Cats spend most of the day asleep.

But they spend most of that time in a light doze, and the slightest disturbance is enough to wake them.

Even cat-eared girls are no exception. Aileen had been hugging Liao Luo from behind for less than five minutes before she fell asleep herself. But the moment Liao Luo so much as moved his hands or feet, she woke right up.

“Don’t move around, meow! Go to sleep and stop bothering the cat!”

She sounded a little annoyed, and even gave Liao Luo’s earlobe a gentle pinch to show him just how serious this was.

Liao Luo found the whole situation a little difficult to deal with.

Having to sleep in one position was pretty painful.

Besides, he wasn’t that sleepy. More importantly, it was hard to fall asleep at a time like this.

There was a sweet-smelling, soft, petite, adorable cat-eared girl hugging him from behind, completely off her guard as she slept. Even with a thin layer of pajamas between them, it was hard to see what good they did...

“Come to think of it, cats like sleeping where people have slept, and they love curling up in a warm bed. Is that just pet cats instinctively seeking warmth, or is it actually their way of showing affection for their owners?”

Liao Luo couldn’t help pondering the philosophical question.

But, naturally, it was a hard question to answer.

With a hint of curiosity, he slowly, ever so slowly, rolled over, turning from facing away from her to facing her.

Naturally, that movement woke Aileen.

But she just sleepily hugged Liao Luo and tried to press his face as close to her chest as she could.

“Luo Luo, you’re such a clingy little Human. But no more fidgeting, okay? If you don’t go to sleep, I’ll make you sleep on the couch!”

The threat worked. Liao Luo stopped moving around.

After all, at this very moment, what could be safer than this? Where could be safer?

Half-asleep and without even realizing it, he gradually drifted off.

A quiet night. Nothing happened.

When Aileen woke in the morning, she stretched out in a long, lazy yawn. Like a real cat, she arched her back high, straightened her tail, and pressed her feet into the mattress.

“Huaaaah... I’m so tired. I didn’t even do anything, but I’m still so tired. I really don’t wanna go to class! I wish you could go for me.”

Still bleary-eyed, Aileen casually ruffled Liao Luo’s bedhead.

Naturally, the Human was still asleep.

Aileen found it rather amusing to look at Liao Luo’s sleeping profile.

He was a person—a living, breathing person. And by a cat-eared girl’s standards, he was incredibly cute.

It was like a human raising an especially adorable tabby cat.

Taking a closer look...

Whoa.

That’s... a bell standing straight up!

“So there’s... there’s something like this?” The strange change left Aileen feeling incredulous, and, for some reason, a little bashful. That was despite the fact that she’d washed Liao Luo’s body herself just last night.

It looked completely different from the limp little bell she’d seen when she bathed him before.

Aileen couldn’t resist reaching out to give it a little poke. It felt soft and hard at the same time—a wildly contradictory sensation, and a completely new experience.

“Isn’t this kind of weird? It was so small before. How did it get like this?”

She compared it to her own hand, her astonishment plain to see.

And then she began to feel something strange.

Stop right there!

Aileen hurriedly shook her head, but it still felt strangely... odd.

She sneaked a glance at the Human, who was still sleeping soundly, then pulled out her phone and searched in a hurry, like a thief.

“Why do I feel something strange when I look at the person I raised?”

It didn’t take long for her to find plenty of answers on Cat Paw.

The top answer read:

“This is a psychological disorder. Its academic name is ‘human-con,’ or Xiumen Control. It means being attracted to Humans rather than one’s own kind. Beastfolk girls with this disorder aren’t attracted to their own kind. Instead, they focus more on Humans and try to pursue a relationship that goes beyond friendship.”

“Just imagine: in another world, Humans are catgirls’ owners, and Humans aren’t attracted to women but to catgirls. How terrifying would that be?”

“The bad news is that this kind of romance will never be accepted by the beastfolk of the world. It’s just too shocking and scandalous.”

“The good news is that catgirls and Humans are reproductively incompatible. So go ahead and do whatever you want without a worry.”

...

Honestly, this was a bit of a shock to Aileen’s worldview.

There were beastfolk like this?

“No way! Absolutely not! I’m definitely not Xiumen Control! I’m a perfectly normal catgirl. I just like raising cute Humans, that’s all!”

Aileen was mortified by this new discovery, but before long, that embarrassment turned into something else.

The thought of having to go to class soon while the little Human got to stay home and enjoy a wonderful, carefree life made Aileen see red. She grabbed Liao Luo by the head and buried herself in him, sniffing away like crazy.

Slurp!

Only when Liao Luo opened his eyes in a daze, his hair a mess, did Aileen giggle and sit up. Then she got ready to make breakfast and head to class.

Still bleary-eyed, Liao Luo stared at what was in front of him, unable to make sense of it for a while.

So... what exactly happened?

Why did he feel like he’d just been hit by a typhoon?

Even as Aileen basked in her triumph, she couldn’t help thinking about what she’d just looked up.

Xiumen Control? That was just too weird!

As a catgirl who considered herself perfectly normal, she absolutely refused to accept such a thing.

“But maybe there’s something wrong with Humans, not me. That could be it, right?”

Thinking it over, Aileen decided to run a little experiment.

For example...

If the Human felt the same way when he saw her, would that mean they were mutually attracted to each other?

If that was the kind of feeling it was, then you couldn’t call her Xiumen Control! You’d have to say the Human was a catgirl-con!

With that in mind, Aileen opened her wardrobe, quickly scanned its contents, and picked out a pair of white thigh-high stockings.

Perhaps because white made you look heavier, white stockings—which seemed so pure and lovely—weren’t especially popular among the beastfolk. They actually preferred strange colors like black, nude, pink, and red, as well as the more traditional, conservative style of tights.

Of course, Aileen was a catgirl who exercised now and then, so she had a little confidence in herself.

Her figure was pretty slender!

Her slender ankle flexed as she pinched the top of the stocking and pulled it up. Her toes slipped into the snowy white fabric, and beneath the thin silk, her soles were as pink as a cat’s paw pads.

When she’d pulled it all the way up, she released the top. The lace edge pressed faintly into her skin.

Awake now, Liao Luo leaned forward a little as he watched the scene.

A little more. He liked this!

...

...

Aileen had seen everything in the little mirror on her wardrobe.

His reaction gave her a little thrill of delight.

Whoa!

The Human she’d raised was reacting in a really strange way!

Wasn’t that great?

“As his caretaker, it’s only natural for a Human to develop a crush on the catgirl who dotes on him, right? So you could almost call this a reward!”

Whatever the case, the discovery comforted Aileen. It meant there wasn’t anything wrong with her. The Humans were the ones with a problem.

Of course, Aileen thought she still needed to experiment a little more before jumping to conclusions.

“All right, I’ve got a lot to do today, and I have to go to class. You be good while you’re home alone. Don’t touch anything, and don’t pee or poop everywhere. And definitely don’t open the door to any strange beastfolk girls. Though you probably can’t understand me anyway. Anyway, I’m going to make breakfast.”