"So... while you were using the terminal I left behind to browse the Schicksal Anonymous Forum, you saw a post by a user named Goose asking for help because her cat turned into a human?"
Imhotep, who had spent the entire night without sleep due to a covert mission to investigate strange energy fluctuations at Schicksal's North Africa Base, was now completely shaken awake from her bed by a relentless barrage of calls from the idiots under her command.
The white-haired girl, her hair a messy nest, glared at the idiots before her with an expression that clearly said, You woke me up for this? Meanwhile, Miss Irene was behind Imhotep, tidying her hair and stifling a chuckle as she examined the picture the others were showing her.
"Ahem, it's basically something like this, Boss~ But this cat is really special! Let me tell you, this is the cat Jackal picked up from the street years ago, named Stan. You probably petted it back in Arc City, it's a Siamese cat."
"But then there was a little incident later, and it was captured and kept as a pet by one of Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries..."
Raven explained this cat's uniqueness to Imhotep with a face full of excitement...
"Oh, Durandal's cat... Wait, did you say Stan???"
Imhotep, finally realizing what her subordinates were talking about, wore an expression that questioned whether she had fully woken up yet...
"Wait, couldn't that cat only transform into a Honkai Beast? Jackal, what kind of strange things did you add to its DNA...?"
Imhotep turned to look at Jackal, who had already started pondering if something had gone wrong with her experiment. After a long moment of reflection, Jackal put on an expression that said I have no idea.
"My Lady, don't ask me and don't look at me. I swear I didn't add anything strange to the experiment back then. Do I look like that kind of person?"
"True... If it were you, you'd probably have given us some three-headed, six-armed, green-skinned creature with blue-faced fangs."
After a brief thought about their influence on Jackal, the group decisively ruled out any problems with Jackal's experiment... But this also gave Jackal a certain sense of frustration...
"Hey, hey, hey, you guys! Stop judging combat ability based on looks all day long!"
"Looks determine combat ability... If you have to put it that way, it's actually not a problem with the Honkai at all..."
Imhotep thought about it and nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world...
"My Sire, at least show the ugly ones some basic respect!"
"LMAO. Not a single Honkai soldier is ugly. Some people even get a charge out of seeing Honkai Beasts! The Herrschers are all top-tier beauties. Which one of them isn't stunning? Which one of them lacks combat power? Now look at that bunch of monstrosities in your lab soaking in formaldehyde. A B-rank Valkyrie could beat a whole pack of them senseless."
Before Imhotep could speak, Raven, a fellow executive, didn't even give Jackal any face and directly fired back, taking the opportunity to diss the early, bizarre creations of Jackal's in the World Serpent lab.
"I... I... I..."
Jackal was completely choked up... What you said is so logical that I actually can't refute it.
"Alright... Stop fighting. At least, when Gray Serpent sketched those monsters and sold their images as horror creature concepts to movie production companies, it did earn us an extra sum of income..."
Imhotep patted the table to stop the two executives, who were gradually turning their fight into a comedy act.
"So getting back to the main point, how did this cat end up turning into a catgirl...? Hmm... According to her description, it seems she just fell asleep holding it one night."
"Which one of you wants to try hugging a cat tonight?"
"Sigh, Boss, this is a great opportunity. Schicksal is starting their official experiment tomorrow. When we crash the party, a few of us can just steal the cat, kidnap it, and study it. Won't that give us the answer?"
Sitting in the main seat, Imhotep narrowed her eyes like a mafia Godfather and thought for a moment, considering the feasibility of the plan Raven had proposed.
"Boss, anyway, that cat is having the time of its life at Schicksal. Back in Arc City, that Rita complained to me that the cat was getting heavier and heavier. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we kidnapped it, helped it lose some weight, and then returned it?"
"Are you sure it's not because that Valkyrie named Rita cooks so well that the three-faced house cat almost chewed through its bowl?"
Jackal recalled the awkward encounter with Stan in Arc City. The naive Madam Scientist had tried to use Stan's favorite snacks to win him back, but Stan, whose palate had been spoiled by Rita, didn't even spare a glance and turned away.
Her frustration only ended when she saw what kind of dishes the S-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal, Rita, was feeding Stan every day.
Rationally speaking, Jackal felt the cat was eating better than she, an executive of World Serpent... Now, the only one who could perhaps compete with that cat's meals was the Overseer of Schicksal...
"It's not impossible... Anyway, let's kidnap that Siamese cat, help it burn some fat, and then return it to Durandal."
"But it's already someone else's cat. Wouldn't this look bad?"
Imhotep watched her enthusiastic subordinates and twitched her lips, reluctant to dampen their spirits.
"I think our World Serpent is missing a cat. Jackal, do you think there's a problem with that?"
"I don't. Do you?"
"I don't either..."
"Sigh... Fine, just do as you all discussed. If you fail, don't come to me. And especially don't go around claiming you're from World Serpent..."
Imhotep shook her head helplessly and agreed to their kidnapping plan.
Just as they were discussing the cat's kidnapping, the doorbell at the World Serpent base entrance rang.
"Hello, anyone there? SF Express! You have a package, please open the door!"
"You can choose not to open it! Of course, it is only natural that I will break down your door and steal all your ice cream!"
"Hurry up and open the door!"
"...Which one of you idiots put this address for online shopping?"
Imhotep, seated in the main chair, swept her gaze across everyone present. Gray Serpent? Unlikely. Jackal? She's an idiot, but she never shops online. Raven? She's just the previous idiot's errand runner, and she doesn't shop online either...
Irene was even more unlikely. She's a Great Witch with three Quantum errand runners...
Oh crap, could this idiot be me? And why does that voice sound so familiar...
In the moments of hesitation among the people inside the World Serpent Base, the door, struck by the King of Storms, collapsed with a crash.
A Herrscher with dark green hair, wearing a white dress, strode in carrying a box...
"Cyan eyes, white hair, and angel wing-like hair ornaments... It's you, Imhotep, right!?"
"That's right... I wonder what business the Fourth Herrscher, Miss Wendy, has here?"
Staring at the collapsed door, Imhotep, her face now a grumpy kitten's scowl, looked at the cheerful Herrscher of Wind before her.
"What Fourth Herrscher? I'm just a delivery person! My boss heard you wanted a cat, so he asked me to deliver this thingamajig to you, saying you'd find it useful. Also, your refrigerator has been requisitioned by me on the spot as shipping costs!"
After dropping the box, the cheerful Herrscher, as if afraid they would refuse the delivery, snatched up the refrigerator in the room and vanished from their sight...
"I want to refu... Fuck."
"Little Sovereign, what were you saying just now..."
"This is just a scummy Herrscher trying to scam shipping costs, it doesn't count...!!"