The so-called "I already have some at home" wasn't just a casual line. Rhodes really did have some at home.
First, Lisanna could use her Take Over magic to transform into a cat-eared white tabby girl, though that form was used almost exclusively for head pats.
The real problem, however, was Mira.
Not only could she also transform, but she had an entire cat-girl costume hidden deep in her wardrobe, something she only pulled out when she was in a particularly playful mood.
When she did, the Duke and Duchess' "private time" was nothing short of catastrophic for furniture durability.
So now, losing his tsundere little cat who made cute annoyed faces when patted, Rhodes was heartbroken.
Tsundere cats were the best, but alas, she had evolved into a cat girl. Truly, a tragic loss.
Still, he consoled himself. The growth of a comrade was something worth celebrating.
He cleared his throat. "Alright, jokes aside, Carla, what about your combat abilities?"
Carla's tail swished proudly. "Overall, my magic power and physical strength have increased. My control over precognition magic has also improved. For instance, people will gather around soon, and then Natsu and Happy will burst through that door."
She now referred to Happy by name when he wasn't around, but the moment he appeared, she would revert to calling him male cat without hesitation.
Rhodes chuckled. "That's not precognition. Even I can predict that future."
Carla blinked, and to his shock, spoke the exact same line simultaneously with him.
"That's not precognition. Even I can predict that future."
She even mirrored his posture perfectly.
Rhodes was genuinely taken aback. "You can copy my movements and speech? You've gotten that strong?"
"It's not that exaggerated," Carla replied calmly. "To perfectly predict another person's every move or word still requires immense focus and magical power. I just borrowed a bit of it for demonstration."
Mira smiled approvingly. "Even so, that's incredible. In battle, predicting just one move can turn the tide."
Rhodes nodded thoughtfully. 'Basically Observation Haki, huh? And top-tier at that.'
Carla beamed. She wanted to say she could protect Wendy even better now, but before she could speak, her prediction came true.
Their companions had already gathered around her, eyes wide in amazement.
"Wow, so cute!"
"Carla turned human!"
"Her ears! Her tail!"
Compliments flew endlessly.
At the edge of the crowd, Gajeel munched on stir-fried screws, unimpressed. "Tch. What's the big deal? My Lily's been able to transform for ages."
Beside him, Panther Lily, ever the dignified one, nodded. "As expected of Queen Shagotte's daughter, to manifest such power before turning ten."
His calm, adult voice reminded everyone that Lily was much older than he looked, probably even older than Mystogan. His words carried weight.
Gajeel frowned. "That queen's the one with only one wing, right? Doesn't that mean she's weak? What's that got to do with the little furball's strength?"
Lily's gaze softened. "There's a legend. When Queen Shagotte laid her egg, the life within was fading, so she sacrificed one of her wings to cast a spell that protected her child. A mother's love like that doesn't fade. I believe Carla, born from that love, will never be weak."
Gajeel opened his mouth, probably to challenge Carla to a duel, but after hearing that, he stuffed another handful of screws into his mouth instead.
At that exact moment, the guild's door burst open with a loud bang.
Natsu stomped in. "I want the flame set meal!"
"Aye! And I want steamed fish!" Happy followed right after, wings flapping.
The pair blinked when they saw everyone crowded around something.
Natsu elbowed his way through the mob, while Happy flew over their heads.
"Eh?" Happy tilted his head. "Who's the new member?"
Carla had initially thought to ignore him, but upon seeing the blue cat, her eyes glinted mischievously.
"Oh, male cat, don't you recognize me?"
"That voice…" Happy's gaze moved from her fluffy white cat ears to the pink ribbon swaying on her tail, and then to the familiar clothing pattern.
Realization hit him like lightning. His face froze, paws clutching his cheeks.
"Ehhhhhh?! Carla?!"
Carla crossed her arms, smug. "It is I."
"But why?!" Happy wailed as if his world had ended.
"This is the result of training," Carla replied smoothly, leaning in slightly. "So, how about you?"
"I uh…" Happy floundered. His magic had improved, sure, and he practiced flying every day, but compared to this, it felt pitiful.
More importantly, Carla's human form was way outside his taste range.
Happy threw up his paws in despair. "Why? Why did it turn out like this?"
Reedus felt the same as Happy. "I also don't think it should be like this."
Saying this, he even took out a painting. "It should be like this."
The painting depicted Lily and Happy as two demonic muscular cats, while Carla was a tall, cat-headed woman.
"Turning into this... wouldn't it be a bit disgusting?" Carla found it hard to accept. "And why does Lily still have to grow?"
Mira took the drawing and looked at it carefully for a while, touching her cheek with one hand, and said, "Isn't it quite cute? I think..."
"No cat head, absolutely no cat head!" Rhodes put his hands on Mira's shoulders and shook her vigorously, trying to stop his wife's bold idea.
"Alright, alright," Mira regretfully put down the drawing and tidied her hair, which had been messed up by Rhodes.
For a moment, she had wanted to tease him, but seeing his strong reaction, she gave up.
It was said that if men developed psychological problems in this area, it would be very troublesome, and one couldn't gamble with future happiness.
Everyone made a ruckus for a while, and Carla finally found it troublesome, so she quickly changed back into her cat form.
With no cat-eared beauty to look at, everyone dispersed.
Afterward, Lucy arrived late, accompanied by Lisanna.
The two sat down and chatted with Levy for a while, then suddenly stood up, leaning on the table with both hands. "What?! Carla can turn into a human?!"
They were only half an hour later than usual; what had they missed?
The two wanted to go ask Carla, but then suddenly heard Mira calling Lisanna and Rhodes calling Lucy's name.
The Demon Couple's summons had a much higher priority than satisfying their curiosity.
The two poor girls had no choice but to go ask what was happening first.
Mira calling Lisanna wasn't for anything big; she just called her sister to eat fruit and casually asked, "How did you sleep last night?"
"Very well, Lucy's bed is very comfortable," Lisanna ate the fruit unceremoniously, mentally adding, "Sleeping with Lucy is much better than with my sister."
Although Lucy would also hug people in her sleep, at least it wasn't to the point of strangling them.
Rhodes, on the other hand, took out a piece of information for Lucy to see and asked, "Have you heard of Saintopia?"
...
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