NOVEL NEXT Chapter 343 – Not subtle at all
Steph had successfully changed her looks to match the beastfolk and be able to explore everything without arousing suspicion. In fact, she had gone much further than that. Just like Sophia a long time ago, she had become a full member of the beastfolk as she changed her very being rather than just look her looks. Other than the tiger, she had done so fully consciously, though, as she was convinced this would be way more fun. In the end, she had turned into a violet-haired dog girl with odd eyes, a kinked ear, and a super fluffy tail in the same color scheme. Everything thought she turned out incredibly cute, and Chloe was especially taken by her. The fox-girl liked absolutely everything about her changes that seemed to perfectly fit her personality, as well.
“What’s the big deal?” Once she had left the living room to look for her cat-girl, Sophia immediately ran into her behind the door. Why didn’t you come in?”
“Well...” Maya scratched her cheek. “First, I remembered how annoying you were with the itchiness of your new tail... I couldn’t deal with that a second time... Though, it seems like your sister is taking it a little better. A feline tail is more flexible and maneuverable, so it might’ve been harder for your brain?”
“Oh, that could be it! I really was quite annoying back then, huh?”
“Yes!” She nodded a few times.
“Why were you waiting behind the door, though?”
“Err... I was watching and listening from here instead... I couldn’t be closer...”
“Ehh? I thought that Steph’s new form looks amazing, though? Sure, pretty unfamiliar, but I really like her looks! Staying away from her is quite the overreaction even if you didn’t like it.”
“Your imagination really is something else.” The cat-girl rolled her eyes. “Your, uhh... new sister looks great! She’s extremely cute. I love the coloring, and her animal bits look amazing, too. Super fluffy! Her choice of becoming a member of the dog folk also was the perfect choice for her personality. Most of them are really easygoing, active, loyal, and excitable! She’s all that, after all!”
“Ehehe~.” Sophia liked that her sister got praised so much and smiled the entire way toward the kitchen they went to for real now. “What’s the problem, then?”
“I couldn’t trust myself around Chloe... She’s way too much of an easy target right now. Even from afar, I had a hard time holding back, but teasing her about it already would make me feel bad...”
“Hmm? What did Chloe do?” The tiger tilted her head while thinking about it. “Oh, do you mean the very obvious crush she’s developing on my sister?”
“YES!” The cat-girl nodded a couple of times. “Thank you very much for me not having to explain it to you...”
“Have some faith in me!” Sophia started pouting. “If anything, I'm disappointed that it took you this long! It's not like Chloe was subtle yesterday..."
"I was giving her the benefit of the doubt because a lot was going on yesterday. It was already starting to become obvious, though, yes.”
“Well, I always knew Chloe had good taste~.”
“Didn’t she say that you were her type?” Maya stared at her.
“This and that is unrelated...”
“Is it?”
“Yep!” Her eyes shifted around a bit before continuing. "My sister is the best, after all. Everyone should have a crush on her, logically speaking! Except you, of course!”
“Ahaha.” She liked the slight jealousy in her voice. “Don’t worry, I prefer the older sister.”
“Good!” Sophia smiled at her.
“Are you okay with that, though? Chloe having a crush on Steph, I mean? She's your sister, after all."
“Hmm?”
"Precious little sister, who's never allowed to have a partner if you can prevent it?"
“Ahh...” The tiger could see what she was going for. “I mean, if it’s someone I don’t know, sure... magic trial till death, it is, but... It’s Chloe. I love that fox. I already like how well they go together, so I’m willing to give her a pass~.”
“They definitely look good together, and their personalities work, too.” Maya agreed. “Now more than ever. Their colors match amazingly. Did Steph do that on purpose? She seems to be quite taken by our fox as well, after all.”
“Hmm... Steph has always liked soft colors, so she probably would’ve gone for something similar even without her. Then again, she changed one of her eyes because she loved Chloe’s hair. That’s literally what she said, so... She might’ve gotten some inspiration in other things from her, as well.”
“Do you think it’s mutual already? Steph definitely seems to like her a lot already, but I have no idea how she normally is around friends. Not to mention that she loves fluff just as much, if not even more than you, so it’s not that easy for me to take a guess.” Maya didn’t know the little sister that well yet, after all.
“Well, I’m not so sure how she acted around most of her friends, either... I rarely met them. She was quite clingy with the few I did meet, but... She already seems tighter with Chloe. I mean, it's kinda understandable in a way? She's the first of the beastfolk she met and a fox, of all things, one of the animals she loves the most. I would be rather excited in that situation, too.”
“I guess that’s fair.”
“I’ve rarely seen her getting so happy from being praised or complimented as she does from Chloe, though. She's definitely a big fan of our fox. I can say that much with confidence."
“Alright, I’ll give them some time before I start the teasing.” Maya nodded a few times. “They have to get to know each other first, after all.”
“My, how generous.”
“That’s what I am~.”
“Sure.” She rolled her eyes in return before her expression changed into a smile. “Teasing them will be most enjoyable~.”
“That’s my girl!” The cat-girl had an even brighter smile.
“Hehe. Alrighty, how about we head back for the time being?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Afterward, once the two had gotten that topic out of their system, and the cat-girl quickly prepared the drinks she had left for in the first place, they returned to the living room to join up with the duo again to make some plans regarding going forward from now on.
----------------
“How’s the tail doing?” Back with the duo, Sophia looked at her sister.
“Itchy! That’s how it’s doing! Very, very itchy!” Steph immediately got loud.
“Ahh…” As the tiger could relate to that on a very deep level, she decided to stay silent. “What about your ears? Are they any better?”
"A lot, actually! They feel a little weird, but not actually itchy! Maybe it's because I already had ears, and they just moved…? It feels like my hearing has changed, though… I’m not sure if it’s gotten better, but it’s definitely sounding more clear now… It’s very unfamiliar.”
"Yeah, my hearing has gotten much more directional, so I can see yours changing in one way or another, too.” Sophia’s ears twitched a few times while giving her reply. “It’s weird at first, but you get used to it fast.”
“That’s very reassuring to know.”
"Anything else that feels odd?" The blonde wanted to ensure her sister was doing fine after her sudden change. "Other than the itch, I mean."
“I’m feeling weirdly fine, actually! Better than ever, almost… There are some weird feelings, but I'm brimming with energy!"
“I’d say that’s mostly your new magic. It improves every aspect of your body, like giving you a ton of extra stamina and energy.”
“I can feel that! So much that I want to go on a walk right this instant!” As Steph said that, her tail started wagging again.
“The dog wants to go on a walk, huh?”
"A-Ah.” Her face turned red. “S-Shut up, sis…”
“Don’t worry about that. You know how much I love to run, right? That feeling got much more intense ever since coming here. If you want to, we can go on a run every single day!”
"Sounds like fun! I feel like running 20 kilometers right now, though! I have that much energy that needs to get out right now! Might be a bit much?”
"I mean, I can hold myself back if you only want to do a warm-up lap, sure." Sophia smiled at her. “I’ve been a little busy recently, so it's not every day right now, but my usual routine has become at least marathon-length at this point.”
“S-Seriously?!”
"Yeah, she also becomes a real pain if she hasn't moved enough in a day…" Maya let out a short sigh. "I run with her every now and then, but I'm still nowhere close to matching her… If you manage to power her out on your walks, I'll forever be grateful to you!"
“Sounds like you became even worse when having to sit still, huh?”
“Very!” The tiger had no plans to play it down. "I look forward to doing that together with you!”
“Sure!” The new dog-girl definitely was a fan of going on walks already. “I’d like to do some normal exploring first, though! We haven’t even left the house, after all! I want to see more of this place!”
“Hmm… I guess we’re good to go now? I mean, you understand the language and look the part, as well. I guess we could do some exploring.”
“Yay!”
“You have to promise that you don’t mention the other world, or how you’ve changed your appearance, even become a member of the beastfolk, in public! It would either raise way too much of a fuss, or we'd be labeled as crazy! I don't want any of that!”
“Of course! I know exactly how I’d look at someone making such claims! No matter how true it actually is…”
“That’s good to hear.” Sophia was glad she understood. “Alright, I guess we can do some exploring, then!”
"Let's go!" Steph immediately sprang up from the sofa while raising her arm high into the air.
“Chloe,” The cat-girl then looked at her. “Do you mind if we leave that to the sisters? Except for having napped together on the sofa last night, those two haven’t had any alone time since reuniting. They earned some more bonding time.”
“Of course!” The fox-girl nodded a couple of times. “There’s more than enough time for all of us to do something together, so we can definitely give them some alone time!”
“Thank you so much, you two, but you really don’t have to hold back for us. I don’t mind at all if we go as a group.”
“Yep!” Steph nodded a few times in agreement.
"No, we insist." Maya shook her head. "You two have a good time while Chloe and I head to the castle. We’ll give Anna and Ari a short briefing. They will be way too surprised else…”
“T-That’s actually a good idea…”
Afterward, once the sisters agreed to the plan, everyone got ready and finally left the mansion for the first time since Steph had arrived in the world.
