Chapter 99: Super Cute Kitten

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Super Cute Kitten

So this was what a Half-Beastman looked like.

Shen Yun observed the young girl in front of him. She was a textbook example of a cat-eared girl. From her appearance, she looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. Her delicate features retained an air of innocence. Her hair, eyes, and even her ears were a matching shade of brown. Only upon closer inspection could one notice the dark vertical slits in the centers of her pupils.

Beyond that, she had an excellent figure. Clad in simple leather clothing, she exuded a thoroughly untamed, wild beauty. She definitely suited Shen Yun’s aesthetic tastes.

Being stared at by Shen Yun didn’t make the Half-Beastman girl shy in the slightest. Instead, looking rather wary, she swam little by little to the bank, deposited the fish she was carrying in her mouth onto the shore, and then slowly backed away. Submerging most of her body back into the water, she left only her head exposed above the surface. Her expression showed obvious reluctance to part with her catch.

"I don’t want your fish," Shen Yun said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Do you know who I am?"

"..."

The Half-Beastman girl didn’t speak, but she shook her head. That meant she could at least understand him.

"Come here." Shen Yun waved her over.

In response, the girl brought two fair, slender hands out of the water, curling them into little fists in front of her face. Shen Yun wondered if she was trying to act cute. It was the first time he had seen a real cat-eared girl strike such an adorable feline pose.

Then, SNIKT SNIKT. Sharp claws, roughly three or four centimeters long, suddenly popped out from her fingertips. She even bared her teeth at him, revealing a pair of rather sharp canines.

"Hehe, Master, you’ve been warned," Xiaojiu giggled.

"Alright..." Shen Yun sighed, feeling a bit disappointed. It seemed she was a little wildcat. Who said a cat raising its paws meant it was being cute? Regardless, Shen Yun didn’t mind.

He looked down at the fish still struggling by his feet. It wasn’t an Earth species, but Vierlia had cooked it for him before. Its meat was sweet, and wild-caught ones were even more precious.

He decided to just sit down. He scaled the fish, started a fire, and, with Xiaojiu’s guidance, began roasting it in a rather professional manner. Before Xiaojiu had entered his life, he had been a bachelor with maxed-out life skills.

The cat-eared girl watched his actions with curiosity. Suddenly, she dove back under the water. A short while later, she emerged on the shore about a dozen meters away, carrying an identical fish in her mouth. Mimicking Shen Yun, she gathered some firewood.

Twenty minutes later.

She stared blankly at the lump of charcoal in front of her, then looked over at Shen Yun’s roasted fish, which was emitting a tantalizing aroma. She twitched her nose, her expression looking incredibly dejected. Not only had her tail drooped, but even her ears were flattened against her head as if they had folded up. She looked absolutely adorable.

Regardless, Shen Yun and Xiaojiu had a good laugh about it. Shen Yun even took a bite of his fish and deliberately let out a loud, satisfied sigh of deliciousness. The cat-eared girl grew even more depressed. Turning her head away, she cradled her burnt fish and prepared to leave in sorrow.

"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you," Shen Yun called out, stopping her in her tracks. "Come here, I’ll share half of this fish with you."

"MEOW?" The cat-eared girl turned around, her tail swishing back and forth anxiously.

"Don’t worry. You should know that I’m a guest invited by your mother, right?" Shen Yun offered a gentle smile and patted the ground next to him. "Come over here. Besides, you caught this fish anyway."

"..."

Seeing Shen Yun’s smile, the cat-eared girl slowly arched her back and crouched down on all fours. Then, with extreme caution, she inched her way over. She looked as though she would puff up and bolt at the first sign of danger. Even her habits were just like a cat’s.

However, this posture of hers... was a bit revealing.

Maintaining his steady smile, Shen Yun extended the wooden stick holding the roasted fish a little further out. The cat-eared girl finally approached. After sniffing it for a moment, she took a hesitant, tiny bite.

"MEOW!" she cried out in utter pleasant surprise.

Her tail wagged excitedly behind her as she began to devour the fish in large bites. Even her arched body relaxed a bit, and she sprawled completely onto the ground.

Shen Yun mused that this must be what it felt like to feed a pet. Back when he lived alone, he had always wanted to keep a cat, but for various reasons, he had never been able to. Now, looking at the cat ears on the girl in front of him, he suddenly felt tempted. He reached out a hand. But the moment he moved, the girl immediately backed away several steps in high alert.

"No?" Shen Yun felt a bit disappointed, but he kept his smile and said, "Sorry, I just wanted to touch them. This is my first time seeing a Half-Beastman."

"..."

The cat-eared girl licked her greasy lips and fingers. She hesitated for a moment but slowly approached him again. Her posture was clearly less guarded than before.

Did this mean... she was agreeing to it?

Staring at the cat ears so close at hand, Shen Yun tentatively reached out again. True enough, the girl didn’t retreat this time; she simply continued eating her roasted fish.

Finally, he touched them.

Wow. They were much softer than he had imagined. The fur was incredibly smooth and warm to the touch—an absolutely amazing sensation.

"MEOW," the cat-eared girl let out a soft, sweet meow, her large eyes narrowing slightly. She seemed to be enjoying it too. After all, Shen Yun’s movements were very gentle. Moreover... when she was little, her father used to do the exact same thing.

"Master, Xiaojiu wants to pet her too!" Xiaojiu said, incredibly envious. "Why don’t we take her home and keep her? Alicia did say she wanted to send her daughter over, anyway."

"Hmm..." Shen Yun was somewhat tempted. Although, thinking it over carefully, there would be a lot of inconveniences. After all, she was a little wildcat. She hardly even spoke. Besides, he had previously mentioned placing her by Vierlia’s side.

But... she was just too cute.

Shen Yun’s fingers subconsciously moved down a bit, gently scratching her neck and chin as if he were petting a real cat. She didn’t resist. Instead, she affectionately rubbed against his hand a couple of times. A cat’s affection always seemed to come out of nowhere.

Eventually, she devoured most of the fish. Clearly, she still hadn’t had enough.

"MEOW."

"Hmm?"

"Th-thank you." Although a bit rusty, the cat-eared girl expressed her gratitude using the common language of this world.

"You’re welcome." Shen Yun gazed at the cat-eared girl curled up beside him, feeling an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He couldn’t help but ask, "What’s your name?"

"Erin." The cat-eared girl looked up at him, her expression full of expectation. "Are you... going to roast more fish?"

"If you’re still not full, I’ll roast some more," Shen Yun chuckled.

Hearing this, the cat-eared girl named Erin sprang to her feet with a cheer. She actually wasn’t short, standing at around one point six meters tall. However, her curves were slender and supple. Her waist, in particular, easily brought to mind that famous movie character—Catwoman.

With a textbook diving form, she leapt right into the water.

"Some cats are indeed very good at catching fish, but they’re usually afraid of water," Shen Yun said, stroking his chin.

"Perhaps it’s because she isn’t like the other Cat Race People who worry about getting their fur completely soaked," Xiaojiu guessed, before suddenly raising her voice. "Master, look up at the sky!"

Beneath the fading afterglow of the setting sun, a massive cloud of black mist was descending from the clouds, blanketing the sky.