“That’s all.”

Noah looked into the plastic bag, shaking it and watching the phones bounce around the inside. He wouldn’t dare do this with a modern device, but these things were ancient—built (and looking) like bricks. They were in the Goldilocks Zone where a thing was outdated and not yet considered an antique, saving their budget. The disinterested clerk inside the corner store turned back to his screen after the transaction went through, only taking a glance back at the Neko who sat waiting for her master.

Tanji’s dilated eyes darted around the small electronics store. For once, she was fully dressed, wanting to cover as much of her skin as possible. Maybe it was some half-hearted attempt at making a disguise. Maybe she just wanted to hide her shame. At least her anxiety didn’t spill over. Noah was utterly oblivious to what happened the night before, currently buying her and his other ‘mimis phones as if all was well in the world.

“Tanji…”

The phone… Even if she had it down in the market, would she have called him? A day had passed, and yet her lips remained sealed—as did Mirei’s.

“Tanji?”

Telling her master about the incident would be like telling him that she broke something. But instead of a cup or a bowl, she broke herself. And it was all her fault.

“Tanji!” She corrected her absent expression, noticing Noah tapping his shoulder. “Are you going to hop on?” Her jump was sloppy, lacking the usual feline grace with which the Neko moved. Either way, her master began moving, tapping the side of her head to prevent her from toppling over.

They weren’t in the prestigious distinct of Namiport, but there were worse parts of the city to wander into. This particular area seemed to be dominated by small businesses fighting for attention, all centered around a small fountain covered with peeling green paint. Its water danced in the air, the droplets illuminated by the harsh backdrop of light.

“Want to get some ice cream?” He offered, walking towards the station. “It’s on the way.”

“Not hungry.” With that sinking feeling in her stomach, how could she have been? If Noah didn’t have enough proof that something was wrong before, he certainly did now.

As they marched on, a single store stood out against the muted grays and half-empty displays, as if somebody had spilled paint onto the canvas that was this street. Its overhanging awning was painted with rich green and white stripes and its walls were made with emerald bricks, looking unfit for this era of glass and metal. Whichever corporation owed it did a good job of making the place appear cozy.

On the display, there were families of anthropomorphic animals with tiny, detailed homes and accessories, living their miniature lives of cozy cottages and parties and picnics. Clearly of superior quality, they carried an appropriate price tag. Leaning in closer, Noah stared into their beady eyes. “I think my sister had a few of those sets. They are part of a big collection, right?” Tanji’s neck began turning in his periphery, with the man following her gaze to the store. "Want to go inside?”

Clicking her tongue, the woman quickly turned away. “Nah. These kinds of things are more for Tami or Mirei.”

“Come on.” In life, Noah knew that you had to be gentle with some people. But Tanji? You needed to be a little rough with her. “Let’s check it out.”

“Not interested.” Her pupils jump back and forth like two black tennis balls. “It’s just overpriced girly shit.”

Oh, now she cares about how much things cost? “Fine. I guess I will just get something for Mirei, then. She didn’t get a new swimming suit, so that’s only fair.” His hand was already on the knob. Pushing it open, her initial objections were drowned out by the ting-ting of a bell.

“Wait!” She repeated, climbing down. “I’ll…I’ll pick something for her.” Now, the Neko actually had pockets to place her hands into to look innocent.

Noah grinned, sensing a crack. "Sure thing, Tanji.”

She made her way around the small store, climbing up to glance at a few displays. Her master mainly just stared at his phone and the owner appeared to be reading something. This gave her the freedom to grin like an idiot at the little figurines. They were adorable! By all accounts, they shouldn’t have been something she was interested in. And yet, they beckoned for her—each family of critters demanding to be seen.

One particular box really caught her attention. It was a family of cats: a feline father in a tiny suit, a mother wearing a yellow dress decorated with bright red cherries, and their two kittens—one brother and one sister. The backdrop depicted a living room with a miniature fireplace, a tiny sofa, and a rug made of real fabric.

“I think-” Tanji began speaking, holding the box between her hands. “-Mirei would like this one.”

“Are you sure?” Even if he had some understanding of what she wanted, it was always fun to mess with people.

“Look at them.” She aggressively pointed at the box. “They are stupid and happy. Mirei likes stupid happy things. You know how easy that girl is to amuse.”

“Alright.”

“What?” Pressing the box close to her chest, Tanji looked up—squinting. “What’s up with that grin?”

“Nothing.” He snickered.

“Is there a joke you want to share?” The woman raised her clenched fist, quickly correcting her grasp on the box once she found it slipping.

“No.” Another snicker.

Tanji rolled her eyes, unamused by his amusement, and handed the box over. As she did, the sinking feeling in her heart disappeared, being replaced by something else—excitement. It felt like a warmth spreading through her entire body. And to think that its origin was this little set…

Ting-ting! They left.

“This is stupid. Right?” She looked down at the box, now walking by the side of her master.

“Sure, it’s stupid.” Nodding along, the man looked up at the gray sky above. “But sometimes, it’s the little stupid things that matter.”

“You think so?” Tanji’s ears cautiously curled up.

“Yeah. I mean, if we only did things because they were logical, we would all be eating nutritional paste. By eating proper meals, we are already indulging ourselves.” He never was much of a philosopher, but that came out surprisingly okay. Looking down at the Neko running by his side to gauge her reaction, he slowed his stride to match hers. “Might as well indulge a little more. Even if it’s stupid.”

“Okay.” Her grasp tightened, silently walking on. The little toy shop was left behind like some distant realm; they were back in Namiport.

After a few steps, he broke the comfortable silence. "Any idea where you want to go now? Ice cream, maybe?"

Tanji's eyes flickered with a momentary hesitation. "Okay…” She repeated.

Closing the door behind her, Tanji retreated into her room, jumping onto a bed covered with mismatched pillows. This place would have been a lot more messy if Tamiko wasn’t so particular about keeping it clean, leaving only a single pile of clothes standing which Tanji used to assemble her outfits. Under the bed, her little kingdom was tucked away by the side of the wall. Phosphorescent stickers of stars casted a gentle blue hue, illuminating the air. There were cups here filled with whatever trinkets she had collected: marbles, nice-looking rocks, coins, favorite socks, and who knows what else. The figurines were the newest addition.

She almost felt bad about taking them out of the box, lining up the family side by side. Rubbing her finger on the face of the mother, she sensed how the flocked plastic formed into the bristles of her brown fur. Their faces weren’t extremely expressive, but she seemed happy here—with her family.

How come she found herself envious of a 2-inch piece of plastic? Twisting her lips, Tanji placed the mother down, putting a hand on her chin. Why did people want to start families, anyway? She stared at the tiny cat, searching for answers in her black beady eyes. Being desired. Yes—that’s it! Noah can leave her if he wants. He has no obligations to stay. But a family? Well, they would always need to stay by her side, correct? Everyone wanted to be wanted. She was a ‘mimi, for heaven's sake! They were made to be wanted.

It was naive, but her understanding of the world was like shadows in Plato's Cave. And she loved looking at their contours.

Slapping her cheeks, she quickly brushed these slithering thoughts aside as if she were stomping out snakes. This was stupid. This was really stupid. Sure, she remembered what Noah said in Osaka, but that was surely just a part of the foreplay. “I love you.” She liked to push the boundary of what was acceptable for a Kemonomimis, and he liked doing the same but for humans. In a way, they were perfect for each other. But the idea of both species being equals wasn’t part of some exotic forbidden love story. It was just gross.

Exhaling, she found her breath warm. Her heart was also beating as if she had just run. Could it be… No. She was pent up—that’s it! Crawling from underneath the bed, the cat girl walked towards the door, diving into the pile of clothes. There was a simple solution for these feelings. She just needed the bastard to put her in her place.

The steam danced above the pale red water like an ethereal mist. The scent of oranges filled the air as Noah allowed his muscles to relax, lowering himself into the bathtub. Whatever fatigue remained from the cold seemed to fade away as the water rippled around his body with each subtle movement. Poking his head above the water, he briefly glanced at the half-full container of bathing salt standing next to a capsule. He grinned, knowing that he could use the former without having to subject himself to the latter.

Click. Somebody was pulling on the door.

“Occupied.”.

Click. The pulling continued.

“Occupied!”

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

“OCCUPIED!”

Finally, the door flew open, revealing a Tanji standing on the other side. Her pale skin glistened in the strong light, contrasting brilliantly against her jet-black micro bikini. The thin fabric was working overtime holding up her massive breasts.

“What are you doing here?” Noah pressed his legs together, observing her locking the door behind her and approaching the edge of the bathtub. “Can’t you wait?”

Turning away from him, the Neko settled her ass on the ceramic edge, swaying her tail a few inches above the orange surface. It was like the hand of a presenter showing off her assets, drawing Noah’s attention towards its volume. The man just shook his head, cracking a smile out of necessity since he had no other way to react. Tanji, however, was serious about this. She slowly turned her neck towards him until her right eye became visible—locking with his squinting pupils.

“Tanji…” He uttered, watching her traversing through the shallow waters without the usual scowl of disgust. 

“I am paying you back. Can’t you see?” Trying to be submissive, she couldn’t stop herself from looking at him as if he were somehow slow. “It’s what a kemonomimi does.” She opened her mouth to speak only to let out an exhausted growl. Trying to keep doing this cutesy voice was getting annoying. “Come on! Use my body!” Leaping up onto his chest, Noah felt air knocked out of his lungs, closing his eyes only to find two thin black slits staring back at him once he opened them. Just like the day they met, she was on top. Watching. Waiting for him to make a move.

Grabbing his hand, she guided it towards her chest as if not trusting the man to find them on his own, placing one of her cups in his grasp. He gave it a squeeze, moving it in large circles while watching Tanji squirm atop him. She forced herself to maintain eye contact despite wanting to look away. It was adorable to see her eyes lit up with lust each time he used his thumb to brush past her hardening nipples.

“Again…with…the foreplay.” Tanji squeezed out. “You are seriously a ba-” She wanted to tease him some more, but was gagged once her master forced his tongue into her mouth. He had no issue wrapping a single palm around her head, watching her fidget once her sensitive ears were stimulated by the simple act of rubbing them between his fingers. The Neko was held like this until she began begging for oxygen. When finally released, the woman pulled back—a long strand of spit dripping down her pink tongue.

“I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that.” Noah gave her just a moment to recover, watching her helplessly gasp for air as their mixed spit landed in the bath below.

“Uh-huh.” She groaned through droopy eyelids, trying to regain some resemblance of grace.

“Tapping out already?” Pinching her ear, a jolt of electricity jumped through her body—snapping her to consciousness like a hotwired car.

“Shut…up…” Wiping her face, she climbed back onto his chest. Below her, the man’s erect shaft was poking from above the water—his weak point. “Come on! Be a man!” Reaching down, she squeezed his tip, watching as the man exhaled through his teeth in response. Next time, she was going to reach for his balls. “I want you to get serious about this!”

“Making demands now, are we?” Reaching below the water, he rubbed his thumb around the sphincter of her anus. The entrance of smooth muscles closed even tighter in response, stopping all his attempts at pushing it in. “You were showing off that ass of yours before. Now, tell me, what exactly did you think that was going to achieve?” Putting in more force on her balloon knot, he watched as Tanji wrapped her arms around his neck to stop herself from drowning. “Want me to put it in?” It sounded like a bad joke. “You’re already tiny. Plus, you need to be relaxed for stuff like this.” Using his other hand, the man grabbed her face, watching her nibble on his finger to relieve the tension.

“Do it.”

“It may hurt.”

She swallowed. “Just do it.”

Pressing her against the side of the bath, the Neko’s entire body tensed up—her asshole pulsating rhythmically as he rubbed his shaft against her cheeks. Once fully erect, he placed his hands on the folds of her belly, preparing to try forcing his way inside. At first, his tip simply pressed against the forbidden entrance, struggling to make it far. Then, in one decisive thrust, he made his move.

Just like her breasts, Tanji’s ass was large—even for a human. On her 2-foot-tall frame, it looked massive. Proportions were everything, after all. He was inside of her before, but now he had a chance to go deeper. The way in which she pressed and squeezed his dick to get it out just felt more desperate, as if her body wanted to stop while her mind begged him to keep going.

“Are you going to start moving?” She squeezed through her teeth, facing away from her master and holding onto the slippery edge of the bathtub for dear life. This feeling was weird, like tasting spicy food for the first time, feeling the burning pain, and being unable to decide if you liked it. “Or are we going to just sit here?”

“I was giving you a grace period.”

“Grace period?” The sheer confusion allowed her to think clearly again. It also helped her to loosen up a little. “Grace period for wha-”

There was a sound of sloshing water as the assault began, moving the tiny woman back and forth. He probably shouldn’t have expected much from her, but some initiative would be appreciated. She could have at least tried thrusting her hips. Instead, Tanji became the equivalent of an onahole—her mind melting in the heat as the brown tail brushed past his balls. They probably even sold toys some her size. A few of the shampoo and conditioner bottles began falling into the water as she tried to secure her grip, but getting any friction was impossible.

“So? Are you having fun?” He cracked a smile at watching her struggle like a slippery gecko, continuing to relentlessly pound her ass like artillery.

Giving a final thrust, the woman’s ass was filled with the sticky seed. She gave an uncharacteristically girlish cry, later letting out another muffled yell of pleasure with her head below the water as air bubbles raced to the surface. Now, her face was down while the ass was still up—gentle pulsations of the sphincter pushing out small globs of cum.

One thing was for certain. At that moment, Tanji decided that she liked it.

Emerging from below the water like a clumsy dolphin, she grabbed onto the edge of the bath, trying to steady her shaky hands. With nothing else to grasp, her hand eventually landed on the capsule. Time seemed to turn to the consistency of thwarting ice as it rolled into the water. Both of them just stared at it like a bomb about to explode. And then, the device did its work.

The man soon passed out, nearly toppling atop his pet.

Back to the same old forest—the one which existed somewhere between. Noah walked through it. But it didn’t matter which way he turned or how many of the same tall birch trees he passed. He always ended up face-to-face with her.

She wanted to say something—her mouth beginning to move. But before the horned figure uttered a word, there came a droning sound from a distance. It was an overpowering wave of meows and a sea of brown Nekomimi ears that rushed towards the both of them.

It was several Tanji. Tanjis? No matter. Neither of them was spared from the stampede, with her tower crumbling as the pair were trampled below the many small feet.

[GENOME SUCCESSFULLY SEQUENCED]

Here came the familiar dizziness, washing over them like a painful headache they knew would go away. Crawling out of the water while barely conscious…is this what being born felt like? The smell of oranges became more pronounced as if their nose had never experienced anything ever before. After all, the smell of scented bathing salts was the first thing passing through its newly transformed mind.

[CREATING TEMPLATE]

After finally standing erect, the first thing they noticed was the unusual weight on their chest and stomach. Their body felt small…and large at the same time. Proportions were everything, after all. And even when half-submerged, it still pulled them down. Looking down at their reflection, a familiar face blinked back.

[APPLY? Y/N]

It was Tanji.

No, not exactly. It looked like Tanji, but she had bright ivory hair and deep scarlet eyes. She was a copy—an imperfect copy. Tilting her head up, she saw the original standing across. Both women just blinked at each other in disbelief at what was once a Noah.

“What!” There was no mistaking it. This was Tanji’s voice filtered through Naomi’s mind.

Naomi stumbled back, unfamiliar with her new Nekomimis form and her short legs which ended with her falling back into the depths of what was once a shallow bathtub. She watched as her other self stood above her through the liquid haze.

The discarded capsule floated above her like a dead plastic fish.