Chapter 201. Did You Miss Me? (1)

Translator: Lili

Startled, Shushu tried to push back, but she braced her arms to stop herself. Mini Cat. Her prison wife. At that moment, she thought of the kisses she had shared with Mini Cat—the bitter taste of ink, the stamp she had been given.

Her unpredictability, her immorality, her selfishness—qualities Shushu didn’t possess. Because of that, she had thought they could never truly connect. Yet Mini Cat had given Shushu a unique kind of closeness, something only she could offer. That’s why Shushu couldn’t help but grow fond of her—why she couldn’t help but love her.

“Let go. You’re getting me wet too.”

Even at those quiet words, Shushu didn’t release her grip on Mini Cat’s arm.

She couldn’t hold back her sorrow. It felt like there was no one in the world who was truly on her side. She was lonely and heartbroken, and she hated herself for losing an opportunity right in front of her because she was too worried about what others thought. She had finally escaped, but she felt even more pathetic now than she ever did in Augwell.

Shushu had never wanted to go back to Augwell, not even once. But she missed the people she had met there—Bluebird, Carrot, Jackie… even Sugar Girl, if she was being generous.

And most of all, she missed Mini Cat.

“I’m sorry, Mini Cat… You got me out of there, and I… I only did stupid things… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Mini Cat…”

“…”

Henriad wanted to snap, ‘the one you should be apologizing to isn’t Mini Cat but me, the one you’re turning into a soaking wet cat’, but he bit his tongue instead. It wasn’t so much an act of consideration for a drunken Shushu as it was the realization that his clothes were already soaked through, and complaining wouldn’t change that.

“Enough, let go of me.”

“No…”

Shushu’s tearful refusal came so quickly and firmly that Henriad felt a pang of irritation.

“You said you’d comfort me…”

“…”

Shushu’s quiet mumbling as she nuzzled against his neck made Henriad pause.

When she stopped trying to pull away and instead leaned into him, Shushu found a burst of courage. She pulled her head back slightly to meet Henriad’s gaze, closed her eyes, and leaned forward.

The soft touch of her lips startled Henriad, who remained still as Shushu brushed her rough lips against his. Like a bird offering affection, she pressed light, gentle kisses to his mouth.

With each short breath, warmth filled her chest. After a few moments, the kiss ended, so brief it could hardly even be called one. Even though she had initiated it, Shushu kept her eyes shut, and Henriad quietly observed her before speaking.

“… I don’t want to do this with a drunk.”

But even as the words left his lips, Henriad’s voice cracked, betraying his faltering restraint. He bit down on the inside of his mouth, trying to suppress his emotions.

“Why…?”

Shushu, oblivious to his inner struggle, opened her eyes and asked.

“Have you… lost interest in me too?”

“What?”

Before Henriad could even question her, Shushu tightened her arms around him. When he tried to pull away, Shushu clung to him stubbornly, like a fledgling refusing to leave its mother.

“Like everyone else… are you done with me too…?”

Her words trailed off into sobs, the final part lost in her tears. Overwhelmed, Shushu broke down, her crying filling the silence. Henriad let out a low sigh.

“Mm!”

Shushu stopped mid-sob when her cheeks were suddenly cupped firmly. The abruptness left her no choice but to stop. Her anguished cries melted away as his lips covered hers, silencing her.

His tongue lightly brushed her palate before retreating, and his lips gently sucked on her lower lip. A ticklish warmth spread from her chest to her toes. When the hard metal of his piercing grazed the back of her teeth, Shushu felt a strange relief. It really was Mini Cat. The feel of the piercing reassured her, even as her heart pounded.

“Ngh… ah… mm…”

What began as a soft kiss deepened into something more intense, leaving Shushu breathless. Lost in the moment, she gasped when a hand slid behind her back, lifting her slightly. Her soft cry was muffled by the kiss.

His lips left hers, trailing down to her jaw, her neck, and lower still. Unlike the intensity in her mouth, his pace grew gentler and slower as he moved. Yet as his tongue and soft hair grazed lower, Shushu realized what was about to happen.

“W-wait…! Ah…!”

Her weak protest was swallowed as lips pressed against her bare chest. Shushu knew, deep down, that she didn’t truly want to resist. Her conflicted gaze lingered on the white crown of his head before her eyes fell shut, surrendering.