Aftermath

Afterward…

Chloe shifted her legs beneath the covers, and a piercing cold pain, like a blade slicing through, suddenly struck her, causing her entire body to shudder. The movement also tugged at her injury.

“Ow! It hurts!”

Chloe winced in pain, mentally carving up the girl sleeping peacefully beside her into a thousand pieces. This time, Tia hadn’t used her dreadful tentacles, but Chloe hadn’t anticipated that she wouldn’t have trimmed her nails. Those long, sharp nails were as effective as blades on delicate areas. The problem was compounded by the fact that Tia’s fingers were long and Chloe’s body was small. In this state, comfort was out of the question.

Things didn’t end there. Since tentacles weren’t used, Chloe’s pain was for naught, with no energy replenishment, and the black energy was temporarily suppressed by the potion, unable to repair her injuries. On the bedside table lay a pile of bloodstained tissues, serving as evidence of the battle.

Chloe gritted her teeth and sat up, her buttocks hitting something hard. When she lifted the covers and looked down, waves of unpleasant memories flooded her mind. The white fox tail was still rooted beneath her, the only consolation being that her body heat had warmed it, making it feel as if it had grown back.

This item was like a shackle during the battle, and Tia’s secret weapon. With a simple pull or tug, the “fox witch” would be left helpless, her face flushed and limp. It was terrifying! When did Tia buy such an evil thing? Did she have more of these items hidden away? Chloe’s vision of a bleak future grew darker.

Though accustomed to it, constantly wearing this tail wasn’t an option. She blushed and took a few tissues from the bedside table, layering them beneath her. With a deep breath, she gripped the middle of the tail and pulled hard.

“Mmm~”

She couldn’t suppress a soft moan. Beside her, Tia, who was sleeping with her back to Chloe, furrowed her brow, her mouth moving as if savoring something exquisite. Fortunately, Chloe’s body had started to mutate after she couldn’t eat normal food, with virtually no impurities or waste inside. The bedsheets remained unsullied.

Chloe’s hand wandered to the tail’s head, which still held residual warmth. Thinking of the body heat it once held, she felt a strange tingling sensation. And had Tia used this thing herself? The thought crossed Chloe’s mind, causing a shiver.

Pfui! It should be thrown away! No, it was Tia’s personal property. If she threw it away, Tia would use it as an excuse to do all sorts of things.

Carefully, she folded the tail and placed it on the bedside table. The room wasn’t warm, and Chloe’s sensitive body, uncovered by clothing, felt a chill. She quickly burrowed back into the warm covers, pulling them over her nose. Beside her, Tia was a huge source of heat. Chloe wriggled like a worm, trying to get closer to this “fireplace.”

Wouldn’t it be even better to be held in her arms?

Chloe rubbed her hands beneath the covers, and once her body warmed up, she felt bored. She took out her phone and started scrolling randomly. Cocooned in the dim covers, the phone screen cast a bright glow. It was still within the “wisdom hour,” and Chloe’s mind was racing. She opened a search engine and typed in all sorts of questions, like, “Would eating ten pounds of digestive enzymes kill you?” “Who first discovered that milk was drinkable?” and “Would a girl with a fear of blood faint during her period?”

Chloe enjoyed the feeling of satisfying her curiosity without really learning anything.

Suddenly, a more useful question crossed her mind. Based on her current knowledge, witches and monsters were humans who had transformed, so could there be someone in a state of partial transformation, afraid to seek medical help online?

She typed into the search bar: “What should I do if I turn into a monster?”

The results were filled with attention-grabbing posts from various forums. Bored, she scrolled through, and just as she was about to give up, a recent post caught her attention.

“Help! I think I’ve turned into a magical girl anime monster! Online, urgent!”

As expected, the replies were mostly asking if she was a cat girl.

[I’m a guy, do you have tentacles?]

[I’m a guy, did you change gender?]

Chloe couldn’t even smile. She looked up at Tia, feeling a mix of emotions. It seemed few believed the poster, so the OP added a selfie. In the photo, one of the person’s hands had transformed into a bear paw, covered in dense, brown fur, starkly contrasting with the pale, slender arm.

Most netizens dismissed it as photoshopped.

[Maya, it’s the beast circle, bye!]

But Chloe’s expression grew serious. If this wasn’t photoshopped, it truly was a human transforming into a monster. She continued scrolling, and the replies dwindled, but the original poster had shared a lengthy complaint, pouring out negative emotions about her painful life. The truth seemed clear. This unfortunate poster had probably suffered a heavy blow, with overwhelming negative emotions leading to the growth of black energy and transformation into a monster. This post might be her final cry for help.

Driven by curiosity, Chloe kept scrolling, and amidst the OP’s lengthy text, she noticed a surprising comment.

[Add me, I can help you.]

It sounded like a cyber scammer. But to her surprise, at the end of the thread, the OP had posted a photo of her healed hand, no longer a bear paw, but a smooth, delicate hand. The accompanying text thanked the kind stranger who had offered help and recommended that anyone with similar issues seek her out.

It seemed like she had found something incredible…