Cold rain slapped wildly against his face. Liao Luo crouched on the ground beside a dumpster, hugging his knees, looking utterly miserable.

Today was, without a doubt, the most painful day of his life.

Liao Luo had come out of the subway station just like he did every day. Then he suddenly realized the world outside had changed. The streets were full of all kinds of cat-eared girls, dog-eared girls, rabbit-eared girls…

At first, he thought it might be some kind of cosplay convention. But when he went over to say hello, those people acted as if they’d seen a ghost.

All day long, kids pelted him with stones, then people kicked him, and finally they chased him all the way to a dumpster.

He was just like a stray cat with nowhere to go.

And now it was raining, too.

Shivering uncontrollably from the cold, Liao Luo had no choice but to think about it.

What on earth had happened to this world?

Just as Liao Luo was wondering what lay ahead, a hand suddenly appeared in front of him.

Liao Luo looked up and met the gaze of a cat-eared girl.

A round face like an American Shorthair’s. Absolutely adorable.

At that moment, the cat-eared girl stared at Liao Luo, her upright ears quivering nonstop. She had a phone in one hand and was taking pictures of his face.

“Found a human, housecats!”

She leaned closer to get a better look at Liao Luo, her slit pupils brimming with delight.

“He’s way too cute, meow! He wants to come home with me!”

As she spoke, she grabbed Liao Luo by the arm and started dragging him away.

Thinking of everything that had happened to him that day, the panicked Liao Luo immediately started struggling.

“Who said I wanted to go home with you? No, wait, don’t pull me… Let go! Get off me! Let go! Let go… Don’t hug me! Help! Somebody help me!!”

…

…

Someone once conducted a study.

Felines, as apex predators, have strength that doesn’t match their size.

If you enlarged a cat until it was the same size and weight as a human, its strength and agility would be at least ten times that of a human’s—or even nine times.

An unarmed human would have almost no chance of fighting back against a feline predator of the same size.

As for why Liao Luo thought of this, the reason was simple.

That cat-eared girl, who looked so tiny, had carried him home in her arms as easily as if he were a cat. He hadn’t even been able to fight back.

—She was just way stronger than him!

Luckily, unlike the beast-eared people Liao Luo had run into that day, she didn’t hit or insult him. She simply set him down on the sofa like it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

One rather restless hand spent ages ruffling Liao Luo’s hair. He wasn’t used to it, so he quickly pushed her hand away. But she just kept reaching over to pet him again.

One hand was petting Liao Luo while the other scrolled through her phone.

Liao Luo leaned over for a look and saw that she was searching for keywords on Cat Paw Search.

“What should I do after picking up a human?”

“Do humans bite cats?”

“Can I keep a human I picked up?”

“What do I need to keep a human?”

“How can I tell if I’m allergic to human hair?”

“Mom doesn’t like humans. If I secretly keep one, will she throw me out?”

“Will a human scratch me if I give it a bath?”

“Do I need a vaccine if a human bites me?”

“Can cats sleep while holding a human?”

“Where can I book a deworming service for humans?”

…

Liao Luo could barely hold it together.

Putting together everything that had happened that day, Liao Luo thought he was starting to understand.

Maybe—just maybe—the moment he left the subway station, he’d somehow ended up in a strange world.

The people in this world weren’t actually humans at all. They were all kinds of beast-eared girls, while he, the actual human, was basically considered a—pet.

The more he thought about it, the more miserable Liao Luo felt. No wonder he’d been beaten up everywhere he went that day.

So he was a pet in this world!

A wild cat or dog walking right into someone’s house? No wonder he’d been beaten.

Liao Luo understood the situation now, but he couldn’t help feeling a little down.

He’d been a perfectly normal person, and now he was a pet. That was a lot to deal with.

Liao Luo was looking rather glum when a shadow suddenly moved into view. The cat-eared girl who’d brought him home had put down her phone and leaned toward him.

“I’m going to give you a bath now. Don’t bite me, meow! If you bite me, I won’t keep you!”

Then, just like before, she scooped Liao Luo up in her arms as easily as someone might pick up a kitten or puppy.

This time, Liao Luo gave up resisting completely.

After all, he was nowhere near as strong as her. There had to be at least a twenty-Tyson difference between them.

But the moment the cat-eared girl carried Liao Luo into the bathroom, he suddenly realized something crucial.

Wait a second.

What had she said she was going to do?

That’s right.

Give him a bath!

“No, wait!” Liao Luo cried in shock. “Don’t tug at me! I can wash myself! Let go… Don’t—don’t take my clothes off! Wait, stop! You can’t do this! Don’t!”

…

In the end, she still held him down in warm water and scrubbed him clean.

Now Liao Luo understood why it was such a struggle to bathe a pet.

Because they just didn’t want a bath!

“So you’re a guy.” The cat-eared girl stood with her hands on her hips, looking very pleased with Liao Luo, now freshly scrubbed and smelling of body wash. “I read online that males are easier to keep because they don’t go into heat. You’re not going to go into heat, are you?”

Liao Luo rolled his eyes. “Of course I’m not!”

“Oh, but why am I even telling you all this? You’re just a human. How could you understand what a cat-eared girl is saying?” she muttered, then casually picked Liao Luo up.

“No, wait!” Liao Luo cried in alarm. “I’m still naked! Don’t you have a towel? At least find me some clothes!”

…

Of course, she didn’t.

She carried Liao Luo to the sofa and found a blanket to cover him with.

“I’d like to sleep while holding you, actually, but I read that when you first get a human, you have to deworm it and get it vaccinated, or it might get sick! And I don’t even know if I’m allergic to human hair… Anyway, you’re sleeping here tonight. Don’t go into heat, and don’t pee on the floor, either. If you don’t behave, I won’t keep you.”

Liao Luo was so tall that curling up on such a small sofa was truly painful.

Weak, pitiful, and helpless.

But after considering the difference in their physical strength, Liao Luo nodded sensibly.

After all, this cat-eared girl was at least nine or even ten times stronger than a human!

“You understood me, didn’t you? What a good boy! Sleep well. I’ll take the day off tomorrow and get you vaccinated!” she giggled, reaching out to ruffle Liao Luo’s hair.

Then she went back to her room to sleep.

Curled up in a ball, Liao Luo suddenly thought of something crucial.

In theory, when you take a pet to the vet, there’s something else very important they do besides deworming and vaccinations.

Getting him fixed!

“No way!”

Liao Luo jolted in terror.