Doctor Cat

“Oh… that’s truly interesting…”

A short Cat-girl with long green hair, clad in an oversized white lab coat, sat on the edge of the rooftop, swinging her slender, bare feet.

“I never imagined the contract could yield such an effect. However, this does align with previous records of its impact on anomalies.”

Though she was clearly alone, she spoke incessantly, as if conversing with an unseen companion.

As she spoke, a commotion erupted from the door leading to the rooftop.

“It seems I’ve been found?”

The Cat-transformed Dr. Cat calmly rose, brushed the dust from her coat, and approached the stairwell as if greeting esteemed guests.

She offered a polite bow to the group who had just pushed open the door and stepped onto the terrace.

“Good morning, everyone.”

Despite having already guessed, the sight of the green-haired, cat-eared girl with faintly glowing golden eyes still startled the approaching team.

“You’re Dr. Cat?”

Though they had anticipated it, her tone and demeanor were undeniably different.

One of the researchers, who interacted with Dr. Cat daily, immediately sensed something amiss.

“Yes, and no,” Dr. Cat replied listlessly, her voice devoid of energy.

Suddenly, as if hearing something, Dr. Cat tilted her head, closed her eyes to listen intently, and then began nodding off as if falling asleep.

Just as her head seemed poised to hit the ground, her eyes snapped open.

With an impressive front flip, she landed steadily on her feet, dissipating her momentum.

Truly, she was a Cat-girl now.

Following this bewildering pantomime, the Dr. Cat before them appeared to have undergone a complete personality shift.

She seemed far more energetic, almost mirroring Dr. Cat’s previous over-the-top enthusiasm.

“Oh… hello everyone, haha… sorry for the trouble, meow!”

“The cat finally couldn’t resist trying out the contract with Bai. I must say, the effect is quite remarkable.”

Dr. Cat chuckled awkwardly, scratching at her new feline ears.

“You’re…?” The bewildered newcomers pressed for an explanation.

“Oh, this?”

“Well, didn’t Xuan Bai once possess the ability to alter the characteristics of anomalies?”

“And then there was Yun Juan, the team member surnamed Yun… oh, and the one with leaves growing from her head.”

“Bai’s contract can even modify the erosion caused by anomalies.”

By this point, those privy to the internal affairs understood the situation.

“So, what is your current state?”

“Personality split.”

“You could understand it that way, but it’s quite different from a typical dissociative identity disorder.”

“For instance, right now, meow, my other self is complaining about how long-winded you are, haha.”

In any case, the person… or rather, the Cat-girl, had been found.

Dr. Cat was brought downstairs to The Director, who was waiting below.

“Rather than a personality split, ‘soul fission’ would be a more accurate term. The cat can now converse internally, meow~” Dr. Cat declared excitedly, holding up a finger as she gazed up at The Director.

The Director sighed deeply, observing Dr. Cat’s familiar, erratic behavior.

‘What else could be done?’ he thought.

What was changed was done.

Even if the Scripture of the Spirit Vine had been affected, at least the cat was still here, wasn’t she?

“Tell me more about this personality split.”

“Before the team went up, they saw someone who looked quite bored. Is that your newly formed personality?” The Director decided to address the more pressing matter.

“How much control does she have over your body? Will it affect your decisions, and to what extent?”

“If you ask me, she is actually the dominant one.”

“The cat can only obey her.”

“Her control over this body is far more absolute than mine, meow.” Dr. Cat answered truthfully.

‘A new personality holding dominance? This could be problematic.’

Unaware of anything about this new personality or how to handle her, the future policy regarding Dr. Cat became uncertain.

As The Director pondered, a troubled expression on his face, Dr. Cat bounced forward, waving a hand in front of him.

“Boss, have you perhaps misunderstood something, meow?”

“Misunderstood what?”

“The cat isn’t Dr. Cat!”

“The dominant one you mentioned, the one who looked bored, that’s Dr. Cat, meow.”

The Director’s eyebrow twitched. “What?!”

“Hey, don’t get excited, don’t get excited, listen to the cat explain, meow.”

“Didn’t we have the precedents of Yun Juan and the other… the two Cat-girls with leaves on their heads?”

“From the cat’s observations, when Bai signs a contract with a target already eroded by an anomaly, the contract transforms the person into a Cat-person. However, it completely blocks the effects of the anomaly’s erosion, converting it into a specific trait.”

“So, do you remember the side effects of the Scripture of the Spirit Vine?”

“That’s right, meow, I am actually the separated, affected trait.”

“And the one you said looked bored, that’s the real Dr. Cat, her true self before being affected by the Scripture of the Spirit Vine.”

This reminder brought a realization to The Director.

When Dr. Cat first arrived over a decade ago, she had indeed worn a perpetually deadpan expression, lacking motivation and showing sparse emotion, appearing utterly uncommunicative.

It was precisely this, combined with her exceptional academic abilities, that led her to be chosen as the holder of the Scripture of the Spirit Vine.

Logically, the side effect was merely a reduction in self-control.

Yet, not long after, Dr. Cat transformed into the cheerful, eccentric individual she was now.

So much so that The Director had almost forgotten what Dr. Cat was originally like.

Perhaps, this was her hidden passion.

“No more chatter, let’s go! We can still handle research tasks without any problem, meow!” The green-haired Dr. Cat eagerly rushed towards the door.

Since the situation had already occurred, there was nothing for it.

The Director no longer stopped Dr. Cat, merely asking out of curiosity.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

“It’s almost breakfast time! The cat wants to properly savor the cat food this time,” Dr. Cat declared, running and skipping out of the room, her voice fading into the distance.

“And cat treats and cat sticks too~ Meow-oh~”

At the Cat-girl staff cafeteria, the new member, Dr. Cat, particularly captivated the attention of the other Cat-girls today.

With her green cat ears twitching, Dr. Cat’s golden pupils were unfocused, her mind wandering far away.

In reality, she was chatting internally.[Don’t you dare say it, changing taste buds really does make this delicious, meow.]

[Hmm, that’s why I firmly believe in materialism.][Materialism? Chew, chew… you see so many anomalies every day, and you still believe in materialism, meow?][Therefore, they are what we call anomalies.][Then what do you think of us two, meow? Especially you… chew, chew… you were first affected by the Scripture of the Spirit Vine, then influenced back by Xuan Bai, and then a cat split off, and your body changed.][Such is the impermanence of life. I am still myself.]

[But aren’t you a materialist, meow? Your body has changed!]

[…………][Speak up… chew, chew.]

[Internal dialogue. Is it necessary to include chewing sounds?][The cat likes it. Do you want to come out and try some?]

[Our senses are interconnected, no need.][Then tell me, is it delicious, meow?]

[…]

[Speak up! Why are you so taciturn, meow?]

[…Delicious…][Hehehe… you’re the main personality, you know? Could you… chew, chew… be a little more lively?]

[Please be quiet.]

[Sigh… the cat’s going to play with Bai after eating.]

At Bai’s home, Bai shivered suddenly.

Fearing criticism from Wei the Cat, she hadn’t gone to the cafeteria for dinner today.

‘It seems… it seems a very annoying cat is coming!’