“Mm, thank you, Gu Fan. The milk tea is really good.”
As we left the milk tea shop, I held my warm red bean milk tea and softly thanked Gu Fan for his kindness.
Gu Fan waved his hand, signaling that I didn’t need to be so formal about it.
I took a sip of the milk tea and quietly chewed the soft, glutinous red beans that came through the straw.
While drinking, I recalled the wish I made in front of the Christmas tree.
After the one-minute time limit ended, I ended up choosing a vague response similar to Gu Fan’s—
I didn’t reveal any of the strange thoughts buried deep in my heart.
It was definitely the safer choice, but now, in this moment afterward, drinking the warm milk tea that comforted my whole body,
I couldn’t help but regret how I’d backed down and acted so timidly.
If I had just tried a little—
And found out that Gu Fan could actually accept the fact that I was a pervert and a total creep—
Then the course of action after that would have become so much clearer!
I wouldn’t need to rack my brains designing the perfect date,
I wouldn’t need to try to compete with other girls in areas I’m weak in.
All I’d have to do is give my all to serve Gu Fan in every possible way—
And naturally, he wouldn’t be able to escape from my side.
Mmm… but still, it’s probably better to play it safe.
I blinked and looked at Gu Fan’s back.
Even the way he walked was upright and steady—
It was obvious that he managed his posture really well in daily life.
I lowered my eyes and unconsciously started paying attention to how I walked.
Ever since I crossed over into this world, the two heavy things on my chest had always made me uncomfortable.
But back then, I was too focused on figuring out how to get along with Gu Fan and beg for his forgiveness—
So I hadn’t paid much attention to them.
Bad habits form really quickly.
By the time I realized it, I’d already gotten used to walking with my shoulders slouched forward.
And now that I wanted to straighten up and fix my posture—
It already felt like too much of a struggle.
Besides, I used to walk with my head down all the time. If I didn’t trim the bangs on my forehead regularly, they’d end up covering part of my vision.
Ever since I reconnected with Gu Fan, I’ve found myself looking in the mirror more and more.
I used to avoid mirrors like the plague—anything to not see my own foolish face.
But now, just to maintain a slightly better image of myself in Gu Fan’s eyes, I carry a small mirror with me everywhere and glance at it from time to time.
However… precisely because I’ve been looking in the mirror so often, I’ve only become more painfully aware of what a gloomy, introverted shut-in I truly am.
My looks aren’t exactly terrible, but I personally feel I’m nowhere near as bright and energetic as Shiratori.
If I could trade places, I’d absolutely want to be someone like her.
And when it comes to aura or presence—ugh, that’s even worse.
Even just your average high school girl has more youthful energy than I do. I feel like a walking corpse in comparison.
As for someone like Shiratori, who radiates this comforting warmth like a little sun and shines so dazzlingly all over—
She completely crushes me, like I’m nothing more than a speck of pathetic dust.
Without realizing it, I had started gripping the milk tea cup so tightly that my fingers were digging into the sides.
The plastic cup crackled under the pressure, parts of it visibly dented.
I stared blankly at it, realizing I couldn’t even relax my grip.
Because aside from this, I had no other outlet for all the frustration pent up inside me.
Heh… I really am an indisputable piece of trash, huh.
Letting out a bitter laugh, I held back the urge to slam my fists down and instead took a deep pull from the straw—
Only to burn my tongue and immediately spit it back out, my tongue swollen and raw from the scalding liquid.
Letting it bask in the cool air helped a bit.
Damn it… can’t even drink a cup of milk tea without getting bullied by it. This sucks.
Wrinkling my nose, I quickened my pace to keep up with Gu Fan.
Roughly recalling today’s events, it seemed I hadn’t had any intimate interactions with Gu Fan—just ordinary exchanges, which were far from enough for me.
Since there was no opportunity for Gu Fan to touch me, I decided to take the initiative myself…
I first slipped my hand under my skirt, pulling out my tail, which was in a dazed state. Then, I pressed down on my slightly slouched waist, making sure I was standing upright with my back straight.
I could feel a slight tightness at my chest. Tsk, so troublesome. I should’ve worn something a size bigger, I grumbled to myself.
After a silent complaint, I hooked my finger around my tail, bringing it closer to Gu Fan, pretending to accidentally brush against him while barely controlling my tail to deliberately tease him.
Sure enough, Gu Fan, who was lost in thought, was drawn in by my sneaky actions. His palm trembled a few times as my tail brushed against it.
Then, under my expectant gaze, he suddenly grabbed my restless tail, and an intense, electric sensation shot through my entire body.
“Woo-meow!”
My throat itched uncontrollably, squeezing out a strange sound from my vocal cords.
My legs stiffened, and the itching sensation, especially near my tail and spine, was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even walk. I could only stand there, staring at Gu Fan with a resentful expression.
Gu Fan showed no intention of letting go. Instead, he gently pinched the tip of my hypersensitive tail.
A strange sensation surged over me like waves, and this time, I bit my lip tightly, letting out muffled whimpers to suppress the panting sounds that threatened to escape.
“Gu… please…”
Through deep breaths, I tried to adapt to the near-overwhelming sensation flooding my senses, squeezing out a pleading whisper through gritted teeth.
Saliva kept pooling in my mouth, and I had to swallow several times to avoid choking while speaking.
I overdid it.
Gu Fan must have really been roused by my teasing. My shaky gaze shifted, and I saw Gu Fan staring intently at my cat tail in his hand, clearly reluctant to let it go.
I was so wrong… I shouldn’t have used my catgirl body to tempt Gu Fan, who was already interested in it. Now I’ve gone too far, and I’ll probably be teased until I’m drooling before he lets me go.
Deceived by Gu Fan’s flawless facade, I forgot that he’s actually a guy with a wicked sense of humor. I thought I could control him with my body, but maybe it’s him controlling me instead.
Thinking this for no reason, I swallowed indistinctly, ignoring the strange looks from passersby. I slightly hunched over to hide the little things Gu Fan was doing to my tail and continued to plead for mercy.
“I was really wrong… please let me go… ugh~”
Gu Fan’s hand, which had been rubbing the tip of my tail, slowed for a moment, and he finally let go. I could clearly feel the warm temperature of his fingertips leaving my body, and… was I actually a little reluctant to let it go?
No, no, no! I should be firmly against this kind of thing! What’s with this ambiguous reaction?
Instinctively, I wanted to scold myself for being a girl with impure thoughts. But then I recalled what I had been thinking before teasing Gu Fan, and I couldn’t help but fall into hesitation.
So… am I just bad at this and still trying to play? My skills and mental defenses are so low, yet I still thought I could capture Gu Fan’s heart with my body.