Chapter 22 : A kiss sweeter than candy
Qianya: W-What do you mean by “a round” (〃д〃)
She scooted back and laughed awkwardly, waving her hands.
“Ahahaha… Zero, what are you talking about? Do you mean playing a game together?”
“Haha.”
Zero let out two completely flat laughs, then lifted her hands and took off her jacket, revealing the cute black cat-ear tank top underneath.
“You think I’m joking?”
Zero took one step forward. There wasn’t a single trace of humor in those pale blue eyes.
“Nn (〃﹏〃)”
Qianya’s heartbeat instantly sped up.
“I need to replenish my mana ( ᗜ ˰ ᗜ )” Zero said slowly.
The catgirl’s cute shadow completely covered Qianya’s face.
Qianya: Huh?!
This was bad…
Catgirls replenished mana differently from Vivian, Luko, or Iris.
Vampires mainly relied on blood or sleep. Dragons were walking mana reservoirs; they just needed to eat. Elves could absorb ambient mana thanks to their natural affinity.
But catgirls only had two methods: eating food… or having a round.
“Does it really have to be that way… Can’t you just eat something…”
Qianya obviously knew how catgirls worked, but she still tried asking anyway.
“It has to be that way.”
Zero nodded. Her cat ears twitched slightly, and for once there was a hint of grievance in her eyes.
She even pouted a little: “Back when you hadn’t turned into this yet, every time it was that time of the month, you’d prepare tons of food for me… Sure, that did replenish mana, but it was really slow.”
Qianya: “Eeya ≧﹏≦”
Zero suddenly reached out, pinched Qianya’s chin, and forced her to look up.
Her next words carried a trace of resentment:
“But that method is different from just eating… It doesn’t just recover mana faster, it can instantly break through my mana cap. I was mentally prepared the whole time… But whether it was before or after I became your slave, you never once did it.”
“I, uh ( ๑ŏ ﹏ ŏ๑ )” Qianya opened her mouth to explain, but Zero cut her off.
“No need to say anything. I know. It’s because you’re not a frivolous person, Qian. You wouldn’t lay a hand on me.” Zero lowered her head.
“But I was looking forward to it every single day… And you were like some monk who only eats bread. You wouldn’t even glance at me. When it was time to replenish mana, all you knew was to feed me food…”
“I understand you’re not a pervert, but I can’t accept you being this irresponsible toward me.”
Even though Zero’s face stayed expressionless, the dark lines on her forehead made it clear she’d been holding this grudge for a long time…
“It’s a misunderstanding QAQ”
Qianya didn’t know what to say.
Zero had misunderstood way too deeply…
Back then, Yaxi’s brain had been full of “make more money, collect more beautiful harem members, save up properly and enjoy later.”
The only reason he never touched Zero was because he thought one catgirl wasn’t exciting enough ( )
There really wasn’t all that noble meaning X﹏X
But Qianya never expected…
Among the four, the one who seemed the most aloof was actually the thirstiest (sad)
At that moment, Zero loosened her grip on Qianya’s chin a little.
Qianya had just let out a breath of relief when, the next second, Zero leaned down and pinned her to the bed.
“Let’s begin.” Zero declared.
“W-Wait a second ∑(°口°๑)”
Qianya hurriedly stopped her.
“What now?”
“Uh, well, it’s like this. I really do want to have a round with you, Zero, but… I don’t have the tools for the crime anymore!”
“We’re both girls, how could we possibly replenish mana…”
Qianya pouted, looking pitiful.
However…
“Haha.”
Before she could finish, Zero let out two more deadpan laughs.
“Qian.”
Zero extended a finger and lightly brushed Qianya’s lips, her tone teasing.
“Did you forget something ( ᗜ ˰ ᗜ )?”
Qianya: “…Huh?”
Zero: “When you woke up this morning, didn’t you feel something in your mouth?”
Qianya: “…?”
Qianya froze, instinctively recalling how her mouth had felt that morning.
There had been a faint salty, sticky taste. She’d thought it was from drinking too much the night before.
“Last night when you were drunk, I carried you back to my room. And while I was at it, I treated you to some seafood.”
“…Seafood?!” Qianya’s eyes shot wide open as realization finally hit.
“We promised to eat seafood together last night. Don’t even think about standing me up.” Zero added.
“Uh… is your seafood normal X﹏X” Qianya asked, trembling.
“All I can say is, the mana-replenishing effect was excellent.” That was Zero’s answer.
She leaned down until their foreheads touched: “You’re not getting away this time.”
It was the truth. Qianya really couldn’t escape (sad)
But…
Maybe this was also an opportunity (ﾟﾍﾟ)
Zero’s voice suddenly became very soft, very gentle: “I’ve finally waited for this day… Let’s get along well, okay?”
“W-Wait! One last thing!” Qianya called out to stop Zero.
“What now?” Zero looked a little impatient.
“Um… If I help you replenish mana from now on, could you remove my slave mark?” Qianya asked weakly.
She hadn’t forgotten her main quest ( )
But…
“…” Zero’s brows furrowed at those words.
Two seconds later: “Who cares about that stuff. Replenish first.”
“E-Eh? Mmph—”
Before Qianya could say anything else, Zero’s lips were already on hers.
They kissed.
Qianya’s eyes widened slightly, Zero’s face reflected in her pupils, inches away.
In that moment, her mind went completely blank. She even forgot to breathe.
Qianya: Ah… my first kiss, actually (つ﹏⊂)
Qianya’s gaze gradually turned dazed and unfocused.
This was bad…
Really bad, really really bad…
Qianya had a terrible premonition.
Her relationship with these four girls was about to get really weird (╥﹏╥)