My Scumbag System Chapter 443: The Carrot and the Spank

A sigh escaped my lips.

This was the price of pulling a Mythical-tier roll. A bouncy catgirl loaded with attachment problems and zero grasp of personal space.

But screw it. Maki ranked at Platinum-tier. That slotted her alongside my Protection from Arrows and Rockstar Made. Her control over lightning would shift the entire game. Nine lives turned her into the perfect backup plan. And that boosted agility... if she zipped around as swiftly as she'd just rocketed across the room, she'd dominate any fight.

Her power wasn't the issue.

Everything else about her was.

I glanced down at Maki, who was wriggling to get cozy on my lap while buzzing with pent-up energy. Her pair of tails whipped back and forth, now and then thwacking my thigh.

Regular stimulation kept her from falling apart.

Fighting, eating, or close contact.

So unless I kept her busy, she'd zap folks or spark international crises with other nations, and I had plenty on my plate without tossing in 'my familiar waged war on the Sentinels out of boredom.'

Carrot and stick it was.

I'd pulled that trick plenty before. Back in Tokyo, drilling fresh recruits who figured they were too smart or too hard to obey. Reward the obedient. Punish the rebels. Lay out the rules sharp and clear, leaving zero doubt on consequences.

Straightforward. Potent. Ruthless as required.

Maki cocked her head, peering up with those massive hazel eyes. 'You’re thinking really hard. Is it about me? It’s about me, isn’t it? Am I in trouble? That was fast. New record!'

'We need to establish some ground rules.'

'Ooh, rules!' She hopped once. 'I love rules. They’re so much fun to break.'

I seized her chin, making her lock eyes with me.

'Rule one. When I say do it, you do it. No backtalk. No haggling. Instant obedience.'

Her pupils widened a bit. 'And if I don’t?'

'Then punishment comes.'

A spark flashed over her features. Curiosity. Desire. Her breaths sped up enough for me to catch.

Oh.

Oh, this spelled trouble.

'What kind of punishment?' Her tone softened. Husky.

'The sort that drives home who’s boss.'

Her tails froze. She held perfectly still on my lap, her heat surging against me.

'And if I’m good?' Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips. 'Do I get rewards?'

'Depends how good.'

She quivered.

So Maki craved the pain.

Great. Extra complication I hadn't asked for but got anyway.

I let go of her chin and rose, hoisting her up too. She yelped in shock, legs clamping around my waist once more.

'First test,' I declared, heading to the desk and planting her on the wood. 'Clothes. Now.'

'But I don’t wanna—'

I silenced her with a quick slap to her rear.

Not heavy. Just enough bite to smart.

Maki jolted all over. Her jaw dropped. A blush bloomed from her face to her bosom, tinting her fair skin rosy.

'I said now.'

'I...' She gulped. 'I don’t have any clothes, Master.'

The title hit different now. Sultry. Devoted.

I snatched my thrown-aside shirt and flung it her way. 'Put that on.'

She snagged it on instinct, eyeing the cloth like a ticking bomb.

'You want me to wear your shirt?'

'Issue?'

'No! No issue! I just...' She buried her face in it and sniffed deep, lids fluttering closed. 'It reeks of you. And tons of other girls. You’ve been naughty, Master.'

'Shirt. On. Now.'

She slipped it on with teasing deliberation, transforming the basic move into pure seduction. It draped to her thighs on her petite build, hiding the essentials yet making her seem hotter than nude.

'Good girl.'

The praise halted her. Ears flicked. Tails swayed once.

Then her grin bloomed—radiant, real, and ravenous.

'Really?'

I stretched out, stroking her head, fingers gliding through soft black strands and teasing behind one cat ear.

Purring kicked in right away.

Rich. Throaty. Fierce enough to rattle the desk under her.

Eyes shut. Head nuzzled my hand. Body slackened completely.

'Oh that’s good,' she purred. 'More. Please. Don’t stop.'

I continued the scratches, observing her dissolve from the touch.

So the rewards clicked.

Perfect.

"When you follow my words," I murmured softly, "you earn this. Affection. Attention. Praise." I shifted to rub the other ear, drawing a real moan from her. "But when you disobey..."

I halted abruptly.

Her eyes burst open wide. "Wait, what? No, keep going! I was just starting to—"

I yanked my hand back entirely.

"That’s punishment number one. You lose what you crave."

She fixed her gaze on me. Her ears sagged low. Her tails coiled tight inward.

"That’s mean."

"That’s consequences."

"But I was being good! I put on the shirt like you said!"

"And you argued with me first. Which means you only get partial credit."

She chewed her lip, while I observed her wheels turning.

"So if I obey immediately," she uttered deliberately, "I get the good touches. But if I argue or fight back, I get punished."

"Quick study."

"I’m not dumb, Master. Just easily distracted." Her smile shifted slyly. "What’s punishment number two?"

I lifted an eyebrow.

Perched on the desk, she parted her legs a touch, letting the shirt creep up to expose her continued bareness beneath.

"You said that was punishment one. Which means there’s more. I wanna know what they are." She propped herself back on her hands, bowing her spine. "Show me?"

I moved in between her thighs. Seized her hips. Dragged her ahead until she teetered right at the desk’s edge.

"You want to be punished?"

"Maybe?" Her voice shrank small. Hesitant. "I mean, I don’t. Obviously. That would be weird. I’m a good familiar who always obeys and never causes problems and—"

I slipped a hand beneath the shirt and clamped her bare ass, squeezing with force.

"You’re lying."