Chapter 207: Who Can Refuse a Cute Catgirl?
“This… Is this the Cute Cat Academy?”
As I approached and confirmed the appearances of the little ones around, I recognized which academy they belonged to.
Their academy is indeed called the Cute Cat Academy, also known as the Catfolk Academy. Due to the name of the academy often sparking imaginations in the outside world, under the introduction and summary of various Extraordinary Academies by the Witch Academy, this academy truly is a place for raising cute beings.
Even the website introducing this academy at the Witch Academy refers to it as the Cat Ear Academy. Because of the name of the academy, the proportion of girls here is extremely high, and the remaining boys mostly resemble young boys.
They have adorable faces, cat features, and nimble tails, making their existence quite appealing to many.
All of the above are just the superficial descriptions of the academy. No matter how cute they may appear, being labeled as cute beings only pertains to their appearance. At their core, this academy is still an Extraordinary Academy, and when provoked, their terrifying power is even stronger than my pure Catfolk transformation spells.
Among the Beast Academy, there is another academy called the Tigerfolk Academy, and together with the Cute Cat Academy, they can be considered the dual beauties of the feline Extraordinary Academies. Who would have thought that the strength of these two academies would be quite similar? At least, that’s how the Witch Academy describes it.
“Who is it?”
My approach quickly triggered their alertness, as cats are very sensitive to their surroundings. I had no doubt that I would be easily detected.
“Get away! We don’t welcome outsiders here!”
Before I could finish speaking, they already showed a very “ferocious” demeanor and began to drive me away.
“Huh? You don’t need to be so exclusionary, do you?”
I was somewhat surprised by their behavior. I had expected them to be friendly, but it seemed they were now being protective of their territory.
They became… not cute at all, and I had initially thought about petting one of the catgirls.
“I can help you complete the ceremony, how about that? Our Witch Academy just finished a ceremony and has a gap; there should be no conflict between us, right?”
After I finished speaking, the few catgirls gathered here started discussing among themselves.
“Um… I don’t think the other side has any ill intentions; what if…”
“Are you believing whatever she says! We have a competitive relationship with her!”
“Quick, let her go; we might not have the energy to deal with her later.”
“Ahem, what that little sister said is right, I have no ill intentions.” I followed up on the sympathetic remark made by the weakest-looking catgirl among them.
Of course, whether this was genuine or an act is another story. This is an academy exchange competition, and the academy would not actually send a cute being here to embarrass themselves; is it too well-disguised or is someone cross-dressing?
But at this moment, I still felt quite fond of her for saying such things; who doesn’t like a cute catgirl who can easily believe others?
Even if it was an act, so what.
“Seeing you on high alert like this, are you facing big trouble? Hmm… let me guess, are you afraid of the Beast Academy?” I asked with a smile.
The Beast Academy is a concept that encompasses academies like the Cute Cat Academy and the Charming Fox Academy, and the “Top Beast Academy Competition Academy” also falls under the Beast Academy but does not represent the term Beast Academy itself.
I have no idea how the relationships between these academies work, whether they are equal or have a subordinate type relationship.
“We don’t need you to manage what we’re afraid of!” At this moment, the catboy next to me seemed to respond like someone having their tail stepped on.
“Let me guess; the Beast Academy wouldn’t prevent you from holding a ceremony, right?”
“Holding a ceremony is a right that every academy possesses! Don’t make wild guesses!”
“Exactly! We are just in a simple competitive relationship.”
“Alright, I’ll go inform the other Beast Academies that the Cute Cat Academy is holding a ceremony, and… why do I see no other Beast Academy preparing for a ceremony around here?”
With my threat, their expressions quickly changed. Although there was no need to notify the other academies, if I spread the news, it would indicate my bias towards the opposition of the Cute Cat Academy, purely adding trouble for myself.
“Wait! Big sister from the Witch Academy, if you promise not to disrupt our ceremony and are even willing to help us, of course, we can welcome you…”
“Meng Rui! What are you thinking! How can you invite a witch at this juncture?” The little catgirl was interrupted before she could finish by the catboy beside her.
“Enough! Although I don’t want to emphasize this, at least… at least I am the nominal team leader for this exchange competition! Moreover, our ceremony is also…” The catgirl named Meng Rui suddenly gathered her courage and started to rebut.
“Hmph, you know it’s just nominal.” The one who was yelled at was equally unconvinced.
But I, on the side, understood that regardless of the reason—whether the other side had opened their mind or was overflowing with sympathy—I had at least gained support.
“Since even the nominal team leader has acknowledged me, then I won’t be coy about it.” I smiled and walked over to the weaker catgirl.
“Is your name Meng Rui, little sister? How adorable~”
“My full name is Yu Meng Rui, and please don’t pet my head, you can’t touch my ears either!” Although Yu Meng Rui verbally acknowledged my “legal” identity, upon my approach, she subconsciously took a defensive stance.
“What a nice name~ I’m Sister Yang Yuelan, you can call me Xiao Han or Sister Xiao Han.” I sat down on a fallen log nearby.
I vaguely remembered the name of the Cute Cat Academy’s ceremony; it seemed to be called the Feast of Fish and Rice. After all, there are so many academies, and I just made sure to check each one, but there’s no way I could remember everything after hearing it only once. I didn’t record it on the Memory Shelf, and it’s not something particularly worthy of remembering or essential knowledge.
However, I didn’t disturb them as I watched them busy and organized, enjoying the sight of a group of cute beings working seriously.
And I wasn’t slacking off; with a ceremonial light column standing here, it would definitely attract many people to check the situation. For me, this was a “mob spawn point.”
After all, the academy’s points weren’t everything; personal ranking was also very important.
Since I had let a lot of points slip through my fingers earlier, I still felt it was good to make up for it.
After forcing a conversation with them, I got a better understanding of their situation.
If the relationship between other academies and their affiliated academies is that of master and servant, then within the Beast Academy, there is an absolute power hierarchy.
The Top Beast Academy Competition Academy is the most prestigious academy among the Beast Academy, and this academy even has an affiliated Half-Beast Academy, meaning that under the intimidation of this academy, many of the other academies actually feel pressured and do not dare to openly express their intent to hold a ceremony before scoring points at that academy.
It can be said that the Beast Academy exemplifies the survival of the fittest; academies without status do not even have the right to hold a ceremony, even in this supposedly fair exchange competition.
And under such a large environment, the Cute Cat Academy is still holding a ceremony, which shows a clear attitude.
Even though I held out no hope for them, because among this batch of ceremonies, they have a formidable rival—the Wizard Academy.
This is also why I agreed, because their chances of success are too slim; if they were to succeed, wouldn’t that be a mockery of the Wizard Academy?
In the case of tied points, if the Cute Cat Academy’s ceremony is successful and there are no score crushing situations, the Cute Cat Academy will forever be in second place.
Also, the capacity of the Cute Cat Academy would not allow them to hold a second ceremony.
Moreover, I heard that the initiation of this ceremony was proposed by Yu Meng Rui, which took me by surprise; that weak catgirl indeed had such courage.
As the ceremony plans progressed, they faced quite a few external disturbances attempting to sabotage them.
But I quickly “harvested” those troubles; this level of external attack could indeed be described as a “harvest.” Their battle style reminded me of those I faced during the earlier competition using transformation spells.
However, they were stronger and more agile than those who used transformation spells.
Of course, the Cute Cat Academy’s catgirls wouldn’t just wait for me to protect them, but the effort I put in shouldn’t be underestimated; I could even see a hint of fear in their eyes after the battle.
As for what they were afraid of, it was naturally the external pressure they would face after hosting this ceremony.
Previously confident, they now realized the issue—they really did lack the strength to independently protect their ceremony.
“What’s wrong? You seem downcast at the moment?” I half-squatted in front of Yu Meng Rui. At this moment, even when I reached out to touch her head and play with her ears, she said nothing, as if she was physically giving in to something.
“This… was initially a ceremony without results; I knew it… what awaits us will only be failure… maybe even isolation from the Beast Academy…”
“If it weren’t for my stubbornness…”
“What do you mean by your stubbornness! Don’t say such discouraging things! Was this decision made by you alone? What good does crying here do? Are you denying your own mistakes while denying the efforts of all of us!”
“Well said!”
I gave a thumbs up to the catboy; I wasn’t particularly interested in this cat-eared boy, as I preferred catgirls.
But this was a correct viewpoint, although the other side’s words were indeed quite forceful.
In this rare moment without external hostility, the Cute Cat Academy was engulfed in self-doubt.
“Alright, everyone, let’s get moving! Even if this is a ceremony doomed to have no results, you aren’t going to stop, are you?” I clapped my hands to cheer them on.
The atmosphere gradually grew busier.
“Sister Xiao Han, do you also think we can’t hold our ceremony?”
“Haha, pretty much; maybe you don’t know.” I sat down, then pointed to a distant light column. “That is the first ceremony to light up; it’s from the Wizard Academy. Not to mention the direction, it’s the World Tree’s direction. There’s a high probability it’s from Aphhemia Academy. And over there, the Land of Eternal Darkness—how does that feel, a lot of pressure, right?”
“Mm…”
Yu Meng Rui nodded at this moment; she understood now how heavy those words she once said earlier felt.
“But it’s alright; think carefully—was your original decision made for points, or to resist the pressure from the Beast Academy?”
“Beast… uh…”
“Exactly!”
I said with a smile. After roughly understanding the Beast Academy’s situation, their original intention in deciding to hold the ceremony likely came from that—an unafraid rebellion against the Beast Academy’s pressure was worth more than merely scoring points.
“I see your ceremony has been busy preparing meals; once it’s ready, please treat me to a meal, and I’ll go stir things up at the Beast Academy.”
“It’s the Feast of Fish and Rice! It’s not just cooking!”
“Alright, alright~ Feast of Fish and Rice, since it’s about sharing, you won’t mind including me, right?” I said reassuringly.
“Actually… even if you didn’t say anything, we would still share a portion with you. The Feast of Fish and Rice ceremony requires participation from outsiders. Without friends from outside working together, we can’t achieve the final result… So, I took the risk of letting you stay, actually for this reason…”
“Haha… so that’s how it is…”
I chuckled softly; it shouldn’t be surprising, right?
Time passed slowly as I watched them continue preparing the ceremony, but this time was not very “meow.”
And just as they increasingly got busy with the ceremony preparations, a long time had passed. The longer they dragged it out, the more passive they became, and they began to wonder if the next moment would be the moment their ceremony crumbled.
Even I could feel the atmosphere was no longer as lively as before.
Even the number of people coming to disrupt them had decreased; perhaps they felt there was no longer a threat or maybe I had already defeated too many.
Overall, after the external environmental threat decreased, the internal tension became uncomfortable.
The next moment.
With a thunderous shattering of the light column enveloping this place, the huge sound startled everyone present.
Even I had never witnessed the moment a ceremony shattered up close before.
At this moment, the area used for the Feast of Fish and Rice ceremony sustained a lot of damage. The utensils were directly broken, the qualification to hold the ceremony vanished, and only what they held onto still retained some semblance.
With the sole light column still standing there, it pointed in the direction of the Wizard Academy.
At this moment, all the catgirls paused their actions. There were no tears, no breakdowns; it seemed everyone had accepted this outcome.
And Yu Meng Rui let out a slight sigh of relief, as if an invisible shackle had loosened from her neck at this moment.
“Everyone… our ceremony preparations have failed…” Yu Meng Rui finally spoke, her voice tinged with sadness but also relief, “But please continue to complete the unfinished Feast of Fish and Rice together! Even if this ceremony may no longer be recognized, we…”
“Of course, you don’t need to say that! I exerted so much effort to get this done; how could I give up over something like this!”
“Exactly! Besides, mealtime is indeed approaching…”
As they exchanged words, everyone quickly became excited again, as if they no longer felt restrained by their previous goals while cooking.
After all, catgirls are such healing and adorable beings; too much pressure is something even they can’t bear, so some things can’t be forced due to unnecessary stress.
“I also have some basics in cooking; let me help you.” I smiled and walked over to Yu Meng Rui, noticing she was suddenly getting flustered.
However, before I could do anything, or even just by saying this, a strand of golden fortune detached from me and floated towards Yu Meng Rui.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, my expression changed drastically as I reached out to grip that strand of fortune… What’s happening? The fortune actually detached on its own?
And it seemed its target was Yu Meng Rui!
“What’s wrong?” Seeing my sudden abnormal reaction, Yu Meng Rui stopped her actions.
“Oh, it’s nothing; it seems it was just a little bug.” I casually tugged at the strand of fortune, which I had previously ignored, but this anomaly made me feel its presence.
Related to fortune are nothing more than the Child of Fortune and the script’s protagonist. I recalled Teacher Ji’s words and realized that the protagonist is no longer unique.
Thinking logically, I began to grasp the situation.
And they possessed something that could prove this identity.
“Fortune Seed.”
I had never seen what that looked like, but it didn’t stop me from using Spirit Vision to peer into Yu Meng Rui.
“Is that… the Fortune Seed?”
I murmured to myself; it was an illusory entity within her, a conglomerate that, upon closer inspection, resembled a withered and cracked unknown seed.
Is Yu Meng Rui also a Child of Fortune?
What a dramatic development! So, was I inexplicably involved in the script’s correction up to this point?
Regardless of how it turned out, I’d push the blame onto the script; since that existence is something I cannot comprehend, it makes for the perfect scapegoat.
Now, I was faced with a choice: should I give this strand of fortune to Yu Meng Rui?
This involves too many factors: the competition between Children of Fortune and the unknown higher-level interests at play.
This is truly a headache.
Clearly, Yu Meng Rui is just a weak little catgirl; I even suspect she might not really be weak but that the academy values her identity as the Child of Fortune, which explains why she could be the nominal team leader.
This strand of fortune is something I obtained directly or indirectly from Tan Han, and just like that, should I give it away…
Supporting the enemy… I can’t help but wonder if this hat would stick to my head.
But then I recalled what Teacher Ji said to me back then.
The choice is mine, but the academy also provided me with many benefits.
This is merely a game of choices.
Ultimately… the academy’s side slightly triumphed.
So, I pulled the strand of fortune back.
However, the pulled back strand of fortune no longer clung to me as it once did.
At this moment, I knew this strand of fortune seemed no longer wholly mine, only that I hadn’t let go yet.
In other words, this cute catgirl had “stolen” what belonged to me without even knowing the situation.
Perhaps fortune never truly belongs to anyone? After all, it didn’t leave a place for a name on it.
“Um… Sister Xiao Han, you are our guest; let the professionals like us handle this! Although this no longer counts as the Feast of Fish and Rice, we will turn it into a banquet to welcome you with cat food!”
“…Mm.”
At this moment, I hesitated for a while but ultimately replied with an affirmative sound.
As soon as I agreed, that strand of fortune instantly scattered, to the point where I couldn’t even grasp it. It slipped through my fingers as if it had found a new master.
I quietly clicked my tongue. Did I do something wrong? It seemed like no one had made a mistake; the development of events had become unpredictable for me.
I just quietly watched the power of fortune nourish the Fortune Seed within Yu Meng Rui, observing it from withered and cracked to being nourished and sprouting… Time passed little by little.
“Alright! Sister Xiao Han! It’s time to eat～”
