It’s normal for a catgirl to eat cat food, right?

The outing finally concluded with a greedy cat and a clueless old man returning to the Countermeasure Bureau.

They were laden with a huge pile of cat food, treats, and canned goods.

Cat toys, however, were not purchased.

Bai found those toys to be rather idiotic.

After all, she was a smart cat.

This outing was exceptionally smooth.

Bai, who they considered an anomaly, was unbelievably obedient.

However, The Doctor still decided to let Bai continue living in the isolation cabin.

Since it was already known that Bai could enter and exit freely, the primary purpose of keeping her in the containment room was no longer to restrict her movements.

Instead, it was to deter overly excited or extreme-minded individuals.

Without proper authorization, entering and exiting the containment room required strict approval.

Some researchers, in particular, seemed to have been emboldened by Bai’s kindness, fostering ideas they wouldn’t normally dare to entertain.

They had accumulated a pile of questions, hoping to bother The Cat.

There were even a few strange individuals with unclear motives who tried to secretly approach Bai to sign a contract.

Who would be so eager to transform into a catgirl?

As for those questions, The Doctor and the higher-ups were equally eager to ask them.

Where did the anomalies come from? Where did Bai come from? And, most importantly, how could the emergence of anomalies be eradicated?

However, these questions involved too much.

It was better if Bai didn’t answer.

If Bai truly could answer them…

To put it bluntly, they didn’t dare to ask too many questions just yet.

The Captain, meanwhile, had gone to report on the mutated derivative ribbon that read, “I am a kitty.”

Inside the containment room, designed to simulate a residential environment, Bai lay contentedly atop her newly acquired mountain of delicious treats.

Beside her, Gao Xin, a fluffy mass of worry, crouched with a distressed expression.

She paid no mind to her hair, which trailed on the floor.

“The Cat, why have I become like this?”

Her cat ears lay flat against her head, and the bitter-faced catgirl seemed to be asking a question, yet also muttering to herself.

Becoming this way presented immediate problems for her work.

She couldn’t go out on field missions anymore.

Being seen in this state would cause trouble, and besides, the researchers wouldn’t let her leave — unless they found another unlucky soul to sign a contract with Bai.

Then there were her family members.

Even though her job was specialized, allowing her only one holiday home every six months and no contact in between, her family had a right to know.

Her next holiday was approaching quickly.

What would her parents do when they saw her like this?

Bai glanced at the troubled Gao Xin, then at her status panel.

[Gao Xin… Mental Power 20/4/40]

This was inevitable.

The 198,132 mental power and 83 Mental Flow that The Cat had somehow accumulated were simply too much for ordinary people to withstand.

The backflow of energy made the influence unavoidable.

Besides, this appearance was rather charming, wasn’t it?

Bai found it pleasing, and even the researchers and The Captain seemed to like it.

They didn’t say it, but Bai could tell!

Oh, speaking of which, Bai hadn’t checked in a few days.

Her mental power had now reached 198,567/84/∞.

Where did it come from? She didn’t know; perhaps it was carried in by a strong gust of wind.

“Ang gu~” Bai conveyed a comforting sentiment to the despondent catgirl, Gao Xin.

This was the advantage of their contract — seamless communication.

Bai nudged some of the cat food and treats she was lying on towards Gao Xin.

The catgirl picked up some cat food from beneath The Cat’s paw, tore open the packaging, and offered it back.

Bai gently shook her head, flicked her tail back and forth, and tilted her head, gazing steadily at her.

“Eh? For me to eat? But… alright, alright, I’ll eat, woo.”

For some unknown reason, the catgirl, whose psychological age seemed to have regressed by five years, was fine in front of others, but she became remarkably meek in front of Bai.

It was as if… Bai was her boss.

The catgirl carefully picked up a brown pellet of cat food.

Reflexively, she brought it to her nose to sniff.

The smell seemed decent enough?

‘Why did I sniff it first?’ The catgirl bit her lip as the realization struck her. ‘Damn it, what haven’t I eaten during training? It’s just cat food! Eat!’

The crunch was satisfying, with a slight saltiness and a strong, savory meaty aroma.

There was also a faint, peculiar taste, somewhat reminiscent of curry.

It was a little strange, and she wasn’t sure if it was delicious, but the taste stimulated salivation intensely, and the more she chewed, the more she wanted to keep eating.

The catgirl’s vertical pupils dilated slightly.

Instinctively, she reached out and stuffed another handful into her mouth.

Just like that, by the time Bai’s meow brought her back to her senses, she had already eaten half of the 500-gram bag of cat food.

“Ah… unexpectedly delicious. It would make a great snack.”

Such was the allure of knowing a good taste.

Looking at Bai’s enormous stash of treats, she suddenly felt a pang of envy.

However, she wouldn’t dare snatch her boss’s food.

She could only scheme to have logistics help her order some online.

Seeing Gao Xin’s apparent enjoyment of the cat food, Bai smugly flicked the tip of her tail.

These were the best-smelling and most nutritious little biscuits she had sniffed out after ages of searching!

‘This one, the taste, is even better.’

Bai nudged the cat treat stick she had pushed out earlier with her paw, gesturing for Gao Xin to try it.

“Cat treat stick…? It looks like nutritional paste.”

She tore open the packaging, revealing yellowish-brown minced meat that emitted an enticing aroma.

Gao Xin quietly swallowed.

This… this was extraordinary.

Just the smell alone was so fragrant.

She gently squeezed out a tiny bit and licked it with the tip of her tongue.

As it melted in her mouth, an intense burst of umami, salt, and fragrance exploded on her taste buds.

The rich, meaty paste was soft and delicate; it was simply a delight.

“Oh… that’s too delicious, meow!” Uncontrollably, she used a subtle verbal tic.

The catgirl eagerly squeezed the rest of the treat stick into her mouth in one go.

Then, on a whim, she stuffed a handful of the leftover cat food into her mouth as well, happily chewing with her hands cupping her cheeks.

Soft and crunchy, savory and sweet, meow!

“Clang—shhh—”

A depressurizing sound echoed as the containment room door opened.

The first thing The Captain saw upon entering was Gao Xin kneeling on the floor, chewing a mouthful of something, with an opened bag of cat food piled beside her.

‘Wasn’t that the one I bought?’ The Captain eyed the familiar bag.

Seeing the other boss, the catgirl nearly choked in fright.

She vigorously thumped her already flat chest, struggling to swallow the food.

Feeling the remnants clinging to her human molars and the corners of her mouth, she instinctively licked them clean, then looked at The Captain with embarrassment.

‘A catgirl eating cat food, that’s perfectly normal… right?’

“…” Both of them were at a loss for words, hesitating for a long moment.

Finally, The Captain took a deep breath, his mouth twitching, and turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.

“Take Xuan Bai to the research center.”

“The research center?” The catgirl scratched her head.

She was familiar with that place; she went there for weekly check-ups.

But what was Bai going there for? Bai had already undergone all the necessary examinations.

Could it be that the higher-ups had finally…

“Something has happened. As the person with the closest contact to Xuan Bai, you are granted exceptional access to this information. Xuan Bai, she can alter the properties of other anomalies.”

As they walked towards the research center, The Captain explained, head lowered.

“You know the specific situation—it’s about the A3755 derivative that was mutated last time.”

At this, The Captain took a deep breath.

“It exceeded all our expectations. Derivatives capable of mutating other anomalies are already rare, but in this case, the main body of A3755 was also mutated, even without direct contact.”

Saying this, The Captain pulled out a photograph.

In the picture was a marker pen placed in a bulletproof glass box, with a light blue casing and a cute cat-head cap.

“This is A3755?” Gao Xin’s mouth fell open in surprise, revealing her sharp fangs.

A-class anomalies were among the safest and most harmless containment objects.

Its main body was familiar to many, including Gao Xin, as it was one of the most commonly used containment objects by Countermeasure Team members.

She knew that the previous A3755 hadn’t looked like this.

“Yes… The most incredible thing is that even its keyword changed. Now it’s the same as that mutated derivative: ‘I am a kitty.’ That’s right, that’s what it is.”

The Captain’s expression was solemn, pretending not to notice the catgirl who was flushed red from trying to suppress her laughter.

“The previous derivatives were completely normal, but the newly produced derivatives exhibited an astonishing characteristic.”

Here, The Captain paused, staring into Bai’s eyes.

“The side effect vanished.”

In truth, the side effect hadn’t vanished; it had merely changed.

The new side effect was a certain fondness for Bai.

However, any team member who tested the new equipment no longer had to constantly suppress the urge to shout, “I’m an idiot.”

Since they already felt a fondness for Bai, this subtle side effect was undetectable.

“In any case, after this incident,” The Captain resumed walking, “the higher-ups have decided it’s time to have a serious discussion.”

“You’ll be the translator.”