My Scumbag System Chapter 468: You Taste Like Master’s Mouth
Previously on My Scumbag System...
"Your familiar is observing us," Cel remarked with surprising composure.
"She observes absolutely everything."
Right there in the gym, Maki underwent her transformation, as per her usual disregard for propriety and timing. Concepts like privacy were alien dimensions to my familiar. Darkness coalesced around her small frame, akin to ink dispersing in water. The very fabric of reality warped and contorted in a manner that strained the eyes if one looked too directly.
Then, a completely unclothed woman stood before us, adorned only by a self-satisfied smirk and her inherent dark allure, presenting herself like the world’s most audacious streaker.
Cel’s eyes widened to saucer-like proportions.
"So, that’s the mechanism," she murmured faintly.
"A little surprise for you."
"But she’s a person."
"A person who is about to be confined to my room for a week," I stated, adding emphasis.
Maki paid me no mind, a typical response when faced with threats of confinement. She extended a hand towards Cel, exhibiting the flawless etiquette of a noblewoman at a grand ball, her posture impeccable despite her utter lack of attire.
"Maki," she announced herself with a graceful, subtle inclination of her head. "A Platinum-tier Bakeneko. My Master’s favorite."
"I am Celeste," Cel responded by rote, her ingrained social graces taking over as her mind struggled to comprehend the bizarre act of shaking hands with a naked cat-woman.
"I am aware. You carry the scent of winter and luxury." Maki’s grin became mischievous, revealing a flash of excessively sharp canines. "And you carry the taste of Master’s affections."
Cel’s complexion shifted from a light pink to a deep crimson in a mere fraction of a second.
"I… what? How—"
"Supernatural senses, obviously." Maki tapped the tip of her nose with a single finger, her expression one of utter smugness. "Excellently adept at discerning who has been intimate with whom. And you, Ice Princess, have been very thoroughly so."
I seized Maki’s arm with a firm grip, intending to convey my displeasure without causing actual harm.
"Transform. Immediately."
"But I was cultivating a new friendship!"
"Cat form. Now."
She adopted a pout, her lower lip protruding in a display of exaggerated disappointment that might have been endearing under different circumstances. However, her current state of undress and the embarrassment she was causing one of my Ensemble members negated any charm.
Nevertheless, she complied.
The transformation plunged us into another instance of warped reality, that same unsettling spatial and material distortion. The woman vanished, replaced by the cat form, which landed on the floor with a soft thud. She fixed me with a glare, her vertically slit pupils glowing with a faint golden hue under the gym’s artificial lights.
“You’re deliberately trying to make me mad,” she projected through our mental link, her thought-voice laced with vexation.
Cel remained statue-still, her cognitive processes clearly overloaded by the sheer outlandishness of the spectacle she had just witnessed.
"She can converse," she stated eventually.
"Regrettably, yes."
"And she is aware… of us."
"She is aware of everyone."
"Everyone?" Cel’s voice rose by a significant pitch.
"All five."
Cel sank onto the bench. Resoundingly. The metal groaned under the sudden weight, as if echoing her internal turmoil.
"Your familiar is a bipedal, talking feline capable of human form, who is privy to my intimate relations with five individuals," she articulated, her tone carefully measured, the characteristic neutral tone of someone fighting to maintain composure.
"When phrased in that manner, it sounds considerably more dire than the reality."
"How, then, should it be articulated?"
"Perhaps with less of an accusatory tone?"
A laugh escaped her. A genuine laugh—a sound so infrequent that Maki’s ears twitched with interest. It began as a stifled giggle, escalating into unrestrained, helpless mirth that caused her shoulders to shake and brought moisture to her eyes.
"You are going to bestow upon me premature gray hairs before I even reach the age of twenty," she managed, once her laughter subsided.
"Silver strands would complement you beautifully."
"Silence." She stood, straightening her attire with deliberate gestures. "I require a shower. Following that, I intend to erase this encounter from my memory—an encounter with your shapeshifting familiar who, it seems, possesses strong opinions on my personal life and zero concept of personal boundaries."
"Her opinions encompass all subjects," I confirmed.
"I do not doubt it."
Cel departed, taking the distinct aroma of winter and expensive fragrance with her.
The instant the door sealed shut behind her, Maki reverted to her human form, a predictable outcome given her lack of restraint.
"I find her quite agreeable," Maki declared, standing unadorned with her hands placed firmly on her hips. "She appears reserved, yet harbors warmth within. Akin to ice cream left out just long enough to soften slightly."
"Transform back before an audience arrives."
"Very well, very well." She assumed her cat form once more, her movements betraying an exaggerated reluctance as her shape blurred through the awkward transitional phase. "However, Master is indebted to me for extra ear-scratches to compensate for this series of transformations. It is quite taxing."
"Earlier, you described the process as effortless."
Nel chimed in cheerfully, because apparently even the System enjoyed calling out my familiar’s bullshit. The cat ignored both of us, padding toward the door with her tails held high in an expression of feline dignity that was completely unearned. Probably going to find more people to manipulate through weaponized cuteness. I was alone again, finally. Time to see what Sovereign’s Mandate actually did beyond the System description’s vague promises about elevating my court. I closed my eyes and reached out through the bonds that connected me to my Ensemble. It was like extending invisible fingers into a space that existed somewhere between thought and reality. The connections were there, always humming in the background of my consciousness, but now I focused on them with deliberate intent. Found Natalia first. Her presence felt like cold fire—sharp and controlled and absolutely lethal, like touching the blade of a knife fresh from liquid nitrogen. Through her, I could sense her location with crystal clarity. The dining room. Eating something that Emi had made, probably with way too much sugar and not enough actual nutritional value. I pushed a thought toward her along that connection, testing the limits of this new awareness. Her response came back immediately, sharp and clear as if she’d spoken directly into my ear. Fair point. I pulled back slightly, adjusting the volume of my mental presence.
