They're Not Bad Guys-nya

Seo Ah-ri lay in bed, replaying the black cat in her mind.

"Haaah… that cat was so ridiculously cute."

That soft, giggling laugh had looked like a baby angel dropped straight out of heaven. The happiest expression of all had been when she kneaded her paws—biscuit-making at its purest.

A cat I'd never seen around this neighborhood before…

Had that cat only just crossed over from another world? That didn't quite fit—she'd been carrying a convenience-store bag and eating ice cream. Had someone sent her on an errand?

"Hmm…"

She was going to find her.

"Eheheh. Next time—belly rubs!"

Wararara!

"Hehe."

Just thinking about it sent a thrill through her.

"Whaaaaat?!"

The moment I opened my status window, I nearly had a heart attack.

My level had gone up.

I didn't do anything?!

I hadn't set foot in the Tower or a Gate. I hadn't killed a single monster. There was no reason my level should have risen.

I folded my arms and thought it over. Actually, there wasn't much to think about. The answer was sitting right there in my awakened ability.

The description had mentioned sharing experience with whoever found me cute.

Is this because of that?

If Seo Ah-ri had felt my cuteness, touched me, and then gone into the Tower and wiped out a bunch of monsters—yeah, that would explain it.

"Huh…"

So if I'd leveled up, did that mean I'd gotten stronger? I had to check.

Enter!

I transferred while still lying flat on the bed. And not long after—

"I'm outta here-nyaaaa!!!"

—I was back.

Leveling up hadn't changed a single thing. My cat instincts were exactly the same. The second I laid eyes on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a goblin, every hair on my body stood on end and all I could do was run for my life.

"Ugh-nyaaa…"

I was completely deflated. My mood tanked. I'd awakened, and I still couldn't clear the first floor. Suddenly I felt sorry for myself.

Was I supposed to just give up on climbing the Tower?

I looked in the mirror. Staring back wasn't some guy overflowing with raw masculine energy—just a cat with a face like a goddess. Almost like… the goddess of love and cats, Freyja, had come to mind?

…?

What? Why did I keep thinking things like that? Was it the awakening? Ever since I'd become a cat, my train of thought had been all over the place.

"Haaah…"

I flopped onto the couch and rolled around, and every kind of thought in the world floated up. Then, from somewhere, a faintly sour smell drifted over.

"?"

I sat up at once and sniffed myself. And I understood.

"…Ah."

It was me. I hadn't washed since awakening yesterday. That said, the idea of taking a shower didn't exactly appeal.

I'm still not ready to face this body properly…

It wasn't so much embarrassment as awkwardness that took up most of the space. And no, it was absolutely not because I'd become a cat and didn't want to shower. I was probably a water-attribute cat.

Obviously! Of course I am!

To prove it to myself, I stripped and headed for the bathroom. A quick glance in the mirror was free of charge. I stared hard at the showerhead.

Water's… going to come out, right?

I swallowed without meaning to. Water would pour from those little holes like a waterfall. It would hit my body. And come to think of it—how was I supposed to take care of the ears and tail? Those parts were covered in fur.

"Uh……"

Wait. What the hell was I thinking right now?

SMACK!!!

I slapped my own cheek. A hot sting bloomed across my face, and my head cleared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in an instant.

Get it together, Kim Seon, you idiot.

To keep from sinking any deeper into cat-brained thinking, I twisted the faucet open.

Shhhhhhh—!

"That's right-nya!!!"

I cheered. So I really was a water-attribute kitty after all. The rush felt a lot like landing a jackpot gacha pull in a game. The water hitting my body didn't bother me at all. If anything, the warm heat soaked straight in and washed away all the fatigue I'd been carrying.

"Hwaaah…"

Soft. Squishy. My whole body going loose and melty. Perfect!

I let the rising steam wrap around me and logged into the Otherworlder Community I'd skipped past yesterday. How were the friends from other worlds reacting? Looking at cars on the road, did they think they were moving buildings? The more I thought about it, the more I looked forward to it.

I clicked the post at the very top.

I nodded. Nothing hit the spot quite like a good bowl of gukbap.

Man, I want some.

Tomorrow night, I was ordering gukbap for sure. I tapped another post. This one's title actually looked interesting.

Title: I'm a Beastkin and Someone Stepped on My Tail

So I went in, and…

That was the post. The comments were something else.

"……"

My head throbbed. And at the same time—maybe because I was a beastkin myself—watching how wretchedly they were treated made something in my chest ache.

So this is what beastkin have been putting up with…

I was seeing their situation with fresh eyes. Beastkin were just a little low on intelligence and a little light on bathing. At the very least, they weren't the type to go around hurting people.

They're not the kind of guys who deserve to get cussed out for no reason.

I patted myself on the back for that thought, resolved that I at least should treat beastkin well, and scrolled to another post.

"Heheheh."

Browsing the community in the shower without even worrying about water getting in my phone was honestly pretty fun. It wasn't a community for the humans of Earth—it was for the otherworlders who'd crossed over—and that made it even better. Watching them adapt to modern life and the wild things that would come of it had me looking forward to every post.

After that, I spent a full two hours under the water, enjoying the community.

The second I saw that last post, I closed the community window and got out of the bathroom. The author's race was listed as elf.

I must've been in there too long. I'm seeing things.

Terrifying.

The next day.

Something that absolutely should not have happened, happened. Going outside had just become even more impossible.

Yesterday's interview with Rank 1 Seo Ah-ri had blown up, and reports ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were coming in from all over the country that hunters were flocking to beastkin shelters. A reporter was being broadcast live, surrounded by beastkin and getting groomed on camera in full detail. Was that woman a beastkin enthusiast too? She looked blissfully happy.

"……"

The humiliation I'd suffered at Seo Ah-ri's hands yesterday came flooding back, and I shuddered hard.

Nightmare fuel!

I never wanted to go through terrorism like that again. Sure, the fact that she'd cleared the Tower thanks to me was something worth celebrating—but that was that, and this was this.

I may have become a beastkin, but I was different from the usual kind. Going from human to beastkin and being a native beastkin were worlds apart. And of course they were—I was a smart, clean beastkin. I'd even showered for two whole hours last night. And I did not just let people put their hands on me!

…Okay, saying it like that sounds weird.

Anyway. I was going to be a beastkin who kept her dignity.

I steeled myself while watching the street beastkin on TV getting petted by hunters. And right as I made that resolution, a housefly drifted into my field of view.

"……"

As if something had possessed me, I rolled my eyes and locked on. Time seemed to slow. I crouched low, hips sinking back, gaze fixed on the fly while my brain plotted the perfect trajectory. Then my hips started swaying side to side, coiling for the leap—and the instant I was about to push off the floor—

"Hah!!!"

My mind snapped clear.

I've completely lost it.

My vow to protect my dignity had nearly shattered in under five seconds. I glared at the fly with pure resentment, then smashed it with a swatter. Cat-level reflexes and dynamic vision made it easy work.

If only goblins in the Tower went down this easy.

Then I'd have no regrets. Magic stones sold for money, and I wanted to farm some too!

"Ugh-nyaaa."

But I couldn't. Just thinking about my awakened ability made a sigh leak out on its own.

Why does a useless ability like [Power of Cuteness (F)] even exist?

I was genuinely speechless. My mood sank.

I should eat something good.

I opened Delivery of the Species on my phone. Mouthwatering food filled the screen.

"Chicken today-nya?!"

It had been a long time since I'd had chicken. I figured one day wouldn't hurt and was about to hit the order button when my bank balance suddenly grabbed my hand.

"……"

Ah. Right. I had to save money. At best I had two months of living expenses left, and even that was cutting it close. And if—just hypothetically—

What if the money runs out completely?

I'd have to get a part-time job, or a real job, or something. How? By going outside.

In this cat-girl body?

…Yeah. But running into someone like Seo Ah-ri again was something I only needed to experience once. I didn't even want to imagine it. So until the money was gone, I had to practice suppressing my instincts thoroughly. Train hard, prepare for everything, and only then step outside.

If I can do that, I'll be able to walk around without worrying.

Except.

I was going to have to go out.

Sooner than expected…