ¡°As the overseer of magic, it fills me with great joy hearing the wildest theories about my system.¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± It seemed like Fen wanted to say something while he faced the teal fox. ¡°If you helped Aura survive her experiment... Why didn¡¯t you bring her back to the ce she started out?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The expression of the overseer turned a little awkward. ¡°I didn¡¯t actually know where she ended up for quite a while. Thanks to her change in authority, I lost her. I mean, especially with her magical powers having reached the limit, she has quite the aura, sorry about the bad pun, but there are a number of individuals on the demon continent who got close enough to the limit, as well. Combined with me overseeing the demon continent quite irregrly because they¡¯re doing a fantastic job on their own, it took me a while to notice what was going on." ¡°That sounds understandable.¡± The male wolf had nothing else to say. ¡°Once I found her, and saw how much fun she was having with the dragons, I infused the strongest of them with a sort of healing-based magic that helped you regain your memories once he bonked you.¡± "DRAGONS?!" Steph and Chloe got loud. ¡°Thank you for helping me, but¡­¡± Aura ignored the excited-sounding duo. ¡°Why in such a roundabout way¡­?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Mira had an easy exnation for it. "I thought this would be the most, uhh¡­ natural way. Again, I usually don¡¯t interfere to this degree, unless I confirm or deny some sort of milestones in magic discoveries, but I do like you quite a lot, as you¡¯re part of the group that enjoys magic the most in this world. That¡¯s why I helped you out more without making it too obvious.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Aura¡¯s voice changed again. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Once more, Fen and Fey didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Are those the sorts of misunderstandings Ari and I create every now and then¡­?¡± Sophia noticed a slight simrity between her and the somewhat ambiguous duo in front of them. ¡°Yes.¡± The cat-girl simply nodded. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± "Err, could we return to that dragon topic for a moment?¡± Steph had no intention of letting that umented. ¡°EXACTLY!¡± Chloe liked the sound of that even more. ¡°There are dragons?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mira smiled at the duo. ¡°They are native to the demon continent, and there are many of those fellows around there." ¡°They are great fun!¡± Aura joined in. "They love to fight and pack a nice punch on top!" ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the fighting part, but I SOOO want to see a dragon! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°What she said!¡± The dog and pink fox were on the exact same page. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Steph.¡± Sophia looked at her. ¡°Visiting the demon continent and the dragons is already on our travel itinerary.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± The couple liked that a lot. ¡°You two sure get along great.¡± Fey got a little suspicious over how in sync they were. ¡°Ah.¡± They instantly got awkward. ¡°I know, right?¡± Mira¡¯s smile got even bigger when she agreed to the full fox''s observation. "It¡¯s no wonder those two started dating, isn¡¯t it?¡± "..." The feeling around Fey instantly changed while she focused her attention on them. "What?" "A-Ah!¡± They had no better reaction to it. ¡°Wait!¡± The overseer noticed her mistake. ¡°Right! You didn¡¯t know about that yet, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I did not.¡± ¡°Ahh~¡± Mira scratched her cheek. ¡°Oopss...¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t oops me!¡± Chloe got loud. "You''re the one who gave us thest push after you made me kiss her!" ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Fey stared at the teal fox. Her voice seemed perfectly calm, but it somehow sounded very unsettling. ¡°Brr¡­¡± The blonde even started shivering in response. ¡°Was that really necessary?¡± Mira stole a few nces at the pink fox. "A-After you just blurted out my rtionship with Steph without me having had the chance to prepare Feyfey¡­? Yes. Yes, it was necessary.¡± Interestingly enough, Chloe¡¯s voice had the exact same feel to it as the full fox. "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Why exactly was Chloe unsure if Fey''s her actual mother¡­?¡± Maya was confused as she definitely inherited some traits of her. "No idea." The wolves and the tiger shook their heads. ¡°Sooo," Ignoring them, the full fox then focused all of her attention on Steph. ¡°You are dating my daughter?¡± ¡°Y-Yeshn!¡± She bit her tongue. ¡°Is that how you¡¯re supposed to reply?¡± ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Chloe raised her voice again. ¡°Be nice to her! Steph did nothing wrong!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember her getting my permission to date you, though.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to get your permission!¡± The pink fox got even louder. "She has mine, and that''s all she needs!¡± ¡°I-It would be great to have it, though.¡± The dog-girl tried her best to match the gaze of Fey. ¡°I love her, and I only have the best intentions!¡± ¡°You love her?¡± ¡°Yes! I mean, I undoubtedly fell for her at first sight, and I enjoyed every second we spent with each other so far! I¡¯d say that counts!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too confident...¡± Fey had some mixed feelings. ¡°W-Well, we only know each other for around a week. My feelings are strong and grow with each passing moment, but we¡¯re also still getting to know each other.¡± ¡°You know each other for a week and already started dating my daughter?¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°M-Mom, stop that!¡± Chloe red at her mother. ¡°It was a mutual decision! I also fell for her, and I want it to work out! Where''s the problem in changing up the usual routine a little?!" ¡°Mrmnn...¡± She grumbled a little more before her tense expression eventually loosened up a little. As far as one could tell from a full, at least. The pink fox was her number one, after all, so being red at by her made even her flinch. ¡°So,¡± Even then, she wasn¡¯t done questioning the dog just yet and looked at her again. ¡°You only have the best intentions, is what you said. What are your intentions?¡± ¡°My number one priority is to make both of us happy!¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t your number one priority be to make her happy?¡± ¡°MOM!¡± The pink fox red at her again. ¡°The one doesn¡¯t work without the other.¡± Steph just smiled at Fey. ¡°If Chloe isn¡¯t happy, I am not happy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same the other way around!¡± The girl in question interrupted her. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The dog-girl liked that. ¡°That¡¯s what I mean. Of course, making Chloe happy is part of my number one priority, but how can I make anyone happy without being happy myself? Being with her makes me happy, though. Thanks to that, as long as that¡¯s the case, I can do my best to make her happy, as well. Both of us need to be happy to make each other happy!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The full fox went silent. ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± Mira sounded impressed. ¡°S-Shush!¡± Fey didn¡¯t appreciate her stating the obvious. ¡°What things do you like to do? What brings you joy in life?¡± She continued to concentrate on Steph. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She needed a moment. ¡°I like taking care of people, I guess? My sister was a major pain, but I loved making her life just a little better!" "T-Thanks for that¡­" The pain in question reacted with a wry smile. ¡°Anytime~.¡± She gave her a thumbs up before looking at Fey again. ¡°Other than that, I absolutely adore traveling! If I can be out in nature and explore unknown ces, I''m the happiest girl you''ve evere along!" ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She gave her a big nod. "Unless it gets too hot¡­ I might be a little sluggish and whiney, then¡­ I''ll still be interested in the ce, though! Even so, I prefer colder ces." ¡°¡­¡± The full fox went silent again. ¡°They¡¯re made for each other, aren¡¯t they?¡± The overseer just had to say it. ¡°Mrr¡­¡± The full fox snarled at the teal one. Obviously, no one knew Chloe better than her, and so she was absolutely aware of howpatible they seemed to be. Still, as an overly doting mother, she couldn¡¯t just admit that. As a result of that, Fey needed some time to cope with the situation.
Chapter 382 – A crafty ploy Chapter 382 ¨C A crafty ploy While the group was chatting, Mira revealed that she was involved in Aura''s teleportation incident and helped her survive it. Later, she also assisted in returning her memories. That wasn¡¯t the only topic the overseer talked about, though. She also blurted out that Chloe and Steph had started dating. Naturally, Fey, who hadn¡¯t heard about that yet, was more than a little bewildered about her daughter suddenly being in a rtionship, and as any doting mother, she took the partner of her daughter for a ride. Luckily, Steph fared reasonably well, and there was little the full fox couldin about. And she tried. ¡°S-So¡­¡± After everything calmed down a little, Steph eventually looked at Fey again. ¡°Did I, err¡­ pass?¡± ¡°There is nothing for you to pass here!¡± Chloe immediately got loud again. ¡°Well¡­¡± The full fox paused for a moment. ¡°I won''t challenge you to a magic duel to the death, at least." ¡°T-That¡¯s a start.¡± ¡°For now.¡± ¡°Not now and not ever!¡± Chloe raised her voice even more. ¡°I¡¯ll get angry if you don¡¯t stop now, mom!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey went silent. ¡°Nownow¡­¡± Sophia smiled at the pink fox. ¡°What would you do and say when your daughter, hypothetically speaking, enters a rtionship without you knowing and with a person you never met before?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe also went silent. ¡°I know what I would do.¡± The tiger¡¯s voice changed a little. "A magic duel to the death with that person would only be my warm-up." ¡°Our possible future will keep being eventful¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°Come on,¡± The blonde nced at her. ¡°As if you would a, stop me and, secondly, would handle it any differently.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent, as well. This sort of reaction seemed to be even moremon than usual at the moment. ¡°See?¡± Pointing at her girlfriend, Sophia then looked at Chloe again. ¡°It¡¯s only natural to get protective. You¡¯re her child, after all. She has yet to find out that Steph is the best.¡± ¡°You might have a point¡­¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t find anything to argue with. ¡°Will you give her a chance?¡± She then faced the full fox again. ¡°¡­¡± Her gaze alternated between the new couple a few times. ¡°W-Well, your intuition and people skills have always been on point, so¡­ She also seems to know what she wants and how to treat others. She¡¯s cute, too¡­" Fey then stared hard at Steph. ¡°If you hurt her, I will hurt you.¡± ¡°And I will finish you off afterward.¡± Sophia sided with her. She, too, liked the fluffy pink one a lot, after all. "Sisters or not. Well, the same is true for Chloe, though. I don¡¯t discriminate here. She''d also be done for." ¡°Y-Yes!¡± A chill ran down the spine of the dog-girl. "I already vowed myself that I won''t ever let that happen!" ¡°Alright¡­¡± Fey took a deep breath. ¡°I still can¡¯t say I¡¯m happy, especially about the circumstances, but¡­ not giving the person my daughter chose a chance would be incredibly rude in itself¡­¡± ¡°T-Thank you!¡± Steph rxed a little again. ¡°I won¡¯t be a disappointment!¡± ¡°Mrmmnn¡­¡± She still was a little grumbly. ¡°Come on,¡± Mira also smiled at her. ¡°You knew that this would happen someday, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡­ You!¡± Fey suddenly intensified her stare on the overseer. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes! You helped Steph getting settled in this world by giving her magic. Why did you do that? Chloe was a special case, but every other person you let reincarnate, in whatever way, you never did that before. Why her?¡± ¡°Uhh...¡± The overseer froze. ¡°Mira told me that she had taken a liking to me~.¡± The dog-girl sounded rather happy about it. ¡°Because of how well along I instantly get with the others, especially with Chloe. Also, she wanted to one-up Canir and Sophia.¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± The teal fox seemed quite evasive for some reason. ¡°Hmm...¡± Fey kept staring at her. ¡°Alright, I understand the Canir part. If you have the chance to one-up him, you use it, but... You gave her so much, in non-overseer terms, of your magic just because you took a liking to her? Because she got along with Chloe?¡± ¡°M-More or less... Canir told me a lot about Sophia and then her sisterter on, and I got interested because our tiger here is having a lot of fun with my magic. I wanted to see what Steph would do with it.¡± ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± She could follow her train of thought. ¡°Still, why this much magic? Even after she gave half of it to our girl, she still has an overwhelming amount. So does Chloe now... Ah.¡± ¡°...¡± Mira turned her head away. ¡°I see now... You took a liking to Steph, even more so after you noticed how well she got along with our girl. Because of that, you gifted her way more than enough authority for two people. ording to what Chloe said earlier, you even talked her into kissing the dog-girl, and ultimately was the final piece for them to be a couple..." She paused for a moment. "I don¡¯t doubt all of it being true, but it also was a ploy to boost Chloe¡¯s authority behind my back, wasn¡¯t it? You had the feeling that Steph would share her new powers with her crush to make things even, right?¡± ¡°Err...¡± Mira awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Steph and Chloe got loud. ¡°Well, as long as it wasn¡¯t your only motivation, I don¡¯t mind, but that sure is crafty!¡± The violet dog wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°Thank you!¡± The pink fox was quite happy about it. ¡°I thought we agreed that giving her a somewhat higher but still reasonable authority at birth was the way to go?" Fey sounded less happy. ¡°It even was your suggestion, too! You said that her authority will already be worth at least double the normal folk and that she will also inherit your almost instant regeneration. I readily agreed because that meant she seemed more regr at first nce, but why did you change your mind now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Sophia¡¯s fault.¡± She pointed at the tiger. ¡°Why is it always my fault?!¡± The girl in question immediately got loud. ¡°I know how much our girl loves ying with magic, and having seen just how much fun Sophia was having with the over-the-top amount she got from Canir, I wanted to do more for Chloe. It happened in a somewhat roundabout way because of the circumstances, but I wanted her to have even more fun!¡± ¡°Okay, I take responsibility for that.¡± The blonde could live with the usation now. ¡°Also,¡± Mira faced the full fox again. ¡°I tried my best to add all sorts of safeties that won¡¯t hinder the fun aspects but should prevent actual catastrophes from happening.¡± She nced at the blonde during the end. "A-Ahaha...¡± She got a little awkward. ¡°Well, I guess you had the best intentions...¡± Fey let out a small sigh. ¡°I also trust Chloe to not do anything bad with her new authority because while she loves to y with it, she is aware of the consequences it can have. Still, why didn''t you talk about it with me first? I have the right to be a part of such big decisions." ¡°You definitely have! Much more than I, for that matter, but...¡± Mira scratched her cheek. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the time when I prepared the blessing for Steph because everything happened so quickly... Those sisters can¡¯t sit still for 3 seconds, after all.¡± ¡°Kinda...¡± The duo in question had nothing to say in their defense. ¡°I was nning to speak about it with you soon, but even I was surprised when they suddenly showed up in my domain, started dating immediately, and Steph sharing her magic all in the first week, you know?¡± "A-Ahh...¡± Steph and Chloe started blushing. ¡°That seems to be a fair excuse.¡± Fey seemed to be okay with that. ¡°While we know that our girl is quite impulsive, that¡¯s a record even for her.¡± ¡°Not going to apologize!¡± The pink fox had gotten a little shy about it, but she wasn¡¯t regretting a single thing. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, either.¡± It was quite a shock for her, but Fey couldn¡¯t be angry at anyone for that. Especially not her daughter. ¡°We¡¯ll intensify your training again, though. Wielding that much authority is a different story altogether. Ites with a load of responsibilities!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°It does?¡± Sophia tilted her head in return. ¡°Isn¡¯t it more or less the same, just... more?¡± ¡°It¡¯s much more than that!¡± Fey stared at her. ¡°Really? From what I¡¯ve learned, it just means that you can explode things harder and faster once you have enough magic to use chantless magic.¡± ¡°Who taught you magic...? Fen?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°N-No way?!¡± Her eyes shot open before she red at the male wolf. ¡°You actually went ahead and taught your whimsical methods to others?! Do you have any idea how much could¡¯ve gone wrong with your approach to magic used by someone who has absolutely no idea how any of it works?!¡± ¡°...¡± He went silent. ¡°How much did go wrong.¡± Maya corrected her. ¡°C-Come on...¡± Fen tried to defend himself. ¡°Admittedly, I like to take shortcuts and often enough don¡¯t take consequences into ount, but I dide up with some pretty interesting magics during my life. My control of it is decent, too. Also, Aura has pretty much the same mindset I have!¡± "I know..." Fey quickly nced at the female wolf before concentrating on the other one for a moment again. ¡°I definitely do not fault your achievements and control... it¡¯s your technique that¡¯s concerning. Yours, too, miss I tried to teleport myself!¡± ¡°...¡± Both wolves had nothing to say anymore. ¡°You!¡± The full fox then focused on the tiger. ¡°Me?¡± She pointed at herself. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure how different it is for you thanks to using Canir¡¯s nk authority, but you will be joining Chloe in our training! You, more than anyone else, need to be aware of some rules!" ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Sophia liked the idea. ¡°Err...¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Fey immediately red at the male wolf again. ¡°...¡± "Can I join the training, too?" Steph entered the conversation. ¡°I really want to learn as much as I can about magic, too!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Chloe answered her first. ¡°Yes. Yes, you can.¡± Fey had nothing against it, either. ¡°M-Might things actually get better from now on...?¡± Maya sounded strangely emotional for some reason.
Chapter 383 – The challenges of raising someone Chapter 383 ¨C The challenges of raising someone While exining why Mira had gifted Steph a portion of her magic, Fey found another motivation for the overseer to do it. As the little sister was getting along with Chloe so well from the very beginning, the teal fox was hoping for them to get even closer and gave Steph more than enough authority for two people so that she could share half of it with their favorite pink fox. Fey had some mixed feelings about the matter, but she epted it and decided to train her daughter even more now because that much authorityes with bigger responsibilities. The sisters also decided to join in on the training. ¡°Okay, now that everything calmed down a little after it having been slightly turbulent for various reasons, can I start questioning you for a while?¡± While everyone was still together, Sophia changed her attention to Mira. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you any in-depth secrets about magic unless you get close enough to them yourself, but other than that, you can ask me anything.¡± ¡°Good enough for now!¡± The blonde seemed in a good mood. ¡°First, Steph!¡± She faced her sister. ¡°You totally lied to me! I love Chloe and all, and sorry about what I¡¯m about to say, my dear pink one, but Mira is way above you on the fluffiness scale. Yes, your single tail is glorious and a gift to this world, but it can¡¯t win against her nine! Steph was definitely biased because Mira needs less than three of her tails to match yours! Again, I love you, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s totally fine.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I agree with you, too.¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± The teal fox liked thepliments. ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± The dog-girl got loud. ¡°Chloe has the best fluff! I might¡¯ve overdone it with my im of Mira needing three of her tails to match Chloe, though¡­¡± She got a little awkward. ¡°I¡¯d say that it¡¯s around two of mine~.¡± The overseer seemed to be quite proud of her fluff as she moved all of her tails around a little bit to further prove her point. ¡°Chloe¡¯s still the fluffiest to me!¡± Steph had no intention of giving up. ¡°Yes, your fluffiest.¡± Sophia looked at her. ¡°We¡¯re talking unbiased here, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± The tiger then got back to Mira. ¡°Why nine tails?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Ha.¡± She needed a moment. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know how I can follow up on that¡­¡± ¡°It is a good reason.¡± Maya saw no fault in her exnation. ¡°Why nine, though?¡± ¡°Because ten would be too much.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± The blonde was struggling. ¡°Making her speechless twice in a row is quite the feat.¡± The cat-girl sounded impressed. ¡°Y-Yeah, she¡¯s good.¡± Sophia herself had to agree as well. ¡°Still, nine tails¡­ I do vaguely remember some myths that include nine-tailed foxes from my old world¡­ Is there any rtion?¡± ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Mira¡¯s smile turned slightly cheekier. ¡°Can you handle it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Once again, she had no reply ready. ¡°Dang, I have to step up my game if this goes on!¡± Maya¡¯s voice almost had a hint of admiration in it. ¡°Well, to give you an easy way out, every myth has a hint of truth in it, but I¡¯ve never been personally to your world.¡± ¡°Hmmn¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to make out of it. ¡°I guess that¡¯s enough information for me. I¡¯ll just enjoy looking at the fluffy!¡± ¡°That might be for the best~.¡± ¡°Still, nine tails¡­ Isn¡¯t that hard?¡± "No, they''re pretty soft, actually." Mira''s smirk increased. ¡°I can see that!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Even now, I still get overwhelmed by my singr tail every so often.¡± While saying so, she used the tip of her tail to bonk Maya¡¯s forehead. ¡°O-Ouch! What was that for?!¡± "See? Even though I have had it for so long already, it still does whatever it wants from time to time. I can¡¯t imagine having eight more of them!¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t want to imagine you having that many¡­¡± The cat-girl had her own opinion on that matter and lightly red at the blonde while rubbing the sore spot on her forehead. ¡°For starters, your tail is much more maneuverable than mine are. We can move them, wag them, express emotion, or use them to aid our bnce to some degree, but bonking your girlfriend with such amazing uracy is reserved for only the most skilled felines. That being said, my tails have a bit of a mind on their own, as well, but I can''t say they give me much of a problem. Well, unless I want to go through a smaller door¡­ I¡¯m notpatible with those¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia stared a little harder at the literal mess of tails behind her. ¡°I can see that being the case. Brushing them probably takes forever, too?¡± ¡°Not really, actually.¡± The teal fox shook her head. ¡°I use magic for that. Else, a single day wouldn¡¯t have enough hours for that.¡± ¡°Oh, clever!¡± ¡°Can you teach me how to do that?!¡± Chloe was very interested in that magic. ¡°Can you not?!¡± Steph seemed to have a different opinion on that matter. ¡°E-Eh? Why not?¡± The pink fox looked confused. ¡°You can¡¯t rob me of a future where I can be responsible for grooming your tail!¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Her face turned red. ¡°Mrrmn¡­¡± Fey didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of that exchange. "Come on," Mira smiled at her. "You also always love it when I take care of your tail in my current hybrid form.¡± ¡°T-This and that are different!¡± ¡°How so?¡± The overseer tilted her head. "They are also a couple, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The full fox went silent for a moment. ¡°I guess you have a point¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked her reply. ¡°So, do you want to learn the brushing magic?¡± Mira faced Chloe again. ¡°I-I guess I¡¯m in no rush¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Steph liked the sound of that. ¡°By the way, speaking of,¡± Chloe looked at her mothers. ¡°Are you two still together¡­? I, uhh, mean¡­ you look close, which is great, but¡­ It¡¯s almost been 20 years since, err¡­ me.¡± She pointed at herself. ¡°You haven¡¯t met since then, no? I mean, I would¡¯ve noticed that!¡± ¡°What are 20 years? At a certain point, that is little difference to two years, at best.¡± ¡°Also, we met quite often.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± The pink fox was more than surprised about both ims. ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you get older.¡± Aura answered one part of it. ¡°Time really doesn¡¯t mean much anymore past a certain point.¡± ¡°I see... Still! What about you meeting often?! I was with Feyfey almost all the time!¡± ¡°Almost is the key here, my dear.¡± Mira smiled at her. "We decided I couldn''t show myself to you because of the implications, but I''ve been a much bigger part of your life than you think... I was constantly there during your first months, almost the entire first year. You just can''t remember because you were too young. Afterward, I kept visiting during the nights whenever I had the chance. You¡¯re a good sleeper, so even after I had my fill of you, which took quite a while, Fey and I still had enough opportunities for our own quality time.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The full fox nodded. ¡°T-That is so unfair!¡± Chloe sounded honestly upset. ¡°You should¡¯ve just stayed! I understand the concerns you had, but the way it happened means that I was the only one that suffered instead of being protected!¡± ¡°...¡± The two needed a moment. ¡°We are honestly and truly very sorry about our actions and the damage we caused...¡± ¡°You better be!¡± She had no intention of letting them go that easy. ¡°You two have a lot of work ahead of you to make it up to me! Both of you!¡± She was just as angry at Fey now. "Y-Yes..." Both hung their heads. "We will try our hardest.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Uhh...¡± Sophia tried to get some attention again. ¡°Things took a bit of a turn, but I, well... still wanted to ask Mira some more questions...¡± ¡°Oh, feel free to go ahead with that.¡± Chloe¡¯s voice instantly became perfectly friendly again. ¡°That¡¯s a thing between them and me, don¡¯t worry about that!¡± "Okay... Well then!" She faced the teal fox. ¡°I heard that you have multiple forms for your body. Does that mean you change every now and then?¡± ¡°That is the case.¡± She nodded. ¡°My original form is a full, just like Fey and our fellow wolves. I used to have a fully human form, but I did not enjoy that one too much... In the past, I preferred my full form, but my hybrid one is more rtable as most of the beastfolk are hybrids, as well. Fey and I also used our hybrid forms when we made Chloe because that ensured her to be one, too, because we thought that to be the best for a former human. I hope this was a good decision..." She nced at the pink fox at the end. ¡°Yes! It definitely was!¡± Chloe seemed to agree. ¡°I probably would¡¯ve gotten used to being a full way quicker than I want to admit, but I love having a humanoid body with fluffy extras!¡± "Me, too!" Steph agreed. For various reasons. "I still would like to try it, though." ¡°Wait a moment!¡± The pink fox suddenly seemed to have noticed something and stared at Fey with big eyes. ¡°You have a hybrid form?!¡± ¡°Was there really a need to mention that part...?¡± Sounding slightly tired, she nced at her teal-colored partner. ¡°I¡¯d say so, yes.¡± ¡°Urgh... Yes. Mira talked me into doing it, and I made it after many years of training. In the end, I don¡¯t regret it because of you, but I really don¡¯t enjoy it...¡± ¡°I want to see it!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t care about thest part. ¡°No, I need to see it!¡± ¡°I just said I don¡¯t like it.¡± "You owe me that much! It will cover around 5.32% of your apology and making up for how much you messed up with your decisions around me with Mira!¡± ¡°Why is it such a specific number?¡± ¡°Because you taught me to be precise!¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s my fault?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see... Can you give me a bit of time, though? Ist used that magic when I returned to my full form after you switched to a different style of food, and it¡¯s really difficult... I have to train a bit first.¡± ¡°I guess that much should be fine.¡± Chloe still looked very bummed, though. ¡°Wait, food? Eh? Did you breastfeed me? When you were a hybrid?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Fey stared at her. "We thought it would be best for me to do it while I was the same as you. The, err...position best for you might''ve changed. Also, we weren''t exactly sure my normal body would even be producing milk after changing back.¡± ¡°I-I see...¡± She was a bit moved by how much thought they had put into something like that. "Wait! So, for the first year or longer, you raised me while being a hybrid?¡± ¡°Together with Mira, yes.¡± ¡°Stupid brain! I¡¯m so mad that I can¡¯t remember any of that!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s how babies work.¡± Sophia tried to console her. ¡°Your brain is still developing as an infant, and I think some parts that are responsible for long-term memory only start developing at 9 months or something like that. Having actual memories of your life with two and under is more or less impossible. You need to be around Ellie''s age for it to surely stick." ¡°Once again, stupid brain!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t find that exnation overly helpful. ¡°Ahaha...¡± ¡°Then again, I did feel something vaguely familiar when I first met Mira, so...?¡± ¡°Not only is the brain stupid, but it¡¯s also weird, too.¡± The tiger changed her exnation a little. "Fair enough¡­" The pink fox hung her head for a moment before facing her teal mother. "Okay! If Feyfey needs preparation first, I want to see your full form instead!¡± ¡°I agree!¡± The sisters liked the n. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Mira smiled at her. "I need 5 minutes of preparing, though. I also need to go back to my domain for it.¡± ¡°Is it really thatplicated?¡± As Steph was very interested in the magic, she had to ask. ¡°Yes. And also¡­ I need to be naked for it to do. Else, my clothes would get destroyed.¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya lifted her hand while it looked like she wanted to make ament. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to say a word now.¡± The blonde red at her. ¡°¡­¡± She stayed silent. ---------------- A few minutester, after Mira had disappeared for a little while, a mostly white fox with nine tails and several teal highlights returned and was waiting for them outside the treehouse. The color scheme was exactly the same as before. Every single one of her tails had a teal tip. The same was with her ears, too. Instead of the colored strands of her hair, she now had a few teal sprinkles in the fur along her back and side. She had grown a lot, as well. Her shoulder height seemed to be around 2 meters, while she was about 6 to 7 meters long. At least one-third of that length came from her tails, though. ¡°Fluffy!¡± Chloe, Maya, Aura, and the sisters had the exact same reaction.
Chapter 384 – Officially joining Chapter 384 ¨C Officially joining Chloe had learned much more about her early years in the new world and wasn''t necessarily happy about everything. She found out that Mira had actually yed a way bigger role as her other mother in her life, especially in the earlier years of which she, thanks to having been a baby, had no memories of. In some way, she was happy that the teal fox loved her this much and tried to spend as much time as she could with her while growing up. Still, she was mainly angry that her mothers decided not to tell her about being the daughter of the overseer to protect her, which, in the end, only meant robbing her of one of her mothers. Once she was able to retain her memories, Mira hadn''t shown herself to the girl anymore so that she didn''t face any unnecessary public attention. The two mother foxes now had a lot of work to do to regain her favor. To help with that even the slightest bit, Chloe made her mothers change their form. Unfortunately, Fey needed some training first, but Mira decided to show them her full form, and everyone enjoyed that very much because the teal fox managed to be even fluffier. "I really love how much the fluff in our group has increasedtely~." After everyone finished admiring the full form of Mira, the overseer shrunk in size to match Fey and the wolves, and the group went inside the treehouse again. There, Sophia seemed to be in an excellent mood while looking at all the members of the group. ¡°I agree!¡± Her sister had a simr opinion. ¡°Chloe¡¯s still the fluffiest, though!¡± ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± The tiger rolled her eyes. ¡°By the way,¡± She then looked at the pink fox in question. ¡°What¡¯s the n now?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She looked confused. ¡°n?¡± "About my invitation to our group. You said you''d love to stay and travel with us, but only if your mother, err¡­ Fey, that is, wille along, as well. Okay, you and Steph are now a thing, so¡­ Uh, again, what''s the n?¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Steph definitely wants to stay with you, too, so¡­¡± She nced at the fox with the red ents. ¡°It would be a shame if my mom decided against my wish to be with you and everyone else. She wouldn''t make me part with my loved ones, right?" ¡°¡­¡± Fey went silent. "That''s some serious high-level guilt-tripping." Maya sounded impressed. "I''m not sure if even I would go that far!" "I would never do that!" The pink fox started pouting while looking at the cat-girl. ¡°I just mean what I said, and I would be really happy if my mom, who has been lying to me about very serious topics for a very long time, would try and use this chance to gain a little bit of favor again.¡± ¡°I love you!¡± Steph was just as touched by her as the cat-girl was. ¡°¡­¡± Fey paused for another moment. ¡°I don¡¯t remember raising you like that.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ Okay, what is this about?¡± She gave up. ¡°Sophia invited me to join her, Maya, Fenfen, Aura, and two more girls once they return to traveling and exploring. I really want to stay with them! Steph now, too, of course!" ¡°I see. Are there any specific ns or details?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Sophia shook her head while smiling at Fey. ¡°I just want to explore and see interesting ces!¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve heard that before¡­¡± She nced at her daughter. ¡°You really found some friends to get along with nicely, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe reacted with a big and happy nod. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same premise we¡¯ve been following since you could walk on your own, just with more people now.¡± ¡°Then!¡± ¡°Yes, I do not mind. You already are the easygoing personification of chaos. How much worse can it be?" ¡°Aha¡­ Ahaha¡­ Ahahaha¡­¡± Maya looked a little broken as she started . ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± The fox took a look at the very awkward-looking tiger next to the cat with the broken expression before facing her daughter again. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Chloe liked that. ¡°Thank you! That will give you two extra points to make things up with me!" "We''re on a points system now?¡± "Sure, why not?" The pink fox smiled at her and then faced the teal one. "What about you?" ¡°What about me?¡± Mira tilted her head. ¡°Will you also stay with me¡­ us, to gain points?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll have me, I¡¯ll dly stay and make up for my errors as long as I have to.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe¡¯s mood improved even more. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Maya faced Mira. ¡°So, that means you¡¯re just going to walk around with us out in the open¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the n, yes.¡± ¡°And here I thought our little group couldn¡¯t catch even more attention. Having the overseer of magic might be able to make us stand out even more, though.¡± "A-Ah.¡± Sophia only just realized that part. "No, wait, that''s a good thing! That means all the attention will be focused on her instead of the blonde tiger!¡± "Why is that a good thing?" Mira couldn''t follow her. "I mean, I don''t care, but from what Canir told me so far and what I''ve personally seen when I watched you, it''s more than clear that you absolutely love getting as much attention as possible. Why would you be happy about getting less?¡± ¡°I do NOT like getting attention!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She looked honestly confused. ¡°Why do you do all the things you, well¡­ do all the time?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m an easily excitable idiot!¡± ¡°At least she¡¯s pretty self-aware.¡± The cat-girl looked on the bright side. ¡°It seems like you genuinely enjoy the attention, though?¡± Mira still couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°She definitely hated it in the old world.¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°This seems to have drastically changed here, though. Love it, by the way.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see! It¡¯s the remnants of her old timid self that hates it. That makes sense!¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± The dog and teal fox seemed to be on the same page. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia decided to stay silent on the matter. ¡°The king¡¯s head will most definitely explode when he finds out that the overseer of magic became part of the group, though.¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Sophia alone already is good enough to give him an explosive headache. This should push him over, I think.¡± ¡°There, I really am happy about not being the cause for a change!¡± ¡°I think it should be fine.¡± The teal fox didn¡¯t sound concerned. ¡°Unlike Canir, for example, I¡¯m known for wandering around. I¡¯ve actually visited the royal beastfolk family many times in the past.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Maya sounded surprised. ¡°How long has it been since thest time?¡± ¡°Visiting the royals? Mhmm¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°60¡­ Maybe 70 years? 100 at most!¡± ¡°Well, that will be helpful for Menzor.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°He isn¡¯t even that old yet. Uhh¡­ I think.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I think it was his predecessor I met before. I¡¯d say it¡¯s about time I meet the current rulers. Don''t you think so, too?" ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to be walking down here again~.¡± Mira seemed to be in a good mood. ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t been that long since thest time, but still!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia looked at her again. ¡°You said that you won¡¯t give us any groundbreaking tips rted to magic unless wee up with the idea behind it ourselves first.¡± ¡°That is indeed my rule. Admittedly, I do make some exceptions every now and then, sometimes on purpose, sometimes on ident because I was having a good time and added more details to a conversation than I should have.¡± She nced at both foxes before continuing. ¡°You might pick up a hint every now and then, but I try to stay true to my word for most of the time and don''t influence the world too much.¡± ¡°That sounds a lot like we just have to get on her good side, huh?¡± The tiger looked at Chloe, who reacted with a big nod. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to y with even more amazing magic!¡± She came to the same conclusion. ¡°¡­¡± The overseer stayed silent on the matter. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, though!¡± Sophia faced the teal fox again. ¡°As an overseer, you know this world fairly well, right?¡± ¡°I know just about everything about it.¡± ¡°Is this also under a loose nondisclosure rule?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I want to know about every single interesting and fun ce on this!¡± ¡°Same!¡± Chloe and Steph were just as excited. ¡°Ahh, I see! No, that¡¯s not a problem at all. I can guide you to the best ces in the world once we¡¯re on the go.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The pink fox and the sisters liked the sound of that very much. ¡°Well, that should at least act as a distraction for them.¡± Maya was a fan of that for her very own reason. ¡°It also sounds very interesting, though. I¡¯m looking forward to it, too.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait for it!¡± Sophia was having a great time. ¡°Funny you¡¯re saying that.¡± Chloe stared at her. ¡°Who¡¯s the cat that needs to wait till spring when it gets warm to resume her travels?¡± "A-Ahaha¡­¡± She only reacted by awkwardly scratching her cheek. ¡°Well, in her defense, while I don¡¯t care about the temperature, with the exception of snow, winter isn¡¯t the nicest to look at season.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The tiger looks a little smug. ¡°You should still stop being such a cat, though.¡± Mira had to do it. ¡°I am a cat, though! Because of that, I¡¯m allowed to act like one!¡± ¡°You are a tiger, my dear.¡± ¡°Tigers are just big cats!¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°And guess what! I¡¯m pretty short, andpared to at least half of my friends, I¡¯m on the smaller side, too! What is a small and short tiger? Right, a cat! A striped one, but a cat nheless.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira needed a moment. ¡°Are you happy with that reasoning of yours?¡± ¡°Not at all! But also, yes!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°You do?!¡± Maya got loud while she stared at the teal fox. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Chapter 385 – Important prerequisites Chapter 385 ¨C Important prerequisites The group officially grew by a few members. When they first met, Sophia almost immediately invited Chloe to join them, and the pink fox was a big fan of the idea. Her requirement was that her mother, Fey, would be okay with that, as well. She needed a slight bit of persuasion, but all worked out well in the end. Not only that, but Mira also decided to stay with them, adding another new member, a rather important one at that, namely the overseer of magic. ¡°Should we head back to the capital?¡± After most, or at least some of the details about their new group recruits were taken care of, Sophia wanted to return to their mansion. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Maya liked the n. ¡°Yup.¡± Chloe and Steph did, too. ¡°Already?¡± Fey didn''t seem to be a fan, though. "I just got here, and honestly, I''m a little tired from traveling so much.¡± ¡°It will take like ten seconds, you know?¡± While saying so, the tiger opened the portal to her extra dimension again, after having removed it a while ago before Fey and Mira had appeared. Even without them, the portal made the living room more than a little cramped. ¡°Ohh!" Fey''s interest was instantly piqued. ¡°You also know how to make those domain portals? Impressive! It was quite something when Mira showed them to me not too long ago. Wait, you have your own domain?!¡± "I have a domain?!" Sophia sounded even more shocked than her. ¡°Sophia is the one who invented those portals.¡± The teal fox smiled at the other full. ¡°As I briefly mentioned before, after seeing her using them, I made my own version based on her idea because I loved the concept!¡± "That''s quite the feat!" Fey nced at the blonde again. ¡°You really seem most talented with magic. I look forward to seeing more of those things from you.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, sure.¡± The tiger didn¡¯t care about that right now. ¡°What¡¯s this about me having a domain?!¡± ¡°Did Canir not tell you about it?¡± Mira took over. ¡°Every overseer eventually gets ess to their own domain. Or dimension, how you like to call it.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°I¡¯m no overseer, though?!¡± "You qualify for most of the needed prerequisites already, though." ¡°H-Huh?!¡± She hated that news even more. ¡°W-What are they¡­?¡± "A blessing by an existing overseer, ess to your own domain, good enough control over magic to bend reality with it, and the only thing you¡¯re missing, a certain massive level of total authority.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°So unfair!¡± Steph was envious. ¡°Wait, Sophia¡¯s dimension, domain, whatever is just a massive white space, while yours is a fantastical jungle filled to the brim with magic and overgrown nts! You can¡¯t reallypare those!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I changed and designed mine to my tastes.¡± Mira smiled at the dog-girl. ¡°It just starts out with the all-white nkness.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Canir¡¯s ce was the same, though? Wouldn¡¯t he, out of all people, have the fanciest domain ever?¡± ¡°He has multiple ones. You probably only went to his temporary or work-in-progress ones so far, if I had to take a guess.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°By the way, what is magic to bend reality¡­? Can I do something like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, can you?¡± Mira tilted her head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree that stopping time would fit that description?¡± "A-Ah.¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Wait, you know about that? Even Canir had no idea that I could do that until I told him.¡± ¡°Other overseers aren¡¯t affected by the magic of that type. Because you have the same authority as he has, you can influence each other, though." ¡°Ohh! Wait¡­ Does that mean time wasn¡¯t stopped for you whenever I did it?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± She nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it, though. It doesn¡¯t bother me at all. I don¡¯t care that much about the concept of time, so, for the most part, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me. Also, my own domain isn¡¯t affected by it in the first ce.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Sophia had no better words. ¡°Am I able to learn how to stop time, too?!¡± Sounding very excited, Steph looked at the overseer who gifted her magic. ¡°Eventually, you should be able to. Right now, I blocked your ability to use magic on that level. For your own safety." The teal fox paused for a moment. "It is quite overwhelming magic that can go wrong very fast and easily. Imagine stopping time on ident and being trapped there because you panic and have no idea how to things return to normal as you weren¡¯t ready for the experience.¡± ¡°T-That would be the worst!¡± The dog-girl started shuddering just thinking about it. ¡°T-Tell me about it!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened to me! I really could¡¯ve done without it! That was easily the second-most scary experience I had in my life!¡± "That''s terrifying!" Steph stared at her. "Huh? Wait, what was the scariest thing, then?!" ¡°When Fennyfenny and I almost blew up this continent. Luckily, Canir prevented the worst, and we only created that niceke I showed you the other day, but it still left quite a scar¡­¡± ¡°YES!¡± The wolf in question strongly nodded a couple of times. ¡°Yeah, that was quite something.¡± Mira looked at the duo while slowly shaking her head. ¡°It dide with some benefits, though.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I got to yell at Canir for hours afterward~.¡± She started smiling. ¡°He¡¯s the one most responsible for that mess because he never exined anything to you. It¡¯s more entertaining that way, after all.¡± ¡°Urgh, I just heard that in his voice¡­¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Wait, was that the real reason it took him so long to visit us after it happened? He mentioned something about having had to recover for a while after it.¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± ¡°Your training on how to hold back and properly use magic will be much more intense than I had previously anticipated.¡± Fey didn¡¯t like anything she had just heard. ¡°M-Might really be for the best¡­¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t disagree. "A small ray of hope has finally appeared¡­¡± Maya was almost moved to tears. ¡°Anyway,¡± Mira returned to the topic. ¡°That¡¯s also why you¡¯re still affected by Sophia¡¯s ability to stop time. You aren¡¯t overseer enough yet.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s a good thing!¡± The cat-girl stared at the dog. ¡°Sophia and I need some privacy every now and then!¡± ¡°Except for the part where Mira isn¡¯t affected by it.¡± The tiger looked back at her. "A-Ah.¡± ¡°If you want real privacy, Sophia might want to start dressing up her domain. Inside that, even I would be affected by the time-stop effect. It¡¯s basically Sophia¡¯s very own world, and her word is absolute there. Even more importantly, only allowed people can enter it. If you go and say no one is allowed to enter my ce for the next two hours, it¡¯s impossible to do so during that time frame.¡± ¡°I LOVE the sound of that!¡± Maya looked quite happy about this new information. ¡°Ohh!¡± The tiger also looked excited about it. ¡°That means we have to make itfy in there! How about we ce a whole house inside, after all?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Initially, the cat-girl had been very against the idea when Sophia first had it, but things had drastically changed in thest 30 seconds. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°You two really are something.¡± The overseer was enjoying their exchange. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Are my other overseer abilities blocked, as well?¡± Steph got back to the earlier topic. ¡°I would love to y with my own domain!¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t do anything with that.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It can''t cause any harm, after all. There''s no way to tell when you will be able to enter your domain, though. Everyone was extremely surprised when we heard that Sophia had unlocked hers. It¡¯s originally supposed to happen muchter in the life of an aspiring overseer-to-be.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The dog-girl sounded a little disappointed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can do whatever you want to in mine!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m not an aspiring overseer-to-be, but that shouldn¡¯t matter!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a start!¡± ¡°It¡¯s also possible to connect domains with each other.¡± Mira exined a little more about it. ¡°The domain itself is still owned by the respective overseer, but you can switch from one ce to another if allowed.¡± ¡°Ohh! Sophia, can I have a corner for myself that we thenter use as an entrance to my domain? You can do the same in mine once I unlock it!¡± Steph was getting excited. ¡°Absolutely!¡± So was the older sister. ¡°My list of things I never expected to hear just keeps on growing¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Chloe sounded a lot giddier about itpared to Maya. ¡°Yeah, sure, let¡¯s go with that.¡± ¡°That being said,¡± The tiger tilted her head while facing Mira again. ¡°You said that only people I allowed to can enter my domain. No one had any issues with using my portals, though?¡± ¡°It happens unconsciously for the most part. If they¡¯re your friends or at least good acquaintances, they¡¯re allowed by default unless stated otherwise.¡± ¡°How handy! Wait!¡± She suddenly paused. ¡°I was nning to show my portals to the king because I think it could revolutionize long-distance traveling." ¡°Oh.¡± The overseer¡¯s face turnedplicated. ¡°That¡¯s a little¡­ Ah, no, wait a moment, you could use the same I did for the human army. As you¡¯re the one who invented the portals, I¡¯m okay with telling you. If you connect the portals inside your domain, they¡¯ll fuse together, and the outside portals link directly to each other. That way, it could work.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Sophia looked right at her. ¡°That¡¯s what I was nning to use. I felt pretty ufortable about having people I don''t know use my extra dimension, or domain now, so we came up with this solution while ying around with my portals.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. It should work, then. Also, the ufortable feeling came from the fact that we instinctively want no outsiders in our domains.¡± "Interesting." She had nothing else to say. They chatted about the portals and domains a little longer, but once the details were taken care of, the group finally decided to return to the capital after having gotten sidetracked for quite a while.
Chapter 386 – News with a chance of headache Chapter 386 ¨C News with a chance of headache Thanks to Mira exining many things, Sophia learned a few new details about her powers and how close she was to being called an overseer already. She didn''t like that very much. She also found out a few more things about her domain and what exactly she could do with it. Once they finished chatting about their overseer features, the group finally returned to the capital by using Sophia¡¯s portals. Before gettingfy in the mansion¡¯s living room there, Mira changed back to her hybrid form, rather than the full she showed off before. As it turned out, the sheepskin rug there only had ce for three fulls, and if she couldn¡¯t sit there with Fey and the two wolves, what would even be the point, after all. ¡°I am quite impressed by the warmth of your floors here." Mira looked towards the ground with a very pleased expression while moving her legs a little. "That''s such a clever use of the heating ore!¡± ¡°I can imagine that you like it!¡± Sophia looked at her bare legs and feet. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?! It¡¯s winter! You even went barefoot outside when we met! I¡¯m getting chills just watching you!¡± ¡°My dear, I¡¯m not the overseer of magic for nothing, you know?¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m constantly using it to perfectly regte the temperature around me all year round. I even warm up the floor right before my feet touch it.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°See?!¡± Hearing that, Steph got loud and stared at her sister. ¡°You and your cat friends do that, too, and we can go on our journey to explore the world tomorrow!¡± ¡°Shush!¡± The tiger red back at her. ¡°It¡¯s not just about the temperature! My cat-brain feels cold just seeing the wintery scenery!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The dog hung her head. ¡°Feel free to explore my domain some more in the meanwhile.¡± Mira faced the violet-haired girl. ¡°The jungle you and Chloe visited is just a small portion of it. Not to mention that you only saw a tiny part of that, too.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Her mood instantly improved. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± "A jungle definitely tickles my tiger bits, too!¡± Sophia also warmed up to the idea. "I thought you were a cat!" Steph had to retort. ¡°That is deeply offensive!¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°I¡¯m a proud and majestic tiger!¡± ¡°I hate you so much¡­¡± The dog couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°To further tickle your feline bits,¡± The overseer kept it neutral. ¡°While I don¡¯t really care about the temperature because I regte it to my tastes, I like the look of summer more. I enjoy looking at lush greenery. Because of that, most of my domain has a rather warm climate. High concentrations of magic also cause a higher overall temperature.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia really liked the idea now. ¡°Stupid cats¡­¡± Steph rolled her eyes. ¡°It does sound like a lot of fun.¡± Maya, the actual cat, also liked the sound of it. ¡°See, it¡¯s okay for her to say!¡± The dog-girl red at her sister while pointing at the cat-girl. ¡°If Maya¡¯s allowed to do it, so am I!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t believe the proud tiger. ¡°It really sounds like a bunch of fun!¡± Chloe ignored the bickering sisters and joined in on Maya¡¯s opinion on the matter. ¡°I first want to learn more about that temperature-regtion magic, though!¡± She looked at the teal fox. ¡°The jungle in your ce was still mostly okay, but it was borderline ufortable already¡­¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s not a type of magic I feel the need to stay out of its discovery, so I¡¯ll happily teach you!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Steph joined the conversation. ¡°I want portable and invisible climate control!¡± ¡°Do you want to learn it, too?¡± The teal fox nced at the blonde. ¡°Your feline bits would love that, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m being teased by an overseer?¡± ¡°Because you are.¡± Mira¡¯s smile got more yful. ¡°Another one¡­ It''s good that your personality is a lot less punch-able than Canir¡¯s.¡± ¡°I also am very happy about that.¡± ¡°Anyway, thanks for the offer, but I¡¯m good. I learned that the moment the first leaves started changing colors. My main issue is the mood, after all! No matter how warm I am, I still feel cold when I look at cold weather or see others in warm jackets!¡± "You are suuuch a massive pain¡­" The dog-girl wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of her sister today. ¡°You should be used to that already.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°¡­¡± She just red at her. ¡°Hehe~.¡± The blonde looked a little smug. ¡°Alright,¡± She then looked at Maya. ¡°How about we go and give Anna and Ari a small headache while they learn the temperature thing?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Well, we have two rather interesting new members of our group. They should get to know them, too, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± The cat-girl got a little awkward. ¡°They need to know, huh?¡± ¡°Yep, and I want to get over with it quick.¡± ¡°That might be for the best¡­¡± Maya seemed to be looking just as forward to it. ¡°Yeah.¡± Going forward with that n, the couple decided to leave for the castle to break the news to the two missing girls of their group. Before that, Sophia asked Mira and Fey to try not to mention the different world topic to avoid even more chaos because she wasn¡¯t sure when or rather how she wanted to tell Anna and Ari about that. ---------------- ¡°They aren¡¯t here?¡± After having taken the portal to Anna¡¯s wardrobe, Maya noticed that no one was there. ¡°They¡¯re in Ari¡¯s room.¡± As usual, Sophia¡¯s detection magic was rather handy. ¡°Are they¡­?¡± ¡°Can you hear them?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°No, from what I can tell with my magic, their dots aren¡¯t over each other, and they are also slightly apart.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Though, with these two perverts, who knows. Maybe they came up with a new position?¡± ¡°Well, even more of a reason to visit them!¡± Maya suddenly got excited. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± ¡°If that''s the case, I need to learn and try it on you!" ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± -- "Oh?" On the way toward the jaguar''s room, the couple ran into Kira. ¡°You really need to tell me how you¡¯re getting in and out of the castle without anyone noticing.¡± ¡°Soon.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Also, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s good to see you two, too.¡± ¡°Speaking of, it¡¯s also handy that you¡¯re here!¡± The blonde faced the queen. ¡°Do I like the direction this is going?¡± She looked at Maya instead. ¡°Absolutely positively not.¡± The cat-girl shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m listening?¡± Kira still was curious. ¡°Can you cancel all of Menzor¡¯s appointments, meetings, and whatnot for tomorrow?¡± ¡°Err¡­?¡± ¡°I need a few hours with him, and afterward, he''ll need to lie down with a massive headache for the rest of the day." ¡°What did you do?!¡± The queen didn¡¯t like any of that. ¡°It¡¯s mostly good things!¡± She started pouting again. ¡°I want to tell them about some of the magics I came up with that will change the lives of basically everyone! The thing that''s rted to our travels I mentioned before, among other things¡­¡± ¡°Ahh, I see the reason for the headache warning. Still, I''m sure he will be okay with that if it''s something to better the lives of everyone.¡± ¡°Also, I met someone who did something that made everything I did so far make look like child''s y. She''ll also be with us tomorrow and exin the massive consequences it will have for the entire continent." ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Unable toprehend it, Kira looked at Maya for help again. ¡°She¡¯s heavily downying it, by the way.¡± She only shook her head in return. ¡°By the way, I also need some generals, the minister of war, of territorial nning, transport,merce, diplomacy, and¡­¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re justing up with names of ministers, aren''t you?" Maya looked at her. ¡°How am I supposed to know if there are ministers for that? I need the people responsible for that¡­ Just get the most important ones for running the country or whatever.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll cancel his ns for the rest of the week.¡± The queen had a bad feeling about this but also didn''t want to know any more details for many reasons. ¡°Might not be a bad idea.¡± Sophia agreed that this sounded like a better n. ¡°Anyway, we leave you to prepare for that. Maya and I are heading over to the loud couple. We have some, uhh¡­ news for them, as well.¡± ¡°What happened in the few days we haven¡¯t seen each other?!¡± ¡°Stuff.¡± The blonde shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Lots of stuff.¡± The cat-girl reacted the same. ¡°¡­¡± Kira wasn¡¯t sure what to say anymore. ---------------- ¡°Alright, who wants to go on a trip?!¡± After having parted ways with the queen, the couple made their way to Ari''s room, where they found the other two. ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± ¡°Again?!¡± Anna and the jaguar reacted slightly differently from each other. ¡°What happened this time?¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s mother has returned.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice!¡± So far, Ari was liking the news. ¡°We also met Chloe¡¯s other mother and had a whole family reunion and all that. It was the first time our dear pink fox found out about her, too." "That''s sooo nice!" The princess also liked the story a lot. "So, what''s the trip about, then¡­?" She failed to see the connection. "Both will stay with us and join the group for our nned traveling activities." Sophia looked at the couple. ¡°I thought you might want to meet them, too, because we¡¯ll be together a lot in the future.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense!¡± They could follow her logic. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± She raised her arm. ¡°Everyone¡¯s currently in our mansion, so it won¡¯t take long, either!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t want to prepare them any more than that¡­?¡± Maya just looked at her. ¡°Mind telling me how I would exin that?!¡± She stared back. ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°Fair.¡± ¡°W-What is this about?!¡± Ari¡¯s mood about the whole thing had considerably changed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it!¡± Sophia was still smiling. ¡°Everything will be alright~.¡± ¡°Y-You know, I¡¯m actually not feeling that well today¡­ I¡¯m fighting some really nasty cramps all day already, and I think I''m going to lie down¡­ Any other week of the month would''ve been fine, but now is really too much..." ¡°Your weak period excuse is not going to help you here!¡± The blonde didn''t give her any of that, opened one of her portals in front of the group, grabbed Ari''s hand, and dragged her through it before she coulde up with anything better. ¡°Is it really that bad¡­?¡± Anna looked a little concerned and nced at Maya next to her after the two had stayed behind. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s not bad at all. Just very, very, very¡­ surprising.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± A few momentster, the duo also followed the other two through the portal.
Chapter 387 – Family and acquaintances Chapter 387 ¨C Family and acquaintances The group had returned to Sophia¡¯s mansion and chatted there for a while longer. After a little bit, the tiger decided that she wanted to take a quick way out and get over with a lot of things. She grabbed Maya, and the two went to the castle. There, they told Kira they needed a whole day of the kings because there was lots to talk about. Afterward, the couple collected Anna and Ari to introduce the group''s neers to them. They let out a few slightly important details about them, though. ¡°By the way,¡± Still in Sophia¡¯s portal hub, Maya looked at Anna and Ari. ¡°Things will get out of hand really quick soon. Try to keep it down, okay?¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°What is going on?!¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s parents are¡­ They are quite something.¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°They make everything around me look normal inparison!¡± Sophia had her very own exnation. ¡°There¡¯s just no way that¡¯s possible!¡± Ari got louder. ¡°She¡¯s heavily downying it, as well...¡± Maya let out another sigh. ¡°M-My cramps are getting stronger again¡­ I-I really need to go back and lie down¡­¡± ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t~.¡± Saying so with a smirk, the blonde put her hand on Ari¡¯s lower abdomen, and it quickly started to shine in a pale blue light. ¡°Here, I applied some healing magic~. With that, it should be over much sooner, and it''s impossible to feel anything for the next while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true~.¡± Maya also smiled at the jaguar. ¡°She¡¯s the ABSOLUTE best when ites to that. I can¡¯t be without that anymore. I also haven¡¯t been able to use my period as an excuse since meeting her anymore, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s get going!¡± Sophia grabbed Ari¡¯s hand again and dragged the uncooperative girl through the portal to her mansion. ¡°I hate you¡­¡± It was all the ck-haired girl could say in return before being forced through the portal. "I''m still unsure if I love or hate the way the two get along¡­" Anna''s expression turned a littleplicated again. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Should I also hold your hand when we go through the portal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± ¡°Unless my point was to get a reaction out of you~.¡± The cat-girl smirked at her, then went ahead and grabbed her hand anyway, and the two also went through the portal. ¡°I hate you¡­¡± The princess had a rather simr reaction to her girlfriend. ---------------- ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Arriving in the living room and noticing Fey, and much more so Mira, Anna and Ari had been rendered utterly speechless. ¡°Yup.¡± Chloe could only smile while slowly nodding a few times. ¡°S-Sophia!¡± The jaguar stared at the blonde with wide-open eyes. ¡°W-Was that really healing magic you used on me earlier?! Because I think I¡¯m hallucinating right now!¡± ¡°Everything you¡¯re seeing right now is actually happening.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way that can be possible!¡± She got louder. ¡°M-Mira is sitting on that sofa there!¡± She pointed at the teal fox. ¡°T-That¡¯s the g-goddess of magic!¡± ¡°Overseer of magic, my dear~.¡± The nine-tailed fox smiled at her. ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry!¡± Ari''s entire body, from the tip of her tail all the way to her ears, flinched, and she quickly hid herself behind Sophia next to her. ¡°W-Why is the o-overseer of magic here?!¡± ¡°Would you stop acting so adorable?¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t believe how the slightly shivering girl was clutching her shoulders from behind while peeking her head over one side. ¡°S-Sophia¡­?¡± Anna didn¡¯t seem much less shocked. ¡°I-I, uhh¡­ w-what?¡± ¡°Nice sentence.¡± Maya gave her a thumbs up. ¡°S-Shush!¡± Her face turned red. ¡°T-This is Mira! Why is she here?! Why is the overseer of magic here?! Why do you know her?! EH?!¡± ¡°Better.¡± The cat-girl gave her a second thumbs up, as well. ¡°Chloe, would you do the honors and exin what is going on?¡± Sophia had no intention of doing that. ¡°W-Why me?!¡± The pink fox wasn¡¯t a fan of the n. ¡°Because you are the definite centerpiece of everything here. For once, I am innocent! I am absolutely and FULLY unrted to all of this!¡± She sounded really happy about this. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Chloe had nothing to defend herself with. It was true, after all. ¡°Anna, Ari, this is my mother Feyfey.¡± She pointed at the full fox. ¡°Or Fey, or her full name, Feyanis.¡± ¡°I am pleased to meet both of you.¡± She slightly nodded at both of them. ¡°L-Likewise¡­¡± The couple waspletely overwhelmed. ¡°And, this, uhh¡­¡± The pink fox then gestured at the teal one and paused for a moment. "W-Well, this is Mira, the overseer of magic¡­ It seems like you were aware of that already, though¡­ It turned out that she¡¯s also, err¡­ my other mother.¡± ¡°I am also very pleased to meet you.¡± Mira smiled at the two. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet such an important person as the first princess of this nation.¡± She was a yful one. ¡°¡­¡± The two went utterly silent. ¡°It¡¯s not like I hid it, okay¡­?¡± Chloe tried to exin herself. "I also just found out about that myself. I¡¯m still pretty angry, too!¡± She lightly red at her parents before continuing. ¡°If you are shocked, try to imagine how I feel about this!¡± ¡°We are deeply sorry¡­¡± Mira and Fey apologized again. ¡°Good.¡± "Y-You really are trying to tell us that¡­ that M-Mira is your mother¡­?¡± Ari right looked at her. ¡°Wait¡­ Fey¡­ Feyanis¡­ The coloring of her fur¡­¡± She changed her attention to the full fox next to Fen and Aura. ¡°S-She also has statues in all the shrines dedicated to M-Mira I¡¯ve seen so far!¡± ¡°And I still hate you for that¡­¡± The full fox stared at the teal one while slowly shaking her head. "It''s not like that was my idea, you know? It''s also not my fault we look this good together that people felt the need to make statues of both of us." ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°What is going on here?!¡± The jaguar finally snapped. ¡°Mira is here?! You all know her?! Everyone¡¯s acting like it¡¯s the most natural thing ever?! Chloe is the daughter of an overseer?!¡± ¡°What she said!¡± Anna reacted with a couple of big nods. "I''ve never heard that overseers have children!" ¡°It is not something that is supposed to happen.¡± The teal fox looked at the princess. ¡°At least, not like that.¡± Her eyes wandered between Chloe and Fey a few times. ¡°Still, as I, thanks to my position, have absolute control over magic, Fey and I decided to bend the rules a little. I mean, I have to abide by most rules of magic, but I''m also responsible for making them and ensuring they are followed. So¡­" She didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°We also regret absolutely nothing.¡± Fey was d they did what they did. ¡°Well, maybe for the part where we kept it a secret¡­ That was a bit of a mistake in retrospect.¡± ¡°Maybe?!¡± The pink fox instantly got loud. "A bit of a mistake?!¡± "A massive mistake!¡± The full fox changed her wording. ¡°Minus 17 points for that.¡± She got upset again. "A-Ah¡­¡± Fey hung her head. ¡°What is my score right now?¡± "A negative eleven!¡± ¡°It can be negative?!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Also, what¡¯s the math behind that?¡± ¡°It absolutely can! It¡¯s negative eleven because I just said so!¡± ¡°I am deeply sorry¡­¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Girls, focus!¡± The jaguar still had many questions. ¡°It is true.¡± Mira looked at her. ¡°Chloe is the daughter of Fey and me. We wanted her so much that I bent my own rules a little. We also thought it would be best to keep it a secret because of the many implications it would have.¡± ¡°Minus 17 points for you, as well!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± The overseer didn¡¯t like that. ¡°I¡¯m just exining what happened!¡± ¡°Exactly! And you just made me hear it again!¡± ¡°I am deeply sorry¡­¡± She had the same reaction as Fey. ¡°Good!¡± ¡°As you can see,¡± The teal fox faced Ari again. ¡°We¡¯ve hurt her a lot with this decision. We wanted to protect her and tried to make her life easier by me not being a part of it, but¡­¡± ¡°THEY WERE JUST MASSIVE IDIOTS!¡± ¡°That.¡± Mira gestured at her daughter. ¡°We made an inexcusable mistake, no matter how hard we¡¯ll try, but I¡¯m now here with her because I want to try my best and make up even a little for the pain I caused.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°Is that the actual reason Chloe''s magic has increased by so muchtely?" Anna nced at the girl in question. ¡°As some sort of gift?¡± ¡°Indirectly, I guess¡­¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Well,¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I had also taken a liking to Steph and decided to bless her with a portion of your magic.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also her daughter?!¡± Annapletely misunderstood it. ¡°No!¡± Steph shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be dating Chloe, then!¡± "A-Ah, right... F-Fair point." ¡°No, we aren¡¯t rted.¡± Mira smiled at the tall tiger. ¡°I just found our dog here quite interesting and decided to let her have some more fun~.¡± She let out a lot of details. ¡°Wow.¡± Anna wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± She then focused her attention on the fellow tiger in the room. ¡°I have not been blessed by Mira.¡± The blonde already knew where this was going and cut her short. ¡°Ahh¡­ It would¡¯ve exined a lot, though.¡± ¡°Sophia.¡± Ari had recovered enough to notice something odd in her wording. ¡°Who blessed you?¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± She averted her face. ¡°Err¡­ Y-You wouldn¡¯t know him¡­ He¡¯s an, uhh¡­ a rather minor figure in the grand scheme of things¡­¡± ¡°Wait, it¡¯s true?!¡± Anna sounded really surprised. ¡°Who is it?! They¡¯re an overseer, so they can¡¯t be a minor figure!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a pain and can really go on your nerves, so I doubt you can do anything with that information, but he¡¯s called Ca¡­ Huh, what was it again? Right, he¡¯s called Canir or something like that.¡± ¡°?!¡± The couple couldn''t react in spoken words any longer and just stared at her with gigantic eyes and wide-open mouths.
Chapter 388 – Headache Chapter 388 ¨C Headache Sophia had decided to introduce Anna and Ari to the new members of their group. Naturally, things had gotten out of hand instantly, and the couple had an insanely hard time coping with the situation. Finding out that Chloe''s the daughter of Mira, the overseer of magic, didn¡¯t make it any better, either. To finish it off, learning that Steph had been blessed by Mira, and the blonde by Canir, of all people, sent them over the edge of being able to deal with the situation. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­¡± ¡°Me, too¡­¡± ¡°The princess and her partner sure took a while to ept everything.¡± On the following day, after having told Anna and Ari about what roughly was going on, Sophia, Chloe, and Fey went to the castle and were currently walking through a hallway there. ¡°By the way,¡± The pink fox tilted her head while she nced at the tiger beside her. "I still don''t get what I am doing here¡­¡± ¡°Moral support.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°What about Maya?!¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t want to deal with any of what was going to happen today. She made it very clear that she would make my life very if she had to be present here.¡± ¡°Who said that I want to do that, though?!¡± Chloe also wasn¡¯t a fan of the idea. ¡°You helped me with the portals, you were the one that had the idea of growing nts with magic, and¡­¡± She nced at Fey behind her. ¡°You have to take responsibility for your mother, who went to y in the human capital and has a lot to exin now.¡± ¡°Minus five points!¡± The pink fox immediately red at the full one. ¡°Why?!¡± She got loud. ¡°This and that has nothing to do with each other!¡± ¡°You just made my life needlessly moreplicated, so it still counts!¡± ¡°Do you have any idea how often I had the same thought when raising you after you came up with something fun, but I said nothing because you''re my daughter, and I love you? Also, the whole capital issue happened because the humans tried to harm you. Something that I never have and never will be tolerating.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe went silent. ¡°Plus 416 points.¡± Sophia liked the full¡¯s reply. ¡°In my book, at least.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°T-Thank you for having put up with me for so long¡­¡± ¡°It has been a pleasure and will forever be one.¡± Fey looked straight at her while saying that. Once the topic was over, in one way or another, the trio walked through the castle for a little while longer until eventually stopping in front of a big and fancy door leading to the main conference room right next to Menzor¡¯s office. ¡°Urgh, so many people in there¡­¡± As usual, Sophia was using her detection magic to the fullest as the door was still closed. ¡°Well, I asked for it, so¡­ Okay, can you two wait outside for a moment? I want to check the situation first and ask what they want to start with.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The two foxes reacted with a nod. "Alright¡­" With a rather extensive sigh, Sophia finally opened the door to the conference room. ---------------- ¡°Sophia!¡± Noticing her, Menzor immediately jumped off his chair while Kira and a bunch of tigers and jaguars around them followed after him, though with not quite as much vigor behind it. ¡°What is the meaning of all this?¡± He gestured all around him, including the ministers and generals in the room. "Kira just said that we all must gather for something or another. Do you have any idea how many meetings and ns we had to cancel for you?!¡± ¡°Ah, so she forgot to mention the part where you all will leave this room with a MASSIVE headache, huh?" ¡°¡­¡± Everyone red at the queen, who swiftly averted her face. "As if someone would¡¯ve gathered if I mentioned that. Even my powers have limits¡­¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°What did you do?!¡± Menzor didn¡¯t like the sound of that and faced the blonde again. ¡°In terms of chaos and all that, I¡¯m absolutely innocent for a change!¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± He only increased his stare at her. ¡°The topics of today will forever change this nation and the life of everyone, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Menzor¡¯s face went through basically every emotion possible before he and everyone else sat down again. ¡°G-Go on¡­¡± ¡°We have two main topics today. What should we start with?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°What are the options?¡± Naturally, the king couldn¡¯t do much with that information. "A big headache caused by having to deal with a massive pain that will go down in history books, or a big headache caused by the massive implications of the introduction of some magics that will change the lives of everyone. For the better, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The entire room fell silent. ¡°It¡¯s a headache either way?¡± The king was already holding his temples. ¡°Oh, ABSOLUTELY.¡± She had no intention of denying it. ¡°Okay¡­ Let¡¯s start with the massive pain.¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± Saying so, the blonde opened the door again and gestured the duo inside. ¡°H-Hello¡­¡± Chloe looked rather awkward when she faced everyone in the room. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet all of you.¡± Fey had no issues with that, though. ¡°Why are¡­ Eh?¡± Menzor looked confused over the sudden inclusion of the foxes, but he froze when he spotted the full. Everyone else suddenly started murmuring something, as well. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t she¡­? Her statue, the aura, and the fur pattern. Are you Feyanis? The follower of the great Mira, goddess of magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not her follower.¡± Judging by her t yet intimidating voice, she did not like that. Not at all. ¡°Admittedly, she¡¯s a little higher on the hierarchy on things, but you will upset her and me if you address me like that. If you want to link us together, one of the eptable descriptions would be partner.¡± ¡°I am DEEPLY sorry for having offended you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s amon misconception that just doesn¡¯t want to die. As long as you all remember it from now on, it won¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°T-Thank you very much.¡± Everyone was properly intimidated. ¡°Also, Mira is the overseer of magic. She does much more than simply overseeing it, but she does not like being called a goddess.¡± ¡°Mhm-mhm!¡± The blonde nodded a few times for some reason. ¡°O-Once again, I can only offer my sincere apologies for my extreme rudeness." The king hung his head even deeper. ¡°S-Sophia!¡± He then stared at the fellow tiger. ¡°What is going on here?!¡± ¡°Our dear Fey here has a little story to share that will probably affect everyone here.¡± The blonde smiled at the king, being more than overjoyed that it wasn¡¯t her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far.¡± The full nced at her before facing the king. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are still aware of the war the human race started a few months ago? Well, tried to start not too far away from here.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Menzor looked back at her. ¡°Thanks to Sophia, we were able to swiftly deal with it, though. Nearly without any injuries, too.¡± ¡°Nearly...?¡± The girl in question tilted her head after hearing that part. ¡°Well,¡± One of the generals answered her. ¡°Some of our soldiers may, or may not, have sustained some mental scars after having gotten curious about it and went too close to someone¡¯s darkness magic that was intended to re-educate the humans.¡± "A-Ah..." Her expression turned awkward in an instant. ¡°Not bad.¡± Fey seemed rather impressed. ¡°Anyway, there was a lot more that had happened in the background there.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Everyone sounded surprised after hearing that. ¡°Chloe over there,¡± She gestured at the pink fox, ¡°and I, we were nearby and ran into a party of human scouts, who tried to, or at least mentioned, some things they wanted to do to my daughter.¡± "O-Oh...¡± Menzor wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°I am deeply sorry that you had to experience something like that...¡± "Don''t worry. You don''t have to feel sorry about us.¡± The full reassured him. ¡°Nothing happened to us.¡± ¡°That is very good to hear.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel relieved quite yet.¡± Sophia slowly shook her head. ¡°What would you do if some humans said their usual thing to one of your daughters?¡± Fey looked at the queen sitting next to Menzor. ¡°I would personally burn down their capital.¡± Kira¡¯s expression changed in an instant. ¡°And the entire army of the kingdom would support her.¡± The generals stood firmly behind her. ¡°That¡¯s what I did.¡± The full¡¯s voice sounded perfectly calm. ¡°Well, I¡¯m my own army, so I needed no help.¡± ¡°?!¡± The room became loud. ¡°T-The human capital has burned down...?¡± Menzor tried to wrap his head around it. ¡°Not entirely.¡± Fey slightly shook her head. "On the way, I had calmed down a little, and it ended up being too much work for my liking. I didn''t like the implication of harming possibly innocent individuals, either." ¡°I-I see...¡± ¡°Their castle is gone, though. Burned to nothingness.¡± ¡°...¡± This time, the room fell silent. ¡°What about their rulers?¡± One of themanders spoke up. ¡°Reced.¡± She looked at him. ¡°They were the reason is what they were, after all. Two other parties I selected took over for them.¡± ¡°Two?¡± The king tilted his head. ¡°On one side, there¡¯s the human army Sophia had defeated and brainwashed, together with theirmanders. Their newly imprinted values seemed quite promising to me. She did a thorough job there.¡± Fey nced at the blonde at the end. ¡°I was slightly upset, after all~.¡± ¡°I fully understand that~.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Menzor had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Themander from before spoke up again. ¡°The capital of the human nation is too far away for the army of the Tga war to have returned again. This does not match up.¡± ¡°Yes, that is true.¡± The full nodded. ¡°Initially, I had given up on destroying their capital and decided to return to my daughter right before I arrived there. On the way back, I ran into their returning army, and I was about to unleash my frustration on them, because they were the ones who would''ve earned it, when I realized what was going on. I had another change of ns and took the army to their capital. Before someone asks how, magic would be the answer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Menzor took a quick nce at the blonde because her reply felt painfully simr to something she would¡¯ve said, too. ¡°What happened then?¡± ¡°I removed the royal family and their aides from their castle, made them kneel before me, and had the entire capital watch me burning down the castle. Once that was done, I made the royals disappear and announced the generals of Sophia''s broken army to be the new leaders of humanity. Only with the previous rulers gone, change for the rest of the folk would be possible.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Everyone had the same reaction before the king continued. ¡°That is quite something. What about the other party you mentioned, though?¡± ¡°I spent some time in the capital to teach them some basic necessities to rule a country. Luckily, they couldn¡¯t be worse than the previous rulers. Still, without any knowledge about it whatsoever, it probably wouldn¡¯t have turned out overly well. Eventually, a group of beastfolk messengers arrived from here. Long story short, I made them part of the new ruling faction, as well, and made them watch over them. They will also act as the bridge between the races.¡± ¡°W-WHAT?!¡± The room got loud once again. "Who gave you the authority to decide that?!¡± Menzor didn¡¯t like this turn of events. ¡°Who will guarantee their safety?! They are not trained to do anything like that, either! Even if the human royal family and most of their entourage are gone, there is no way a revolt will not happen in the near future, and who do you think will be the prime target there?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spent a whole month squashing any signs of revolution or groups banding together to pull any sort of stunt.¡± ¡°Killing so many humans will only anger the remaining further!¡± ¡°I have not killed a single human during my activities.¡± Fey wasn¡¯t sure how to name it, either. ¡°I literally made them disappear. While making a public example of every single one of them, including the royal family, I had them transported to the other side of the continent in an instant. It would take them years to return. If they even could, that is. Afterward, once they were gone, and I held some public events with the messengers, themon folk was surprisingly okay. As it turned out, most of them had never seen a member of the beastfolk before and only knew about us from the propaganda and lies of their rulers. After having realized that we aren''t ferocious beasts who eat their children on sight, and noticed that their living conditions had noticeably improved in just a few weeks without their previous rules, they were quite content with our presence.¡± ¡°THERE IS JUST NO WAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS POSSIBLE!¡± The king raised his voice quite a bit. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite possible. My beloved Fey would never lie." Before anyone could realize it, another person had joined the meeting. A white and teal-colored hybrid fox with many tails suddenly stood next to the full while gently petting her head. Afterward, things got slightly more chaotic than they already were.
-- Make sure to watch the (much!) higher-quality version (including a simple BG) here!!! --
Chapter 389 – Headache2 Chapter 389 ¨C Headache2 Sophia, Chloe, and Fey went to the castle to tell the king and his entourage a few things. The full fox started and exined what happened in the human capital, which obviously surprised everyone in the meeting. It was quickly overshadowed by something else, though. ¡°Mira, what are you doing here?¡± Fey was the first to react while she looked at the teal fox with the many tails. ¡°I mentioned that I wanted to pay the royals here a visit, right?¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I thought this was the perfect time to do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it was the worst timing, though.¡± Sophia had some rather mixed feelings. ¡°Really?¡± The overseer tilted her head. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be happy to have even less attention on you? I mean, you mentioned not liking that.¡± ¡°This and that are slightly unrted, I would say. While it¡¯s true, it definitely didn¡¯t help with making this situation any easier.¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Chloe nodded a couple of times. ¡°It does help with the how, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fair point.¡± ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± Mira smiled at the duo before facing Menzor again. ¡°I am pleased to meet the current king of the beastfolk race. Thest time I showed myself in these areas was when your predecessor was still in his ruling position. I must admit that your folk has grown a littlezy when ites to the efficient and creative usage of my magic, everyone used to be much more imaginative with its uses, but you¡¯re overall doing a more than decent job ruling your folk.¡± ¡°I-I am deeply sorry for not having met your expectation, dear overseer of magic!¡± He started panicking. ¡°That does not bother me.¡± She waved her hand. ¡°I have no definite expectations. For the most part, my job is watching over the development, not directing it.¡± ¡°I... understand.¡± Menzor wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that either. "I hope our recent developments, mostly thanks to Sophia, are a little more impressive.¡± ¡°She is most entertaining to watch.¡± Mira smiled at the blonde. ¡°She even managed to surprise me a few times already.¡± ¡°...¡± Everyone looked at Sophia. ¡°Ahaha...¡± She only awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°What was that about keeping attention away from me?¡± The blonde nced back at the teal fox. ¡°I humbly apologize, my dear.¡± ¡°Shush now!¡± She didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°S-Sophia!¡± The king got louder again while he faced her. ¡°W-What is the meaning of this?!¡± ¡°Meaning of what?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°W-Why does it seem like you¡¯re getting along with the great Mira on a personal level?!¡± ¡°Because we do...?¡± The blonde looked back at him. "We recently met, and she''s great! Just look at how fluffy she is!¡± Her preferences were clear. ¡°Wow.¡± Everyone had the same reaction. ¡°Why... Why am I not surprised that Sophia and the overseer of magic get along...?¡± Even though she said it, Kira still sounded rather bbergasted. ¡°...¡± Menzor had a simr expression as his wife. ¡°T-There are many questions I have to ask, but I first have to return to the topic of the human capital and my messengers.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Mira changed her attention to him again. ¡°I helped Fey clean the human capital from the previous rulers and their sympathizers. Using my powers, I transported them to an ind on the other side of the continent. It¡¯s a massive ind with no strong monsters, a vast number of resources, and a favorable climate, so they have the chance to survive. However, leaving that ce and returning will basically be impossible. I¡¯ve also started to actively oversee the capital, and, so far, there are no more signs of rebelling forces." ¡°That is¡­¡± The king needed a moment. ¡°I was unaware that a go-, a-an overseer participates in our problems to such a degree.¡± He remembered Fey¡¯s warning about the goddess issue and quickly changed his wording. ¡°Normally, it is true that we only intervene in actual catastrophes,¡± She stole a quick nce at Sophia before continuing. ¡°But this time was different. In fact, me being an overseer was only a secondary concern in this issue, and I simply abused my powers for something of much greater importance." ¡°W-What could be more important than being an overseer?!¡± ¡°Being a mother, of course.¡± The teal fox started smiling again. ¡°I could not personally support Fey in eradicating the human capital, but there was no rule for me stopping her, either. I surely had no intention to do so, as well. Once she changed her ns to something less¡­ genocidal, I happily yed my part of being an angry mother. It was about time the humans started reassessing their values. Now, after them having approached my baby, more than ever.¡± She focused all of her attention on Chloe near the end. ¡°¡­¡± She started blushing a little. ¡°P-Plus 17 points¡­¡± ¡°W-Wait¡­¡± Kira¡¯s eyes started wandering between the two hybrid foxes. ¡°C-Chloe is your daughter¡­? She¡¯s the child of an overseer?!¡± ¡°Yes," She paused for a moment. ¡°Chloe is the daughter of Fey and me. We¡¯ve kept it a secret for the longest time, though. Even she didn''t know about it until recently¡­" ¡°And she will be upset about that for the longest time, too.¡± The pink fox started pouting while she spoke about herself in the third person. "We wanted her to live a normal life, as being the daughter of an overseer would¡¯ve made that impossible.¡± The teal fox continued. ¡°In retrospect, it was a much bigger mistake for me having stayed out of most her life, though.¡± ¡°OBVIOUSLY!¡± Chloe got even louder. ¡°Yes, we made some mistakes¡­¡± Fey sounded apologetic. ¡°That aside,¡± She then proceeded to look at everyone in the room. ¡°I understand that Mira will be treated differently because of her position. Some might even do the same with me because they think I''m special for some weird reason, thanks to my connection with the overseer of magic. Still, if anyone even thinks about treating our daughter differently in a way that makes her feel ufortable, I¡¯ll get angry. Does everyone understand that?¡± Her stare turned into a re. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Everyone around the king first gulped before nodding at the intimidating-feeling fox. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°W-What a revtion¡­¡± Menzor was massaging his temples. ¡°I still need to put all this aside for a little bit longer, though¡­ How deeply involved are our messengers in the new ruling party of the human capital? Looking at all of this from some distance, it might look like we, the beastfolk, have invaded and conquered their capital.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± One of the generals nodded. ¡°Even if their capital is now purged by their old values, once the word of it starts traveling and some details go missing, things might¡­ no, they will turn quite troublesome. Luckily, any of our settlements are months away from their capital, but this is anything but ideal.¡± ¡°While I won¡¯t deny the possibility, I think the chances for that are negligible at best.¡± Fey faced the general. ¡°We, mostly I, removed around one-fourth of the capital and sent them to their ind holidays. Most of the high-ranking people and public figures are gone. So is most of the army stationed in and around the capital. It has beenpletely reced by the army Sophia has, let¡¯s call it¡­ met before. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t do anything hasty.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t do anything hasty.¡± The blonde corrected her. ¡°I more than made sure of that.¡± ¡°Even better~.¡± The full liked her reply a lot. ¡°They are patrolling around and make sure nothing out of the ordinary is happening. As far as their¡­ skills allow them to, at least. More importantly, almost everything around the capital is farnd to provide for it. The next bigger human settlement is multiple days away, probably even more, now that winter has started. Without protection, it is highly unlikely that they would, or could, make this journey. There also is no army big enough in reach to reim the capital.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The general paused for a moment. ¡°These sound like favorable conditions, but I have no idea how we should act on this¡­¡± ¡°That is indeed very true¡­¡± Menzor nodded a few times. ¡°This might be our one chance to make true peace with the humans. We never sought the conflict in the first ce, only defended ourselves and ournds, but now that their highest leaders are gone, and humanity is led by a faction that sees us in a favorable light¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia interrupted him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it, uh¡­ favorable. They are terrified of us.¡± ¡°I know it sounds bad, but from a tactical standpoint, that''s at least as good, if not even better, for us." Themander scratched his cheek while facing the blonde. ¡°I guess that is true¡­¡± "Do you think this is a way to make the humans understand that we are not enemies and want no harm? For them to realize we are not inferior like they im? To maybe form an actual rtionship with their race over time? Or, at least for them to stop trying stupid things.¡± Menzor faced Mira with an expression that was definitely asking for help. ¡°I won¡¯t be answering that.¡± Mira, unfortunately, just smiled at him. ¡°That is for your races alone to figure out. I''ve interfered more than enough already. It is as you said, though. It is a chance. If it¡¯s worth it, that¡¯s for you to figure out.¡± "I see¡­" He hung his head. ¡°It was worth a try.¡± ¡°It certainly was.¡± The overseer kept smiling. ¡°Regardless of that, thank you very much for your input.¡± The king was d about it nheless before facing his generals. ¡°We need toe up with some options and solutions for that immediately. We must find out if this is our chance." ¡°Most definitely.¡± They all nodded. ¡°Can that wait just a little longer?¡± The blonde interrupted him again. "There are some other topics we must discuss, too." ¡°T-THERE¡¯S MORE?!¡± The room got loud again. ¡°I mean, it took a slight turn, but¡­¡± She took a quick nce at the teal fox before continuing. ¡°I nned this to be the warm-up before we get to the main attraction.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A break was long overdue. Chapter 390 – Headache3 Chapter 390 ¨C Headache3 Fey had told the king and his entourage about her little trip to the human capital, while Mira admitted to having helped her clean up there. The duo also announced that Chloe was her daughter and was, more or less, the cause for the whole event, which caused even more chaos. They managed to put that aside for the time being, though and continued to focus on the human capital while trying to devise a way to use this chance to finally make peace with the humans. They had to put that on hold, though, because Sophia wasn¡¯t done yet breaking some news to him. ¡°W-What do you mean that this was just a warmup?!¡± Menzor stared at the blonde with big eyes. ¡°W-What could possibly be more important than the human capital effectively being conquered and their rulers having disappeared?!" ¡°I, uhh¡­ I mean, if you put it that way, but¡­ Mine¡¯s more of a positive and nice-to-hear bombshell?" ¡°From you¡­?¡± He didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± There was little she could say in her defense. ¡°Alright, fine¡­ I doubt my migraine can¡¯t get any worse, anyway.¡± ¡°Challenge epted!¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Menzor didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle before continuing. ¡°There are two things I¡¯d like to reveal. One is something Chloe initially came up with, which Anna and I then tried to use for a more practical approach. The other one rtes to how our group will travel once we leave the capital." ¡°You and Anna came up with something¡­ practical¡­?¡± The king and everyone around him had a very skeptical reaction. ¡°How terribly rude!¡± The blonde pouted for a moment. ¡°Anyway, we found out that you can use your raw magic to make nts grow and develop. We might or might now have used it to grow some massive trees some distance away from here¡­¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Menzor got loud. ¡°I knew these trees that can be seen from the higher ces in the castle aren¡¯t of natural origin!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°There are many things I want to tell you about that fact,¡± He red at the blonde. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how it would be relevant right now, though.¡± ¡°It bes relevant went I add the idea I had.¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate the re. ¡°Forget trees and think about crops and other agricultural products. ording to Anna, even though it takes very little magic from you, it would still rather taxing, if not impossible, for the farmers responsible for the fields, but it is an alternative way. The princess and I came up with two uses for it. Growing rare or out-of-season fruits and nts and having a backup if something happened. Like a famine caused by a drought or something like that. With magically grown nts, it would be possible to grow a ton of food almost instantly if enough peoplee together to bundle their magic.¡± "¡­" Menzor needed a moment. "A-Are you serious¡­?" ¡°I always am!¡± ¡°I-Is¡­ Is that really possible?¡± He faced the overseer for confirmation. ¡°It is quite difficult to do from scratch because you need to be rather precise with the amount of¡­ raw magic you use. After all, Sophia, the princess, Chloe, and the others are downright gifted with their control of magic. It most certainly is possible, though. As this much has been discovered now, I can provide more information. Be warned, though, while it is a viable way to use in an emergency like the mentioned famine or treat yourself to a specialty every now and then, I advise against making it a habit.¡± Mira paused for a moment. ¡°Your body can attune yourself to magical food and won¡¯t work with the regr one afterward anymore. Your whole diet would have to revolve around it, then. Relying on it through a harsh winter or a dry summer won¡¯t cause this change, though. Neither will be treating yourself to an exotic fruit once or twice a week.¡± "Oh, I hadn''t thought about that possibility!" The voices of Chloe and Sophia ovepped. ¡°That is¡­ a lot of information¡­¡± Menzor nced at some of his ministers with aplicated expression. ¡°We definitely have to further explore our options here, too. Having a failsafe for food-rted emergency situations is beyond valuable.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± They nodded in agreement. "Anyway," The blonde continued. "I''m happy to give a demonstrationter on, but that¡¯s about it for this topic. I hadn¡¯t been too invested in it, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Alright, let''s get to the main topic?" ¡°M-Main?!¡± The king took additional damage from that. "Let me show you all something~." Saying so, Sophia stood up from her chair, and everything, as well as everyone, stopped moving entirely. ---------------- ¡°What are you up to?¡± Well, almost everyone. Mira just turned her head to the side while looking at her. "A-Ah!¡± Noticing her, Sophia did a short jump in surprise. ¡°I-I¡¯m really not sure how I feel about you not being affected by my ability to stop time¡­¡± She had expected to be alone. "Look on the bright side. I can''t mess with you, either. You also aren''t affected by my ability either, after all." ¡°That does make it better. Slightly, at least.¡± She still wasn¡¯t exactly a fan. ¡°So, what¡¯s the n? You aren¡¯t going to tell them about this, are you? I would strongly advise against it.¡± ¡°Are you insane?!¡± The tiger stared at her. ¡°I just need a bit of time to prepare some stuff. I want to show them one of my direct portals.¡± "Ahh, right, you mentioned that before. Why don''t you simply open it and let them deal with it themselves?¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± She intensified her stare. ¡°I want to get home today again, you know? If I did that, they would freak out for two hours, it would take me three more hours to exin it, and even more to talk one of them into going through it. Afterward, more freaking out will happen once they go back. Menzor will start questioning me for a good while before I lose my temper and literally throw him through the portal! I admit that thest part sounds like it would be fun, but it¡¯s definitely not worth it!¡± "Well, I can most definitely see that happening.¡± The teal fox nodded a few times. "Therefore, I won''t give them a choice and put on a little show. I wanted to check if the other side is clear, connect two portals and transport the whole room, and give them a nice surprise~.¡± ¡°For someone who doesn¡¯t like attention, you definitely know how to do things in the shiest way possible.¡± Mira sounded impressed. ¡°Are you still sure about that im?¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± "Heh." ¡°Why is everyone around me so yful?!¡± ¡°People of the same kind tend to flock together. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re any different, after all.¡± ¡°Mhmn¡­ Fair, I guess.¡± ¡°Are you certain about this, though?¡± The teal fox got a little more serious. ¡°I mean, I did something simr with the human army through Fey, but they had absolutely no idea what was going on. Everyone around here will instantly notice just how much of a big deal this really is.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I really hated the idea back when the direct portals weren¡¯t a thing, but¡­ I''ve grown super attached to everyone here, and these portals will be really helpful! It will be a huge benefit for the entire beastfolk, too! Also, even when traveling, I want toe here often for a visit, which is kinda hard to exin without them. I mean, I don¡¯t have to exin anything, but while I¡¯m going to keep some secrets from them, I want to be honest about the things I can.¡± ¡°Oho, that¡¯s a nice way of thinking. You really have your heart in the right ce. It¡¯s also fascinating just how much of a tiger you have be. It''s one of their defining traits to always think about the best for the folk as a whole. Well, it''s not like the others don''t, but the felines with the stripes always go for the extra mile." ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde got a little awkward. ¡°I-It¡¯s not unconditional, though. If there¡¯s even a sign of them misusing my portals, I¡¯ll deactivate them immediately. Like using them for excessive personal gains or even war-rted things. Unless it¡¯s for defensive purposes, at least.¡± ¡°I like how you¡¯re pretty thoughtful and easygoing at the same time. It¡¯s really nice.¡± ¡°I do have my moments.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°Whatever, enough of all that. I¡¯ll go and prepare the portals and the other side real quick so that we can continue here." ¡°Have fun~.¡± Mira just waved after her once the tiger disappeared through one of her portals. ¡°She¡¯ll make a fine overseer one day. She has just the right amount ofmon sense for that. Ourmon sense, that is.¡± ---------------- ¡°Let me show you all something~.¡± Once everything had been set up, Sophia continued where she had left off before she stopped time. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I like the sound of that.¡± Menzor had mixed feelings about it. ¡°Also, why do I feel like you changed positions in an instant¡­?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t sweat the small details here!¡± She had forgotten to be in the same position as she had been before stopping time. ¡°Anyway, here we go!¡± Immediately after, purple particles appeared all over the room, and soon enough, everyone had changed location. While the blonde was at it, she also took the chairs everyone was sitting on and the big table with her. ¡°W-W-WHA-?!¡± Everyone, except the fox family, had the same reaction. No one could understand what was happening and why there were at theke that had suddenly appeared a few months ago.
Chapter 391 – Headache? Chapter 391 ¨C Headache? Sophia had a mighty fine time going all in on fully destroying themon sense of the king and queen, together with a bunch of ministers and generals. After telling them about the ability to grow nts with magic, she finally came to the main event. Her portals. The blonde immediately went all out and used one to transport everyone, and everything to theke she and Fen had identally created a while ago. She doesn¡¯t do things half-heartedly, after all. ¡°Wee to the¡­ke thingy Fenny and I created some time ago. Also, kinda sorry about the frontier town that was nned to be built here or whatever the idea was. Someone really should''ve told me beforehand! Also,¡± Sophia then faced Kira. "I''m not going to name this ce. I know myself, and I''ll probably juste up with something so embarrassing that I''ll level this entire ce afterward just to get rid of the name!¡± She remembered that the queen had urged her to name the creation. "¡­" Naturally, she didn''t answer because she was slightly preupied with other things at the moment. ¡°Woah, that was such a cool way to use the portals!¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°It was so seamless, too!¡± ¡°I have to admit that this was quite something.¡± Even Fey seemed impressed. ¡°Totally over the top and pretty unnecessary shy, but the control was exquisite.¡± "She has a bright future ahead of her~." Mira enjoyed the show, as well. ¡°I wonder what you¡¯d be capable of once you stop holding back because you don¡¯t like the attention.¡± ¡°S-Shush already!¡± The blonde got embarrassed. ¡°I could¡¯ve portaled the whole capital to here and publicly announced it to everyone at once, you know?!¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± The teal fox nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think I like this duo.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s great!¡± The pink fox disagreed with the full one. ¡°S-SOPHIA!¡± Once the events had finally registered, Menzor sprang up from the chair he was sitting on that had been transported with him. ¡°W-W-WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!¡± ¡°Well, as you can see, I transported us to the identke we talked about before.¡± ¡°HOW?! WHAT?! EH?!¡± The king was properly freaking out. ¡°S-Sophia, could you¡­ could you please exin what is going on here¡­?¡± Kira wasn''t quite as loud but still just as bewildered. ¡°It¡¯s some sort of magic I came up with.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Do you remember how I mentioned that I have a way to return to the capital almost instantly, no matter where I currently am while traveling? When we talked about taking Anna and Ari with us, I mean.¡± ¡°I-I need more of an exnation!¡± It wasn¡¯t enough for the queen. ¡°This is too much for anyone to wrap one¡¯s head around!¡± ¡°Ahaha...¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. "So much for letting your actions speak, so you don''t have to exin anything, huh?" ¡°S-Shush!¡± The blonde red at Mira yet again before facing the king and queen. ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to exin the way I did it because I changed the process a lot to make it look seamless, but¡­ hmm¡­ how do I exin this¡­?¡± She looked at Chloe for help. ¡°Keep me out of this!¡± The pink fox wanted nothing to do with it. ¡°This is so your project! I already have enough going on for myself!¡± She nced at her mothers towards the end. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She had hoped for backup here. ¡°Can you at least help me demonstrate it?¡± Sophia was still looking at her while she took two small stones out of her pocket. ¡°They¡¯re enchanted with a direct portal to each other. Just take one and walk a little away if possible.¡± ¡°Sure, I can do that!¡± Chloe was okay with that much. Afterward, she took one of the rocks from Sophia¡¯s hand and walked around 20 meters away from everyone. ¡°Ready whenever~.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Smiling at her pink friend, the blonde then faced Menzor and the others. ¡°As some of you might be aware of, I like to y around with magic every now and then. While doing so, I came up with something we call portals. We¡¯ve been using them to get around ces instantly for a while already. That''s also why I surprised you in the castle a few times, Kira. I have one of the portals in Anna¡¯s room we use to get in and out easily~.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°With two portals connected with each other, you can immediately go from one ce to the other without having to travel the actual distance!¡± ¡°W-What¡­?¡± The king obviously couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°I can¡¯t really me you.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek again. ¡°Well, just watch, okay?¡± Saying so, Sophia also put some distance between her and everyone else. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± While looking at Chloe, she poured some of her magic into the stone while the pink fox did the same. Immediately after, the two connected portals opened at the same time. ¡°W-WOAH!¡± The royal couple, the ministers, and the generals all gasped upon seeing the pink gates appearing out of nowhere. ¡°That¡¯s not the interesting part, girls.¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°Chloe, would you minding to my side?¡± "Okay~." She stepped through the portal and immediately exited the one before Sophia. ¡°?!¡± Things got a little out of hand afterward. ---------------- A few hours had passed since. Hours of Sophia exining what was going on, that is. It was rather unbelievable, after all. It even needed Mira''s help to get it conveyed to them even a little bit. Once everyone had somewhat stopped being overwhelmed, among many other things, the blonde transported everyone back to the meeting room in the castle because it was way too cold for her liking near theke. ¡°Haa¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­¡± Back in the castle, Sophia¡¯s motivation had plummeted significantly. ¡°Can we get to the details already? I¡¯m starting to get hungry, and no one wants to see me hungry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Menzor just looked at her. ¡°G-Girl¡­ Even you must understand that we can''t just nod along with what you showed us! It''s too much!" ¡°Between Mira being here with us, Fey having raided the human capital and overthrown their rulers, and Chloe being the daughter of the aforementioned overseer, are my portals really that much more exceptional?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He went silent. ¡°T-Those arepletely different things! Yes, the return of the great Mira and the whole human¡­ thing is oundish news, but this is¡­ It''s, I don''t even have any words for that! It¡¯s something else entirely! It¡¯s beyond understanding! I have not even dreamed about something remotely close to it.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Well, I kinda get that, but I¡¯ll start going into detail now, anyway. You all better listen now because I won''t repeat myself again. I did that enough in thest HOURS already. It might be quite important for the entire kingdom, so make sure to focus!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Menzor actually went ahead and pped his own cheek to regain focus. Afterward, he looked at every single one of his ministers and generals. ¡°Concentrate, guys!¡± ¡°¡­¡± They all nodded while looking back at him. At least half of them seemed like they wanted to make a retort along the lines of ¡®funny you¡¯re saying this¡®, but they refrained from doing so. For many reasons. ¡°Funny you¡¯re saying this." Sophia, on the other hand, had no qualms about openly stating it. ¡°Alright, back to the portals.¡± She continued after a quick but very smug smirk. ¡°My portals are so versatile that it even surprised me. They still do, actually.¡± ¡°Someone likes to boast, huh?¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°Well, it''s for a good reason. Those things really are something.¡± ¡°If you agree, don¡¯t interrupt!¡± She really wanted to get over with it. ¡°I¡¯m not going to share the main use of my portals because that would be of no use to anyone, among many other reasons, but I will introduce you all to the alternative way, just like the one I showed you before. I have the ability to connect two portals together. The distance between them does not matter. I mean, theke we went to in an instant earlier is way over 100 kilometers away from us right now.¡± The blonde made a short pause. ¡°It has no time limit, either. Once I open them, they stay open. Any size is possible, as well.¡± ¡°T-That is quite something¡­¡± The king found no better words. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± Everyone agreed. ¡°Continuing, as I¡¯ve announced many times already, we¡¯ll continue traveling in spring. Anna and Ari will alsoe with us. Even so, I, and they too, still want to visit the capital every so often. That¡¯s where my portalse into y.¡± "I-I see¡­" Kira was the one who replied. "That''s why you promised Ari''s parents and us that we''d be able to see our babies as much as possible.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°I probably could¡¯vee up with some excuse to keep beating around the topic of us being able to visit so often, but that sounds like way too much work.¡± ¡°Are you really sure this was the easier and less work-involving solution?¡± Fey had some slight doubts about her way of doing things. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stared at her for a moment before facing Menzor and the others again. "Anyway, let''s get to my main proposition for all of this¡­ While traveling, I want to visit all this continent''s interesting ces and cities. Well, and all the other continents, but that''s a topic for another day. Long story kinda short, I want to create a sort of hub that connects all the ces of interest with each other! Wouldn¡¯t it be something to only be a literal stone''s throw away from everything in the entire kingdom? Travel, tourism, management, trade, all that and more would be turnedpletely upside down and changed for the better~.¡± ¡°?!¡± Everyone looked shocked. ¡°D-Do you have any idea what you¡¯re suggesting there¡­?¡± Menzor couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Bad idea?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I thought it would be pretty useful.¡± ¡°USEFUL?!¡± He got loud. ¡°The kingdom would never be the same! Nothing will stay the way it is right now! I can¡¯t even fathom all the implications.¡± ¡°Soo¡­ Interested? Not interested¡­?¡± ¡°INTERESTED!¡± The king and the ministers sprang up from their chairs. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°What do you want for it?¡± Menzor sat down again and stared right at her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I only have one absolute rule. My portals, under no circumstances, can be misused. If someone tries to use them for personal gain or profits, or someone ns to use them as an asset in a war, I will immediately deactivate all of them. In an offensive way, at least. If you want to use them defensively, and or to protect people, I''m all for it." ¡°Those are more than reasonable demands!¡± ¡°Though, speaking of personal gains,¡± The blonde¡¯s expression turned mischievous. ¡°I¡¯m okay with the portals being generally mized. Be it taxes for merchants, some sort of entrance, transportation tickets, or the like. Especially merchants will hugely benefit from it, after all. We should get a slice of their new profits~. Anyway, if it¡¯s decided to do that, I want a significant portion of it. It¡¯s only possible because of me, and I need a retirement fund!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The king paused for a moment. "If we do mize it, which seems more than likely, you''ll never need to work again, not even for a minute. Even your grand, grand, grand, and so on, children will never have to move a single finger ever again." ¡°I very much like the sound of that!¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I have money issues or ever will, but doing stuff withoutpensation feels weird. I love helping people, and I want everyone to have a better life, but¡­ Well, Sophia¡¯s life should be better, too!¡± She gave up on finding a noble exnation. ¡°That¡¯s fair enough.¡± Menzor couldn''t me her. "You most definitely deserve significantpensation, so no one here would even think about denying you." ¡°Never!¡± The ministers all nodded. ¡°Love to hear it~.¡± Afterward, it was time for a break. Menzor and his ministers had reached their limits of ridiculousness for the day and needed to do a lot of thinking and nning before they were able to continue. And to treat their more-than-throbbing headache.
Chapter 392 – One-on-one conversation Chapter 392 ¨C One-on-one conversation The meeting with Menzor, Kira, and most of the ministers and generals had been very eventful. So much so that after Sophia had exined her portals in a more detailed way and offered their usage to better the lives of everyone in the kingdom, everyone decided it was time to break because there were many things to think about now. And even more headaches to cure. ¡°Haa¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­¡± After having left the meeting room, the blonde immediately let out a yawn. ¡°Well, you were quite busy.¡± Fey looked at her. ¡°That being said, if anyone¡¯s allowed to be tired, it¡¯s the king and his entourage.¡± ¡°Fair, I guess.¡± She nodded. ¡°I mean, finding out that the human capital got raided and overthrown while your unrted messengers got used as aides for the new ruling party was quite shocking." ¡°¡­¡± The full fox paused for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate these levels of sass.¡± ¡°I wonder how well you¡¯ll get along with Maya...¡± Sophia suddenly looked a little concerned. Her sass was nothingpared to the cat-girl¡¯s, after all. They arrived at Anna''s room before long and took the portal back, but while they were in her hub, Chloe suddenly stopped walking and faced the teal fox. ¡°Mira, do you, uhh¡­ have some time right now¡­?¡± She sounded a bit awkward. ¡°As much as you want!" The overseer''s reply was immediate. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Talk.¡± The pink fox looked directly at her. ¡°Things have been insanely hectic, and I have simply epted anything that was going on because I was overwhelmed and also didn¡¯t want to lose this chance of being with you, but there are so many things I need to know¡­ Questions I want answers to¡­¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± The teal one scratched her cheek. ¡°I am very thankful you gave me this chance I absolutely have not deserved, and I will dly tell you everything and exin as much as you want me to.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Chloe showed her a small smile before she looked at Fey. ¡°You can go home with Sophia. We¡¯ll be back once we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°You also still have a LOT of exining to do, but I want to hear Mira¡¯s side and her feelings without you interrupting her.¡± ¡°I-I understand¡­¡± She hung her head in response. ¡°Well, look at the bright side.¡± Sophia smiled at the dejected full. ¡°If Chloe isn¡¯t around at home, you can question Steph all you want without getting interrupted, as well.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She lifted her head again. ---------------- After having agreed, more or less, on that n, they went different ways. Sophia and Fey returned to the mansion while Chloe and Mira took the portal to the fox vige because they wanted to be alone. ¡°Okay, what do you want me to tell you? Where should I start?¡± The duo decided to stay in Sophia¡¯s treehouse because the portal was there, and once they sat down there, Mira addressed her daughter. ¡°Everything!¡± Chloe stared right at her. ¡°From the moment you and Feyfey decided to have me! Why, too!¡± ¡°I see. Yes, it¡¯s very understandable that you want to hear the full story.¡± ¡°Please start, then!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The teal fox smiled at her before continuing. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Fey and I met a looong time ago. I ran into her during one of my previous times down here, and we immediately got along great. Not entirely sure why, though. Foxes are naturally quite mischievous, and I take especially great joy and that while Fey, well¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Chloe let out an awkwardugh. ¡°I know what you mean.¡± ¡°She¡¯s actually the primary reason why I¡¯m often described as calm, collected, elegant, and all that. I mean, I know how to behave myself to keep my image of the overseer of magic, but Fey¡­ when I was with her, I tried extra hard.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°And, well¡­ You don¡¯t want to upset Fey.¡± ¡°T-True¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, even with us being so different, or maybe exactly because of that, we became incredibly good friends over the years that followed our first meeting. Fey even constantly apanied me to my domain when I wasn¡¯t able to be here. We got so close that people started to treat us as inseparable. That¡¯s the reason how Fey ended up being in my shrines, as well.¡± ¡°Friends?¡± The pink fox raised an eyebrow. ¡°In the beginning, we definitely were.¡± Mira smiled at her again. ¡°It actually took quite a while before it turned into more because both of us kept dancing around the subject for a literal eternity¡­ It wasn''t that easy with me being an overseer and all." "I guess that was somewhat of a predicament¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Eventually, though, we stopped caring about all that. Interestingly enough, it was Fey who initiated it.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Chloe looked shocked. ¡°Surprising, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°It happened around the time when I talked her into trying to assume a humanoid hybrid form so that we could do even more together. My theory is, as she¡¯s usually so calm and collected, after she got her new body, her new feelings, and hormones she wasn¡¯t used to yet, got the better of her and, well¡­ I don¡¯t want to tell my daughter what happened afterward. You don¡¯t want to know, either.¡± "¡­" Chloe paused momentarily before her face eventually turned red. "T-That already was too much information!" ¡°Well, you wanted to know everything.¡± ¡°T-There are limits!¡± She had no intention of learning anything about that part of her parent''s rtionship. "P-Please skip to the part where I started to be relevant¡­¡± ¡°I mean, technically speaking¡­" ¡°Y-You know what I mean!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Mira was still smiling. ¡°Please excuse my light teasing. This situation here isn¡¯t easy for me, either¡­¡± She was trying to add a little humor. ¡°Anyway, that marked the point where we became a full couple. We were simply happy for many, many, MANY years, but we eventually started to feel that something was missing. Not between us, we were doing better than ever, but¡­ we wanted even more of a connection. Abination of our feelings. A product of our love for each other.¡± ¡°M-Me¡­?¡± ¡°You.¡± The teal fox confirmed it without any hesitation whatsoever. ¡°For us, that was a lot easier said than done, though¡­¡± She made a small pause. ¡°As an overseer, I¡¯m not supposed to meddle too much with the inhabitants of the world I manage. My whole rtionship with Fey was already¡­ but there¡¯s little more meddling you can do other than having a child with someone from here. We managed to suppress the dream for a long time and numb our feelings for the subject, but¡­" ¡°But?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°One day, I was going through the candidates that qualified for reincarnation, and Fey was helping. Something she really wasn¡¯t allowed to do, so please don¡¯t tell anyone¡­ Well, we saw you, and both of us immediately fell in love with you. Originally, I was supposed to find a family for the reincarnators to join, but we finally had enough and decided you would be our daughter. By the way, biologically and or physically speaking, the reincarnators are the full child of their new family. Only their memories will transfer over and be avable over time to help shape their personality to some degree. You are 100% the full daughter of Fey and me. There is no doubt about that." ¡°I-I see¡­¡± The daughter in question needed a moment to let all that sink in. ¡°W-Why me specifically, though? I don¡¯t think there was anything interesting about me in my previous life. It, uhh¡­ It was cut quite short, too.¡± ¡°Well, unfortunately, reincarnating these, whose life was cut short, is the norm rather than an exception¡­" ¡°Ah¡­ Even more so then, why me?¡± ¡°We were really impressed by your positive outlook on everything. Even though you had always been frail, you never were sad and made the best out of what you had. It didn¡¯t even change when your health began to decline even more. It was downright impressive how positive and lively you were. Always having fun and enjoying absolutely everything. Even the most mundane and littlest things were met by pure joy and curiosity by you. It was lovely to read about.¡± ¡°W-Well, there was nothing I could¡¯ve done¡­ it was either that or being depressed¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s why we did something about it. You gave us the push to finally ignore our reservations, and we gave you a second chance.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­ very much¡­¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t sure how to react. It was clear that she was incredibly thankful. ¡°We thank you just as much.¡± Her smile got even gentler. ¡°By the way, I made absolutely sure that your body is in absolute top condition this time.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The pink fox liked that. ¡°Though, would¡¯ve been too much to make me slightly taller while you were at it already?¡± ¡°Ehh? Your height is adorable!¡± Mira disagreed. ¡°Also, yourck in height gets more thanpensated by your size. You''re bigger than both your mothersbined! Humanoid Fey is actually rather small, too. You have toin to her about that. You got it from her! Not that I''m the tallest around, either. Also, I did that after you were born. Your body being the way it is, has happened through the natural way. You have Fey¡¯s tail, my ears, her height, lots of my personality, both of our breasts ¡­ Though, I¡¯m not exactly sure where the pink came from. With a bit of fantasy, it could be lots of Fey¡¯s red and our white with a hint of my teal, but¡­ not quite. Well, it''s not always that easy.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°After you were born, I boosted you in several ways to ensure you can handle your magic, and I made you immune to all sorts of diseases, poisonous substances, and the likes.¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Chloe seemed a little overwhelmed. ¡°Wait, is that why alcohol doesn¡¯t affect me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°After all, at the end of the day, it¡¯s poison. Delicious poison, but poison, nheless.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Handy, huh? Should we really be talking about that right now, though?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°L-Let me stall for time, okay? I need to sort my thoughts and feelings to know what else I want and need to ask you!¡± ¡°I see. Shall we take a quick break?¡± The pink fox heartily agreed to Mira''s suggestion, and the two did just that afterward.
Chapter 393 – Progress and understanding Chapter 393 ¨C Progress and understanding Chloe decided to have a chat with Mira because she wanted to find out more about the person who had turned out to be her mother to see if she should give her a real chance to make up for the lost time and to get some much-needed answers. The pink fox had already learned how her parents met each other and why they decided to let her reincarnate through them. Chloe was very thankful for that, but she still had yet to determine whether she could forgive the overseer for not having been part of her life until now. ¡°Alright, enough of a break!¡± Sounding highly motivated, Chloe faced her mother again. ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°What should I tell you next?¡± "I want a coherent and in-depth exnation of why you two decided to mess up so catastrophically after I was born." She was not smiling. "A-Ah¡­¡± The teal fox¡¯s expression turned quiteplicated. ¡°L-Let me correct my earlier statement a little¡­ There¡¯s also a lot of Fey¡¯s personality in you, as well. Let''s see¡­ Where to even start? There were so many mistakes when looking back at it." ¡°No kidding!¡± Chloe actually sounded quite annoyed. ¡°Once again, I am deeply sorry and regretful¡­¡± Mira had nothing else to add. "At the beginning, we did rather well. We lived inside my domain during the pregnancy and the first seven or eight months of your life. In fact, it was in the same cottage you and Steph visited me the other day. We wanted to have this special time just for us.¡± "And afterward, it was okay to ditch me?!" She got properly angry. ¡°No! It was never okay! It never will be, either!¡± The overseer raised her voice. ¡°P-Please let me finish trying to exin it before you judge our actions¡­ You have every right to be angry, but this definitely was not my intention!¡± ¡°Mhmn¡­¡± She started grumbling before letting her continue. ¡°Right after you were born, basically every overseer in charge came to visit us multiple times. It was the first time an overseer had a child with someone normal, and it wasn¡¯t something supposed to be possible, so everyone was extremely curious about you. Not that normal is a word that could be used to describe Fey. In all the best ways, of course. Especially the overseer of life had been extremely fascinated. Well, I couldn¡¯t really me her. It¡¯s kinda her thing, after all.¡± ¡°I was that popr of a baby?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fascinating way of wording it, but that was more or less the case, yes.¡± She lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Because of them, Fey and I started thinking about how it would turn out if the general public found out about you when all those overseers got this excited already. We feared that people would¡¯ve started swarming you. Of course, Fey and I would¡¯ve put an end to it immediately, but it''s hard to me them, too. I mean, many people like the overseer of magic quite a lot, and I''m really happy about that, too. Also, no matter how cool you think it is now, being the child of someone, uhh... important, as a baby, I doubt you would''ve enjoyed it overly much being surrounded by a literal swarm of people.¡± "Well¡­" Chloe scratched her cheek. "Baby me probably wouldn''t have understood their intention and got scared. Baby Chloe was an idiot, after all.¡± ¡°That was the point. The getting scared part, I mean. Babies are unable to understand things like that. Canir was the main reason we began to doubt the idea, though.¡± ¡°What does he have to do with any of that?¡± ¡°Once he heard about our n of raising you down here, he got really excited and kept saying that we should definitely do that.¡± Mira paused for a moment. ¡°If that guy, a lover of chaos and in constant want of the best entertainment possible, is in love with your idea, you know that something is up¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Sophia often describes Canir in a simr manner whenever hees up¡­¡± ¡°She knows him quite well.¡± The overseer reacted with a wry smile. ¡°All of this made us think about the situation a lot. In the end, we decided that it would be best for Fey to, officially at least, raise you on her own. Even after you two left my domain, I was still constantly with you. It was mostly during your sleepter on because we, mostly I, thought it would be beneficial for you not to be aware of my existence.¡± ¡°And that was a massive, MASSIVE mistake!¡± ¡°L-Look¡­¡± Mira¡¯s voice got more emotional. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but I love you above everything. The time the three of us spent together in my domain means more to me than everything I¡¯ve aplished in my role as the overseer of magic. It was insanely rough for me to see you grow up without knowing me, as well. We only wanted the best for you in order to have an easy and worry-free childhood. The entire world knows and relies on me, though. That¡¯s an insane burden for a child to deal with. Our only goal was your well-being by staying out of the spotlight. I never liked that decision. I hated it. I loathed every second of it, but¡­ but look at how you turned out to be.¡± ¡°Well, now I imagine how amazing I would¡¯ve ended up being with both parents.¡± Chloe forced a smile. ¡°Not that one isn¡¯t enough, Feyfey was the best! Still... but you know what I mean.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was nothing she could say. "Why have you two never considered raising me in your domain?¡± ¡°We did.¡± Mira looked at her. ¡°Would that have made you happy?" ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Just you with the two of us? Only us? No one else. In a ce that is vast but ultimately still very limited? Without ever meeting anyone else? Except maybe some of the overseers. No foreign cultures, no awesome areas and biomes, no Sophia and the others. No Steph.¡± "A-Ah.¡± Chloe¡¯s expression immediately turned awkward. ¡°We knew, that after your old life, you''d only be truly happy if you could roam around and explore anything that caught your interest. Making friends, as well.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± The pink fox nodded a few times. ¡°That was the most amazing part of my new life until now.¡± ¡°See?¡± The overseer¡¯s smile got warmer. ¡°Fey and I made many and big mistakes, but there¡¯s no doubt that we only wanted you to have the most fulfilling life possible. Never once have we thought that this would be the easiest way out. It definitely was not. Especially not for me. In our eyes, the situation up until a few days ago was the one to give you the best life with the fewest caveats possible¡­ Our feelings were of no importance.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Chloe needed a moment. ¡°W-Was it really not an option to tell me at ater date when I understood what was going on and be able to handle it¡­?¡± ¡°When do you think that moment happened?¡± Mira tilted her head. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent again. ¡°M-Maybe a few years ago¡­?¡± "Well, it seems I was only a littlete, then." The overseer scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve actually been preparing to tell you for a couple of years already. Unfortunately, as you might be able to imagine, as the overseer of magic, I¡¯m quite busy and have to constantly monitor things. I also take care of any, uhh¡­ errors and simr things. Thankfully, magic seems to be quite stabletely, and I managed to talk the overseer of nature into taking over my monitoring duties for quite a while. The two of us are quite good friends because our territories, nature and magic, are very symbiotic. Whenever I feel like walking down on the, she''s nice enough to take over my duties that need constant attention. In exchange for that, she can use the extra authority over magic to improve the flora. Win-win for both~.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± Mira¡¯s smile got brighter. "I''m probably good to go for around a hundred years, or you get sick of me, depending on what happens faster. Maybe even longer if we continue with this group because they include like half of the individuals to mess up magic in a way that needs intervention, and I could do that without needing to leave.¡± "Is that true? Are you not just trying toe up with a convenient excuse right now?¡± ¡°I would never! You are more than free to ask Canir or our deer overseer of nature for confirmation! I told them about it and worked hard to finally meet you for real and have enough time to try my best to make it up to you for even the slightest bit!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe¡¯s voice turned warmer. ¡°That¡¯s more than enough for me! I¡¯m really d you¡¯re trying to make it up! I also better understand now why you two messed up so big. You really only had the best intentions.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I have no idea what I would¡¯ve done in that admittedly veryplicated situation.¡± The pink fox tilted her head while thinking about it. ¡°Nope, no idea. Even so, I now respect and understand your reasoning. I¡¯m happy that you two put me on such a high priority, too. You still really messed up and have a lot of work ahead to get the same treatment as Feyfey as a member of my family.¡± ¡°T-That is totally understandable.¡± Mira couldn¡¯t me her in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯m still beyond moved that you¡¯re even willing to give me said chance!¡± ¡°Because I want to give it to you.¡± Chloe looked right at her. ¡°I don¡¯t hate you, after all. Not at all. I¡¯m really sad that you weren¡¯t there for and with me during my life until now. I¡¯m very angry about it, too, but what good would it do to anyone if I were to say no? You would be sad. Fey would be. I would be, too. I still have reservations about calling you family or mom in one way or another, my feelings are still too difficult on the matter, but I would be insanely happy if that were to change. Sooner rather thanter, too.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Mira was getting even more emotional. ¡°Thank you so very much!¡± She was so moved that even some tears had appeared in the corners of her eyes. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you dare and start crying now!¡± She started panicking. ¡°I can¡¯t deal with stuff like that!¡± ¡°Then stop being such a good girl¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason toin about that!¡± The pink fox started pouting. ¡°Also, that¡¯s Feyfey¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯ll dly take the me for that. She did a way too good job.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The wasplimenting her, too, after all. ¡°Oh, how about I get a little selfish to make you feel better?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure how I like that.¡± In the end, Mira was still her mother. ¡°I am listening, though.¡± "I''m pretty sure I''ll like you much faster if you tell me some good secrets about magic!¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Her voice turnedplicated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I like that¡­¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t going to work at all!¡± Chloe smiled at her. "I was just testing! I''m not that cheap!" ¡°There¡¯s just no way I was going to imply that, either!¡± "I know~." Her mood had significantly improved throughout their conversation. ¡°G-Good.¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Smiling a good bit, the pink fox stood up and walked over to Mira before wrapping her arms around her while giving her a good hug. ¡°This is a good start, though!¡± ¡°I¡­ I really am happy to hear that.¡± Mira sounded incredibly moved again. She immediately returned her daughter''s hug, as well, and the two stayed like that for a moment. ¡°That being said,¡± Without letting go of the overseer, Chloe¡¯s voice turned a little mischievous. ¡°You did miss a lot of my birthdays, you know? There are a lot of outstanding presents there. Don''t forget the interest rate, either! So, about those good secrets about magic¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re serious this time, are you not?¡± "I always am!" A certain blonde tiger had already rubbed off on her. "Well, mostly..." ¡°L-Let me think about something first, okay¡­?¡± Mira couldn¡¯t say no to her. ¡°Okay!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s one secret per missed birthday!¡± "A-Ah.¡± "And another one each for every other important event in my life you weren''t with me!" "..." As the tense mood from their conversation was now fully gone, once they were done with their hug, the two returned to their previous positions and continued to chat in a more rxing manner. After all, they still had to get to know each other better. Chapter 394 – Boss fight Chapter 394 ¨C Boss fight Chloe and Mira had a nice and long conversation over just about everything. The pink fox had a lot of questions that needed answering, after all. The overseer dly answered any single one of them and managed to, at least slightly, exin her reasoning behind the events that led to her mostly staying out of her daughter''s life. Chloe was still pretty angry about the matter, and it would need more time for her to fully warm up to her many-tailed mother, but the duo made a step in the right direction. While all this was happening, the group''s mansion in the capital had also gotten lively. ¡°Oh, where is everyone?¡± Sophia and Fey had returned to the mansion, and the blonde noticed that only Steph was in the living room they had just entered. ¡°Wait, I can sense everyone else at the other end of the capital¡­¡± ¡°Maya and the wolves couldn¡¯t stand Ari and Anna''s constant questions, and after Mira suddenly disappeared as well, they couldn''t take it any longer, so Maya and Aura decided to go on a shopping tour to divert the loud couple''s attention. Fen, at first, wanted to stay, but Aura decided that he had no saying in the matter.¡± Her little sister answered her. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. Our dear princess and Ari continued to be a pain after they slept over and woke up, huh? It''s a good thing we left early, huh?" She then nced at the full fox. ¡°Would you not consider our meeting not having been a pain?¡± Fey looked back at her. "¡­" She paused for a moment. "Fair." There was nothing she could add. "Wait, why didn¡¯t you go with them?¡± Sophia faced her sister again. ¡°I did not think that their idea of a diversion of attention would work out overly well, so I decided to stay behind where there¡¯s actual peace. Fen hated me for a moment because he had the same idea but wasn¡¯t allowed to, but I can¡¯t say I felt overly bad about it.¡± "A wise choice.¡± The tiger nodded a few times. ¡°Fen still can¡¯t hold his ground against Aura, huh?¡± Fey also had something to say. ¡°Some things really never change, do they?¡± ¡°He¡¯s just a big softie, after all.¡± The blonde started smiling. ¡°He looks grumpy and tries to be intimidating, but he¡¯s all bark and no bite~.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fox pondered for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but that¡¯s only because he likes you all. If that wouldn¡¯t be the case, our dear softie definitely does have another side. The exact opposite of that, to be exact.¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s good that we love each other~.¡± ¡°By the way, speaking of¡­¡± Steph interrupted the two. ¡°Where is Chloe?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia and Fey immediately got a little awkward. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡± Her sister calmed her down. ¡°During our meeting with the king and all that, Mira suddenly showed up, making things extra chaotic." ¡°Ah, that is where she went to!¡± "Yeah." She nodded. "Anyway, after we were done, Chloe decided it was due time for a one-on-one mother-daughter conversation, and the two went off on their own.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She liked that a lot more. ¡°I hope they manage alright and get over some, uhh¡­ reservations.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Fey agreed. ¡°We made some massive mistakes, but Mira suffered at least as much as Chloe did, if not even more, so I also hope they''re able to grow closer, to a level where it should suppose to be¡­" ¡°It definitely is a difficult situation.¡± Sophia also nodded. ¡°Mira seems pretty determined and earnest about the whole thing, and Chloe definitely isn¡¯t the type who would reject her just because and all. I¡¯m sure, with enough time, things will work out.¡± ¡°I sincerely hope so.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine~. Anyway, I¡¯m way too hungry after having gone through all that in the castle! I¡¯m going to ravage the kitchen!¡± The blonde finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Steph, you take care of Fey and keep herpany!¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± The dog-girl sprang up from the sofa in shock. ¡°Do you not want to be alone with me in the same room?¡± The full fox stared right at her. ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± She panicked even more. ¡°Have fun~.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t care about any of that and disappeared towards the kitchen. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Things turned awkward pretty fast. ---------------- ¡°S-So¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why, uhh¡­ Why are we having a staring contest right now¡­?¡± A few minutes had passed since Sophia left, and the duo still hadn''t done anything other than looking at each other. ¡°You are free to suggest other activities or topics to talk about.¡± She had not averted her eyes for even a moment while replying. ¡°C-Can we talk about¡­ Chloe?¡± ¡°What about my girl?¡± Fey had no intention of making it easy for her. ¡°¡­¡± The dog paused. ¡°Alright¡­ How about we talk about you instead?¡± She suddenly got brave. ¡°Me?¡± Even she had not seen thating. ¡°What is it you want to know about me?¡± ¡°As much as you¡¯re willing to share! And then 7% on top of that!¡± She was getting really bold. ¡°You¡¯re the mother of my girlfriend, so I want to get to know you better, too! I want to get along with you if possible!¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The fox sounded actually impressed. "I can get behind your reasoning, so I have to give you that. Many things aside, that is.¡± ¡°What do I have to do for you to tolerate me?¡± ¡°Who said that I don¡¯t?¡± "Alright¡­ what must I do for you to like me?¡± Steph changed her wording. ¡°¡­¡± Fey went silent. ¡°I am 100% certain that Chloe would love it if we were to get along. I would like it a lot, too. I still think you¡¯re nice and you seem really interesting, too! A talking fox has been like a dream of mine! It¡¯s absolutely fascinating! You seem super caring, as well. With the way how you do your best to protect Chloe! I know this is also why we had a rough start, but I want to get past that!¡± ¡°Mrmnn¡­¡± The fox started grumbling again. ¡°If anything, I really think you should be impressed by me!¡± ¡°How so?¡± Judging by her tone, Fey didn¡¯t seem to agree. ¡°Because I undoubtedly have the best taste of anyone ever having existed since existing has be a thing!" Steph looked incredibly smug. ¡°After all, I fell for your daughter!¡± ¡°Mrrmnn¡­¡± Her grumbling got louder. ¡°One might even argue that I might be the most amazing person in existence, as well!¡± The levels of her smugness managed to increase even more. ¡°It¡¯s wrong because that would be Chloe, but she chose and epted me, and that does mean I have to be super amazing, right? You know Chloe the best, right? Would she date anyone that isn¡¯t great?¡± ¡°You really are something else, girl.¡± ¡°I know~¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Can you refute my ims, though?¡± ¡°I can not¡­¡± The fox let out a small sigh. ¡°I would be denying Chloe¡¯s ability to judge people and her intelligence, after all.¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°Do you think your current approach to win me over, and the way you¡¯re acting, is the way to go, though?¡± Fey intensified her stare again. ¡°Yes!¡± Steph seemed quite convinced of it. ¡°I¡¯m quite good at reading people, the fact you¡¯re also a fox aside, and I¡¯m absolutely sure that you like individuals that are confident about themselves.¡± ¡°Mrmnn¡­¡± She returned to grumbling. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± "No, you are correct again." Fey looked at her. "I have a lot of respect for confident people who know what they want. I think it signalizes strength and is a formidable character trait.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Hubris is not a formidable trait, though.¡± Her gaze changed ever so slightly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, then~.¡± Steph kept smiling. ¡°I might be constantly overexcited, something I never n to change, but while I try to push my limits, I want to grow, after all, I know where and what they are and am aware of where I have to stop.¡± She paused for a moment. "Except for when Sophia disappeared because Ipletely ignored everything, and my only goal was to find her. But even there, while I know that I overdid it, the only thing I would¡¯ve changed in retrospect would be to go even harder. She¡¯s my sister, after all. Going harder than you ever could, not caring about any kind of pain, and ignoring any reason in order to find her was the very least I could¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The feeling around the fox changed yet again. ¡°You know¡­ Before I tell you more about me and we talk about Chloe, how about you tell me more about you first?¡± She sounded ever so slightly intrigued. ¡°Sure!¡± Naturally, the dog-girl immediately jumped at the chance to sell herself. ¡°Is there anything specific you want to hear? My childhood was nothing out of the ordinary, though. Even when we put into ount that we¡¯re from different worlds.¡± ¡°Whatever you think is the most beneficial to tell the mother of your girlfriend.¡± There was a slight hint of sarcasm in Fey¡¯s voice. ¡°Right! Good point!¡± She scratched her cheek before continuing. ¡°I guess it¡¯s probably best to start with when my sister became an idiot.¡± ¡°Your sister?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t know how much Chloe has told you about our old world from her memories, but being different there can be¡­ difficult, to say the least. Compared to paradise, this world, that is, not exclusively liking the opposite sex, is rather rare and, in a lot of unfortunate cases, quite looked down on. To use friendly words¡­ Downying it, too¡­" She let out a short sigh before focusing again. "Sophia hadn¡¯t taken the revtion of being different well, as she likes girls and made many mistakes because of it. She didn¡¯t want to be different and started distancing herself from other girls to ignore it. It ended up being so bad that she actually became afraid of them and was unable to even speak with girls. Unfortunately, she¡¯s three years older, so the damage was already long gone before I realized what was going on. The whole concept doesn¡¯t make much sense before you hit puberty and feelings start to happen, after all.¡± "I seriously hate your world." The fox had a very clear opinion on it. "I told Chloe the same when she recalled her memories. I''m sorry if that is offensive, but that''s how I feel." ¡°Offensive?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know what I think about that world. Sure, I can¡¯t deny that humanity made some amazing achievements in many areas, many of which fill me with awe, but they¡¯re the ABSOLUTE worse in many other things. Some are, at least. Why do you think I call this ce paradise?¡± ¡°I see. Go on, then.¡± ¡°Where was I¡­?¡± She needed a moment to get back on track. ¡°Right, once I had my, uhh¡­ sexual awakening or how you want to call it, and realized that I also only like girls, it immediately became apparent to me what Sophia was suffering from. I was doing better with it because I¡¯ve always been pretty open with everything, and I even had a friend during that time who was the same as me, and we were able to help each other out. Knowing what was going on with my sister and how sad she had be, my highest priority naturally became to help her, too." ¡°That¡¯s a very honorable decision. I only have praise for that.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The dog liked her reaction a lot. ¡°Well, I tried my best to help her and even asked a friend to support me to get her used to girls again, but... I think I had made it a little worse back then... Thanks to that, because of how much I love my sister, I decided to just be there for her whenever she needed me. And even more so if she said she didn''t because those were the times she needed me the most. Sisters aside, we became best friends, and I really enjoyed being with her. That really formed my personality, as well, because I started to love taking care of people and helping out whenever I could. My friends used to call me the most reliable and caring person they had met, which made me really happy~. Well...¡± She made a short pause. ¡°That¡¯s until Sophia disappeared, and Iter discovered she ended up in this world. I kinda disregarded everything and everyone in order to find her... I still don¡¯t regret anything, and even ended up in paradise because of it!" ¡°Again, that is some amazing dedication.¡± ¡°I might be caring and all that, but I can be the most stubborn and obnoxious girl you ever meet, as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that.¡± The fox shook her head. "I mean, Chloe''s my daughter, and that''s most definitely her thing." ¡°You better get used to two of those types in your life from now!¡± Steph got smug again. ¡°And I¡¯m much more of a handful than our favorite pink girl!¡± ¡°More like three...¡± She let out a small sigh. ¡°Chloe inherited a lot of her personality from Mira... Well, she at least not inherited all of her mischievousnesses, so there''s still that." ¡°Good news! If I¡¯m not currently obsessed with anything, I¡¯m basically always mischievous!¡± ¡°Great...¡± She didn¡¯t sound too happy, though. The duo kept chatting for a good while longer and actually seemed to bond reasonably well after their first slightly unfortunate meeting. As Fey had to ept that Steph was someone very dear to her daughter, she tried her best to get to know her better. It helped that she thought that the dog-girl had some genuinely interesting bits to her. In the end, she even invited her to dinner, where they could continue their conversation. Once they were gone, Sophia finally left the kitchen again. She had been very hungry, after all. It definitely was not because she didn¡¯t want to disturb them. Chapter 395 – A challenging task Chapter 395 ¨C A challenging task After Steph had ended up being alone with Fey, the two engaged in a rather extensive conversation. The dog-girl really wanted to get closer because she was interested in her and, of course, for Chloe''s sake, as she was her mother. During their chat, after Fey learned a little more about the girl that had started dating her daughter, the fox got a little interested in her, enough even to invite Steph out for dinner to continue their conversation there. "We''re back! Hmm? Where is everyone?" Chloe and Mira had returned to the mansion, and the pink fox seemed confused that Sophia was the only one in the living room. ¡°Wee back~.¡± The tiger smiled at the duo. ¡°Everyone went out, and I''m the only one left." ¡°Oh, I see!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Wait, even Feyfey?¡± ¡°Especially Feyfey~.¡± The blonde¡¯s smile got bigger. ¡°She had an extensive conversation with your girlfriend and then even went as far as inviting her to dinner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice! Eh¡­?¡± It took her a moment. ¡°She did what now?¡± ¡°Surprising, huh? The two seemed to be bonding reasonably well, even. It was really interesting listening to them from the kitchen. Albeit slightly embarrassing, as well¡­" Sophia scratched her cheek. "Old world me also was a topic, after all¡­" She had obviously listened in on them while raiding the kitchen for food. ¡°Wow!¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°That¡¯s sooo great!¡± ¡°I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting that. Not so fast, at least.¡± Even Mira seemed surprised. ¡°Knowing Fey, I thought it would take her much longer to stop being stubborn. How did your sister manage to do that?¡± ¡°Steph is way too good at this using the right words to talk thing¡­¡± ¡°That is VERY true!¡± The pink girl could rte to that. ¡°What did she say to her?" ¡°Well, it was more the way she said things¡­ She figured out that Fey likes confident people that know what they want. So, she was just that, confident, decisive, and authoritative enough to show how serious she is without being condescending or disrespectful.¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s how you win over Fey-fey.¡± The voices of the two foxes ovepped. ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± The overseer sounded impressed. ¡°I¡¯m so very happy that Steph wants to get along with Feyfey~!¡± Chloe sounded really cheerful. ¡°I hope mom feels the same once she gets to know her better!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to not get along with Steph.¡± Sophia was quite proud of her sister, after all. ¡°Fey does have to be a little stubborn, though. That¡¯s just how parenting works.¡± ¡°How do you know how parenting works?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Is there something you forgot to mention about your life in the other world¡­?¡± ¡°I most certainly did not.¡± She waved her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to have a chance to give my maternal instincts a go, though! They have always been quite strong in me, and ever sinceing to this world, Canir having messed with me, and having found out I actually can live them out eventually, the excitement and anticipation are strong~." ¡°You having a child will change this world forever¡­¡± Mira''s reply was apanied by a big smile. ¡°I don¡¯t even care if you¡¯re trying to imply anything there!¡± Sophia smiled back at her. "This world, any world, matters less than my right now imaginative future child! Nothing and no one will have even the slightest bit of a hint of a chance to get between her and me!¡± ¡°We should¡¯ve met 20 years earlier¡­¡± Mira¡¯s expression quickly turnedplicated. ¡°I doubt I would¡¯ve been of much help and or use when I was two or three years old.¡± Toddler Sophia probably couldn¡¯t have given her many tips. ¡°Speaking of, uhh¡­ How are you two doing now?¡± Her gaze wandered between the two foxes. ¡°Fully having made up would be impossible at this stage, but has it gotten better?¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Chloe tilted her head while ncing at her mother. ¡°I would say so, yes.¡± She showed her a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m still really upset and also quite sad over their decisions, but I understand it now. I don¡¯t like it, but I understand it. It wasn¡¯t easy for Mira, either. It¡¯s clear that she didn¡¯t do it because she didn¡¯t want me, far from that, so I¡¯m more than willing to give her a real chance. She is my mother, after all. I would love to have a rtionship representing that in the future, too. We, mostly her, have to put in some more work and time for that, though. I¡¯m looking forward to that day, though.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Mira¡¯s answer was immediate. ¡°I¡¯ll try harder than I ever did on anything before to make you trust me again.¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± Sophia liked it. ¡°I guess that is the best oue here! I would think that a situation like this has to take some time to be resolved. I¡¯m really happy for the two of you that you are trying to get closer!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Now we only have to hope that I still have a sister at the end of the day, and most of the awkwardness in our group will be done, huh?" The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The pink fox didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°Especially because that isn¡¯t 100% impossible for something to happen because we¡¯re speaking about Feyfey here!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way Fey would do anything to her.¡± Mira tried to reassure her daughter. ¡°She knows how you¡¯d react, after all.¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± Chloe sounded relieved. ¡°Well, as good as that sort of reasoning can be¡­¡± ¡°Ahahah¡­ Well, you can rest assured that there will be no permanent damage on Steph, so I¡¯d say it¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡°H-HEY!¡± She didn¡¯t like that wording, either. ¡°I can still sense both of them with my detection magic, soo¡­¡± ¡°Stop it already!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Sophia let out a chuckle. ¡°Speaking of that, I also detect that Maya and everyone else went to the castle. They¡¯re probably dropping off the high-maintenance couple.¡± ¡°Anna and Ari really took some damage from Mira and you having some rtions to Canir, huh?¡± Chloe reacted with a slight smile. "Yeah, but I''d say that her father was worse off." Her mother¡¯s smile was much more yful. ¡°He got triple-hit, as well. It feels a little weird saying that about myself, but that¡¯s pretty much a standard reaction when first meeting me. Once I¡¯m around for a while, it usually calms down quite fast, though. If the princess and her partner will be with us when traveling, they will ignore me being who I am before they even notice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± "And for the king, he already was half over my appearance at the end of our meeting because Fey, and even more so you,pletely broke him with the other revtions.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± The tiger wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ---------------- The trio kept chatting for a bit longer, long enough for Maya to return from the shopping trip with the wolves after dropping off the loud couple in the castle. ¡°SOPHIA!¡± Flying into the living room, the cat-girl immediately jumped at her tiger. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Sophia.¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°What did you do?!¡± ¡°What did I do¡­?¡± The blonde looked confused. ¡°I need more context before I admit to something you don¡¯t know about yet and get in even more trouble.¡± ¡°What other things?!¡± Maya got louder. ¡°Other things?¡± Sophia tilted her head to the other side this time. "What are you talking about?" ¡°I hate you so much¡­¡± ¡°I love you, too~.¡± Her mood was great. ¡°So, what did I do? I think I behaved pretty welltely, if I dare say so myself." ¡°Canir hasined about that part already, too.¡± Mira joined the blonde¡¯s side. ¡°He¡¯d like for her to let loose more again.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°In this world and without blowing it up, he also added.¡± ¡°See?!¡± Sophia looked a little smug. ¡°I¡¯ve been a good girl! Wow, even I thought that sounded way too suspicious¡­¡± She stopped for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that, including various implications of it, either¡­ Wait, where were we again?¡± She got sidetracked. ¡°The castle!¡± Maya got louder again. ¡°It was like someone had set fire to an ant nest in there! Everyone was running around and being nervous and everything!¡± ¡°Why and how do you know what an ant nest on fire is like¡­?¡± Chloe got curious about that part. ¡°I-It¡¯s just a metaphor!¡± Her eyes started swimming ¡°Mhmm¡­" The pink fox kept staring at the cat-girl, whose expression had be awkward. ¡°A-Anyway!¡± Maya returned to ring at Sophia. ¡°What did you do?!¡± ¡°Exactly what we talked about, and you decided you didn¡¯t want to deal with that much of a pain? You have no right toin when you send Chloe, Fey, and me to the castle without supervision!" ¡°B-But Fey! I-I thought she¡¯s levelheaded¡­¡± ¡°She may be.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°She¡¯s also utterly ruthless and went with us to tell the king about the part where she raided the human kingdom, got rid of their rulers, and put some of his people as aids to the new rulers I brainwashed beforehand.¡± "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Mira also showed up in the middle of it.¡± ¡°W-Why?!¡± Maya now faced the overseer. ¡°Because I thought it would be the best time for it.¡± ¡°For what?! To create maximum chaos?!¡± ¡°Exactly~.¡± She gave her a thumbs up in return. ¡°I so hate this group¡­¡± Maya looked done. ¡°Afterward, I told them about my portals, as discussed before. I also made the offer to connect the whole kingdom during our travels. Though, it might¡¯ve been a tad much all at once.¡± ¡°NO KIDDING!¡± ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t be bothered to meet with him multiple times.¡± The tiger didn¡¯t feel guilty in the slightest. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°What are the chances that Fey can actually tame her once she¡¯s settled down with us¡­?¡± The cat-girl nced at Mira. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The overseer scratched her cheek. ¡°Our dear Fey¡¯s stronger than everyone elsebined when ites to¡­ educating someone.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m stronger than everyone elsebined when ites to being an idiot!¡± Sophia took it as apetition. ¡°Not the word I would¡¯ve used, but that¡¯s what I mean¡­ Taming will be hard, and I doubt Fey would even want to do that. She will teach Sophia the basics of thinking before acting, though.¡± ¡°She¡¯s really good at that!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very convincinging from you, you pink disaster!¡± Maya just red at her. ¡°Oh, I like that title!¡± The disaster in question started smiling. ¡°I know how to think before acting. Feyfey thoroughly taught me that¡­¡± She shuddered for a brief moment. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t love to let loose, especially when she¡¯s not there to stop me~.¡± ¡°Mmhh¡­¡± Maya looked conflicted. "Hey, it would still be a step up for me~." The blonde was having a smug day. ¡°Well, that is true¡­¡± Afterward, as the cat-girl needed a break, they chatted about some less pressing matters while waiting for Fey and Steph to return from their dinner.
Spoiler Well, not that suggestive, but whatever xD Many more variants can be found here: Some of those areactually quite suggestive!! Who would''ve thought Ari has suchabad sleeping posture, huh? [copse] Chapter 396 – Vacation days Chapter 396 ¨C Vacation days Maya had returned from her shopping trip with the wolves and the loud couple and was a little upset with Sophia after she found out about the hectic state the castle was in after their meeting with the king earlier that day. Once she was finished trying, and failing, to get some sense into her girlfriend, everyone just rxed and waited for Fey''s and Steph''s return from their dinner. A few hourster, after Maya calmed down, Steph and Fey returned to the mansion, just as the two wolves had a few minutes prior, as well. It seemed like those two had also gone for a quick dinner after the shopping trip before. ¡°Oho, nice, I still have a sister!¡± Sophia smiled at the dog-girl after she entered the living room together with Fey. ¡°Of course!¡± She smiled back at her. ¡°It was a bit of a clutch every now and then, though.¡± ¡°That is not a nice thing to say.¡± Fey nced at Steph. ¡°You were at no point in real danger.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the extra pronunciation on the real about, then?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The full fox kept looking at her. ¡°I pronounced it the same way I did with every other word.¡± ¡°I see. Must¡¯ve been my imagination, then.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Chloe looked confused. ¡°Are you two getting along now¡­?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Steph¡¯s mood seemed excellent. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t necessarily go that far.¡± Fey sounded a little more reserved. ¡°Your pronunciation changed again!¡± The little sister smiled at her. ¡°It has not. Is there something up with your ears?¡± ¡°Not at all! In fact, they¡¯re better than ever after I became a dog!¡± ¡°Are you certain about that?¡± ¡°I positively am!¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Fey turned her head away. ¡°So you two are?!¡± Chloe¡¯s smile got even brighter. ¡°That¡¯s so great!¡± ¡°Are you still going to disagree and disappoint her?¡± The dog¡¯s smile turned ever so slightly smug. ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky now, my dear.¡± ¡°I always try to push my limits, so being a bit cocky is part of the menu~.¡± ¡°I know that much¡­¡± Fey let out a small sigh. "You definitely made that more than clear during our conversation and dinner." ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°Could I get an answer already?!¡± The pink fox was getting impatient. ¡°I mean, I have eyes and ears, but I want to hear the right words!¡± It was obviously clear that their dynamic had changed. ¡°¡­¡± The full fox paused for a moment. ¡°I respect her as an individual, and her personality, albeit too excitable, is most fascinating, as well. She has many traits I think very highly of in a person. Well, some others are debatable, but¡­ overall, it¡¯s a positive.¡± ¡°Yay~.¡± Steph could live with a positive. ¡°Yay~.¡± Chloe had the same reaction. ¡°Then, does that mean you support the fact the two of us have started dating without reservation on your part?" ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s a totally different topic.¡± Fey¡¯s voice turned dry. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still working on that part¡­¡± Steph scratched her cheek. ¡°One dinner wasn¡¯t enough for that.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need a lot more dinners for that.¡± It was hard to see and more of a guess, thanks to Fey being a full fox, but she definitely smirked at the dog while giving her reply. ¡°I can live with that!¡± Her smile got bigger. ¡°I love this!¡± Chloe also looked really happy. ¡°Not the dynamic I had expected between you two, but it¡¯s lovely!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey turned her head away yet again. ¡°You really are something else.¡± Mira seemed to be impressed by Steph. ¡°To win over our stoic Fey so quick.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Steph¡¯s the best, after all!¡± The pink fox also sounded proud. ¡°I hate it here¡­¡± The full fox started to second-guess the group. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She then took a deep breath before facing Chloe and Mira again. ¡°I heard that you two had a conversation about various things, too. How¡­ How is the situation?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still pretty angry.¡± Even so, Chloe smiled at her. ¡°At you, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Apologizing was still the best Fey could do right now. ¡°I really understand you two now, though. I understand your reasoning and how you wanted my best only. I still disagree, but I understand it. I don''t know if I would''ve been able toe up with a better solution in that situation, either, though. It was quite a challenging one, after all.¡± ¡°Not that challenging.¡± Sophia slowly shook her head. ¡°That being said, destroying a world or two because you chose your daughter over them might be more of a big deal when you¡¯re an important overseer, so¡­¡± ¡°Nonono!" Maya got loud again. "Overseer or not, destroying a world will always be a big deal!" ¡°Meh.¡± The blonde just shrugged. ¡°Is the possibility of having kids with you really a good idea¡­?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s emotions on the topic were veryplicated. ¡°Absolutely~.¡± Sophia''s feelings on the matter were the exact opposite ofplicated. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take my vacation days when that happens¡­¡± Fen sounded done already. ¡°Are you against me having children?¡± The blonde faced the wolf. ¡°Not at all.¡± That didn¡¯t seem to be his issue. ¡°The time between you making one and you getting it, is what concerns me. Hybrids of your stature take around nine months, right? Yeah, extended vacation days. I¡¯m okay with unpaid vacation, too.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Yeah, no, I¡¯ll be aplete menace during that time. That¡¯s pretty much guaranteed.¡± ¡°Do I also get vacation days¡­?¡± Maya started to like Fen¡¯s n. ¡°Not during that time, my dear.¡± Mira, out of everyone, answered her. ¡°After all, as of right now, there¡¯s a considerable chance of you being just as responsible for it. I¡¯ll personally make you responsible for ensuring the world will not be destroyed in the process, too." ¡°T-This world or any world¡­ S-Sophia, what do you think about having a child in your old world¡­?¡± ¡°Not a chance!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like the idea. ¡°Very understandable.¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The cat hung her head. ¡°T-Then, if you task me with such an impossible task, Mira!¡± She faced the overseer. ¡°I need to borrow all of your magic authority during those nine months to even have a chance!¡± ¡°As if that would be enough~.¡± Sophia looked extra cheeky during her reply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you that that¡¯s not going to work.¡± Mira looked back at Maya. ¡°There¡¯s a significant influence of Canir¡¯s authority mixed into your own. Probably because you y a lot with Sophia.¡± She smirked at the cat. ¡°Feel free to rece the word y with whatever else you think is more fitting.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Yup, you have to ask Canir for help on that matter. ¡°You borrowing his powers should work.¡± ¡°As if he would ever do that~.¡± The blonde also smirked at her cat. ¡°I''m sure he wouldn''t want to miss out on me being an unhinged menace.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very valid point.¡± The teal fox nodded a few times. ¡°I hate it here¡­¡± Maya gave up. ¡°Oh, so that is amon feeling in this group?¡± Looking strangely sympathetic for a full, Fey nced at her while tilting her head. ¡°It happens every now and then¡­¡± Fen was the one to answer her. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it, though. Vacation days help a lot, too.¡± ¡°How many of them do we get each year?¡± The full humored him. ¡°It really depends on how many of them you can afford.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Well, the vacation policy around here seems quite nice, so that''s a definite plus.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Listening to them, Sophia faced Maya. ¡°Since when do we have vacation days? I want some, too!¡± "There were like ten days total this year that haven''t been a vacation for you!" She instantly got loud. ¡°¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment while scratching her cheek. ¡°N-Next year, I want 15 more of them!¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest. ¡°Okay, all of that aside for the time being¡­" Fey had had enough of that topic and faced her daughter again. ¡°If you now understand the reasoning behind Mira''s and mine¡­ admittedly questionable decision, even though we had the best intentions only, what does that mean for the three of us?¡± ¡°709 points for Mira and 421 for you.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I decided to give Mira some extra points because, well¡­ reasons. Many of them.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The overseer raised her hand. ¡°Not in the negatives anymore!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t try to make sense out of your point system because I''m pretty sure it''s based purely on your mood when giving them out, but¡­¡± ¡°Minus 17.23 points for you, Feyfey!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t like her deduction. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°No.¡± The pink fox shook her head. ¡°Another minus 21 and a half points for mentioning it, though.¡± "Well, I can''t say I didn''t see that oneing." The full didn''t sound surprised. ¡°But no, I was not asking about our points. I want to know what your conversation with Mira means for us as a¡­ family.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Chloe paused for a moment. "Still angry, and I need more time for that to change, but I have given Mira a chance to be a part of my life again." ¡°And I will use that chance!¡± Mira looked determined. ¡°Let¡¯s have a more detailed conversation about that with just the three of uster.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°Oh, speaking of which, I need to have a conversation with Canir, too. I¡¯m angry at him, too, after all.¡± ¡°Mhhm?¡± Sophia¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°What does he have to do with any of that? Did he do anything?¡± ¡°He was being himself,¡± Mira answered her. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± It made perfect sense to the blonde. ¡°When we were thinking about whether it was a good idea to live together with Chloe in public, he told us with the biggest grin I¡¯ve ever seen on his face that we should definitely do it.¡± ¡°See?¡± The pink fox looked at the tiger. ¡°He definitely was the tipping point for them to turn stupid!¡± ¡°Oi, CANIR!¡± Sophia got loud. "Get down here right now!" She looked angry while she faced the ceiling. ¡°¡­¡± Nothing happened for around ten seconds before a small piece of papernded in the tiger¡¯s hand that appeared out of nowhere. ¡°No.¡± It was all that was written on it. ¡°You coward! Get down here! Don''t worry, I''m not going to do anything!" ¡°¡­¡± Another ten seconds passed before a second piece of paper appeared. ¡°I''d rather be called a coward than being kicked by you!" This time, his reply was a little longer. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophia jumped off the sofa. ¡°Let¡¯s go to his shrine, Chloe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work.¡± Mira interrupted her. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to enter his domain even from there if he doesn¡¯t want you to.¡± ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡± She reacted with a long sigh. ¡°This guy¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that important. I can be upset at him another time, too.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°Okay~.¡± She smiled back. ¡°And once you¡¯re done, I¡¯m going to be angry at him. I nned to only get upset, too, but after that just now," She held up the pieces of paper, "I think being angry is more appropriate.¡± ¡°I think I like Sophia.¡± Fey enjoyed what she was hearing. ¡°Yup, I also am a big fan.¡± Mira felt the same. ¡°I can¡¯t wait~.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The conversation went on for a little bit longer, but they ultimately dropped it after some time because else Sophia would''ve really gone for the shrine, and she most likely would¡¯ve found a way around the restriction. Everyone wanted to have a rxing afternoon, after all.
Chapter 397 – A message Chapter 397 ¨C A message Roughly two weeks had passed since Sophia, Fey, and Mira gave the kings and everyone else in the castle a massive headache, which was slowly starting to subside, as well. The time afterward was quite peaceful, as well. Mainly because the blonde refused to go near the castle, though. Only Anna and Ari were allowed to visit the mansion, too. It was too much of a bother for her else. It also helped the princess and her jaguar to get ever so slightly more used to the overseer that had appeared out of nowhere and became part of their group. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Things seemed to get about a little less peaceful, though. The sisters sat beside each other on the sofa while their eyes were peeled on Steph¡¯s phone for some reason. "What''s wrong?" Sitting on the sofa opposite of them, Chloe and Maya looked at their partners while tilting their heads. ¡°¡­¡± They stayed silent for a moment longer before eventually lifting their heads. ¡°We¡­ We are going back to our old world.¡± They answered at the same time. ¡°E-EH?!¡± The two obviously didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°W-WHY?!¡± ¡°Ah, no, just for a little bit.¡± The sisters noticed their slightly unfortunate wording. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The pink fox and the cat calmed down again and let out a sigh. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°When Sophia and I went back to our apartment to get some supplies from there a few days ago, it seems like my phone received some messages¡­¡± Steph tried to exin the situation. "I barely use my phone anymore sinceing here as I mostly only take pictures of Chloe with it nowadays, after all, so¡­¡± ¡°You constantly take pictures of me!¡± The girl in question raised her voice. ¡°What do you mean by you barely use it anymore?! How addicted were you to it before?!" "So, when I checked it earlier, I noticed some missed calls and unread messages.¡± She ignored her fox. "It seems like our mom has gotten my message about having found Sophia, and she tried to reach out to mest week.¡± ¡°O-Oh.¡± Chloe and Maya had the same reaction. ¡°She asked if we¡¯re still around because she¡¯d get home immediately if that¡¯s the case. She wants to see us as soon as possible. Sophia especially.¡± ¡°I want to see her, too¡­¡± Sophia spoke up again. ¡°So¡­ Long story short, you two n to make a trip to your old world, visit your parents, and once everything is taken care of, it''s back home?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll never leave paradise behind!¡± Steph also loved her new home, after all. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± The cat-girl saw no issues with that. ¡°You absolutely have to go and see your parents!¡± Chloe got loud. ¡°Neither of you are allowed to return before that!¡± After everything that happened to her thest few weeks, she had a very strong opinion on the matter. ¡°I¡¯ll get upset if you don¡¯t hurry now, too!¡± ¡°You better listen to her.¡± Out of nowhere, Mira¡¯s voice suddenly joined the conversation. ¡°I know from experience that you don¡¯t want her to be angry at you.¡± A few momentster, the teal fox appeared on the empty sofa next to the four girls.¡± ¡°I have to admit that you sure know how to have the best entrances.¡± Sophia looked and sounded impressed while she looked at her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m getting used to stuff like that already¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°I didn¡¯t even flinch¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely the coolest!¡± Steph was a big fan. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re still the best, though, Chloe!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The pink girl smiled at the dog. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t really care about being cool. My preferred theme is something else.¡± ¡°Fluffy.¡± The sisters had the same reaction. ¡°Not exactly the word I would¡¯ve used, but the general direction works~.¡± She was happy with their assessment. ¡°Happy you like my entrances~.¡± Mira nced at the blonde before continuing. ¡°Do you mind taking this with you during your trip to earth?¡± She held up a rather well-known plushy of a pink fox.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s plushy Chloe!¡± Sophia remembered having thought about that before once she met the actual pink fox after having had that very same plushy for a while already. ¡°It¡¯s not plushy me!¡± The girl in question got loud. ¡°Actually¡­¡± The overseer scratched her cheek. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± All four had the same reaction. ¡°Shortly after I left you in the care of Fey and could only see you during the night, when you were sleeping, I got pretty lonely during the days¡­ Because of that, I asked a toymaker to make a plush that resembles you in a way without it being too obvious. It helped me a lot¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone went silent. A momentter, Chloe got up from her sofa and immediately jumped at the overseer, crushing her into a big hug. ¡°¡­¡± Mira needed a moment to react before quickly returning the hug and facing Sophia again. "A-As you can see, I managed to reunite with the original one again, so I don¡¯t need the little one to cheer me up anymore¡­¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ I see.¡± The tiger also wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°Why should I take it with me to our old world, though? Wait a moment¡­¡± She then took a better look at the plushy. "I think¡­ No, I''m pretty sure I can sense some traces of my portal magic in it.¡± "A-Ah.¡± The overseer got a little awkward. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten too sharp already, my dear.¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°I want to see your old world on my own. No other overseer except Canir can visit other worlds, and he can only show them to others before your portals became a thing.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia started smiling. ¡°So, you want to go sightseeing? It¡¯s not really a world I would rmend for a holiday, though. Well, there are some nice ces, but still¡­¡± "I think I shall decide that for myself~.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia had no intention of stopping her. ¡°Deeply regretful for everyone involved, you¡¯d need to get rid of your tails and ears, though. Everything else animal-rted, as well, before going there." "I hate that world¡­" Steph let out a sigh. "Such a waste¡­ Why did I have to live for 20 years before going to fluff paradise?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Mira wasn¡¯t sure what to say there. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m not excited about it, but I guess I¡¯ll dust off my old human form.¡± "Well, do as you like, I guess." The blonde shrugged. "Sure, I''ll bring the plushy with me so that you can use it as a portal." ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°What is in it for me, though?¡± The tiger started grinning. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I mean, it sounds like a big deal if Canir¡¯s supposed to be the only one to visit multiple worlds. I would be doing you a great service, would I not?¡± ¡°W-We¡¯re friends, right? That should be reason enough, no?¡± ¡°Friends also share their magical secrets, right?¡± She looked at Chloe for confirmation. ¡°Absolutely!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°That¡¯s the very least good friends would do!¡± ¡°See?¡± Looking even smugger, Sophia faced Mira again. ¡°Just a little secret~.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The overseer stared at her for a moment. ¡°You sure are something else¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that one so often that it has lost all meaning.¡± ¡°I can imagine¡­¡± Mira rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, fine¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something fun you¡¯ll find most entertaining.¡± ¡°Oh my, that sounds lovely~.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Steph looked like she was confused and curious about something. ¡°There¡¯s also a plushy that looks exactly like the full animal version of new dog me¡­ Ellie showed it to me before. What¡¯s up with that?¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± Mira looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s a cute design, though.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± She looked honestly disappointed. "I mean, what were you expecting?" The overseer tilted her head. "Some sort of foreshadowing? I mean, the plushy is older than you, no?¡± ¡°Boring!¡± Steph hung her head. ¡°So, there''s no fun stuff like time traveling or future sight in this world¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you were going for?!¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°It sounds fun, does it not?!¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± The pink fox scratched her cheek. ¡°Anyway,¡± Mira ignored them and faced the tiger again. "Thank you very much for bringing one of my portals with you. I will make sure to repay you." ¡°Yay!¡± She was happy about that. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­¡± Maya wasn¡¯t taking their whole conversation so well. ¡°Oh, speaking of being tired,¡± Sophia smiled at her cat. ¡°Do you want toe with us? I already met your parents, so it''s only fair to make it even." ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. "I do want to meet them eventually, and I''m really happy that I actually seem to get the chance now, though also slightly nervous, but now is not the time for that. It¡¯s all about you and Steph.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Also¡­¡± Maya nced at the sisters. "We were talking about vacation days not too long ago, right? I love both of you and all, but a day or two without both of you sounds super rxing!¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Sophia and Steph could only nod. ¡°Oh, speaking of peaceful!¡± Mira suddenly looked at her daughter. ¡°Do you want to do something with me while the two are visiting their parents?¡± ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Chloe was directly on board. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± "I never make it a secret when I walk down here in the world. I¡¯m nning to visit my shrine and announce my arrival. Afterward, I want to meet all kinds of people in the capital so that everyone can see that I¡¯m back. Fey will also be with us. The two of us have also decided that we¡¯re going to introduce you to everyone as our daughter.¡± ¡°O-Oh!¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Woah, the whole capital will be in a massive uproar!¡± Steph liked the sound of that. ¡°B-But my vacation days¡­¡± The cat-girl had a different opinion. ¡°Want toe with us, after all?¡± The blonde just smiled at her. ¡°¡­¡± Maya actually needed to think about it. ¡°N-No, but I think I¡¯ll visit my own parents instead. The whole business with those two,¡± She nced at the foxes before continuing. ¡°Made me want to see them, too.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The two in question could onlyugh. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Sophia liked her n. ¡°Oh, ask them again if they want to live in the mansion when you¡¯re at it.¡± "I''d like that, too, but do you really think they like the idea more now after the overseer of magic has decided to stick around¡­? The royal family had overwhelmed them already, after all.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Anyway, before we go, should we make some sort of n to tell mom, or¡­?¡± Steph came back to the main topic. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The sisters knew that making any sort of n was just a waste of time and effort. And so, once they showed Steph how to change her looks without actually turning into something else, the now-human sisters returned to their old world to have a ratherplicated conversation with their parents. Chapter 398 – A difficult meeting Chapter 398 ¨C A difficult meeting During one of their quick trips to get some supplies from their apartment in the old world, Stephter noticed that she had gotten a message from the sisters'' mother, and after a bit of back and forth, the two decided to briefly return once more to have a conversation with their parents to tell them everything that was going on. ¡°Did you get everything?¡± The sisters were in the living room of their old apartment when Sophia noticed that Steph had just finished a phone call. ¡°Yeah, mom told me where they are and everything.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t want to talk to her right now?¡± ¡°No¡­ I have no idea what to say over the phone¡­ This is more of an eye-to-eye type of conversation¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very understandable point.¡± She nodded a few times. "Anyway, she said she¡¯lle home immediately to meet us. It seemed like they weren''t that far away, either, because she''ll be here in two hours. Dad and Sari might take a little longer, though. The two apparently went to visit our grandparents earlier today, and they live in thepletely opposite direction. "Ahh¡­ I see. I want to see them, too, but I guess this makes it a little easier." ¡°True.¡± The little sister agreed. ¡°By the way, what and how much are we going to tell her?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± Sophia looked quite determined. ¡°Everything?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Okay, how about we skip the humans part and what they are in the new world¡­? Let¡¯s just pretend we never met them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have to pretend for that!¡± ¡°Even better! Also, some stuff around them might be better not mentioned, too¡­ Mom doesn¡¯t know that I went to war¡­¡± "Very fair!¡± Steph agreed with her. ¡°So¡­ almost everything.¡± "Everything good, and let''s say neutral things!" ¡°Tiger and dog sisters included?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°Does that mean I can change back?!¡± The little sister suddenly got loud. ¡°I miss my tail!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the worst, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia could feel her pain. ¡°Even worse, I still don¡¯t really understand how this magic works, but it only masks our original looks, so I can still feel my tail a little, just very muffled or something like that¡­¡± ¡°I hate it! The itchiness also just fully stoppedst week, and now this! I want to be a dog again!¡± ¡°You sure took a liking to it quick, huh?¡± "I already loved it before I was fully done with my transformation!" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ---------------- Exactly two hourster, just as announced, the doorbell of their apartment rang. ¡°If anything, she sure is punctual.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± Sophia reacted with a weak nod. ¡°Nervous?¡± ¡°O-Obviously!¡± ¡°Well, you better hurry and open the door, then. The sooner you can get over it, after all.¡± ¡°I hate you¡­¡± ¡°I love you, too~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Letting out a strained sigh, the older sister then slowly made her way to the door and opened it. ¡°¡­¡± A woman in her early forties with medium-long ash-blonde hair, much like the younger Sophia in the new world before she became a tiger, stood at the other side of the door. It apparently really seemed like she had Sophia when she was quite young. ¡°¡­¡± The two just looked at each other for a few moments without saying a single word. After all, it had almost been a year since the two had seen each other after Sophia''s sudden disappearance. Not to mention that nearly everything indicated that she had died, up until a month ago. Things were naturally beyond awkward right now. It onlysted a second, though, because they immediately jumped into each other¡¯s arms and shared a tight hug. Once they parted and looked at each other, noticing how both had started crying, they immediately returned to hugging each other. It was an even tighter one this time, as well. This back and forth went on for a little while as neither of them had an idea of where to continue from here. ¡°So, do you want toe in, or do you two want to continue to cry in the entrance hall?¡± "Steph¡­" Noticing hering closer, their mother grabbed her hand and included the little sister in their hug. ¡°I really missed you, too.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She felt the same. ¡°I was on a bit of a mission, after all.¡± ¡°You really were.¡± ¡°I told you I would find her.¡± Steph almost sounded smug. ¡°That you did.¡± There was nothing else she could say. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m really sorry for the mess I created and the fights I caused¡­" Naturally, Sophia med herself for everything. ¡°¡­¡± Her mother paused for a moment. ¡°What¡­ What happened to you¡­? Where did you go? Why do you look different? You almost seem younger? Why didn¡¯t you contact us¡­?¡± ¡°I do have a very good reason for everything, but¡­ It¡¯s quite hard to exin. It will take a while, too.¡± ---------------- Once they had put a temporary hold on their hugging, the three went to the living room to have a long and rather weird conversation. ¡°So¡­ What happened to you? It¡¯s been getting close to a year, you know¡­?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°First, I¡¯m terribly sorry that I worried everyone about me. Steph told me a lot of things¡­ How much it drove her crazy, especially¡­¡± ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t get crazy!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Their mother stayed silent. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± The older sister turned a little more serious. ¡°I had a bit of an ident right before my sudden disappearance¡­¡± ¡°Ah, so it really was something along the lines of that¡­¡± Her mother didn¡¯t sound overly surprised. ¡°As much as I don¡¯t want to hear this either, it makes much more sense than any other exnation¡­." ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have run away without telling anyone¡­ If I had the chance.¡± ¡°Did you get hurt? You¡¯ve been gone for so long. Wait, don¡¯t tell me something overly clich¨¦ like some sort of memory loss happened during that ident?!¡± "That would''ve been a way easier exnationpared to what I actually went through¡­" ¡°Mh-hmm¡­¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Much easier¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ You didn¡¯t get hurt?¡± She tilted her head while continuing to look at her oldest daughter. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the help of a certain someone¡­ I would¡¯ve definitely¡­ uhh¡­ died.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to word it properly. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Her mother obviously didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! As you can see, I¡¯m totally fine now!¡± ¡°Yes, I can.¡± She nodded. ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you this, uhh¡­ glowing since¡­ a very long time¡­¡± "Because I haven''t been as happy as I am right now since, well¡­ honestly, ever.¡± ¡°For many very understandable reasons.¡± Steph knew what she had been up totely, after all. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m still upset that she had been doing so well for so long without telling me!¡± ¡°Do you know what happened and is going on?¡± She faced her younger daughter. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you found her, right?¡± ¡°About a month now, yeah.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve been with her ever since. I can guarantee you that you won¡¯t believe a word of what is going on.¡± ¡°Could you tell me? Especially as your mother, I would really like to know what happened that changed you so much. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°To tell you everything. I need you to agree to something beforehand, though.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you a rather long,pletely weird, confusing, unbelievable, and somewhat stupid story. No matter how much you want to make ament or ask questions, wait until I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± She already was confused. ¡°Alright¡­¡± The girl with the unbelievable adventure took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°Duringst spring, I was a little¡­ let¡¯s say careless, and I ended up in front of a rather quickly moving bus¡­¡± ¡°W-WHAT?!¡± ¡°I said no questions orments.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t continue otherwise.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± Sophia smiled at her mother before returning to her story. ¡°From here on out, things will really take a weird turn, so make sure to simply listen.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Perfect. Anyway, luckily, I was saved by someone and never made contact with the said bus. It came with a massive caveat, though. Well, in retrospect, this was the best thing that could¡¯ve ever happened to me, but we¡¯ll get to thatter.¡± ¡°The best thing is heavily downying it.¡± Steph added her own part. ¡°Hey, I said noments!¡± The older sister got upset again. ¡°Not to me, though. To mom.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get smart on me now!¡± ¡°Why would I stop doing that now all of a sudden?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She turned silent. ¡°Hehe.¡± The younger sister let out a short giggle. ¡°Okay, continue~.¡± ¡°It really is no wonder that you get along so well with Maya...¡± Letting out a small sigh, Sophia faced her mother again. ¡°Seriously, noments from now on! As I mentioned before, I was saved from my, uhh¡­ bus-y end. I wasn¡¯t saved by a human, though. Well, he looks like one, but I don¡¯t think he identifies as one. In the first ce, as far as I know, he isn¡¯t even from this world.¡± ¡°!?¡± She naturally wanted to make manyments here. ¡°Shhh~.¡± The older sister simply put a finger on her lips. ¡°B-But-!¡± ¡°I said shush!¡± Sophia really didn¡¯t want to get interrupted. ¡°Him saving me came with a catch, though. Canir, that¡¯s his name, could only save me by bringing me to a different world. I was unable to live here anymore. That¡¯s why and how I disappeared without having left a trace behind.¡± She made a short pause to let her mother process things. She still didn¡¯t allow any sort of questions, though. ¡°Anyway, yeah, I had spent most of the previous year in a different world. A great world, I want to add.¡± ¡°Paradise!¡± Steph¡¯s opinion was even better. ¡°Pretty much.¡± Sophia allowed the interruption this time. "This Canir guy also helped me make the most out of my new chance. As you may¡¯ve noticed, my character and very being have changed in some way or another. As in, it has gotten better. I may still be an idiot, but my social phobias are gone for good. As a parting gift from this world, Canir gave me some boosts that kinda fixed my¡­ personality? It''s hard to exin. It changed some more stuff, but that¡¯s not so important right now.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t see the need to tell her about the negative side of her boosts and decided to skip past that part and simply continued her story. ¡°The world I ended up in is actually quite different from this one. There¡¯s magic! I can use magic now! The inhabitants of that world are far from the same, too. Humans are¡­ humans are¡­ My first friend was a giant speaking wolf!¡± She decided against adding more details to the human part. "All my other friends, after I could talk to people freely again, aren''t really human, either. Well, they''re mostly humanoid but have animal ears or a tail! It''s the cutest! Humans are way too boring inparison!¡± ¡°Full agree!¡± The little sister decided to join in again. ¡°Cutest and fluffiest!¡± ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t forget about the fluff!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Speaking of friends, I even befriended the princess of the nation we¡¯re currently living in! How awesome is that?! Moreover, I own an actual mansion now! Life is great over there!¡± ¡°The best!¡± ¡°Basically.¡± Once again, she agreed with Steph. ¡°Also, on the animal topic, one thing led to another, and I¡¯m now part tiger! Ears, tail, stripes! Some instincts and behavior, too, but let¡¯s not go there. I''m just pretending to be human at the moment." ¡°I¡¯m a violet dog now!¡± ¡°That happened, too, yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Their mother just looked at them for a while and then slowly began shaking her head. ¡°What¡­?¡±
Chapter 399 – Recap for the family Chapter 399 ¨C Recap for the family After having noticed that their mother had tried to contact them, Sophia and Steph briefly returned to their old world to meet up with her to tell her everything that was going on. Once the older sister was done with her slightly emotional reunion with her mother, which included lots of hugging and crying, the two, mostly the older sister, pretty much told her everything that had happened during the past year. ¡°Just what are you talking about¡­?¡± After the oldest daughter finished her recap, her mother obviously did not believe a single word. For various reasons. ¡°I understand that you might¡¯ve gone through something, but I am your mother, you know? You can talk about it with me. I was really worried, as well. Is there really a need to tell me such an borate yet utterly stupid lie?¡± ¡°I am not lying!¡± Sophia stared right back at her. "Obviously, I get where you''reing from, though. It is slightly hard to believe.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to believe any of this, do you?¡± Her mother kept shaking her head. "A different world? Talking animals? A princess? Stopped being human? A dog? Tiger?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true!¡± Steph sided with her sister. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes after she told me all about it! I also learned magic! I became fluffy, too!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Their mother changed her attention to the little sister. ¡°You, too? Really? You must realize just how ridiculous all of this sounds, no?¡± ¡°Reality is often stranger than fiction~.¡± Steph just smiled at her. ¡°In this case, it¡¯s clearly fiction, though!¡± It was not something one could easily or readily believe, after all. ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to tell me what happened to you, but could you please not lie to me, at least? Especially not in a way like this?¡± ¡°What should I do to prove it?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°How can I show you that this is actually what happened the past year?¡± ¡°Show me. Use your magic and grow an animal tail or whatever you just imed. Afterward, once you two are done with this, we can get serious again, and I¡¯d love to hear why my daughter has disappeared¡­ You can¡¯t do all this to me in this situation¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I was nning to do that, anyway.¡± ¡°Perfect, I want my fluffy tail back and couldn¡¯t hold it out much longer, anyway!¡± Even though it had just stopped being itchy, Steph already couldn¡¯t be without it anymore. ¡°You two are really trying your best to- H-HUH?!¡± Their mother briefly rolled her eyes before she immediately froze with a bbergasted expression. ¡°Ta-dah~.¡± While she was talking, the sisters were suddenly wrapped in thick smoke and turned into their usual selves before long. Tiger Sophia and dog Steph, that is. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Mom needed a moment. ¡°W-Wait¡­ what?¡± "See?!" Sophia smiled at her. "Everything I said was the truth!" She moved her tail around to show it was alive to further prove her point. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± The dog-girl immediately started to lovingly pet her tail. ¡°¡­¡± She simply stared at her daughters for a while. ¡°Huh?¡± She couldn¡¯t process it. ¡°Also, I kinda forget to mention it, but I also became younger when I ended up in that world if you''re wondering about my looks. Most of the the other changes came from bing part tiger. And Steph¡­ Well, she went all out with her visuals. You know how she is¡­ She¡¯s always been like an overly excited dog that doesn''t know how to hold back." ¡°Hey!¡± The girl in question got loud. "Well, true, though.¡± ¡°What the heck is going on here?!¡± Their mother finally lost it. ¡°Y-You two look different! Especially you, Steph! A-Are those actual animal parts?! W-Wait, Sophia! Your eyes also look like those of a cat!¡± ¡°It¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t it?¡± The tiger was quite proud of her eyes. ¡°¡­¡± She froze up yet again. "A-Also, that smoke just now¡­ where did thate from¡­?¡± ¡°Magic~!¡± Sophia¡¯s mood was great. ¡°We used magic to change our looks.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The dog-girl nodded. ¡°B-But magic¡­ that¡¯s not supposed to exist!¡± ¡°In this world, yes. It doesn¡¯t exist here, but in our new world, it does.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re actually trying to tell me that there are d-different worlds¡­?¡± ¡°As much as magic and human-animal hybrids are a thing.¡± "As you can see on exhibits one and two." Steph pointed at herself and her sister. ¡°N-No way¡­¡± It was still impossible to believe, even when looking at it with her own eyes. ¡°Do you want to see it?¡± Sophia tilted her head. "I can show the world to you if you want to. Don''t worry. I can bring you back again afterward. It''s a great world! Oh, and you could also meet my girlfriend while you''re at it.¡± ¡°YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?!¡± ¡°Why is that the loudest reaction yet?!¡± The tiger red at her mother. "That''s really the most surprising part out of all of this, right?" The little sister could understand it. ¡°I hate you all¡­¡± ¡°B-But you were so bad with people before¡­ You couldn¡¯t even talk with the parents in the kindergarten when they came to pick up their children.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°It is true, though.¡± Steph tried to defend her sister¡¯s honor. Not that she wasn''t on the other side mere moments ago. ¡°She¡¯s really cute, too! Not as cute as mine, but still very cute! Sassy, too! She¡¯s a good one!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like it. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that Chloe¡¯s fluffier, but there¡¯s no way Maya isn¡¯t the cutest!¡± "You have a girlfriend, too?!" Their mother looked surprised yet again. In fact, she had yet to stop. "Okay, that''s a lot more believable, and it was more than clear that neither of you were straight, even without formallying out, but¡­ how fast did that happen?!¡± She focused on Steph. ¡°I mean, things weren¡¯t that well between us, but haven¡¯t we seen each other just a month ago?!¡± "Well, it happened after Sophia took me with her to the new world. I met someone there, and I just knew she was the one, so things went pretty fast!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been this confused in my life before¡­¡± Things kept being overwhelming for her. ¡°I know that feeling.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± After all, the sisters had gone through a lot of confusing stuff. ¡°Are¡­ Are those really animal parts on you two¡­? Is this really happening¡­?¡± ¡°It sure is~.¡± ¡°D-Do they work like the real thing, too¡­? Or is it just fancy decoration?¡± ¡°They work exactly like the original thing.¡± Sophia answered her. ¡°It really messed with my bnce when I first got my tail¡­ Being part animal also means gaining some of their instincts and stuff¡­ That was quite wild in the beginning¡­ Literally, too¡­ Those instincts are also fairly expensive because Steph goes through like eight balls a week since having be a dog.¡± "H-Hey!" The girl in question got loud. "It''s three at best!" ¡°Not really helping your case~.¡± The tiger briefly rolled her eyes before facing her mother again. ¡°Well, that¡¯s pretty much it.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ How does it work? How did you two even get those additions?¡± ¡°In our case, it was magic. I messed up a little and turned into a tiger. I regret nothing, though, and Steph, well¡­" ¡°I wanted to be fluffy!¡± ¡°That.¡± ¡°I see. I understand.¡± Even though she said, their mother looked more than just confused. ¡°Wait, magic is one thing! Wow, what a thing to say¡­¡± She needed a moment to let that sink in. ¡°You know more people with animal traits, right¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Actually, pretty much everyone we know has some level of animal resemnce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Steph liked that fact a lot. ¡°It¡¯s fluff heaven!¡± ¡°Did they all use magic to be like that, or¡­?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re all born like that from the very beginning.¡± The tiger shook her head. ¡°How¡­?¡± Her expression turned slightlyplicated. ¡°Was one of their parent a human and the other, uhh¡­¡± ¡°N-No! Their parents usually are hybrids already, as well. I don¡¯t know where the very first animal hybrids came from, and I¡¯m not sure if I want to know, but it¡¯s just a normal race like humans are here. It''s probably just a different type of evolution? Yeah." That''s what she wanted to believe, too. ¡°Ohh, so that¡¯s how it is!¡± She looked visibly relieved. ¡°I was a little worried there for a moment...¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lovely world, you know?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about her reaction. Not that she hadn¡¯t had a very simr thought on the matter before or anything. ¡°Admittedly, sure, there is some weird stuff going on there, too, but I¡¯d really say that it¡¯s a MUCH better ce than this one over here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s paradise!¡± As usual, Steph was loving that world very much. "A much better ce to live in than this one, indeed!" ¡°The way you two keep talking about this ce... and your new, uhh... wild looks... Neither of you has any ns to live here again, right...?¡± ¡°None.¡± The sisters shook their heads. ¡°I see...¡± Naturally, she didn¡¯t seem to be too happy about that. ¡°Children have to leave the nest eventually, not that you two hadn¡¯t already done that, but a different world is a bit much to handle...¡± ¡°You are more than free toe with us and live over there, too~.¡± Sophia was smiling again. ¡°You, and dad, and... Sari, right? The new baby sister I really want to meet!¡± ¡°Y-You can¡¯t just ask me to move to a different world... I have a lot of responsibilities here. I don¡¯t know the ce you¡¯re talking about. We wouldn¡¯t have a ce to live... No money, either... I have a daughter who is only a couple of months old! Does that world, or the country you live in there, even have something like a healthcare system? What if Sari gets sick?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see...¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°Responsibilities need to be dealt with first, sure...¡± She got a little awkward because she definitely didn¡¯t do that. "For everything else, I''d happily buy you a house over there. I¡¯m actually making a lot of money so that much wouldn¡¯t be an issue in the slightest. Neither would be taking care of everything else in that regard. I''d love for you to be there. I¡¯m sure Sari would love to grow up in an environment where the term climate crisis simply does not exist because neither does excessive pollution and environmental destruction or anything else of that category." "Unless you''re the cause." Steph had to join in again. "Well, unless here, most of the time, you fixed it, and evenimproved nature, so... Yeah, ignore me~." "For healthcare, let¡¯s just say that if you have ess to healing magic, it is unnecessary because diseases do not matter. I¡¯m pretty sure I could cure someone of cancer in a matter of moments if I wanted to. Neither you, Sari, nor anyone else would ever suffer from anything worse than maybe amon cold or a good old headache because that builds character. I would personally make sure that no one would suffer from a serious disease ever again. Same for any type of injuries on a simr level.¡± ¡°Y-You can¡¯t be serious right now?!¡± ¡°I always am!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like her mother¡¯s usation. ¡°Since when¡­?¡± She knew her daughter at least a little, after all. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small details! Anyway, you''d need to abide by a couple of rules in the other world, but the payoff would never be having to worry about health and money-rted issues ever again. It¡¯s a much nicer environment, too. Though, there is no electricity and obviously no electric devices. Magic makes up for a lot, but not all. There are ways around that, but it¡¯s not standard in that world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Unsurprisingly, she looked quite overwhelmed again. ¡°Honestly, it sounds too good to be true. I don¡¯t understand anything at all, either¡­ I need to think about the idea of considering it first. I need to talk about it with my husband, too. It¡¯s not a decision I can make on my own. Though, I have no idea how I could possibly begin to exin it to him.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t expecting to get an answer right here and now. ¡°Understandable, too. If anything, I¡¯m still baffled that Steph just decided toe with me¡­ In a way, this reaction is actually quite refreshing.¡± ¡°I REGRET NOTHING!¡± The violet dog got loud. ¡°Well¡­¡± Their mother wasn¡¯t sure what to reply here. ¡°Anyway,¡± She decided to not further address it. ¡°How would this even work in the first ce? If it¡¯s really a different world, which I¡¯m still unable to process, why are you two here? How are you here?¡± ¡°Magic~.¡± ¡°Is that your new answer to everything now?¡± She briefly rolled her eyes while ncing at her striped daughter. ¡°Pretty much~.¡± Despite everything, Sophia was a self-aware girl, after all. ¡°The first time I returned around a month ago, where Steph found me, was pretty much nothing more than a mistake. The guy who saved me before, Canir, made a slight error and sent me back to the ce I came from, which ended up being here¡­ Magic can be a little finicky if you don¡¯t watch your wording or be a little distracted¡­ Trust me. Ever since, I can basically go back and forth between those worlds whenever I want to.¡± "We''ve been here a couple of times to get some stuff from our apartment and things like that." Steph added some details. "That''s also how I got your message on the phone. There¡¯s no signal in the other world, after all.¡± ¡°S-Seriously¡­?¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± The tiger gave her a light reply. ¡°Interestingly enough, me being in another world now actually shortened the distance between us. It takes around half an hour to get from the apartment here to your house, right? Well, thanks to my magic and stuff, it would take around 15 seconds to get from my ce in the other world to visit you there after I¡¯ve made some preparations once before.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°Amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± She sounded rather proud. ¡°That¡¯s also why you could visit the other world at any time to get your own impression of it.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Their mother struggled to find a better word. ¡°Speaking of this apartment and making preparations...¡± Sophia started looking around while scratching her cheek. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be soon, but could you eventually take care of the formalities to, well... un-rent this apartment for me? For various and obvious reasons, I don¡¯t need it anymore. Neither does Steph. We could afford to keep it, but it would be a waste, in my opinion. Not to mention having to constantly exchange the currency of that world to usable money for it here would be a pain... and suspicious.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can understand that. Sure, I can do that once I have a free moment and have gotten rid of that massive headache that started forming around an hour ago. Wait, what...?¡± She then also tilted her head. ¡°You can exchange the currency? How? That shouldn¡¯t be possible, right?¡± ¡°The currency in that world is copper, silver, and various types of gold coins. Actual gold. I own a literal ton of gold over there... Last time we went shopping here, I exchanged some gold coins in a cash-for-gold store, and spending all the money we got in one day was quite hard." ¡°T-That can¡¯t be true...¡± ¡°Sure is~.¡± Saying so, the tiger got up from the sofa she was sitting on next to Steph and walked over to her mother. ¡°Here.¡± She took out a gold coin from her pocket and handed it over. ¡°I have an obscene amount of those.¡± "Whoa, this really looks like some sort of fancy pirate treasure like coin you see in movies!¡± ¡°What a funparison! Kinda true, too.¡± Sophia could see the simrity. ¡°Also, I can see that you¡¯re stealing nces at it, so...¡± She brought the tip of her tail closer to her mother¡¯s face. ¡°It really is real, okay?¡± ¡°...¡± She stared at it for a moment before eventually lightly touching it with one of her fingers. ¡°It actually does feel like the fur of a cat! Maybe a little less soft, though.¡± ¡°Well, I am no cat, after all! I¡¯m a majestic tiger!¡± ¡°Ah, I see...¡± ¡°I hate you so much...¡± Steph suddenly sounded extremely tired. ¡°What is this about?¡± Their mom looked confused while she nced at the younger one. ¡°I-Ignore her!¡± The majestic tiger, who¡¯s 85% textbook cat, didn¡¯t want her to find out about that. ¡°Anyway, if we vacate the apartment, we need another ce to go to and from the other world because we obviously can¡¯t do that out in the open. Do you have a free room in the house we could use for that? An empty supply room in the basement would already be plenty.¡± ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s lots of space in the basement.¡± Their mother nodded a few times. ¡°I don¡¯t really get what you need, but you could also use Steph¡¯s old room. She hasn¡¯t used it in forever because she was basically living here already before you disappeared.¡± ¡°Mmhm¡­ I think the basement would be a better ce for this.¡± Saying so, Sophia opened one of her purple portals in the living room. ¡°W-W-What is that?!¡± Naturally, she immediately started panicking. ¡°It¡¯s a thing we call portal.¡± The striped daughter smiled at her. ¡°If you go through it, you¡¯ll be in our new world.¡± ¡°Y-You can go through that?!¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± She then faced her sister. ¡°Steph, would you mind?¡± "Everything for my majestic tiger." Still slightly salty about that, she rolled her eyes before standing up and going through the portal. ¡°S-She¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°As I said, it¡¯s a portal.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m back~.¡± A momentter, Steph returned to this side, as well. ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Once again, she had trouble putting her feeling into words. ¡°Is there really a different w-world on the other side of this¡­? Magic really is something else¡­ Things I never thought I¡¯d say, either¡­¡± ¡°Almost,¡± Sophia answered her. ¡°It leads to another ce where I put a ton of portals leading to all kinds of ces in that new world. Kinda like a hub, I guess.¡± ¡°What has my daughter been up to the past year¡­?¡± She started holding her head. As usual, one of Sophia¡¯s biggest skills, causing a massive headache for others, was going strong. ¡°Lots of fun stuff~.¡± Her mood was excellent, though. ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in, huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the understatement of the century! It certainly doesn''t help with the migraine attacks I get every now and thentely¡­ One of the secondary reasons to go offline for a while, as well. Less overstimtion and sensory overload¡­¡± ¡°Wow, you really would love the other world, then. No sensory overload of that kind exists there. Also, migraines, huh?¡± She had some experience with them. Mainly in causing them, though. ¡°Are they bad?¡± ¡°They are certainly not fun. I can tell you that much.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The tiger scratched her cheek before getting closer to her mother. Afterward, Sophia put a hand on her forehead, which then started shining in a pale blue light. "How is it now?" After the light was gone, she removed her hand again. ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± Her mother looked even more confused while she touched her forehead. ¡°What just happened now¡­? Wait a moment¡­ my headache, it¡¯s gone?!¡± ¡°Healing magic is amazing, right?¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I said before that amon cold or a headache is good for character building, but not if it gets too excessive. Because of that, I healed you~.¡± ¡°And to flex.¡± Steph just looked at her. "T-This, and that are unrted!" ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± ¡°You healed me¡­?¡± Their mother was still trying to understand that part. ¡°That I did~.¡± Her smile got bigger. ¡°I was serious when I said that magic takes care of pretty much any disease or injury. With me around in my new home, no one, be it friends or family, will ever have to suffer from anything serious.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She was speechless again. ¡°Hehe~. So, do you want to see that world?¡± Sophia then pointed at the portal again. ¡°I, uhh¡­ what?¡± Their mom was still hung up on the healing magic. ¡°N-No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for it. I want to talk about it with Pete first. If your dad even considers the possibility, we might do, but I don¡¯t want to go alone. Especially because I¡¯m starting to feel like I¡¯d like that ce. I want to talk with him while having an unbiased opinion.¡± ¡°Sure thing. Whatever you think is the best course of action for you.¡± The tiger had no ns to push her into doing anything. At least consciously. Unconsciously, she had been advertising it for quite a while already. ---------------- The trio kept chatting for quite a while because there were still many things the sisters wanted to tell their mother. Many hours had passed in the blink of an eye, and more visitors had also shown up. Their father, together with Sari, had cut the trip to the grandparents short in order to see the sisters, who obviously had a much higher priority in this situation. It had just taken a while to return from there. He was quite shocked about their looks, but once he had gotten a rough exnation, more hugging and feels happened for a while afterward because he had missed them, too. Once this was taken care of, he also got told the whole story of the sisters, and he was just overwhelmed. This time, Steph had done all the talking, though. Sophia had more important things to take care of after his arrival. Sari, that is. She loves kids, after all. Once she hadid her eyes on the little baby, it instantly became her number one priority for the time being. She was immediately taken by her and did her very best to entertain her newest little sister, as she was still too small for actual games. It was too early for Sari to walk and talk, too. She did seem to love the tail of her oldest and striped sister and refused to let go of it for a long time until she eventually fell asleep. Even then, it took quite a while until Sophia got her tail to herself again. Naturally, their father was rather confused about everything, as well, and had a hard time believing the different world story. Still, seeing how the sisters looked and witnessing some magic, there was little room for denial. He also wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the idea of going there, even though he, too, thought it sounded very enticing, especially learning about healing magic and how that world seemed to be in a much better state regarding the climate and general pollution. Just like their mother, as a rational-thinking person, who had to take their baby into ount, as well, he couldn''t simply make a decision on the spot, either. The family kept chatting for quite a while longer, but they eventually decided to take a break for the time being. Their headaches being healed aside, it was still a lot of very tiring news to wrap their heads around. They decided to meet again in a while to further talk about the idea of visiting the new world and maybe even staying there if it became a better option for raising their child. Some other details, like getting a room for the portal in their house¡¯s basement, would be a topic at that time, too. It took another little while before Sophia was able to part with the sleeping Sari because she had already gotten attached to her to a very high degree, but the sisters were able to return to their new home before long after a long day.
Chapter 400 – The last big secret [END] Chapter 400 ¨C Thest big secret [END] A week had passed since the sisters returned to their old world to meet up with their parents and tell them about everything that was happeningtely, including the new world. The two had been invited to visit and maybe even stay, as well, but they naturally had to think about the possibility for a while first. Back home, the blonde tiger and her little dog sister had a good time with their girlfriends and regr friends while taking it easy. Havinge clean about everything with their parents, Sophia started thinking more and more about something else. ¡°Steph, Chloe, how would you feel about telling Ari and Anna that we¡¯re from a different world?¡± The four, Maya included, were rxing in the mansion¡¯s living room together when the tiger suddenly addressed the other two otherworldler. ¡°Huh?¡± Maya, the native girl, was the first to react. "I thought you wanted to keep that a secret at all costs? Because it could turn out quiteplicated if they find out that you haven¡¯t been a tiger the entire time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I want and or need to address the part where I had been a human for a while in this world. I very much would be okay with them misunderstanding that I got a simr treatment as Chloe did¡­ I think I want them to know about the other world thing in general. Especially now that we¡¯re increasingly gathering more and more stuff here¡­¡± She looked around in the living room while focusing on the TV and various simr things they always hid up until now when the royal couple came to visit. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°That might be an adequate middle ground.¡± ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Sophia looked at the other two again. ¡°Totally fine with me!¡± Steph saw no issues. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand why you¡¯re keeping it a secret, anyway! It only made your life moreplicated, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also fine with it.¡± Chloe also agreed. ¡°I¡¯m already the daughter of an overseer, so this is actually not that much of a big deal anymore, I guess.¡± ¡°Your protagonist power is way too high¡­¡± The blonde let out a small sigh. ¡°You¡¯re thest one I want to hear that from!¡± Everyone had the same reaction. "A-Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°Is there anything else you don¡¯t want to tell them?¡± The pink fox wanted to make sure that nothing unnecessary gets mentioned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to go into detail in general¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I want to tell them about the general thing, like that I used to live in a different world, and that¡¯s how I lost my family and stuff. Maybe also that my personality was a little different before, which is why I sometimes seem a little weird. My biggest motivation for telling them is that I don''t want to think about what to say first when getting close to that territory. Well, they''re also very good friends of mine, so I don¡¯t want to keep lying to them. As we all know, nothing good will evere out of that¡­¡± ¡°True.¡± Maya, Chloe, and Steph heartily agreed. They all had some level of experience with that, after all. ¡°If I give them a rough picture about our, well¡­ origin, I think that¡¯s enough for my consciousness to be happy, and it¡¯s enough information for them to understand us better, too. A lot of some of the stuff we all went through is truly private, and there''s no need to mention all that, in my opinion. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The others understood her reasoning. ---------------- Once they had decided on a course of action, the girls took the portal to Anna¡¯s room in the castle. There, noticing that no one was in there, the four went to the ce Sophia had detected them with her magic. ¡°So¡­ phia!¡± When the group approached the entrance hall, where Sophia had detected them, Ellie immediately ran up to her favorite blonde girl. ¡°Ellie~!" The blonde in question was also happy to see her favorite tiger and happily caught the little one who had jumped into her arms. ¡°It has been a while, huh?¡± ¡°Too long!¡± The little princess didn¡¯t sound too happy about it. ¡°Look!¡± She then pointed at Mira, who had also been there, together with Kira, Ari, and Anna. ¡°It¡¯s the god-ess of fluff!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Said goddess of fluff scratched her cheek. ¡°She really is, huh?¡± The blonde had to agree. ¡°She¡¯s the overseer of fluff, though, you know? It¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ellie tilted her head. ¡°Mira said she liked it, though¡­?¡± She looked honestly confused. ¡°Mhm?¡± Sophia looked at the many-tailed overseer. ¡°Look, if Ellie calls me a goddess of something, I am one.¡± Even Mira wasn¡¯t immune to the bundle of adorableness. ¡°There are exceptions to everything, after all.¡± ¡°Okay, I can get behind that.¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t me her. ¡°By the way, what is everyone doing here? The grouping is a little unusual, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°Anna and I also just got here after we had a snack, so I''m not really sure, either," Ari replied her first. ¡°I had a small meeting with the king,¡± Mira continued. ¡°And on the way out, Kira and the fluff-loving princess ran into me.¡± ¡°Ellie can sense fluff!¡± The little girl looked incredibly proud. ¡°What a skill!¡± Sophia sounded quite envious. ¡°Wait, can you use magic?¡± ¡°Mmmh?¡± She only tilted her head in return. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Come here for a moment~.¡± Saying so, the teal fox kneeled down and opened her arms while she looked at the little princess. ¡°Yay!¡± Liking that idea a lot, Ellie wasted no time and directly jumped at the overseer. At the veryst moment, she made a slight course correction and dove right into Mira''s many tails instead. "S-So fluffy!" She seemed to be in heaven. ¡°E-Ellie!¡± Kira couldn¡¯t believe her daughter. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about that¡­¡± ¡°SO ENVIOUS!¡± The sisters had the same reaction. ¡°¡­¡± Maya and Chloe just looked at them. ¡°Ahaha, it¡¯s fine.¡± The overseer smiled at the queen. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a look¡­¡± Saying so, she put a hand on Ellie¡¯s head, who was busy with her tails. ¡°6 months, 17 days, 14 hours, 43 minutes, and 3 seconds. Not bad. She¡¯s very loved by magic, as well.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Everyone looked extremely confused. ¡°That¡¯s when her magic will awaken.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Kira got loud. ¡°Wait, how would you know¡­ Ah, scratch that¡­¡± She remembered that she was talking with the overseer of magic. ¡°Really? That¡¯s going to be sooo much fun!¡± Sophia liked the sound of that. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you so many fun magic things when that happens, Ellie!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The little princess smiled at her. ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t really understand, but Ellie can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± She smiled back at her. "Good timing. It''s long after I finish my hibernation!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to hibernate!¡± Steph, Chloe, and Maya had the same reaction. ¡°But I want to!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°It has gotten way too coldtely!¡± ¡°Ellie thinks so, too!¡± She felt the same. ¡°What¡¯s hypernation¡­?¡± ¡°Very roughly speaking, you eat a whole lot when it starts getting cold, so much that your belly gets all round because you¡¯re going to sleep for as long as wintersts, and the food needs tost very long. Once you wake up again, the cold is gone!¡± ¡°ELLIE WANTS TO HYPERNAP, TOO!¡± She was a big fan of that idea. ¡°Oh, I like that new name! Much more fitting, hypernap!¡± ¡°Did you really have to tell her about that¡­?¡± Kira had some mixed feelings about it. ¡°Every bit of knowledge is good knowledge!¡± "Are you also going to teach her the bit of knowledge about where feline races do not hibernate?¡± Maya slowly shook her head while looking at her tiger. "She''s still small. You can''t overload her brain with too many details!" ¡°Haa¡­¡± More than just one person in the room reacted with a prolonged sigh. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Sophia liked their reaction. ¡°Anyway, Ari, Anna, do you have some time for me?¡± She changed her attention to the couple. "Like an hour or two. Or maybe seven.¡± ¡°No.¡± The jaguar¡¯s reply was instantaneous. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m quite busy today.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Anna looked at her. ¡°We¡¯ve beenzing around all day already and nned to continue just like that after our snack.¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± She put a finger on her lips to silence the princess. ¡°Whenever Sophia starts a conversation like that, nothing good everes out of it! Only headaches!¡± ¡°You know me so well~.¡± The blonde was touched. ¡°True, though.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Ari raised her voice. ¡°Well, after everything that happened with and around you thest few weeks, there¡¯s at least no way you cane up with something even more ridiculous, so I guess I can manage¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°Aha¡­ Ahahaha¡­ Ahahahaha¡­¡± Maya could only react with a brokenugh. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in my room if anyone needs me!¡± The ck-haired girl decided she didn''t want to deal with that. ¡°Nice try, my dear.¡± Sophia grabbed her shoulder when she actually tried to pass her to leave for her room. ¡°L-Let me go! I don¡¯t want another headache!¡± "Don''t worry. I''ll use as much healing magic on you as you wantter on~." ¡°That¡¯s not the issue and or point!¡± ¡°Give it up.¡± Maya showed the jaguar a wry smile. ¡°We both know that struggling only motivates those tigers even more¡­¡± ¡°True.¡± Anna, Sophia, and Kira nodded. ¡°Haa¡­" Ari''s shoulder slouched down. "I hate you¡­" ¡°I love you, too~.¡± The blonde¡¯s mood was excellent. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s all this about?¡± Kira started to get interested in the topic. ¡°Only for core members of the traveling group~.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go!¡± Highly motivated to get over with it, Sophia grabbed Ari¡¯s hand, as she still seemed ready to run away at any moment, and dragged her out of the entrance hall while Maya, Steph, Chloe, and Anna followed after them. ---------------- ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± The group went to Anna¡¯s room, and the princess immediately wanted to know the reason for their gathering while everyone gotfortable. ¡°It¡¯s a long and extremelyplicated story¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I hate it here already!¡± It didn¡¯t appear to be Ari¡¯s day. ¡°I want to tell everyone here about my past¡­ And Chloe¡¯s, because they¡¯re quite rted to each other. To some extent, Steph¡¯s story, as well, but she¡¯s more of an addition to mine, I guess¡­?¡± ¡°Wow, are you really okay with telling us?!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes grew big. ¡°It¡¯s not something easy to share, right?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s mostlyplicated¡­¡± The blonde was still scratching her cheek. ¡°Wait, I thought you and Chloe have no past together?" The jaguar tilted her head. "I still remember being curious about it because you two are so simr.¡± ¡°We do have no past together. We have the same origin, though. Same home, I guess?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to word it. ¡°We did, in fact, have never met before, though. A few months ago really was the first time.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± The royal couple only got more confused. ¡°Chloe and I are¡­ wee from the same¡­¡± Sophia made a slight pause. ¡°Not this, I want to add. Both of our lives ended in our previous world, and that''s how we ended up here¡­" ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The duo was unable to follow her. ¡°That¡¯s how Mira became Chloe¡¯s mother, as an overseer has the power to give someone a new life after it ended in another world¡­ I met Canir because of the same reason. He saved me. Contrary to Chloe¡¯s situation, he¡¯s not my father, though. He simply gave me a new chance in this world¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna and Ari were utterly speechless. ¡°I died from an illness when I was little, about 20 years ago in that old world, and was gifted a second chance here.¡± Chloe decided to tell them about her part herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that Mira had decided to be my mother here for the longest time, either, after she saved me.¡± ¡°I met a simr fate in that old world¡­ only that I had a fatal ident that took me away.¡± As decided on before, Sophia let out a couple of non-crucial details in her recap. ¡°Again, contrary to the situation of our beloved pink fox here, Canir is NOT my father.¡± She felt the need to make this very clear. ¡°I am very thankful for him and get along with him quite well, too. Though, I have punched him a couple of times, as well, because he can be annoying at times¡­ Anyway, he just saved me and let me restart in this world. Nothing parent-like.¡± This part was very important to the blonde. "A month or two ago, our dear Canir made a slight mistake and sent me, together with Maya, back to my old world by mistake. There, I reunited with Steph, and she decided toe with me. Once here, she changed her looks to better fit into this world while also making some more adjustments after Mira had gifted her magic because our overseer was already shipping her with Chloe before our many-tailed fox-friend even met her in person¡­ Admittedly, quite a weird story in retrospect.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The royal couple needed a good minute to process what they had just heard. ¡°EVERYTHING SUDDENLY MAKES SENSE!¡± They eventually finally had a reaction. A loud one. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what she was expecting, but it surely hadn¡¯t been that. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Ari suddenly stared right at the blonde. ¡°D-Did you just say that you punched Canir?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Multiple times, actually.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Is, uhh... Is that really the most important part here...?¡± Sophia still had no idea what to make out of their reaction. ¡°We just told you that Chloe, Steph, and I originated from a different world, you know...?¡± ¡°I mean, yes...¡± Ari awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Hearing that from literally anyone else outside this group, I would''ve been beyond surprised..." She made a slight pause. "BUT! After having been with you for, I don¡¯t know, half a year, it makes so much sense now! You being you, that is!" The jaguar intensified her stare at the blonde. "The other two, obviously, too!" She also stole a quick nce at Steph and Chloe. "After having met Mira a little while ago, finding out that Chloe''s her daughter, and learning that you are, in one way or another, rted to Canir, getting shocked has be kind of, uhh... hard. ALSO! Knowing that you came from a different world before starting your life here is actually kinda relieving...¡± ¡°How and why is that relieving...?¡± Sophia only got more confused. ¡°Look, I really love you, but...¡± The jaguar smiled at her before continuing. ¡°You¡¯re an absolute disaster. Yourmon sense and ways to utilize magic are literally not from this world!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde could follow her logic. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Maya joined the conversation. ¡°It making perfect sense or not, how can you ept them having originated from a different world just like that?!¡± After all, it had taken her a full day to ept Sophia¡¯s background back when she had found out about it. "Well, it''s not unheard of," Anna replied to her. "I have not personally met anyone myself, or know anyone who did, but I¡¯ve heard and read about it. It apparently has been a long time since thest one from a different world has lived around here.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Ari nodded a few times. ¡°Personally, I¡¯ve always been rather skeptical about it and was not sure if I should believe the stories, but there were many of them, so I guess I¡¯m not that shocked to finally meet someone, or multiple, individuals that have lived in a different world before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be happy or disappointed that it went so swimmingly¡­¡± Sophia had some mixed feelings still. ¡°Because you do love attention, after all. How this went just now, you definitely didn¡¯t get enough for your liking.¡± ¡°Shut up, Mira!¡± Sophia red at the many-tailed fox. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She just smiled back at her. ¡°M-MIRA?!¡± This time, Ari and Anna had quite the reaction. ¡°Oh, now you are shocked, huh¡­?¡± The blonde actually started pouting. It seems like she really did want to get more attention from them. ¡°Mira appears out of nowhere all the time! It¡¯s nothing special!¡± ¡°You really are cute~.¡± The overseer was still smiling at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my little trick stole your show.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even a good trick! It¡¯s pretty easy to do! Well, not exactly easy¡­ but I could do it, too!¡± ¡°You can do it, too¡­?¡± Maya looked at her tiger. ¡°I thought we agreed that teleporting is bad?¡± ¡°It is bad!¡± Sophia looked back at her. ¡°She isn¡¯t teleporting. She¡¯s using the thing I¡¯m not affected by! It¡¯s actually quite boring if you can see it happening!¡± ¡°Hey, no need to downy it!¡± Mira wasn¡¯t a fan of her reply. ¡°The thing you¡¯re not affected by¡­?¡± The cat-girl needed a moment. ¡°Ohhh!¡± She pieced together that Sophia was talking about her ability to stop time. ¡°So that¡¯s how you do it, huh?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The overseer gave Maya a thumbs up. ¡°Anyway!¡± The blonde gave up. ¡°Maya!¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t like how Sophia had changed her attention to her in such a way. ¡°Why do you know as little as I do about this world?!¡± She slowly shook her head. ¡°Are you secretly from another world, too?!¡± ¡°Oh, that would also exin a lot!¡± Anna and Ari seemed to could get behind that exnation. ¡°WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?¡± She red at the royal couple before facing her tiger. ¡°What do you mean?! I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°Then why had you no idea who or what tigers were when we met? Or how itpletely shattered your understanding of everything when I told you about having lived in a different world before when it seems to be somewhatmon knowledge?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya went silent rather quickly. ¡°See?!¡± ¡°W-Well¡­¡± She looked quite awkward for a little while longer. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I grew up in a small, remote vige with little contact with the outside world¡­" ¡°Even your parents roasted you about the tiger thing when I told them about it.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t let her use that excuse. "A-Ah¡­ I also cared very little about stuff like that! As long as I could y with magic, that was all that mattered!¡± ¡°Seems like something an otherworldler would say.¡± Chloe smiled at her. "I would know because I am one and have that same mindset~." ¡°Urgh, to bepared to you¡­ It wasn¡¯t on that level for me! Also, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s keeping this group from identally blowing up everything with magic! From my experience with all you crazies, that¡¯s not an otherworldler trait!¡± ¡°True.¡± Sophia, Chloe, and Steph nodded a couple of times. ¡°M-Mira, some help, please!¡± The cat-girl looked at the overseer with a pleading expression. ¡°Mhmm~.¡± Her expression turned mischievous. ¡°Oi!¡± Maya immediately stopped her before she could make the situation worse. ¡°I know that expression! I invented that expression! Not the right situation!¡± ¡°Dear, I was already doing this very expression long before your entire bloodline was even close to existing. It would only work if you''ve reincarnated many times already.¡± ¡°Not helping!¡± She kept getting louder. "I think you might be the most fun and rewarding to tease in this group~." ¡°I disagree.¡± Maya disagreed. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Mira let out another chuckle before continuing. ¡°No, our dear white cat here has never been to another¡­ Wait, that''s wrong. She has visited Chloe''s worlds many times by now. Anyway, no, she has been natively born into this world. I can guarantee you that." ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Maya was happy the overseer finally got serious. ¡°Our dear princess brought up a valid point, too. Reincarnators are rtively rare around here. There¡¯s the asional... let¡¯s call them fluff-enthusiast, but the mast majority prefers other traits, races, and surroundings.¡± ¡°What weirdos.¡± Sophia, Steph, and Chloe had the same reaction. ¡°Why even bother then?¡± ¡°Well, the demons were quite a popr choice. Cool-looking with a sleek tail and wings if you want to. Most of them are tall and handsome, too. Ites with the race. Girls often were a fan of being able to go on without any add-ons." Mira tried toe up with a reason. "Funnily enough, what sealed the thing for most was the revtion that subi exist in that race.¡± ¡°...¡± The sisters paused for a moment. ¡°F-Fair.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Chloe and Maya didn¡¯t like their reaction. ¡°Hold up! Wait a moment there...¡± The princess seemed to have gotten interested in something. ¡°Maya had visited their world?!¡± She looked at the cat-girl for confirmation. ¡°Yeah...¡± She nodded. ¡°The first time was because of Canir¡¯s little ident, but Sophia''s been able to use her portals to go there whenever she wants ever since. Going shopping there is quite, uhh... interesting.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°I WANT TO GO! I WANT TO SEE A DIFFERENT WORLD!¡± "Oh no¡­" Ari didn''t like any of what she was hearing. ¡°You¡¯re not ready for that world.¡± Maya slowly shook her head while looking at the tall tiger. ¡°You¡¯ll need months of training to deal with that kind of shock you¡¯d get from that world¡­ Trust me.¡± ¡°I have time!¡± She had no issues with that. ¡°Have you been outsidetely?! It¡¯s gotten so cold that I¡¯m seriously considering hibernation! There¡¯s nothing else you can do right now! Unfortunately, Ari doesn¡¯t allow me to because felines aren¡¯t supposed to do that! What do I care? Let¡¯s make it a thing for felines!¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Sophia sounded way more serious than she should do when saying this sentence. ¡°I knew I could count on you!¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°Tigers have to hold together!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± "I hate you." Ari and Maya also sounded way more serious than they should be when looking at their partners. "Tigers are insufferable." ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve be any less uselesstely, my dear.¡± Steph looked at the cat with an equally disapproving expression. "A-Ah¡­¡± She simply turned her head away. "Ari''s the same!" The princess raised her voice again. "In fact, I think she got evenzier than I did!" ¡°Now that¡¯s just going too far!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like that. "You''ve been much worse! I must admit that I''m not that much more enthusiastic about the weather, though¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re all insufferable¡­¡± The cold-loving dog and pink fox had enough of every cat in the room. "A-Ah¡­" None of them could say anything against this duo. ¡°This group sure is fun~.¡± Mira was having a great time, though. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia, the voice of reason, tried to get the group, who loves to go on long tangents, back to the topic. "Maya is right in saying that you need preparation to visit our old world. It''s not a ce to visit on a whim¡­ That said, we have many gadgets to show from that world in our mansion. We could go and all y with them together.¡± ¡°Their toys are the best!¡± The cat-girl sounded excited. "I''m still having trouble getting out of bed the day after because my legs are still numb hourster! That world is in a league of its own when ites to being horny and perverted!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°Wait¡­ you want us all to y with sex toys¡­? Together¡­? As in¡­ together? All at once¡­?¡± Her face turned red. ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ready for that just yet¡­¡± ¡°J-Just what are you imagining?!¡± Ari red at her. ¡°Probably the same as you do~.¡± Maya¡¯s expression turned into a smirk. ¡°Your cheeks are even redder than hers. "A-Ah.¡± "This group is amazing~." Steph loved her friends. ¡°Oi!¡± Chloe also started ring at her partner. ¡°You do know that your face is the reddest out of everyone here, right¡­?¡± The cat-girl already found her next target to tease. "A-Ah.¡± ¡°Girls¡­¡± The blonde let out a small sigh. ¡°I am aware that everyone in our group is pretty horny all day long, myself maybe even included at times, and we are quite tight and everything, but¡­ Could we stop lusting after each other for like five minutes? I was talking about actual games and stuff, you know? Suited for all ages.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone went silent while stealing some nces at each other. Afterward, once the girls calmed down again, Sophia decided to bring everyone to the mansion to show the royal couple the stuff she had brought over from the different world. ---------------- ¡°Woah, what is all this?!¡± ¡°So many things I¡¯ve never seen before!¡± Entering the living room, Anna and even Ari quickly became quite excited. "Wee back~." Noticing the group, Aurazily greeted them. With Fen next to her and Fey to the side, they looked ratherfortable on the sheepskin rug in front of the running and lightly crackling firece. ¡°Fey~.¡± Looking at her favorite full, Mira smiled at the fox. ¡°Good to see you back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so envious that Fennyfenny is actually allowed to hibernate¡­¡± Sophia was staring at the wolf, who hadn¡¯t said a single word yet because he was fast asleep. ¡°Ahaha, there really isn¡¯t much missing for that.¡± Aura let out a small chuckle before facing her favorite tiger. ¡°Why are these two here? I thought you always wanted to hide the otherworld stuff when they¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°We just told them about Steph, Chloe, and me having lived in a different world before, so it¡¯s okay now.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± She nodded. ¡°That makes it much easier when we¡¯re traveling together! I could already see the day when someone says something that made it obvious, anyway." ¡°Yeah, that was one of the main reasons¡­ That, and not wanting to have any big secrets in our group so that we can be at ease around each other." ¡°That¡¯s nice!¡± The female wolf liked her reasoning. ¡°Sophia! Sophia!¡± Sounding extremely excited, Anna grabbed her fellow tiger¡¯s hands and looked at her with sparkling eyes. ¡°How can I be of help?¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°W-What is all that shiny stuff here?!¡± She gestured around in the living room. ¡°So many things! Are those from that other world? WHAT IS THAT HUGE BLACK AND MIRROR-LIKE THING?!¡± "Calm down a little, and I might tell you¡­" Sophia was a little overwhelmed by the overly excited huge, and striped puppy. ¡°IMPOSSIBLE!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She let out a small sigh. ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to be upset at you¡­ You¡¯re quite cute when you¡¯re excited.¡± ¡°She definitely is.¡± Ari agreed. ¡°No matter how much of a headache it can be.¡± ¡°So?! Tell me!¡± The princess didn¡¯t care about their exchange. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all stuff we brought with us from the other world a little while ago when we went there. Do you want a little presentation?¡± ¡°YES!¡± She indeed did. ¡°How about we all watch a movie together?¡± ¡°I love that idea!¡± Anna got even more excited. ¡°What¡¯s a moviee?!¡± ¡°Ari¡­¡± Looking slightly tired already, the blonde nced at the jaguar. ¡°Could you calm her down a little¡­? I¡¯m already getting exhausted.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± Ari got a little upset because Sophia had absolutely no right toin about that. Especially not to her. "Also, no, you¡­ You, as a fellow permanently overexcited tiger, you know that this is an impossible task." ¡°Fair¡­ Well, let¡¯s just get started.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to give her the satisfaction of leaning more into it. Afterward, she started rummaging through all the movies they had gotten to find a suitable one. ---------------- Funnily enough, the blonde found the perfect movie for the situation. It was a fantasy one featuring many non-human races, including elves and a simr-looking beastfolk. It made everything much easier for the time being because it wasn¡¯t that offpared to their current world. And so, roughly an hourter, as Anna had gotten way too hyper after the TV got turned on, not that Ari and Fey weren¡¯t quite fascinated, as well, even Mira was very interested, they finally managed to start the movie while Sophia continued to briefly exin things whenever a question came up. Luckily, back when Canir secretly blessed the wolves with thenguage of the other world, he had done the same with Anna and Ari, as he knew this would happen sooner orter. ¡°That was amazing! I don¡¯t get how it works at all, but the magic of your old world is amazing!" One and a half hourster, after the movie was done, Anna was just as excited. Also, just like the wolves before, technology clearly was the same as magic for her. "Not this again¡­" Sophia, Steph, and Chloe sighed after that topic resurfaced. "More! I want to see more like that!" The princess was hooked already. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I would like to see more, too.¡± Ari, too, had enjoyed it a lot. ¡°It was very nice.¡± ¡°Mhmm, I have a lot of different movies, but I think this was the only one with those characters.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°But, in the end, they said their story had just begun! That means there has to be more, right? More adventure!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°That sentence, unfortunately, is just ame way to have an open ending for a story. Whenever anyone says that end the end of anything, there rarely is more afterward. It¡¯s more of a ''create-your-own continuation in your head'', kind of thing." ¡°That¡¯s the worst!¡± ¡°I hate that!¡± "What bad writing¡­" Anna, Ari, and even Fey weren''t fans of that trope. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty cheap¡­¡± The blonde agreed. ¡°Well, on the bright side, we have so many movies and simr things to keep us busy for literal months!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The princess liked that. "Which is perfect because we have to kill a few months before it gets warm again!" Watching movies while beingfy and cuddling was a perfect winter activity. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything better to do before that because, as mentioned many times before, that¡¯s when we finally return to exploring the world! Our story, too, has just begun, after all!¡± ¡°OI!¡± Everyone hated that and red at the blonde. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Sophia liked their reaction. ¡°Don¡¯t say that after you just gave us the exnation of what it actually means!¡± Anna raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s horrible!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Every rulees with exceptions.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She gave the princess a thumbs up. ¡°I promised to take you, Ari, and everyone else on an adventure, and I never back down from a promise!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Anna looked genuinely happy again. Afterward, once that topic was taken care of, the group continued to watch some more movies. Their movie marathon, too, had just begun, as there was lots of time that needed to be killed until spring arrived. The End
Announcement: The sequel is up! Announcement: The sequel is up! The sequel/continuation is live! See you there~ Also, join the discord! Discord Server: The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!