The Cat Loli wagged her slender finger, and the large gray rat dangling from its tip swayed back and forth like a pendulum.
Her eyes curved into crescents, and sharp little fangs peeked out from her ω-shaped mouth as she said in an exaggerated tone:
“Spade A is such a useless piece of trash, defeated by an enemy like this… Just this? Just this? Hey, don’t look at me with those pleading eyes! I’m not going to go easy on you, guhuhu, your face is so stupid, just like a big stupid-faced rat!”
Meow, who was looking at you with pleading eyes…
Ashley was utterly speechless. One Chloe was enough—now another little demon girl? She couldn’t take it…
She squeaked a few times in different tones, gradually mastering control of her tongue, and began to speak in a tiny voice.
“What are you so smug about? Openly attacking a Tribunal cadre is tantamount to declaring war. Reinforcements will arrive soon. Card Court is a satellite town of the Main City, not some Isolated Lands beyond the Tribunal’s reach.”
Ashley looked at the Cat Loli with eyes full of pity and earnestly analyzed the situation for her:
“If I don’t return safely, in a few hours, you’ll face a siege from high-ranking cadres and a transcendent tactical squad. Even if you luckily escape, can your plan still proceed smoothly? If your blunder causes your accomplices to return empty-handed, will the Secret Alliance’s big BOSS spare you? Your ability was granted to you—it’s not irreplaceable. So, what will your fate be? Turning from the dark side and becoming a tainted witness is your only way out.”
As the large gray rat spoke eloquently, the Cat Loli’s little face paled, realizing the folly of her rash action.
This had indeed been her own initiative. Her big sister had warned her not to act lightly until the president’s new orders arrived, but the moment she spotted the chance to approach the enemy general, her body had lunged forward on its own.
However, her sister had timely blocked the pursuer, which meant she approved of the action, right?
The Cat Loli forced a smile and stubbornly argued:
“Guhuhu, the wailing of a defeated dog is so unpleasant. All this talk, and you just don’t want to admit your failure, huh?”
“Failure? I was worried about lacking evidence to request reinforcements. I’m just a Three-Star Inspector, and you have four ability users—four against one. Calling for help is nothing shameful. Besides, your organization sent reinforcements too, didn’t they? Suit Cards? Or the King and Queen of Hearts?”
The large gray rat comfortably propped its paws behind its head, crossed its legs, and flicked its tail back and forth. Paired with its dumb, dazed rat face, the mocking effect was maxed out.
The Cat Loli ground her little teeth, barely resisting the urge to strangle her, and squeezed out a stiff smile.
“Heh heh, don’t worry. I’ll make you break down at the fastest speed, then turn you into my little pet. Come in—Mickey Wonderful House!”
Ding ding ding!
The door swung open, revealing a meticulously arranged collection of terrariums and cages of various sizes before Ashley: jungles, deserts, castles, underground lairs… all sorts, dazzling in variety.
They were mounted on shelves fixed to the walls, occupying most of the room’s space.
Hanging ivy draped down with long, dense clusters of leaves, covering the tops of the terrariums like an inverted forest canopy.
The cages weren’t empty. A quick glance revealed seven or eight occupants, all rodents.
“They aren’t all humans turned into animals, are they? You freak…” Ashley muttered.
“That’s right~ For example, this blind little white rat is the Little Blind Girl from next door… Hehe, who told her to play guitar and beg for money at my door every day, disturbing this lady’s rest? I turned her into a rat and bully her every day. I used the money from selling her guitar to buy the chocolate she loved but could never bear to splurge on, and ate it right in front of her—big mouthfuls! Smack smack! Then I took her to her mom, so close yet forever separated. Poor old mom will cry herself blind too, just like her…”
The Cat Loli lifted the cage door, reached into the coconut shell at the bottom, roughly grabbed the white fancy rat hiding there, and rubbed it frantically against her cheek.
“Chichi chi, so cute, little white rat. I just want to bully you!”
She brought it to her mouth, and a pink little tongue squeezed out from between her lips, licking the soft fur of the little white rat one lick at a time.
Even the lightest human breath felt like a gale to Rat Rat, and with the little animal’s instincts, the white rat trembled in fear, squeaking pitifully.
Ashley observed calmly and noticed that after transforming into human form, the Black Cat’s Tail hung limp and dull, lifeless, as if it were no longer part of her body.
But why?
Ashley’s mind raced, and she considered a possibility—the tail was the switch for turning into a cat, like a transformation device from a tokusatsu show. When needed, she controlled the muscles to activate it.
The forced rat transformation required breaking skin, and in human form, the Cat Loli’s little milk teeth couldn’t pierce skin easily—only the cat form’s fangs could.
That was the key to dealing with her!
After petting the little white rat, the Cat Loli turned to the large gray rat in her other hand, narrowing her eyes with a smile.
“Heh heh, you wouldn’t want me to lick you too, would you? You’re ugly, but if you beg, I might deign to…”
“Pah!”
“You’re done for!”
The Cat Loli bit her sharp little teeth and took out a blue gossamer dress, slipping it onto Ashley, while putting a white one on the Little Blind Girl.
Then, the two rats were released into a castle garden-style terrarium, surrounded on all sides by forested landscaping—gloomy and dim, with cold springs flowing.
Though she couldn’t understand the meaning behind the Cat Loli’s bizarre actions, Ashley knew that if she stalled just a bit longer and reported this, Tribunal reinforcements would arrive in two or three hours.
So, the enemy would surely try to mind-control her quickly, send her back to the team to call off the alert—otherwise, they had no chance of winning.
Speaking of mind control… Sure enough, the Cat Loli produced a candlestick.
But she didn’t simply light the wax blocks processed by Lamb’s ability. Instead, she strung together wax blocks of different colors, squeezed them tight in a mold, and crafted a multicolored candle.
Ashley’s heart jolted. This… this was scripting!
The burning wick was the timeline!
The arrangement of wax blocks was the script!
Igniting the personality, distorting cognition!
This was far more powerful than the single-color candle Senya had encountered!
“Lose yourself under my pen!”
The candle flame flickered, and fragrance filled the air.
Ghostly shadows cackled, fleshy objects squelched.
String-pulled puppets jerked into a stiff dance, twisted strings blared discordant music.
The Black Cat’s storybook opened!
…
In the morning, Ashley awoke on a soft, large bed. The bedding was woven from turtledove feathers, so light it felt weightless, drifting away with a mere breeze.
Lingering drowsiness made her squint her little eyes. She stuck a paw into her mouth, fishing a whole large almond from her cheek pouch—nearly half her body size.
The thrill of sneaking a solitary snack while her wife slept was just too good!
Her teeth ground quickly, crunching it into sweet fragments. Her wet little tongue rolled them down, and she squeaked in satisfaction, her hind paws unconsciously kicking, rolling the bedding like clouds.
“Darling, what are you eating? It sounds so crisp and smells so fragrant. I want to try too—just a little piece. But my eyes can’t see; can you feed me?”
A soft, sweet voice came from the pillow, accompanied by rustling movements. The dry scent of an animal wafted toward her.
“What are you? Only Amber can steal food from my mouth.”
Ashley blurted it out without thinking, then gnawed a perfect hole into the round, jade-like almond, propped it with her paw, and turned it to see her wife’s face through the hole.
It was like an arrow piercing her heart—she shuddered. Too… too beautiful!
Those red, tender, soft little paws!
That little pointed snout covered in soft white fur!
The quivering plump pink nose, and the delicate whiskers trembling at her mouth…
Her beauty could drive the field mice of a hundred acres mad!
The only flaw was her eyes, blurred and unfocused like severe nearsightedness.
“Darling, who is Amber?” the little white rat asked puzzledly.
“Amber means treasure. You are my Amber.”
Ashley’s face full of doting affection, she leaned over, grasped her lower jaw, pulled it open, and stuffed the remaining almond inside.
