Meow Meow Meow Meow

Afternoon

Social Practice Club.

The clubroom was filled with the aroma of black tea. Two girls with long, straight black hair sat quietly at their desks, occasionally sipping from their teacups as they flipped through some documents, the atmosphere heavy with silence.

"I lost track of him at noon."

Li Guanqi lowered her head, her voice as calm as ever, though a faint trace of frustration could be detected upon closer listening. "So I don’t know where he went."

"Hmm, because of Hoshino Mirai?"

Gu Ruoxue replied without shifting her gaze, her tone steady as she continued to read, her fingers slowly turning the pages of her book.

"Right. Senior Hoshino has seen him in his cat form."

Li Guanqi confirmed.

"I see."

Gu Ruoxue’s voice remained composed as she gently closed her book. Her eyes drifted toward the sunlight streaming through the window, and she asked softly, "Are you worried he might receive attribute points as a reward?"

"Yes."

Li Guanqi nodded.

"That is indeed troubling..."

Gu Ruoxue murmured, her tone light but contemplative.

"Still, this is just my speculation."

Li Guanqi added.

"Hmm."

Gu Ruoxue gave a slight nod, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, though her voice carried a hint of gravity.

Just then, a dark shadow flitted in through the window.

It was Yaya, the crow.

It landed on the table between the two girls, tilting its head as it peered curiously at Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi clenched her fists slightly, tension creeping into her posture.

Gu Ruoxue also stopped her musings, her gaze shifting to Yaya, her brows furrowing slightly.

Yaya shook its head.

Instantly, the room plunged into dead silence.

Li Guanqi pressed her lips together, a shadow flickering in her eyes as she reached out and gently embraced Yaya, stroking its soft feathers.

"He didn’t coax Ling Ning into confessing."

Li Guanqi let out a quiet sigh. "He used today’s confession chance elsewhere."

"I see."

Gu Ruoxue nodded faintly.

Her expression remained unreadable, though her frown deepened slightly, as if lost in thought.

Because now, it seemed entirely possible that Su Cheng had obtained attribute points from Hoshino Mirai—otherwise, why would he pass up Ling Ning, an A-rank reward?

If Su Cheng had once been firmly within their grasp, now there were signs of him slipping out of control.

"However, there’s another possibility."

Li Guanqi suddenly spoke up.

"Oh?"

Gu Ruoxue lifted her eyes, looking at her questioningly.

Li Guanqi pursed her lips and stated bluntly, "I suspect Liu Qingyue is currently at Su Cheng’s house!"

Before Gu Ruoxue could react, Yaya in her arms shrank back fearfully, as if confirming the suspicion.

This only strengthened Li Guanqi’s conviction.

Gu Ruoxue considered this for a moment before nodding slightly. "That is a possibility."

"I think—"

Li Guanqi bit her lip, as if hesitating to voice her thoughts, yet unable to hold back the flood of words. But just as she was about to speak, she abruptly stopped.

Footsteps approached from outside.

Knock knock—

The door creaked open, and Su Cheng made his grand entrance.

He peeked through the circular window on the door before pushing it open, grinning as he spotted the two girls. "Hey, you’re both here."

"It’s rare for you to visit the club."

Gu Ruoxue looked up at him impassively.

Su Cheng strode in without a care, glancing around before plopping himself down beside Li Guanqi.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi stood and walked toward the tea set.

"Ling Ning came to see me earlier."

Su Cheng cut straight to the point—since Li Guanqi already knew, there was no point hiding it.

"And then?"

Gu Ruoxue asked coolly.

"Didn’t you promise not to provoke her?"

Li Guanqi poured him a cup of tea, her tone tinged with displeasure.

Su Cheng stared at the tea, his expression troubled. "I’ve realized something—simply keeping my distance won’t solve the problem..."

He took a sip of the tea while the two girls waited in silence for him to continue.

"Because she’s only interested in me. If I don’t handle this properly..."

He set the cup down with a sigh. "If I don’t resolve this, won’t it ruin her?"

Gu Ruoxue nodded in understanding.

Li Guanqi pressed further, "So, did you resolve it?"

"No. I tried the red potion and even made eye contact with her again, but nothing worked."

Su Cheng shrugged.

"Then what did you get from her?"

Gu Ruoxue cut straight to the heart of the matter—this question would reveal much.

"Nothing escapes you, huh?"

Su Cheng turned to Yaya and commanded, "Go keep watch outside. Call if anyone comes."

Yaya obediently flew out the window.

Once the crow was gone, Su Cheng met the girls’ gazes before—poof—transforming into a penguin.

"Yesterday’s reward was the ability to turn into a penguin," he announced.

The two girls’ hearts sank—Su Cheng was lying. Yesterday, he had clearly turned into a cat.

Moreover, if he knew they had been at the student council incident at noon, why would he claim it was a penguin?

Their frowns deepened.

"Is that so? I thought you turned into a cat."

Gu Ruoxue feigned nonchalance.

Li Guanqi chimed in, "Yeah, during the student council broadcast at noon, we thought it was you."

"Ah…"

The penguin scratched its head awkwardly. "I didn’t realize you were there at noon. Actually, yesterday’s reward was turning into a cat and dog. Today’s is the penguin."

So they saw through me yesterday after all.

Sharp as ever.

"Oh?"

Gu Ruoxue raised an eyebrow. "So you admit the cat yesterday was you?"

"Yeah."

Su Cheng chuckled dryly. "I thought you didn’t notice me approaching you as a cat… so..."

The two girls exchanged glances before Gu Ruoxue remarked, "I thought you’d keep denying it."

With another poof, Su Cheng transformed into an orange tabby cat. The sight made Gu Ruoxue’s eyes flicker with interest, though she quickly schooled her expression.

"Remember what we talked about in the park?"

The tabby looked up at Gu Ruoxue, his meaning clear—his ability to turn into cats and dogs stemmed from their previous conversation.

Back then, he had discussed the idea of transforming into animals with her. Hence, the system granted him these rewards.

"Hmm."

Gu Ruoxue gave a noncommittal nod.

"Don’t you want to pet me?"

The orange tabby sprawled lazily, then casually licked its paw—a gesture that made Gu Ruoxue, still seated at her desk, visibly tense with the urge to reach out and stroke its fur.

Of course, her reaction didn’t escape Li Guanqi or the cat, whose golden eyes gleamed mischievously as it prepared to further tempt her.

In the next moment, the cat sat up and began kneading the sofa with its front paws, all while letting out a few adorable, kittenish mews.

Gu Ruoxue sat in her seat, staring somewhat dazedly at the orange tabby. Yet her small, pink fists clenched subconsciously—she looked eager to do something but was also holding herself back.

All in all, she seemed thoroughly conflicted.

"Would you like to join the Su Cheng Meow Meow Cult?"

Suddenly, the orange cat stood up, spreading its paws wide as it gazed up at Gu Ruoxue with solemnity. In a grave tone, it declared, "Awaken the orange within, enlighten thy spirit—all who follow me shall meow, meow, meow~"