Xuechun was such a capable kid!

Gentle by nature, she carried out every task with quiet focus—utterly endearing.

She was sensitive to her master’s gaze, her shy expression blending softly with obedient sweetness.

It made you want to reach out and pet her—scratch behind her ears, stroke her tail!

Unlike ordinary cats, she’d never snap in annoyance if you touched her tail.

Even her “bites” felt like a kitten gently licking a sweet lollipop.

Right then, nestled in Gu Chuan’s arms, Xuechun locked her full attention on his finger—wiggled playfully like a cat teaser—and stretched her tiny paw to catch it.

Gu Chuan finally indulged her, lowering his finger.

She pounced eagerly, wrapping her mouth around it.

Her pink, petite tongue—covered in tiny backward-facing barbs—licked slowly over his smooth fingertip, savoring it like a tasty cat treat.

A sensation entirely different from when other girls did the same.

“Do you make my breakfast like this every day?” Gu Chuan asked.

“Meow… mew~”

The mischievous master gently pinched the catgirl’s tongue between two fingers—careful not to cause pain.

What followed stole his breath: Xuechun’s face flushed with a trace of grievance, fluffy cuteness, and a shy, coquettish plea for comfort.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you,” Gu Chuan said, blinking his cool, moonlit eyes.

“My ‘Hailuo Girl’.”

At the words “Hailuo Girl,” Xuechun’s sea-blue eyes—shimmering like sunlit waves—lit up.

Maybe she mistook it for a tasty snack.

A silent little catgirl.

Dressed in Gu Chuan’s loose white school shirt—perfect on his frame, comically oversized on her.

Yet she wore it obediently. When she raised her hands, the long sleeves trailed like flowing water sleeves from Chinese opera.

Then came the head tilt.

Gu Chuan admitted it: even his battle-hardened heart skipped a beat.

By human standards, catgirl Xuechun looked like a lovely young girl.

By cat years? Just newly adult.

So… legal? Yeah, right.

As if any law governed catgirls.

Without the sweet, intimate tingling on his fingertip, Gu Chuan might’ve blamed romance galgames for this dream.

But the catgirl wrestling her own tail—and the golden bell tied with a black ribbon around her porcelain neck—were undeniably real.

Wait… a bell?

He was sure he hadn’t put it there.

He scooped up the tangled, rolling Xuechun into his arms.

She meowed softly, big eyes blinking up at him in confusion.

Charmed by his handsome face, her cheeks flushed pink.

“Be good. Don’t move.”

Xuechun straightened her barely-there chest, shoulders tensed—like a new recruit awaiting inspection. *Meow.*

Gu Chuan’s slender fingers hooked the jingling golden bell into his palm.

Just an ordinary cat bell… at first glance.

Then his pupils tightened. His expression turned serious.

『Name: Gu Xuechun』

『Species: Catgirl』

『Personality: Capable, timid, easily flustered, obedient』

『Affection: Lifelong Master』

『Skills: Housekeeping LV5, Mouse Catcher LV2, Cockroach Vanquisher LV2』

『???』

*Housekeeping LV5: The parlor-and-kitchen homemaker—masters all chores, serves warm breakfasts.*

*Mouse Catcher LV2: Handles up to two mice. Three? She dives into master’s arms.*

*Cockroach Vanquisher LV2…*

Did the “???” hint at deeper secrets?

Gu Chuan stayed calm. Accepting a catgirl meant a status panel wasn’t so shocking.

He even whispered inwardly—*System? Are you there?*

A “Beast-Eared Girl Raising System” would be nice…

Silence.

OK. Daydream over.

His gaze returned to Xuechun.

The panel faded as he looked away from the bell.

Still clueless—but Xuechun was here now. Named *Gu* Xuechun. His surname.

He wouldn’t abandon her.

Just as he’d vowed to care for the little white cat, he now vowed to walk life’s path beside catgirl Gu Xuechun.

Even after losing his part-time job.

Even with no allowance this month.

Even with rent due in fifteen days.

*As long as I have one bowl of rice, Xuechun gets her cat treats.*

But—what *should* she eat? Human food? Cat food?

Cat form = kibble? Catgirl form = rice?

Before he could ponder—

*Click. Clunk. Swish.*

Keys turned the lock. The deadbolt released. The door swung open.

Gu Chuan’s eyes widened. Xuechun startled in his arms.

Only one person held his key—and moved with that sharp, no-argument authority…

His older sister. No blood relation.

Student Council President of Lanfeng High.

The “Cold and Elegant Edelweiss.”

Ji Gewei.

The name that still made Gu Chuan’s heart race.