Before Le Nai could react, a snow-white figure darted out from under the sofa, rubbing against her trouser leg and circling around, its paws still wet with water droplets.

"Ah, Nai! Don't run so fast, let me help you dry off!" Hatsune Miku chased after them, holding a towel. Her eyes lit up when she saw Renai, "Renna-chan is here too!"

Le Nai crouched down and looked at the white cat rubbing against her—its heterochromatic pupils were exactly the same as hers, its fur was fluffy and soft, no longer the dirty little mud ball it used to be, and the injury on its right front paw had completely healed. "Is its name Xiao Nai?"

"It was Yu-kun who named this child, saying that he looks a lot like you." Hatsune smiled and handed over the towel.

As soon as Lenai's fingertips touched Xiaonai's head, the white cat affectionately rubbed its face against her palm, making a satisfied "meow," a stark contrast to its wariness towards others.

Yao Lenai was stunned for a moment, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile—this little cat that she had "entrusted" actually remembered her.

The dinner table was piled high, the aroma of roasted meat mingling with the sweet scent of desserts. Lena stared at the fried chicken nuggets on the plate, secretly reaching out her hand, only to have it slapped away by Lixi as soon as she touched one.

But Lenai grabbed a piece of corn right away, leaving Lixi helpless to watch.

Banami walked in carrying a glass of juice, cleared her throat, and adopted a serious demeanor: "Welcome everyone to the Toyokawa family gathering. Anyone want to guess today's theme?"

As a result, no one cooperated; they just rolled their eyes.

Bana didn't seem embarrassed at all and said with a smile, "Why don't you give it a try, Rakuna-kun?"

Lena blinked, still chewing on corn, and shook her head vaguely—she wasn't interested in this "riddle," she just wanted to eat chicken as soon as possible.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, Banai stopped being a riddle player, unfurled the banner next to her, revealed the first half of the text, and shouted: "Welcome, Banai, to the Toyokawa family!"

After saying that, he picked up Xiao Nai, and the white cat obediently licked its paws in his arms. Everyone immediately clapped and cheered in response.

Chu Hua leaned closer to Hatsune and teased, "Sis, did we celebrate like this when you moved in?"

Hatsune Miku, who was clapping, stiffened upon hearing this.

Lenai's gaze swept over the corner of the living room—where there was a custom-made cat bed and a handmade cat tree covered with cat toys. Clearly, these were traces of Lenai's life here.

I thought to myself, this child has finally found his place.

A strange sense of envy and emptiness welled up inside me, just like when I discovered the white cat on that rainy day.

But at that moment, Banami suddenly unfurled the banner completely, revealing the second half of the text: "Celebrating the High School Enrollment of Yuka Rakuna!"

The applause was even louder than before, but Yao Lenai stood frozen in place, forgetting to chew the corn in her mouth.

"Eh..."

Lixi, Aisu, and Xiaodeng stood up and looked at the girl with some meaningful expressions.

Actually, Lena is the main character at tonight's party, so it would be funny if she ran away.

However, everyone, including Lixi, kept it a secret and gave Yao Lena a surprise.

Lixi tossed her a neatly wrapped box: "Even though you don't remember my name, I haven't forgotten your school year souvenir."

When Lena opened it, she found it was a brand new guitar pick.

Aine and the others also gave their gifts.

She was holding a mountain of boxes, and her different colored pupils looked somewhat ethereal at that moment.

Finally, Banami came over and handed over a neatly folded scarf—the very one that had wrapped Xiaonai up back then. It was now washed clean and had a faint lavender scent.

"This is important to you, isn't it?" Banai said with a smile. "Don't give it away so easily anymore."

Lenai took the scarf and said, "My mother knitted this for me."

However, what she didn't say was that her mother had passed away, so this was considered a memento left to her by her mother.

Seeing everyone's smiles, Kaoru's heart pounded; she had never felt this way before.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nai jumped around, reaching out her paws to grab the scarf, but couldn't reach it and could only meow. But no one paid any attention to her—everyone's eyes were on Yao Le Nai.

It was as if the situation was the exact opposite of what had just happened.

I hope Lena has a very happy evening.

The basement of the Toyokawa family's house was converted into a temporary practice room. Warm yellow string lights wrapped around the speakers, casting a soft glow on everyone's faces.

Even though there were only a few people in the audience, Kaoru Nai, who was holding an electric guitar, kept playing the pick that Li hope had given her in a reckless manner.

One song after another, as if trying to burn their souls out in this warm nest.

The emotions welling up inside surged along with the smiles and applause of the crowd.

The empty space in my heart seemed to be completely filled by this lively and comforting atmosphere, warm and cozy, even my breathing became more stable—this must be what Grandma meant by "home".

Yoro Nai naturally revealed the same smile she wore on stage.

However, even the longest banquet must eventually come to an end.

The rain has stopped, and the moon hangs in the sky.

As Le Nai was still savoring the performance while holding her guitar, Li hope came over, wrapped the lavender-scented scarf around her neck, and tied it in a pretty knot: "Don't catch a cold, play again next time."

"Are you all... leaving?" Kaoru asked, watching everyone walk towards the door, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.

She never cared about the end of the event before, but today was different; she was a little reluctant to leave behind the lively atmosphere.

Banami, the Triangle Sisters, Toyokawa Shoko, and Wakaba Mutsu waved goodbye to everyone at the door.

If there are no expectations, there will be no disappointment. It is precisely because she felt the sense of belonging that her grandmother spoke of tonight that a deep sense of loss lingers in Yoro's heart.

However, Kaoru didn't realize that Nai was next to her, her feet planted on the ground, seemingly trying to touch the scarf that had wrapped around her, until she was called out by Banami.

At this moment, Xiao Nai reluctantly returned to Hanami's side, where Hanami hugged her and said goodbye to Yao Lana.

Xiao Nai finally understood that the scarf was a gift that only two-legged creatures could receive from their owners.

Yoro and the white cat Xiao Nai's eyes met at that moment.

Furthermore, they could see envy in each other's eyes.

Seeing Li hope and Yao Le Nai leave, Bana was slightly taken aback.

Xiangzi couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Banami showed it to the girl next to her.

[System notification: Field research system activated]

[Theme of the Field Trip: Wanting to Become Human]

Chapter Seven: The Evil Cat

The spring rain falls incessantly, like smoke and mist, seemingly without end.

However, Lena doesn't dislike this kind of rain, especially when she's snuggled up in her warm bed.

I don't quite remember when she fell asleep, it seems like it was after she returned to the dorm from the party... After that, Kaoru couldn't quite remember.

In the short time it took to think, she slowly opened her eyes and became somewhat more awake.

The room, which should have been pitch black, looked different from usual.

She couldn't help but stretch out her hands, only to find that they were actually a pair of furry paws.

Yoro was slightly taken aback. Clearly, it was a cat's paw, something the girl was very familiar with.

Matcha candy... no, I should say... the one who plays the drums, even though she always calls her Wildcat (in the end, she still didn't remember Lixi's name).

But she knew she wasn't a cat; otherwise, the dorm supervisor wouldn't have let her into the dorm.

This part is about proof by contradiction.

But now... is she having a nightmare?

Lena was a little unsure, and her mind was a bit hazy. She stood up from the "bed" and realized that she had not been lying on the familiar bed, but on a warm cat bed.

Moreover, the cat's nest looked so familiar; she felt like she had seen it somewhere before.

Her eyes darted around, and she noticed that her line of sight had become much lower. She jumped down from the cat's bed, intending to land on her feet, but instead fell flat on her face.

Huh, why... can't I stand up?

Lenai was slightly puzzled, but looking at her furry paws and tender white paw pads, she quickly tried to put her "hands" on the ground. Although she was a little unsteady at first, she quickly got used to it, after all, she often played with stray cats.

She knew exactly how cats walked and learned very quickly. Soon after, the new driver was installed.

Drip...drip...drip... Apart from the slight sound of water, Yoro couldn't hear any other sound in this dark and huge room, but she always had a sense of familiarity.

Until... she saw her reflection in a full-length mirror.

“Xiao Nai?” She remembered the interesting name the boy had given the white cat.

As for Lena, after tilting her head slightly for a moment, she was not alarmed by the fact that she had turned into a cat. Instead, she said as if she had just realized something, "I guess I was dreaming."

Next, Yoro Nai realized where she was (in her dream). No wonder she had a sense of familiarity. This was the home of the interesting boy. She had wanted to lie down in that cat bed during the party.

Now that she realized she was in a dream, Ronna didn't hold back.

"Hey everyone, where are you? Come out and have some fun!"

The girl still seemed to have a lingering fondness for the lively party.

But when she called out, no one responded.

"Could they all be asleep?"

Lena tilted her head slightly, and soon she remembered which room the interesting boy was sleeping in. She had seen him go upstairs during the party.

So, the girl, who had already become a cat in her dream, tried to slowly climb the stairs, thinking that cats are usually so inconvenient, and it takes them so much effort to climb stairs.

However, during the climb, Yoro Nai gradually adapted to the functions of a cat and began to hop and jump upwards.

To a third party, this scene would probably seem very eerie: inside the quiet old mansion, a cat with a strange look in its eyes is hopping around, its body arched, looking extremely terrifying.

Regardless, when Lenai climbed to the second floor, she even felt a little tired, but she felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Soon, she arrived at Hanami's house, pounded on the door with her paws, and shouted, "Interesting boy, open the door, I've turned into a cat."

However, no one paid any attention to her knocking on the door.

Yoro tried to cross her arms in front of her chest, but found that the cat's paws couldn't bend like that, so she gave up and said, "Am I the only one in this dream? This is not interesting at all."

After saying that, Lena pounded on the door again and called out, "Interesting boy, are you there?"

After filming for an unknown period of time, perhaps it was a case of perseverance paying off, because through the crack in the door, Yoro Nai saw a bright yellow light coming on inside the room, followed by slightly heavy footsteps.

With a click, it wasn't the interesting boy who came out, but the girl who had helped her wipe her cheek last time.

“Where is that interesting boy? Tell him I’ve turned into a cat,” Yoru said, lifting her head with some difficulty.

"Hey, Xiao Nai, why aren't you asleep? Are you feeling unwell?" Xiangzi asked with slight confusion. She naturally couldn't understand cat meows, but she saw that Xiao Nai, who was usually well-behaved (except for hissing at them), was meowing.

Yoro tilted her head slightly and called out, "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

After saying that, Lena rushed into the room by herself.

"Hey? Xiao Nai, wait a moment." Xiangzi called out in a panic, but it was too late to stop the white cat.

As soon as Yoru Nai rushed in, she saw her target. Banami seemed to have just woken up and was still a little sleepy. With a strong kick, Yoru Nai jumped into his arms.

The girl thought to herself, "This body is actually quite useful sometimes."

"Hey, funny boy, I've turned into a cat."

"Doesn't this look interesting?"

"It's a pity that these claws don't look like they can play the guitar."

After saying that, Yoro, who was so excited to meet an acquaintance, even wrapped her arms around Banami's neck. Fortunately, her claws had been clipped beforehand.

Xiangzi walked back and said with some confusion, "What's wrong with Xiao Nai? Why is she so excited tonight? She keeps meowing. Did something happen?"

Banami rubbed her eyes, grabbed Rakuna from behind, and said, "She's probably going to turn into a catgirl."

Xiangzi rolled his eyes at him: "Still talking nonsense."

"Hey, interesting boy, can't you understand what I'm saying?"

"This dream is very interesting."

Hearing the white cat meowing, Xiangzi asked in confusion, "Can you understand what it's saying?"

Banai rolled her eyes, put Rakuna in her arms, and said, "I'm not a little lamp."

Xiangzi couldn't help but chuckle, then said, "Stop teasing Ling-chan, hurry up and deal with this kid, we won't be sleeping tonight."

Looking at the white cat in front of her, still meowing excitedly, and then at the spring rain outside, Banami seemed to realize something and said, "Oh, I get it, Banami is in heat."

"estrus?"

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