After leaving the pet shop, Eriri strolled aimlessly along the bustling street.
The kitten in her arms was very well-behaved, showing no signs of panic despite being taken from her familiar environment.
However, her blue-gold heterochromatic eyes darted around frequently, filled with curiosity about everything around her.
The kitten's condition had changed drastically compared to before—there was no sign of weakness left.
Her fur had become exceptionally smooth, shiny, and clean. Up close, one could even catch a delightful fragrance from her body.
All of this was, of course, thanks to Eriri.
From the moment she picked up the kitten, Eriri had already optimized and enhanced her body.
The once frail physique had become remarkably healthy. Even the genetic issue behind her heterochromia had been perfectly corrected—though Eriri chose to retain the heterochromatic eyes out of personal interest.
Her brain had also been enhanced to the level of a seven- or eight-year-old child, and her intelligence would continue to grow with age.
As for her lifespan—there was no comparison. At present, even an ordinary human's full life wouldn't equal half of hers.
One could say this little kitten was no longer just an ordinary feline—she now had the potential foundation to become a catgirl.
Although Eriri could have transformed her into a catgirl instantly, she preferred letting her evolve naturally over time.
This girl-and-kitten pair drew plenty of attention—almost everyone who saw them couldn't help but stare.
But the attention didn't affect Eriri in the slightest. She was used to it. When wasn't she the center of attention whenever she went out?
"Little one, what name should I give you?"
Eriri slid her hands under the kitten's front legs and lifted her high, holding her up before her face like a child raising a favorite toy. She began speaking to her without regard for others around.
"Chocolat? Vanilla? Luna? Sunny? Or maybe Gin? Shirayuki?"
She listed off several names, and the kitten responded with a series of delicate meows.
After Eriri had enhanced the kitten's brain, she could roughly understand human speech. So she understood what Eriri had just said.
Likewise, Eriri could understand the kitten's meows. The sounds she made were her asking Eriri to choose a name for her.
"Hmm, I see. Then let's just call you 'Haruka.' How about that? Do you like it?" Eriri asked with a cheerful smile.
"Meow meow meow (I love it! Thank you, Master!)"
"Mhm, good. From now on, your name is Haruka."
Eriri and Haruka communicated seamlessly, but to nearby passersby who only heard Eriri's voice, it looked like a ridiculously beautiful girl talking to her kitten and answering herself.
Still, none of the bystanders showed odd reactions. In fact, they found Eriri's behavior quite endearing.
Among them, a girl about fifteen or sixteen years old gathered her courage and approached Eriri directly. Her gaze shifted between Eriri and the kitten now cradled in Eriri's arms, finally settling on Eriri's face.
Seeing this girl suddenly blocking her way but saying nothing while staring at her, Eriri tilted her head slightly, a big question mark practically visible above her head.
"Um... excuse me, onee-san, do you need something?"
Eriri actually found this situation rather amusing. Usually, regular people were too intimidated to approach her, so someone coming up and blocking her path like this was rare.
Of course, that was only because the one blocking her path was a beautiful girl with a gentle aura. Otherwise, Eriri wouldn't have been nearly as nice.
But as she looked at the girl with her hair tied on both sides of her chest, dressed in a school uniform, Eriri couldn't shake the feeling that she looked oddly familiar.
Still, she didn't think much of it and didn't bother probing into the girl's identity or background.
Upon hearing Eriri's voice, the girl, who had been in a daze from admiring Eriri's beauty up close, finally snapped out of it.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to— I just spaced out..."
Seeing the girl repeatedly bowing in apology, her face flushed red, Eriri waved her hand casually.
"Alright, no need to be so nervous. I'm not upset. So, care to tell me why you stopped me?"
Hearing that, the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped her repeated bowing.
She then raised her right hand and pointed shyly at Haruka in Eriri's arms.
"Um... can I pet the kitty?"
Looking at this easily embarrassed girl, Eriri suddenly felt an urge to "tease" her, so she put on a disappointed expression.
"Ah... so you just wanted to pet Haruka. Here I thought you were trying to hit on me~"
"U-uh..."
At Eriri's words, the girl's just-cooled face flushed red again, and the blush returned in full to her pretty cheeks.
"Sigh... I was thinking, if such a cute girl like you came to chat me up, I wouldn't mind deepening our connection. Looks like I was just being delusional~"
"N-no... I..."
Eriri's teasing hit like a direct blow, leaving the girl stammering and flustered, her brain seemingly overheating.
Fortunately, Eriri knew when to stop, or else the girl might have actually fainted.
"Alright, enough joking around."
Her words made the dazed girl blink in surprise.
"Eh? That was just a joke?"
"That doesn't matter. You wanted to pet Haruka, right? I'll let you. But standing here on the sidewalk isn't ideal."
With that, Eriri glanced around and pointed toward a nearby park.
"Let's go to that park. I'm not in any rush."
"Ah? Oh, okay! Thank you!"
Hearing Eriri's offer, the girl didn't press any further and quickly followed her to the park.
Once they arrived, they picked a clean bench in a shady spot and sat down side by side.
Eriri turned toward the girl and, holding Haruka in her arms, gestured for her to come closer.
"Alright, go ahead and pet her. You get ten minutes."
Haruka, nestled in Eriri's embrace, looked up curiously at the girl.
She already knew what was about to happen and didn't mind at all. In fact, she enjoyed being petted.
Back when she was frail, few people dared to touch her. Only the pet shop's female owner would occasionally stroke her head and back—and even that was rare.
Now, her favorite thing was being petted by her master.
If her master hadn't allowed this human girl to pet her, she wouldn't have tolerated it.
And even now, the girl could only pet her head and back—her tummy was reserved exclusively for her master!
Upon hearing Eriri's words, the girl excitedly nodded.
"Yes, thank you so much!"
Without wasting another second, she reached out her right hand toward Haruka.
And in that instant, she was smitten.
"Awwww, so sweet, so cute! And this fluffy softness—it's amazing!"
The girl first carefully petted Haruka's head with her right hand. When she noticed no resistance, she boldly moved her hand down Haruka's back.
Soon, both hands were involved.
The joy of petting the kitten completely erased her earlier embarrassment. She didn't even notice how close she was getting to Eriri.
If not for the kitten being clearly visible in Eriri's arms, others might have assumed the two girls were cuddling.
"Um..."
Just then, the girl, who had been looking down as she petted the kitten, suddenly looked up at Eriri.
Since they were close in height, their foreheads nearly touched when she did.
Flustered, she quickly pulled back without saying anything further.
Eriri, on the other hand, remained completely calm, as if nothing had happened.
"My name is Eriri—Eriri Spencer Sawamura. No need to call me 'Miss' or anything."
"I'm sorry..."
"I'm not blaming you."
"Mm..." Hearing that, the girl visibly relaxed.
Then she seemed to remember something and hurriedly added, "Miss Sawamura, thank you for agreeing to my rude request. Also... my name is Taeko Hiramatsu. It's nice to meet you."
Upon hearing the name Taeko Hiramatsu, Eriri finally understood why the girl had looked familiar.
After all, she was a character who had appeared several times in the original work. While not a major supporting character, her gentle personality and beautiful appearance had left some impression on Eriri.
"Ah, so you're Taeko. It's a pleasure to meet you~" Eriri said with a smile.
Hearing Eriri call her by name, Taeko blinked in surprise.
Normally, only family or close friends would address someone so casually, so she hadn't expected Eriri—whom she had just met—to use her name.
But she didn't dislike it. In fact, she felt a sense of recognition and happiness.
She even began to consider calling Eriri by name as well.
"Eri... Miss Sawamura, I have one more small request. I hope you can agree."
Taeko had wanted to say Eriri's name but lost the courage halfway through.
Feeling a bit down about that, she was instantly cheered up by Eriri's next words.
"Taeko, no need to be so formal. Just call me Eriri. No 'Miss' needed."
"Okay, Eriri..."
"That's more like it. Alright, go ahead and ask. As long as it's not an outrageous request, I'll grant it~"
"Mm, I want to hold Haruka for a bit. Is that okay?"
Apparently, just petting her back was no longer enough for Taeko—she wanted to cuddle Haruka too.
"Well, you can try. If Haruka agrees, I have no objections."
Eriri didn't agree outright. After all, Haruka was no ordinary kitten anymore but a future catgirl. Some decisions needed her own consent.
The only thing Eriri strictly prohibited was any contact with males.
"Then I'll try!"
Looking at Haruka, whose eyes were gently closed under her touch, Taeko smiled softly.
To her, it seemed Haruka had been won over by her petting technique and wouldn't resist being picked up.
But reality was cruel.
As Taeko moved her right hand toward Haruka's chest and her left toward her backside, intending to lift her—Haruka suddenly opened her eyes and dodged.
With nimble movements, she slipped out of Eriri's arms, climbed up her back, and perched herself on Eriri's shoulder.
Her blue-gold heterochromatic eyes glared intently at the now dumbfounded Taeko, while she let out a series of displeased meows.
"Ah, what a shame. Looks like Haruka doesn't want to be held by you," Eriri said with a shrug, feigning helplessness.
Hearing that, Taeko looked at Haruka with a face full of frustration.
Just as she was about to try again, Eriri spoke up.
"Oh right, Taeko, want to know what Haruka just said? I can translate for you~"
"Eh? You can understand her?" Taeko looked at Eriri in disbelief.
"Of course. Didn't you hear me talking with Haruka on the sidewalk earlier~?" Eriri said playfully.
Taeko instinctively recalled the scene from about ten minutes ago when she first saw Eriri and Haruka.
"...Wait, weren't you just talking to yourself back then?"
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