Chapter 2 : It’s been carved in the line

“Uwaaa, how did this happen (๑˃ಐ˂৭)”

Staring at the unfamiliar cute girl’s face in the mirror, Yaxi… no, she should be called Qianya now, tears rolling down like pearls, refusing to accept reality.

It wasn’t just the face. What the heck were these two little steamed buns and that tiny hill (つд⊂)

“Uwaaaaa QAQ”

Qianya’s soft cheeks were flushed red from crying.

But only a few seconds later, her face turned even redder; this time not from sadness.

She was burning with anger (annoyed).

Qianya: Damn it! It must be that hateful Flo!

It was that Tentacle God’s weird pink liquid that turned Qianya into this!

“I’ll never let her get away with this (ﾉ｀⊿´)ﾉ”

Qianya wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, spun around, and put her hands on her hips (though those tiny hands on hips only looked cute, zero intimidation).

“Get ready for battle right now!”

She ordered the four people standing by the bed.

“She can’t have gone far… All of you listen up, go catch that white-haired, heterochromatic tentacle girl outside right this instant!”

Yet the only response was silence.

“…Why are you all just standing there (°ー°〃)” Qianya felt super awkward.

“Didn’t I already say, if you want something just do it yourself?”

Iris folded her arms, the corner of her mouth curling into a mocking smirk beneath her golden hair.

Zero stayed leaning against the wall, her light-blue eyes completely emotionless.

“Fufu… so adorable.”

Vivian covered her mouth and snickered, red eyes sparkling with amusement.

Even Luko, who always listened to Qianya the most, only stood there blushing, not immediately replying like before.

“…?”

Qianya was stunned. This wasn’t the reaction she knew.

In the past, the moment she gave an order, these four slaves would obey right away because of the slave mark, no matter how unwilling they were.

“Fine, so you’ve grown wings, huh (◦`~´◦)”

No problem. Even though she’d been forcibly turned into a girl, the Tentacle God had promised the four slaves wouldn’t leave her, so,

Qianya silently chanted the activation spell for the slave marks in her mind. It was the secret art she’d specially learned to control them. With just a thought, she could make the marks burn and properly punish these disobedient girls.

But this time…

“…Huh (°ー°〃)?”

Something strange happened. No matter how much she chanted, she felt zero connection to the marks.

“What’s going on… where are my slave marks?” Qianya panicked and instinctively looked at Iris’s neck.

The faint pink mark that used to be there was gone, leaving only smooth skin.

“Ahem, can I say something～”

The vampire girl Vivian raised her hand with a smile, her red eyes gleaming with mischief.

Vivian: “Here’s the thing. While Master was unconscious, we already met Lady Flo～”

Qianya: “…Huh?”

Vivian: “And one more thing. Lady Flo kindly removed the slave marks from our necks, which means we’re no longer your slaves anymore～”

Qianya: “N-No way ( ๑ŏ ﹏ ŏ๑ )”

Seeing Vivian’s smile, Qianya instinctively started trembling. It felt like there was even worse news coming…

And she was right (sad).

“There’s one more thing～”

Vivian deliberately paused, watching Qianya’s face grow paler, then slowly dropped the bomb.

“Lady Flo said we’ve been slaves for so long and must have felt really oppressed. Since the chance is rare, she wanted us to experience being slave owners too, so she gave each of us one opportunity.”

Qianya: “What opportunity ∑(°口°๑)”

Vivian: “The chance to choose our very own slave～”

Qianya: ?!!

The moment the words left her mouth, faint pink light appeared in the palms of Iris, Zero, Vivian, and Luko at the same time.

Qianya’s heart sank. She knew that light far too well!

It was the special magical glow that appeared right before a slave mark was engraved!

She had used this exact magic to take these four as slaves…

“Hmmm, this is really troubling. Who should I pick as my little slave～” Vivian said with a half-smile.

But her gaze never left Qianya.

“Ahahaha, choosing a slave… that really needs careful thought! Well, I won’t bother you all, bye-bye～”

Qianya forced an awkward laugh, clutched the blanket tighter, turned, and bolted for the door!

But she only managed two steps before Iris’s cold shout came from behind. “Trying to run?”

“Kyuu—!”

Qianya felt something tighten around her feet. Looking down, dark-green vines like living creatures were crawling up her ankles.

Boo! Iris’s plant magic!

“Nyaa～”

In the blink of an eye, the vines had wrapped around Qianya’s snow-white wrists and stomach.

Even her ankles were tightly bound.

The vines weren’t squeezing hard, but they held her perfectly still.

“Kyaa! Let me go QAQ” Qianya squirmed, but the more she struggled, the tighter they wrapped. The vines around her waist even gently constricted, forcing a soft whimper out of her.

“Nngh… being tied up X﹏X”

“Hahahahaha! Finally! This is it! This is the expression I’ve been waiting for! That broken, helpless look where you want to fight back but can’t do anything and can only be toyed with! Hahahaha!”

Iris walked up to her, looking down at the zongzi-wrapped Qianya, her face filled with the sheer joy of revenge.

“Now, where should I put my slave mark?”

Iris scanned Qianya’s body while raising her glowing right hand, pink light condensing in her palm.

“Hmm, right here, I think.”

“Ya…”

The vines around Qianya’s tummy suddenly loosened. Iris reached out, about to press down on Qianya’s lower belly.

“Wait.” Zero, who had stayed silent until now, suddenly spoke, voice still flat.

“What?” Iris paused.

Zero quickly stepped forward and, before Iris could react, placed her hand on Qianya’s lower abdomen.

“Wuuueeee X﹏X”

Qianya felt a warm sensation on her tummy. Then, a faint pink cat-paw mark slowly appeared, surrounded by a soft glow.

“Ah… this feeling…”

The moment the mark formed, Qianya felt a weak connection thread into her mind. She could clearly sense a new bond of restraint between her and Zero.

As long as Zero wanted, she could use this mark to do whatever she liked to her (

“First come, first served.”

Zero withdrew her hand. A fleeting, almost imperceptible smile flickered in her light-blue eyes, so fast it might have been an illusion.

Then she stepped back to the wall and resumed leaning there, as if she hadn’t been the one who just claimed the spot.

“Ah… Zero-nee is so sneaky!” Vivian sighed dramatically, waving the pink light in her palm.

“I wanted the tummy too, but since Zero-nee took it… the back will do nicely～”

Vivian circled behind Qianya and gently pressed her hand to Qianya’s back.

“Kyaa—”

Warmth spread across her back. A faint pink heart-shaped pattern slowly emerged, edged with delicate floral designs.

The instant the mark formed, another wave of restraint hit her, stronger than Zero’s paw, like an extra pair of eyes constantly watching her from behind.

“Please, no more QAQ”

“You have to wait your turn to beg.” Iris rolled her eyes at Qianya.

“Nooo, Iris, woo woo, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong…”

Qianya’s spirit shattered. She looked up at Iris with teary eyes, pleading.

Iris shook her head. “You’re not sorry. You just realized you’re about to get completely ruined.”

Qianya: How can you do this (つД`)

Iris stepped to Qianya’s left side and pressed her hand to the girl’s waist.

A faint pink vine mark slowly appeared on Qianya’s left waist, the vines twisting just like the ones that had bound her earlier.

“Wuu wuu wuu…”

Another wave of restraint. Qianya’s tears finally spilled over.

Turned into a girl, lost her slave-owner status, and now she had become the personal slave of Zero, Vivian, and Iris.

How could anyone accept that (⋟﹏⋞)

…Wait!

Qianya sniffled and looked at Luko, who still hadn’t moved.

“Nn…”

Luko was clenching her fists, pink hair trembling slightly. Her golden eyes were filled with hesitation, the pink light in her palm flickering on and off.

Right! There was still the adorable Luko-chan (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Qianya hadn’t completely lost yet!

Her eyes lit up. She immediately activated full coaxing mode, voice thick with tears.

“Luko-chan… woo woo, I know you’re the sweetest, you care about Master the most…”

“Remember, Luko-chan? I always bought you your favorite dragon-girl cakes. When you were scared of the dark at night, I told you bedtime stories. When you got hurt fighting monsters, I personally applied the medicine for you…”

Qianya listed every “good” thing she’d ever done for Luko, repeating them until even she almost believed it (

“Nn… Master…”

Luko’s gaze wavered. Tears welled up in her golden eyes.

“Master really was so good to me before… I love Master the most…”

Plan working…

Qianya let out a mental sigh of relief. Luko still remembered the past; she definitely wouldn’t mark her.

But before Qianya could fully relax, Luko suddenly raised her hand, the pink light in her palm growing bright and steady.

“Because I love Master the most… I have to do it (˃ ⌑ ˂ഃ )”

“…Huh (°ー°〃)?”

Before Qianya could react, Luko reached out and pressed her hand to Qianya’s right waist.

“E-Ehhh—”

Warmth spread. A faint pink dragon-tail mark slowly appeared, the tip of the tail curling upward adorably.

“Uwah… Luko… why…” Qianya’s eyes widened.

Didn’t you say you loved Master the most… so why mark me (annoyed)

“Because Master told me before: the mark is a symbol of love. Once it’s there, we’ll never be separated… I don’t want to ever be apart from Master.”

Luko’s cheeks were red as she gently touched the dragon-tail mark on Qianya’s waist, voice soft and shy.

“I want to be with Master forever, so I have to give Master my mark too.”

So I’m the one who said that back then!

Qianya: I’ve sinned QAQ

“Nngh…”

Once the last mark was placed, the vines slowly released her. Qianya collapsed onto the carpet.

“W-What are you going to do to me…”

Qianya trembled as she looked up at the four… no, her four owners now.

The four girls surrounded the poor little lamb, looking ready to devour her at any moment.

“Fufu, now then, what should we do with this little cutie～”

“Kyaa, save me X﹏X”

That day, Qianya’s otherworld life completely derailed ( ).