A tree-lined path. A young man and woman stood frozen in the middle of the road.

The boy’s expression was blank. The girl boldly lifted her skirt, shamelessly flashing what lay beneath.

Most shockingly—she wore absolutely nothing underneath.

Any passerby would’ve assumed they were indulging in some risqué exhibitionist game.

This was probably the first time Zhou Ruiyang had ever witnessed such a steamy scene.

Logically, her standing position should’ve hidden everything behind a natural "forest barrier."

But this girl played by no rules.

That mysterious forest? Claimed by a white tiger. Now utterly bare. Leaving Zhou Ruiyang with a crystal-clear view.

This was far more thrilling than any explicit photo or video. So thrilling, Zhou Ruiyang stood rooted, dumbstruck.

He wasn’t the only one frozen.

Mujin was too.

This had spiraled wildly beyond her prank plans. She hadn’t meant to go *this* far!

Mujin yanked her skirt down, clamping both hands over the fabric. Her face burned crimson.

Gender identity aside—anyone normal would blush in this situation.

*System! Where the hell are my panties?!*

【Friendly Reminder: Host only redeemed fashionable outerwear. Undergarments require separate points.】

*You did this on purpose, didn’t you?!*

She’d skimmed the points shop, grabbed the first outfit she saw—never guessing it came sans underwear.

So… she wasn’t wearing *those* either?

Mujin’s hand darted downward. She swallowed hard.

Confirmed. No underwear at all.

Thankfully, the outfit included a butterfly bowtie. Its ribbons just barely covered her chest bumps—saving her from further exposure.

No wonder she’d felt that drafty freedom below.

It wasn’t imagination. She was truly… *liberated*.

But—

*Isn’t this what perverts do?!*

After the skirt fell, the air thickened with visible awkwardness.

"Uh… I’ve got a question," Zhou Ruiyang scratched his head, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"I’ve been staring… but where are your panties?"

Mujin froze. "Panties? Yeah, I don’t see any either. Heh… *what kind of messed-up question is that?!*"

Before Zhou Ruiyang spoke, the awkwardness had peaked.

But that question? It killed the awkwardness stone-dead.

Mujin didn’t even grab her sausages. She spun and bolted.

Escape was the only cure for shame.

"Emergency! Gotta go—bye!"

Zhou Ruiyang almost chased her. But he stopped, watching the girl vanish around the corner.

Mujin sprinted straight to the cafeteria restroom, gasping for breath.

*Disaster.*

Even as a guy, having your best friend stare at your junk would be mortifying.

Now? She’d been completely bare.

With her human-time countdown flashing, she stripped naked, tossing the girl’s clothes onto the shelf.

Staring at her own jade-like body, she chuckled weakly.

*No big deal.*

They’d showered together before. So what if her dick became… well, seafood?

Same difference.

*Pretend it never happened.*

As the countdown hit zero, Mujin shrank—back into a Sparrow.

She zipped out the restroom window.

【Host failed feeding task. Level 1 punishment initiated: Pursuit by Eurasian Sparrowhawk. Protect yourself.】

*Huh?*

Before she processed the alert, a shadow swallowed her.

She twisted midair—terror flooding her eyes.

A hawk, striped black-and-white, dove straight at her, talons outstretched.

*WHAT THE ACTUAL—?!*

*Level 1 punishment?! SYSTEM, THIS IS A DEATH SENTENCE!*

【Correction: This hawk merely spotted you. The system is… multitasking.】

*You could warn me but not HELP?!*

The hawk closed in fast. In Sparrow-time, it was like an Argentinian teratorn hunting a human.

Instinct screamed: *RUN.*

But Sparrows weren’t built for speed. Especially not against a hawk.

This was a human racing a cheetah.

She glanced back—

The hawk was *inches* away.

*Done for!*

Talons sank into her fluffy body—

Then, miracle.

Hawks always carried prey skyward. But this one? It couldn’t lift her. Instead, the Sparrow dragged *it* earthward.

Wings flapped wildly. The hawk strained, eyes squeezed shut—yet couldn’t budge the tiny bird.

*Emergency Enhancement.* Activated just in time.

Sparrow-form, human strength.

Mujin had remembered this ace—but the size difference still terrified her. She’d avoided fighting until now.

Even with human-level defense, those talons *hurt*. Her girl-form skin was delicate.

*Wish I had elephant skin…*

She twisted hard.

*WHOOSH!*

The hawk tumbled sideways, barely regaining balance midair. Its fierce eyes went wide, dumbfounded.

*WTF?!*

It had hunted Sparrows its whole life.

Never once been *hunted back*.

Confidence shattered.

Free at last, Mujin didn’t linger. She fled.

Emergency Enhancement lasted ten seconds. Cooldown: one minute.

Not safe yet.

But she knew where help waited.

······

Zhou Ruiyang trudged back to class, three sausages in hand.

*Who was that girl?*

He’d never seen her. That striking brown hair, that face—you didn’t forget someone like that.

Yet she’d acted like they were old friends. Even flashed him.

*Some guardian angel?*

…What to do with these sausages now?

Eat them himself?

Lost in thought, a shriek sliced the air above him:

"*SAVE ME, XIAOYANG!!*"