Chapter 6: Taking Aim

Stung by Xueheng's almost mocking gaze, Little Cat wanted to jump off the table immediately, but his body wouldn't listen to his commands.

"...'

After a moment of silence, it pretended not to understand Xueheng's gaze, meowed softly, and lowered its head. It then opened its mouth and took a bite of the white rice.

There was nothing unusual about a cat eating the same food as its owner; it was only natural and logical for a regular cat like it to do so.

"I eat the same food as humans = I am human."

Convincing itself, Little Cat completely ignored Xueheng's increasingly mocking gaze.

It took another bite of rice, then extended its claws, using them as chopsticks to pick up a piece of spicy fried beef from the plate.

Xueheng watched helplessly as Little Cat blew on its food, its whiskers twitching, to cool it down before eating.

After a few puffs, Little Cat carefully bit into the beef.

The delicious flavor exploded on its palate. Having not eaten for two whole days, Little Cat couldn't help but express a very human look of bliss.

With the first bite, its taste buds were awakened, its stomach opened up, and its inner resolve was completely shattered. Little Cat quickened its pace, alternating between bites of rice and morsels of food, thoroughly enjoying its meal.

Occasionally, it would 'rua' in surprise from the spiciness when it ate too quickly and forgot to blow on its food.

"Slow down, I'm not rushing you," Xueheng said helplessly, seeing the cat struggling to pick up food with its claws. He helped by putting the food into a bowl for it, so it only needed to focus on eating. He also poured it a bowl of meat broth.

By the end of the meal, the dishes on the table were empty, a third of which had disappeared into Little Cat's belly—an impressive amount considering its size.

Not a single grain of rice remained in the bowl; it had licked it clean. The cat lay on its side on the table, its stomach round and full, resembling a pregnant cat.

Xueheng cleared the table, wiped it down, and washed his hands before picking up Little Cat from the table and placing it on the sofa.

Watching Little Cat lick its paws like a human brushing their teeth, Xueheng cleared his throat and said, "Now that your cover is blown, are you ready to talk?"

Little Cat's ears twitched, and it paused from licking its paws, looking at Xueheng with an innocent expression.

"Meow?"

It had no idea what he was talking about; after all, it was just an innocent little cat.

"...'

"What? You're going to deny it after freeloading?" Xueheng laughed.

He extended his hands and pinched Little Cat's cheeks, scratching gently with his fingertips.

This was one of the cat's favorite spots to be petted, and it felt amazing.

"Meow~"

Little Cat couldn't help but purr in contentment, its eyes narrowing in pleasure under Xueheng's skilled touch.

It had made up its mind to keep up the act as long as it didn't have to speak or communicate.

"...'

Seeing that Little Cat still refused to admit the truth, Xueheng was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Forget it, let's go take a bath first."

Although they had bathed earlier, they had gotten dirty from hugging Little Cat and cooking the greasy dishes. Their bodies were not as clean as before.

Thinking of the bath, Xueheng glanced at Little Cat, who was lying on its side on the sofa, having already dirtied the furniture with its fur. A smile tugged at his lips as he reached out and picked it up.

"Elbow, let's take a bath together."

Little Cat froze at his words, then raised its paws in a French military salute and started shaking its head like a rattle drum, its ears flattening against its head.

"Meow meow meow meow meow!"

"Go meow your mother! You're taking this bath, and not even Jesus can stop me!" Xueheng huffed, picking up Little Cat and heading toward the bathroom.

"Meow!!!'

...

In the glass shower stall, Xueheng brought in a small stool and sat down. He squeezed some shower gel into his hands and began to massage and scratch Little Cat, who was already wet from the shower.

Little Cat had tried to resist, but to no avail. It could only resign itself to its fate, looking forlorn as Xueheng's hands roamed its body.

"Meow meow meow meow..."

Little Cat protested in cat language, but Xueheng paid no heed as he continued his ministrations.

He couldn't understand a word it was saying, after all, he was just a harmless, upright ape.

During the bath, Xueheng tried to remove the platinum tail ring from Little Cat's tail. However, he found that although the ring didn't seem to be fastened tightly, it was as if it were embedded in the tail, refusing to budge.

He didn't want to hurt Little Cat, so he didn't use too much force. Still, he realized that the ring couldn't be removed. After all, it was a 'divine substance' certified by the panel, so it was only natural that it had some divine properties.

After ensuring that every inch of Little Cat's body had been thoroughly scrubbed, Xueheng finally nodded in satisfaction and turned on the showerhead to rinse them off.

Once they were done, Little Cat's fur was plastered to its body, giving it a comical appearance.

"Meow."

Little Cat began to shake vigorously to dry itself, then prepared to leave the bathroom. However, Xueheng called out to stop it.

"Wait a sec."

Xueheng quickly rinsed himself off before picking up Little Cat and exiting the glass shower stall.

He made his way to the bathtub, turned on the hot water, adjusted the temperature, and let it fill up. Then, cradling Little Cat, he stepped into the tub.

"Meow~~" "Ah~~"

As the water level rose, both boy and cat simultaneously let out sounds of satisfaction.

Xueheng leaned back, his arms resting on the edges of the tub, his head the only part above water. Little Cat lay on his chest, its head pillowed on the tub's edge, its tail swishing back and forth underwater, creating ripples.

With half-lidded eyes, it purred contentedly.

"Hmph, and you said you weren't human." Xueheng remarked dryly.

There was no way a cat could enjoy a bath this much.

"Meow~~"

Little Cat didn't even bother to keep up the act, simply meowing in response and remaining unmoved.

Lying on Xueheng's chest, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart, Little Cat's mind wandered.

It had been so long since it had felt this sense of peace...

This guy, he looked skinny with his clothes on, but now... those pecs were something else.

Perhaps it was because it finally felt at ease, but Little Cat also began to notice that the boy in front of it was actually quite good-looking.

And once it realized that, it was like a dam bursting, and its thoughts began to spiral.

Little Cat couldn't help but sneak a peek at the boy's... six-pack.

As Xueheng lounged in the tub, idly flipping through the skill panel, a new prompt suddenly appeared.

【Someone has developed a crush on you, Charm Experience +1】

"Hmm?"

His gaze shifted to Little Cat, his expression unreadable.

...

After their bath, Xueheng first used a towel to dry himself off, then wrapped Little Cat in another towel and rubbed it down.

He then carried it into his bedroom, retrieved a hairdryer and a comb, plugged them in, and began to blow-dry its fur.

As he combed through the fur, he carefully aimed the dryer at every corner, and Little Cat, having given up all resistance, let Xueheng do as he pleased.

"Meow~~"

Well, it was too late to do anything about it now.

Once its fur was completely dry, a sleek, glossy black cat emerged, its fur shimmering with health.

The emerald green eyes, accentuated by the long white eyeliner-like markings, gave its cat face an oddly charming, almost human-like appeal.

Xueheng nodded in satisfaction, "Factory settings restored, success~"

At that moment, he noticed that the patches of missing fur on Little Cat's body seemed to have grown back.

Even its belly, rounded from the large meal, had returned to its flat state.

"That's interesting."

Little Cat seemed to realize it had given something away again and lazily stretched, turning away from Xueheng as if to hide its belly.

"Meow~"

Xueheng didn't say anything further and left the room, heading back into the living room.

In one corner of the room hung a plastic dartboard, riddled with tiny holes, while the surrounding white walls bore the marks of wayward throws. It was clear that some intense dart-throwing sessions had taken place.

Xueheng retrieved three or four darts from the tube next to the board and walked to the front door, the farthest point in a straight line from the board, nearly five meters away.

He held a sharp dart between his thumb, index, and middle finger, taking aim for a moment.

"Swish!"

The dart left his hand, piercing the board with a loud 'thunk', the force of the throw almost giving the impression that it had gone straight through.

Although he didn't hit the bullseye, his accuracy was impressive given the distance, and he could be considered skilled.

Xueheng threw the remaining darts, each one finding its mark on the board, one even coming close to the bullseye.

Over the past week, he had spent time each night practicing his dart-throwing, hoping to unlock a throwing-related skill.

The living room echoed with the sound of darts hitting the board as Little Cat sauntered into the room, hopped onto the sofa, and turned on the TV with a casual swipe of its paw. It selected an animated show to watch, fully embracing its laziness.

Having given up all pretense, aside from not speaking, it didn't bother to put on an act anymore.

Xueheng shot it a glance, resisting the urge to throw a dart its way, and continued his routine of throwing and retrieving the darts.

After about forty to fifty minutes, as Xueheng aimed another dart, he had a strong premonition.

This throw, he was certain, would hit the bullseye.

There was no reason for it, but he knew without a doubt that it would be effortless.

His eyes gleamed, and the dart left his hand.

"Thunk!"

The unprecedentedly loud noise startled Little Cat, causing its fur to stand on end.

The dart had pierced the bullseye, right at its center, deep enough that it seemed to have gone through the board.

Xueheng looked at the panel.

【Conditions met, Skill Activated: Aim】

【Aim Lv1: (0/300)】

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end