Goddess Development Plan

Half-asleep, Chu Lian felt something licking at her cheek. She tried to push it away, but it was like she was drowning—something was weighing down on her, leaving her unable to muster any strength.

The sensation startled her. She tensed up and jolted upright, scaring the curled-up Tina beside her.

Rubbing her eyes, Chu Lian glanced at the clock on her nightstand—6:45 AM. She frowned. Going to bed too late and waking up too early was a recipe for exhaustion.

Last night, she hadn't gone to bed until after ten, far past her usual pre-10:00 PM bedtime. That deviation from her usual rhythm left her feeling groggy and unrested.

But now that she was awake, she realized there had been no real danger—just a half-asleep illusion. She scooped up Tina into her arms and squeezed its cheeks, puffing hers up in protest. "Stupid cat, you slept all day yesterday, and you're a nocturnal animal, so waking early is no big deal for you. But I was up late working—couldn't you let me sleep a bit longer?"

Tina wasn't buying it. It glanced at her sideways, then arrogantly turned its head away. Chu Lian felt like she could read the message in that look: "Sure, keep pretending. But if you'd slept any longer, you'd be late. Eight hours of sleep isn't enough for you? You're just making excuses to be lazy. I was right to wake you."

It was blatant contempt—and Chu Lian couldn't even argue back. After all, it was just her interpretation. It might not be what Tina meant. Even if she was 99% sure it was.

With no way to take revenge, Chu Lian tossed Tina onto the bed and grabbed her uniform, running off to the bathroom. Tina, left behind, watched her leave with a smug flick of its tail and strutted across the bed, clearly savoring its small victory.

Humans are such stupid creatures. If anyone dared look at me like that, I'd kill them on the spot. A person like that isn't worthy to be my master—they need serious training! Tina thought, walking over to Chu Lian's schoolbag, licking its paw, and hopping in. Afraid to be left alone with Chu Lian's fearsome mother, it clearly intended to tag along to school.

Let me see what this so-called 'school' of this dumb flat-chested master is like. It sounds fun. Hope it doesn't disappoint… yawn… Curling up amidst the books, Tina stretched and dozed off again.

When it next awoke, the bag was jostling along a bumpy road. Carefully, it nudged the zipper open just enough to poke one eye through and observe the outside world.

The human world is so lively. Unlike our realm, where aside from the Spirit Cat clan, there are only a handful of foreign races. The entire world looks like a primordial jungle covered in plants—no animals, no sounds. On this point, that wretched woman didn't lie. This world is fun… Tina only dared to peek with its eye and not move too much, afraid Chu Lian might notice and drag it home.

But clearly, it was overthinking things. Within minutes, Tina saw many people wearing the same uniforms walking in groups toward the same direction.

Ah, that big sister's chest is huge! She looks about the same age as the dumb flat-chested master, so why is there such a huge difference in volume? This isn't fair! I demand a master with development potential!

"Good morning, my adorable little pet..." Just after Tina muttered those words, a lazy yet seductive voice echoed in her mind, startling her. If she hadn't been tucked into the schoolbag, she likely would've leapt out.

She immediately recognized the voice—it belonged to none other than Ayase, the woman she always referred to as "the annoying red-clothed woman." And from the sound of it, Ayase knew her very well. Tina's refusal to speak her name was clearly just a tsundere's pride.

"Oh my, seems our little kitty isn't all that brave after all. Got startled so easily—makes me wonder if you'll even be able to fight in the future," Ayase's tone remained lazily teasing, but a terrifying spiritual pressure swept through Tina's consciousness, sending a cold shiver through her soul.

This pressure was unlike anything she'd ever felt—even among beings stronger than her, none had ever instilled this innate warning: Don't mess with her.

"I won't interfere with your preferences, nor will I force you to change. But you must understand one thing—your duty is to accompany her, protect her when she's in danger, not scorn her. Got it?"

Tina, still curled in the schoolbag, nodded frantically. The last thing she wanted was to anger Ayase.

"That's better. Since you chose to stay by her side, I'll let this little slip-up go. But if it happens again, I won't be so forgiving. Understood?"

I understand... I don't really hate my master. I just... I just want her to grow up faster. I'd never think of leaving her. I actually like her a lot. I love her the most... As Ayase's spiritual form entered Tina's soul sea, she saw a tiny kitten—identical to Tina's real body—trembling yet still trying to explain herself. The sight made Ayase giggle.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing. You think I don't understand your little thoughts? Silly thing—it's been a while. Did you miss me?" Ayase walked over and scooped the shivering kitten into her arms, chuckling gently.

In the soul sea, reality's limitations didn't apply. Even if Tina couldn't speak in real life, here she could convert her thoughts into words. A tearful little girl's voice filled Ayase's mind: "You scared me again! Why do you always have to scare me? Red-Red is the worst! You always say you like me, but ever since you brought me here, you disappeared. Now you're back just to scare me—I hate you the most..."

To Ayase's surprise, Tina's manifested voice was even softer and more delicate than Chu Lian's—like a little loli on the verge of tears, crying out with huge, watery eyes.

Ayase hugged her tighter and cooed, "There, there. I scare you because I like you. Just like how you clearly adore your master, yet act all tsundere about it. That's just another way of expressing affection, right?"

"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care! You always say you like me after bullying me. I don't believe you! Unless... unless..." The tearful voice slowed, clearly gearing up to make a demand.

Rolling her eyes, Ayase looked down at the white cat writhing in her arms, rubbing its head and paws against her ample chest. "Unless what? You little manipulative brat... I need to go ask your elders what kind of nonsense they've been teaching you. They're clearly unfit to mentor anymore."

Tch, I learned all of this from you... Tina didn't dare say it aloud, merely grumbling internally. But she forgot—Ayase was inside her soul sea. Unless protected by divine-level memory barriers, nothing could escape Ayase's awareness.

Unfortunately, Tina only realized this a second too late. Before she could escape, Ayase pressed her tiny body firmly into her bosom and whispered seductively, "Looks like I'll have to teach you some new lessons… hehehe..."

Thankfully, Chu Lian couldn't hear any spiritual or soul-based voices at the moment. Otherwise, she'd definitely have picked up on the strange sounds emanating from Tina's soul sea…

"Don't lick there..."

"Nngh... I hate you."

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again... ah..."

"Please, have mercy, I can't take it..."

"No, stop... mmm... I'm going to break..."

"Lewd stuff is the worst..."

Well, even if Chu Lian did sense something, she wouldn't have had time to process it—because by now, she had already taken her seat in class.