I Just Wanted to Pet Your Tail

"Finally, it's over..."

Just as Bai Ye had guessed, the hidden passage beneath the manor's dried-up well led to the sewers—the city's drainage system.

"It's like a maze..."

Bai Ye wandered through the sprawling sewers for roughly fifteen minutes before finding a vertical ladder leading to the surface.

"Looks like I got myself lost..."

Bai Ye climbed up the ladder, lifted the cover, and crawled out of the sewers. Fortunately, it was nighttime and there were few pedestrians on the streets. Otherwise, Bai Ye, carrying a girl on his back and holding a sword, would have drawn plenty of attention.

He slipped into a nearby alley, set Texas down from his back, then leaned against the wall and slowly sat down as well.

Even though his physical condition had improved somewhat, carrying the girl for so long still left Bai Ye exhausted. Besides, so much had happened all at once that he felt mentally drained.

After resting briefly, Bai Ye looked at the still-unconscious girl beside him—Texas. The wound on her left thigh had improved somewhat; at least blood was no longer seeping out, which left Bai Ye clicking his tongue in amazement.

Bai Ye's gaze shifted to Texas's tail and ears. Terra had all kinds of races, and Texas belonged to one known as the Lupo. Looking at the girl's pointed ears, Bai Ye felt a pang of melancholy.

Bai Ye knew very well that he had probably truly crossed over into another world—into Terra, a place full of dangers and beast-eared girls everywhere. This definitely was not a dream. It was an established fact.

Bai Ye neither wailed in despair nor rejoiced wildly. What he needed to consider now was how to survive in this other world.

Then Bai Ye saw Texas's tail. As if possessed, he reached out and touched it.

What met his hand was incredibly soft, sleek fur, carrying an exceptionally pleasant feel—at least, that was what Bai Ye thought.

Bai Ye had never kept a dog, so he had no idea how a dog's tail felt compared to a wolf's. He merely stroked Texas's tail instinctively, as though it could ease some kind of pressure.

[Random mission issued]

Mission name: Smooth Fur

Mission description: Stroke Texas's tail for five minutes

Mission reward: System activation, one draw opportunity

Mission note: A very simple trial

All of a sudden, accompanied by a strange notification sound, a screen of light unfolded before Bai Ye, and words slowly appeared across it.

Bai Ye froze, and the hand resting on Texas's tail stiffened as well. The sudden change had clearly startled him.

Inhale—exhale—

Bai Ye closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

"I might need some gum..."

That was right. Bai Ye had not brushed his teeth when he first woke up, so his breath was hardly pleasant...

Mocking himself inwardly, Bai Ye opened his eyes again. The screen of light was still there, faithfully floating before him and glowing like a phone screen.

"It's not a hallucination."

Bai Ye's mood brightened considerably. As someone who had crossed into another world, having a cheat naturally gave him another safeguard for survival.

It was as though the whole world had become brighter. Filled with anticipation, Bai Ye tapped the screen, only then discovering that it could be moved at will.

"Pretty convenient..."

Bai Ye did not waste any more time. He tapped the "Accept Mission" button, and with a crisp shattering sound, the screen scattered into glittering fragments. Then, under Bai Ye's dumbfounded gaze, it turned into a timer.

"That effect... is seriously impressive."

Well, Bai Ye had always had a rather strange focus.

"Hey, System, the time I spent petting her tail earlier doesn't count? That's way too scummy..."

Bai Ye still held Texas's tail in his hand, but his eyes drifted toward the timer in the upper-left corner of his vision.

[4:54]

Clearly, the system had not counted the previous time in Bai Ye's favor. It seemed this system was pretty scummy indeed.

"And the missions it gives out aren't serious at all..."

Bai Ye muttered as he pressed his palm against Texas's tail again. Incidentally, Miss Texas might not even have been called Texas yet, since that was only her alias.

As for Miss Texas's real name, Bai Ye thought asking Mr Hypergryph, who was so good at making empty promises, would be a fine idea—provided he could still return.

"I really feel like I'm acting like a creep..."

Bai Ye forced himself not to look at the timer and focused his attention on Texas instead. If the girl suddenly woke up and found a stranger holding her tail in his hand, she would definitely blow up.

Second by second, time passed. Texas remained unconscious the entire time, allowing the vigilant Bai Ye to relax slightly. Still, concern rose in his heart. The girl had yet to wake up, so her condition was clearly not good.

Texas was an "acquaintance," and an exceptionally pretty girl besides. Naturally, Bai Ye did not want anything to happen to her. However, this situation also greatly helped his mission progress. As time passed, the countdown in the upper-left corner continued ticking down.

[00:59]

Less than a minute remained. A faint smile appeared on Bai Ye's face. This was in the bag. If the system could activate successfully, his chances of surviving in this world would increase, and he might even be able to find a way home through it.

However, when thirty seconds remained on the countdown, Bai Ye watched helplessly as Texas opened her eyes.

Ding ding dong!

Bai Ye did not pull his hand back immediately. He had once picked up a few tricks from the stream of a certain top-tier chef. Although he had not learned much about cooking, he had eaten several extra bowls of rice because of it—and learned some philosophies of life as well.

"Stall. Just keep stalling!"

Texas did not seem to notice that her tail was in Bai Ye's hand. Instead, she first checked her injuries, then turned her gaze to Bai Ye's face.

"You are..."

Compared with her character voice lines in a certain Arknights mobile game, the girl's voice now sounded somewhat younger. Yet its concise tone was the same, much like her fighting style.

"My name is Bai Ye."

Bai Ye slowly stated his name, and then he had nothing more to say, because there really was nothing else he could say.

Fortunately, Texas was not overly curious. She glanced at Bai Ye's bare arms and the strips of cloth bandaging her thigh, blinked, then softly said:

"Thank you."

Then she glanced at Bai Ye's left hand resting on her tail and asked curiously:

"Is there something strange about my tail?"