【Passive Effect: Golden-haired Affinity Activated.】

【Southeast, 500 meters away: Loyalty +20 from an unnamed black-furred she-cat.】

【Northwest, 1 kilometer away: Loyalty +20 from an unnamed spotted she-cat.】

【Due east, 2 kilometers away: Loyalty +20 from an unnamed teary-eyed cat.】

…

Gu Qinghan froze in place, stunned. An inexplicable ripple stirred the mana within him, his expression slowly darkening.

He felt it.

After becoming an apprentice hypnotist, his body brimmed with “hypnotic-attribute” mana.

The skill ‘Hypnotic Depth Perception’ had triggered.

Clearly, he sensed it—

Seven or eight she-cats.

From every direction.

Already under his preliminary hypnosis.

Three were even in heat… yet affection bloomed toward him.

A buzz erupted in Gu Qinghan’s The Cortex. His face paled. This was beyond expectation.

What… was happening?

His gaze went blank, fixed on the cat nibbling dried fish snacks.

Could it be…

Could cats be charmed by me too?

Good grief.

What kind of pervert was he—accepting anyone, anything?

Reaching out, he lifted the orange cat by the scruff, seeking confirmation.

“Meeeow—”

Hoarse and flustered, the cat exposed its belly, limbs flailing.

Gu Qinghan’s eyes sharpened like blades, drifting downward—

To the mysterious spot beneath the fluffy orange fur.

A pair of tiny bells.

Adorable… and unmistakable.

Game over.

His face turned ashen, utterly desolate. Reality sank in.

Seriously, who could’ve seen this coming?

Harassed by a tomcat today.

So furious I charmed it back.

Damn it!

Gritting his teeth, he hurled the clumsy cat toward the window.

A sharp “Mew!”—it snatched the last fish snack, twisted free, and vanished.

Gu Qinghan didn’t watch. Three meters from the first floor? No threat to a cat.

But the shadow lingered.

Golden-haired Affinity… not even sparing a cat?

What broken skill was this?

Hohenheim, you madman—what twisted fetish did you code in?!

“Damn it!”

Pacing the room, anxiety coiled tight.

With this skill active, he might accidentally charm someone without even knowing.

Hiding at home? Naive.

This Golden-haired Affinity could drag home beautiful girls—or boy-cats—any second.

And this was a kingdom that punished immoral indulgence severely!

Leave it unchecked? The Inspector Corps would haul him away.

Candles, whips—the whole nine yards.

His mind tangled. No countermeasure in sight.

A ticking time bomb.

And he was right.

Over the next hours, “unexpected incidents” kept coming.

Thirty minutes later—

Knock, knock, knock!

A plumber selling pipes to Hohenheim.

Gu Qinghan didn’t open.

“Always pushing sales! Buzz off! Who buys junk pipes?”

“Go sell them to the King of Hell!”

The burly man outside froze, then slunk away.

Silence returned.

First trial passed.

Two hours later—

A soccer ball flew through the unlatched window, landing by his bed.

“Kick, kick, kick! Napping here! Wait till I find your dad!”

He hurled it back—*thwack*—right on the kid’s face.

Tears. Scrambling. Gone.

Gu Qinghan watched, unmoved.

Second incident.

Again and again.

Diet Street buzzed unusually today. People kept approaching.

Men? He raged—to avoid charming them.

Kids? Worried about early romance.

Even a beautiful girl? He stayed irritable.

In this era… who knew true gender?

Pulling out something bigger than his? Not impossible.

Sunset painted the sky. Streets quieted.

Gu Qinghan glanced at the clock. 9 PM.

Eleven bizarre encounters handled—

All shut down fast, brutally. No room for friendship.

Ultimate keyboard warrior. Verbal punches thrown.

Throat parched.

But after the cat? No more accidents.

He’d defended against the skill. Saved countless potential couples.

A true warrior of love.

Night fell. Silence soothed his soul.

Finally… peace.

Brick-hard dark bread remained—Hohenheim’s leftovers, barely edible.

*Rest early*, he thought.

Dragging himself toward bed, a quiet ache bloomed in his chest.

As a transmigrator… was he the only one this low?

From today, cut off from everyone.

So lonely.

Eyes closed. He collapsed onto the bed.

Then—

Knock, knock, knock!

Steady. Forceful. His spine tightened.

Instant combat mode.

“Who is it?” he barked, deliberately rude.

Man? Yell him off.

Woman? Yell harder.

No opening for Golden-haired Affinity—never.

But the voice outside was familiar.

“It’s me, Katarina. We met this morning.”

His steps halted. Expression locked.

Cold sweat soaked his shirt.

Why was she back?

A buzz in The Cortex. Heart skipped.

Had his setup been exposed?

Then, soft and earnest:

“About this morning… I owe you a formal apology. May I come in?”

Gu Qinghan froze.

“I know you’re there. Please don’t lie to me again.”

Katarina’s voice—apologetic, tense.

Three seconds of silence. Inner struggle.

He rose. Reached for the knob.

—Creak!

Silver hair spilled over her shoulders. Crimson eyes met his.

Katarina in a simple white slip dress, sandals on slender feet—neighborly, gentle.

Cheeks flushed. Hands clasped shyly behind her back.

“Good evening, Inspector.”

Gu Qinghan offered a knowing, teasing smile.

She looked down at her garlic-clove-white toes, waving hands flustered.

“I won’t enter. Off-duty… it’d violate protocol.”

He nodded faintly.

She lifted her gaze, solemn.

“I came to tell you one thing.”

Slow. Deliberate.

“If this continues… you *will* be arrested. Please be careful.”