Since he couldn’t figure it out, Xia Xi simply decided not to bother.
He chalked it up to the system’s item reclamation plan. Every time he worked hard to obtain a reward from a mission, it would somehow get used up due to unexpected circumstances. Maybe the system had anticipated what would happen next, or perhaps it was all part of its arrangements. In short, it was just to stop him from hoarding items. How sneaky!
Seeing the tabby cat’s tongue almost licking its paw right before his eyes, Xia Xi used the wall for leverage and gave the cat a solid kick, sending it stumbling back.
“Meow!”
(You dare fight back? It seems you’ve got a death wish!)
Losing face in front of its underlings made the tabby cat furious. It raised its sharp claws and lunged at Xia Xi.
“Meow?”
(You really think I’m afraid of you?)
With that, Xia Xi no longer held back his aura—the aura of a cat who had attained spiritual cultivation!
Using the Cat Girl Transformation Card, Xia Xi got a taste of the slow transformation Cat Senpai had experienced before. He felt his body being kneaded and stretched like dough by invisible hands, then shaped and molded. It wasn’t painful as he had imagined; instead, there was an oddly ticklish, pleasant sensation. It felt like all his meridians had been cleared, making his whole body much lighter.
Of course, that was if he ignored the weight on his chest that was enough to make him hunch over…
He wasn’t sure if every cat girl ended up this generously endowed or if Cat Senpai’s transformed form was simply meant to be this… alluring. No, not alluring—more like a mix of pure innocence and tempting charm. Think of a face with the innocent look of a sweet lolita paired with a breathtakingly curvaceous figure.
After the transformation, he was automatically dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit. The sheer black stockings on his legs felt a bit too thin for the chilly night. At the very least, Xia Xi himself was constantly shivering from the cold wind blowing against his legs. He had no idea how those middle school students in Japan managed it, wearing JK uniforms and exposing their thighs to the winter cold during their commute.
At least girls in inland areas knew to wear flesh-colored or black fleece-lined tights on colder days when sporting the JK look. Those Japanese middle schoolers were truly brave, often just wearing calf socks.
Xia Xi reached up and touched the soft, fluffy cat ears on his head, shook it slightly, and looked down at the utterly stunned tabby cat.
“Well? Cat got your tongue? You were so arrogant just now. Why the silence?”
A smug, slightly mischievous smile curled at the corner of Xia Xi’s lips. That cheeky, roguish grin, when worn on the pretty, adorable face of a little cat girl, transformed into something else—a sort of endearing, playful ‘tease’. It was that kind of cheeky smile that somehow made it hard to feel any real annoyance.
“Meow!”
(Oh my god! How did this little calico turn into a human?! I thought spiritual cultivation was forbidden after the founding of the nation!)
Xia Xi ignored its exclamation. He simply took a step forward, grabbed the scruff of the tabby cat’s neck—the spot that held its fate.
“Meow, meow, meow!”
(Let me go, please! I beg you, Calico-sama! I failed to recognize your greatness! I’ll never dare bother you again!)
How peculiar. The usually fearless tabby cat, who acted like it ruled the world, was actually backing down. Tabby cats were known for being scrappy and unafraid of fights; they shouldn’t even feel this kind of terror toward humans. But there was no helping it. It had just witnessed a beautiful little calico transform from a four-legged kitten into a terrifying, upright, two-legged ape.
As for its little feline followers, the ones who usually flattered it? They had long since vanished without a trace.
“Tch, how boring. I much preferred your earlier unruly and defiant attitude~”
Xia Xi shot it a dismissive glance and casually tossed it aside.
The moment it hit the ground, the tabby cat scrambled with all four paws before finally finding its footing. It then shot off into the distance like a rocket, terrified that the little calico might chase it down for more trouble.
“Big Brother, you’re amazing!”
Xia Xi had just been pondering how to endure the three-hour limit of his cat girl form when a naive, slightly seductive voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
He was instantly shocked!
Well, well. So Cat Senpai hadn’t been asleep after all. Like the others, she was hidden away in his mind. Her silence earlier might have been because, as a kitten, she couldn’t speak human language. Of course, it was also possible she had been frightened—after all, experiencing that chase firsthand was pretty intense.
“Why are you calling me ‘Big Brother’?”
Xia Xi wasn’t as concerned about her being in his mind as he was about her choice of address. Why would this little cat immediately call him ‘Big Brother’? Weren’t cats supposed to see humans as their servants, their ‘staff’? Or did Cat Senpai think he was a fellow cat who had just proven himself by defeating the tabby cat, earning the respectful title ‘Big Brother’?
“Huh? Aren’t you the big brother who follows my staff around at school every day?”
Hearing this, Xia Xi was utterly bewildered.
What did that mean? He hadn’t revealed anything. How did Cat Senpai already know his identity?
“You have his very unique scent.”
Before Xia Xi could ask, Cat Senpai explained first.
But how could he carry Xia Xi’s “unique scent”? He was currently using Cat Senpai’s body. How could it possibly have any connection to Xia Xi himself?
“Big Brother, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you hungry? We can go back to my staff’s house. The cat treats she gives are so yummy~”
Forget it.
Xia Xi sighed, deciding not to dwell on why Cat Senpai knew his identity. Knowing wouldn’t change much anyway. Cat Senpai wasn’t one of the exchange targets listed in his system. If it weren’t for the mission, he would never have been able to swap into this little calico’s body.
“Sorry, we can’t go home just yet. We definitely can’t let your staff see you like this.”
Xia Xi planned to find a nearby night market and kill time there until the system’s duration ran out.
As for why a night market? Naturally, because there would be more people, making it safer. After dealing with those cat gangsters, who knew if he might run into some human troublemakers in his current little cat girl form? He glanced down, gaining a clear understanding of just how alluring this body was. He was certain that men whose ‘little head’ overruled their ‘big head’ wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation.
Seriously, this was a cat girl! Even if people mistook it for cosplay, it was still a rare sight. Who would openly cosplay a character with inherently… suggestive attributes right out on the street? You usually only saw little cat girls like this at anime conventions.
“Okay~”
Cat Senpai was very obedient.
“Big Brother~ I smell something so delicious. I really want to eat it~”
