Chapter 64 Part 2

Now full of energy from sleep, the Cat Rabbit started parkour, darting through tunnel toys in the room, deliberately knocking the Octopus flying several times.

After a few rounds, the Octopus was dizzy and couldn’t stand.

Having vented, Zhong Nian felt better and curled up in board duck flop pose in the corner to rest.

“You guys in this crappy game won’t even give good items.”

Zhong Nian was always grumpy toward the System.

Especially these past two days; he hadn’t skimped on complaints.

“This is also the first time I’ve seen this…… Before you, no Instance NPC has ever been brought out. This should be a data error.”

But after exiting the Instance, the System reported the error immediately, only to learn it wasn’t a malfunction; the “Devil Town” Instance had refilled the missing NPC.

The System explained, but Zhong Nian didn’t care; he could only gripe at the only contactable System.

Like a tragic employee taking the blame for an unreliable boss, the System said helplessly: “……This isn’t my issue; I have no control.”

“Useless Bad System.” Zhong Nian cursed again.

After venting the nightmare sulk, he calmed down.

“Fine, I forgive you. It really wasn’t your fault…… Now you’re permitted to groom my fur.”

He rolled over, exposing his belly.

His fur was too long and thick; waking in the hutch always left it messy.

These two days, sulky, he’d dodged every grooming attempt by the System. Now it was so tangled even he couldn’t stand it; licking wouldn’t smooth it.

System: “……”

Clearly he had the need, yet phrased it like a favor or reward.

The System was a bit helpless but, fearing the rabbit-tempered Zhong Nian would regret it and get more irritable, quickly produced a comb.

The fur was knotted; to avoid pulling, the comb moved slowly, bit by bit untangling, extra cautious at belly or armpits.

Grooming felt good; Zhong Nian dozed off again briefly.

He woke groggily to find his fur groomed but vision half-blocked by something.

The System said: “Your fur grew long, blocking your eyes.”

At that, Zhong Nian dashed from the corner, ignoring the excitedly following Octopus, leaped onto a chair then the table, and peered into the mirror.

The mirror’s Cat Rabbit looked like a fluffy doll; the overly lush fur, combed, poofed even more into a giant furball.

Extra-long strands stuck out from ears like twin sky-high pigtails.

Fur blocking eyes made it hard to see clearly; the rabbit clawed it aside, then shook his ears, eyeing himself disdainfully: “How so messy?”

“Want me to trim it?” The System already held Pet Scissors.

“Mm.” Zhong Nian agreed. “Mess it up and I’ll bite you.”

He couldn’t actually bite the formless System; when mad, he just chomped air in tiny rages.

“Snip snip—”

The airborne scissors moved, paired with a fine-toothed comb; the sounds and scraping motions felt nice to the rabbit.

The System first trimmed the eye-covering long fur, revealing two blue-black eyes, then clipped gradually back from the head.

Impressively, the System’s skill was good, trimming stray spikes to make the poofy little rabbit refined.

Midway, the System touched here and there plenty, but Zhong Nian figured it unavoidable for clipping and endured—plus, the System stuffed a Teething Snack in his mouth, quite tasty.

Zhong Nian chomped away when he suddenly noticed a tentacle in the mirror, sneakily aiming to touch his freshly rounded tail!

“Squeak!”

He whipped around and jumped up, snarling angrily at the cheeky bad Octopus.

He knew his Rabbit Tail felt good; the System had groped it several times during grooming—this Octopus dared sneak too!

Squeak… grumble…

The Octopus offered some Rabbit Food coiled in its tentacle to Zhong Nian.

Unlike in the Instance, it couldn’t steal town residents’ candy to coax him anymore.

Fearing rejection, it offered timidly, blinking beady eyes at him.

“Hmph.”

Not wanting to waste food, Zhong Nian reluctantly ate the Rabbit Food, then grumbled at the delighted Octopus: “What’re you happy about? This was leftover in my bowl anyway—shame you even offered it.”

“……”

The Octopus wilted, drooping its waving tentacles.

“I’ve got treats here.” The System offered a piece of Dried Fruit to feed Zhong Nian, reminding: “Bought with my own points wage.”

In comparison, the empty-handed Octopus felt inferior and slunk aside.

“Don’t think a little Dried Fruit buys me off.” Zhong Nian turned back to the mirror, ordering the System: “Get back to work!”

The paused scissors dutifully resumed.

Soon, a pretty, neat Cat Rabbit emerged fresh.

He shook his ears before the mirror, turned his head, twisted his rear to check the trimmed round butt, gave it a shake, and rated: “Not bad.”

The System stowed the scissors and said: “My database updated with rabbit bathing guide; I’ve learned it.”

“No need; I can wash myself.”

Zhong Nian shook off fur clippings and shifted to human form.

The System quickly brought clothes to dress him; Zhong Nian was used to it, extending arms and legs complacently.

“Going out again?” Invisible hands buttoned the youth’s shirt, then fetched a Fisherman Hat to press low over his clear, pretty brows.

“Why not just drop it? Is he that important in your heart?”

“Mind your business.” Zhong Nian dodged the hands trying to put on socks, dressed himself, paused before leaving, and turned to the corner where the Little Octopus sobbed a puddle.

Didn’t want to bother, but it sounded pitiful.

Zhong Nian went over and scooped it up: “What’s this? Why cry…… I just yelled at you twice—wasn’t it you who started it? You wouldn’t even let me sleep in peace.”

The poached-egg-eyed Octopus suddenly got emotional, squeaking nonstop, shaking its head vigorously as if desperately explaining—but Zhong Nian couldn’t understand.

After watching awhile, he sorta got it: “I wronged you?”

“Squeak squeak!” Octopus shook then nodded.

“Ah……” Zhong Nian asked the System: “It really didn’t do anything bad while I slept?”

System: “It just stared at you.”

“No touching? System, why didn’t you tell me sooner.” Zhong Nian felt apologetic, rubbing the Octopus’s head where it’d taken two kicks: “My mistake.”

The nightmare was probably an Instance aftereffect.

Hence dreaming of lake-blue eyes—post-trauma influence.

The Octopus was easy to placate; after two rubs from Zhong Nian, it stopped crying and resumed shamelessly hooking fingers with tentacles, nuzzling wrists with its head.

Zhong Nian let it nuzzle twice before pressing down before it got bold: “Enough; I’m heading out. Coming?”

The Octopus nodded like pounding garlic, clinging desperately to his hand.

“Then you stay obediently in my shadow.” Zhong Nian poked its forehead with an index finger, long lashes drooping as he gazed down coldly at it, his fair tender face expressionless: “I only like obedient ones.”