"You're such a pervert..."
Ning Chu's expression faltered for a moment.
She could tolerate being called a pervert by anyone—but not Lily!
This was the same girl who played with toys, had a thing for tentacles, and constantly tried to drag Ning Chu into her world, hoping to convert her into a fellow enthusiast. Just moments ago, Lily was even browsing for a new machine to reward herself.
How could Ning Chu possibly compare to that level of depravity? At most, she just wrote some steamy fanfiction and played around with her boyfriend a little!
Ning Chu decided to let the facts speak for themselves. She slapped her phone down onto the table, opening their chat history.
"And you have the nerve to call me a pervert?"
Lily, ever the picture of innocence, pushed the phone back toward Ning Chu with a face that seemed completely disconnected from her online alter ego.
"Forget it... But why don't you just get rid of that octopus? Why keep it?" Ning Chu asked, glancing at the small octopus in the glass on the table.
"I'm curious," Lily replied.
"As long as you keep it, I'm going to assume you're using it as a toy," Ning Chu teased.
Lily shot her a glare, breaking her usual stoic demeanor to deliver an unusually long explanation: "This is a new species no one’s ever seen before. Where does it come from? What does it eat? How does it grow and transform from juvenile to adult? Aren't you curious? It's full of unknowns, and no one's ever studied it before."
She added with an air of self-assurance, "Besides, I can protect myself now, so I’m not worried about it doing anything to me. And then there's that talking cat..."
"Oh~" Ning Chu nodded knowingly. "No need to argue; you're obviously keeping it for those kinds of reasons."
"..."
Lily's unusually lengthy defense only made her look guiltier in Ning Chu's eyes.
"I'm not that kind of pervert..."
"Your tentacle toys at home would beg to differ," Ning Chu quipped.
Lily silently lowered her head and pulled the glass closer to her chest.
"Fine, do what you want." Ning Chu rested her chin in one hand, lazily stirring her milk ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) tea with the other. "If anything happens, maybe you'll even look forward to it."
"Impossible..." Lily’s weak response sounded suspiciously lacking in conviction.
Ning Chu raised an eyebrow and studied Lily’s face, trying to catch a trace of guilt. But Lily, ever the master of emotional control, maintained her usual cold, impassive expression.
Anyone overhearing their conversation would likely mistake Lily for a dignified, aloof goddess.
"Hey, what do you look like after you transform?" Ning Chu's eyes sparkled as she inspected Lily from head to toe. "Come on, transform for me!"
"No."
"You need to practice! What if something unexpected happens and you don’t have time to transform?"
"I’ll... do it next time."
Ning Chu was already fantasizing about Lily’s battle outfit in her mind.
Compared to Xi Xi’s flat figure, Lily’s curves were leagues ahead—even more impressive than Ning Chu’s! With her C-cup chest, slender waist, peachy hips, and heart-shaped tail, if she wore a tight, semi-transparent black battle suit... The faint shimmer of silver accents and the hint of a navel would be irresistible!
Even women would get nosebleeds at the sight!
"What are you two talking about? I just woke up and saw Lily’s message, so I came right over!"
The milk tea shop door swung open as Yan Xinya strolled in, her bushy tail swaying.
Ning Chu opened her mouth to speak, but Lily subtly shook her head.
"Lily said she’s shopping for a new toy," Ning Chu teased.
Before she could blink, Lily gave her a swift kick under the table.
So that was off-limits too?
Yan Xinya plopped down opposite them, eyeing the faint blush on Lily’s cheeks. She pouted dramatically, feigning hurt. "Lily doesn’t love me anymore~ She doesn’t even share things with me~"
"She practically debated on your behalf today—how’s that not love?" Ning Chu pointed out.
"I couldn’t get out of bed!" the wolf-girl shot back, turning toward the counter. "Two fried chicken legs and a strawberry milk foam, please!"
Her wolf ears twitched as she looked at the two across from her. "Why’s Lily blushing? Were you guys talking about something juicy? What kind of toy?"
"You’ll find out when she actually buys it," Ning Chu said with a smirk.
"I’m not buying anything. It was a joke," Lily retorted, taking a sip of her milk tea.
"You really don’t love me anymore~" Yan Xinya teased.
Lily didn’t respond. Instead, she stared out at the rain drizzling beyond the window. "It’s spring."
Ning Chu looked puzzled, but Yan Xinya’s face turned bright red as she clamped her thighs together in embarrassment.
"What’s wrong?"
Lily’s tone was cheerful. "In spring and autumn, Xinya is hornier than succubi~"
"That’s not true! Not as bad as you two!" Yan Xinya protested, her voice flustered.
Ning Chu finally pieced it together. It was mating season for animals... As a wolf-girl, Yan Xinya’s heat cycle could last an entire month. That was indeed worse than a succubus.
"Wait, doesn’t Lin Li have the same timing?" Ning Chu asked.
Lily nodded, looking unusually amused. For the next month, she wouldn’t have to bear the burden of being the sole "pervert" among her friends. If anything scandalous happened, she wouldn’t be the only one caught in the act.
"Won’t the girls' dormitory be chaotic this month?" Ning Chu mused.
In a massive dorm full of beast-girls—where the ratio was ten to one—most would experience their heat during spring or autumn. If a single man wandered in, he probably wouldn’t walk out.
Even the most overpowered male protagonist in a romance novel wouldn’t survive.
"The dorm will be locked down for the next two months," Yan Xinya grumbled. "Starting next week, you’ll need a student card to get in. Don’t forget."
"Got it."
So it was breeding season... Wouldn’t Wen Yang be in danger too?
Those side characters with names in the story—weren’t they all beast-girls? They might start throwing themselves at Wen Yang.
Now it made sense why last semester, between September and November, Wen Yang was constantly entangled with female characters, leaving Ning Chu exhausted from dealing with them. But once winter came, they mostly disappeared.
After all, that was also breeding season.
"Ning Chu must be worrying about Wen Yang~" Yan Xinya teased, her tone sugary sweet. "I just saw him leaving the lecture hall, probably heading to the cafeteria."
"No, I’m not!"
Ning Chu downed the rest of her milk tea and frowned at the half-eaten chicken leg on her plate. "I can’t finish this..."
"I’ll eat it!"
"Actually, I just remembered I have something to do."
Ning Chu stood, grabbed her small handbag from the table, and hurried toward the door. "I’m leaving! Let’s chat online later!"
"What’s the rush?"
"I have things to do! Bye!"
She dashed out of the milk tea shop, heading toward the school gates. As she ran, she kept an eye out for nearby restrooms—just in case something unexpected happened, she’d have somewhere to hide.
At the same time, she pulled out her phone and dialed Wen Yang’s number.
"Hello? Where are you?"
"At the cafeteria, grabbing food. Aren’t you at that milk tea shop off campus?"
"I’m coming to find you."
"What’s the rush? Did something happen?"
Good question. Why was she in such a rush?
Ning Chu paused, slowing her run to a brisk walk.
Just the thought of some random girl clinging to Wen Yang made her chest tighten with urgency.
