She wanted to ask, "What have I become?"
Only a soft, childlike meow, tinged with panic, escaped its throat.
Her vocal cords have changed. She can no longer speak human language.
This realization startled her for a moment; inside the tiny cat's body, she felt a mixture of novelty, astonishment, and a little flustered.
She nestled among the pile of her own warm fabric, rummaging around with her still somewhat unruly paws.
It finally managed to peek out from under the collar, shook off its fluffy fur, and looked up at its light blue cat eyes.
From the perspective of Varesa, Odette, and Columbina, they saw the pile of clothes move slightly.
The next moment, a milky white kitten poked its head out from inside.
It was so small you could hold it in your hand; its fur was as soft as freshly fallen snow, and the tips of its paws, ears, and tail were tinged with a faint blue.
A pair of light blue eyes, round and bright, looked up with a bewildered and surprised expression.
Its whiskers were still trembling slightly, its two pointed ears were standing upright, and its tail with a bluish tip was swaying helplessly behind it.
The living room was silent for a full three seconds.
"Oh my god..." Varesa was the first to lose her composure, her voice even softening.
She slowly reached out her hand, her movements extremely gentle, as if afraid of startling it. " Bai You? Is that you?"
The kitten looked up at her and opened its mouth.
Meow~
A soft, sweet, babyish cry rang out, with an unconscious slight lilt at the end.
It seemed to realize it couldn't speak, and panicked, awkwardly fidgeting with its four paws on the sofa, trying to stand up.
As a result, its legs buckled, and the cat lurched forward, almost falling over. Its little tail quickly curled up to help it balance.
Odette had a bellyful of questions, but now they were all stuck in her throat.
She stared blankly at the stumbling kitten that could barely walk, and her usually calm face gradually softened.
Finally, she turned her face away, coughed lightly, and reached out to steadily lift the kitten.
He stubbornly replied, "... It just happened, don't move yet, get used to it."
She held the kitten steady, its paws resting on the back of her hand.
The soft touch made Odette's fingertips pause almost imperceptibly, but she couldn't bear to pull them back.
Columbina's pale purple eyes shone with an astonishing light at that moment.
She didn't reach out immediately, but instead bent down slightly to look the little cat in the eye, her long, reddish-black hair falling down, almost brushing against it.
She watched it quietly and intently, looking at its milky white fur and its round eyes, and then smiled very softly.
"So tiny." she whispered, as if afraid that even a loud voice would frighten it. "... So cute."
The kitten, also known as Bai You, was being stared at by three pairs of eyes, and could only make "meow" sounds.
Its face—if a cat's face could turn red—was probably already completely red.
She was on the verge of tears inside her tiny body, but her unruly tail was gently touched by Varesa's hand.
It involuntarily tilted its head back, and a gurgling sound came from its throat.
Varesa's hand gently stroked down her head and back.
The kitten felt a shiver run through its body from being petted, its four paws went limp, and it couldn't hold on any longer, "Plop!" collapsing into a flat, pancake-like shape.
Her light blue eyes narrowed, and the tips of her ears snuggled comfortably back.
"It seems to be true." Varesa chuckled softly, her fingertips carefully touching the tip of her blue tail.
" Little Bai You has turned into a little kitten."
On the sofa, three people were surrounding a little creature that had just turned into a cat and was still stubbornly trying to maintain its last bit of dignity.
Bai You nestled in Varesa's warm palms, her four soft paws resting on the sofa, her whiskers trembling gently with her breath.
She thought angrily, "Once I turn back, I'll make them forget that babyish cry I just made!"
But the next second, Varesa's fingers landed perfectly on her chin.
The thought that had been swirling in her mind, along with the entire cat, instantly transformed into a series of meows.
Meow~ Meow meow~
So this is what it feels like to be a cat, she thought dazedly.
It seems... to be quite comfortable.
After lying there for a while, the awkward feeling of my limbs not obeying my commands gradually dissipated.
Bai You first tentatively moved its front paws, one after another, and then carefully propped up its hindquarters as well.
Four paws stepped onto the soft sofa surface, the paw pads sinking in and bouncing back up; that feeling of being grounded felt extremely unfamiliar.
She wagged her tail, finally finding some balance, and actually managed to stand up, albeit unsteadily.
"Hey, stop right there." Varesa peered over, her voice full of curiosity.
Bai You meowed smugly, wanting to hold her head high and walk a few steps to show them, but as soon as she took a step with one front paw, her hind paw stepped on her drooping tail.
The cat slipped and rolled half a circle with a "plop" before crashing into a soft cushion.
"Hahaha--" Varesa couldn't help but laugh out loud, and quickly reached out to pull her back.
"Slow down, slow down, no one's laughing at you."
"You look absolutely adorable as a kitten."
Holding her in the palm of his hand, Bai You shook her ears in embarrassment and indignation.
She realized that this tail was completely beyond her control, always wanting to move around on its own, and each of the four legs had its own ideas.
She decided not to leave immediately, but instead squatted down in Varesa's outstretched palm and examined her own paws.
Her pink paw pads, hiding tiny sharp points, were playfully opening and closing as she tried to contract and expand them.
Varesa gently lifted her up and pulled her back into her arms, finding a comfortable position for her to lie face down.
One hand loosely circled her back, while the other gently stroked it down.
This touch, and it's broken again.
Bai You felt a tingling sensation spread from where it was touched all the way to the tip of its tail, and its four paws involuntarily stomped on Varesa's body.
Varesa's heart melted at her trampling, and she spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
"Our Little Bai You, even as a cat, is still so clingy."
Bai You wanted to retort, but all that came out of her mouth was a long, soft sound.
"Meow--"
Bai You simply curled herself up into a small ball.
On the other side, Columbina had been watching for quite a while.
She was usually quiet, but now she was unusually restless, leaning forward slightly, her light purple eyes fixed on the ball of milky white fur.
He raised his fingertips slightly, then hesitated to drop them.
"May I... pet her?" she asked softly, addressing Varesa, her gaze never leaving the kitten.
"Touch it," Varesa smiled, carefully moving the Bai You closer to her.
Columbina then extended her hand.
She first tentatively touched Bai You's head with her finger, and only when she saw that Baiyou didn't flinch did she dare to gently stroke down her fur with her fingertip.
The downy fur was even softer than she had imagined, like touching a small, warm cloud.
Bai You raised her head and met a pair of light purple eyes that were very close to hers.
This was the first time she had been so close to Columbina during all the days she had spent with her.
Instead, she leaned forward and gently nuzzled Columbina's chest with her fluffy little head.
At that moment, Columbina froze completely.
Soft ripples spread across those pale purple eyes that were otherwise calm.
She held her breath, letting the kitten nuzzle her head against her. After a long while, she spoke in an almost inaudible voice:
"... So cute!"
Columbina didn't speak, but her lips never stopped smiling as she stroked the creamy white fur.
Odette, on the other hand.
She leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed, and said, "It's just a cat, are you two making such a fuss?"
"Don't just focus on having fun, you've been taking pictures for ages already," but those light purple eyes...
But she kept glancing at the kitten, then quickly looking away, pretending to be looking at the light screen on the wall.
Bai You witnessed all of this.
She withdrew from Columbina's grasp, and with slightly unsteady steps, moved inching toward Odette along the sofa.
It took some effort to climb onto her legs; her claws clung to her clothes, and she arched and trudged until she finally reached Odette's slightly stiff leg.
It spun around twice, then "thud" and lay down, tilting its head back and meowing at her.
Meow~
That soft, sweet voice seemed to Odette as saying, "Touch me."
Odette froze, looking down at the warm little thing on her lap, nuzzling against her.
His facial expression was priceless; he held it in for ages, but ultimately didn't say, "I won't touch it."
She remained silent for a few seconds, then reluctantly raised her hand and stiffly placed it on Bai You's back, one stroke at a time.
"... Her hair is quite soft." She turned her face away, squeezing out the words through gritted teeth, her ears secretly turning red.
Bai You comfortably squinted her eyes.
After touching her for a while, Odette's touch became lighter and softer with each stroke.
The other two could only stare blankly.
Later, the three of them stopped caring about who went first and simply surrounded Bai You in the middle.
Varesa sat to her left, specifically tasked with scratching her chin and belly.
Columbina was on her right, gently stroking her back, while Odette sat directly opposite, massaging her ears with her thumbs.
With three hands attending to her at the same time, Bai You was surrounded by a warm and cozy center, feeling so comfortable that her soul almost floated away, and she felt perfectly comfortable all over her body.
The meowing in its throat never stopped from the beginning.
"Her voice is so beautiful." Columbina found it intriguing and gently touched Bai You's vibrating throat with her fingertip.
"Cats only do that when they're comfortable," Odette explained earnestly, pausing before adding another sentence.
"That means we did a pretty good job."
"What do you mean 'not bad'? It's obviously very good." Varesa laughed, her fingertips suddenly stopping on one of Bai You's front paws.
"Hey, look at her hands!"
She gently lifted the small, milky-white paw with her fingers.
The pinkish-white paw pads were revealed, round and soft, and the touch of sky-blue fur on the tips of the paws made them look especially beautiful.
Varesa pressed one of the pads of flesh very lightly with her thumb.
"Meow!" Bai You pulled her paw back, the ticklish sensation making her whole cat shudder.
The paw pads are another sensitive area on a cat's body that should not be touched.
She tried to pull her claws back, but Varesa gently supported them, not using any force, but simply rubbing the soft flesh with her fingers.
The tickling made her claws open and close, the tiny sharp claws hidden inside timidly peeking out a little before quickly retracting.
"It even retracts its claws." Varesa's heart softened. "It knows not to scratch, so good."
"Let me see, let me see." Odette also came over and carefully pinched the paw pad of her other paw.
"These little paw pads... are quite bouncy."
Bai You was held by two people, each grabbing one of her paws, unable to move. She meowed in shame and indignation, but her meows sounded strangely sweet and innocent.
It had absolutely no deterrent effect; instead, it made all three of them laugh.
Columbina didn't pinch her paws, but just looked at her anxious and shy little face, her light purple eyes curving into two crescent moons.
He reached out and gently smoothed the ruffled fur on her back, as if to soothe her.
After playing around for a while, Varesa suddenly became interested. She put a finger in front of Bai You, gently waved the fingertip, and moved it from side to side in front of her eyes.
The cat's eyes, as expected, were uncontrollably glued to the swaying shadow.
Bai You stared intently at the finger waving back and forth, her pupils shrinking into two vertical lines.
Its whole body involuntarily lowered, its hind legs subtly tightened on the sofa, and the tip of its tail twitched.
My soul screams in my head: Don't pounce! That's a finger! It's childish! Don't pounce!
But a cat's body doesn't obey its soul at all.
The underlying code was activated instantly.
The finger was suddenly flung to the side, and Bai You darted out in a flash, grabbing the finger with both front paws.
With its hind legs pushing, it lowered its head and gently took a bite, not even bothering to extend its tiny claws, only grinding them with its teeth.
"Oh dear, I've caught you." Varesa deliberately shook her finger to test her strength.
"Little hunter, you're quite strong."
"Meow!" Bai You hugged her "prey," kicking her legs earnestly as she lay on her back.
It kicked twice before realizing what it was doing. The cat froze, released its grip, buried its face in the sofa cushion, and pretended to be dead.
The three of them laughed again.
Odette laughed so hard her shoulders shook; she couldn't help but laugh.
"Is she still internally struggling with herself? Look at her, so utterly hopeless."
"I guess so." Varesa was overjoyed. "Her mind is clear, but her body is like a cat's; it's tough on her."
Bai You buried her face even deeper, deciding to ignore everyone who came today.
But this stubbornness didn't last ten seconds— Columbina's fingers gently scratched her earlobe, and that familiar tingling sensation came over her.
She immediately and shamelessly rolled over again, and the meows in her throat honestly rang out.
She decided to give up all pride and dignity.
She was held, stroked, and scratched by three people in turn.
Bai You felt comfortable all over, and drowsiness gradually crept in.
"Are you falling asleep?" Varesa whispered.
"It seems so." Odette also lowered her voice, Fang.
"After all this trouble, you must be tired."
Just as that bit of drowsiness began to creep in, Bai You herself became unhappy.
It's a rare treat to transform into a cat, and it's only for a short time anyway, how could I just fall asleep like that?
She shook her head in the blanket, twitched her ears, and shook off the drowsiness. Then she rolled over and poked her head out from the little ball of fur.
Its light blue eyes opened wide again, and it even raised its front paws to rub its face.
"Huh? You're not asleep?" Varesa noticed first, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were about to fall asleep."
Bai You meowed at her in a childish voice, but her tone was quite firm, as if to say: Who wants to sleep?
She crouched down in the center of the sofa, supporting herself on all four paws. Then, raising one hind paw, tilting her head, she began to lick it with her tongue.
The action was entirely done by her body on its own; by the time Bai You realized it, she had already skillfully finished licking her paws.
Then, it took the saliva-soaked paw pad and rubbed it on its face, one side and one side, carefully "washing" its face.
The three people fell silent simultaneously, all six eyes fixed on her.
"She's washing her face," Columbina said softly, her voice full of curiosity.
"Cats are all like that; they groom themselves by licking their fur after eating and after waking up."
Odette lowered her voice, as if afraid of disturbing her, but she didn't stop explaining.
"Look at her paw, circling her ear; she's washing behind her ear..."
While Bai You was uncontrollably and meticulously licking herself clean, she was inwardly blushing.
She didn't want to lick her paws in front of three people, but the cat's body seemed to have its own program, and she couldn't stop it at all.
She only put her paws down after she had finally "washed" her entire face and smoothed her fur.
Pretend nothing happened and sit up straight.
"She licked it pretty clean." Varesa suppressed a laugh, reached out and ruffled the head that she had just licked neatly, instantly messing it up again.
Bai You angrily nudged her hand with her head, nudged it twice, and then simply climbed up that arm.