NOVPUBChapter 003: Awkward
Ning Chu never had much interest in TV dramas. Occasionally, she might check out a highly popular series with rave reviews, but the idol drama in front of her now was definitely not something she’d usually choose.
She couldn't understand why Yan Xinya was enjoying it so much...
Her attention soon drifted to something else.
"Xinya," Ning Chu asked, curiosity piqued as she looked at Yan Xinya’s head, "Can I touch it?"
"Are you a pervert?"
"I meant your ears!"
This was a world full of demi-humans, and as the author, Ning Chu had never actually touched one!
"Pervert!" Yan Xinya hesitated before shaking her head firmly. "No way!"
"Why not..."
Ning Chu stopped mid-sentence as she suddenly remembered something.
Since this was a smutty story, in her original setting, the ears and tails of demi-humans were highly sensitive areas... except for succubi, who could even convert pain into pleasure, with their entire bodies being a mass of sensitive points. Succubi also had a variable heat cycle, which is why the protagonist in the story managed to seduce the usually aloof succubus, Lily, during her heat.
Despite her curiosity about how it would feel, Ning Chu was afraid of making Yan Xinya uncomfortable, so she reluctantly lowered her eager hand.
But her curiosity wasn’t entirely quenched. "Xinya, do you have four ears?"
"Huh?" Yan Xinya blinked in confusion before lifting the long hair on the side of her head to reveal a pair of small, human-like ears underneath. "Two pairs."
Just as she thought, most demi-human girls had this feature.
"Oh~"
"These you can touch."
Who would bother touching human ears? Ning Chu wasn’t interested; she was only curious about the fluffy beast ears!
Satisfied for the moment, Ning Chu settled back into watching the drama.
But she had a habit of napping in the afternoon, and the TV show was doing nothing to hold her interest. The dialogue in the show quickly turned into a lullaby, and within ten minutes, her brain began to drift into a haze of sleep.
"So sweet~ Ning Chu, did you see that part?"
"Ning Chu?"
Yan Xinya turned her head, only to find that Ning Chu had fallen asleep, resting her chin on her hands.
The wolf-girl’s excited ears drooped immediately, lying flat against her hair, and her constantly wagging tail fell to the ground, limp.
Seeing the tail on the ground, the black kitten, Hei Dou, pounced on it, treating it like a cat toy.
Yan Xinya flicked her tail back and forth, trying to shoo away the kitten. She gave Ning Chu an irritated look. "I thought it was pretty good... If you didn’t want to watch, you could’ve just said so..."
Yawning out of boredom, she slumped over the desk, gazing at Ning Chu like a bored puppy waiting for its owner to wake up.
Every now and then, she twitched her nose, sniffing Ning Chu’s scent.
The faint fragrance of milk mixed with hormones—Ning Chu was probably still going through puberty.
She’s in her first year of university, so she’s at least seventeen or eighteen, right? That’s pretty late for development.
"Ow!"
Hei Dou suddenly bit down hard on her tail, making Yan Xinya’s whole body tense up, tears welling up in her eyes.
"This cat is so annoying!"
She turned around, baring her teeth at the little black cat, her slightly green eyes glaring fiercely as a growl rumbled deep in her throat.
Terrified, Hei Dou bolted from the room.
Yan Xinya cradled her tail in front of her, looking mournfully at the bits of fur scattered on the floor. "It even pulled out some of my fur..."
Hugging her tail tightly, she laid back down on the desk and soon dozed off as well.
......
“Knock, knock, knock.”
The light tapping on the door woke Yan Xinya. Her ears stood upright as she looked toward the door. "Who is it?"
"It’s me, Wen Yang. Why’s the door locked?"
"What time is it? You’re back already?" Yan Xinya instinctively glanced out the window. "Oh no! It’s already dark!"
Startled, she woke Ning Chu with a jolt. "What’s going on?"
"Wen Yang’s back. I’ll go open the door."
Ning Chu was still a bit groggy. She rubbed her tired eyes and glanced at the time, realizing it was almost seven in the evening.
No wonder she felt even more exhausted...
She had napped for too long, slumped over the desk, and now her whole body ached. Yawning, she looked up as Wen Yang walked into the room.
"Why are you here too?"
"I was keeping her company~ She was scared to be alone."
Wen Yang looked at Ning Chu in confusion. With her sleepy, defenseless appearance, she didn’t seem the least bit scared.
"You should’ve told me. I could have brought you some food."
"It’s fine. Now that you’re back, I’ll be heading out!" Yan Xinya perked up her ears, glancing between Ning Chu and Wen Yang with a wide grin. "Enjoy your evening together~ I won’t disturb you!"
"......"
Ning Chu shot a displeased look at the wolf-girl, but she had already dashed out of the room.
"Be careful! Stop being so loud!"
"I know!"
Wen Yang approached the desk and placed a takeout container of spaghetti on it. He looked at Ning Chu’s drowsy face, feeling a bit guilty. "Here’s your dinner."
"Thanks." Ning Chu stretched, stood up, and grabbed a towel to go wash her face on the balcony.
Once she’d freshened up a bit, she realized that she’d made it through the afternoon without the protagonist’s aura and without any harassment from perverts!
Was it because of Yan Xinya? Or maybe it was Wen Yang’s oversized shirt?
"How did your tutoring go today?"
Returning to the dorm, Ning Chu casually asked Wen Yang.
The mention of tutoring made Wen Yang feel even more guilty. "It was alright... but that middle school kid was hard to teach. He wouldn’t pay attention at all."
After spending two months with Wen Yang, Ning Chu had gotten to know him inside and out. She immediately noticed his evasive gaze.
What was he feeling guilty about?
Did he meet some girl he liked?
Her heart skipped a beat. She took two quick steps forward, closing the distance between them, and looked up at Wen Yang suspiciously. "Why do you look so guilty?"
They were almost pressed together. Wen Yang instinctively tried to back away, but Ning Chu took this as a sign of his guilt and followed him, closing the gap even more. "Did you meet a girl you like?!"
"No, no..."
Wen Yang kept retreating until he hit the wall, unable to back up any further.
He lowered his head and looked down at Ning Chu’s tense face, her suspicious eyes, and the soft body just centimeters from his. He could almost feel the warmth of her breath against his chest.
"Spill it!"
"Well... there was this senior high school girl who insisted I tutor her." Wen Yang looked up at the ceiling, avoiding her gaze. "And she lives in the same neighborhood. I ran into her when I was leaving too... There was a bit of physical contact."
Ning Chu frowned even more deeply. "And then?"
She was almost certain that this high school girl was a plot character! A normal girl wouldn’t be so shameless as to cling to a handsome guy she’d just met.
"I didn’t agree! Really!" Wen Yang responded in a panic.
"If you didn’t agree, then why are you so guilty..."
Because you were tempted several times and almost said yes, weren’t you?
Wen Yang could only smile awkwardly.
Ning Chu stared into Wen Yang’s eyes for a few moments longer, making sure he wasn’t lying.
Just as she was about to turn away and eat her dinner, her body stiffened.
Something hot had quietly risen, pressing against her stomach...
Wen Yang’s smile grew even more awkward.
