Meow! "Is This Asha?"
Myaaak! "...Is this Asha?"
"It's Sha'a-nim."
"... "
The silver-haired girl stared at the red-haired woman with a face that said, What's the problem? The woman gave up bickering with the girl and turned her eyes to the pink-haired girl growling atop the table.
Fluffy light-pink hair swayed around her head, with perky ears twitching atop it. She seemed in a foul mood, her fierce expression matched by the tail poking out from under her gown, slapping the table with sharp tak! tak! sounds.
The table was a mess, thanks to the girl climbing up on it. Piecing together what the silver-haired girl had told her, it looked like she'd drunk a beastkin transformation potion. That much was no big deal—it would wear off with time, no matter how impressive it seemed.
Setting aside the question of why her reason had flown out the window too... What really bothered the woman more was...
Why was this girl being called Asha?
That gnawed at her. If she'd shown up with no info and just said, "This is Asha," she wouldn't have bought it. But the silver-haired girl had been calling her Asha—until she laid eyes on the woman and switched to "Sha'a" on the spot. That only amplified her suspicions.
If that snarling girl on the table really is Asha... I could tease her for the rest of her life.
The red-haired woman shot another glance at Asha, who was still growling on the table. She looked nothing like the Asha in her memories. Her features were a bit softer, sure, but no trace remained of that masculine face. Not a single strand of that dusty gray hair that always looked ready to scatter like ash. Even those deep blue eyes, like a summer well bubbling with water, had turned into sparkling emeralds.
And her height, looking down at her before... now she seemed the same or even shorter.
Could a human even change like this? Her gender had flipped too. But come to think of it, she'd whipped up a potion that grew dicks out of nowhere, so maybe it wasn't impossible. The thought flitted through the red-haired woman's mind.
Still...
...Was this my type all along?
Looking her over... she kinda resembled herself, in a way.
The woman shook her head to scatter the silly notion. First things first—calm this chaos, wait for her to snap out of it, then grill her for answers. It strayed a bit from why she'd come here, but the core was similar enough. She locked eyes silently with Asha, who was still snarling on the table.
As their gazes met, she blinked slowly twice. Asha's snarling quieted, and she blinked back slowly. When the woman cautiously reached out to scratch her chin, a pleased purring laugh bubbled out.
At the sight, a chill ran down the red-haired woman's spine for some reason. It felt weird thinking the thing in front of her was Asha.
"Whoa..."
An admiring gasp came from the silver-haired girl beside her. The red-haired woman snapped back to reality at the voice and cleared her throat with a cough.
A voice brimming with curiosity hit her ears.
"How did you do that?"
"...Seemed like a cat-type beastkin potion, so I just played along."
"I see. Cecil didn't realize. Was it the tail touch that made her mad?"
"...Probably."
Cecil, huh? What an odd kid. The red-haired woman kept petting, her hand from the chin moving to stroke elsewhere as she continued.
Asha, basking in the touch, let out happy noises and flopped onto the table.
"Your name... Cecil, right?"
"Yes."
"...What's your relationship with—not Asha, Sha'a?"
"Cecil is Sha'a-nim's assistant!"
"...Assistant?"
Acting all high and mighty on her own, and now she had an assistant? The woman eyed Cecil, who nodded eagerly, clearly thrilled at the fact.
"Yeah... like I said earlier, I'm Sha'a's... classmate... friend..."
A grinding sound came from between the woman's teeth. How does she remember me? Her petting hand seemed to roughen a bit.
"Academy classmate, Veronica."
"Veronica-nim!"
"...Yeah."
Veronica scooped Asha up as she spoke. It was a bit heavy for her normal strength, but maybe because of the pleasant petting—Asha clung tight, making it bearable. Veronica's cheeks flushed faintly.
"Then, assistant. I'll look after Sha'a for a bit, so... could you tidy up the workshop in the meantime?"
"Understood!"
Those eyes full of trust stared right at her. Veronica found the gaze... a little overwhelming.
"Where's a good spot to rest? Bedroom or parlor... bedroom's probably best."
"Go up the stairs—the door you see first!"
"...Got it. Thanks."
Dealing with someone like a walking bundle of pure innocence made Veronica uncomfortable. Using rest as an excuse, she slipped out of what she assumed was the workshop.
Leaving Cecil to bustle about with the cleaning, Veronica headed upstairs to the bedroom and plopped naturally onto the bed. The light-pink-haired Asha, who'd been hanging on her, was now settled on her lap.
Veronica stroked the purring girl's hair, sinking into the surprisingly plush bed. What'll her reaction be when she comes to? Just thinking about it is thrilling...
Then her eyes caught the tail swishing lazily. It swayed as if tempting her. Veronica watched, and before she knew it, her hand smacked the base of Asha's tail—right on her butt.
"Hyawk!?"
A moan thick with heat slipped from Asha's lips. Veronica felt a strange sensation. She definitely didn't have that kind of... taste.
But... why did it feel this good?
"...Asha."
No response from the pink-haired girl. As if demanding an answer, Veronica smacked her butt again. Asha let out another lewd moan in reply.
Like she was possessed, Veronica spanked Asha's rear. With each strike, Asha panted excitedly and twitched her body.
Suddenly, Veronica realized what she was doing. Watching the girl—presumably Asha—helplessly toyed with by her own hand... and feeling satisfied.
Shame flooded her.
"You... you've always..."
It had been that way forever. She'd entered the academy to dodge an arranged marriage and found her calling. Talented, she soaked it all up like a sponge and climbed to the top.
But you blocked her path.
At first, she was glad—someone to walk side by side with. But you always looked elsewhere. Not for some noble goal. Just money.
She'd snap, vent her rage, and you'd eye her like she was a hassle, dismissing it as "What's the big deal at academy level?"—leaving her humiliated.
A grinding sound came from Veronica's teeth.
...So.
This isn't my fault.
It's yours!
Veronica raised her hand and brought it down on Asha's butt. The smack against the gown was more thud than slap.
Asha moaned cluelessly, no idea why.
A heavy dragging sound came from downstairs. Veronica remembered she wasn't alone.
She brought her remaining hand to Asha's mouth to muffle her. Asha sucked it right in.
Asha slipped Veronica's pale, scarred hand into her mouth and started licking. Her soft tongue invaded between fingers, soothing the wounds like a balm.
Veronica's teeth ground harder. It looked like she was begging for attention.
Of course, to the reasonless Asha, it was just instinct... but Veronica, aroused, didn't get that far.
She hiked up the gown, reaching for the pale skin exposed by the displaced clothes from the tail. This time—a crisp smack!
Asha's hot breath hit Veronica's fingers. Venting her fury, she slapped the flesh.
A clumsy insult escaped her.
"...Pe-pervert...!"
She kept slapping until her own hand reddened.
What snapped Veronica back to sanity was the wetness soaking her thigh.
Realizing how worked up she'd gotten, she looked down at Asha.
There... was one horny female cat.
One female licking her pale fingers like life-giving water, face flushed, rubbing her body against her...
Ears drooping limply atop her head, the tail that had thrashed the table now wrapped around Veronica's wrist at her butt. Her clothes, already disheveled, were half-off, and fluids from Asha's aroused slit had soaked Veronica's thigh.
"...Wh-why... why'd you get all horny and flop over alone...!"
Veronica tried justifying it to herself, but she'd lost control of her emotions and made this happen... herself.
Heat rushed to her face. With a deep sigh, she muttered,
"...This wasn't the plan."
As Veronica's hand stilled, Asha—who'd blankly accepted it—shifted with a hot, dissatisfied breath. She rubbed against Veronica, begging to be satisfied.
Veronica panicked. She'd seen aroused beastkin before and knew how to handle it, but... thinking the rubbing body was Asha made it feel wrong.
"N-no, even if you beg, I won't satisfy you—"
...She had it.
Veronica rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a small box. Inside the open box sat a white pill.
"...Y-you begged for this, right? I clearly said no!?"
No answer from Asha.